Is a photo of President Donald Trump with one eye closed and the other half open with the U.S. Marine Corps flag behind him new as of April 24, 2026? No, that's not true: The image appeared in social media posts in as early as November 2020, although Lead Stories has been unable to pinpoint the exact date it was…

Does a real video show how a blue whale calf can catch its mother's milk as it flows freely in a stream through the ocean water? No, that's not true: This video is fake. The Hive Moderation tool determined with 99.9% confidence that the video was AI-generated. Real footage of whales nursing does not show a high-velocity stream of milk…

Did Al Jazeera broadcast a report stating that NATO countries shared intel with Iran on U.S. military movements? No, that's not true: Lead Stories did not find evidence of such a report. The video claiming to be the Al Jazeera report contained an AI-generated voice-over. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on April 22, 2026.…

Is a video real that shows a squirrel spinning on top of a Waymo car? No, that's not true: The clip is a digital creation, not authentic footage. It includes a faint AI watermark in the upper-left corner and visual glitches in the background, both of which are common indicators of synthetic media. Also, an AI detection tool stated that…

Is a video real that shows Marlon Brando explaining that he declined the 1973 Oscar over the "increasing control of Zionists in Hollywood"? No, that's not true: The American actor did decline the 1973 Best Actor Oscar for his role in "The Godfather," but it was to protest Hollywood's portrayal of Native Americans, not "Zionists in Hollywood." Also, an AI…

Is a viral video showing President Donald Trump falling asleep during a press event at the White House real and did he actually hit his head on his desk? No, that's not true: The video and screenshots of it shared by social media users originated from a self-described meme account. The clip was digitally altered, likely using AI. The claim…

Does the viral image of an Israel Defense Forces soldier wielding an axe beside a headless Christian religious statue really show an act of vandalism? No, that's not true: It's a fake photo. Two days after an image surfaced showing a real vandalism incident in Lebanon, there was no news reporting about a documented second instance of IDF vandalism of…

Does a viral video show real footage of a bear fighting a tiger over a moose carcass? No, that's not true: The video contained multiple signs strongly pointing to AI. Three online detectors placed the probability of the clip being a product of generative AI between 97% and 99.9%. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) published…

Does a video show real footage of a horse protecting its owner from a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Japan? No, that's not true: The video shows signs of being AI-generated. Additionally, Lead Stories could not find any reports related to such an event outside of social media posts. The claim appeared in a post made on Bluesky by the account…

Is a video that shows Kai Trump, the president's granddaughter, saying, "I will never accept Bettina Anderson as my mother," real? No, that's not true: The clip is clearly labeled "AI-generated" in the bottom-left corner of the frame. The TikTok account that originally posted it also included a tag that reads: "Creator labeled as AI-generated." The claim appeared in a…