Society

Did a video clip shared to X authentically show a BBC reporter joking the February 28, 2025 Oval Office meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump was " ... the second time that a U.S. president f***ed someone in the Oval Office." ? No, that's not true: The audio was generated using artificial intelligence. The original newscast…

Did President Donald Trump confuse research on transgenic mice with research involving "making mice transgender," when addressing Congress, as some social media users suggested? No, that's not true: On March 5, 2025, the White House issued a press release outlining the research the President was referring to. The listed studies were about the effects of certain medical interventions on mice…

Does Canada bar American banks from operating in the country? No, that's not true: As of this writing, 16 U.S.-based bank subsidiaries and branches were operating in Canada, according to the Canadian Bank Association. These banks hold around 113 billion Canadian dollars in assets and "make up half of all foreign bank assets in Canada," the association added. Canada's Department…

Did U.S. President Donald Trump ask people to forward the "Congressional Reform Act of 2017," also described as "the TRUMP Rules," to "a minimum of 20 people" in early 2025? No, that's not true: His social media posts did not mention the purported proposal in 2025. The text of the so-called "Congressional Reform Act" has been circulating on the internet…

Does calling 112 on a cell phone directly link the caller to a state trooper in the United States? No, that's not true: 112 is the emergency number used across the European Union -- it is not a dedicated state police line in the U.S. The emergency number 911 is used in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Although some cell…

Have authorities in various towns and counties in the U.S. issued a warning of a 29-year-old man named "Andre Cortez Harris" who was "on the run" after stabbing "neighbors to death," as a post on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: This post, and others like it, are part of a known deception to trick people into sharing content. In…

Will President Trump's Address to the Joint Session of Congress on March 4, 2025, not be aired by CNN? No, that's not true: The CNN TV programming schedule shows the address will air live at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The schedule has five additional time slots blocked out to rebroadcast the address through the overnight hours. The false claim…

Is there an actual Portland, Oregon, nonprofit group named "Unpull the Trigger" that plans to buy each Black man in America an AR-15 rifle to scare Republicans into supporting gun control? No, that's not true: The story appeared on an X account that described the story as "satire". There is no organization by that name although there was a 2006…

Does a video show Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying "fuck him" after a reporter asked him about Donald Trump as Zelenskyy entered a meeting with U.K. Prime Minster Keir Starmer? No, that's not true: The video uses a tone to cover a supposed obscenity by Zelenskyy, and the post obscures the word with "F* him" in the caption, but the…

Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wear a suit in a meeting with Klaus Schwab, World Economic Forum executive chairman, following his February 2025 White House visit in which he wore a black shirt? No, that's not true: This photo of Zelenskyy and Schwab was taken in 2020, two years before Russia invaded Ukraine. Zelenskyy publicly said he would "wear a…

Did Congress vote to deport Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), a naturalized citizen, as of February 28, 2025? No, that's not true: An immigration expert told Lead Stories that a naturalized citizen cannot be deported. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services writes that revocation of naturalized citizenship can only occur in federal court for limited circumstances "either by civil proceeding or pursuant…

Is Joe Rogan correct that Girl Scout cookies are "toxic as fuck"? Here is what we know about the situation: Podcast host Rogan said on his program that a study of Girl Scout cookies shows they have high levels of glyphosate and heavy metals. The Girl Scouts organization published a statement declaring their cookies are safe to consume, and heavy…

In February 2025, public health officials in Texas reported the death of an unvaccinated child following a measles infection. As of this writing, national health authorities report at least three outbreaks of the highly infectious, vaccine-preventable disease across eight states. As communities prepare for potential increases in cases, Lead Stories has compiled information summarizing the Texas outbreak, how cases have…

Did actress Michelle Trachtenberg "Die Suddenly" at the age of 39 because of the COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true: Social media posts spreading the speculation offered no supporting evidence. As of February 26, 2025, no investigating officers or credible media organization reported any connection between vaccination and Trachtenberg's death. "Died Suddenly," the name on an X account posting the…

Does a photo show Bill and Hillary Clinton fleeing the country just before documents from the Jeffrey Epstein case were expected to be released in late February 2025? No, that's not true: The photo circulating on social media is a still frame from a video filmed on July 8, 2018. The video was published in a Daily Mail article the…

Did President Donald Trump sign an executive order banning HOAs (Homeowner Associations) in the United States? No, that's not true: The TikTok video making the claim offered no evidence it was real and it was posted as a joke on an account that publishes with the hashtag #funnytiktok. Currently the website of the White House has no references to any…

Did President Donald Trump's eldest son Don Jr. say on his podcast that "the U.S. should have been sending weapons to Russia" instead of Ukraine, as an X post claims? No, that's not true: The episode in question did not contain such a statement. Two AI detectors indicated that the audio in the viral clip was likely a product of…

Does the February 2025 House budget resolution specify an $880 billion unilateral cut in Medicaid funding? No, that's not true: On February 25, 2025, the House passed its proposed budget, a resolution that directs the House Energy and Commerce Committee to make $880 billion in budget cuts to many programs under the committee's jurisdiction, one of which is Medicaid.…

Did New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announce plans for a $1 walking fee or walking tax on people moving around on foot in New York City? No, that's not true: Viral videos that claimed existing congestion tax cameras would be used for facial recognition of pedestrians in order to charge them a walking tax were not based on any actual…

Did the U.S. Supreme Court rule in a case titled "Moore vs Alliant Credit Union" that mortgages and fiat currency are illegal? No, that's not true: There was no such case in front of the Supreme Court and therefore, no such ruling. A person named Zachary Moore was involved in a lawsuit against his mortgage company and lost the case,…