Did "The Simpsons" predict that April 29, 2025 will become "the day everything stops"? No, that's not true: The internet rumor originated from an account that posts "fictional stories". The video never used a direct video citation from the series. Lead Stories analysis of the visual sequence suggested it was created with generative AI. The claim appeared in a post…
Did a drilling operation in Yellowstone National Park unleash a 150-foot lava geyser in April of 2025, as a social media post claimed? No, that's not true: The "Casper Planet" page on which the story originated lists "Satire Street" as the Planet's address. The site prominently displays a disclaimer that includes this phrase: "Did we say this is satire? Well…
Did Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney write "Western society is morally rotten ... corrupted by capitalism" in "Values", his 2021 book? No, that's not true: a book reviewer characterized Carney's views that way in an opinion article published by The National Post. Then, a social media post incorrectly attributed to Carney phrases that were actually the reviewer's. The quotes have…
Did a video shared in April 2025 show a real argument in a restaurant, where a woman tried to take a MAGA hat off a man, and expressed her opposition to President Donald Trump? No, that's not true: The video was a sketch, and did not depict a real event. On TikTok, the original creators described themselves as "actors and…
Does a viral video depict a real-life scene showing a woman protesting against being seated next to a man in a MAGA hat on a plane? No, that's not true: The footage was initially uploaded on the internet by an account that publishes sketches. Those clips show the same actors in various roles. The claim appeared in a post (archived…
Did a widely-viewed video authentically show Pope Francis in a wheelchair with three hands? No, that's not true: that clip was fake and a digital fabrication. It recreated a real moment, shown in authentic video, in which Francis emerged on to the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica to give the Easter Sunday "urbi et orbi" blessing, one day before his…
Does a viral video authentically show a French teacher reacting to students bullying each other by kicking and punching them using Chinese martial arts? No, that's not true: The video was originally put out by Campus Univers Cascades, a French training center for stunt techniques. The video features trained professionals and was recorded and originally shared on social media for…
Did Pope Francis' dog "refuse to leave his grave"? No, that's not true: None of the variations of the internet rumor support that by links to credible news reports or authentic footage or photographs from the papal funeral, which was covered in detail by multiple journalistic organizations. There is no evidence that the late pontiff kept any pets during his…
Is a mugshot showing Judge Hannah Dugan in a grey polo shirt in front of a height chart real? No, that's not true: The image of the Milwaukee Judge who was arrested by the FBI for allegedly obstructing ICE agents appears to have been generated using generative artificial intelligence image makers. Two AI detection services rated the image more than…
Did an authentic photograph show several mourners wearing blue attire at the funeral of Pope Francis? No, that's not true: An image shared widely on social media had been digitally edited to change the color and tone of the clothes worn by several dignitaries, including former President Joe Biden. Some observers had criticized President Donald Trump for wearing a blue…
Is a video of a "gas cargo ship" hitting a bridge and exploding real? No, that's not true: The viral video of the explosion that seems to lift part of the ship over the bridge originated on a TikTok account that indicated it was made using AI tools. The account frequently posts AI generated videos involving accidents with ships, including…
Was basketball player Steph Curry's mother Sonia denied service at a Ferrari dealership and did this lead to the creation of a campaign named "Respect in Every Space" in collaboration with Under Armour? No, that's not true: The viral social media story is very likely fictional as there is no trace of such a campaign on the website of Under…
Is a mugshot showing Judge Hannah Dugan crying while wearing an orange jumpsuit authentic? No, that's not true: The image of the judge who was arrested by the FBI for allegedly obstructing ICE agents appears to have been generated using AI tools. Two detection tools rated the chance of AI use at over 99%. An example of the image appeared…
Does a social media post include an authentic photo of former New Mexico Magistrate Judge Joel Cano standing pantsless in flip-flops with Cristhian Ortega-Lopez, the Venezuelan man he is accused of hiding from U.S. immigration officials? No, that's not true: The original image, in which Cano is fully clothed, was included with documents filed March 28, 2025, in federal court…
Does a viral video authentically portray U.S. Vice President JD Vance talking about "parodies" and "accusations" after visiting the Vatican hours before the death of Pope Francis? No, that's not true: The original sound was digitally replaced in the clip. The recording was first published nine months before the pontiff's death. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published…
Did U.S. President Donald Trump show a Fox News host a Trump 2028 hat placed on the wall in the Oval Office? No, that's not true: The viral video was digitally altered. The original Fox News segment showed Trump unveiling the Declaration of Independence. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X on April 25, 2025. It…
My first memory of the passing of a pope is a traumatic one: someone murdered him. Or at least, that's what everyone around me seemed to believe. I was just 13, but I had a sense that something was amiss: Albino Luciani had been Pope John Paul I for only 33 days, and he was relatively young, in his…
Did Cardinal Robert Sarah once say "The Jewish people have slain our messiah -- I shall never forget that"? No, that's not true: Contrary to a meme that was shared widely in April 2025, we could find no record of the Guinean cardinal having written or uttered words to that effect. After the death of Pope Francis, Sarah was mentioned…
Did the New York Times fail to mention Nascimento Blair's kidnapping conviction and prison sentence in an April 2025 article about his deportation from the United States to Jamaica? No, that's not true: the authors mentioned the conviction and 15-year sentence in detail, and in several different parts of the article. Blair was convicted of first-degree kidnapping in 2006, released…
Did The Sun publish a video claiming Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle sold Princess Diana's iconic revenge dress to Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska for $2.9 million in April 2025? No, that's not true: There is no such story or video on The Sun's website or social media. The quote from "Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams" in the video was cut…
