History

Was Evan Kilgore the federal agent who shot and killed U.S. citizen and registered nurse Alex Pretti during an immigration enforcement raid in Minneapolis? No, that's not true: Kilgore denied he worked for immigration enforcement agencies and threatened to sue those who spread the claim on social media. Lead Stories found nothing suggesting that the conservative commentator had built a…

Did Karoline Leavitt dismiss various celebrities, saying "complex social policy" was "out of their league" and dismissing them as just a singer, musician, actor or comedian? No, that's not true: The claim about a televised confrontation in a TV studio was made about at least 26 different people in posts published on dozens of fake Facebook fan pages aimed at…

Are the stories of Helen Keller's life achievements just a made up scam? No, that's not true: A vague conspiracy aims to erase the well-documented life achievements of Helen Keller. The American author and social activist was both deaf and blind from an illness in early childhood. She was a public figure who traveled and mainly communicated through an interpreter…

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…

Was Enoch Burke arrested again in 2026 for refusing to use "they" pronoun for a student? No, that's not true: Burke was arrested outside Wilson's Hospital School in Multyfarnham, Ireland on Jan. 19, 2026 for again violating a court order that he stay away from the school. Irish newspapers operating independently of one another reported that the High Court which…

Did Stephen Colbert "reveal" Donald Trump's "1970 Wharton IQ test"? No, that's not true: This claim and its variations originated from accounts that warned their audiences that they do not post factually accurate content. The rumor spread in variations that contradicted each other on the name of the TV host, school, test type and even the name of the person…

Did a guest in a clip from French TV channel LCI say Ukraine sent false strategic info to US intelligence services which they then observed Russian forces acting upon? No, that's not true: The video clip with guest Vincent Crouzet was about mounting distrust between Ukrainian and American intelligence services and the increased importance of intelligence coming from France and…

Did Robert De Niro say he had to leave New York City now that Mamdani is officially the mayor as some viral posts are saying? No, that's not true: The actor did not make the comments about having "no choice" and Mamdani wanting to take half of his savings because he was wealthy. The story and quote originated on a…

Did researchers associated with Harvard University create a 3D model of Mansa Musa, the 14th-century ruler of the Mali Empire? No, that's not true: This image does not show a forensic and digital reconstruction of Mansa Musa. It is a rendering of Kanye West. This joke is a variation of an online theme that has circulated for years, presenting the…

Did the phrase "One of ours all of yours" originate in Nazi Germany after all the residents in a Czech village were killed in retribution for the killing of an SS officer? No, that's not true: The phrase, which was displayed on a lectern at a DHS press conference, is not present in historical records of Nazi slogans, nor is…