Climate

Is a video authentically showing a "tornado storm" in Chicago on July 16, 2024? No, that's not true: The tornados in this video appear fake and a college animation professor told Lead Stories that "portions of the video montage have AI or VFX elements added." Multiple credible media organizations reported tornado-like storms in Chicago on July 15, 2024 -- not…

Does a video compilation show Hurricane Beryl in Jamaica on July 3, 2024? No, that's not true: The compilation consists of older, unrelated video clips from intense weather events in other places. None of the footage was shot in Jamaica. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok on July 3, 2024. It was captioned: Hurricane Beryl Caribbean…

Does a photo of the "Roman tidal baths" on Malta demonstrate that the sea level has been consistent for thousands of years? No, that's not true: The waterfront architecture known as the Roman Baths of Sliema were not built during the Roman Empire thousands of years ago, but some time in the late 19th century -- so their seaside existence…

Was the Earth's average temperature 2 degrees Celsius warmer 55,000 years ago? No, that's not true: Climate experts contacted by Lead Stories all agreed that the Earth's temperature 55,000 years ago was colder than today's average temperature, not warmer. Ice core samples and other geological data show that global temperatures were lower due to extensive ice sheets and lower greenhouse…

Does a warmer average temperature in May 1895 compared to May 2024 disprove global warming, as a post with a chart on social media implied? No, that's not true: Climate experts contacted by Lead Stories said the data was cherry-picked and misleading and that the data chart was altered so as to mislead readers about the long-term trend. Short-term fluctuations…

Did the Albanian prime minister describe the "three major devils in the world" as being the U.S., the Soviet Union and Israel while speaking in front of the U.S. secretary of state Anthony Blinken? No, that's not true: A video clip used in a social media post is missing context. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama was explaining the history of…

Does a social media video show pro-Palestinian protesters running onto the field during the annual Congressional Baseball Game on June 12, 2024? No, that's not true: A small group of demonstrators did storm the field at Nationals Park, interrupting the congressional game, but they were not pro-Palestinian protesters as a viral post on X claimed. Instead, they were environmental activists…

Do photographs of Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, taken over the past 144 years, prove that sea levels aren't rising? No, that's not true: According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the sea level monitored at a station near Sugarloaf Mountain has increased by more than nine inches in 100 years, when compared to the…

Does the Coriolis effect fail to affect aircraft trajectory, which proves that the Earth is flat, as is implied in a video shared on social media? No, that's not true: A professor emeritus of physics and astronomy told Lead Stories that "the Coriolis effect is, of course, well known and thoroughly analyzed." Though airplanes experience Coriolis force, it is "pretty…

Did King Frederik X of Denmark wave a Palestinian flag from a balcony in Copenhagen as a crowd of protesters were passing below? No, that's not true: This video was filmed in Malmo, Sweden, about 17 miles away and across the Øresund strait from the Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen, Denmark. The man on the balcony waving the flag is not…