Is Hungary preparing to prosecute "lifelong Nazi" George Soros? No, that's not true: The claim, posted by a prolific publisher of fake news, is based on a single anonymous source. It repeats the oft-debunked claim that financier and philanthropist Soros was a Nazi. In fact, Soros, who is Jewish, lived through the Nazi occupation of Hungary in 1944-45, when he…

Did Elon Musk ban activist Greta Thunberg from Twitter? No, that's not true: Thunberg's Twitter account is still active. The claim appears in a publication with a disclaimer that its satirical articles are "not meant to be taken seriously" and "We make no claim that the information presented in these articles is true or accurate." The claim appeared in a…

Are humans never supposed to get sick and does the power of the human mind heal all sickness? No, that's not true: Medical experts have identified several causes of diseases other than human thoughts that affect the human body. The claim appeared in a reel published on Facebook on February 8, 2023. It featured a clip from an interview with…

Is Mickey Mouse "clearly massaging his massive erection" in a video described on social media as an "old @Disney reel"? No, that's not true: A former Disney animator called the short clip a "forgery." The NSFW video takes isolated character elements from the 1928 Disney cartoon "Steamboat Willie" and combines them with new animation to create something that looks like…

Was Jacob Chansley, aka the "QAnon Shaman," led through the Capitol by police the entire time he was in the building on January 6, 2021? No, there's no evidence that's true: Chansley broke into the building, where he ignored repeated requests to leave and was -- at least for a time -- alone, according to court documents, some video footage…

Were the victims of an Arkansas plane crash on their way to East Palestine, Ohio, to test the water, soil and air after a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed there? No, that's not true: The five victims, employees of CTEH -- an environmental consulting firm -- were headed to a metals plant in Bedford, Ohio, according to a CTEH spokesman.…

Did Albert Einstein say, "I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots"? No, that's not true: Archival experts told Lead Stories that there is "no evidence" of such a quote having come from Einstein. Lead Stories found no record of this quote after searching several databases and archival records…

Are transgender people and gender fluidity "products" of modern Western civilization? No, that's not true: Non-binary gender expression in many communities across the globe throughout history has been documented and researched. Professor Lisa Duggan told Lead Stories that even though people of earlier epochs did not necessarily conceptualize themselves through the optics of present-day terms, the phenomena are not modern…

Was a massive "sandy UFO" caught on camera? No, that's not true: This footage is not real; it's special effects graphics in the 2022 sci-fi horror movie "Nope," directed by Jordan Peele. A short video clip was published on Instagram by @yeshuachoseyou on March 7, 2023. It was captioned: yeshuachoseyouHUGE SANDY UFO CAUGHT ON CAMREA ‼️😱🛸🔥 #sand #ufo #ufos #rapture…

Did a "confidential source" find more than 250 million "humanoid aliens" living on the moon? No, that's not true: NASA told Lead Stories they have not yet found any sound evidence of extraterrestrial life. The key word "humanoid" implies that these aliens are similar to humans. Since humans can't survive on the moon, "humanoid aliens" would also not be able…