Did Melania Trump just announce her divorce? No, that's not true: There have not been any public announcements by the former first lady or former President Donald Trump regarding a divorce as of September 27, 2022. No news outlets have reported that Melania Trump made any such announcement. The claim appeared in a video on Facebook on September 24, 2022,…

Did Poland "take the first step towards turning Ukraine into a Polish colony"? No, that's not true: Even a Facebook video that made such a claim admits there are no credible media reports or official statements backing this up. Lead Stories previously debunked similar claims that were initially published on the website of Russia's foreign intelligence service, the SVR. On…

Are cinnamon and apple cider vinegar "Natural Diabetes Cures"? No, that's not true: Multiple publications report there is not yet a cure for diabetes. And while cinnamon has been shown to help stabilize glucose levels, taking insulin and adjusting to your lifestyle via healthy dieting is ultimately the best way to combat diabetes, a Ph.D. clinical dietician told Lead Stories.…

Did thousands of soldiers deploy on the streets of London, crossing the iconic Tower Bridge in the early hours of September 24, 2022, local time? No, that's not true: Not only were there no news reports of any such deployments in the British capital but the bridge shown in the video does not appear to be Tower Bridge, which has…

Does a video of night explosions confirm that Chinese President Xi Jinping was overthrown from power during a coup in Beijing in September 2022? No, that's not true: The footage does not show the capital of China at all -- it was shot in another city, Tianjin, and was uploaded to YouTube in 2017. The claim appeared in a tweet…

Is the U.S. blood supply contaminated by donors who have had the COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true: There is no scientific evidence that the vaccine enters the bloodstream and Lead Stories spoke to experts who refuted the claim. The claim appeared in an Instagram post on September 23, 2022. It opened: YOU TELL LIES This is what the post…

Are former President Donald Trump and his allies able to "implore" the U.S. military to trigger the Emergency Alert System (EAS), a national public warning system, if they don't like the midterm elections results? No, that's not true: The EAS is used on a state and local level by officials to notify the public about urgent events such as violent…

Did Russian airlines ban men between 18 and 65 years old from buying tickets to other countries in response to the "mobilization" announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 21, 2022? No, that's not true: Despite rumors on social media, there was no such ban at the time of writing. However, high prices, a limited number of available destinations…

Can a president of the United States declassify classified documents and information by simply saying "it's declassified" or by just "thinking about it"? No, that's not true: There is a procedure for presidents to declassify documents and it is spelled out in the Federal Register, which is the official journal of the federal government of the United States. Lead Stories…

Was Barron Trump kicked out of school because his tuition had not been paid? No, that's not true: This clickbait title for a video is false. The title's claim is not discussed in the video, which contains a montage of stock photos with a robo voice-over reading articles from a tabloid website. The video was posted on Facebook Watch by…