Current Events

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 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…

Does a viral post of a white mushroom cloud authentically capture the June 2, 2025 eruption of Mt. Etna? No, that's not true: That image first circulated in 2015. Authentic photos of the 2025 eruption show clouds of a different shape and color, but no symmetrical white mushroom cloud. The image appeared in a June 3, 2025 Facebook post (archived…

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…

Does a viral image show three actual Russian TU-95 bombers and an unknown fourth plane damaged in a Ukrainian drone strike? No, that's not true: Some detection tools say the image shows strong evidence of being forged or synthesized using artificial intelligence. The image also contains tell-tale details that do not match with other photographs of such planes, including elements…

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…

Did the Rockport County Sheriff say he would ask a grand jury to indict former FBI director James Comey on state terroristic threats charges? No, that's not true: A meme making that claim originated on a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content. Also, there…

Did a federal judge order Michelle Obama to hand over "her financials from her time as First Lady" to DOGE? No, that's not true: That story originated on a satirical Facebook page. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content. The image appeared in a post (archived here) with a meme published…

Did U.S. President Donald Trump complain on social media that Ukraine's attacks on Russia interfere with his sleep? No, that's not true: A search across his account on Truth Social did not produce a match to the image a viral post purported to have taken from his account. Searches across an archived version of his account and news reports did…

Did Chick-Fil-A drop a new advertisement for Pride Month 2025 that includes the slogan "Our pickles don't touch. Just like God intended."? No, that's not true: The ad is a fake and has circulated online for several years. There is no trace of it in the news or on the company's website. Lead Stories reached out for comment but has…

Did a video shared in June 2025 show a man threatening to kill ICE agents and telling them "I'll put a bullet in y'all fucking head"? No, that's not true: The off-screen voice in fact said the ICE agents should shoot themselves, and called their actions a "God damn shame." The off-screen voice did say that U.S. citizens would "start…

Did President Trump say that Ukraine must compensate Russia for the aircraft it destroyed in a June 1, 2025, drone attack on Russian air bases? No, that's not true: There is no record of President Trump posting these words on his social media accounts or saying them publicly. A Google search for the quote finds it only on social media…

Did U.S. President Donald Trump issue an Oval Office address wishing Americans a "not so happy Pride Month"? No, that's not true: The viral clip was digitally altered. In the original video, Trump talked about Easter. The altered video includes a black screen at the end that declares it a deep fake. The claim appeared in a post (archived here)…

Did a widely-shared clip show Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian airbases, in retaliation against a series of drone attacks on Russian warplanes in June 2025? No, that's not true: The footage was old, and dated to July 2024 at the latest. It appeared to show Russian missiles striking a children's hospital in Kyiv, not airbases. The claim appeared in a…

Does a video shared online show a huge explosion in Moscow, Russia in 2025? No, that's not true: The video shows an explosion in Crimea in 2023 related to an attack on a ship. It does not show an attack on the Russian capital in 2025. One example of the video being shared with a misleading caption was an X…

Does a viral video really show the destruction of "40 Russian strategic bombers" of type TU-95 destroyed by a "daring Ukrainian FPV-drone swarm raid"? No, that's not true: This particular viral social media footage originates from the video game ARMA3. It does not depict the actual drone strikes reported on by worldwide media on June 1, 2025. The video (archived…

Did Secretary of State Marco Rubio officially declare that individuals who criticize Israel will be denied entry visas to the United States? No, that's not true: In a video posted along with the claim, Secretary Rubio does say the U.S. has implemented a new visa policy to "prevent foreign nationals from coming to the United States to foment hatred against…

Did President Trump reshare a Truth Social post that claims Joe Biden was executed in 2020 and replaced with "clones doubles & robotic engineered souless mindless entities"? Yes, he did: Trump's Truth Social timeline showed the post was shared by the president at 7:06 p.m. on Saturday, May 31, 2025. The post was still active at the time of writing…