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Is the story of a Memphis man arrested for scratching off every scratch-off ticket at a Germantown Exxon station real? No, that's not true: Lead Stories did not find any records corroborating the tale, which originated on social media platforms. Two AI detection tools concluded the text was AI-generated. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published by @Soaringeagle45…

Did a data center cause a power outage at Six Flags Over Texas in May 2026? No, that's not true: A representative for Six Flags said a construction crew struck an underground power line, causing the outage. There's no evidence that any of the major regional data centers in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area had anything to do with the…

Are social media posts claiming celebrities "went live at 3 a.m." with a message saying they received a threat meant to silence them real? No, that's not true: None of the celebrities named in the posts made any such statement. The claims came from AI-generated Facebook posts produced by a spam operation managed from Vietnam. Among the false posts Lead…

Does a viral image show a real post by Donald Trump stating that "nobody knows God better" than him and that "nobody is loved more by God" than him? No, that's not true: The post did not match the appearance of his real posts on Truth Social. Early versions of the rumor were published with satire and meme hashtags. The…

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 video show a real encounter with a strange woman in the woods who asked hikers, "Did you see my other two guys?" No, that's not true: This video is a small clip from a long-format skit published by a paranormal YouTube channel in September 2023. The channel features mysterious adventures guided by an exploring app called Randonautica. Many…

Does a video show a real attacker threatening Michael Jackson with a rifle on stage? No, that's not true: The footage shows a staged theatrical moment from Jackson's 1996-1997 HIStory World Tour. The scene took place during "Earth Song," which explored themes of environmental destruction and human conflict. The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) by the…

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…

Did Justin Bieber say Jim Carrey "died of Kuru" (a rare disease linked to cannibalism), from eating child meat at Hollywood parties? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Bieber ever made the comments about Carrey. The viral article in which the quotes appear cites no sources and provides no recordings or documentation. The website that published the…

Did the U.S. Supreme Court issue a 7-2 ruling that abolishes income tax under case number 24-1791? No, that's not true: A docket search on the website of the Supreme Court of the United States found no case under that number. All Supreme Court rulings, also known as opinions, are public records. While portions of a case record may be…