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.

540 checks

Did the Ottumwa City Council open a meeting with a prayer to Satan?

X · Libs of TikTok post 43,528 likes; Riley Gaines reaction 23,999 likes (verify.py); Fox News, Blaze, Twitchy coverage

True

Verified. The city's official meeting recording and multiple independent news reports confirm that at the Ottumwa City Council's Oct. 6, 2026 meeting a scheduled invocation by Matt Dalbey included the phrases 'Dear dark father' and ended 'It is done. Hail Satan.' The Libs of TikTok caption accurately describes the recording.

PoliticsOtherView details→

Did Trump say 'let Iran hit Los Angeles or San Diego'?

X · DNC post 2,957 likes; Aaron Rupar clip 7,240 likes (verify.py); CNN's Daniel Dale says it is out of context (x.com/ddale8/status/2108008620944216173); covered by Mediaite, Twitchy, CBS, Daily Beast

True

The video clip is authentic rally footage and the caption correctly paraphrases Trump repeating the line 'let them hit ... San Diego or Los Angeles' while discussing the Iran war; multiple major news outlets and a FactCheck.org analysis confirm the remark and its context.

PoliticsConflictView details→

Is Starlink licensed in over 165 countries according to Elon Musk?

X · 25,912 likes on the post within about an hour (verify.py); follows Musk's 7 Oct 'oligarchs blocking Starlink' post; India's Ministry of Communications called the claim 'baseless and misconceived'; front-page coverage in India Today, HT, Dawn, Deccan Herald

Misleading

The post mixes accurate, unverified and misleading elements. SpaceX/Starlink reports licensing in roughly 164 countries (not clearly over 165), Starlink obtained a key Indian licence in June 2025 but is reported to still be awaiting security clearances and spectrum, and the government's official response rejects Musk's suggestion that private oligarchs (e.g., Ambani) are blocking Starlink.

TechnologyEconomyView details→

Did the US Secretary of State say Iran lost control of the Strait of Hormuz?

YouTube · Said at an Athens press conference on 7 Oct. Covered by The National, Al-Monitor ('Rubio says Iran lost Hormuz. Has it?'), IBTimes, A News and Iran International. IRGC adviser Naqdi says the strait is closed. Kpler: Gulf exports 18.3m bpd vs a pre-war average of 18m

True But

The caption accurately reports a statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on October 7, 2026; independent ship‑tracking data cited by major news outlets show Gulf oil flows recovering to near prewar levels, supporting Rubio's claim that Iran no longer has exclusive control of the Strait of Hormuz, though Iranian officials dispute that and attacks on shipping continue.

ConflictEconomyView details→

Did Donald J. Trump post about Armageddon and a vision from God?

X · 5,412 likes, 253 replies (X syndication, 2026-10-08); Lead Stories fact-check 2026-10-07

False

The image is a fabricated screenshot falsely attributing an apocalyptic message to Donald J. Trump. Multiple recent fact-checks report no evidence the president posted this message on his official social accounts and identify the circulating image as fake.

PoliticsView details→

Are Republicans outperforming Democrats in mail voting in Pennsylvania for 2026?

X · 28,177 likes, 1,284 replies (X syndication, 2026-10-08)

False

The video is authentic, but the numeric claims about Pennsylvania mail-ballot requests (Republicans up 50,000 and Democrats down 90,000 vs. 2022) are not supported by Pennsylvania Department of State reporting and contemporaneous news coverage; the post's central statistical assertions are false.

PoliticsView details→

Did Pete Hegseth trail behind the crowd while running with troops?

X · 7,094 likes (syndication, 2026-10-08); Irish Star says Hegseth is 'being flamed online'

Can't Verify

Authentic broadcast footage (C-SPAN watermark visible) appears to show a man identified by social posts as Pete Hegseth trailing behind other runners during a group run in San Diego on Oct 7, 2026. Independent corroboration is limited to social reposts and commentary rather than major news outlets, so the identification is likely but not confirmed with high certainty.

PoliticsView details→

Did Rama Duwaji illustrate for Olive Odyssey and feature Khalil Abu Osba?

X · 535 likes (X syndication, 2026-10-08); picked up by Twitchy and Mediaite 2026-10-07

True But

Rama Duwaji is credited by Olive Odyssey as an illustrator and the company sells a Nazareth-branded bottle with label art matching the image shown. Reporting that the portrait is of "Khalil Abu Osba," a militant who shot down a British plane, is made by the Washington Free Beacon but could not be independently corroborated within the available search results, so the post mixes verifiable association (artwork credit) with a contested or unverified historical identification.

PoliticsView details→

Did Marco Rubio receive a standing ovation in Germany?

X · 10,563 likes (X syndication, 2026-10-08); Trump Truth Social repost 2026-10-07 7:07 AM ET (trumpstruth.org); CiberCuba/CubaHeadlines coverage 2026-10-07 · resurfaced

True But

The video is authentic footage from the Munich Security Conference on February 14, 2026 showing Secretary of State Marco Rubio being applauded; multiple credible sources confirm he received a standing ovation and that his speech criticised mass migration and referenced shared Western/Christian heritage. The post’s wording is partisan and compresses/paraphrases his remarks; time‑sensitive claims in the caption (for example that he was "now in Greece TODAY") were not verified from the sources checked here.

PoliticsView details→

Is there a gold-plated, naked Donald Trump statue in the European Parliament?

X · 10,304 likes (X syndication, 2026-10-08); Twitchy write-up 2026-10-07; Snopes fact-check published 2026-10-07 ('Do photos show gold statue of naked Trump at European Parliament?')

True

Verified: the photograph shows a real satirical sculpture by Jens Galschiøt called The Orange Plague that was installed and displayed inside the European Parliament in Strasbourg in early October 2026. The post's factual claims about the statue and its location are correct; the poster's moral judgement is an opinion.

PoliticsOtherView details→

Did Santiago Abascal urge Spaniards not to vote by mail?

X · 32,482 likes on vox_es post; 22,376 likes on English @Inevitablewest version (verify.py syndication); Maldita says narrative spread in four languages

True But

The video is authentic Antena 3 broadcast footage of Santiago Abascal on Espejo Público (5 Oct 2026). He did urge Spaniards to vote in person and said he did not trust Pedro Sánchez; however his claim that Sánchez 'has all his entourage in jail' is a partisan rhetorical accusation for which there is no factual evidence.

PoliticsView details→

Are there secret night flights arriving at Manchester Airport?

X · Davies post 7,411 likes; Oakeshott post 12,255 likes (X syndication); MEN says the post was 'widely shared'; MEN fact-check 6 Oct, Yahoo/PA 5 Oct

False

A published 'whistleblower' interview claims secret night flights carry 200–300 people into Manchester Airport; local investigation and aviation experts say the claims are false or implausible and the photo used as evidence is misattributed, so the post's central allegation is not supported.

PoliticsOtherView details→

Are many police officers in France stepping down and supporting protesters?

X · 6,473 likes on X (verify.py syndication); debunked by Maldita, Newtral and Facta

False

The video appears to be authentic footage from Paris protests, but the caption's claim that 'many police officers in France are stepping down and standing with the protestors' is false. Major news outlets report police clashing with protesters and making arrests, not large-scale defections to the demonstrators.

PoliticsView details→

What happened on October 7 and the claims about Israel?

X · 8,288 likes (X syndication); covered by The Independent and JFeed on 7 Oct

Misleading

The clip is an AI-generated Lego-style animation posted by the Prime Minister's official account to mark the October 7 anniversary and to rebut 'genocide' accusations. Its description of the October 7 attacks and Hamas vows is supported by reporting; its legal conclusion (that Israel is not committing genocide) is contested by independent inquiries and international legal processes, and some numeric details (e.g., the polio campaign total) differ from contemporaneous reporting.

ConflictPoliticsView details→

Does this video show a protest in Pakistan for Imran Khan?

X · Turkish post 1,740 likes; Arabic version by @ALI_AL_QUSHAIBI 4,211 likes ('millions of citizens'); another Arabic post 1,756 likes; English/Arabic/Turkish versions (X syndication). Misbar rates misleading: footage is from an All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (India) event

Misleading

The video itself appears to be authentic footage of a large crowd, but fact-checks trace the clip to an Indian religious/political gathering (All India Muslim Personal Law Board / jalsa) rather than a Pakistan protest calling for Imran Khan's freedom; the caption is therefore misleading.

PoliticsConflictView details→

What did Ben Shapiro say about protests disrupting his film production?

X · 18,387 likes on Shapiro post; follow-up 9,654 likes (X syndication); HuffPost and Mediaite coverage

True But

Most factual elements of Ben Shapiro's tweet are supported by contemporaneous local reporting: producers alleged threats and disruptions, hired security, the Livingston City Commission temporarily suspended the film permit and then reinstated it after a public hearing in early October 2026. The tweet's causal claim that commissioners 'backed down because we threatened to sue' is plausible (a demand letter and First Amendment arguments were part of the record) but not definitively established as the sole reason for reinstatement.

PoliticsOtherView details→

Did Senator Katie Britt say 'America deserved 9/11'?

X · 13,625 likes (X syndication); Lead Stories fact-check Oct 6

Misleading

The video is authentic and does capture Katie Britt repeating the words 'America deserved 9/11,' but she is quoting Hasan Piker to criticize Democrats; the post's caption that she "stated that she thinks 'America deserved 9/11'" is misleading because it omits that attribution and context. Independent fact-checkers have flagged the clip for lacking context.

PoliticsView details→

Did the left stop winning presidential elections in Latin America after USAID cuts?

X · 91,945 likes (X syndication); screenshot reposted by Trump on Truth Social Oct 7 (image alt text cites 1.3M views); Benny Johnson variant 127,202 likes · resurfaced

False

False. The central claim that 'since we gutted USAID, the left hasn’t won a single presidential election in Latin America' is contradicted by multiple widely reported left/centre-left presidential victories across the region; parts of the tweet about proposed USAID budget cuts and that U.S. funds support democracy programs are rooted in real budget and program activity but the tweet overstates and generalizes those points.

PoliticsView details→

Are Jos. A. Bank suits all made overseas?

X · 35,746 likes (X syndication); picked up by Daily Beast, HuffPost, Forbes, Newsweek, AOL

Misleading

The photo is authentic and shows Donald Trump revealing a Jos. A. Bank label on a suit at a rally. The poster's assertion that 'Jos. A. Bank suits are all made overseas' is misleading: many Jos. A. Bank items are imported, but Tailored Brands operates a New Bedford, MA factory that produces Joseph Abboud 'Made in USA' suits, and not every Joseph Abboud or Jos. A. Bank item is U.S.-made.

PoliticsConsumerView details→

Did celebrities sign an open letter supporting Garvaghy Road residents?

X · 981 likes, 91 replies; TheJournal.ie coverage

True

Verified. Sinn Féin's social-media graphic accurately reports that numerous public figures (including Noel Gallagher, Susan Sarandon, Johnny Marr, Paul Weller, Siobhán McSweeney and Adrian Dunbar) signed an open letter on 6 October 2026 supporting Garvaghy Road residents and calling for an independent mediator; multiple reputable news outlets reported the same signatory list.

PoliticsCelebrityView details→

Did the Centre for Policy Studies hold a session at CPC26?

YouTube · Guardian, Independent (3 pieces), Mirror, GB News, Daily Mail, Luton Today coverage; Badenoch backed him; Bedfordshire Police denial reported

True

TRUE — The Centre for Policy Studies did hold a session titled 'From Boriswave to Brain Drain: How Can We Fix Migration?' at the Conservative Party Conference (CPC26) in Birmingham in early October 2026; multiple reputable news outlets and the CPS conference programme corroborate the event and reporting from it.

PoliticsCrimeView details→

What did Donald Trump say about the Cornell rape allegations?

X · Primary 2,604 likes / 509 replies; Cornell case still live with Fox, NY Post and Newsweek follow-ups 6 Oct

True But

The video is authentic pool footage of President Trump saying he 'feels badly for whoever she's looking at' after New York named Letitia James a special prosecutor in the Cornell case. Reporting shows a civil lawsuit alleges seven members of a Cornell fraternity assaulted a student in October 2024, but those are allegations from a lawsuit (not criminal convictions) and mainstream outlets describe the assault as occurring 'over several hours' rather than uniformly as '7 hours.'

PoliticsCrimeView details→

Did Rima Hassan remove an Israeli flag in the European Parliament?

X · EP President Metsola commented and EP services analysing; condemned by Bellamy (LR); Hassan disputes trampling; Libération CheckNews piece

True But

The video is authentic footage of a parliamentary intervention; its central factual claim — that MEP Rima Hassan removed an Israeli flag displayed at an exhibition commemorating the 7 October attacks — is confirmed by multiple reputable news outlets and by Hassan’s office. The post also contains political accusations (about LFI and the RN) that are interpretive/opinion-based.

PoliticsConflictView details→

Did Trump say to let Iran take out American cities?

X · Shriver post 39,545 likes; Newsom 48,467, Sanders 54,337, CA Gov press office 42,164 likes; White House (Cheung) rebuttal; FactCheck.org and HuffPost coverage

Misleading

Authentic rally footage shows President Trump saying the quoted lines. The caption's claim that he was 'telling Iran to bomb American cities' is an interpretive, stronger reading of the clip and is therefore misleading; fact-checkers and the White House argue the intended meaning was different (arguing higher costs are worth preventing Iran's capability).

PoliticsConflictView details→