Did Alexander Turbanov, an Israeli man who was held prisoner by Hamas, make a statement sympathizing with his captors upon his release? No, that's not true: This made-up quote went viral on Feb. 15, 2025 and resurfaced in Oct. 2025. The man in question is not named Turbanov, his name is Alexander Troufanov. The quote attributed to Troufanov was posted…
Did Danica Patrick donate $7 million to the Turning Point USA Super Bowl halftime show? No, that's not true: There is no proof that the former NASCAR driver has donated $7 million to the show that Turning Point USA announced they would host as an alternative to the official 2026 Super Bowl halftime show starring Bad Bunny. Patrick is a…
Are completed California Proposition 50 redistricting ballots visible through Sacramento County's mail-in envelopes? Yes, but that is missing context. A mark on a Prop 50 ballot can be seen through a hole in the vote-by-mail envelope from Sacramento County, Ca. if the ballot is folded with text on the outside and placed facing one of the holes on the envelope.…
Does a video of Argentina's President Javier Milei authentically capture him singing on stage? Yes, that's true: Milei performed at the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires on October 6, 2025. Many media outlets covered the event. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on October 8, 2025. It opened: 🇦🇷 Argentinian President Javier Milei held a…
Did Detroit singer Kid Rock call rapper Bad Bunny "a man in a dress" and criticize the NFL's selection of the Puerto Rican rapper for the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show? No, that's not true: There's no public record of such a remark by Kid Rock. There is no mention of the 2026 halftime show on Rock's social media accounts…
Did a variety of celebrities, from Fifty Cent to the White House press secretary, respond with public comments after Bad Bunny joked on Saturday Night Live that Americans had four months to learn Spanish before his Super Bowl halftime appearance? No, that's not true: This is a fake controversy drummed up by a network of clickbait publishers overseas. A flood…
Did the Russian cities of Vyborg, Petrozavodsk, and Murmansk decide with an overwhelming majority vote to leave Russia and join Finland? No, that's not true: This fictional multipart story is illustrated with an AI-generated image of "unidentified militants" and a fictional map of "Greater Finland". The fake news narrative is a twist on an idea from the early 1900s regarding…
Do viral clips with a pop-up warning advising people "under 18 years old" against watching videos of the "overcrowded Oktoberfest" show dramatic events in Munich, Germany? No, that's not true: It's engagement bait added to routine video of the annual beer and folk culture festival. Such pop-up banners attempt to make social media users hit "like" or "follow" buttons as…
Did the Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, or any team, petition the NFL to replace Bad Bunny as the performer for the 2026 Super Bowl halftime show? No, that's not true: There have been no team announcements of such a demand, and no news media has reported on…
Does a viral image show the man suspected of the September 28, 2025, Michigan church attack? Yes, that's true: The photo originated from an old page on Facebook documenting the medical condition of the man's son, who was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease. What was shared on social media was a slightly cropped version of that picture, but the…
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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