2022

Did President Joe Biden unilaterally release a Chinese spy convicted of possessing child pornography? No, that's not true: A White House spokesperson told Lead Stories a Chinese doctoral student sentenced to 8 years in federal prison in 2022 was granted clemency and deported on November 22, 2024, as part of a prisoner swap between the United States and China. Three…

Did Burger King's X account post "We don't snitch" in response to the alleged killer of the UnitedHealthcare CEO being recognized by a McDonald's employee? No, that's not true: Burger King's public relations confirmed to Lead Stories that this post was made up. Also, the fake post contained the words "Retweets" and "Quote Tweets," words no longer used since Elon…

Does President-elect Donald Trump's plan to end birthright citizenship mean four of his children wouldn't be considered United States citizens? No, that's not true: Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump and Barron Trump's father is a U.S. citizen. Thus, all four children would have qualified under Trump's 2024 stated plan that "at least one parent will have to be…

Was Samuel Hyde named as the suspect in the shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO? No, that's not true: Sam, or Samuel, Hyde is a comedian whose name and likeness have been the subject of internet memes associated with shootings since 2015. One of the photos of a person of interest released by the New York Police Department was edited to…

Does a video prove that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy bought a hotel in Courchevel, France, for 88 million euros ($93 million) in November 2024? No, that's not true: The video was based on a screenshot of a fake website mimicking the online page of a currently closed hotel. The current owner of the hotel described the posts sharing the video…

Have 83 deaths been caused or attributed to fires caused by spontaneous Tesla explosions, as implied in a meme? No, that's not true: The figures in the meme come from an online database that compiles news reports and government data but does not verify or confirm these reports. According to that database, 83 deaths involved a Tesla car fire, but…

Were COVID-19 vaccines manufactured by military contractors rather than by Pfizer and Moderna? No, that's not true: FDA inspection records show the vaccines were made in drug industry labs. Pfizer pointed Lead Stories to publicly available documents about its facilities in Belgium, Germany and at least two locations in the U.S., including Kalamazoo, Michigan. Under Operation Warp Speed, the government…

Was mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor sued for sexual assault in a personal injury civil case after declaring his interest in running for president of Ireland? No, that's not true: A post alleging a connection between the civil lawsuit and McGregor's political ambitions misled readers about the timeline of the events. The civil lawsuit was filed in 2021, years…

Do vaccinations cause liver flukes in the human stomach? No, that's not true: Vaccine experts contacted by Lead Stories called the notion "science fiction" and "nonsense." Liver flukes are parasites you can get from eating contaminated food like raw fish or certain plants. Vaccines are safe, tested treatments that protect you from diseases and have nothing to do with parasites.…

Did late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel say he was ending his show on January 20, 2025, and moving to Canada? No, that's not true: This comes from a website that labels itself satire. An online search turned up no evidence that Kimmel had ever said such a thing. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook on November…