Elections

Did Kamala Harris's mother lie in her immigration application by saying she only had one child when she really had two at the time she applied for her visa? No, that's not true: Harris's mother had only one child -- Kamala -- at the time she filed the petition. The full document shows that Harris's mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, filed…

Did someone finally notice that Trump's raised fist has six fingers in the famous image from the aftermath of the Butler, Pennsylvania, assassination attempt -- indicating the image is a fake generated by AI? No, that's not true: This image is altered from the original news photo. The post pretending to expose an AI deception was made 40 days after…

Does an authentic photo show Secret Service agents without earpieces during their response to the shooting at a Donald Trump rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania? No, that's not true: The earpieces can be seen in the original picture captured by Getty Images staff photographer Anna Moneymaker. The image in an X post that claims Secret Service agents…

Did Tim Walz respond to conservative commentator Ann Coulter on X after she described his son's behavior at the Democratic National Convention as "weird"? No, that's not true: A screenshot of this supposed response shows signs of digital manipulation. Lead Stories found no evidence confirming that Walz ever responded to Coulter on X. The claim appeared in a post (archived…

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 Elon Musk and Donald Trump team up to conduct a cryptocurrency scam that would violate election laws, as claimed in a post on X? No, that's not true: Footage from the 2024 Tesla shareholder's meeting, streamed live, was altered with a fake AI-generated voice and facial synchronizing animation. Musk's original presentation had no mention of "crypto", the altered video…

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…

Are Donald Trump and JD Vance supporters now carrying around specimen cups of Vance's semen marked "JD Vance Full Family Kit" to "mock democrats who can't start families" as shown in a series of photos being spread online? No, that's not true: Several aspects point to this being an election year prank or stunt. The photos were taken at an…

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…

Does a video clip show former President Donald Trump confusing whether he was in Pennsylvania or North Carolina during one of his political rallies? No, that's not true: At the beginning of this particular rally, he gives a shout-out to a group of North Carolina women who regularly attend his events. In the short clip used in a social media…