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Rumored Trump show of force, freed Israeli hostage & Rosie O'Donnell

Plus: 'Looney Tunes' was once called 'Looney Toons'?

Author

Izz LaMagdeleine
October 18, 2025

SATURDAY EDITION

Snopes Debunker

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Unpacking claim Trump planned 'show of force' by firing missiles into California during protests

As activists planned another "No Kings" protest for today, a rumor spread on social media that President Donald Trump was planning a "show of force" by launching missiles over California.

The rumor claimed the Trump administration planned on closing Interstate 5 "to shoot out missiles from ships" and into Camp Pendleton, a training facility for the Marines about 80 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Reporter Joey Esposito unpacked the details.

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Inspecting claims Pam Bondi is creating gun owner registry

Organizations supporting Second Amendment gun-ownership rights bristled at a court order to submit member lists to government bodies.

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Snopes looks into claims on every topic, not just politics. One of our favorite recently published fact checks had us asking "What's up, Doc?" as reporter Emery Winter looked into whether "Looney Tunes" was really once called "Looney Toons." You can read it yourself later in the newsletter. We need your help to keep doing this work. By building our membership, we will be able to continue cutting straight to the facts on any subject our readers are interested in. We appreciate any support you can give.

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Breaking down claim ICE shot, killed family dog in Texas

The popular account We Rate Dogs boosted the claim on social media.

Close up photo of Alexander Trufanov. He is a young man with a short brown hair and facial hair and is wearing a kippah along with a white collared shirt.

Did freed Israeli hostage Alexander Turbanov release statement praising his captors?

The alleged quote appeared on social media days after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect last Friday.

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Marco Rubio confirmed Rosie O'Donnell's passport revoked?

According to the story, the U.S. secretary of state said of the comedian, "She wanted to be an Irish citizen. Now she can stay there."

Staff Pick

A logo appears to show a rabbit over the orange words "LOONEY TOONS." Behind it, white letters can be seen that say "LOONEY TUNES."

'Looney Tunes' was once called 'Looney Toons'?

For years, many people have sworn that "Looney Tunes" was once spelled "Looney Toons." This summer alone, multiple popular posts on Instagram made the claim.

The reason for this discrepancy in spelling according to social media users is the Mandela Effect, a term Snopes has defined as "a collective misremembering of a fact or event." In replies to some of the social media posts, people claimed the "Looney Toons" spelling simply made more sense because the animated shorts were cartoons. Reporter Emery Winter broke down the truth.