Latest news with #SightEngine
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fact Check: No, a judge did not slap White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt
Claim: Videos accurately reported that a judge slapped White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in court. Rating: In April and May 2025, claims that a judge slapped White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt spread online. For example, a YouTube video (archived) that had 75,000 views as of this writing made the claim that the judge supposedly slapped Leavitt and then his "corrupt empire began to crumble": This was not the only video making those claims. At least three more YouTube videos of varying lengths repeated the same allegations, as did a few TikTok videos. This claim was false. Three of the YouTube videos said the judge's was Edward Hargrove of Washington, D.C., while the fourth claimed he name was Richard Franklin of Boston. The language was similar in each of the supposed reports, though the voice and image changed. All voices had a mechanical quality, suggesting they were generated by artificial intelligence. Further, Snopes ran screen captures of the videos into AI detectors SightEngine and WasItAI and confirmed they were AI-made. Thorough Google and Google News searches revealed no report of such an incident. Searches using keywords "Edward Hargrove" and "Richard Franklin" also revealed no such story. Further, one of the YouTube videos included a disclaimer, which appeared for a fraction of a second at the beginning, that read as follows (emphasis ours): (YouTube user Mythos Unveiled) DISCLAIMER ALL INFORMATION IN THIS VIDEO IS COMPILED FROM REPUTABLE AND RELIABLE NEWS SOURCES. HOWEVER, THE CONTENT IS INTENDED SOLELY FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES TO HELP VIEWERS GAIN A BROADER UNDERSTANDING AND PERSPECTIVE ON FAMOUS FIGURES. THIS CONTENT IS NOT INTENDED TO OFFEND OR HARM ANYONE. WE DO NOT CLAIM THAT ALL THE INFORMATION IN THE VIDEO IS ENTIRELY ACCURATE OR COMPLETE. HOWEVER, WE DO NOT DISTORT OR MISREPRESENT THE ORIGINS OF THE INFORMATION WE PRESENT. THEREFORE, VIEWERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CONSULT MULTIPLE SOURCES FOR THE MOST WELL-ROUNDED PERSPECTIVE. THANK YOU By mixing true and misleading information as well as using emotionally charged language, such videos about baseless celebrity rumors often generate hundreds or thousands of comments from YouTube users. Some of those messages indicate that people interpret the videos to be real news. Snopes has verified several such videos, including one that claimed Oprah Winfrey had fled the country following Sean Combs' arrest and another that claimed Jennifer Lopez had left the U.S. for similar reasons. Dobrin, Nikki. "Rumors Jennifer Lopez Fled the US after 'Massive Threat' from Diddy Are False." Snopes, 13 Nov. 2024, Accessed 9 May 2025. Rascouët-Paz, Anna. "FBI Revealed Oprah Fled US after 'Diddy Footage' Leak?" Snopes, 15 Nov. 2024, Accessed 9 May 2025.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Yes, Trump posted an AI image of himself as pope on Truth Social
Claim: In May 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump posted an artificial intelligence-generated image of himself as pope on Truth Social. Rating: In May 2025, as Catholics around the world mourned the death of Pope Francis and days before the conclave to elect a new pope was set to begin, claims began to spread online that U.S. President Donald Trump had posted an artificial intelligence-generated image of himself as pope. This followed an interview Trump gave in which he quipped he'd be his own first choice to be pope, sparking outrage. For example, an X user posted about the image, recalling the uproar former President Barack Obama caused by wearing a tan suit in 2014 and calling out what they saw as the relative lack of criticism of a representation of Trump wearing a papal miter (archived): The post had 1.3 million views and 48,000 likes as of this writing. The claim, with the same image, further spread on X, Facebook and Reddit. Meanwhile, Snopes readers searched the site seeking to confirm whether Trump shared it. The claim is true. On May 2, 2025, the Trump posted this image on Truth Social (archived): (Truth Social user @realDonaldTrump) Snopes ran the image through SightEngine and WasItAI, two AI detection engines, and confirmed that it was AI-generated. The image adopts many of the visual codes traditionally associated with the papacy. In it, Trump wears a white miter with golden embroidery and the white cassock popes usually wear, with a golden cross on a golden chain around his neck. He is sitting on a golden throne and is pointing up with his right hand. The image, posted without comment, had garnered more than 36,000 likes as of this writing. Thirty-eight minutes after Trump posted it, the official X account for the White House shared a screen capture of the Truth Social post, receiving more than 103 million views and more than 200,000 likes as of this writing (archived): "Conclave to Elect a New Pope Will Start on May 7." AP News, 28 Apr. 2025, Kuchar, Savannah. 'Barack Obama's Tan Suit Gate: What to Know on the 10th Anniversary'. USA TODAY, Accessed 5 May 2025. "Pope Francis, First Latin American Pontiff Who Ministered with a Charming, Humble Style, Dies at 88." AP News, 21 Apr. 2025, Rascouët-Paz, Anna. 'Yes, Lindsey Graham Said He Supports Trump's Bid for the Papacy — as a Joke'. Snopes, 30 Apr. 2025,
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Image allegedly shows Trump using 'toe pads' to stop himself from falling. Here's context
For months, social media users have shared an image they claim shows U.S. President Donald Trump standing on "toe pads" to stop himself from falling over. The claim spread primarily on X, where multiple posts with the image garnered millions of views and thousands of likes. However, the origin of the image was unknown, including whether it was a genuine photo or product of digital editing. If it was real, it was unclear if the object was toe pads, and there was no demonstrable evidence Trump was using it to stop himself from falling forward. A reverse image search on Google revealed the image dated back to late December 2023 when other X users posted it alongside similar claims. Several artificial intelligence (AI) detection tools — IsItAI?, Hive Moderation and SightEngine — found it was highly unlikely the photo was produced using AI. In fact, the Mar-a-Lago geotag in the bottom right corner of the image suggested it first appeared as an Instagram story, which only stays live for a day, and therefore it was not possible to trace the photo back to the original poster. Snopes looked through Getty Images' photos of Trump published in the days surrounding the claim's initial appearance in December 2023, like those from a Dec. 2 campaign event in Iowa. Those images, however, did not show Trump standing with support under his toes or feet. Trump speaking at a Commit to Caucus rally held at Whiskey River on Dec. 2, 2023, in Ankeny, Iowa. (Getty Images) There were numerous other theories circulating on social media regarding the object seen in the image. However, all of these ideas were also based on pure speculation and could not be verified. For examples, some people claimed the item was a gaffer's sandbag; that Trump was using it to mark his position without having to look down, or that he was standing on the object to create a better camera shot by aligning his stance with objects in the background. Some users suggested Trump was using the item as a foot pedal to control a teleprompter, while others said it may help correct his posture by preventing him from leaning forward, implying he could be dealing with symptoms of frontotemporal dementia. Responding to an October 2024 request for comment via email, a Trump campaign spokesperson simply said "this is false," although it was unclear which element of the claim they were referring to. We asked them to provide clarification and will update this article if they issue another response. "Frontotemporal Dementia - Symptoms and Causes." Mayo Clinic, Accessed 21 Oct. 2024. u/bat_is_life. "Politics aside, Any Guesses for the Real Reason He's Standing on a Sandbag?" R/Videography, Jan. 2024,
