Gas Prices

Did a German preprint study published in February 2024 by Christof Kuhbandner and Matthias Reitzner prove that COVID-19 vaccines caused the number of deaths per year to rise above recent trends, as several online posts and articles implied? No, that's not true: While it's true there has been a documented increase in excess mortality during the pandemic years, German health…

Did a guest on "The View" accuse White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre of espousing "bullshit" on an episode of "The View"? No, that's not true: Damon Imani, a social media personality, edited himself into clips of the real December 5, 2023, episode, on which Jean-Pierre was a guest. Imani has a history of making content where he digitally adds…

Does a video on social media show a "hack" that will "slash your gas expenses"? No, that's not true: This video fails to deliver what is promised in seven minutes of drawn-out instructions on how to make a nonfunctional contraption. How the gas savings might occur is never disclosed. Furthermore, a safety professional with the National Fire Protection Association advises…

Did Sylvester Stallone ban "woke crap" on the set of one of his movies, speaking against "a bunch of granola moms and their soy boy husbands"? No, that's not true. The claim originated from a satirical website that describes everything it publishes as "fiction." The story initially appeared in an article (archived here) published by The Dunning-Kruger Times on March…

Can simply answering three or four questions and paying a nominal handling fee qualify people to redeem tickets, receive expensive products, $500 or even $1,000 gift cards, store credit or compensation from well-known brands? No, that's not true: In the first quarter of 2023, Lead Stories tracked a large-scale phishing operation on Facebook that manipulatively tricks people into divulging personal…

Is the Speedway gas and convenience store chain giving $500 gift cards to consumers who answer three questions as part of a price-gouging lawsuit settlement? No, that's not true: The post is a hoax. There is no evidence on Speedway's official web page of any lawsuit settlement and a link included with the post doesn't route uses to any real…

Was the price of gasoline $5 a gallon when President Joe Biden took office in January 2021? No, that's not true: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website says a gallon of regular unleaded gas was only going for close to $2.33, on average, at that time. For September 2022, the most recent month government statistics were available at…

Was the state of Texas, not Saudi Arabia, the largest oil producer in the world on October 7, 2018? No, that's not true: In 2018, Texas produced, on average, roughly 4.42 million barrels of oil a day, while Saudi Arabia produced nearly 10.6 million barrels a day on average, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's website. An energy expert…

Did the Saxon State and University Library Dresden (SLUB), one of the largest German academic libraries, ask its readers to bring in Russian books "for heating purposes"? No, that's not true: SLUB General Director Katrin Stump denied the leaflet's authenticity and said that the library had filed a criminal complaint about the claim. The claim appeared in a Facebook post…

Did Sen. Ted Cruz angrily call Rep. Adam Schiff a "son of a bitch" in public remarks during a news conference held by Senate Republicans? No, that's not true: Cruz criticized only President Joe Biden during his remarks and never mentioned Schiff nor used the phrase "son of a bitch." The claim appeared in text for a video posted on…