Your weekly fact-checks
#TrumpCheck
Snopes
False: Donald Trump in his fifties, danced with a 13-year-old girl on Jeffrey Epstein’s island.
The image in question is fake, with several visual red flags such as unnatural skin texture, distorted anatomy, and incorrect details like Trump’s eye color. Reverse image searches confirm it lacks credible sources, and while Trump has been photographed with Epstein in the past, this particular image is AI-generated.
Snopes
False: Film director James Gunn filed a $1 billion lawsuit against U.S. President Donald Trump for unauthorized use of a "Superman" poster.
In July 2025, a viral rumor falsely claimed director James Gunn filed a $1 billion lawsuit against the White House and Donald Trump over a Superman-themed image. The story originated from a discredited clickbait site, USAmidia, and no credible news outlets reported any such legal action.
Snopes
False: U.S. President Donald Trump pointed at a preteen girl while standing with Ghislaine Maxwell in unearthed photo.
A viral video claiming to show Donald Trump and Ghislaine Maxwell with young girls was fabricated using AI and based on a real 1997 photo that did not feature any children. The original image, published by The Sun in 2019, was digitally manipulated, and the AI-generated version spread widely across platforms like Facebook, Threads, TikTok, and X.
#Politics
Lead Stories
False: Hillary Clinton tweeted "WHAT THE FUCK???" in response to a Democratic Party tweet calling for the release of the Epstein files.
There is no evidence that the former secretary of state posted a reply like that. A search of Clinton's X account failed to find any usage of the F-word in her posts.
Snopes
True: Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives blocked a legislative amendment that called for the Department of Justice to release files pertaining to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In July 2025, the House Rules Committee voted 5–7 to block an amendment requiring the DOJ to release Jeffrey Epstein-related files, with all but one Republican voting against it. Though tied to an unrelated cryptocurrency bill, the vote sparked public backlash and accusations of political obstruction, prompting Democrats to push for transparency.
#Technology
FactCrescendo
False: The Volvo CEO was hit by a car during a demonstration of the company's auto-brake system.
A viral video falsely claims Volvo’s CEO was hit during a failed demonstration of the company’s auto-brake system, but the 2015 incident actually involved journalists in the Dominican Republic and a vehicle lacking the optional Pedestrian Detection feature. Volvo confirmed the car’s safety system was not at fault, as it was either deactivated or not included in the model shown.
#Economy
PolitiFact
False: Almost 5 million able-bodied Medicaid recipients “simply choose not to work” and “spend six hours a day socializing and watching television.”
A CBO analysis found that 4.8 million people could lose health insurance by 2034 under a Trump-backed bill adults aged 19 to 64 without dependents who work less than 80 hours a month. Research shows most do not avoid work by choice, with many being women or individuals with a high school education or less.
PolitiFact
Mostly-True: “ICE will now become the country’s largest federal law enforcement agency, bigger than the FBI, bigger than the DEA.”
President Trump’s law allocates $75 billion to ICE over four years. $45 billion for detention beds and $30 billion for staffing and upgrades. This makes it the highest-funded federal law enforcement agency. While ICE still trails the FBI in total staff, its number of agents with arrest authority could surpass the FBI depending on how new hires are distributed.
#Healthcare
Reuters
False: Skin cancer rates had risen by 400% since the widespread use of sunscreen and that vitamin D from sun exposure protects against such cancers.
A viral post claiming sunscreen is dangerous and that vitamin D from sun exposure protects against skin cancer is misleading. Experts say sunscreen chemicals like avobenzone and oxybenzone are not proven harmful, and no evidence supports the claim that vitamin D reduces skin cancer risk; rising melanoma rates are due to increased detection, not sunscreen use.
#Climate
PolitiFact
False: There is “zero impact” from Alligator Alcatraz on the Florida Everglades.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis offered no evidence to support his claim that Alligator Alcatraz has "zero impact," prompting a lawsuit from environmental groups for bypassing an environmental assessment. Experts warn the project could harm the Everglades through increased pollution, habitat loss for endangered species like the Florida panther, and waste spills. This echoes past concerns that halted a jetport plan in the same area.
#Conflicts
Newschecker
False: A 45-second video claiming to show Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu saying his country and India will act against Iran and its “ally” Pakistan after the former threatened to annihilate Israel.
It was observed that Netanyahu’s lip movements appeared out of sync and unnatural, suggesting possible AI manipulation. Additionally, no credible reports or videos support claims that he pledged Israel and India would confront Iran and Pakistan.
#Nordics
Faktisk
Falsk: Iran og Israel har bevis på en rekke militære seire mot hverandre.
Under konflikten mellom Iran og Israel i juni 2025 hevdet begge sider seier og spredte videoer som angivelig viste militære suksesser, men Faktisk.no fant at mange av klippene i virkeligheten var fra dataspill som «War Thunder» og «Arma 3». Disse spillbaserte videoene, som ofte er av lav kvalitet og misvisende nok deles som ekte, understreker den intense informasjonskampen, og utviklerne oppfordrer medier og myndigheter til å verifisere kildene nøye før de godtar slike opptak som autentiske.
#WTF?! What The Fact of the week
Snopes
True: Scientists can make music from spider webs.
In April 2021, MIT scientists translated the structure of a spider web into music by scanning the web and assigning sound frequencies to its strands, creating unique compositions inspired by the spider’s vibration-based perception. This approach offers new possibilities for cross-species communication and novel musical creativity beyond typical human experience.
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