Does a video show "illegal cutout windows" in Maricopa County, Arizona, ballot envelopes in order to make it easy to identify Republican ballots for election-fraud purposes? No, that's not true: The window is there so the QR code can be scanned as part of ballot-quality control, former Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer told Lead Stories. The ballot package is not…

Does a viral clip of a hailstorm actually show India under siege from massive chunks of hail? No, that's not true: Earlier versions of the claim said it happened in the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka. Lead Stories found multiple inconsistencies in the video that strongly pointed to AI. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) published by…

Does real police bodycam footage capture the moment a woman appeared to vanish into thin air during a traffic stop? No, that's not true: This simulated footage shows actors in a skit depicting a "rapture pre-enactment." The end of the video clip was edited to remove the credits, obscuring that this short skit is part of the Perhaps Today campaign…

Did a real Euronews video report claim that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's press secretary accused him of sexual assault in late May 2026? No, that's not true: The European news channel did not report that Pashinyan's press secretary, Nazeli Baghdasaryan, publicly accused him of sexual assault. There are no other credible news reports that she made such a claim.…

Does a viral video show real footage of a Jesus-shaped cloud at sunset? No, that's not true: Three online AI detection tools found signs of AI in it. Lead Stories' visual analysis revealed that the phones of the amazed ship passengers supposedly recording the sighting did not show the Jesus-shaped cloud on their screens. The claim appeared in a post…

Is this a real photo of a train crash in Buggenhout, Belgium, in which a van carrying special needs children was hit by a train on May 26, 2026? No, that's not true: The image published by a website named NRIPage contained a SynthID watermark, indicating it was generated using AI. It also contained several artifacts and false details that…

Did music artist Kid Rock say that he would not release more music if Democrats take control of the House during the midterm elections? No, that's not true: No such statement appears on his website or social media channels. The claim appears only on social media and has not been reported by credible news sources. The claim appeared in a…

Was President Donald Trump unable to attend the wedding of his son, Donald Trump Jr., in The Bahamas on May 23, 2026, because the country would not allow him entry under its immigration laws? No, that's not true: There is no evidence The Bahamas barred Trump from entering, and its immigration law does not explicitly prohibit entry for those found…

Does a real video show a court case against a woman whose property was outside her homeowners association boundary but who was voted in and harassed with violation notices? No, that's not true: This video is AI-generated and does not show a real court proceeding. The video was published by a Facebook page based in India which has published many…

Does a viral video show a real-life scene of a "scooter snapped in half at the green light" under its driver? No, that's not true: Two online detection tools found signs of AI. Lead Stories' visual analysis found artifacts consistent with AI generation. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) published on X by @Sollu__iam on May…