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Did conservative commentator Ben Shapiro tweet that his wife sleeps in her own bedroom in a Columbus Day message? No, that's not true: A tweet allegedly by Shapiro that claimed his daughter "went into my wife's bedroom," is a fake satirical message. The claim appeared in an Instagram post (archived here) on October 14, 2021. It opens: My daughter woke…

Does Fox News require vaccinations for all employees? No, that's not true: A Fox News spokesperson shared with Lead Stories an internal memo that was sent out companywide in August 2021, stating that "all employees must enter their vaccine status" and wear masks in some situations. Subsequently, Kevin Lord, executive vice president of human resources at Fox News parent Fox…

Are fully vaccinated people unable to spread COVID-19 if they are infected? No, that's not true. President Joe Biden incorrectly stated that vaccinated healthcare workers cannot spread the coronavirus if they are infected after receiving their full doses. According to the Centers for Disease Control, "vaccinated people can still become infected and have the potential to spread the virus to…

Did Fox News founder Rupert Murdoch recently say, "I started Fox News to get rich," or "We created a fake story that 'Biden stole the elections' to keep our low IQ viewers returning every day"? No, that's not true: "This report is false," a Fox News spokesperson told Lead Stories, referring to a post that attributed those and several other…

Does the photo in this social media post show the first version of the Statue of Liberty, and was it sent back to France? No, neither is true: The photo is of a different statue, in the Caribbean nation of St. Martin. The first Statue of Liberty, sent to the United States in 1884 by France to celebrate the abolishment…

Did Berlin citizens cast a "decisive vote" on the expropriation of 240,000 privately owned apartments? No, that's only partially true: In a referendum, proponents of expropriating large real estate companies won by a large margin, but it's not legally binding for the newly elected parliament. Whether the socialization of apartments owned by landlords who each possess more than 3,000 apartments…

Did U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert live-tweet Speaker Nancy Pelosi's whereabouts during the January 6, 2021, insurrection? Not exactly: Boebert tweeted when Pelosi was removed from the House chamber, but did not tweet where Pelosi was specifically located or headed in a building with 540 rooms and 850 doorways. The claim appeared in this meme on multiple social media accounts, including…

Did U.S. Border Patrol agents use whips to round up Haitian migrants and refugees who were crossing a river at the Mexican border near Del Rio, Texas? No, that's not true: While photos and video circulating show mounted border patrol agents aggresively attempting to turn back people trying to cross a shallow portion of the Rio Grande, it does not…

Did the NFL's Dallas Cowboys unveil a new uniform for their cheerleaders as of September 7, 2021? No, that's not true: The image of women looking down, while dressed modestly in blue cloaks with white hats displaying blue stars, carrying pom-poms, was digitally altered from a scene from a popular TV series about enslaved women. The meme is from a…

Did Oklahoma gunshot victims wind up having to wait to be seen at the hospital because there were too many people who had overdosed on the horse worming medication ivermectin? No, that's not true: Reports in various outlets painted a highly exaggerated picture of what Dr. Jason McElyea had described in an interview. Further complicating the issue, when one hospital,…

Did former President Donald Trump say to not be distracted by Afghanistan because "a magician always distracts his audience ... And we all know that the Democrats are very good magicians"? No, that's not true: Liz Harrington, Trump's spokeswoman, told Lead Stories that "President Trump did not say this." Trump did make a comment on Afghanistan, but it had more…

Is it true the Taliban are now in possession of more Black Hawk helicopters than 166 other nations around the globe? Yes, but context partially changes the meaning of that. For instance, images of Taliban insurgents standing near Black Hawk helicopters in Afghanistan after taking control of the country do not show a chopper ready for combat, an aerospace expert…

Was a digital billboard in Wilmington, North Carolina, hacked to feature memes that were critical of President Joe Biden? No, that's not true: According to Donald Tedder, owner of the digital billboard, the billboard was not hacked -- the memes were provided by a "private citizen." The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published on August 17, 2021.…

Did "corrected" vote totals from the 2020 election presented by Mike Lindell at his election fraud Cyber Symposium as "Truth" support the theory that fake ballots were injected into every state's official election returns? No, that's not true: Lindell's "Truth" totals add up to the same number of votes he calls "The Big Lie," which are the final tallies that…

Did Donald Trump suggest "people inject versions of poison into their veins"? No, that's not true: Although he speculated in 2020 that injecting disinfectant could have a curative effect on COVID-19, he stopped short of telling people to do it. Then-President Trump appeared to call for research on the possibility and later sought to distance himself from those comments, saying…

Did Marjorie Taylor Greene say, "Jesus loves the U.S. most, and that is why the Bible is written in English?" No, that's not true: There is no evidence the Republican representative from Georgia ever said that. There is evidence, though, that the quote or variations of it has been around for decades and has been misattributed to mock a range…

Would taxing churches in the U.S. result in taxpayers paying only around 3% of what they pay now? No, that's not true: Although religious institutions may receive an estimated $71 billion in tax exemptions, the 3% statistic does not appear to have any basis in the amount of taxes foregone as a fraction of taxes collected on taxable entities. Churches…

Did U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, who has made disparaging remarks about government assistance, receive a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for her restaurant Shooters Grill? No, that's not true: a restaurant with a similar name as the Colorado representative's establishment received a PPP loan. The assistance has no connection to her business. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived…

Did Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida suggest that people associated with the January 6 incident at the U.S. Capitol should be pardoned? No, that's not true: The tweet saying this did not come from his actual Twitter account, and the fake account has since been suspended. The claim appeared in an Instagram post (archived here) published on July 6,…

Did George W. Bush admit that explosives were used in 9/11? No, that's not true: The claim relies on footage from a 2006 press conference. The video was edited and his comments were misconstrued. Bush was talking about explosives in the context of other plots and planned attacks, not the 9/11 attacks. The claim appeared in an article (archived here)…