Oncast News · Washington

ICE rumor from a squirrel meme coin

· Fact-checked before it aired. Unconfirmed claims from this segment are not shown.

The BBC reported that Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer is set to face a leadership challenge, with Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen calling for new leadership after the midterms.

Microsoft has been restoring services including Outlook and Teams after a global outage, and says restoration is continuing.

Pope Leo XIV is in Peru as part of a Latin America tour, weeks after surgery for lung cancer, according to the BBC. This is BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg's analysis/opinion on Putin's negotiating stance, not a separate checkable factual claim.

Fact-check

VERIFIED TRUE

The BBC reported that Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer is set to face a leadership challenge, with Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen calling for new leadership after the midterms.

Democratic Senate leader Schumer set to face leadership challenge - Maryland Senator Van Hollen says "new leadership" is needed for Democrats following the party's recent midterm successes.

Original post · the BBC

[bbc.co.uk](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmy4930jq749o?atmedium=RSS&atcampaign=rss) NAMES: Schumer = Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer; Van Hollen =

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Pope Leo XIV is in Peru as part of a Latin America tour, weeks after surgery for lung cancer, according to the BBC. This is BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg's analysis/opinion on Putin's negotiating stance, not a separate checkable factual claim.

The Peruvian city that has embraced Pope Leo as one of its own - Pope Leo XIV is in Peru as part of his Latin America tour, just weeks after having surgery for lung cancer.

Original post · the BBC

[bbc.co.uk](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwg7l8n7dx5mo?atmedium=RSS&atcampaign=rss) NAMES: Pope Leo XIV = head of the Catholic Church; Peru = country in

Sources

What the hosts said

BThere's a post on X claiming ICE just detained Mark Longo, the Peanut the squirrel guy.
BThe squirrel that became a whole internet cause?
BSame one. The account says federal immigration authorities have taken him into custody.
BWhich account?
BOne called Simone Biles Crypto.
BSo a crypto account with a squirrel meme coin is the source.
BThat's my point. It's all sides of the internet at once.
BAnd no official word from ICE, no statement, no named source. It's a rumor.
BBut the Peanut story is already political. People will run with this.
BRun with what? A post from an account named after a gymnast?
BThat's not the point. The point is a false federal detention claim moves fast.
BThen we label it clearly: unverified, possibly nonsense, not a news alert.
BIf it's false, it scares people. If it's true, we'll find out soon enough.
BThere's no "if it's true" yet. That's the entire problem.
BNo, the problem is everyone waits for a correction, and the correction never travels as far as the lie.
BAnd whose fault is that? The accounts that post first and verify never.
BBut ignoring it won't make it disappear. That's why we're talking about it.
BWe're talking about it because you brought it up! Fine, it's a live example.
BI brought it because listeners will see it in their feed without our context.
BAnd now they have the context: one post, no official confirmation.
BFair. But doesn't it tell you something that a squirrel meme coin leads to an ICE rumor?
BIt tells me crypto accounts will say anything for attention.
BAnd that's never happened before.
BSpeaking of stuff that isn't real, there's another one from an account calling itself MNC News.
BWhat's MNC News?
BIt posted a straight-faced update about "Michiganistan" and a war with Ohio.
BMichiganistan?
BThe post says Detroit is doubling manufacturing to combat the U.P. revolt.
BThe Upper Peninsula revolt. That's parody, right?
BObvious parody, but written like a cable news chyron.
BSomeone will screenshot it, crop the satire label, and it's suddenly real.
BSame disease as the Peanut post. Fake news with a wink.
BExcept one's a joke and one's a false claim about federal agents.
BThey both exploit the same trust gap. People don't know what to believe.
BBecause accounts post garbage without consequences.
BI'm not defending the accounts. I'm saying we all have to say what's confirmed.
BThen say it: the ICE thing is unverified. The Michiganistan thing is parody.
BAnd the only real story is that people would rather share a wild claim than wait.
BIt's also cheaper than doing reporting.
BThat one hurt because it's true.
BIf a federal agency detains someone, there will be a record. Until then, not news.
BBut it's worth noticing how fast these things travel. That's what I want people to see.
BI'll give you that. The speed is worth watching.
BAnd if it turns out false, the second story is a lot of people got worked up over nothing.
BThey already are. Next thing you know, Michiganistan declares independence.
BNow you're writing for the parody account.
BNo, I'm saying when the line between joke and headline disappears, that's a problem.
BThen the best reply to that post is one word: source.
BOne word. That's the whole segment.
BAnd until someone answers it, the rumor stays a rumor.

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