Does a new Epstein files release show Donald Trump visited Epstein Island 345 times? No, that's not true: The Department of Justice's Epstein Library -- the only publicly searchable database of Epstein files, last updated on Sept. 11, 2026 -- contains no record of Trump visiting Epstein Island hundreds of times. Lead Stories also found no credible news coverage of…
Did Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville say "many airline pilots, flight attendants and air traffic controllers are part of the furry community"? Yes, that's true: The Alabama senator made the remarks about pilots, flight attendants and air traffic controllers being part of the 'furry community' during a speech on the U.S. Senate floor on Sept. 22, 2026. Video on the C-SPAN2…
Does a real map show that as far back as 1688 "Lac America" was the established name of the body of water between the U.S. and Canada? No, that's not true: The name of the lake in the 1688 map drawn by Pierre Raffeix has been altered with AI tools. The words in the original map title and lake label…
Does a real story report that Donald Trump folded his arms after a question about China election meddling? No, that's not true: The claim originated on a social media account known for posting satirical content. The account's profile page carries the disclaimer, "Halfway true comedy and satire for your doomscrolling." The claim appeared in a post (archived here) by The…
Does a video falsely attributed to the Washington Post show Billie Eilish received $120 million from the Democratic Party? No, that's not true: The video uses clips from Eilish's real December 2024 Vanity Fair interview and adds completely fabricated captions. The Washington Post never reported that Eilish received such an amount from the Democratic Party. The claim appeared in a…
Does a video falsely attributed to the New York Times really show Taylor Swift agreeing to support Democrats and gender reassignment surgeries for children in exchange for $500 million? No, that's not true: The video uses clips from Swift's real April 2026 New York Times interview and adds completely fabricated captions. The New York Times never reported that Swift agreed…
Did Danish officials or Danish media play "Send in the Clowns" before President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio's Greenland press conference at the United Nations? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Danish officials or media selected the music played before the press event on Sept. 22, 2026. Both Denmark's press office at the Ministry…
Did the Department of Justice delete President Donald Trump's pardons from its website? No, that's not true: The list of pardons and commutations on the "Clemency Grants" page of the Office of the Pardon Attorney on the Justice Department website was missing for hours, if not more than a day. The list was not on the site starting sometime between…
Does a photo show a person falling from the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001? No, that's not true: This real photo dates from a May 9, 2013, fire in the nine-story Lahore Development Authority (LDA) building in Pakistan. Local media reported 25 people were killed in the fire, five of them jumping or falling from the building. The…
Did ABC, CNN and CBS each report about specific political criticisms against Democrats from Fred Durst, Krist Novoselic and Damon Albarn before the U.S. midterm elections? No, that's not true: A collection of similarly-styled videos deceptively display logos of national media outlets while presenting false claims about things famous people have said. Searches of the outlets' own websites and Google…
Have you seen viral videos showing runaway medical robots? Lead Stories has spotted a number of such videos recently and found that many of them were created using artificial intelligence. They do not show real people or situations but are part of a viral trend showing technology out of control. This article is part of a series of stories examining…
Have you seen viral videos showing automatic haircut machines? Lead Stories has spotted a number of such videos recently and found that many were created using artificial intelligence. These videos do not show real people or situations. Instead, they exploit the novelty of such machines to drive engagement on social media. This article is part of a series of stories…
Did Fred Savage, the well-known actor from The Wonder Years, die at the age of 50? No, that's not true: The viral social media post cited Fox News as a source but no such report exists by Fox News. There is no evidence that Savage had died as of the time of publication. The claim appeared in a post (archived…
Have two real photos been paired to compare the appearance of Melania Trump and Caitlyn Jenner? No, that's not true: The image representing Caitlyn Jenner in the viral composite image is fake, containing an invisible watermark indicating it was made with OpenAI tools. The photo of Melania Trump is real, taken on Jan. 21, 2025, at the National Cathedral. The…
Was a viral video of people dressed in various costumes recorded at protests against the Alternative for Germany political party on Sept. 12, 2026? No, that's not true: The clip predated those rallies. It was recorded at a Pride event, as the caption of the first video uploaded said. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X by…
Does a video show human meat for sale in a Paris butcher shop where arrests have been reportedly made? No, that's not true: There are no news reports matching the story of a butcher arrested for selling human meat in Paris. The video of a grocery meat case, originally published on Instagram on Jan. 6, 2026, was labeled "this beef…
Is a video of Vice President JD Vance asking for "another chance" and saying "things are bad" real? No, that's not true: The video was made with artificial intelligence, though Vance did ask for "another chance" at a summit. No credible sources have posted about this video. The claim appeared in a post made by @keithedwards on X (archived here)…
Does a real video show Donald Trump making kissy faces and sounds in front of former White House press secretary and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders? No, that's not true: The claim appeared on an X account known for satirical content, and it acknowledged in a reply post that the video is a parody. Lead Stories found no credible news…
Do real photos show English singer-songwriter Sam Smith in 2016 and 2025? No, that's not true: An AI detection tool determined both images were 99.9% likely to be AI-generated. The images show Smith with noticeably different appearances, but neither depicts the singer as they actually looked in those years. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) by the @Misifu72…
Have you seen viral videos showing an alarming weather alert for one state? Lead Stories has spotted a number of such posts recently and has found that many of them were created using artificial intelligence. The colorful maps and emergency information are eye-catching and designed to target an audience in a specific state but they do not show real weather…
