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Does a collection of still images demonstrate that other politicians have made the same gesture as Elon Musk did at the closing of his speech at President Donald Trump's inauguration rally in 2025? No, that's not true: These photos do show real moments in time, and they are authentic -- but they do not capture the full context in which…

Does a viral post prove that the Minnesota governor and former running mate of Kamala Harris performed a Nazi salute in public? No, that's not true: The post took a single frame from a video out of context. As the recording proves, it was part of a longer movement, not a separate gesture. Walz put his hand in the air…

Does an image being spread on social media show Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez performing a Nazi salute? No, that's not true: It's a still from a video captured while Ocasio-Cortez was reaching out to another member of Congress. It shows Ocasio-Cortez reaching out to hug Sen. Ed Markey at a Green New Deal rally in February 2024 where he was introducing…

Does a video show an Orange County, California, election worker committing electoral fraud by scanning ballots three times? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for the Orange County Registrar of Voters denied the accusation of fraud, saying the video "shows an Orange County election worker scanning a batch of ballots three times, but only saving the batch once." The first…

Does a clip showing open computer files prove President Joe Biden's farewell address was prerecorded? No, that's not true: The recording only showed Biden's photo, not the purportedly prerecorded video file with his speech. Plus, a White House pool photographer took a photo capturing the final moments of the speech and posted it as the president was still speaking. The…

Did President Joe Biden err in saying "end of quote" during his farewell address on January 15, 2025, as some social media posts suggested? No, that's not true: Speakers often say "end of quote" to show they've finished quoting someone else. Biden has used this phrase in his speeches before to clarify things. Public speaking experts told Lead Stories that…

Did Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser under President Joe Biden, say that an "unexpected event" that could keep the president in power is "totally possible"? No, that's not true: Those quotes appeared in a social media post that misrepresents what was actually said. Sullivan said he would only make another press briefing appearance before leaving the position at the…

Did actor Keanu Reeves refuse to present actress Whoopi Goldberg with the Lifetime Achievement award, saying, "She's not a good person"? No, that's not true: This information came from a self-described satirical website that includes the disclaimer, "Everything on this website is fiction." A representative of Reeves also told Lead Stories that this is "absolutely false." The claim appeared in…

Does a photo accurately represent the full leadership team at the Los Angeles Fire Department amid the Los Angeles County January 2025 fires? No, that's missing context: The photo posted on social media shows the current fire chief, a deputy chief and a commander from the department, but they are just three of the 14-member leadership team for the department.…

Did the Biden administration order Los Angeles airspace to be closed "to firefighting aircraft for over a day during his visit" in January 2025? No, that's not true: There was a temporary flight restriction during Biden's visit to the city on January 8, 2025, which is typical for any visiting president to any location. The Federal Aviation Administration told Lead…

Do filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission prove the United States "owns" Canada? No, that's not true: The filings are standard procedure when a foreign country wants to sell securities in the United States. The Form 18-K is specifically "for Foreign Governments and Political Subdivisions." The United States has filed similar paperwork in the United Kingdom. The claim originated…

Did Elon Musk start a public campaign in early January 2025 to cancel "The View"? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no confirmation that Musk posted what was attributed to him. No media organizations indexed by Google News reported on what was described as a public campaign. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Threads on January…

Did federal investigators publicly confirm that the suspect in the January 1, 2025, New Orleans Bourbon Street attack "crossed into the U.S. from Mexico" two days before? No, that's not true: As of January 2, 2025, the FBI said that the suspect was a U.S. citizen who rented a car in Houston, Texas, on December 30, 2024. The post that…

Was the New Orleans attacker an immigrant, as a social media post implied? No, that's not true: The FBI and President Joe Biden said Shamsud-Din Jabbar was born in Texas and served many years in the United States Army. A widely shared video shows a man with the same name and likeness saying he was born and raised in Beaumont,…

Did a Facebook post prove Elon Musk and Taylor Swift jointly endorsed a power-saving device called "Stop Watt"? No, that's not true: There is no record of either Musk or Swift publicly endorsing this product. Photos used in social media posts that reported the supposed endorsement were found to have likely been AI-generated. These posts included a link to a…

Did an Oprah Winfrey charity called "Coats for Kids" take in over $140 million while only purchasing "310 jackets" as of December 2024? No, that's not true: The information in this post initially appeared in an article on a self-described satirical website that includes the disclaimer, "Everything on this website is fiction." Even so, some social media users shared the…

Did President Joe Biden deviate from standard protocol following the death of former President Jimmy Carter on December 29, 2024, by ordering flags to be set at half-staff during President-elect Donald Trump's second inauguration? No, that's not true: Federal law requires flags to be flown at half-staff for 30 days after the death of a president or former president. This…

Did only House Democrats vote against a spending bill on December 19, 2024, that would have kept the government open until March 2025? No, that's not true: While 197 Democrats voted no, so did 38 Republicans. The bill required a two-thirds supermajority in the House, which meant Republicans needed at least some Democratic Party support. The claim appeared in a…

Did President Joe Biden cut short an expected Christmas stay in Delaware on December 19, 2024, to return to Washington? No, that's not true: According to an official White House news release dated December 15, 2024, Biden was scheduled to return to the White House on December 19, 2024. The schedule also showed that he and the first lady planned…

Did the Biden administration spend $3 billion to procure just 93 electric mail trucks? No, that's not true: A Postal Service spokesperson told Lead Stories that Congress approved $3 billion to purchase 66,000 electric postal delivery vehicles, many of them arriving by 2028. According to USPS records, as of December 13, 2024, 24 electric vehicles had been delivered with another…