Kamala Harris

Did Disney say it was adding Kamala Harris to its Hall of Presidents? No, that's not true: The story originated from self-described satire and parody website Mouse Trap News, which says on its site, "We write fake stories about Disney Parks stuff." Lead Stories could not locate any credible evidence of Disney having made such an announcement. The claim appeared…

Did President Joe Biden announce "emergency" $6,400 stimulus checks in November 2024? No, that's not true: An online search found no such announcement from Biden, the U.S. Department of the Treasury or the Internal Revenue Service. Those two government agencies administered three earlier stimulus programs. The claim appeared in a video post on Facebook (archived here) on November, 20, 2024,…

Did Billie Eilish turn down an Oscar nomination and announce she plans to leave the U.S. after Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 presidential election? No, that's not true: The rumor originated in an obscure blog that didn't cite a single source and didn't disclose its ownership. No credible journalistic organization reported such an event. The claim appeared in a…

Did the Financial Times publish a video on social media reporting that "a Bombardier employee deliberately defaced aircraft parts to protest the company's return to the Russian market"? No that's not true: The Financial Times did not publish this report, and there are no credible reports of this type of employee sabotage happening at the Canadian aviation company. The post…

Was it reported in November 2024 that every American was eligible for a $1,000 stimulus check to help combat skyrocketing credit card debt? No, that's not true: The government made no such announcement. An AI detector found substantial evidence that the voice track of a video saying so on social media is the product of artificial intelligence. The claim appeared…

Was the Sephora company "a huge donor" to Donald Trump's 2024 campaign? No, that's not true: Neither the company nor any Sephora employee donated to the Trump campaign or Trump-favored political action committee, according to OpenSecrets.org. The company said in a statement: "Sephora does not make corporate donations to political candidates." Records show some Sephora employees did contribute to Kamala…

Did a viral image of Taylor Swift capture her crying "on live television the moment the race was called for President Trump" in November 2024? No, that's not true: The picture was a screenshot of a Swift interview aired 12 years earlier. In it, Swift was reacting to questions about her personal life, not politics. The claim appeared in a…

Did the Kamala Harris campaign say it could overturn Donald Trump's election victory with a recount? No, that's not true: There is no evidence of any such statement from the Harris campaign, nor evidence of any campaign staff making such a statement. Harris conceded the presidential election to Donald Trump the day after he won a majority of both the…

Does a viral image portray Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton together "after the election results" in 2024? No, that's not true: The image was online before that. Harris' and Clinton's outfits in the picture match what they wore for the November 3, 2022, event in New York where they both campaigned for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. The claim appeared…

Were there 15 million, 18 million or even 20 million fewer votes in 2024 versus the election numbers from 2020, disproving reports of record turnout or implying cheating in vote totals? No, that's not true: As of November 7, 2024, final vote numbers had not been reported in any state. An election expert told Lead Stories that count would take…