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 9, 2026

21 checks · 10 morning · 11 afternoon

Morning run

10 checks

Did Pete Hegseth say Nidal Hasan will be executed by firing squad?

X · atrupar clip 1,288 likes; DOWResponse clip 3,707 likes; 'Execution will be streamed, says Pentagon' trending on Bluesky; Mediaite, HuffPost, Daily Beast, Raw Story, Fox, Radio-Canada coverage

True

The video is an authentic on-camera interview of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in which he says convicted Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan will be executed by an Army firing squad and that the execution will be public. Multiple reputable news outlets confirm the Army set the execution for Dec. 3, 2026 and that the Pentagon intends to livestream it; the execution is scheduled in the future and has not yet occurred.

PoliticsCrimeView details→

Did Sen. Chuck Schumer say the ultimate goal is to give every illegal alien citizenship?

X · LeadingReport 6,448 likes, libsoftiktok 6,553, SteveCortes 5,033; fact-checks published 8-9 Oct as it kept spreading · resurfaced

True But

The quoted phrase in the post is a paraphrase of comments Schumer made on Nov. 16, 2022 saying the Democrats' 'ultimate goal' includes a path to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants. The line is real, but the post omits the original timing and context, making it misleading if presented as a recent admission.

PoliticsView details→

Did Gadi Eisenkot request an investigation into false information given to the State Comptroller?

X · Eisenkot 1,048 likes, Golan 1,549, Lapid 1,226; Channel 12 interview; ynet, Haaretz, JPost, Times of Israel, Arab News coverage; Likud calls the claims fake

True But

Verified: Gadi Eisenkot publicly sent a letter on October 8, 2026 asking the Attorney General to open an inquiry about alleged false information given to the State Comptroller; multiple Israeli news outlets reported the letter. The more serious accusations in the letter (forgery, abuse of office, criminal lies) are allegations that are not yet proven and require official investigation.

PoliticsConflictView details→

Did an ICE agent shoot a person in Marble Hill?

X · 88,943 likes on the Mamdani post; DHS counter-statement disputes the account; trending on Bluesky; NY Post, Blaze, Newsweek coverage

True

The Mayor’s statement that an ICE agent shot a person in Marble Hill on Oct. 8, 2026, with a young child reportedly in the car who was unharmed, is corroborated by official and credible news reporting and is TRUE.

PoliticsCrimeView details→

Did a drone strike cause a fire at the Yandex data center in Russia?

X · 1,250 likes; 'Yandex' and 'Sasovo' trending on X Ukraine; Euronews, CNBC, Newsweek, Meduza, DW coverage

True

The video shows a large industrial fire in Sasovo and the caption's key claims are corroborated: on Oct 8, 2026 a drone strike reportedly hit the Sasta plant (the site of Yandex DC Sasovo), causing a fire and forcing Yandex to suspend operations at that data centre.

ConflictTechnologyView details→

Did Donald Trump say the White House considers 'Artificial Intelligence' users enemy?

X · RapidResponse47 3,226 likes; Massie reaction 13,105 likes; HuffPost and PolitiFact explainer

True But

The text quoted in the image was posted by Donald J. Trump on Truth Social on October 8, 2026, but the image is a manipulated/misattributed screenshot styled as an X/Twitter post. The claim that Trump said the line is true; the implication that it was an X/Twitter post is false, and the post's statement that the White House officially treats people who say "Artificial Intelligence" as "THE ENEMY" is not supported by evidence.

PoliticsTechnologyView details→

Did Kimberly Guilfoyle Ask a Donor for $100,000?

X · 12,879 likes; 'Kimberly Guilfoyle's donor texts' trending on Bluesky; donor went public; Mediaite, Daily Beast, Raw Story, HuffPost follow-ups

True But

The Wall Street Journal reported (Oct. 7, 2026) that messages it reviewed show Kimberly Guilfoyle asked donor Eric Deters to wire $100,000 to her American Express account days before her July 2025 confirmation hearing and wrote, 'It won't show up anywhere if you wire money to American Express.' Multiple major outlets have relayed the Journal's reporting; Guilfoyle's lawyer disputes the authenticity of the messages.

PoliticsCrimeView details→

Is James Talarico missing?

X · 6,396 likes, plus 9,210 on Paxton's follow-up; Trump Truth Social repeats '12 days'; Talarico reply 20K+ likes; Daily Beast, Blaze, Fox coverage

Misleading

The image is authentic campaign material from Ken Paxton's account showing 'MISSING' flyers for James Talarico, but the implication that Talarico is an actually missing person is misleading; reporting shows he was sidelined by the flu and not the subject of a missing-person investigation.

PoliticsView details→

Is María del Carmen Abascal's flat listed for rent on Idealista?

X · 6,112 likes; part of the wider Maricarmen story (Vox post 33K likes, 2M+ views per El País)

False

False — the screenshot claiming 'Maricarmen's' flat is newly for rent on Idealista is not a genuine live Idealista listing. Credible fact-checkers investigated the circulating image and found no matching listing on Idealista.

ConsumerTechnologyView details→

What is Angela Rayner's plan for empty homes?

YouTube · Express exclusive with Esther McVey plus its own YouTube video; no view count available

Misleading

The video's headline 'Angela Rayner's Plan to STEAL YOUR HOUSE' is misleading. Labour announced reforms to allow councils to take over management of long-term empty homes after a reduced vacancy period (six months), but this is not a transfer of property ownership; the video's framing exaggerates and omits key legal safeguards and details.

PoliticsConsumerView details→

Afternoon run

11 checks

Did the U.S. Department of Labor suspend PERM processing for large IT firms?

X · 26.2K likes on Benny Johnson post (syndication); quote-posted 'Ruh roh' by Labor Dept Inspector General Anthony D'Esposito (2.4K likes); covered by Times of India, Hindustan Times, WION, News18

True But

The post mixes fact and hyperbole: it correctly reports that U.S. authorities suspended PERM (green-card) processing for several large IT firms on Oct 8, 2026, and Indian markets did suffer sharp declines around the same time. However, it is incorrect to say the H-1B program itself was suspended, and saying the market 'completely COLLAPSED' is an exaggeration that overstates causation.

EconomyPoliticsView details→

What did the Congressional Research Service say about U.S. aircraft losses?

X · 11,673 likes, 458 replies (X syndication)

True But

The post's central numeric claim is supported: CRS reported 42 aircraft in May 2026 and an updated CRS Insight dated October 5, 2026 lists 81 aircraft. The screenshot appears to be an authentic CRS document. Ancillary assertions in the post (that the "real toll is far higher" and that "CENTCOM won’t let a sitting Senator inspect bases") are opinion or unverified in available reporting.

ConflictPoliticsView details→

What did J.D. Vance say about socialism?

X · 18.6K likes (syndication); HuffPost embeds 10 reaction posts (Olbermann, Amash, Pfeiffer)

True

Authentic C‑SPAN video shows Vice President J.D. Vance saying at an Oct. 8, 2026 press conference that 'socialism' in the American context means replacing American workers with foreign workers and 'you want boys to play in girls' sports.' Multiple credible outlets (AP, Mediaite, LGBTQ Nation, RealClearPolitics) confirm the quotation; the characterization is a partisan rhetorical framing and is misleading as a definition of socialism.

PoliticsView details→

Are massive protests erupting in Greece?

X · 30,977 likes, 757 replies (syndication); copied word for word in Spanish by other accounts on 8 Oct · resurfaced

Misleading

The video is authentic aerial footage of very large demonstrations in Greece, but it dates to Feb. 28, 2025 (Tempi train crash anniversary). The post repurposes that older footage and presents it as a fresh nationwide protest, which is misleading.

PoliticsView details→

What was said at the Michigan Senate debate between El-Sayed and Rogers?

X · 12.3K likes (syndication); NY Post headline 'Mike Rogers clobbers El-Sayed as fake doctor'; Newsweek, PolitiFact debate fact-check

True

The video clip is an authentic excerpt from the Oct. 8, 2026 Michigan Senate debate; Mike Rogers did call Abdul El‑Sayed "not really a doctor" and made the quoted attacks, and El‑Sayed did respond by citing his Columbia medical degree and pivoting to access‑to‑care arguments. Multiple reputable news outlets reported and quoted the same exchange.

PoliticsView details→

Did Columbia University's dining hall serve 'October 7th Blush Sauce'?

X · 4.0K likes (syndication); Fox News pickup

True

The posted photograph accurately shows a Columbia Dining menu board labeled "October 7th Blush Sauce" on October 7, 2026; multiple outlets reported the image and Columbia Dining said the date was a template/printing error and the signs were removed.

OtherView details→

Was Navi Pillay announced as the winner of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize?

X · 991 likes in ~2.5h; Neuer's companion post 2,166 likes; 'Navi Pillay' / 'Nobel Peace Prize' trending on X in ZA and IL (trends24) and on Bluesky

True But

Nobel committee announcements that Navanethem 'Navi' Pillay won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize are confirmed by primary sources. UN Watch published a same-day denouncement quoting whistleblower Emma Reilly accusing Pillay of complicity with respect to Uyghurs and alleging the UN gave dissidents' names to China; that denouncement is reported by UN Watch and social reposts but has limited independent mainstream corroboration at the time of this check.

PoliticsOtherView details→

Did 1,739 illegal migrants land on UK shores this week?

X · 8,976 likes, 1,870 reposts, 910 replies (X syndication, 9 Oct); reposted by @reformparty_uk; Farage YouTube upload 'Farage reacts to shocking Home Office figures' has 122K views (YouTube RSS)

True But

The video is authentic and the headline numeric claim (1,739 small-boat arrivals in the referenced week) is supported by Home Office figures as reported by multiple news outlets. However, assertions about the migrants' demographics and a claimed terrorism link are not supported by public evidence, and some of the comparative averages depend on date ranges and are framed for political effect.

PoliticsOtherView details→

Did Trump announce a multi-billion dollar investment involving Anduril Industries?

X · 939 likes on Siskind; ABC News deleted its report per Fox News; WH rebuttal from Alexa Henning ('1789 Capital does not have a major stake in Anduril')

True

The post accurately summarizes an ABC News analysis: President Trump announced a roughly $6.6 billion investment involving Anduril on Oct. 6, 2026, ABC reported that 1789 Capital (where Donald Trump Jr. is a partner) participated in a June 2025 investment and that Anduril has subsequently accounted for about 135 government contracts totaling roughly $1.8 billion. Major outlets corroborate the announcement and ABC's reporting.

PoliticsOtherView details→

Are these the 'French Student protestors'?

X · 31.6K likes (syndication); Lead Stories fact-check; France protests trending in US right-wing media (Trump Truth post on France/Islam)

False

False — the video is authentic footage from a Sept. 2026 music/video project by the French rap collective 8ZT, not footage of French student protesters in October 2026; mainstream fact-checking found no evidence the clip was recorded at recent protests.

PoliticsView details→

Did Susan Collins vote five times to continue the Iran War?

X · 1.1K likes on candidate post; Collins demanded an apology on stage; NY Post, MEAWW, WGME/Sinclair, Boston Globe, WMTW/Bangor Daily News fact-checks

True But

Partly true. Jackson’s statement that Collins voted against efforts to end the Iran conflict on five separate Senate roll calls is supported by multiple news reports; the disclosure claim about 'up to $100,000' in oil-and-gas stock is imprecise (some filings and reporting show individual holdings in that range but aggregate exposure reported by news outlets can be higher). The post mixes verifiable facts with partisan framing and inference.

PoliticsConflictView details→