South Africa

Is a photo of President Donald Trump with one eye closed and the other half open with the U.S. Marine Corps flag behind him new as of April 24, 2026? No, that's not true: The image appeared in social media posts as early as November 2020, although Lead Stories has been unable to pinpoint the exact date it was captured.…

Was the "Obama Fraud Vault" showing $4.5 billion stolen from Obama's foundation released on Fox News live in December 2025? No, that's not true: Nearly identical stories claiming that Candace Owens, Ben Shapiro, Jeanine Pirro, Greg Gutfeld, Sen. John Kennedy, and other conservative figures "just unleashed the Obama Fraud Vault on FOX live" were published by a network of websites…

Did the New York Stock Exchange react to Zohran Mamdani's victory in the mayoral election by relocating to Texas from its 230-year base on New York City's Wall Street? No, that's not true: Intercontinental Exchange, the company that owns and operates the New York Stock Exchange, announced in February, when polls showed Mamdani with a single-digit pool of support, that…

Did a group of African men send a "God bless you" video message to slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk because of his missionary work in Africa? No, that's not true: The video was produced by an African company that takes orders for birthday messages and other greetings online for a fee. There is no evidence that Kirk ever served as…

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…

Did Elon Musk buy a crumbling shelter in Los Angeles where he had volunteered as a teenager in order to rebuild it as Hope Haven, a sanctuary for homeless families? No, that's not true: Elon Musk never volunteered at a shelter in California as a teen because he was not in the USA as a teen. The deluxe private homes…

Does a viral video show a July 13, 2025, plane crash at London Southend Airport? No, that's not true: The footage predates it. It captures an airshow in South Africa that resulted in one plane hitting the ground and killing the pilot. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on July 13, 2025. It opened: The…

Did U.S. President Donald Trump write on Truth Social that he regretted taking "advise" from tech billionaire Elon Musk, and affirm that there was no "white genocide" in South Africa? No, that's not true: A screenshot shared widely in July 2025 was digitally edited. An archive of the president's account on Truth Social showed that such a post never existed.…

Did the man suspected of murdering a South African-born woman in Virginia come to the United States as a refugee in the spring of 2025? No, that's not true: The suspect is an American citizen, according to the victim's brother. He told Lead Stories that when married, the couple settled in the U.S. before Donald Trump's second presidency. The claim…

Did an image shown to the public by U.S. President Donald Trump during a May 21, 2025 meeting with his South African counterpart in the Oval Office capture a mass burial of "white farmers" in that country? No, that's not true: The image was a screenshot of Reuters footage showing a different country. The recording captured humanitarian workers assisting with…