• Snopes
  • Posts
  • Johnson's Trump FBI informant claim, Chicago & 'Phillies Karen'

Johnson's Trump FBI informant claim, Chicago & 'Phillies Karen'

Plus: Myths about masturbation side effects are spreading online. Here's what science actually says

Author

Izz LaMagdeleine
September 09, 2025

TUESDAY EDITION

Snopes Debunker

A white man wearing a dark blue suit smiles behind a podium. He is standing next to another white man, also smiling. They stand in front of a crowd of people.

House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed Trump was FBI informant in Epstein case. Here's what we know

In early September, a claim began to spread that Trump had been an FBI informant in the agency's investigation of Jeffrey Epstein.

House Speaker Mike Johnson first made this claim on camera while talking to journalists at the Capitol. As a result, several news outlets reported on the comment, including MSNBC, Rolling Stone, The Daily Beast and The Independent. Snopes reporter Anna Rascouët-Paz broke down what we know about Johnson’s claim.

A crowd of people gather around a large chrome statue.

Trump claimed Chicago is 'most dangerous city' in the world. The data suggests otherwise

According to one report, the only U.S. city in the world's 10 "most dangerous" cities was Memphis, Tennessee.

A yellow and white graphic says that you should subscribe to our membership.

Support Snopes With Our Monthly Membership

Snopes has been busy fact-checking political claims. But we look into claims on every topic, not just politics. For instance, one of our favorite articles that published this weekend was about a meme that supposedly listed the side effects of masturbation, featured later in this newsletter. We need your help to keep doing this far-ranging work. By building our membership, we will be able to continue cutting straight to the facts on any subject our readers are interested in. We appreciate any support you can give.

A woman wearing a Phillies hoodie walks in front of a crowd. A red stamp says "FIRED" across the image.

'Phillies Karen' wasn't identified, fired from New Jersey school district job

A post from the district joked that someone who worked there would "obviously have caught the ball bare-handed in the first place."

A boy is pictured behind a fusor. A red atom is pictured to the left of the boy.

FBI visited 12-year-old who achieved nuclear fusion at home?

Jackson Oswalt became the youngest person ever to achieve nuclear fusion in 2018. The FBI then swept his home for radiation.

A person wearing a black hoodie holds a needle in one hand as he pokes a toilet roll with it. He holds the toilet roll with the other hand.

Unraveling HIV toilet paper rumor claiming criminals use needles to contaminate public restrooms

Users shared the rumor with the words, "Public Restroom Alert: Toilet Paper Contamination Sparks Health Concerns Across U.S."

Staff Pick

A person holds a banana in their hand.

Myths about masturbation side effects are spreading online. Here's what science actually says

Compulsive, forceful or unhygienic masturbation can be problematic, but the act itself does contribute toward a healthy sex life.