Chemtrail

Did the head of the CIA acknowledge in a speech that "chemtrails" are real? No, that's not true: In a 2016 speech then-CIA Director John Brennan was discussing a controversial and untested solar geoengineering method called Stratospheric Aerosol Injection technology. "Chemtrails" are not the same thing as Stratospheric Aerosol Injection, which aims to potentially reverse global warming by reflecting a…

Does a photo of barrels inside the fuselage of a plane show anything strange or is it legitimately unclear what they are for? Nope, these are just water ballast tanks that allow a test plane to be loaded with weight which can be distributed in specific areas. The photo seen on social media is actually a screengrab from a video…

Did aluminum exposure in honeybees grow by 800 percent in the year 2022? No, that's not true: This claim, presented without sourcing, seems to pull this fact from thin air. Lead Stories could not find any evidence reporting statistical changes in Honeybee exposure to aluminum in 2022, let alone a ninefold increase in one year and among all honeybees. Honeybee…

Do "chemtrails" contain the chemicals aluminum, barium, strontium and ethylene to cause a number of negative health impacts, including migraines, runny noses, depression, lethargy and anxiety? No, that's not true: Experts largely agree that "chemtrails" are a conspiracy theory not proven by science. Contrails, white lines of condensation released by aircraft primarily made of water vapor, are commonly confused for…

Are conservatives or Republicans now taking issue with "manufactured" rainbows that appear when there is water spray from a fountain? No, that's not true: This viral 2007 video of unscientific musings about rainbows was mashed up and posted to mock conservative Republicans in 2023. In the original video, the person's political party affiliation is not readily apparent. Remixed in 2023,…

Does a test that supposedly extracts "chemtrail" and air-pollution nanoparticles from a person's saliva accurately show a diagnosis of Morgellons disease? No, that's not true: Food chemistry experts told Lead Stories that precipitates created after swishing cranberry juice in the mouth are not the result of nanoparticles from chemtrails and air pollution but a well-known reaction of saliva mixed with…

As you could tell by the date, this was an April Fools' joke and we didn't really launch a mad conspiracy-spewing AI bot. Hope you enjoyed it! Colorado Springs - Award-winning fact checking organization Lead Stories is proud to announce the launch of FactGPT, the world's first AI-powered fact checking chatbot. Combining the power of Lead Stories' database of existing…

Did the U.S. Air Force say, on the record, that the military branch wants to control the weather by 2025? No, that's not true: The Air Force public affairs team told Lead Stories that it is not Air Force policy to control the weather by 2025. The claim apparently traces back to a 1996 Air University research paper titled, "Weather…

Do a video of a plane's contrails and websites about geoengineering prove that climate control spraying is taking place? No, that's not true: There is no large-scale atmospheric spraying taking place. The plane's contrails are made almost entirely of water vapor. The webpages shown, from Wikipedia and Harvard's Solar Geoengineering Research Program, are real websites that review proposed scientific means…

Does a photo of a man in a military flight suit appearing to wear a #TEAMCHEMTRAIL patch as he stands in front of a large silver tank provide evidence that the military is spraying "chemtrails"? No, that's not true: This image has been altered. The photo originally showed the master sergeant's Air Force Reserve Command patch. A #TEAMCHEMTRAIL patch has…