Business

Does Klaus Schwab, a former professor of business policy in Switzerland widely known as the founder of the World Economic Forum, have family ties with the Rothschild dynasty via a person named Marianne Schwab, née Rothschild? Is she his mother? No, that's not true: A viral video making such an assertion did not include any public records to confirm it.…

Did Russian President Vladimir Putin order the executions of "defiant 5G executives"? No, that's not true: The claim, published by a website with a long history of spreading false statements, was not corroborated by credible sources in English or Russian. The claim originated from an article (archived here) published by Real Raw News on August 14, 2023. It was titled:…

Was the 2023 Hawaii Digital Government Summit scheduled with the purpose of turning Maui into "the first smart island," "governed by AI" and was the August 2023 wildfire started to create a crisis to be solved by AI? No, that's not true: As of this writing, the event's website did not show any Maui-specific sections or outline any plans to…

Have Stephen King's book sales dropped 70 percent since he "went woke"? No, that's not true: The claim appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. The claim originated in an article published by The Dunning-Kruger Times on August 13, 2023, titled "Stephen King's Book Sales Have Dropped 70 Percent Since He Went Woke" (archived…

Is nattokinase an effective treatment for "spike protein detox" associated with COVID-19 vaccines? No, that's not true: COVID vaccines are not shown to be toxic, so it is not necessary to "detox" from them. Nattokinase is a soybean supplement that is not monitored in the U.S. and as of August 2023, experts recommend avoiding it. Furthermore, the study cited as…

Did child rapper and foul-mouthed internet sensation Tay "Lil Tay" Tian die on or about August 9, 2023? No, that's not true: No official records document the death after her Instagram page featured a statement announcing the death of the 14-year-old and her elder brother. The unsigned text-only post was written as though it came from her family and provided…

Does a social media video show a giant Barbie-doll hologram walking out of a Barbie box next to Dubai's Burj Khalifa skyscraper, the world's tallest building? No, that's not true: This footage displays a computer-generated image (CGI) video created by a social media ad company based in the United Arab Emirates. The company combined a separate video clip of the…

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 actor Tom Selleck speak out in support of country music star Jason Aldean, saying, "I'm from a small town," as of August 10, 2023? No, that's not true: This claim appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. Multiple credible media outlets have also reported that Selleck was born and raised in big cities…

Did World Economic Forum co-founder Klaus Schwab advocate in public for stripping people of their right to vote and replacing elections with prediction algorithms powered by artificial intelligence? No, that's not true: In a 2017 talk, Schwab only wondered whether the use of such products could go as far as substituting for elections. By no means can his words be…

Is baby gear company Graco giving away car seats for only $1? No, that's not true: The post includes a link to a website that is not an official Graco Baby site and does not allow a user to interact and actually obtain a car seat. The image used on the post is a doctored image from a real Instagram…

Did professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe have a campaign with the breakfast cereal Wheaties that was canceled after she missed a penalty kick during the 2023 World Cup? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for General Mills, the parent company of Wheaties, confirmed that the claim is false. The claim also started on a satirical website. The claim originated in…

Did Pfizer employees in Australia receive a special batch of imported COVID-19 vaccines that were different from what the public was given? No, that's not true: Pfizer global media relations told Lead Stories that the pharmaceutical and biotechnology company imported "additional doses" for its staff that were evaluated and authorized by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) but all the COVID…

Are seedless watermelons genetically modified organism (GMO) products, and are they poisonous? No, that's not true: A representative of Walmart, one of many stores that sell seedless watermelons, told Lead Stories that these claims are false. An article published by Michigan State University reported that "No current seedless plants are genetically modified organisms (GMOs)." Also, a previous Lead Stories fact…

Did Russian President Vladimir Putin prohibit 5G in Russia, tearing down all the towers delivering it? Not, that's not true: As of this writing, 5G is working in major Russian cities, and the government continues to invest in the expansion of the technology. The claim originated in an outlet known for publishing fictitious "news" stories. The claim originated from an…

Did U.S. professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe lose a "post-retirement broadcasting" position with ESPN and was she also dropped as a Nike partner following backlash after a missed penalty kick during the 2023 World Cup? No, that's not true: The claims are just two of many about Rapinoe that have been published by a satirical website. The claim about Rapinoe…

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…

Did "The Simpsons" predict the new X logo for Twitter, which appeared as an icon on Homer Simpson's iPhone in an episode released on May 13, 2012? No, that's not true: This cartoon image has been altered to include the new "X" logo, but this is not what the cartoon showed originally. The 2012 cartoon did display an icon with…

Does a photo of Angelina Jolie in a wheelchair with an amputated leg confirm "very sad news" about the actress? No, that's not true: The photo appears to be a doctored image of Jolie's head on the body of a woman in Scotland whose leg was amputated in January 2023. News outlets published photos of Jolie in public as recently…

Does a social media video provide evidence of a "new odd blight on corn" that follows the path of a Chinese spy balloon that traversed sections of the United States from January 28, 2023, through February 4, 2023? No, that's not true: The video is a comedy skit by digital creator John Gerard Gillar. Also, there are no credible news…