Just Because It's Trending Doesn't Mean It's True — Fact checking at the speed of likes since 2015

Did the New York Times publish a story headlined "Pope Leo XIV Was a Founding Member of the 2020 Anarchist Portland Autonomous Zone Known as CHAZ"? No, that's not true: A faked screenshot of such a headline also claimed Robert Francis Prevost spent time writing for an "anarchist zine" in Portland about how to "fist-fight police officers". No such article…

Do posts about suspects "Kelvin Buckland" and "Malena Renae Mason" being on the run offer a genuine warning for the members of various local communities? No, that's not true: Such posts were later flipped to promote rental deals. If people click the links promoted in the new versions of the posts, a series of web pages aim to trick social…

Does a viral image prove that the newly elected U.S.-born Pope Leo XIV is a "registered Republican" from Will County, Illinois? That omits some context: According to the Will County Clerk's Office file, the new Pope did vote in Republican primaries in the past, but that doesn't make him a "registered Republican" because Illinois does not require eligible voters to…

Does a video on YouTube confirm that three Japanese car manufacturers publicly announced the decision to exit the U.S. market, facing tariffs planned to be imposed by the Trump Administration? No, that's not true: The clip did not offer any specific details of the purported statement. Lead Stories found no press releases or credible media reports confirming the rumor. Talking…

Cardinal Robert Prevost, a Chicago native, was chosen as successor to Pope Francis. Prevost, who becomes the first American to lead the Roman Catholic Church, has chosen the name Leo XIV. (Source: Lead Stories' screenshot of Vatican TV) Prevost's earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Villanova University in 1977, and a Master of Divinity from Catholic Theological Union…

Did a video show an Indian drone falling to the ground and causing an explosion, after being shot down by Pakistani forces in May 2025? No, that's not true: The video had been online since April 29, one week before India struck locations in Pakistan in response to a terrorist attack by Pakistani militants, and Pakistan, in response, shot down…

Was U.S. Sen. John Fetterman expelled from the Democratic party in early May 2025? No, that's not true: A widely-shared video offered in-depth opinions on the Pennsylvania senator's complex and changing relationship with the party, but no evidence to support the striking claim that he had been "officially kicked out." The video came after a New York magazine feature article…

Did "DOGE Auditor Joe Barron" uncover that billionaires Mark Cuban, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett each received $250 million in quarterly payments each, for a total of $4 billion? No, that's not true: The story, which also had them donating $1 billion of the money to Joe Biden's campaign, originated on a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer. The owner…

Did Donald Trump announce in May of 2025 the government would pay $15,000 cash to anyone who buys an American-made car? No, that's not true: The claim was posted without links or descriptions of where and when Trump said it that could be used to corroborate the claim. No evidence of such a policy was found on the White House…

Does a video authentically capture a smoke detector's "low battery" alarm beeping during U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett's speech? No, that's not true: The sound was added later. Original recordings from 2023 don't have such interference on the soundtrack. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on TikTok on May 3, 2025, under the caption: 🤣😁😂🤟🏼💯 beep ☠️ In…

Did a video authentically show President Donald Trump saying, of clashes between India and Pakistan in May 2025, "let 'em fight"? No, that's not true: The clip was authentic, but was recorded in 2019. Trump was speaking then in the context of conflict between ISIS and the Taliban in Afghanistan. The claim appeared in a May 6, 2025, post on…

Did Harvard University publish a corrected version of a letter from Education Secretary Linda McMahon, complete with red pen markups? No, that's not true: the corrected version was posted by an X user in May 2025. Harvard's website and social media accounts showed no trace of the sarcastically annotated letter. The claim appeared in a May 6, 2025, post on…

Did a video show a Pakistani pilot lying on the ground after being shot down during military skirmishes between India and Pakistan in May 2025? No, that's not true: the footage had been online since mid-April, 2025, and appears to relate to an accidental crash near the city of Vehari, on April 15. According to reports, the two Pakistani Air…

Does a viral video show an explosion that is possibly a tactical nuclear weapon being used in the 2025 conflict between India and Pakistan? No, that's not true: The footage showing a huge explosion almost engulfing two tall buildings and a construction crane at night was originally filmed in China in 2015. It showed an industrial accident in Tianjin, China.…

Does an authentic photo of Shiloh Hendrix show her holding a handwritten card that reads: "$250K You Niggers"? No, that's not true: The photo, of the Minnesota woman who was videotaped shouting the n-word at a child, is predated by a version of the same photo in which the card she holds reads: "@AngloSaxonGirl". An AI detection tool found there…

Does video of a night air raid document India's May 6, 2025 attack on Punjab Province in Pakistan and Pakistan's portion of Kashmir, as was claimed on social media? No, that's not true: The clip exactly matches video posted to YouTube October 23, 2023, long before India's ballistic missile attack. In the original posted version of the video, multiple accounts…

Is a video of President Trump in the Oval Office saying Antifa is "very gay looking, very unathletic, very unlovable" authentic? No, that's not true: The video is an AI-altered version of Trump's May 5, 2025, appearance with NFL officials to announce that the 2027 NFL Draft will be held in Washington, D.C. The rant is not in the original…

Did the U.S. Supreme Court refuse to hear a case about "sexual orientation discrimination" involving Rachel Levine, the Biden Administration's assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)? No, that's not true: The Supreme Court website did not show any record of such a decision. The story originated from an account on Facebook linked…

Did the schedule of the 2025 Qatar Economic Forum include a panel titled "Monetizing MAGA", with President Donald Trump's son Donald Jr. announced to speak there? Yes, that's true: An archived version of the page confirms that. Later, the panel was renamed but it still featured Donald Trump Jr. The statement appeared in a post (archived here) on X where…

Did U.S. Border Patrol find thousands of FEMA relief packages along the southern U.S. border in May 2025, which had been re-routed from hurricane-hit states for the benefit of undocumented immigrants? No, that's not true: That claim originated with a Facebook account that describes its content as satirical. America's Last Line of Defense is a frequent source of fake stories…