Is a video of a defendant trying to escape from court by leaping toward the ceiling authentic? No, that's not true:A detection tool flagged the video as likely AI-generated. Additionally, Lead Stories could not find any official reports related to such a claim outside of social media posts. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on Instagram on…
Does a real video show a hands-free floating drone-powered umbrella? No, that's not true: The video of a woman doing chores on a dairy farm on a rainy day is AI-generated. Engineers have experimented with various approaches to make this idea a reality, but this specific video is not real. The video appeared in a post on X published by…
Does an Artemis II photo taken in April 2026 show the same cloud patterns as an Apollo 8 photo from 1968? No, that's not true: The "Artemis 2" image, dated April 6, 2026, is AI-generated and is based on the famous Apollo 8 photo known as "Earthrise." There are no official NASA photos from Artemis II that match the fake…
Does a real video show rows of U.S. soldiers kneeling in prayer on a runway as they prepare to deploy? No, that's not true: This video is AI-generated. It was uploaded to TikTok on April 5, 2026, with a disclaimer, "Creator labeled as AI-generated". The video was reposted on X (archived here) by @17anon_q72384 on April 7, 2026. It was…
Did First Lady Melania Trump make a public statement defending President Trump, saying "what is happening to my husband goes far beyond ordinary criticism"? No, that's not true: The claim bears the hallmarks of so-called "Viet Spam" campaigns of nearly identical made-up clickbait stories, each featuring a different famous person, created to drive traffic to web pages based overseas, often…
Did Fox News post a story with the headline "FLORIDA MAN REFUSES TO PAY TAXES BECAUSE HE DID NOT PERSONALLY APPROVE ANY OF THE SPENDING"? No, that's not true: The Facebook account that originally posted the story is a satire page. It states it is "totally made-up entertainment," where the "stories are just wild enough to almost be real." The…
Did Russian President Vladimir Putin say "Don't dare to touch the Strait of Hormuz" on April 1, 2026? No, that's not true: The posts attributing those words to him originated from self-described satire and parody accounts. The fake story was spreading across social media platforms paired with a well-known video meme showing Putin walking. The claim appeared in a post…
Did a microphone at a press briefing catch the audible sound of a fart from Pete Hegseth, the secretary of war? No, that's not true: The press briefing clip published by the Iranian Embassy in Kenya has been edited to include a fart sound effect. The original video published on Instagram on March 13, 2026, the day of the press…
Did official Iranian accounts publish a video of Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, walking into a military operations room? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that the video was ever posted to any official government account or any account closely linked to the government. The video showed signs of AI generation. The claim appeared in a post and…
Was a Florida man arrested after Polk County fire marshals discovered 600 gallons of unleaded gasoline stored in an above-ground swimming pool in his backyard? No, that's not true: The claim originated on a Facebook page that acknowledges its posts are "satire and parody stories." Other social media accounts copy and repost the content without the satire disclaimer. The claim…
Lead Stories is a fact checking website that is always looking for the latest false, misleading, deceptive or inaccurate stories, videos or images going viral on the internet.
Spotted something? Let us know!.
