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Viral Claims, Checked

Albert monitors what's spreading, checks it against the world's most reliable sources, and publishes a sourced verdict — evenly across the political spectrum, never on tragedies.

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✓ Verified FactFabricated QuoteSpreading fast

Rep. Ilhan Omar misread Roman numeral 'II' as 'eleven' during 2025 press conference

The claim: "Rep. Ilhan Omar referred to World War II as 'World War 11' during a speech about the Alien Enemies Act."

The claim that Representative Ilhan Omar referred to World War II as 'World War Eleven' is a verified fact, though it is important to understand the context of the error. The incident occurred during a January 22, 2025, press conference where Omar was speaking about the Neighbors Not Enemies Act. While reading from prepared remarks regarding the historical use of the Alien Enemies Act, she encountered the Roman numeral 'II' and audibly misread it as the number 'eleven.' This is a common type of verbal slip, often referred to as a 'flub' or a misreading of notes, rather than a misunderstanding of historical facts. While the clip has been widely circulated and used by critics to mock her, the consensus among reporting is that it was a simple, albeit public, reading error. There is no evidence to suggest she believes there have been eleven world wars; rather, it was a momentary lapse in speech while navigating technical legislative language.

4 Sources

Newsweek Snopes Fox News New York Post
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✗ MisinformationPolitical MisinformationSpreading fast

Claims that Senator Risa Hontiveros made secret 2025 budget insertions are false.

The claim: "Sen. Risa Hontiveros had secret 'bicam insertions' for 2025 flood control and infrastructure projects."

The viral claim that Senator Risa Hontiveros secured secret 'bicam insertions' for 2025 flood control and infrastructure projects is false. This narrative originated from social media posts and commentary, most notably by radio host Anthony Taberna, which alleged she inserted billions into the 2025 General Appropriations Act. However, official legislative records and public statements confirm that Senator Hontiveros did not participate in these alleged insertions. In fact, she explicitly voted against the ratification of the Bicameral Conference Committee Report on the 2025 national budget on December 11, 2024. Her opposition to the final version of the budget is a matter of public record, documented in the Senate journal. The accusations against her have been debunked by multiple fact-checking reports, which noted that the claims relied on unidentified documents and ignored her documented 'no' vote. The controversy surrounding 'bicam insertions' is a broader issue regarding transparency in the Philippine legislative process, but attributing such actions to Senator Hontiveros is a distortion of her actual legislative conduct. She has consistently denied these allegations, labeling them as 'fake news' intended to discredit her work.

3 Sources

Hontiveros denies bicam insertions, reiterates 'No' vote on 2025 budget | ABS-CBN News [DECODED] How a budget ‘exposé’ bites back against radio commentator | Rappler Fact check: Viral claims about Risa Hontiveros' 2025 GAA insertions are misleading | Philstar.com
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