Isolated

Did Sen. Mitch McConnell's staff post a hospital photo containing possible AI glitches over the weekend of July 18-19, 2026? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that the staff of the U.S. senator from Kentucky released such an image, as it does not appear on his official website or social media channels. A representative from McConnell's office said,…

Have you seen viral videos showing people, mostly veterans in military fatigues with the U.K.'s flag, invoking patriotism to make social media users follow a specific account? Lead Stories has spotted a number of such videos recently and found that many of them were created using artificial intelligence. Some of these accounts post videos of different-looking men saying the exact…

Does a viral image show a real bus converted into a mobile grocery store in contemporary Denmark? No, that's not true: The image was a product of generative AI. Contrary to viral posts, mobile grocery stores are not a recent invention -- they have been in use in Europe at least since 1956. The claim appeared in a post (archived…

Does the viral image of an Israel Defense Forces soldier wielding an axe beside a headless Christian religious statue really show an act of vandalism? No, that's not true: It's a fake photo. Two days after an image surfaced showing a real vandalism incident in Lebanon, there was no news reporting about a documented second instance of IDF vandalism of…

Does a video show plainclothes ICE agents arresting a woman at a gate at San Francisco International Airport on March 22, 2026? Yes, that's true: A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Lead Stories that two women-- not one --were arrested. The spokesperson said the women attempted to flee and resisted officers. The claim appeared in a video (archived here)…

Did the public school system in Hamburg, Germany ban music lessons to avoid offending Muslims who view them to be forbidden or 'haram'? No, that's not true: The Hamburg public schools did no such thing. A German language news report has been misrepresented in social media posts. The report followed the signing of a joint statement by religious representatives and…

Do images described as tree stumps provide proof that there were once giant ancient trees which were felled by angels? No, that's not true: The photos show natural geological features around the world which came to be through several geological processes over millions of years. Volcanoes erupting, erosion of different materials at different speeds, and the lifting and folding of…

Is a viral video a real news report about a "Sheriff Larry Leda" saying he'd apply for a green card for the Mexican rescue team that saved his family? No, that's not true: The footage in the viral video came from a press conference during which the phrase "green card" was not said and the caption in the video spelled…

Is there evidence that California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered firefighters not to use Starlink modems while battling wildfires in the Los Angeles area in January 2025? No, that's not true: Newsom denied allegations he had ordered the modems to be confiscated in a post on X. Any firefighter who needs a Starlink device can get one through the Los Angeles…

Did the Ukrainian government state that "eight mansions owned by Ukrainian military officials" were "burned down in wildfires in Los Angeles" in January 2025? No, that's not true: A video that made this assertion contained the logo of United24, the official fundraising platform of the Ukrainian government. A United24 spokesperson and Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation said this video is…