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Fauci denies seeking to suppress COVID-19 lab leak origin theory

Fauci denies seeking to suppress COVID-19 lab leak origin theory

Dr. Anthony Fauci, former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on Monday denied attempting to suppress the theory that the COVID-19 pandemic began as a result of a lab leak in Wuhan, China, during his opening statement before the House Oversight Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. “The accusation being circulated that I influenced these scientists to change their minds by bribing them with millions of dollars in grant money is absolutely false and simply preposterous. I had no input into the content of the published paper,” Fauci said in his prepared opening statement. “The second issue is a false accusation that I tried to cover up the possibility that the virus originated from a lab. In fact, the truth is exactly the opposite.”  The Republican-led subcommittee has spent over a year probing the nation’s response to the pandemic and whether U.S.-funded research in China may have played any role in how it started. Democrats opened the hearing saying the investigation so far has found no evidence that Fauci did anything wrong while missing an important opportunity to prepare for the next scary outbreak. HIGH-RANKING FAUCI ADVISER USED PERSONAL EMAIL TO AVOID FOIA REQUESTS, DISCUSS COVID ORIGIN Fauci spent 14 hours over two days in January being grilled by the House panel behind closed doors.  On Monday, they’re questioning him again, in public and on camera for the first time since he ended more than five decades of government service. FAUCI ADVISER’S ALLEGED DESTRUCTION OF COVID ORIGIN DOCS MUST BE PROBED BY AG: RAND PAUL This time around, he’ll face a new set of questions about the credibility of his former agency, the National Institutes of Health. Last month, the House panel revealed emails from an NIH colleague about ways to evade public records laws, including by not discussing controversial issues on government email. Two theories have emerged about the origin of the pandemic. The first bolstered by the government was that the virus most likely emerged in nature and jumped from animals to people, probably at a wildlife market in Wuhan, the city where the outbreak began. The second suggests the virus might instead have leaked from a laboratory. Fauci has long said publicly that he was open to both theories but that there’s more evidence supporting COVID-19’s natural origins, the way other deadly viruses including coronavirus cousins SARS and MERS jumped into people. “I have repeatedly stated that I have a completely open mind to either possibility and that if definitive evidence becomes available to validate or refute either theory, I will ready accept it,” Fauci said in his opening statement for Monday’s hearing. Republicans also have accused Fauci of lying to Congress when he denied in May 2022 that his agency funded “gain of function” research – the practicing of enhancing a virus in a lab to study its potential real-world impact – at a lab in Wuhan. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

‘Too little, too late’: Why Biden’s border plan doesn’t impress critics

‘Too little, too late’: Why Biden’s border plan doesn’t impress critics

President Biden is expected to announce executive actions related to the ongoing crisis at the southern border by Tuesday as the issue threatens to become a major issue in the 2024 presidential race, with Republicans saying it is “too little, too late.” Biden administration and border officials confirmed to Fox News that executive actions are expected to be announced by Tuesday before President Biden departs for Normandy.  Details of what will be announced remain unclear. Some outlets reported that it could involve a mechanism to prevent additional migrant entries into the U.S. once there is a rolling seven-day average of more than 4,000 apprehensions a day. MAYORKAS SAYS SOME MIGRANTS ‘TRY TO GAME’ ASYLUM SYSTEM, AS BORDER REMAINS TOP POLITICAL ISSUE  That mechanism would likely be similar to one proposed in a sweeping bipartisan Senate bill that was unveiled earlier this year and has backing from the Biden administration but has so far failed to drum up enough support to pass in the upper chamber. In that bill, a Title-42 style expulsion authority would allow agents to quickly remove migrants across the border.  Biden could attempt to implement an authority by executive order using 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows presidents to limit the entry of foreign nationals into the U.S.  Former President Trump used 212(f) multiple times during his presidency but was unsuccessful in using it to restrict border crossings, with a legal challenge scuppering the effort. Any similar move by President Biden would almost certainly face a similar challenge. CHINESE, JORDANIAN, TURKISH ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CAUGHT IN LARGE NUMBERS AT SOUTHERN BORDER There are no plans for the president to visit the southern border next week ahead of his departure for Europe, officials say.  The Biden administration has repeatedly said its hands are largely tied regarding fixing what it says is a “broken” immigration system and has repeatedly called for additional reforms and funding from Congress. In a statement to Fox News Digital on Monday, the White House said it “continues to explore a series of policy options and we remain committed to taking action to address our broken immigration system.” “Congressional Republicans do not care about securing the border or fixing America’s broken immigration system. If they did, they would have voted for the toughest border enforcement in history. Instead, they put partisan politics ahead of our country’s national security,” a White House spokesperson said.  “While Congressional Republicans chose to stand in the way of additional border enforcement, President Biden will not stop fighting to deliver the resources that border and immigration personnel need to secure our border.” Republicans have blamed the policies of the administration, including the rollback of Trump-era policies such as wall construction, the Migrant Protection Protocols and increased interior enforcement. They have passed their own legislation in the House that would significantly limit asylum claims and restart border wall construction and similar measures. It has not yet been taken up by the Senate. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Fox News Sunday said that the reported action from Biden is “too little too late.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS “Now he’s trying to desperately show the American people somehow that he wants to address the issue that he himself created,” he said.  “We documented 64 specific executive actions of President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas of DHS took over the course of the last three and a half years beginning on the first day that President Biden took office to open the border. Why? They did it intentionally. And it is had catastrophic effects upon our country that we’ll be living with for decades to come,” he said. Meanwhile, the illegal immigration crisis appears to be looming as a major election issue. A recent Fox News poll said the crisis at the southern border is the second most important issue for voters and 69% of respondents said they disapprove of Biden’s handling of the border.  Trump won in 2016 due in large part to his plans to fix the southern border, an issue Biden’s critics say he has failed to properly address.  However, in recent months the numbers of migrant encounters has decreased from the record highs seen in December, where there were more than 200,000 migrant encounters.  There were 179,725 encounters at the southern border in April, compared to 211,992 in April 2023, and 189,357 in March. However, the administration has been using tougher rhetoric on the crisis. Recently, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that some migrants attempt to “game” the system. “The reality is that some people do indeed try to game the system,” Mayorkas told CBS News last month. “That does not speak to everyone whom we encounter, but there is an element of it, and we deal with it accordingly. 

Netanyahu says Biden presented ‘incomplete’ version of Gaza cease-fire

Netanyahu says Biden presented ‘incomplete’ version of Gaza cease-fire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says there are “gaps” between the cease-fire deal Israel proposed and the version of it that President Biden described on Friday. Netanyahu stated Monday that Biden’s description of the deal was “incomplete,” indicating it was less expansive than Biden had suggested. “The proposal that Biden presented is incomplete,” Netanyahu said. “The war will stop in order to bring hostages back, and afterward we will hold discussions. There are other details that the U.S. president did not present to the public.” Netanyahu went on to say that Israel can stop the war for as long as six weeks, but no longer, according to Israeli media. EX-BIDEN OFFICIALS WARN ‘THERE’S A DAM BREAKING’ OVER ANGER AT WHITE HOUSE’S GAZA POLICY “Iran and all of our enemies are watching to see if we capitulate,” he said. Israel has pushed back on Biden’s cease-fire proposal since he announced it on Friday. A top adviser to Netanyahu stated on Sunday that it was “not a good plan.” NETANYAHU INVITED TO ADDRESS CONGRESS AS BIDEN URGES HAMAS TO TAKE ISRAEL PEACE OFFER Two Israeli ministers have threatened to resign from Netanyahu’s coalition if he accepts Biden’s deal. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a right-wing member of Netanyahu’s government, issued the threat on Monday morning. In a speech from the White House on Friday, Biden described his “roadmap to an enduring ceasefire and the release of all hostages,” which he said came after intensive diplomacy carried out by a U.S. team with the leaders of Israel, Qatar, Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries. COMBAT IN PART OF NORTH GAZA IS OVER, ISREALI MILITARY SAYS In a statement also on Saturday, Hamas said it viewed the president’s plan positively, particularly “his call for a permanent cease-fire, the withdrawal of [Israeli] forces from Gaza Strip, reconstruction and an exchange of prisoners.” In his speech, Biden said the plan consisted of three phases: the first, which would take six weeks, would see a full and complete cease-fire, a withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza and a release of a number of hostages. In exchange, Biden said, Israel would release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and allow Gaza’s civilians to return to their homes and neighborhoods in all of the Gaza Strip.

Texas GOP leaders react to new chair, sweeping policy proposals for Lone Star State

Texas GOP leaders react to new chair, sweeping policy proposals for Lone Star State

The Republican Party of Texas (RPT) is days away from publishing their official policy platform proposing sweeping reforms within the state, after a weekend of deliberation and a new state chairman election.  Fox News Digital spoke with several prominent Republicans across the state to get their thoughts on the new platform and new chairman.  Abraham George, a former GOP chair from Collin County, received endorsements from former Chair Matt Rinaldi, Attorney General Ken Paxton and a number of state representatives before beating party Vice Chair Dana Myers in a six-way race. “Going into the November election, my goal is to work and ensure we gain more seats in the Texas House and Senate,” George told Fox News Digital. “We have Ted Cruz and Donald Trump on the ballot, those campaigns are very important to the RPT, and we are working on strategy, fundraising, and execution.” George is taking the helm of a party that is deeply divided and relying on an increasingly smaller pool of donors — notably, a massive reliance on West Texas oil billionaires Tim Dunn and Farris Wilk, whose donations have reportedly ballooned to 25% of the party’s income via $450,000 from Dunn’s Hexagon Partners LTD & $350,000 from Defend Texas Liberty Pac. In April’s federal filing, the RPT reported an income of $2.8 million since 2023, three quarters of what the party previously had raised in the 2019-2020 cycle.  OPPOSED BY TOP TEXAS REPUBLICANS AND TRUMP, STATE HOUSE SPEAKER SURVIVES GOP PRIMARY RUNOFF CHALLENGE “I’m not worried about it, but I think my job as the new chairman is to expand that pool to the next group of people,” George said. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to these big donors, or any of the donors honestly, but we’re going to build financial committees where we can actually have fundraising throughout the state of Texas without depending on one or two people.” “However, big donors are always important to the party because they can bring in a huge amount of money from just a phone call away. But I don’t want us to be the party of a few individuals, but the party of grassroots.”  In his address at the convention, Texas Senator John Cornyn called for unity, “What we got here in Texas is too important to squander by fighting the fights of the past as opposed to looking forward to winning in November.”   While there is always speculation about a blue Texas, George said he does not see a threat coming from the left anytime soon.  “I don’t see a huge threat honestly,” George countered. “Grassroots are energized, there are more volunteers for the Republican Party than ever before. South Texas is moving towards us, we’re starting to pick up seats in those areas, and we’re going to be working hand in hand with the county chairs there. I think we’re in a great place to start. I don’t think we’re going blue anytime soon, although a lot of people like to talk about it.”  Several local party leaders and state representatives felt similarly. Williamson County Chairwoman Michelle Taff Evans told Fox News Digital, “The biggest threat to the Republican majority is complacency, both on the part of the elected officials and the voters. I think the RPT division is most deeply felt by those who are losing control of the party, who see the grassroots as a threat to their long-held power, and who fear populism.”  One of the more ambitious proposals in the new RPT platform is closing primaries, thereby allowing only Republicans to vote in Republican primaries. “I think closing primaries was one of the most important policy achievements of convention,” George explained. “My job now is to go ahead and secure that. We are in conversation with legal counsel and I expect that to be the major thing to happen over the next few months.” Detractors are concerned that this could entirely surrender the RPT to the hard right-wing of the party. The moderate speaker of the Texas House, Dade Phelan, recently won a razor-thin victory against Trump-backed Dave Covey in a runoff election. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick attributed Phelan’s victory to the open primary system, saying “The only way Dade Phelan, who doubled down on appointing Democrat chairs in his recent campaign, can be re-elected Speaker is by a handful of a small minority Republicans and a huge majority of Democrats.”  The most consequential proposal, however, comes in the form of a new constitutional amendment. The proposed amendment would require a state office holder to win a majority of Texas’ countries in a proposal similar to the electoral college. Given the GOP’s reliance on low-populated, but numerous, rural counties, this would make a Democratic statewide victory virtually impossible. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott carried 235 out of 254 counties in 2022 despite only winning the popular vote by +10%. Legal experts expect this to be challenged under the Voter Rights Act, although the platform also calls for the repeal of the Voting Rights Act.    “I think it’s great, they have eight [policy focuses] that they’re highlighting. I will be focused on school choice. I think we have a huge opportunity to get that done,” state Rep. Caroline Harris Davila told Fox News Digital, speaking on the platform’s alignment with legislative priorities. “We want to be the top of the list for education in Texas, and whether it’s public schools, great private schools, we need to make sure parents have everything they can to get their kids the best education possible.”   TENNESSEE GOVERNOR JOINS GOP TREND OF VETTING CANDIDATES ON SUPPORT FOR SCHOOL CHOICE: ‘SO IMPORTANT TO ME’ “The legislative priorities haven’t been published yet, but I expect it’ll be about closing our borders and election integrity is going to be major for us,” George said. Not all Republicans are optimistic about the results of the election and the direction of the party. Travis County Chair Matt Mackowiak, who ran for election against George, told Fox

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries defends Biden’s comment that Hunter did ‘nothing wrong’: ‘Loving father’

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries defends Biden’s comment that Hunter did ‘nothing wrong’: ‘Loving father’

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., on Sunday defended President Biden’s past comment that his son, Hunter Biden, “did nothing wrong.”  Jeffries’ remarks came a day before the scheduled beginning of jury selection in the federal gun case against Hunter – and just days after former President Trump, President Biden’s main election opponent, was convicted on 34 counts following the hush-money trial brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.  “President Biden commented as a loving father, as I would hope any loving father would do. Hunter Biden, of course, is entitled, as was Donald Trump, to the presumption of innocence and to a trial by a jury of his peers,” Jeffries said during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “And this Justice Department is going to proceed in that fashion, present the facts and the law and then we’ll all have to wait for a determination that is made by a jury as to Hunter Biden’s guilt or innocence.”  In an interview with MSNBC in May 2023, President Biden insisted, “First of all, my son has done nothing wrong,” adding that “I trust him. I have faith in him. HUNTER BIDEN’S CRIMINAL TRIAL ON FEDERAL GUN CHARGES BEGINS WITH JURY SELECTION That was before what Republicans dubbed a “sweetheart deal” with prosecutors for Hunter to plead guilty on misdemeanor tax charges fell apart in Delaware during a dramatic hearing last summer before a Trump-appointed judge. In response, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed David Weiss, who had already been leading the investigation into Hunter’s gun case, as special counsel.  TRUMP LAWYER SPARS WITH HOST OVER EX-BIDEN DOJ OFFICIAL TAPPED IN NEW YORK HUSH-MONEY CASE Hunter Biden, who spent the weekend with his father, has been charged with three felonies stemming from a 2018 firearm purchase when he was, according to his memoir, in the throes of a crack addiction. He has been accused of lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the application used to screen firearms applicants when he said he was not a drug user, and illegally having the gun for 11 days. He has pleaded not guilty and has argued he’s being unfairly targeted by the Justice Department.  Hunter Biden is also facing a separate trial in California in September on charges of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes. He has also pleaded not guilty in that case.  Jeffries, meanwhile, also addressed Trump’s conviction. The Democratic leader said the guilty verdict against the former president was a “validation of the American judicial system,” when asked if the eight-year-old case would have been brought against anyone but the former president.  “Donald Trump was entitled to the presumption of innocence, he received it,” he said. “This is America. This is not a system that is occupied by a monarch or a king or a dictator. We are a democracy. And in a democracy, no one is above the law.”  The Associated Press contributed to this report.