THURSDAY EDITION

Snopes Debunker

Did Adm. Alvin Holsey resign over Hegseth's Venezuela boat strike orders? What we know

After the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced that its commander, Adm. Alvin Holsey, would retire, social media lit up with claims that he'd resigned over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's Venezuelan boat strike orders. But did that really happen?

Snopes reporter Laerke Christensen breaks down where the claim came from, what Holsey said and how the Pentagon responded.

Pete Hegseth's title was misspelled as 'Ssecretary of War' on nameplate

The nameplate was used during President Donald Trump's final White House Cabinet meeting of the year.

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Snopes reporters have been busy fact-checking the latest rumors about the Trump administration. But our work doesn’t stop at politics. We’ve also investigated pop culture claims, like whether DNA testing proved Prince Harry isn’t King Charles III’s son (more on that later in this newsletter). We need your help to keep doing this far-ranging work. By building our membership, we can continue cutting straight to the facts on the topics that matter most to you. We appreciate any support you can give.

Do videos show Trump falling asleep during Cabinet meeting?

Social media users shared videos claiming to show the president dozing off and falling asleep during the lengthy Cabinet meeting earlier this week.

Newly released Epstein island photos include image showing old man masks on walls

The photo showed the masks surrounding what looked like a dentist's chair.

Beware of claim DNA testing proved Prince Harry isn't King Charles III's son

Speculation about his parentage has dogged the Duke of Sussex throughout his life, but an AI-generated clip did nothing to prove any theories.

Staff pick

Did Ilhan Omar marry her brother? Rumor lacks evidence

Over Thanksgiving weekend, President Donald Trump drew attention to a years-old rumor about Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota: that she supposedly married her brother.

However, there’s no evidence this is true. Snopes reporter Nur Ibrahim explains where the rumor originated and how Omar has addressed it.