Wildfires

Did President Donald Trump publish a post on Truth Social saying that he would "turn the giant faucet" located in California toward Canada as that country's wildfires burn? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that such a post was ever made on Trump's official Truth Social account. The fabricated post seems to reference previous statements made by Trump…

Does a viral image show the Sail4th250 tall ships Independence Day parade in New York Harbor on July 4, 2026? No, that's not true: Despite claiming to show one of the real vessels, the picture was "completely fabricated", a representative of the event organizer told Lead Stories. It was an AI-generated image. The claim appeared in a post (archived here)…

Was the airspace around New Orleans also shut down in early February, 2026, along with El Paso's closure due to alleged national security concerns? No, that's not true: The Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over New Orleans during Mardi Gras issued by the FAA for part of each day from Feb. 13-18, 2026 was announced by the Louisiana State Police on…

Does a video show a man standing on the edge of the Chicxulub Crater which was formed when an asteroid slammed into the earth about 66 million years ago? No, that's not true: In follow-up comments under the post, the author says "This is an AI simulation of what it may have look like 66 million years ago". They suggest…

Is the Los Angeles Firefighters Union suing California Gov. Gavin Newsom for "dereliction of duty" by refusing requests for water to be turned on during fires in 2025? No, that's not true: The post spreading that claim originated on a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer and a warning that all the contents of the page are fabricated. The owner…

Did "The Simpsons" predict that April 29, 2025 will become "the day everything stops"? No, that's not true: The internet rumor originated from an account that posts "fictional stories". The video never used a direct video citation from the series. Lead Stories analysis of the visual sequence suggested it was created with generative AI. The claim appeared in a post…

Is a social media post that speculates that right-wing rhetoric about the California wildfires caused the murder of California Fire Captain Rebecca Marodi accurate? No, that's not true: The police have named Rebecca Marodi's wife as the only suspect in her February 2025 murder. They announced that the suspect was a person known to Rebecca Marodi and believed it was…

Did the husbands of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein conspire to make money by using federal grants to buy land for high-speed rail? No, that's not true: There is no evidence either Paul Pelosi or the late Richard Blum were involved in land purchases connected to the California High-Speed Rail project. A social media…

Did U.S. troops enter California under "emergency powers" from President Donald Trump to turn on water from the Pacific Northwest, in January 2025? No, that's not true according to state authorities: The U.S. military did not enter the state to turn on the water, according to a statement posted by the California Department of Water Resources. The statement said the…

Does a video that shows an entire city engulfed in flames as a dozen helicopters hover overhead authentically capture a scene from the Los Angeles wildfires in January 2025? No, that's not true: Multiple online artificial intelligence detectors judged that this video and its audio -- with a lone siren blaring and the crackling sound of fires burning in the…