Fact Check

Does a real video, filmed secretly from behind a door, show Elon Musk observing a portal at SpaceX? No, that's not true: This video is linked to a creator who makes AI-generated videos and music. Although the portal video with Musk's likeness was posted without a disclaimer, one day earlier the same account published a similar video with an AI…

Did Pop Base post on its social media account that "President Trump has died at the age of 80"? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that the entertainment- and news-themed X account ever made such a post. There are also no credible reports that the president of the United States was dead as of Sept. 3, 2026. The…

Did Donald Trump write "too many non-working holidays in America" on his social media account ahead of Labor Day 2026? No, that's not true: A review of Trump's Truth Social account found that the president made the post on June 19, 2025. While Trump did write those words, he posted them more than a year before September 2026. The claim…

Is a photo that shows Ursula von der Leyen with Jeffrey Epstein real? No, that's not true: The OpenAI Verify tool detected a SynthID watermark in the image, indicating it was generated using OpenAI tools. The case and document numbers visible on the image do not match any records published in the Department of Justice Epstein files. The claim appeared…

Was the suspect in the September 2, 2026, Minneapolis mass shooting a transgender shooter, Samantha Hyde? No, that's not true: The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension identified the suspect as 35-year-old Carlton Neal Johnson II. The circulating image of the suspected shooter is not authentic -- it displays multiple indicators of digital modification and appears to be a parody of…

Did Denzel Washington make some disparaging remarks about Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez after having a conversation with her? No, that's not true: There is no record of Washington saying these things about Ocasio-Cortez. The almost verbatim quotes were originally falsely attributed to Sylvester Stallone, but came from a source which has clear satire disclaimers. The claim appeared in a post (archived…

Does a man nicknamed "Palm Beach Pete" have a girlfriend named "Lishgaine"? No, that's not true: "Palm Beach Pete," whose real name is Peter Simel, does not have a girlfriend named Lishgaine. "Palm Beach Lishgaine" is an AI character. "Lishgaine" is an anagram of Ghislaine, as in Ghislaine Maxwell, a business partner and confidant of Jeffrey Epstein, to whom "Palm…

Does a video show a bullet "jumping in and out" of the body of Times Square stabbing suspect after she was shot by NYPD officers? No, that's not true: The shiny object in the video has been identified by a weapons training expert as a barbed probe from a Taser 7 cartridge. At a press conference, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch…

Does a viral video show men handling real guns outside a mosque in Dublin, Ireland? No, that's not true: Law enforcement denied that the objects were real weapons. The statement issued by the police said that the objects in question were replicas used for a recreational activity. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X by @TheFlareNews…

Is this a real video of the woman who stabbed someone in NYC dancing with a pair of knives? No, that's not true: The clip is a digitally manipulated version of a video posted to Britney Spears' Instagram account in September 2023. Although the clip replaces Spears with a different person, the background, down to the little dogs running around…

Did singer Billie Eilish lose $800,000 in belongings after leaving her Tribeca penthouse unlocked for three days to prove that "Mamdani's New York" is safe? No, that's not true: The rumor originated from a known trollery network that adds satire labels to each of its pages. No credible media organizations reported anything remotely similar to the online speculation about a…

Does a collection of video clips show scenes from Florida's Operation Statewide Shield, an August 2026 sweep which located 163 missing children? No, that's not true: Some videos circulating on social media use old clips from other situations, such as a 2018 car accident in Texas, to falsely represent the news out of Florida. Some of these same clips have…

Does a viral image show a real U.K. Ministry of Defence letter signed by Prime Minister Andy Burnham ordering British military veterans to deploy to Ukraine? No, that's not true: No credible media organizations reported on such an order. The letter contained multiple inconsistencies and appears to have originated from a self-described satire account. The claim appeared in a post…

Does a real video show Evelyn tearfully saying goodbye to her dog Snowbell at Meadow Creek Animal Services in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania? No, that's not true: An online detection tool rated the clip as 100% likely to be AI-generated, and the original version of the video includes a disclaimer stating that it was created with AI for entertainment and storytelling purposes.…

Did President Donald Trump really make a post threatening to close the 9/11 Memorial in New York because he wasn't allowed to speak at the annual remembrance ceremony? No, that's not true: A review of Trump's Truth Social account found no record of such a post. There are also no credible reports that he ever made the online statement or…

Did President Donald Trump post an AI-generated video along with the caption about Kharg Island being "blown to smithereens" on Truth Social? Yes, that's true: The post was published on Trump's official Truth Social account on Aug. 30, 2026. There are no reports indicating that the video or such an attack are real. The claim appeared in a post (archived…

Did Donald Trump make a post on Truth Social announcing plans for the Melania Canal to bypass the Welland Canal for direct access to Lake America? No, that's not true: Donald Trump never made this post. The fake screenshot has satire watermarks from the account 'Mrs. Putin' as well as intentional clues such as the backwards verification check and fake…

Does a video of a sobbing 23-year-old actually show a real Ukrainian conscript begging for help because he does not want to die on the battlefield? No, that's not true: The video has been online since 2025. The crying man was created by AI, most likely by using the likeness of a Russia-based streamer. The claim appeared in a post…

Is the suspect in a Canadian church fire in New Brunswick in August 2026 a Palestinian Muslim migrant? No, that's not true: As of Aug. 31, 2026, there was no evidence that Gilles Mallet is Palestinian, Muslim, or a migrant. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said its investigation has found no evidence that the fire was motivated by religion or…

Did President Donald Trump post an AI-generated image of a six-fingered sailor enjoying a heaping tray of food, with the caption "Our military eats the best!" on Truth Social? No, that's not true: Trump never made this post. An early copy of the fake screenshot was posted on the 4chan board Politically Incorrect on Aug. 30, 2026, and was reposted…