Did President Trump post a tweet suggesting "child lifes matter" should be painted on the streets of Hollywood? No, that's not true: The message was published on a fake Trump Twitter account, a fact missed by some who believed it was a sign that the president was signalling belief in the QAnon Pizzagate conspiracy theory. The bogus account unsername @realDonalTrump_,…

Did Sarah Huckabee Sanders post a tweet saying "it's not the government's job to protect my health" and that "when you trade liberty for safety, you end up losing both"? No, that's not true: The quote originated from a parody Twitter account that poses as the former White House press secretary. The quote appeared in a Facebook post (archived here)…

Did George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States, say in 1992 that the American people would "chase us down the streets and lynch us" over Iran-Contra? No, there is no evidence the former president ever said that regarding the pardoning of six Reagan administration officials in the Iran-Contra Affair and Iraq-Gate. The quote has been debunked by…

Did President Donald Trump get caught trashing his supporters on video? No, that's not true - it is a parody. A viral video showing Trump wearing a mask and speaking crudely about his supporters, calling them "animals" and "The Hills Have Eyes people," was not made by Project Veritas but is a video made by a fan using comedian JL…

Did part of the border wall separating the United States from Mexico blow over during Hurricane Hanna? No, that's not true. Video purporting showing a section of the border wall in Texas blowing over with gale force winds during Hurricane Hanna was recorded when it was still under construction earlier, not late July, according to the U.S. Customs and Border…

Did Betsy DeVos, the U.S. Secretary of Education, say, "You can't plan for something that hasn't happened yet," when asked what will be done if there's a COVID-19 outbreak in schools? No, that's not true. Reviewing both the video of her CNN interview with anchor Dana Bash and an online transcript, it's clear she said something different. The claim appeared…

Did U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos say that "only" .02% of kids are likely to die when they go back to school during the pandemic and if that happened it would result in 14,740 dead students? No, that's not true: Lead Stories could find no public interviews or appearances in which DeVos cited a .02% likelihood of students dying from…

Does a birth certificate prove that Donald Trump and Ghislaine Maxwell had a son together in 1992? No, that's not true: The purported birth certificate was quickly revealed to be a fake soon after it was posted by an anonymous Twitter account on Juy 4, 2020. The account RogueWHSnrAdvisor tweeted clues and a Periscope video before posting an image of…

Have more than 120 million people died in the United States from COVID-19, as Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is heard saying in a campaign speech? No, that's not true: the number, as of June 25 -- the day the comment was made -- was roughly 120,000 dead, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. A pool reporter covering…

Did Michelle Obama complete a "PhD in law" since leaving the White House? No, that's not true. The former first lady holds a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, but her office confirmed to Lead Stories that she has not gone back to school to earn a PhD degree in any area. The claim appeared as a post (archived here)…

Does a photo of an African-American woman holding a plate of pancakes and with her leg chained to a table show "Aunt Jemima" who represented the pancake brand for decades? No, it does not: The photo is of photographer Sally Stockhold, a white woman who dressed in costume and blackface makeup several years ago to impersonate the iconic Aunt Jemima…

Did President Trump threaten by Twitter that people who ordered tickets to his Tulsa rally but failed to attend should be "arrested and face very powerful charges," suggesting it was treason. No, that's not true. The president, while constantly active on Twitter, did not make such a threat through the social platform. There is no record of such a tweet.…

Was conservative commentator Candace Owens called "Aunt Tom" by Michelle Obama during a CNN interview? 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…

Did "Cracker Jack" change their name to "Caucasian Jack" because that would be more politically correct? No, that's not true: the story was published by Christian-themed satire website The Babylon Bee to mock the recent real announcement about Aunt Jemima changing its brand name. The satirical article was published by The Babylon Bee on June 17, 2020 under the headline…

Did NASCAR prohibit MAGA hats and "political" clothing? No, that's not true. The story originated on a liberal satire website and the story was posted in a category titled "Fox News Satire That's More Belivable Than Fox News." The site is part of a network of websites that habitually try to mislead Trump supporters and Republicans into sharing made-up stories…

Did Sarah Grossman die after police sprayed her protest group with tear gas, which triggered her asthma and led to her death? No, there's no evidence that happened: The 22-year-old woman had not been diagnosed with asthma and there is no evidence her sudden death was connected to gas launched by police during May 28, 2020, protest in Columbus, Ohio,…

Did Atlanta Police say white supremacists shot seven black people, killing two, in a drive-by shooting in Atlanta on Saturday, June 13, 2020? No, that's not true: The Atlanta Police Department denied to Lead Stories that its spokesman said white supremacists carried out the attack. The author of the article, Tariq Nasheed, described himself as "the world's #1 Race Baiter."…

Did Henry Kissinger say the solution to coronavirus is by having a "New World Order"? No, that is not true. Kissinger, 97, wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal in which he said there must be a "global collaborative vision and program" to defeat COVID-19 but he never used the phrase "New World Order." The claim appeared as an…

Is President Trump holding a Bible in his right hand imitating an image of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler posing with a Bible? No, that's not true: The photo of Hitler was digitally altered to add a Bible in his right hand. The original image showed Hitler holding his right hand up, as if waving, in front of supporters giving the…

Did protesters destroy Donald Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? No, that's not true: A photo of showing damage to Donald Trump's star was taken on July 25, 2018, after a man attacked it with a pickaxe. The star, which was vandalized at least two other times, was restored and in fine condition as of June 2, 2020.…