Fact Check

Did the city of Atlanta ban the word "women" across all public platforms in favor of the phrase "birthing persons"? No, there's no evidence that's true: Spokespeople for the Atlanta City Council told Lead Stories they had no knowledge of such a ban and that no such legislation has been approved. Additionally, official social media accounts continue at the time…

Does a picture circulating on social media prove that Pfizer has a patent "for tracking vaccinated humans worldwide via microwave and graphene"? No, that's not true: The pictured document is not a Pfizer patent and it does not mention graphene or microwaves. Pfizer's office of media relations confirmed to Lead Stories that Pfizer has nothing to do with the patent,…

Does cayenne pepper heal stomach ulcers, and is it safe to consume in excess? No, that's not true: An emergency medicine toxicologist at the National Capital Poison Center told Lead Stories that cayenne pepper can cause many life-threatening health complications when consumed in excess. A clinical dietician also told Lead Stories that cayenne pepper irritates stomach ulcers, causing more pain.…

Do vaccines make children allergic to nuts? No, that's not true: There is no known association between childhood vaccines and these sorts of allergic reactions. An assistant professor of pediatrics in allergy and immunology called the notion "anti-vaccine rhetoric." The claim appeared in a post on Instagram published on February 14, 2023, with the description "A little Valentine's Day poetry…

Can "illegal immigrants" be police officers in California? No, that's not true: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law that allowed non-citizens who are legally authorized to work in the U.S. to become police officers. There are no citizenship requirements to become a police officer in the state. And federal law prohibits employers from hiring immigrants who are not authorized to…

Is a recording sounding like President Joe Biden telling people to "own a musket for home defense" real? No, that's not true: Although the voice sounds like Biden, video clearly shows he's speaking different words than those heard in the recording. Also, the phrase -- "own a musket for home defense" -- is the start of a well-known copypasta, a…

Is antineoplaston therapy developed by Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski an effective cure for cancer? No, that's not true: There is not sufficient evidence that antineoplaston therapy -- an alternative type of cancer treatment using drugs that are composed of chemical compounds found naturally in human blood and urine -- is an effective cure for cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration…

Did Bill Gates create computer viruses and infect Microsoft computers to then sell antivirus software programs? No, that's not true: There's no evidence that either Gates or his company deliberately created and spread computer viruses, and a spokesperson from Gates' private office confirmed to Lead Stories that such a claim is false. Creeper, the first experimental self-replicating computer virus, was…

Did Maxwell Chikumbutso, an inventor from Zimbabwe, develop a technology to turn radio frequencies into free, unlimited, green electricity that can power a car that never needs charging, a television or even a neighborhood? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Chikumbutso's inventions work as described. Although there have been public showcases of some of Chikumbutso's "microsonic energy…

Does the human body contain 2 trillion volts of electricity in it? No, that's not true: A professor in electrophysiology told Lead Stories it "does not make sense" to talk of voltage of the human body. He likened the human body's electrical ability to a table with 1,000 batteries sitting on it, unconnected, with the negative ends of the battery…

During his 2023 State of the Union address, did President Joe Biden say, "Capitalism is exploitation"? No, that's not true: The quote and the video it comes from have been edited. Biden said, "Capitalism without competition is exploitation," not "Capitalism is exploitation." Also, the president's altered words came from his State of the Union address about a year earlier in…

Does more than one train derailment a day manifest a dramatic increase compared to the existing national statistics about train accidents? No, that's not true: A video implying that three derailments within a week and a half don't match the ordinary pattern contradicts historic data that has been recorded since the 1970s. The claim originated from a post on Facebook…

Do photos of "Lynn Dee Walker" and others shared on social media show the gunman who killed three people and wounded five others at Michigan State University? No, that's not true: Authorities have identified the shooter as 43-year-old Anthony Dwayne McRae. An example of such a claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published February 13, 2023, the same…

Did Lauren Boebert threaten President Joe Biden's life live on stage? No, that's missing context: She did not threaten his life directly, and was speaking in the context of impeachment -- but the Bible verse she quoted in her speech is controversial in how it can be interpreted. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) where it was published…

Does the United Kingdom forbid COVID boosters for healthy people? No, that's not true: A representative of the U.K. Health Security Agency (HSA) called the notion "nonsense." February 12, 2023, marked the end in the U.K. of the autumn booster campaign, which was the first time boosters were offered to everyone under 50 regardless of their health status. A separate…

Did Grammy award-winning singer Rihanna wear a pentagram-shaped symbol on her belt during the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show? No, that's not true: The shape seen in the post, on her aerial safety belt, is hexagonal, but in clearer photos is neither a hexagon nor a pentagon . A pentagram, associated with satanism, has five points. The claim appeared as…

Is ALC-0315, an ingredient in Pfizer's COVID vaccine, unsafe? No, that's not true: A claim to the contrary relies on a misunderstanding and misapplication of a safety data sheet, which was created in the context of occupational safety for those handling large amounts or high concentrations -- not the small amounts in a therapeutic product -- according to experts consulted…

Did former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton state that cash should be banned to combat climate change? No, that's not true: Clinton never made such an assertion during a speech in Gujarat, India, and Lead Stories has not found any proof that she has ever publicly made such a statement. The claim originated from an article (archived here) published by…

Did a dog howl into the night trying to warn people in an eastern Turkish town of the coming earthquake disaster? While it's not possible to know why the dog was howling, and the date of the video has not been verified -- this video does not show eastern Turkey. It shows an intersection in the town of incesu Kızılören…

Was the devastating temblor that struck Turkey on February 6, 2023 actually a human-caused earthquake triggered by a weapon from an ionospheric research program called HAARP, in response to the Turkish president's move to block an expansion of NATO? No, that's not true: Experts that spoke to Lead Stories say the quake's occurrence is a natural event supported by scientific…