Was a man named Ethan Caldwell arrested after posing as a museum tour guide and inventing completely fake histories for every painting? No, that's not true: The story originated on an Instagram page known for posting parody stories. The story carries a disclaimer labeling the post as funny, comedy, satire and "for entertainment purposes only." There are no credible news…

Does footage of the Germany vs. Curaçao World Cup Game show a fan in the stands who looked just like Adolf Hitler and was rooting for Germany? No, that's not true: The screenshot of the FIFA World Cup match footage has been digitally altered. A verification tool from OpenAI found a SynthID watermark embedded in the image. The authentic FIFA…

Is Britain banning VPNs next month? No, that's not true: The prime minister of the United Kingdom announced a proposed ban on major social media platforms for children under 16. Keir Starmer made the announcement at a public press conference and did not say the ban included VPNs. One politician said the legislation might regulate VPN use by age, but…

Do authentic side-by-side photos of Barron Trump and Justin Trudeau show that the two bear an uncanny resemblance? No, that's not true: Neither of the images used in the comparison of the two men is real. The OpenAI verification tool detected an invisible watermark embedded in each image, meaning the images were made with OpenAI tools. The AI-generated image of…

Does a viral video show Donald Trump Jr. opening a pack with a white substance at President Trump's birthday UFC event at the White House? No, that's not true: The clip did not offer evidence that it was him or show that person's face. Available images from the gathering show that, unlike the man from the video, Trump Jr. did…

Did the U.S. Park Police arrest "antifa operatives" for dumping algae into the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.? No, that's not true: The story originated on a Facebook page known for posting satirical content that carries the disclaimer, "Nothing on this page is real," and the image accompanying the claim is stamped with the same warning.…

Did the NBA champion New York Knicks decline an invitation to the White House? No, that's not true: The team's owner, James Dolan, said on radio station WFAN that the team had received an invitation and accepted it. Dolan said the date of the visit had not yet been finalized, adding, "We still have to figure out the details, etc."…

Does a video show Algeria fans at the World Cup soccer match against Argentina in Kansas City, Mo. chanting "Messi is the enemy of Allah"? No, that's not true: The video shows a pep rally on the steps of the World Trade Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The audio attached to this video is TikTok sound originating from an Egyptian political…

Is the number of girls raped in the United Kingdom by grooming gangs definitively documented to be 250,000? No, that's not true: That figure is an extrapolation using an unclear methodology based on data from smaller communities with headline-grabbing scandals and is not an actual count of rape cases across the United Kingdom. A 2022 Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual…

Is a viral clip purporting to show actor Robert De Niro walking in massive platform shoes real? No, that's not true: The clip demonstrated glitches typical of AI production and had an AI label. Four online detectors confirmed that it was not authentic footage. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X by @GrrrGraphics on June 15, 2026.…