Lead Stories is reporting that a viral video purporting to show U.S. President Donald Trump unveiling a "Trump 2028" hat in the Oval Office was digitally altered. It said the 16-second clip, shared on X on April 25, 2025, was manipulated from an original Fox News segment broadcast on March 20, 2025, in which Trump gave host Laura Ingraham an exclusive tour of the Oval Office. Lead Stories said the original footage showed Trump unveiling the Declaration of Independence, not a hat. It said two AI detection tools, InVid and DeepFake-o-meter, confirmed the video was digitally altered, likely by generative AI, and noted a watermark for the Dilley Meme Team, a site offering satirical political videos. Lead Stories said the same Fox News footage was previously manipulated to purport to show a "Bitcoin whitepaper." It noted that the 22nd Amendment limits presidents to two terms, and that Trump began his second term on January 20, 2025.
Separately, Lead Stories is reporting that an image appearing to show Judge Hannah Dugan crying in an orange jumpsuit is not real. It said the judge, arrested by the FBI for allegedly obstructing ICE agents, appears in an AI-generated mugshot, with two detection tools rating the chance of AI use at over 99 percent.
Lead Stories also is reporting that a widely shared photo appearing to show many mourners at Pope Francis' funeral, rather than just Trump, dressed in blue was digitally edited. It said the image was altered to change the color and tone of clothing worn by several dignitaries, including former President Joe Biden, after some observers criticized Trump for wearing a blue suit to the funeral.
Lead Stories further is reporting that it is not legal to own a child sex slave in California, addressing a claim circulating online.