Did New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani only put Iran's flag on New York subway trains? No, that's not true: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which serves New York City, Long Island, southeastern New York State, and Connecticut, decorated trains to represent each of the 48 countries competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Each train features the colors of a competing…
Do real images show FIFA President Gianni Infantino attending two World Cup games that took place simultaneously in different cities? No, that's not true: The photos have been edited to give the appearance that he was present at two matches occurring at the same time. Instead, they show different games on different days. The claim appeared in a post and…
Does a video show Swedish World Cup footballer Lucas Bergvall saying, "Please stop voting for mass migration"? No, that's not true: The quote attributed to him on social media does not match what Bergvall said in a video interview, nor was it from the World Cup in June 2026. When translated into English, Bergvall's words concerned a then-upcoming match against…
Is a video of an Iraqi woman saying in Swedish that she used the Swedish welfare system "to the max" real? Yes, it is: Tara Sabah Mohammed Saleh said she was being sarcastic during a TikTok Live stream in reaction to racist social media comments that told her "to go home." A Swedish news report called her a pro-Palestinian activist…
Did Sweden start using a red beet-and-starch-based, food-grade de-icing solution on a large scale to combat road icing and save birds suffering from road salt poisoning? No, that's not true: The Swedish Transport Administration website has a page that explains the the agency did not switch to a new red salt. Lead Stories found no news articles reporting such a…
Did a Russian visitor named Ivan Stepanov rescue a tranquilized bear that was drowning in Lake Tahoe? No, that's not true: The dramatic story shared on social media is ripped off from the real-life heroics of Florida wildlife biologist Adam Warwick, who pulled a tranquilized bear from the water in a Florida harbor in 2008. The photos used in a…
Does a viral video on social media show Gazans who are fleeing Palestine arriving in Sweden? No, that's not true: The Ruahel Charity Association soccer team shown in the video represents various cities in the West Bank, not Gaza. The video shows players and coaches on a plane as part of a multi-city tour of Europe in July and August…
Was Samuel Hydén (or Sam Hyde) the perpetrator of a school shooting in Örebro, Sweden, on February 4, 2025? No, that's not true: Comedian Sam Hyde is often named as the perpetrator by internet trolls whenever a mass-casualty incident happens. It is a bizarre in-joke that has been going on for years, often using variations of his name to make…
Was Adolf Hitler nominated as a serious candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1939? No, that is missing context: The Nobel websites state that the nomination was not meant to be taken seriously and was withdrawn five days after it was made. According to the nominator, a Swedish anti-fascist, the nomination was intended as irony "to shame" Hitler "as…
Does the plan to address prison overcrowding in England and Wales cut short sentences for sexual offenses? No, that's not true: Under current law many inmates typically serve 50% of their sentence in prison, followed by a probation period. A new plan would reduce that to 40% but with exceptions for certain convictions like sexual or violent offenses. Offenders with…
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