Deep State

Is a video in which pop star Taylor Swift announces a breakup with athlete Travis Kelce and where she says she's looking to date a basketball player real? No, that's not true: The video in which Swift appears to say, "I don't date losers, I only date winners" originated on a YouTube channel specializing in AI deepfakes. An online detection…

Did U.S. President Donald Trump say that Ukraine started the war with Russia? Yes, that's true: On February 18, 2025, speaking from his Mar-a-Lago residence, he said that Ukraine should have never started the war. That followed talks between the U.S. and Russia without the participation of Ukraine. The statement that is the focus of this story appeared in a…

Was TV host Joy Behar arrested at the airport trying to flee the country after a $50M lawsuit involving comments about White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt? No, that's not true: The story narrated in a viral video was written by AI according to online detection tools, and there have been no actual news reports about any such lawsuit. An…

Did a reporter ask House Speaker Mike Johnson during a February 5, 2025, news conference if the politician thought "unelected government officials are dangerous, but unelected billionaires making policy decisions is fine"? No, that's not true: A social media post representing this exchange is fabricated. There is no record of this question-and-answer in a broadcast of the press conference or…

Does an authentic photograph show President Donald Trump posing with Elon Musk and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu inside the White House? No, this image is fake: An AI generated image detection tool determined with 98.7 percent likelihood that the image was generated by AI. There is no evidence all three men were together at the White House or in…

Did Panama approve waiving the fees for U.S. government vessels passing through the Panama Canal? No, that's not true: The president of Panama denied the claim made by the U.S. State Department account on X. The body that manages the Canal has said that it had "not made any adjustments to these fees." The claim appeared in a post (archived…

Do social media posts share the real side effects of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine as of January 2025? No, that's not true: The post lists 'adverse events of special interest' that researchers are required to report if they happen during drug trials, it is not a list of things that actually were observed. The most common side effects are feeling tired,…

Did the Fraternal Order of Police rescind its endorsement of President Donald Trump in response to the sweeping January 6 pardons he gave after his 2025 swearing-in? No, that's not true: The Fraternal Order of Police issued a letter that criticized pardons by both Trump and former President Joe Biden of people convicted of violence against law enforcement officers, but…

Did the set for ABC's talk show "The View" burn down amid the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for the show told Lead Stories that the program has always been based in New York City. The website where the rumor appeared describes itself as specializing in "Satire and Parody." The image in the social…

Did a Facebook post confirm that Whoopi Goldberg's house burned during the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires? No, that's not true: The website the rumor was found on described itself as a page specializing in "Satire and Parody News," adding that their team is "dedicated" to bringing readers "the latest and greatest in fake news." The image seen in the…