Fact Check

Did Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth falsely present lines from "Pulp Fiction" as a real biblical quote? No, that's not true: In April 2026, Hegseth described it as a prayer used by the "Sandy One" Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) mission in Iran, saying it was "meant to reflect Ezekiel 25:17." He did not claim it was the actual Bible verse.…

Was a Georgia school bus driver sued by parents because their children suffered scrapes when he stopped abruptly after a rock hit the windshield, critically injuring him? No, that's not true: There is no reporting about a lawsuit or school bus incident in Georgia matching these details. The photo of "Marcus" appearing in the video is a stock photo that…

Is a video that shows a prisoner hiding in his cell by suspending himself under the ceiling while a guard checks the cell authentic? No, that's not true: Online detection tools flagged the video as likely AI-generated. One rated it as 100% AI-generated. The claim appeared in a video posted on April 14, 2026, on X account @Oguthaane (archived here).…

Is a paper by Dr. Drew Pinsky, Dr. Peter McCullough, Dr. Harvey Risch, and nine others claiming that ivermectin and mebendazole improve cancer outcomes in 84.4% of cases a proper medical study? No, that's not true: Research experts told Lead Stories that the paper relies on an uncontrolled, self-reported survey with major bias, no independent verification of diagnoses or outcomes,…

Does an image of Pakistani government officials being searched by U.S. military members during Iran peace talks that took place in April 2026 show a real event? No, that's not true: The image showed several signs of AI generation. Additionally, there were no news reports that such a search actually happened. The claim appeared in a post published on X…

Does a real video show the Saudi foreign minister stating that "the era of relying on the US has ended"? No, that's not true: According to three translation tools, the caption fabricated the content of the video it claimed to summarize. In reality, the clip showed Faisal bin Farhan discussing in 2022 Saudi Arabia's cooperation with the West and the…

Does a social media post by Donald Trump call Jesus "WEAK on those who sin, and terrible for Immigration"? No, that's not true: The post never appeared on the president's official Truth Social account. It was first suggested as a possible future Trump post in a Substack newsletter by a comedian, who said he was "looking forward to him posting…

Are Facebook posts about plans to build $3.8 billion stadiums for 34 NFL, MLB, NBA, and college sports teams that would transform their cities into global destinations real? No, that's not true: Dozens of nearly identical posts were generated by artificial intelligence tools and distributed by a spam network managed from Vietnam. With the exception of a new stadium for…

Does a real unmanipulated video show Robert F. Kennedy Jr. saying "conspiracy theorists were right" and the COVID-19 vaccine maybe causes "gayness" and calling Anthony Fauci a "goblin"? No, that's not true: The audio in the video has been altered. An un-altered original video of RFK Jr. originally making the speech shows that he never claims the vaccine causes those…

Did the Orion spacecraft from Artemis II take exactly 42 minutes 50 seconds to pass the dark side of the moon, the same as the runtime of the Pink Floyd album by that name? No, that's not true: NASA told Lead Stories that the spacecraft's transit around the Moon's far side was close to 50 minutes. Another way to measure…

Does a viral post prove that Sharon Simmons, who made a DoorDash delivery to the White House, is a "paid actor"? No, that's not true: The post offered no evidence to support the claim. DoorDash, its spokesperson, and Simmons' own congressional testimony all confirm she is a real "dasher" -- the company's term for delivery drivers. The claim appeared in…

Does a 3D model from scientists at the University of Manchester show how Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam and Eve, may have looked? No, that's not true: This rendering is not a scientific reconstruction of the biblical brothers' faces -- it's yet another spoof in a long-running joke. The joke format has been around since 2018, pairing the…

Did CNN's "Caityn Collins" leave the White House press room after Trump press secretary Karoline Leavitt embarrassed her by saying she had not "reported a fact since you left the Daily Caller nine years ago"? No, that's not true: The claim originated on a satirical Facebook page run by a liberal man with a long history of tricking conservatives into…

Did Rachel Maddow air a segment claiming that a federal judge has ruled that Melania Trump must testify against her husband? No, that's not true: Maddow never aired a segment that said a judge ruled Melania Trump will be forced to testify in any case. While the chyron on the video says Melania will be forced to testify, the audio…

Does a viral video show a real-life scene of a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber flying over a U.S. military ship in the Persian Gulf "to raise troop morale"? No, that's not true: The account that initially uploaded the clip on social media disclosed that it was not real footage. The original label said that the clip was digitally created. The…

Does a photo posted by Donald Trump on Truth Social accurately show how Bruce Springsteen looks now, or prior to plastic surgery? No, that's not true: The image has been digitally edited to make the 76-year-old rocker appear haggard. A candid photo of Springsteen posted on Instagram in 2024 shows that he did not look like that at the time.…

Did President Donald Trump post a depiction of himself as a Christ-like healer on Truth Social on April 12, 2026? Yes, that's true: While fake Trump posts are often widely shared on social platforms and can quickly go viral, Lead Stories reviewed this instance and confirmed that Trump posted it. The content appeared on his verified Truth Social account. It…

Is there an "official poll" in Hungary that shows Viktor Orbán with 68% and Péter Magyar with 35% of the vote, as some social media posts imply? No, that's not true: Official polls would add up to a total of 100% and this one adds up to 103%, mathematically impossible. None of the social media posts with the phrase "Orbán…

Is a photo that shows Melania Trump smiling and standing next to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell authentic? No, that's not true: Online detection tools flagged the image as likely digitally altered and likely AI-generated. One rated it as 97 percent likely to be digitally edited. The claim appeared in an April 10, 2026, post on X.com by the account…

Does a viral image purporting to show Jeffrey Epstein hugging Melania Trump document a real-life scene? No, that's not true: Lead Stories did not find supporting evidence that it's an authentic photo. Two AI detectors pointed to the presence of generative AI in the picture. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) published on X by the…