Gates

Do white strands in the flesh of ripe tomatoes mean "Something weird is happening with American food"? No, that's not true: those are sprouting seeds. Gardening and farming experts at the University of Connecticut say the tomatoes are still perfectly safe to eat. Called "Vivipary", the internal sprouting happens in certain varieties of tomatoes, peppers, apple, pears, and some citrus.…

Does an authentic video show President Trump saying "Lopping off someone's ding-a-long doesn't make them a woman, it makes them a eunuch?" No, that's not true: A disclaimer saying the video is "a deepfake, quite obviously" appears in the last second of the clip. The video was posted on an X account that has previously shared videos that replaced Trump's…

Did "DOGE Auditor Joe Barron" uncover that billionaires Mark Cuban, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett each received $250 million in quarterly payments each, for a total of $4 billion? No, that's not true: The story, which also had them donating $1 billion of the money to Joe Biden's campaign, originated on a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer. The owner…

Did hundreds of bears block vehicle traffic into Yellowstone Park in March of 2025 by sitting, standing and lying down on the entry road, as was claimed on social media? No, that's not true: As of this writing, most Yellowstone Park roads were still closed for winter. The regional press that cover the park have not written about what would…

Did a federal judge named Howard Gates have a verbal battles with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi in 2025, culminating in his dramatic courtroom arrest at her behest? No, that's not true: the video, and others like it, were no more than fan fiction and did not describe real events. Lead Stories found no record of a federal judge named…

Did DOGE find a nonprofit that was being paid $18 million per month? Yes, that's true: An NBC San Antonio investigation confirmed that a local nonprofit was being paid $18 million per month by the federal government for migrant family facilities, as the social media account of conservative media personality Laura Ingraham posted. The nonprofit said in a statement they…

Did a video circulating on social media show Russian President Vladimir Putin making a public statement about Russia's terms for a ceasefire in Ukraine in March 2025? No, that's not true: The clip had been online for nine months. It showed Putin's remarks from June 2024. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on March 12,…

Hollywood star Gene Hackman and his wife were found dead in their New Mexico home on February 26, 2025, and people are alleging that it was an "double suicide." Here is what we know: Oscar-winner Hackman, his wife Betsy Arakawa and their dog were all found in different locations in their home and had apparently been dead for some time.…

Does a story claiming Bill Gates was "Caught Pumping Deadly Bird Flu Jabs Into America's Food Supply" in its headline actually describe Bill Gates doing that? No, that's not true: There is no mention of any food supply in the U.S. being injected with bird flu vaccines in the entire body of the story, which was published on a site…

Do two viral videos authentically show a 200-foot statue of Jesus Christ being placed on the grounds of the White House in Washington? No, that's not true: Both videos were possibly generated using AI according to online detection tools, and a live webcam of the White House shows no such statue. Details in the videos, such as the number of…