Fact Check

Is a viral video that shows Shakira's 2026 World Cup opening song performance authentic? No, that's not true: An online detection tool identified elements of the video as AI-generated. Shakira does not appear in the 10-minute video posted on social media. The real footage of Shakira performing the opening song for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with singer Burna Boy…

Was a video of a crowd of people chanting, clapping, and drumming recorded in Belfast during the June 2026 anti-immigrant protests? No, that's not true: The clip had been online since May of that year. The original caption said it showed soccer fans in Germany. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) published on X by @KDJRadioShow…

Does a real Fox Sports graphic from the Mexico-South Africa game during the 2026 FIFA World Cup include a long explanation of what it means to be "down to 9 players"? No, that's not true: Video from the match does not include such a graphic. At that point in the game, the yellow on-screen graphic simply read "Down to 9…

Was a woman decapitated in Scandicci, Italy, in June 2026? No, that's not true: The case is not that recent. Italian media widely reported that both the murder and the arrest of the suspect happened in February 2026. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X by @TaraBull on June 11, 2026. It opened: 🚨#BREAKING: A 44-year-old…

Does a screenshot published on X accurately show the World Cup results predictions as they were pictured in a TikTok video? No, that's not true: The list of score predictions which appeared in a TikTok video has been altered. The TikTok prediction showed a score of "Mexico 3-1 South Africa" which proved to be incorrect. The actual score was Mexico…

Does a real video show the moment Iran shot down a U.S. Apache helicopter in the Persian Gulf in early June 2026? No, that's not true: The clip was created using artificial intelligence, and an AI detection tool determined it was 100% "likely to be AI-generated." There are no credible reports that the helicopter was brought down by a shoulder-fired…

Does a real video show Iran's elaborate gold float in the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup? No, that's not true: A content detection tool determined with 99.8% confidence the video is AI-generated. The opening ceremony for the 2026 World Cup did not feature any national floats passing under fireworks as pictured. The Mexico City ceremony had a parade…

Did a group calling itself the Irish Citizen Army (ICA) release a new message amid the June 2026 anti-migration protests in Northern Ireland? No, that's not true: The video, featuring an anonymous narrator, was originally released with a Sept. 20, 2025 datestamp. Reposts of the video circulating in June 2026 have an "ITS TIME" caption box obscuring that original datestamp.…

Did U.K.'s Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly threaten to arrest X owner Elon Musk along with other "336 million Americans"? No, that's not true: Lead Stories reviewed Starmer's public comments about Musk and did not find anything remotely close to what social media attributed to the prime minister. The claim about hundreds of millions to be arrested is implausible on…

Does a real video show the take-off of a "white mega plane" with several decks between the cockpit and the main cabin? No, that's not true: The clip was created using artificial intelligence and an AI detection tool determined that the video was 99.6% "likely to be AI-generated." In addition, an aircraft designed like a skyscraper with wings would not…

Does a viral video of a Times Square assault show the night after the June 10, 2026, Knicks win? No, that's not true: The video had been online before. It predates the game by nearly two years. The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) published on X by @wstgoat7 on June 10, 2026. It hasn't even been…

Does a video show people in New York shooting fireworks along the ground during the 2026 NBA Finals? No, that's not true: The video is from a 2024 protest in the European country of Georgia and not from New York City following the Knicks' win against the Spurs on June 10, 2026. The video was published by international news outlets…

Does a video featuring a burning fuel tank rolling away after an explosion show an event in Iran in June 2026? No, that's not true: The footage shows an explosion at a gas station in Chechnya, a republic within the Russian Federation, in October 2024, not Iran. The clip also appeared on a social media account labeled as a parody.…

Are social media posts claiming that a long list of celebrities, including 85-year-old Joan Baez, were photographed wearing an incredibly daring thong bikini on the beach real? No, that's not true: The images used in the post were AI-generated. The claims came from a spam operation managed from Vietnam. Among the false posts Lead Stories found is a post (archived…

Does a viral image circulating on the internet show Belfast knife attack victim Stephen Ogilvie with bloody slash marks and stitches on his face in the hospital? No, that's not true: The Police Service of Nothern Ireland confirmed to Lead Stories that the man in the image is not Ogilvie, who was attacked in Belfast on June 8, 2026. A…

Did the Associated Press publish a video report confirming that the suspected shooter of President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' dinner had visited the Ukrainian embassy multiple times before the attempted attack? No, that's not true: An AP representative told Lead Stories that the video report using its logo had nothing to do with the news agency. Lead…

Does a video show masked, armed members of the anti-immigrant "New Republican Movement" responding to a Belfast, Northern Ireland, knife attack in early June 2026? No, that's not true: The footage is from that group, but the video is from December 2025, six months earlier than the incident. In the clip, a statement is read that threatens local politicians over…

Does a viral video of fires capture the aftermath of the June 9, 2026, anti-immigration protests in Belfast, Northern Ireland? No, that's not true: The recording showed explosions that same day on a gas pipeline in Russia's Dagestan. The original sound did not include any chants -- that was later digitally added to the version of the video that went…

Does a real photo show Karmelo Anthony crying in court? No, that's not true: No cameras were allowed in the courtroom during the Karmelo Anthony trial, so no authentic courtroom photos exist. Additionally, Anthony's hairstyle in the image does not match his appearance at the time of the trial -- the post-sentencing mugshot released by the Collin County jail on…

Did Dutch football legend Ruud Gullit publish an open letter calling on FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign amid growing controversy surrounding U.S. immigration policies? No, that's not true: The claim appeared in social media posts and news articles just a day before the start of the World Cup. Gullit posted a denial on his X account, saying he wanted…