United States

Does a scene from an episode of "The Simpsons" show that Lisa Simpson would win an election against former President Donald Trump? No, that's not true: An image from an episode in which Trump did not appear was altered to substitute Trump's likeness, including the bandage he wore after a July, 2024 assassination attempt. The episode actually features a different,…

Did Vice President Kamala Harris say, "Today we celebrate the Olympics. Because Olympians are Olympic, & they are at the Olympics being Olympian, so it's more important now than ever to support their Olympianism"? No, that's not true: Harris' spokesperson said that's not something she said. It is a parody of a manipulated Harris quote that Lead Stories debunked previously.…

Is an online video a real campaign ad using Kamala Harris' voice? No, that's not true: The audio used in the deepfake video is AI-generated, and the video's creator labeled it as a parody from the very start when he posted it on his social media account in July 2024. Despite being clearly labeled as a parody, many, including X…

Did Netflix's stock drop almost 40 percent after a "big campaign donation announcement"? No, that's not true: The story originally came from a network of satirical websites and Facebook pages. A representative for Netflix confirmed public records showing the company's stock had not dropped 40 percent. Reed Hastings, Netflix's co-founder and executive chairman, did make a major personal donation to…

Does an old photo show Vice President Kamala Harris practicing prostitution? No, that's not true: The professional photographer who took this shot in New York City told Lead Stories that the young Black woman in the picture was not Harris. Also, news reports with photos of Harris in the 1980s showed that she did not resemble the woman in the…

Did protesters deface the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia or burn the U.S. flag on the Capitol grounds as a video on TikTok claimed? No, that's not true: Video and photo evidence show that they defaced a replica bell in Washington, D.C. While protesters did burn a U.S. flag in Washington, media coverage and a statement from Vice President Kamala Harris…

Does a photo taken less than two weeks after Donald Trump's right ear was grazed in an assassination attempt show it undamaged? No, that's not true: The photo on social media predates the shooting by more than seven years. There's no evidence to suggest that the former president's ear has fully healed in less than two weeks since the July…

Did Donald Trump's pick for vice president, Sen. JD Vance, write about a drunken party with embarrassingly graphic details on page 21 of his book "Hillbilly Elegy"? No, that's not true: The person who made the post on social media later clarified it was not real. Additional searches in the hard copy and digital copies of the book found no…

Did Taylor Swift announce they were scheduling a fundraising concert with Beyonce to support Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate? No, that's not true: Neither the singers, nor Harris has announced a fundraising concert. The stadium named in the article announcing the concert shows no such scheduled event on its website. The claim appeared in an article (archived here)…

Did Starbucks founder and former CEO Howard Schultz say the "company has reached a critical point of decline amid global boycott," and did the BBC report his criticism, as a post on Instagram claimed? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for Starbucks Coffee Company told Lead Stories that this quote was "misinformation" and that there was "no record of this…

Did the wristwatch President Joe Biden was wearing show a time other than the current local time during a live address on July 24, 2024, indicating the speech was prerecorded or edited? No, that's not true: Biden's watch was visible showing the correct local time at various moments during the address, filmed and photographed by several cameras. The time of…

Did GovTrack delete only Vice President Kamala Harris' 2019 report card, which rated her as the most liberal senator that year? No, that's not true: GovTrack told Lead Stories that it consolidated and deleted everyone's 2019 report card. Her 2020 report card, which covers two years, rated Harris as the second most liberal member of the Senate. Founder Joshua Tauberer…

Did Ohio Republican Senator JD Vance describe having sex with a couch in his memoir, "Hillbilly Elegy," as a post on X claimed? No, that's not true: Lead Stories searched through Vance's book and watched the movie adaptation. There was no reference to or description of such an event in the book or movie. The claim appeared in a post…

Did Sen. John Fetterman wear a suit for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress despite "refusing to wear a suit to literally everything else?" No, that's not true: Fetterman wears a suit whenever he goes to the House or Senate floor and "wears a suit once a week to preside in the Senate," his spokesperson told Lead Stories.…

Did former President Donald Trump state that he won't debate Vice President Kamala Harris in a presidential candidate debate? No, that's not true: Trump said the opposite, that he wants to debate Harris. Harris is the presumptive 2024 Democratic nominee for president. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Threads on July 23, 2024. The post's caption read:…

Was a hydrothermal explosion on July 23, 2024, at Yellowstone National Park's Biscuit Basin considered "unusual" by experts, as a post on X claimed? No, that's not true: Officials with the U.S. Geological Service said the "small hydrothermal explosion" was considered "normal." The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory and Yellowstone National Park issued a joint statement stating that monitoring data showed "no…

Does a video in a social media post accurately convey Vice President Kamala Harris' full position by using a clip of her saying "more schools, less jails"? No, that's not true: A transcript of her 2013 speech shows the post snipped away the part where Harris said she agrees in concept that schools are a priority, but that there needs…

Is a video authentically showing a "tornado storm" in Chicago on July 16, 2024? No, that's not true: The tornados in this video appear fake and a college animation professor told Lead Stories that "portions of the video montage have AI or VFX elements added." Multiple credible media organizations reported tornado-like storms in Chicago on July 15, 2024 -- not…

Did the FBI say a ballistics test shows Donald Trump was not shot in the ear during a July 13, 2024, assassination attempt on the former president? No, that's not true: The agency told Lead Stories, "The FBI has not released a ballistics report." There are no verified reports or credible information indicating that the FBI has released any ballistics…

Does a video show former President Donald Trump playing golf with an undamaged ear 10 days after an assassination attempt on July 13, 2024? No, that's not true: The photo in a social media post was taken from a video recorded the week before the shooting, the video's creator said in a public statement. FBI records confirm Trump's injuries, which…