Did U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement "rebrand" itself to be publicly known as Homeland Security Investigators, not ICE? No, that's not true: ICE still exists under the same old name. "Homeland Security Investigators" discussed in social media posts is not a brand-new entity -- it has operated since 2010 as one of the major divisions within ICE, but the correct…
Did the Donald Trump White House publish a press release offering pieces of the demolished East Wing for $500 per item at a website whose name suggested an affiliation with the U.S. president? No, that's not true: An image of the purported press release circulating on social media was full of nonsensical typos and redirected to a nonexistent website. As…
Does a viral video show authentic clips of four "Evangelical" pastors preaching against conservative positions on the border wall, guns, abortion and oil drilling? No, that's not true: The clips are lifted from an online account that describes itself as "Using AI to show a parallel universe." None of the quotes from the sermons in the video were found in…
Does an authentic video show a Tesla car charging from a diesel generator that it is towing as it drives? No, that's not true: The video was made by an artificial intelligence tool, according to a test by an AI detector tool. Obvious discrepancies from reality, such as the lack of an actual tow bar attaching the trailer to the…
Was a pair of Aerofoot "flying shoes" demonstrated at Gitex 2029 by a woman using them to hover over a stage, models floating over a catwalk or a man taking off from a pedestal? No, that's not true: The video, and several more like it, were posted by someone who labels themself as an "Artificial Intelligence Enthusiast" and an "AI…
Was Fox News host Brett Baier correct when he declared Chicago has "the highest murder rate of all the big cities" during an interview with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker? Yes, if you compare US cities with official populations over 1 million. Pritzker asserted Chicago ranks below 30th, but did not provide a citation for that number. Lead Stories found that…
Does a video show authentic clips of world leaders speaking frankly about controversial narratives? No, that's not true: The video clip was posted with disclaimers in the caption and in the video itself clearly stating it is AI-generated. It was produced and published by RT, a state-controlled network funded by the Russian government. The video appears in a post (archived…
Does a video clip show a young woman who had lung surgery because of energy drinks who will never be able to speak again? No, that's not true: The video footage was taken from another TikTok account where it was presented with no mention of energy drinks. The original @hey_itsabs video caption said that her lung had been punctured by…
Was a plaque quoting President Franklin D. Roosevelt about "a house owned by all the American people" torn down by the demolition of the East Wing of the White House? No, that's not true: The FDR quote is engraved into a stone wall at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. Tourists can find it in the first section of the "Second…
Did White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt describe the ballroom construction at the White House as President Trump's "main priority"? Yes, she did, but social media posts took the quote out of context. When Leavitt said "the ballroom is really the President's main priority", she was not addressing the overall state of affairs in the country or abroad. Leavitt was…
Did CNN report the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS has contacted Earth, as a viral social media post declared? No, that's not true: There's no such report on CNN.com. CNN has not used the chyron "IT'S GETTING SERIOUS" on any of its reports about 3I/ATLAS, which was first spotted in July 2025. The claim was made in an October 22, 2025 X…
Is this real dash cam video showing a truck driver cooking curry at 90 mph just before crashing into other vehicles and killing three people on California's I-10? No, that's not true: The California Highway Patrol, which investigated the accident and released the original dash cam video, had not seen the "cam 2" version, according to a CHP spokesman. The…
Does a photo show demolition done to the White House by Barack Obama to install an indoor basketball court? No, that's not true: A black and white photo shows the West Wing expansion project conducted by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1934. Obama did install a basketball court in 2009, 75 years after the photo was taken, but it did not…
Does a viral video really show a mother of six's rant about her "food stamps" and housing benefits being cut from $4,300 per month to $19 per month? No, that's not true: The woman appearing in the video has previously said she posts the rants as satire and they are not real. That dollar amount greatly exaggerates what is available…
Does a photo show a well-dressed French detective working the case of the Crown Jewels stolen from the Louvre? No, that's not true: The original poster later said it was a "fantasy version" she did not regret posting. There is no indication that this man is a detective working this case. The viral photo, and one other from the same…
Did Disney offer a $60 million deal to dozens of celebrities to produce a documentary about Charlie Kirk, which they all turned down, including the widow of the late conservative activist, Erika Kirk? No, that's not true: None of that is real. The posts were an example of copypasta, which is a batch of text copied and pasted repeatedly on…
Is a video of an ICE agent deporting his own mother authentic? No, that's not true: The account that posted the video clearly labeled it "AI-generated parody - not real footage." The video shows signs it was produced by generative AI, such as scrambled symbols instead of clear letters on an officer's vest. The story appeared in an October 17,…
Is a video showing dogs trying to steal honey by poking a beehive with a stick and getting stung authentic? No, that's not true: The video was posted on a TikTok account that says it publishes "high quality 3D animated shorts". According to a specialized detection tool the video was likely made using AI. The footage also contained several glitches…
Did the United States have no children's hospitals in the 1960s and 1970s, when comedian Rob Schneider was a child? No, that's not true: The first children's hospital was opened in Philadelphia in 1855, with 26 operating by 1895, according to an academic paper. Hospitals opened in the 1960s include St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. The claim originated…
Did Steven Tyler start a $1 million cat sanctuary called "Whiskers & Wings", in October 2025? No, that's not true: That widely-shared story, and the image that came with it, did not portray real events. We found no record of any such announcement on Tyler's social media profiles, or in news archives. The story appeared in an October 20, 2025,…
Lead Stories is a fact checking website that is always looking for the latest false, misleading, deceptive or inaccurate stories, videos or images going viral on the internet.
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