9/11

Is there a full transcript of the conversation between Todd Beamer, a passenger on United Airlines Flight 93, and GTE Airfone operator Lisa Jefferson? No, that's not true: Although Beamer did talk to Jefferson as Flight 93 was hijacked on September 11, 2001, Jefferson did not record their call. The "transcript" claiming to be a full record of their call…

Does Amazon's digital assistant Alexa know that the main purpose of spraying "chemtrails" is to reduce the human population on Earth? No, that's not true: Alexa can recite information found in internet search results from Microsoft's Bing or recite answers provided by people participating in a crowdsourced program called "Alexa Answers." The quality of the answers can vary depending on…

Are Jews stealing Christian children, sacrificing them and then feeding them back to non-Jews to turn them into cannibals? No, that's not true: It's an antisemitic myth that's nearly a thousand years old. Recirculated audio and video on social media are exposing a new audience to the propaganda. A spokesperson with the Anti-Defamation League said, "It is unusual to see…

Did Russia send jet bombers to Venezuela during its ongoing invasion of Ukraine in 2022? No, that's not true: A CNN news report describing Russian bombers that landed in Venezuela to conduct exercises over the Caribbean was broadcast in 2018. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on February 25, 2022. The post has a TikTok that included…

Did author and self-proclaimed naturopathic practitioner Robert O. Young present legitimate testimony that admits that governments are using medicine to "exterminate" Black people? No, that's not true: The International Tribunal for Natural Justice (ITNJ) is not a real court of law and the statements made by Young in his "testimony" are not based in fact. The claim, which has made…

Did former Vice President Dick Cheney get arrested on Christmas Eve in 2021? No, that's not true: A Pentagon representative told us the claim is false. There is also no evidence online from any reputable news outlet that he was arrested. Also, the claim was posted on a self-described satire website with no verifiable confirming evidence. The story originated in…

Did Africa have half the COVID-19 deaths in 2021 that the United States had, with four times the population and just a 7% vaccination rate? Yes, that's mostly true, but not the whole story: The figures are ballpark, but there's no reason to quibble with them. Understanding the youthful demographic breakdown of the continent is key during a pandemic that…

Did the military arrest former President George W. Bush? No, that's not true: The 43rd president was not arrested on his Texas ranch the morning of November 13, 2021, by U.S. Special Forces. A Pentagon spokesperson told us that this information was "false." Also, the Posse Comitatus Act prevents the current president from calling upon the armed forces to make…

Ed Payne is a staff writer at Lead Stories. He is an Emmy Award-winning journalist as part of CNN's coverage of 9/11. Ed worked at CNN for nearly 24 years with the CNN Radio Network and CNN Digital. Most recently, he was a digital senior producer for Gray Television's Digital Content Center, the company's digital news hub for 100+ TV…