Europe

Was the Sephora company "a huge donor" to Donald Trump's 2024 campaign? No, that's not true: Neither the company nor any Sephora employee donated to the Trump campaign or Trump-favored political action committee, according to OpenSecrets.org. The company said in a statement: "Sephora does not make corporate donations to political candidates." Records show some Sephora employees did contribute to Kamala…

Did Prince William ascend to the British throne following the death of his father King Charles III and expel Queen Camilla from the royal family? No, that's not true: There is no news of King Charles' passing at the time of writing, and the royals' website shows that William remains Prince of Wales on November 18, 2024. The site where…

Does video of people chanting and clapping show Netherlands residents celebrating the attacks on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam in early November 2024? No, that's not true: The video predates the violence by several months. It is of a different event and was shared on social media in May 2024. The claim was implied in a post (archived here) on…

Did Elon Musk publicly announce plans to "officially" buy McDonald's in November 2024? No, that's not true: As of this publication, there is no record of Musk having formally announced plans to buy the food company, and McDonald's has not reported such a purchase. Furthermore, an online AI detector tool found that images published in the post that depicted Musk…

Did the FBI put out a warning on X about illegal printers being used to make passports for remote early voting? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that the FBI released such a warning. The FBI did release a warning against the "inauthentic use of bureau name, insignia in promoting false election-related narratives" such as the one seen…

Do photos of ballots marked with a vote for Donald Trump prove that citizens of other countries are voting in the 2024 U.S. election because American law does not require them to show a voter ID? No, that's not true: Several copycat posts use the same ballot photo to say this, but list different countries in the caption. These posts…

Was Adolf Hitler nominated as a serious candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1939? No, that is missing context: The Nobel websites state that the nomination was not meant to be taken seriously and was withdrawn five days after it was made. According to the nominator, a Swedish anti-fascist, the nomination was intended as irony "to shame" Hitler "as…

Was Bill Gates criminally indicted in the Netherlands in October 2024 for his role in the COVID-19 pandemic? No, that's not true: A Dutch judge only ruled that the case can be heard in the Netherlands because one plaintiff lives in the region covered by the court. This is a civil lawsuit, as court records show, and, therefore, it doesn't…

Did Bill Gates invent an implantable, wireless "birth control microchip"? No, that's not true: Although the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded grants to companies working on an implantable contraception device, there is no evidence that Gates personally developed the device. A version of the device was in the preclinical trial stage at the time of the writing of…

Did a man with a large Alsatian dog rescue a pretty French girl who was being harassed by two migrants? No, that's not true: Disclaimer hashtags with the original video on TikTok say this is a "fake situation" and "mise en scène" or "staged event." It originated on the TikTok channel dedicated to showcasing the training of a Belgian Malinois…

Did Ryan Routh, the suspect in the apparent attempted assassination of Donald Trump in September 2024, make an appearance in a BlackRock advertisement? No, that's not true: A company spokesperson told Lead Stories that Routh had not "appeared in any BlackRock ads." The post making the claim uses a clip that does briefly show a man who appears to be…

Did the World Boxing Organization say Algerian female boxer Imane Khelif was actually a man, banning her from boxing for life and forcing her to return all her medals and prize money? No, that's not true: An attorney for the organization told Lead Stories that it has not taken any position on Khelif's gender and that she has never even…

Does the plan to address prison overcrowding in England and Wales cut short sentences for sexual offenses? No, that's not true: Under current law many inmates typically serve 50% of their sentence in prison, followed by a probation period. A new plan would reduce that to 40% but with exceptions for certain convictions like sexual or violent offenses. Offenders with…

Does posting a statement ensure that users of Meta services will not have their data used in Meta's artificial intelligence training? No, that's not true: Posting the viral statement, or any other statement, doesn't mean that Meta will not use that data for AI training, but users in Europe can object via a form in their account settings. The statement…

Does a viral picture of U.K. police officers appearing to kneel to a group of men in traditional Islamic clothes portray a real-life scene? No, that's not true: Three AI detectors said the image was generated using AI. The image showed classic indicators of that such as missing body parts and unnaturally positioned limbs. The image reappeared in a post…

Was Irish teacher Enoch Burke arrested on September 2, 2024, for "refusing to endorse and affirm transgender ideology"? No, that's not true: Burke was arrested for contempt of court after repeatedly showing up to teach at a school where he was suspended and told not to return. His arrest by police was due to his noncompliance with a court order,…

Did police in the United Kingdom arrest an 11-year-old child in August 2024 for posting "mean tweets"? No, that's not true: Authorities in Cleveland, England, told Lead Stories, "We haven't arrested an 11-year-old for sending mean tweets." One 11-year-old suspect was taken into custody for arson, while another was detained for "violent disorder." The claim appeared in a post (archived…

Did Al Jazeera publish a video that reported the United Arab Emirates froze the purchase of 80 Rafale F4 fighter jets from France over the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, as posts on X claimed? No, that's not true: Al Jazeera told Lead Stories that's not their report, and that the video is "fake." Likewise, the French embassy in…

Did the United Kingdom and France issue a "Secret International Arrest Warrant" for Elon Musk? No, that's not true: No news organizations reported anything about the supposedly existing "secret" arrest warrant for Musk approved within jurisdictions of the U.K. or France. The International Criminal Court that issues international arrest warrants denied there is one for the owner of the X…

Was a U.K. man sentenced to over two years behind bars for "waving an English flag"? No, that's not true: The man pleaded guilty to religiously aggravated harassment, having an article with intent to destroy or damage property and obstructing or resisting a constable. Social media posts omitted information about the actual charges in this case, which had nothing to…