Society

Did Tim Walz respond to conservative commentator Ann Coulter on X after she described his son's behavior at the Democratic National Convention as "weird"? No, that's not true: A screenshot of this supposed response shows signs of digital manipulation. Lead Stories found no evidence confirming that Walz ever responded to Coulter on X. The claim appeared in a post (archived…

Will bioengineered rennet, an enzyme necessary for cheese production and made primarily by Pfizer, make you sick, as a video on Facebook implies? No, that's not true: Rennet is not considered genetically modified and is safe for human health, several experts told Lead Stories. Rennet is used to generate the final cheese product, but is not an ingredient in cheese,…

Did the Kamala Harris/Tim Walz campaign propose a plan to put a 20 percent sales tax on all golf-related purchases in an effort to "Tax the Wealthy"? No, that's not true: The social media account that posted this message is self-described satire. A Google search found no results proving the campaign has suggested this. The claim appeared in a post…

Did police in Merseyside, England, single out far-right Southport rioters by publishing their addresses online? No, that's not true: Merseyside police routinely release information on people charged with a variety of crimes, their X account shows. The force only releases the names of arrestees when they are charged, a Merseyside police spokeswoman told Lead Stories. A police news release showed…

Was American football player Travis Kelce fined $10 million for taking a knee during the national anthem, as a post on Facebook said? No, that's not true: This story began as an article by SpaceXMania, a self-described fake news website known for publishing content it says is satire. There is no publicly available or credible evidence to support the story.…

Did American country folk singer Oliver Anthony file a cease-and-desist order against Tim Walz for using one of Anthony's songs? No, that's not true: This story first appeared on a Facebook page that says it is all about satire and parodies. Its website has a disclaimer that says "Nothing on this page is real" and a Google search brought up…

Was an image of an August 6, 2024, Kamala Harris campaign rally at Pennsylvania's Temple University digitally altered to fake its crowd size? No, that's not true: Photos and videos of the event by numerous media outlets match the crowd size seen in the picture, including Lead Stories' own photos. An AI-detection tool found little evidence that the image of…

Did Elon Musk and Donald Trump team up to conduct a cryptocurrency scam that would violate election laws, as claimed in a post on X? No, that's not true: Footage from the 2024 Tesla shareholder's meeting, streamed live, was altered with a fake AI-generated voice and facial synchronizing animation. Musk's original presentation had no mention of "crypto", the altered video…

Is the mpox vaccine loaded with HIV, as a video shared by The People's Voice claims? No, that's not true: The People's Voice is a website with a long history of publishing made-up news, and it provided no sources -- aside from a supposed whistleblower -- to back up the claims made in the video. The ingredient list and package…

Did the state of Minnesota enact a policy that put tampons in "10 year old boys bathrooms" while Tim Walz was governor? No, that's not true: The Minnesota statute does not mention boys-only bathrooms, and school districts said free menstrual products go to female-only and designated gender-neutral bathrooms. The state Department of Education said they haven't told any schools to…

Does a video show Tim Walz, Kamala Harris' pick as her vice presidential running mate, dancing in a cowboy hat and with dollar bills stuck in his pants? No, that's not true: The video has been altered to add Walz's face onto the person dancing. The original video is of musician Alejandro Casas, who is known as El Divo 956,…

Does a video shared to X genuinely show attendees at the 2024 Democratic National Convention chanting "Death to America"? No, that's not true: The video on social media has added audio from a 2020 Black Lives Matter protest in Oakland, California. An unedited video of former first lady Michelle Obama's speech, which is shown in the video on X, does…

Was Vice President Kamala Harris "too intoxicated to stand up" at the Democratic National Convention? No, that's not true: Harris was receiving applause at the moment in question and was not expected to stand. She was seen standing several times during the first night of the convention. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X on August 19,…

Did organizers at the Democratic National Convention eliminate women's bathrooms and turn them into gender-neutral restrooms? No, that's not true: Women's restrooms were still offered at the 2024 DNC as of August 21, 2024, according to images from the convention site and information from the venue itself. Lead Stories staff covering the convention noted men's and women's restrooms as well…

Has Vice President Kamala Harris announced a widespread COVID-19 vaccination policy? No, that's not true: Her campaign website shows that she requires employees of her 2024 presidential campaign to be vaccinated. There is no evidence that Harris has released a plan to require COVID vaccination for all Americans. The claim was implied in a post (archived here) on Instagram on…

Did Kamala Harris snub Ashley Biden by "refusing to stand" during a round of applause after remarks delivered by President Joe Biden's daughter on the first night of the 2024 Democratic National Convention? No, that's not true: It's a typical response of a person being honored to remain seated, an expert on public speaking told Lead Stories. The context of…

Did the state of California refrain from assigning any delegates to Kamala Harris at the 2024 Democratic National Convention? No, that's not true: While the states are called in alphabetical order, California and Minnesota passed so that the home states of the nominees could go at the end, a spokesperson for the California Democratic Party told Lead Stories. Minnesota, the…

Are Donald Trump and JD Vance supporters now carrying around specimen cups of Vance's semen marked "JD Vance Full Family Kit" to "mock democrats who can't start families" as shown in a series of photos being spread online? No, that's not true: Several aspects point to this being an election year prank or stunt. The photos were taken at an…

Does an authentic photo show five men dancing while waving an Israeli flag as New York's World Trade Center towers burn in the background on September 11, 2001? No, that's not true: This photo was created using AI. Portions of the image are distorted, and a massive fireball appears to be in the sky beside the Twin Towers, not on…

Is the monkeypox virus known to spread through airborne transmission, as suggested by a post on Instagram Threads? No, that's not true: Global health agencies agree that the primary way the virus is spread is through close or direct contact between an uninfected and infected person's body fluids, lesions or saliva, plus contaminated clothing or bedding. The U.S. Department of…