Just Because It's Trending Doesn't Mean It's True — Fact checking at the speed of likes since 2015

Did WNBA star Sophie Cunningham say LeBron James "doesn't have the correct genitalia" to discuss transgender women in sports? No, that's not true: The claim originated on a Facebook page known for posting satirical content that carries the disclaimer, "Nothing on this page is real." The image in the original post also bears the same warning label. Lead Stories found…

Did President Donald Trump post an O.J. Simpson meme showing former President Barack Obama and first lady Melania Trump riding in the white Bronco together? No, that's not true: Trump posted a meme in 2025 on his Truth Social account showing himself in a police car chasing Obama in Simpson's white Bronco with Vice President J.D. Vance in another police…

Does a real photo show an army officer with the "nuclear football" chained to what is described on social media as a "diaper bag" carried by Trump aide Natalie Harp? No, that's not true: The original photo didn't display an army officer or the briefcase allowing access to the nuclear arsenal. The image was digitally altered by AI. The claim…

Did MS NOW host Rachel Maddow broadcast a transcript of a call between former Attorney General Pam Bondi and President Donald Trump? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Bondi and Trump were ever recorded having such a call, nor is there any evidence that Maddow broadcast a transcript of one. In addition, an AI detection tool concluded…

Does a real video or screenshot show President Donald Trump slumped over asleep at the White House Correspondents' Dinner with his mouth hanging open? No, that's not true: A deepfake video appears to be based on real footage from the dinner but has been altered to make Trump appear to fight sleep in an over-the-top, absurdist way. The video was…

Does a viral video show Elon Musk walking together with his family and talking with his children? No, that's not true: A real photo from 2025 was used to generate the AI video. Other than the one source photo, the rest of the scene was imagined by AI. The video has an obvious glitch. It begins with a group of…

Did the State of Minnesota announce it will bring "transgender dolls" to public school classrooms as early as fall 2026? No, that's not true: The state's Department of Education denied that. The dolls are a project of University of Minnesota, and, according to the statement of the academics behind it, are meant to be a "therapeutic tool for use by…

Did Donald Trump post an image of himself with John F. Kennedy, Mahatma Gandhi, and Jesus Christ on his Truth Social account? No, that's not true: The image, which appears to mimic a Truth Social post, did not originate with Trump. Instead, it first appeared on a social media account known for posting satirical content. A review of Trump's Truth…

Does a real video show a nurse, flight attendant, police officer, cheerleader or Walmart associate dancing to "The Git Up" song? No, that's not true: A series of AI-generated videos shows characters dancing to the 2019 country hit by Blanco Brown with identical choreography. Each of these dancing videos originates from an Instagram account featuring additional sexualized AI-generated images and…

Did Inter Miami player Germán Berterame die as a result of a collision seen in a video of a match against Montréal on July 25, 2026? No, that's not true: Berterame collapsed on the field after being struck in the head by Efraín Morales' elbow in the 70th minute of the match. He spent the night at Montréal General Hospital…

Does a video show U.S. Sen. John Fetterman being arrested after pulling a gun on a person in a car? No, that's not true: The man seen in the clip is not the senator from Pennsylvania but a man in Des Moines, Iowa. According to reports, Des Moines police identified him as Bradley James Ratkovich, who was charged with assault…

Does an image comparison show a real Getty photo of Donald Trump next to a White House-edited version giving him smooth skin? No, that's not true: Both photos are edited, and neither can be attributed to those two sources. Reuters published the original image, which does not look like either of the edited images. The claim appeared in a post…

Did the BBC report that Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska was spotted wearing a pendant stolen from France's Lalique Museum? No, that's not true: The BBC denied ever publishing such a report. The video was doctored to digitally add the jewelry item to Zelenska's neck. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) published on X by @its_The_Dr…

Did the Federal Communications Commission fine NBC and ABC $25 million each for not carrying President Trump's July 16, 2026, speech and fine CBS $10 million for not airing it in full? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has imposed or threatened to impose fines on these three broadcast networks. Both the…

Did a novice skydiver pull her parachuteless friend out of the plane, leaving the freefalling woman to be rescued by another skydiver? No, that's not true: This video was made with AI. It was originally published by an account called Built With AI which promotes a platform that teaches people how to make realistic AI characters and turn them into…

Does a viral clip document a recent real-life scene of U.S. President Donald Trump falling while trying to get into a limo? No, that's not true: The video showed signs of AI generation, and no credible media outlet reported the alleged incident. Among the most viral versions of the claim were posts from self-described humor accounts. The claim appeared in…

Does a viral post about "a 26-year-old man from Chicago" arrested over "hacking into the Cook County Human Services system" to approve all food stamp applications describe a real-life incident? No, that's not true: The mugshot of the imaginary suspect was generated by AI. Earlier versions of the rumor started years ago as pranks and satire. The claim appeared in…

Is a video showing an Iranian ballistic missile attack on a U.S. aircraft carrier real? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that Iran hit a U.S. aircraft carrier with ballistic missiles, and no credible news organizations had reported such an incident as of July 24, 2026. Plus, an online AI detection tool concluded that the video was very…

Is a photo of Donald Trump showing him with heavy facial wrinkles, pale skin and sweat authentic? No, that's not true: The image has been altered to exaggerate facial wrinkles and to add bumps to his skin. The alteration has also lightened parts of his face. The original photo published by a news outlet does not show the same skin…

Does a real video show an incident where a wedding party dancing on a balcony fell to the street when the balcony suddenly collapsed? No, that's not true: The video posted on Instagram as early as January 28, 2026, has a disclaimer added by the creator that the video was made with AI. The AI-generated content detection tool from Hive…