Business

Did actress Scarlett Johansson once say, "I am a Jew, and no amount of money in the world will tempt me to go against Israel?" No, that's not true: There is no record of Johansson ever having made this remark. A search on Google News shows no credible news reports of Johansson, who is Jewish, ever having said this. The…

Did rock musician Kid Rock call on the Grammys to ban Taylor Swift because she's "destroyed real music," as a social-media post claimed? No, that's not true: This claim initially appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. There is no publicly available or credible evidence to support the claim. A version of this claim…

Did 78-year-old Walter Jones never return home after driving out with his dog Cami? No, that's not true: The man in a photo on a social media post is not Walter Jones but the chief surgeon of a veterinary hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine. The false narrative is part of a scam that inspires concerned people to share a post which…

Did Fox News host Dana Perino announce that she was leaving the network to make CBD gummies? No, that's not true: Paid posts promoting the claim on social media shared an article purporting to be a Fox News report, though it was published on an unrelated website. A Fox News representative said the claim was false, too. The claim appeared…

Does a video showing a rail sliding attraction in the Hulunbuir grassland region of Inner Mongolia, China, accurately represent the cloudscapes a visitor can expect? No, that's not true: A viral video promoting the Ribbon River Grass Skiing attraction features a digitally edited rolling storm cloud added on the horizon. The exact same cloud photo with different effects applied appears…

Did singer Taylor Swift "bid farewell" to music because she is "tired of" the criticism and being called "woke"? No, that's not true: This claim originated from an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. There is no such announcement on the artist's official website. There is otherwise no publicly available or credible evidence to support this…

Did Walmart announce that "starting June 3rd all U.S. store locations will go back" to 24-hour shopping? No, that's not true: There was no announcement like this made by Walmart. The news page on the Walmart corporate website at the time of writing -- June 4, 2024 -- does not show any announcement or news about all Walmart stores in…

Did Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy buy the luxury Vuni Palace Hotel in Cyprus? No, that's not true: There is no credible evidence that the Ukrainian leader bought the resort on the northern coast of the island nation. In an online statement, the Ukrainian embassy in Cyprus called the claim "Russian propaganda" and "yet another lie aimed at discrediting Ukraine and…

Did entrepreneur and Tesla CEO Elon Musk say, "I'd rather drink sewer water than see Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl," as a post on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: This claim originally appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. There is otherwise no publicly available or credible evidence to support this claim.…

Did entrepreneur Elon Musk discuss in an interview a theory that holds "every single Disney princess is supposed to... represent a disorder", as shown in a video on TikTok? No, that's not true: As of this publication, there's no evidence that Musk talked about that subject in any recorded interview. Additionally, digital forensics and a deepfake-testing website, which analyzes audio,…

Did Elon Musk withdraw $250 million from Boy Scouts of America while being quoted as saying, "Not A Single Penny To Woke Organizations"? No, that's not true: This claim originated from an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. There is otherwise no publicly available or credible evidence to support this claim. The claim appeared in a…

Do Starbucks coffee shops routinely add human semen to the lattes they sell? No, that's not true: This claim first surfaced in 2014 as an article on a satire website with a disclaimer identifying the website as such. The fake news story might have faded quickly except that a New York City pastor fell for the hoax and publicized the…

Did entrepreneur Elon Musk discuss the Fruit of the Loom conspiracy theory with Joe Rogan as one TikTok video claims? No, that's not true: There's no evidence that Musk talked with the podcaster about that subject. Additionally, digital forensics and deepfake-testing websites, which analyze audio, video and other media, suggest that artificial intelligence was used to generate the voice purported…

Did Disney cut Tinker Bell from meet-and-greets on the basis that she has a "problematic" image? No, that's not true: A Disney spokesperson told Lead Stories that Tinker Bell is a "beloved character, and she continues to appear in all of our parks around the world." The spokesperson said they had no record of a "Disney rep" making the claim…

Does a photo show a lithium mine for electric cars, as a meme on Facebook implied? No, that's not true: The photograph depicts an Australian gold mine located near Marvel Loch in Western Australia. The mine is overseen by Minjar Mine, described on its website as an Australian gold producer, developer and explorer that manages the Southern Cross Operation on…

Did Barbara O'Neill guarantee that a hypertension medication will clear your vessels and cure the disease in three weeks or she will transfer $10,000 into your bank account -- and have Samuel Jackson, Jane Seymour and Tom Hanks all endorsed this treatment after it cured their hypertension? No, neither statement is true: This false promotion uses AI-generated voice-overs to put…

Does a social media video show an incident on May 21, 2024, in which a Boeing Singapore Airlines plane hit extremely rough air? No, that's not true: The clip is from nearly five years earlier. Instead of the Singapore Airlines flight, the video shows another case of heavy turbulence from June 2019, involving an ALK Airlines plane over Europe. The…

Did singer Kelly Clarkson and "Tonight Show" host Jimmy Fallon promote weight-loss gummies in a 2024 televised interview, as a Facebook post claims? No, that's not true: Clarkson's publicist denied to Lead Stories that she has any connection with such gummies. A Google search showed there is no evidence that Fallon promoted any weight loss or gummy products. The claim…

Did the genetic testing company 23andMe sell all DNA assets to the Chinese government in a $10 billion deal? No, that's not true: The spoof article that originally made the claim includes a warning at the bottom, telling readers that the article is a parody and "for entertainment purposes only." A spokesman for 23andMe also told Lead Stories that the…

Is Breyers ice cream now, legally, no longer ice cream? No, that's not true: The company sells multiple flavors of ice cream and others that are frozen dairy desserts. Some of Breyers' products are labeled "frozen dairy dessert" as they are less than 10 percent dairy fat, according to the company's website. The Food and Drug Administration sets the regulations…