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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

“"Within the next two years, NASA will launch the first-ever nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars," Trump said. — Fox News, Michael Sinkewicz, Nov. 6, 2026”

Missing context

The claim: “"Within the next two years, NASA will launch the first-ever nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars," Trump said. — Fox News, Michael Sinkewicz, Nov. 6, 2026”

Why we rated it this way: Fox accurately quotes remarks Trump delivered November 6 at Kennedy Space Center, and NASA's Space Reactor-1 Freedom page matches the two-year timeline: a fission-powered spacecraft demonstrating nuclear electric propulsion, targeting launch in late 2028 and a Mars flyby to deliver the SkyFall helicopters. NASA's own wording is more precise than "first-ever nuclear-powered." The agency calls SR-1 "humanity's first fission-powered interplanetary spacecraft." NASA's fact sheet on the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator describes that system as a "space nuclear power system" and says an MMRTG powered Curiosity after its November 2011 launch and also powers Perseverance. Those earlier Mars missions used nuclear radioisotope power, not a fission reactor.

See the evidence

What would change our rating: NASA documentation that no prior spacecraft sent to Mars used any form of nuclear power, or Fox specifying “first fission-powered” to match NASA’s wording, would move this verdict.

Fox News, Michael Sinkewicz, “Trump highlights NASA nuclear-powered Mars spacecraft mission planned for 2028,” Nov. 6, 2026

Our read

Fox accurately quotes remarks Trump delivered November 6 at Kennedy Space Center, and NASA's Space Reactor-1 Freedom page matches the two-year timeline: a fission-powered spacecraft demonstrating nuclear electric propulsion, targeting launch in late 2028 and a Mars flyby to deliver the SkyFall helicopters. NASA's own wording is more precise than "first-ever nuclear-powered." The agency calls SR-1 "humanity's first fission-powered interplanetary spacecraft." NASA's fact sheet on the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator describes that system as a "space nuclear power system" and says an MMRTG powered Curiosity after its November 2011 launch and also powers Perseverance. Those earlier Mars missions used nuclear radioisotope power, not a fission reactor.

Broadcast

Picture to come

Nov 8, 2026, 6:30 AM CST

Sources

Script

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

Morning Check. Fox News says Trump told a Kennedy Space Center audience that NASA will launch the first-ever nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars within two years. NASA does plan to launch Space Reactor-1 Freedom, a fission-powered Mars mission, in late 2028, but Curiosity and Perseverance already used nuclear radioisotope power. Verdict: missing context.

Corrections

None on file.