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Did the Kamala Harris/Tim Walz campaign propose a plan to put a 20 percent sales tax on all golf-related purchases in an effort to "Tax the Wealthy"? No, that's not true: The social media account that posted this message is self-described satire. A Google search found no results proving the campaign has suggested this. The claim appeared in a post…

Did American country folk singer Oliver Anthony file a cease-and-desist order against Tim Walz for using one of Anthony's songs? No, that's not true: This story first appeared on a Facebook page that says it is all about satire and parodies. Its website has a disclaimer that says "Nothing on this page is real" and a Google search brought up…

Was an image of an August 6, 2024, Kamala Harris campaign rally at Pennsylvania's Temple University digitally altered to fake its crowd size? No, that's not true: Photos and videos of the event by numerous media outlets match the crowd size seen in the picture, including Lead Stories' own photos. An AI-detection tool found little evidence that the image of…

Did the state of Minnesota enact a policy that put tampons in "10 year old boys bathrooms" while Tim Walz was governor? No, that's not true: The Minnesota statute does not mention boys-only bathrooms, and school districts said free menstrual products go to female-only and designated gender-neutral bathrooms. The state Department of Education said they haven't told any schools to…

Does a video show Tim Walz, Kamala Harris' pick as her vice presidential running mate, dancing in a cowboy hat and with dollar bills stuck in his pants? No, that's not true: The video has been altered to add Walz's face onto the person dancing. The original video is of musician Alejandro Casas, who is known as El Divo 956,…

Does a video shared to X genuinely show attendees at the 2024 Democratic National Convention chanting "Death to America"? No, that's not true: The video on social media has added audio from a 2020 Black Lives Matter protest in Oakland, California. An unedited video of former first lady Michelle Obama's speech, which is shown in the video on X, does…

Was Vice President Kamala Harris "too intoxicated to stand up" at the Democratic National Convention? No, that's not true: Harris was receiving applause at the moment in question and was not expected to stand. She was seen standing several times during the first night of the convention. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X on August 19,…

Did organizers at the Democratic National Convention eliminate women's bathrooms and turn them into gender-neutral restrooms? No, that's not true: Women's restrooms were still offered at the 2024 DNC as of August 21, 2024, according to images from the convention site and information from the venue itself. Lead Stories staff covering the convention noted men's and women's restrooms as well…

Has Vice President Kamala Harris announced a widespread COVID-19 vaccination policy? No, that's not true: Her campaign website shows that she requires employees of her 2024 presidential campaign to be vaccinated. There is no evidence that Harris has released a plan to require COVID vaccination for all Americans. The claim was implied in a post (archived here) on Instagram on…

Did Kamala Harris snub Ashley Biden by "refusing to stand" during a round of applause after remarks delivered by President Joe Biden's daughter on the first night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention? No, that's not true: It's a typical response of a person being honored to remain seated, an expert on public speaking told Lead Stories. The context of…

Did the state of California refrain from assigning any delegates to Kamala Harris at the 2024 Democratic National Convention? No, that's not true: While the states are called in alphabetical order, California and Minnesota passed so that the home states of the nominees could go at the end, a spokesperson for the California Democratic Party told Lead Stories. Minnesota, the…

Did Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro not go to the 2024 Democratic National Convention? No, that's not true: There are several images and videos of Shapiro at the convention. Also, many news sources have reported on Shapiro's presence at the event in Chicago. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on August 19, 2024, on the official account of Monica…

Did Taylor Swift endorse Donald Trump in August 2024? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Swift said she wanted people to vote for Trump in the 2024 presidential election campaign. The image of Swift as Uncle Sam with the phrase "TAYLOR WANTS YOU TO VOTE FOR DONALD TRUMP" appears to be AI generated. Swift endorsed Joe Biden…

Is a picture of Air Force Two without a tail number proof that the photo was digitally manipulated? No, that's not true: A spokesperson from the Air Force's 89th Airlift Wing, which maintains and flies aircraft for government leaders, told Lead Stories that planes normally used for Air Force One and Two are being cleared of tail numbers for security…

When former President Barack Obama described a metaphorical plan in 2022 to "flood" the public square with "raw sewage," did he present it as either his own or as that of the Democratic Party? No, that's not true: He was describing how propaganda works, not what he or the party was planning to do. He said this in a speech…

Are two images of a scantly clad woman genuine old photos of Vice President Kamala Harris, suggesting she was a sex worker in the past? No, that's not true: Harris began her professional career working in California legal offices. Inconsistencies in fingers, shadows and backgrounds in the photos are telltale signs of AI origin. The images only appeared online after…

Did Hope Walz, daughter of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, receive $82,000 in student loan forgiveness despite her parents being worth $138 million? No, that's not true: The claim originates from a website that clearly labels its work as satire, parody and fiction. The claim is not based on any factual evidence, nor is her parents' reported net worth anywhere near…

Did a video shared to TikTok show a genuine ad for "Actors needed" to attend an Arizona rally for U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in August 2024? No, that's not true: Versions of the supposed ad circulated online since at least 2018, often with posters making unproven connections to events either in support of or opposition to former President…

Did Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz give a 9/11 anniversary speech in which he claimed that while serving in the National Guard he "stood one night in the dark of night at Bagram Air Base in Iraq", seemingly unaware Bagram is in Afghanistan? No, that's not true: Video of his speech shows Walz only said he was at "Bagram," not "Bagram…

Did the Kamala Harris campaign produce an AI image of a fake rally crowd and then distribute that picture? No, that's not true: The image in question was first published on the internet by a self-described parody account not affiliated with her campaign. That parody account subsequently posted again to say that the picture was "generated with AI." Lead Stories…