Did Barack Obama say that he wants to return to the White House in 2028 as president through "legal avenues" or as a "proxy candidate"? No, that's not true: Contrary to the posts citing his "exclusive interview on a major news network" on December 7, 2025, the former president did not talk to any TV stations on that day. He…
Did the United States send $45 million in freshly-printed cash to the Taliban in Afghanistan on a chartered flight on December 8, 2025? No, that's not true: The photo used to make the claim was published in 2023 in a report about United Nations cash shipments to Afghanistan as humanitarian aid. The UN -- not the US -- has sent…
Did Germany introduce an automated system which will return lost items to the owner and protect their privacy at the same time? No, that's not true: The picture on social media features an AI generated image of several automated kiosks installed on a public sidewalk. The post originated from a page that is mass producing stories of urban infrastructure innovations…
Does a viral video include real courthouse footage covering a $3 million lawsuit brought by the family of a man who died from electrocution while trying to steal "electric copper wire" from a vehicle charging station? No, that's not true: The shot purporting to show "Darius Johnson's" family was real, but was taken from the coverage of an unrelated case.…
Has South Korea placed vending machines with free hot food near schools to fight childhood hunger? No, that's not true: There were no actual news articles about any such "food vending machines" seen in viral images on social media. South Korea does offer free lunches to all schoolchildren, but they include a variety of items cooked and served in school…
Did prominent Americans like Elon Musk, Caitlin Clark, Stephen Colbert, and Joy Behar each pay down $667,000 of schoolkids' lunchroom debts? No, there's no evidence that's true: In the case of FBI Director Kash Patel, the gift was inflated to $979,000, which would be more than five times his FBI salary.The posts making the claims include no evidence by which…
Does a real photo show the moment in 1952 that a double-decker bus jumped the widening gap of the Tower Bridge drawbridge sections as it was opened to let river traffic through? No, that's not true: While a quick-thinking driver of the London number 78 line was truly celebrated for hitting the gas and jumping the gap, the viral photo…
Did Donald Trump dismiss a longtime Secret Service food tester after JD Vance saw the agent sprinkle an unidentified spice on the President's meal when they were dining out in DC? No, that's not true: There is no evidence supporting this story. In his second term Donald Trump had only eaten out in DC on one occasion, on Sept. 9,…
Did testing confirm that brightly colored candies seized by the West Palm Beach police and mentioned in the law enforcement's Halloween warning contained fentanyl? No, that's not true: According to the update shared with the public, the lab results showed that the candies contained no controlled substances. The rumor that cartels or drug dealers give away expensive substances in massive…
Does a viral video show authentic clips of four "Evangelical" pastors preaching against conservative positions on the border wall, guns, abortion and oil drilling? No, that's not true: The clips are lifted from an online account that describes itself as "Using AI to show a parallel universe." None of the quotes from the sermons in the video were found in…
Lead Stories is a fact checking website that is always looking for the latest false, misleading, deceptive or inaccurate stories, videos or images going viral on the internet.
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