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Did AOC show up in a town named "Barron, Delaware" to bail out Hunter Biden with a $250.000 bond related to an arrest for narcotics and disorderly conduct charges? No, that's not true: The story originated in a meme from a satirical Facebook page that originally carried a disclaimer. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservatives into…

Do viral posts about a confrontation between AOC and Donald Trump's son Barron, with the involvement of Louisiana Senator John Neely Kennedy, describe a real-life event? No, that's not true: Contrary to the claim, there is no video recording of an exchange that allegedly happened on the Senate floor. The posts appear to be part of foreign-operated networks that share…

Did prominent Americans like Elon Musk, Caitlin Clark, Stephen Colbert, and Joy Behar each pay down $667,000 of schoolkids' lunchroom debts? No, there's no evidence that's true: In the case of FBI Director Kash Patel, the gift was inflated to $979,000, which would be more than five times his FBI salary.The posts making the claims include no evidence by which…

Is the story true of a 91-year-old woman named Helen who was arrested and jailed in a hospital gown for shoplifting prescription medicine for her ailing husband? No, that's not true: There is no evidence or proof given to back up the details in a viral post. The image of the woman standing in a hospital gown in front of…

Does a real photo show a puffer parka filled with beer that can be sipped via a straw in the Tsingtao-labelled jacket's collar? No, that's not true: A major U.S. distributor of the popular Chinese beer brand told Lead Stories they have seen no such promotional product. Reverse image search shows no other photos in the wild of such a…

Did Donald Trump mistakenly read "state your name" instead of using his own name while swearing in newly enlisted U.S. troops during the half-time of a Washington Commanders - Detroit Lions game? No, that's not true: Prompting "state your name" is how the officiating officer does it, reminding oath takers to say their name aloud as they repeat the oath…

Is there a rising number of $2.8 million statues erected or underway to honor people like Dolly Parton, George Strait, Bruce Springsteen, Bill Clinton, Shania Twain, Jimmy Page, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Waltz King André Rieu, and others? No, that's not true: Multiple social media posts using nearly identical language and the $2.8M figure have cranked out the story to appeal…

Does a real video show a body-armor-wearing riot policeman smiling as he pepper-sprays a woman confronting him at a protest? No, that's not true: The video is labeled "Sora" with watermarks indicating it was created using OpenAI's text-to-video app. It originated on an account devoted to improbable wild animal videos, also labeled as Sora productions. Sora creates fake but "hyperreal"…

Does a photo show a well-dressed French detective working the case of the Crown Jewels stolen from the Louvre? No, that's not true: The original poster later said it was a "fantasy version" she did not regret posting. There is no indication that this man is a detective working this case. The viral photo, and one other from the same…

Did convicted killer Bryan Kohberger's sister, Melissa Kohberger, write a book about his murder of University of Idaho students that is for sale on Amazon? No, that's not true: The attorney for the Kohberger family told Lead Stories that Melissa Kohberger has not published anything relevant to her brother's case. Amazon told Lead Stories the book has been removed for…