Snopes and John Oliver's "SLAPP Suits" Show

See what Snopes.com is debunking today. [Web Version]( November 23, 2019 Daily Debunker Snopes and John Oliver's "SLAPP Suits" Show HBO's "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" recently aired a segment that caught our attention. The subject of the Nov. 10 episode was "SLAPP Suits." Such lawsuits are considered quite frivolous, and often carry the goal of silencing the opposition. We recently dealt with a SLAPP suit of our own at Snopes, and although it was dismissed, we still ended up spending more than $300,000 on this effort. Unfortunately, the fees don't end there. We will also have to pay to attempt to compel our insurance carrier to cover the aforementioned costs. On top of that, more money will be needed when the dismissal is appealed. Read on to learn more about just one part of what we’ve been dealing with in our legal battle. [Read more]( Fact Checks Clint Eastwood's Thoughts on Trump Did Clint Eastwood really write a bit of text talking about why he supports President Donald Trump? The first sentence of a meme reads: "People message me why I stick my neck out for Trump." [False]( Eastwood on Obama Did Clint Eastwood say this? "One day we will realize that the Barack Obama presidency was the biggest fraud ever perpetrated on the American people." [Mostly true]( The Return of the Sharpie It wasn't long ago that news stories were chronicling the addition of a Sharpie mark on a hurricane map in the Oval Office. Now, there's a new Sharpie story, and once again it involves President Donald Trump. [True]( The Sharpie Strikes Back A National Hurricane Center graphic purporting to show a storm's path and displayed at the White House carried something of a black mark. [True]( Your Support Matters Support Snopes Snopes relies on the generous contributions of our readers. If you value our fact-checking and investigative reporting, please make a gift today. [Learn more]( In the News Prosecutors: Political Donor Sought to Silence Witnesses A political fundraiser accused of funneling foreign money into U.S. elections offered six witnesses in his case more than $6 million to keep quiet, federal prosecutors said. [Read more]( Trump Pays Respects to Army Officers Killed in Afghanistan President Donald Trump paid respects to two Army officers who were killed when their helicopter crashed this week in Afghanistan, holding his salute until each of the flag-draped cases containing their remains were returned to their grieving families. [Read more]( Spacewalking Astronauts Repairing Cosmic Ray Detector Spacewalking astronauts ventured out for the second week in a row to repair a cosmic ray detector, this time actually cutting into the $2 billion instrument. [Read more]( UK Treasure Hunters Jailed for Stealing Viking-Era Hoard Two amateur British treasure-hunters were sentenced to long prison terms for stealing a hoard of 1,100-year-old, Anglo-Saxon coins and jewelry valued at millions of pounds. [Read more]( Tesla Cybertruck: Stainless Steel, Broken Glass, and Buzz The much-hyped unveiling of Tesla's electric pickup truck went off script when supposedly unbreakable window glass splintered twice when hit with a large metal ball. [Read more]( Staff Pick Is Clint Eastwood Leaving Hollywood? The publication name "NY Evening News" may sound like a legitimate news operation, so readers had questions for us when in June 2018 it published a story saying that Clint Eastwood was leaving Hollywood. [Read more]( Snopes Media Group Inc. 864 Grand Ave #256 San Diego, CA 92109 © 1994-2019 by Snopes Media Group Inc. This material may not be reproduced without permission. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes Media Group. [Manage Preferences]( [Unsubscribe](