Does a real video show New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani not applauding at the funeral of Staff Sgt. Angel Rampersad? No, that's not true: The video is AI-generated. It was originally posted with an AI disclaimer. The video has since been republished without the disclaimer. The video was reposted (archived here) on X by @magagrunt1 on Aug. 1, 2026. The…
Was a "New York Clean Car Act" signed into law that will ban washing and detailing cars in New York State starting in July 2028? No, that's not true: There are no credible news reports or official government announcements showing that such a measure was ever enacted. A review of New York State legislative records also found no evidence of…
Did New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announce plans for a $1 walking fee or walking tax on people moving around on foot in New York City? No, that's not true: Viral videos that claimed existing congestion tax cameras would be used for facial recognition of pedestrians in order to charge them a walking tax were not based on any actual…
Does a viral image portray Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton together "after the election results" in 2024? No, that's not true: The image was online before that. Harris' and Clinton's outfits in the picture match what they wore for the November 3, 2022, event in New York where they both campaigned for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. The claim appeared…
Does a viral video of "National Guard troops" prove that New York is about to declare martial law? No, that's not true: The particular unit captured on camera has been patrolling transportation hubs in New York City since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. According to the spokesperson for the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs,…
Does a video posted on X authentically show New York Gov. Kathy Hochul unable to open her left eye? No, that's not true: Lead Stories traced the clip back to its original version on YouTube, which showed Hochul with both eyes open and blinking normally while recording a public service announcement for the COVID-19 vaccine. The video was digitally altered.…
Did New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warn truck drivers against boycotting or she would "seize" their bank accounts and homes? No, that's not true: Hochul's press secretary denied this claim in an email to Lead Stories. A search in an online news index also did not yield any relevant results. Searching the governor's executive orders catalog, news page and X…
Was writer E. Jean Carroll the only person to file a lawsuit under New York's Adult Survivors Act? No, that's not true: There were thousands of lawsuits filed under the law, which allowed adult sexual assault survivors to sue in civil courts no matter how long ago the alleged incident occurred. There is no evidence that the bill was drafted…
Does a video clip on social media contain genuine audio of President Joe Biden stepping on a cat that squeals in response? No, that's not true: According to an official White House transcript, Biden stumbled over a floor wire at a New York campaign rally -- not a cat. A review of the video from which the post was created…
Does a viral map claiming that identical tallies turned New York predominantly blue in the gubernatorial race with ">99%" votes allegedly counted prove election fraud? No, that's not true: Even three days after the video with the map was supposedly recorded, not a single news source showed the counted votes reaching the 99 percent benchmark. By then, the Republican candidate…
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