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Was Cole Tomas Allen, the man accused of shooting at attendees at the 2026 White House Correspondents' Dinner, on the payroll of the Democratic National Committee and several California Democratic politicians, including Nancy Pelosi, Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris and Adam Schiff? No, that's not true: A DNC spokesperson, a Newsom spokesperson, and a Pelosi spokesperson all told Lead Stories the…

Does a real video show Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ignoring and walking away from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that the incident portrayed in the clip ever took place. An AI detection tool also found that "the video is likely AI-generated" after assessing the content. The claim…

Does an abstract digital image from 2021 contain a hidden image showing the famous raised fist photo from the 2024 assassination attempt against President Donald Trump in Butler, Pa.? No, that's not true: The digital image was presented in 2026 with a transparent overlay so that both images were intermingled. It does not contain a hidden image of the 2024…

Did Usha Vance, the wife of Vice President JD Vance, attend the same 2017 conference as White House Correspondents' Dinner suspect Cole Tomas Allen? No, that's not true: The communications office of the Office of the Second Lady at the White House told Lead Stories that it "can confirm that it was not her." There is also no evidence that…

Does a viral social media post show a real passport for someone from India named "Priyanka Rao" who is supposedly the wife of Cole Tomas Allen? No, that's not true: There have been no news reports mentioning that name in connection with the man who was accused of being the shooter at the 2026 White House Correspondents Dinner. The passport…

Is a photo that shows Donald Trump with no damage to his ear immediately after the Butler assassination attempt authentic? No, that's not true: An online AI detection tool rated the image as 100% likely AI-generated. The account that originally posted the photo posts multiple AI images. Published images from the day of the assassination attempt show Trump with blood…

Does a 3D model from scientists at the University of Manchester show how Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam and Eve, may have looked? No, that's not true: This rendering is not a scientific reconstruction of the biblical brothers' faces -- it's yet another spoof in a long-running joke. The joke format has been around since 2018, pairing the…

Does a photo posted by Donald Trump on Truth Social accurately show how Bruce Springsteen looks now, or prior to plastic surgery? No, that's not true: The image has been digitally edited to make the 76-year-old rocker appear haggard. A candid photo of Springsteen posted on Instagram in 2024 shows that he did not look like that at the time.…

Does a video show a real incident where British kids trapped a police officer inside a chain of locked shopping trolleys? No, that's not true: This video is a skit and the people are actors. The video was originally published on Facebook by the Official Jarvo69 Page, which boasts they are the "Greatest Prankster on Earth." The video resurfaced in…

Did conservative political commentator and podcaster Tucker Carlson say, "Trump faked his assassination attempt in Butler," Pa., in July 2024? No, that's not true: Carlson has asked questions about the Butler assassination plot. But there are no reliable reports to support the claim that he ever said the attack on then-candidate Donald Trump was staged. The claim appeared in a…