China

Did Sen. Mitch McConnell's wife, Elaine Chao, go to China after he was hospitalized following a "cardiac arrest"? No, that's not true: Chao, a former U.S. transportation secretary, was already in China when her husband was taken to the hospital on June 14, 2026. She met with university officials in Shanghai on June 12, 2026. McConnell's office has not disclosed…

Is Britain banning VPNs next month? No, that's not true: The prime minister of the United Kingdom announced a proposed ban on major social media platforms for children under 16. Keir Starmer made the announcement at a public press conference and did not say the ban included VPNs. One politician said the legislation might regulate VPN use by age, but…

Have you seen viral videos showing people walking on water while wearing some type of floating or anti-gravity shoes? Lead Stories has spotted a number of such videos recently and has found that many of them were created using artificial intelligence. Except in rare situations, they do not show real people or events because what they show is physically not…

Is a viral video that shows Shakira's 2026 World Cup opening song performance real? No, that's not true: An online detection tool identified elements of the video as AI-generated. Shakira does not appear in the 10-minute video posted on social media. The real footage of Shakira performing the opening song for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with singer Burna Boy…

Did Dutch football legend Ruud Gullit publish an open letter calling on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign amid growing controversy surrounding U.S. immigration policies? No, that's not true: The claim appeared in social media posts and news articles just a day before the start of the World Cup. Gullit posted a denial on his X account, saying he wanted…

In a real social media post, did Donald Trump write about a Joe Biden visit to Moscow in 1987 and implicate him in various conspiracy theories? No, that's not true: The supposed post does not appear on the president's official Truth Social account, and there are no reliable reports that it ever did. Biden also never visited Moscow in 1987.…

Does a real photo show President Donald Trump bowing to Chinese President Xi Jinping as they shake hands at the start of the Trump-Xi Summit in Beijing? No, that's not true: The image shows a common sign of AI generation -- unnaturally blended fingers. There are also no credible news reports documenting such a scene actually happening. The claim appeared…

Does a real photo show President Donald Trump and tech CEOs Elon Musk and Jensen Huang raising their fists in front of a Chinese flag? No, that's not true: The image shows common signs of AI generation. There are no credible news reports that the three men pledged allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party, nor any documentation of the fist-raising…

Does the viral image of President Donald Trump and a girl wearing traditional Chinese dress show a real-life scene? No, that's not true: The image was created with AI. It originated from a meme account, not an evidence-based content creator. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on May 13, 2026. The caption read: This poor…

Does a viral image of U.S. President Donald Trump and tech billionaires Elon Musk, Jensen Huang and Tim Cook, plus money manager Larry Fink eating Panda Express food show a real scene aboard Air Force One en route to China for an official visit in May 2026? No, that's not true: The image was generated or altered using AI. It…