Category USA

Fact Check: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Was NOT Killed In Kyiv On January 3, 2024 | Lead Stories

Was Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin killed by Russian cruise missiles in Kyiv, Ukraine, on January 3, 2024? No, that's not true: A Pentagon duty officer confirmed to Lead Stories that this claim is false. On January 1, 2024, Austin was hospitalized in Washington, D.C., due to complications from surgery and remained there as of January 10, 2024. Also, this claim is from a website that regularly publishes fabricated content often mistaken for real news.

Read MoreFact Check: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Was NOT Killed In Kyiv On January 3, 2024 | Lead Stories

No, Ukraine is not taking money from Hawai’i relief

In the wake of the devastating wildfires on Hawai’i in August 2023, viral posts falsely claimed that the US government would only provide $700 in aid each to affected households.

In fact, the federal government responded quickly to the horrific disaster in Maui, conducting extensive rescue operations and providing aid far in excess of $700 per household.

Read MoreNo, Ukraine is not taking money from Hawai’i relief

Online claims misrepresent White House remarks on Ukraine military aid | Fact Check

[T]he president did not threaten to deploy US troops to fight Russia if the budget was not approved. Instead, he was warning of what may happen if Russian forces were to expand into any of the NATO territories neighboring Ukraine, which the United States is bound by treaty to help.

Read MoreOnline claims misrepresent White House remarks on Ukraine military aid | Fact Check

How pro-Russian ‘yacht’ propaganda influenced US debate over Ukraine aid

A website founded by a former US Marine who now lives in Russia has fuelled a rumour that Volodymyr Zelensky purchased two luxury yachts with American aid money. Despite the false claim, the disinformation plot was successful. It took off online and was echoed by members of the US Congress making crucial decisions about military spending.

It was an incredible assertion - using two advisers as proxies, Mr Zelensky paid $75m (£59m) for two yachts. But not only has the Ukrainian government flatly denied the story, the two ships in question have not even been sold.

Read MoreHow pro-Russian ‘yacht’ propaganda influenced US debate over Ukraine aid

No, Volodymyr Zelensky didn’t buy a villa in Florida

Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky buy a house in Florida? And did he get American citizenship? Those are the rumors circulating on social media along with a couple of photos. However, the villa that appears in the photos is still up for sale and the certificate of nationality is fake, making this the latest example of fake news stories implying that Ukrainian officials are using international aid money for personal purposes.

Read MoreNo, Volodymyr Zelensky didn’t buy a villa in Florida

No, Ukraine’s Zelensky did not buy a lavish mansion in Florida – Truth or Fake

A few days after Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Washington, social media accounts are claiming that the Ukrainian president recently bought a mansion in Florida. The posts show pictures of a lavish mansion and a document that looks like a US naturalisation certificate under his name. But both photos are fake: Zelensky did not buy a house in the US, nor did he become a US citizen.

Read MoreNo, Ukraine’s Zelensky did not buy a lavish mansion in Florida – Truth or Fake

Fake: Elon Musk Wants to Receive Russian Passport and Thinks Putin Is “Not a…

An excerpt from a broadcast on X (formerly Twitter), in which Elon Musk praises Putin and Russia, was generated by a neural network and shared initially by Russian sources. The original recording of the broadcast with Musk, where he says no such thing, is available online.

Read MoreFake: Elon Musk Wants to Receive Russian Passport and Thinks Putin Is “Not a…