Is the IRS trying to arm all its employees? No, that's not true: A job posting from the IRS Criminal Investigation unit, which carries firearms, does refer to carrying firearms. However, the unit consists of only 2,100 law enforcement agents, according to a spokesperson. In comparison, during fiscal year 2021, the IRS used close to 80,000 full-time equivalent positions for…

Were 1 in every 25 clients of Germany's largest health insurer, Techniker Krankenkasse (TK), treated for side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine in 2021? No, that's not true: Only one of the four diagnosis codes (ICD) for billing health insurers used to come up with the ratio was specific to COVID vaccination. Two of the other three codes could pertain…

Is this an accurate list of 25 taxes that didn't exist 60 years ago? No, that's not true: The list includes taxes that have been around since long before 1962. For example, federal taxes on tobacco and alcohol date as far back as the 18th century, as do property taxes. Other taxes, like the Social Security tax and sales tax,…

Did former President Barack Obama take 30 million pages of documents, including some secret nuclear papers, from the White House to Chicago when he left the presidency and then refuse to return them? No, that's not true: The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) did ship 30 million pages of documents to a secure NARA facility in Chicago, but they…

Does Amazon host a charity event at the end of the year and distribute random unclaimed Amazon packages for $1.95? No, that's not true: An Amazon spokesperson wrote to us saying that Amazon will sell returns to third-party buyers if the items can't be resold. The buyers then sell such liquidated products to their own customers. The link in this…

Is a photograph real that shows Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, partying with the judge who approved the FBI warrant to search former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence? No, that's not true: It's been altered. The original photo, previously published by several media outlets in December 2021, shows Maxwell with Epstein, not the judge. The claim appeared…

Is the IRS opening a "sniper school"? No, that's not true: The IRS Criminal Investigation unit declared to Lead Stories that there is no such school opening. The claim was made in an article on a website known for fictitious content. The claim was originally found in an article (archived here) published on August 10, 2022, and titled "IRS to…

Is an online video advertisement that implies people can rapidly lose weight by wearing a "slimming patch" on their skin realistic? No, that's not true: This is a misleading ad. A bariatric surgeon who also serves as a spokesperson for The Obesity Society told Lead Stories, "there is not enough scientific evidence to prove that slimming patches work." Another weight…

Is WNBA player Brittney Griner a "he" and not a "she"? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Griner -- who uses "she," "her" and "hers" pronouns to describe herself -- identifies as a man. Griner has publicly discussed being misgendered and the effects it had on her mental health since at least 2015. The claim appeared in…

Does this video show 20 warplanes escorting U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's plane during her visit to Taiwan on August 2, 2022? No, this daytime video is from U.S. Naval Air Forces exercises in the Philippine Sea in 2020, according to a media officer with the U.S. Naval Air Forces. Pelosi arrived in Taiwan at night aboard a U.S. passenger…

Did Harvard University scientists discover a "Glucose Flush" that reverses Type 2 diabetes? No, that's not true: In emails to Lead Stories, representatives for the Harvard University Center for the Environment (HUCE) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) said they were unfamiliar with the research or the purported author of the study. The claim appeared in an…

Is Congress considering a bill that would cut $300 billion from Medicare to fund Obamacare, former President Barack Obama's health care law? No, that's not true: The Inflation Reduction Act, which was introduced by congressional Democrats, was passed in the Senate through the reconciliation process on August 7, 2022. If it became law, the measure would reduce some drug costs…

Does the United States have 1,477 deep underground military bases around the world? No, that's not true: According to a duty officer at U.S. Defense Press Operations, "That claim is not true." The claim, which was originally on TikTok, reappeared as a Facebook post on August 5, 2022, under the title "Bet you your teachers and professors don't know and…

Did the World Health Organization (WHO) declare that the inability to find an intimate partner is now considered a disability? No, that's not true: A WHO representative emailed Lead Stories that "this is a false claim." It has been resurfacing on social media platforms since at least 2019. A viral image appeared in a tweet published on July 15, 2021…

Was water in the Hudson River boiling? And was bubbling related to a nuclear power plant that was supposed to be nearby? No, neither claim is true: The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) told Lead Stories via email that the power plant shown in the post is not nuclear, but a natural gas power plant. DEC is…

Did "U.S. Army Special Forces" arrest Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on August 6, 2022? No, that's not true: "There is no truth to this claim," a duty officer at the Pentagon told Lead Stories. The U.S. military is not allowed to arrest civilians under the Posse Comitatus Act. In addition, these claims were posted on…

Does a video posted on Facebook prove that Israel destroyed one of Russia's nuclear submarines, the Kazan? No, that's not true: The clip contains an image of a different submarine, and there have been no credible reports about any Russian submarines being attacked, damaged or destroyed by Israel as of August 9, 2022. The claim originated in a video published…

Does a TikTok video shared on Facebook show the government burning crops and causing food shortages? No, that's not true: It captures a normal practice of farmers doing prescribed burns to improve the quality of their fields. The claim appeared in a TikTok video that started circulating on Facebook on May 16, 2022. It depicts flames in what appeared to…

Is monkeypox the same thing as modern-day leprosy or the condition mentioned in the Bible? No, neither is true: Whether using the biblical or today's medical definition, leprosy is very different from monkeypox. "In ancient times, leprosy was a 'catchall' term for any disease that particularly affected the skin," according to The Leprosy Mission International. In an email to Lead…

Is an online video advertisement showing women rapidly losing weight due to wearing a piece of jewelry realistic? No, that's not true: This is a misleading ad. A bariatric surgeon who also serves as a spokesperson for The Obesity Society (TOS) told Lead Stories, "There is no scientific evidence to prove that anything you wear will help achieve any meaningful…