Did Colorado Gov. Jared Polis sign a bill that legalizes abortion up until the time of birth? Not exactly: Although Polis did sign HB22-1279, also known as the Reproductive Health Equity Act, or RHEA, that bill only codified the state's already existing reproductive rights into Colorado law and prevents state and local interference in reproductive measures such as abortion. Even…

Did the Waunakee Community School District in Wisconsin put a "furry protocol" in place to normalize students who identify as and act like cats and dogs at school? No, that's not true: According to the superintendent of the school district, there are no such protocols in place. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on March 31, 2022.…

Did California introduce a new bill that would allow mothers to kill their babies up to seven days after birth? No, that's not true: Under California State Assembly Bill 2223, a person would not have a license to kill (LTK) their baby for a week after they're born. The author of the bill suggested an amendment to clarify its immunity…

Did former President John F. Kennedy give a speech seven days before he was assassinated about a plot to enslave every man, woman and child? No, that's not true: According to the communications manager at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, it is a common question that the organization "has found no truth to." No other source has…

Was Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator under the administration of former President Donald Trump, executed at Naval Base Guam on July 6, 2021? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no evidence supporting the claim. The claim was published by Real Raw News, an outlet known for releasing fictitious information. The claim originated in an article…

Did the "Bombshell" report published by Mike Lindell about Mesa County, Colorado, voting systems prove election machine manipulation? No, that's not true: The Colorado Secretary of State's Office, whose election security systems are called into question by the report, calls the analysis "unauthenticated hearsay." Independent of the state analysis, election and cybersecurity experts who reviewed Lindell's "Bombshell" report for Lead…

Did President Joe Biden tweet a stock photo in March 2022 with trees covered in leaves taken in the middle of summer? No that's not true: The photo of Biden boarding Marine One on March 23, 2022, is not old or stock. It was taken at the time the boarding occurred. It shows the South Lawn of the White House.…

Did NPR publish an article on the morning of January 6, 2021, about Trump supporters storming the U.S. Capitol and clashing with police before any clashes with police had occurred? No, that's not true: This intentionally deceptive post focuses on the National Public Radio article's original publication timestamp while cropping off the well-marked notice that the article had been updated…

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…

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 --…