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Did former South Carolina governor and Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley shed her birth name? No, that's not true: Haley, whose birth name is Nimrata (also spelled "Nimarata") Nikki Randhawa, has explained that the middle name on her birth certificate is "Nikki". Like other married women, she changed her last name when she married her husband Michael Haley. The claim…

Is a massive jump in Rep. Nancy Pelosi's net worth proof that she engaged in some sort of illegal activity? No, that's not true: Although it may be true that Pelosi's net worth has increased sharply since 2007, when she became the first female speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, such an increase does not prove her gains were…

Did Fox News broadcast a report displaying an image of an Asian man suspected of fatally shooting a person with a chyron that reads, "Shooter described 'mostly white Asian male'"? No, that's not true: A Fox News spokesperson told Lead Stories that this image "was never broadcasted on Fox News and is not authentic." The claim appeared in an Instagram…

Did Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump pose for a photo in a room that has surgical bone saws hanging on the walls? No, that's not true: The image of the couple has been doctored and the bone saws have been added to the photo, likely as a commentary on Kushner's business relationship with Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman al Saud,…

Is former President Donald Trump facing the possibility of the death penalty in the four indictments against him? No, that's not true: Lead Stories spoke to three legal experts who told us that none of the charges against Trump carries the death penalty if convicted. While one charge, "Conspiracy against rights," can be eligible for the death penalty, that's only…

Did conservative TV personality Candace Owens call professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe an "angry toddler" while debating Rapinoe on a segment of her show, "Candace"? No, that's not true: A representative of Rapinoe told Lead Stories this is "false information." Also, this claim appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. The claim appeared in…

Is an image of Donald Trump in a black pin-stripe suit the real mug shot taken after he was surrendered and was arrested in Atlanta on August 24, 2023? No, that's not true: The image is fake and according to an AI detection website is 99 percent likely to have been generated by artificial intelligence. Trump's real mug shot was…

Does a photo show a real mug shot for former President Donald Trump? No, that's not true: No mug shot had yet been taken of Trump for any of his court cases as of August 16, 2023. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Twitter on August 15, 2023. It opened: #Indicted. Over 80 times. And now indictments…

Did a beat-up and bloodied man in a booking photo distributed on social media take part in the August 5, 2023, brawl on the Montgomery, Alabama, riverfront that was sparked by his refusal to move his pontoon boat and allow a large riverboat to dock? No, that's not true: This booking photo dates back to September 20, 2020, and shows…

Did former Vice President Mike Pence, who is a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, carry a rainbow flag in a parade while dressed in a white suit with a rainbow-striped shirt? No, that's not true: This is an AI-generated image. The image features characteristic AI flaws in the rendering of Pence's right hand, and the AI detection tool…

Is a video that warns about what the "deep state" could be doing to subvert democracy in the United States an official Donald Trump presidential campaign ad? No, that's not true: The caption on the screen of the video implies that it was produced and/or released by the Trump campaign but it was posted on a Twitter account whose owner…

Did Sen. Shelley Moore Capito reach out and touch Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, somehow causing him to freeze midsentence while he was speaking during a July 26, 2023, news conference? No, that's not true: Capito, a Republican from West Virginia who was wearing a green suit, did not touch McConnell before the incident. She joined the news conference gathering…

Does video footage show when then-President George H.W. Bush died on live TV? No, that's not true: The president lived for 26 more years after an incident in Japan in 1992 when he vomited and fainted at a banquet hosted by the Japanese prime minister. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok on January 6, 2022, but…

Did Sen. Mitt Romney threaten to leave the Republican Party and join the Democrats? No, that's not true: The Utah senator's spokesperson told Lead Stories there was "zero truth" to the claim. Romney filed paperwork in July 2023 that would allow him to seek re-election to the U.S. Senate as a Republican. The claim appeared in a post published on…

Did U.S. Navy SEALs take down a Florida child trafficking ring and arrest Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, as was livestreamed on Facebook by Child Parent Safety (Cps) News Network on July 25, 2023? No, that's not true: Presidential candidate DeSantis was not arrested, and the footage of a military operation was not live, but recycled footage taken from staged tactical…

Did NBC News report that the news outlet was told that several of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' classmates "vaguely referred to an event known as the 'muffin incident'"? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that NBC News published a claim about a "muffin incident" and DeSantis. The article posted by the news outlet on DeSantis the same day…

Does a pro-Ron DeSantis PAC ad use a real recording of former President Donald Trump's voice? No, that's not true: The audio of Trump used in the ad was created by artificial intelligence, the spokesperson for the political action committee told Lead Stories. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published by Never Back Down on July 18, 2023,…

Did a young woman blindside former vice president Mike Pence while he was walking in a parade, hitting him squarely in the back of the head with a water balloon? No, that's not true: The video shows the Stewart Manor 4th of July Parade in Hempstead, New York, where throwing water balloons is part of a long standing tradition --…

Did Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' high school yearbook photo have a quote underneath that reads, "My Mount Rushmore is Jesus, Sir-Mixes-a-Lot, and Nintendo 64"? No, that's not true: The photo in a post making that claim is real, but "there is no quote within the yearbook photo beneath Governor DeSantis' photo," according to a representative from the county where DeSantis…

Does a viral video portray an intense exchange between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, one of the 2024 Republican presidential candidates, and an audience member who swore at him during a campaign event? No, that's not true: The authentic video material was paired with an audio track containing words that were never said in public during that town hall. The story…