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Did journalist Taylor Lorenz, who was at the White House Correspondents Dinner, say somebody should "do it" while referring to "killing Trump"? No, that's not true: Lorenz reported on people using that phrase with that meaning in May of 2025. But she was not herself calling for somebody to "do it", she was only reporting on the meme. The claim…

Does a real MSNBC report identify the suspect in the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting as "Kohl Jackson" with a picture? No, that's not true: The post is not authentic. MSNBC no longer exists; it was officially rebranded as MS NOW on Nov. 15, 2025, as part of a spin-off from NBCUniversal. Multiple news outlets identified the suspect as Cole…

Is a photo of President Donald Trump with one eye closed and the other half open with the U.S. Marine Corps flag behind him new as of April 24, 2026? No, that's not true: The image appeared in social media posts in as early as November 2020, although Lead Stories has been unable to pinpoint the exact date it was…

Does a real video show how a blue whale calf can catch its mother's milk as it flows freely in a stream through the ocean water? No, that's not true: This video is fake. The Hive Moderation tool determined with 99.9% confidence that the video was AI-generated. Real footage of whales nursing does not show a high-velocity stream of milk…

Did Al Jazeera broadcast a report stating that NATO countries shared intel with Iran on U.S. military movements? No, that's not true: Lead Stories did not find evidence of such a report. The video claiming to be the Al Jazeera report contained an AI-generated voice-over. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on April 22, 2026.…

Is a video real that shows a squirrel spinning on top of a Waymo car? No, that's not true: The clip is a digital creation, not authentic footage. It includes a faint AI watermark in the upper-left corner and visual glitches in the background, both of which are common indicators of synthetic media. Also, an AI detection tool stated that…

Is a video real that shows Marlon Brando explaining that he declined the 1973 Oscar over the "increasing control of Zionists in Hollywood"? No, that's not true: The American actor did decline the 1973 Best Actor Oscar for his role in "The Godfather," but it was to protest Hollywood's portrayal of Native Americans, not "Zionists in Hollywood." Also, an AI…

Is a viral video showing President Donald Trump falling asleep during a press event at the White House real and did he actually hit his head on his desk? No, that's not true: The video and screenshots of it shared by social media users originated from a self-described meme account. The clip was digitally altered, likely using AI. The claim…

Does the viral image of an Israel Defense Forces soldier wielding an axe beside a headless Christian religious statue really show an act of vandalism? No, that's not true: It's a fake photo. Two days after an image surfaced showing a real vandalism incident in Lebanon, there was no news reporting about a documented second instance of IDF vandalism of…

Does a viral video show real footage of a bear fighting a tiger over a moose carcass? No, that's not true: The video contained multiple signs strongly pointing to AI. Three online detectors placed the probability of the clip being a product of generative AI between 97% and 99.9%. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) published…