Does the constant use of a mask cause hypercapnia -- a buildup of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream? No, that's not true. As the COVID-19 outbreak continues, a false claim that wearing masks causes hypercapnia is going viral. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended wearing masks in public for anyone over the age of 2, unless they…

Is it true that for the first time in history "not one American died from the flu this year"? No, sadly, that's not true: Influenza continues to take lives. According to the mortality surveillance data culled by the National Center for Health Statistics, at least 8,048 deaths in the United States have been attributed to the flu in 2020. The…

Did U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez author a bill that would strike from the voting rolls anyone in the United States who is 65 or older? No, that's not true: This story about the liberal New York congresswoman is nothing more than a fabrication published by a well-known satirist who seeks to rile up conservatives. The story originated in an article…

Does a video showing a man standing up after being rolled on a gurney from an ambulance show how the media orchestrates a pandemic? No, that's not true: The video, which apparently was recorded in Russia, has not appeared in any media reports, although it has been shared around the world on social media to make the claim that the…

Do 5G waves penetrate red blood cells in the lungs, making them easy prey for COVID-19 to enter and cause oxygen starvation? No, that's not true: The main study used to support the claim is about Wi-Fi, not 5G signals. Scientists have proven that 5G broadband can't enter the body because skin protects the internal organs, and engineering experts point…

Did President Trump revoke all of Hillary Clinton's privileges as former first lady? No, that is not true. A story has gone viral claiming Donald Trump yanked away any privileges Hillary Clinton would have as the wife of former President Bill Clinton, but the story is completely made up -- a fictional story. It was posted on Bustatroll.org, where it's…

Did Joe Arpaio, nicknamed "America's Toughest Sheriff", pass away? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to mislead Trump supporters and Republicans into sharing made up stories that are clearly marked as satire when you actually click them. Articles from the site are frequently copied by foreign-run fake news websites. The people…

Have FEMA "smart" guillotines been placed in FEMA internment camps? No, that's not true: it is a re-cycled conspiracy hoax published by a website known to published bizarre fiction submitted by the general public as news. The claim that internment camps operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency have been stocked with modernized devices to chop off heads has been…

Did Sheryl Crow say on television that she won't let her kids watch TV when President Trump is on, and that she prefers "classy people like Hillary Clinton"? No, that's not true: This clickbait headline has been circulating since 2017. And while the first part about Trump is fairly accurate, the second part - "I prefer classy people like Hillary…

Does a map show the number of missing children by county in Ohio and is it the "human trafficking capital of the entire USA"? No, that's not true: the map shows the number of reports about missing children in 2018 but omits the fact that over 98% of them were found safe and sound. Only six kids were abducted by…

Did President Trump win a $500 million libel lawsuit against CNN? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to mislead Trump supporters and Republicans into sharing made up stories that are clearly marked as satire when you actually click them. Articles from the site are frequently copied by foreign-run fake news websites.…

Was Chelsea Clinton ranked the world's 18th richest woman? No, that's not true. The story was published by a liberal satire website that tries to mislead Trump supporters and Republicans into sharing made up stories that are clearly marked as satire when you actually click them. Articles from the site are frequently copied by foreign-run fake news websites. The people…

Did Chuck Norris die of coronavirus? No, that's not true. Hollywood legend Chuck Norris is not dead and there is no indication he contracted coronavirus, despite the claim that is going viral on Facebook. The 77-year-old action hero did not pass away from COVID-19 and the joke post even noted "However, after his minor inconvenience of death, Chuck has made…

Did CNN alter a photo to change the apparent race of a person being arrested in order to push an agenda? No, that's not true: These images came from a video made by a bystander in Manchester, England, who then posted the video on Twitter. The claim appeared on Facebook in a post (archived here) by Jennifer Caton on Tuesday,…

Did Brad Pitt reveal "Elite Hollywood Pedophiles Control America?" No, that's not true. The big screen's hunkiest leading man did not drop the bombshell news that he believes Hollywood's elites are pedophiles that control America. The outrageous claim has gone viral again, but the story is old and not true. The story reappeared as an article (archived here) where it…

Did the CDC issue guidelines ordering schools to make children over the age of 2 wear masks, forbidding children from sharing toys and requiring physical barriers in bathrooms -- all for schools to reopen amid the COVID-19 outbreak? No, that is not true. A claim labeled by one Facebook commentator as an "Orwellian developmental nightmare" does not accurately reflect the…

Did President Donald Trump re-sign a 1952 McCarthy-era law making any kind of "Muslamic law" illegal in the United States? No, that's not true: This is a piece of satire from a publisher notorious for trolling Trump supporters and conservatives with sensational claims, mostly about Democrats. These articles are often lifted and republished on websites that post them as truth,…

Is the U.S. survival rate for COVID-19 cases 99.983 percent? No, that's not true. The math does not add up. There are at least 95,000 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 and 1,610,000 confirmed cases in the United States as of May 21, 2020. If only .017 percent of those diagnosed cases died, the death toll would be about 27,370. A scientific…

Did Oregon change hundreds of Republican ballots to non-partisan, thus denying Republican voters the right to participate in the state's primary? No, that's not true: Oregon voters received the non-partisan ballots because they never took the second step of declaring a party affiliation, a spokeswoman for the Oregon secretary of state told Lead Stories. The procedure would affect Democrats, as…

Is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi retiring and bowing out of the November election? No, that's not true. This is satire by a publisher who is notorious for trolling Trump supporters and Republican readers with sensational claims, mostly about Democrats. These articles are often repeated by websites that post them as truth without the proper satire warnings. The original story appeared…