Politics

Are conservatives or Republicans now taking issue with "manufactured" rainbows that appear when there is water spray from a fountain? No, that's not true: This viral 2007 video of unscientific musings about rainbows was mashed up and posted to mock conservative Republicans in 2023. In the original video, the person's political party affiliation is not readily apparent. Remixed in 2023,…

Did seven people show up for former President Donald Trump in Iowa as the 2024 election season began? No, that's missing context: The video of Trump with seven people was taken inside a radio station office where he was recording an interview -- it was not an event open to the public. He spoke at public events in Iowa that…

Does this video show former President Barack Obama's son at a political rally in Kenya? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Obama has a son. The original video was found on YouTube using the words, "barack obama look-alike." Obama's only children are his two daughters, Malia and Sasha, whom he shares with his wife, Michelle. The claim…

Did the mother of Michelle Obama, former first lady of the United States, leave her inheritance to a son named "Michael Robinson Obama," insinuating that "Michael" is Michelle Obama's real name? No, that's not true: The claim was made on a website that described itself as satirical. Although the claim originated on a now-defunct satirical website called Obama Watcher, it…

Is Donald Trump still president because of Title 10 and Executive Order 13912? No, that's not true: A constitutional law expert told Lead Stories that Title 10 and an executive order do not override the U.S. Constitution, which states that the president is elected by the Electoral College. The claim appeared in a video published on Rumble on May 30,…

Did the U.S. military convict Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky of treason on May 29, 2023? No, that's not true: A Pentagon duty officer told Lead Stories, "There is no truth to this claim." It is also not in the U.S. military's jurisdiction to arrest civilians, and this claim is from a website that regularly publishes…

Is presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis selling a "Make America Florida" hat? No, that's not true: This hat is not available on DeSantis' official online store. A separate shop that is not officially associated with DeSantis' campaign is selling the hat. The separate shop has a disclaimer that states the site is "Not Authorized by any Candidate or…

Does a post show "new video evidence" of Maricopa County election officials breaking into sealed election machines? No, that's not true: The "new" video is a recording of a 2022 public live stream of the Maricopa County, Arizona, election headquarters where workers were installing new memory cards into the ballot tabulators prior to the November 2022 election, the spokesperson for…

Did Florida governor and 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis post a picture at an event showing George Soros, a billionaire philanthropist who is often the subject of conspiracy theories, in the background? No, that's not true: The original image, posted in a tweet by media personality John Cardillo, was altered to include a person resembling Soros. The claim appeared in…

Will people in Los Angeles who have committed violent crimes be "set free" as of May 24, 2023? No, that's not true: A court injunction was scheduled to go into effect in Los Angeles County on May 24, 2023, that reinstated a no-bail policy first implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic in an effort to reduce overcrowding in county jails. However,…

Did Walt Disney World remove "all American flags" and replace them with "the Pride flag" to honor lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) rights? No, that's not true: As of May 25, 2023, the Walt Disney Company had not announced such a change ahead of LGBTQ Pride Month, the annual June commemoration of the LGBTQ+ rights struggle. The claim…

Did George Soros say "Those who oppose my agenda are white supremacists"? No, that's not true: There is no verifiable evidence or credible source that supports the assertion that Soros said this or that the statement attributed to him is a close paraphrase of something said by the Hungarian-born American financier, philanthropist and activist, who is also one of the…

Is there data "pouring in" that "gender change" results in a higher risk of suicide? No, that's not true: The person making the claim offers no evidence that "gender change" increases the risk of suicide. Multiple studies have found the opposite -- gender-affirming surgeries and treatments are associated with lower rates of suicide. An expert in gender-affirming medical care told…

Is a vast military exercise called Jade Helm taking place in the United States in the summer of 2023? No, that's not true: A video about Jade Helm reused a 2015 news report. The story appeared in a video published on TikTok on May 17, 2023. A banner on the right side of the frame said: U.S. Military conducting suspect…

Does the state of Michigan ban most stores from selling seeds, and is the purpose of this ban to force people to only buy fruit from big corporations? No, that's not true: Michigan does not ban seed sales. There was a short period during the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic when seeds were off limits to customers shopping in…

Does a viral video prove the presence of NATO forces in Ukraine in May 2023? No, that's not true: The footage, predating the Russian invasion of Ukraine, shows Afghanistan. The claim appeared in a video on TikTok on May 10, 2023. The text overlay said: Is World war 3 already startin 💔 it like a dream 😭 It continued: Nato…

Do people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 shorten their average lifespan by a quarter century? No, that's not true: There is no scientific evidence or credible research to support the idea that being fully vaccinated for COVID-19 shortens a person's life expectancy. Vaccinations, including COVID-19 vaccines, go through rigorous testing and evaluation processes to ensure their safety and efficacy.…

Does a declassified "CIA document" prove that the intelligence agency knows "how the world is going to end"? No, that's not true: The "document" is an excerpt from a book, "The Adam and Eve Story: The History of Cataclysms." It was not written by the CIA, but by the writer Chan Thomas. An online book database shows that it has…

Were homeless veterans forced to move out from a hotel in Upstate New York so it could accommodate a "bus load of migrants" transported from New York City? No, that's not true: The supposed victims of the circumstances were not veterans -- according to their own words, they were homeless people from a local shelter recruited to act as if…

Were three high-profile Democrats, including President Joe Biden, arrested on or before May 10, 2023? No, that's not true: The claim came from a 2021 video that theorized about that happening in the future, but two years later, as of this writing, none of it materialized. The story appeared in a post published on Facebook on May 10, 2023. It…