The Power of Fact Checking!!!

[phkrause]

26 claims about 2026 midterm elections candidates, investigated

As voters head to the polls, we've compiled our reporting on rumors about Talarico, Paxton, El-Sayed and more high-profile candidates.

https://www.snopes.com/collections/midterms-candidates-fact-checks/?

Is gold melting off Trump's regilded horse statues in DC? What we know

We asked the National Park Service to explain the golden drip streaks seen in an image circulating online.

https://www.snopes.com/news/2026/11/02/gold-melting-trump-horse-statues/?

Did Trump cut down 250-year-old 'grandmother' tree to pave way for border wall?

Claim:

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration cut down a 250-year-old cottonwood tree on the southern border in Lochiel, Arizona, to make way for border wall construction.

Rating:

Mostly True

What's True

The Trump administration truly cut down not one but four large, old cottonwood trees on the border in Lochiel, among the many efforts to clear land for border wall construction. Crews cut down three trees on July 27, followed by the fourth on Oct. 5. A widely shared video highlighted the moment crews felled the fourth tree. However …

What's False

… Reported estimates placed the collection of trees anywhere between 100 and 250 years old. A scientist examining a sample of the fourth tree estimated its age at a maximum of 146 years — still a very old tree, though at least a century short of some claims.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-grandmother-tree-border-wall/?

[phkrause]

Did Virginia legalize abortion up to birth? Claim misrepresents Question 1

Claim:

In the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, Virginia voters passed a measure allowing abortions to be performed until birth.

Rating:

False

Context

Voters approved Question 1, which places protections for first- and second-trimester abortions in the state constitution. However, it also gives the state Legislature the power to pass some restrictions on abortions in the third trimester.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/virginia-legalize-abortion-birth/?

ps:I wonder who started that lie?????

Musk deleted 'Vote red today!' post after Democrats' midterm gains

Claim:

A screen-recorded video authentically shows an Election Day X post by Elon Musk reading "Vote red today!" that he, or someone managing his account, deleted after Republicans' 2026 midterm election losses.

Rating:

True

The Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections saw major gains for Democrats both in the House and Senate, including key Senate victories in Michigan, South Carolina and Texas. News media outlets reported the results as a sweeping rebuke of President Donald Trump's administration, with vote tallies exhibiting sizable differences from his second-term victory in 2024.

 

In the hours after the election results began coming in, some people began claiming a screen-recorded video showed that tech entrepreneur Elon Musk — who reportedly contributed $474 million to support Republicans in the midterms — had deleted his post from Election Day that read, "Vote red today!"

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/musk-deleted-vote-red-today-tweet/?

ps:He wasted a ton of money!!!!!

[phkrause]

ICE paid $495M for Minnesota prison offered to state for $75M. Here's proof

Claim:

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement purchased a vacant, privately-owned prison for approximately $495 million after it was previously offered to the state of Minnesota for $75 million.

Rating:

True

Context

Public records and an email first obtained by KARE 11, a Minnesota news station, indicate ICE purchased the vacant facility for $495.6 million roughly a year after private prison operator CoreCivic offered it to the Minnesota Department of Corrections for $75 million. The Department of Homeland Security and CoreCivic said the price was set through the standard federal appraisal process, which involves independent estimates of the property's value.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ice-minnesota-prison-price/?

Abdul El-Sayed didn't say it's OK if girls see male genitals in their locker rooms

Claim:

Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed said that it’s OK for young girls to see male genitals in their locker rooms because they are going to see them on the internet anyway.

Rating:

False

Context

The claim referred to a segment from an extended interview with El-Sayed on "60 Minutes," available to view on YouTube. In it, El-Sayed was asked about parental control over education and the interviewer cited one example being the debate over transgender kids playing sports. In response, El-Sayed made the argument that rather than try to shield kids from things they may not understand, it is a parent’s job to guide them through it. There was no mention of locker rooms or male genitalia, nor was there evidence El-Sayed ever made such a statement.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/abdul-el-sayed-girls-locker-rooms/?

ps:Once again I wonder who started that rumor?????

[phkrause]

Can Democrats effectively abolish Electoral College after midterm wins?

We explain the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact and what it would take to enact it.

https://www.snopes.com/news/2026/11/05/democrats-abolish-electoral-college/?

Abdul El-Sayed won't force Michigan students to learn Arabic numerals. They already do

Claim:

Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed is going to force all the state's elementary school students to learn Arabic numerals.

Rating:

False

Context

Versions of this claim, whether intended satirically or earnestly, have become a trope when Muslim politicians are elected into office.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/abdul-el-sayed-arabic-numerals/?

ps:So who started this nonsense?????

Flu season is here. We've examined these 20 claims

As the seasons change, flu activity is increasing in many parts of the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

https://www.snopes.com/collections/flu-rumors-collection/?

ps:There are some crazy ones in this!!!!!

[phkrause]

Abdul El-Sayed didn't 'fail' Senate background check. He doesn't need one

Claim:

Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed failed the background check required for classified Senate briefings.

Rating:

False

After Michigan voters elected Democrat Abdul El-Sayed as senator in November 2026, a claim (archived) circulated online that he had failed the background check required for classified Senate briefings.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/abdul-el-sayed-background-check/?

 

[phkrause]

Did Abdul El-Sayed call Michigan the 'capital of Arab America'?

Michigan has a rich Arab American history, with reportedly the highest-concentrated Arab population in the country.

Claim:

On Nov. 6, Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed, D-Mich., said "Michigan is the capital of Arab America."

Rating:

Correct Attribution

On Nov. 3, Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed made history as the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate. In the days that followed, a claim circulated that El-Sayed had said that "Michigan is the capital of Arab America," sparking vitriol from opponents.

 

The alleged quote played into a trope — commonly used against Muslims, immigrants and other communities — that institutions such as the U.S. government are being "infiltrated" by foreigners. For example, the caption of one Facebook post sharing a purported clip of El-Sayed saying the quote began: "WE'VE BEEN INVADED" (archived).

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/el-sayed-michigan-arab-america-quote/?

[phkrause]

Did Trump say 'nobody has died' in Iran war? Here's the full story

Videos failed to include the president’s full remarks about U.S. casualties in Iran during a “60 Minutes” interview.

Claim:

During a "60 Minutes" interview in early November, U.S. President Donald Trump said "nobody has died" in the Iran war.

Rating:

Correct Attribution

Context

Trump truly said the words "nobody has died" regarding the Iran war. However, the brief videos that people shared omitted what Trump said immediately after that remark, including, "This war, seven months, 18 people killed. That includes Venezuela, 18," as well as, "Eighteen is too much." His comments during the interview, as well as during other recent speaking occasions, reflected his effort to draw comparisons between the low number of U.S. casualties during the Iran war and significantly larger figures in past U.S. conflicts.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-nobody-died-iran-war-quote/?

Did Texas Democrats file at least 20 new bills restricting firearms after midterms?

Snopes also identified Republicans among those seeking to tighten gun laws in Texas.

Claim:

After winning the majority in the Texas House of Representatives, Democrats in the state prefiled approximately 20 bills affecting gun ownership and rights.

Rating:

True

Context

Snopes found not 20, but 25 bills related to the regulation of firearms had been prefiled for 2027 legislative session as of this writing. Of the state representatives and senators who'd introduced the bills, 11 were Democrats and three were Republicans. Of those bills, 20 were introduced in the House and five of them in the Senate.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/texas-democrats-20-gun-control-bills/?

Video shows Muslims in Dearborn marching, but not to 'demand Sharia'

Social media users misrepresented a clip of Shiite Muslims observing the holy day of Ashura.

Claim:

Footage authentically shows thousands of Muslims marching in Dearborn, Michigan, demanding Sharia.

Rating:

Miscaptioned

Context

The earliest example of the footage appeared on a Dearborn news agency’s social media account on June 28, 2026, months before the midterm elections. The video shows Shiite Muslims observing the holy day of Ashura.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/muslims-marching-in-dearborn-michigan/?

Did Erika Kirk plug Charlie Kirk's hot sauce brand through tears on Fox News?

"I get sad when I see my husband's brand of hot sauce, which is now available at your local grocery store," social media users claimed she said.

Claim:

Turning Point CEO Erika Kirk said on TV, "I get sad when I see my husband's brand of hot sauce, which is now available at your local grocery store."

Rating:

Incorrect Attribution

Context

The incorrectly attributed quote as written above spread online in November. In the real video clip, which was from December 2025, Kirk said, "What I miss the most, what really just hits me hard, is when I'm in the grocery store and I see his hot sauce. I want to buy it." Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot in September 2025, did have a hot sauce company.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/erika-kirk-charlie-hot-sauce/?