Blue Feed

Did President Joe Biden take away $250 million in funding for the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) that is dedicated to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)? No, that's not true: The Biden administration has provided funding to HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions (MSIs) during his presidency. The federal government, however, does not provide any funding to HBCUs through the…

Did Tafari Campbell, the Obamas' personal chef, suffer "blunt force trauma" prior to his July 2023 drowning death? No, that's not true: The Massachusetts State Police told Lead Stories that there were "no external trauma or injuries" observed in Campbell after his body was found in Edgartown Great Pond near former President Barack Obama's home on Martha's Vineyard. The claim…

Did the Biden administration blame Vice President Kamala Harris for the cocaine found in the White House on July 2, 2023? No, that's not true: There's no information or evidence to support that claim. The White House has never said or suggested that the vice president was responsible for a small plastic baggie with the powdered substance found in a…

Did then-President Barack Obama refer to his wife Michelle as "Michael" during a speech in 2011? No, that's not true: He was talking about Navy Adm. Mike Mullen's son then-Lt. Michael Edward Mullen. This clip takes a moment from a speech out of context. Obama was listing the members of Adm. Mullen's family during a September 30, 2011, Change of…

Did Barack and Michelle Obama's story change about where they were when their personal chef Tafari Campbell drowned near their Massachusetts home, "altering the story to say they were indeed on the property" when Campbell went missing? No, that's not true: Massachusetts State Police said in a statement that the former president and his wife were "not present at the…

Did Tafari Campbell, the Obamas' chef who drowned in July 2023 while paddleboarding, make a post two years ago stating that he had information that would lead to Barack Obama's arrest? No, that's not true: This is a fabricated post shared by the right-wing meme account @PepeLivesMatter. Campbell never suggested he had incriminating evidence about Barack Obama on social media,…

Does a video show President Joe Biden struggling to speak during an MSNBC interview? No, that's not true: The video has been heavily edited to only show when the president stumbled over his words and it is not a true depiction of what he said in the nearly 20-minute interview, as an uncut version of the interview shows. The claim…

Did country star Morgan Wallen pull his music from Country Music Television (CMT) in response to CMT removing a song by Jason Aldean? No, that's not true: This is a fabricated satirical article crafted to spin off the true news that CMT did pull the video for Aldean's song, "Try That In A Small Town" on Monday, July 17, 2023.…

Does the music video "Try That In A Small Town" by country music singer Jason Aldean only contain "real news footage," as he asserted in a public response to criticism that his song and video promote violence and allude to timeworn lynching threats? No, that's not true: Not every clip in the video is news footage. There are several stock…

Did the World Economic Forum introduce a "mark of the beast" CBDC microchip to "end gun ownership" in the United States? No, that's not true: The United States hasn't announced the implementation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) as of this writing, and the hypothetical abolishment of the Second Amendment that allows gun ownership would involve a different process…

Did public health experts discredit the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer and other pharmaceutical companies got emergency authorization from the Food & Drug Administration (FDA)? No, that's not true: While the new vaccines were being developed, ivermectin was also being studied as a potential treatment for COVID. Field trials did not find conclusive evidence that…

Did former President Barack Obama say that pedophiles deserve the "same rights'' as 2SLGBTQI+ people? No, that's not true: The tweet attributed to him that says, "Minor-attracted persons deserve human rights" is fabricated and was never posted by Obama. The article making the claim says his recent open letter about banning books was "specifically referring to sexually explicit books," though…

Is a social media post featuring an audio recording of President Joe Biden talking about the banks collapsing real? No, that's not true: Experts in digital forensics and deepfakes told Lead Stories that the recording is not authentic. The claim appeared in a post and video on Instagram on April 22, 2023, under the title "President Biden. The fiat dollar…

Did President Joe Biden fall asleep during an important meeting with the president of Israel? No, that's not true: Biden met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog at the White House on July 18, 2023. A video clip posted on Instagram shows a moment during the meeting with the sound removed. Biden had some note cards on his lap and he…

Did U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris laugh at a question about Ukrainian refugees at a press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw on May 10, 2022? No, that's not true: Harris did laugh following questions about Ukrainian refugees, but she wasn't laughing at them or their plight. The laughter followed an awkward pause as the U.S. vice president…

Does a video show President Joe Biden browsing and selecting books in a store's section called "Brain Exercises for Dementia"? No, that's not true: The video was altered to add a sign with those words on it. Biden was actually picking up children's books in 2012. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Instagram on July 16, 2023.…

Does a pro-Ron DeSantis PAC ad use a real recording of former President Donald Trump's voice? No, that's not true: The audio of Trump used in the ad was created by artificial intelligence, the spokesperson for the political action committee told Lead Stories. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published by Never Back Down on July 18, 2023,…

Did Vice President Kamala Harris give a speech to say reducing population is a goal of the climate change movement? No, that's not true: While she did say the words "reduce population," a While House official confirmed to Lead Stories that the intended word was "pollution," and a correction made in the White House transcript reflects that. In her speech…

Did President Joe Biden attend a Fourth of July event where every attendee had their phone off? No, that's not true: Evidence from news organization footage shows that people were recording and phones were on. It was possible that because the event was in the evening, and the sun was lower in the sky, rays from the sun blocked out…

Did President Joe Biden wave "to nobody" after delivering his address in Lithuania on July 12, 2023? No, that's not true: The claim is based on video showing only the president, not a wider shot showing the audience beside the stage. The story appeared in a post on Instagram on July 12, 2023. The caption said: Biden points and waves…