Fake stats spread over India, Pakistan conflict via impostor content

A story about former President Bill Clinton receiving a $17 million helicopter as a gift from Saudi Arabia spread on social media in May 2025, following headlines about President Donald Trump’s plan to accept a luxury jet from Qatar. But the story is a work of fiction. Let’s look at the facts.

An image from May 2025 supposedly showing a headline from The New York Times reporting that Pope Leo XIV was a founding member of the “anarchist” autonomous zone in Portland, Oregon, is spreading on social media, but the headline isn’t real and the paper never published it. Let’s look at the facts.

A story about former NFL player Peyton Manning doing a kind act is receiving plenty of engagement on social media, even though this incident is fictional and this image was generated with artificial intelligence tools. Let’s look at the facts.

A poll asking if three Democratic senators should be investigated for stealing money from Ukraine via a “mysterious” shell company is going viral after being shared by an account resembling White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s social media page. But the post is from a self-described parody account and the accusation is baseless. Let’s look at the facts.

A viral video in April 2025 appears to show the amazing transformation of the “Sleeping Rose Mantis” from an insect into a flower, but there’s no such marvel of nature and the video was created with artificial intelligence. Let’s look at the facts.

A viral image depicting the mug shot of Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan, who was arrested for allegedly obstructing federal immigration agents, is circulating on social media, but it was created with artificial intelligence tools. Let’s look at the facts.

A viral video claims that the animated show "The Simpsons" predicted the date of Pope Francis’ death on April 21, 2025, but the so-called “evidence” was manufactured with artificial intelligence tools. Let’s look at the facts.

A viral social media post claims that U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s sister is facing 10 years in prison for vandalizing a Tesla dealership, but this story is a work of fiction. Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., doesn’t even have a sister. Let’s look at the facts.

A recurring holiday rumor holds that the word “Easter” is no longer used by confectionary company Cadbury for its chocolate Easter egg packaging, but that’s not the case. Let’s look at the facts.

Social media posts about a missing 12-year-old named Shelly Sheridan in England are spreading online in April 2025, but the claims are inaccurate and tied to a longtime scam. Let’s look at the facts.