United States

Do white strands in the flesh of ripe tomatoes mean "Something weird is happening with American food"? No, that's not true: those are sprouting seeds. Gardening and farming experts at the University of Connecticut say the tomatoes are still perfectly safe to eat. Called "Vivipary", the internal sprouting happens in certain varieties of tomatoes, peppers, apple, pears, and some citrus.…

Did a video shared widely in May 2025 authentically show President Donald Trump describing the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio as "the largest environmental terror attack in world history" and "an inside job"? No, that's not true: Trump never made such remarks. The clip in question contained fake audio and edited mouth movements, both likely the products of…

Did a Dollar General Store post a sign saying a self-checkout station was closed "Due to Niggers"? No, that's not true: The actual sign shared on X by Jack Posobiec on May 15, 2025, read "Due to Dishonesty," but hours later another account posted a digitally-altered image that replaced "Dishonesty" with the N-word. The sign photo was originally published on…

Is there evidence that music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs divulged, in testimony, that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries attended "Communist Party Freak Off" parties, as a social media post claimed? No, that's not true: The post appeared while Combs was on trial in federal court in Manhattan on charges of racketeering and sex trafficking. But Combs had not testified at…

Does a viral bodycam video authentically show a cop pulling over a black judge and then the police officer "lives to regret it?" No, that's not true: The video originated from a channel that publishes re-enactments using the same actors repeatedly in supposedly unrelated roles and situations. While the YouTube channel's description claims to "bring you real, unfiltered bodycam footage,"…

Did authentic photos shared in May 2025 show President Donald Trump covered in blood after being "shot again while exiting the White House"? No, that's not true: We found no source or corroboration for the two images in question, which appear to have been created using AI. No news reports existed on the supposed shooting of Trump, which would have…

Does U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer "drive to work every day" in a Rolls Royce he received as a gift from the British government? No, that's not true: That rumor originated on a Facebook page that describes its content as satirical. The fake "Rolls Royce" claim came amid backlash against President Donald Trump's decision to accept the gift of a jet…

Did Al Gore receive a $90 million custom Gulfstream jet from the Sultan of Kuwait? No, that's not true: The story appeared on a site that is clearly labeled as satirical. It is run by a man known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content. The story appeared as an article published by The Dunning-Kruger Times on May…

Does a viral video prove U.S. President Donald Trump refused to drink coffee in Saudi Arabia in May 2025? A longer version of the viral clip showed him gazing around while holding the untouched coffee cup, as other reception participants, including the host, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, took one or more sips. Yet, the footage does not offer…

Does an authentic video show U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. he's "declaring war on fat, gay kids, not the kids themselves but whatever is making them so fat, gay, and pathetic?" No, that's not true: A disclaimer saying the video is "a deepfake, quite obviously" appears in the last second of the 55-second clip. The…

Did Sam Smith and Pamela Anderson trade insults in May 2025, after Anderson's appearance at that year's Met Gala in New York City? No, that's not true: An account of a "bitter feud" between them was no more than a fabrication. The original source, Wakefield News, describes its output as satirical in nature. The exchange of insults was presented as…

Did the Saudis give Bill Clinton a helicopter worth $17 million "to use in their airspace" and did he then get to keep it as a "gift" when he left office? No, that's not true: The viral claim originated on two self-described satirical Facebook pages. The owner of the pages is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up…

Did Florida statistics show that the Pfizer COVID vaccine "likely KILLED over 470,000 Americans" and "increased your risk of death by at least 36%"? No, that's not true: A draft research paper found only that those who got the Pfizer vaccine had a higher rate of death from all causes than did those who received the Moderna vaccine but it…

Did a widely-shared video show an authentic gas station encounter between a "racist cop" and a Black "Navy Seal"? No, that's not true: The video originated on a Facebook page that publishes dramatic, scripted public disputes. The individuals in the footage were actors. The video was presented as authentic in a May 10, 2025, post on TikTok (archived here). Embedded…

Did online posts accurately show a woman dancing with a "Trump 2024" flag, then being deported? No, that's not true: The posts combined two clips that showed entirely different people. The first was Lenette Saunders, who posted "Latinos celebrating Papi Trump's victory" in November 2024. The second woman was Alejandra Juarez, who was deported in 2018. The claim appeared in…

Did U.S. President Donald Trump call Australian PM Anthony Albanese a "total RETARD" in a post on Truth Social? No, that's not true: A fabricated screenshot of such a post, in which Trump accused Albanese of "running the country into the ground" originated on an X account that said it was "fake". There is no trace of such a post…

Does an authentic video show President Trump saying "Lopping off someone's ding-a-long doesn't make them a woman, it makes them a eunuch?" No, that's not true: A disclaimer saying the video is "a deepfake, quite obviously" appears in the last second of the clip. The video was posted on an X account that has previously shared videos that replaced Trump's…

Did U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi publicly confirm a RICO investigation against the Clinton, Obama and Biden families? No, that's not true: Neither the Attorney General's website nor credible media organizations show the purported announcement. The account that posted the claim displayed a satire label. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X where it was published on…

Did CNN air a graphic of statistics from the India-Pakistan conflict that showed India suffered far larger losses than Pakistan and that U.S. President Trump helped "curb India's losses?" No, that's not true: A CNN spokesperson told Lead Stories the global news network did not air the graphic and that it was "fabricated." There are no official numbers of jets,…

Does a viral clip authentically show law enforcement bodycam footage capturing officers demanding that an "army colonel" show his ID while at a clothing store? No, that's not true: The video previously appeared on a page on Facebook associated with a privately owned entity, not any law enforcement agency. It published multiple clips imitating authentic body-cam footage but most of…