New Stimulus

Did a video prove the "CoronaHoax Pandemic" was fake as lockdowns continue amid the COVID-19 outbreak? No, that's not true: An hour-long video on YouTube claims there is no real threat and that very few deaths have occurred worldwide from the coronavirus. Instead the video blames hype surrounding the virus on fake videos, the conspiracy that 5G was causing the…

Is it true that you cannot catch the novel coronavirus, as a viral video suggests? No, that's not true: Viruses are contagious. The video is filled with inaccuracies and medically false information. Lead Stories reached out to a medical doctor in Atlanta who called the video "total garbage." The claims appeared in a post (archived here) published on Facebook by…

If viruses can survive on surfaces, shouldn't we all be sick? Does 5G give you coronavirus? Is the "new world order" what's behind the epidemic? No, no and no: none of this is true as claimed in a video. The video (archived here) was uploaded on April 1, 2020, to YouTube under the title, "COVID-19 Xposed." It opened with a…

Did the CIA arrest a Harvard scientist for creating the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: The headline on a YouTube viral video is inaccurate. Charles Lieber, the chair of Harvard University's Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, was arrested on January 28, 2020, for making fraudulent statements to federal authorities about his relationship with the Chinese government. The case…

Does a meme comparing the novel coronavirus deaths to other leading causes of death contain accurate figures? No, it does not: The meme understates some numbers while overstating others. It uses the data to suggest the national response to the COVID-19 global pandemic is overblown. The claim surfaced in a post (archived here) published on Facebook by Brad Winegardner on…

Is it true that asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19 who die of other medical problems will be added to the coronavirus death toll? No, that's not true: Many asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19 are not getting tested in the first place, so that assertion doesn't hold up. Lead Stories reached out to the president of the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME),…

Did the Kennedy Center give the Democratic National Committee $5 mllion after getting $25 million in relief from the government coronavirus stimulus package? No, that's not true: The Kennedy Center did not give the DNC $5 million the day after being awarded $25 million, despite posts on social media claiming that this was the case. The claim appeared as a…

Will boiling orange peels with cayenne pepper help treat or prevent the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: There's currently no cure or vaccine for COVID-19, and several home remedies circulating on the Internet are bogus. There is no scientific evidence that this formula will help treat the virus. The claim originated in a post (archived here) published on Facebook…

Did 60 Senate Democrats vote against a coronavirus stimulus bill, meaning nobody is getting checks? No, that's not true: For one thing, there are not 60 Democrats in the U.S. Senate. Second, the Democrats voted on March 22, 2020, against a key procedural vote that would have advanced the bill because they said they were unhappy with worker protections. However,…

Is the U.S. government using the 2020 Census to determine who will receive a possible stimulus check? No, that's not true: The U.S. Census Bureau Trust & Safety team is spreading the word that social media posts sharing this claim are entirely false. The unfounded claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on Facebook by Jeannette Tarver on March…