Did tech billionaire Elon Musk publish a post in defense of insurance companies, saying that those corporations can act "ruthlessly" because of their "duty to shareholders to maximize profits"? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no record of the purported post on Musk's X account. The fake screenshot of the entry appears to have originated from a meme website.…
Does President Joe Biden have the power to pardon Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson? No, that's not true: As of this writing, Mangione was jailed on state charges in Pennsylvania and was charged with murder by New York. The Constitution allows presidents to grant pardons only for federal crimes. The claim originated in…
Did Burger King's X account post "We don't snitch" in response to the alleged killer of the UnitedHealthcare CEO being recognized by a McDonald's employee? No, that's not true: Burger King's public relations confirmed to Lead Stories that this post was made up. Also, the fake post contained the words "Retweets" and "Quote Tweets," words no longer used since Elon…
Did UnitedHealthcare list a job opening for the CEO position on LinkedIn shortly after former CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot? No, that's not true: A UnitedHealthcare communications director told Lead Stories that a screenshot the supposed job listing was "fake." Lead Stories did not find any evidence that this was an actual listing. As of December 9, 2024, there…
Was UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson about to testify against former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for insider trading before his death on December 4, 2024? No, that's not true: There's no evidence connecting his death to insider trading allegations involving Pelosi, nor has Pelosi been accused of such a crime. However, in May 2024, Thompson was named in an insider trading…
Did Elon Musk tweet that the "world would not be able to function" without CEOs after the murder of Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare Group? No, that's not true: The tweet is fake. Searches of Musk's X account and archived versions of it show the post was fabricated. A screenshot of the purported X post (archived here) appeared…
Was Samuel Hyde named as the suspect in the shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO? No, that's not true: Sam, or Samuel, Hyde is a comedian whose name and likeness have been the subject of internet memes associated with shootings since 2015. One of the photos of a person of interest released by the New York Police Department was edited to…
Is there a "2024 Spending Allowance Card" being given to people over age 64 if they fill out an eligibility questionnaire? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that such a card, preloaded with funds, exists. Lead Stories has written fact checks about several false claims of similar cards. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook…
Did insurance companies Cigna and UnitedHealthcare add new text that denies health care if a person has been affected by a war in 2024? No, that's not true: This language has been included in Cigna's and UnitedHealthcare's insurance policies in the past. Lead Stories found multiple examples of this clause in policies during previous years. The claim appeared in a…
Was a "new stimulus program" providing "millions of Americans" with "free health care" and $500 monthly "credits ... just announced"? No, that's not true: U.S. government resources don't mention a new round of stimulus payments for health care needs being approved. The claim appeared on Facebook on December 14, 2022. The caption said: This New Program Is Changing The Lives…
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