Business

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…

Is patting the elbow pit, the inside of your elbow, a scientifically proven method to eliminate a stomachache? No, that's not true: There is no evidence supporting this claim, a licensed gastroenterologist told Lead Stories. The page that posted the claim described itself as an "entertainment website." The claim appeared in a reel (archived here) on Facebook on March 28,…

Is Angela Chao, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's sister-in-law who drowned in a fatal car accident in February 2024, listed as the CEO of the company that owns the ship that hit Baltimore's Key Bridge on March 26, 2024? No, that's not true: Chao is listed as the chair and CEO of Foremost Group, an American shipping company headquartered in…

Does stretching the back and arms improve liver and spleen function by stimulating certain "meridians," as a post on Facebook suggested? No, that's not true: A gastroenterologist told Lead Stories that "there is no conclusive scientific evidence that meridians exist" and "no evidence that [stretching] can be used to improve liver and spleen function." The page that posted the claim…

Did Elon Musk encourage a boycott of Tyson Foods as of March 23, 2024? No, that's not true: There is no such statement on Musk's X account. The claim originated from a satirical website, and Musk doesn't appear to be involved in calls for a boycott of Tyson Foods at the time of writing. The claim appeared in a post…

Is it against the law for athletes to endorse milk as a nutritious beverage? No, that's not true: There's nothing inherently illegal about athletes promoting milk as healthy, despite claims by Bobby Price in a YouTube video. Staff from the Federal Trade Commission, which regulates claims in advertising, told Lead Stories that "it's NOT illegal for them to say this."…

Did a U.S. Marine Officer spend over 15 years on Mars in a secret space program? No, that's not true: A NASA spokesperson told Lead Stories that NASA has "not yet sent humans to Mars" and has a goal of "having astronauts walk on Mars by 2040." A Pentagon duty officer confirmed to Lead Stories that this claim is "100%…

Can immigrants and their families obtain "Direct USA Immigration through the EB3 Greencard visa" program? No, that's not true: The EB-3 Green Card visa program is tailored for skilled workers, professionals and other individuals who possess a job offer from a U.S. employer and meet specific requirements. It does not offer a direct pathway for most immigrants and their families…

Did Anheuser Busch announce the company would discontinue and rebrand Bud Light, saying, "We Can't Save It"? No, that's not true: The website that published the article is a satire site, with a disclaimer noting that they are part of a network of "parody, satire and tomfoolery." Lead Stories was unable to find any kind of official announcement regarding the…

Is the U.S. government providing $5,000 to each illegal migrant and to all Americans? No, neither element of the claim is true: An immigration policy think tank contacted by Lead Stories said these claims are a "false rumor" that has been circulating since December 2023. Immigrants who enter the country illegally generally are not eligible for most federal benefits or…

Did a study find that electric cars pollute 1,850 times more than fuel-based vehicles, as some online publications reported when posted about the study? No, that's not true: The "study" in question was an analysis published by an independent emissions research group, not a science journal article. The group's spokesperson told Lead Stories that some online publications misrepresented the analysis.…

Did Donald Trump say in a speech that there would be a "bloodbath" if he weren't elected in November 2024? Yes, that's true, here's more context: The former American president used the term on March 16, 2024, while campaigning in Vandalia, Ohio, in a speech that painted a dire picture of the country if Joe Biden were to win a…

Did the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act raise taxes on most people earning under $75,000? No, that's not true: The 2017 law aimed to lower taxes for individuals through measures such as reducing income tax rates and raising the standard deduction. While the vast majority in the under $75,000 income group benefited from reduced taxes, a small percentage saw their…

Does the European Commission propose outlawing repairs on cars over 15 years old? No, that's not true: A proposal about end-of-lifecycle vehicles does not say that. A spokesperson for the European Commission categorically refuted the claim in a conversation with Lead Stories. The claim originated in an article (archived here) published by a website named Outdoor Enthusiast Magazine on January…

Did a fire on a Texas farm kill 12 million chickens in January 2024? No, that's not true: The figure circulating on social media reflects the total number of hens the current owner of the farm has in six different locations nationwide. In 2020, the farm partially damaged by the January 2024 fire housed roughly one million chickens. The claim…

Did vaccines cause an "explosion in autoimmune diseases"? No, that's not true: Only in rare cases has vaccination been associated with autoimmune diseases. Vaccines are rigorously tested for safety before being approved for use, and extensive research has shown that vaccines are not linked to an "explosion of autoimmune diseases." The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here)…

Did Neverland Ranch investigators discover the real corpse of Michael Jackson in 2005? No, that's not true: The source for the information in the video on TikTok is an article published on The Onion, a well-known satire website. There is no attribution to The Onion for the information in the video. The news article shown as the source for details…

Did "Budweiser brands" not get invited to The Great American Beer Festival for the first time since 1982? No, that's not true: A representative from The Great American Beer Festival told Lead Stories that this claim was "incorrect." There is also a sentence in the article making this claim that says that what the satire site posts is not "necessarily…

Was "80 percent of Texas' cattle grazing land" destroyed in the 2024 wildfires burning across the Texas Panhandle, as is claimed in a post and video on Instagram? No, that's not true: As of this writing, more than 1.2 million acres have been burned in the state in four active fires in the Texas Panhandle, which contains less than 10…