Marines

Does a video show planes that belong to the U.S. military carrying heavy equipment to Israel amid the 2023 Hamas-Israel conflict? No, that's not true: The video on X used in the claim uses a clip that predates the conflict. The U.S. sent military equipment to Israel after the beginning of the conflict but that's not in the video. The…

Does a video on TikTok capture the moment of the F-35B crash in South Carolina on September 17, 2023? No, that's not true: the clip does not accurately portray the location. It was originally published by an account specializing in sharing "realistic" fragments from flight simulator video games. Its author confirmed to Lead Stories that the video was artificially generated.…

Does a social media post prove that a U.S. F-35 fighter jet landed safely "at the Chinese base in Cuba"? No, that's not true: The debris of an F-35 that vanished in September 2023 was found after a daylong search; its pilot had safely ejected before its crash. No official statements contradicted this version of events, and a national security…

Did U.S. Marines in Maui "tactically abort a gunfight with National Guardsmen"? No, that's not true: The website this claim was made on carries a disclaimer stating that it publishes satirical content. The claim appeared in an article published by Real Raw News on September 11, 2023, titled "Marines in Maui: "We're in the Shit!"" (archived here), which opened: United…

Did U.S. Marines arrest Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Deputy Administrator Erik Hooks? No, that's not true: A Pentagon duty officer told Lead Stories that this claim "is not true." Also, the website where this claim was made has a disclaimer that states it publishes satirical content. The claim appeared in an article published by Real Raw News on August…

Did U.S. Marines "neutralize" a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) convoy on Maui around August 20, 2023? No, that's not true: A Pentagon duty officer told Lead Stories that there's "absolutely no truth to this claim." Also, the website this claim originated from carries a disclaimer stating that it publishes satirical content. The claim appeared in an article published by…

Did U.S. Marines arrest former IRS director Charles Rettig? No, that's not true: The U.S. military does not have the authority to arrest civilians because of the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act. Lead Stories could not find any legitimate news reports on such an arrest, and this claim comes from a satirical site that has a history of writing fictional stories…

Did U.S. Marines arrest Albert Bourla, the CEO of the biopharmaceutical company Pfizer, on August 7, 2023? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Bourla was arrested, and Pfizer confirmed that it didn't happen. The claim started on a website known for publishing fictional stories about real-life figures. The claim originated in an article (archived here) published by…

Did U.S. Marine Corps jets sink a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) barge off the coast of California around July 19, 2023? No, that's not true: The Department of Defense press office told Lead Stories that the purported attack never happened. FEMA also said there was no truth to the report. The claim appeared in an article (archived here) published…

Do images of military equipment in U.S. and Canadian cities show some sort of military action or deployment is taking place in June 2023? No, that's not true: Military equipment in U.S. and Canadian cities does not necessarily indicate that military action is imminent. Military equipment may be deployed to urban areas for various reasons, such as training exercises, security…