Satire

Did a letter shared in May 2025 authentically show that Pakistan's Air Force had fired Air Vice Marshall Aurangzeb Ahmed, for supposedly "failing to protect" a nuclear facility? No, that's not true: The fake letter originated on an X account which describes its content as "political satire". The image of the letter also had the word "satire" in the top…

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 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 a relative of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar named "Yosef Barron Omar" receive $18 million in government grants between 2021 and 2024? No, that's not true: That rumor started on a website that describes its output as satirical in nature. The name "Yosef Barron Omar" is a play on "Joe Barron", an in-joke from the self-described satire of the story's…

Did "DOGE Auditor Joe Barron" uncover that billionaires Mark Cuban, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett each received $250 million in quarterly payments each, for a total of $4 billion? No, that's not true: The story, which also had them donating $1 billion of the money to Joe Biden's campaign, originated on a Facebook page with a satire disclaimer. The owner…

Does a video authentically capture a smoke detector's "low battery" alarm beeping during U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett's speech? No, that's not true: The sound was added later. Original recordings from 2023 don't have such interference on the soundtrack. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on TikTok on May 3, 2025, under the caption: 🤣😁😂🤟🏼💯 beep ☠️ In…

Did the U.S. Supreme Court refuse to hear a case about "sexual orientation discrimination" involving Rachel Levine, the Biden Administration's assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)? No, that's not true: The Supreme Court website did not show any record of such a decision. The story originated from an account on Facebook linked…

Did U.S. Border Patrol find thousands of FEMA relief packages along the southern U.S. border in May 2025, which had been re-routed from hurricane-hit states for the benefit of undocumented immigrants? No, that's not true: That claim originated with a Facebook account that describes its content as satirical. America's Last Line of Defense is a frequent source of fake stories…

Did White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt make a request on X for opinions about whether the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) should investigate "a mysterious shell company" tied to "three Democratic senators" that received $622 million, or $500 million, in Ukraine war contracts? No, that's not true: The poll was posted by a self-described satire account. Lead Stories…