Is a video of a nurse being arrested after she stole a $45,000 Rolex from a dying patient real? No, that's not true: It is a scripted skit with actors, originally posted on a YouTube account that acknowledges it makes fictional videos for entertainment. The timestamp for the bodycam video does not use the same font as authentic Axon bodycam…
Is a video showing a huge tsunami wave destroying a city authentic? No, that's not true: An online AI detection tool found the video is 99.5 percent generated by artificial intelligence tools. While this video does not have a label, the account that posted the video shares other videos that are clearly AI-generated. The video (archived here) was posted on…
Did Bill Gates use his turn speaking at a White House dinner to apologize for things such as: Windows, viruses, vaccines, sterilizing people, and trying to block out the sun -- finishing by asking for a pardon over "all the Epstein shit"? No, that's not true: This video was published by a parody account and bears their watermark in the…
Is a story about a former foster child named Lily Tran getting into Stanford and being called on stage to speak alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth real? No, that's not true: The image and the text used to tell the story were generated by artificial intelligence tools, according to AI detectors. There are several versions of the story circulating on…
Did California Governor Gavin Newsom's press office publish a real photo of President Trump's face looking bloated and red? No, that's not true: The image was digitally edited to puff up the chin and neck area to make them look more bloated. The original photo was taken by Associated Press at a 2022 golf tournament. The image appeared in a…
Did a video capture an exchange in which a "Queer for Palestine" supporter wanted to join a rally in Amsterdam but was told by other participants that "We are Muslims and you disgust us"? No, that's not true: A viral post reused a 2021 recording documenting a Dutch-language exchange that did not contain such a phrase. At the time, news…
Did Elon Musk buy a crumbling shelter in Los Angeles where he had volunteered as a teenager in order to rebuild it as Hope Haven, a sanctuary for homeless families? No, that's not true: Elon Musk never volunteered at a shelter in California as a teen because he was not in the USA as a teen. The deluxe private homes…
Was Democratic politician Stacey Abrams indicted in Georgia for voter fraud? No, that's not true: The false claim was made on a self-described satire page whose logo was removed from the variations of the claim later spread by other accounts. No credible news organization reported on the existence of the purported lawsuit. The claim originated from a post (archived here)…
Did the 9th District Court side with the US Solicitor General to vacate 84 of Joe Biden's "autopen pardons"? No, that's not true: There were no actual news stories about this. The story originated on a satirical Facebook page. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content. The claim appeared in an…
Did a "first population-wide peer-reviewed study" confirm that COVID-19 vaccines cause "turbo cancers"? No, that's not true: The study referred to its results as preliminary. The corresponding author told Lead Stories that more research is needed to confirm the findings about cancer among those vaccinated against COVID-19. The claim appeared in an article (archived here) published on The Gateway Pundit…
Did the U.S. Navy admit that the Earth is flat in "their defense magazine", by claiming that a Navy laser weapon can shoot down cruise missiles from 100 miles away? No, that's not true on several counts: The Navy said no such thing. A short video clip circulating on social media has sensationalized points made by Pastor Dean Odle during…
Did President Trump just authorize FCC fines of up to $100 million for media outlets caught spreading lies? No, that's not true: That story originated on a satirical Facebook page. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content. There were no fact-based news stories about the authorization of the kind of fines…
Did Elon Musk sign a $13.5 million deal with Netflix for a 7-episode series about his "turbulent journey" as of September 3, 2025? No, that's not true: There is no evidence Musk signed a Netflix deal. The only source making the claim is a website that publishes hundreds of fake stories each day, including debunked claims that Stephen Colbert and…
Does a real photo show the political and climate activist Greta Thunberg wearing a revealing keyhole T-shirt along with her signature frog hat? No, that's not true: The photo of Greta Thunberg has been digitally edited. The shirt Thunberg actually wore when she was photographed in Barcelona, Spain, is a crop top which does not have a cutout below the…
Does a viral video really show a Russian Su-27 jet intercepting a NATO F-15 trying to get closer to a Tu22m3 bomber over Ukraine? No, that's not true: The footage which was widely copied to other social networks carried the watermark of a TikTok channel that publishes aviation videos. The caption under that video claimed it was created in the…
Has Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, become "one of the wealthiest women in America," during her tenure in the United States Senate, as a social media post claims? No, that's not true: Financial disclosure reports show that with a net family worth of at most $2.5 million, she's not even among the wealthiest women in Congress, let alone in America. Magazines and…
Did Donald Trump win an appeal that resulted in 34 felony counts against him being dismissed? No, that's not true: He won part of an appeal, but in a case unrelated to the 34 felony counts. On Aug. 21, 2025 five judges in a New York appeals court decided to throw out the $500 million penalty, but not the finding…
Did George Strait sign a $13.5 million deal with Netflix for a 7-episode series about his journey to become a music legend as of September 2, 2025? No, that's not true: There is no evidence Strait signed a Netflix deal. The only source making the claim is a website that publishes hundreds of fake stories each day promoted by Facebook…
Did a little girl in a princess dress help Jonas "Grizzly" Keller, an injured biker who was liying in a ditch along "Route 27 near Ashford"? No, that's not true: This is a fake story illustrated with an AI-generated image. US Route 27 runs through six states from Florida to Indiana, and none of those states has a town named…
Were roads around Walter Reed National Military Medical Center closed on September 2, 2025 as claimed by viral online rumors related to speculation about President Trump's health? No, that's not true: The Montgomery County Department of Police told Lead Stories in an emailed statement they were "not aware of any road closures in the area at this time". Google Maps…
