Does a verified report say President Donald Trump tried to "access the nuclear codes" but was blocked by Gen. Dan Caine, as claimed by retired CIA analyst Larry Johnson? No, that's not true: There are no credible or verified reports indicating that such an incident ever occurred. While Johnson said on a podcast that there was a report of this…
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…
Did Pope Leo XIV say, "Iran can have a nuclear weapon," as President Donald Trump suggested on the White House lawn in April 2026? No, that's not true: The pope has repeatedly argued against war and denounced nuclear weapons. In March 2026, he posted on X, "Let us #PrayTogether that nations move toward effective disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, and that…
Does a real video show the Saudi foreign minister stating that "the era of relying on the US has ended"? No, that's not true: According to three translation tools, the caption fabricated the content of the video it claimed to summarize. In reality, the clip showed Faisal bin Farhan discussing in 2022 Saudi Arabia's cooperation with the West and the…
Does a viral post prove that Sharon Simmons, who made a DoorDash delivery to the White House, is a "paid actor"? No, that's not true: The post offered no evidence to support the claim. DoorDash, its spokesperson, and Simmons' own congressional testimony all confirm she is a real "dasher" -- the company's term for delivery drivers. The claim appeared in…
Did CNN's "Caityn Collins" leave the White House press room after Trump press secretary Karoline Leavitt embarrassed her by saying she had not "reported a fact since you left the Daily Caller nine years ago"? No, that's not true: The claim originated on a satirical Facebook page run by a liberal man with a long history of tricking conservatives into…
Does a viral image purporting to show Jeffrey Epstein hugging Melania Trump document a real-life scene? No, that's not true: Lead Stories did not find supporting evidence that it's an authentic photo. Two AI detectors pointed to the presence of generative AI in the picture. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) published on X by the…
Is a viral image purporting to show Melania Trump at the dancing pole in front of Jeffrey Epstein a real photo? No, that's not true: The image originated from an account that publishes fictitious images of celebrities. The initial post contained an additional disclaimer spelling that out. The claim reappeared in a post (archived here) published on Threads on April…
Did French President Emmanuel Macron publish a clip purporting to show Jeffrey Epstein kissing Melania Trump? No, that's not true: Neither his social media accounts nor news reports confirmed that. The video consisted of a digitally modified photo taken from the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice DOJ, altered to insert Melania Trump's face. The claim appeared in…
Did CNN rely on an unnamed "fake news site from Nigeria" to report on Iran's ceasefire statements on April 7, 2026, as U.S. President Donald Trump claimed? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no evidence that CNN relied on a Nigerian website. The initial CNN report said that the statement attributed directly to the Supreme National Security Council was…
Lead Stories is a fact checking website that is always looking for the latest false, misleading, deceptive or inaccurate stories, videos or images going viral on the internet.
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