Satanic

Does an inverted cross in a viral video from St. Peter's Basilica offer evidence of satanism in the Vatican? No, that's not true: The upside-down cross, also known as the Petrine cross, has a distinctive theological meaning in the religious context. It is associated with St. Peter whose wish was, as the Vatican website describes it, to be crucified head-down…

Does a viral clip of a procession consisting of people wearing black pointy hats show Pope Francis' funeral? No, that's not true: The claim first appeared on the internet four days before the scheduled burial of the pontiff. The footage captured members of a religious group in Spain, most likely celebrating the days leading up to Easter, known as Holy…

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 the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs say they are boycotting Pride Nights? No, that's not true: Neither the Steelers nor the Chiefs have publicly stated they were boycotting Pride Nights. The post saying so did not offer any evidence to back up its claim but it seems to have originated on a website with a satire disclaimer. The…

Did Navy SEALs raid a warehouse belonging to rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs and seize a stockpile of adrenochrome that he used as a drug at his orgies? No, that's not true: The story is from a website that regularly publishes fabricated content, and there's no proof that any such military operation ever took place. Adrenochrome has long been the subject…

Does a viral video prove that Britney Spears, Madonna, Beyonce and other celebrities have performed satanic rituals? No, that's not true: The video was made up of still images generated by AI, according to AI detectors. The images contained multiple distortions in the hands and legs of those stars the pictures supposedly portrayed. The claim, an old one, resurfaced in…

Did former President Donald Trump post on Truth Social that Vice President Kamala Harris is a man who was born in Benghazi, Libya? No, that's not true: Lead Stories searched Trump's Truth Social and X accounts and did not find any evidence of this post on them. A Google News search did not turn up any evidence for the story…

Is a video displaying Elon Musk saying Oreos are satanic authentic? No, that's not true: Multiple online AI detectors reported that the audio in this video post was most likely AI-generated. Lead Stories also located the authentic video recording of the interview on YouTube featuring Musk and Joe Rogan, and there was no mention of the words "Oreos" or "satanic"…

Does a social media image that shows a logo and the upside-down words "Space Force" next to a satanic symbol display the official logo of the U.S. Space Force? No, that's not true: The official U.S. Space Force delta symbol is not seen in this image on X. The image shows a hat sold online but not by the U.S.…

Does a combination of former President Barack Obama's portrait and its mirrored version produce an image of a goat-like figure? No, that's not true: The image was digitally manipulated. The altered picture was shared by an account with a long history of spreading false claims. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X, formerly known as Twitter, by…