2022

Can veterans now qualify to download a certificate that authorizes them to carry a concealed weapon, as promoted in a post on social media? No, that's not true: The misleading advertisement leads users to a site with a disclaimer that states that the certificate "is not a license or permit to carry a handgun." The certificate is just for completing…

Has President Joe Biden "secretly flown 320,000 illegal immigrants from Latin American airports to 43 U.S. cities"? No, that's not true: The Biden administration called the claim "categorically false," noting it had publicly announced the immigration program in January 2023. The program includes individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The announcement stated that those granted permission to enter the…

Did residents of Cape Coral, Florida, take to painting their roofs blue following numerous sightings of planes utilizing "Green Laser Technology," as claimed in a post circulating on social media? No, that's not true: The satellite imagery of Cape Coral, Florida, in the post dates back to a period after September 29, 2022, when Hurricane Ian impacted the area. Through…

Is the moon a machine that is filled with computers? No, that's not true: The moon is a rock with a metallic core, according to NASA, the agency that has studied the moon and outer space for decades. The United States has landed men on the moon, and there have been multiple countries around the world that have sent spacecraft…

Does the federal government prohibit collecting rainwater nationwide? No, that's not true: There is no such ban. The Energy Department highlights the benefits of collecting rainwater for non-drinking purposes and shares a detailed guide explaining specific regulations in each state if there are any. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook on January 6, 2024, under the…

Does a video show Dr. Oz being attacked on TV for promoting a supposed three-day diabetes cure? No, that's not true: The footage that purports to be of Dr. Mehmet Oz being beaten up on a TV set stage was a live broadcast of a Ukrainian journalist brawling with a pro-Russian politician. The image of Oz with an apparent black…

Did Alexi Navalny's mother Lyudmila publicly accuse the politician's widow Yulia Navalnaya of capitalizing on her son's death? No, that's not true: The purported "address" is an AI-generated fake. Its origin can be traced to a network of Kremlin state-funded propaganda resources. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X, formerly known as Twitter, on February 22, 2024.…

Did Judge Lewis Kaplan terminate a sexual assault lawsuit involving Prince Andrew in the spring of 2022 to prevent trial? No, that's not true: Both court materials and news reports show that the judge considered trial until the very last moment, when the parties entered a settlement. That was the grounds for dismissing the case, not the judge's unilateral decision.…

Are 97 percent of the guns in the United States located in areas that account for only three percent of gun violence? No, that's not true: Gun violence experts told Lead Stories that different statistics demonstrate a correlation: In regions where gun ownership is more prevalent, there is a corresponding increase in gun-related fatalities. This is supported by data from…

Did the Indiana Department of Child Services remove a child from their home because the parents refused to call them by their preferred pronouns, as a social media post suggests? No, that's not true: The complex situation outlined in Indiana court documents state that the child's removal from the home was not based on the fact that the parents did…