Is a meme that shows a mugshot of a woman accused of herding goats through a Walmart while drinking margaritas from a jug a real news story? No, that's not true: The original meme appears to have originated on a satire account. The mugshots used in various posts are either of real women who were arrested for unrelated charges or…

Did German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung report that Saxony-Anhalt Minister-President Sven Schulze was somehow connected to abduction of three Afghan children? No, that's not true: A search across the Süddeutsche Zeitung website showed no such report. Lead Stories found no articles on other news websites mentioning the story either. The claim appeared in a post (archived here, here and here) on…

Does a real video show a bike rider swerving toward pedestrians before being pushed to the ground? No, that's not true: An AI detection tool concluded that the video showing the incident was generated using artificial intelligence, assigning it a 97.4% confidence score. The video also contains visual glitches that are common indicators of synthetic media. The claim appeared in…

Is a video claiming to be from the Daily Express reporting that U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham plans to bring 4,000 migrants from Ceuta into the United Kingdom real? No, that's not true: The Daily Express did not produce the video or publish such a report. The fake story also appeared on a website designed to mimic the newspaper's real…

Is a video real that shows a woman violently falling down stairs, seemingly pushed by something supernatural, after a cat passes by? No, that's not true: The video is clearly marked "made with AI." An online detection tool rated the video as 76% likely to be AI-generated. The claim appeared in an Aug. 17, 2026, video posted on X account…

Did the U.S. Census Bureau find that more than 24,000 noncitizens voted illegally in the 2020 election and that means president Trump won the election? No, that's not true: While President Donald Trump claimed that a Census Bureau analysis "proves" more than 24,000 noncitizens voted illegally and that means he won the election, the report does not say that. It…

Does a viral video show people trying to enter the Spanish city of Ceuta from Morocco in August 2026? No, that's not true: The video is older than that, showing an event that began in late July. It has been online since at least July 31, 2026. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) on X published…

Did a motorcycle owner really catch a Jewish man on camera in the act of stealing pennies from the motorcycle's under-seat storage compartment? No, that's not true: The man portraying the penny thief is a comedian, Shloime Field. His Instagram account, which is labeled "Comedian", features skits parodying cultural stereotypes. The video appeared in a post (archived here) published by…

Is a drop in Dan Bilzerian's vote tally evidence of cheating on behalf of Rep. Randy Fine in Florida's 6th Congressional District Republican primary on Aug. 18, 2026? No, that's not true: Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart told Lead Stories that the election night results reported to the Florida Department of State were always accurate, but an issue…

Does a Ring video show Rep. Randy Fine, Florida's Sixth District congressman, looking through a mailbox while delivering a campaign flyer? Here's what we know so far: A Ring video dated Aug. 16, 2026, shows a bearded man wearing sunglasses and Randy Fine campaign garb, including a "Defend the Border" cap, standing on the porch of a home and holding…