Politics

Did President Joe Biden announce in September 2023 that his administration intends to "increase the number and intensity of the extreme weather events"? No, that's not true: A social media video used incomplete footage of a speech to imply that Biden intends to use weather wizardry to bolster fears about climate change. In remarks on September 2, 2023, Biden discussed…

Did the timing of President Joe Biden appointing a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) director before the Maui fires and subsequently saying that director was already in Hawaii when the fires broke out confirm Biden knew the wildfires would occur? No, that's not true: Biden appointed Robert J. Fenton Jr., a regional administrator for FEMA, as chief federal response coordinator…

Was Russian President Vladimir Putin toppled, as of September 7, 2023? Did Dmitry Medvedev, a former president and prime minister, lead the coup, "acting in partnership with the United States"? Did Medvedev maintain close contact with the Wagner mercenary boss Evgeny Prigozhin who attempted to march on Moscow two months before the plane crash that killed him in August 2023?…

Did "enthusiastic crowds" chant "We want Trump" at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis while he spoke in Jacksonville, Florida? No, that's not true: The audio in one of the three videos in this post has been edited. While DeSantis was heckled at an event in Jacksonville in August 2023, the original video shows him being booed without the crowd mentioning former…

Were there 353 counties in 29 states with voter registrations exceeding "100 percent" and is that definitive evidence of something? No, that's not true: the social media account making that claim omits to say the "100 percent" is not referring to eligible voters. The numbers are from a study published by Judicial Watch that compared all voter registrations (including inactive…

Did Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pass the "Digital Existence Act" in response to the spread of a new COVID variant, helping Canada to transition to Digital ID, Central Bank Digital Currency and a Social Credit system? No, that's not true: This post originated from a parody account. The format of the screenshot partially obscures the parody account name, making…

Was Hillary Clinton executed on December 31, 2018? No, that's not true: The former U.S. senator and secretary of state has been seen numerous times since that date in public settings. She has been photographed, videotaped and given live interviews that prove that she was alive, as of September 1, 2023. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on…

Did Chief Justice John Roberts ask for $780 million to protect the nine U.S. Supreme Court justices, with each of the justices receiving close to $87 million, in 2024? No, that's not true: The federal judiciary system asked Congress in March 2023 to provide $783.5 million for the security of all its courts, which includes courts of appeals, district courts…

Did Fox News broadcast a report displaying an image of an Asian man suspected of fatally shooting a person with a chyron that reads, "Shooter described 'mostly white Asian male'"? No, that's not true: A Fox News spokesperson told Lead Stories that this image "was never broadcasted on Fox News and is not authentic." The claim appeared in an Instagram…

Do former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama own an estate in Maui, Hawaii, and was that supposed Maui estate "spared from the fires" that affected Maui in early August 2023? No, that's not true: The Obamas do not own an estate in Maui, where the fires primarily spread. Rather, they are reportedly developing a property in Oahu,…

Did Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump pose for a photo in a room that has surgical bone saws hanging on the walls? No, that's not true: The image of the couple has been doctored and the bone saws have been added to the photo, likely as a commentary on Kushner's business relationship with Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman al Saud,…

Did RT, a Russian state news organization, publish a headline saying that the plane whose crash killed Yevgheny Prigozhin was piloted by a person suffering "post-vaccine myocarditis"? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that RT ever published such a story about the August 23, 2023, plane crash that killed Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner group, a Russian…

Does the Russian region of Kaliningrad "now belong to Belarus," with NATO forces supporting Minsk in its struggle against Russia? No, that's not true: No parties allegedly involved in the supposed confrontation issued any statements confirming the purported annexation, and no credible sources corroborate the claim. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on YouTube on August 25,…

Is former President Donald Trump facing the possibility of the death penalty in the four indictments against him? No, that's not true: Lead Stories spoke to three legal experts who told us that none of the charges against Trump carries the death penalty if convicted. While one charge, "Conspiracy against rights," can be eligible for the death penalty, that's only…

Did the "entire population" of Hawaii chant "Fk (Fuck) Joe Biden" during the president's visit to Maui on August 21, 2023? No, that's not true: A short clip on social media did not show any supposed protesters, and footage of the same event, captured by two news outlets independent of one another, established that nobody was chanting anything during this…

Does a video shared to social media on August 23, 2023, show Russian oligarch Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin's jet "on fire before crashing"? No, that's not true: While the video itself is authentic, it documented an unrelated plane crash that reportedly occurred nearly two months earlier on June 24, 2023, "near the village of Kantemirovk," about 700 miles from the village…

Did conservative TV personality Candace Owens call professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe an "angry toddler" while debating Rapinoe on a segment of her show, "Candace"? No, that's not true: A representative of Rapinoe told Lead Stories this is "false information." Also, this claim appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. The claim appeared in…

Is an image of Donald Trump in a black pin-stripe suit the real mug shot taken after he was surrendered and was arrested in Atlanta on August 24, 2023? No, that's not true: The image is fake and according to an AI detection website is 99 percent likely to have been generated by artificial intelligence. Trump's real mug shot was…

Did Anthony Fauci state in August 2023 that "all unvaccinated citizens must be locked down this winter"? No, that's not true: Lead Stories watched the entire interview where this quote supposedly originated and found no such statement. Furthermore, no credible evidence or news reports exist that attribute the purported quote to the former director of the National Institute of Allergy…

Was the Obamas' personal chef writing a tell-all book before his "mysterious death"? No, that's not true: There is no proof shown in a video making the claim that Tafari Campbell was writing a book about the former president and first lady at the time of his death near their Martha's Vineyard home. The video purports to be from "Inside…