Marine

Did the BBC air a report allegedly capturing a stolen Cézanne painting on the wall of Volodymyr Zelenskyy's presidential office? No, that's not true: The video was doctored to replace a real painting. The work of art seen in the original footage of a different presidential address was painted by a Ukrainian impressionist. The claim appeared in a post (archived…

Did Donald Trump post a profanity-laced "unhinged" rant on his Truth Social, claiming he "graduated top of my class in the Navy Seals," along with other false statements? No, that's not true: The message does not appear on Trump's Truth Social account. It is a widely circulated internet meme known as a "copypasta" that has been online beginning in 2010.…

Does a video of a burning ship actually show an oil tanker hit in the Strait of Hormuz on March 27, 2026? No, that's not true: No credible news organizations reported an oil tanker being hit in the Strait of Hormuz on that day. The video showed signs of AI generation. The claim appeared in a post (archived here, here…

Does a real video show Tomahawk missiles streaking past a merchant ship "on their way to targets in Iran"? No, that's not true: This video is AI-generated. The fake video shows missiles passing dangerously close to the ship and glitchy text on its containers. Although this video is fake, there is real footage that was filmed from a container ship…

Does a real video show a large container ship listing and capsizing in front of bystanders on another craft? No, that's not true: This video is AI-generated. It was originally posted by an account that describes itself as posting "AI Videos Daily." The containers shown in the video do not shift realistically as the ship begins to roll, and the…

Did a U.S. military commander tell troops that President Trump was "anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon"? Here's what we know so far: The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) said on its website that it has received hundreds of similar complaints. Asked to provide the original email or identifying information, the organization declined,…

Did President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan quietly drive themselves to a Virginia nursing home to serve breakfast to elderly residents on Christmas Day 1983? No, that's not true: This is a completely made-up story that is contradicted by historical records, including President Reagan's personal diary entry for that date. It was published by a Pakistani-based spam factory…

Did Secret Service Agent Larry Cockell document that Bill Clinton stopped to speak with a homeless Desert Storm veteran named Marcus Williams outside the Kennedy Center in 1997? No, that's not true: This sentimental story is fictional clickbait. The story's many details make it sound believable but they do not check out. There is no record of this 1997 interaction…

Do these viral videos show the U.S. seizing oil tankers linked to Venezuela on January 7, 2026? No, that's not true: Those clips are unrelated to the U.S. pursuit of the tankers "Bella-1" and "Sophia". The clips can be found in posts that predate the capture of the ships. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) on…

Does actual drone footage show a giant "eclipse Octopus" in the Gulf of America (sometimes also called the Gulf of Mexico)? No, that's not true: The video originated on a TikTok channel with a disclaimer that says it publishes videos made with artificial intelligence tools and which posted many other faked animal videos. The "octopus" in the video also had…