US President Donald Trump falsely claimed Amish people living in the United States “have essentially no autism” during a White House announcement billed as offering findings on causes and treatments for the neurological and developmental disorder. Experts said he is misguided; autism does exist in the traditionalist Christian communities, which are known for rejecting modern technologies.
Fact Check
After protesters took to the streets in Paris in a show of grassroots opposition to President Emmanuel Macron and planned austerity measures, an old video resurfaced in posts falsely claiming it showed the demonstrations in the French capital. The footage was in fact filmed in Poland’s capital Warsaw and previously circulated in a post about an independence day rally in the city in November 2017.
An image circulating widely online appears to show Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old Utah resident accused of shooting dead US right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, wearing a T-shirt supportive of President Donald Trump. But the photo is altered; the original, lifted from Robinson’s mother’s since-deactivated Facebook page, showed the suspect in a plain top.
AI-generated images of a flattened neighbourhood have been falsely shared online as genuine after a deadly earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan’s mountainous region in August and killed over 2,200 people. The visuals bore errors that indicate they are inauthentic.
US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made several false or misleading claims as US lawmakers grilled him over his decisions to fire scientists and overhaul the nation’s vaccine policies during three hours of testimony before the Senate Finance Committee.
One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck Russia’s sparsely populated Far East in late July, triggering tsunami warnings across the Pacific Ocean. But a video compilation of giant waves supposedly depicting the aftermath of the tremor features old and unrelated footage.
A blockbuster study published in top science journal Nature in April 2024 warned that unchecked climate change could slash global GDP by a staggering 62 percent by century’s end, setting off alarm bells among financial institutions worldwide.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau museum in Poland recently sounded the alarm over a growing online trend of social media posts sharing AI-generated images of alleged Holocaust victims. In July 2025, pictures of a violinist playing in concentration camps spread across the internet, posted alongside a fabricated story. While musicians did play a part in life inside the Nazi-run camps, the image does not depict a real person, and visual inconsistencies point to the content likely being AI-generated.
A dramatic tale claiming a transgender surgery specialist connected to Brigitte Macron suspiciously died spread across social media following an online series from US conservative commentator Candace Owens which reignited conspiracy theories alleging the wife of the French president had formerly been a man. But the American podcaster’s claims are unfounded and precipitated a defamation lawsuit from the Macrons, while the reports of a doctor’s death are similarly fictitious; they rely on invention of a fabricated surgeon, manipulated media and the impersonation of journalists.
“I want to acknowledge the moment that’s been circulating online, and the disappointment it’s caused,” says the purported message. “What was supposed to be a night of music and joy turned into a deeply personal mistake playing out on a very public stage.”