History

Does a viral video on YouTube discuss a real-life scandal involving BBC host "James Whitmore" mocking Filipino Doctor "Elena Reyes" for her accent? No, that's not true: The story was made up by AI. Multiple online tools detected AI across different elements of the story, and the BBC website showed no record of either the host or the guest. The…

Did Usha Vance, the wife of Vice President JD Vance, attend the same 2017 conference as White House Correspondents' Dinner suspect Cole Tomas Allen? No, that's not true: The communications office of the Office of the Second Lady at the White House told Lead Stories that it "can confirm that it was not her." There is also no evidence that…

Is a video real that shows Marlon Brando explaining that he declined the 1973 Oscar over the "increasing control of Zionists in Hollywood"? No, that's not true: The American actor did decline the 1973 Best Actor Oscar for his role in "The Godfather," but it was to protest Hollywood's portrayal of Native Americans, not "Zionists in Hollywood." Also, an AI…

Is a viral video showing President Donald Trump falling asleep during a press event at the White House real and did he actually hit his head on his desk? No, that's not true: The video and screenshots of it shared by social media users originated from a self-described meme account. The clip was digitally altered, likely using AI. The claim…

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…

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…

Does a 3D model from scientists at the University of Manchester show how Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam and Eve, may have looked? No, that's not true: This rendering is not a scientific reconstruction of the biblical brothers' faces -- it's yet another spoof in a long-running joke. The joke format has been around since 2018, pairing the…

Did CNN's "Caityn Collins" leave the White House press room after Trump press secretary Karoline Leavitt embarrassed her by saying she had not "reported a fact since you left the Daily Caller nine years ago"? No, that's not true: The claim originated on a satirical Facebook page run by a liberal man with a long history of tricking conservatives into…

Did Lucas Morel discover a World War II era resistance printing operation in a secret room hidden in his basement in Lyon, France? No, that's not true: This fictional clickbait story set in Lyon, France originated on YouTube and is illustrated with AI-generated images. Lyon is known as the "Capital of the Resistance" in France, but other details of this…

Is Donald Trump closing all regional offices of the U.S. Forest Service? No, that's not true: Official terminology will change, but there will still be offices in many regions of the U.S. under the plan announced March 31, 2026. Fifteen new "State Offices", most of them in the national-lands-heavy western states, will replace the Forest Service's 1908 system of nine…