China

When former President Barack Obama described a metaphorical plan in 2022 to "flood" the public square with "raw sewage," did he present it as either his own or as that of the Democratic Party? No, that's not true: He was describing how propaganda works, not what he or the party was planning to do. He said this in a speech…

Did former President Jimmy Carter die on July 23, 2024? No, that's not true: The owner of the account that posted a fake letter about Carter passing away told Lead Stories he carried out the hoax to show how sensationalist news spreads. The Carter Center, a human rights organization founded by the 39th president, also denied that Carter had died,…

Does a photo show China's President Xi Jinping suffering a stroke in July 2024? No, that's not true: The image in a social media post is an Associated Press photo from March 11, 2024. Xi was pictured wincing after taking a sip from a cup at the National People's Congress. The Third Plenary Session of the Chinese Communist Party was…

Did World Economic Forum Founder Klaus Schwab say that "humanity needs to be 'forced into a collaboration' with globalist entities"? No, that's not true: Even the recordings of Schwab's speech shared by accounts posting this claim on the internet did not support this interpretation. Speaking in China on June 25, 2025, he used the verb "foster" while talking about collaboration…

Did Donald Trump say that he doesn't care about his supporters and just wants their votes? Yes, that's true: Former President Trump said the phrase attributed to him on social media and beyond, but it took place in a context where Trump had just mentioned the "nice" breeze and that he didn't want "anyone dying" on him. The audience perceived…

Does a video showing a rail sliding attraction in the Hulunbuir grassland region of Inner Mongolia, China, accurately represent the cloudscapes a visitor can expect? No, that's not true: A viral video promoting the Ribbon River Grass Skiing attraction features a digitally edited rolling storm cloud added on the horizon. The exact same cloud photo with different effects applied appears…

Did China's Defense Ministry warn it would "intervene militarily" if the United States or NATO attacked Russia? No, that's not true: No credible evidence supports this claim. Additionally, there are no official statements or credible reports from the Chinese government or its Defense Ministry to support this assertion. Nor is there any report of such a statement in China Daily,…

Does a diagram from a patent application for a purported "sun simulator" prove that NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is also a sun simulator because of their similarities? No, that's not true: The diagram included in a 2003 patent application is for an "autonomously assembled space telescope" and does not depict a "sun simulator." The James Webb Space Telescope, which…

Are stones depicting dinosaurs and humans coexisting real? No, that's not true: These stones were found to be hoaxes. A Smithsonian article reported that a 20th-century farmer and his wife were the creators of these stones, not an ancient people. The couple confessed to forging the stones using depictions of dinosaurs from comic books. The claim appeared in a post…

Was canola oil first developed as an engine lubricant during World War II, as a post on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: Canola oil is made from a species of plant specially bred from rapeseed. Oil from rapeseed was used during World War II as a mechanical lubricant. However, canola oil, as we know it today, was developed in…