Was Iran soccer player Mohammed Mohebi deported from the U.S. following the June 15, 2026, FIFA World Cup game against New Zealand? No, that's not true: When contacted by Lead Stories, the Department of Homeland Security denied the online
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Images Of Trump And Other World Leaders Meeting With Nordic Aliens In Red Uniforms — AI-Generated Science Fiction
Did Donald Trump and other world leaders meet with several mysterious red-uniformed entities with long blond hair and pale skin? No, that's not true: There is no reliable reporting or photographic evidence such meetings ever happened or t
Full Fact→ Viral image of Iran footballer holding pink school bag is AI
An image shared ahead of Iran’s first World Cup match of what appears to be a footballer holding a pink backpack isn’t real, and was made using AI.
Full Fact→ Clip of fighter jet being shot down is from video game
A viral video shared with claims it shows Iranian fighter jets attempting to enter Israeli airspace is actually from the video game War Thunder.
Full Fact→ Footage of 2025 Ballymena fire falsely linked to recent Belfast riots
A video of a property on fire is being falsely shared as footage of recent disorder in Belfast, but the clip actually shows a separate incident from County Antrim which occurred in June 2025.
Full Fact→ Makerfield by-election polling: what to look out for
We’ve taken a look at the state of polling ahead of the Makerfield by-election on Thursday, as well as some questionable vote share predictions circulating on social media.
PolitiFact→ Fact-checking Seth Moulton and John Deaton in Massachusetts U.S. Senate debate
Fact-checking Moulton, Deaton in U.S. Senate debate
PolitiFact→ No, these aren’t images of the B-52 bomber crash at Edwards Air Force Base
These images don’t show recent B-52 bomber crash
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Photo Shows Iranian World Cup Player Displaying Symbolic School Backpack
Does a real photo show an Iranian player displaying a symbolic school backpack at the World Cup? No, that's not true: An AI detection tool determined that the image was 99.8% "likely to be AI-generated." There are no credible reports that
PolitiFact→ Steve Robinson – Is Graham Platner’s oyster farm ‘totally fake’? Fact-checking attack on Senate candidate from Maine
Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Graham Planter’s “oyster business (is) totally fake.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Sean Strickland Did NOT Wear ‘Trump Is In The Epstein Files’ T-Shirt When Escorted From UFC 250 Freedom Fight Party
Did a viral image really show what was printed on the t-shirt worn by Sean Strickland as he was escorted from a United Fighting Championship (UPC) viewing party near the White House? No, that's not true: Other images from the scene don't
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Erika Kirk Did NOT File To Legally Remove ‘Kirk’ From Her Name — It is From A Parody Account
Did Erika Kirk file to legally remove "Kirk" from her name? No, that's not true: The claim originated on a social media account known for posting parody content. There is no evidence that the Turning Point CEO and Charlie Kirk's widow att
Full Fact→ Do 380 ‘illegal boat migrants’ live in Makerfield?
Images circulating on social media show what appears to be a Reform UK leaflet claiming that “380 illegal boat migrants” live in the Makerfield constituency—but this isn’t an official figure.
FactCheck.org→ Trump Makes Unsupported Claims About Drug Flows
President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that his administration has “cut” by 97% “the flow” of illegal drugs entering the U.S. “by water, by ocean and sea.” But available federal data do not support that claim. There is no comprehens
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: 675 Ballots For Spencer Pratt Were NOT Found In Dumpster In ‘San Recto’ — It’s A Fake Community
Were 675 ballots for former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt found in a dumpster in "San Recto"? No, that's not true: San Recto is not a city or community in California. Lead Stories found no credible news reports or other reli
PolitiFact→ Would Trump’s Iran deal bring ‘peace’? Here’s why that is a stretch.
Is Trump’s agreement with Iran a peace deal?
PolitiFact→ Josh Hokit – At the White House UFC fight, a victor said Michelle Obama is a man. That’s still Pants on Fire
“Michelle Obama is a man.”
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show US Destroying Iranian Fighter Jet In ‘Combat Action’ Over Strait of Hormuz
Does a video really show footage of the U.S. striking an Iranian fighter jet in "combat action" over the Strait of Hormuz? No, that's not true: The video was posted by a self-described parody account on social media. It also appears the f
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Folarin Balogun Did NOT Unveil Charlie Kirk Shirt After Scoring For U.S. at The World Cup
Did American soccer player Folarin Balogun unveil an image of late conservative commentator Charlie Kirk under his t-shirt during the USA-Paraguay World Cup match on June 12, 2026? No, that's not true: The viral image was digitally manipu
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: AI-Generated Obama Voiceover Falsely Says He Barred Trump From His Presidential Center After Somali Referee Denied Entry To United States
Did former President Barack Obama bar President Trump from 'stepping foot inside the Obama Presidential Center' after a Somali World Cup referee was denied entry to the United States? No, that's not true: A video features Obama with an AI
Lead Stories→ Prebunk: AI Videos Of ‘Floating Shoes’ Sink Under Scrutiny — A Dry Look At Physically Impossible Footwear
Have you seen viral videos showing people walking on water while wearing some type of floating or anti-gravity shoes? Lead Stories has spotted a number of such videos recently and has found that many of them were created using artificial
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump’s Truth Social Account Did NOT Make Post About API Service Being Unavailable — Fake Post Implies AI Writes His Content
Did Donald Trump's Truth Social account really make a post about an API service being unavailable, implying that AI writes his posts? No, that's not true: The supposed post does not appear on the president's official Truth Social account,
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Video Of Child Throwing LGBTQ+ Pride Flag In Trash Bin
Does a viral video show a real-life scene of a child throwing a Pride Flag into a trash bin? No, that's not true: The video contained hallmarks of an AI clip. Two online detectors confirmed the video was made with generative AI. The claim
Full Fact→ Video shows 2020 market fire in UAE, not a recent Iranian attack on Tel Aviv
An old video of a fire in the UAE is circulating online again, this time with false claims it shows the aftermath of a recent Iranian attack on energy infrastructure in Israel.
Full Fact→ Footage of police taking wheelie bin is from 2022
An old video filmed in Belfast has been shared online with false claims it shows officers in Southampton putting a bin in a police van after recent protests in the city.
PolitiFact→ America’s 250th anniversary compared with its 200th: Measuring the mood in 1976 and now
America’s 250th anniversary compared with its 200th
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Video Of Shakira’s FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Song Performance Is AI
Is a viral video that shows Shakira's 2026 World Cup opening song performance real? 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 s
PolitiFact→ On Trump’s birthday, UFC fights at the White House. How did other presidents celebrate birthdays?
UFC and Trump: How other presidents celebrated birthdays
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Chanting, Clapping, And Drumming Protesters In Belfast
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
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Fox Sports Graphic During Mexico-South Africa World Cup Match Includes Long Explanation That Team Is ‘Down To 9 Players’
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 graph
PolitiFact→ Trump called the 2026 World Cup history’s ‘most successful.’ Problems cloud ticket sales
Has the 2026 World Cup sold more tickets than ever before?
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Posts MISDATE Scandicci Murder Case Involving Decapitated Woman, North African Suspect
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
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: EDITED Screenshot Of World Cup Predictions Was Altered To Correct One Score
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 p
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Video Does NOT Show Moment Iran Shot Down U.S. Apache Helicopter In Persian Gulf — It Is AI-Generated
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% "li
Full Fact→ Daily Mail corrects claim about welfare and income tax
It is not true that welfare payments have just exceeded income tax receipts “for the first time”. They’ve been higher for at least 16 years.
Full Fact→ Are the Conservatives or Labour responsible for the fall in net migration?
During a BBC Makerfield by-election debate, Labour’s Andy Burnham and the Conservative candidate Michael Winstanley made seemingly contrasting claims over net migration.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Video Shows Elaborate Gold Float From Iran At The FIFA World Cup Opening Ceremony — It Is AI-Generated
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
PolitiFact→ Elizabeth Warren – How much have data centers increased electricity prices?
“If you live near one of these large data centers, your electricity bills over the last five years have gone up by as much as 267%."
New York Times→ Fact-Check: Trump’s Claims About His Arch, Reflecting Pool Repairs and Other Renovation Projects
President Trump has made false or exaggerated claims of a Civil War-era push for a triumphal arch, hundreds of millions spent on repairs on the Reflecting Pool, and an absence of working fountains.
Full Fact→ Henry Nowak killer has not been attacked in prison
Social media posts claiming Vickrum Digwa has been attacked in prison are false.