Does a viral video show the Palestinian flag hanging from the Tower of Pisa in Italy during October 2026 protests? No, that's not true: The footage predated 2026 rallies and looting incidents by almost three years. The video started circu
Here are the latest articles published by U.S. fact-checking sites:
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Photo Shows Netanyahu In Front Of Whiteboard Plan Involving "SPAIN" — Generated With OpenAI
Does a real photo show Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in front of a whiteboard plan involving "SPAIN"? No, that's not true: An online tool concluded that the image was generated using OpenAI tools. Lead Stories found no matchin
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Flyers Were NOT Sent By ‘Texas Transgender Student Union’ — There Is NO Such Group
Does a flyer mailed to Texas homes come from the "Texas Transgender Student Union"? No, that's not true: The flyers refer readers to the Transgender Education Network of Texas, which said the mailers "were not authored, authorized, approv
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Eiffel Tower Did NOT Burn, Fall Down During October 2026 Protests In Paris — Videos Are AI-Generated
Did a video of the burning Eiffel Tower actually show Paris in October 2026? No, that's not true: As of publication, webcams in the French capital live-streamed footage of the unharmed landmark. Two online AI detectors determined that the
FactCheck.org→ Ads in Maine Make Misleading Tax Claims About Jackson
In the Maine Senate race, ads from pro-Republican groups give Democratic candidate Troy Jackson the nickname “Taxin’ Jackson,” but they make misleading claims about his proposal for Social Security taxes and his votes on some other issues.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Security Camera Video Shows A Large Bull Shark Near Dock In Cape Coral, Florida, Is AI-Generated
Does real security camera footage capture the moment a large bull shark made a splash in a Cape Coral canal as a pet dog barked? No, that's not true: This video appeared on Instagram with an AI label applied by Meta, and on TikTok and Fac
Full Fact→ Video of Palestine and Jordan flags flying from top of Eiffel Tower is AI-generated
Footage appearing to show the Palestinian and Jordanian flags flying from the Eiffel Tower contains visual inconsistencies indicating it was created or edited using artificial intelligence.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Denzel Washington Did NOT Say He ‘Never Met Anyone Braver, Smarter Or Who Cares More About America Than Donald Trump’
Did Denzel Washington say he "never met anyone braver, smarter or who cares more about America than Donald Trump"? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that the actor, director and producer said this. No established news outlets have
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Image Of Elderly French Couple Robbed Of Clothing During Oct. 17 Riots — AI Image Illustrates Unconfirmed Incident
Does a real image show an elderly couple wearing only underwear standing near masked rioters, after they were apparently robbed of their clothing and possessions? No, that's not true: Images circulating on social media were made with Open
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Photo Shows Indiana Fan Who Looks Like Charlie Kirk At Ohio State Game — It’s AI-Generated
Is an image of an Indiana Hoosiers fan who looks like Charlie Kirk at the football game held against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Oct. 17, 2026, real? No, that's not true: Footage from the Fox broadcast shows a person with a mustache and cu
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Video Of Trump With Blond Giants Does NOT Show Real Event — It is AI-Generated
Is there a real video showing President Donald Trump in a mysterious cave with unidentified blond giants and unidentified personnel? No, that's not true: AI detectors determined the video was highly likely to be AI-generated, and news sea
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Law Enforcement Did NOT Name Deputy Rachel Taylor As Suspect In The Fatal Wichita Stryker Car Ramming
Did authorities name Sedgwick County Deputy Sheriff Rachel Taylor as a suspect in the fatal car ramming at the Stryker Sports Complex? No, that's not true: The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office called the claim false and said Taylor was no
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Video Shows Palestinian And Jordanian Flags On Top Of The Eiffel Tower In Paris — It Is Digitally Fabricated
Does a real video show a Palestinian and Jordanian flag on top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris in October 2026? No, that's not true: An online tool concluded that the video was 99.1% likely to be AI-generated and a visual inspection showed p
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: The White House Did NOT Post Image Of Trump And Other Half-Naked Men In Sauna — It Came From Satire Account
Did the official White House account publish a sauna picture of Donald Trump surrounded by five bare-chested men? No, that's not true: Neither the White House account nor archived copies of it showed such a post. What looked like a screen
Full Fact→ Viral image of protesters waving Palestinian flags outside the Eiffel Tower is AI-generated
A widely shared image showing protesters with fireworks and Palestinian flags outside the Eiffel Tower isn’t real. It contains an invisible SynthID watermark and there are several visual glitches.
Full Fact→ Old video shared as French student protests
A clip showing police with shields and batons has been online since at least March 2023, and does not show the recent student protests in France.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Of AI Recruiter Job Interview With AI Agent Representing Applicant Is NOT Real — It’s A Staged Parody
Is a video of an AI agent representing a job candidate during an interview by an AI recruiter real? No, that's not true: The video showing the chaos of two AI agents talking to each other during the interview was staged as a parody, accor
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Atheist Haydn Sophie Dollery’ Is NOT The Silver Rail Elementary Shooting Suspect — Photo Is From A Virginia Case
Does an image shared on social media show the Silver Rail Elementary School shooting suspect in Bend, Oregon? No, that's not true: It is a photo of an unrelated person named Hadyn Dollery, whose image was taken from a Virginia sheriff's o
Lead Stories→ Prebunk: AI-Generated Old-Price Supermarket Comparisons To Prove Inflation Do Not Add Up — We Brought Receipts
Have you seen viral videos showing Walmart receipts compared, one old and one new? Lead Stories has spotted a number of such images recently and has found that many of them were created using artificial intelligence. They do not show real
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump Did NOT Post A Truth Social Message That Included ‘LEAVE THE REFINERIES ALONE’ — It Is A Fabricated Screenshot
Did President Donald Trump post a Truth Social message that included: 'What part of "LEAVE THE REFINERIES ALONE!" did Volodymyr Zelenskyy not understand?' No, that's not true: A review of Trump's Truth Social account found no record of th
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence JD Vance Is Scheduled To Visit Pope Leo XIV After Surgery And Cancer Diagnosis
Is U.S. Vice President JD Vance scheduled to meet Pope Leo XIV after the pontiff's surgery, as of Oct. 16, 2026? No, that's not true: The story originated as a joke from a self-described satire account. Neither Vance's official accounts n
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Police Did NOT Name ‘Tyler Gregory Sternbach’ As Silver Rail Elementary School Shooting Suspect In Bend, Oregon
Did police name Tyler Gregory Sternbach as the Silver Rail Elementary shooting suspect in Bend, Oregon? No, that's not true: The City of Bend Police Department did not name Tyler Gregory Sternbach as the suspect in the school shooting tha
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Image Shows Man In Midair After Being Thrown From Goliath At Six Flags Over Georgia In 2026 — Image From 2025
Does a real image show a man in midair after being thrown from the Goliath roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia in October 2026? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found that the image came from a 2025 AI-generated reel depicting fabri
FactCheck.org→ Democratic Ads Exaggerate GOP Law’s Impact on Medicare
Democratic ads in multiple congressional races are accusing Republican candidates of “gutting Medicare,” voting for “huge cuts to Medicare” and “cheering on Trump’s attack on Medicare.” Several ads cite President Donald Trump’
Full Fact→ Video of woman being dragged by uniformed men does not show forced conscription in Ukraine
The footage dates back to a recent protest in Kyiv over the felling of trees for a new heating pipeline.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO Evidence Video Shows Ships Stuck In Strait Of Hormuz In 2026
Does a viral video of ships closely grouped together in a body of water actually show the Strait of Hormuz in the fall of 2026? No, that's not true: A topographic analysis matched the distinctive coastline in the video to the area around
Lead Stories→ Prebunk: Don’t Let Sleeping Pods Put Your Critical Thinking To Sleep — Homeless Clickbait Images Begging For Attention On Your Timeline
Have you seen viral images showing small sleeping pods for homeless people? Lead Stories has spotted a number of such pictures and videos and has found that many of them were created using artificial intelligence. While there are some rea
FactCheck.org→ Alaska Ad Criticizing Sullivan’s Votes Leaves Out Context, Makes False Suggestion
An ad from a Democratic-aligned super PAC claims Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan “voted to raise Alaskans’ healthcare costs by $1,800 and on that same day voted to give himself a $500,000 taxpayer-funded payout.” But that’s not th
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Jeff Bezos Did NOT Say Water Should Be Prioritized For Data Centers Over Human Consumption
Did tech billionaire Jeff Bezos actually say that water should be prioritized for data centers over human consumption and 'Humans won't evolve humanity. AI will.'? No, that's not true: The claim originated from a self-described satire acc
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Image Of 2002 And 2026 Walmart Receipts For Price Comparison — It Was Made With AI
Does an image show the price changes of specific items on two real Walmart shopping receipts from 2002 and 2026? No, that's not true: The receipts are not real and the images were AI-generated. The store address on the receipts does not e
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Photo Shows Moment Woman Wearing ‘Release the Epstein Files’ Shirt Was Punched By Trump Supporters — It Is AI-Generated
Does a real photo show the moment a woman wearing a "Release the Epstein files" shirt was punched by Trump supporters? No, that's not true: Two online tools concluded the image was created using AI. However, it closely resembles a real-li
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Video Shows Woman Shooting Robbers From Her Car — Footage Is Digitally Altered 2021 Road Rage Incident
Does a real video show a woman shooting robbers from her car? No, that's not true: The clip appears to be a digital recreation of a June 2021 road rage incident in South Florida in which a man driving one car opened fire on another. The v
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump Did NOT Accuse Ukraine Of Midterm Election Interference After Russian Bot Farm Strikes — It Is A Satire Website
Did President Donald Trump accuse Ukraine of midterm election interference after Russian bot farm strikes? No, that's not true: The story originated on The Betoota Advocate, an Australian satirical news website. There is no evidence that
Full Fact→ Fake image of wildlife park tiger attack circulates online
An image widely shared on social media after a man was killed by a tiger is not genuine and was created using AI.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump Did NOT Post On Truth Social About ‘Peter Girnus’ — The Fake Nobel Committee Member
Did Donald Trump actually post a reply to 'Peter Girnus' who previously pretended to be a member of the Nobel Committee? No, that's not true: The screenshot displayed the wrong handle for Trump's Truth Social account -- @notRealDonaldTrum
Full Fact→ Minister repeats incorrect claim about Labour’s asylum hotels record
Full Fact→ Compilation video of Zelenskyy belly dancing includes AI deepfakes
Although one of the clips comes from Mr Zelenskyy’s career as a comic actor, the other two videos aren’t of him.
Full Fact→ AI video of plane at Riyadh airport exploding circulates online
A video of a missile hitting an aeroplane has been shared with claims it shows a recent attack on Riyadh’s international airport. But the clip is fake and was made with AI.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Animal Attack Videos Posted By Trump In Truth Social Montage — 3 Of 5 Clips Are AI-Generated
Did President Donald Trump post a video montage showing real lion and tiger attacks on people to Truth Social? No, that's not true: He posted a montage of five clips, of which three were AI-generated, on Oct. 13, 2026. Of the remaining tw
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Man Standing Up On Six Flags Roller Coaster Before His Death In Atlanta — 2024 Video From Arizona
Does a video show the man who fell to his death in Atlanta in October 2026 standing up on a Six Flags roller coaster? No, that's not true: The footage is from a November 2024 incident in Arizona where a man jumped off a roller coaster aft