Is the offer of a $750 Shein gift card for answering a few questions after following a link on Facebook legitimate? No, that's not true: The terms and conditions require more than just a questionnaire. Users must finish a certain number of "deals, which usually require paid participation or paid subscription" before "rewards" are granted. The link does not go…

Did Colin Kaepernick say he will leave for Russia if not respected properly in the United States? No, that's not true: This first appeared on a website with a satire disclaimer that publishes made-up content. There is no public or credible evidence to support this statement about Kaepernick. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook on September…

Did Bill Gates invent an implantable, wireless "birth control microchip"? No, that's not true: Although the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded grants to companies working on an implantable contraception device, there is no evidence that Gates personally developed the device. A version of the device was in the preclinical trial stage at the time of the writing of…

Were explosive devices discovered at the site of a Donald Trump campaign event on September 18, 2024, on Long Island, New York? No, that's not true: Law enforcement denied the rumor. The police statement said that a person "training a bomb detection dog" near the event's location had made a false report. The claim about explosive devices appeared in a…

Are Apple-A-Day buckets of horse electrolytes safe for human consumption, as a post on X claimed? No, that's not true: The company that produces Apple-A-Day buckets has stated it has not been tested for humans and that the Food and Drug Administration has not approved it for human consumption. A nutritionist told Lead Stories that people should not take animal…

Did a man with a large Alsatian dog rescue a pretty French girl who was being harassed by two migrants? No, that's not true: Disclaimer hashtags with the original video on TikTok say this is a "fake situation" and "mise en scène" or "staged event." It originated on the TikTok channel dedicated to showcasing the training of a Belgian Malinois…

Did Coca-Cola cut ties with Taylor Swift after she endorsed Kamala Harris for president? No, that's not true: This comes from a social media post that's clearly marked as satire. Coca-Cola told Lead Stories it wasn't true, and it's not even clear the company still had any contractual ties to Swift when she made her political plug. The claim appeared…

Did Taylor Swift lose 17 million followers after posting an endorsement for Kamala Harris on her Instagram account? No, that's not true: Numbers show that Swift actually gained followers shortly after her endorsement. The account that posted this claim has "#Satire" and "#Parody" in their bio. The claim appeared in a now-deleted post on X (archived here) on September 15,…

Did Taylor Swift cancel her Eras Tour dates after a "backlash" over her endorsement of Kamala Harris for president damaged ticket sales? No, that's not true: The site that reported that Swift had canceled "several upcoming tour dates" describes itself as a "one-stop destination for satirical news and commentary." The site's article about Swift is clearly labeled "satire." As of…

Did the hospital of the American University in Beirut switch its paging system because it had advance knowledge of the September 2024 Lebanon pager bombings? No, that's not true: The American University of Beirut Medical Center said it "categorically denies these baseless allegations." The hospital's official X account stated that the paging system infrastructure was upgraded in April 2024 and…