Did Pope Leo XIV say, "Iran can have a nuclear weapon," as President Donald Trump suggested on the White House lawn in April 2026? No, that's not true: The pope has repeatedly argued against war and denounced nuclear weapons. In March 2026, he posted on X, "Let us #PrayTogether that nations move toward effective disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, and that…

Are viral posts claiming your favorite celebrity family adopted or had twin babies and giving them names that "are taking the internet by storm" real? No, that's not true: Nearly identical posts naming at least 49 celebrity families were distributed on Facebook in mid-April 2026 by a spam network managed from Vietnam. The posts appear to be AI-generated and have…

Do new documents from the Department of Justice Epstein files reveal that Erika Kirk used to work for Jeffrey Epstein? No, that's not true: A search of the publicly available DOJ file of Epstein investigation documents did not find any results containing evidence that the late Charlie Kirk's widow ever worked for convicted child abuser Epstein. The post making that…

Did Pope Leo XIV misquote Jesus as saying, "Blessed are the peacemakers, but woe to those who manipulate religion"? No, that's not true: The pope wasn't reading a Scripture passage at the time; he was delivering a homily on peace while in Bamenda, Cameroon, on a tour of Africa. The sentence in question excerpted a famous line from the Gospel…

Did President Donald Trump post on social media saying he gave Pope Leo XIV his job and that he ordered acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to investigate the Catholic Church? No, that's not true: The fake screenshot with a blue verification badge was made to look like a post from @realDonaldTrump on the X platform -- but Trump has not…

Did Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth falsely present lines from "Pulp Fiction" as a real biblical quote? No, that's not true: In April 2026, Hegseth described it as a prayer used by the "Sandy One" Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) mission in Iran, saying it was "meant to reflect Ezekiel 25:17." He did not claim it was the actual Bible verse.…

Was a Georgia school bus driver sued by parents because their children suffered scrapes when he stopped abruptly after a rock hit the windshield, critically injuring him? No, that's not true: There is no reporting about a lawsuit or school bus incident in Georgia matching these details. The photo of "Marcus" appearing in the video is a stock photo that…

Is a video that shows a prisoner hiding in his cell by suspending himself under the ceiling while a guard checks the cell authentic? No, that's not true: Online detection tools flagged the video as likely AI-generated. One rated it as 100% AI-generated. The claim appeared in a video posted on April 14, 2026, on X account @Oguthaane (archived here).…

Is a paper by Dr. Drew Pinsky, Dr. Peter McCullough, Dr. Harvey Risch, and nine others claiming that ivermectin and mebendazole improve cancer outcomes in 84.4% of cases a proper medical study? No, that's not true: Research experts told Lead Stories that the paper relies on an uncontrolled, self-reported survey with major bias, no independent verification of diagnoses or outcomes,…

Does an image of Pakistani government officials being searched by U.S. military members during Iran peace talks that took place in April 2026 show a real event? No, that's not true: The image showed several signs of AI generation. Additionally, there were no news reports that such a search actually happened. The claim appeared in a post published on X…