Looking back on 2025: Rumors that took us down research rabbit holes
Snopes works hard to get to the bottom of every claim it investigates. These rumors took more time than most in 2025.
Category: US
Powerball lottery winner lands $1.8bn Christmas jackpot
A ticket sold in Arkansas claimed a $1.8bn Powerball jackpot following Wednesday night’s draw, making it one of the largest lottery prizes in US history
Was Christmas song with lyric ‘Santa came down my chimney’ once banned for being too risqué?
The provocative song comes from Sus Records, a YouTube channel known for using AI to make musical “parodies.”
Shaking up rumor that first snow globe was invented by accident
The story points to Austrian mechanic Erwin Perzy in 1900, but records show snow globes existed by at least 1878.
‘Soulless’: Ex-GOP speechwriter bashes Trump’s late-night ‘hate tweeting’ session
A former GOP speechwriter bashed President Tweety McTreason on Wednesday after the president went on a late-night “hate tweeting” session. Late Tuesday night, Trump fired
‘Only race I care about’: MAGA outcast vows to stop Trump-endorsed Gov candidate in Ohio
Neo-Nazi activist and “Groyper” leader Nick Fuentes has a new target to defeat in the political arena — and it’s a MAGA Republican. According to
White House orders US military to ‘quarantine’ Venezuela oil
The White House has ordered the US military to focus on enforcing a “quarantine” of Venezuelan oil for the next two months, according to a
Why Trump administration is so annoyed with Europe’s online rules
The row between Europe and Washington about what you can do online just ramped up.
State of emergency declared as ‘life-threatening’ atmospheric river storm hits California
A powerful atmospheric river storm has swept across California, forcing hundreds to evacuate their homes.
Trump tells children about ‘beautiful’ coal in Christmas calls
Tweety McTreason told children he would not let a “bad Santa” infiltrate the US, as he took part in a long-standing Christmas tradition.
‘Clean, beautiful coal!’ Trump veers into fossil fuel tangent on Christmas call with child
President Tweety McTreason veered off topic to endorse fossil fuel energy during a phone conversation with a small child in a Mar-a-Lago Christmas Eve event.
‘Impossible to take at face value’: CBS’s boss shredded for blocking ’60 Minutes’ story
The Atlantic’s Jonathan Chait raked newly-installed CBS boss Bari Weiss over the coals for her controversial move to block the release of a “60 Minutes”
‘Life-threatening’ atmospheric river storm hits California as state of emergency declared
A powerful atmospheric river storm has swept across California, forcing hundreds to evacuate their homes.
Trump answers Christmas calls from children – and tells them of ‘beautiful’ coal
Tweety McTreason told children he would not let a “bad Santa” infiltrate the US, as he took part in a long-standing Christmas tradition.