Election

Did Italian newspaper La Repubblica publish an article saying that one of the 2027 French presidential candidates, Édouard Philippe, acquired a villa for 15 million euros? No, that's not true: The newspaper denied it. Lead Stories found no credible sources confirming the claim. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X by the @Elissamaiss account on August…

Did German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung report that Saxony-Anhalt Minister-President Sven Schulze was somehow connected to abduction of three Afghan children? No, that's not true: A search across the Süddeutsche Zeitung website showed no such report. Lead Stories found no articles on other news websites mentioning the story either. The claim appeared in a post (archived here, here and here) on…

Is a drop in Dan Bilzerian's vote tally evidence of cheating on behalf of Rep. Randy Fine in Florida's 6th Congressional District Republican primary on Aug. 18, 2026? No, that's not true: Flagler County Supervisor of Elections Kaiti Lenhart told Lead Stories that the election night results reported to the Florida Department of State were always accurate, but an issue…

Did the U.S. Census Bureau find that more than 24,000 noncitizens voted illegally in the 2020 election and that means president Trump won the election? No, that's not true: While President Donald Trump claimed that a Census Bureau analysis "proves" more than 24,000 noncitizens voted illegally and that means he won the election, the report does not say that. It…

Does a Ring video show Rep. Randy Fine, Florida's Sixth District congressman, looking through a mailbox while delivering a campaign flyer? Here's what we know so far: A Ring video dated Aug. 16, 2026, shows a bearded man wearing sunglasses and Randy Fine campaign garb, including a "Defend the Border" cap, standing on the porch of a home and holding…

Recognizing false claims and fake videos shared on social media is a challenge for U.S. voters as the 2026 midterm elections approach. That is why Lead Stories and several other fact-checking organizations active in North America are joining forces in a first-of-its-kind collaboration: a joint newsletter sharing their best election-related work. It features an overview of fact check articles that…

Does a real video show Abdul El-Sayed and Ms. Rachel talking to kids about Israeli "colonizers"? No, that's not true: An AI detection tool concluded that the video showing the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan was generated using artificial intelligence, assigning it a 100% confidence score. The video was posted by an account that self-describes as an AI…

Is suspected Spokane arsonist Aaron F. Farinacci a registered Republican voter? No, that's not true: Voters in Washington state do not register by political party, according to the Washington Secretary of State's office. Voters in the state can become members of any political party by contacting the party directly, but they are not "registered" as members of a party when…

Does an image comparison show a real Getty photo of Donald Trump next to a White House-edited version giving him smooth skin? No, that's not true: Both photos are edited, and neither can be attributed to those two sources. Reuters published the original image, which does not look like either of the edited images. The claim appeared in a post…

Did the Federal Communications Commission fine NBC and ABC $25 million each for not carrying President Trump's July 16, 2026, speech and fine CBS $10 million for not airing it in full? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has imposed or threatened to impose fines on these three broadcast networks. Both the…