Election

Does a real photo show Elon Musk, Donald Trump and the lieutenant governor of North Carolina, Mark Robinson, together? No, that's not true: This image was made by combining three individual photos taken at different locations on different days. Not only were the subjects from three images collaged together, but some elements in the source photos were digitally altered, notably…

Did Donald Trump call British protesters to join a march on the U.K. parliament in October 2024? No, that's not true: A video that purported to have narration by Trump showed signs that it was not authentic, according to several AI detectors. Lead Stories found no credible sources confirming that Trump ever said the words attributed to him. The claim…

Are armed militias hunting Federal Emergency Management Agency employees in North Carolina? No, that's not true: Although federal and local authorities acknowledged rumors about armed militias in North Carolina after Hurricane Helene, no confirmed reports about such groups targeting FEMA employees exist. After pausing for what it termed a "potential threat" to its North Carolina staff, FEMA has resumed door-to-door…

Does a social media video show a line of thousands of early voters in Grand Rapids, Michigan? No, that's not true: The video shows Michigan residents waiting in line to see Vice President Kamala Harris speak at a campaign rally. Early voting in Michigan started a day after this video was posted. The claim about the video appeared in a…

Is a photo of Kamala Harris in a blue McDonald's uniform authentic? No, that's not true: A reverse image search proved that the photo has been altered. It never showed Harris. The original image comes from an online gallery of photos posted in 2007 to commemorate a different woman's death. The claim about the altered photo appeared in a post…

Does a viral image authentically show Donald Trump sitting next to Thomas Matthew Crooks, who is accused of shooting at Trump during a presidential campaign rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania? No, that's not true: The image shows signs that are consistent with generative AI technology. The image did not appear in credible news coverage of that assassination…

Did Kamala Harris swear her vice-presidential oath with her hand on top of a "Holy Bible" clutch or wallet that isn't actually a bible? No, that's not true: She had her hand on an actual Bible. In fact, her hand was atop two Bibles -- one belonged to a family friend, while the other belonged to the late Thurgood Marshall,…

Does a recently updated Pentagon directive now authorize the military to kill American protesters? No, that's not true: The Pentagon told Lead Stories the new policies "do not authorize the DOD to use lethal force against U.S. citizens ..." The online text of Department of Defense Directive 5240.01 does not allow the military "to kill Americans who engage in political…

Do photos showing luxurious mansions depict the real Quebec childhood home of Vice President Kamala Harris and prove she was not raised in a middle-class family? No, that's not true: The images in this post display houses not found on the street where she lived in Montreal, the main city in Canada's Quebec province. At least one of the photos…

Does a video show someone in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, destroying real mail-in ballots from voters who voted for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump? No, that's not true: The Bucks County Board of Elections, the Bucks County District Attorney and the Bucks County Republican Committee all confirmed the video is fake. The local GOP pointed out discrepancies in the filmed election…