The Ministry of Justice confirmed that Varley, who was sentenced to life for the murder and sexual abuse of the baby boy he was adopting, hasn’t been attacked in prison as claimed on social media.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Screenshot Shows Trump Asking Mullin To Lock Up Communists In ICE Detention Centers — No Such Truth Social Post
Did President Donald Trump make a post on Truth Social asking Markwayne Mullin if ICE detention centers could be used to lock up communists? No, that's not true: Viral images that appear to show such a post are fake; there is no such mess
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Congressman Jack Kimble Did NOT Speak With Senator Mitch McConnell On July 7, 2026 — Or Ever
Did Congressman Jack Kimble actually speak with his friend, Senator Mitch McConnell on July 7, 2026? No, that's not true: Congressman Jack Kimble does not exist. The rumor about the supposed conversation came from a page that has been kno
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Image Does NOT Show Tall Ships Sailing Near Liberty Island In New York Harbor On July 4, 2026
Does a viral image show the Sail4th250 tall ships Independence Day parade in New York Harbor on July 4, 2026? No, that's not true: Despite claiming to show one of the real vessels, the picture was "completely fabricated", a representative
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Mitch McConnell’s Wife Elaine Chao Did NOT Go To China After He Was Hospitalized With ‘Cardiac Arrest’ — Had Been There For Days
Did Sen. Mitch McConnell's wife, Elaine Chao, go to China after he was hospitalized following a "cardiac arrest"? No, that's not true: Chao, a former U.S. transportation secretary, was already in China when her husband was taken to the ho
Lead Stories→ Prebunk: Fake Digital Natives Used To Sell Indigenous Jackets — ‘Artificial Indians’ Bank On Sympathy For Real Native Americans
Have you come across viral videos showing people who appear to mock Native Americans selling Indigenous-style jackets? Lead Stories has identified several of these clips in recent weeks and determined that many were showing "Artificial In
PolitiFact→ Donald Trump – Trump says stock market drove his 2025 income gains, but the majority came from crypto
"You know why I'm profiting? Because the stock market's going up. ... I'm profiting because I have a lot of money and a lot of cash."
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Saint-Michel Basilica in Bordeaux, France, Was NOT Set On Fire By Immigrants in July 2026 — Basilica Remained Intact
Did people born outside France or French territories set the Saint-Michel Basilica in Bordeaux on fire in July 2026? No, that's not true: The City of Bordeaux denied that when contacted by Lead Stories. The fire occurred near the church a
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Mamdani Was NOT Barred From Katz’s Deli In New York City — Claim Originated On Parody Hub
Was New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani barred from Katz's Deli in New York? No, that's not true: The story originated on a Facebook page known for its satirical content, which carries the warning "Nothing on this page is real." The image
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Bodycam Footage Shows Kidnapped Child Being Rescued At Orlando Airport — Made With Google AI
Does real police bodycam footage show the moment police rescued a kidnapped child at Orlando International Airport? No, that's not true: This video is fake. Google's Gemini verification tool detected a SynthID watermark in the visuals and
FactCheck.org→ Democratic Group Makes False Claim in Insider-Trading Ad Attacking Susan Collins
Sen. Susan Collins helped pass a 2012 law that affirmed that members of Congress are not exempt from insider-trading laws and required members to more promptly disclose their trades of stocks and other investments. But an ad from a pro-Democrat group
Full Fact→ Video of man waving machete on small boat isn’t real
A viral video apparently showing a migrant on a small boat has been altered using artificial intelligence to make it appear as if he’s waving a machete.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Trump Post Says ‘Belgium Is 2 Weeks Away From Developing A Nuclear Bomb!’
Did President Donald Trump post a message saying, "Belgium is 2 weeks away from developing a nuclear bomb"? No, that's not true: The message, which appears to mimic a Truth Social post, is fake. A review of his account history found no re
Lead Stories→ Prebunk: Believing Fake Promo Videos For Christian Clothing Brand Requires Leap Of Faith — AI Breaks Commandment Against Lying
Have you come across viral videos showing how people mock influencers for wearing Christian-themed clothing? Lead Stories has identified several of these clips in recent weeks and determined that many were AI-generated. The people and sce
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: NO EVIDENCE Photo Of Donald Trump Sleeping With His Mouth Open During Fourth Of July Fireworks Is Real
Does a real photo show President Donald Trump sleeping with his mouth open during Fourth of July fireworks in Washington, D.C.? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that the image depicts an actual moment in which the president dozed
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Euronews Did NOT Report That Zelenskyy’s Parents Were Detained For Laundering $11 Million — Story Is Fabricated
Did a real report from Euronews state that Volodymyr Zelenskyy's parents were detained for laundering $11 million? No, that's not true: At the time of writing, Euronews had not published a story matching the claim. A Ukrainian governmenta
PolitiFact→ What is cyclosporiasis and how can you avoid catching this, uh, ‘explosive’ GI illness?
Cyclosporiasis symptoms and common causes amid 2026 outbreak
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump Did NOT Post A Fake Video Of Folarin Balogun Showing ‘Trump Card’ After His Red Card In World Cup Game
Did President Donald Trump post a video of the U.S. men's soccer team player Folarin Balogun showing a "Trump card" in response to his red card during the 2026 FIFA World Cup game? No, that's not true: While Trump did post the text conten
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Mamdani Did NOT Only Put Iran’s Flag on New York Subway Trains — 48 World Cup Team Countries Total
Did New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani only put Iran's flag on New York subway trains? No, that's not true: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which serves New York City, Long Island, southeastern New York State, and Connecticut, decor
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE ‘Before Patriot Front’ Video Seems To Show Woman From Reuters Photo–But It Was Made With Google AI
Does a real video show inappropriate "before" behavior by a woman later photographed surrounded by Patriot Front on a Metro train on July 4, 2026? No, that's not true: The video captioned, "before Patriot Front" is fake. Google's Gemini v
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Breakfast Attack In London Video Is NOT Real-Life Footage — It Is AI-Generated
Does a viral video actually document an incident in which a man was attacked by three migrants in London while having breakfast? No, that's not true: A Lead Stories visual analysis showed many hallmarks strongly suggesting that it is not
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Story Claims Men Said AOC Was High-Priced Escort in Boston — It Is ALLOD Satire
Did a story claiming that men said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was a high-priced escort in Boston come from an actual news source? No, that's not true: The story originated on a Facebook page known for posting satirical content that car
Full Fact→ Story about struggling nurse posted on MP’s social media accounts is ‘fictional’
Labour MP Sureena Brackenridge told Full Fact the post, shared alongside what appears to be an AI image, was intended to “share policy news, explored through a narrative”.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: ‘Restraining Order’ Image of Meloni Gazing at Trump is EDITED — Not Original
Was an image of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni gazing at U.S. President Donald Trump original and unedited when it was shared in the summer of 2026? No, that's not true: The image was edited, and taken from a real video of Meloni s
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Multiple Glitches Reveal Two Different FAKE AI-Generated Scenes Of A Pregnant Man With His Partner At A Nightclub
Does a real video show two similar but distinct clips of a pregnant man with his partner showing off his baby bump at a nightclub? No, that's not true: Multiple glitches visible in the two ten-second clips point to both clips having been
Lead Stories→ Prebunk: AI Cruise Ship Disaster Videos Show A Leaky Version Of The Truth — Course Correction To Reality Needed
Have you seen viral videos showing large cruise ship disasters with the boats sinking dramatically into the water? Lead Stories has spotted a number of such videos recently and found that many of them were created using artificial intelli
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Image of Kyle Rittenhouse, Lil Wayne Was Made With AI
Does a real photo show Kyle Rittenhouse in an office space with Lil Wayne? No, that's not true: The image was created with tools from OpenAI. It follows a trend of showing Lil Wayne in different places after he missed a concert in Bangor,
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Video Shows Woman In Swimsuit Winning Cheese-Rolling Race Down Hill
Does a real video show a woman in a swimsuit winning a cheese-rolling race down a hill? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that the footage depicts an actual cheese-rolling event or that the incident ever occurred. An online AI det
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Gizmodo Did NOT Publish Article About $4 Billion Firebird Datacenter In Armenia Being At Risk
Did an article about the $4 billion Firebird datacenter in Armenia being at risk because of unreliable power supply actually appear on Gizmodo? No, that's not true: The newsroom predominantly covering tech did not publish that story. The
Full Fact→ The data on Mexico’s World Cup home advantage – and why England might be just the team to win at the Azteca
We’ve crunched the numbers ahead of the match in Mexico City, and while England may not be the best team in world football, the stats show they might just be the best away team.
Full Fact→ Twin Venezuelan earthquakes not caused by HAARP
Social media posts claim the earthquakes in Venezuela were engineered by HAARP, a research experiment often subject to misinformation. But experts say HAARP cannot create such natural disasters.
Full Fact→ Videos don’t show traffic lights ‘melting’ due to heatwave
Two clips of traffic lights “melting” have been shared with claims they were damaged by the recent heatwaves in Europe. But these videos actually show fire damage unrelated to heatwaves.
Full Fact→ False claim cancer is ‘trying to heal’ shared again online
Incorrect and potentially harmful claims that cancerous tumours are ‘bags of toxins’ are being shared again online.
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Trump DID Post ‘Dr. Trump And His TDS Patients’ Video On Official Social Media Account
Did President Donald Trump post a video about "Dr. Trump and his Trump Derangement Syndrome patients" on an official social media account? Yes, that's true: The content appeared on his verified Instagram account. Although the video contai
Lead Stories→ Prebunk: Fake U.K. Veterans Fighting For Your Attention — Information Warfare With Virtual AI Soldiers
Have you seen viral videos showing people, mostly veterans in military fatigues with the U.K.'s flag, invoking patriotism to make social media users follow a specific account? Lead Stories has spotted a number of such videos recently and
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Photos, Videos Show Empire State Building Daredevils With Flags Bearing Different Messages
Did multiple people, ranging from anti-Trump protesters to a granny in pink, climb to the top of the Empire State Building on the same day, displaying different messages? No, that's not true: Those images and videos were AI-generated, acc
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: FAKE Video Shows A Machete-Wielding Migrant On A Small Boat Yelling ‘This Is the End of England!’
Does a real video show a machete-wielding migrant yell, "This is the end of England!"? No, that's not true: This AI-generated video was made using a still frame from another video. Several glitches in the video point to it having been mad
PolitiFact→ Will the end of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians mean a caregiving crisis?
Will ending TPS for Haitians lead to a caregiving crisis?
Lead Stories→ Fact Check: Dutch Soccer Coach Ronald Koeman Did NOT Go On Racist Rant During 2026 FIFA World Cup Press Conference After Loss To Morocco — It Is AI-Generated
Did Dutch soccer coach Ronald Koeman go on a long, racist rant during a 2026 FIFA World Cup postgame press conference after his team lost to Morocco? No, that's not true: The video was posted by an account that self-describes as the "Numb
PolitiFact→ Abdul El-Sayed – Senate candidate Mike Rogers didn’t make millions as pharma lobbyist, despite Abdul El-Sayed’s claim
Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers “took a $14 million payout as a pharma lobbyist.”