&Quot;Elon Musk&Quot;

Did Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg ban Tesla CEO Elon Musk from Facebook? Has Musk responded to Zuckerberg's alleged statement? No, neither of those are true: This claim comes from a satirical website and was originally posted in March 2023 labeled as satire before it was republished, without the satire label, in August 2023. Lead Stories could not find any evidence…

Did CNN break the news that Elon Musk was unveiling an investment project, and did Musk make a guest appearance via live feed to introduce his new AI trading platform? No, that's not true: This fake promotion is made with real but repurposed video clips that have had an AI text-to-speech voiceover added to them. The video of Musk was…

Did BBC News broadcast "breaking news" with guest Elon Musk who announced a new AI investment project powered by a supercomputer that closes deals with a 98 percent success rate? No, that's not true: This is a fake BBC newscast and the video footage of Musk was taken from an appearance at the EEI (Edison Electric Institute) 2023 conference. He…

Did Martin Lewis, a popular British financial journalist, endorse an investment platform featuring Elon Musk? No, that's not true: Lewis himself confirmed this is a fake video. This video is a deepfake creation that used Lewis' head from a different video, changed how his lips moved and substituted fabricated audio for Lewis' voice. The authentic video of Lewis speaking on…

Was CNN anchor Larry Madowo "threatened on live TV" by a Ugandan government minister? No, that's not true: An authentic interview between CNN One World's Larry Madowo and Ugandan Foreign Minister Gen. Jeje Odongo that aired on August 24, 2021, discussed whether Uganda's citizens were being tried for treasonous acts. Two days later, the entertainment YouTube channel EduTV KE posted…

Did Miss USA "Natasha Berkelston" state she "won't compete against a man" and boycott the 2023 Miss Universe pageant after Rikkie Kollé was named Miss Netherlands, becoming the first transgender woman to take the title? No, that's not true: This claim originated from a self-described satirical website aimed at trolling conservatives. The website that posted the information, The Dunning-Kruger Times,…

Did the Italian government offer Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg the Colosseum as a location for their fight? No, that's not true: A spokesperson of the Italian Ministry of Culture told Lead Stories that no related paperwork existed to substantiate that claim. The article that started the rumor about the supposed location of the fight was updated to include a…

Is batana oil a product that "thoroughly cleanses your organs and repairs any damage done to them"? No, that's not true: Batana oil is primarily used as a cosmetic product rather than for internal consumption. It is derived from the fruit of the American palm and is commonly used for hair and skin care. There is, however, no scientific evidence…

Did Tucker Carlson in June 2023 warn a 100-foot-wide "fissure-crack" just opened the Yellowstone volcano? No, that's not true: This video is a mashup of various recycled claims and Lead Stories could find no evidence that former Fox News host Carlson had ever issued a warning about this volcano. Lead Stories did find other videos with similar headlines. Elon Musk,…

Did Elon Musk offer Tucker Carlson the Twitter CEO job after Carlson was fired from Fox News? No, that's not true: The website that posted the story is a satirical site. It included quotes that were never posted on Twitter by Musk regarding Carlson. The CEO of Twitter at the time of writing was Linda Yaccarino. The claim appeared in…