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Alex Pretti killing, SAVE Act explained & more

Plus: Did Denmark sell 'Epstein island' to the US in 1917?

January 27, 2026

TUESDAY EDITION

Snopes Debunker

An image shows a gun placed near two charging cables.

Did DHS post stock photo claiming it was Alex Pretti's gun? What we know

After a federal agent fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security posted an image to X that it claimed showed a semiautomatic handgun the man carried when he approached officers.

Following the shooting, a claim spread online that the image of the handgun had appeared online before the shooting — or was even a stock photo. Reporter Laerke Christensen investigated.

Three images show a person in uniform pointing a gun at a man's head. The two images on the left and center are clearer and have symbols indicating they're fake in the top left corners. The image on the right is more blurry and has a green checkmark in the upper left corner.

AI-enhanced images of Alex Pretti's shooting spread online

These images shared online after the shooting contained a number of red flags.

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A white man wearing a dark suit stands inside a room. Other people can faintly be seen behind him.

Inspecting claim Barron Trump saved woman's life in London as he watched her being attacked over FaceTime

A U.K. court reportedly heard a recording of the U.S. president's youngest son telling an emergency operator he witnessed the attack.

A woman holds an "I voted" sticker in front of her sweatshirt.

Would the SAVE Act require a birth certificate to vote and prevent married women from voting?

Republicans renewed calls to pass the sweeping voting reform legislation in January.

An image shows a white woman next to messages that say "when we have segregated schools we can add all the funs tuff lol" and "imagine the scores though if we had schools for them and some for us." The messages are identified to belong to someone named Kristin Noble. The top message has a laughing emoji attached to it.

Report claims New Hampshire lawmaker advocated for segregated schools. Here's what we know

Rep. Kristin Noble identified herself on X as chair of New Hampshire's House Education Policy and Administration Committee.

Staff pick

A black and white photo shows five people standing around a table. The person in the center is holding a slip of paper in their hands, being looked at by the four members gathered around them. They stand behind a table that has paperwork on it.

Did Denmark sell 'Epstein island' to the US in 1917?

As the Trump administration ramped up its campaign to acquire Greenland, a rumor spread online claiming Denmark had sold land to the U.S. in 1917 that included an island later nicknamed "Epstein island" after its eventual owner, Jeffrey Epstein.

Snopes readers searched our website for evidence that Denmark sold the island to the United States. Reporter Nur Ibrahim dug into the history.