Fema

Is the viral video of "Titan" the giant dog authentic? No, that's not true: The creator of the original TikTok video clip labeled it "AI-generated" when posting it on July 27, 2025. Subsequent re-posts and lower-resolution copies did not keep the label and attempted to pass it off as real video of a real dog. The video of the gargantuan…

Talk show host Oprah Winfrey rejects social media claims that she hesitated to open the private road through her Hawaiian estate to help evacuation efforts after tsunami warnings were issued for Hawaii on July 29, 2025. One of her social media accounts publicly shared the denial statement from her spokesperson. The Maui police department put out a statement saying the…

Does a transcript of what social media posts describe as an "alleged leaked conversation" between Senator Mitch McConnell and former Congressman Kevin McCarthy authentically capture the contents of a private exchange between them? No, there is no proof for that: Neither in 2022, when the conversation supposedly took place, nor in 2025 did credible media outlets verify its authenticity. No…

Did a viral video showing a female soccer player shouting "Free Palestine" and lifting her shirt to reveal a Palestinian flag originate from actual news sources? No, that's not true: It appeared on a TikTok account that published AI generated content in the past. The footage contained several details hinting at an AI origin such as odd lettering, players melting…

Was a viral picture of Donald Trump kissing a young female model authentic? No, that's not true: A comparison with the original photos from a Guardian article shows that the image was digitally manufactured. The details of the background and the outfit of another woman present in the frame didn't match authentic stills. The claim appeared in a post (archived…

Did a viral video authentically show a woman being pulled high into the air by a hot air balloon after her foot got stuck in a rope? No, that's not quite true: The footage was not digitally edited or AI-generated, but it did not show a real, dangerous accident. Rather, it was a controlled stunt used by a French circus…

Did California's first female architect Julia Morgan design a reinforced concrete tower in 1904 that survived a 1906 San Francisco earthquake? Yes, that's true: The "El Campanil" bell tower on the Mills College campus in Oakland was undamaged by the magnitude 7.9 quake that devastated the area. The success of Morgan's pioneering use of concrete reinforced by steel was key…

Were people in Kentucky not warned ahead of the May 16, 2025 tornado that killed more than 20 people in the southeastern part of the state? No, that's not true: The National Weather Service issued warnings two days ahead. Multiple state officials, including Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, have said there's no evidence the National Weather Service tornado warnings were delayed…

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…

Do posts about suspects "Kelvin Buckland" and "Malena Renae Mason" being on the run offer a genuine warning for the members of various local communities? No, that's not true: Such posts were later flipped to promote rental deals. If people click the links promoted in the new versions of the posts, a series of web pages aim to trick social…