Politics

Is the U.S. Midterm Election held on a Wednesday in 2026, as the official account of the FBI's New Haven branch posted? No, that's not true: According to 2 U.S.C. 7, elections are to be held "the Tuesday next after the 1st Monday in November, in every even numbered year". In 2026 that date falls on Tuesday, November 3rd. The…

Does an image show Sen. Chris Murphy in the hospital following a stroke? No, that's not true: The account that posted the image describes itself as a parody account, and Lead Stories found no matching reports from established news outlets confirming the claim. Although Murphy was hospitalized following a health emergency, the pixelated image is not of him; it shows…

Did Brazil enact a "food embargo" on Europe? No, that's not true: The website of the Brazilian government said nothing about it. No established media organizations published any reports about it, either: there were only stories related to the disruption of Brazilian exports going to Europe in September 2026. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X where…

Do photos show a pickup truck carrying ballots "southbound on the 215 and Clinton Keith" in Menifee, California? No, that's not true: The U.S. Postal Service said, "There is no evidence that the items being transported were in Postal Service custody," and the Riverside County, California, Registrar of Voters told Lead Stories that it does not transport ballots in the…

Is there a person named "Anna Blackwell" who is in the U.S. Army and has traveled with President Donald Trump's entourage? No, that's not true: The image is AI-generated, as are several other images posted on the account in question. "Blackwell" appears to be based on the AI persona "Jessica Foster," an Instagram account that no longer exists. The claim…

Did Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed say, "Your daughters are going to see male genitalia anyway, so who cares if they see it in their locker room," during his appearance on CBS' "60 Minutes"? No, that's not true: El-Sayed never mentioned male genitalia during the interview. He was asked about the rights of parents to control what is taught in…

Is a photo that shows Malia Obama kissing a girl real? No, that's not true: Hive Moderation determined the image was 99.9% likely to be AI-generated. The post came from an account known for satirical content. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) by the @sa10nee account on X on Nov. 1, 2026. It read: Malia Obama was spotted…

Did President Donald Trump help "an old woman" walk home after a rally in Iowa on Oct. 22, 2026? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Trump left the airport rally location by car. Hive Moderation determined the image attached to the story was 99.9% likely to be AI-generated. The story was posted on an account known for…

Was Gadi Eisenkot declared the new prime minister of Israel, as of Oct. 30, 2026, replacing Benjamin Netanyahu in this role as a result of the 2026 legislative election? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no credible reports confirming such a change in established Hebrew- or English-language news outlets. As of this writing, the PM's Office government page didn't…

Did the German digital news outlet FOCUS Online report about an "Eco Sanitation Act" that will limit Germans to three flushes a day and five minute showers by 2027? No, that's not true: Online searches show FOCUS Online has not reported about this topic. The video posted on X with a FOCUS Online logo in the corner appears to be…

Did James Talarico, a candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas in the 2026 midterm campaign, say that the U.S. should have a "welcome mat" on the southern border? Yes, he did, but that was not a full quote of his words: Talarico said the border should have a "giant welcome mat," and then he added that it should have "a…

Did Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threaten Spain in 2026 by saying, "There could be sudden power outages and train accidents"? No, that's not true: The video is a copy of an April 10, 2026, statement in which Netanyahu said he would not "allow any country to wage a diplomatic war against us without paying an immediate price," but he…

Does a video show a Trump supporter who was stabbed outside a rally in Chillicothe, Ohio, on Oct. 28, 2026? No, that's not true: A Chillicothe Police spokesperson said "there was no stabbing". During a fight an officer broke up, the clip on the officer's pocketknife caught in a person's shirt, but the knife never opened. Lead Stories found no…

Does a real video show philanthropist Susan Dell wearing a red dress and dancing at an outdoor patio gathering? No, that's not true: The video is AI-generated and was posted with AI disclaimers on Instagram on Oct. 16, 2026. Content detection tools also flagged the video: Hive Moderation rated it 87.5% likely AI-generated, and Sightengine's reading reached as high as…

Did 8 million people in Brazil vote without ID after polls were scheduled to close in the Oct. 25, 2026, runoff election? No, that's not true: Brazil's Superior Electoral Court told Lead Stories the claim that 8 million people voted after polling stations closed is false. Its data shows only 34,393 votes were cast after 5 p.m., while Luiz Inácio…

Does a real WABI-TV 5 news report show Maine's Democratic U.S. Senate nominee, Troy Jackson, threatening to cut staff in half with an axe? No, that's not true: Station General Manager Kim Petry confirmed that the video is fabricated and "was not produced, aired, or authorized by WABI." Hive Moderation determined the audio was 99.1% likely to be AI-generated. Lead…

Does a viral video show a life-threatening attack on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu one day after the Oct. 27, 2026, election? No, that's not true: The low quality of the video obscured that it showed a different politician giving a speech in a different country in 2013. It was Ahmed Dogan attacked in Bulgaria. The claim appeared in a…

Do real photos show former first daughter Sasha Obama with a baby bump? No, that's not true: The photos were modified using OpenAI, and there is no evidence that they depict a real pregnancy. Lead Stories found no matching reports from established news outlets confirming the claim or indicating that she is pregnant. The claim also misspelled her name as…

Were four U.S. Secret Service agents placed on leave after tampering with the air defense systems at Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump's Florida home? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for the U.S. Secret Service told Lead Stories, "there is zero truth to that post." The X account that posted the claim is from a website with a disclaimer stating it…

Does a viral video show defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro receiving an ovation upon his arrival in the United States in October 2026? No, that's not true: The footage predated the runoff election by roughly one month. The video showed Bolsonaro still campaigning in Brazil. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X where it was published…