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

Latest fact-checks

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mRNA Pancreatic Cancer Vaccine Trial Shows Long-Term Survival in Responders

Claim checked

“Of 16 patients in Balachandran’s trial, eight showed a dramatic immune response to the mRNA-based vaccine. Seven of the eight are alive and well six years after the trial began, a finding that was to be presented Monday at the American Association of Cancer Research meeting in San Diego.”

New data from a clinical trial led by Dr. Vinod Balachandran at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) indicates that an experimental mRNA-based vaccine for pancreatic cancer has produced lasting immune responses. Of the 16 patients in the trial, eight developed a strong immune response, and seven of those eight remain alive and well six years later. These findings were...

Unverified

Kevin Warsh Confirmation Hearing and Alleged $500 Billion Market Wipeout

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“CRASH: $500,000,000,000 wiped from the U.S. stock market in just 90 minutes after Kevin Warsh’s statements.”

Social media posts claim that $500 billion was wiped from the U.S. stock market in just 90 minutes following statements by Federal Reserve Chair nominee Kevin Warsh during his Senate confirmation hearing on April 21, 2026. While Warsh did testify on that date, there is no verified financial data in the provided evidence to confirm a market loss of that specific magnitude or...

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Pakistan Awaits Iranian Response as Ceasefire Deadline Approaches

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“Pakistan’s Information Minister: Formal response from Iranian side about confirmation of delegation to attend Islamabad Peace Talks is still awaited. Ceasefire ends at 4:50 am PST, 22 April. Decision from Iran to attend the talks before the end of two weeks ceasefire is critical. Pakistan has made sincere efforts to convince the Iranian leadership to participate in the second round of talks and these efforts continue.”

Reports from April 21, 2026, confirm that Pakistan is actively mediating between the U.S. and Iran as a fragile two-week ceasefire nears its expiration. While Pakistan has prepared for a second round of peace talks in Islamabad, Iranian state media and officials have indicated that a formal decision to send a delegation is still pending, citing U.S. naval actions as a breach...

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Massive $760 Million Oil Bet Placed Minutes Before Strait of Hormuz Reopening Announcement

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“Just 20 minutes before Trump's announcement that the Strait of Hormuz was open, massive trades hit the market. Investors sold a combined 7,990 lots of Brent crude futures, ​a $760 million bet that oil would go down. These orders were much larger than anything else at the time. The traders made huge gains. Unusual.”

On April 17, 2026, a massive trade involving 7,990 lots of Brent crude futures—valued at approximately $760 million—was executed just 20 minutes before official announcements that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen to commercial traffic. This well-timed "short" bet preceded a sharp 11% drop in oil prices. The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is reportedly...

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Iran Implements New Transit Rules and Security Fees for Strait of Hormuz

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“The Islamic Republic of Iran has announced new rules for the Strait of Hormuz: vessels that pay faster for security services and comply with protocols will get priority crossing. Others will be forced to face delays.”

The Islamic Republic of Iran has introduced a new regulatory framework for the Strait of Hormuz, requiring commercial vessels to obtain Iranian authorization and follow designated routes. This system includes the collection of "security and service fees"—reported to be as high as $2 million per vessel—to grant safe passage. Vessels that comply with these protocols and pay the...

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

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“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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Iranian State TV Denies Sending Delegation to Islamabad for US Peace Talks

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“According to yesterday’s reporting, the Iranian delegation was expected to land in Islamabad on Tuesday morning. As of now, it’s approaching 13:00 and no Iranian regime delegation has departed for Islamabad, according to Iranian state TV.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, April 21, 2026, Iranian state media (IRIB) has explicitly denied that any diplomatic delegation has departed for or arrived in Islamabad. This contradicts earlier reports from international outlets like Al Jazeera and the New York Times that suggested a delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was expected to land Tuesday morning...

Unverified

Italy Fast-Tracks Tesla FSD Approval Claims Unverified

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“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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Reports Confirm Death of Basij Commander Mohammad Shirmohammadian in Tehran

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“Last night, notorious basiji commander Mohammad Shirmohammadian was stabbed 14 times and killed by masked individuals near Pardis, Tehran. Bear in mind: This is not how the Mossad operates. We are likely seeing the rise of Iranians taking action with their own hands.”

Multiple reports from April 14 and 15, 2026, confirm that Mohammad Shirmohammadian, a commander of a Basij base in Tehran, was killed by unknown individuals. While the social media claim specifies he was stabbed 14 times near Pardis, other reports indicate he was shot in District 18 (Hosseini Ferdous neighborhood). Despite the discrepancy in the method of killing (stabbing vs....

Mostly true

Trump Warns of 'Lots of Bombs' if Iran Ceasefire Expires

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“Trump: "I expect to be bombing Iran (after tomorrow) because I think that's a better attitude to go in with."”

While President Trump did issue a stark warning regarding military action against Iran, the specific quote circulating on social media appears to be a paraphrased or slightly altered version of his actual remarks. On April 20, 2026, Trump told PBS News that if the ceasefire expires, "then lots of bombs start going off." He did not use the exact phrasing "I expect to be bombing...

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Pakistan Mediates US-Iran Ceasefire Extension Amid Rising Tensions

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“According to Al Arabiya, Pakistani Prime Minister Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has asked the U.S. and Iran to extend the nominal ceasefire, set to expire in the next 48 hours, two extra weeks, as both sides find it increasingly hard to find points of convergence that would”

Reports from Al Arabiya and Al Jazeera confirm that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other top officials are actively mediating between the U.S. and Iran to extend a fragile ceasefire set to expire on April 22, 2026. Pakistan is pushing for a multi-day negotiation framework to secure a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that could extend the truce by up to 60 days.

Mostly true

Fact-Checking the Crimes of Ilse Koch, the 'Witch of Buchenwald'

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“This is Ilse Koch. She was responsible for the death of over 1,000 people - and for the torture and abuse of more than 4,000 children. She was considered one of the most sadistic Nazi war criminals. At Buchenwald, she enforced a regime of terror, punishment, and torture - even”

While Ilse Koch was a convicted Nazi war criminal known for her extreme sadism at the Buchenwald concentration camp, specific figures regarding her responsibility for 1,000 deaths and the torture of 4,000 children are not supported by historical records. Furthermore, the most infamous allegation against her—the creation of lampshades from human skin—was never legally proven.

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OpenAI 'Spud' Model Confirmed for Release in April 2026

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

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“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...

Mostly true

DeepSeek V4 Release Timing and Huawei Delay Claims

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“From an interview with a mysterious source: DeepSeek V4 is indeed scheduled to be released next week. The delayed release of DeepSeek V4 has nothing to do with Huawei Ascend; it is purely because the results were not satisfactory.”

While reports from mid-April 2026 support a potential release of DeepSeek V4 in late April, the claim that delays are unrelated to Huawei Ascend hardware is contradicted by multiple industry reports. Release Timing: Sources indicate a target window of late April 2026, which aligns with the "next week" claim made on April 19. Huawei Involvement: Major reporting from the...

Misleading

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

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

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“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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Iran Re-closes Strait of Hormuz and Targets Multiple Vessels

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“3 ships in the Strait of Hormuz have been hit by Iran”

On April 18, 2026, Iran officially reimposed restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz, effectively closing the strategic waterway in response to a continued U.S. naval blockade. Following the closure, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported three distinct maritime incidents involving commercial vessels, including a tanker fired upon by gunboats and a container ship...

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

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“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...

Unverified

Reports of Iranian Drone Strike on U.S. Naval Vessels Unverified

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“Tasnim reports that Iranian forces launched a drone strike at U.S. naval vessels following the attack on the ship”

A social media claim alleging that the Tasnim News Agency reported an Iranian drone strike on U.S. naval vessels is currently unverified. While Tasnim has reported on the replenishment of drone stockpiles and the maintenance of control over the Strait of Hormuz, there is no record of the agency reporting a specific new drone strike against U.S. ships as of April 19, 2026.