Did U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy say in a Fox News interview in November 2025 that "Pilots need to stop depending on air traffic controllers. They need to suck it up and go with their gut feelings"? No, that's not true: There is no video, documentation, or reporting to support the claim Duffy said this, but such a controversial statement…

Does an often reposted viral video show a timelapse of "16 hours of spinal cord development" in a human embryo? No, that's not true: The video actually shows the development of the nervous system of a zebrafish as recorded by researchers from Wisconsin. The video is often reposted without that bit of information omitted, leading many people online to believe…

Does real CCTV footage capture schoolchildren kneeling on prayer mats and repeating the Muslim declaration of faith, "Allahu Akbar", as viral social media posts claim? No, that's not true: The low-quality clip seemed to have been distorted to conceal the evidence it was AI-generated video. For example, the clip showed the instructor rising from her knees to sit on a…

Did the New York Stock Exchange react to Zohran Mamdani's victory in the mayoral election by relocating to Texas from its 230-year base on New York City's Wall Street? No, that's not true: Intercontinental Exchange, the company that owns and operates the New York Stock Exchange, announced in February, when polls showed Mamdani with a single-digit pool of support, that…

Did New York City's Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani, his team or any credible media outlets announce that the incoming city administration plans to convert Trump Tower into a homeless shelter? No, that's not true: Lead Stories did not find a confirmation supporting the existence of such a plan on the pages officially affiliated with Mamdani. No credible media outlets reported the…

Did the construction firm in charge of the White House East Wing demolition call out President Trump over unpaid balances for their services in demolishing the historic building? No, that's not true: The website that made the claim is full of fake clickbait stories. The text of the article appears to be likely AI generated. The company mentioned in the…

Has the cost to serve Thanksgiving dinner "under Trump" dropped 25% since 2024 "under Biden"? A post from the White House says that, but the post compares the 2025 Thanksgiving dinner promo from Walmart to the one offered in 2024. The two promos do have different prices, but they also do not include the same menu items. The official White…

Did an exit poll show that 92% of California voters thought Proposition 50 was a ballot measure to impeach President Trump? No, that's not true: The claim originated from a post on a satiric X account on which the original poster of the 92% claim repeatedly made it clear he was being sarcastic. There is no publicly available exit poll…

Were California Proposition 50 votes counted and reported on the day after Election Day but not the results for a 1% tax vote in Shasta County as a person claimed in a viral video? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for the county election board confirmed to Lead Stories the results of the election in Shasta County, for both Prop…

Did American Airlines announce on November 4, 2025 that it would immediately shutdown and cancel flights after 66 years of service? No, that's not true: A news headline reading "American airline abruptly confirms immediate total shutdown" was referring to Kenai Aviation, an Alaskan charter service. American Airlines did announce on November 6, 2025, that it would reduce its "flight schedules…