Does a photo show a man from Gaza buried in concrete by Israeli soldiers? No, that's not true: Social media posts using this same picture first claimed in May 2026 it was linked to a murder in Brazil by a criminal gang. Lead Stories found no credible news reports or other reliable evidence confirming that Israeli soldiers did this to…
Does a real video show Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson publicly declining the invitation to attend the UFC White House event? No, that's not true: An AI-generated cloned voice has been dubbed over pre-existing video clips of Johnson. One clip -- which appears to show his mouth moving in sync with the audio -- is based on footage from an unrelated…
Was the person injured in what news media described as an attempted beheading in Belfast as young as 15 years old? No, that's not true: The authorities said the victim was a man in his 40s. He was in the hospital in serious condition but alive as of June 9, 2026. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and…
Is Spanish soccer star Lamine Yamal possibly missing the World Cup in the United States because of a Palestinian protest and visa issues? No, that's not true: There is no evidence supporting the claim that Yamal would miss the World Cup. As of June 7, 2026, he was already with the Spanish national team at its home base in Chattanooga,…
Do real videos show actor James Franco making "2319" references? Yes, that's true, but it is complicated: It is not clear what Franco is referring to in the series of videos that first appeared in early June 2026. Lead Stories was able to identify the background of several shots in the videos and it appears they were from an upcoming…
Is there an image of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) stage at the White House, featuring a real banner that reads, in part, "Welcome to Costco"? No, that's not true: Although the UFC stage is real, the image contains an AI-generated banner. The fake banner is a reference to a satirical comedy film. The claim appeared in a post published…
Did meal delivery company HelloFresh write on social media during Pride Month that it offers high-fiber recipes for those "who are... prepping"? Yes, that's true: Such a post indeed appeared on one of its social media accounts. The post said that it was an "official statement." The story appeared in a post (archived here) published on X by @hazelappleyard on…
Did Stephen Colbert record and post a real video discussing the firing of CBS and 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley? No, that's not true: The video, which looked similar to an unrelated, real video posted by Colbert, was labeled as "AI-generated" on social media. Additionally, there were no trustworthy reports of Colbert's alleged comments. The claim appeared in a video…
Does a real Eurosport video report say French soccer star Kylian Mbappé accused French President Emmanuel Macron of sexual harassment? No, that's not true: The video links to a fake website designed to mimic the appearance of the real Eurosport site. Lead Stories found no credible news reports or other reliable evidence confirming that Mbappé made such an accusation against…
Did UN Women publish a report saying it confirmed "639 rapes and over 3,000 cases of sexual harassment in the Ukrainian Armed Forces"? No, that's not true: At the time of writing, there was no such report on the UN Women website, and the organization confirmed to Lead Stories it had never published such data. Posts with the claim reused…
Did Stephen Colbert announce plans to launch a "60 Minutes"-style program with Scott Pelley? No, that's not true: The TikTok creator labeled the video with this fake announcement as AI-generated. A Google News search finds no reporting of a planned collaboration between Colbert and Pelley on a new program; articles mentioning both men relate to recent changes at CBS, not…
Does a video show an Iranian missile strike on Israeli or U.S. assets in early June 2026? No, that's not true: The explosion shown in the video occurred at a fireworks factory in Malta. The powerful blast injured two people at the Ta' Lourdes fireworks factory on June 1, 2026. The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here)…
Are photos in a meme showing NBC's "Meet the Press" host Kristen Welker's dramatic expressions demonstrating "five stages of Trump Derangement Syndrome" real? No, that's not true: An AI content detection tool concluded the images of Welker's face while interviewing President Trump were likely AI-generated. A review of the interview video does show a range of expressions, but none matched…
Did an FBI document published by Judicial Watch name Butler County, Ohio, Deputy Kinlee Hoyle as the officer who exchanged emails with the shooter in the 2024 assassination attempt of Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania? No, that's not true: The FBI document in question mentions interviews with "5 Deputies of the Butler County Sheriff's Office" in Pennsylvania but does not…
Did a late-night ballot drop of 24,000 votes give Spencer Pratt no votes in the Los Angeles mayor race and is that evidence of fraud in the vote counting? No, that's not true: The Los Angeles Times explained there was a one-minute lag between its receipt of the Associated Press automated feed of thousands of Pratt votes and the counts…
Is a photo showing the White House South Lawn torn up and under construction for the UFC Fight Night ring in early June 2026 authentic? No, that's not true: The image of the White House lawn with the grass torn out and a large outdoor stadium was rated as likely AI-generated. Photos of the construction available from reputable photo agencies…
Did author and media personality Jordan Peterson die in early June 2026? No, that's not true: At the time of publication, no evidence suggested that Peterson had died. None of his social media accounts or mainstream news organizations had reported on his supposed death. The claim appeared in a post published on X on June 4, 2026 (archived here). It…
Did Middle East Eye publish a video report saying that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan agreed to let Ukraine set up drone manufacturing plants in Armenia? No, that's not true: No such report appeared on the media company's website. It could not be found on the outlet's social media accounts, either. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published…
Did the official account of the South Carolina Gamecocks make a rainbow-themed Happy Pride Month post on X? No, that's not true: The post with the caption 'Boy we sure do love our cocks, Happy Pride Month!' is fake. The screenshot uses the @Gamecocks handle, which belongs to an unaffiliated fan page. There have been no new public posts on…
Does a video show President Donald Trump asleep, unconscious, or passed out during an Oval Office meeting in early June 2026? No, that's not true: There is no conclusive evidence that the president lost consciousness. He briefly closes his eyes during the seven-second clip but reopens them about four seconds into it. A longer version of the video shows Trump…
