Did researchers associated with Harvard University create a 3D model of Mansa Musa, the 14th-century ruler of the Mali Empire? No, that's not true: This image does not show a forensic and digital reconstruction of Mansa Musa. It is a rendering of Kanye West. This joke is a variation of an online theme that has circulated for years, presenting the…
Is a grayscale video of various celebrities wearing a t-shirt featuring a Star of David on a hand giving the finger to Kanye West a real ad? No, that's not true: The AI generated video, set to the tune of Jewish folk song "Hava Nagila", appears to show Scarlett Johansson, Jerry Seinfeld, Steven Spielberg, Mark Zuckerberg, Sacha Baron Cohen, David…
Did "5 celebrities" -- Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lopez, celebrity couple Beyoncé Knowles and Jay Z Carter, Kanye West and Usher Raymond -- flee the United States after Sean "Diddy" Combs' arrest on sex crimes charges in September 2024? No, that's not true: News reports with photographs and social media posts show DiCaprio, Lopez, Knowles, Carter and Raymond all were in…
Does the federal government prohibit collecting rainwater nationwide? No, that's not true: There is no such ban. The Energy Department highlights the benefits of collecting rainwater for non-drinking purposes and shares a detailed guide explaining specific regulations in each state if there are any. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook on January 6, 2024, under the…
Did George Soros say "Those who oppose my agenda are white supremacists"? No, that's not true: There is no verifiable evidence or credible source that supports the assertion that Soros said this or that the statement attributed to him is a close paraphrase of something said by the Hungarian-born American financier, philanthropist and activist, who is also one of the…
Did Biggie Smalls predict the COVID-19 pandemic in his 1994 song lyrics? No, that's not true: The rapper, real name Christopher Wallace, did not write about the SARS-CoV-2 virus outbreak decades before it occurred. The video claiming to show the Notorious B.I.G. singing about COVID uses altered lyrics to his song "Juicy." He never mentioned COVID or the word "pandemic"…
Was a 19-year-old girl in Texas sentenced to "96 years in prison" after traveling across state lines to gain access to an abortion procedure? No, that's not true: The social media account that shared this post is a satirical one. Furthermore, Texas law enforcement officials did not publicly announce such an arrest and conviction, and no reputable media outlet covered…
Did Hitler invent highways and microphones, as Ye said in a radio interview? No, that's not true: The Nazis appropriated highway plans and construction already occurring. Several people are credited with inventing the microphone in the late 1800s, long before Hitler's time in power in Germany. The claim appeared in an interview (archived here) by Ye, who changed his name…
Does a photo circulating on social media show Lotta Volkova, a stylist for Paris-based fashion house Balenciaga, which is facing condemnation after releasing an ad campaign featuring children holding stuffed animals in bondage gear? No, that's not true: The woman in the image is a runway model in a 2016 fashion show in Beijing -- not Volkova. The claim appeared…
Did Jay-Z and Kanye West predict the pandemic and COVID-19 in a 2011 song? No, that's not true: The lyrics in the video are fake and based on their 2011 song "N***as in Paris," which doesn't mention the words pandemic or COVID-19. The claim appeared in a video on Facebook on September 23, 2022. It opened: Jay-Z and Kanye West…
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