Election

Are social media posts claiming that Sarah Palin, Michelle Obama, or other celebrity women wore "probably the smallest bikini In the world" real? No, that's not true: The images used in the posts were created with artificial intelligence tools and distributed on a network of fake Facebook fan pages managed from North Macedonia. These clickbait posts link to blogs filled…

Does a video show two towers crashing into each other during the Venezuela earthquakes on June 24, 2026? No, that's not true: An AI detection tool determined that the video was 98.6% "likely to be AI-generated" and appears to be a 3D physics simulation or computer-generated imagery (CGI) effect. In addition, the exaggerated physics of the two buildings leaning into…

Does a video show Algeria fans at the World Cup soccer match against Argentina in Kansas City, Mo. chanting "Messi is the enemy of Allah"? No, that's not true: The video shows a pep rally on the steps of the World Trade Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The audio attached to this video is TikTok sound originating from an Egyptian political…

Are photos in a meme showing NBC's "Meet the Press" host Kristen Welker's dramatic expressions demonstrating "five stages of Trump Derangement Syndrome" real? No, that's not true: An AI content detection tool concluded the images of Welker's face while interviewing President Trump were likely AI-generated. A review of the interview video does show a range of expressions, but none matched…

Did a late-night ballot drop of 24,000 votes give Spencer Pratt no votes in the Los Angeles mayor race and is that evidence of fraud in the vote counting? No, that's not true: The Los Angeles Times explained there was a one-minute lag between its receipt of the Associated Press automated feed of thousands of Pratt votes and the counts…

Does a real order from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts allow Donald Trump to seek "four additional years" as president? No, that's not true: A search of the Supreme Court of the United States' docket found no order bearing the number shown in the fake document. Supreme Court orders are public records. While portions of a case file may…

Does a real screenshot show U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner of Maine made "German WW2 references" in sexual messages? No, that's not true: The image originated on social media accounts known for their satirical content. There is no evidence that such an exchange ever took place between Platner and anyone else, and Lead Stories found no credible news coverage documenting…

Did The Wall Street Journal report that U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner of Maine called his penis "Mein Furher" in a message to a woman? No, that's not true: That expression doesn't appear anywhere in the article reviewed by Lead Stories, and no credible evidence shows that Platner made such a statement. The purported quote is fabricated, and the phrase…

Did an Emerson poll show Spencer Pratt leading Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayor's race on May 28, 2026? No, that's not true: Emerson College Polling told Lead Stories "no such poll exists" and the social media post making the claim used "made up numbers." The organization last conducted a poll for the mayor's race in mid-May, and Bass…

Did the British Broadcasting Corp. publish a video report that French President Emmanuel Macron is deploying 800 French Foreign Legion soldiers to Armenia? No, that's not true: The British news channel did not report that Macron is running a personal security service for a panicked Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. There are no other reports from credible news organizations that…