Gaza

Did TV host Johnny Carson comfort dying woman Barbara Martinez while taping the March 17, 1983, episode of NBC's Tonight Show? No, that's not true: Social media posts about it did not include the actual recording of the purported event, sharing an AI-generated image instead. Lead Stories found no credible sources ever mentioning the supposed dance, and the Library of…

Did Donald Trump tell Norway's Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, that he wants complete and total control of Greenland because he was not granted the Nobel Peace Prize? Yes, that's true: Some questioned if the text message from Trump to Norway's Prime Minister published on X by PBS correspondent Nick Schifrin was real. Norway's Prime Minister published a statement on…

Are late-night TV hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jimmy Fallon joining together to create a new "Freedom Show"? No, that's not true: This is an unsourced clickbait claim, made up and distributed by a spam network based in Vietnam. The network targets American audiences with false stories about celebrities, sports figures, and politicians that are posted on Facebook pages…

Do these viral videos show real footage from flooded tents in Gaza? No, that's not true: While there were credible reports about December 2025 flooding in that region, some of the Gaza flood clips shared on social media were not real. The signs pointing to AI included strangely shaped hands, distorted faces and scene elements inconsistent with real natural disaster…

Is a viral video of a purple-haired woman being sentenced to six months in jail and a $10,000 fine for attacking a law enforcement officer with a metal trash can during an anti-ICE protest real? No, that's not true: The original version of the video on TikTok included a disclaimer saying that the clip was AI-generated media. No media organizations…

Is the Securities and Exchange Commission investigating 10 Democrats, including former President Joe Biden, for fraud and insider trading? No, that's not true: There is no evidence the SEC is investigating any of the 10 people whose images are included in the post. The claim originated from a satirical Facebook page that carried a satire disclaimer. The owner of the…

Does a viral video of Israeli soldiers setting an American flag on fire show a real-life event? No, that's not true: The clip was likely created using AI, probably Sora, whose watermark appeared to have been covered by an emoji of a skull. The flag ends up undamaged despite being set alight, the type of glitch that is characteristic of…

Was former first lady Michelle Obama videotaped executing a barbed takedown of Donald Trump on the 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' show in the fall of 2025? No, that's not true: As of November 12, 2025, no such video recording existed. Michelle Obama hadn't been on Kimmel's show for years at that time. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published…

Did convicted killer Bryan Kohberger's sister, Melissa Kohberger, write a book about his murder of University of Idaho students that is for sale on Amazon? No, that's not true: The attorney for the Kohberger family told Lead Stories that Melissa Kohberger has not published anything relevant to her brother's case. Amazon told Lead Stories the book has been removed for…

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…