Did Keanu Reeves, Clint Black, Billy Joel, and various other celebrities suddenly all discover that a woman who once cared for them was still working part-time at 85 to pay her rent? No, that's not true: The sob story about all of them "stepping in" and donating a "permanent home" and "financial support" was made up by a network of…
Is a new Disneyland theme park valued at "$100 billion" coming to Ohio as some social media posts claim? No, that's not true: The news originated on Mouse Trap News, a satirical publication specializing in Disney-related stories. The site described the story about a new park in Cincinnati, Ohio as "totally made-up" in the footer of the article. The story…
Did Sophie Cunningham and other famous people including Alice Cooper, Ice Cube and Myles Garrett say that President Donald Trump is a "tough man" and "no one has fought harder for the heart and soul of America"? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Cunningham and the others ever said that about Trump. The claim was an example…
Does a viral video show Downtism Cafe in Tehran being destroyed by a U.S.-Israeli airstrike? No, that's not true: The video appeared on the internet 25 days before the most recent military escalation in the region. It showed the consequences of a fire, not a strike. The claim appeared in a post published on X (archived here, here and here)…
Is this a real video of the Burj Al Arab hotel in the Jumeirah neighborhood burning after drone and missile attacks? No, that's not true: An online AI video detection tool determined that the clip is 100 percent "likely to be AI-Generated." A separate tool found visual inconsistencies that resemble computer-generated imagery or CGI. The claim appeared in a video…
Was the crowd seen behind President Donald Trump at a Kentucky rally an AI-generated creation, since it didn't appear to be captured on camera phones in the audience? No, that's not true: The phones don't show the people behind Trump because they capture a different angle than the TV camera does, and instead show the white wall above him. The…
Does a screenshot of a video show that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has six fingers? No, that's not true: The screenshot captured a moment when there is a shadow on the side of his hand. The full video from Israel's Government Press Office shows him speaking and gesturing with his hands, each of which has five fingers. The screenshot…
Did Pope Francis order the closure of the Vatican Secret Archives over a scandal revealed in the Epstein files in March 2026? No, that's not true: The post claimed Pope Francis ordered the sealing of the archives in March 2026, but he died in April 2025. There are no legitimate news reports of the Vatican sealing the archives as of…
Did British actress Adjoa Andoh accuse the "Lord of the Rings" movies of blackface over a scene where Frodo's face was covered in ash? No, that's not true: Accounts that boosted the claim on social media as real took it from a self-described satire page. No credible news organizations reported the purported controversy. The story originated from a post (archived…
Does a viral video claiming to show a strike on a U.S. military base in Jordan or the Gulf actually show such an attack? No, that's not true: Lead Stories' analysis found multiple inconsistencies pointing to AI, including a fake U.S. flag missing all 50 stars that represent the 50 states. The video did not originate from a credible media…
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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