Fact Check

Does a brief vote spike followed by a sudden drop of 90,000 votes reported by the Associated Press in Nevada's House District 2 on Nov. 4, 2026, indicate election fraud? No, that's not true: An AP spokesperson told Lead Stories it was a glitch caused by a "vote-entry error" that was "quickly identified and corrected." The person who recorded the…

Did President Donald Trump "dump" his Nvidia stock a few weeks before the Jensen Huang Chinese spy story dropped? Yes, but that is missing context: According to his financial disclosure, Trump sold between $500,001 and $1 million in Nvidia stock on Aug. 21, about 10 weeks before the New York Times first reported on the alleged Chinese spy on Oct.…

Does a real video show a crowd in Gosport, England, chanting "Deport" during an anti-immigration protest? No, that's not true: While there were real anti-immigration protests in Gosport, the video is labeled as AI-generated in its own caption and shows signs typical of AI-generated video. A Google image search of a still from the video did not return any matching…

Did the Washington Examiner publish a report alleging that American consulting firm McKinsey supports one of the French 2027 presidential candidates, Édouard Philippe? No, that's not true: Both the article and the video with the outlet's logo, which were shared on social media, came from a fake website unrelated to the Washington Examiner. The website's domain was registered less than…

Did Texas just open a major investigation into 30,000 cases of voter fraud following the 2026 midterm elections? No, that's not true: There is no announcement from the Texas Secretary of State to support this claim. Searches of Google News and Yahoo News did not find any reports from established news outlets about a recent Texas voter fraud investigation of…

Does a viral video prove that $28 million was seized from cars belonging to the Ukrainian president and the first lady during an anti-corruption investigation? No, that's not true: The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office that participated in the investigation and whose logo appeared in the video told Lead Stories that the clip was not published on its official accounts on…

Does a real video show snakes raining from the sky? No, that's not true: According to Sightengine, a platform that detects AI-generated content, the signals found in the video indicate that it is 99% likely to be AI-generated at some moments while other moments register as low as 1%, indicating the content is not likely to be AI-generated. A second…

Is a photo that shows Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, Emmanuel Macron and other world leaders with tape on their phones real? No, that's not true: Three online tools determined the collage of the six world leaders was AI-generated. A visual clue shows the phones all have the same unrealistically simple duct tape across the camera lens. The claim appeared in…

Does a viral video actually show Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez putting her bare feet on a desk? No, that's not true: The video was digitally altered. The clip originally featured an adult-content creator, not the politician, and Lead Stories confirmed it predated the altered version that spread online. The claim appeared in a viral post (archived here and here) with over…

Did former Venezuelan intelligence chief Hugo Carvajal reveal a list of 60 or more U.S. senators who took cartel bribes to sabotage President Trump's anti-narco operations? No, that's not true: There is no evidence of such a list from Carvajal. A Dec. 2, 2025, letter to President Donald Trump from Carvajal, obtained from his lawyer by the Dallas Express, mentions…

Did Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang once say, "Intelligent people never waste their time focusing on women; they focus on their goals, ambitions, and future"? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Huang ever said it. Lead Stories found no reports from established news outlets of him making the comment, either before or during the scandal over his admitted…

Does a video of a scarred veteran saluting during a Veterans Day parade in the U.S. actually show a real-life person attending a real-life event? No, that's not true: Five online AI detection tools determined that the clip was very likely to contain AI. Lead Stories' manual analysis found disappearing drumsticks and military awards merging into the fabric of the…

Do several states, including Colorado, Maryland, Virginia and New Jersey, have total voter registration rates larger than the eligible voter population? No, that's not true: Social media posts saying that used numbers based on estimates derived from five-year survey samples but these numbers are not a direct 100% headcount of every person, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and they…

Did Texas Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa apologize to Elon Musk in an "open letter"? No, that's not true: Three online tools and Lead Stories' manual analysis strongly suggested that the viral image was made by AI. The alleged open letter also contained a spelling mistake in the word "governor," and Lead Stories found no reports from established news outlets of such…

Did Elon Musk call Texas Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa "a puppet of Barack Obama and Kamala Harris"? No, that's not true: The quote attributed to the tech billionaire on social media was made up. Lead Stories found no traces of it on open sources, including Musk's own account on X and news reports published by established media organizations. The claim appeared…

Did Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows get caught committing election fraud after a box of 250 ballots was found in her office in 2026? No, that's not true: The controversy over a missing box of 250 ballots in Maine took place in 2025 for the election that year. The box was found in Maryland, not in the secretary of…

Did President Donald Trump make a post calling Vice President JD Vance "Judas Disloyal Vance" following the 2026 midterm elections? No, that's not true: The president did not make such a post on his official Truth Social account, and a search of an archive of his posts found no such entry. Lead Stories found no reports from established news outlets…

Did comedian Dave Chappelle refuse to shake hands with Sen.-elect James Talarico at the end of an episode of Saturday Night Live that aired on Nov. 7, 2026? No, that's not true: Chappelle gave Talarico a hug during the closing credits. There were no reports from established news outlets of any kind of snub by Chappelle of Talarico during the…

Do viral images and videos authentically document U.K. Defense Secretary Wes Streeting wearing a skirt and heels while holding a women's handbag? Those visual materials were digitally manipulated to alter his outfit. In the images published by established media organizations, Streeting was seen wearing a suit and men's shoes. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) on…

Did JD Vance post a message on his X account saying he is looking for legal options to avoid being the one who swears Abdul El-Sayed into office? No, that's not true: The vice president did not post the message on his X account, and a search of his account for the quote returned no matching posts. Lead Stories found…