Your weekly fact-checks
#Gather Report: The Hormuz Effect on EU Aviation
A new Factiverse AI report, powered by Gather, maps how a single IEA warning about Europe's six-week jet fuel supply rippled across global media — driving a unified narrative that connected geopolitical conflict, airline disruptions, and UK recession data.
The findings show just how quickly a single data point can shape the international news agenda.
Read the full report here.
#TrumpCheck
PolitiFact
False: Trump said, "Thom Tillis is no longer a senator."
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., has announced he will not run for a new term. But he will remain in the Senate until his term ends in January 2027.
Lead Stories
False: A general stormed out of an emergency meeting after Trump said he wanted to threaten Iran with nuclear weapons.
There are no credible or verified reports indicating that such an incident ever occurred. While news coverage has documented internal discussions and differing views within the administration over potential military action against Iran, none describe General Caine storming out of a meeting or reacting in that manner to a request from the president.
#Politics
Snopes
Mostly False: As of April 20, 2026, Senate Majority Leader John Thune is refusing to bring the SAVE America Act up for debate or for a vote in the Senate.
Thune did not commit to reviving efforts to pass the SAVE America Act in comments made to reporters at the U.S. Capitol. In his comments to Capitol reporters, Thune clearly said he would consider bringing the SAVE America Act back up for consideration once the Senate was done with "other pressing stuff," such as funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Snopes
Half true: Former U.S. President Barack Obama "gave" Iran $1.7 billion in cash in 2016, sending pallets of money to the country.
The $1.7 billion Obama sent Iran in 2016 was a legal settlement for undelivered pre-1979 military equipment, not a gift. It was paid in foreign cash due to sanctions blocking dollar transfers.
India Today
False: India returned 2 million barrels of Iranian oil following a call from Trump to PM Modi.
Crude oil tanker Felicity is currently moored in the Gulf of Kutch. The other tanker, Jaya, is currently anchored near Paradip in Odisha. There are no credible reports of India returning Iranian oil.
#Healthcare
Lead Stories
False: Proper medical study from Nicolas Hulscher et al. shows Ivermectin + Mebendazole improves cancer outcome in 84.4% of cases.
Research experts told Lead Stories that the paper relies on an uncontrolled, self-reported survey with major bias, no independent verification of diagnoses or outcomes, and significant conflicts of interest. These flaws mean it cannot demonstrate that ivermectin or mebendazole improves cancer outcomes.
Africa Check
False: Consuming avocado seed can 'clean' the womb or improve fertility.
Despite medicinal use for some conditions, there is no scientific evidence that avocado seeds can improve fertility or “clean” the uterus. But research does suggest a generally healthy diet may improve the chances of getting pregnant.
#Conflicts
Africa Check
False: Fake Kenya Railways job advert uses Gmail address to lure applicants.
A job advert posted on Facebook claims Kenya Railways is hiring nationwide and asks applicants to apply via a Gmail address. But the corporation has flagged it as fake and says all applications are only done through its official website.
#Conflicts
Agence France-Presse - AFP
False: The US Navy turned back eight Iranian oil tankers heading to China.
The United States has ordered vessels in the Strait of Hormuz to return to Iran as it maintains a naval blockade, but a video purportedly showing these ships shared on social media in fact depicts a Russian destroyer and a week-old photo from the waterway.
PolitiFact
Video shows the United States’ April 19, 2026, strike on an Iranian cargo ship.
The video that is the source of this claim is from June 2025, showing the aftermath of a collision between two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz.
#WTF?! What The Fact of the week
Snopes
True: Disney Channel Aired a Movie Set in a North Korean Prison Camp.
In 1992, Disney Channel aired The Rescue. A 1988 action film in which teenagers infiltrate a North Korean prison camp to free their Navy SEAL fathers featuring violence including guns, explosions, and knife fights that would be unthinkable on the channel today. The prison camp scenes were filmed on a hilltop in Queenstown, New Zealand, where the abandoned set still stood as of 2015.
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