Does the latest "X22 Report" video contain only true and accurate claims? No, that's not true: The video recycles falsehoods circulated by QAnon conspiracy theorists and contradicted by credible publicly available documentation. Among the debunked claims are that the 2020 election was rigged, that Donald Trump won in a landslide and that hydroxychloroquine and zinc are a cure for COVID-19.…

Is the scope of the Colonial Pipeline shutdown somehow related to whether states are red or blue? No, that's not true: There's no connection between the shutdown and whether states are Democratic or Republican. The system spans more than 5,500 miles between Texas and New Jersey, an area that includes states of both political persuasions. In May 2021, the pipeline…

Was the United States energy independent four months ago, before President Joe Biden came into office? Has it lost ground in terms of energy independence, and has this resulted in gas shortages in May 2021? No, none of those things are true: In January 2021 the U.S. consumed more energy than it produced, its energy independence rises and falls, and…

Did U.S. first lady Jill Biden have a medical license stripped from her by a medical board? No, that's not true: Biden is not a medical doctor and the publication that made the claim is a known satire website. The claim appeared in an article (archived here) titled "Medical Review Board Revokes Jill Biden's License" that was posted on the…

Is the Keystone Pipeline closed and is that causing a gas shortage? No, that's not true. The gas shortage on the East Coast of the United States in May 2021 was triggered by a cyberattack that caused the shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline, which runs from Houston to New Jersey and supplies 45% of the gasoline to the East Coast.…

Did Michigan authorize a full forensic audit of the 2020 presidential election? No, that's not true: No new audits are planned, a spokeswoman for the Michigan secretary of state told Lead Stories on May 11, 2021. Since the election, more than 250 audits have been completed, reflecting the largest number of audits ever conducted in Michigan's history. The claim appeared…

Is the audio track accompanying a TikTok video of President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden boarding the Marine One helicopter unusual (or fake)? No, that's not true: While someone has set the sound balance on this video clip extremely loud, it is typical for the Marine One helicopter to be making noise while the rotors are not yet…

Did Chelsea Clinton say "if Jesus were alive today he'd be working at Planned Parenthood"? No, that's not true: There's no evidence she ever said that. The source for the claim is a fake tweet, which cannot be found on Clinton's verified Twitter account. A spokesperson for Clinton confirmed that she did not post the purported tweet. The alleged quote…

Was there a coup at the Pentagon? Were the Joint Chiefs of Staff overthrown? No, that's not true: A Pentagon spokesperson denied the claim, which was based on a single purported "confidential" source. The story was published by a website known for printing unsubstantiated and false allegations, many of which Lead Stories has debunked before. The claims appeared in an…

Did Pepsi sell more products than Coca-Cola during the April, 2021 boycott declared by conservatives to punish the company for criticizing Georgia's new voting restrictions? Did Delta cancel 100 flights because of the boycotts? No, that's not true: according to Coca-Cola and PepsiCo's first quarter earnings reports, Coca-Cola earned almost $600 million more than PepsiCo in the first quarter. Delta…

By Dana Ford and Maarten Schenk Does "new evidence" on voting systems in Antrim County, Michigan, give a full and complete picture of how tabulation machines and software work? No, that's not true: The evidence, which consists of a video showing that it is theoretically possible to swap votes, is missing important information. It ignores the safeguards in place to…

Did President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden put former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter at risk by not wearing masks inside the Carters' home? No, that's not true: Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention generally recommends wearing face coverings for maximum protection against COVID-19, fully vaccinated individuals like the Carters and the…

Did an Instagram influencer shout an expletive at Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, after Fauci told the influencer to lift up his mask at an airport? No, that's not true: the claim was made in a fake tweet and there is no evidence that Fauci has been to any airport since the…

Did winning Kentucky Derby jockey John Velazquez turn down a White House invitation, saying he didn't want to see "a horse's ass"? No, that's not true: The quote is fake. Calling the purported quote "ridiculous," Velazquez's agent told Lead Stories the jockey is unfailingly polite. "He wouldn't say anything derogatory about a fly. It's just not him," said Ron Anderson,…

Does a 10-second video clip show President Joe Biden "again" inappropriately kissing a young boy? No, that's not true: The clip, from 2015, shows Joe Biden comforting his grandson, Robert Hunter Biden, at the funeral of the child's father, Beau Biden. Joe Biden strokes his grandson's hair, and kisses him on the cheek and puts his hand on the boy's…

Did protesters at a governing board meeting for the Vail Unified School District in Arizona elect a new school board and legally vote for the district's mask policy to be lifted? No, that's not true: While the protestors did stage what appeared to be an impromptu election for a new school board on April 27, 2021, their election was not…

Does a video prove that "final moves against the deep state" are happening now? No, that's not true: Many of the conspiracy theories claimed in the video are false. Donald Trump is not still president or "in charge," the London 2012 Olympics did not foreshadow the coronavirus outbreak and John McCain and George H.W. Bush were not found guilty by…

During a debate, did Kamala Harris say to Joe Biden, "You will do whatever the Chinese tell you! They gave your son over a billion dollars"? No, that's not true: Kamala Harris never said this to Joe Biden during a debate. The claim seems to have first surfaced on Twitter in late January 2021 and on Facebook in April 2021.…

Is Kamala Harris' book in "welcome bags" for illegal migrant children in California? No, that's not true. The spokesperson for the city of Long Beach told Lead Stories there was one copy of the book that appeared in a widely circulated photo, but the vice president's book was not part of the welcome bags. The claim appeared in an article…

Was Hillary Clinton hanged at Guantanamo Bay on April 26, 2021? No, that's not true: The claim is the latest in a series of false claims about Clinton that have appeared on a website known for publishing fake news. Lead Stories has debunked prior allegations, including the claim that Clinton was arrested, that she faced a military tribunal and that…