Society

Did the E.coli outbreak involving McDonald's occur soon after Donald Trump worked at one McDonald's restaurant for one hour during his 2024 presidential campaign? No, that's not true: The E.coli outbreak traced to some McDonald's franchises began weeks before Trump's announcement he would do a shift at a single McDonald's restaurant. The Food and Drug Administration reported that the outbreak…

Does a video on social media show podcaster Joe Rogan discussing the topic of rat meat supposedly in Chinese food, and how a person might find out about "how to heal the body from the toxins they feed us" in a podcast? No, that's not true: The deepfake detection platform TrueMedia.org determined with 100 percent confidence that the audio in…

Did Democratic political consultant James Carville say that he believes Vice President Kamala Harris will lose the 2024 U.S. presidential election? No, that's not true: Carville posted on X that he would donate $100 to the Donald Trump campaign if a credible person came forward and proved they heard him make the statements attributed to him in a social media…

Did Kamala Harris' presidential campaign pay superstar Beyoncé $10 million to attend a Harris rally in Houston? No, that's not true: No public evidence exists to support this claim. The Federal Elections Commission's most recent records do not show that the Harris campaign paid Beyoncé for appearing at the rally. A campaign finance expert told Lead Stories he did not…

Did non-English-speaking voters cut in line to vote early in Pennsylvania? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, told Lead Stories that a video circulating online is incomplete; some elderly and disabled people were allowed to wait their turn inside. A group of voters applying for mail-in ballots needed the help of translators, and the rest of…

Did Kamala Harris respond with a "blank stare" when a CBS News reporter mentioned that Donald Trump had called for Harris to take a cognitive test? No, that's not true: A video circulating on social media that shows Harris' response has been edited. In the full video, Harris actually challenged Donald Trump, her Republican presidential rival, to take the "same"…

Is ivermectin a more effective cancer treatment than chemotherapy? No, that's not true: The Food and Drug Administration says ivermectin is approved to treat parasitic worms, head lice and skin conditions like rosacea, but does not list it as a treatment for cancer. The National Cancer Institute told Lead Stories that it has no information "supporting the claim" about ivermectin…

Is Elon Musk developing robots that can carry a fertilized fetus to term for nine months, as posts on social media claim? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that such a robot is in development as of this writing. Musk did not talk about this at his October 2024 event, "We, Robot." A version of the claim appeared…

Does a proposed New York state constitutional amendment "grant" voting rights "to illegal aliens" and "strip parental rights" by not informing parents without the child's approval about their decision to get gender transition surgery? No, that's not true: There is no mention anywhere in the proposed amendment of giving undocumented immigrants voting rights. The proposed amendment bans discrimination against gender…

Does a real photo show Elon Musk, Donald Trump and the lieutenant governor of North Carolina, Mark Robinson, together? No, that's not true: This image was made by combining three individual photos taken at different locations on different days. Not only were the subjects from three images collaged together, but some elements in the source photos were digitally altered, notably…

Did Donald Trump call British protesters to join a march on the U.K. parliament in October 2024? No, that's not true: A video that purported to have narration by Trump showed signs that it was not authentic, according to several AI detectors. Lead Stories found no credible sources confirming that Trump ever said the words attributed to him. The claim…

Does a social media video show a line of thousands of early voters in Grand Rapids, Michigan? No, that's not true: The video shows Michigan residents waiting in line to see Vice President Kamala Harris speak at a campaign rally. Early voting in Michigan started a day after this video was posted. The claim about the video appeared in a…

Is an image of a catastrophic plane crash on a bridge authentic? No, that's not true: The image is a digital art creation by Canadian graphic designer Steve McGhee. The original piece of art titled "All Is Lost - Redux" was altered to make it harder to trace its origin through a reverse image search. The claim appeared in a…

Did Liz Cheney tweet questioning why people won't get more than $750 for hurricane damage, saying it's because Donald Trump won't let House Speaker Mike Johnson pass a hurricane relief bill? No, that's not true: The X account that originally posted the fake screenshot carries a disclaimer, "This account itself is not a parody but most of the images we…

Does a viral image authentically show Donald Trump sitting next to Thomas Matthew Crooks, who is accused of shooting at Trump during a presidential campaign rally on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania? No, that's not true: The image shows signs that are consistent with generative AI technology. The image did not appear in credible news coverage of that assassination…

Did Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis lift a ban on illegal immigrants in the state because he needs them to clean up after hurricanes Milton and Helene? No, that's not true: There are no official statements or press releases from DeSantis indicating any changes to SB-1718, which is known as Florida's anti-illegal immigration law. No actual news reports say that DeSantis…

Did Kamala Harris swear her vice-presidential oath with her hand on top of a "Holy Bible" clutch or wallet that isn't actually a bible? No, that's not true: She had her hand on an actual Bible. In fact, her hand was atop two Bibles -- one belonged to a family friend, while the other belonged to the late Thurgood Marshall,…

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…

Does a recently updated Pentagon directive now authorize the military to kill American protesters? No, that's not true: The Pentagon told Lead Stories the new policies "do not authorize the DOD to use lethal force against U.S. citizens ..." The online text of Department of Defense Directive 5240.01 does not allow the military "to kill Americans who engage in political…

Do photos showing luxurious mansions depict the real Quebec childhood home of Vice President Kamala Harris and prove she was not raised in a middle-class family? No, that's not true: The images in this post display houses not found on the street where she lived in Montreal, the main city in Canada's Quebec province. At least one of the photos…