United States

Did a video shared widely in June 2025 authentically show a real airline passenger spanking a woman who was attempting to exit her seat on to the aisle? No, that's not true: The footage came from a sketch posted to Facebook by a user who regularly posts similar scripted scenarios. The same actors can be seen in other sketches on…

Did President Trump announce in a video that the production of Tesla cars would be banned in the United States? No, that's not true:The audio in the viral video, in which Trump could also be heard calling Elon Musk a "snake", was generated using AI according to a detection tool. It originated on an Instagram account with "AI" in its…

Lead Stories is sad to learn of the announcement of the passing of Pablo Reyes Santiago (also via his Facebook account) and we offer our deepest condolences to his friends and family. Although he may not have realized it, Pablo was instrumental to the history of Lead Stories as a fact checking website. He was so famous for his pranks…

Was TikTok influencer Khaby Lame arrested by ICE and was he "deported"? No, that's not true: A video on X making that claim showed a 220963977 A-number from ICE's detainee locator system that currently does not show any results. An ICE spokesperson said Lame was briefly "detained" on June 6, 2025 at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada…

Did actor Robert De Niro call White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt "KKKatherine" and did she respond that her family "fought to end slavery" while his "snuck into the country illegally in the 1920s"? No, that's not true: A meme describing that supposed exchange originated on a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer. The owner of the page is known…

Did President Trump post on Truth Social "That totally was a Nazi salute that Elon did by the way"? No, that's not true: a viral image of such a post was fabricated. There is no trace of such a post on Trump's actual Truth Social account and none was indexed by Google. Had he done so, it would have been…

Did President Trump post on his Truth Social account on June 5, 2025, that Elon Musk should "go back to Africa"? No, that's not true: The @realDonaldTrump timeline was closely watched at the time in anticipation of Trump's responses to Musk during their high-profile tit for tat dispute. There is no evidence the post ever appeared on Trump's Truth Social…

Did U.S. President Donald Trump write on Truth Social that Elon Musk left the White House administration after "a very tense meeting about travel to Mars" during which the tech billionaire brought up an "implication" of bringing women to spaceships? No, that's not true: Neither Trump's posts on Truth Social nor an archive of his entries confirm he ever published…

Is a photo of Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham standing with Osama Bin Laden real? No, that's not true: The image was digitally altered from a real photo of McCain and Graham standing with Afghanistan's president Hamid Karzai in July 2013. The fake version showing al-Qaida founder Osama Bin Laden began circulating after McCain's 2018 death as a way…

Did Elon Musk send a cryptic tweet with the hashtag "#PIGFOOT" on June 6, 2025 following his public falling-out with President Trump? No, that's not true: A screenshot of such a tweet, including the message "Tomorrow 3PM PST #PIGFOOT", appears to have been fabricated and does not appear on Musk's X account. It was also not indexed by search engines.…

Do viral screenshots prove that U.S. taxpayers paid $411,634.00 for Senator Lindsey Graham's hotel stay in Kyiv, Ukraine, in May 2025? No, that's not true: His name is not linked to the spending documented in the images. The Department of State told Lead Stories that the screenshot of the agency's government contract in Ukraine had nothing to do with congressional…

Does a cropped screenshot of a Google Trends chart of search term usage prove Tesla owners were "scrambling to remove their anti Elon stickers" on June 5, 2025, the day Musk began to publicly feud with Donald Trump? No, that's not true: The screenshot is fake and does not show actual data. Looking the past seven days of data, June…

Was U.S. President Donald Trump's account on X blocked again in the aftermath of the public feud with the platform's owner Elon Musk on June 5, 2025? No, that's not true: The account was still active, as of this writing. The screenshot that resurfaced on social media showed what Trump's account looked like in 2021 - after he had been…

Did Fox News refer to President Donald Trump as "Former president" on their website? Yes, that's true: The phrase appeared in the subheading of a breaking news story about the allegations Elon Musk had been making against Trump. The subheader read "Former president reveals he asked billionaire to leave position after months of tension". It appeared in an article (archived…

Did Donald Trump announce he is imposing a 300% penalty on landlords who raise rents excessively? No, that's not true: No White House news releases or videos corroborate that. The rumor arises from a fake news-style video providing no authentic quotes, links, interviews or other evidence Trump made such a proposal. The claim appeared on a June 3, 2025 TikTok…

Did Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr announce they are bringing The Beatles back to the U.S. with a reunion tour? No, that's not true: No announcement can be found anywhere in the news media, on the artists' websites, or with online ticketing websites. The post making the claim used an AI-generated image, which would not be expected in an official…

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 President Trump delete his June 4, 2025, Truth Social post discussing his phone call Russian President Vladimir Putin? No, that's not true: The post was still visible on Trump's timeline as of 12 p.m. ET on June 5, 2025. Lead Stories confirmed this 22 hours after it was initially posted and 17 hours after the false claim was posted…

Did the judge in the sex trafficking trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs issue an arrest warrant for Ellen DeGeneres in May 2025? No, that's not true: The claim appeared in a YouTube video whose description labeled it "entirely fictional and crafted solely for entertainment." Despite widespread and intensive news coverage, no outlet covering the trial has mentioned any involvement by…

Did the International Federation of Football (FIFA) move the World Cup 2026 from the United States because of President Trump's strict immigration policies? No, this is not true: As of June 4, 2025, FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, have not announced any changes to the hosting arrangement for the tournament, which will be held for the first time in…