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.

241 checks

Did Zelenskyy confirm Ukraine paused attacks on Russian energy facilities?

X · Zelensky post has 37.8K likes (syndication, 13 Oct). Trump's Oct 12 reply to reporters ('violations on both sides', 'Putin wants a deal more than Zelensky') was covered by JPost, HT, ANI, NDTV, News18, The Australian and Obozrevatel. Russia says it is not interested in a ceasefire (KTXS/KATU).

True

The post accurately quotes President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying that Ukraine held off strikes on Russian energy facilities overnight after President Trump announced an "energy ceasefire," and that Russia nonetheless struck Ukrainian energy sites. Multiple reputable news outlets reported Zelenskyy's remarks and reported Russian attacks that night.

ConflictPoliticsView details→

What did Nigel Farage say about the asylum scam?

YouTube · Said during Reform UK's livestreamed asylum press conference; Guardian live blog flagged it as an exaggeration (Ukraine ranks 104/181 on Transparency International's CPI). Wider spread on social not yet measured.

Misleading

This transcript is from a Reform UK press conference delivered on 12 October 2026. Several of the speech's statistics (for example, that detected small-boat arrivals since 2018 have passed 200,000 and that a record single boat carried about 230 people) are corroborated by mainstream reporting; many other specific causal claims and detailed allegations mentioned in the speech (for example, the claim that the 230-person boat launched from 'Utah Beach', or that US bombers were withdrawn from RAF Fairford for migration reasons, and several named criminal-case descriptions) were not corroborated in the sources consulted. The overall framing is strongly partisan and misleading in places.

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Did Iran launch a major attack on Israel and flood the Persian Gulf with blood?

X · Annahar fact-check (12 Oct) says many pages shared the 57-second apartment-fire clip as an Iranian attack on Israel; footage traced to a US news outlet in January; also shared as Facebook reels

False

The video is authentic footage of a January 17, 2026 three-alarm fire in Ridgewood, Queens (1905 Flushing Avenue) and does not show an Iranian attack on Israel. The post's caption that claims Iran "flooded the Persian Gulf with blood" and that the clip documents an attack on Israel is false and misleading.

ConflictView details→

Did drone strikes on Yandex data centres cause a drop in AfD activity?

X · Czech MEP's post with a graph; Euronews ran a fact-check in EN/DE/ES/PL saying claims of a sharp drop in AfD-related activity 'circulated widely' and drew in Laura Loomer, Garry Kasparov and Michael McFaul, with parallel claims about Reform UK and US pro-conservative reply bots; 'Ukraine strikes…

Misleading

The attacks on Yandex data centres on Oct 8–11, 2026 are confirmed and monitoring data show a large drop in automated traffic from Yandex's network; however the viral chart claiming a 30%–56% collapse in AfD-related online activity lacks a stated source or methodology and its attribution to the Yandex outages is unsupported.

TechnologyPoliticsView details→

Did 72 miners die in a strike on a Sudan gold mine?

YouTube · Emergency Lawyers say 72 killed and blame Egypt; Sudan's government blames RSF drones; Egypt silent; Al Jazeera, Arab News, Middle East Eye, Sudan Tribune coverage 11-12 Oct

Can't Verify

The headline repeats a claim by the Sudanese rights group Emergency Lawyers that airstrikes on or near an artisanal gold-mining site on Oct. 10, 2026 killed 72 people and blamed Egyptian aircraft. Multiple international outlets reported that allegation on Oct. 11, 2026, but the casualty figure and the attribution to Egypt remained preliminary and unverified by independent sources at the time of those reports.

ConflictView details→

Did the U.S. President say an energy ceasefire has been secured?

X · 35.3K likes (X syndication, 12 Oct); Kyiv Independent, Ukrainska Pravda, Yahoo, Euromaidan Press coverage 11 Oct; Russia has not commented

True But

A U.S. presidential announcement of an 'energy ceasefire' on 11 October 2026 is real and widely reported; the attached video is an authentic official address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacting to that announcement and reporting continued Russian strikes. Zelenskyy's statements about readiness to refrain from strikes reflect his position, while the exact strike and casualty totals are government figures reported by Ukraine and widely republished but require incident-level verification.

ConflictView details→

Is there an ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine?

X · WH post 33.4K likes (X syndication, 12 Oct); Zelensky reply 26K likes ('awaiting details'); no Kremlin confirmation; Kyiv Independent, Forbes, Fox, IBTimes, Bild, t-online, CBC coverage

False

The image shows a social-media announcement claiming an immediate Russia–Ukraine "energy ceasefire." President Trump did announce such a pause on Oct 11, 2026 and the White House echoed the message, but independent verification that both parties actually agreed or that strikes stopped is absent and Kyiv denied being informed; reporting indicates attacks continued, so the post's core factual claim is false.

ConflictPoliticsView details→

Does this video show Saudi forces striking Houthi militias?

X · Primary 540 likes / 43 replies; @Abu_Alahrar_2 2,938 likes / 169 replies; @Houthis_Watch 1,115 likes (posted 10 Oct 06:21Z)

Can't Verify

The video likely shows a real large explosion in a desert environment, but there is no independent evidence tying this exact footage to a Saudi/coalition strike on Houthi forces in Yemen. The claim that it documents "punishing the Houthi militias" is unsupported by verifiable location, timing, or authoritative reporting.

ConflictView details→

Are there explosions or airstrikes happening in Sanaa?

X · Primary 328 likes; @3ajel_ksa ('عاجل السعودية') 533 likes / 36 replies; @MG_1400 162 likes

True But

The video likely shows nighttime explosions in Sanaa and the poster's caption frames them as 'punishment' directed at the Houthis. Multiple credible news agencies (AFP, Al Jazeera, BBC, AP) reported airstrikes and loud explosions in Sanaa between early October and today (Oct 11, 2026), so the post's core factual claim is confirmed; the poster's threatening framing is political rhetoric.

ConflictView details→

Did a missile strike Terminal 3 at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh?

X · Primary 587 likes / 87 replies; @SaudiArabitcr4 copy 1,403 likes / 115 replies; at least 6 more accounts posted the same caption

True

The post's claim that Terminal 3 at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was struck by a missile is confirmed by official Saudi and international news reports for October 10, 2026. The attached portrait-format video plausibly shows aftermath inside an airport terminal and is likely authentic, but we could not independently verify this exact clip's provenance and some related viral clips have been debunked.

ConflictView details→

Did a video show a ‘dead’ man getting up during air-raid sirens in Gaza?

Facebook · Full Fact says it is 'circulating again' (9 Oct); no view counts given · resurfaced

False

The clip is authentic footage but not from Gaza; it dates to March 2020 (reported by Roya News and confirmed by fact-checkers) and was filmed in Jordan as a staged 'fake funeral' during COVID-19 lockdown coverage. The post's caption that it shows Palestinians faking Gaza casualties is false and misleading.

ConflictView details→

Did the US press Israel to carry out a strike operation against Iran?

X · Only 68 likes on the JPost post; Barak Ravid (Axios) quote-post with denials, 323 likes; Raw Story headline 'Explosive report'

Can't Verify

The Jerusalem Post accurately reported a Maariv (Ben Caspit) claim that U.S. officials pressed Israel to carry out a unilateral strike on Iran, but the allegation was denied by U.S. and Israeli officials and lacks clear independent confirmation. The image attached is a Reuters news photo used illustratively and is authentic.

ConflictPoliticsView details→

Did Rachel Campos-Duffy claim Ukraine killed a million kids?

X · 1,575 likes on the clip (syndication, 11 Oct); Julia Davis quote-post 5,317 likes; reactions from S.V. Date, Christopher Miller (FT), Cathy Young and others

False

A clip from Fox & Friends Weekend shows Rachel Campos-Duffy saying 'there have been a million kids killed on the Russian side, a million on the Ukraine side.' The video and the caption accurately record the quote, but authoritative casualty data from UN/UNICEF and monitoring reports contradict the figure — the claim is false.

ConflictPoliticsView details→

Did Houthi forces strike Riyadh in October 2026?

Facebook · Six Facebook reels from pro-Houthi and pro-Iran pages listed by Misbar; no view counts available

True But

A Houthi missile/drone attack on Riyadh in early October 2026 is confirmed by multiple reputable news organisations, but the short social-media video attached to this post is likely manipulated or misattributed; fact-checkers have debunked several viral clips claiming to show the exact moment of impact.

ConflictView details→

Was Putin unable to land in Moscow due to a drone raid?

X · 8,941 likes on the WarMonitor3 post (syndication, 11 Oct); NYT, Daily Beast, The Sun, Mirror, GB News, Newser and Il Fatto Quotidiano all covered it 9-10 Oct

True But

The post's claim that government aircraft carrying the Russian president were unable to land at Moscow on 9 October 2026 because of a Ukrainian drone attack is broadly supported by flight-tracking data and multiple news reports; the screenshots plausibly show holding patterns. However, passenger-level details (confirmation that Putin personally was prevented from landing or diverted) remain less certain.

ConflictPoliticsView details→

Did Pete Hegseth call a Washington Post report fake?

X · 74,383 likes (syndication, 11 Oct); back in the news after the Pentagon raised the count to 21 (WaPo via Mediaite and Raw Story, 10 Oct) · resurfaced

False

Pete Hegseth tweeted calling a Washington Post report "disgusting and fake." The Washington Post published a Sept 18, 2026 article reporting additional U.S. fatalities based on officials; multiple independent outlets covered that reporting and quoted Hegseth's denial. His blanket claim that the Post report is a "complete lie" is contradicted by the existence of the Post article and independent coverage.

ConflictPoliticsView details→

What did Trump say about Zelensky and the refineries?

X · 43,091 likes (syndication, 11 Oct); covered by RedState, Mediaite, Raw Story, CBS News, Daily Beast

True But

The video is authentic pool footage of President Trump speaking to reporters on October 10, 2026; his statement that 'we told Zelensky... don't hit the refineries' and the quoted 'he better damn well stop' are accurately represented and widely reported. Some of Trump's broader claims about Zelensky's motives or ability to end the war are political opinion, not verifiable facts.

ConflictPoliticsView details→

Did Iranian intelligence arrest CIA and Mossad agents?

X · Shared by many pro-Iran pages in English and Arabic, per Annahar (10 Oct) · resurfaced

False

False — the video is a March 16, 2026 dramatized clip published by Iraq's 911 directorate and has been miscaptioned to claim Iranian arrests of Mossad/CIA agents; multiple regional fact-checkers identify the footage as staged and find no evidence of the alleged arrests.

ConflictPoliticsView details→

Did Trump say the US deserved the Nobel Peace Prize?

X · Wide pickup of the Syracuse rally Nobel complaint and the follow-up Truth Social rant: Mediaite, Daily Beast, Raw Story, Independent, TheWrap, Axios

Misleading

The video is authentic footage of President Trump at a Syracuse rally reacting to the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize announcement. The prize was awarded to Navanethem 'Navi' Pillay on Oct 9, 2026 (confirmed by the Nobel Committee and multiple outlets). Trump's description of the laureate as 'someone nobody has ever heard of' and the implication that the U.S. 'should have received' the prize are misleading or opinion-based.

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Is Andy Burnham setting up an Emergency Register to recruit civilians for war?

Facebook · Full Fact 9 Oct calls it a 'widely shared Facebook post'; no counts given

False

False — there is no evidence that Prime Minister Andy Burnham is going to set up an "Emergency Register" to register civilians to be recruited to fight; Full Fact reports the Ministry of Defence says no such government policy exists and the claim appears to conflate a separate Liberal Democrats proposal for a voluntary civil volunteer reserve.

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Are Iranian officials releasing Trump’s voicemails about the Strait of Hormuz?

X · 47,488 likes on @StraitReport copy (syndication, 10 Oct); satirical origin @HalfwayPost 20,884 likes

False

False. The claim originated on a satire account (The Halfway Post) and was reposted by @StraitReport; fact-checkers found no evidence Iranian officials promised to release such voicemails and no credible reporting substantiates the allegation.

PoliticsConflictView details→

Did Pakistan join the Saudi-led military campaign against Yemen’s Houthis?

X · 1,296 likes on primary (X syndication); Pakistan's information ministry called the NYT report 'fake and fabricated' (Tribune, Dawn, Radio Pakistan, Pakistan Today, Eurasian Times, 8 Oct)

False

Regional media reported that The New York Times published an anonymous-sourced claim that Pakistan Air Force jets were striking Houthi targets; Pakistan’s government denied the report and no independent confirmation was found, so the operational claim is contradicted and unproven.

ConflictPoliticsView details→

Is Ahmed al-Sharaa considering sending 20,000 Syrian troops to Yemen?

YouTube · ~287K views in ~15h (@SummaryEgypt); 'lotfy zakaria' video saying 'Syria enters Yemen war with ground troops' ~194K views; wide pickup (Axios/Reuters reports, Damascus denial)

True But

Major news outlets report that Saudi Arabia raised the idea and that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is 'weighing' sending Syrian forces to Yemen, with a possible range of 10,000–20,000 discussed; Syrian officials deny the reports and no final decision or deployment has been confirmed.

ConflictPoliticsView details→

Did Trump announce a deal with Putin for diesel supply?

X · RapidResponse47 screenshot 25,241 likes; EricLDaugh 11.8K likes (X syndication, 10 Oct); Mediaite, Daily Beast, Newsweek, CBC, Le Devoir pickup; Bluesky trending

True But

The text in the image reproduces a real announcement President Trump posted on Truth Social on Oct 9, 2026 claiming a deal with Putin for Russian diesel supplies; multiple reputable outlets and a Kremlin statement corroborate that the call occurred and that Moscow said it was willing to supply oil/products, but the exact volumes and delivery schedule Trump listed have not been independently confirmed. The image appears to be a repackaged screenshot and may misattribute platform/UI.

EconomyPoliticsView details→