Чи казав колишній міністр оборони Михайло Федоров у зверненні, що він зголосився обійняти нібито новостворену посаду "генерального координатора з інтеграції західних військових технологій та автономних систем"? Ні, це неправда: на офіційних сторінках Федорова такого звернення не було. Lead Stories не знайшли жодних доказів, що така посада існує.
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.
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 rallies.
Does a video show street vendors in Paris selling merchandise that came from looted Paris shops? No, that's not true: The video shows street vendors in Madrid, Spain, and was published on X on Oct. 11, 2026, with a caption critical of the Madrid vendors. This timing predates the Oct. 17, 2026, violent escalation of the Paris demonstrations, which began in late September with a student strike.
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 and that the voice was AI-generated as well.
Is a video that shows a Tesla Roadster flying off the roof of a building in the middle of a city real? No, that's not true: An online tool determined the video was AI-generated. The footage does not match the video released of the Tesla Roadster flying car at SpaceX's McGregor, Texas test site.
¿Es verdad que una organización llamada 'Texas Transgender Student Union' está enviando volantes por correo a hogares en Texas? No, esto no es verdad: Cuatro organizaciones mencionadas en los volantes negaron cualquier participación. El registro empresarial de la Texas Transgender Student Union LLC fue inscrito en Wyoming a través de un agente conocido por ocultar la identidad de los propietarios de las empresas que registra.
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 AI-generated.
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.
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.
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 found "Texas Transgender Student Union LLC" registered in Wyoming using an address and registered agent used by dozens of other entities.
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.
Does real security camera footage capture the moment a large bull shark made a splash in a Cape Coral canal as a pet dog barked? No, that's not true: This video appeared on Instagram with an AI label applied by Meta, and on TikTok and Facebook the video was labeled with an AI disclaimer by the content creator. The Hive Moderation AI-Generated Content Detection Tool rated the video 85.4% likely to be AI-generated, while Sightengine found it was 88% likely to be AI-generated.
A Tisza Párt önkényuralmát bizonyítja az a videó, amin az látható, hogy amikor egy ügyvéd bemenne a legfelsőbb bíróság feladatait ellátó Kúria épületébe, rendőrök állják el az útját? Nem, ez nem igaz: A rendőrök és a jogász szóváltását bemutató videó 2023-ban készült. Akkor Orbán Viktor volt a miniszterelnök, a Tisza-kormány csak három évvel később alakult meg.
Je pravda, že Európska únia "našla peniaze" na zvýšenie rozpočtu na ozbrojené sily z 2,4 percent na 5 percent hrubého domáceho produktu do roku 2035? Nie, to nie je pravda: Takýto záväzok oznámili členovia Severoatlantickej aliancie (NATO), nie Európska únia. Na summite NATO v holandskom Haagu v júni 2025 sa lídri členských krajín aliancie zaviazali, že do roku 2035 budú každoročne na obranu a súvisiace bezpečnostné oblasti vyčleňovať sumu zodpovedajúcu 5 percentám HDP svojej krajiny. NATO a EÚ sú dva samostatné subjekty, hoci sú úzkymi partnermi, pričom väčšina členov EÚ je zároveň členmi NATO.
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.
Does a real image show an elderly couple wearing only underwear standing near masked rioters, after they were apparently robbed of their clothing and possessions? No, that's not true: Images circulating on social media were made with OpenAI tools and contain a SynthID watermark. The unverified story about the attack on this couple in Place de la République in Paris was repeated on a BFMTV news broadcast by a journalist, Dominique Rizet, who said he learned of this situation from a police message.
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 be AI.
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 AI-generated.
Did authorities name Sedgwick County Deputy Sheriff Rachel Taylor as a suspect in the fatal car ramming at the Stryker Sports Complex? No, that's not true: The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office called the claim false and said Taylor was not the driver of the vehicle. No established news outlets have reported that Taylor was a suspect, and there is no evidence that she was involved in the deadly incident.
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 matching reports from established news outlets and there is no evidence that any such event took place.
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.
Zachycují fotografie tisíce Ukrajinců, kteří v září 2026 v Praze protestovali proti vládě Andreje Babiše? Ne, to není pravda: Snímky pocházejí ze starších shromáždění na podporu Ukrajiny v Polsku a v Německu. Demonstrace proti Babišově vládě se konala 28. září v Praze na Staroměstském náměstí. Pořádal ji však český spolek Milion chvilek pro demokracii a týkala se domácí politiky, nikoli Ukrajiny.
Is a video of an AI agent representing a job candidate during an interview by an AI recruiter real? No, that's not true: The video showing the chaos of two AI agents talking to each other during the interview was staged as a parody, according to the content creator. In an email to Lead Stories he said: "They're staged, but not scripted."
Does an image shared on social media show the Silver Rail Elementary School shooting suspect in Bend, Oregon? No, that's not true: It is a photo of an unrelated person named Hadyn Dollery, whose image was taken from a Virginia sheriff's office website. Law enforcement identified the real suspect the following day as 16-year-old Griffin J. John II.
Чи розглядає Володимир Зеленський спільно з Генштабом Збройних Сил України необхідність закрити "прикордонний перехід з Польщею"? Ні, це неправда: ні в медіа, ні в заявах президента, ані в повідомленнях Генштабу ЗСУ немає згадок про таке обговорення. Генштаб ЗСУ в коментарі Lead Stories спростував, що така дискусія взагалі була.
Have you seen viral videos showing Walmart receipts compared, one old and one new? Lead Stories has spotted a number of such images recently and has found that many of them were created using artificial intelligence. They do not show real store receipts and they exaggerate how much prices have gone up in the past two decades.
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.
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.
Did police name Tyler Gregory Sternbach as the Silver Rail Elementary shooting suspect in Bend, Oregon? No, that's not true: The City of Bend Police Department did not name Tyler Gregory Sternbach as the suspect in the school shooting that killed three children and one teacher on Oct. 15, 2026. The Washington Post subsequently named the suspect as John J. Griffin II, citing sources.
Does a real image show a man in midair after being thrown from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia in October 2026? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found that the image came from a 2025 AI-generated reel depicting fabricated theme park collapses. The reel was posted in a Reddit community for the "Professional use of full motion video generative A.I. assistants" more than a year before the incident. An online tool also concluded that the image taken from the reel was AI-generated.
¿Es verdad que una fotografía de dos recibos reales de Walmart, de 2002 y 2026, muestra los cambios de precio de artículos específicos y evidencia el efecto de la inflación global? No, esto no es verdad: los detectores de IA clasificaron las imágenes como generadas por esa tecnología. La dirección de la tienda que aparece en los recibos no existe -- no hay una ciudad llamada Sunset Bay en Florida ni ningún Walmart en esa ubicación.
Правда ли, что финские футбольные болельщики поддержали Беларусь и президента Александра Лукашенко перед футбольным матчем в Хельсинки? Нет, это неправда. Фанаты провели акцию протеста против белорусских властей, освистав гимн Беларуси и развернув баннер с критикой Лукашенко.
Does a viral video of ships closely grouped together in a body of water actually show the Strait of Hormuz in the fall of 2026? No, that's not true: A topographic analysis matched the distinctive coastline in the video to the area around Chittagong, Bangladesh, a busy port regularly drawing large groups of vessels. Stock photos from established image databases confirmed that large groups of anchored vessels are a regular occurrence in that area.
Have you seen viral images showing small sleeping pods for homeless people? Lead Stories has spotted a number of such pictures and videos and has found that many of them were created using artificial intelligence. While there are some real projects aimed at providing unhoused populations with safe spaces for overnight stays by offering them such sleeping pods, the topic has been hijacked by AI content creators chasing engagement.
Did tech billionaire Jeff Bezos actually say that water should be prioritized for data centers over human consumption and 'Humans won't evolve humanity. AI will.'? No, that's not true: The claim originated from a self-described satire account whose profile picture mimicked the BBC logo. Lead Stories found no record of Bezos making such statements in any publicly available source.
Does an image show the price changes of specific items on two real Walmart shopping receipts from 2002 and 2026? No, that's not true: The receipts are not real and the images were AI-generated. The store address on the receipts does not exist -- there is no town called Sunset Bay in Florida and no Walmart at that location.
Does a real photo show the moment a woman wearing a "Release the Epstein files" shirt was punched by Trump supporters? No, that's not true: Two online tools concluded the image was created using AI. However, it closely resembles a real-life incident at an October 2026 Trump rally in Youngstown, Ohio, but the woman shown in news photos of that event had different facial features and clothing.
Does a real video show a woman shooting robbers from her car? No, that's not true: The clip appears to be a digital recreation of a June 2021 road rage incident in South Florida in which a man driving one car opened fire on another. The video and others like it digitally swap one person's likeness for another's, but the scenes they portray are essentially the same.
Did President Donald Trump accuse Ukraine of midterm election interference after Russian bot farm strikes? No, that's not true: The story originated on The Betoota Advocate, an Australian satirical news website. There is no evidence that Trump ever made such an accusation or issued a statement matching the claim, and no media coverage supports it.
Did Donald Trump actually post a reply to 'Peter Girnus' who previously pretended to be a member of the Nobel Committee? No, that's not true: The screenshot displayed the wrong handle for Trump's Truth Social account -- @notRealDonaldTrump instead of @realDonaldTrump. Neither a search of his Truth Social account nor an archive of his posts showed any such reply.
Did President Donald Trump post a video montage showing real lion and tiger attacks on people to Truth Social? No, that's not true: He posted a montage of five clips, of which three were AI-generated, on Oct. 13, 2026. Of the remaining two clips in the montage, one shows a documented 2018 incident and the other, dating back to at least December 2022, is unverified.
Does a video show the man who fell to his death in Atlanta in October 2026 standing up on a Six Flags roller coaster? No, that's not true: The footage is from a November 2024 incident in Arizona where a man jumped off a roller coaster after realizing there was a problem with his harness. It does not show the man who died in Atlanta standing up on the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia.
Je pravda, že Diana Javorčíková sa prezentuje ako nezávislá kandidátka na primátorku Banskej Bystrice, hoci dostala 665 000 eur od Progresívneho Slovenska? Nie, to nie je pravda: Diana Javorčíková je oficiálne členkou strany Progresívne Slovensko a na svojom webe uvádza spoločný transparentný účet strany ku komunálnym voľbám 2026. Prostredníctvom neho financuje Progresívne Slovensko kampane svojim spolu 37 kandidátom v komunálnych voľbách 2026 po celom Slovensku, pričom na Javorčíkovej kampaň išlo dosiaľ 82 400 eur.
Вярно ли е, че настоящият президент на България и кандидат-президент Илияна Йотова е призовала да не се пипа организираната престъпност, тъй като това ще доведе до хаос? Не, не е вярно: кадрите, които показват Йотова, са изкуствено генерирани, а думите от добавеното аудио не са произнесени от нея. Произходът на видеото може да бъде проследен до сатирична страница във Фейсбук, която генерира подобно съдържание.
Правда ли, что белорусский президент Александр Лукашенко косвенно заявил, что украинские территории могут перейти под контроль Беларуси в случае нападения Украины на страну? Нет, это неправда. Распространяемая видеозапись не содержит доказательств, подтверждающих такую трактовку слов Лукашенко. При этом сам белорусский президент неоднократно выступал за проведение переговоров и заявлял об отсутствии у Беларуси намерения вступать в войну.
¿Es verdad que México autorizó la entrada de tropas de EE.UU. a su territorio para que combatan al narcotráfico? No, esto es engañoso: al igual que en ocasiones anteriores, el Senado mexicano aprobó el 14 de septiembre de 2026 el ingreso de elementos del Ejército de EE.UU. con fines de entrenamiento conjunto. La presidenta Claudia Sheinbaum ha negado el ingreso de fuerzas militares estadounidenses al territorio mexicano para combatir el narcotráfico.
Does a chart show real data of the drop-off in far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) bot activity since Ukraine bombed several Russian data centers? No, that's not true: This chart shows a prediction of the future, not a factual graph of what had already happened. The line graph, shared without sourcing on Oct. 11, 2026, shows a line going all the way to Oct. 15, 2026.
Does a real photo show then-President George W. Bush, then-Vice President Dick Cheney, then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Osama bin Laden sitting together? No, that's not true: The image is an edited version of a photo taken at the Pentagon on Sept. 12, 2001, the day after the 9/11 attacks. Osama bin Laden was edited into the original photo, replacing then-Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, while then-Secretary of the Army Thomas E. White is misidentified as Cheney.
Was a post about how the Nobel Peace Prize committee rejected Trump's bid written by a Nobel committee member? No, that's not true: The author, Peter Girnus, is not listed among the five members of the 2026 Norwegian Nobel Committee. He is a social media content creator who describes himself as a "satirist." His posts typically use a boastful style, with him pretending to lead various companies and organizations or portraying himself in fictional roles.