Did the WNBA tell Sophie Cunningham she can no longer point because it is racially derogatory? No, that's not true: There is no evidence the WNBA banned Indiana Fever player Cunningham from pointing at other players or selling merchandise of her viral pointing moment. Neither the WNBA nor the Women's National Basketball Players Association banned Cunningham from selling merchandise from…
Is a video showing a transgender Florida student fake, AI-generated, or staged? No, that's not true: The footage is body camera video from the University of Central Florida Police Department. The incident occurred in February 2025 and involved then-student Jarrett Vick, who was upset about how police used pronouns when referring to them during an encounter that resulted in their…
Did Democrats vote against a bill that only contained a ban on members of Congress and their spouses trading individual stocks? Yes, but that is missing context: While H.R. 7008 includes a ban on stock trading, it also includes a separate provision requiring voters to provide photo identification. A vote against the bill was not necessarily a vote against the…
Does a real photo show Lamine Yamal's little brother Keyne with bundles of cash and the world cup trophy? No, that's not true: The image is AI-generated, it was originally posted on Instagram with an AI disclaimer by an account listing itself as an "AI Nostalgia & Multiverse Creator". AI detection tools at Hive Moderation and Google Gemini both found…
Does a viral video actually document an attack by a giant reptile? No, that's not true: After a visual inspection, Lead Stories found signs of AI-generated content in the video. Three online detectors concluded the clip was between 99 and 99.9% likely made by generative AI. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) on X where it…
Does a viral clip confirm that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave Monaco bombing suspect Anastasiia Berezovska a military award in 2022? No, that's not true: The rumor was based on a doctored clip. The real footage of the award ceremony didn't show people who looked like Berezovska. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X by @GarbageHuman24 on…
Does a video show Ann Widdecombe murder suspect Joshua Kerry giving a speech at a communist rally praising mass murderers Stalin and Lenin? No, that's not true: The man in the video is named Joshua Covel. He is clearly identified in the video by name. He is credited in the caption as representing Red Youth, the militant youth wing of…
Was a "back-up Trump" or a body double spotted in the background while President Donald Trump spoke to reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland after the World Cup final? No, that's not true: The person in the background was not a body double for the president but his father-in-law -- Melania Trump's father, Viktor Knavs. On "The Daily Show"…
Does an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer get 71 days of training, while it takes 150 days to become a certified Petco pet stylist? Yes, that's essentially true: An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson confirmed that officers receive 71 days of training. The Petco website says its certified pet stylists must complete an 800-hour, 20-week course, which spans about 140…
Did soccer player Lamine Yamal show a keffiyeh during one of the Spain games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup? No, that's not true: The rumor was based on a digitally altered image taken during a match between Spain and Saudi Arabia in mid-June 2026. Multiple photos of that scene published by credible journalistic organizations showed Yamal celebrating his goal…
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