Blue Feed

Is a meme correct that Chelsea Manning was "in jail" as of March 2022? No, that's not true: Manning was released from jail in 2020 and is free as of this writing. Manning's recent tweets from her verified Twitter account, as well as news reports about her, confirm that she is no longer incarcerated. The claim appeared in a Facebook…

Did the U.S. Supreme Court find the Union -- the name for the United States led by then-President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War -- guilty of "Constitutional Treason" in 1867? No, that's not true: There was never any such ruling by the Supreme Court in 1867, and the quotation by then-Chief Justice Salmon Chase used to justify the claim…

Did California ask electric vehicle owners to avoid charging their cars during a strain on the power grid? Not really: Although the California Independent System Operator (ISO) has encouraged consumers to adjust their electricity usage during a potential power grid strain, the suggestion is not a call to avoid electricity altogether. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here)…

Did George Orwell say or write: "The further a society drifts from truth the more it will hate those who speak it"? No, that's not true: Orwell never said this. The quote is from a freelance writer named Selwyn Duke, who coined it in a 2009 piece about the banning of conservative author Michael Savage from Britain. The meme attributing…

Is the relatively high number of registrations on November 2 and November 3, 2020, evidence of voter fraud in Michigan? No, that's not true: On Election Day alone, close to 32,000 people registered to vote in Michigan, according to officials. A spokeswoman for the Michigan secretary of state told Lead Stories that the registrations were legal and due to the…

Did actor Sylvester Stallone wear a T-shirt featuring former President Donald Trump's face, the continental United States in red, white and blue, and text that read, "I'd Love A Mean Tweet And 1.79 Gas Right Now"? No, that's not true: The picture has been altered. In the original, Stallone is wearing a plain black T-shirt. The claim appeared in a…

Is there "shocking evidence of widespread fraud" in Wisconsin's voter database? No, that's not true: Responding to a slew of allegations, Wisconsin election officials pointed out that lists of inactive voters - who are not on poll books and cannot vote - were used to inflate claims about illegal voters. Another "fraud" example was easily explained by simply looking up…

Is the Biden administration funding the distribution of "crack pipes" and heroin for drug use? No, that's not true: The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) declared none of the federal funds for harm reduction programs for drug addicts can be used to provide crack pipes. While a description of the HHS grants stated that the grantees would be…

Did Dan Bongino show a graphic that accurately showed that the unhealthiest cities in the United States are run by liberal politicians? No, that's not true: He showed a graphic during his February 5, 2022, show on Fox News that inverted the information from a published report. The graphic he shared titled, "Top Ten Most Unhealthy U.S. Cities," listed 10…

Was former presidential adviser Anita Dunn sentenced to death at Guantanamo Bay? No, that's not true: A duty officer at the Pentagon told Lead Stories that this information is "false." A spokesperson for Anita Dunn tells Lead Stories, "no such events have occurred." The claim was made on a self-described satirical website that publishes articles for "entertainment purposes." The claim…

Is the number of registered voters greater than the voting-age population in Sells, Arizona? No, that's not true: The Pima County Recorder's Office told Lead Stories that the total number of registered voters in the district of Sells is 1,197, which is less than the voting-age population. The claim appeared in a tweet (archived here) published by "Liz Harrington" on…

Did The View suspend Whoopi Goldberg for two weeks, or 10 episodes, for refusing to apologize to Kyle Rittenhouse for calling him a "cowardly little Nazi"? No, that's not true: There is no record of Goldberg characterizing Rittenhouse with those words and Goldberg remained host after the claim was published by a known satire site. It is the work of…

Did Vice President Kamala Harris call unvaccinated Americans "dirty Trump people" on a phone call with members of the Biden-Harris administration? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Harris ever said this. Such a story, if leaked, would prompt extensive media coverage in reputable outlets, and there has been no such coverage. The source of the claim --…

Did Nancy Pelosi buy a $25,000,000 mansion in Florida? No, that's not true: "This is completely false," the Speaker of the House's deputy chief of staff told Lead Stories. The real estate broker who listed the house told Lead Stories that neither Pelosi nor anyone related to her purchased the home. The claim appeared as a post (archived here) where…

Was Anita Dunn, former senior advisor to President Joe Biden, arrested on November 20, 2021, by the U.S. Marine Corps? No, that's not true: officials told Lead Stories the political strategist was not apprehended. Plus, the website where the claim was published is infamous for promoting fake stories. The claim appeared in an article (archived here) posted online on November…

Was Sasha Obama, daughter of former President Barack Obama, arrested in connection with a million-dollar shoplifting ring? No, that's not true: the website where the claim originated is a part of a satirical network of websites that publishes fictitious stories about liberal or Democratic public figures. For good measure, the satire site hot-linked the word "source" to a Russian phrase…

Did Joe Biden have "one of his most disturbing moments to date" when, during Veterans Day remarks at Arlington Cemetery, he referred to Satchel Paige as "the great Negro"? Was Biden being racially insensitive, deliberately using an outdated term pejoratively? No, that's not true: Biden, who has been open about his struggles overcoming a stutter in childhood, stumbled in introducing…

Did Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez say "it is time to redefine 'natural food"? No, that's not true: This article is fake. The "Minneapolis Red-Star Tribune" does not exist, and there is no record of Ocasio-Cortez ever mentioning "cellular agriculture" when describing the Green New Deal. The claim appeared in a November 3, 2021, Facebook post (archived here) titled "AOC: Time to…

Was former first lady Michelle Obama involved in or arrested as a result of a hit-and-run accident? No, that's not true: This claim originated from a satirical website, with the story carrying a site category tag of "Michelle Obama Fan Fiction." It uses the name of a fictitious town. Also, there's been no news coverage that would be inevitable if…

Did President Joe Biden mention a "famous African-American baseball player" to Pope Francis? Yes, he did: But Biden was only setting up a metaphor about age. After the comment, Biden proceeded to tell the pope about Leroy "Satchel" Paige, a Negro leagues and major league pitcher who played professionally well into middle age. Biden used a quote from Paige to…