FACT CHECK: Did CNN Publish This Article About Using A Nuke To Power His Home?
A video shared on Instagram allegedly shows a CNN article claiming a Florida man was arrested for using a lost U.S. nuke to power his home.
View this post on Instagram
Verdict: False
This article is digitally fabricated. A spokesperson for CNN confirmed to Check Your Fact the article is fabricated.
Fact Check:
President Joe Biden’s administration has granted California-based PG&E $1.1 billion to prevent the closure of the state’s last nuclear power plant, located in Diablo Canyon, according to CNBC. Lawmakers in the state voted in September to keep the plant open for five more years, the outlet reported.
The Instagram post purportedly shows a CNN article claiming a man used a nuclear missile to power his house. The image shows a mugshot of a white man, a scuba diver and a meme from a video game.
“Florida man arrested for using a lost US nuke to power his home for more than 27 years,” the alleged headline reads.
This article is digitally fabricated. The article cannot be found on CNN’s archives or any of its verified social media accounts. There are no credible news reports supporting this claim. (RELATED: Did CNN Publish This Article About A Uvalde Parent Getting A Prison Sentence For Shoving An Officer?)
The man in the mugshot is Todd M. Warnken of Albany, New York, according to the Times Union. Warnken was arrested on charges of aggravated harassment after calling a black woman racial slurs and threatening to attack her, the outlet reported.
“This is post fabricated and CNN did not report this,” A spokesperson for CNN confirmed in an email to Check Your Fact.
This is not the first time a fake CNN article has circulated on social media. Check Your Fact recently debunked another false article claiming that a man had been sentenced to death after failing a suicide attempt.
