Is an image of President Donald Trump appearing to have wetted himself after meeting with Irish President Catherine Connolly a real photo? No, that's not true: It's from an AI-generated meme. No officially released images showed such a scene. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on Threads by the @joekillory account on Sept. 13, 2026. It read:…
Did the 'foreign press' report that the Irish president insisted on being seated away from Donald Trump because he was emanating a disgusting 'fecal' like odor? No, that's not true: There are no credible reports that Catherine Connolly refused to sit near Trump during his visit to Ireland over a 'fecal' odor. His visit was covered by U.S. news outlets…
Does a real photo accurately portray Natalie Harp smiling? No, that's not true: A real image has been altered with AI tools to elongate Harp's teeth and expose her gums. A visual comparison between the altered image and the original, as well as readings from AI-generated content detection tools, all demonstrate the image is fake. The claim appeared in a…
Did a real photo from July 14, 1985, recently surface that shows Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein together on a yacht wearing swim briefs? No, that's not true: At least two images surfaced online on Sept. 11, 2026, one with an AI label. Content detection tools from Hive Moderation and OpenAI both determined the images were made with AI. The…
Is the viral selfie featuring Russia's Vladimir Putin surrounded by BRICS leaders an actual photo documenting the group's summit in September 2026? No, that's not true: Three online detectors ruled that it was made by AI. Lead Stories did not find any examples of credible media organizations using the image to cover the summit. The claim appeared in a post…
Does a viral image authentically document President Donald Trump's efforts to clear the rubble at the 9/11 site? No, that's not true: Three online tools said it was generated by AI. In particular, one tool detected an invisible watermark identifying the image's AI origin. The claim appeared in an article (archived here) on patriots.win, published on Sept. 11, 2026. It…
Does a grainy green night vision photo show Osama bin Laden after he was shot and killed by U.S. Navy SEALs? No, that's not true: This image was made by adding bin Laden's face to a still image taken from the movie "Black Hawk Down." This fake image began circulating online shortly after his death was reported. The image appeared…
Did North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un call for Benjamin Netanyahu to be arrested in September 2026? No, that's not true: There are no credible news reports that Kim made an announcement calling for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to be arrested. The person who posted this video does not cite a source for his claim that Kim is demanding Netanyahu's…
Does a viral image authentically show the folding iPhone Duo released in September 2026 after three months of use? No, that's not true: Two online AI detectors found evidence of generative AI. Earlier versions of the image shared on social media did not document such pronounced damage from folding. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X…
A quarter of a century after four hijacked airliners crashed into New York's Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and a Pennsylvania field false claims about the September 11, 2001, terror attacks still draw interest. Here is a list of the top 9/11 conspiracy theories fact checked by Lead Stories ranked by how many readers searched for information about them. 1. 1967…
Did a real Grindr outage take place in Dallas during the 2026 Republican National Convention, which began on Sept. 9, 2026? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for Grindr told Lead Stories it had no outages connected to the convention, and its status page did not show any either. The Downdetector website did show an increase in outage reports nationally…
Is Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly dropping his bid for re-election after learning he's lost 40 points in the polls among veterans? No, that's not true: The story is entirely made up. It originated from a network of self-described satire websites that place multiple disclaimers on their content saying that nothing they publish is real. The claim appeared in a post…
Do real photos show a bear carrying an injured fox and an injured raccoon to the door of a wildlife center where it had once received care? No, that's not true: The images, designed to look like security camera footage, are AI-generated. The narrative paired with the fake images lacks verifiable details and originated from a Facebook page called StoryTime,…
Does a viral composite image show the real list of candidates running for office from the Reform UK party? No, that's not true: While some of the people on the list are real Reform UK affiliates, a closer manual examination showed that the collage displayed multiple inconsistencies strongly pointing to AI, including the alleged candidates who either shared the same…
Do real photos show former NFL star Clay Matthews with prominent muscles and a pronounced jawline? No, that's not true: The images are part of an ad campaign for Caesars Sportsbook, a gambling app. A video on the company's X account shows Matthews going through the transformation, including makeup and prosthetics, to turn him into the cartoonish character seen in…
Did a microphone cast an uncanny shadow across the upper lip of Alice Weidel, the leader of Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party? No, that's not true: The image circulating on social media has been altered. The original photo from 2016 shows the microphone, but no shadow on Weidel's face. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) by…
Did President Donald Trump post "No more free Niagara Falls for Canada" on his social media accounts? No, that's not true: A review of Trump's Truth Social account found no record of such a post. The claim appears to have originated with a fabricated screenshot that shows Trump supposedly threatening to cut off the flow of Niagara Falls to Canada…
Did New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani post on X in September 2025 that he, Mamdani, had an interview with conservative activist Charlie Kirk shortly before his assassination? No, that's not true: At the time, Mamdani hadn't taken office yet and, thus, he didn't have access to the official account of the New York City Mayor on X whose images…
Does Nike have an ad campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney with the slogan, "Buy the stock. Just do it."? No, that's not true: The fake ad circulating on social media features an AI-generated likeness of Sydney Sweeney. The meme surfaced after the finance news broke that Nike would no longer be included in the S&P 100 index after Sept. 21, 2026…
Is the image that President Donald Trump shared of a United States Space Force Service Dress Uniform Next Generation the official uniform for the military branch? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that the image shows the new official uniform for the Space Force. New ceremonial dress uniforms were introduced by the Space Force in Aug. 2026 but…
