Friday’s issue of The Cross Check Daily puts six lead stories side by side across Fox News, CNN and other outlets, then closes with a markets snapshot, a research-backed health tip and a trivia question.

Colombia earthquake kills at least 265, with more than 3,700 injured

A magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck Colombia’s Choco region on August 10 has killed at least 265 people, with more than 3,700 injured and rescue efforts continuing in hard hit areas. (CNN)

Coverage check: Fox News covered the same building collapse footage and rescue effort as CNN, NPR, and Al Jazeera, including President Abelardo De la Espriella’s mobilization of military and police and the $15.5 million in U.S. emergency relief. Fox’s coverage is substantively consistent with mainstream outlets on the facts. No notable independent commentary controversy has emerged around this story.

Framing difference: none of note; Fox is consistent with mainstream outlets.

Damascus court sentences Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher to death in absentia

A Damascus court sentenced former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher to death in absentia for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during Syria’s civil war. (AP, Al Jazeera)

Coverage check: Fox News, Al Jazeera, and The Hill all report the same core facts: the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus, the specific charges, and Assad’s continued exile in Russia. Fox’s reporting lines up with the mainstream account here, no discrepancies found across outlets.

Framing difference: none of note; no discrepancies across outlets.

Israeli settlers besiege Palestinian families in Qusra; US ambassador calls it a “horrific act of terror”

Israeli settlers besieged the homes of Palestinian families in the West Bank village of Qusra for several days, cutting off food, water, and power, prompting U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee to call it a “horrific act of terror.” (NPR, Washington Post)

Coverage check: NPR, PBS, and the Washington Post align on the facts of the siege and Huckabee’s statement, noting his rebuke is notable because he has historically been sympathetic to the settler movement. Fox News coverage of this specific episode could not be confirmed in available searches. RT (Russian state media) also covered the story, using more inflammatory language (“terrorist” settlers) to spotlight U.S. and Israeli tension, a framing choice worth noting since RT is state-run.

Framing difference: inflammatory “terrorist” language (RT) versus plain reporting of the siege and Huckabee’s statement (NPR, PBS, Washington Post).

Iran says Hormuz remains closed, rejecting Trump’s claim of US “total control”

Iran continued to insist the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to commercial shipping, rejecting President Trump’s claim of U.S. “total control” over the waterway, as talks with Oman to reopen it remain stalled. (Fox News, CNN)

Coverage check: Fox News and CNN both report the standoff itself: Trump says the U.S. has total control, Iran says it does not. Iran’s Press TV (Iranian state media) goes further, stating flatly that no vessel can transit without Tehran’s authorization, presenting Iranian control as more complete than U.S. and mainstream reporting describe.

Factual disagreement: the U.S. and Iran are making contradictory claims about who actually controls the strait right now, not just describing it differently.

China promotes homegrown open-source AI models worldwide

Chinese leaders and companies are aggressively promoting adoption of homegrown, open-source AI models worldwide, with models like DeepSeek and Kimi now accounting for a majority of usage on some global AI marketplaces. (CNBC, Fox Business)

Coverage check: Fox Business and CNBC agree China is closing the AI gap through cheaper, open-source models and rapid global adoption. Fox Business also carried a Trump adviser’s view that the U.S. remains “way ahead,” a more optimistic framing than a CNBC op-ed warning the U.S. lead is “all but gone.” Both rest on the same underlying adoption data.

Framing difference: the U.S. remains “way ahead” (Fox Business, a Trump adviser) versus the U.S. lead is “all but gone” (a CNBC op-ed).

Administration announces tariffs of up to 100% on imported drones days after a US-Ukraine drone deal

The Trump administration announced tariffs of up to 100% on imported drones and components, days after the U.S. and Ukraine signed a deal to bring Ukrainian combat drones to the U.S. for testing, a move that could complicate Kyiv’s export ambitions. (NBC News, US News)

Coverage check: NBC News and US News align on the tariff announcement and its awkward timing for Ukraine’s export hopes. No prominent independent commentary specifically on the tariff move surfaced, though Tucker Carlson has separately and repeatedly argued for a broader Ukraine peace settlement. No state-run outlet coverage of this specific tariff story turned up in search.

Framing difference: none of note; NBC and US News align on the announcement and its timing.

Markets snapshot: stocks close at records after cooler July inflation; Brent falls 2.2%

• S&P 500: 7,798.99 (+0.65%)
• Dow Jones: 53,839.99 (+0.13%)
• Nasdaq: 26,803.03 (+0.81%)
• Brent crude: $87.02 per barrel (-2.2%)

U.S. stocks closed at fresh records on August 13 after July’s CPI report showed cooler than expected inflation, easing pressure on the Federal Reserve. Brent crude fell as traders weighed a possible deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, even as fresh tanker attacks kept the market on edge (see Story 4).

Health & Longevity: combining aerobic exercise with strength training

The finding: People who combine regular aerobic exercise with strength training have a meaningfully lower risk of early death than those who do only one type of exercise or neither.

The source: A cohort of more than 147,000 adults followed for up to 30 years, published in 2026 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (observational study).

Do this today: Add two short strength sessions, weights, resistance bands, or bodyweight moves, to your week alongside your usual walking, running, or other cardio.

Worth knowing: This is an observational study, so it shows a strong association, not proof that exercise alone caused the lower risk. People who do both types of exercise may also share other healthy habits.

World Trivia

Chinese AI models went from under 2% of token volume on the AI marketplace OpenRouter to what share in about 18 months, as of mid-2026?

Reveal the answer

More than 60%, according to OpenRouter usage data reported by AI industry trackers in 2026.

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Edited and published by Randy Wardle. Get The Cross Check Daily free every morning, or follow @GetCrossCheck on X. See the full archive of past issues and our corrections policy.