Springfield

Did "The Simpsons" predict that April 29, 2025 will become "the day everything stops"? No, that's not true: The internet rumor originated from an account that posts "fictional stories". The video never used a direct video citation from the series. Lead Stories analysis of the visual sequence suggested it was created with generative AI. The claim appeared in a post…

Was the explosion near Roosevelt Mall in Philadelphia on January 31, 2025, not caused by an airplane crash but by a missile or comet? No, that's not true: The Federal Aviation Administration and multiple news outlets confirmed that the incident involved an aircraft. Global flight tracker Flight Radar 24 said the aircraft fell vertically at high speed. Other video angles…

Does a video show real images from a 2007 episode of "The Simpsons" that predicted the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires? No, that's not true: None of the images in the video posted on social media were shown in the episode cited in the video, episode 12 of season 18 of "The Simpsons." The images used in the video on social…

Does a video show a Haitian man in Springfield, Ohio, cutting up an animal or a pet with a machete in public? No, that's not true: Police said the person who shot the video told them the man was cutting up "a big ass ham." The Springfield Police Division said there is no evidence to support the claim that "a…

Can non-U.S. citizens use a driver's license to vote in U.S. elections as an X post suggested Haitian immigrants in Springfield are doing? No, that's not true: Only U.S. citizens who are older than 18 and have registered to vote can vote in the presidential election, according to the Ohio Laws and Administrative Rules website and the U.S. government website.…

Does a video on social media show a "Haitian militia" in Springfield, Ohio? No, that's not true: The video shows a group called Israel United in Christ, which describes itself as a nonviolent organization of "Israelites." The group's website says, "WE DON'T ADVOCATE OR CONDONE ANY ACTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST ANY RACE, ETHNICITY OR GENDER!" The claim appeared in a…

Do reports of missing cats in Bangor, Maine, prove that Haitian immigrants were involved with their disappearances? No, that's not true: A Bangor police officer told Lead Stories there's nothing linking the missing cats to Haitians or any other group of people. The officer said it's much more likely that wild predators have been feeding on the felines or that…

Did a video show several Black men in Springfield, Ohio, opening a suitcase full of frogs and showing them to the camera? No, that's not true: The video appeared earlier on TikTok with a caption that said it was from a Carnival in Grenada. It likely shows a Jab Jab masquerade where greased-up performers sometimes carry around live animals. Lead…

Does a police report prove that Haitian immigrants killed and mutilated a cat in Springfield, Ohio, as a post on X claimed? No, that's not true: the police report included in the post stated there was "no evidence to support" a caller's claim about Haitian immigrants stealing and killing her cat. It said that it was unknown if the meat…

Does a viral video capture "Bosnian neighbors" roasting a dog in their backyard in the U.S.? No, that's not true: A Cornell University professor of veterinary medicine told Lead Stories that what is seen in the years-old footage does not show dog or even carnivore anatomy, speculating it could be a lamb or a goat. The video recycled an old…