By Uliana Malashenko and James Rosen Was U.S. citizen Brent Renaud, who was killed March 13 by Russian troops at a checkpoint near the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, an American intelligence operative? No, it is not true. The claim was made with no evidence of Renaud's affiliation with the CIA or any other U.S. spy agencies. He was an award-winning…
Was there some sort of "thing" representing the United States in the U.N. Security Council meeting on January 31, 2022? No, that's not true: This grainy video still shows the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield. The grainy quality of the image, coupled with the fact that she was wearing a face mask, makes it difficult to make…
Did Dr. Sherri Tenpenny make a case that the COVID-19 pandemic, treatments and mitigation efforts are a global government plot to kill people -- a "democide" -- or a plot to transform people into genetically modified "transhumans" who are externally controlled and without God? No, that's not true: The controversial osteopathic medical doctor, marketer and evangelist from Ohio repeated many…
Does this photo posted by the Twitter account @CaptainJenkem show the man who drove his vehicle into a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin? No, that's not true: This photo is not recent and has a history of being used in pranks since 2015. This photo is not related to the Waukesha, Wisconsin, Christmas parade incident on November 21, 2021. Since…
Are Facebook's independent fact-checking partners funded by vaccine makers? No, that's not true. While one of the 10 U.S. Facebook fact checkers discloses that one of its 2021 grants comes from a foundation whose stock-holdings include vaccine-maker Johnson & Johnson, vaccine makers do not fund fact checkers and have no control over fact checkers' writings. The grant in question, from…
Did air traffic controllers at the Jacksonville International Airport stage a walkout Friday, October 8, to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates, resulting in all flights in and out of Florida being cancelled? No, that's not true: The National Air Traffic Controllers Association told Lead Stories that "there was weather that affected operations" and it was "a common occurrence." The Federal Aviation…
Does an ICU nurse give proof that ivermectin is effective at treating COVID-19? No, that's not true: Ivermectin, which is frequently used to treat or prevent parasites in animals, is not approved for treating or preventing COVID-19 in humans. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) specifically warns people not to take it for those reasons. The person who…
Did French philosopher Voltaire say, "To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize"? No, that's not true: Two academic authorities on Voltaire told Lead Stories the words were not those of the French writer and philosopher. Meanwhile, a white nationalist has declared he created the phrase in 1993. The claim reappeared in…
Did Chinese slaves build railroads in California in the 1800s? No, that's not true: It's estimated that 90% of the railroad-building workforce in the west consisted of Chinese labor, but historians have found no evidence they were slaves. Many of the Chinese workers were recruited by labor contractors, and they traveled to California from China, but worked for wages. This…
Did a surgeon from Ohio die shortly after receiving the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine? There is no evidence that Dr. Thomas Lee Flanigan's death on April 27, 2021, was related to the COVID-19 vaccine he had received 12 weeks earlier. The cause of his death has not been made public. Flanigan's death was reported by several news outlets…
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