Georgia

Does a clip shared on social media show Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell of California breaking into tears as a result of Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's comments? No, that's not true: The video's title is misleading, and the recording does not contain such an episode. The claim appeared in a post on Facebook on April 21, 2023. It said: Watch…

Did several videos in countries around the world accurately show that tiny sharp nails or pins were in medicine capsules sealed in tamper-evident blister packs? No, that's not true: In February 2021 several videos circulated on the internet showing adulterated medicine capsules. The medicines pictured, from different manufacturers, have limited distribution in several different countries. Aside from the suspicious videos…

Nicholas Muller is a fact checker in Russian and Spanish for Lead Stories. He has been covering China's global Belt and Road initiatives, climate, and migration stories in Asia, and also has several years reporting from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia and Central Asia. He has a double MA degree in Chinese foreign policy and European Affairs from Sciences Po-Paris and Fudan…

Did the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suppress the results of a study that purportedly showed an increased risk of neurodevelopmental delays in newborns who were given a Hepatitis B vaccine during the first month of life? No, that's not true: The results of the study have been available for decades. The early findings of the two-phase study…

Does a string of edited-together U.S. news clips with the words "33 COVID cases" in one form or another in each prove that COVID-19 and the pandemic were fabricated or orchestrated? No, that's not true: The cherry-picked soundbites -- all appearing to be from early days of the pandemic -- reveal no particular conspiracy or that the virus doesn't exist.…

Does a viral video show "proof" of "ascension" in Turkey during the deadly earthquake on February 6, 2023? No, that's not true: The clip itself bears a label that indicates it has been digitally altered. The claim appeared in a video on Facebook on February 5, 2023. The caption said: ASCENSION HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IN TURKEY 🇹🇷 AFTER THOUSANDS DEAD…

Did an image of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy depicting him as a "locust" eating up budgets around the world appear in New York City's Central Park as of January 10, 2023? No, that's not true. A Lead Stories reporter found no traces of it and the NYC Parks Press Office denied seeing such a drawing. The claim appeared in a…

Did the judge in the trial of Young Thug sentence the Atlanta rapper to 25 years in maximum-security prison, as of January 12, 2023? No, that's not true: Young Thug, whose legal name is Jeffery Williams, was not convicted -- much less sentenced -- as of January 12, 2023, when this fact check was written. The claim appeared on Facebook…

Does the song "Jingle Bells" make a hidden reference to slaves forced to wear bells so they could be easily tracked if they tried to escape under the cover of night? No, that's not true: The song "Jingle Bells," originally named "One Horse Open Sleigh," is a song about the fun of a winter sleigh ride. The song is not…

Does a sudden decrease in the displayed vote tally for U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker during Fox News coverage of Georgia's December 6, 2022, runoff election prove that voter fraud occurred? No, that's not true: Human error by the Associated Press (AP), the news organization that provides voting data for multiple networks, including Fox News, was responsible for the change…