Does a video show U.S. fighter jets in a real dogfight over Iran in the Feb. 28, 2026, conflict? No, that's not true: The clip from a video game was posted on a U.S. Army spoof account two days ahead of the conflict and has been circulating on social media since at least May 2025. It was originally purported to…
Does a viral image prove that Ghislaine Maxwell, a socialite convicted of sex trafficking for Jeffrey Epstein, touched Melania Trump's breast while posing next to Donald Trump at a party in the early 2000s? No, that's not true: A real photo of them was digitally altered to change the position of Maxwell's hand. In the original shot, Maxwell's arm rests…
Does an authentic video show Hilary Knight, captain of the 2026 gold medal-winning U.S. women's hockey team, saying she was "mortified" for the U.S. men's team? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Knight ever said that, but she did call President Donald Trump's invitation to the White House a "distasteful joke." Also, the creator of the original…
Did Devarjaye "DJ" Daniel, the brain cancer survivor whom President Trump made an honorary Secret Service agent, die on February 23, 2026? No, that's not true: As of Feb. 25, 2026, there was no evidence that DJ had died. Following similar rumors in January 2026, DJ's dad, Theodis Daniel, said, "If any update [does] not come from me, his Dad,…
Does a viral image of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi wearing "Don't ban insider trading" lapel sticker show what she wore to the 2026 State of the Union speech by President Donald Trump? No, that's not true: A picture of her was digitally edited to change the words on her sticker. The real badge worn by the former speaker of the House…
Is a photo that shows the US and Canadian women's Olympic hockey teams visiting Canadian Prime Minister Carney real? No, that's not true: An online detection tool rated the image 99.9% likely to be AI generated, and there are telltale signs in the photo that it is not real. The word "Canada" is misspelled on the jersey of the woman…
Was Decarlos Brown Jr., accused of killing Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, a foreign national who "came in through open borders," as Donald Trump said during the State of the Union address? No, that is not true: Brown was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and graduated from West Mecklenburg High School. Because he was born in the United States, he is…
Does a viral post prove that U.S. President Donald Trump called C-SPAN to complain about the Supreme Court's decision making his previous sweeping tariffs on foreign goods illegal? No, that's not true: The caller who introduced himself as "John Barron" was not identified as Trump anywhere except for social media. The TV channel issued a statement refuting the rumor that…
Did the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks refuse an invitation to the White House? No, that's not true: There's no evidence the team has been invited to Washington for a reception with President Donald Trump or that the team has refused such an invitation. The White House has not responded to inquiries from Lead Stories about the matter. The Seattle…
Is this a real video of President Donald Trump kissing Nicki Minaj? No, that's not true: The black-and-white "security camera" footage purporting to show them kissing exhibits clear signs of AI manipulation, including unnatural facial blending where their faces appear to partially merge and separate, inconsistent lighting, and the absence of a verifiable source. An AI detection tool rated it…
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