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 13, 2026

20 checks · 10 morning · 10 afternoon

Morning run

10 checks

Did Trump promise $5,000 to all adult citizens if Republicans win in 2026?

X · Trump's X video: 76K likes, 9.4K replies (syndication, 2026-10-13). Mediaite, Newsweek, Independent, Daily Kos, UNILAD and Fox coverage on 12 Oct; Mediaite collected critics' reactions ('How can this be legal?').

True But

The video is authentic and shows President Trump publicly promising that, if Republicans win both the House and Senate in the 2026 midterms, he will give every adult U.S. citizen $5,000; news outlets and archived posts corroborate the clip. The pledge is a contingent campaign promise (future outcome) and cannot be confirmed as an action until the electoral condition is resolved and any implementing legislation or mechanism is enacted.

PoliticsEconomyView details→

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→

Did archaeologists find Noah's Ark in Turkey?

X · Al Jazeera says the clips got 40M+ views; the TikTok creator 'themaniac' alone has 25M+. Celal Ciftci post: 2,982 likes and 639 replies (syndication, 13 Oct). Copy-paste English versions on X ('VERY IMPORTANT Turkey...').

False

The post's claim that archaeologists in Turkey 'found Noah's Ark' is false. The short excavation-style video used to support the claim has been identified by verification tools and fact-checkers as fabricated / AI-generated, and the actual scientific work at the Durupınar site remains under analysis without any authenticated discovery.

ScienceOtherView details→

Did Dodger Stadium flood due to Hurricane Rachel?

X · X post: 1.2K likes (syndication, 2026-10-13). The Weather Channel/Yahoo debunk on 12 Oct says the clip is circulating again, as it did during Hilary in 2023 (it shows wet, empty parking lots). Autocomplete shows heavy search interest.

Misleading

Aerial footage in the post is likely genuine but the caption’s claim that Dodger Stadium was surrounded by floodwaters is misleading: weather reporting and visual-analysis conclude the stadium did not actually flood and the scene is an optical/lighting effect amplified by standing water nearby.

DisasterEnvironmentView details→

Did Bill Gates say one billion people will die by 2027?

Facebook · Full Fact (12 Oct): video 'shared thousands of times on Facebook'; reel og:title shows '5K reactions | Bill Gates Says 1Billion...' (fetched 2026-10-13)

False

The video is a deepfake: Bill Gates did not say one billion people would die by 2027 or promote the 'United States Water Reserve.' Fact-checkers (Full Fact, IBTimes) found the audio was synthetic and the footage edited; the original CNBC interview discussed AI, not water shortages or that prediction.

TechnologyEnvironmentView details→

Does Abdul El-Sayed's family have ties to the Muslim Brotherhood?

X · Rogers campaign ad post: 4.4K likes, 339 replies (syndication, 2026-10-13); AG Hamilton post quoting the sister's 2012-13 posts: 2.4K likes. Washington Free Beacon report, Mediaite 12 Oct.

Can't Verify

The video uses real headlines, a sister's old social‑media post, and reporting to allege family ties between Abdul El‑Sayed and Muslim Brotherhood‑linked organizations. The sister's 2012 post saying 'my family has long been MB' is corroborated by reporting; other assertions (mother's employment at an IARA office, father‑in‑law's leadership roles, and a relative's watch‑list litigation) are reported but rely mainly on investigative pieces and court‑record summaries. Some claims in the ad conflate disputed associations into stronger 'ties to terrorism' allegations, which overstate or simplify the underlying records.

PoliticsView details→

Did Susan Dell complain about a South Park episode about her?

X · X post: 2.3K likes, 114 replies (syndication, 2026-10-13). Susan Dell is a meme after her 7 Oct Oval Office appearance (LADbible 13 Oct: Michael Dell hits back at trolls); Lead Stories fact check 12 Oct.

False

The clip/image circulating on X is AI-generated and the quoted messages are fabricated; neither the official South Park account nor Susan Dell posted the messages shown, so the post's claim is false.

CelebrityView details→

Did Andy Burnham say the RAF Fairford plot was directed by Iran's IRGC?

X · PolitlcsUK post 1,622 likes / 763 replies (syndication, 2026-10-13); NATO SG Rutte echoed 29-ally statement; Iran condemned 'British claim' (CGTN 13 Oct); UK summoned Iranian ambassador; wide pickup (Standard, Telegraph, Arab News, UPI, Townhall, Express)

True

Authentic Commons footage: Prime Minister Andy Burnham did say the UK assesses the suspected RAF Fairford plot was 'highly likely' coordinated in Iran and 'almost certainly' directed by the IRGC — multiple major outlets reported his 12 October 2026 statement and related sanctions.

ConflictPoliticsView details→

Did The New York Times Doctor a Photo of Trump National Doral?

X · Trump Truth Social post 12 Oct 15:18Z with side-by-side photos (renewing his 5 Oct 'blackened facade' claim); NYT PR rebuttal on X (260 likes); Mediaite, Raw Story, Newsweek, AOL, WND, Daily Beast 12 Oct. The repost account itself has low engagement.

False

The post's claim that The New York Times doctored a photo of Trump National Doral to add mold is false. The Times says the image was a 2020 photograph by Scott McIntyre and was not altered, and multiple news outlets report the paper rejected the allegation.

PoliticsView details→

Did Denzel Washington really endorse Donald Trump?

X · Red Eagle Updates post: 23.5K likes, 2.7K replies (syndication, 2026-10-13). Trump shared a screenshot on Truth Social 12 Oct 11:24Z (13-15K likes per Forbes/HuffPost). Picked up by CNN, WaPo, Newsweek, Forbes, HuffPost, TheWrap, Mediaite, Mirror US and CTV. · resurfaced

False

The image attributes a praise-and-endorsement quote to Denzel Washington that he did not say. The quote is fabricated; the actor's representative denied it and reputable fact-checkers and news outlets have debunked the attribution.

PoliticsCelebrityView details→

Afternoon run

10 checks

Did Russia attack Ukraine with over 100 weapons on October 12-13, 2026?

X · Zelensky post 11,338 likes / 743 replies (syndication, 13 Oct); Kyiv Independent investigation 13 Oct; PL Google Trends 'andrij sybiha' (Ukraine without Western intel?)

True

The video appears to be authentic official rescue-service footage from Kharkiv of damage after an overnight Russian aerial barrage on Oct. 12–13, 2026. President Zelenskyy's caption that Russia used more than 100 strike weapons (jet-powered drones, loitering munitions and ballistic missiles) that night, and that many were intercepted though not all, is corroborated by multiple reputable news reports.

ConflictPoliticsView details→

Did Ken Paxton party in Dubai with indicted fugitives?

X · electionsjoe 28,995 likes; DemocraticWins 7,459 likes; HQNewsNow 2,266 likes; StevenTDennis 2,359 likes (syndication 13 Oct); Mediaite, Daily Beast, IBTimes UK and MEAWW coverage

True

The Wall Street Journal published and reviewed video showing Ken Paxton at a New Year’s Eve/Jan. 1, 2025 gathering in Dubai alongside his girlfriend and two American men who had been indicted on federal health-care-fraud/embezzlement charges. Major outlets reporting on the WSJ story corroborate the video's existence and the identities described.

PoliticsView details→

Did the French Navy board the oil tanker DF Peak south of Réunion?

X · Macron post 12,042 likes / 1,942 replies (syndication, 13 Oct); Google Trends DE 'schattenflotte' 1000+, UA 'задержание' 2000+; Kyiv Independent, TASS 12-13 Oct

True

Authentic footage and Emmanuel Macron's X post accurately report that on 12 October 2026 the French Navy boarded the oil tanker DF Peak roughly 450 nautical miles south of La Re9union; multiple reputable outlets confirm the operation and the vessel's suspected links to the 'shadow fleet'.

ConflictPoliticsView details→

Is South Africa's White population projected to fall to 2% by 2066?

Instagram · Briefly News (13 Oct): Visegrad 24's Instagram post of 12 Oct drew over 800 comments; projection by 'The Common Sense' from Stats SA 2025 mid-year estimates · resurfaced

True But

The post's present-day figures (White ≈7%, Black African ≈82%) match Statistics South Africa's 2025 mid-year estimates. The claim that 'an analysis by The Common Sense' projects the White share falling to ~2% by 2066 is supported by secondary reporting attributing that projection to The Common Sense, but the long-range number is a model result produced by that outlet (not an official Stats SA projection) and should be treated as a scenario-based projection rather than a certain outcome.

PoliticsView details→

What caused the vacant seats at Trump's Youngstown rally?

X · RR47 post 3,783 likes/163 replies (syndication, 14:45Z, about 90 min after posting); WaPo reporter Emily Davies' photos of empty sections 3,467 likes; Kaitlan Collins/CNN segment; Daily Beast, Raw Story, WaPo and WFMJ coverage

Can't Verify

The post correctly points to coverage of empty seats at Donald Trump's Oct. 12, 2026 Youngstown rally, but its claim that the emptiness was caused by 'gigantic press risers' blocking views is unsupported by independent reporting or available photos — the causal explanation appears unverified and potentially misleading.

PoliticsView details→

Did Charlie Kirk say children should watch public executions as an initiation?

Facebook · Snopes says readers asked about this and other Facebook posts (13 Oct); it resurfaced alongside Hegseth's plan to livestream the Fort Hood shooter's execution · resurfaced

True But

The caption accurately attributes a line from a February 15, 2024 Thoughtcrime panel in which Charlie Kirk says "I think at a certain age, it's an initiation" while discussing televised/public executions; fact-checkers note some viral rephrasings added embellishments, but the quoted phrase is supported by contemporaneous transcripts.

PoliticsView details→

Did Saudi Aircraft Strike the Faj Attan Area and Cause Massive Destruction?

X · abdalmlk30 had 3,253 likes and 2,530 replies; JamalCheaib (posted 12 Oct 07:09Z) had 3,213 likes and 795 replies (syndication, checked 13 Oct) · resurfaced

True But

The video shows a real explosion consistent with the well-documented April 20, 2015 Faj Attan blast in Sanaa. The post's core claim — that a large strike caused massive destruction and civilian casualties — is supported by multiple credible sources, but specific assertions that the munition was an "internationally banned bomb" and the precise casualty and displacement figures cited are disputed or unverified by independent international investigation.

ConflictPoliticsView details→

Did Nick Sortor amplify a false claim about James Talarico?

X · ChristopherHale post 10,529 likes/306 replies (syndication 13 Oct); Derrick Evans post also cited as widely circulated; Hindustan Times explainer 13 Oct

True But

The post correctly identifies Nick Sortor as one of the influencers who amplified a false claim about James Talarico and accurately highlights that Sortor has an active in‑state warrant/absconded probation status and prior DUI-related convictions. Some phrasing in the caption overstates or conflates charges (e.g., charging vs conviction for 'harassing a police officer' or 'stalking a woman'), so details require caveats.

PoliticsOtherView details→

What did Trump say about Democrats and the Supreme Court?

X · GuntherEagleman clip post 579 likes/100 replies (syndication 13 Oct); rally remarks covered by CBS Austin (Sinclair), Mediaite, The Hill and PJ Media

True But

The video is authentic footage of President Trump speaking at a Youngstown, Ohio rally on Oct. 12, 2026, and he did say "They want to have 23 people on the Supreme Court" and warned the crowd about Democrats 'opening the border.' Those utterances are accurately quoted. However, the post's framing — that Democrats will definitively do these things if they win — is a partisan assertion and is unproven or exaggerated.

PoliticsView details→

Did Hemedti issue a new statement about Egyptian aggression?

X · rmcsudan1 'تصريح حميدتي حول العدوان المصري اليوم': 1,339 likes and 838 replies; sudanmixtv 198 likes; alfamansou 223 likes (syndication, 13 Oct). Debunks by Misbar (13 Oct 16:23+03), CNN Arabic (12 Oct) and Akher Al-Akhbar (13 Oct) · resurfaced

Misleading

The video is authentic footage of a speech by RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) but it is not new — verification by multiple outlets dates the clip to October 2025. The post’s caption that this is ‘Hemedti’s statement about Egyptian aggression today’ is misleading because the footage is older and being reused to imply a current, newly made threat.

ConflictPoliticsView details→