United States

Did McDonald's corporate make a statement saying that "they have no record whatsoever of KAMALA HARRIS ever working at any of their locations"? No, that's not true: The McDonald's corporate website page of press releases has no mention of Kamala Harris. A Google search of McDonald's corporate website did not bring up any mention of Kamala Harris at all. There…

Are social media posts about a 3-year-old girl named Mila, who supposedly went missing and was saved by "Deputy Sara Thomas" in several locations simultaneously, authentic? No, that's not true: This is a common bait-and-switch scam in which social media users post heart-tugging stories they later edit to display supposed real estate offerings. The same post often circulates under the…

Are social media posts about a missing teenager named "Kaitlin Whoolery" authentic? No, that's not true: Whoolery died in April 2024, but posts about her disappearance were still being posted in September 2024. These posts about Whoolery are part of a "bait-and-switch" tactic commonly used on Facebook where heart-wrenching stories are swapped out for scams involving real estate ads after…

Are Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, "kidnapping and eating their neighbors' cats" in 2024? No, that's not true: Springfield police said they had no reports of pets being stolen and eaten. A city official told Lead Stories that there are "no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community." The…

Was a Haitian immigrant charged with eating a cat in Ohio in 2024? No, that's not true: Police said a woman arrested in Canton, Ohio, in August 2024 for allegedly torturing, killing and eating a cat was born in the United States and is a U.S. citizen. There are no reports of anyone in Ohio's immigrant community eating any pets.…

Does a video capture a real Ku Klux Klan member joining Trump supporters at a rally? No, that's not true: The man wearing the white hood associated with the hate group is a self-described internet troll, according to his own words on social media posts and in a newspaper interview. In a video featuring the man's previous attempt to sneak…

Did an NFL referee expel 10 players for kneeling during the U.S. national anthem in late August 2024? No, that's not true: The images used to depict the supposed referee and Dallas Cowboys players are not from 2024, but from 2022 and 2017, respectively. The Cowboys players shown are not wearing the same color jersey as they wore during their…

Was Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. a convicted felon? No, that's not true: King was indicted for a felony, tax evasion, in 1960, but the jury found him not guilty, the historical record shows. He was never convicted of a felony. King, who spent decades advocating for civil rights for Black Americans, was arrested multiple times for acts of various…

Did former Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, a Republican, post on X that Republican leaders are "satires of men"? No, that's not true: This post is fabricated, using Liz Cheney's name and likeness but a subtly misspelled handle of "Liz_Choney." At the bottom of the "Choney" post are the words, "Parody by Back Rub." The "Choney" post originated on an X…

Are social media posts about a teenager named "Seven Whiteman," who supposedly went missing in several locations simultaneously, authentic? No, that's not true: This bait-and-switch post flips to a real estate ad. While the teen in the post's photos is a real girl who went missing, she was found on August 28, 2024, and was missing only in Tennessee. The…

Did police in Aurora, Colorado, issue a shelter-in-place order for the city on September 4, 2024, in response to Venezuelan gang violence? No, that's not true: Police told Lead Stories that the shelter-in-place order was due to a SWAT operation to arrest a man wanted on a felony menacing warrant. Residents were asked to stay inside for their safety while…

Is a screenshot that shows Apalachee High School shooting suspect Colt Gray as transgender and a supporter of Kamala Harris authentic? No, that's not true: The person behind the account frequently changes their profile picture and bio. A previous version of the account warns journalists, lawyers and others that "this context is all fake and made up." The screenshot is…

Did the TV network ABC sign a $400 million deal to give former Fox News host Tucker Carlson a late-night show that would replace current ABC talk show host Jimmy Kimmel? No, that's not true: The claim is from an online article labeled "Parody News," with a headline that said "SATIRE." A representative for ABC told Lead Stories the claim…

Did social media posts share the true story of a 79-year-old dad named Scott Doucette who was missing in Bristol, Connecticut, and several other places? No, that's not true: There is no active silver alert in Connecticut for a man named Scott Doucette. The posts are part of a known deception to trick people into sharing a post that will…

Does a viral video of "National Guard troops" prove that New York is about to declare martial law? No, that's not true: The particular unit captured on camera has been patrolling transportation hubs in New York City since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. According to the spokesperson for the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs,…

Does the appearance of people's hands in the "Walz's for Trump" picture confirm that the image was generated by artificial intelligence? No, that's not true: That conclusion appears to have been drawn from the examination of a low-quality version of the image that obscured some of the details present in the original post. A better-quality version of the picture does…

Did Kamala Harris say she would shut down X if elected, as posts on social media claimed based on a video where she said "He has lost his privileges"? No, that's not true: The video clip on social media is from an interview she did with CNN in 2019. A transcript of her remarks shows her comments were about Trump…

Does a video posted on X authentically show New York Gov. Kathy Hochul unable to open her left eye? No, that's not true: Lead Stories traced the clip back to its original version on YouTube, which showed Hochul with both eyes open and blinking normally while recording a public service announcement for the COVID-19 vaccine. The video was digitally altered.…

Was the Apalachee High School shooter identified as a trans girl named Samantha Hyde? No, that's not true: An internet hoax that misidentifies the suspect in mass shootings as "Sam" or "Samantha Hyde" has been going around since 2015. The 14-year-old suspect in the Georgia school shooting was identified by authorities as 14-year-old Colt Gray. The meme reappeared on X…

Does a photo on Facebook really show Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz in blackface? No, that's not true: This image came from the Facebook account for a satirical website that labels itself as all about fake content. The photo in the post is of actor John Slattery, not Walz. The photo appeared in a post on Facebook on August…