Did Donald Trump post on Truth Social that he has access to "the Vatican files", boasting he could "bring down the Papacy, the Vatican and the entire Catholic Church overnight"? No, that's not true: This is a fake post that never appeared on Truth Social. A search of Google News showed no reporting about this post being made or deleted.…
Do new documents from the Department of Justice Epstein files reveal that Erika Kirk used to work for Jeffrey Epstein? No, that's not true: A search of the publicly available DOJ file of Epstein investigation documents did not find any results containing evidence that the late Charlie Kirk's widow ever worked for convicted child abuser Epstein. The post making that…
Is a photo that shows Melania Trump smiling and standing next to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell authentic? No, that's not true: Online detection tools flagged the image as likely digitally altered and likely AI-generated. One rated it as 97 percent likely to be digitally edited. The claim appeared in an April 10, 2026, post on X.com by the account…
Does a viral image purporting to show Jeffrey Epstein hugging Melania Trump document a real-life scene? No, that's not true: Lead Stories did not find supporting evidence that it's an authentic photo. Two AI detectors pointed to the presence of generative AI in the picture. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) published on X by the…
Is a viral image purporting to show Melania Trump at the dancing pole in front of Jeffrey Epstein a real photo? No, that's not true: The image originated from an account that publishes fictitious images of celebrities. The initial post contained an additional disclaimer spelling that out. The claim reappeared in a post (archived here) published on Threads on April…
Is a video that shows Jeffrey Epstein kissing a young woman authentic? No, that's not true: A detection tool flagged the video as likely AI-generated. There are several AI glitches that can be seen in the video. The claim appeared in a video posted on X on April 8, 2026, by the account @Unfiltered_Q (archived here). It opened: Epstein File…
Did French President Emmanuel Macron publish a clip purporting to show Jeffrey Epstein kissing Melania Trump? No, that's not true: Neither his social media accounts nor news reports confirmed that. The video consisted of a digitally modified photo taken from the Epstein files released by the Department of Justice DOJ, altered to insert Melania Trump's face. The claim appeared in…
We agree with some very prominent people. Here's our proposal... Fact Checking Day on April 2, 2026 marks almost a year since Lead Stories published our last fact check as part of Meta's Third-Party Fact Checking Partnership. Since that day we've published over 1500 fact checks on our U.S. website on topics ranging from fake Epstein Files emails mentioning Elon…
Is a video of a woman crying while tied up from the Epstein files released by the U.S. Department of Justice? No, that's not true: The footage is from a 2007 mockumentary-style horror film titled "The Poughkeepsie Tapes." The video exactly matches footage from the movie that is easily found on the internet. The claim appeared in a post with…
Did Israeli Channel 13 and Al Jazeera confirm that Hezbollah partially or wholly captured Kiryat Shmona? No, that's not true: There's no reliable evidence to support that claim. Neither news organization reported that Hezbollah fighters had taken Israel's northernmost city, located near its border with Lebanon, although the community has been largely evacuated due to ongoing cross-border attacks. The claim…
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