Business

Does the image in a video on social media show the son of "Dr. Sebi" on trial for purportedly revealing "HEALTH SECRETS"? No, that's not true: The claim was made without providing names, dates, locations or other details by which to independently verify such a trial occurred or that the person shown is related to the late Alfredo "Dr. Sebi"…

Did Ben Carson, retired neurosurgeon and former Department of Housing and Urban Development secretary, endorse a cure for tinnitus and hearing loss? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for Carson called the video a "scam and completely fake." Additionally, digital forensics and deepfake-testing websites, which analyze audio, video, and other media, corroborated the Carson spokesperson's statement, finding that the recording…

Did American singer-songwriter Lainey Wilson endorse weight-loss gummies in a video posted on Facebook? No, that's not true: The audio has been edited from a video originally posted on Wilson's Instagram page. In June 2023, Wilson issued a statement on her verified Instagram that these claims about her taking weight-loss gummies "ain't true." The claim appeared in a Facebook post…

Did a viral image portray Beyonce's "first big 'country' show in a nearly empty stadium"? No, that's not true: The 2024 claim came from a satirical network that explicitly warns the audience that it does not publish fact-based stories. The shared picture showed a 2023 concert of Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe at Wembley Stadium, with Beyonce's photo superimposed on…

Does a photo show mining operations extracting "lithium for electric cars," as a meme on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: According to the Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining, the image is of the Rio Tinto Kennecott mine in Magna, Utah, where no lithium mining occurs. The agency confirmed that the "image is false." The Rio Tinto mine…

Did tech entrepreneur Elon Musk join forces with interior designer Joanna Gaines to promote a product called "Watt Saver" that was claimed to help people save on electricity bills? No, that's not true: It's a long-running scam that uses manipulated images and faked news articles about the endorsement. Back in 2023, Gaines publicly denied any involvement in this scheme. The…

Did the Walt Disney Company buy Jeffrey Epstein's island? No, that's not true: The social media post showed the website that made the claim, which is a site that clearly states they are "the world's best satire and parody site." They explain that their stories are made up, stating, "We write fake stories about Disney Parks stuff." The claim appeared…

Did President Joe Biden give $16 billion of American money away to Iran in 2023? No, that's not true: First, it's important to say that the amount in question is $6 billion, not $16 billion. Secondly, the money wasn't U.S. taxpayer dollars to begin with; the funds were Iranian financial assets that had been frozen in South Korea due to…

Was World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab hospitalized as of mid-April 2024? No, that's not true: An organization representative told Lead Stories on April 15, 2024, that the organization has been "targeted by conspiracy narratives," adding, "Professor Schwab's health is excellent." Additionally, no evidence or reporting supports the claim. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X…

Does footage on social media show Israelis panicking and running after Iranian missiles and drones hit Israel's airspace April 13, 2024? No, that's not true: The footage had already been on social media for a week when Iran attacked Israel. It shows a crowd running on April 6, 2024 toward the Four Seasons hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where former…

Did Hollywood director Mel Gibson and actor Mark Wahlberg "join hands to create a non-woke film production studio," as a post on Instagram claims? No, that's not true: The meme image and caption that make this claim were taken word for word from an article published by a self-described satirical website. None of the website's content is real, according to…

Did Snoop Dogg endorse gummies that cause people to stop smoking and were the gummies created by alternative health practitioner Barbara O'Neill? No, that's not true: There is no evidence he has ever made such an endorsement. The video making the claim uses altered material for both Snoop Dogg and O'Neill. The claim appeared in a post on Facebook on…

Is In-N-Out Burger leaving California "over wage hikes and woke policies"? No, that's not true: This article originated from a website that labels itself satire. The site has a disclaimer that describes it as part of a network of "parody, satire, and tomfoolery." There is no evidence to support the claim that the fast food restaurant is leaving California amid…

Did environmental activists protesting against the use of oil and gas in the U.K. glue themselves to a container transporting cooking oil? No, that's not true: The labels on the tank excluded the possibility that it contained vegetable oil, two independent sources confirmed to Lead Stories. That was consistent with publicly available information found on credible resources. A social media…

Did Tennessee prohibit the inclusion of vaccines in the food supply? No, that's not true: The proposed law, Tennessee House Bill 1894, was awaiting Gov. Bill Lee's signature as of April 8, 2024, and would consider any food containing vaccine or vaccine-related ingredients as a drug. It wouldn't ban the sale of such foods, which are not currently on the…

Does a viral video on Facebook prove that all protein powder is made from maggots? No, that's not true: The footage captures a single facility in South Korea that produces mealworm flour for human consumption. Most types of commercially available protein powder in the United States is made from other ingredients such as milk or plants. The claim reappeared in…

Is lab-grown meat being sold in Aldi stores as of April 2024? No, that's not true: Aldi told Lead Stories that the grocery store chain does not sell cultivated meat products. Cultivated meat products are deemed safe for consumption by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service. The government agency also told Lead Stories that only two…

Did Chick-fil-A announce that the company was "moving to fake chicken"? No, that's not true: Pointing out that a social media post making the claim appeared on April 1, 2024, the company told Lead Stories: "The Instagram post from April Fool's Day is false." While Chick-fil-A previously said in a statement that it would be moving away from "No Antibiotics…

Did World Trade Center developer Larry Silverstein get a "$1 trillion" insurance payout resulting from the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore? No, that's not true: The claim cited an amount of money no individual in the world is known to possess. The claim did not supply, nor could Lead Stories find, evidence supporting the claim that he owns…

Did singer Kelly Clarkson promote ketogenic gummies to lose weight in a Facebook video? No, that's not true: The audio has been edited from a video originally posted on Clarkson's Facebook page. Lead Stories searched and found no evidence that Clarkson has promoted gummies for weight loss. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) where it was published…