Election

Did Stephen Colbert announce he was opening a $10 million "paradise" for dogs and cats? No, that's not true: The story is completely made up. There is no evidence that Colbert has said that he will be spending $10 million to open a care center for stray pets. The article about the announcement is copy/paste clickbait and appears to generate…

Do posts about the missing hiker "Sara Jenkins" on social media tell the true story of the discovery of that person's remains? No, that's not true: No credible media organizations reported that. Lead Stories found no court records confirming any part of the story circulating on social media platforms. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook on…

Did Tyler Robinson, the man arrested for shooting Charlie Kirk in Utah, donate money to the Trump campaign in 2020? No, that's not true: Lead Stories spoke with the Tyler Robinson who owned the property that was listed as the address on the federal records for the donation to the Trump campaign. That Tyler Robinson confirmed he is 35 years…

Is Tyler Robinson, the suspect in custody for the shooting of Charlie Kirk, a Republican? No, that's not true: Voter registration records in Utah show he chose to vote neither as a Democrat nor as a Republican. He registered as "Unaffiliated." The claim appeared in a September 12, 2025 Facebook post (archived here) on the whitesarahh account under the title:…

Did Qatar "demand" returning the jet it gave to the Trump administration in the late spring of 2025? No, that's not true: As of September 12, 2025, Lead Stories found no credible reports corroborating the claim. The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs made no such public demands. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on TikTok on September…

Was Democratic politician Stacey Abrams indicted in Georgia for voter fraud? No, that's not true: The false claim was made on a self-described satire page whose logo was removed from the variations of the claim later spread by other accounts. No credible news organization reported on the existence of the purported lawsuit. The claim originated from a post (archived here)…

Does authentic video show a dog who brought a spraying garden hose into the house, soaking everything? No, that's not true: This video is AI-generated. Differences between the two camera angles in the video - in the home furnishings, the patio, and even the dog - give it away. Several similar AI-generated videos showing a dog with a hose have…

Did Walmart fire an executive who was taking $30,000 daily in kickbacks from an Indian staffing agency in an H-1B visa scandal? No, that's not true: Walmart denied the reason they fired anyone had to do with H-1B visas or a kickback scandal. The outlet that amplified the news posted a disclaimer saying they had not received verification from Walmart…

Did Florida ban "The Diary of Anne Frank" from public library shelves? No, that's not true: A graphic version of Anne Frank's diary was removed from school library shelves in Escambia County, Florida, after a complaint that it minimized the Holocaust with the inclusion of Frank's description of her private thoughts about sex. A group that tracks book bans recently…

Is the video of Amy Klobuchar commenting on the Sydney Sweeney American Eagle jeans and where she mentions "perfect titties" authentic? No, that's not true: Klobuchar wrote an opinion piece in the New York Times calling the video "A.I. deepfake." The fake was built using a video posted by the Minnesota senator on her official YouTube account from a hearing…