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Are social media posts claiming that a long list of celebrities have each said "powerful pro-Israel American billionaires" are working to undermine their careers 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…

Does a viral image show a real journalistic article saying that Melania Trump used to work as a recreational drug seller at a New York City gay bar in the 1990s? No, that's not true: The writers named in the shared byline did not work together in 2021, the year the article claims to have been published. Lead Stories found…

Does a Trump administration counterterrorism strategy document mention "pro-transgender" groups and "We Will Kill You" on the same page? No, that's not true: The fabricated image cuts and pastes together different sections of the White House document "United States Counterterrorism Strategy 2026." This takes the information out of context and changes its emphasis. The claim appeared in a post and…

Was this viral image of a star-shaped UFO released by the Department of War in the UFO Files? No, that's not true: The UFO files released by the Trump administration do not include a color photo of a star-shaped UFO that appears to be hovering over water. The image was previously published on the internet on April 9, 2026, a…

Does a real video show a U.S. warship on fire after an Iranian attack? No, that's not true: An AI-generated content detection tool rated the video as "likely to be AI-generated." There are also several other signs that the video was likely made with AI or digitally altered, including unnatural-looking fire and smoke, unrealistic water movement, and slight warping or…

Does a real video show pro-Palestinian activists smashing windows at The Albion Arms pub in London? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that this incident ever took place, and no news websites have reported it. An AI detection tool said "the video is likely AI-generated," which is another indication it does not show real events. The claim appeared…

Was Jake Rosmarin, the hantavirus cruise ship influencer, the same COVID-19 patient featured in a 2022 BBC report? No, that claim is false: The BBC segment focused on another individual, Henry Dyne, who, during the pandemic, was falsely accused of being a "crisis actor" pretending to have COVID-19. No credible evidence supports the claim that Dyne and Rosmarin are the…

Is a viral video that shows "never-before-seen" footage of an unidentified object moving in the sky near a helicopter flying, included in the UFO Files that were released by the Trump administration and the Department of War? No, that's not true: The black and white video does not appear in the publicly available UFO files released by the Trump administration…

Does a viral video of people washing their clothes in a fountain actually show "Indian visitors" seen at one of the major parks in Moscow, Russia? No, that's not true: The video was initially labeled as AI content. Lead Stories' manual analysis showed numerous inconsistencies strongly pointing to AI as well. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published…

Does a real video show declassified 1966 UFO footage of an octopus-like creature with 10 tentacles bouncing on the sea and flying off at great speed? No, that's not true: There is no credible evidence of such a historic sighting, and no reputable outlets have reported it. An AI detection tool also assessed the clip and concluded that "the video…