Fact Check

Is the conspiracy theory that hurricanes are planned or controlled supported by Amazon's Alexa supposedly revealing the death toll and damage amount from Hurricane Milton days before the storm even made landfall? No, that's not true: An Amazon spokesperson told Lead Stories "These answers are clearly incorrect and we are working to resolve this issue". Shortly afterwards Alexa started responding,…

Have authorities in various towns and counties in the U.S. found a lost "little boy," approximately 2 years old, whose place of residence is unknown, as a post on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: This post, and others like it, are part of a known deception to trick people into sharing content. In this scam, a shared claim will…

Does a photo in an online article prove that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy bought Hitler's Mercedes during his 2024 trip to the United States? No, that's not true: The article's image of the vehicle, supposedly in front of the Ukrainian presidential administration building, was digitally manipulated. The picture of this antique car has been online since 2018 and was first…

Is a dramatic photo of a tearful young girl in a boat clutching a puppy after Hurricane Helene real? No, that's not true: The AI detector TrueMedia found "substantial evidence" that the image was created using an AI image generator. There is also no evidence the photo appeared in any news coverage about the rescue efforts after the storm nor…

Does an audio recording show that a FEMA official said "We plan to execute between 70 and 80 ... We plan to evacuate between 70 and 80,000 people"? No, that's not true: This quote was said by Lloyd Austin, then the U.S. Secretary of Defense, when he misspoke in a 2021 congressional hearing about the Afghanistan withdrawal. Austin used the…

Did singer Kid Rock bring millions of dollars in supplies to North Carolina for disaster recovery shortly after Hurricane Helene? No, that's not true: The website that reported on this has a satire disclaimer and is known for publishing made-up stories. The website's About Us page says, "Everything on this website is fiction." The claim appeared in a post (archived…

Has a hurricane never before formed in the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Milton's original location, then tracked eastward to Florida? No, that's not true: At least 10 recorded hurricanes including Milton have formed in the Gulf and moved eastward since the 19th century, according to the government's hurricane tracking records. Lead Stories found records of hurricanes following that pattern as…

Were 200 or as many as 2,000 people found stranded after Hurricane Helene in a church in Candler, North Carolina, after six days without food? No, that's not true: The communications and public engagement director for that county told Lead Stories, "This is unequivocally untrue." Churches in the area are acting as distribution points for emergency supplies. The meme that…

Did FEMA aircraft block a runway at the Greenville, South Carolina, airport on October 5, 2024, preventing civilian disaster aid from reaching Hurricane Helene victims and "stopping help"? No, that's not true: While an airport representative said a FEMA contractor did stage their operations on a secondary, "infrequently used" runway there, civilian assistance flights continued on the main runway. "FEMA…

Was the Army's 82nd Airborne Division not deployed to help Hurricane Helene victims as of October 3, 2024, as a post on Instagram Threads claimed? No, that's not true: President Joe Biden announced the immediate deployment of 1,000 active-duty troops on October 2, 2024, which included troops from the 82nd Airborne Division. It also included other units from Fort Liberty,…

Does a policy of the Federal Emergency Management Agency direct it to help "white people last" in 2024? No, that's not true: The document mentioning FEMA's "equity" goal cited on social media as proof says nothing about that. The agency has denied such accusations multiple times. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Threads on October 4, 2024.…

Did the Kamala Harris campaign release a video ad depicting a boy in makeup, necklace and dress trashing his home as part of the campaign's efforts to push abortion rights? No, that's not true: The video was produced three years ago for a U.K. home-insurance company's marketing campaign and has nothing to do with Kamala Harris or abortion. The company…

Does a photo on social media show an attack on a U.S. military base in Baghdad? No, that's not true: The scene in the picture is of a fire in 2011 at a facility in New Jersey. There is no evidence that an explosion occurred at a U.S. military base in Baghdad in September 2024. The claim appeared in a…

Is the $750 in initial federal aid to Hurricane Helene victims a loan that must be paid back or people's property could be seized? No, that's not true: The $750, which comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Serious Needs Assistance program, is a grant, not a loan, and does not need to be repaid. Additionally, the agency's website states…

Does a viral video show a driver actually getting a flat tire after deliberately running over a Trump 2024 yard sign? No, that's not true: This video is a comedy sketch by someone who labels themselves a video creator on their YouTube channel. The "About" section of their channel also mentions how many TV shows their videos have appeared on.…

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…