35+ min ago (219+ words) Multiple Facebook users posted the image (archived, archived), which contained overlaid text reading, "Fun fact: This famous picture of first lady Melania Trump was taken on Jeffrey Epstein's plane." (Facebook user Adrienne Davie) The meme appeared elsewhere on Facebook (archived) and on Bluesky (archived), Instagram (archived), TikTok (archived) and X (archived). Snopes received inquiries about this rumor via email and a reader's post in our Snopes Tips Facebook group, which asked, "Is this Melania? Was she on Epstein's plane?" We contacted a spokesperson for the first lady and also Verglas to ask about this matter. We will update this article if we receive more information. Sixteen years ago we profiled Donald Trump's then-girlfriend Melania Knauss. Now his wife, Melania featured in our naked profile shoot on his customised Boeing 727 wearing handcuffs, wielding diamonds and holding a chrome pistol (it was…...

1+ day, 13+ hour ago (464+ words) In late October 2025, a video circulated online purportedly showing various clips of the late rapper Tupac Shakur appearing as a guest in an unaired episode of the educational children's television show "Sesame Street." A network of social media profiles called Tuna Edits posted the compilation on TikTok (archived), YouTube (archived), Facebook and Instagram. All the posts were captioned: "Unaired episode." Snopes readers also emailed us asking if the footage was real. In short, there was no evidence Shakur ever appeared on an aired or unaired episode of "Sesame Street." Many aspects of the video showed that it was generated using artificial intelligence (AI) software. As such, we have rated the footage as fake. Snopes contacted Tuna Edits to ask about the compilation. We will update this story if we receive a response. The video of the rapper's alleged unaired appearance…...

4+ day, 1+ hour ago (337+ words) More than two months after the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, his widow and Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk faced criticism for a hug she shared with U.S. Vice President JD Vance at a Turning Point event. Posts online claimed said she would get "less hate" if she had touched Vance's backside. In her interview with Megyn Kelly, Erika Kirk finally addressed the viral "hug clip" and she didn't hold back. Megyn says critics went "to the weirdest places" over a hug: "I feel like I wouldn't get as much hate if I DID that." She says she's an "intense hugger," always touches the back of people's heads when she says "God bless you," and anyone who's mad about it "needs a hug more than anyone else." So did she give JD an innocent hug or something that…...

4+ day, 3+ hour ago (205+ words) In late 2025, a rumor spread online that the Clinton Foundation " founded by former President Bill Clinton " lost its status as a tax-exempt charity after a U.S. Department of Defense audit found more than $100 million in military contracts awarded to franchisees of the foundation. America's Last Line of Defense is a satirical Facebook page. "Nothing on this page is real," the page's "Intro" section read. Furthermore, there was no evidence that the Clinton Foundation lost its tax-exempt status due to a Pentagon audit. As such, we have rated this claim as labeled as satire. America's Last Line of Defense and its associated Facebook pages and websites have a history of making up stories for shares and comments, as evidenced by Snopes' archives and by their own admission. Snopes has previously debunked various satirical rumors by America's Last Line of Defense targeting the…...

5+ day, 8+ hour ago (207+ words) Users shared this claim on Bluesky (archived), Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived), Threads, TikTok (archived) and X (archived), including an image meme reading, "Fun fact: This famous picture of first lady Melania Trump was taken on Jeffrey Epstein's plane."" Snopes received inquiries about this rumor via email and a reader's post in our Snopes Tips Facebook group, which asked, "Is this Melania? Was she on Epstein's plane?" We contacted a spokesperson for the first lady and also Verglas to ask about this matter. We will update this article if we receive more information. Sixteen years ago we profiled Donald Trump's then-girlfriend Melania Knauss. Now his wife, Melania featured in our naked profile shoot on his customised Boeing 727 wearing handcuffs, wielding diamonds and holding a chrome pistol (it was the lads mag era after all). It makes for some interesting reading today,…...

5+ day, 20+ hour ago (258+ words) A rumor that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was rushed to Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C., after poking his eye with a mascara brush circulated online in late 2025. For example, a Facebook page titled Gavin Newsom 2028 shared the story on Oct. 29, 2025 (archived):" (Gavin Newsom 2028 Facebook page) Snopes readers wrote in asking whether the claim was true. Some commenters on social media posts sharing the claim seemed to interpret the rumor as a factual recounting of real-life events. However, there was no evidence that Hegseth had sought medical treatment after poking his eye with a mascara brush." Rather, the rumor was a satirical news article written by the comedian Andy Borowitz. His Facebook page and Substack blog, The Borowitz Report, is dedicated to posting fictional, satirical news stories. The Borowitz Report's about page begins:" I've been writing satirical news since I…...

1+ week, 13+ hour ago (176+ words) The video and its accompanying story were fake. Snopes identified signs in the footage, narration and script that were hallmarks of content generated with artificial intelligence tools. AI tools often struggle to accurately display perspective, as seen at one point in the purported security footage when one of the man's ears disappears into his head. In addition, the hallway rug bleeds into the slightly opened door throughout the course of the footage. Additionally, the script language contained words AI tools often use when asked to write narratives. The police chief in the story "replied calmly" to the woman's accusation. Journalists are taught to almost exclusively use the word "said" when quoting someone and tend to avoid adverbs in order to maintain impartiality. Although one version of the video appeared to be from a news broadcast, no reputable outlet had published…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago (277+ words) On Nov. 19, 2025, Melania Trump and Usha Vance " the first and second ladies of the United States " began their first trip together with a visit to North Carolina's Camp Lejeune, the largest Marine Corps base on the East Coast. Images of the two deboarding the plane circulated widely online, with many users claiming Vance was not wearing her wedding ring. The claim followed unfounded rumors in October 2025 that Vice President JD Vance and Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk, the widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, were having an affair. The images of Trump and Usha Vance spread on several platforms, including Reddit (archived) and X (archived). "Interesting. Usha Vance minus a wedding ring yesterday at Camp Lejeune," Democratic strategist Adam Parkhomenko wrote on X. We were unable to reach the second lady's team for comment, but a spokesperson for her reportedly…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago (770+ words) A rumor that circulated online in November 2025 claimed a video authentically showed a sanitation worker named Samuel saving a crying newborn baby from being crushed in his garbage truck's compactor. One Snopes reader emailed, "I saw this story on [Facebook] reels about a sanitation worker who supposedly found a baby in the trash truck. The reel seemed like clickbait, and I couldn't find independent verification of the story. Can you check it out?" In the reader's message, they linked to a 10-second video (archived) receiving around 29 million views. The Dailystories Facebook page hosted the clip. The post's text began as follows: He was just about to pull the lever on the compactor. Then he heard a cry that didn't belong" Samuel has worked sanitation for twenty-five years. He's a veteran of the 5 AM shift, a man who thought he'd seen…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago (752+ words) (Facebook user "Give A Shift About Nature") As we previously'reported, the monument had ties to the KKK, was the site of an illegal war, as well as the violent suppression of the Native American Lakota (also known as Sioux) people. We looked at the history of the region before Mount Rushmore was built, followed by an investigation into its creation and alleged KKK funding. American Indian Studies Associate Professor David Martinez of Arizona State University told Snopes that the mountain on which Mount Rushmore was carved is "indisputably sacred to the Lakota and a number of other indigenous nations."' Before the faces of American presidents George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Theodore Roosevelt were carved into the mountain, it was called'Six Grandfathers by Native Americans. Mount Rushmore is part of the Black Hills mountain range in South Dakota. Sculptor…...