Josh Shapiro

Did Cody Balmer, who is suspected of arson at the residence of the governor of Pennsylvania, publish a selfie with a "Fuck Trump" inscription? No, that's not true: The picture that went viral after the release of the suspect's name was digitally altered. The caption of the original selfie, which predated the attack by five years, did not mention Donald…

Is Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro being charged with the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Butler on July 13, 2024? No, that's not true: The district attorney of Butler County told Lead Stories that Shapiro "HAS NOT been charged with anything connected to the assassination attempt." The DA added: "I do not believe the Governor was at all involved in…

Does a viral post prove that the Minnesota governor and former running mate of Kamala Harris performed a Nazi salute in public? No, that's not true: The post took a single frame from a video out of context. As the recording proves, it was part of a longer movement, not a separate gesture. Walz put his hand in the air…

Does President Joe Biden have the power to pardon Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson? No, that's not true: As of this writing, Mangione was jailed on state charges in Pennsylvania and was charged with murder by New York. The Constitution allows presidents to grant pardons only for federal crimes. The claim originated in…

Did Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro not go to the 2024 Democratic National Convention? No, that's not true: There are several images and videos of Shapiro at the convention. Also, many news sources have reported on Shapiro's presence at the event in Chicago. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on August 19, 2024, on the official account of Monica…

Do large downticks in cumulative voting graphs for the 2022 Pennsylvania Senate and governor's races prove election fraud? No, that's not true: Edison Research, which supplies election data to news organization websites, told Lead Stories that the downticks shown by My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell on social media and on his Frank Speech website -- totaling tens of thousands of…

Do incorrect numbers posted to on-screen graphics during a live streamer's coverage of Election Night prove there was election fraud in the 2022 Pennsylvania governor's race? No, that's not true: Those graphics are not produced by election officials and are not official results. They are a live-streaming broadcaster's responsibility. Anchors during a live broadcast of Right Side Broadcasting Network (RSBN)…

Does Michael Flynn's interview with Alex Jones include only factual statements about the 2020 election? No, that's not true: The interview repeats disproven allegations of foreign interference, that thousands of dead people voted in Pennsylvania and that Donald Trump won up to 400 Electoral College votes. All are demonstrably false. Flynn's interview (archived here) with Jones -- a well-known conspiracy…

Did six people in Pennsylvania die and then register and vote in the 2020 election? No evidence has been provided to back up that claim: Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who was quoted in the article as making the claim, did not respond to Lead Stories' request for evidence. The communications director with the Pennsylvania Department of State told Lead Stories…

Does The Epoch Times' map that shows 232 electoral votes for Donald Trump and 227 for Joe Biden tell the whole story about the state of the 2020 presidential election? It's missing context. The conservative news outlet claims that the election outcome is unclear, pointing to six states that it says has incomplete or contested results. Lead Stories did a…