Does the U.S. government have an "American Homeowner Relief Program" that gives thousands of dollars to homeowners as part of the federal government's COVID-19 stimulus legislation? No, that's not true: No federal stimulus program by that name exists and there are no such stimulus payments available specifically to U.S. homeowners, according to a mortgage expert. The claim - made in…

Did the woman in this video really wash her SUV with gasoline? No, that's not true: This prank skit video was posted on TikTok by a channel that posts many staged videos. In another video posted a day later, the actor sips from the stream of liquid coming from the yellow prop gas pump handle and declares, "It's water!" The…

Is there a car hack that can save your life -- a secret button behind the flap covering the gas tank that can unlock the doors? No, that's not true: A video posted to a satire website claims to show a trick to help a woman who locked her keys in the car, but the secret button does not exist.…

Does a University of Miami study confirm that COVID-19 vaccines will affect men's production of sperm? No, that's not true: The Miami study looked at sperm counts of men infected and killed by COVID, not those of vaccinated men. The Instagram post also claims vaccines can suppress sperm counts "either by injection or transmission," an illogical expansion of the study's…

Does the latest "X22 Report" video contain only true and accurate claims? No, that's not true: The video recycles falsehoods circulated by QAnon conspiracy theorists and contradicted by credible publicly available documentation. Among the debunked claims are that the 2020 election was rigged, that Donald Trump won in a landslide and that hydroxychloroquine and zinc are a cure for COVID-19.…

Are Styrofoam picnic coolers a cheap, easy-to-find container to hoard gasoline in? No, that's not true: Styrofoam (extruded polystyrene) melts almost instantly when it comes in contact with gasoline, so this would be impractical, dangerous and illegal. These memes began to appear on social media in mid-May 2021 when some people were hoarding gasoline after the Colonial Pipeline was shut…

Did a child in Gaza capture a video of members of Hamas, a Palestinian political and militant group, driving a truck loaded with rocket launchers through a residential street in Gaza? No, that's not true: The video, which first appeared in 2018, shows the town of Abu Snan in the northern region of Israel, and the truck contains large missiles,…

Does a video show a "terrible gas driver"? No, that's not true: The truck shown in the video is not a gas truck, it is a truck from a company that cleans sewers. And there's nothing shown in the video to indicate that the driver is anything less than careful. The claim appeared as a video (archived here) on Facebook…

Did Palestinian militants or Hamas recently stage a fake funeral for propaganda purposes using a living person wrapped in a shroud? No, that's not true: The fake funeral depicted in this staged video was intended to be a humorous skit to demonstrate an inventive way to get around strict coronavirus curfews. Although the precise location of this video is not…

Does a TikTok video show a large display of Israeli artillery? No, that's not true: The video actually shows video game footage from ARMA 3, a tactical shooter video game originally released in 2013. The claim appeared in a TikTok post (archived here) posted in May 12, 2021. The caption read: Israel 🇮🇱 😱😱 #habeshaTikToK #TigrignahabeshaTikToK #pleasestop #prayforme 🙏❤️ This…

Is the scope of the Colonial Pipeline shutdown somehow related to whether states are red or blue? No, that's not true: There's no connection between the shutdown and whether states are Democratic or Republican. The system spans more than 5,500 miles between Texas and New Jersey, an area that includes states of both political persuasions. In May 2021, the pipeline…

If the gas station is out of gas, can you put diesel in your car as long as you water it down? No, that's not true. "Water and internal combustion gasoline engines are not compatible," Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson, told Lead Stories. Amid the gas shortage due to the Colonial Pipeline shutdown, Americans are being warned not to water down…

Does a TikTok video featuring multiple launching rockets show the Palestinian political and militant group Hamas launching rockets toward Tel Aviv, Israel during the 2021 hostilities over sites considered holy by Muslims and Jews? No, that's not true: The outdated video clip has circulated since at least 2018 with a variety of false captions about the location of the launch.…

Did Cristiano Ronaldo refuse to shake hands with the president of Israel? No, that's not true: A post that makes the claim relies on old footage of the soccer star appearing to snub Michel Platini, then-president of the Union of European Football Associations. The 2014 video has nothing to do with the Israeli president. The claim appeared in a video…

Was the United States energy independent four months ago, before President Joe Biden came into office? Has it lost ground in terms of energy independence, and has this resulted in gas shortages in May 2021? No, none of those things are true: In January 2021 the U.S. consumed more energy than it produced, its energy independence rises and falls, and…

Does a video show a woman pumping gas into plastic bags at a gas station in May 2021? No, that's not true. The video was filmed at a gas station in Houston in December 2019 -- not amid the gas shortage due to the Colonial Pipeline shutdown following a cyberattack in May 2021. The claim appeared as a Facebook post…

Did a gas station post a sign saying that customers must show proof of employment to make a gas purchase? No, that's not true: The picture of the sign is satire and was created using an online image generator. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on May 12, 2021. The post featured an image of an ExxonMobil…

Will the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) only count unvaccinated COVID-19 cases? No, that's not true: The agency says it tracks all cases, regardless of vaccination status. A claim to the contrary appears to be in reference to a recent change in one surveillance system. Namely, the CDC is moving away from reporting all vaccine breakthrough infections to…

Does a photo show a trunk full of gas-filled garbage bags in the United States amid the gas shortage in 2021? No, that's not true. The photograph was lifted from several Mexican websites' articles in 2019 about stolen gasoline. It was not taken in the United States in 2021 amid the gas shortage due to the shutdown of the Colonial…

Is "oxtail" a retail name for kangaroo meat and does a Connecticut grocer substitute oxtail for kangaroo tail meat? No, that's not true: an employee from the meat department of the store whose label is shown in the photo told Lead Stories the store buys its meat from a USDA-approved meat supplier and that there's no "oxtail" branding of kangaroo…