Is there something mysterious about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's net worth multiplying eight-fold from $2,962,015 in 2005 to $23,965,520 in 2015 on a salary of $193,400 a year? No, that's not true: The Republican from Kentucky did see a dramatic increase in his net worth, but context is missing from a post questioning the increase. Both Senate disclosure documents…

Does this photo show people praying over, or even "worshipping" a golden, life-sized graven image of former President Donald Trump? No, that's not true: It is an altered photo. The actual photo, taken January 3, 2020, shows a group of Trump supporters, eyes closed with outstretched hands, praying over the actual president at an "Evangelicals for Trump" coalition event in…

Did Ted Cruz lose all his Marriott points? No, that's not true: The story making the claim about the Texas senator is satirical. It wasn't meant to be real, although some social media users appeared to take it as such. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published in the "Laughing in Disbelief" section on patheos.com on February 21,…

Did Ted Cruz say "I'll believe in climate change when Texas freezes over"? No, that's not true: There's no evidence the Texas senator ever said that. The source for the claim is a fake tweet, made to look like it's from Cruz. The tweet is not on Cruz's verified accounts, nor could it be found on a website that tracks…

In defending Ted Cruz' ill-timed vacation in Cancun, did Donald Trump Jr. flub it and say Texas' Republican governor is a Democrat? No, that's not true. Trump Jr.'s tweet about Texas Sen. Cruz leaving Texas for Cancun amid a winter storm disaster is the teaser to a video in which Trump Jr. lambastes Cruz critics who aren't equally critical of…

Did megachurch pastor and televangelist Joel Osteen not open his "18,000-seat" Lakewood Church during freezing, icy weather in Houston, declining to help people left without shelter or heat and power? No, that's not true: Lakewood Church opened its facilities to help people left without heat and power. The rare harsh weather has overwhelmed Texas' electrical power system. Houston news media…

Is a hand recount of 2020 election results in Windham, New Hampshire, proof of election fraud by "Dominion Voting Machines"? No, that's not true: The results changed markedly in the recount, but it's unclear why. The original report, the recount or both may have been made in error. The mere fact of a discrepancy is not evidence of fraud, which…

Did Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tell President Joe Biden to "go f--k yourself"? No, that's not true: No tape, transcript nor witness corroborates the claim. The source for the quote is a website with a history of publishing false claims. Lead Stories searched for publicly available corroboration and found none and a spokesperson for the governor's office told Lead Stories…

Is it true that Fox News Channel did not air the impeachment proceedings on Wednesday, February 10, 2021? No, that's not true: Fox News aired the impeachment from the beginning at 12 p.m. EST to 5 p.m. EST, and then cut away at 5 p.m. to air the network's "The Five" panel talk show. While the proceedings were on Fox…

Did Mike Lindell say Capitol rioters were "drugged by antifa sluts"? No, that's not true: The claim was made in an article posted to a satire website with completely made-up quotes from Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow. The claim appeared as an article (archived here) where it was published by The Business News Standard on February 5, 2021, under the…

Did former President Donald Trump say, "Poor Kids are just as bright and talented as White kids"? No, that's not true:Then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden made the comment in 2019 while campaigning in Iowa. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published February 2, 2021, which opened: "Poor kids are just as bright and talented as white kids."…

Did U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene say, "If English was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for us?" No, that's not true: There is no evidence the Republican freshman from Georgia ever made that comment. It is a quote that is often attributed to the first female governor of Texas, Miriam Amanda "Ma" Ferguson, who was elected in 1924,…

Did California pass a law that bans the Holy Bible? No, that's not true: A video posted in late 2020 recycles 2018 video clips of One America News host Liz Wheeler claiming a law in the Golden State would outlaw the Bible. The bill Wheeler described in the two-year-old clip would have curbed paid "homosexual conversion therapy" but was withdrawn…

Is a video of buses at the U.S. Capitol evidence of an operation against lawmakers? Does it show anything unexpected? No, that's not true: There's no publicly available evidence to support the idea that lawmakers were the target of a military operation. A National Guard official told Lead Stories that what's seen in the video would be consistent with a…

Did outgoing President Donald Trump leave a letter for his successor, Joe Biden, that said "Joe, you know I won"? No, that's not true: The letter is not real. Speaking at the White House, Biden told reporters that Trump left him a "very generous letter." There are also several discrepancies between the fake letter and other recent letters known to…

Does a photo show two people fumigating the Trump Oval Office after he left? No, that's not true: A picture posted shortly after Trump left the White House for the last time as president features two people in full hazmat suits fumigating the Oval Office. However, the photo is not of the Trump Oval Office -- the blue carpet shown…

Was a military marching band practicing the song "Hit The Road Jack" in preparation of President Trump's imminent departure? No, that's not true: video footage posted to Twitter by CNN journalist Jim Acosta showing the band practicing a different song was later overlaid with an audio track from a different marching band apparently from Ohio (probably as a joke by…

Did Donald Trump settle multiple child rape cases for millions of dollars? No, that's not true: A claim has gone viral again that there is a list of payments Trump made to settle rape accusations brought against him by male and female minors. There is no evidence of the cases ever having been filed against Trump and no proof the…

Does a photo show U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert on a group tour in Washington, D.C., in January 2021? No, that's not true: The photo was taken more than a year earlier, at a 2019 rally in Colorado. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published by "Will Watkins" on January 13, 2021. The post included a short introductory…

Did former politician Trey Gowdy say "If you're okay with rigging an election, I'm ok with martial law to stop you" as several social media posts are claiming? No, that's not true: there is no record of Gowdy ever saying these words, they do not appear on his social media accounts or in news reports about Gowdy. Gowdy denied to…