Election

Did Shaquille O'Neal throw Minnesota Governor Tim Walz out of O'Neal's restaurant, as posts on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: This story first appeared on a website with a satire disclaimer. There is no evidence that O'Neal and Walz ever had such an interaction. The claim appeared in an article (archived here) on the Esspots website on September 7,…

Did Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman say he'd be voting for Donald Trump? No, that's not true: Fetterman was answering an interviewer's question about why Pennsylvanians who vote for him -- a Democrat -- might also vote for Trump. He used the first person when explaining these voters' mindset, but was not talking about himself. The claim appeared in a post…

Did Kamala Harris use a teleprompter during her September 2024 interview with Oprah Winfrey? No, that's not true: The teleprompter seen in a video clip online is placed well out of Harris' line of vision -- and in the full version of the interview, Harris does not turn her head to peek at it. The device was actually facing Winfrey,…

Does a social media video show Kamala Harris giving a speech in Atlanta on September 20, 2024, while she appeared to be intoxicated? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found the original version of the speech, and the version circulating on social media has been slowed down to make her sound intoxicated. There is no evidence the vice president was…

Did vice presidential candidate JD Vance admit that his campaign gave him a "rent-a-dog" to use on the campaign trail? No, that's not true: Vance's full statement, which he made during an interview with Tucker Carlson, was a sarcastic acknowledgment of an online rumor. Vance also said he owned his dog before his vice presidential candidacy began. The claim appeared…

Has Taylor Swift said that she wishes she could take back endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz during the 2024 presidential election cycle? No, that's not true: The singer has made no such statement and her endorsement Instagram post is still up. The website that reported on the comment has a satire disclaimer and is known…

Does a video show Usher refusing to support Kamala Harris? No, that's not true: In the full video taken from a talk-show appearance Usher said "Yes" when asked if he supports Kamala Harris for president. The video clip used on social media to say the singer didn't support her left that part out. The claim about R&B singer Usher appeared…

Did the White House announce a new debt-relief program for veterans who owe money on their credit cards? No, that's not true: A video on Facebook that made this claim used a fake screenshot of the White House website to create a misleading impression involving an article supposedly published on July 6, 2024. In reality, the Biden-Harris White House made…

Does a screenshot show an authentic Instagram account belonging to Ryan Wesley Routh, the man accused of an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at Trump's golf course? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, told Lead Stories the account is fake. Any copycat accounts will be removed, the spokesperson said, in…

Were explosive devices discovered at the site of a Donald Trump campaign event on September 18, 2024, on Long Island, New York? No, that's not true: Law enforcement denied the rumor. The police statement said that a person "training a bomb detection dog" near the event's location had made a false report. The claim about explosive devices appeared in a…