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

Latest fact-checks

Unverified

Viral Claim Alleges Swedish Neo-Nazi Swapped Swastika for Keffiyeh

Claim checked

“A Swedish neo-Nazi threw away his Swastika and wore a Keffiyeh because it’s more socially acceptable to be far-left than far-right.”

A viral social media post claims that a Swedish neo-Nazi "threw away his Swastika and wore a Keffiyeh" because being far-left is more socially acceptable than being far-right. This claim is currently unverified. While there is documented evidence of a prominent Swedish far-right figure, Christian Peterson, distancing himself from certain extremist groups and adopting a more...

Unverified

Tensions Flare in Strait of Hormuz Amid Reports of Naval Firefights

Claim checked

“Large firefights between the US Navy and Iran have been taking place for an hour around the strait of Hormuz.”

A claim circulating on social media on May 8, 2026, alleges that large-scale firefights between the US Navy and Iran have been occurring for over an hour in the Strait of Hormuz. While there have been documented military clashes in this region earlier in the week, there is currently no independent confirmation from official military channels or major news outlets of a new,...

Unverified

Conflicting Reports Emerge After High-Intensity Naval Clash in Strait of Hormuz

Claim checked

“We are learning a bit more about yesterday’s high-intensity engagement between U.S. and Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz. According to a report from CBS, citing Iranian media, 10 sailors are claimed to be wounded and 5 missing after the engagement.”

The claim that 10 sailors were wounded and 5 are missing following a high-intensity engagement in the Strait of Hormuz remains unverified. While multiple sources confirm a significant military exchange occurred on May 7, 2026, between U.S. Navy destroyers and Iranian forces, there is no independent confirmation of the specific casualty figures cited in the claim. U.S. Central...

Supported

Explosions and Missile Activity Reported Near Iran's Coast

Claim checked

“Following reports that explosions were in the port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran, locals have also reported missile launches and explosions off the coast of Qeshm island.”

Reports of explosions in the port city of Bandar Abbas on May 7, 2026, have been confirmed by Iran's state-linked Fars news agency. These events occurred alongside social media reports of missile launches near Qeshm island and a broader series of military incidents in the Strait of Hormuz, including the alleged downing of a US drone and an explosion aboard a South Korean cargo...

Mostly true

China Sentences Former Defense Ministers to Death with Reprieve

Claim checked

“China has sentenced its too former defence ministers Wei Fenghe & Li Shangfu to death.”

The claim that China has sentenced former defense ministers Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu to death is mixed. While both men were indeed sentenced to death on May 7, 2026, the sentences include a two-year reprieve, which in the Chinese legal system typically means the sentence will be commuted to life imprisonment. Reports from The Straits Times and AP News, citing state media...

Supported

Heart inflammation risk: COVID-19 infection vs. vaccination

Claim checked

“Myocarditis after Covid vaccine 5 per million Myocarditis after Covid infection 150 per million”

The claim that myocarditis risk is significantly higher after a COVID-19 infection than after vaccination is supported by large-scale clinical data. While the specific numbers cited (5 per million for vaccines and 150 per million for infection) vary slightly across different studies and demographics, the core assertion—that the risk from infection is many times higher than the...

Supported

Trump Weighs AI Oversight After Claude Mythos Discovery

Claim checked

“The Trump administration has reportedly informed Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI that it is considering new oversight procedures requiring AI models to pass government-led safety reviews before public release. This follows Anthropic's Claude Mythos Preview, which autonomously discovered thousands of zero-day vulnerabilities across every major OS and browser, including bugs that human experts failed to catch for decades. The irony is sharp: Trump revoked Biden's AI safety executive order on Day 1,...”

The claim that the Trump administration is considering new oversight procedures for AI models, including government-led safety reviews, is supported by recent reporting. Multiple sources, including Business Insider and AOL (citing the New York Times), confirm that the administration has discussed these potential plans with executives from Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI. This...

Contradicted

Global Studies Challenge Claims That COVID Vaccines Saved No Lives

Claim checked

“The Covid Vaccines didn’t save a single Life. Not one.”

The claim that COVID-19 vaccines "didn't save a single life" is contradicted by extensive global health data and peer-reviewed research. Multiple large-scale studies have quantified the impact of vaccination, estimating that millions of deaths were averted worldwide between 2020 and 2024. According to a 2025 study published in JAMA Health Forum, COVID-19 vaccines saved...

Supported

Canary Islands Leader Opposes Docking of Virus-Hit Cruise Ship

Claim checked

“BREAKING: The regional leader of Spain's Canary Islands has rejected the plan to let the Hantavirus-hit cruise ship dock there, Reuters reports.”

The claim that the regional leader of Spain's Canary Islands has rejected a plan to let a hantavirus-hit cruise ship dock there is supported by multiple reports. On May 6, 2026, Fernando Clavijo, the President of the Canary Islands, stated he could not allow the vessel to enter the archipelago, citing a "total lack of information" from the central Spanish government. While the...

Supported

Trump Signals Potential End to 'Epic Fury' as Iran Negotiations Reach Critical Stage

Claim checked

“BREAKING: Trump: Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran. If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

The claim that President Trump offered to end the military operation "Epic Fury" and open the Strait of Hormuz to all traffic—contingent on Iran agreeing to a final deal—is supported by current reporting. On May 6, 2026, reports from RTHK and Al Jazeera confirmed that Trump announced a pause in maritime escort operations ("Project Freedom") to allow for a "Complete and Final...

Supported

U.S. and Iran Near Breakthrough to End War

Claim checked

“According to Axios, citing officials and others with knowledge on the matter, the U.S. and Iran are close to reaching an agreement centered on a one-page memorandum of understanding. Per the report, the U.S. is waiting on Iranian responses to several points of contention, including a moratorium on enrichment and the freedom of passage through the Strait of Hormuz, in the next 48 hours. If Iran were to agree to a moratorium on enrichment, the U.S. is reportedly willing to release some Iranian...”

The claim that the U.S. and Iran are close to a one-page memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end their current conflict is supported by reporting from Axios and other outlets. According to the evidence, the two nations are negotiating a 14-point framework that would establish a 30-day period for detailed talks. Key elements of the reported deal include an Iranian moratorium...

Supported

Family of Slain Refugee Pleads for Privacy as Graphic Images Go Viral

Claim checked

“Her family is asking people to stop sharing the images of her murder. Not everything needs to be amplified”

The claim that Iryna Zarutska’s family has requested that people stop sharing images and footage of her murder is supported by statements from their legal representative and public memorial efforts. Following the August 2025 stabbing of the 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee on a Charlotte light rail train, graphic surveillance footage of the attack was widely circulated on social...

Supported

AI Lab Claims Breakthrough with 12 Million Token Context Window

Claim checked

“Introducing SubQ - a major breakthrough in LLM intelligence. It is the first model built on a fully sub-quadratic sparse-attention architecture (SSA), And the first frontier model with a 12 million token context window which is: - 52x faster than FlashAttention at 1MM tokens - Less than 5% the cost of Opus Transformer-based LLMs waste compute by processing every possible relationship between words (standard attention). Only a small fraction actually matter. @subquadratic finds and focuses only...”

The claims regarding the launch of SubQ, its 12 million token context window, and its sub-quadratic architecture are supported by official company announcements and third-party funding reports released on May 5, 2026. Subquadratic Inc. officially introduced the model as the first frontier LLM built on a Sparse-Attention Architecture (SSA). The company claims this design allows...

Supported

Rubio Declares End to 'Epic Fury' Military Stage

Claim checked

“Marco Rubio: The operation is over—Epic Fury; we are done with that stage of it.”

The claim that Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the conclusion of a specific stage of Operation Epic Fury is supported by recent reports. On May 5, 2026, reports emerged quoting Rubio as saying, "The operation is over—Epic Fury; we are done with that stage of it." This follows months of U.S.-led military strikes aimed at dismantling Iran's naval and missile...

Supported

Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi Hospitalized After Reported Heart Attack in Prison

Claim checked

“The Iranian regime wants to kill Narges Mohammadi because they are afraid of the voice of opposition from inside the country. She is a a Nobel Peace Prize winner, a symbol of courage and peace. But the regime targeting her is the very opposite: one of the greatest enemies of peace. For years, from inside Evin Prison, she has exposed the regime’s abuse of women and political prisoners. They could not silence her words, so now they are trying to break her body. What we are witnessing is is a...”

The claim that the Iranian regime is endangering the life of Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi by denying her urgent medical care is supported by recent reports from her family, legal team, and international human rights organizations. As of early May 2026, Mohammadi has reportedly suffered a suspected heart attack while detained in Zanjan Prison. After months of what...

Supported

Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak Hits Atlantic Cruise Ship

Claim checked

“Human-to-human transmission suspected on board hantavirus cruise ship -WHO”

The claim that human-to-human transmission is suspected on a cruise ship following a hantavirus outbreak is supported by statements from the World Health Organization (WHO) and health officials. As of May 5, 2026, three people have died and several others are ill following an outbreak on the MV Hondius in the Atlantic Ocean. While hantaviruses typically spread from rodents to...

Supported

UAE Air Defenses Scramble as Iranian Missiles and Drones Target Gulf

Claim checked

“NEW: UAE air defense systems are currently engaging ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones launched from Iran.”

The claim that UAE air defense systems are currently engaging Iranian ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones is supported by official government statements and multiple news reports. On May 4 and 5, 2026, the UAE Ministry of Defence confirmed that its systems successfully intercepted a barrage of projectiles launched from Iran. This escalation follows the collapse of...

Supported

Elon Musk Targets $10 Trillion Net Worth in Social Media Post

Claim checked

“JUST IN: Elon Musk says his goal is to reach a $10 trillion net worth”

Elon Musk has publicly signaled a goal to reach a $10 trillion net worth. In a May 2026 exchange on X (formerly Twitter), Musk responded "$10T or bust" to a post highlighting that his current wealth had surpassed $800 billion. This statement follows earlier, more speculative discussions regarding a hypothetical $10 trillion SpaceX pay package tied to long-term civilizational...

Supported

White House Briefly Locked Down After Reports of Gunfire Nearby

Claim checked

“BREAKING: White House on lockdown due to possible shooting in the area”

The White House was indeed placed on a brief lockdown on the afternoon of May 4, 2026, following reports of gunfire in the vicinity of the complex. Key Details: The incident occurred shortly before 4:00 p.m. local time. Journalists at the scene were moved into the White House briefing room for safety. * The lockdown was lifted within a few minutes.

Misleading

Old footage of Russian submarine in Cuba resurfaces as new

Claim checked

“BREAKING: A Russian nuclear-powered submarine has arrived in Havana, Cuba today, just 90 miles from the United States. The submarine entered Havana harbor past the historic colonial fortress, with Russian sailors visible on deck.”

A viral social media post claiming that a Russian nuclear-powered submarine arrived in Havana, Cuba, "today" (May 4, 2026) is misleading. While the description of the event is accurate, it refers to a high-profile naval visit that occurred in June 2024, not 2026. The submarine mentioned, the Kazan, did visit Havana alongside three other Russian vessels. This event was widely...