Politics

Did Marjorie Taylor Green really put up a poster with the alleged Trump birthday letter or card to Jeffrey Epstein along with signature comparisons as seen in a viral video? No, that's not true: The clip originally appeared on an Instagram account that says it publishes satire. The video itself was tagged with a disclaimer that said it was "digitally…

Did the UK government begin enforcing a daily bank withdrawal limit of £3,000 on individual accounts on September 1, 2025? No, that's not true: No such policy has been announced by either of the UK's banking and banker regulatory authorities. No such law, let alone regulation, has been adopted by Parliament and no credible news organization has reported such a…

Did Singer Patti LaBelle silence Karoline Leavitt using just "seven words" in a viral video clip that was recorded off live TV? No, that's not true: The story was made up by a foreign clickbait farm, online searches brought up no such video. Very similar stories using the names of other celebrities have been spread by spammy networks like these…

Did a mural painted by Banksy on a wall at London's Royal Courts of Justice depict a judge striking a protester lying on the ground and holding an English flag? No, that's not true: The original Banksy wall art featured a protester holding a white placard that appeared to be splashed with blood. The version spreading on social media showing…

Did Alyssa Milano say she had "no idea" that she was supposed to report what she used her $1.2 million USAID grant for? No, that's not true: That story originated on a satirical Facebook page that clearly labels its content as fake. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content. The self-described…

Did President Trump sign into law an income tax exemption for families making less than $120,000? No, that's not true: No such exemption has passed the U.S. House and Senate. There is no such exemption on the official list of laws signed by Trump. The claim appeared in a September 4, 2025 TikTok video (archived here) published by the AppalachianQueen5…

Did Bill Gates use his turn speaking at a White House dinner to apologize for things such as: Windows, viruses, vaccines, sterilizing people, and trying to block out the sun -- finishing by asking for a pardon over "all the Epstein shit"? No, that's not true: This video was published by a parody account and bears their watermark in the…

Is a story about a former foster child named Lily Tran getting into Stanford and being called on stage to speak alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth real? No, that's not true: The image and the text used to tell the story were generated by artificial intelligence tools, according to AI detectors. There are several versions of the story circulating on…

Did California Governor Gavin Newsom's press office publish a real photo of President Trump's face looking bloated and red? No, that's not true: The image was digitally edited to puff up the chin and neck area to make them look more bloated. The original photo was taken by Associated Press at a 2022 golf tournament. The image appeared in a…

Did a video capture an exchange in which a "Queer for Palestine" supporter wanted to join a rally in Amsterdam but was told by other participants that "We are Muslims and you disgust us"? No, that's not true: A viral post reused a 2021 recording documenting a Dutch-language exchange that did not contain such a phrase. At the time, news…

Was Democratic politician Stacey Abrams indicted in Georgia for voter fraud? No, that's not true: The false claim was made on a self-described satire page whose logo was removed from the variations of the claim later spread by other accounts. No credible news organization reported on the existence of the purported lawsuit. The claim originated from a post (archived here)…

Did the 9th District Court side with the US Solicitor General to vacate 84 of Joe Biden's "autopen pardons"? No, that's not true: There were no actual news stories about this. The story originated on a satirical Facebook page. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content. The claim appeared in an…

Did President Trump just authorize FCC fines of up to $100 million for media outlets caught spreading lies? No, that's not true: That story originated on a satirical Facebook page. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content. There were no fact-based news stories about the authorization of the kind of fines…

Does a real photo show the political and climate activist Greta Thunberg wearing a revealing keyhole T-shirt along with her signature frog hat? No, that's not true: The photo of Greta Thunberg has been digitally edited. The shirt Thunberg actually wore when she was photographed in Barcelona, Spain, is a crop top which does not have a cutout below the…

Has Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, become "one of the wealthiest women in America," during her tenure in the United States Senate, as a social media post claims? No, that's not true: Financial disclosure reports show that with a net family worth of at most $2.5 million, she's not even among the wealthiest women in Congress, let alone in America. Magazines and…

Did Donald Trump win an appeal that resulted in 34 felony counts against him being dismissed? No, that's not true: He won part of an appeal, but in a case unrelated to the 34 felony counts. On Aug. 21, 2025 five judges in a New York appeals court decided to throw out the $500 million penalty, but not the finding…

Were roads around Walter Reed National Military Medical Center closed on September 2, 2025 as claimed by viral online rumors related to speculation about President Trump's health? No, that's not true: The Montgomery County Department of Police told Lead Stories in an emailed statement they were "not aware of any road closures in the area at this time". Google Maps…

Did Donald Trump publish a Truth Social post about "Transcendental Logic" and the doctrine of philosopher Immanuel Kant? No, that's not true: A viral fake screenshot of such a post originated as a joke on Bluesky and the creator explained the joke in later posts. He had lifted the text from a Wikipedia article about Kant's book "Critique of Pure…

Is an image of British Union Jack flags crowding the Mall in London during a popular uprising of patriots in late August, 2025, authentic? No, that's not true: The image shared widely across social platforms is an odd digital representation of the Mall, which runs a half mile from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square. This image shows the Arc de…

Did local Belgian politician Saliha Raiss say "Anyone who doesn't accept veiled women, anyone who doesn't accept Islam in Belgium, can leave" or that "Belgians should leave Belgium"? No, that's not true: A video clip from a municipal council meeting in Molenbeek, a part of Brussels in Belgium, was misrepresented by social media posts. She was talking about people who…