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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

“"One formula fits all of it: Republican 2026 = 0.85 × Trump 2024 ... What makes it strange: It didn't matter how red the state was. Wyoming, Ohio, Illinois, Massachusetts: same 15% ... Two sets of races, different candidates, different campaigns, and the same 15% decrease almost everywhere. A pattern this even demands answers at the ballot level" — viral X post by the account "Truth is Freedom" (@TruthAnswersAll), Nov. 6, 2026 (documented by Lead Stories, Nov. 8, 2026)”

Contradicted

The claim: “"One formula fits all of it: Republican 2026 = 0.85 × Trump 2024 ... What makes it strange: It didn't matter how red the state was. Wyoming, Ohio, Illinois, Massachusetts: same 15% ... Two sets of races, different candidates, different campaigns, and the same 15% decrease almost everywhere. A pattern this even demands answers at the ballot level" — viral X post by the account "Truth is Freedom" (@TruthAnswersAll), Nov. 6, 2026 (documented by Lead Stories, Nov. 8, 2026)”

Why we rated it this way: The Federal Election Commission's official 2024 presidential results put Donald Trump at 45.5 percent in Maine (377,977 of 831,375 votes), 71.6 percent in Wyoming (192,633 of 269,048), and 56.1 percent in Texas (6,393,597 of 11,388,674). Multiplying those shares by 0.85 would predict Republican Senate totals of about 38.6 percent in Maine, 60.9 percent in Wyoming, and 47.7 percent in Texas. Instead, unofficial official-count compilations show Sen. Susan Collins at about 47.0 percent in Maine (332,803 of 708,873) — higher than Trump's 2024 share, not 15 points lower — Harriet Hageman at 64.9 percent in Wyoming (122,157 of 188,293, matching the Wyoming secretary of state's unofficial statewide summary), and Ken Paxton at 43.0 percent in Texas (4,249,373 of 9,889,704). Those gaps, in both directions, contradict the claim that one 15 percent formula fit "all of it" or produced the "same 15% decrease almost everywhere."

See the evidence

What would change our rating: Certified 2026 Senate canvasses showing Republican vote shares equal to 85 percent of Trump's official 2024 share in those states, including a Maine Republican share near 38.6 percent rather than above Trump's 2024 total, would move this verdict.

Lead Stories, Maarten Schenk, “Fact Check: NO Uniform '15% Band' Formula Mapping Trump's 2024 Result Exactly Onto 2026 Senate Race -- Results Show Variations,” Nov. 8, 2026

Our read

The Federal Election Commission's official 2024 presidential results put Donald Trump at 45.5 percent in Maine (377,977 of 831,375 votes), 71.6 percent in Wyoming (192,633 of 269,048), and 56.1 percent in Texas (6,393,597 of 11,388,674). Multiplying those shares by 0.85 would predict Republican Senate totals of about 38.6 percent in Maine, 60.9 percent in Wyoming, and 47.7 percent in Texas. Instead, unofficial official-count compilations show Sen. Susan Collins at about 47.0 percent in Maine (332,803 of 708,873) — higher than Trump's 2024 share, not 15 points lower — Harriet Hageman at 64.9 percent in Wyoming (122,157 of 188,293, matching the Wyoming secretary of state's unofficial statewide summary), and Ken Paxton at 43.0 percent in Texas (4,249,373 of 9,889,704). Those gaps, in both directions, contradict the claim that one 15 percent formula fit "all of it" or produced the "same 15% decrease almost everywhere."

Broadcast

Picture to come

Nov 8, 2026, 11:30 AM CST

Sources

Script

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

Midday Check. A viral post claimed one formula mapped Trump's 2024 share onto every 2026 Senate race as a uniform 15 percent Republican drop. Official 2024 totals and the latest 2026 counts show large variation: in Maine the Republican share was higher than Trump's, not 15 points lower. Verdict: contradicted.

Corrections

None on file.