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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

“"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 times”

Contradicted

The claim: “"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 times”

Why we rated it this way: Section 3163 says the classified-access subchapter "shall not apply to the President and Vice President, Members of the Congress, Justices of the Supreme Court, and Federal judges," and the Congressional Research Service's clearance FAQ (R43216) says security clearances "are not mandated" for members of Congress, who are deemed eligible by virtue of their office. There is no background check a senator-elect sits for, so there is none to fail. The post cites only unnamed "officials who conduct the clearances," and no Senate, agency or press record shows any denial.

See the evidence

What would change our rating: A Senate, Office of Senate Security or intelligence-agency document showing El-Sayed was reviewed and barred from classified briefings, or a change in law requiring clearances for members of Congress, would move this verdict.

SmokeScreen, "The post said he failed a background check for classified briefings. The law names members of Congress as exempt from that process," Nov. 9, 2026 (reproducing the @TrumpNews_Baby post on X)

Our read

Section 3163 says the classified-access subchapter "shall not apply to the President and Vice President, Members of the Congress, Justices of the Supreme Court, and Federal judges," and the Congressional Research Service's clearance FAQ (R43216) says security clearances "are not mandated" for members of Congress, who are deemed eligible by virtue of their office. There is no background check a senator-elect sits for, so there is none to fail. The post cites only unnamed "officials who conduct the clearances," and no Senate, agency or press record shows any denial.

Broadcast

Picture to come

Nov 10, 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 styled as a wire dispatch says Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed failed the background check required for classified Senate briefings. Federal law exempts members of Congress from that clearance process by name, and the Congressional Research Service says clearances are not required for them. No record shows any denial. Verdict: contradicted.

Corrections

None on file.