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Open full menu Go Fact Check Analysis Corrections Blue Feed Red Feed Corona Virus Fact Check All our fact checks Fact Check: This Is NOT A 2020 National Geographic Photo Of The Star of Bethlehem Did National Geographic send a photographer to northern Alaska to capture this photo of the Star of Bethlehem in December of 2020? No, that's not true: This image has been circulating online since at least 2014 and is not credited to National Geographic. It is a screenshot of a 'motion background' stock image titled "North Star Galaxy" available from the… Dec 28, 2020 by: Sarah Thompson Stock Video Fact Check: Sungard Availability Services Was NOT The Target Of The Nashville Bombing Was Sungard Availability Services (Sungard AS) the target of the Christmas Day bombing in Nashville, Tennessee? No, that's not true: Sungard AS has not had a Nashville presence since May 2015. "Accordingly, there was not any impact to Sungard AS by the Nashville explosion," a spokeswoman told Lead Stories. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published on… Dec 28, 2020 by: Dana Ford No Presence Fact Check: AAA Is NOT Offering 'Tipsy Tow' Program During the 2020/2021 New Years Is the American Automobile Association (AAA) offering complimentary tow truck services to people who have been drinking on New Years? No, that's not true: The program has been suspended for the 2020/2021 New Years holiday due to the coronavirus pandemic. "Tipsy Tow will not be offered in any state this year," said Ellen Edmonds, a public relations manager for AAA's… Dec 28, 2020 by: Victoria Eavis Not This Year Fact Check: President Trump Invoking The Impoundment Control Act Does NOT Force Congress To Repeal Section 230, Cut Wasteful Spending, Add $2k Stimulus Checks Did President Trump invoke the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 as he signed the Covid-19 Relief Bill, forcing Congress to rescind section 230, cut wasteful spending, and to add $2,000 stimulus checks for all Americans? No, that's not true: The Impoundment Control Act does not force Congress to do anything. It was passed in 1974 as a way to limit… Dec 27, 2020 by: Alan Duke Limits Trump Fact Check: Photo Does NOT Show Suspected Nashville Bomber Anthony Quinn Warner Wearing A Trump 2020 Hat Does a photo show suspected Nashville bomber Anthony Quinn Warner wearing a Trump 2020 hat? No, that's not true: The photo circulated on social media in the days after the Christmas morning bombing in Nashville, Tennessee is not of Warner, the 63-year-old Tennessee man identified by the FBI as the bomber. The bearded man in the photo is clearly not… Dec 27, 2020 by: Alan Duke Not Him Fact Check: Biden Is NOT A War Hero, Rhodes Scholar, Nor Harvard Law Grad Is Joe Biden a war hero, a Rhodes Scholar and a Harvard law school graduate? No, he is not any of those. The claims that the president-elect did hold those distinctions was part of a satirical meme intended to test fact checkers. It was not a tough call, since Lead Stories quickly concluded it is not misleading or false --… Dec 27, 2020 by: Dean Miller Nice Try Fact Check: AT&T Data Center In Nashville Damaged By Bomb Did NOT Have Contract To Audit Dominion Voting Machines Did the AT&T data center in Nashville, Tennessee, damaged by a Christmas morning bomb have a contract to audit Dominion voting machines? No, that's not true: An AT&T spokesman confirmed to Lead Stories via email there is no such contract. We've also been unable to find any documentation that any company has a contract to audit voting machines. The claim… Dec 27, 2020 by: Alan Duke No Deal Fact Check: Sam Hyde Was NOT Driving The RV That Exploded in Nashville Did authorities release an image of the RV that exploded in Nashville on December 25, 2020 that showed comedian Sam Hyde behind the wheel? No, that's not true: blaming the comedian for being the perpetrator of all sorts of terror attacks, shootings etc. has become a strange in-joke among trolls on the internet and it happens almost every time there… Dec 26, 2020 by: Maarten Schenk Joke Meme Fact Check: Website Screenshot and Tweets Are NOT Evidence FBI Arrested Adam Schiff at LAX Airport Are a couple of tweets and a link to a website named lacountyarrestrecords.com solid evidence Adam Schiff was arrested by the FBI at LAX Airport on December 24, 2020? No, that's not true: tweets are not solid evidence and there is no reason FBI arrests would show up on a website claiming to show county arrest records. The website itself… Dec 26, 2020 by: Maarten Schenk No Evidence Fact Check: 14 Generals Did NOT Say They Will Never Take Orders From Joe Biden Did 14 U.S. military generals say they would never take orders for President Joe Biden? No, that's not true: The claim was made in a satirical article published by the ALLOD network of websites that troll conservatives, hoping to trick them into sharing false claims. The claim originated in an article (archived here) published by DailyWorldUpdate.us on November 19, 2020… Dec 25, 2020 by: Alan Duke Trolling Fact Check: Purported Evidence in 'The Plot To Steal America' Video Does NOT Support Election Fraud Claims -- Mostly Consists of Rehashed Hoaxes Does an advertising video titled "The Plot To Steal America" contain hard evidence of election fraud? No, that's not true: the 18-minute pitch contains allegations based on video clips purporting to show "evidence" but several of these clips do not actually show what is being claimed. The announcer repeats 11 already-debunked claims in the opening five minutes, then tells viewers… Dec 24, 2020 by: Maarten Schenk Bad Evidence Fact Check: Instant Noodles Are NOT Coated In Wax That Causes Cancer Are instant noodles coated with a wax used in Styrofoam packaging that could cause cancer? No, that's not true: Labels of popular brands of instant noodles don't show wax among the ingredients and makers of such products have refuted wax-coated noodle claims for years. Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration regulates food ingredients and packaging, aimed at ensuring a safe… Dec 23, 2020 by: Olivera Perkins No Wax Fact Check: This Is NOT A NASA Photo Of A Solar Eclipse Was this photo of a total solar eclipse taken by NASA on December 14, 2020? No, that's not true: While there was a total solar eclipse on December 14, 2020, which cast a shadow on a narrow band of the southern end of South America, visible in Chile and Argentina, this image has nothing to do with it. This image… Dec 23, 2020 by: Sarah Thompson Sci-fi Art Fact Check: Vaccines Are NOT Primarily Designed To Improve Survival Rates Of Those Already Infected -- They Work By Reducing The Risk of Infection Are coronavirus vaccines primarily designed to improve survival rates of those already infected? No, that's not true: Vaccines are designed to reduce the risk of infection in the first place. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) published by Chad Prather on December 18, 2020. The post read: How will we know the vaccine is working? Will the… Dec 23, 2020 by: Dana Ford Vaccines Work Fact Check: Birthmarks NOT Caused By MTHFR Gene Variants, Which Rarely Cause Disease, Are NOT Harmful For Those Receiving Vaccines Do variants of the MTHFR gene cause disease and increase the likelihood of vaccine reactions? No, that's not true: In rare circumstances, a MTHFR (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase) gene variant causes neural tube defects in newborn babies. Other times, it can cause elevelated levels of homocysteine, which can lead to blood clots. Otherwise, there are no scientific studies linking MTHFR gene variants,… Dec 23, 2020 by: Arthur Brice Not Proven Fact Check: This Mansion Is NOT Joel Osteen's Is this Joel Osteen's house? No, that's not true: The sprawling mansion, shown in a Facebook post, is not Joel and Victoria Osteen's River Oaks, Texas, home. It is the Hidden Hills, California, home of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, according to published reports. The related claims about Osteen's taxes and federal...