Health

Does the color of your earwax reveal the "true state" of your health, with white earwax indicating a vitamin deficiency and black earwax suggesting a fungal infection? No, that's not true: Earwax can come in a range of colors from dark to light, but it doesn't reliably show if you're healthy or have problems like infections. If it changes a…

Did late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel say he was ending his show on January 20, 2025, and moving to Canada? No, that's not true: This comes from a website that labels itself satire. An online search turned up no evidence that Kimmel had ever said such a thing. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook on November…

Did the Cleveland Clinic say widespread use of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine will cause a wave of "mass deaths" within the next five years? No, that's not true: The medical center issued no such warning. A spokesperson for the Cleveland Clinic told Lead Stories there is no scientific basis for the claim that the COVID-19 vaccine will lead to myocarditis and…

Does an image on social media authentically show Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a ventilator in a hospital? No, that's not true: The picture shows a person with a differently shaped ear. Lead Stories analysis found other inconsistencies that strongly suggested digital manipulation. The image has been on social media since at least 2023. The picture reappeared in a…

Does a video show Adm. Rachel L. Levine, the assistant secretary of health and human services, performing what is described as a pagan ritual? No, that's not true: A government spokesperson confirmed Levine was not in the video. A reverse image search revealed that the woman in the video is someone else, a spokesperson for the pagan religion and a…

Did Major League Soccer or FIFA publicly announce that LGBTQ+ flags will be prohibited at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup? No, that's not true: The rumor originated from websites with satire labels. As of November 20, 2024, Lead Stories found no confirmation that either of the two sports organizations had issued such a statement. The claim appeared in a…

Did Elon Musk permanently ban LGBTQ+ Pride content from X because "protecting kids comes first"? No, that's not true: The account that posted this incorrect information is from a self-described satirical Facebook page that explains, "We post SATIRE, nothing on this page is real." The word "SATIRE" is at the end of the post's caption. Lead Stories could not find…

Did Elon Musk sue TV show "The View" and co-host Whoopi Goldberg for $70 million because "They Lie About Me"? No, that's not true: This originated from SpaceX Fanclub, a Facebook page with a clear disclaimer that states, "We post SATIRE, nothing on this page is real." That has not prevented other pages from picking up the story and republishing…

Did Seattle police say that a woman charged with killing her father with an ice ax was overwhelmed by President-elect Donald Trump's election? No, that's not true: The suspect's answer to a routine question about what day it was showed up as a statement of motive in the early version of a news article. A post on X used the…

Did McDonald's stock climb 200 percent after Donald Trump made a campaign appearance at one of its franchises? No, that's not true: This comes from a website that regularly publishes fake stories, and the original article was clearly labeled as "satire." McDonald's shares actually dropped after Trump visited one of its restaurants. The claim appeared in a post (archived here)…