Politics

Does a video show President-elect Donald Trump supporting Georgia state Sen. Colton Moore after his arrest on January 16, 2025? No, that's not true: The video where Trump praises Moore was originally posted on Trump's official Facebook account in late August 2023, predating Moore's arrest by nearly six months. It has nothing to do with Moore's arrest in January 2025.…

Is there evidence that California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered firefighters not to use Starlink modems while battling wildfires in the Los Angeles area in January 2025? No, that's not true: Newsom denied it in a post on X. Any firefighter who needs a Starlink device can get one through the Los Angeles City Fire Department Foundation, a Palisades Fire spokesperson…

Does a clip showing open computer files prove President Joe Biden's farewell address was prerecorded? No, that's not true: The recording only showed Biden's photo, not the purportedly prerecorded video file with his speech. Plus, a White House pool photographer took a photo capturing the final moments of the speech and posted it as the president was still speaking. The…

Does a video show helicopters taking Mexican firefighters to help in Los Angeles wildfire relief efforts in January 2025, as a social media post implied? No, that's not true: Spokespeople for the Los Angeles Fire Department and the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection both denied that Mexico sent air resources to combat the wildfires there. Forestry & Fire…

Did President Joe Biden err in saying "end of quote" during his farewell address on January 15, 2025, as some social media posts suggested? No, that's not true: Speakers often say "end of quote" to show they've finished quoting someone else. Biden has used this phrase in his speeches before to clarify things. Public speaking experts told Lead Stories that…

Does a video show the "son of a famous Ukrainian prosecutor" who "was spotted in Monaco enjoying his car" during the Russian-Ukrainian war in January 2025? No, that's not true: Lead Stories analysis showed that neither the date, place or identity of the person matched the clip's description. The video was recorded in Florida in 2023 and showed a Ukrainian…

Does a list show the names of U.K. members of Parliament who voted against deporting "foreign rapists"? No, that's not true: The names on the list do belong to MPs, but it's not a voting list about legislation to deport rapists. Instead, they are cross-party signatories to a 2020 letter raising concerns about Home Office plans to deport 50 people…

Did Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser under President Joe Biden, say that an "unexpected event" that could keep the president in power is "totally possible"? No, that's not true: Those quotes appeared in a social media post that misrepresents what was actually said. Sullivan said he would only make another press briefing appearance before leaving the position at the…

Did the Welsh Refugee Council create a video involving schoolgirls to "entice migrant men to come to Wales"? No, that's not true: The group said, "We did not create or commission the video currently being circulated." The Welsh government explained that the video was made by a group of students to show their school as a welcoming place. The claim…

Did President-elect Donald Trump post a map of Finland on Truth Social? No, that's not true: A manual review of his account did not show such an entry as of this writing, January 14, 2025. The map in question did not correctly reflect current Finnish borders nor those in the year seen in the image. The claim appeared in a…

Did unauthorized drones fly over the White House on January 13, 2025? No, that's not true: The Civil Air Patrol, which was running drone exercises in the Washington area from January 13 to 15, 2025, told Lead Stories, "There were no unauthorized drone flights over the White House at any time on Jan. 13." The purpose of the drone exercises…

Is it unusual that U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was not invited to President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration? No, that's missing context: A social media post's assertion that usually the British prime minister "would be the first name on the list" is untrue. Traditionally, foreign leaders were not invited to U.S. presidential inaugurations, a presidential historian told Lead Stories. The claim…

Did the Ukrainian government state that "eight mansions owned by Ukrainian military officials" were "burned down in wildfires in Los Angeles" in January 2025? No, that's not true: A video that made this assertion contained the logo of United24, the official fundraising platform of the Ukrainian government. A United24 spokesperson and Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation said this video is…

Does an authentic image show Sen. Bernie Sanders wearing a T-shirt that reads, "Deport Elon Musk"? No, that's not true: This is not a genuine photograph. The picture bears a small "Grok" watermark in the lower right-hand corner, a label indicating that it was created using an AI program. Additionally, the tools at TrueMedia.org determined that the image was 96…

Did California delay firetrucks sent by Oregon due to concerns over emissions standards? No, that's not true. A spokesperson for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection told Lead Stories, "No emissions or SMOG testing was performed." The Oregon State Fire Marshal said all 15 strike teams arrived in Southern California on January 9, 2025. The claim appeared in…

Did Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and the city council cut the fire department's budget before the January 2025 wildfires? No, that's not true: While the initial 2024-25 budget for the Los Angeles Fire Department reduced spending by about 2 percent, later decisions -- like approving a new labor contract and buying equipment -- actually increased the budget by 7…

Is a photo that shows Melania Trump holding the President Jimmy Carter funeral program upside down authentic? No, that's not true: The image of President-elect Donald Trump's wife at the January 2025 funeral for Carter holding a program upside down is altered. Footage from the funeral by NBC, publicly available on the internet, shows that Melania Trump is holding the…

Did the Biden administration order Los Angeles airspace to be closed "to firefighting aircraft for over a day during his visit" in January 2025? No, that's not true: There was a temporary flight restriction during Biden's visit to the city on January 8, 2025, which is typical for any visiting president to any location. The Federal Aviation Administration told Lead…

Do filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission prove the United States "owns" Canada? No, that's not true: The filings are standard procedure when a foreign country wants to sell securities in the United States. The Form 18-K is specifically "for Foreign Governments and Political Subdivisions." The United States has filed similar paperwork in the United Kingdom. The claim originated…

Does an authentic video show U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer describing complaints of predatory sexual behavior against Jimmy Savile as "frivolous"? No, that's not true: According to multiple AI video and audio detection tools, the video was fake and created with artificial intelligence. Starmer, who served as the director of public prosecutions for England and Wales from 2008 to 2013,…