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Racist video of Obamas, JK Rowling & hoax DHS letter

Plus: Posts claim images show Leviathan "waking up." We found the real story lurking underneath

February 07, 2026

SATURDAY EDITION

Snopes Debunker

A Black man and woman hold each other while smiling.

Trump's Truth Social account posted, then deleted racist video of Obamas as monkeys

A claim spread online that Donald Trump posted a video to his Truth Social network that depicted former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as monkeys.

We found the video was posted to Trump's account and has since been deleted. A White House official told us a staffer — not the president — posted the video "erroneously." Reporter Laerke Christensen verified the details about what happened.

A white man is pictured looking forward. An email with a red Fake symbol on the top corner says "We need to discuss ww3 the investors want to know if we are still planning Feb 8 2026."

Is this an authentic email in Epstein files about World War III? Not so fast

An online rumor claimed an email to Epstein said this Sunday would mark the start of the next world war.

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A white woman is pictured looking towards the right.

Is JK Rowling in the Epstein files? What we know

Social media sleuths are attempting to create a connection between the author and Epstein that's unsupported by evidence.

A white woman is pictured standing behind a micrphone. A letter is shown to the side, with the words "suspension of the rights granted by the Second Amendment of the United State Constitution" bolded and highlighted.

Gun stores received hoax DHS letter declaring suspension of 2nd Amendment

The supposed letter justified the suspension of Second Amendment rights as a way to "safeguard" ICE agents.

Did Charlie Kirk cut Erika Kirk out of his will? Here's the truth

We found the original video's caption included "#satire."

Staff pick

Google Maps image of the coastline of Virginia, specifically Virginia Beach and the eastern shore. On the right side of the map, just off the ocean's continental shelf, is a section of oceanic islands and underwater features photoshopped into the frame to look like a giant snake off of the coast.

Posts claim images show Leviathan 'waking up.' We found the real story lurking underneath

Last month, some social media users shared images that they said showed the Leviathan "waking up" near the coast of Virginia and North Carolina.

The claim about the biblical sea monster spread online around the same time that the first of two major winter storms hit the eastern United States. Reporter Emery Winter scoured the images — as well as Google Maps and Google Earth — to find the truth.