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The Russian invasion of Ukraine has exposed many challenges facing the West and particularly the U.S. One rather unexpected challenge is the revelation that U.S.-funded biological research facilities in Ukraine may be targets of Putin’s military strategy. Conspiracy theories aside, statements from a senior State Department official, Victoria Nuland, confirming that these facilities could pose a serious threat only elevate the need to look deeper into U.S.-funded gain of function (GOF) research.
Scientists at one lab reported a “lack of modern biosafety equipment” as well as using “lethal microbes that in the West would be locked away in high-containment laboratories,” but were not secured. If labs in foreign countries testing dangerous pathogens using U.S. taxpayer funds sounds familiar, you’ve been paying attention. The need for answers over the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic seems to have gotten more urgent as we’ve learned more from communications of senior officials closest to the issue trying to suppress any genuine scrutiny.
Subsequent congressional oversight into the issue has only just begun and may trigger a broader reassessment of the U.S. government’s approach to research commonly known as GOF. Some of the biggest recipients of this funding, like EcoHealth Alliance, deserve an equal level of oversight and investigation.
In a U.S. Senate hearing in July 2021, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), clashed over this very topic. Sen. Paul claimed the National Institute of Health (NIH) had provided $600,000 in funding for a GOF study by EcoHealth Alliance in Wuhan, China; Dr. Fauci denied that the study was in fact GOF. Paul accused Fauci and the NIH of “defining away gain of function … saying it doesn’t exist because you change the definition” on the government’s website.
Moreover, the change in definitions occurred at the same time information came to light that EcoHealth Alliance had indeed conducted a GOF study in Wuhan. EcoHealth was forced to admit in the progress report that it created a lab-generated SARS-related coronavirus that was more pathogenic toward mice with humanized cells than the natural virus on which it was based. Quite a coincidence.
Whether COVID-19 originated in a Wuhan lab will continue to be a hotly debated question, one that may not be resolved in any definitive manner given the many financial incentives at stake. What has been established is the viability of the lab-leak theory. This should give every American pause. Will the pandemic of the last two years result in a serious recalculation of the cost-benefit analysis of U.S. government-funded GOF research efforts? What metrics can the federal government point to that demonstrate we were better prepared to handle the recent global pandemic?
With billions of dollars sent from the U.S. treasury to grant recipients conducting GOF or GOF-type research around the world – much of it in countries that are either openly hostile to the U.S. or outside the reach of genuine oversight controls – it’s time to reassess the federal government’s objectives and funding when it comes to GOF research (including the research that was recently “redefined”).
Before change can occur, though, we need sunshine into what has become one of the most under-appreciated threats facing the American people today. My organization, the Center to Advance Security in America, is digging in to get some answers. What exactly did we fund with EcoHealth Alliance in Wuhan? Were the early efforts by government officials to silence conversations into a potential lab-leak theory consistent with the scientific integrity principles that are so commonly espoused by senior leaders? Are we still funding GOF research under a different name? Are we funding such research in the Ukraine? It’s time to find out.
Adam Turner is the Director of the Center to Advance Security in America. Article cross-posted from our news partners at WND News Center.
Mysterious “Skyquakes” Are Causing Strange “Booms” in the Sky, and Scientists Have No Explanation
by Michael Snyder
(End of the American Dream)—What is causing the extremely loud “booms” that people are hearing in the sky all over the world? We are being told that “skyquakes” are responsible, but scientists have no idea why these “skyquakes” are occurring. In some cases, the “skyquakes” cause such powerful shaking that…
The Biggest Sale on Long-Term Storage Beef EVER
by Sponsored Post
Let’s cut to the chase. Prepper All-Naturals is offering an unprecedented 40% off for it’s “Beef Steak” survival bags with promo code “steak40”. With a 25-year shelf life and a single ingredient (beef, of course), our most popular product is available for a very limited time with the biggest discount…
Seattle Is Ordered to Stop Blocking Illegal Alien Deportations in the Most Hilarious Court Decision Ever
by PJ Media
A federal court has just pooped in the oatmeal of the West Coast, Messed Coast™governors and local election officials suffering from acute cases of Trump Derangement Syndrome who think they can stop illegal alien deportations. And after this hilarious and thorough legal takedown from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals,…
Illegal Alien Terror Suspect Found Dead in Cook County Jail Cell
by Slay News
An Islamic illegal alien has been found dead in his jail cell after being arrested on terrorism charges. According to CWBChicago, 22-year-old Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi was found dead at the Cook County jail in Illinois on Saturday. Abdallahi was arrested on felony terrorism and hate crime charges in October. He…
Trump’s Wild Bunch Is Ready for Action
by Frank Miele
If for no other reason than that it will elicit fear in the hearts of autocracy-phobics, I propose that Donald Trump’s second-term Cabinet be known as “The Wild Bunch.” The name is best known as the title of Sam Peckinpah’s classic 1969 western featuring a colorful cast of aging outlaws…
FAA Issues Flight Restrictions Over Questionable Drone Activity Near Trump’s Bedminster Golf Course
by Just The News
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Tuesday said that it has issued two flight restrictions on the area surrounding President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf club in New Jersey, following questionable drone activity. The drone sightings were first reported on Nov. 18, but have continued into this week, according to Fox…
Ex-FBI Agent Convicted for Stealing From Jan 6 Defendant During Raid
by Trending Politics
A former Houston-based FBI agent has been convicted of stealing valuables and cash while conducting searches. In one instance, the agent stole cash and silver bars from a non-violent January 6 defendant’s home. Nicholas Anthony Williams, 36, was indicted on January 31 in the Southern District of Texas. Williams, who…
Democrats, Media Elite Urge Biden to Pardon Trump’s Alleged ‘Enemies List’
by Breitbart
President Joe Biden should issue preemptive pardons to his political allies and those deemed to be on President-elect Donald Trump’s alleged “enemies list,” Democrats and their media allies believe. Delivering a preemptive pardon indicates an admission of guilt, although Democrats claim a preemptive pardon would only be intended to block…
Fani Willis Forced to Release All Communications With Jack Smith, J6 Committee
by Trending Politics
The Fulton County Superior Court has ruled against District Attorney Fani Willis, ordering her to disclose communications with Special Counsel Jack Smith and the House January 6 Committee. The decision, announced on Tuesday, follows a lawsuit brought by Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, which accused Willis of violating Georgia’s…
Lindsey Graham Is the Warmongering NeoCon Leading the Charge to Upend Pete Hegseth
by JD Rucker
Pete Hegseth represents a shift away from the wokeness that has infected the United States military. This is possibly the biggest reason President-Elect Donald Trump tapped him to be the next Secretary of Defense and the vast majority of Republicans on Capitol Hill can support this, at least for the…
‘Where Are Black Democrats?’: Charles Payne Tells Personal Story to Call Out ‘Huge Double Standard’ of Biden Family
by Nicole Silverio, DCNF
(DCNF)—Fox Business host Charles Payne called out the alleged “huge double standard” of President Joe Biden’s family Tuesday by revealing that his brother, who struggles with a crack addiction, is currently serving a jail sentence. Payne said his brother, who is getting out of jail on Friday, is likely one…
Zelensky Admits Ukraine Can’t Retake All Its Land: ‘We Must Seek Diplomatic Means’
by Breitbart
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky conceded in an interview on Tuesday that Ukraine does not have “enough forces” to restore sovereignty over Russian-occupied Crimea and “must seek diplomatic means” to end the Russian invasion and regain its land. The state-run Ukrinform outlet reported that Zelensky described Crimea – which Russia colonized…
Ultra-Processed Foods: How Bad Are They for Your Health?
by Olivia Cook
(Natural News)—Despite the serious health risks associated with eating junk food, they remain the most consumed food products in many countries, particularly developed ones. But a review published in The BMJ, which studied 9.8 million people, warns that eating a lot of ultra-processed foods can increase your risk for 32 diseases. Among these are heart…
“Already Pretty Far Down the Line”: The Container Store Could File for Bankruptcy as Soon as Next Year
by Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge
(Zero Hedge)—As the retail apocalypse that started with Amazon and e-commerce continues, the latest victim is The Container Store. The retail giant could file for bankruptcy as soon as next year, according to the New York Post, who said the retailer is blaming its recent descent on “a weak housing…
Mysterious ‘Car-Sized Drones’ Over New Jersey Prompt FBI Investigation
by Zero Hedge
Several weeks of mysterious drone swarms over the skies of one New Jersey county near the military research and manufacturing facility Picatinny Arsenal have sparked concerns among residents and prompted an FBI investigation. “It’s kind of unsettling,” Mike Walsh, a Morris County resident who has spotted the drones on numerous…
UNESCO’s New Mission: Train Influencers About Combatting Online “Misinformation”
by Reclaim the Net
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is now incorporating teaching influencers how to “fact check” into its activities. UNESCO claims that influencers have become “primary sources of news and cultural information” around the world – which prompted it to carry out a survey into how these online personalities…
