International

Did Ukrainian President Zelenskyy meet with a group of Democrats right before heading into the White House Oval Office meeting about the mineral deal on February 28, 2025? No, that's not true: Social media photos show Republican Senator Lindsey Graham was present in the same room in the Hay-Adams hotel, along with Democrats Amy Klobuchar, Chris Murphy and Chris Coons.…

Is a viral Facebook post from Norwegian fuel company Haltbakk Bunkers announcing they will no longer deliver fuel to American military ships real? Here's what we know: Several screenshots of the post calling Friday's Trump - Zelenskyy meeting "the biggest shitshow ever presented" went viral, but the post itself currently does not appear on Haltbakk's Facebook page, which appears to…

Does a viral image correctly show a transcript of the White House meeting between President Trump, Vice-President Vance and President Zelenskyy that took place on February 28, 2025? No, that's not true: The fake transcript mentions several phrases that were never said in the real meeting according to actual transcripts. Zelenskyy never said "Our cities are burning", "You repeated Putin's…

Did Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. post on X he could bench Ukrainian President Zelenskyy with one hand? No, that's not true: The message originated on an unaffiliated X account that says it posts "commentary", not on Kennedy's own account. The bio section of the account that posted the message says it has "no affiliation…

Did Congress vote to deport Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), a naturalized citizen, as of February 28, 2025? No, that's not true: An immigration expert told Lead Stories that a naturalized citizen cannot be deported. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services writes that revocation of naturalized citizenship can only occur in federal court for limited circumstances "either by civil proceeding or pursuant…

Did the New York Post report that USAID paid TIME Magazine $4 million to make Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy the 2022 Person of the Year, as a post and video on X.com claimed? No, that's not true: As of this writing, the newspaper's website did not show such a story. A search across a government spending database did not produce…

Did U.S. President Donald Trump call his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy "a dictator"? Yes, that's true: Trump used the word "dictator" to describe Zelenskyy in a February 19, 2025, post on Truth Social. Despite that fact, Trump later attempted to cast doubt on his earlier description. During a joint press appearance featuring Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in…

Is an image of what looks like the corpse of a dead Pope Francis seemingly laid out on two pillows, showing various blurry priests in the background, genuine? No, that's not true: The photo was generated using AI, according to an online detection tool. The image included showed a Grok AI watermark, indicating it was created using the AI generative…

Did President Donald Trump's eldest son Don Jr. say on his podcast that "the U.S. should have been sending weapons to Russia" instead of Ukraine, as an X post claims? No, that's not true: The episode in question did not contain such a statement. Two AI detectors indicated that the audio in the viral clip was likely a product of…

Does President Donald Trump's executive order changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America help enforce newly drawn borders decided in December 2023 by a "World Court" that gives water over land shelves to the respective countries? No, that's not true: Executive Order 14172 is a direction to the Secretary of the Interior to rename…

Did USAID pay Pizza Hut $150 million "to renovate and modernize" in 1997? No, that's not true: The post making the viral claim on social media offered no evidence to support it. Lead Stories found no credible reports proving it, either. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on February 6, 2025. It opened: USAID paid…

Was an AI video featuring a "Gaza 2025" caption published on Donald Trump's official social media accounts? Yes, that's true: The video showed buildings, shops and other items bearing "Trump Gaza" signs, bearded belly dancers, and figures appearing to be Elon Musk eating and being showered with banknotes, and with U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…

Is the United States shutting down a Naval base in Alexandroupoli, Greece, as reported in February 2025? No, that's not true: A defense official told Lead Stories there is no "US base in Alexandroupolis." Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth denied the claim on February 24, 2025, saying at the White House, "It's a no," according to the White House press…

Was German Lufthansa pilot "Christoph W." terminated by his employer for refusing to spray chemtrails, and did he then sue them in Nuremberg? No, that's not true: The story originated on the YouTube channel of "Der Postillon," a well-known German satire website. The site has a FAQ that says, "Everything in the Postillon is satire and therefore a blatant lie"…

Was the social media platform Truth Social blocked in Ukraine by the Ukrainian authorities? No, that's not true: Truth Social and the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs's spokesperson denied the claim. Both said that the social media platform was never made available in Ukraine. Lead Stories found no credible reports corroborating the viral rumor. The claim appeared in a post…

Does Canada get 95 percent of its imports from the United States? No, that's not true: According to Statistics Canada, the national statistical office, the U.S. was the source of 62.2 percent of Canada's total imports in 2024, not 95 percent. Additionally, about 76 percent of Canada's exports go to the U.S. The claim appeared in a video published on…

Did U.S. President Donald Trump say that Ukraine started the war with Russia? Yes, that's true: On February 18, 2025, speaking from his Mar-a-Lago residence, he said that Ukraine should have never started the war. That followed talks between the U.S. and Russia without the participation of Ukraine. The statement that is the focus of this story appeared in a…

Does a story claiming Bill Gates was "Caught Pumping Deadly Bird Flu Jabs Into America's Food Supply" in its headline actually describe Bill Gates doing that? No, that's not true: There is no mention of any food supply in the U.S. being injected with bird flu vaccines in the entire body of the story, which was published on a site…

Is British singer Sam Smith "self-partnered," meaning that they are not single but in a relationship with themselves? No, that's not true: The claim originated on a satirical Facebook page with a clear disclaimer. There is no evidence that Smith ever made that declaration about their dating status, as of this writing. The claim appeared in a post (archived here)…

Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's approval rating plummet to 4 percent, as of February 2025? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no publicly available poll confirming the figure voiced by President Donald Trump on February 18, 2025. The White House did not reply to a Lead Stories request to disclose the basis for Trump's statement. The claim originated from…