Is this photo of a man with a black eye Paul Pelosi? No, that's not true: This appears to be a doctored photo. The Napa County Department of Corrections provided Lead Stories with the correct mug shot of Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on June 14, 2022, and confirmed the details of his arrest on DUI charges…

Does a picture show "pallets of formula" in Mexico, proving that there is only a shortage of baby formula in the United States because "the Biden Administration wants us to suffer"? No, that's not true: Not only does the picture not show baby formula but the U.S. shortage is caused by well-documented events that are unique to the country and…

Was John F. Kennedy Jr., preparing to make an announcement about his candidacy for U.S. senator of New York right before his death? No, that's not true: Although reports have suggested that Kennedy was considering running for the Senate seat, there was no indication that, before his death in July 1999, he was about to announce his candidacy. Consequently, the…

Did someone steal a newborn from "fort-sanders hospital"? No, that's not true: While an unsourced post making that claim gave no location for "fort-sanders" hospital, the only similarly named hospital found in an online search of the American Hospital Directory is Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. The communications manager with the Knoxville Police Department told Lead Stories…

Is Shell gas company doing a giveaway of $500 gas cards for $1.95 or a $250 gas card after completing a survey? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for Shell responded to Lead Stories by email on June 15, 2022, saying that Shell is not providing either of these services. There is no evidence on Shell's website of the company…

Did the U.S. Navy use a 40,000-pound explosive to blow up a sea monster from the bottom of the ocean that was heading toward Florida? No, that's not true: This detonation of a 40,000-pound explosive in the Atlantic Ocean was part of a Full Ship Shock Trial (FSST) conducted by the U.S. Navy on June 18, 2021, to be sure…

Does Facebook keep taking down a photo of a police officer praying? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for Facebook told Lead Stories in a June 14, 2022, email that this was not true. The post does not violate Facebook's policies and there has been no enforcement on the content, according to the spokesperson. The claim appeared in a Facebook…

Does a video show U.S. Capitol Police just opening the gates for rioters on January 6, 2021, so they could attack the Capitol? No, that's not true: Marcus DiPaola, the freelance journalist who shot the video, told Newsweek in a January 7, 2021, story, "They definitely didn't just open the barriers, the pro-Trump rioters made a fist like they were…

By Uliana Malashenko Is it true that a "classified" Azov document proves that over two-thirds of the Mariupol population support Russia? No, that's not true: The link to the English-language article by the state-controlled Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) did not contain any evidence to support the claim. Multiple discrepancies cast doubts on the authenticity of the shared document allegedly…

Is a post saying "Harriet Tubman is not a real person" accurate? No, that's not true: Multiple historians told Lead Stories this claim is false. One of them, the author of "Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom," wrote, "I can suggest that the notion that Harriet Tubman was not a real person, but a manufactured piece of fiction is categorically…

Are you six times more like to be killed by a doctor than a gun in the United States? We don't know. The estimates are too scattered to form a conclusion. Official mortality statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are typically based on the underlying cause of death as "reported and certified on death certificates by…

Is it true that there are no athletes who were assigned female at birth, transitioned and tried to compete in men's sports? No, that's not true: Although transgender female athletes such as swimmer Lia Thomas have received attention for their participation in events that align with their affirmed gender, there are also transgender male athletes who have tried to compete…

Did McDonald's accidentally give out 5,000 condoms with Happy Meals? No, that's not true: The site this claim originated from is satirical. There is no evidence from any trusted news organizations that this event has ever occurred. The claim originally appeared in an article (archived here) published by CAP News under the title "McDonald's Apologizes For Condoms In Happy Meals."…

Is the supply of rice in the United States or Ghana corrupted with a fake rice product containing plastic or rubber that is making people sick? No, that's not true: Rumors about plastic rice have circulated around the world since at least 2011 -- but no evidence of such a counterfeit food has been found. These claims about fake rice…

Is President Joe Biden "banning switchblades alongside semi-automatic rifles in the coming months as a result of the recent mass shootings"? No, that's not true: The tweet making the claim is fake and was never posted by the account shown. The claim appeared in an Instagram post on June 13, 2022. It opens: It's looking likely that Biden will be…

Was an extradition of former President Donald Trump "already in motion" as of June 13, 2022? No, that's not true: That claim is a satirical take on one of the first documented posts from "Q," the mysterious figure that sparked the QAnon movement. The claim appeared in a tweet (archived here) posted on June 13, 2022. The tweet used "DJT"…

Did a 15-year-old school kid from Minnesota get an A+ for writing a poem, "New School Prayer"? No, there is no evidence that is true: This poem has been circulating for decades with some revisions. There is no record of a grade given, no link to Minnesota or a traceable attribution to the original poet or their age at the…

When the Second Amendment was passed in 1791, was a well-regulated militia restricted to one musket, two spare flints and 24 bullets? No, that's not true: The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution does not define what a well-regulated militia is, but The Militia Act of 1792 does lay out some of the parameters; and the numbers above are the…

Did President Joe Biden approve a "healthcare card" that provides free health, vision and dental benefits? No, that's not true: There's no such "healthcare card" approved by the president -- and the claim is an advertising ploy. The claim appeared in a Facebook post published on May 23, 2022. It featured a picture of Biden with stacks of legislation and…

Have the DUI charges against Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, been dropped? No, that's not true: The Napa County district attorney's office was working on charges stemming from Paul Pelosi's DUI arrest in Napa County, California, according to a voicemail message by Assistant District Attorney Paul Gero taped on June 10, 2022. Larry Kamer, the spokesperson for…