Society

Is a photo from the Daily Mail showing Byron Noem wearing a light blue T-shirt with large fake breasts and a dog in the background real? No, that's not true: That image of the husband of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is not one of the photos published by the British tabloid. The authentic photos of Byron Noem in…

Does a real image show a wife crying as she hugs her husband goodbye because he is deploying to Iran? No, that's not true: This is an AI-generated image that was published with a request for engagement. The page where this originated posts emotionally charged AI-generated images with captions asking for comments and shares. Other engagement bait themes include children…

Does a viral video prove that a man in traditional clothes once walked holding hands with his underage wife in a public space in Plano, Texas? No, that's not true: Beyond the narrator's allegations, the video contains nothing confirming a marital relationship between the two. The local police department told Lead Stories it had received no official reports of child…

Is a video of a woman crying while tied up from the Epstein files released by the U.S. Department of Justice? No, that's not true: The footage is from a 2007 mockumentary-style horror film titled "The Poughkeepsie Tapes." The video exactly matches footage from the movie that is easily found on the internet. The claim appeared in a post with…

Did former British Prime Minister Liz Truss blame "underground transgender mafia" for a KitKat chocolate heist? No, that's not true: The made-up quote originated from a satire account that had a history of attributing false statements about "underground transgender mafia" to Truss. As of this writing, no credible media outlet had reported the former prime minister making such a remark.…

Did Bad Bunny and other famous people including Blake Shelton, Cardi B, Tom Jones, Andrea Bocelli say that they were supporting peaceful demonstrators via the National Defense Fund? No, that's not true: The claim was an example of so-called "Viet Spam" campaigns of nearly identical made-up clickbait stories, each featuring a different famous person, created to drive traffic to web…

Does a viral post prove that participants of the "No Kings" rallies in March 2026 were paid hourly to protest? No, that's not true: The claim purporting to show the first-person statement of a real protester was first posted by an account that previously referred to its content as parody. Two online detectors concluded that the account's profile picture was…

Did President Donald Trump react with an angry Truth Social post after "only 17 people" turned out for a "Pro Kings" rally in Lexington, Kentucky? No, that's not true: The story originated on the satirical Substack page of comedy writer Andy Borowitz. Trump's Truth Social account showed no posts about such an event, despite what some social media posts claimed…

Did California Gov. Gavin Newsom criticize Nick Shirley, or did Sen. John Neely Kennedy criticize Adam Schiff, saying "Lock him up for lying to Congress, abusing power, and betraying the public trust!"? No, that's not true: Nearly identical stories mentioning those and other names were published by a network of foreign websites and Facebook pages. A search of Google News…

Did Mark Twain say, "If you don't read the newspaper, you're uninformed. If you do read it, you're misinformed"? No, that's not true: There's no reliable evidence that the American author and humorist ever made such a statement. It does not appear in quote compilations searched by Lead Stories. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) by the @KnowledgeArchiv…

Does a viral video show real-life confrontations involving transgender and LGBTQ+ people trying to access women's restrooms? No, that's not true: The clip was AI-generated. The account that posted it first had a corresponding label, and the video contained multiple artifacts that ruled out the possibility of it being authentic footage. The claim originated from a post (archived here, here…

Does a video of an ICE agent taking a U.S. citizen off a plane in Texas show a real incident? No, that's not true: The video was a scripted skit performed by actors, showing a person wearing a face covering and flashing a badge before removing a man from a plane. The TikTok account where it was originally posted features…

Does a viral video show a real-life lunch date set up by a husband to confront his "cheating wife" at the location of her potential date? No, that's not true: The video was staged. It was one of many clips promoting an app that claims to detect whether a partner is cheating. The claim appeared in a post (archived here…

Did Erika Kirk announce she was opening an orphanage in honor of Charlie Kirk? No, that's not true: A video on TikTok repeats a false claim which began circulating on social media in late October 2025. There is no record of Erika Kirk announcing plans to build a school for orphans in honor of her late husband. The copy/paste posts…

Did Lufthansa offer free business class upgrades to people in Israel to apologize for the Holocaust? No, that's not true: The company publicly denied it. Two online AI detectors said the image purportedly providing the proof was likely to have been generated by AI. The claim originated from a post (archived here) published by the @0xRacist X account on March…

Did President Donald Trump post a message on his Truth Social account saying that Queen Elizabeth should pardon former prince Andrew after his arrest? No, that's not true: The original message was posted by an account clearly marked as satire as the screenshot shows. "Luke Skywalker" actor Mark Hamill shared the fake post, apparently missing the satire label, to mock…

Is the viral selfie of the seven dogs walking home together in China a real photo? No, that's not true: The picture was likely generated by AI. AI detection results from two tools pointed to AI generation, as did a key detail in the image itself: dogs appearing to take a selfie -- something real dogs cannot do. The claim…

Were the pilots of the Air Canada plane that crashed into a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport both females? No, that's not true: The pilot and co-pilot killed in the ground collision have been identified as Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther. The FAA administrator described the two as "young men at the start of their careers" during a March 23,…

Did Keanu Reeves, Dolly Parton, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, and many others say that children should be raised according to "traditional values" avoiding "LGBTQ themes"? No, that's not true: This is a fake ragebait story claiming that many fans are now boycotting celebrities over something they never said. Nearly identical stories mentioning those and other names were published by a…

Did Arnold Schwarzenegger reveal Chuck Norris asked him before his passing to take care of his Kickstart Kids program? No, that's not true: The video is fake, Schwarzenegger's publicist told Lead Stories. The video is clearly labeled as AI-generated. No such video or announcement exists on any of Schwarzenegger's social media accounts or in legitimate news reports. The claim appeared…