Alexis Tereszcuk

Does a photo accurately represent the full leadership team at the Los Angeles Fire Department amid the Los Angeles County January 2025 fires? No, that's missing context: The photo posted on social media shows the current fire chief, a deputy chief and a commander from the department, but they are just three of the 14-member leadership team for the department. The post implies that the three women are the only leadership for the organization but there are at least nine men in leadership positions.

Is it unusual that U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer was not invited to President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration? No, that's missing context: A social media post's assertion that usually the British prime minister "would be the first name on the list" is untrue. Traditionally, foreign leaders were not invited to U.S. presidential inaugurations, a presidential historian told Lead Stories.

Have British prime ministers attended U.S. presidential inaugurations on four occasions in the past 100 years? No, that's not true: A presidential historian told Lead Stories that no prime ministers from the U.K. attended a U.S. inauguration in the 20th century. Official records from the Department of State, Office of the Historian do not include any leaders from the United Kingdom attending a U.S. inauguration.

Does a video show real images from a 2007 episode of "The Simpsons" that predicted the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires?...

Did the set for ABC's talk show "The View" burn down amid the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for the show told Lead Stories that the program has always been based in New York City. The website where the rumor appeared describes itself as specializing in "Satire and Parody." The image in the social media post was "100.0%" likely made with AI, according to an AI image detector.

Does a video show President Donald Trump saying "I don't care" about the economy in an interview with Fox News? No, that's not true: Trump's response of "I don't care" to Sean Hannity was not about the economy, he was saying it didn't matter to him that the TV host was running out of time and wanted to change the topic. Hannity tried to change the subject to the economy by telling the president he was "running out of time," to which Trump said he did not care.

Did the Fraternal Order of Police rescind its endorsement of President Donald Trump in response to the sweeping January 6 pardons he gave after his 2025 swearing-in? No, that's not true: The Fraternal Order of Police issued a letter that criticized pardons by both Trump and former President Joe Biden of people convicted of violence against law enforcement officers, but never rescinded their endorsement of Trump. The letter said both the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Order were "deeply discouraged" by pardons and commutations granted by both men "to individuals convicted of killing or assaulting law enforcement officers."

Did basketball great Michael Jordan call for a ban on the pride flag from U.S. schools and sports? No, that's not true: The website that published the article has a satire disclaimer and is known for publishing fabricated content. The article also identifies its content as "SATIRE." No credible reports support the assertion that Jordan called to ban pride flags.

Did Whoopi Goldberg, Megan Rapinoe and Taylor Swift announce they were leaving the United States, presumably after Donald Trump's return as president? No, that's not true: The article cited for details did not offer any quotes or reputable sources to confirm this. The social media post saying so supplied no evidence any of the three made any such public statement. No credible news media outlets have reported this as of January 28, 2025.

Did President Donald Trump fire 3,000 air traffic controllers one week before the fatal American Airlines Flight 5342 collision with a military helicopter? No, that's not true: A White House spokesperson told Lead Stories they had not fired any air traffic controllers as of publication date. Trump did direct the head of the Federal Aviation Administration to end "DEI hiring programs," but did not order the firing of 3,000 air traffic controllers.