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.

Checks from

October 26, 2026

21 checks · 11 morning · 10 afternoon

Morning run

11 checks

Did Ilhan Omar share classified intel in Somalia?

X · libsoftiktok 16,208 likes; InsiderWire 18,434 likes (X syndication, 26 Oct 02:3xZ); Western Journal pickup · resurfaced

True But

The attached screenshot accurately shows a January 29, 2024 social-media post by a Somaliland politician alleging that Rep. Ilhan Omar leaked Foreign Affairs Committee information during a December 2022 visit to Garowe; Omar did visit Garowe and was on the committee at the time, but there is no publicly available, credible evidence that she shared classified committee intelligence with Somali leaders.

PoliticsView details→

Did the Supreme Court extend voting hours in Brazil?

X · ~22,960 likes / 1,711 replies on X (syndication, 26 Oct 02:40Z); part of a wider wave: Nikolas Ferreira IG reel ('quer ganhar no tapetão'), Zema ('golpe à la Venezuela'), and Flávio Bolsonaro saying on election night it is 'impossible to recognise the result' and he will seek annulment (AP, Folha...

True But

The post mixes accurate facts and partisan framing: Justice Cristiano Zanin did order an up-to-two-hour extension of voting on Oct 25, 2026 and publication of partial results was paused, but implementation was clarified to apply only to polling sections that were still open because communication delays meant some stations had already closed and counts had begun. The tweet's insinuation of a nationwide illicit maneuver by 'friends of Lula' is partisan and omits these clarifications.

PoliticsView details→

What judicial rulings does Brazil's TSE make for elections?

X · ~27,640 likes / 1,549 replies on X (syndication, 26 Oct 02:40Z); CNN Brasil blog story on it (25 Oct); same night Javier Milei reposted an 'O Trumpista' post comparing Lula to Maduro (CNN Brasil)

True But

The post's institutional claim about the TSE is accurate, and contemporary reporting confirms that Lula's campaign requested extensions of voting hours and that a judge ordered a two-hour extension to be applied on Oct 25, 2026; the post simplifies the actors (campaign vs. personal request) and omits that an STF minister issued the order that TSE implemented.

PoliticsView details→

Did Mike Rogers say Abdul El-Sayed doesn't belong in the U.S. Senate?

X · RSBN full-speech clip 347 likes; Acyn clip of the silent-crowd 'clue' moment widely shared (quoted by Rebecca Katz); Raw Story, Mediaite pickup 25 Oct

True But

The RSBN image is likely an authentic broadcast frame from the Oct. 25, 2026 Port Huron rally. Mike Rogers did speak at that event and attacked Abdul El‑Sayed, arguing he should not be in the U.S. Senate; RSBN's caption paraphrases that line bluntly. The substance of the caption is supported by independent reporting, though the caption reads as a compressive paraphrase rather than a verified verbatim quote.

PoliticsView details→

Did a Yemeni attack strike Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province?

X · Same caption/video posted by at least 5 accounts 19:56-22:17Z 24 Oct; syndication likes: @AlemidMohm15484 457, @fdhglg40057 235, @Zy_h0t 172 (checked 26 Oct 02:40Z)

Misleading

The post correctly asserts that a Yemeni/Houthi attack struck the Eastern Province (an Aramco administrative building in Dhahran) on October 13, 2026, but the attached video is misattributed: independent fact-checkers traced the clip to an August 17–18, 2026 fuel-depot fire in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, so the post is misleading.

ConflictPoliticsView details→

Did Trump claim that 98% of Somali immigrants don't work?

X · 1,682 likes / 593 replies (X syndication, 26 Oct 02:36Z); quoted by Mehdi Hasan; Jeffries condemned; covered by Mediaite, WION, JMG

True But

The video is authentic rally footage showing Donald Trump making demeaning statements about Somali-origin people in mid–late October 2026; he did say the words quoted, but the factual assertions in those words (for example that 98% of Somali-origin people 'don't work' or that 'they all have a Mercedes‑Benz') are unsubstantiated and false or misleading.

PoliticsView details→

Did Abdul El-Sayed Claim Medicare For All Would Not Add to the Deficit?

X · 309 likes / 121 replies (X syndication, 26 Oct); embedded by Townhall

True But

The video is authentic and shows Abdul El-Sayed saying universal coverage could be implemented without adding to the deficit (he cites ending 'dumb wars' and reallocating spending). Cost estimates for Medicare-for-All vary widely; many credible analyses place federal costs in the tens of trillions over 10 years (commonly ~25–40T), so the post's claim that it would 'cost at least $40 trillion' overstates central estimates and labeling El-Sayed "lying" is misleading because financing choices determine whether the plan raises the deficit.

PoliticsHealthView details→

What economic claims did Trump make in his speech?

X · 761 likes / 96 replies on official White House rapid-response account (X syndication, 26 Oct); companion auto-investment clip 2,358 likes

True But

The video appears to show an authentic speech in which the speaker makes a series of national economic claims. Official sources confirm parts of the thread (Census: record real median household income in 2025 and a 2025 official poverty rate of 10.2%; BLS: record-high raw employment counts), but the statements omit important qualifiers (which income measure, raw counts vs. rates, monthly vs. annual export series).

PoliticsEconomyView details→

Is Benjamin Netanyahu currently in New York City?

X · IBTimes: 'viewed more than 377,000 times by Sunday afternoon'. 17,123 likes (syndication, 26 Oct). Netanyahu original: 8,771 likes, 4,916 replies. NewsWire_US repost: 10,443 likes

False

The post's implication that Netanyahu is in New York City now (and should be arrested immediately) is false. Reputable reporting shows his brief U.N. visit was on September 24, 2026 and he returned to Israel the same day; there is no credible evidence of his presence in NYC or of an arrest on October 26, 2026.

PoliticsConflictView details→

Did UEJF members display an anti-RN banner during Bardella's speech?

X · UEJF video post ~814 likes, ~419 replies; earlier UEJF post ~807 likes (X syndication, 26 Oct); covered by franceinfo, HuffPost/AFP, Le Parisien, Ouest-France 25 Oct

True But

A UEJF-recorded video and the UEJF's X post showing activists deploying an anti-RN banner at the RN congress in Orléans on 25 Oct 2026 is supported by contemporaneous reporting from AFP, Le Parisien, Le Monde, RTL and others; those reports confirm that the activists were forcibly removed and that UEJF says members were assaulted (one described as 'étranglé').

PoliticsView 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→

Afternoon run

10 checks

Did Ted Cruz get booed at the United States Grand Prix?

X · @rileyanntoine post 17,966 likes, @antoguerrera 8,190 likes (x-syndication 26 Oct); covered by Daily Beast and Newsweek 26 Oct; 'ted cruz booed at f1' is #2 Google suggestion for 'ted cruz'

True

The video appears to be authentic and shows the Circuit of the Americas crowd audibly booing Senator Ted Cruz while he presented the winner's trophy at the United States Grand Prix on October 25, 2026. The poster's hyperbolic claim that 'everyone' booed is an exaggeration, but the central assertion that Cruz was booed is confirmed by multiple news outlets and the viral footage.

PoliticsSportsView details→

Did Iran release new footage showing preparation and launch of ballistic missiles?

X · Same English/Turkish 'Breaking: Iran releases new footage of advanced missile system (NEVER SEEN)' text: @AliCevahir313 770 likes, @AsifAli_Haider 1,571 likes, @66mxs 67 likes (X syndication); Misbar AR+EN fact-checks 26 Oct

Can't Verify

I found no authoritative reporting or dated official release that confirms this exact video was released by Iran. The footage appears physically plausible and likely real, but its provenance is unclear and the claim that Iran released it is unsupported by independent coverage.

ConflictTechnologyView details→

Did the Trump Administration advocate for Viktor Orbán as UN Secretary-General?

X · Kaufman post 3,339 likes; quote posts by Mike Nellis 1,004 and Ruth Ben-Ghiat 1,478 likes (x-syndication 26 Oct); Raw Story 26 Oct; 'orban un secretary' is #2 Google suggestion for 'orban un'

True But

A Wall Street Journal opinion piece dated Oct. 25, 2026 reports that sources from multiple countries say the Trump administration has urged Viktor Orbán to consider running for U.N. secretary-general and floated a U.S.-Russia-China joint candidacy. Multiple outlets relayed WSJ's reporting, but there is no formal confirmation from the governments involved.

PoliticsView details→

Did Bill Essayli post about noncitizens on voter rolls?

X · Essayli post 14,802 likes; Newsom post he quotes 5,905 likes (x-syndication 26 Oct); NY Post 25 Oct; Fox: Ninth Circuit hearing on DOJ bid to set aside 20,000 CA mail ballots

True But

Multiple outlets reproduced and attributed an Oct 24, 2026 X post to Bill Essayli in which he urged California to verify lists of suspected noncitizens on voter rolls and stated noncitizens must not be on the rolls. The legal principle (noncitizens cannot vote) is correct; direct retrieval of the original X post was blocked during checks, so corroboration rests on reproduced excerpts in news reports.

PoliticsView details→

Did Trump say he saw Obama in Michigan and that the place was empty?

X · Acyn clip 997 likes; rebuttal photos post 6,205 likes (x-syndication 26 Oct); Newsweek says local media counted at least 4,300; Trump repeated crowd boast at Port Huron 25 Oct (Bridge Michigan); Raw Story supercut 26 Oct

True

The video is authentic and does show Donald Trump saying "I saw Barack Hussein Obama was in Michigan, and the place was empty" at a Perry, Georgia rally on October 24, 2026. Independent coverage shows Obama campaigned in Michigan and drew sizable crowds, so Trump’s claim that the venue was "empty" is not supported.

PoliticsView details→

Did Alexander Soros endorse Trump’s lawyer for the Supreme Court?

X · Starbuck 11,534 likes; Musk reply 'Yeah, that was shady' 13,565 likes; Eric Daugherty 'COUP' post (same selective-extension framing) 10,801 likes (all syndication)

Can't Verify

The tweet attributes two specific and newsworthy statements to Alexander Soros but no credible evidence (news reports, official posts, or primary-source quotes) was found to support those attributions. The claim is unsupported.

PoliticsView details→

Did the Supreme Court extend voting hours in Brazil?

X · 27,580 likes on X (syndication, 26 Oct 15:3xZ); reported by Poder360, Metrópoles, Brasil 247, BPMoney, Correio Braziliense on 26 Oct

True But

On October 25, 2026, Supreme Federal Court Justice Cristiano Zanin ordered voting hours extended by up to two hours (to 19:00 Brasília time) during Brazil's presidential runoff, responding to complaints about obstacles to voting. The electoral court (TSE) implemented the order but clarified that only polling sections still open at the time should remain open, and publication of partial results was paused until the extended period ended in many locations. The video in this post was not independently verified.

PoliticsView details→

Were residents removed from their homes in Hebron on October 25, 2026?

X · @Mistaclim (Looking the Occupation in the Eye) post 4,454 likes; Al Jazeera Sanad (25 Oct) says the clip got 'hundreds of thousands of views'; Hebron operation (2,000+ displaced) is ongoing news

Can't Verify

The video appears to be authentic nighttime footage of civilians (likely from Hebron) and is presented as evidence that Israeli forces removed women and children from homes 'last night' in Hebron and across the West Bank. There is only weak corroboration on social media and no clear confirmation from major news outlets or NGO reports; the central claim is therefore unsupported pending reliable reporting.

ConflictPoliticsView details→

Did Flávio Bolsonaro refuse to recognize the 2026 election results?

X · Eduardo's English repost of Flávio's speech: 23,619 likes (syndication). Lead story in BR/AR/intl press since 26 Oct 01:40Z (Poder360, Gazeta do Povo, Folha, Infobae)

True

The video shows Senator Flávio Bolsonaro saying he will not recognize the 25 Oct 2026 presidential election results and that he will ask the courts to annul the vote; major Brazilian outlets confirm he made these statements and that STF minister Cristiano Zanin ordered an extension of voting until 19:00, though some procedural accusations in the speech (e.g., removal of PL 'fiscais') were denied by the TSE.

PoliticsView details→

Did President Trump post a rant against Bill Maher on Truth Social?

X · Trump's longest-ever Truth post (1,300+ words, 26 Oct 00:00Z); Allison screenshot post 878 likes; covered by CNN, NY Post, Mediaite, Raw Story, Townhall; CNN says its latest poll had Trump at 74% among Republicans

True

The image is an authentic screenshot of a Truth Social post by Donald J. Trump published Oct. 25, 2026. The post (about 1,300+ words) attacks Bill Maher, includes the quoted denial about building a swimming pool in the White House briefing room, and says Trump is thinking about moving the press; major outlets reported and quoted the post.

PoliticsView details→