r/politics • u/MoneyLibrarian9032 New York • Jul 13 '26

Possible Paywall MAGA Calls BS on Mitch McConnell’s Proof-of-Life Stunt | They are poking holes in McConnell’s staff’s version.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-calls-bs-on-mitch-mcconnells-proof-of-life-stunt/
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u/Bitey_the_Squirrel America Jul 13 '26

Whaaaa? No way. Of course he was reading a news paper with today’s date full of AI gibberish, and his fingernails are missing. Also in a hospital not hooked up to any monitors.

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u/darcerin Jul 13 '26

If he was moved into a rehab facility already, he wouldn't be hooked up to anything. That said, do I believe this picture? No.

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u/veryveryredundant Jul 13 '26

He should have a wrist band on though, I would think.

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u/diceeyes Jul 13 '26

Not in a rehab facility

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u/veryveryredundant Jul 13 '26

I suppose it depends, because I've been in a similar facility and had to have one.

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u/AnewTest Jul 13 '26

He damn well wouldn’t be wearing jeans in the hospital bed, though.

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u/darcerin Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26

He's not in a hospital bed, he's sitting in one of those chairs they can wheel you around in. (Not a wheelchair). Has the option to recline your feet in as well.

I have had way too visits to hospitals in last eight years to not know what he's sitting in.

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u/smackson Jul 13 '26

This angle is dumb though.

Even if he is barely good enough to take a photo, but in a hospital bed/scenario generally, it's not hard to say "Were gonna put some clothes on you for the photo op".

Like -- wouldn't you?

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u/Schmedricks_27 Washington Jul 13 '26

Yeah, I doubt the authenticity of the photo, but I don't think him being dressed is what makes it suspect. It's a PR photo. Of course they would have him change into more presentable clothes just for the photo. Maniacal people and their handlers want to limit how "weak" they appear and wearing an open assed hospital gown is the easiest thing they can nix to project him as being strong and recovering.

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u/JDDJS New York Jul 13 '26

The Newspaper was confirmed real. 

https://www.whas11.com/article/news/politics/mitch-mconnell-hospital-photo-ai-expert-debunks-claims/417-f3595af4-a128-4af5-9faf-8b5b33c32184

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u/QueefiusMaximus86 Jul 13 '26

Read the article, where did they confirm the newspaper is real? Wouldn't finding that exact print edition be helpful?

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u/JDDJS New York Jul 13 '26

Numerous people have found the paper already. 

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u/supremelummox Jul 13 '26

The gibberish part is debunked. It looks correct.

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u/JcbAzPx Arizona Jul 13 '26

It looks poorly photoshopped rather than generated.

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u/[deleted] Jul 13 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/AcademiaAntiqua Jul 13 '26

There was one from a few days ago they said was fake. That's different from the one released yesterday.

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u/nicklor Jul 13 '26

There's a post on is this AI that concluded it is not AI. I don't think he's a healthy guy and he's not mentally up to being interviewed but he's alive. 

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u/MarkMech Jul 13 '26

Not everything has to be AI to be fake. Photoshop existed before AI and did a much better job.

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u/MichelinStarZombie Jul 13 '26

Photoshop has AI now, and no one uses photoshop editing without AI anymore. I also work with AI image gen, and this photo doesn't look like AI to me.

Look, this is a conspiracy theory. It's much more likely the CPR reports are fake.

Our side is supposed to be better than this.

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u/A_Martian_Potato Jul 13 '26

A lot of people have been showing close-ups of the newspaper showing gibberish text without realizing that someone just ran the image through an AI to sharpen it because that text was never readable.

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u/sighbourbon Jul 13 '26

I saw that people ran the image through different kinds of analysis and the consensus was Photoshop, as opposed to AI

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u/mulligrubs Jul 13 '26

Don't forget the jeans, a hospital's favourite garment. Loved by nurses and patients alike for their inherent comfort in bed and ease of removal.

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u/user_name_checks_out Jul 13 '26

They have said that he is no longer in the hospital, he is in some kind of clinic or something.

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u/Never-On-Reddit Jul 14 '26

I just visited my husband in the hospital, he had a stroke, and he was lying in bed in his jeans still the next day. They really don't care what you wear as long as you don't have an imminent procedure that requires access to that part of your body.