MONDAY EDITION
Snopes Debunker
As a Snopes member, you're receiving a new perk: fact check ratings in our newsletter. If you'd like to turn off this feature, you can disable it in your profile.
19 claims about midterm election candidates, fact-checked
For months, we’ve been digging into claims surrounding high-profile midterm election candidates that have persisted throughout their campaigns.
Reporter Taija PerryCook compiled our reporting on the candidates, including:
Did Ilhan Omar change her birth year in official records?
Did Abdul El-Sayed's mother work for a terrorist organization that provided financial support to Osama bin Laden, the Taliban and Hamas?
Was James Talarico treated at an Ohio mental health facility?
Did Mike Rogers receive donations from people in the Epstein files?
Read our full collection below to find the answers.
Did Trump wave at, salute nobody before boarding Marine One?
A video spreading this rumor is miscaptioned. One Democratic commentator said the footage highlights how Trump is experiencing increasing "mental decline." However, reputable photos from the scene confirm the president appeared to be waving at people working on the new White House ballroom and saluting officials near the helicopter.
20 claims about US-Israel relations we've inspected
Does a video show Netanyahu saying "America deserved 9/11" in a U.N. speech? Are the U.S. and Israeli militaries "merging"? Read more to find out.
Fast facts
We recently investigated a rumor that Trump or another White House official was behind SpaceX restricting its Starlink satellite internet services in Ukraine.
Over the weekend, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Ukraine had "violated" Starlink's terms of service by using it for "offensive drone strikes to kill people." A defense technology adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded, suggesting Ukraine hadn't broken any terms of service.
Zelenskyy has said Starlink and Starshield speeds are "where they need to be." Both Trump and Musk have denied being responsible for the decision.
In case you missed it:
Catch up with some of our most popular articles from last week.
Are voting machines deliberately changing votes?
This claim is false. Dolly Parton's sister, Stella Parton, was among those online who amplified claims that voting machines in Tennessee and other states were switching votes from Democratic candidates to Republicans. State election officials told us the issues some voters have reported are likely the result of human error or touch screen alignment problems.
198,530 views
Can Trump rename an ocean?
"I was thinking of either the Atlantic or the Pacific," Trump told a crowd of supporters at a Tennessee rally. "We call it 'Trump Ocean' or 'Ocean of the Americas,' something like that."
Does he have the authority to do that? We checked.
111,156 views
Does video show voting machine 'switching' vote to Republican?
A video spreading this rumor is miscaptioned. A voter reportedly recorded the video at an Indiana polling location in 2018. Democratic and Republican officials reviewed the matter and didn't report any deliberate voting issues.
94,733 views
