United States

Did the Trump Organization begin selling "Trump 2028" baseball hats in April 2025? Yes, that's true: social media posts and photographs accurately depicted a real listing on the website trumpstore.com, which is the the official retail website of the Trump Organization. The hats were listed at a price of $50. The claim that official "Trump 2028" hats had gone on…

Did the United States Space Force and Elon Musk's SpaceX release a joint statement in April 2025, warning that an imminent revelation would "change your entire life"? No, that's not true: Contrary to social media posts, which also referred to a non-existent "Galactic Federation", neither entity made any such statement. In October 2024, an account that promotes the discredited QAnon…

Did American talk show host, actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell go public to complain about life in Ireland and discuss a contemplated return to the United States? No, that's not true: The viral rumor was not grounded in facts. On the day of its inception, O'Donnell said the opposite -- that she enjoyed her life in Ireland and was in…

Did the account of the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. on X post a cartoon depicting U.S. President Donald Trump as having a tariff-related tantrum? No, that's not true: As of this writing, the account's entries did not include that image. Answering Lead Stories' questions, an embassy spokesperson denied that either its official account on X or any other account…

Did JD Vance's sister take to social media to ask internet trolls to stop saying the Vice President killed Pope Francis? No, that's not true: The video is one of a series by comedian Blaire Erskine in which she has played roles such as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's baby sitter and a Trump voter waiting in the cold for a…

Did the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approve ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 in April 2025? No, that's not true: We found no mention of any such approval on the website of the FDA or Department of Health and Human Services, or on either entity's social media accounts. An FDA guide stipulating that the agency did not recommend ivermectin…

Did now-retired soccer player Megan Rapinoe lose her job at ESPN after one day in April 2025? No, that's not true: The story originated from a network known for publishing made-up stories with satire labels. As of April 23, 2025, no credible sources had reported Rapinoe was fired. The claim originated from an article (archived here) on the Dunning-Kruger Times…

Did Tom Cruise mock Nicholas Riccio, husband of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, at an awards ceremony in Los Angeles in 2025, and did Leavitt and Riccio publicly expose Cruise on stage? No, that's not true: A YouTube video recounting the story was no more than fantasy fiction. We found no record of any such incident at any awards…

If the 2025 draft of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act is enacted, will 69 million married American women be unable to vote without getting a new official ID, as opponents have said on social media? The bill aims to prevent non-citizens from voting by requiring in-person registration with citizenship and ID documents in hand. SAVE Act sponsors say…

Did Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene post that "evil is being defeated", shortly after the death of Pope Francis was announced on April 21, 2025? Yes, that's true: Screenshots of the X post were shared widely online, especially among those critical of what they interpreted as a celebratory reference to the death of the pontiff. The Georgia Congresswoman also wrote that…

Is there a real article written by "Barry Mdikkin" titled "Teen Tycoon: Young Black Entrepreneur Karmelo Anthony Nears Millionaire Status Before Graduation" on CNN's website? No, that's not true: A Google search for the article title limited to CNN's website revealed no such article. There is also no trace of an author by that name on the site. A screenshot…

Does a police body cam video show an authentic incident in which an officer is demanding that a Black man in a business suit hand over his identification while shopping in a boutique store? No, that's not true: The video first appeared on a Facebook page that features actors in skits depicting confrontations between citizens and police. The same actors…

Was U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's sister charged in the city of Yonkers in New York in April 2025 in connection with a supposed attack on a Tesla dealership? No, that's not true: She has no sister. The claim originated from a source known for spreading made-up stories. It was first published by an account with a satire label. The claim…

Did President Donald Trump post a "Happy Easter" message to social media in which he attacked "Radical Left Lunatics," "WEAK and INEFFECTIVE judges", and former president Joe Biden? Yes, that's true: Widely shared screenshots of the post were authentic, and taken from Trump's April 20, 2025 post on Truth Social. Trump mentioned MS-13 gang members, and described Biden as a…

Did Whoopi Goldberg flee the country after an $800 million lawsuit from Karoline Leavitt had a "speed up"? No, that's not true: A viral video making that claim was largely AI generated. No actual news outlet has reported on such a lawsuit, which would have been huge news if it really existed. The story appeared in a viral video (archived…

Does a printout of a photo held up by President Trump in a picture on social media authentically show the characters "MS13" on the hand of Kilmar Abrego Garcia? No, that's not true: The letters and numbers appear to have been added to the picture. Other pictures of Abrego Garcia's hand only show what looks like a marijuana leaf, a…

Did Jimmy Kimmel kick Clint Eastwood off his show in April 2025? No, that's not true: Searches across the website of ABC, which airs the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show, demonstrated that Eastwood was not a guest between January 1, and April 18, 2025. Posts about the purported controversy used what appeared to be AI-generated narration and offered no footage of…

Did Dr. Anthony Fauci petition the State Department for an emergency travel visa to China so he can take up a position at the Wuhan Institute of Virology? No, that's not true: A Facebook post making that claim originated on a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservatives into liking and…

Did the federal government pay Barack and Michelle Obama $30 million over the course of the Biden administration, from 2021 to 2025? No, that's not true: That claim originated in an April 2025 post by a Facebook account that labels its content as satirical in nature. We found no corroboration whatsoever for the claim. The story appeared in the form…

Does a photo show alleged FSU shooter Phoenix Ikner marching in an anti-Trump demonstration? No, that's not true: The picture shows Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society organizer Oliver Cheese marching behind a banner that says "Fight Trump and the GOP agenda". Social media posts claiming or implying Ikner participated in the march likely were based on an FSU News…