Fact Check

Does a video captured by a New Jersey resident show a drone spraying something in the sky? No, that's not true: The video showed a commercial Boeing 777 jetliner gradually descending as it nears the end of a transatlantic flight from London to Baltimore. Lead Stories cross-referenced the timestamp and location tag from the original video with flight and weather…

Does an authentic video show a weapon being fired at a drone in New Jersey in mid-December 2024? No, that's not true: The earliest version of the video shared on social media doesn't include gunfire or video effects. Robert Earl White, who originally published the clip, clarified in a follow-up post: "Yes, the gunfire is fake in this video ..."…

Was Samir El Hydeouchi identified as the suspect in the December 20, 2024, vehicular attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany? No, that's not true: At the time this fact check was written, the suspect was taken into custody and a German official has stated the driver of the car, who was not named, was a Saudi national, a…

Did only House Democrats vote against a spending bill on December 19, 2024, that would have kept the government open until March 2025? No, that's not true: While 197 Democrats voted no, so did 38 Republicans. The bill required a two-thirds supermajority in the House, which meant Republicans needed at least some Democratic Party support. The claim appeared in a…

Does a video shared to Instagram authentically show a car-sized drone or flying object flying over the Las Vegas Strip? No, that's not true: The original video was posted to TikTok with a caption stating, "This video was created digitally." The profile that initially published the video is self-described as "Mixed reality. Definitely not CIA." The claim appeared in a…

Did social media posts accurately cite the words of Elon Musk's mother, Maye, on having children? No, that's not true: The viral quote was a review a critic made of Maye Musk's remarks about having children, not a direct quote. Maye Musk did not mention her "son's factory workers" while discussing the topic on X and Fox News in December…

Did President Joe Biden cut short an expected Christmas stay in Delaware on December 19, 2024, to return to Washington? No, that's not true: According to an official White House news release dated December 15, 2024, Biden was scheduled to return to the White House on December 19, 2024. The schedule also showed that he and the first lady planned…

Is a video that shows UFOs or drones in Maryland in December 2024 authentic? No, that's not true: The creator of the video admitted he "made a fake UFO video with AI." The original video is listed on the creator's account on TikTok under the tab "AI creations" and is set to music from the TV show "The X-Files." The…

Does reporting by the entertainment weekly "Variety" suggest that ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos is "expected to be fired" from the network after its settlement with President-elect Donald Trump? No, that's not true: ABC News told Lead Stories that he signed a new deal with the network after it settled a defamation case with Trump. No information about his supposed…

Did Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum propose annexing Guatemala so it would become the "33rd state" in Mexico? No, that's not true: The rumor about Mexico annexing Guatemala was first debunked by Mexican outlets during the previous president's administration. Lead Stories found no actual news reports that confirmed the purported "annexation" plan under the new administration in Mexico. The claim appeared…

Did Rep. Dan Crenshaw share a post on X that included inflammatory language boasting of "over 300 confirmed kills," as an image on the platform suggested? No, that's not true: The quote is known colloquially as the "Navy Seal Copypasta," a phrase used to mock aggressive rhetoric online. The supposed screenshot of Crenshaw's post shows signs of manipulation, including its…

Did a draft continuing resolution or spending bill in late 2024 include a 40 percent salary increase for members of Congress? No, that's not true: The proposed December 2024 temporary funding package included a 3.8 percent pay raise, which would increase their annual salary from $174,000 to $180,600 if approved. Under the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 Congress is allowed…

Does a video on Threads show drones over the United States in 2024? No, that's not true: The video predates the 2024 wave of drone sighting reports. The clip has been online since at least 2022 and was described as showing drones spraying disinfectant in China at the time. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Threads on…

Did the Biden administration spend $3 billion to procure just 93 electric mail trucks? No, that's not true: A Postal Service spokesperson told Lead Stories that Congress approved $3 billion to purchase 66,000 electric postal delivery vehicles, many of them arriving by 2028. According to USPS records, as of December 13, 2024, 24 electric vehicles had been delivered with another…

Did the NFL abruptly fire three referees who officiated the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams for their involvement in the largest bribery scheme in NFL history? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that the NFL fired any referees amid a bribery scandal following a game between the two California teams as of…

Does a viral photo show the Altoona McDonald's employee who made the 911 call to report a sighting of Luigi Mangione in Pennsylvania? No, that's not true: The photo shows a comedian from New York. A profile on Facebook that contained the original version of the image also placed that person in New York, not Pennsylvania. The claim appeared in…

Did an authentic ABC newscast state that "in 2.5 years of war, about a million Ukrainian soldiers have died"? No, that's not true: TrueMedia's AI detector found "substantial evidence" that the voice heard in the social media post was created by artificial intelligence. The ABC video was originally about wounded Ukrainian soldiers receiving prosthetic legs from a nonprofit. The claim…

Did Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum threaten to deport 2 million American immigrants if President-elect Donald Trump sends migrants back to Mexico? No, that's not true: Lead Stories could not find any news reports or press releases from the Mexican government mentioning such a statement. In November of 2024 Sheinbaum posted to X that Mexico's position on the issue of migration…

Did some employees poop in the Lamborghini of a CEO who cancelled the worker's Christmas bonuses -- and then did everyone at the company resign in unison? No, that's not true: This fictional yarn is from a creator who calls his content, "60 Second Sitcoms." He further describes his videos as satire. The story spread from a December 14, 2024,…

Have authorities released the gender identity of the suspected shooter at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, as of December 17, 2024? No, that's not true: Police have used the pronouns "she" and "her" multiple times when referring to the suspect but have stated publicly that they do not know whether she was trans, as some posts on social…