The daily check-in

Trending, checked.

Twice a day we pull the posts going viral on TikTok, Instagram, X and Facebook and run them through the record. Each entry is a published verdict — what we found, why, and the sources behind it.

51 checks

Did The Simpsons predict a 'Great Blackout' on 17 November?

X · 10,880 likes, 135 replies (X syndication, 8 Nov); ongoing coverage Crónica MX 3 Nov, Emisoras Unidas 4 Nov, GadgetReview 4 Nov, Jornal da Orla (BR) 8 Nov; recurring meme (also 2024) · resurfaced

False

The video is genuine footage from the 2023 Simpsons episode 'It's a Blunderful Life', but the caption's claim that the show 'predicts' a real Great Blackout on 17 November is false — the episode depicts a fictional Springfield outage and never forecasts a real event. The rumour is riding on the coincidence that FEMA and the FCC have a routine nationwide emergency-alert test scheduled for 17 November 2026.

TechnologyOtherView details→

Is this stained-glass window a prophecy of Pope Leo XIV and Bob Dylan?

X · 10,274 likes; Konkret24 (7 Nov): posts with this image pairing reached nearly 300K views on X, Facebook, Bluesky and Threads, now spreading in Poland

Opinion

A photograph of a real-looking stained-glass window is posted with the joke caption 'The prophecy has been fulfilled' — a meme-format gag, most plausibly riffing on the well-documented 4 November 2026 Vatican photos of Pope Leo XIV in white beside a hooded Bob Dylan. Nothing factual is asserted, and nothing indicates the image was fabricated.

CelebrityOtherView details→

Are Muslims turning IKEA car parks in Germany into improvised mosques?

X · 9,403 likes, 441 replies (X syndication, 6 Nov); Maldita check 6 Nov

Misleading

The video is genuine footage of an Eid al-Adha prayer held with IKEA's permission in the car park of its Freiburg store in May 2026, but the caption misrepresents it as Muslims seizing IKEA car parks across Germany for one of their daily prayers.

PoliticsOtherView details→

Did a German kindergarten rename its St Martin's parade 'Lichterfest'?

X · X post 406 likes / 64 replies (X syndication, 6 Nov). dpa says the image is 'currently' being shared again and fact-checked it 5 Nov. Also shared by author Rainer Zitelmann on Facebook. Seasonal: St. Martin's Day is 11 Nov · resurfaced

True But

The clip shows a plausible, apparently genuine photo of a kindergarten notice renaming its St Martin's parade 'Lichterfest' so all children feel included — a real, documented practice in German kindergartens — but the notice names no facility, town or date, so this specific case cannot be verified, and the caption's aggressive 'no consideration for anyone' framing is the poster's own far-right commentary rather than anything the notice says.

OtherPoliticsView details→

Did Muslim members of the Israeli Knesset pray inside parliament?

X · Spread in English and Arabic on X 4 Nov (Arabic reposts at 23:34-23:38Z 4 Nov, lt24h); primary ~125 likes, Arabic repost ~170 likes (syndication, 5 Nov); fact-checked by Kashif 5 Nov. No view counts given

False

The video is real but mislabelled: it shows Jordanian MPs performing the noon prayer in the Jordanian parliament in Amman on 3 November 2026, not Muslim members of the Israeli Knesset praying in the Knesset chamber. Fact-checkers Factly and Vishvas News rated the claim false.

PoliticsOtherView details→

Did Canada light up Niagara Falls blue in solidarity with the Democrats?

X · Shared by BC politician Nathan Cullen; Niagara Parks responded (teal lighting for Alzheimer's Awareness Month); two fact-check pickups

False

The photo of Niagara Falls lit blue is a real image, but the caption's claim that Canada illuminated the falls in solidarity with the Democrats is false — the night's scheduled display was teal for Alzheimer's Awareness Month, and the illumination board bans partisan political lighting.

PoliticsOtherView details→

Did Murcia fire crews respond to a bomb threat on a flight from Manchester?

X · Primary 23 likes; follow-ups by Murcia official Francisco Lucas 45 and 21 likes; Google Trends GB 'bomb threat' 2000+ and IE 1000+; covered by Guardian, Sky, Mirror, MEN, GB News, Irish Independent, TheJournal

True

The photo is a genuine image posted by the official Murcia fire service showing its crews at Murcia-Corvera airport, and the accompanying claim about a bomb threat on a flight from Manchester is confirmed by Spanish and international media coverage of the 3 November 2026 incident.

CrimeOtherView details→

Did Kemi Badenoch say slavery involved every continent and Britain led the way in ending the slave trade?

X · 38.4K likes, 1.7K replies (X syndication); covered by LBC, Independent, GB News 31 Oct

True But

Kemi Badenoch's X post is genuine and accurately quoted: she did argue that slavery involved people from every continent, that Britain led the way in ending the transatlantic slave trade, and that a fresh apology or reparations are unnecessary. Her historical premises are broadly accurate, though the post is a strongly slanted political argument about reparations rather than a neutral account.

PoliticsOtherView details→

Does this video show a current rally in Hamburg of Middle Eastern migrants demanding Sharia law?

X · Primary 144 likes, 76 replies; also on several Facebook reels · resurfaced

Misleading

The video is genuine footage of a Muslim Interaktiv rally in Hamburg on 12 October 2024, but it is being circulated in October 2026 as if it were a current gathering of Middle Eastern, mostly Syrian, migrants demanding Sharia law — a framing that fact-checkers and German reporting do not support.

PoliticsOtherView details→

Did Enoch Burke confront Archbishop John McDowell in Armagh?

YouTube · 97,533 views on the YouTube video (watch page, 31 Oct); PSNI investigating; covered by RTE, Irish Times, Irish Examiner, TheJournal, Belfast Telegraph

True

The headline is accurate: Enoch Burke did confront Church of Ireland Archbishop John McDowell in the grounds of St Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh on 29 October 2026, an incident confirmed by the Church of Ireland and now under PSNI investigation for a reported assault. No media was attached to this submission, so there was nothing to assess for authenticity.

CrimeOtherView details→

Are veterans wearing a poppy banned from Wetherspoons?

X · 17,039 likes / 4,703 replies on the post (X syndication, 31 Oct); renewed coverage 29-30 Oct (GB News, Express, Daily Mail) as protesters covered the pub in poppies ahead of Remembrance

Misleading

The video is genuine footage of a real confrontation at The Star Wetherspoon in Gosport on 25 October 2026, where a group including veterans was refused entry over poppies and a manager cited a 'blanket' rule on political symbols. But the caption's claim that veterans wearing poppies are 'banned from Wetherspoons' as company policy is contradicted by the chain, which says it has no poppy ban, sells poppies in its pubs, and that the refusals were temporary security measures during nearby demonstrations.

ConsumerOtherView details→

Did a C-17 Globemaster really make an emergency landing in a farm field?

X · X post ~3.1K likes; Lead Stories check 29 Oct (Sightengine 97%, Hive 99.7% AI); IG reels also carry it

False

The video is AI-generated, not real footage — the original Instagram upload disclosed it was made with AI tools, and Lead Stories has already fact-checked this exact X post. No C-17 ever made an emergency landing in a farm field as shown.

OtherTechnologyView details→

Did Israelis sing the Hanuman Chalisa in Hebrew at a Tel Aviv beach concert?

X · 6,038 likes (syndication). Fact-checked as AI by The Quint (28 Oct) and Factly (29 Oct, Telugu). Deccan Chronicle (27 Oct) said the video 'has gone viral on social media'.

False

The video is AI-generated — multiple fact-checkers traced it to an openly labelled AI 'conceptual artwork' YouTube upload with a Veo watermark — so the claim that Israelis sang the Hanuman Chalisa in Hebrew at a Tel Aviv beach concert is false. The separate story of Captain Smit Machchhar chanting the Hanuman Chalisa while foiling the flydubai cockpit attack is genuine.

TechnologyOtherView details→

Did the DC Halloween flyover really give only fifteen minutes' notice?

X · White House Rapid Response video of the 'epic' flyover; DC Council post ~790 likes; WaPo cites flight-tracking altitudes ~400-1,000 ft; Mediaite/AlterNet coverage; residents' 9/11 comparisons

True But

The clip is genuine webcam footage of the 29 October 2026 Air Force One Halloween flyover over downtown Washington, and the DC Council's claim of minimal warning is broadly accurate — AlertDC's public alert went out about 20 minutes before the first pass, not 15.

PoliticsOtherView details→

Is a Chinese company using footage of rioters failing to smash a Louis Vuitton window in Paris as an advert for the durability of its glass?

X · 29,880 likes (syndication 28 Oct 14:40Z); article says video reposted 'millions of times' and post carries a Community Note (footage by CLPRESS journalist Clément Lanot, 18 Oct)

Can't Verify

The video is genuine footage of shopfronts being attacked during the October 2026 unrest in France, and it is well documented that a Henan-based Chinese glass firm, Hengxinfeng Special-Glass, reposted the clip as free advertising for its shatter-resistant glass. What remains unverified is the underlying boast — that the window shown was actually the company's product and held out for an hour.

ConsumerOtherView details→

Are churches in Ecuador chaining crucifixes after a priest's death?

X · ~3,220 likes / 704 replies on @harri_onuoha (syndication, 26 Oct 02:40Z); Arabic version @AIToolboxAI ~125 likes; covered by Azteca Veracruz and Azteca Bajío (25 Oct)

Misleading

The priest’s death in Guayaquil on 17 Oct 2026 after a wooden crucifix fell on him is confirmed by multiple news outlets. A viral clip showing a priest in a hard hat beneath a chained crucifix is real footage circulating online, but its origin and whether it shows a broader, organised response (churches 'beginning' to chain crosses) are unverified — the post’s general claim is therefore misleading.

OtherView details→

Did 2 Pakistani Muslims Set Fire to a Church in Wales?

X · 13,399 likes (X syndication); Hindi repost 22 Oct 1,990 likes; Misbar 23 Oct says video is a 2025 fire at Bethany chapel.

False

The video is authentic footage of the Bethany Chapel fire in Port Talbot on 24 April 2025, but the post's caption claiming '2 Pakistani Muslims' set it alight is false. South Wales Police arrested two local teenagers and explicitly denied any link to Pakistan.

CrimeOtherView details→

Was Hitler a far left socialist?

X · 63,568 likes on Musk's post (X syndication, 24 Oct); quote-posts @brivael's 'Hitler was far left' thread; Mimikama debunk 24 Oct.

False

The statement that "Hitler was a far left socialist" is false. It is true that the Nazi party's formal name included the word "socialist," but historians and reference sources classify Nazism as a far‑right, fascist ideology that opposed Marxist socialism and persecuted socialists and communists.

PoliticsOtherView details→

Did Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's staff damage a WWII globe?

X · 1.75K likes per X syndication 23 Oct; Snopes (True) 22 Oct; picked up by Radio-Canada 22 Oct.

True

Multiple news outlets report (citing The Washington Post and an Army statement) that staff working for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth damaged a World War II–era globe associated with Dwight D. Eisenhower while attempting to move it into Hegseth's Pentagon office on Feb. 3, 2026; the description and photographs published by reporters match the image in the post.

PoliticsOtherView details→

Did the Irish government release an ad urging grandparents for consent before hugging?

X · Polymarket post 3,023 likes; @europa version 6,732 likes; @PrisonPlanet 4,621 likes (X syndication API, checked 2026-10-22). TheJournal says the video was picked up by conservative commentators globally and covered by the New York Post; ad pulled 22 Oct after Justice Minister intervened

Misleading

Misleading — a consent-focused video about grandparents and hugs was produced and posted by the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (We-Consent) and later removed after backlash; official statements say it was not a government-released advertisement, so the caption’s claim that the Irish government 'released' the ad overstates government authorship.

PoliticsOtherView details→

Did Saudi Arabia execute a Bangladeshi couple for kissing in a mosque?

X · 21.2K likes, 1.9K replies on primary; two Newschecker checks 21 Oct

Misleading

Reports and an official Saudi statement confirm that two Bangladeshi nationals were executed on 14 October 2026 after conviction for an 'indecent/immoral act' in the Makkah region; however, the viral image used in the post is unrelated (a 2024 pregnancy announcement by an Egyptian influencer) and the specific claim that the man was "merely" kissing his pregnant wife's belly is unverified and contradicted by family reports and the lack of specifics in official statements.

CrimeOtherView details→

Did a Micromania employee defend his store during riots?

X · @trending_tony post 221,531 likes; @LBleuBlancRouge 61,490 likes; @visegrad24 15,165 likes (X syndication). Covered by Kotaku, IBTimes, M6 Info, Nice-Matin; IBTimes notes online fundraisers for him are unverified.

True But

The image is authentic and shows a Micromania employee in Nice who tried to block looters on October 17, 2026. The post's claim that he is the store 'owner' is not confirmed and is likely incorrect — sources describe him as a sales assistant/employee (some fundraiser text calls him manager).

OtherView details→

Was a pamphlet from the Texas Transgender Student Union sent to homes?

X · Gonzales post 5,539 likes (syndication); @SarahisCensored (20 Oct 00:40Z) says 100+ parents messaged her; Lead Stories fact-check and Blaze follow-up 20 Oct; reporter Steven Monacelli traced LLC to concealment registered agent

True But

Photographs and multiple news reports confirm that printed pamphlets labeled from a newly formed "Texas Transgender Student Union" were mailed to Texas households and included material referencing emancipation; however, established Texas groups named in the pamphlet (including TENT) say they did not produce or authorize the mailers, and the named sender appears to be a recently created Wyoming LLC using a mailbox address.

PoliticsOtherView details→

Did a protester shout 'Release the Epstein files!' at a J.D. Vance rally?

X · @atrupar video 34,614 likes (X syndication, 20 Oct); quoted by Newsom press office; covered by TNR, Daily Beast, Mediaite, JoeMyGod, The New American

True

The video is authentic footage from a J.D. Vance campaign rally on October 19, 2026 in Hendersonville, N.C.; it shows a protester shouting 'Release the Epstein files!' and Vance responding in a way that implied the heckler was an undocumented immigrant. Multiple independent news outlets and pool photos/video confirm the incident.

PoliticsOtherView details→