Did Special Forces soldiers unleash "a hailstorm of gunfire" against Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) agents who were attacking and robbing Hurricane Ian victims in Florida? No, that's not true: A Pentagon spokesperson told Lead Stories that this story is false. The claim appeared in a Real Raw News article published on September 29, 2022, and titled "Special Forces Fight…

Did Reuters publish a tweet claiming that Germany has invoked NATO's collective defense provision since the United States attacked the Nord Stream pipeline? No, that's not true: This tweet was not published by Reuters news agency, but by a satirical parody account. Although the account is clearly marked "(Satire)," it uses the real Reuters logo. Some users don't notice the…

Does an Oxford University study say COVID-19 vaccination increases the risk of infection by 44 percent? No, that's not true: The figure comes from a small subsection of the study and doesn't represent its overall conclusions. One of the study's authors told Lead Stories in a September 29, 2022, email that "our study support[s] previous research that Covid vaccines are…

Do any of the COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in the United States contain graphene oxide? No, that's not true: Graphene oxide is not listed as an ingredient in any of the four COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S. There is no publicly available credible evidence demonstrating graphene oxide is in any of the vaccines. The claim that graphene oxide…

Are four Range Rovers being given away because they "cannot be sold due to minor scratches"? No, that's not true: There is not a giveaway in North America for Range Rovers that have scratches, the company confirmed to Lead Stories. The false claim of slightly damaged Range Rovers being given away for free has been circulating on the internet for…

Did locals block a NATO column in Moldova on September 18, 2022? No, that's not true: The video that allegedly demonstrates the "evidence" was shot in 2016. The claim appeared in an English-language tweet (archived here) on September 18, 2022. It said: Column of #NATO military equipment blocked by residents of #Moldova. They blocked a convoy of NATO equipment, chanted…

Did President Joe Biden order the replacement of the U.S. dollar with a trackable spyware version of digital money that will give the government control over the bank accounts of all Americans? No, that's not true: None of that language appears anywhere in the order, a spokesman for the U.S. Treasury told Lead Stories. Biden did sign a March 2022…

Does this video show Italians take down the European Union (EU) flag and replacing it with an Italian flag after the right-wing Brothers of Italy group won an election in 2022? No, that's not true: This video is from December 13, 2013. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) where it was published on September 26, 2022. The…

Did Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner pocket $640 million in jobs as advisers to former President Donald Trump? No, that's not true: Both Trump and Kushner worked at the White House on a pro bono (unpaid) basis, although they earned millions from business interests outside government. The claim appeared in a Facebook post on August 12, 2022. It…

Do social media videos show a man protesting at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on September 19, 2022? No, that's not true: The video is from a 2007 service at Westminster Abbey marking the 200th anniversary of the act to abolish the slave trade in Britain. Human rights campaigner Toyin Agbetu interrupted the commemorative service. One of the claims…

Are nefarious actors based in China manufacturing fake eggs made of plastic and selling them for human consumption? No, that's not true. The absence of corroborating reports on what would be a noteworthy event in the history of food raises doubts about the claim. Experts Lead Stories spoke with said that, as of this writing, they were unaware that any…

Did former President Barack Obama "expose" himself by referring to his wife Michelle as "Michael"? No, that's not true: While he did say the words, he was not talking about himself -- he was citing another person's experience. The claim appeared in a Facebook post on September 24, 2022. It contained a video with a TikTok logo. The caption is:…

Did the U.S. Postal Service allow babies and young children to be stamped and sent through the mail until 1913? No, that's not true: Although there are reports of some children being transported by mail carriers in the early 1900s, the practice was never legal. The claim appeared in a September 27, 2022 Instagram post with the title "Until 1913,…

Do the trace amounts of COVID-19 vaccine mRNA found in breast milk during the first two days after vaccination make it unsafe for babies? No, that's not true: There's no evidence to suggest breastfeeding after COVID mRNA vaccination should be avoided. While some vaccine skeptics have used a research letter published in JAMA Pediatrics to warn against COVID shots, the…

Did Fox News revisit a "theory" about a "huge Trump and military white hat sting operation" in 12 states about the 2020 U.S. presidential election? Did this include a statement that the Biden family, elected officials, bureaucrats, social media managers and media members "are being arrested & detained for ballot fraud" and will face "military tribunals" off the coast of…

Does rubbing Vicks VapoRub on the neck help a person fight off an anxiety attack? No, that's not true: The company, Proctor and Gamble (P&G), and the label on the Vicks VapoRub container say it should only be used to treat cold symptoms and minor aches and pains -- not a psychiatric disorder. Doctors don't list it as a treatment…

Did Vladimir Solovyov, dubbed "the most energetic" Russian state TV propagandist by the U.S. State Department, say he got drafted? No, that's not true: Deliberately mistranslated subtitles in a viral video that allegedly shows this scene distorted Solovyov's words beyond recognition. However, he did criticize the so-called "partial" mobilization previously ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, drawing international attention for…

Is the United Kingdom's current head of state, Charles III, expected not to become the country's crowned king? No, that's not true: Upon the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022, Charles, the prince of Wales, became King Charles III. The clickbait title of a video that suggests otherwise is false and is designed to make…

Did hospitals force the vaccination of millions of children for COVID-19 and are they now trying to normalize a rare side effect? No, that's not true: Hospitals do not have that kind of power and less than a handful of states have mandated COVID shots before kids can attend school. There's also no evidence to suggest that the health care…

Does the U.S. government own or co-own Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, giving it an "ulterior motive" for mandating the shots? No, that's not true: There is no evidence to support this claim. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which collaborated with Moderna on the shot, told Lead Stories in a September 28, 2022 email that it "neither owns…