United States

Were the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires intentionally set to implement "smart city" technology across Los Angeles? No, that's not true: While the cause of the wildfires had not been determined at the time of writing, the "smart city" effort to improve technology for municipalities does not include intentionally destroying them first. Los Angeles unveiled its plan to eventually add…

Did a post on Facebook confirm that actor Chuck Norris died in a "fatal car accident" in January 2025? No, that's not true: Norris' attorney told Lead Stories that the post was "not correct" and that he had spoken with Norris the day this article was written. Images seen in the post on Facebook had been digitally altered to appear…

Did Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser under President Joe Biden, say that an "unexpected event" that could keep the president in power is "totally possible"? No, that's not true: Those quotes appeared in a social media post that misrepresents what was actually said. Sullivan said he would only make another press briefing appearance before leaving the position at the…

Did President-elect Donald Trump post a map of Finland on Truth Social? No, that's not true: A manual review of his account did not show such an entry as of this writing, January 14, 2025. The map in question did not correctly reflect current Finnish borders nor those in the year seen in the image. The claim appeared in a…

Did a white home with a red roof survive a wildfire that leveled every other home in a Los Angeles neighborhood? No, that's not true: This aerial view does not show a real neighborhood impacted by the January 2025 fires in Los Angeles County. Google Lens image search results say the image was made with Google AI. The image appeared…

Did unauthorized drones fly over the White House on January 13, 2025? No, that's not true: The Civil Air Patrol, which was running drone exercises in the Washington area from January 13 to 15, 2025, told Lead Stories, "There were no unauthorized drone flights over the White House at any time on Jan. 13." The purpose of the drone exercises…

Does an authentic video show Dr. Mehmet Oz promoting a "cure" for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD? No, that's not true: AI detection tools found the video was likely created using AI technology. There is no known cure for COPD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here)…

Is it unusual that U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was not invited to President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration? No, that's missing context: A social media post's assertion that usually the British prime minister "would be the first name on the list" is untrue. Traditionally, foreign leaders were not invited to U.S. presidential inaugurations, a presidential historian told Lead Stories. The claim…

Did President Joe Biden announce in a White House briefing that the Los Angeles fire survivors would receive a one-time payment of $770 as their only form of government assistance? No, that's not true: FEMA reviews each disaster assistance application individually to determine how much victims are eligible to receive and said some will even receive multiple checks of varying…

Did the Ukrainian government state that "eight mansions owned by Ukrainian military officials" were "burned down in wildfires in Los Angeles" in January 2025? No, that's not true: A video that made this assertion contained the logo of United24, the official fundraising platform of the Ukrainian government. A United24 spokesperson and Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation said this video is…

Does an authentic image show Sen. Bernie Sanders wearing a T-shirt that reads, "Deport Elon Musk"? No, that's not true: This is not a genuine photograph. The picture bears a small "Grok" watermark in the lower right-hand corner, a label indicating that it was created using an AI program. Additionally, the tools at TrueMedia.org determined that the image was 96…

Does a photo authentically show rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs' home being destroyed by the January 2025 Los Angeles fires? No, that's not true: This is not Combs' house. Rather, the photo shows an Ohio mansion that burned down in 2014, predating the Los Angeles fires by over a decade. As of January 13, 2025, Lead Stories found no evidence that…

Do various video clips in a social media post show authentic footage of the Los Angeles County wildfires burning in January 2025? No, that's not true: These clips show evidence of being generated by artificial intelligence. We could not locate any trustworthy sources that used the clips or established their authenticity. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published…

Did California delay firetrucks sent by Oregon due to concerns over emissions standards? No, that's not true. A spokesperson for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection told Lead Stories, "No emissions or SMOG testing was performed." The Oregon State Fire Marshal said all 15 strike teams arrived in Southern California on January 9, 2025. The claim appeared in…

Did Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and the city council cut the fire department's budget before the January 2025 wildfires? No, that's not true: While the initial 2024-25 budget for the Los Angeles Fire Department reduced spending by about 2 percent, later decisions -- like approving a new labor contract and buying equipment -- actually increased the budget by 7…

Did the Weather Channel show human remains on live TV reporting on California wildfires in January 2025? No, that's not true: The channel denied this, saying it was debris. In response to Lead Stories, its representative shared an image from the same location that showed nothing that would look like a human skeleton. The claim appeared in a post (archived…

Did celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay kick athlete Lia Thomas out of his restaurant, saying, "I don't let woke people dine here"? No, that's not true: A spokeswoman for Studio Ramsay Global said, "SpaceX Fan Club clearly state that none of their stories are true." This story originally appeared on a website with a satire disclaimer that's known for publishing fabricated…

Is a photo that shows Melania Trump holding the President Jimmy Carter funeral program upside down authentic? No, that's not true: The image of President-elect Donald Trump's wife at the January 2025 funeral for Carter holding a program upside down is altered. Footage from the funeral by NBC, publicly available on the internet, shows that Melania Trump is holding the…

If a wildfire destroys cars, must it always destroy nearby trees as well? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found other examples of wildfires sparing trees while nearby cars and houses were incinerated. Experts explain that trees generally have a higher moisture content and take longer to heat up than closed structures like a car or home, making trees less…

Does an authentic photo show a California fire hydrant painted rainbow-colored with a January 2025 wildfire burning in the background? No, that's not true: The image was posted by a self-described satire account. It was generated using AI, as evidenced by the Grok logo in the bottom right corner. The image appeared in a post (archived here) on Instagram on…