Deep State

Did a Facebook post confirm that Whoopi Goldberg's house burned during the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires? No, that's not true: The website the rumor was found on described itself as a page specializing in "Satire and Parody News," adding that their team is "dedicated" to bringing readers "the latest and greatest in fake news." The image seen in the…

Does an authentic video show Taylor Swift saying that the 2025 Los Angeles fires are divine retribution for American actions in Gaza? No, that's not true: The original footage dates back to a 2021 appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." Analysis tools determined with 100 percent confidence that the voice added to the clip on social media is…

Does an authentic video show Dr. Mehmet Oz promoting a "cure" for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD? No, that's not true: AI detection tools found the video was likely created using AI technology. There is no known cure for COPD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here)…

Was a "mysterious fog" spotted in various areas of the world in late December 2024 something that cannot be explained? No, that's not true: There have been several regions that experienced heavy fog in late December, but there is no evidence that it is anything other than naturally occurring fog. One medical sociologist wrote in an article that social media…

Does an authentic video show Elon Musk promoting a Barbara O'Neill remedy for erectile dysfunction and prostatitis? No, that's not true: Two AI detection tools found that the video was likely manipulated using AI technology. Lead Stories has found other AI-generated endorsement videos for O'Neill, an unregistered health practitioner. The story appeared in a post (archived here) published on Facebook…

Is Barbara O'Neill a medical doctor certified by the American Board of Urology, or ABU? No, that's not true: The American Board of Medical Specialties, which maintains records on medical certifications, told Lead Stories that O'Neill is not certified by the ABU. The American Urological Association also did not find her as a member of their association. Lead Stories independently…

Did Adm. Rob Bauer, who heads NATO's Military Committee, say the group would launch pre-emptive strikes on Russia in the event of war? No, that's not true: In his remarks at a conference in Brussels, Bauer never mentioned the possibility of NATO attacking Russia pre-emptively. In fact, he stressed Russia would have to hit NATO targets first before the Alliance…

Does a video show members of the European Parliament giving a standing ovation to the U.S. decision to permit Ukraine to strike deeper into Russia with U.S.-supplied weapons? No, that's not true: The post's caption mislabels the content of a video shared online. The video showed members of the EU parliament clapping before and after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's address…

Did Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni say Italy opposes President Joe Biden's policy change that permits Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range missiles to strike deep into Russia? No, that's not true: There is no publicly available recording or transcript of Meloni expressing Italian opposition to the change. During the Group of 20 summit on November 18 and 19, 2024, shortly…

Did President-elect Donald Trump announce $6,400 "relief checks" that "any American can qualify for"? No, that's not true: A video on Facebook showing Trump announcing the checks is a deepfake. A link in the post did not direct users to an official government website but rather to a health insurance webpage. As of this publication, the government had not announced…