Society

Does this photo show the aftermath of a bio lab intentionally attacked in Sudan? No, that's not true: The photograph is a screengrab from a video taken by a global news agency on April 20, 2023 days after internal conflict in Sudan's capital began. The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed to Lead Stories that the National Public Health Laboratory in…

Does a video show a compaction roller demolishing cases of Bud Light beer cans in response to a marketing campaign for the brand featuring transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney? No, that's not true: The video shows thousands of beer cans being destroyed in February 2023 -- weeks before the Mulvaney-Bud Light campaign was introduced. The implied claim is that…

Does fasting cure AIDS? No, that's not true: Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.N.'s UNAIDS organization told Lead Stories there is no cure to HIV/AIDS. However, with proper medical care, the virus can be controlled and people living with the virus can live long and healthy lives. The claim appeared on TikTok (archived here)…

Does pressing the "lung 1" point on one's chest help to cure, treat or alleviate such conditions as cough, wheezing, asthma and dyspnea? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no evidence supporting this theory. The claim appeared in a post on Facebook on April 22, 2023. It contained a video showing a man pressing a spot on his chest…

Does a TV interview with international affairs analyst Gilbert Doctorow prove that a Russian hypersonic missile "killed 200 NATO generals, including at least 20 or 30 high-ranking American officers"? No, that's not true: Doctorow doesn't offer any evidence to support his assertion other than an indefinite reference to "The Russians." The U.S. Department of Defense responded to this with: "This…

Does a video shared on social media show Sudan Rapid Forces (SRF) troops in control of "Khartoum International Airport and Military base"? No, that's not true: The video appeared online three months before fighting broke in Sudan in mid-April 2023. Lead Stories geolocated the footage: It was recorded outside the airport in a park typically used for recreational purposes and…

Does a video authentically show footage captured by a Ukrainian drone flying over Moscow in April 2023? No, that's not true: The video shared on Twitter was originally posted to YouTube in 2015 by AirPano, a virtual reality production studio "focused on taking high-resolution" aerial footage. In 2023, an 11-second clip of that video was cropped from a horizontal shape…

Did a special April 2023 (issue 337) of The New European (TNE) feature on its cover a cartoon of a scowling Rishi Sunak, U.K. prime minister, looking at Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskyy sitting on the lap of the Dalai Lama, who has stuck his tongue out -- with Zelenskyy saying, "I'll suck it if you pay me!"? No, that's not…

Does the safety data sheet for Apeel, a protective coating for produce, contain "a long list of hazardous cautions" that make the product unsafe for human consumption? No, that's not true: The information in the claim comes from a cleaning product using the same name but made by another company. The cleaner and degreaser is not meant for human consumption.…

Did NASA announce the discovery of a massive unidentified flying object (UFO) spotted between the Earth and the sun and did this result in the closure of six solar observatories to hide something from the public? No, that's not true: This UFO clickbait narrative has been circulating online since at least September 13, 2018, and has continued to evolve with…

Did a military tribunal sentence Liz Cheney, a former U.S. representative, to hang? No, that's not true: A Pentagon duty officer told Lead Stories this claim "is false." Also, it was made on a self-described satirical website whose disclaimer says it publishes articles for "entertainment purposes." The claim appeared in an article published by Real Raw News on April 23,…

Does consuming folic acid or folate cause depression, particularly postpartum? No, that's not true: There is no substantiated evidence to suggest that folic acid causes depression, postpartum or otherwise. A medical expert who focuses on the genetic links between folate and postpartum depression told Lead Stories that such claims are "absolutely unfounded" and "potentially harmful misinformation." Rather, research suggests that…

Would a bill in the Florida legislature impose the death penalty for admitting children to drag shows? No, that's not true: Bills before lawmakers in the Sunshine State would make it illegal to take children to drag shows, and would also impose the death penalty for certain sexual offenders against children, but those are two separate pieces of legislation. Taking…

Was the children's book "Abuela" banned in "many states" as of April 20, 2023? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no evidence as of this writing that the book has been banned at the county, state or federal level. The claim originated in a video shared to Instagram on April 14, 2023, by actress Stephanie Beatriz, with a caption…

Does a video interview with former Arizona congressional candidate Jeff Zink prove a "little 8-year-old girl had 67 different DNA samples inside of her"? No, that's not true: The sheriff's office in Cochise County, Arizona, where the migrant child was purportedly found, said it has no record of such a case during several years around the approximate date Zink says…

Did Bud Light introduce a new "lol CRYBABIES" billboard campaign as a response to recent backlash over the brand's association with transgender social media personality Dylan Mulvaney? No, that's not true: This is not a real ad campaign from Bud Light. The "lol CRYBABIES" image is a digital manipulation by TikTok video creator @.jamisonlightfoot, who has posted other videos with…

Will Budweiser brands be banned from Oktoberfest for the first time in 75 years? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Budweiser has ever been sold at the official Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, as only Munich-based breweries can sell their beers at the festival. Also, the claim was published originally on a satire website. The claim originated in…

Does a test that supposedly extracts "chemtrail" and air-pollution nanoparticles from a person's saliva accurately show a diagnosis of Morgellons disease? No, that's not true: Food chemistry experts told Lead Stories that precipitates created after swishing cranberry juice in the mouth are not the result of nanoparticles from chemtrails and air pollution but a well-known reaction of saliva mixed with…

Did the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ban COVID-19 vaccines in April 2023? No, that's not true: On April 18, 2023, the agency amended its previous emergency use authorizations (EUAs) to remove authorization for monovalent vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, and, instead, authorized bivalent vaccines for all doses given to those 6 months old and older. In a…

Did a robot that experienced "wage slavery" for 15 minutes commit suicide after determining that was the logical choice rather than to continue working? No, that's not true: The video was posted by Agility Robotics, celebrating the 99-percent success rate of its live demos, while acknowledging that its Digit robot did have a couple of falls. This robot's accident happened…