Qanon

Does a viral video show proof that the U.S. national debt was paid off in 2017? No, that's not true: The U.S. Treasury website shows the current U.S. national debt, which is about $33.7 trillion, a number accepted by U.S. financial markets, independent economists and the Federal Reserve Bank. The video relies on paperwork that has nothing to do with…

Is a video of jets surrounding Donald Trump's jet real? No, that's not true: The video that appeared in a viral X post is from a video game. A YouTube video with the same footage has "#flightsim" and the acronym to a flight simulation video game in the description. A TikTok video with the same footage also has the same…

Is the United States "currently under a military occupancy" as of September 24, 2023, as proven by "bipartisan legislation"? No, that's not true: The claim cites unrelated materials that do not confirm the statement in question. The rumor appears to stem from a debunked QAnon conspiracy theory. The story originated from a video published on Facebook on September 24, 2023,…

Are all lakes man-made to cover up ruins of an ancient civilization? No, that's not true: While there are some man-made lakes, ponds and reservoirs, lakes are also naturally formed features created over time through several geological processes, including glacial runoff, river erosion, volcanic activity and groundwater changes. The basis of the claim that "all lakes are man-made" stems from…

Are the tweets between Michelle Obama and Donald Trump about "destroying the country" and inviting "Mike" to play basketball real? No, that's not true: No such tweets from the former first lady's official account nor the former president's were published on August 30, 2019. The messages currently do not show up on the accounts, nor do they show up on…

Did YouTube ban video clips from the newly released movie, "Sound of Freedom" due to "discriminating against pedophiles" and "discrimination against MAPs"? No, that's not true: There is no policy listed under the community guidelines of YouTube regarding "discriminating against pedophiles" and "MAPs" (minor attracted persons). This article making the claim comes from an online platform known for publishing fabricated…

Did the actor Mark Wahlberg declare war on "Hollywood pedophiles" in July 2023, announcing that they have "nowhere left to hide"? No, that's not true: The purported quote came from a source with a rich history of spreading false statements, and the actor's representative refuted the claim. Lead Stories found no evidence that the purported event ever took place. The…

Did Mel Gibson start working on a new documentary "exposing the 34 billion dollar global child sex trafficking trade"? No, that's not true: No credible sources confirmed he made such an announcement, and his publicist explicitly denied Gibson's involvement in the alleged project in an email to Lead Stories. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Truth Social…

Do COVID-19 mRNA vaccines and treatments for the virus come from snake venom and do the vaccines then cause humans to produce venom in their bodies? In addition, is nicotine the "perfect antidote" for COVID, making the vaccines unnecessary? No, none of those things are true: These assertions have no basis in science, infectious disease experts told Lead Stories. The…

Did the U.S. Supreme Court overturn the 2020 general election and award the presidency to Donald Trump? No, that's not true: The Supreme Court does not have the authority to overturn a general election or unilaterally award the presidency to a candidate. The election outcome is typically determined by the Electoral College, following elections at the state level, and is…