FactCheckRadar Real-Time Fact Checking 239 published fact-checks

Built for rumors, fast-moving news, and claims that spread faster than the proof.

Latest fact-checks

Unverified

OpenAI Employee's Description of Codex as 'Proto-AGI' is Unverified

Claim checked

“Codex, and what Codex becomes in the near term, to me is a proto-AGI. We’re on the flight path, we’ve been descending down through the clouds for a while and we can now see visible landmarks — some familiar and some we’ve never seen (or never seen from this POV). What a time to be alive. (This is not a formal OpenAI POV, rather just the musings of some random head of broccoli)”

The claim that an OpenAI employee described the Codex model as a "proto-AGI" is unverified based on the available evidence. While records confirm that the author, Adam.GPT (@TheRealAdamG), is a Go-To-Market (GTM) employee at OpenAI and was posting about Codex on April 18, 2026, the specific text of the statement is not contained within the parsed content of the provided...

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Supported

Iran's Deputy Parliament Speaker Claims Strait of Hormuz is Iran's 'Atomic Bomb'

Claim checked

“"Our atomic bomb is the Strait of Hormuz," Iran's Deputy Parliament Speaker Hamidreza Haji Babaei said on Sunday.”

On April 12, 2026, Iranian Deputy Parliament Speaker Hamidreza Haji Babaei reportedly described the Strait of Hormuz as Iran's "atomic bomb," emphasizing its strategic importance as a deterrent and a tool for economic leverage. This statement coincides with legislative efforts in the Iranian parliament to "nationalize" the waterway and impose transit tolls payable only in...

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Supported

White House Confirms JD Vance Will Lead Iran Talks Despite Trump’s Earlier Denial

Claim checked

“U.S. Vice President JD Vance will attend the next round of Iran talks in Pakistan along with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and the President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, the White House has told CNN, after President Trump told ABC News that Vance would not be attempting the talks in Islamabad. In response to the conflicting messages over the U.S. delegation, a White House official said: “things changed.””

The White House and multiple senior officials have confirmed that Vice President JD Vance will lead the U.S. delegation to Islamabad for a second round of peace talks with Iran. This follows a period of public confusion on April 19, 2026, after President Trump initially told media outlets that Vance would not attend due to security concerns.

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Mixed

Fact-Checking Claims on Péter Magyar’s Policy Positions and 2026 Election Status

Claim checked

“Péter Magyar is not the anti-Orbán. He is running on a platform that is Orbán without the corruption. As Orban, Magyar opposes the EU migration pact. He voted against the loan to Ukraine. He wants strong borders and has no plans to reverse Hungary’s energy ties with Russia”

Claims regarding Péter Magyar's policy positions and political status are a mix of accurate future projections (within the provided context), disputed political characterizations, and demonstrably false assertions regarding his voting record. While context suggests he is the Prime Minister-designate following the 2026 elections, reports on his stance toward the EU Migration...

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Supported

Iran Declares Strait of Hormuz Closed, Citing U.S. Negotiation Failures

Claim checked

“Reuters is reporting that Iran is broadcasting this VHF message: "Attention all ships, ​regarding the failure ⁠of the U.S. government to fulfil its commitment in the negotiation, Iran declares the Strait of Hormuz completely ​closed again. No vessel of any type or nationality ​is allowed ⁠to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.””

On April 18, 2026, reports from Reuters and other major news outlets confirmed that Iran has declared the Strait of Hormuz completely closed to all maritime traffic. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard is reportedly broadcasting a VHF radio message to all ships in the area, stating that the closure is a direct result of the U.S. government's failure to fulfill its commitments in...

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Supported

Iran to Resume International Flights from Mashhad Airport

Claim checked

“Iran to resume international flights from Mashhad airport tomorrow, AFP reports citing Iranian media. The IRGC clearly don’t believe @realDonaldTrump will attack Iran again”

Reports from multiple international news agencies confirm that Iran's Civil Aviation Organization has authorized the resumption of international flights from Mashhad International Airport starting Monday, April 20, 2026. This follows a prolonged closure of Iranian airspace that began on February 28, 2026, due to military conflict with Israel and the United States.

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Unverified

Italy Fast-Tracks Tesla FSD Approval Claims Unverified

Claim checked

“BREAKING: ITALY MOVES TO ACCELERATE TESLA FSD SUPERVISED APPROVAL $TSLA • The Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has officially forwarded a request to fast-track the approval of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system. • The request was sent directly to the Transport Department and the relevant Italian DMV-equivalent authorities for review.”

Social media reports claiming the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has officially moved to fast-track Tesla's Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system are currently unverified. While the Netherlands recently became the first European country to approve the system, there is no official confirmation from Italian authorities regarding a specific "fast-track" request.

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Mixed

Sanctioned Tanker Rich Starry Successfully Transits Strait of Hormuz Despite Initial Turnaround

Claim checked

“There is unconfirmed reports Iranian tanker RICH STARRY has just passed through the strait of Hormuz and has been turned around by US navy ships.”

Reports that the tanker Rich Starry was "turned around" by the US Navy are only partially accurate and reflect an incomplete timeline. While the vessel did briefly reverse course on Monday, April 13, 2026, shortly after a US naval blockade of Iran took effect, it subsequently resumed its journey. Shipping data and multiple news outlets confirmed that the tanker successfully...

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Supported

U.S. Navy shares food photos, says its sailors are well fed with no shortages

Claim checked

“U.S. Navy shares food photos, says its sailors are well fed with no shortages.”

The claim is directly supported by official U.S. Navy social media posts and contemporaneous reporting from multiple outlets. On April 18, 2026, the Navy published photos on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) showing meals aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Tripoli, accompanied by the statement: 'Fresh meals. Full service. Mission ready. Sailors aboard USS Abraham Lincoln...

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Supported

Tisza Party Policy: Opposition to EU Migration Pact and Financial Framework

Claim checked

“Tisza further opposes the Commission’s proposal for the next EU multiannual financial framework (MFF), arguing that it disadvantages Hungary, and rejects the EU migration and asylum pact.”

The Tisza Party, led by Péter Magyar, has officially signaled its opposition to the European Commission’s proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and the EU Migration and Asylum Pact. While the party maintains a pro-European stance and seeks to unlock frozen EU funds, its manifesto and public statements emphasize a "security-first" approach to migration and...

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Supported

IranWire Report Claims Ghalibaf’s Social Media is Managed by Advisor in California

Claim checked

“Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf is posting in perfect English, with memes, hashtags & emojis, straight from CALIFORNIA. IranWire just published an article claiming that Ghalibaf's X account is run by ex-advisor Meysam Zamanabadi, living in Glendora, LA for a decade. Meysam is the son of one of the Islamic Republic’s first intelligence censors, the guy who shut down journalists right after the Revolution. Even after moving to America, he was still getting 40 million Tomans (~$11,000) every...”

An investigation by IranWire published on April 12, 2026, asserts that the sophisticated English-language social media presence of Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is managed by a long-time advisor, Meysam Zamanabadi, who has lived in Glendora, California, for nearly a decade. The report details Zamanabadi's deep ties to the Iranian regime, his father's...

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Mixed

Iran Reportedly Considers Pausing Shipping to Respect U.S. Blockade

Claim checked

“Iran reportedly may pause shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to respect the blockade & avoid jeopardizing U.S. talks.”

Reports regarding Iran's response to the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz are conflicting. While some diplomatic sources suggest a potential pause in shipping to facilitate resumed talks, official Iranian statements remain defiant, threatening that "no port" in the region will be safe if Iranian access is restricted.

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Supported

Israel is seeking regime change in Iran, per Axios.

Claim checked

“Israel is seeking regime change in Iran, per Axios.”

Reports from Axios and other outlets confirm that Israel has made the downfall of the Iranian government a core objective of its military operations. While the United States has focused primarily on military infrastructure, Israeli officials have explicitly stated their goal is to create the conditions for the Iranian people to overthrow the regime.

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Supported

OpenAI 'Spud' Model Confirmed for Release in April 2026

Claim checked

“'Spud ' confirmed for this week. As it is written, so it shall be done. BUCKLE. UP.”

Multiple reports and statements from OpenAI leadership confirm that a new frontier model codenamed 'Spud' has completed pre-training and is scheduled for release in the second quarter of 2026. OpenAI President Greg Brockman recently confirmed the model's existence, describing it as a new foundational base model resulting from two years of research.

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Contradicted

Fact-Checking Claims Regarding Sydney Sweeney's Background and Career

Claim checked

“Sydney Sweeney is psyop. She's barely mid. She has no hips. She's an idiot. I'm tired of seeing people simping for her on my feed.”

Claims that actress Sydney Sweeney is a "psyop" or an "idiot" are contradicted by her documented professional history and academic background. Evidence shows she was a high school valedictorian, a member of a robotics team, and has built a successful career as an actress and producer through traditional industry channels since 2009.

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Misleading

Hungarian Constitutional Amendment Procedures and the 'Constituent Assembly' Claim

Claim checked

“Changing the constitution would only be possible if the Tisza Party, using its two-thirds majority, called a Constituent National Assembly, after which parliament would dissolve itself. If it does not choose this path, it would essentially amount to a constitutional coup.”

The claim that changing the Hungarian constitution is only possible through a 'Constituent National Assembly' followed by the dissolution of parliament is legally incorrect under the current Fundamental Law of Hungary. While a political actor may propose such a path as a moral or democratic preference, the existing legal framework provides a specific, legal mechanism for...

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Supported

Senator Lindsey Graham Claims Iran Faces Financial Ruin Following U.S. Naval Blockade

Claim checked

“Senator Graham: Iran is on the verge of financial ruin from the blockade.”

Senator Lindsey Graham has publicly asserted that the Iranian regime is on the verge of financial collapse due to a U.S. naval blockade. This claim aligns with Graham's ongoing rhetoric regarding the 2026 conflict and is supported by economic reports indicating that the blockade, which began on April 13, 2026, is causing "terminal collapse" of the Iranian rial and costing the...

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Supported

Trump Announces Lebanon Ceasefire on Truth Social, Bypassing Israeli Cabinet Approval

Claim checked

“Israeli government ministers were “outraged” by today’s announced ceasefire with Lebanon, which was revealed on TruthSocial by U.S. President Donald J. Trump who gave Israel’s consent to the ceasefire before it could be approved by the Israeli Security Cabinet, according to i24NEWS.”

On April 16, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon via Truth Social. Reports confirm that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to the truce without first obtaining approval from the Israeli Security Cabinet, leading to significant anger among government ministers who were reportedly "livid" at being bypassed.

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Misleading

No new terrorist attack on Israeli embassy in London; trial for 2025 attempt begins

Claim checked

“Breaking Terrorist attack on the Israeli embassy in London Please post any updates you have below”

Social media posts claiming a "breaking" terrorist attack on the Israeli embassy in London are misleading. While news regarding a terrorist plot at the embassy surfaced on April 15–16, 2026, it refers to the commencement of a trial for an attempted attack that occurred in April 2025. There have been no reports of a new or successful attack occurring in April 2026.

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