Does the viral image of crowds actually show the anti-immigration rally in London on May 16, 2026? No, that's not true: The picture had been online since at least February of 2026. AI detection tools identified the image as edited or generated using AI. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) published on X on May 16,…

Did Donald Trump post a fake photo of himself walking with an alien? Yes, that's true: The president shared the photo of him walking next to an alien on his Truth Social account on May 17, 2026. An online detection tool rated the photo of the president with the alien as AI-generated. The claim appeared in a May 17, 2026,…

Does a photo of Trump speaking at a microphone show how he looked on May 8, 2026? No, that's not true: This image has been digitally edited. The real photo, taken by a staff photojournalist for The Associated Press, shows Trump speaking at a White House Rose Garden event. The digital edit to the photo has removed most of the…

Was a viral video of a flying egg-shaped object part of the Pentagon UFO files release? No, that's not true: Lead Stories reviewed the first -- and the only available, as of this writing -- batch of the released materials and did not find the video in question there. It also did not match the visual style of other released…

Does a real video show a female military captain named Elena Carter not saluting President Donald Trump? No, that's not true: The video was posted on an account that contains self-described AI videos. Details in the video also point to it being AI-generated. The claim appeared in a post made on Threads on May 14, 2026 (archived here). It included…

Does a video show a real encounter with a strange woman in the woods who asked hikers, "Did you see my other two guys?" No, that's not true: This video is a small clip from a long-format skit published by a paranormal YouTube channel in September 2023. The channel features mysterious adventures guided by an exploring app called Randonautica. Many…

Does a video show a real attacker threatening Michael Jackson with a rifle on stage? No, that's not true: The footage shows a staged theatrical moment from Jackson's 1996-1997 HIStory World Tour. The scene took place during "Earth Song," which explored themes of environmental destruction and human conflict. The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) by the…

Did Starbucks place signs in its U.K., U.S. and Ireland coffee shops saying that the company bans pets to become halal-certified? No, that's not true: The sign in the images shared as supposed proof was located in Singapore. However, a Starbucks spokesperson told Lead Stories the sign was posted erroneously and has since been removed. The claim appeared in a…

Does a real photo show President Donald Trump and tech CEOs Elon Musk and Jensen Huang raising their fists in front of a Chinese flag? No, that's not true: The image shows common signs of AI generation. There are no credible news reports that the three men pledged allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party, nor any documentation of the fist-raising…

Does a real image show how Gaza looks in 2026 compared to how it looked in 2023? No, that's not true: The "before image" really shows the Al Rasheed coastal road in 2022 or 2023 but the "after image" purporting to show 2026 is fake. The modern architecture of the Sheikh Ajlin Mosque's upright minaret tower serves as a landmark…