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Did vice presidential candidate JD Vance admit that his campaign gave him a "rent-a-dog" to use on the campaign trail? No, that's not true: Vance's full statement, which he made during an interview with Tucker Carlson, was a sarcastic acknowledgment of an online rumor. Vance also said he owned his dog before his vice presidential candidacy began. The claim appeared…

Were explosive devices discovered at the site of a Donald Trump campaign event on September 18, 2024, on Long Island, New York? No, that's not true: Law enforcement denied the rumor. The police statement said that a person "training a bomb detection dog" near the event's location had made a false report. The claim about explosive devices appeared in a…

Did a man with a large Alsatian dog rescue a pretty French girl who was being harassed by two migrants? No, that's not true: Disclaimer hashtags with the original video on TikTok say this is a "fake situation" and "mise en scène" or "staged event." It originated on the TikTok channel dedicated to showcasing the training of a Belgian Malinois…

Does a viral video capture "Bosnian neighbors" roasting a dog in their backyard in the U.S.? No, that's not true: A Cornell University professor of veterinary medicine told Lead Stories that what is seen in the years-old footage does not show dog or even carnivore anatomy, speculating it could be a lamb or a goat. The video recycled an old…

Has police Deputy Tyler Cooper in a town called Surprise found a 2-year-old boy wandering alone, and can't the police find his mother named Ella? No, that's not true: The "deputy" in the post is not listed by name on either the Surprise, Arizona, police department or county sheriff's department websites. The person who posted the story blotted out the…

Did "leaked reports" say George Soros paid ABC moderators $1 million each to fact check Donald Trump during the September 10, 2024, presidential debate? No, that's not true: The story came from a website whose satire disclaimer reads: "These articles are meant to be humorous and are often entirely made up." No credible evidence of "leaked reports" or such payments…

Did social-media posts share the true story of a 32-year-old man named Kyle Thomas, for whom "a silver alert" was issued after he reportedly "went missing" in Omaha, Nebraska? No, that's not true: As of this writing, Nebraska had not issued a missing-persons alert for a person named Kyle Thomas. The posts about "Kyle Thomas" are part of a scam…

Is a social media post saying that a girl "approximately 3 years old" was found by "Deputy Amy Braidley" authentic? No, that's not true: This is a bait-and-switch post that sends readers to a real estate ad. Lead Stories has previously debunked similar posts with a 3-year-old being found in different locations across the country, each time by a deputy…

Did the moderators of ABC News' presidential debate say late-term abortions don't happen? No, that's not true: Debate moderator Linsey Davis said it's not legal to kill babies after they're born in any state. She was fact checking former President Donald Trump's allegation that Democratic running mate Tim Walz had endorsed the "execution" of babies after birth. The claim appeared…

Does a viral photo show a Haitian immigrant in Springfield, Ohio, holding what appears to be a dead goose? No, that's not true: The man who snapped the picture said it was taken in Columbus, Ohio, not Springfield. A city official in Springfield stated there are "no credible reports or specific claims" in the city's immigrant community about a man…