Politics

Did Israel's Chief Rabbi, David Yosef, write a condolence letter to the family of Charlie Kirk on September 2, 2025 -- more than a week before Kirk was killed? No, that's not true: The letter was written on Sept. 12, 2025, but it was shared publicly online with a typing error -- it was dated September 2, 2025. In an…

Did a graphic including a short-haired person, labeled "Your body during pregnancy" appear in an official King's College Hospital NHS poster in the UK, as social media posts claim? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for the King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust told Lead Stories the poster was not produced by the trust nor displayed at its hospitals. The…

Is there an authentic photo showing the White House lawn partially covered by a large banner that features the images of President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein? No, that's not true: The banner is real and was displayed on the Long Walk at Windsor Castle on September 15, 2025, but not on the White House lawn in Washington, D.C. A…

Did Metallica's frontman James Hetfield publicly suggest that the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk was the result of "a dark plan"? No, that's not true: No credible media outlets reported that. The musician didn't write that on social media, either, because he is not on such platforms. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook, where it…

Does this photo, found in several viral social media posts, show the man that Mississippi police found hanging from a tree on September 15, 2025? No, that's not true: Police said the dead man found near the Ameristar Vicksburg Casino was Cory Zukatis. But, the Warren County Coroner said this photo is not Zukatis. The photo appeared in a September…

Was Steven Kenneth Bonnell II, also known as streamer Destiny, permanently removed from Twitch in the aftermath of his September 2025 comments on Charlie Kirk's assassination? No, that's not true: The real, indefinite ban still affecting streamer Destiny was already in effect before the killing of the conservative activist. It has been in effect since March 24, 2022. The claim…

Did Mookie Betts or other athletes say "If you want people to speak kindly about you after you're gone, then you should speak kindly while you're alive." in relation to the shooting of Charlie Kirk? No, that's not true: The fake quote, also attributed online to Bryce Harper, Mike Norvell, Jalen Hurts, Brock Purdy, Julian Sayin, Aaron Judge, Dwayne "The…

Is that a real photo of Sydney Sweeney in a Turning Point USA shirt? No, that's not true: The t-shirt photo that appeared on social media in September of 2025 is a manipulated copy of a paparazzo's photo taken three months earlier. Enough elements of the photo match to prove it's a fake: from the paparazzi in the background to…

Did a variety of musicians, athletes, and coaches issue a lifetime ban against a man who was filmed "celebrating" in the immediate aftermath of Charlie Kirk's shooting? No, that's not true on two counts: First, the articles about the lifetime bans are not true. They are copy/paste clickbait slop -- a formula to intermingle names of celebrities with Charlie Kirk's…

Is a video showing Charlie Kirk's wife Erika Kirk saying "I will never marry anyone else" after his death authentic? No, that's not true: The video is likely AI generated. Erika Kirk has spoken publicly once since her husband was shot and killed on September 10, 2025. In that appearance, she did not say she would never marry anyone else,…

Did U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz paint over graffiti which said, "Release the Epstein Files"? No, that's not true: The image has been edited. The original image was shared on social media by Cruz and showed him painting over graffiti that said "F--- Charlie Kirk". The altered image appeared in a post (archived here) published on X by @acnewsitics on Sept.…

Does a video posted on TikTok show two clips of Charlie Kirk's shooter on the roof of a Utah Valley University building when the fatal shot was fired? No, that's not true: The post uses two different video clips and the first one does not show the shooter. It shows a building over Kirk's right shoulder, an impossible angle for…

Did the late Charlie Kirk say "Black women do not have the brain processing power to be taken seriously" as social media posts claim? No, that's not a precise quote: Attacking affirmative action, Kirk slammed by name four prominent liberal Black women . On his podcast, he specifically criticized Rep. Shirley Jackson Lee, D-Texas, TV host Joy Reid, Supreme Court…

Does a video from social media prove that the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk was carried out with a palm gun? No, that's not true: The video doesn't show what posts claim it does. According to the authorities, the gun found near the crime scene was a bolt-action rifle, not a handgun. The claim appeared in a post (archived…

Did Tyler Robinson, the man arrested for shooting Charlie Kirk in Utah, donate money to the Trump campaign in 2020? No, that's not true: Lead Stories spoke with the Tyler Robinson who owned the property that was listed as the address on the federal records for the donation to the Trump campaign. That Tyler Robinson confirmed he is 35 years…

Did Ed Sheeran release a song called "Rest in Peace, Charlie Kirk", possibly together with Adele? No, that's not true: The viral YouTube video was synthetically generated according to the description below it. A specialized detection tool confirmed the song was made with artificial intelligence. Several AI generated variations of the song that are in circulation aren't real either. The…

Is this a real video of Presiden Trump saying the far right doesn't exist and that "the left" is "poking a sleeping bear with sticks" in remarks on Charlie Kirk's death? No, that's not true: The viral clip contained AI generated sound that doesn't match the original footage published by the White House and was published by an account the…

Is this a real video of President Trump calling people who say both sides are bad "spineless cowards" and threatening them with "Alligator Alcatraz"? No, that's not true: The audio portion of the clip was generated using AI tools according to specialized detection software. The video was published by an account that says it publishes satire and it has an…

Does an image on social media platforms really show the bullet casing inscribed with 'Notices bulges OWO' found after the fatal shooting of activist Charlie Kirk in Utah? No, that's not true: The picture in question did not come from investigators, authorities or credible media organizations. Three online detectors determined that the image was likely created by AI and the…

Is a video in which JD Vance explains why tilting Charlie Kirk's coffin thirty degrees was done to protect his corpse from further damage real? No, that's not true: According to a specialized detection tool the audio in the clip was generated using AI. The part of the clip that shows Vance speaking came from an old CNN interview in…