Election

Did the U.S. military arrest a "second" Colorado Supreme Court justice who voted in favor of removing former President Donald Trump from the ballot in the state for the 2024 presidential election? No, that's not true: A spokesman for the Colorado Judicial Department told Lead Stories, "There is absolutely no veracity to that claim." The article making the claim is…

Does exposing seeds to human saliva change their DNA structure so that "there will be no disease at all when you eat those vegetables and fruits"? No, that's not true: While scientists can genetically modify plants using genetic engineering or intentional breeding methods, an expert confirmed to Lead Stories that exposing seeds to human saliva will not alter their DNA…

Did Fulton County, Georgia, count 20,713 votes that did not exist in the 2020 election and that there are "no records" for, such as poll tapes? No, that's not true: An election-watchdog expert said that claiming votes are missing because of missing poll tapes is "like telling me my house doesn't exist unless I can find all the bank documents."…

Did actor Kevin Spacey or writer Stephen King say that they would leave the United States if the "Epstein Client List" is made public? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no evidence that King or Spacey made such comments. The claim came from a fake Donald Trump account on X. Contrary to the post, a federal judge in a…

Does a video show Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy begging Western leaders to spend their money on Ukraine? No, that's not true: In the Fox News Channel interview, Zelenskyy was directing his comments toward domestic critics, not anyone in the West. Additionally, he did not call for Western leaders to send all their funds to Ukraine, contrary to the assertion in…

Did the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps arrest Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for treason in December 2023? No, that's not true: The chief operating officer for the Secretary of State's office posted a message on social media saying the claims are "ridiculous crap." The website where this claim was made has a disclaimer that states it publishes…

Did Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp's legal staff notify Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in late 2023 that 17,852 invalid 2020 votes were counted in Georgia's Fulton County? No, that's not true: The State Election Board told Lead Stories that Kemp's office forwarded a claim by one Georgia citizen to Raffensperger and to the state Election Board in 2022. Kemp's office…

Did former U.S. first lady Michelle Obama appear in a video promotion for a federal program giving out monthly $5,600 health spending cards to spend on bills, gas, groceries or "anything else you can think of"? No, that's not true: A video of Michelle Obama taken from a BBC interview has been altered with a fake voiceover that sounds like…

Did the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps place Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official Dr. Karen Hacker under arrest for committing "treason, abuse of office, and defrauding the country"? No, that's not true: A Pentagon duty officer and representatives of the CDC told Lead Stories that this claim is false. The website where this claim was made publishes…

Was President Joe Biden encouraging "violence and chaos" in a video published on Facebook? No, that's not true: The original video shows that when Biden spoke about chaos and violence he was quoting a Trump adviser. His remarks were based on a quote from Kellyanne Conway, not his own beliefs. The claim appeared in a video on Facebook on December…