Society

Does the closure of airspace in North Carolina for the visits of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris halt the Hurricane Helene rescue missions? No, that's not true: A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson told Lead Stories that pilots involved in "aid and assistance" for hurricane recovery can fly through restricted areas if they plan the flight with air…

Did actor Bill Murray endorse Donald Trump for president in October 2024, calling him "such a different character"? No, that's not true: The quote attributed to Murray is from an interview he gave in 2016 when he was discussing the novelty of Trump becoming president. There are no actual news reports that Murray endorsed Trump in October 2024 for president.…

Does a viral video show Israeli troops being attacked by Hezbollah in Lebanon? No, that's not true: The same footage has been online since 2017. The video's earliest version showed a logo of a Syrian rebel group. It was published with explicit references to the situation in Syria. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X, formerly known…

Is a social media post from a supposed California Republican congressman called Jack Kimble about the "liberal" media ignoring the U.S. vice presidential debate an authentic, predebate post? No, that's not true: There is no Jack Kimble who represents California or any other state in the U.S. House of Representatives. The post originally appeared on a self-described parody account from…

Did Elon Musk post a promo code to his crypto project on X, and was that post then used to make a Times Square billboard promotion in New York City? No, that's not true: This is a fabricated image promoting a crypto currency scam. There is no evidence that Musk made this post or that the crypto promotion ever appeared…

Did Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee refuse to ask President Joe Biden and the federal government for help after Hurricane Helene? No, that's not true: The governor requested an emergency declaration on September 27, 2024. It was approved the next day, which opened up federal aid. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X, formerly known as Twitter, on…

Did musician Jaden Smith announce that his father, actor Will Smith, and rapper mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs "molested" pop singer Justin Bieber and him, as a post on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: The article on the website that initially published this story appears to have been written using AI tools. As of October 2, 2024, there was no…

Does a video authentically show Sean "Diddy" Combs speaking from prison in 2024? No, that's not true: The video clip in this social media post is from 2010. The primary topic of the full video was the impact of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on the X platform on September 25, 2024,…

Did Will Smith admit to giving his son Jaden Smith to Sean "Diddy" Combs for his "freak off" parties? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Will Smith ever said that he gave his son to Combs, who was recently arrested for alleged sex crimes. The post on social media and the website it linked to offered no…

Can non-U.S. citizens use a driver's license to vote in U.S. elections as an X post suggested Haitian immigrants in Springfield are doing? No, that's not true: Only U.S. citizens who are older than 18 and have registered to vote can vote in the presidential election, according to the Ohio Laws and Administrative Rules website and the U.S. government website.…

Did conservative talk show hosts Megyn Kelly and Candace Owens sign a $400 million deal with CBS for a morning show to rival "The View," as posts on social media claimed? No, that's not true: This first appeared on a website that publishes made-up content. The article had two tiny satire disclaimers just below the headline. The claim appeared in…

Does a viral video authentically capture a heated phone exchange between the mother of a 14-year-old transgender girl and her child's teacher who insists on using an incorrect pronoun to address the student? No, that's not true: The woman in the video is a professional actress. An earlier version of the same footage contained a disclaimer saying it is "a…

Does a video on social media show firefighters being rescued by helicopter during the North Carolina floods in late September 2024? No, that's not true: The video is actually from September 15, 2024, in the Czech Republic, not the United States. The firefighters were helping people impacted by the raging waters when they became stranded and needed to be rescued…

Does the existence of a patent application for a so-called "hurricane and tornado control device" prove Hurricane Helene and other natural disasters are created artificially, as posts on social media suggest? No, that's not true: The patent application in question was abandoned as of May 8, 2003. Also, it proposed a strategy for diverting storms by projecting sound waves --…

Does a video circulating on social media show Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu running to a bunker to take shelter from an Iranian missile attack? No, that's not true: The video was posted to Netanyahu's Twitter account in December 2021, when there were no Iranian missile strikes on Israel. It shows Netanyahu hurrying to a vote in the Israeli parliament,…

Did the CEO of ABC hint that the network may cancel "The View," saying "It's time to end a show that's lost its relevance"? No, that's not true: The website that originally reported this comes with a satire label. Neither ABC itself nor news websites have published anything about the ABC CEO hinting about a potential cancellation and some of…

Did an authentic photo show former President Donald Trump wading through hurricane flood waters? No, that's not true: An AI-detection tool from True Media found substantial evidence that the image was generated with AI. Media coverage of Trump's visit to Valdosta, Georgia, on the same day the post was made does not show him wearing the same clothes as in…

Does a video show Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz "flipping off" a heckler at a Michigan football game? No, that's not true: A still photo taken at the same event shows that Walz was pointing his index finger at bystanders. His middle digit remained firmly folded in his hand. The claim appeared in a video on X (archived here)…

Was a little boy, approximately 2 or 3 years old, found unattended in several locations, and is he now being cared for at a police station? No, that's not true: The posts circulating on social media are not based on a real, ongoing incident. The deceptive posts use the same photos and captions, but change the name of the town…

Do social media posts prove that Donald Trump "donated $25 million" to the victims of Hurricane Helene? No, that's not true: These posts offer no supporting evidence. Lead Stories found no reports that confirmed such a donation, including on Trump's account on Truth Social and his campaign website. He did post a link to a crowdfunding campaign where his supporters…