Refugees

Does a viral video from Gaza prove another case of white phosphorus use by the Israel Defense Forces during the Hamas-Israel war in the fall of 2023? No, that's not true: The specific shots of what was claimed to be white phosphorus projectiles hitting a United Nations school near Al Shati, also known as the Beach Camp, in Gaza, do…

Did Bill Clinton and Pope Francis call for "urgent depopulation" to save the planet? No, that's not true: The pope and former President Clinton had a public conversation in September 2023 during the Clinton Global Initiative 2023 meeting where they spoke about climate change but never discussed "urgent depopulation," according to the official transcripts of the event. The website that…

Did the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) report that Poles have started to rename their Wi-Fi networks to insult Ukrainian refugees in Poland? No, that's not true: Both DW and the Ukrainian government refuted the claim. A Lead Stories analysis indicates that the claim's list of supposed Wi-Fi networks may predate Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine that displaced…

Does FEMA have a prison camp just outside Fairbanks, Alaska, that can hold up to 2 million people at a time? No, that's not true: "That is absolutely false," an official of the Federal Emergency Management Agency told Lead Stories. The agency said they "do not operate any prison camps in Alaska or elsewhere." There is no credible evidence that…

Did U.S. Marines in Maui "tactically abort a gunfight with National Guardsmen"? No, that's not true: The website this claim was made on carries a disclaimer stating that it publishes satirical content. The claim appeared in an article published by Real Raw News on September 11, 2023, titled "Marines in Maui: "We're in the Shit!"" (archived here), which opened: United…

Was CNN anchor Larry Madowo "threatened on live TV" by a Ugandan government minister? No, that's not true: An authentic interview between CNN One World's Larry Madowo and Ugandan Foreign Minister Gen. Jeje Odongo that aired on August 24, 2021, discussed whether Uganda's citizens were being tried for treasonous acts. Two days later, the entertainment YouTube channel EduTV KE posted…

Did U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris laugh at a question about Ukrainian refugees at a press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw on May 10, 2022? No, that's not true: Harris did laugh following questions about Ukrainian refugees, but she wasn't laughing at them or their plight. The laughter followed an awkward pause as the U.S. vice president…

Did Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte try to "seize over 3000 farms" to "free land for immigrants" during the unsuccessful negotiations over immigration shortly before the government's collapse in July 2023? No, that's not true: The claim was first made on Tucker Carlson's show on Fox News a year before Rutte conceded that the members of his coalition couldn't reach…

Is Canada implementing a digital ID in order for their provinces to access health care and funding for citizens? No, that's not true: On February 7, 2023, the provincial premiers accepted a proposal to further fund and improve the way health care data is stored, collected, and shared. The press release on the increase of funds did not mention digital…

Does a photo on social media depict a Honduran woman named Susana Gonzalez who was the first member of a "caravan" of migrants to be granted asylum in the United States? No, that's not true: This post depicts an old, fake meme that has been recycled online since 2018 by alt-right, conservative online platforms. The woman in the photo is…