Texas

Did a CIA document in the unsealed JFK assassination files name British actress Penelope Keith as the lone killer? No, that's not true: The purported investigative document naming Keith as the "lone shooter" cites her work in the BBC TV comedy series "The Good Life," which did not start airing until 1975, at least 10 years after the investigation ended.…

Was a man named Jerce Reyes Barrios, described as a soccer player from Venezuela on social media, deported from the U.S. to El Salvador? The story was reported by ABC News, citing the man's attorney. Filings in U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C. spell out Barrios' account. Here is what we know so far. The story appeared in a post…

Did a man named "Arnold Bushman" light himself on fire to protest "Disney making the little mermaid black"? No, that's not true: A tweet from October 2024 with that claim was screenshotted and went viral again in early 2025. However the image in the post showed a man named Aaron Bushnell who immolated himself in February 2024 to protest the…

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 Mooresville police warn about zip ties laced with fentanyl being placed on tire rims by sex or drug traffickers as claimed in several viral Facebook posts? No, that's not true: The Mooresville Police Department denied the rumor in a Facebook post of their own. Despite what urban legends say, fentanyl is not easily absorbed through skin contact so even…

Have authorities in various towns and counties in the U.S. issued a warning of a 29-year-old man named "Andre Cortez Harris" who was "on the run" after stabbing "neighbors to death," as a post on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: This post, and others like it, are part of a known deception to trick people into sharing content. In…

Is DOGE conducting congressional audits of Rep. Jamie Raskin, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren because of recent surges in their personal wealth? No, that's not true: The meme making the claim is from a satirical Facebook page whose creator's self-proclaimed goal is to trick conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content. The wealth estimates for the politicians are…

Did Congress vote to deport Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), a naturalized citizen, as of February 28, 2025? No, that's not true: An immigration expert told Lead Stories that a naturalized citizen cannot be deported. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services writes that revocation of naturalized citizenship can only occur in federal court for limited circumstances "either by civil proceeding or pursuant…

In February 2025, public health officials in Texas reported the death of an unvaccinated child following a measles infection. As of this writing, national health authorities report at least three outbreaks of the highly infectious, vaccine-preventable disease across eight states. As communities prepare for potential increases in cases, Lead Stories has compiled information summarizing the Texas outbreak, how cases have…

Did President Donald Trump alter or change divorce law in the U.S., ending a mandatory 50-50 equal asset split for divorced couples as claimed by viral posts and videos? No, that's not true: Splitting assets and dividing property under U.S. divorce law is regulated on a state-by-state basis and not at the federal level. There have been no news reports…