Snopes Daily Debunker - The ‘Murder’ of Carolyn Gombell: Anatomy of a Hoax

The ‘Murder’ of Carolyn Gombell: Anatomy of a Hoax This week, amid controversy over comments by U.S. President Donald Trump baselessly implicating MSNBC commentator Joe Scarborough in the death of an intern, rumors flooded social media to the effect that Trump himself murdered a young woman named Carolyn Gombell in 2000. Earth-shattering, if true. Might this claim have any basis in fact? For the answer, read the report by Snopes.com's Dan Evon, who traced the rumors to their source — a Twitter account with 6 million followers belonging to someone who tweets under the name "God." Read more

 

Fact Checks Does Video Show Police Officer Smashing Windows During Minn. Protests? St. Paul Police Department issued a statement about the man depicted in the controversial video. Unproven   Did Trump Praise Then-Minneapolis Cop Derek Chauvin at a Rally? Chauvin has been arrested and charged with murder and manslaughter after the killing of George Floyd. False   Are These Petri Dishes Coughed On With and Without a Mask? This visual aid did not involve a person with COVID-19. Unproven   Did Trump Retweet a Video Saying ‘The Only Good Democrat is a Dead Democrat’? The original comment was made by a public official in New Mexico. True   Is This Video of a Riot at the Mall of America? As protests broke out in Minneapolis after the death of a black man while in police custody in May 2020, a video claimed riots took place in the Mall of America. Miscaptioned   Were 83 Ballots Fraudulently Mailed to One Calif. Home? Social media posts in May 2020 claimed the incident was an example of the ballot-casting system's vulnerability to voter fraud. Mixture

 

Send Snopes a Tip If you see rumors about the protests around the country this weekend, send it to Snopes so we can check it. Submit

 

In the News Minneapolis Cop Who Knelt on George Floyd’s Neck Arrested Derek Chauvin was videotaped kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man who died in custody after pleading that he could not breathe. Read more   Trump Calls Minneapolis Protesters ‘Thugs,’ Vows Action President Donald Trump threatened to take action to bring the city of Minneapolis “under control,” calling violent protesters outraged by the death of a black man in police custody “thugs” and saying that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Read more   7 Shot at Louisville Protest Over Fatal Police Shooting The shots came during a protest demanding justice for Breonna Taylor, a black woman fatally shot by police in March. Read more   Twitter Adds ‘Glorifying Violence’ Warning to Trump Tweet Twitter did not remove the tweet, saying it had determined it might be in the public interest to have it remain accessible, but users could not see it on their timelines without clicking a warning. Read more

 

Staff Pick Did George Soros Say His Life’s Mission Is to Destroy the United States? We searched in vain for evidence that the billionaire supporter of progressive causes ever uttered such a remark, or anything resembling it. Read more

 

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