NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week

Social media users shared a range of false claims this week

A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:

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Experts warn that borax cleaning powder isn’t safe to ingest, as social media posts claim

CLAIM: Taking borax daily can help with a range of ailments, including osteoporosis, kidney stones, chronic fatigue and erectile dysfunction.

THE FACTS: Not only is there no evidence to support purported health benefits touted around the cleaning product, health experts say ingesting borax can be harmful or deadly to humans if swallowed. Yet social media users are touting the chemical compound commonly found in household cleaners as the latest wonder drug. One widely circulating TikTok video features a woman claiming that taking just a small amount of the substance each day can help stave off osteoporosis, ease joint pain, break down kidney stones, fight chronic fatigue and boost testosterone levels for men dealing with erectile dysfunction, among other things. “It’s super inexpensive and I’ve been using it for probably over two months now, and I have seen a drastic reduction in my joint pain,” the woman claims in the video, which at one point cuts to a package of borax that includes the words “detergent booster” and “multi-purpose household cleaner.” But there’s nothing to support any of the health claims. “If a person is ingesting borax for a health issue, they should be prepared for bigger health issues than the one they are trying to improve,” warns Liz Weinandy, a registered dietitian at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Even the detergent brand 20 Mule Team Borax, which helped popularize commercial use of the chemical when it was introduced in 1891, stresses on its website that its product isn’t intended as a dietary supplement and shouldn’t be used for bathing, applying to skin or ingesting. “The improper use of Borax is deeply concerning, and we urge consumers to use this product – and all household products – only as directed. Purposefully ingesting or otherwise misusing it can cause serious harm," the company said in an emailed statement. Experts say social media users appear to be conflating boron, a naturally occurring mineral, with borax, which is also naturally occurring and is produced when boron is combined with sodium, hydrogen and oxygen. Boron is an essential element for plant growth so it’s readily found in fruits, vegetables and nuts, says Kelly Johnson-Arbor, interim executive director at the National Capital Poison Center in Washington, D.C. Various companies also make boron pills as dietary supplements for human consumption but the verdict is out on whether they’re truly beneficial, she said. "We don’t fully understand all the ways that boron may affect the human body,” Johnston-Arbor explained. Indeed the National Institutes of Health, the nation’s primary scientific research agency, cautions on its website that boron isn’t considered an essential nutrient for humans and people should limit their daily intake until more research is done on its purported benefits. Too much boron, the agency notes, can lead to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rashes, headaches and convulsions in humans. Very high amounts can lead to death. Jeffrey Bernstein, medical director for the Florida Poison Information Center in Miami, said a healthy, balanced diet should provide all the boron a person requires.

— Associated Press writer Philip Marcelo in New York contributed this report.

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Congress didn’t pass law allowing consumers to erase negative credit information after two years

CLAIM: A new law passed by Congress “allows you to permanently remove any negative debt” from your credit report that is over two years old.

THE FACTS: The law referenced in the video to support that claim, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, has been around since 1970. The law requires that most negative information be removed from your credit report after seven years. Experts say there have been no legislative changes that allow consumers to simply remove negative, but accurate, information after just two. Still, an Instagram video from a self-described “credit expert” claims that “Congress passed a new law (fcra law) which allows you to permanently remove any negative debt older than 2 years & is affecting your credit score." The video goes on to offer $20 letters to purportedly aid people in removing student loans, hospital bills and more. “I’m not aware of any law that comes close to this,” David Silberman, a former acting deputy director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, told the AP in an email. Silberman said proposals to shorten the time period in which delinquent debts disappear have been put forth, but none have passed. Likewise, Ariel Nelson, a staff attorney at the National Consumer Law Center, said she was aware of no such change. “That would be a major amendment to the FCRA,” she added. The CFPB referred the AP to its website, which notes that consumer reporting agencies are legally required to remove most negative information after seven years — though some information, such as bankruptcies, may remain longer. But prior to that consumers generally can’t have current, negative information removed from their credit reports if it’s accurate, the federal agency points out. Consumer reporting agencies are expected under the law to have reasonable procedures to ensure accuracy, Nelson noted, and individuals are entitled to dispute inaccurate information. The CFPB advises consumers to be aware of potential credit repair scams.

— Associated Press writer Angelo Fichera in New Jersey contributed this report.

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Obamas’ chef wasn’t found dead on the anniversary of Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide

CLAIM: Former President Barack Obama’s personal chef, Tafari Campbell, was found dead on the anniversary of Jeffrey Epstein’s death.

THE FACTS: Campbell’s body was recovered from a pond on Martha’s Vineyard on July 24 after he went under water while paddleboarding a day earlier. Epstein, who was facing federal sex trafficking charges at the time of his death, was pronounced dead on Aug. 10, 2019. A headline about Epstein in posts circulating online refers to an earlier, suspected suicide attempt. “So today a body is found in Obama’s pond,” reads a popular post on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “This on the same day as this anniversary of Epstein. Something big coming?” The post includes a screenshot of a headline reading: “BREAKING: Jeffrey Epstein Found Injured in NYC Jail Cell After Possible Suicide Attempt or Assault.” It doesn’t show the date or provide any more details about that incident or when Epstein actually died. In reality, that July 24, 2019, news report was about Epstein being found injured in his Manhattan jail cell following a suspected July 23 suicide attempt. Epstein survived that incident and was placed on suicide watch. Weeks later, Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell early Aug. 10 and pronounced dead soon after. The AP last month reported on newly obtained records that provided new details on Epstein’s detention and death. Campbell’s body, meanwhile, was found July 24 as part of a search that began a day earlier following reports that a paddleboarder in Edgartown Great Pond went under water and didn’t resurface. Campbell was not wearing a life jacket, police said. The 45-year-old from Virginia had worked at the White House during the Obama administration and then worked for the former president and first lady. Massachusetts State Police said in a statement provided to the AP that the investigation and an initial medical examiner review found no evidence the death was suspicious. Officials say there was no external trauma or injuries.

— Angelo Fichera

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Canada isn’t pushing minors to end their lives. Current euthanasia laws don’t apply to them anyway

CLAIM: Canada is encouraging minors to commit suicide through its medical assistance in dying process.

THE FACTS: Social media users making the claim are sharing a screenshot from the website of an independent organization called Dying With Dignity Canada, which is advocating for certain minors with severe medical conditions to be able to end their lives. But medical assistance in dying, or MAID, is currently only available to adults 18 or older with a serious illness, disease or disability. Canada’s government has said it will pursue research about end-of-life options for young people, but a spokesperson for the country’s federal health agency said it has no immediate plans to lower the minimum age requirement for eligibility. The screenshot circulating online shows the top of a page titled “Mature minors” on the website of Dying With Dignity Canada. It includes a photo of a child in bed and states: “With the appropriate safeguards in place, mature minors should be allowed the right to choose MAID.” One tweet sharing the screenshot reads, “Canada is inciting minors to commit suicide with the excuse of being ‘mature’? @JustinTrudeau making Hitler look like a choir boy.” Other posts with the screenshot go a step further, claiming that minors can already use MAID to end their lives. But Dying With Dignity Canada is independent of the country’s government, and minors do not currently qualify for MAID, a process that allows Canadians to end their lives via euthanasia or assisted suicide. What’s more, the posts are misrepresenting Dying With Dignity Canada’s position. Its website advocates for access to end-of-life options such as MAID for mature minors — children who are deemed mature enough to make their own decisions about medical treatment — with severe medical conditions. Sarah Dobec, a spokesperson for the organization, told the AP that it "does not encourage minors, or anyone else, to die, including by suicide." A person must be 18 years old and mentally capable of making their own health care decisions to currently qualify for MAID. “The Government of Canada has no plans to alter the minimum age requirement to access MAID,” Health Canada spokesperson Anne Genier told the AP. “Health Canada is considering undertaking research to understand the views and perspectives of young people, and their parents/caregivers, about suffering and end of life options, including Medical Assistance in Dying.” Those seeking MAID must have a medical condition that is “grievous and irremediable,” voluntarily request assistance and give informed consent to receive it, and be eligible for Canadian health services. Two independent medical practitioners assess each MAID request. The medical condition does not need to be terminal, but must be in an advanced, irreversible state that causes “unbearable physical or mental suffering” that cannot be addressed “under conditions you consider acceptable.” This may include certain disabilities, a fact that has concerned some experts. People whose only medical condition is a mental illness will be considered starting on March 17, 2024. MAID became legal in 2016. In 2018, a report on mature minors and MAID commissioned by the Canadian government was released, but did not contain any specific recommendations. A Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying, composed of lawmakers from the country’s Parliament, explored the issue and in a final report released in February recommended that “minors deemed to have the requisite decision-making capacity upon assessment” be eligible. In its June response to this report, the Canadian government wrote that it “has actions underway, or planned, in many of the areas covered by the Committee’s recommendations.” This includes funding for research on MAID and marginalized people, including mature minors, and engagement with Indigenous people on the topic.

— Associated Press writer Melissa Goldin in New York contributed this report.

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