Does a real video show a firefighter rescuing a mother dog and pups from a burning building by cutting the bars from a window with a grinder? No, that's not true: This video is AI-generated. Lead Stories identified at least four more nearly identical AI-generated videos spawned by the same prompt. The videos have the same plotline with small variations,…
Did Congressman Randy Fine write on social media that "the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one"? Yes, that's true: These words appeared on his official account on X. That account is linked to his congressional page. The statement appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on Feb. 15, 2026. It read: If they force…
Did various celebrities, including Adam Sandler, Jeanine Pirro and Vince Gill unveil or introduce a "new bill" that would block George Soros from bankrolling protests by classifying such funding as "organized crime under the RICO Act"? No, that's not true: Nearly identical stories mentioning those and other names were published by a network of foreign websites and Facebook pages. There…
Did a dozen celebrities including Rob Schneider, Jerry Seinfeld, Pete Buttigieg and Pete Hegseth each launch "the first anti-woke morning show" on Fox, as Facebook posts claim? No, that's not true: Fox made no such announcement, nor did the celebrities whose names were pasted into identical fake stories about the claim, written with no apparent understanding of federal employment rules…
Does a real photo show Donald Trump Jr. at a shooting bench with the scope of his rifle mounted backwards? No, that's not true: This image has been digitally edited. An earlier copy of the image appears in a 2024 article with the scope mounted properly. The altered image appears in a post (archived here) published on Bluesky by @mrsbettybowers…
Did the website pizzaamorestthomas.com that is mentioned in a 2015 email in the Epstein files look in February 2026 as it did in 2015 when the email was sent? No, that's not true: A prankster re-registered the expired domain name in 2026 after the Epstein files were released. The website currently features an AI or manipulated image of comedian Sam…
Is the business featured in a recent video by Dr. Mehmet Oz related to hospice and home care fraud in Los Angeles? No, that's not true: The business is a family-owned and operated bakery and market and there is no evidence that implicates the business in any fraud prosecution or to the hospice and home care industry. Several other businesses…
Did Stevie Nicks, Tom Brady, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Elon Musk, or dozens of other entertainers, sports stars, or media figures defend Donald Trump from accusations he's authoritarian and trying to cancel elections? No, that's not true: The identical story is told about at least 55 celebrities who purportedly said "This disorder is being used to scare Americans. To convince…
Is the image of a man dressed in drag a real photo of Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old man shot and killed by ICE agents in Minnesota? No, that's not true: The person shown wearing a silver skirt and bra with rainbow-colored hair while holding a beer is Kyle Wagner, a self-described Antifa supporter in Minneapolis. That photo is unrelated to…
Was Nekima Levy Armstrong visibly crying in anguish in a Department of Homeland Security photo of her arrest by the FBI for her role in a protest at a church in St. Paul, Minnesota? No, that's not true: The photo of Armstrong's arrest posted by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem showed Armstrong's face as composed and expressionless. About one half hour…
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