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.

132 checks

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.

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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).

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Was an Apache helicopter shot down by the Houthis?

X · Primary 947 likes (syndication, 2026-10-06); Dr_Utaybi 88 likes; several Facebook reels cited by Misbar; Misbar 2026-10-06 rates misleading (video is a 2016 Houthi Apache shoot-down claim).

False

The video being circulated as proof that the Houthis shot down an Apache on the Yemeni coast is misattributed. Reverse-image tracing and fact-checkers found an earlier upload (April 4, 2026) and conclude the clip is old or repurposed; there is no credible independent confirmation of a newly shot-down Apache matching the post's claim.

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Did Yemeni drones and missiles fall near Riyadh airport?

X · Primary 300 likes/47 replies (syndication, 2026-10-06); m_f_1j near-identical post 50 likes; Misbar 2026-10-06 rates misleading (footage is an Iranian drone falling on a Kuwait warehouse, July 2026).

True But

The video plausibly shows explosions and fires near Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport consistent with the 19 September 2026 Houthi claims and independent agency footage; flights at Riyadh were disrupted. The post's stronger claim of a complete nationwide stoppage of Saudi airspace is not supported by authoritative sources.

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Did Trump say Iran could take out Los Angeles and San Diego?

X · HQNewsNow post ~15K likes / ~4K replies (syndication, 2026-10-06); Newsom post ~35K likes, Todd Gloria ~36K likes; CNN's Daniel Dale said caption 'isn't a direct quote' and not a correct paraphrase; White House (Cheung, RapidResponse47) pushed back; covered by Forbes, ABC7, KTLA, Mediaite, CNN, Twit

True

Video and contemporaneous reporting confirm President Trump spoke the quoted words at a campaign rally in Grand Island, Nebraska on Oct. 5, 2026; major U.S. outlets reported and transcribed the same passage.

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Did Adam Kinzinger claim Russia is working on antibiotic-resistant plague research?

X · 21,633 likes / 690 replies per x-syndication at check 2026-10-06; quoted by Mediaite; plague story widely covered (Euronews, Time, NBC, CBS, Al Jazeera, Kyiv Independent, Moscow Times); Trump asked about it at White House 2026-10-05

Can't Verify

The quoted X post by Adam Kinzinger is authentic and was publicly quoted by multiple outlets on Oct 5, 2026. His policy calls are opinion; his historical claim that Soviet/Russian programs once worked on plague strains with antibiotic resistance is supported by historical and academic sources but is a simplified summary of complex and sometimes contested evidence.

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Does the Department of War backdrop at Hegseth's Air Force Academy speech copy the Nazi Reichsadler eagle?

X · 2,841 likes on primary; related @adammocklerr post 117,474 likes; Fast Company, Advocate, AOL pickup; an AI-altered seal version also circulates

Misleading

The image is authentic official footage of the Secretary of War's Oct. 3, 2026 speech; social-media users compared the backdrop's stylized eagle to Nazi imagery, but the emblem shown is the Department of War/DoD-style eagle motif (not the Reichsadler with a swastika). The post's juxtaposition implying equivalence is therefore misleading.

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Did the US strike 140 targets in Iran?

Instagram · Multiple Facebook/Instagram copies cited in a fact-check published 2026-10-05

True But

The central factual claim — that U.S. forces struck about 140 targets in Iran — is supported by a CENTCOM statement and multiple reputable news reports (11 July 2026). However the Instagram video is a manipulated compilation using old and simulated clips and does not reliably show those strikes, making the post misleading as visual 'proof.'

ConflictView details→

Did the video show smoke and flames at an Aramco facility in Riyadh?

X · 219 likes on primary plus copies (X syndication); live Saudi-Houthi escalation

True But

The video legitimately shows thick black smoke and fire at an Aramco facility near Riyadh on October 3, 2026; wire services (Reuters, AFP, Al Jazeera and others) reported the same incident that day. The Houthis claimed responsibility, but official Saudi/Aramco confirmation of the cause was not immediate, so attribution to a strike is reported by the Houthis and by outlets noting the claim rather than fully independently verified.

ConflictEconomyView details→

Is there a fire on the East–West pipeline near Riyadh?

X · Same caption copy-pasted by at least 5 accounts within 2h on 4 Oct

False

The video itself is authentic footage but was recorded earlier (published Nov 2025 of a South Korean warehouse fire) and does not show a current fire on the Saudi East–West pipeline near Riyadh; the post's caption claiming 'happening now' at the pipeline is false/misleading.

ConflictEconomyView details→

Did Patriot interceptor missiles fall onto Saudi Aramco facilities in Dammam?

X · Pushed by NofouzMap 90 min later and by 3 Facebook reels cited by Misbar

False

The video likely shows real falling burning debris (consistent with interceptor fragments) but fact-checkers and reporting show this specific clip is older and has been misattributed. The post's claim that Patriot interceptors recently malfunctioned and fell on Aramco facilities in Dammam is false.

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Did Yemeni forces target Dammam in Saudi Arabia?

X · Identical caption posted by 5+ accounts between 3 Oct 21:35Z and 4 Oct 05:04Z, including map/news account NofouzMap

False

The video is authentic footage of a large industrial fire but has been republished with a false caption claiming it shows a new Yemeni attack on Dammam. Fact-checking links the clip to an earlier Dammam factory fire (March 2023); there is no credible evidence this video shows a recent Houthi strike on Dammam.

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Is Riyadh Airport Out of Service After Houthi Attacks?

X · Same claim posted by at least 3 X accounts plus YouTube copies during the Houthi-Saudi escalation; Saudi-led coalition publicly denied Houthi claims of hitting Riyadh

True But

Video shows a fire at night near Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Sept 19, 2026; news agencies and flight-tracking data confirm a Houthi-claimed strike that produced a fuel-depot blaze and temporary disruptions. The post’s wording that the airport is 'out of service' overstates the reporting, which documents significant but not permanent closure.

ConflictView details→

Did Anak Krakatau Volcano Erupt in September 2026?

Facebook · Spread by Indian social media accounts with AI-generated images claiming to show SSG insignia; disputed by Pakistan military (DG ISPR)

True But

The underlying event is real — Anak Krakatau did erupt in early September 2026 with ash reported up to about 50,000 ft — but the viral visual attached to this post is not authentic: independent fact-checkers have analysed the clip posted by Jagoron and concluded it was AI-generated and does not show genuine footage of that eruption.

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Did a hooded person in Marseille use a flamethrower during protests?

X · Real incident misframed as migrant targeting 'whites'; spread via far-right amplification on X; fact-checked by The Week; partially false

True But

The attached post contains no caption and the image is a generic X promotional graphic; it does not show the incident. Independent reporting from multiple reputable French and international outlets confirms that on or around 2 Oct 2026 a person in Marseille used an improvised spray-can 'flamethrower' that burned a woman during student protests and that a minor was arrested — the core claim is confirmed though the device is described as improvised.

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Are there mass protests in Kenya calling for Nigerians to leave?

Facebook · 75,000+ views, 4,900+ likes, 2,000+ comments across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X. Fact-checked by Dubawa, Africa Check, PesaCheck. · resurfaced

Can't Verify

The video pairs a commentator with an inset clip of a large protest, and the post implies Kenya is experiencing mass anti-Nigerian protests. Reputable reporting shows Kenya took steps in early September 2026 to regularize foreign businesses and that immigrant communities were alarmed, but I found no credible coverage confirming mass street demonstrations specifically calling for Nigerians to leave. The claim as presented is unsupported.

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Did John Cleese post a video of Muslims chanting in Dublin?

X · Posted by actor John Cleese (@JohnCleese) with significant engagement. Fact-checked by Lead Stories and Yahoo News.

False

The video John Cleese shared is authentic footage but misattributed: it dates to October 11, 2025 and shows FC Schalke 04 supporters marching in Dublin, not Muslims chanting in late September 2026. The post’s implication is therefore false and misleading.

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Was the Flydubai hijacking video staged?

Instagram · Posted by @daily_rumble account on Instagram. Lead Stories fact-checked conspiracy claim.

False

The Flydubai on-board attack of September 30, 2026 is a confirmed event reported by major outlets. The Instagram video from Daily Rumble mixes that reporting with older, unrelated cabin footage (traced to August 2025) and edited clips to claim the incident was staged; that use of misattributed footage is misleading.

ConflictTechnologyView details→

Did an Indian national named Raghav Menon attempt to hijack Flydubai flight FZ1073?

X · 300,000+ views on X post @ThokaReturns. Fact-checked by FullFact, BOOM, France24, Newschecker, NewsGuard.

False

The flight-deck incident aboard Flydubai FZ1073 on 30 Sept 2026 is real and confirmed by Flydubai and major news outlets. The 15‑second BBC-style clip and the post's caption that name 'Raghav Menon' as a hijacker and allege an Indian–Mossad conspiracy are fabricated: the clip is a deepfake (doctored BBC footage with AI audio/captions) and those specific allegations are false.

ConflictTechnologyView details→

Are thousands of Iranians on the streets taking back their country?

X · Posted by @realJohnJohnJr; later re-shared by President Trump on October 1. Lead Stories, Snopes, NBC News fact-checked. · resurfaced

False

The video appears to be authentic protest footage but is not new: fact-checking and archived uploads show it first appeared around December 31, 2025. The post's caption frames the clip as a current, unreported mass uprising in Iran; that framing is misleading and the claim is false.

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What does the image from a suspended account show?

X · high

True

The attached image is a stylized X (Twitter) branded graphic saying 'See what's happening'. It does not assert a checkable real-world event or outcome, and the post text provided gives no factual claim to verify. The asset appears to be a plausible promotional/branding image and there is no independent event coverage to check.

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Did the U.S. Democratic Party launch a media campaign accusing Israel of orchestrating a terrorist attack?

X · X post with fake video claiming Russian-connected disinformation

False

The mid-air incident aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 on 2026-09-30 is real and confirmed by major news outlets. The video and caption claiming the U.S. Democratic Party orchestrated the attack — including an alleged NewsGuard statement — are fabricated; NewsGuard denies producing the clip and independent fact-checkers flagged it as disinformation.

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Is this clip leaked cockpit video from Flydubai?

X · Lead Stories fact-check article from October 2, 2026

False

The short video being shared as 'Leaked Video from FlightDubai' is a fabricated/AI-generated clip (with unrelated 2017 road-rage audio) and does not show authentic leaked cockpit footage. The underlying Flydubai emergency landing on Sept 30, 2026 is real and widely reported, but this specific post is false and misleading.

ConflictTechnologyView details→

Did Mel Gibson say he wants to remove Muslim culture?

YouTube · Viral on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads with millions of views combined

False

The viral quotation attributed to Mel Gibson about "removing Muslim culture" is fabricated and originates from impersonator accounts and repost networks; no credible evidence shows Gibson actually said it.

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