Was former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta executed at the U.S. government's prison facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba? No, that's not true: The claim is "false," the Department of Defense told Lead Stories. The claim was published without on-the-record attribution to knowledgeable sources or any other evidence, and without specific disclaimers saying whether the article is fiction, parody…

Does the latest "X22 Report" video contain only true and accurate claims? No, that's not true: The video recycles falsehoods circulated by QAnon conspiracy theorists and contradicted by credible publicly available documentation. Among the debunked claims are that the 2020 election was rigged, that Donald Trump won in a landslide and that hydroxychloroquine and zinc are a cure for COVID-19.…

Does a video prove that "final moves against the deep state" are happening now? No, that's not true: Many of the conspiracy theories claimed in the video are false. Donald Trump is not still president or "in charge," the London 2012 Olympics did not foreshadow the coronavirus outbreak and John McCain and George H.W. Bush were not found guilty by…

Did Pope Francis die in mid-April 2021 and did a leading American conspiracy theorist break the "news"? No, that's not true: The pope made several public appearances that offer proof of life and Lin Wood's off-the-cuff comment was a question, not a declaration. The claim that Wood had revealed the pope's death circulated on numerous QAnon-linked websites and social media…

Does the film "Out of Shadows" prove a child-raping satanic cult controls the U.S. government and Hollywood, and operated out of a Washington, D.C., pizza parlor? No, that's not true: The film declares that the lid came off in a leading Democrat's leaked emails, in which "pizza" is used as secret code for child sex. But the filmmakers provide nothing…

Was Hillary Clinton convicted by a military tribunal on April 16, 2021? No, that's not true. "The story is false," the Defense Department press operations duty officer told Lead Stories via email on April 16, 2021.There is no military tribunal or trial being held where the former secretary of state is being prosecuted for crimes at the Guantanamo Bay Prison.…

Have all the nations of the world agreed to abandon the current global financial system and adopt one that will back currencies with gold and offer instantaneous transactions? No, that's not true: There is no verifiable record anywhere that the "Quantum Financial System" (QFS) exists, much less that it has been adopted globally. One of the most vocal QFS proponents…

Did Hillary Clinton face a military tribunal on April 8, 2021? No, that's not true. "The story is fabricated," the Defense Department press operations duty officer told Lead Stories via email on April 12, 2021. Lead Stories previously debunked the claim that Hillary Clinton was arrested by Navy SEALs in March 2021, with a U.S. Navy spokesperson on the record…

Are zombies created by COVID-19 and do the world's richest people drink the blood of tortured children? No, that's not true. A guest on the show of disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker, conspiracist Stephen Quayle, peddles multiple untrue claims about COVID-19. Lead Stories has previously debunked claims Quayle has made as well as claims about zombies, COVID-19 and accusations that the…

Did someone stage a grim scene: an open dump truck piled high with corpses in body bags, to present a false narrative about the COVID-19 pandemic? And was this staged scene revealed to be fake because a video captured one of the "dead bodies" smoking a cigarette? No, that's not true: This video clip was shot during the filming of…