Does a viral screenshot of a headline claiming Michael Byrd "pocketed" $190 million in HHS funds for an "unaccredited" daycare in Maryland show the current state of the article? No, that's not true: The Gateway Pundit website made several changes to the headline and the article over time, now pointing out $190 million is the total of all Federal child…
False claims about the Charlie Kirk assassination, the Jeffrey Epstein files, and purported verbal gaffes by President Trump topped the list of most-read Lead Stories fact checks in 2025. Here are our most read fact checks of the past year, reflecting our reader's interest in finding out the truth about various viral stories. If you see something suspicious in 2026,…
Did the man charged with planting pipe bombs found near the Republican and Democratic headquarters in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, sue the Trump administration's Department of Homeland Security over illegal immigration? No, that's not true: Legal disputes referenced in a Daily Wire article making that claim confused suspect Brian Cole Jr. with his father Brian Cole Sr. It…
Did the FBI have 274 plainclothes agents undercover and embedded in January 6 crowds at the US Capitol? No, that's not true: Many of 274 FBI agents documented in a report were part of the law enforcement response after the crowd stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The agents were not undercover nor were they embedded in the crowd.…
Did two people who participated in the January 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol die within 24 hours of one another in early 2025, after being pardoned for their actions by President Donald Trump? No, that's not true: Although police killed one pardoned participant in January 2025, the other person in question died three months earlier. There is no evidence…
Did the Fraternal Order of Police rescind its endorsement of President Donald Trump in response to the sweeping January 6 pardons he gave after his 2025 swearing-in? No, that's not true: The Fraternal Order of Police issued a letter that criticized pardons by both Trump and former President Joe Biden of people convicted of violence against law enforcement officers, but…
Did President Joe Biden pardon Michael Byrd, the U.S. Capitol Police officer who allegedly killed Ashli Babbitt during the January 6, 2021, protest? No, that's not true: None of the pardons he issued mentioned Byrd directly. Also, the blanket pardon Biden signed for police officers from the Capitol Police who testified before the January 6 Select Committee didn't cover Byrd…
Did Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez lie about being at the Capitol on January 6, 2021? No, that's not true: Ocasio-Cortez never said she was at the U.S. Capitol building when it was stormed by protesters on that date. Instead, she stated on Instagram Live that she was in her office at the nearby Cannon House Office Building at the time. The…
Did Republican strategist Karl Rove campaign for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania as of mid-October 2024? No, that's not true: Rove denied that to Lead Stories. Posts on social media speculating about his involvement in the Harris campaign reused images and recordings of Rove predating the time when Harris entered the race. Lead Stories found no evidence confirming…
Are two Pennsylvania Republicans who appeared in pro-Kamala Harris campaign spots really "trained actors" who donated to Democratic causes for years? No, that's not true: The Democratic donations came from people with similar names but who live in different parts of Pennsylvania. The woman who is in the Harris ad confirmed to Lead Stories, "Both my husband and I are…
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.
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