Politics

Does a viral image prove that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife Olena Zelenska hold Israeli citizenship? No, that's not true: The composite image shared on social media was likely created by AI, online tools showed. Lead Stories found multiple inconsistencies also pointing to that conclusion. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook where it was…

Is Ivgeni Zarubinski an Israeli Foreign Ministry official who posted about activating explosive pagers in Ireland following Israel's 3-0 soccer loss to Ireland in late September 2026? No, that's not true: Zarubinski, a comedian, satirist, and social media personality, has no affiliation with the ministry. There is also no evidence that any Israeli official suggested an attack on Ireland after…

Does a video show President Trump getting into a big fight with Secret Service agents? No, that's not true: The video shows the president talking with the PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp at the Presidents Cup golf tournament in September 2026. The man in the video is not a Secret Service agent. The claim appeared in a post (archived here)…

Is a screenshot of a CNN article with the headline, "Cuckolding can be positive for some couples, study says" real? No, that's not true: The "cuckolding" article was originally published by CNN in 2018 and the original photo showed three white people. The image of a white couple and a Black man used on social media is not the original…

Does a real photo show Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wearing platform dress shoes during a press conference? No, that's not true: Real photos and official video from the Oct. 23, 2025, European Council event in Brussels show Zelenskyy wearing black sneakers, not platform shoes. No credible source has published or verified the photo as authentic. The claim appeared in a…

Is a photo of President Trump, President of China Xi Jinping, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos at the head table at the White House state dinner on Sept. 24, 2026, real? No, that's not true: The image is clearly labeled AI-generated. The head table did not include Bezos, and the outfits worn by the first ladies and the table settings…

Is a story mimicking The New Voice of Ukraine claiming $140 million was found at Arsen Zhumadilov's home, marked "For the Servant of the People," real? No, that's not true: The New Voice of Ukraine did not publish such a report. Instead, the fake story appeared on a website designed to imitate the publication's real site. Lead Stories found no…

Did Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say that America deserved 9/11 during an address to the United Nations General Assembly? No, that's not true: Netanyahu was criticizing New York's Mayor Zohran Mamdani when he repeated the words said by political commentator Hassan Piker. In the full address Netanyahu said: "You count as friends people like Hassan Piker who said America…

Do videos falsely attributed to the New York Times show actors Alyssa Milano, Sean Astin and Rachael Harris supporting the "All Democrats Are Criminals" movement? No, that's not true: The videos use clips from Cameo accounts and add completely fabricated sound and captions. They are not real New York Times videos. The claim appeared in three videos included in a…

Do videos falsely attributed to the New York Times show actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Eric Braeden, Annie Potts and Patrick Fabian supporting the "All Democrats Are Criminals" movement? No, that's not true: Braeden's rep told Lead Stories the claim is false. The videos use clips from Cameo accounts and MTV News and add completely fabricated sound and captions. The claim appeared…

Did a real news broadcast show Vice President JD Vance in Ohio breaking sad news while flanked by President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio? No, that's not true: The short video clip is AI-generated and there was no such announcement made by Vance. These clickbait posts on Facebook offer a link in the first comment, but the…

Does a new Epstein files release show Donald Trump visited Epstein Island 345 times? No, that's not true: The Department of Justice's Epstein Library -- the only publicly searchable database of Epstein files, last updated on Sept. 11, 2026 -- contains no record of Trump visiting Epstein Island hundreds of times. Lead Stories also found no credible news coverage of…

Did Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville say "many airline pilots, flight attendants and air traffic controllers are part of the furry community"? Yes, that's true: The Alabama senator made the remarks about pilots, flight attendants and air traffic controllers being part of the 'furry community' during a speech on the U.S. Senate floor on Sept. 22, 2026. Video on the C-SPAN2…

Does a real map show that as far back as 1688 "Lac America" was the established name of the body of water between the U.S. and Canada? No, that's not true: The name of the lake in the 1688 map drawn by Pierre Raffeix has been altered with AI tools. The words in the original map title and lake label…

Does a real story report that Donald Trump folded his arms after a question about China election meddling? No, that's not true: The claim originated on a social media account known for posting satirical content. The account's profile page carries the disclaimer, "Halfway true comedy and satire for your doomscrolling." The claim appeared in a post (archived here) by The…

Does a video falsely attributed to the Washington Post show Billie Eilish received $120 million from the Democratic Party? No, that's not true: The video uses clips from Eilish's real December 2024 Vanity Fair interview and adds completely fabricated captions. The Washington Post never reported that Eilish received such an amount from the Democratic Party. The claim appeared in a…

Does a video falsely attributed to the New York Times really show Taylor Swift agreeing to support Democrats and gender reassignment surgeries for children in exchange for $500 million? No, that's not true: The video uses clips from Swift's real April 2026 New York Times interview and adds completely fabricated captions. The New York Times never reported that Swift agreed…

Did Danish officials or Danish media play "Send in the Clowns" before President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio's Greenland press conference at the United Nations? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Danish officials or media selected the music played before the press event on Sept. 22, 2026. Both Denmark's press office at the Ministry…

Did the Department of Justice delete President Donald Trump's pardons from its website? No, that's not true: The list of pardons and commutations on the "Clemency Grants" page of the Office of the Pardon Attorney on the Justice Department website was missing for hours, if not more than a day. The list was not on the site starting sometime between…

Did ABC, CNN and CBS each report about specific political criticisms against Democrats from Fred Durst, Krist Novoselic and Damon Albarn before the U.S. midterm elections? No, that's not true: A collection of similarly-styled videos deceptively display logos of national media outlets while presenting false claims about things famous people have said. Searches of the outlets' own websites and Google…