THURSDAY EDITION

Snopes Debunker

Unpacking claims that Elon Musk and his DOGE team secured access to Treasury payment systems

Within two weeks of U.S. President Donald Trump taking office for a second time, rumors began circulating that Elon Musk had taken hold of the Department of Treasury's payment system that controls $6 trillion in spending. Dozens of Snopes readers asked about the rumor via email, either sharing the claim or asking whether it was true.

Snopes' findings are based on reports by reputable news media outlets including The New York Times, The Associated Press, Wired and Politico. However, all of these outlets' articles quoted anonymous sources. Two of Musk's X posts suggested he and his team had accessed some of that information. Snopes reporter Anna Rascouët-Paz investigated.

No, Trump admin didn't add 9-star US flag to government websites

A search of website archives confirmed the small, nine-star American flag icon existed prior to Trump's second administration.

Support Snopes With Our Monthly Membership

In our article about whether Elon Musk secured access to Treasury payment systems, we noted that dozens of Snopes readers asked us to look into the claim. We always keep an eye on the topics you are interested in, ready to fact-check the rumors you see spreading online and are wondering about. We need your help to keep doing this work. By building our membership, we will be able to continue putting complex claims in the full context they deserve. We appreciate any support you can give.

No, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt didn't say 'Jesus didn't have electricity’

Internet users expressed confusion over whether the quote was authentic.

Look out for this message about fictional recall on chicken, eggs

People are warning each other about an alleged recall on chicken and Eggland's Best eggs that's not based in reality.

The Pentagon has never fully passed an audit. Here's context

Social media users claimed the Pentagon failed seven consecutive audits — but according to auditors, "failed" doesn't capture the whole story.

Staff Pick

Breaking down how much time Biden spent on vacation while president – it's not 40%

The rumor that Biden spent nearly half of his presidency on vacation came from an exaggerated and incorrect Republican National Committee analysis.