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Ghislaine Maxwell work release rumor, Vance's alleged pub snub & Tom Cruise

Plus: German scientists developed gel to help heal damaged joint cartilage?

Author

Megan Loe
August 16, 2025

SATURDAY EDITION

Snopes Debunker

An image shows a federal work prison camp in Texas.

What we know about report Ghislaine Maxwell was cleared to leave prison on work release

A claim spread online that a federal prison in Texas approved work release for Ghislaine Maxwell, an associate of deceased financier and fellow convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for multiple charges, including sex trafficking of a minor.

The claim about Maxwell’s work release originated on a Substack blog run by Allison Gill, a former government employee. Snopes reporter Laerke Christensen has the details.

A white man speaks while standing behind a podium.

Did 'staff mutiny' force Cotswolds pub to turn away JD Vance? What we know

Staff at The Bull, a pub in Oxfordshire, England, reportedly refused to come to work if the vice president had a reservation.

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Support Snopes With Our Monthly Membership

Snopes has been hard at work fact-checking everything from political claims to pop culture rumors. For example, one of our recent fact checks tackled the claim that Tom Cruise refused a Kennedy Center award from Trump (you’ll find it later in this newsletter). We’re able to dig into all kinds of stories thanks to support from readers like you. By growing our membership, we will be able to continue cutting straight to the facts on any topic our readers are interested in. We appreciate any support you can give.

A white man wearing a blue suit talks into a microphone.

Exploring claim Trump admin wants to replace PBS with PragerU

The claim spread following Trump's decision to end all federal support for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds PBS and NPR.

A white man smiles looking at the camera.

Did Tom Cruise refuse Kennedy Center award from Trump?

Anonymous sources and conjecture formed the basis of this rumor.

An image shows a person in a wold suit next to a real wolf. A caption above the image says, "Colorado Man Mauled After Attempting to "Join" Wyoming Wolf Pack."

Colorado man mauled after attempting to join Wyoming wolf pack?

Brian Sanders — aka "Lupus Moonhowl" — was said to be crawling on all fours in full faux-fur attire, with a Bluetooth speaker playing recorded howls.

Staff Pick

An image states "Germany developed a gel that regrows — no implants, no surgery, just healing from inside out."

German scientists developed gel to help heal damaged joint cartilage?

Social media posts exaggerated a gel treatment for osteoarthritis on the market since 2013 but presented as new research.