Does a real story report that actor George Clooney expects to be exempt from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's "wealth tax"? No, that's not true: The claim originated on a Facebook page known for posting satirical content. The page carries the disclaimer, "We post only SATIRE stories. Nothing on this page is Real," and describes itself as a source…
Did "border czar" Tom Homan say that Rama Duwaji, wife of New York City mayor Mamdani, had threatened to have him "disappear" if he came to New York? No, that's not true: The story originated from a network of Facebook pages with satire labels. There were no actual news reports about such a threat. The claim appeared in a post…
Does a viral image show the Sail4th250 tall ships Independence Day parade in New York Harbor on July 4, 2026? No, that's not true: Despite claiming to show one of the real vessels, the picture was "completely fabricated", a representative of the event organizer told Lead Stories. It was an AI-generated image. The claim appeared in a post (archived here)…
Was New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani barred from Katz's Deli in New York? No, that's not true: The story originated on a Facebook page known for its satirical content, which carries the warning "Nothing on this page is real." The image supporting the claim is stamped with a warning label that says the same thing. The claim appeared in…
Did New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani only put Iran's flag on New York subway trains? No, that's not true: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which serves New York City, Long Island, southeastern New York State, and Connecticut, decorated trains to represent each of the 48 countries competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Each train features the colors of a competing…
Does a viral video show a real robbery attempt of a pregnant woman on the New York City subway? No, that's not true: The video contains hallmark signs of AI. Three online detectors confirmed that the clip is a product of generative AI. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X by @princeayyo on June 29, 2026. The…
Does a video show people in New York shooting fireworks along the ground during the 2026 NBA Finals? No, that's not true: The video is from a 2024 protest in the European country of Georgia and not from New York City following the Knicks' win against the Spurs on June 10, 2026. The video was published by international news outlets…
Does a viral image show a real journalistic article saying that Melania Trump used to work as a recreational drug seller at a New York City gay bar in the 1990s? No, that's not true: The writers named in the shared byline did not work together in 2021, the year the article claims to have been published. Lead Stories found…
Does an unaltered photo show the true height difference between Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter? No, that's not true: The photo of Swift and Carpenter together in New York City has been digitally edited. The edit did not alter the size of either singer in the original photo but achieved the illusion by shifting Carpenter's position on the sidewalk. Originally…
Does a real photo show Melania Trump and Ghislaine Maxwell posing with three young women whose faces have been redacted? No, that's not true: This fake photo was made to look like a Polaroid photo from 1998. The high resolution fake image was featured as a clickbait thumbnail for a YouTube video, with black redactions as if it originated from…
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