Fact Check

Is there a real CVE record "CVE-2026-42069" about a critical issue and an exploit called "HTML2Shell" that documents remote code execution in HyperText Markup Language (HTML)? No, that's not true: A viral joke image re-uses the CVE-2026-42069 record number of a real CVE advisory about the open-source publishing software Kirby. The image contained a clear reference to an in-joke among…

Does a video prove that Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf did not shake hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting in Lviv in April 2026? No, that's not true: The video cuts off before the two leaders actually shake hands. Video and photos published afterward show the king and Zelenskyy shaking hands immediately after the moment in the…

Does a real video show a man who helped a polar bear cub that could not walk until it could be released a year later? No, that's not true: This video was originally posted with a creator-added AI disclaimer label by an Instagram account that focuses on AI-generated videos. The same account published another video with a similar storyline the…

Does a video show a Tesla Roadster jumping off and back onto the Golden Gate Bridge? No, that's not true: An online tool concluded that the video was more than 99% likely to be AI-generated and that the audio was also AI-generated. There is no evidence of matching media reports about such a stunt on a major thoroughfare, which would…

Did the Toronto Sun publish an article reporting that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy purchased a nuclear bunker in Canada in September 2026? No, that's not true: When contacted by Lead Stories, the outlet's deputy editor denied the claim. The article appeared on toronto-sun.ca, an impostor site registered eight days before the claim spread. The claim originated from an article (archived…

Is White House principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly officially President Donald Trump's next press secretary as of Oct. 23, 2026? No, that's not true: The White House has not announced who will replace Katie Zacharia, who held the job for five days before being fired on Oct. 16, 2026. The White House told Lead Stories that President Trump and…

Have you seen viral videos showing houses being lifted up on hydraulic stilts to avoid floodwater? Lead Stories has spotted a number of such videos and found that many of them were created using artificial intelligence. While there are some real projects showing hydraulic lifts that raise a house in floods, the topic has been hijacked by AI content creators…

Are the ballots of early voters in Florida, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and other states being switched after they vote? Here's what we know so far: Some social media posts leading up to the November 2026 midterm elections included claims that votes were being switched in states across the country. States reached by Lead Stories said there were no…

Do real leaked images show satanic rituals taking place on Epstein Island with Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Gates, the Clintons, and Stephen Hawking? No, that's not true: Google's SynthID detection tool found a watermark indicating each of the four images in a 12-second video was made or edited with Google AI. Hive Moderation's AI detection tool rated one image 99.6% likely…

Does a video show touchscreen voting machines selecting the wrong candidates for the Nov. 3, 2026, midterm elections? No, that's not true: The video combines two clips from earlier elections, one from 2019 and the other from 2014. Neither shows a voting machine malfunctioning during the 2026 elections. The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) by the…

Does a viral picture show a real Charlie Hebdo cover featuring protesters chanting 'free Palestine' alongside 'free iPhone' and 'free Balenciaga'? No, that's not true: The magazine's website did not show such a cover published in October 2026. Three online AI detection tools determined the image was AI-generated, not drawn by a cartoonist. Charlie Hebdo confirmed to Lead Stories that…

Does a video prove President Donald Trump waved to nobody outside the White House before boarding Marine One for Kansas on Oct. 19, 2026? No, that's not true: The clip is missing important context. In longer versions of the video and in versions shot from different angles, the people the president is waving at can be seen. The claim appeared…

Do viral images and videos of a person dressed as the cartoon character Pink Panther actually show October 2026 protests in France? No, that's not true: Results from three online tools showed that this content was produced by AI. Manual reverse image searches revealed that, in several instances, AI was used to modify old, unrelated photos that predated the French…

Does a video show street vendors in Paris selling merchandise that came from looted Paris shops? No, that's not true: The video shows street vendors in Madrid, Spain, and was published on X on Oct. 11, 2026, with a caption critical of the Madrid vendors. This timing predates the Oct. 17, 2026, violent escalation of the Paris demonstrations, which began…

Does a real video show a man claiming to be a former student of Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico? No, that's not true: Zyon Lewis, the man supposedly depicted in the video, told Lead Stories in a phone interview that it was not him. An online tool also concluded that the videos were more than 99% likely to be AI-generated…

Is a video that shows a Tesla Roadster flying off the roof of a building in the middle of a city real? No, that's not true: An online tool determined the video was AI-generated. The footage does not match the video released of the Tesla Roadster flying car at SpaceX's McGregor, Texas test site. The video appeared in a post…

Does a viral composite image show a woman holding a 'Refugees welcome here' sign in front of a looted store during the October 2026 Paris protests? No, that's not true: The side of the composite image that allegedly show the woman with an English sign was altered using AI. The original photo predated the fall 2026 mass rallies in France…

Does a real video show people grabbing floating iPhones from the sea after a missile attack sank a ship near the Strait of Hormuz? No, that's not true: There is no evidence for rumors that the ships that were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz in mid-October 2026 were actually carrying iPhones. An online tool determined that the video was…

Does a viral video show the Palestinian flag hanging from the Tower of Pisa in Italy during October 2026 protests? No, that's not true: The footage predated 2026 rallies and looting incidents by almost three years. The video started circulating on social media in mid-November 2023. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X by @theseed59788459 on Oct.…

Does a real photo show Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in front of a whiteboard plan involving "SPAIN"? No, that's not true: An online tool concluded that the image was generated using OpenAI tools. Lead Stories found no matching reports from established news outlets and no evidence that such a real photo was publicly available. The claim appeared in a…