Monday 26 October 2026 · Edition of the day

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The Skeptic's Daily

The day's biggest stories, taken apart. For each one: what is actually established, what is only asserted, the questions worth asking — and a plausibility score for the central claim, given everything currently known.

Stories
3
Average plausibility
93%
How to read the score
It rates how well the core claim is evidenced — not how important the story is, nor whether it is good or bad news.
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TopicAllPoliticsConflict & SecurityBusinessScienceHealth
01PoliticsNorth America

Appeals court questions Trump lawsuit over California voter rolls

Several newsrooms report skeptical questions from the 9th Circuit, but that does not establish a ruling or prove the administration’s claims about noncitizen voters.

A 9th Circuit panel questioned the Trump administration’s lawsuit seeking to make California set aside mail ballots from people on a federal list of roughly 20,000 suspected noncitizens. AP, Reuters and the Los Angeles Times report that judges challenged the timing, legal authority or constitutional basis of the request during Sunday arguments ahead of the midterms. ABC News reports that the hearing ended without a ruling.

What holds up

  • ✓The central account holds up across AP, Reuters, the Los Angeles Times and other newsrooms: appeals judges sharply questioned the Justice Department’s request involving California voter rolls and ballots. This is an administration lawsuit, not a personal lawsuit by Trump.
  • ✓The reported questions concerned specific issues, not just general political opposition. AP describes challenges over timing and federal authority; the Los Angeles Times also reports questions about whether the appeals court could take up the case.
  • ✓The coverage is broader than one report, but repeated wire stories do not add separate confirmation. Reuters versions carried by Herald Online, Kansas City and Forth repeat the same reporting, rather than documenting three separate investigations.

What doesn't yet

  • ?The administration’s list does not establish that 20,000 noncitizens registered or voted. ABC News reports that California says it includes lawful voters, while Votebeat reports that state officials call the list deeply flawed; the excerpts do not settle its accuracy.
  • ?Judicial skepticism is not a decision. Politico’s description of a panel appearing poised to reject the request goes further than the observed questioning; ABC News says the hearing closed without a ruling.
  • ?Al Jazeera frames the case as an effort to expand federal influence over elections. The requested intervention supports that description of its effect, but the excerpts do not establish motive, and snippets are not full-article or court-record verification.

Ask before you share

  • →Has the court issued an order since the hearing, and what does it actually require?
  • →How did the federal government identify the roughly 20,000 people, and how many entries have officials checked against current citizenship and registration records?
  • →Does the proposed ballot separation preserve eligible voters’ ballots for counting, and what process would resolve disputed eligibility?

Sources & original reporting

  1. [1]Al Jazeera · Published 26 Oct 2026 · aljazeera.com
  2. [2]Abcnews · Published 25 Oct 2026 · abcnews.com
  3. [3]Associated Press · Published 26 Oct 2026 · apnews.com
  4. [4]Latimes · Published 25 Oct 2026 · latimes.com
  5. [5]Heraldonline · Published 25 Oct 2026 · heraldonline.com
  6. [6]Votebeat · Published 26 Oct 2026 · votebeat.org
  7. [7]Kansascity · Published 25 Oct 2026 · kansascity.com
  8. [8]Forth · Published 25 Oct 2026 · forth.news
  9. [9]Politico · Published 25 Oct 2026 · politico.com
02PoliticsNorth America

Conservatives take power in British Columbia, BBC reports

Several newsrooms report a historic Conservative victory, but the excerpts describe Lorne Doerkson as the incoming premier rather than establish that he has taken office.

BBC reports that British Columbia’s Conservatives have taken power for the first time since 1928 after David Eby’s early election gamble backfired. CBC, CTV, The Canadian Press and The Globe and Mail also report a Conservative majority, with Lorne Doerkson set to become premier. CBC says Eby resigned as both premier and NDP leader in his concession speech; The Canadian Press and The Globe explicitly report his resignation as party leader.

What holds up

  • ✓The majority victory has strong support across several newsrooms. CBC and CTV make their own election projections, while The Globe reports 64 Conservative seats with 95 percent of polls reporting.
  • ✓BBC and CBC both place the party’s previous victory or government formation in 1928. CBC and The Canadian Press identify Doerkson as the incoming premier, supporting the reported change in governing party.
  • ✓CBC, The Canadian Press and The Globe agree that Eby called the election two years early and subsequently resigned as NDP leader. These are excerpts, however, not full-article verification or direct checks of election records.

What doesn't yet

  • ?“Taken power” blurs winning an election with formally taking office. The Canadian Press calls Doerkson the future premier, and CTV calls him premier-designate; no supplied excerpt establishes a swearing-in.
  • ?CBC explicitly reports Eby’s resignation as premier as well as party leader. The Canadian Press and The Globe mention only the party leadership resignation, leaving the precise timing of his departure from office unclear rather than directly contradicting CBC.
  • ?Repeated coverage does not always mean separate reporting: the two CBC excerpts cover the same newsroom’s projection, and the two Canadian Press reports come from one agency. Describing Eby’s gamble as having “backfired” fits the outcome, but does not by itself explain why voters rejected his party.

Ask before you share

  • →Have final election results confirmed the projected seat totals?
  • →Has Doerkson been sworn in, and when does Eby’s departure as premier take effect?
  • →Does the historical comparison refer to winning an election, forming a government or formally assuming office?

Sources & original reporting

  1. [1]BBC News · Published 25 Oct 2026 · bbc.co.uk
  2. [2]Cbc · Published 25 Oct 2026 · cbc.ca
  3. [3]Cbc · Published 25 Oct 2026 · cbc.ca
  4. [4]Thecanadianpressnews · Published 25 Oct 2026 · thecanadianpressnews.ca
  5. [5]Thecanadianpressnews · Published 25 Oct 2026 · thecanadianpressnews.ca
  6. [6]Ctvnews · Published 25 Oct 2026 · ctvnews.ca
  7. [7]Theglobeandmail · Published 25 Oct 2026 · theglobeandmail.com
03PoliticsNorth America

Obama criticizes Trump while campaigning for Democrats

National and local reporting supports the campaign appearances and remarks, but does not establish Obama’s claims about what caused higher costs.

Barack Obama criticized Donald Trump while campaigning for Democratic candidates in Cleveland and Detroit on Saturday ahead of the midterm elections. AFP and France 24 report that he blamed administration decisions for higher living costs, including a war he called unnecessary. The BBC, Reuters and Bridge Michigan report that he urged voters to use the election to rein in the administration.

What holds up

  • ✓Reuters, AP and local outlet Signal Cleveland report that Obama campaigned for Democrats and attacked Trump’s record. Their accounts agree on the central event, with Signal Cleveland providing details about the Ohio rally.
  • ✓AFP and France 24 quote Obama criticizing an “unnecessary war.” Reuters and Bridge Michigan also support the reported appeal to use the election as a check on Trump, with Bridge Michigan carrying the BBC’s longer “last best chance” wording.

What doesn't yet

  • ?The excerpts establish that Obama blamed Trump’s decisions for higher costs—not that his economic explanation is correct. They provide no economic evidence testing that claim, and calling the war “unnecessary” is Obama’s judgment.
  • ?France 24 and AFP use closely matching quotations; the excerpts do not establish whether those accounts came from separate reporting, so they should not count as two separate checks. These are snippets and excerpts, not full articles or a complete speech transcript.

Ask before you share

  • →Does the full speech or recording confirm the quotations and the context of Obama’s claims about costs and war?
  • →What economic evidence supports or challenges his explanation of higher living costs, beyond the campaign remarks themselves?

Sources & original reporting

  1. [1]BBC News · Published 25 Oct 2026 · bbc.co.uk
  2. [2]Afp · Published 24 Oct 2026 · afp.com
  3. [3]France 24 · Published 25 Oct 2026 · france24.com
  4. [4]Signalcleveland · Published 25 Oct 2026 · signalcleveland.org
  5. [5]Associated Press · Published 24 Oct 2026 · apnews.com
  6. [6]Reuters · Published 25 Oct 2026 · reuters.com
  7. [7]Bridgemi · Published 25 Oct 2026 · bridgemi.com