Did officials say arsonists responsible for starting the fires in California on August 15, 2020? No, that's not true: There was an unusual weather event, being referred to as a "lightning siege" that brought an estimated 14,000 lightning strikes to the dry, late-summer Northern California terrain. This resulted in 875 new wildfires. When many lightning strikes in an area start…
Were 2 million women and children held captive under The Getty Museum in Los Angeles last year? No, that's not true. "These claims are fictitious and dangerous and of course we refute them," Lisa Lapin, vice president of communications, J. Paul Getty Trust, told Lead Stories. A claim has gone viral that the museum has a secret "underground pedophile lair…
Did California refuse to fly the U.S. flag 'until Trump is gone?' No, that's not true: there is no evidence that Californians won't fly the American flag for the remainder of Trump's presidency, regardless of the outcome of the impeachment proceedings. This claim originated as a work of satire but was stolen by other websites without the satire labeling. The…
Is the Red Cross helping migrants in the caravan crossing Mexico to the U.S. border but ignoring California wildfire victims? No, a meme making that claim is completely false. There is no truth to it at all. An example of the meme appeared in a Gab post published on November 21, 2018 by a user named titled "Sheep Dog" (archived…
A fake/satire website named Freedum Junkshun posted an article titled "BREAKING: Illegal Muslim From Iran Arrested For Starting California Wildfire" which opened: The California wildfires devastated the northern part of the state. Police initially arrested one suspect but released him after an investigation was conducted because the investigation led them to the actual person responsible for the fires: a 23-year-old…
Fake news website The Sacramento Dispatch ran an article titled: "Trump Refuses to Provide California Federal Support in Midst of Natural Disaster, Cites Sanctuary Cities". There are good reasons to believe the headline is not true and it might even be the case that the article is just a small part in a publicity stunt for a movie along with…
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