Author: rb809rb

In early October 2026, a rumor spread that a worker at a Russian lab that studies Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes the plague, had died of the pneumonic plague.

Some social media users said the lab worker’s death resulted from an accident at the lab. One X post reads, in part, “A lab worker in Russia has died from pneumonic plague.”

Meanwhile, several Snopes readers emailed us asking for details about the story. 

The claim stems from various news reports about a 28-year-old woman who worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia. Around 200 people have reportedly been isolated as a precautionary measure. The articles cited Rospotrebnadzor, the Russian public agency responsible for “federal state sanitary and epidemiological supervision,” according to the Russian government.

In short, it has not been possible to independently verify the rumor without access to primary sources or confirmation from Russian authorities. Therefore, this claim is unrated. We will update this article if we learn more.

Russian authorities reportedly implement containment measures

Snopes could not reach the website of Rospotrebnadzor, therefore we could not confirm the details of the lab worker’s death. On Oct. 4, Russian news agency Interfax reported that the Russian government said she had died of a pneumonia pathogen of “unknown etiology,” meaning its origin is not clear. 

The same report adds that Rospotrebnadzor said no microorganisms associated with the individual’s professional work were detected in that person’s samples following “extensive testing.” If true, it would suggest the lab worker did not die of pneumonic plague.

Local authorities have reportedly implemented preventative measures. Interfax cites the Rospotrebnadzor health agency as saying:

Due to the patient’s professional activities, upon receiving information, a comprehensive set of anti-epidemic measures was immediately and fully implemented in accordance with sanitary legislation. This included identifying the widest possible circle of people who had been in contact with the patient, inpatient medical observation, and daily laboratory testing. The results revealed two cases of Covid-19 and two cases of rhinovirus infection. No other infectious agents were detected.

View from U.S. Department of State

“We are aware of reports of a fatal case of suspected pneumonic plague in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia,” a U.S. Department of State spokesperson said via email. “We are monitoring the situation closely with the CDC and our other interagency partners.”

We contacted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety of the European Union Commission requesting updates on the situation. We will update this report if we receive responses.

There are three main types of plague: bubonic plague, which infects lymph nodes; septicemic plague, which infects the blood; and pneumonic plague, which infects the lungs. The bubonic and septicemic plagues are most commonly transmitted via flea bites and handling infected animals, while the pneumonic plague spreads through the air via infected droplets.

The pneumonic plague “has a nearly 100% case-fatality rate when untreated,” according to the CDC. The illness requires antibiotic treatment that should start as soon as the plague is suspected, even before test results, per the U.S. health agency.

“Plague is a known disease and is treatable with common antibiotics, especially when treatment starts early,” the State Department spokesperson said via email. “Cases occur naturally in many parts of the world.”

For further reading, Snopes covered the 2021 death of a child in Colorado who had a confirmed plague infection.
 

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Claim:

A screenshot authentically shows a September 2026 Truth Social post in which U.S. President Donald Trump wrote, in part, “I have spoken to God and he has given me a vision of an ocean filled with blood a city of dust a golden throne for me to sit on, eternally!!!, Tonight is Armageddon, the final judgement of good and evil!!!!”

Rating:

A purported screenshot circulated online in fall 2026 of a purported Truth Social post, dated Sept. 22, in which U.S. President Donald Trump wrote that he had “spoken to God” and that “tonight is Armageddon.”.

The image spread on multiple platforms, including Instagram, Threads and Facebook. Many commenters appeared to believe Trump actually posted the remarks. The full text of the alleged post read as follows:

I have spoken to God and he has given me a vision of an ocean filled with blood a city of dust a golden throne for me to sit on, eternally!!!, Tonight is Armageddon, the final judgement of good and evil!!!! Lock your doors and do not directly at the flash!!!! God bless us all!!! 

President Donald J. Trump

(X user @ZiemowitSzcze11.)

Despite the username matching Trump’s real Truth Social username, there’s no evidence Trump actually published the post. The earliest version of the image we found appeared on a Polish X account that captioned it (translation via X): “Well, fake, but would you be surprised?” (archived).

We searched Trump’s Truth — an online archive of Trump’s Truth Social posts — for the word “Armageddon,” and none of the three results related to the quote above. 

(Trump’s Truth)

We also looked all posts Trump actually published on Sept. 22 and found he published four that day. None of the four posts matched the timestamp or content of that in the screenshot.

The fake quote appeared to echo whistleblower reports received by the Military Religious Freedom Foundation that U.S. military commanders told troops their action in Iran was “all part of God’s divine plan,” allegedly “referring to Armageddon and the imminent return of Jesus Christ.”

Trump has echoed similarly apocalyptic language, posting in May 2026, for example, that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” — referring to U.S. attacks on Iran. He’s also faced criticism for his posting an image depicting him in the likeness of Jesus Christ.

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Claim:

U.S. President Donald Trump said he feels “badly” for seven current and former male Cornell University students whom a female former student has accused of sexual assault and rape because they “won’t get a fair shake.”

Rating:

Context

An Oct. 2 video shows Trump fielding reporters’ questions outside the White House. Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked, “What do you think about New York’s governor appointing a special prosecutor in the Cornell rape case, Letitia James?” (James, New York’s attorney general, previously led a civil fraud case against Trump.) Trump thrice called James corrupt, saying he feels “badly” for “whoever” James prosecutes and alleged that defendants she targets “won’t get a fair shake.”

A rumor circulated online in early October that U.S. President Donald Trump said he feels “badly” for the seven current or former male Cornell University students whom a female former student accused of rape. 

Trump purportedly made the remarks while answering a question about New York Attorney General Letitia James’ appointment as a special prosecutor to investigate the case.

Snopes readers asked about this claim via email, with one person inquiring, “I saw something that says Donald Trump said he feels bad for the ‘Cornell 7,’ but can’t find reputable sources. True??”

In sum, people correctly attributed this statement to Trump. A C-SPAN video shows Trump standing outside the White House on Oct. 2 and responding directly to a reporter’s question about the Cornell case, thrice calling James corrupt and saying he feels “badly” for “whoever” James prosecutes, alleging that defendants she targets “won’t get a fair shake.”

James previously sued Trump and his associates in a civil fraud case beginning in 2022, leading to Trump repeatedly targeting her on social media.

In an emailed response, White House spokesperson Lauren Bis referred us to Trump’s own comments, adding that the White House believes James has weaponized the justice system to unjustly target the president.

Digging into the rumor

The Cornell accuser, identified in court documents only as Jane Doe, claims the seven men sexually assaulted her at the Chi Phi fraternity house on Oct. 19 and 20, 2024. She filed a lawsuit against the seven men, the university, the fraternity and others, in mid-September.

On Sept. 28, Tompkins County, New York, prosecutors announced they were reopening the criminal investigation, citing a “discrepancy” between Doe’s original statement and the allegations in the lawsuit.

Prior to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointing James as a special prosecutor to investigate the case on Oct. 1, James posted a statement of compassion for Doe on her official social media accounts, writing, “What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable. I’m holding her in my heart and in my prayers. To her, and to all survivors: you’re not alone. We stand with you.”

In an example of the claim from Oct. 2, a Facebook post (archived) displayed a meme reading, “This is disgusting: Trump just said he ‘feels badly’ for the people accused in the Cornell rape case because Letitia James is now overseeing the investigation. Not one word for the victim.”

(Really American via Facebook)

Other users shared the rumor about Trump’s remarks on Bluesky (archived), Facebook (archived) and X (archived). Some posts didn’t mention James but did include a video showing a reporter’s question about James and Trump’s answer. Examples of those posts appeared on Bluesky (archived), Threads (archived) and X (archived).

The remarks occurred when Trump spoke to a group of reporters outside the White House. Videos show Fox News’ Peter Doocy asking Trump about Hochul appointing James as a special prosecutor:

DOOCY: What do you think about New York’s governor appointing a special prosecutor in the Cornell rape case, Letitia James?

TRUMP: Letitia James is a corrupt person. She’s totally corrupt and I can’t imagine it. And, I feel badly for whoever she’s looking at because they won’t get a fair shake. But Letitia James is a corrupt person.

C-SPAN posted remarks on social media. (Readers can also watch the full press gaggle on YouTube, with the pertinent moment beginning at 6:24.)

Trump has made other remarks about the Cornell case. During a similar gathering of reporters on Oct. 1, a video shows an unidentified reporter asking Trump, “Mr. President, do you think that Cornell University has done enough to investigate the alleged rape on campus?” Trump answered, “Well, I don’t know that much about it but Cornell is a fine school, and I’m sure they’ll do what’s right.” (Readers can watch that full gaggle on YouTube, with the Cornell question occurring at 11:43.)

Trump has also posted about the case on Truth Social (archived), labeling it “the highly controversial Cornell University rape case” and questioning why Hochul would appoint James.

For further reading, we previously reported Trump authentically expressed well wishes to Ghislaine Maxwell, the close associate of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, prior to her conviction on federal sex-trafficking charges.

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