Elections

Does the cancellation of 132,336 "absentee ballot" application duplicates and "418 absentee ballot applications" from dead people prove that "the steal in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is already well underway"? No, that's not true: That only proves that election officials do their job ensuring proper verification of mail ballot requests, Pennsylvania Department of State's press secretary told Lead Stories. Mail…

Did inflation "since Biden and Kamala took over" cause a New York City barbershop owner to experience unusually high electric bills, as a post on social media says? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for Con Edison, the utility company that provides power to New York City residents, told Lead Stories the barber's recent bill was in error and that…

Did The Atlantic magazine publish an article titled, "TRUMP IS LITERALLY HITLER"? No, that's not true: The Atlantic put out a statement saying they did not publish this article. One of the accounts on social media that said the magazine had published such an article stated that its post was "satire." A reverse image search for the alleged article did…

Does a viral post on social media prove that the total size of undocumented populations in seven states has increased by triple-digit percentages between 2021 and 2024? No, that's not true: The chart shared online didn't reflect the correct updated totals and one column referred to court filings in immigration courts, not total populations. Court filing numbers do not represent…

Does a video posted on Instagram genuinely show a woman who has pledged to eat dog food until Kamala Haris is president? No, that's not true: The video originated from a TikTok account featuring a woman who cosplays as a dog named Lassie. The account features videos of the woman behaving like a dog in various ways. The original version…

Did Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis say Dominion Voting Systems will not operate in the state? No, that's not true: Dominion is one of two certified election systems in the state, with 18 of Florida's 67 counties using it in 2024, according to the Florida Division of Elections website. There has been no verified statement or policy announcement from the governor…

Did McDonald's issue a statement on October 20, 2024, that stated Kamala Harris had never worked at a McDonald's franchise? No, that's not true: McDonald's never issued such a statement. Instead, an October 20, 2024, internal memo attributed to McDonald's acknowledges, without refuting, "Vice President Harris's fond memories working under the Arches." The claim appeared in a post (archived here)…

Does an authentic photo on social media show Tom Hanks wearing a T-shirt that reads "I was going to be a Trump voter for Halloween but my head wouldn't fit up my ass"? No, that's not true: The photo is a doctored version of a 2010 photo that shows the actor in a plain white T-shirt. Hanks has publicly stated…

Did a leaked Fox News memo say interviewers used Vicks VapoRub to mask Donald Trump's purportedly offensive odor? No, that's not true: The account on X that wrote about the memo describes its content as satire and comedy. No credible news sources reported on such a leaked memo. The document does not exist. The claim originated from a post (archived…

Is Donald Trump banned from voting in Florida because of his felony conviction? No, that's not true: Florida allows felons to vote if their conviction took place in another state that has no such ban. Trump was convicted in New York state, where felons are allowed to cast their ballots if they are not in prison. Trump has yet to…

Did Donald Trump sit on a black towel during his appearance on "Fox & Friends" on October 18, 2024? No, that's not true: When Trump sat on a couch for an interview, material from his dark suit jacket fanned out on both sides. There was no other material visible on the couch with him. The claim appeared in a post…

Does a video clip going viral on social media show Vice President Kamala Harris intoxicated while speaking about being "a joyful warrior"? No, that's not true: In the original video Harris can be heard speaking normally. Multiple AI detection tools found there was a high likelihood that this clip has been manipulated. The video was altered to make Harris sound…

Do Michigan's voter rolls list 8.4 million voters who can cast a ballot, when there are fewer than 8 million voting-age residents in the state? No, that's not true: 8.4 million does not accurately reflect the number of active registered voters. After removing inactive or canceled voter registrations, there are approximately 7.2 million active registered voters in Michigan, according to…

Did Donald Trump post "I don't poop myself" to his social media platform, Truth Social, as posts on social media suggested? No, that's not true: An account on X that describes itself as posting satire and parody content first shared an image that appeared to be a screenshot of the quote but with a satire label. The original poster also…

Is it illegal for foreign nationals to volunteer for political campaigns in the United States? No, that's not true: The Federal Election Commission says foreign nationals can take part in campaign activities as unpaid volunteers. However, federal law prohibits them from giving money, making donations, spending funds or being involved in decisions about election-related activities at any level -- federal,…

Is there a public record of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris saying, "I promise to do everything I could have done but didn't do," as a post on Instagram claimed? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no official statement, video, audio or otherwise credible source to confirm that the vice president said that. The quote appears to have started…

Does an authentic video show former Minnesota high school student "Matthew Metro" alleging that Tim Walz sexually assaulted him? No, that's not true: According to multiple AI video and audio detection tools, the video circulating on social media of "Matthew Metro" was AI generated. There's no credible evidence or verified reports supporting the allegation that the Minnesota governor and Democratic…

Did Melania Trump declare that she wants a divorce from Donald Trump in a 2024 "October surprise"? No, that's not true: There is no evidence Melania Trump said she wanted to divorce her husband, the former president of the United States, in October 2024 amid the presidential race. No credible news sites have reported that she made this declaration; her…

Did presidential candidate Kamala Harris lie about having a Black grandmother, because the woman she identifies in her autobiography as her grandmother died four years before Harris was born? No, that's not true: Two women -- one of whom would become Harris' grandmother -- with similar first names were born in the same district of Jamaica around the same time.…

Did a video show former Republican Vice President Mike Pence endorsing Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for the 2024 U.S. presidential elections? No, that's not true: The video was edited to make it sound like Pence endorsed Harris and Walz, the Democratic presidential ticket. In the original footage of Pence's remarks, he stated that he could not vote for Harris…