Business

Is there no law requiring American citizens to file an annual 1040 income tax return or to pay income tax on their labor? No, that's not true: The U.S. Constitution's 16th Amendment, ratified in 1913, authorizes Congress to collect income tax. By law, the Internal Revenue Service can exact penalties for failing to file a 1040 form. The claim appeared…

Does the bottled drinking water DASANI contain lethal amounts of potassium chloride, the same chemical used to kill death row inmates? No, that's not true: All bottled water contains small amounts of the mineral, but both a water sciences expert and a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) spokesperson tell Lead Stories that the level of potassium chrloide in bottled…

Did USA Today publish an article on November 30, 2022, titled, "Elon Musk's Neuralink implants have killed nearly 3000 monkeys since last December, 98% fatality rate"? No, that's not true: This is not a real USA Today headline and the numbers reported in the false headline are grossly exaggerated. Bailey Schulz, whose name appears in the byline of the fake…

Does former President Richard Nixon's call without a string of cellphone towers prove that NASA never put astronauts on the moon? No, that's not true: A NASA spokesman explained to Lead Stories that the agency used massive radio antennas and ground tracking stations to connect Nixon with the astronauts. The nonexistence of cellphones in 1969, therefore, does not prove that…

Did a tourist in Northern Ireland record a giant's "door" opening in the mountainside at Giant's Causeway? No, that's not true: This was part of a promotional video made by An Taisce - The National Trust for Ireland, a nongovernmental charity that works to conserve Ireland's national environment and maintain Irish landmarks. An Taisce, translated from Irish (Gaeilge) to English…

Was "even the media" prosecuted during the 1945-46 Nuremberg trials of Nazi Germany's leadership and "put to death for lying to the public"? No, that's not true: This claim misrepresents the purpose of these historical legal proceedings, which set a precedent for holding individuals accountable for crimes against humanity. As the archives show, even those defendants who had a history…

Does carrageenan, a food stabilizer made from red seaweed, cause cancer? No, that's not true: A registered dietitian told Lead Stories that there is no substantial evidence that carrageenan causes cancer. Neither the Food and Drug Administration, nor the European Food Safety Authority have found safety concerns with using carrageenan as an additive. The claim that carrageenan causes cancer appeared…

Does the misspelled, separated name of fashion house Balenciaga as "Baal enci aga" translate to "Baal is the king" in Latin? No, that's not true: The claim arises from bugs in Google Translate. In Latin, "Baal is the king" would be "Baal est rex". In Latin, "enci" is not a word and "aga" is the root of several words but…

Did Twitter CEO Elon Musk announce in a tweet that he is "buying Snapchat and deleting all the filters"? No, that's not true: There is no publicly available evidence to suggest that Musk said or tweeted such a statement. The "tweet" in this post is a digitally manipulated screenshot that originated from a meme Twitter account and was reposted on…

Does Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, worship Baphomet, commonly considered a "demonic entity"? No, that's not true: The claim uses fabricated "evidence" that immediately discredits the claim. The website on which the claim appeared is known for publishing false information. The claim appeared in an article published by Real Raw News on November 29, 2022, titled "Moderna CEO Bancel Worshipped…

Is the fast-growing social networking app Gas being used for sex trafficking, and have children across the nation gone missing after using it? No, that's not true: The claim is a hoax and the app has not been linked to any cases of child sex trafficking, according to its creator. The claim appeared in an Instagram post from November 9,…

Did Apple CEO Tim Cook tell Elon Musk that his "feedback is appreciated" and demand that he "pay 30%" after the Twitter CEO claimed that Apple seeks to suppress free speech? No, that's not true: The wisecrack had appeared on other Twitter users' accounts before it was ascribed to Cook, whose verified Twitter account had not been active for several…

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 CNN publish an article or a news report stating that "Elon Musk could threaten free speech on Twitter by literally allowing people to speak freely"? No, that's not true: As of November 28, 2022, the CNN website had not published such a story, which originated from a satirical website overtly presenting itself as a "source of fake news." The…

Did the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) report that "it is illegal to use anything from nature that is not tested for efficacy and safety"? No, that's not true: The FDA regards herbal supplements as foods, not drugs. Therefore, they are not subjected to the same manufacturing standards to prove they are effective in curing an illness and are ultimately…

Did former President Donald Trump say in a post on Truth Social, his social media platform, that he will return to Twitter when Elon Musk, the social media platform's new owner and CEO, calls him "daddy"? No, that's not true: Trump has not posted about this on Truth Social since Musk reinstated his Twitter account on November 19, 2022. There…

Do medical schools neglect to teach future doctors about vaccines, how they're made and their potential dangers? No, that's not true: Vaccine education is a typical part of the training in schools of medicine. Representatives of multiple medical schools told Lead Stories that learning about vaccines is a foundational part of their curriculum for teaching students to become doctors. The…

Did Apple delete all its tweets? No, that's not true: While Apple's official Twitter account @Apple is devoid of tweets, it's not because they were deleted. The tech giant doesn't typically tweet, but it does maintain other official Twitter accounts for its brands, including @AppleMusic, @AppleTV and @AppStore, that are active. Apple does change its profile pictures occasionally to promote…

Does a viral image prove that McDonald's uses human flesh for making "hamburgers and sasuages" "worldwide"? No, that's not true: The video screenshot, accompanied by misleading and unrelated hashtags, only shows a lamb being prepared on a mechanical roasting spit. The claim appeared in an Instagram post on November 17, 2022. The text on the image said: Enjoy your hamburgers…

Did Twitter employees protest Elon Musk by marching in gay pride regalia with a banner after he became the owner of Twitter? No, that's not true: There have been no reports of Twitter employees protesting Musk's ownership by marching with this banner. This altered photo of marchers with a Pride flag originally is from a June 2, 2013, Pride parade…