Obama

Does a video posted on social media show Russian naval exercises off the coast of Florida in June 2024, as claimed in the post? No, that's not true: The missile launch test shown was performed from the White Sea in May 2018, not off the Florida coast in June 2024. The 2018 test was more than 5,000 miles from Florida.…

Does a combination of former President Barack Obama's portrait and its mirrored version produce an image of a goat-like figure? No, that's not true: The image was digitally manipulated. The altered picture was shared by an account with a long history of spreading false claims. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X, formerly known as Twitter, by…

Does a photo on social media show former President Donald Trump's May 23, 2024, political rally in the Bronx? No, that's not true: The image does not depict the New York City borough. Instead, it shows a 2008 campaign event in St. Louis by then-presidential nominee Barack Obama, which news reports at the time said drew 90,000 people. The claim…

Did a jeering crowd chant "Fuck Joe Biden" at the president as he was leaving church with his granddaughter on Mother's Day? No, that's not true: The audio on this video clip has been edited to add the sound of an aggressive crowd chanting. In the original C-SPAN video there is no sound of a chanting crowd. One reporter called…

Did the social media platform Truth Social shut down as of May 3, 2024, as claimed in a post on the Threads social media platform? No, that's not true: Truth Social has not experienced any widespread disruptions in service since May 3, 2024. As of May 9, 2024, the platform was functioning as usual. The claim originated in a post…

Is Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed in March 2024, in the Netflix movie "Leave the World Behind"? No, that's not true: Publicly available footage from the movie shows that the film contains no images or footage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed after being struck by a cargo ship. The social media post that makes this…

Can children 5 years and older consent to vaccination under Obamacare if they can recite the alphabet? No, that's not true: Minors cannot consent to vaccination solely based on their ability to say their ABCs, regardless of the health care system. Vaccination consent typically requires informed consent from a legal guardian or parent, as children of that age are not…

Are images of former first lady Michelle Obama with a bulge under her dress real? No, that's not true: The images used in a social media post that show bulges are altered and one zoomed in picture does not actually show a bulge. Lead Stories located the original photos which do not show bulges. The claim appeared in a post…

Is a picture of Malia and Sasha Obama with Anita Blanchard and Martin Nesbitt an authentic photo of the Obama daughters with their "real parents," as a social media post claims? No, that's not true: It's a composite made up of separate pictures of the Obama daughters and Anita Blanchard and Martin Nesbitt. Blanchard and Nesbitt are close friends of…

Did Mel Gibson release a video of satanic rituals taking place on "Jeffrey Epstein's island"? No, that's not true: "He has nothing to do with this and has no knowledge of it," Gibson's publicist told Lead Stories about a social media post making this claim. There is no evidence given in the post that such a video even exists. The…