Does a viral clip accurately document what happened during the 2026 FIFA World Cup award ceremony when Spanish soccer player Lamine Yamal came to the podium to receive a medal from Donald Trump? No, that's not true: Contrary to claims on social media, Yamal didn't refuse to shake hands with U.S. President Donald Trump: their handshake was well-documented by multiple…
Did Donald Trump post "Paul McCartney is an anti-Trump joke" on Truth Social? No, that's not true: The post's original creator said it was fake. There is no such message on Trump's Truth Social account, and no credible news reports exist of Trump criticizing McCartney or the Beatles. The claim appeared in a July 17, 2026, post on Facebook account…
Does a video show an American B-52 bomber being shot down by a missile? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that a U.S. B-52 has been shot down, and no credible news organizations had reported such an incident as of July 18, 2026. Additionally, the video displays several visual characteristics that strongly suggest it was created using computer-generated…
Did FIFA President Gianni Infantino announce that the organization was going to wait until after the final 2026 World Cup game to make a decision regarding the Falklands banner displayed by players from Argentina after their win over England? No, that's not true: The account that posted the quote is a parody account. There have been no announcements by FIFA…
Was a real Florida corrections officer named "Lena Hale" arrested for impregnating inmates? No, that's not true: No credible news organizations reported the story. Viral posts making the claim shared images showing a person supposedly having two different hair colors at the moment of booking. The alleged mugshot displayed signs that were consistent with the use of generative AI. The…
Did President Donald Trump post a video about "Dr. Trump and his Trump Derangement Syndrome patients" on an official social media account? Yes, that's true: The content appeared on his verified Instagram account. Although the video contains numerous signs of AI-generated imagery and audio, there is no evidence that it was posted by an unofficial or impersonator account. The claim…
Does a real photo from 1903 show a "Bengali woman carrying a British trader" depicting "the height of British colonial rule in the Indian subcontinent"? No, that's not true: The image is fake. OpenAI's verification tool detected the image has a SynthID watermark and was made with tools from OpenAI. There are also glitches characteristic of AI-generated images such as…
Does a viral video of a littered sidewalk represent a typical street in Paris? Here's what we know: It does show a street in the French capital, but it's a rather remote location known for law enforcement raids against unauthorized flea market vendors. The video was first shared on social media shortly after a major cultural event that required additional…
Did American soccer player Folarin Balogun unveil an image of late conservative commentator Charlie Kirk under his t-shirt during the USA-Paraguay World Cup match on June 12, 2026? No, that's not true: The viral image was digitally manipulated. Neither the real footage of the game nor media coverage confirm that such an episode ever took place during that match. The…
Did Stephen Colbert record and post a real video discussing the firing of CBS and 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley? No, that's not true: The video, which looked similar to an unrelated, real video posted by Colbert, was labeled as "AI-generated" on social media. Additionally, there were no trustworthy reports of Colbert's alleged comments. The claim appeared in a video…
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