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Wednesday, November 11, 2026

Popular Alien

Stories, checked. Grounded in the record.

Latest verdicts

Contradicted"Power in America will be down for 90 days. The only Americans who will have electricity during that time will be those who hold the United States Asset Reserve." — words put in Trump's mouth in an AI-altered video posted Nov. 6, 2026, by the Facebook and Instagram account Shythechosen under the caption "TRUMP CONFIRMS NO POWER FOR 90 DAYS"Matches record"Three suspected Iran-backed terrorists plotted an attack on a British air base housing American troops using vans carrying barrels of fuel, according to a federal indictment unsealed Tuesday by the Justice Department (DOJ)." — Fox News, Brittany Miller, Nov. 10, 2026Matches record"In a review released by the National Park Service in August, the administration acknowledged that the arch would have 'adverse' effects on as many as 42 historic sites." — CNN, Aleena Fayaz, "Kennedy family sues to block Trump's arch," Nov. 10, 2026Contradicted"So it can't be a Learjet. A Learjet would take up half the bloody road. That's not taking up half the road. It is a drone or a missile." — unnamed Facebook user in a Nov. 2, 2026 video, as quoted by AAP FactCheck; the post had been viewed more than 920,000 timesMatches record"In Trump v. United States, the case in question, the court ruled that former presidents have absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within their core constitutional powers and at least presumptive immunity for other official acts. The justices ruled that former presidents have no immunity from prosecution for unofficial conduct." — Robert Schmad, Fox News, Nov. 10, 2026, reporting Justice Sonia Sotomayor's wish to see the ruling overturnedMissing context"He failed to win the speakership when he topped out at 200 votes – shy of the 218 required – and the conference removed him as its nominee, eventually landing on now-Speaker Mike Johnson." — Aaron Blake, CNN analysis, "Jim Jordan's long, fraught path to lead the House GOP," live updates, Nov. 10, 2026Contradicted"Abdul El Sayed has failed the background check required for classified Senate briefings. The denial blocks him from any session that involves sensitive national security information." — X account @TrumpNews_Baby (posting as "Jonathan Gregory"), Nov. 8, 2026, in a wire-style post viewed about 2.7 million timesMatches record"Following investigations, France is now in a position to attribute these destructive actions to Iran: they were carried out by SHAHID KAVEH, an offensive cyber unit affiliated with the Electronic Warfare and Cyber Defense Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," the ministry continued. — Greg Norman-Diamond, Fox News Digital live updates, Nov. 10, 2026, reporting that France's foreign ministry said Oct. 11-12 attacks hit the refrigeration controls of more than 700 retail sites

“Trump says he won Iowa three times with record vote totals; Iowa's canvass backs that for 2024, not 2016”

B-

The claim: “Trump says he won Iowa three times with record vote totals; Iowa's canvass backs that for 2024, not 2016”

Why we rated it this way: The wins are real, and his 2024 total of 927,019 is the most any presidential candidate has received in Iowa. His 2020 total of 897,672 also beat the old mark. But in 2016 he received 800,983 votes, fewer than Obama's 828,940 in 2008, so the record holds for his latest runs, not all three.

See the evidence

Roll Call Factba.se transcript

100%

Valid

0%

Cogent

50%

Supported

100%

Fallacy-free

Our read

The three wins and the 2024 record check out, but the record does not hold for all three runs: in 2016 he drew fewer votes than Obama did in 2008. Graded B- overall across 1 argument. President Trump's 'won all three times with more votes than any candidate' line: B-. Scorecard: 100% valid, 0% cogent, 50% supported, 100% fallacy-free.

Sources

Script

Narration script. If a face or a voice delivers this, the anchor is synthetic.

Good evening, I'm Professor Reid, and this is ReFrame. Tonight... Roll Call Factba.se transcript reports: Trump says he won Iowa three times with record vote totals; Iowa's canvass backs that for 2024, not 2016. Let's grade the headline. Don't just read the news. ReFrame it.

Corrections

None on file.