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Snopes Debunker

Today's edition is sponsored by the company behind NordVPN, which Snopes' reporters rely on to protect their identities and access content throughout the world.

Because of their commitment to digital security, our business team reached out to them to see if they'd support Snopes' mission and sponsor our newsletter. They agreed. You'll notice any links to Snopes you click in today's newsletter have fewer ads thanks to this sponsorship.

Nord Security is offering a new product called Coveron that protects against identity theft, a mission I can get behind. Consider supporting this sponsor and giving the service a try. All readers of this newsletter will receive a discount using the code below.

— Chris Richmond, Snopes CEO

Editor's note: Snopes' business partnerships function separately from its newsroom of journalists, who make all editorial decisions. No funder dictates, nor influences, Snopes' fact-checking.

A Black child stands in a "running pose" while wearing an orange-and-black costume with a small hat, black gloves and a hood with an oversized smile.

Target removed kid's Halloween costume from website amid backlash over blackface, minstrel imagery

A claim circulated online that Target removed a children's Halloween costume from its website after the company faced swift backlash.

Some people on social media criticized the costume as evoking racist minstrel and blackface imagery.

Reporter Laerke Christensen found the costume's original listing and reached out to Target for a response.

An aerial photo of a cargo port on a river. It's filled with colorful storage containers between lanes for vehicles and railroad tracks. A barge stacked full of these containers sits at the port.

10 times we've examined Trump admin's alleged quotes about tariffs

Claims about the Trump administration’s comments on tariffs often circulate online — some real and others fabricated.

Sponsorship

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U.S. President Donald Trump stands on the tarmac with a blue sky and the top of a plane behind him. The sun hits his face. He is wearing a dark blue suit, red tie and white shirt.

Did Trump propose eliminating property taxes for some seniors?

Posts claimed the president's alleged proposal would apply to people age 65 and older who have paid off their mortgages.

U.S. President Donald Trump, wearing a suit with a red tie, stands beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wearing a suit with a blue tie, in the White House's Oval Office. The room features gold decorations.

Are US, Israeli militaries 'merging'? What defense bill actually says

The legislation would expand a longstanding alliance between the two countries' militaries rather than combining them.

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Check the facts anywhere with the Snopes app

For more than 30 years, Snopes has been fighting misinformation. Now the facts are in your pocket. When you're not sure if something is true or false, just open the app and Snopes it. Save articles to your reading list, switch to night mode, see fact-check ratings at a glance, and even play our daily crossword. Available on iOS and Android for phones and tablets.

A dark, eight-legged rock formation with a rounded "body" lies on a surface of reddish dirt.

Does this image show creepy 'spider' on Mars?

We searched for evidence of NASA or credible media outlets publishing the image of an alleged “spider-shaped rock formation” on the Red Planet's surface.

Staff pick

A black-and-white image of Donald Trump at a buffet below text reading, "Future reality tv show host, Don Trump, 41 years old, in Moscow at the invitation of Soviet Ambassador to the U.S., Yuri Dubinin. July 1987."

Photo of Trump in Moscow is real, but not from his first visit in 1987

Over the years, people online have shared this photo allegedly showing a 41-year-old Donald Trump during his first visit to Moscow in July 1987.

While the photo is real, it wasn’t taken during his initial trip to the Russian capital.

Senior reporter Jordan Liles tracked down its origin — and broke down what we know about Trump’s visits to Moscow over the years.