Facts Matter: Governor was wrong about SNAP machines
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker recently discussed the federal government shutdown and the lack of funding for the Supplemental Food Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which helps out with the cost of food for low-income families.
“They’ve done something insidious, the federal government,” Pritzker said during an Oct. 30 press conference. “ … But they’ve done something even more insidious. They’ve decided to shut down the SNAP machines, so that they can’t be used.”
But Pritzker was wrong about the actions of the federal government, according to PolitiFact. There are no “SNAP machines” to shut down.
The Agriculture Department didn’t say it would shut down the machines SNAP recipients use to pay for food, because those are the same machines all customers use to make purchases with credit cards.
The nearly 42 million people who receive SNAP benefits are issued an electronic benefit transfer, or EBT, card, which contains funds for groceries. The average funds are about $190 a month for an individual and $356 for a household, PolitiFact said. The funds can be used to buy fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy products, bread and other groceries.
Grocery prices on the rise
With rising prices, President Donald Trump has been focusing on the cost of groceries during his latest term.
“Right now, (grocery prices are) going down, other than beef,” Trump said during a Nov. 2 “60 Minutes” interview with journalist Norah O’Donnell.
But that’s not quite accurate, according to PolitiFact. Many grocery prices have increased during Trump’s presidency.
Overall grocery prices have increased nearly 2% during that time, with, as Trump noted, the price of ground beef up almost 13% and steaks by more than 15%. Fruits and vegetables, poultry, fish, sugar and sweets have all seen increased prices while coffee is up more than 15%.
Recent decreases include eggs, down 16% after a price spike before the election, and bread is down about 2%.
During the interview Trump said the U.S. has “no inflation,” and also, “we’re down to 2%, even less than 2%.”
However, the year-over-year inflation rate in September was 3%, an increase since Trump took office, PolitiFact said.
Some hurricane videos are AI
Hurricane Melissa recently tore through the Caribbean Sea, leaving dozens dead across Cuba, Jamaica and Haiti.
Some incredible videos and photos of the storm have been posted across social media, racking up millions of views. One video showed four sharks swimming in a hotel pool in Jamaica while another showed an airport shut down by the hurricane.
But many of these clips aren’t real, according to The Associated Press. The images were created using artificial intelligence, or AI.
Some of the videos appear to be old footage, pieces spliced together or fake images interspersed with actual clips. Telltale signs of AI include blurry content and objects blended together. In the case of the sharks in the pool, one shark has a strange shape while others appear to be missing dorsal fins.
“I am in so many WhatsApp groups and I see all of these videos coming. Many of them are fake,” said Jamaica’s Education Minister Dana Morris Dixon during a news conference following the hurricane. “And so we urge you to please listen to the official channels.”
Teen misidentified in photo at the Louvre
Thieves broke into the Louvre museum in Paris, France, on Oct. 19, getting away with priceless objects and jewels, sparking a massive investigation. Seven people have since been arrested.
A recent post appeared to show a French detective investigating the case.
“Actual shot (not AI!) of a French detective working the case of the French Crown Jewels that were stolen from the Louvre in a brazen daylight robbery,” read one post, which included a photo of an individual in a hat, a three-piece suit and holding an umbrella.
But this is not a photo of an investigator, according to Reuters. It’s a local high school student on a trip visiting the Louvre. The 15-year-old student had posted a similar photo to his Instagram account.
Reuters spoke to the teen, who didn’t want to be identified, and his father, who both said they were surprised by the reaction to the photo.
“I am not part of the police team, and I have never intended or said so. The photo was a coincidence and the internet unleashed the imagination,” the teen told Reuters.
The original photo was taken by AP photographer Thibault Camus. It appeared on the AP website with the caption, “Police officers block an access to the Louvre museum after a robbery Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, in Paris.”
• Bob Oswald is a veteran Chicago-area journalist and former news editor of the Elgin Courier-News. Contact him at boboswald33@gmail.com.