Business

Did the UK National Health Service (NHS) King's College Hospital show pregnant men on an informational poster, as a social media post claims? No, that's not true: An NHS spokesperson told Lead Stories the poster is not an NHS product and is not displayed at King's College Hospital. The image resembles a private U.S. company's educational materials. The infographic appeared…

Is a Texas man fighting for his life after he was bitten by black widow spiders that came out of a package he stole from a lady's porch? No, that's not true: This story is fiction, but may have been inspired by something that really did happen. The story about the Texas porch pirate originated in October 2024 from a…

Does this photo, found in several viral social media posts, show the man that Mississippi police found hanging from a tree on September 15, 2025? No, that's not true: Police said the dead man found near the Ameristar Vicksburg Casino was Cory Zukaitis. But, the Warren County Coroner said this photo is not Zukaitis. The photo appeared in a September…

Did Chris Hayes publicly announce he is stepping down or pausing hosting his show "All In" due to his wife's health? No, that's not true: No credible news organizations reported that. Viral posts on social media tied the purported decision to the supposed cancer diagnosis of the TV host's spouse, allegedly also publicly discussed by the couple, but Lead Stories…

Did the UK government begin enforcing a daily bank withdrawal limit of £3,000 on individual accounts on September 1, 2025? No, that's not true: No such policy has been announced by either of the UK's banking and banker regulatory authorities. No such law, let alone regulation, has been adopted by Parliament and no credible news organization has reported such a…

Did President Trump sign into law an income tax exemption for families making less than $120,000? No, that's not true: No such exemption has passed the U.S. House and Senate. There is no such exemption on the official list of laws signed by Trump. The claim appeared in a September 4, 2025 TikTok video (archived here) published by the AppalachianQueen5…

Did Elon Musk buy a crumbling shelter in Los Angeles where he had volunteered as a teenager in order to rebuild it as Hope Haven, a sanctuary for homeless families? No, that's not true: Elon Musk never volunteered at a shelter in California as a teen because he was not in the USA as a teen. The deluxe private homes…

Did President Trump just authorize FCC fines of up to $100 million for media outlets caught spreading lies? No, that's not true: That story originated on a satirical Facebook page. The owner of the page is known for tricking conservatives into liking and sharing made-up content. There were no fact-based news stories about the authorization of the kind of fines…

Did Elon Musk sign a $13.5 million deal with Netflix for a 7-episode series about his "turbulent journey" as of September 3, 2025? No, that's not true: There is no evidence Musk signed a Netflix deal. The only source making the claim is a website that publishes hundreds of fake stories each day, including debunked claims that Stephen Colbert and…

Has Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, become "one of the wealthiest women in America," during her tenure in the United States Senate, as a social media post claims? No, that's not true: Financial disclosure reports show that with a net family worth of at most $2.5 million, she's not even among the wealthiest women in Congress, let alone in America. Magazines and…

Did Stephen Colbert sign a $13.5 million deal with Netflix for a 7-episode series about his journey through American TV history as of September 1, 2025? No, that's not true: Although Colbert joked in August that Netflix should call him, there is no evidence Colbert signed a Netflix deal. The only source making the claim is a website that publishes…

Did the NFL ban rainbow gear from the playing field after Philadelphia Eagles Coach Nick Sirianni wore a rainbow hat? No, that's not true: The claim was spread by a Vietnamese-based publisher who used AI-generated text and images in an article that went viral on social media. There are no authentic photos of Coach Sirianni wearing the hat. A quote…

Is a viral video of a girl crying in front of the camera because she didn't realize Apple Pay used "real American Dollars from your credit card" and not "Apple Dollars" real? No, that's not true: The video was a skit by comedian Tina Vlamis. Her TikTok channel features several other, similar comedy videos. The video (archived here) was published…

Did the UK enact mandatory ID checks at supermarket entrances before people can shop for "basic essentials like bread or milk", starting September 12, 2025? No, that's not true: A UK government spokesperson told Lead Stories that the rumor is "completely false". No credible media organizations reported what social media posts labeled "breaking news". The claim appeared in a video…

Did Dolly Parton, George Strait, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, Alan Jackson and Blake Shelton announce a joint tour in 2026 called "One Last Ride" as several social media posts declared? No, that's not true: There is no mention of such a joint tour on any of the six country stars' social media pages. No credible news outlet has reported what…

Does a viral image show a real Vanity Fair cover for a "special collector's edition" issue featuring Melania Trump and the headline "The American Queen"? No, that's not true: No such cover appears among the archived covers of the magazine and there have been no recent announcements about any such upcoming issue. According to media reports the idea of a…

Did President Trump order U.S. Marshals to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook from office after she challenged his authority to fire her? No, that's not true: Court rules prevent any action to remove Cook until a judge holds a hearing on her lawsuit filed on August 28, 2025, claiming the president failed to show cause for firing her. An…

Did MSNBC host Rachel Maddow "takedown" White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller on air in a live interview? No, that's not true: Miller has never appeared on Maddow's show. The social media post and article saying it happened offered no proof of a date or time or evidence that the interview ever took place. There are no credible…

Does a viral video show a real instance of a delivery drone dropping a car battery through the windshield of a parked car? No, that's not true: An auto repair business created the video as an April Fool's Day marketing stunt. The video has been on the repair shop's YouTube channel since 2015. Few, if any, civilian drones available in…

Did Finland test "the world's first engine-less superconducting maglev cargo pipeline, capable of moving cargo at over 500 km/h using no engines, wheels or tracks", as a social media post claimed? No, that's not true: As of August 28, 2025, no media organizations reported on the purported test in Oulu, Finland. The organization that was described as having developed the…