Politics

Are the ballots of early voters in Florida, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and other states being switched after they vote? Here's what we know so far: Some social media posts leading up to the November 2026 midterm elections included claims that votes were being switched in states across the country. States reached by Lead Stories said there were no…

Do real leaked images show satanic rituals taking place on Epstein Island with Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Gates, the Clintons, and Stephen Hawking? No, that's not true: Google's SynthID detection tool found a watermark indicating each of the four images in a 12-second video was made or edited with Google AI. Hive Moderation's AI detection tool rated one image 99.6% likely…

Does a video show touchscreen voting machines selecting the wrong candidates for the Nov. 3, 2026, midterm elections? No, that's not true: The video combines two clips from earlier elections, one from 2019 and the other from 2014. Neither shows a voting machine malfunctioning during the 2026 elections. The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) by the…

Does a viral picture show a real Charlie Hebdo cover featuring protesters chanting 'free Palestine' alongside 'free iPhone' and 'free Balenciaga'? No, that's not true: The magazine's website did not show such a cover published in October 2026. Three online AI detection tools determined the image was AI-generated, not drawn by a cartoonist. The image appeared in a post (archived…

Does a video prove President Donald Trump waved to nobody outside the White House before boarding Marine One for Kansas on Oct. 19, 2026? No, that's not true: The clip is missing important context. In longer versions of the video and in versions shot from different angles, the people the president is waving at can be seen. The claim appeared…

Do viral images and videos of a person dressed as the cartoon character Pink Panther actually show October 2026 protests in France? No, that's not true: Results from three online tools showed that this content was produced by AI. Manual reverse image searches revealed that, in several instances, AI was used to modify old, unrelated photos that predated the French…

Does a real video show a man claiming to be a former student of Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico? No, that's not true: Zyon Lewis, the man supposedly depicted in the video, told Lead Stories in a phone interview that it was not him. An online tool also concluded that the videos were more than 99% likely to be AI-generated…

Does a viral composite image show a woman holding a 'Refugees welcome here' sign in front of a looted store during the October 2026 Paris protests? No, that's not true: The side of the composite image that allegedly show the woman with an English sign was altered using AI. The original photo predated the fall 2026 mass rallies in France…

Does a real video show people grabbing floating iPhones from the sea after a missile attack sank a ship near the Strait of Hormuz? No, that's not true: There is no evidence for rumors that the ships that were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz in mid-October 2026 were actually carrying iPhones. An online tool determined that the video was…

Does a viral video show the Palestinian flag hanging from the Tower of Pisa in Italy during October 2026 protests? No, that's not true: The footage predated 2026 rallies and looting incidents by almost three years. The video started circulating on social media in mid-November 2023. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X by @theseed59788459 on Oct.…

Does a real photo show Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in front of a whiteboard plan involving "SPAIN"? No, that's not true: An online tool concluded that the image was generated using OpenAI tools. Lead Stories found no matching reports from established news outlets and no evidence that such a real photo was publicly available. The claim appeared in a…

Does a flyer mailed to Texas homes come from the "Texas Transgender Student Union"? No, that's not true: The flyers refer readers to the Transgender Education Network of Texas, which said the mailers "were not authored, authorized, approved, or distributed by [them] ... and not affiliated" with the organization. Three other organizations named in the flyers also denied involvement. We…

Did a video of the burning Eiffel Tower actually show Paris in October 2026? No, that's not true: As of publication, webcams in the French capital live-streamed footage of the unharmed landmark. Two online AI detectors determined that the viral clip of the tower being destroyed was generated by AI. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here)…

Did Denzel Washington say he "never met anyone braver, smarter or who cares more about America than Donald Trump"? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that the actor, director and producer said this. No established news outlets have reported that Washington ever said those words. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) by the @RedEagleUpdates account on…

Is an image of an Indiana Hoosiers fan who looks like Charlie Kirk at the football game held against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Oct. 17, 2026, real? No, that's not true: Footage from the Fox broadcast shows a person with a mustache and curly hair, not Kirk. Online tools determined that the Kirk lookalike image was highly likely to…

Is there a real video showing President Donald Trump in a mysterious cave with unidentified blond giants and unidentified personnel? No, that's not true: AI detectors determined the video was highly likely to be AI-generated, and news searches returned no matching reports from established outlets. Lead Stories previously found that similar images of Trump with tall blond figures were also…

Does a real video show a Palestinian and Jordanian flag on top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris in October 2026? No, that's not true: An online tool concluded that the video was 99.1% likely to be AI-generated and a visual inspection showed people in the video appear out of proportion to the tower's actual size. Lead Stories found no…

Did the official White House account publish a sauna picture of Donald Trump surrounded by five bare-chested men? No, that's not true: Neither the White House account nor archived copies of it showed such a post. What looked like a screenshot originated from a page that was previously identified by Lead Stories as a source of satirical content. The claim…

Did President Donald Trump post a Truth Social message that included: 'What part of "LEAVE THE REFINERIES ALONE!" did Volodymyr Zelenskyy not understand?' No, that's not true: A review of Trump's Truth Social account found no record of the post. No established news outlets reported that his account shared the message at the time of publication. The claim appeared in…

Is U.S. Vice President JD Vance scheduled to meet Pope Leo XIV after the pontiff's surgery, as of Oct. 16, 2026? No, that's not true: The story originated as a joke from a self-described satire account. Neither Vance's official accounts nor established news outlets carried any announcement of such a visit. The claim initially appeared in a post (archived here)…