Lead Stories - Technology

Fact Check: U.K. Prime Minister Starmer Did NOT Say He Will 'Arrest Elon Musk And 336 Million Americans'

2026-06-11T23:34:26Z

Did U.K.'s Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly threaten to arrest X owner Elon Musk along with other "336 million Americans"? No, that's not true: Lead Stories reviewed Starmer's public comments about Musk and did not find anything remotely close to what social media attributed to the prime minister. The claim about hundreds of millions to be arrested is implausible on its face: The U.K. prison system doesn't have the capacity to house a number roughly equivalent to the entire U.S. population.

The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X by @RightSide_Uk on June 11, 2026. It opened:

Keir Starmer says he will arrest Elon Musk and 336 million Americans for free speech on X. The Prime Minister of Britain openly threatening to jail the CEO of X and an entire nation's citizens over online posts.

This is what an image attached to the post looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @RightSide_Uk on X.)

The post did not include any fact-checkable details about when and where the purported statement was made and did not include any direct quotes.

Searches on Google News (archived here) and Yahoo News (archived here) showed zero media reports about that.

The claim arose in the context of X owner Elon Musk's posts about the Belfast riots, including one in which he wrote (archived here) on his social media platform: "Murderous migrants beheading innocent people in their home town is what's making people angry, not 'social media'!" That comment was made as Belfast was overwhelmed by violent riots (archived here) in the aftermath of an attempted beheading (archived here) that took place in that city on June 8, 2026. As reported by NBC News (archived here), Musk also shared a post claiming that Starmer "hates white people" and another entry that showed the suspect, who is Black, next to the caption that read "millions must go."

Starmer (archived here) described (archived here) the incident as a "sickening" and "horrific attack," and political leaders of Northern Ireland condemned it (archived here).

Anna Turley (archived here), who is the chair of the Labour Party led by Starmer, described (archived here) Musk's words as "appalling" and said that "anyone that is seeking to drive and exploit a situation like this to drive their own political agenda is grievously wrong and doing damage".

Four days before the attempted stabbing in Belfast on June 8, 2026, Starmer publicly accused (archived here) Musk of trying to "whip up" division following the December 2025 murder of Henry Novak (archived here). Novak's death in December 2025 became the subject of renewed scrutiny when police body camera footage was released approximately six months later.

The current U.K.'s prime minister made similar comments earlier, in September 2025, when he said (archived here) that Musk's words addressed to the participants of an anti-immigration rally were "dangerous".

Yet, Lead Stories found no evidence that Starmer threatened to "arrest Musk and 336 million Americans". That number approximates a 2023 U.S. Census Bureau (archived here) estimate of the total U.S. population.

The U.K. criminal system doesn't even have a capacity to house that many incarcerated people at once. According to the government data (archived here), in September 2025, the country's total prison population was roughly 87,000, with the maximum projected increase reaching 100,000 by November 2032.

Fact Check: FAKE Video Shows 'White Mega Plane' With Multiple Decks Between Cockpit And Main Body Taking Off

2026-06-11T21:18:31Z

Does a real video show the take-off of a "white mega plane" with several decks between the cockpit and the main cabin? No, that's not true: The clip was created using artificial intelligence and an AI detection tool determined that the video was 99.6% "likely to be AI-generated." In addition, an aircraft designed like a skyscraper with wings would not be able to fly under the laws of aerodynamics. There are many structural abnormalities with the plane.

The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) by the @Crazymoments01 account on X on June 8, 2026. It read:

The massive white mega plane is taking off like a flying skyscraper! 😱

This is what a screenshot of the post looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @Crazymoments01 on X.)

AI detection

The Hive Moderation AI-Generated Content Detection tool concluded that the video was 99.6% "likely to be AI-generated":

(Image source: Hive Moderation.)

AI indicators

A close look at the image below reveals several signs that it was generated using AI:

The plane has a different number of engines on each wing. The wing circled in yellow has one engine, while the wing outlined in red has two.
The aircraft's landing gear design makes little sense. The front landing gear, underneath the cockpit, would never touch the ground unless the plane tipped forward, raising the tail almost straight into the air. The remaining landing gear is clustered near the middle of the aircraft. That arrangement would make the plane unstable and likely to tip to one side or the other, especially since there is no landing gear under the wings to provide additional support.
The skyscraper-like section of the plane appears to have balconies (green arrow). It is difficult to imagine a practical reason for passengers to be outside the aircraft while it is in flight. In addition, balconies would create drag, making the aircraft less aerodynamic. Even without the balconies, the tall upright section would act like a sail, increasing wind resistance and making takeoff much more difficult. The force of the air could cause the aircraft to pitch backward or become unstable.

(Image source: post by @Crazymoments01 on X.)

Not in the news

Lead Stories searched Google News (archived here) and Yahoo! News (archived here) and did not find any matching reports for "mega plane," "taking off," and "flying skyscraper." Had such a unique plane been developed, there likely would have been widespread news coverage.

Fact Check: Real But Colorized 1923 Footage Shows Early French Roller Skates Called 'Paticycles'

2026-05-27T20:57:07Z

Is the color footage showing a 1923 demonstration of one-wheeled roller skates or cycle-skates real? Yes, that's true: The movie footage from 1923 is real, but it has been colorized. This design of the skates by a French inventor was promoted with some races in 1923. Black and white archive footage of a skating demonstration and one of the races was published by British Pathé and Reuters; colorized versions of these have surfaced on social media.

One colorized video clip was published in a post (archived here) on X by @One_Way_Home on May 26, 2026. It was captioned:

It's like looking through a time capsule into 1923. We have a unique opportunity to watch these two men demonstrate some of the first roller skates ever invented.

This is a screenshot from the video:

(Image source: post by @One_Way_Home on X.com.)

The overly processed quality of the colorized clip might lead a viewer to question if the video is AI-generated. While the colorization was likely done with an AI tool, the scenes shown in the 21-second clip are real.

The original black and white footage (archived here) can be found in the newsreel archives of British Pathé, titled "A NEW SPORT CYCLE SKATING (1923)." The archive's data lists the issue date as Oct. 9, 1923. The silent video is one minute 31 seconds and contains several caption cards of descriptive text. These have been edited out of the colorized version. A copy of the video (embedded below) is published on a British Pathé YouTube channel dedicated to sports.

A second copy of the same footage in the British Pathé archive appears to be mislabeled. It is titled "A NEW SPORT (1912)." Considering the men's fashion, the models of the cars visible and the fact that the paticycle was not invented until 1923, there is little doubt that the 1912 date on the second copy is an error.

Footage of a paticycle race that took place on Oct. 7, 1923, was published on April 29, 2026, by Reuters Connect on YouTube (embedded below). This footage is titled "1923 Paticycle race from Paris to Versailles" -- but this race actually followed a course in the opposite direction, from Versailles to Paris. A colorized clip featuring some of this footage was published on Facebook on Nov. 13, 2025.

The Reuters clip has these details:

Date: 22nd October 1923
Location: PARIS, FRANCE
Source: Reuters Historical News Collection: GAUMONT GRAPHIC NEWSREEL (REUTERS)

The Oct. 22, 1923, date must refer to the date of the newsreel's publication. The race pictured took place on Oct. 7, 1923. The RetroNews archive of the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BNF) has an Oct. 8, 1923, article in L'Oeuvre reporting on a race that took place the day before, with an illustration of the winner Charles Morel. This newspaper illustration appears to be a hand-enhanced still from a scene appearing at five seconds in the Reuters race footage. The newspaper story (translated by Google Lens) describes the 17-kilometer race (10.5 miles) starting in Versailles and finishing at the Porte Maillot, an ancient gateway to Paris.

The paticyclists went to Versailles yesterday.
-and they raced down to the Porte Maillot in a scattered order.

An extensive article on the invention and history of the paticycle in France, (archived here), with photos and footnotes, is published on the French inline skating website rollerenligne.com. A second article (archived here) focuses on the history of "bicycle skate" designs from 1860-1928.

Fact Check: 'Sovereign Settings' Do NOT Exist On X

2026-05-22T21:58:28Z

Does a viral image confirm that now X has "sovereign settings" that allow users to opt out of the social media platform's rules, including moderation? No, that's not true: A search across X's Terms of Service page did not produce a match. Neither did X's Help Center or its revenue-sharing information.

The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X by @thinkingshivers on May 20, 2026. It opened:

just found out you can check this box in the settings and X won't be able to ban you

The attached image, resembling a screenshot, continued:

Sovereign Settings

Mark account as sovereign

By marking this account as sovereign, you withdraw consent to the Terms of Service and any implied contract with X Corp. The natural person behind this account is not subject to platform rules, community guidelines, or moderation actions. Learn more

Claim ad revenue share

Sovereign users are entitled to a proportional share of platform advertising revenue, remitted to the natural person

This is what that picture looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @thinkingshivers on X.com.)

Lead Stories found zero evidence proving the existence of "sovereign settings" on X.

The list of options in the platform's settings, accessed from the U.S., said nothing about this:

(Image source: X.)

The revenue-sharing information appeared in a different section than what the viral image showed, and its terms differed from what the post claimed:

(Image source: X.)

The Terms of Service page (archived here) made no mention of such "sovereign settings," either:

(Image source: X.)

The X Help Center also showed no matches for such search terms:

(Image source: X.)

The viral image used the language of the so-called sovereign citizen movement (archived here), which believes the current government in the U.S. (or other countries where its members reside) is not a real one. This belief persists regardless of which party holds power. Members of the movement also engage in certain pseudo-legal activities, baselessly claiming that doing so exempts them from existing laws.

Fact Check: OpenAI Has NOT Announced Plans To Let Users 'Securely Connect' ChatGPT To Their DNA -- Parody Post

2026-05-22T19:13:19Z

Did OpenAI announce plans to let users "securely connect" ChatGPT to their DNA to modify specific parts of their body? No, that's not true: This fake announcement came from a parody account. A disclaimer in its bio states: "These are fake stories." There is no announcement from OpenAI about technology such as this.

The false announcement appeared in a post (archived here) published on X by @DailyNoud on May 18, 2026. It was captioned:

OpenAI has announced plans to let users "securely connect" ChatGPT to their DNA to modify specific parts of their body

Two images were included in the post; the ChatGPT logo and a stock image of a DNA double helix (pictured below):

(Image source: @DailyNoud post on X.)

The @DailyNoud X account has a disclaimer in its bio (archived here). It reads:

PARODY Hip-Hop News | Follow For Viral Content | These are fake stories | Not impersonating and not affiliated with
@DailyLoud

ChatGPT is the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI. A search of the OpenAI Newsroom account on X for "DNA" produced no results (pictured below).

(Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of X search results.)

Lead Stories reviewed the 36 most recent articles posted in the OpenAI Newsroom on openai.com. There are no articles with the term DNA in the title (archived here).

A search of Google News for the phrase "ChatGPT securely connect to DNA" produced three results that did not reflect the premise in the parody post (archived here). One Oct 19, 2025, article (archived here) from Mass Live had a headline that seems similar at first, "ChatGPT for genetics: Boston AI startup combines DNA, search engines and primary care". However, the article did not discuss an announcement from OpenAI or ChatGPT to connect to a user's DNA. In this case, the familiar concept of ChatGPT was simply used as an analogy to describe an "artificial intelligence genomics research assistant" called Bystro.

Fact Check: FAKE Video Shows Tesla Cybertruck Carrying Solar Panels -- Original Poster Admits It Is AI-Generated

2026-05-21T21:37:10Z

Does a real video show a Tesla Cybertruck carrying solar panels? No, that's not true: The clip is a digital creation, not authentic footage. Cybertrucks, like other electric vehicles, are not designed to be charged while in motion. An AI detection tool concluded that "the video is likely to be AI-generated" after analyzing its content.

The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) by the Muhammad Haffiz account on Facebook on May 20, 2026. It opened:

Where can we install this? Looks like it could solve the congestion problem at public charging stations 😆

This is what a screenshot of the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by Muhammad Haffiz on Facebook.)

The post and video are embedded below:

The original

The fake clip first appeared hours earlier in a post (archived here) by the LMG account on Facebook on May 20, 2026. In the first comment of the post, the LMG account acknowledges that the video is not real:

Learn how to make viral ai videos like this when you join LMG's ai academy, link in bio

AI detection

The Hive Moderation AI-Generated Content Detection tool also concluded that the video overall was 100% "likely to be AI-generated":

(Image source: Hive Moderation.)

Additional AI indicator

The clip also contains an indicator of AI generation. In the lower-left corner, the reflection in the side-view mirror of the original video shows an AI "hallucination," with three door handles (circled in red) where there would normally be only two:

(Image source: post by Muhammad Haffiz on Facebook.)

Charging a Tesla Cybertruck

The online owner's manual (archived here) for the Cybertruck says the vehicle must be in Park for charging to take place. According to the manual, the following conditions must be met for charging via the charging port using a connector -- the same charging-port-and-connector setup shown in the video (emphasis ours):

Engages a latch that holds the connector in place;

Shifts into Park (if it was in any other drive mode);

Heats or cools the Battery, if needed. If the Battery requires heating or cooling, you may notice a delay before charging begins.

Fact Check: Plantation Simulator Game With 'Whipping Black People' WAS Released On Steam

2026-05-21T19:18:08Z

Is there a controversial game called Plantation Simulator available to buy on Steam, where players motivate Black workers by whipping them? Yes, that's true: Plantation Simulator was released on Steam on May 12, 2026. The developer describes the game's content this way: "In this game, you will be whipping black people to keep your farm productive, If you whip your black person too much, they will die."

The game was mentioned in a post (archived here) on X on May 21, 2026, by @Pirat_Nation. It was captioned:

A controversial game called Plantation Simulator has been released on Steam and is receiving huge backlash from people calling it a slavery simulator. The game is described on Steam as a simple farming simulator where players motivate workers to work on a plantation. But the gameplay centers on a whipping mechanic applied to Black workers to increase productivity. The developer has described it as: 'In this game, you will be whipping black people to keep your farm productive. If you whip your black person too much, they will die.'

Included in the post is a 41-second screen recording of the gameplay. A screenshot from the video is pictured below.

(Image source: post by @Pirat_Nation on X.com.)

Steam is a platform where games can be purchased, created and played. The about page says there are nearly 30,000 games in the store (archived here).

At the time of writing, May 21, 2026, the Plantation Simulator game can be found on Steam (archived here). The game was released May 12, 2026, by the developer FzzyBzzy (archived here).

(Image source: store.steampowered.com.)

The Plantation Simulator page in the Steam store describes the game in part:

Step into the boots of a determined plantation owner in Plantation Simulator, a simple yet satisfying farming simulation set in America's plantation era. Your goal is simple: grow crops, manage your workers, and turn your plantation into a thriving farm!

But there is also a mature content description:

The developers describe the content like this:

In this game, you will be whipping black people to keep your farm productive, If you whip your black person too much, they will die.

This theme appears to violate the rules and guidelines of the Steam platform (archived here) which read:

We have a few guidelines about the content that can be distributed via Steam. Please keep these guidelines in mind when choosing whether to proceed with distribution.

What you shouldn't publish on Steam:

Hate speech, i.e. speech that promotes hatred, violence or discrimination against groups of people based on ethnicity, religion, gender, age, disability or sexual orientation

Lead Stories has reached out for comment to Valve Corporation, which owns Steam, and will update this article if we receive a reply.

Update: On May 22, 2026 the developer updated the game, posting an update note (archived here) that read:

Hi gamers!

We've listened, and we heard YOU!

We've fixed ALL the issues you've been wanting!

We've added hearts and little kisses for your friends as you become the best new age plantation owner ever!

Good Luck! And Keep Gaming!!! UwU

The current version of the game's description page has now removed all mentions of "whipping" and "black people" and the game is now described as:

Step into the boots of a determined plantation owner in Plantation Simulator, a simple yet satisfying farming simulation set in America's NEW AGE plantation era! Your goal is simple: grow crops, manage your FRIENDS, and turn your plantation into a thriving farm! But don't worry! It's all fair and happy!

The mature content description now reads:

The developers describe the content like this:

In this game, your friends wear bikinis and you can give them little kissies.

Fact Check: Jack Dorsey Has NOT Joined Anthropic -- Trending Joke Is Using Names Of Many Notable People

2026-05-20T16:37:30Z

Did Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter and chairman of Block, join the AI company Anthropic? No, that's not true: There have been no news announcements that Dorsey has joined Anthropic. After the true announcement that Andrej Karpathy, the co-founder of OpenAI, was joining Anthropic, a trend of copycat joke announcements popped up on social media. Among the copycat posts were joke announcements about Kanye West, Pope Leo, and Johnny Sins.

The fake announcement appeared in a post (archived here) published by @kanavtwt on X on May 19, 2026. It was captioned:

BREAKING: Jack Dorsey has joined Anthropic.

The two images in the post, Jack Dorsey and the Anthropic logo, appear side by side below:

(Image source: @kanavtwt post on X.)

On May 19, 2026, there was news that Andrej Karpathy, the co-founder of OpenAI, was joining Anthropic (archived here). Karpathy posted on X (archived here):

Personal update: I've joined Anthropic. I think the next few years at the frontier of LLMs will be especially formative. I am very excited to join the team here and get back to R&D. I remain deeply passionate about education and plan to resume my work on it in time.
-- Andrej Karpathy (@karpathy) May 19, 2026

Following that announcement, a joke trend popped up on X. A Lead Stories GIF (pictured below) shows a sample of the posts with this "BREAKING: ____ has joined Anthropic." format. Posts include people such as Albert Einstein, Rekhi Sawant, Pope Leo, Johnny Sins, Jeffrey Epstein, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Durant, Donald Trump, Mohit Chaprana, Lorna Hajdini, Jonah Hill, Raghav Chanda, and Shrek.

(Image source: GIF of posts on X.)

A search on Google News for "Jack Dorsey Anthropic" did not produce any relevant results (archived here). Dorsey is the co-founder and chairman of the company Block. On Dec. 9, 2025, Block announced "An initiative to advance open source agentic AI under the Linux Foundation umbrella" in an article titled, "Block, Anthropic, and OpenAI Launch the Agentic AI Foundation." (archived here). While Block is working alongside Anthropic in this initiative, this does not mean Dorsey is moving to Anthropic.

Fact Check: Data Center Did NOT Cause Power Outage At Six Flags Over Texas In May 2026 -- It Was A Construction Crew

2026-05-19T19:12:19Z

Did a data center cause a power outage at Six Flags Over Texas in May 2026? No, that's not true: A representative for Six Flags said a construction crew struck an underground power line, causing the outage. There's no evidence that any of the major regional data centers in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area had anything to do with the loss of power.

The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) by the @fangsxbangs account on X on May 18, 2026. It read:

imagine having to tell kids that there's a power outage at the six flags bc the data center down the street is sucking the juice right out the roller coaster so they have to go down these super safe non scary stairs. wait we don't have to imagine. there's a data center 18 mi away

This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @fangsxbangs on X.com.)

The original video is embedded below:

Power outage at Six Flags over the weekend 😳 pic.twitter.com/7shI23LBsa
-- Dallas Texas TV (@DallasTexasTV) May 18, 2026

Six Flags Over Texas is located in Arlington, Texas, part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, a popular hub for data centers. The region has earned the nickname "Silicon Prairie."

Lead Stories searched Google News (archived here) and Yahoo! News (archived here) and did not find any matching reports for these words: "Data center causes power outage at Six Flags Over Texas." The loss of power at the theme park on May 16, 2026, was widely reported, but the cause of the outage was not reported to be a data center.

In a May 19, 2026, email to Lead Stories, a Six Flags spokesperson said:

On Saturday [afternoon], an external construction crew made contact with an underground power line, which caused a temporary outage.

All guests were safely escorted off rides and attractions ...

It took approximately two hours to fully restore operations, with many rides and attractions reopening until the scheduled closure at 9 p.m. [local time].

On Sunday, the park resumed normal operations and opened as scheduled at 11 a.m.

Fact Check: Donald Trump DID Post A Fake Photo Of Himself Walking With An Alien -- Shared On Truth Social

2026-05-18T16:59:04Z

Did Donald Trump post a fake photo of himself walking with an alien? Yes, that's true: The president shared the photo of him walking next to an alien on his Truth Social account on May 17, 2026. An online detection tool rated the photo of the president with the alien as AI-generated.

The claim appeared in a May 17, 2026, post on X account @NewsWire_US (archived here). It opened:

Donald Trump shares AI-generated photo with an alien on Truth Social.

This is what the photo looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @NewsWire_US on X.)

Trump posted the image on his Truth Social account @realDonaldTrump on May 17, 2026 (archived here). Just days after the Department of War released UFO files on May 8, 2026. The website Trump's Truth, an archive of his posts on Truth Social, captured his post with the photo with the alien (archived here). This is what Trump's post looked like on Truth Social at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @realDonaldTrump on Truth Social.)

Trump has previously shared AI-generated images on Truth Social. The Hive Moderation AI-Generated Content Detection tool concluded the image was 98.8% "likely to be AI-generated":

(Image source: Hive Moderation.)

Fact Check: Photo Of Star-Shaped Object Was NOT Released In Department Of War UFO Files -- It Predates The Release

2026-05-12T22:38:13Z

Was this viral image of a star-shaped UFO released by the Department of War in the UFO Files? No, that's not true: The UFO files released by the Trump administration do not include a color photo of a star-shaped UFO that appears to be hovering over water. The image was previously published on the internet on April 9, 2026, a month before the administration released the UFO files.

The claim appeared in a May 10, 2026, post on X account @realgerhardtvdm (archived here). It opened:

ALIEN UFO/UAP FILES:

The White House released a colour photo of the star shaped UFO/UAP. (Photo 1)

It looks similar to the 1978 Superman movie spaceship that flew Superman to earth. (Photo 1 & 3)

This is what the image looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @realgerhardtvdm on X.)

The Department of War published government files (archived here) "related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs)," on May 8, 2026. Lead Stories reviewed all 15 declassified UFO Files images and 27 videos, none of which match the photo of the star-shaped object posted on X. Lead Stories searched the files with the keyword "star" and the results included three files, as this screenshot shows:

(Image source: U.S. Department of War.)

The video found in the search of the UFO files contains a star-shaped object, with the title DOW-UAP-PR038, Unresolved UAP Report, Middle East, 2013 (archived here), with the video description, "This video depicts an area of contrast resembling an eight-pointed star with arms of alternating length." The object can be clearly seen at 0:15 in the video. This star-shaped object does not match the one posted on X. Here is a screenshot from the video:

(Image source: U.S. Department of War.)

The image of the star-shaped object was posted on X account @Cortex_Zero (archived here) on April 9, 2026, approximately a month before the Department of War published the UFO files on May 8, 2026, as this screenshot shows:

(Image source: post by @Cortex_Zero on X. Red oval by Lead Stories.)

]]> Photo Of Star-Shaped Object Was NOT Released In UFO Files By U.S. Government

Fact Check: Video Of Helicopter Flying With Suspicious Orb Was NOT Released In Department of War UFO Footage

2026-05-12T02:25:58Z

Is a viral video that shows "never-before-seen" footage of an unidentified object moving in the sky near a helicopter flying, included in the UFO Files that were released by the Trump administration and the Department of War? No, that's not true: The black and white video does not appear in the publicly available UFO files released by the Trump administration and the Department of War at the time of publication. A search of "helicopter" in the files returned no results matching the video.

The claim appeared in a video posted on May 8, 2026, on Instagram account @mr.pluggertv (archived here). It opened:

🇺🇸 The Trump administration and Department of War have released "never-before-seen" UFO footage and potential alien life files, reigniting speculation online. 🛸

If alien life is real, do you think the public is finally ready for the truth?

This is what a still from the video posted on Instagram looked like:

(Image source: Post by @mr.pluggertv on Instagram.)

The Department of War published government files (archived here) "related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs)," on May 8, 2026. Lead Stories reviewed all 27 declassified UFO Files videos, none of which match the footage posted on Instagram. Space.com posted an 8:26 video of a compliation of the all video footage from the UFO Files on the website on May 8, 2026 (archived here). The Space.com video did not include the footage posted on Instagram.

Lead Stories searched the files with keyword "helicopter," and the results included two files. Neither was the video published on the Instagram account. Here is a screenshot of the search:

(Image source: war.gov/UFO/.)

The first file is titled "FBI PHOTO B7" (archived here). It is a black and white photo with a helicopter in the upper right of the photo. It does not include a video. This is the description of the image:

Narrative Description: The monochrome image displays a grainy texture with a central crosshair reticle. A dark object, consistent in appearance with a helicopter, is visible in the upper right quadrant. A second, smaller, dark circular object is visible below the reticle. The background is indistinct. This narrative description is provided for informational purposes only. Readers should not interpret any part of this description as reflecting an analytical judgment, investigative conclusion, or factual determination regarding the described event's validity, nature, or significance.

Here is a screenshot of the file:

(Image source: Department of War.)

The second file is titled "USPER Statement about UAP Sighting" (archived here) and is a document, not a video, as this description states:

This is an FBI 302 interview conducted with a senior US intelligence official regarding his first-hand account of a UAP encounter at a US military facility. USPER relayed to FBI agents that he and other federal and state personnel conducted searches to where orbs had been previously seen. After searching the area with a helicopter, they found a "super-hot" orb hovering over the ground. The orb is reported to have travelled for 20 miles at a speed too fast for the helicopter in pursuit. An additional "swarm" of lights were seen moving in all directions. A total of four or five additional orbs were seen shortly thereafter for a short time, flaring up and then down. This pattern of four or five orbs flaring up, then down continued over the next thirty minutes across the area.

Here is a screenshot of the file:

(Image source: Department of War.)

Fact Check: YES, X User @iamasoothsayer Wrote In 2022: '2026: Hantavirus'

2026-05-07T15:57:39Z

Did X user @iamasoothsayer write in 2022, "2026: Hantavirus"? Yes, that's true: The original post, from June 2022, read, "2023: Corona ended" and "2026: Hantavirus." A copy of the post was archived by The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine in 2022. X's user documentation does not currently list a way for users to retroactively edit the publication date or time of a post.

The claim appeared in a post and image (archived here) by the @__Mujeres account on X on May 7, 2026. It read:

How the hell this guy predicted in 2022

This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @__Mujeres on X.)

Hantavirus is a rare but serious disease usually spread by rodents, especially through their droppings or urine. In early May 2026, health officials were investigating an outbreak (archived here) linked to a cruise ship, raising concerns after several passengers became ill.

The original post (archived via the Internet Archive here in 2026 and here under the old twitter.com URL in 2022) by the @iamasoothsayer account on X was indeed published on June 11, 2022. It read:

(Image source: post by @iamasoothsayer on X.)

The documentation for X's Edit Post feature (archived here) listed no option to change the publication timestamp or date of a post at the time this fact check was written, it only mentions changes to text and media:

How does Edit post work?
After you publish a post or a Quote, you'll see a notification that says Your post has been sent. You can edit it for the next 1 hour. You'll have the opportunity to make up to 5 edits within that 1 hour window. Use that time to make changes like adding, deleting and/or correcting your text or rearranging and tagging media.

Lead Stories found no documentation for a timestamp-editing feature.

Fact Check: Google Germany HAS Low Threshold For Removing 'Defamatory' Restaurant Reviews If Challenged But 3-Star Rating Is NOT Illegal

2026-05-06T18:25:56Z

Is it illegal to leave a three-star Google restaurant review in Germany? No, that's not true: It is legal to leave a three-star review, but German law supports the restaurant's commercial reputation. If a business challenges reviews as defamatory Google will remove them, with provisions for the reviewer to appeal. Where reviews are removed, Google displays a non-exact count -- shown as a range -- of defamation removals for that business.

The claim was made in a post published on X by @jmkettle on May 5, 2026 (archived here). The post was captioned:

Giving a restaurant a three star review is illegal in Germany.

This is the screenshot included with the post:

(Image source: post by @jmkettle on X.com.)

The text of the screenshot reads:

Hello,
Your review isn't posted.
What happened
We received a complaint that your review is defamatory under German law. Your review is removed for now, because German courts have set a low threshold for businesses to challenge reviews as defamatory.

Affected URL(s):
James Kettle
It was fine
Essen: 3
Service: 3
Ambiente: 4

The conclusion stated in the caption, that a three-star review is illegal in Germany, is not true. Google has a page explaining their user-generated content policy regarding defamation removal notices in Germany (archived here). One paragraph explains how German law has set a low threshold for a business to challenge poor reviews:

Defamation under German Law

Besides protecting the reputation of individuals, German law protects a company's commercial reputation by allowing the company to demand the removal of false factual statements or factually unjustified expressions of opinion that could harm its business standing ('defamation'). German courts have set a low threshold for businesses to challenge reviews as defamatory. Besides proving that a review actually contains a defamatory statement, businesses can also claim that a reviewer was not a customer (for example, they have no record of a transaction). Unless there is evidence to the contrary, courts generally order platforms to remove such reviews.

Another page of Google's policy explains how a reviewer can appeal a decision to remove their review in Germany (archived here). This page includes a list of suggestions for how someone appealing a defamation removal can demonstrate, both through description and documentation, that they were really a customer and their experience was as described. Google writes:

The majority of defamation removal requests we get cite this "not-a-customer" argument. If you receive a notification that your review was removed for defamation, it is important to understand this does not necessarily mean the business has proven your content is fake or defamatory. Rather, it is likely that the business claimed you were not a customer, and we need additional evidence confirming your genuine experience with them.

Fact Check: FAKE Video Shows Squirrel Spinning On Top Of Waymo Car -- Video Is AI-Generated

2026-04-24T18:45:10Z

Is a video real that shows a squirrel spinning on top of a Waymo car? No, that's not true: The clip is a digital creation, not authentic footage. It includes a faint AI watermark in the upper-left corner and visual glitches in the background, both of which are common indicators of synthetic media. Also, an AI detection tool stated that "the video is likely to be AI-generated" after assessing the content.

The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) by the @evanrosenman account on Instagram on April 23, 2026. It said:

Squirrel VS Waymo 🤣🐿️

This is what a screenshot of the video in the post looked like on Instagram at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @evanrosenman on Instagram.)

The video can be viewed in this embed of the post:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Evan Era (@evanrosenman)

AI detection

The Hive Moderation AI-Generated Content Detection tool concluded that the video overall was 100 percent "likely to be AI-generated":

(Image source: Hive Moderation.)

Additional AI indicators

The fake clip has two other indicators of AI generation. In the upper-left corner, circled in yellow, is a very faint AI watermark, which is difficult to see unless there is a dark background to highlight it. Also, two street signs in the video, one above the other, circled in red, are an AI "hallucination" -- they are written in gibberish, not spelling out anything like a street name or "one way."

Both examples appear below:

(Image source: post by @evanrosenman on Instagram.)