Are COVID-19 vaccines full of razorlike graphene nanoparticles that are killing athletes and others? No, that's not true: No ingredient lists for the vaccines include graphene and no credible independent lab has produced evidence graphene particles are in the vaccines. The claim arises from a video (archived here) of German chemist Andreas Noack, posted to BitChute November 28, 2021, titled…

Does a video show the Michigan school shooter pretending to be a sheriff? No, that's not true: A video taken inside a classroom at Oxford High School on November 30, 2021, shows students refusing to open the door to a person outside, fearful that it was the gunman on a shooting rampage at their school. However, Oakland County Sheriff Michael…

Is this post a real account of a transgender reassignment for a teenager? No, that's not true: There is no evidence to suggest the content in this post is real. This closely resembles another fabricated story from a Reddit troll farm that posts stories intended to make those on both sides of the political spectrum angry. A text search reveals…

Does a Pfizer document show thousands of people around the world died from the company's COVID-19 vaccine the first month it was available? No, that's not true: The analysis of adverse event (AE) reports prepared by the pharmaceutical company doesn't determine cause and effect, only that more than a thousand vaccinated people died in the first three months after the…

Were more than 40% of the people who died from COVID-19 in Maryland "over the last 6 to 8 weeks" fully vaccinated? No, that's not true: When the claim was made on October 18, 2021, the real number of deaths from COVID of fully vaccinated people from August 23 to October 18, 2021, was 32%, the Maryland Department of Health…

Did an article published by Forbes support the idea that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines directly modify DNA? Not exactly: Although the headline "Yes, The Vaccine Changes Your DNA. A Tiny Bit. That's A Good Thing," was posted on the website, the title of the article was changed shortly after its publication to better reflect the contents of the article. And while…

Does this post lead to an article about some type of legal issue concerning an actor? Did the actor lend their name and endorsement to a brand of CBD gummies as "the ultimate pain relief solution"? No, that's not true: This clickbait teaser does not deliver the article that is promised, but to a deceptive website spoofing NBC News. The…

Does a new study from Germany show that a higher COVID-19 vaccination rate results in higher death rates? No, that's not true: A German politician had presented a paper in a state parliamentary debate on November 17, 2021, that allegedly found that German states with a higher vaccination rate showed a higher excess mortality during six weeks between September and…

Do avocados reduce the risk of cervical cancer, and do they take "9 months to ripen"? No, that's not true: While avocados contribute to maintaining an overall healthy diet, researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) told Lead Stories "there are no research studies that we are aware of establishing a link between consumption of a specific food and risk…

Were the Astroworld Travis Scott concert deaths caused by "a crowd with razor blades in their blood" and graphene oxide? No, that's not true: There is no credible evidence supporting the claim that there is graphene oxide in any of the COVID-19 vaccines. An article claims graphene oxide in the blood of the victims was agitated by the speakers at…

Does eating cashews kill bacteria? No, that's not true: Scientific research suggests that there isn't enough anacardic acid in the cashew itself to kill bacteria or provide any therapeutic value. But, discarded cashew shells could possibly have antibacterial and immune-boosting properties, if reduced and purified to drug form. The claim appeared as a meme in a Facebook post on November…

Are symptoms of the omicron variant being used to cover up effects of COVID-19 vaccines? No, there is no evidence that there is a cover-up of COVID vaccine adverse effects via symptoms of the new omicron variant. An article making that claim gives no scientific, medical or reputably published proof. It also repeats a false claim that 183 professional athletes…

Did Japan endorse the use of ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19, sending cases plummeting in late August 2021? No, that's not true: While Haruo Ozaki, the chairman of the Tokyo Medical Association, said at an August 13, 2021, press conference that the anti-parasitic drug showed promise, he also said it needed to be studied thoroughly. The Tokyo Medical Association…

Did a federal magistrate approve a $110 million defamation suit filed by Kyle Rittenhouse against LeBron James? No, that's not true: The article making the claim is from a network of satire websites that have published fictitious claims about lawsuits filed against celebrities by Rittenhouse, who was was acquitted after shooting three men at an anti-police brutality protest in 2020.…

Is the media barred from the courtroom in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial? No, that's not true: An order from the presiding judge said that a press pool can be in the courtroom, and other media personnel can cover the trial from overflow courtrooms. The judge cited COVID-19 distancing requirements for that arrangement. The trial, which began on November 29, 2021,…

Did the military arrest Mike Donilon, President Joe Biden's senior advisor? No, that's not true: An official at the Pentagon told Lead Stories that this claim was false. Also, there has been no other media coverage of Donilon being arrested by the military except for the original article published by Real Raw News -- a site that has a history…

Did various leaders of major companies and public figures resign or get fired on the first day of the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was multimillionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's girlfriend and alleged co-conspirator? Not for the most part: Although former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey stepped down on November 29, 2021, the same day as the start of the trial, other…

Is a drink containing sheep feces now in demand in China because it is high in protein and also can make a person high? No, that's not true: This spoof post includes genuine images showing a popular Taiwanese drink called bubble tea, or boba tea. This drink can be made to order with several choices of the type of tea…

Was a green screen used to produce one of the more memorable images of rioters inside the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021 -- with actors posing in another location and superimposed onto still and video images of the riot? No, that's not true: An image circulating online is a photoshopped prank composed of two different images after-the-fact. The…

Did Kyle Rittenhouse file a $400 million lawsuit against CNN? No, that's not true: The article containing that claim was posted on a satirical website, with several indications that it was a fictitious story. The claim originated in a November 26, 2021 article (archived here) published on the satirical site Daily World Update titled "Rittenhouse files $400 Million suit against…