Bill Gates

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…

Is there a New York Post headline and article that claims Congress will vote on a bill that would make it a crime to question the events surrounding the September 11, 2001, attacks? No, that's not true: Such a headline and article never appeared in the New York Post. Additionally, there's no evidence that Congress is prepared to vote on…

Did Elon Musk publicly call for the arrest of Bill Gates as of April 2024? No, that's not true: The claim originated from a website that publishes made-up news stories related to Musk. An online search by Lead Stores found nothing to substantiate the claim. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on Facebook on April 25, 2024.…

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 video prove Bill Gates suggested destroying agricultural land? No, that's not true: A convoluted post on social media cut out portions of Gates' response to a question, changing the context of what he said. The edited clip of Gates speaking at the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., in 2019 was merged with an unrelated video showing cattle running…

Did Mel Gibson release a video of satanic rituals taking place on "Jeffrey Epstein's island"? No, that's not true: "He has nothing to do with this and has no knowledge of it," Gibson's publicist told Lead Stories about a social media post making this claim. There is no evidence given in the post that such a video even exists. The…

Did Microsoft announce plans to disable the computers of users who share "non-mainstream content" online? No, that's not true: This claim is completely made up, mis-stating what Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in an interview with NBC's Lester Holt. Nadella did not say computers would be disabled if people were sharing "non-mainstream content" online, as is clear from the video…

Instead of being largely eradicated worldwide, has polio just been renamed acute flaccid myelitis and Guillain-Barré syndrome to hide its existence? No, that's not true: Polio is a viral infection caused by the poliovirus. Acute flaccid myelitis and Guillain-Barré syndrome are rare and distinct neurological conditions with different causes. The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) on…

Did Bill Gates say in early 2008 that he wanted to focus on "population control", implying he wants to reduce the population? No, that's not true: Gates made a comment in an interview where he said he expected health programs dealing with certain diseases would affect mortality rates, which in turn would reduce growth in population. There is no credible…

Do contributions from Bill Gates make up 88 percent of the World Health Organization's annual funding? No, that's not true: While notable, the total amount donated by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation every year did not exceed 10 percent of the WHO budget in recent years. The claim misrepresents the structure of WHO's funding. The claim appeared in a…