Baltimore Bridge

Does a still image in a video on social media show the daughter of naturopath Barbara O'Neill being sentenced to prison for supposedly revealing "health secrets"? No, that's not true: A tool used to detect AI-generated images found evidence that the image of a woman in an orange prison jumpsuit in a courtroom is not real and was likely created…

Does the image in a video on social media show the son of "Dr. Sebi" on trial for purportedly revealing "HEALTH SECRETS"? No, that's not true: The claim was made without providing names, dates, locations or other details by which to independently verify such a trial occurred or that the person shown is related to the late Alfredo "Dr. Sebi"…

Did Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) say supply disruptions caused by the Baltimore bridge collapse don't concern her because she "get[s] her food from the grocery store?" No, that's not true: This quote comes from a satirical website and its Facebook page. An online search did not find the statement anywhere else other than repeats of the false claim. The claim…

Is Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed in March 2024, in the Netflix movie "Leave the World Behind"? No, that's not true: Publicly available footage from the movie shows that the film contains no images or footage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed after being struck by a cargo ship. The social media post that makes this…

Did World Trade Center developer Larry Silverstein get a "$1 trillion" insurance payout resulting from the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore? No, that's not true: The claim cited an amount of money no individual in the world is known to possess. The claim did not supply, nor could Lead Stories find, evidence supporting the claim that he owns…

Did "The Simpsons" TV show predict that a ship would crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge over Baltimore Harbor? No, that's not true: The image purportedly foretelling the crash was created using artificial intelligence, based on the results of three image analysis tools used by Lead Stories. Additionally, there is no evidence the image ever appeared online ahead of…

Does a photo showing a black figure on a bridge depict a situation on the Francis Scott Key Bridge over Baltimore Harbor shortly before it collapsed on March 26, 2024? No, that's not true: The image is an old picture of a different bridge. The photo with the shadowy shape appeared online more than a decade before a container cargo…

Did Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg make remarks about how racism went into design choices after the Francis Scott Key bridge collapsed in Baltimore on March 26, 2024? No, that's not true: The video clip in a social media post dates back to a November 9, 2021, White House daily briefing. Buttigieg's 2021 remarks were a response to a direct question…

Was the captain of the Dali cargo vessel that hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on March 24, 2024, Ukrainian? No, that's not true: A representative of the company operating the ship confirmed to Lead Stories that all 22 crew members on board were Indian nationals. The claim about the Ukrainian captain purportedly being in charge of Dali…

Is Angela Chao, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's sister-in-law who drowned in a fatal car accident in February 2024, listed as the CEO of the company that owns the ship that hit Baltimore's Key Bridge on March 26, 2024? No, that's not true: Chao is listed as the chair and CEO of Foremost Group, an American shipping company headquartered in…