Fact Check

Did all rivers on Earth "commence" in the spring of 2399 B.C.? No, that's not true: The birth of the oldest rivers predates this point in time by millions of years, according to the consensus of earth science. A U.S. Geological Survey scientist confirmed that to Lead Stories. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on Facebook on June…

Is a bio page mentioning "Epstein" from the real Instagram account of Trump shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks? No, that's not true: A Meta spokesperson told Lead Stories the account was a copycat/fake account. The company told another fact-checking organization that it had removed the account. Lead Stories previously debunked the profile picture in the Instagram post as not being Crooks.…

Can filling out a quick survey get consumers vouchers worth hundreds of dollars at Aldi grocery stores? No, that's not true: ALDI USA has debunked similar variations of this as a scam since at least 2020. Lead Stories has also previously debunked similar false promotions that con people into giving personal information. The claim appeared in a post (archived here)…

Did the Biden campaign or administration organize billboard trucks outside the Republican National Convention, calling former President Donald Trump a "DICTATOR ON DAY ONE"? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee said the trucks are not from the Biden campaign nor the Committee. There's also no evidence linking the trucks to President Joe Biden's administration or…

Were mammograms banned in Switzerland as of July 22, 2024, as a post on Instagram claimed? No, that's not true: Switzerland's Federal Department of Home Affairs told Lead Stories that "mammography is not banned at all in Switzerland." It is covered by health insurance and recommended by health experts for women over 40. The claim appeared in a post on…

Did an executive of the gay dating app Grindr say that the Republican National Convention is "basically Grindr's Super Bowl"? No, that's not true: Video on social media that makes the claim shows a user scrolling through Grindr accounts at a concert of gay Australian musical artist Troye Sivan, not at the the Republican National Convention. Lead Stories could find…

Does satellite imagery show the moments when Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was surrounded by three circling UFOs before suddenly vanishing in a bright flash of light? No, that's not true: This video does not show satellite imagery or the actual disappearance of Flight 370. The images of the clouds came from a website that supplies background images for 3D artists.…

Does a photo show China's President Xi Jinping suffering a stroke in July 2024? No, that's not true: The image in a social media post is an Associated Press photo from March 11, 2024. Xi was pictured wincing after taking a sip from a cup at the National People's Congress. The Third Plenary Session of the Chinese Communist Party was…

Did authentic social media posts offer genuine concern over a missing teen named Kaniesa Perez? No, that's not true: The posts exploit a real missing teen story and falsely say that Kaniesa Perez went missing on the same day from Dover, Pennsylvania, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, among other locations more than a thousand miles apart. In reality, the teen went…

Does the conservative Project 2025 initiative to reshape the U.S. government propose cutting billions of dollars from veterans' benefits and disability compensation? No, that's not true: The four policies listed in a post on Facebook do not appear in the Heritage Foundation's policy agenda. However, the purported "PROJECT 2025 VETERANS CUTS" do come from the organization's "Budget Blueprint for Fiscal…

Did musician Bruce Springsteen announce that he will "leave the United States if Donald Trump is elected President in 2024," as a post on X claimed? There is no record that the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer made such an announcement as of July 16, 2024. The post that made the claim had no evidence or record to prove…

Does a video show President Joe Biden calling former President Donald Trump "a danger to the country" after the assassination attempt against Trump on July 13, 2024? No, that's not true: The video of Biden calling Trump a "danger to the country" is from an interview he recorded the day before, on July 12, 2024. That's according to the White…

Does a viral video show former President Donald Trump falling asleep on the first day of the Republican National Committee convention in July 2024? No, that's not true: The image was taken when he had his eyes closed during a prayer. Photos and video from the event show that other attendees did that, too. The claim appeared in a post…

Does a photo of former President Donald Trump with an uninjured right ear prove that the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt did not damage the ear permanently, as was claimed in a tweet? No, that's not true: The photo was taken September 17, 2022, almost two years before the injury. Multiple independent live telecasts showed Trump's ear was bandaged during…

Does a video show Thomas Matthew Crooks, identified by authorities as the man who shot at former President Donald Trump, shouting, "slash Republican throats"? No, that's not true: An Arizona State University official told Lead Stories that the FBI, in an unrelated 2020 investigation, identified the man filmed shouting threats on the Tempe campus and that he was not Thomas…

Does a social media video show Donald Trump playing golf on July 14, 2024, a day after he was struck in the ear during an attempted assassination? No, that's not true: Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, who was one of those who posted the video online, later said, "Okay I'm now told this video was uploaded today but *not* taken…

Do posts about a "little boy approximately 3 years old" found and "saved" by "Deputy Ryan Braidley" authentically describe a real-life situation? No, that's not true: Near-identical versions appeared on social media, claiming the rescue happened in locations as much as 600 miles from each other. Once social media users re-post and spread them, the posts are then heavily edited,…

Was the shooter responsible for the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump identified as "California resident Hank Pecker"? No, that's not true: The FBI identified the shooter as Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. The man pictured in a claim on social media is Twitch streamer Hasan Piker. A search through an online news archive did not yield…

Did U.S. Secret Service "top brass" refuse to give a sniper named Jonathan Willis permission to shoot the would-be assassin at the July 13, 2024, Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania -- as an anonymous post on 4chan claimed? No, that's not true: A statement from the U.S. Secret Service Communications and Media Relations Office called this claim categorically false. The…

Did CNN report that former U.S. President Donald Trump was shot with three different weapons during an assassination attempt at a rally on July 13, 2024, as a post on X claimed? No, that's not true: CNN reported on July 14, 2024, that an audio analysis suggested three weapons were fired during the assassination attempt that occurred in Pennsylvania. CNN…