Does a viral image of world leaders showing their middle fingers as an act of apparent disagreement with U.S. President Donald Trump show a real 2026 TIME Magazine cover? No, that's not true: The magazine's website did not contain such a cover. The image displayed shows signs strongly pointing to generative AI. The claim appeared in a post (archived here)…
Did the White House post an alert that all flights were grounded, airspace was restricted and the National Guard had been activated on Feb. 6, 2026? No, that's not true: Nothing on the White House website, the FAA alert history or in real news reporting shows any such actions were taken. The hoax has circulated through traffic farming accounts and…
Did Fox broadcast a report that President Donald Trump has signed an executive order making the "National Economic Security And Recovery Act" (NESARA) the official policy of the nation? No, that's not true: A search of the Fox website turned up no such report, nor does The White House report Trump made such a declaration. That means the video of…
Did the self-styled "QAnon Shaman" Jacob Angeli-Chansley write "Fuck Donald Trump" on X in July 2025? Yes, that's true: Social media users shared screenshots of the post, which Angeli-Chansley published on July 23. Angeli-Chansley's X account was briefly deleted on July 24, before becoming available again. A screenshot of the post appeared in a July 23, 2025, post on X…
Did the United States Space Force and Elon Musk's SpaceX release a joint statement in April 2025, warning that an imminent revelation would "change your entire life"? No, that's not true: Contrary to social media posts, which also referred to a non-existent "Galactic Federation", neither entity made any such statement. In October 2024, an account that promotes the discredited QAnon…
Are there credible reports about evacuation from 17 U.S. cities due to an imminent "mass event" approaching in April 2025? No, that's not true: As of April 7, 2025, neither federal nor local authorities issued evacuation orders for the metropolitan areas named on social media. The image from a viral post that listed 17 U.S. cities was published online for…
Did FBI investigators name Tom Hanks as the "sickest participant" in alleged underage sex trafficking involving Sean "Diddy" Combs? No, that's not true: The article saying that offers no evidence that the FBI has released any statements about Hollywood star Hanks being involved in the Combs sex crimes case. Hanks is not mentioned in any of the official court documents…
Have rigged voting machines in Fulton County, Georgia, and North Carolina been seized or destroyed by "white hats," as an article by Real Raw News said? No, that's not true: State election boards in North Carolina and Georgia told Lead Stories that no machines have been seized or destroyed as of this writing, and there is no evidence of rigging.…
Did Navy SEALs raid a warehouse belonging to rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs and seize a stockpile of adrenochrome that he used as a drug at his orgies? No, that's not true: The story is from a website that regularly publishes fabricated content, and there's no proof that any such military operation ever took place. Adrenochrome has long been the subject…
Does a viral video offer evidence that children's faces are being "harvested" in China or anywhere in the world to be transplanted onto female recipients trying to look younger? No, that's not true: Both Mandarin subtitles and original voice-overs in the video discussed facelifts -- a much more common surgical procedure that doesn't require any other person's face. Face transplants…
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!.
