Elections

Is time-stamped surveillance camera footage from James Talarico's house real? No, that's not true: The image is AI-generated, according to analysis by online detection tools. One tool assessed the image as 99.9% "Likely to be AI-generated," while another indicated it was created using OpenAI tools. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) by the @RheinAmacher account on X on…

Did "South Park" tease an episode featuring Susan Dell and did she rage in response? No, that's not true: The image of Dell appearing with the characters from the TV show is AI-generated and was made by a digital creator. Neither the show nor Dell had posted any messages about such an episode at the time of writing. The claim…

Was an email to Jeffrey Epstein in the Epstein files ending in "Love ya" written by Marco Rubio? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Rubio wrote the email, whose "From" field and signature section are redacted. No authentic photos or official records link Rubio to the Epstein files or establish an association between him and Epstein. The…

Does a recording released on social media prove Texas Senate candidate James Talarico was treated at an Ohio mental health facility? Here is what we know: The facility released a statement saying that Talarico "has never received treatment from Lindner Center of Hope." Talarico posted a message on X saying that he has never been to Ohio. Talarico's campaign released…

Did Iranian officials say they would release audio of President Donald Trump begging them to open the Strait of Hormuz so gas prices will go down before the midterms? No, that's not true: This story originated from The Halfway Post, an account which says their content is "Halfway true comedy and satire for your doomscrolling". A search of both Google…

Does a video show Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro telling a Masonic lodge he would give Brazil to "Greater Israel" and Satan? No, that's not true: The man in the video is not Flávio Bolsonaro. Instead, it is his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro. There is also no mention of Israel or Satan in the video. The claim appeared in…

Does a video show young men dressed in black dancing with guns at student protests in France in October 2026? No, that's not true: They were filming a video for the French rap group 8ZT, which can be seen on the group's TikTok channel and on YouTube. There is no evidence that the people in the video were taking part…

Does a video show Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama saying she thinks "America deserved 9/11"? No, that's not true: She was quoting Hasan Piker, a political commentator and Twitch streamer who campaigned with a Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan. She repeated the words to criticize Piker at a political rally in Mobile, Alabama, on Oct. 2, 2026, attended by President…

Are the screenshots showing President Donald Trump confusing election results from Brazil and India in a post real? Yes, that's true: The president first shared a post noting the first round of India's presidential election, which he said took place on Oct. 4, 2026, but no such election took place on that date. Trump later corrected the post to mention…

Did President Donald Trump write "every Republican vote counts as 3 votes" because of Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk? No, that's not true: A review of Trump's Truth Social account found no record of such a post, although one post contained a similarly worded message without the "3 votes" language. At the time of writing, no established news outlets…

Does a real video from NewsGuard show that the Democratic Party orchestrated an attempted terrorist attack on FlyDubai Flight FZ1073? No, that's not true: NewsGuard confirmed to Lead Stories that the organization did not make such a report, and there is no evidence that it ever did. Instead, NewsGuard said the post appears to be connected to a Russian disinformation…

Will Kamala Harris be held personally responsible for her campaign's $39 million debt, according to a federal bankruptcy court? No, that's not true: The story originated from a network of self-described satire websites that place multiple disclaimers on their content saying that nothing they publish is real. Lead Stories did not find any matching reports from established media outlets. The…

Is a photo of President Trump, President of China Xi Jinping, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos at the head table at the White House state dinner on Sept. 24, 2026, real? No, that's not true: The image is clearly labeled AI-generated. The head table did not include Bezos, and the outfits worn by the first ladies and the table settings…

Do videos falsely attributed to the New York Times show actors Alyssa Milano, Sean Astin and Rachael Harris supporting the "All Democrats Are Criminals" movement? No, that's not true: The videos use clips from Cameo accounts and add completely fabricated sound and captions. They are not real New York Times videos. The claim appeared in three videos included in a…

Do videos falsely attributed to the New York Times show actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Eric Braeden, Annie Potts and Patrick Fabian supporting the "All Democrats Are Criminals" movement? No, that's not true: Braeden's rep told Lead Stories the claim is false. The videos use clips from Cameo accounts and MTV News and add completely fabricated sound and captions. The claim appeared…

Does a real story report that Donald Trump folded his arms after a question about China election meddling? No, that's not true: The claim originated on a social media account known for posting satirical content. The account's profile page carries the disclaimer, "Halfway true comedy and satire for your doomscrolling." The claim appeared in a post (archived here) by The…

Does a video falsely attributed to the Washington Post show Billie Eilish received $120 million from the Democratic Party? No, that's not true: The video uses clips from Eilish's real December 2024 Vanity Fair interview and adds completely fabricated captions. The Washington Post never reported that Eilish received such an amount from the Democratic Party. The claim appeared in a…

Is a video of Vice President JD Vance asking for "another chance" and saying "things are bad" real? No, that's not true: The video was made with artificial intelligence, though Vance did ask for "another chance" at a summit. No credible sources have posted about this video. The claim appeared in a post made by @keithedwards on X (archived here)…

Does a real video show masked police officers walking around in a polling station and looking at how people are voting? No, that's not true: There is no credible evidence that this incident ever occurred, and there have been no news reports of such an incident. The masked men are marked "Police," not Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), although they…

Is a protester's claim at a JD Vance campaign event for Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas that Marshall sued his own patients true? Yes, that's true: Marshall is a Republican seeking re-election in the November 2026 midterms. During his decades-long career as an obstetrician-gynecologist, he sued more than 700 patients over unpaid bills, according to a New York Times analysis…