Was Oprah Winfrey "ordered to return $22 million she took from FEMA to rebuild her mansion after the Maui fires", as of mid-August 2025? No, that's not true: The rumor originated from a post by a self-described satire account that carries a disclaimer that says "nothing on this page is real". There were no actual news stories about the order…
Have prosecutors Fani Willis and Alvin Bragg been disbarred from the practice of law after a "bombshell" Trump announcement? No, that's not true: Both the Fulton County, Georgia and New York County district attorneys are still licensed in their respective states and no record of disbarment is online. The post making the claim offered no evidence of disciplinary action against…
Did California fire officials announce lithium deposits were found in January 2025 wildfire relief efforts, proving a "land grab" theory? No, that's not true: In a January 12, 2025, community update, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection announced it found "an underground lithium battery storage plant for bicycle batteries." The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors told Lead…
Were the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires intentionally set to implement "smart city" technology across Los Angeles? No, that's not true: While the cause of the wildfires had not been determined at the time of writing, the "smart city" effort to improve technology for municipalities does not include intentionally destroying them first. Los Angeles unveiled its plan to eventually add…
Did a white home with a red roof survive a wildfire that leveled every other home in a Los Angeles neighborhood? No, that's not true: This aerial view does not show a real neighborhood impacted by the January 2025 fires in Los Angeles County. Google Lens image search results say the image was made with Google AI. The image appeared…
If a wildfire destroys cars, must it always destroy nearby trees as well? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found other examples of wildfires sparing trees while nearby cars and houses were incinerated. Experts explain that trees generally have a higher moisture content and take longer to heat up than closed structures like a car or home, making trees less…
Did Elon Musk discuss communities "putting up blue tarps all over the roofs" in an effort to defend against lasers setting fires in a podcast interview with Joe Rogan, as suggested by a video on Instagram? No, that's not true: The clip added altered video and audio to a real 2020 interview, including AI-generated imagery, to make it seem Musk…
Did authentic social media posts offer genuine concern over a missing teen named Kaniesa Perez? No, that's not true: The posts exploit a real missing teen story and falsely say that Kaniesa Perez went missing on the same day from Dover, Pennsylvania, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, among other locations more than a thousand miles apart. In reality, the teen went…
Did Secret Service personnel grin widely, showing their teeth, while escorting former President Trump to safety after the assassination attempt at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024, as a social media post claims? No, that's not true: A tool created to detect ai-generated images found substantial evidence the image had been remade with generative ai systems.…
Did a jeering crowd chant "Fuck Joe Biden" at the president as he was leaving church with his granddaughter on Mother's Day? No, that's not true: The audio on this video clip has been edited to add the sound of an aggressive crowd chanting. In the original C-SPAN video there is no sound of a chanting crowd. One reporter called…
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