Did Joe Biden's first wife run a stop sign before she was killed in a car accident? No, that's not true. Neilia Biden and their children Naomi, Beau and Hunter, were in a car accident on December 18, 1972. She did not run a stop sign but "pulled from a stop sign" when a tractor-trailer crashed into her car in…
Are there images hidden in redesigns of US currency that depict a progressive scene of the attack on the World Trade Center and the collapse of the twin towers on September 11, 2001? No, that's not true: A video purporting to demonstrate that claim uses bills that -- except for the $1 and $100 bill -- were all redesigned and…
Did Donald Trump pay hundreds of workers to help with search-and-rescue efforts after 9/11? It's unclear, but unlikely: Almost immediately after the attacks, Trump told reporters that he had men helping in the efforts. But we could find no independent confirmation of such a claim. And, on the contrary, sources have cast doubt on Trump's assertion, including a retired deputy…
Did President Trump post a tweet suggesting "child lifes matter" should be painted on the streets of Hollywood? No, that's not true: The message was published on a fake Trump Twitter account, a fact missed by some who believed it was a sign that the president was signalling belief in the QAnon Pizzagate conspiracy theory. The bogus account unsername @realDonalTrump_,…
Were 409,152 indictments for "child pedophilia" and trafficking offenses "coming to the surface" in July, 2020? No, that's not true: This claim is unsupported by facts. Much of evidence presented by a website that promotes QAnon conspiracy theories involves non-criminal cases -- not indictments -- including some that are decades old. A database that purportedly lists the "non-sealed" indictments is…
Is adrenochrome harvested from the adrenal glands of living children so its LSD-like qualities can be used in satanic rituals by royalty, politicians, celebrities, the rich and elite? No, that's not true: There is no scientific evidence that adrenochrome, which can be purchased in a pure form for as little as $1.34 per gram from lab supply companies, has any…
Is the COVID-19 pandemic a conspiracy manufactured by "Deep State Democrats" and the "mass media" to disrupt, even rig, the upcoming presidential election in a bid to topple Donald Trump? And did the coronavirus provide the perfect cover for the mass racial justice protests since the death of George Floyd after being knelt on for nearly nine minutes by a…
Is there evidence that COVID-19 is (a) not real and (b) simply a scapegoat to deflect blame for an economic disaster? No, that's not true: The global pandemic that's infected about 1 million people that we know of and killed more than 51,000 as of April 2, 2020, is -- sadly -- very real. The claim questioning the truth behind…
Does a viral photo show U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar without a head scarf? No, that's not true: it is an altered image of a man arrested in South Wales that purports to be the Democrat from Minnesota. The image, including one posted here (archived here), shows a side-by-side photo of Rep. Omar wearing a hijab next to another image of…
Mary Acosta, a staff writer and fact-checker for Lead Stories, is a former copy editor at CNN International. She was based at the network's headquarters in Atlanta. Prior to working at CNNI she was a writer, writer-producer, and copy editor at CNN. She was part of teams that won Emmy Awards for coverage of Hurricane Katrina and the 9/11 terror…
Lead Stories is a fact checking website that is always looking for the latest false, misleading, deceptive or inaccurate stories, videos or images going viral on the internet.
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