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Does a video show a grieving father cuddling the lifeless body of his toddler who died as a result of the October 2023 Hamas-Israel violence? No, that's not true: The recording predates the October 2023 conflict. It went viral for the first time in 2021 with a description about a sick child being comforted by a pet cat. The story…

Is President Joe Biden offering Black individuals $300 an hour to pick cotton? No, that's not true: This meme is satire and is not based on any current events or proposals from the U.S. leader. The meme appears to be a spin-off from a satrical Instagram page named Hoods News that boasts it has "The best memes and fake news…

Does a collage from social media prove that nobody showed up to celebrate Brazil's Independence Day in the country's capital in 2023? No, that's not true: The composite image shared on social media does not contain any photos from 2023. The claim originated from a post (archived here) on Instagram on September 7, 2023. It opened: Happy Independence Day Brazil…

Does a video shared to social media on August 23, 2023, show Russian oligarch Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin's jet "on fire before crashing"? No, that's not true: While the video itself is authentic, it documented an unrelated plane crash that reportedly occurred nearly two months earlier on June 24, 2023, "near the village of Kantemirovk," about 700 miles from the village…

Was White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre caught in a "drunk driving accident" by DC Metro Police? No, that's not true: There is no evidence to support this claim. The White House press office called the assertion "false" and the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C., told Lead Stories that there's "no record" of any such incident. The claim appeared…

Did Bill Gates hatch a convoluted plan to create a demand for anti-malaria drugs he funded by also funding malaria-fighting programs while developing a means to introduce malaria to the United States through genetically modified mosquitoes? No, that's not true: Genetically modified male mosquitoes being tested in the U.S. - the type that don't spread malaria and also don't bite…

Is the federal government launching a new program that will allow officials to control individuals' bank accounts, and have officials of Visa and Mastercard warned about such a program? No, that's not true: The Federal Reserve is simply launching a real-time payment (RTP) system that does not aim to intrude on bank customers' accounts, according to a spokesperson. The claim…

Does a video on Mexico's Milenio Television channel show a Mexican cartel member carrying a U.S.-made Javelin anti-tank missile? No, that's not true: Raytheon Technologies, which makes the Javelin, told Lead Stories that the video shows another type of shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon. The claim appeared in a post on Twitter (archived here) by Mexican journalist Azucena Uresti on May 31,…

Does the Chelsea Clinton-endorsed vaccine program "The Big Catch-up" require U.S. children to receive a COVID-19 mRNA immunization? No, that's not true: The program is a global effort to "catch up" on giving recommended childhood vaccines, which declined globally during the 2020 pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) told Lead Stories that there are no mandated vaccinations required under this…

Did several videos in countries around the world accurately show that tiny sharp nails or pins were in medicine capsules sealed in tamper-evident blister packs? No, that's not true: In February 2021 several videos circulated on the internet showing adulterated medicine capsules. The medicines pictured, from different manufacturers, have limited distribution in several different countries. Aside from the suspicious videos…