&Quot;Gavin Newsom&Quot;

Did a photo of troops sleeping on a floor, shared amid President Donald Trump's deployment of the National Guard in California in June 2025, in fact date to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021? No, that's not true: the AI chatbot ChatGPT made a mistake in identifying the photo as having first been published on a U.S. military website…

Did U.S. troops enter California under "emergency powers" from President Donald Trump to turn on water from the Pacific Northwest, in January 2025? No, that's not true according to state authorities: The U.S. military did not enter the state to turn on the water, according to a statement posted by the California Department of Water Resources. The statement said the…

Is there evidence that California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered firefighters not to use Starlink modems while battling wildfires in the Los Angeles area in January 2025? No, that's not true: Newsom denied allegations he had ordered the modems to be confiscated in a post on X. Any firefighter who needs a Starlink device can get one through the Los Angeles…

Did Fox News report that California Gov. Gavin Newsom will withhold California's $235 billion 2025 federal income tax? No, that's not true: A Fox News spokesperson told Lead Stories that this was not reported on Fox News. Also, the claim originally appeared on an account describing itself as "Raw Unfiltered Parody." The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on…

Did Gov. Gavin Newsom sign a bill banning memes and parody in California? No, that's not true: The bill specifically exempts "Materially deceptive content that constitutes satire or parody." The Defending Democracy from Deepfake Deception Act of 2024 mandates that large online platforms either remove or label deceptive and digitally altered election-related content during specific timeframes. The claim appeared in…

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…

While discussing a flash poll after CNN's June 27, 2024, presidential debate, did CNN Political Director David Chalian use a name for former first lady Michelle Obama that implied she is a transgender male? No, that's not true: Chalian did not call Michelle Obama "Big Mike." The 31-second-long video clip used to make this claim includes AI-generated fake audio. While…

Are foods like Lucky Charms, Flamin' Hot Cheetos, Oreos and Gatorade facing a nationwide ban in the United States? No, that's not true: Several states, including California, have either passed or are considering legislation to ban certain food additives, but no particular foods would be outlawed. Manufacturers can reformulate to remove the additives -- potassium bromate, propylparaben or red dye…

Does a video show California's governor, Gavin Newsom, falling down the steps while deplaning? No, that's not true: According to the person who first posted it, the footage, filmed in 2014, shows Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who at that time was the coach of the Cincinnati Bearcats. The California's Governor's office confirms that the video does not show Newsom. The old…

Did Fox News report that California's Gavin Newsom is the first governor to call for a bill to remove Donald Trump from the ballot in his state? No, that's not true: "The Governor did not say this," Newsom's spokesperson told Lead Stories. And there is no evidence Fox News reported that the Democratic governor was the first to say there…