Dr. Anthony Fauci, who served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and as chief medical advisor to the president during the COVID-19 pandemic, admitted during a private Congressional testimony last week that social distancing recommendations were not based on science and “sort of just appeared.”
Fox News reported that the shocking revelation by Fauci came during a private interview with the House Select Committee on Coronavirus Pandemic. In addition to acknowledging that social distancing recommendations were not based on scientific evidence, Fauci testified that the COVID-19 lab leak hypothesis was not merely a conspiracy theory.
Following Fauci’s testimony to Congress last week, Brad Wenstrup. (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released a statement, saying, “After two days of testimony and 14 hours of questioning, many things became evident. During his interview today, Dr. Fauci claimed that the policies and mandates he promoted may unfortunately increase vaccine hesitancy for years to come.”
Wenstrup added, “He testified that the lab leak hypothesis — which was often suppressed — was, in fact, not a conspiracy theory. Further, the social distancing recommendations forced on Americans ‘sort of just appeared’ and were likely not based on scientific data.”
READ MORE: Pentagon official warns of new ‘pandemics’ and other ‘biothreats’
According to Fox News, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic has been investigating whether Fauci and other government officials attempted to suppress questions pertaining to the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the Wuhan lab leak theory.
Wenstrup claimed that Fauci’s testimony revealed “systemic failures” in the nation’s public health system and highlighted “serious procedural concerns” in regard to the “public health authority” in the United States.
“It is clear that dissenting opinions were often not considered or suppressed completely,” Wenstrup stated. “Should a future pandemic arise, America’s response must be guided by scientific facts and conclusive data.”
American actor Dennis Quaid warned during a recent interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson that there is a “100% probability” a solar storm could “fry” the whole electric grid and cause a global disaster.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Carlson shared his interview with the legendary actor. Captioning the episode, Carlson wrote, “At some point America’s power grid will fail. What happens then? Dennis Quaid on a risk the government seems to be ignoring.”
During the interview with Carlson, Quaid warned, “Basically, there is a 100% probability that our sun, generating what they call a GMD, which is a solar storm, that hits hard, hits our Earth, and the magnetic field we have around the Earth, and can fry everything that is electric above the ground, including our entire grid.”
Asked whether a solar storm capable of destroying America’s entire power grid would happen naturally, Quaid claimed that solar storms have already impacted the United States in the past. Quaid referenced the Carrington Event from 1859 as an example of a previous solar storm.
“It fried our entire telegraph system,” Quaid said. “And so imagine what that would do now, with a very large storm, which there’s a 100% chance of it happening.”
READ MORE: Video: Billionaires building luxury apocalypse bunkers
While Quaid warned that the destruction of America’s power grid would cost trillions of dollars to replace, he claimed that the country would never be able to build a new grid because of all the complications that would stem from the destruction of the current grid.
“There wouldn’t be water in your tap. You couldn’t get gas for your car because the whole system is broken down,” Quaid warned. “Everything that we rely upon would be gone. The food would melt in our refrigerators.” Quaid added that experts have predicted that 90% of the population would die within a single year if a solar storm destroyed the power grid.
Quaid was previously featured in the “Grid Down Power Up” documentary movie. The movie’s website warns, “Grid failure is a real and imminent threat, a devastatingly deadly occurrence leading to life-threatening shortages of heat, food, and water.”
The “Grid Down Power Up” film’s website claims that if actions are not taken to protect America’s power grid, “catastrophic failures” could lead to millions of deaths caused by darkness, starvation, and destruction. The movie warns, “One thing is evident: the clock is ticking, and if nothing changes, the power may go out for good.”
U.S. Central Command revealed Tuesday that the U.S. Navy seized control of a ship last Thursday that was illegally transporting “advanced conventional weapons” from Iran to Houthi terrorists in Yemen.
Central Command released a statement Tuesday explaining that U.S. Navy SEALs completed a “complex boarding” of the dhow vessel in international waters off the coast of Somalia and successfully seized Iranian cruise missile and ballistic missile components. The Navy SEALs operated from the USS Lewis B Puller and were supported by both helicopters and unmanned drones.
“Seized items include propulsion, guidance, and warheads for Houthi medium range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) and anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs), as well as air defense associated components,” Central Command stated. “Initial analysis indicates these same weapons have been employed by the Houthis to threaten and attack innocent mariners on international merchant ships transiting in the Red Sea.”
READ MORE: 2 US Navy SEALs missing after dangerous mission
According to Central Command, Thursday’s Navy SEAL mission was the “first seizure of lethal, Iranian-supplied advanced conventional weapons” to Houthi terrorists since the Iran-backed group began attacking commercial ships in November. The mission also marked the first time the Navy has seized cruise missile and ballistic missile components manufactured by Iran since November 2019.
Central Command announced that the dhow vessel was “deemed unsafe” and was destroyed by the Navy.
“The direct or indirect supply, sale, or transfer of weapons to the Houthis in Yemen violates U.N. Security Resolution 2216 and international law,” Central Command stated.
Central Command also explained that the two U.S. Navy SEALs “lost at sea” were “directly involved” in last Thursday’s mission. General Michael Erik Kurilla from Central Command noted that the U.S. military is “conducting an exhaustive search” for the two missing Navy SEALs.
Addressing the recent seizure of Iranian weapons that were intended to aid Houthi terrorists who have carried out multiple attacks against U.S. forces and commercial ships in the Middle East, Kurilla said it is “clear” that Iran is continuing to provide “advanced lethal aid” to Houthi terrorists.
“This is yet another example of how Iran actively sows instability throughout the region in direct violation of U.N. Security Resolution 2216 and international law,” Kurilla warned. “We will continue to work with regional and international partners to expose and interdict these efforts, and ultimately to reestablish freedom of navigation.”
Former President Donald Trump won the Iowa Caucuses in a landslide on Monday, securing roughly 51% of the vote in the first 2024 Republican presidential contest.
According to Decision Desk HQ, Trump secured 51% of the vote in Iowa. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis finished in second place with 21.3% of the vote, while former South Carolina Governor and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley finished in third place with 19.1% of the vote.
Vivek Ramaswamy finished in fourth place with just 7.7% of the vote. The entrepreneur and political outsider announced the suspension of his campaign after Monday night’s results and endorsed Trump for president.
In a victory speech at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Trump said, “We want to thank the great people of Iowa.” During his speech, Trump congratulated his Republican opponents, suggesting that each of the presidential candidates performed “very well” on Monday.
Throughout Monday night’s victory speech, the former president highlighted the importance of Americans from all political backgrounds uniting behind his campaign for the presidency. “We’re going to come together,” he said. “It’s going to happen soon.”
READ MORE: Judge orders Trump pay nearly $400,000
Trump held a commanding lead in the polls throughout the Iowa Caucuses campaign, dominating his Republican rivals by over 30 points in multiple pulls.
According to The Daily Wire, 40 delegates will be awarded from the Iowa Caucuses, with the delegates being awarded proportionally to the various candidates based on Monday’s performance.
In order to secure the Republican nomination for November’s presidential election, a Republican candidate will be required to win 1,215 delegates out of the estimated 2,429 delegates across the 50 states and five U.S. territories, according to 270 To Win.
In a statement obtained by The Hill, Alex Pfeiffer, communications director for Make America Great Again Inc., a pro-Trump super PAC, said, “The people of Iowa sent a clear message tonight: Donald Trump will be the next Republican nominee for President. It’s now time to make him the next President of the United States.”
The next Republican presidential contest will be held next week, as New Hampshire voters will have the opportunity to participate in the first primary election.
The Marines want more, and Albuquerque is going to supply them.
Boeing on Friday held a ceremony to cut a ribbon on a new manufacturing site in Albuquerque, where it will build directed energy laser systems, including a weapon that has been field-tested by the Marine Corps for the past several years.
Boeing, a multinational aerospace company that designs airplanes, rockets, missiles and other products, has long had a presence in Albuquerque. The company has about 160 employees in the city, said Ron Dauk, the site lead for Boeing’s lasers and optical systems. The employees in Albuquerque focus on directed energy, or laser, technology, Daulk said.
The technology has been used to help spacecraft dock on the International Space Station, he said. Boeing’s Albuquerque employees also designed the Mobile Compact Laser Weapon Systems, used by Marines overseas for the past four years. The system looks like a Humvee with a camera on the top of it, but the camera is actually a laser the can shoot down unmanned aerial systems, or drones, that threaten troops.
The system will be manufactured in Albuquerque.
“It’s time to build multiples of these. We’re talking to a number of customers who are ready to start buying these systems,” Dauk said.
Boeing will hire 20 to 30 employees this year to manufacture the weapons systems. Dauk said Boeing likely will continue to keep expanding its Albuquerque footprint in coming years. The company plans to invest about $5 million in its Albuquerque facility, which is located in a strip mall at 4411 The 25 Way.
Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said after the ribbon-cutting that expanding directed energy opportunities in the state has long been a desire for Albuquerque mayors and New Mexico governors.
“That is in and of itself is a good thing for our city,” Keller said of the jobs Boeing is pledging to bring to the city. “But this one is a little bit more special because of the industry itself. We wanted to be a leader in directed energy. … It’s an old idea that comes out of our labs, and to see it happening today is really special.”
The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Directed Energy Directorate is based at Kirtland Air Force Base.
Dauk said ongoing wars in Ukraine and Israel have highlighted the importance of finding ways to combat drones.
“Those conflicts are showing that small (unmanned aerial systems) are becoming a very prevalent threat,” he said. “That’s a threat that I think is expanding across the globe, and we’re here developing systems to meet that need.”
He said that Boeing in Albuquerque will continue to build bigger and strong laser weapon systems.
“Using a laser and a beam of light we are able to automatically track the targets and then we select an aim point and maintain that on the target until it’s defeated and comes down to the ground,” Dauk said. “We’re building bigger systems with higher power and longer range capability to defeat a wide range of threats.”
Keller said the city welcomes Boeing’s investment.
“I think we know that we have to be realistic. If folks who don’t like us have technology that’s trying to hurt us, we need to protect our people with technology to keep us safe,” Keller said of the laser weapon system. “In many ways, it’s no different than a bulletproof vest.”
Rain had begun falling when the van pulled to a stop at one of Oregon’s most unusual cemeteries.
The men in the back of the van had died in a small plane crash in mid-December after the plane’s pilot ignored a flight instructor’s advice to avoid returning to a small airport because of low visibility. The plane slammed into the ground near Independence, a small town about 12 miles southwest of Salem.
The deaths set in motion a series of events – a confluence of politics, faith and fear – not only in Salem, but 7,000 miles away in Afghanistan, where those who loved and grieved for these men could not publicly mourn or even mention them because of the possibility of official reprisal.
At the site, the mourners maybe 100 in total formed five lines while an imam led all in prayers. (Tom Hallman Jr/oregonlive.com/TNS)
The men on that small plane were former Afghan Air Force pilots who had fought side-by-side with American forces in Afghanistan. They were forced to flee their homeland when the United States military withdrew from the country in 2021 and the Taliban took control.
The three men left behind everything, including wives, children and extended family. They eventually arrived in Salem, where they started new lives with the help of Salem for Refugees, which resettled the men in the Salem area last spring.
Thirty-five-year-old Mohammad Hussain Musawi, who was behind the controls of the doomed plane, and passengers Mohammad Bashir Safdari, 35, and Ali Jan Ferdawsi, 29, were all training for commercial pilot licenses in Oregon.
They had found work as truck drivers and dreamed of joining an airline and beginning the arduous, tricky and potentially dangerous process that they hoped would bring their families from Afghanistan to Oregon.
That all ended in December. And their deaths raised an unexpected issue.
What to do with their bodies? The men’s families were in Afghanistan, but the bodies couldn’t go back there.
The answer came a week ago.
***
MJ Juya, a man who serves as a welcoming committee of sorts for Afghan refugees who end up in Salem, knew all three pilots.
He too came to the United States from Afghanistan, arriving in Salem (via Texas) in 2016.
“Several of us started a small community to welcome any new Afghans,” he said.
“The United States was their new home,” he said. “We wanted them to love this country as much as they loved their original country.”
Because the Taliban considers former Afghan Air Force pilots the enemy, Juya is cautious when talking about the three men who died in December, talking generally about all former U.S.-aligned Afghan Air Force pilots.
The pilots, he said, had been given advanced training in NATO countries, gaining the skills to go back to Afghanistan and fight with the U.S. military.
“Everything happened suddenly when the Taliban took control,” said Juya. “People who were helping the U.S government had to evacuate. Many pilots flew their planes out of the country to keep them from the Taliban.”
The pilots, he said, were relocated to military bases in the United States, where their paperwork was processed. They were then assigned to cities and states across the United States.
Juya said at least seven Afghan pilots ended up in Salem.
“It is not safe to say anything about them or their families,” he said.
Musawi, Safdari and Ferdawsi embraced their new home. They hiked in Oregon’s forests, played volleyball and joined a soccer club. They were working hard to become commercial pilots.
When the three men’s bodies were released by authorities following an official investigation into the cause of the crash, no one knew what to do with them.
Their Muslim faith would not allow them to be cremated, and the bodies could not be returned to their homeland.
Juya said even putting in official requests for the bodies to be sent to Afghanistan would likely cause problems for their families, raising attention from officials looking for enemy combatants and anyone not loyal to the new order.
Mohammad Bashir Safdari’s body ultimately was sent to be buried in the Midwest, where a relative lives.
But what about Mohammad Hussain Musawi and Ali Jan Ferdawsi?
With no family members of the two men in the country, the small Afghan expat community in Salem stepped up.
The key problem: the pilots were Shia Muslims, and their faith requires them to be buried “in a one-hundred percent Muslim cemetery,” said Juya. There are few such cemeteries in Oregon.
The closest one was The Islamic Cemetery of Oregon in Corvallis, but Juya said burials there were only permitted for a select group of Sunni Muslims, not Shia Muslims.
Juya turned to the Islamic Center of Portland, a mosque in Beaverton.
Founded in 2015 on five acres of land on a hillside off St. Helens Road, about 15 miles from Portland, it has no restrictions on any Muslims being buried there.
It was quickly decided: The two former Afghan Air Force pilots would be buried next to each other at the cemetery on Saturday, January 6.
Ali Houdroug, a retired electrical engineer who oversees the Beaverton cemetery, took charge of the bodies.
“The bodies must be washed and shrouded,” he said. “Blessings are given. It is about comfort and respect. It is normal for me to do this. But this was only the second time I treated bodies so badly burned.”
When all was ready, the bodies were loaded into a van and then driven to the cemetery.
As the doors opened, it began to rain.
***
The two bodies – each in a wicker basket – were carried by Afghan men of varying ages, two or more on each side of the basket, hoisting it to their shoulders and walking up the slight hill toward a tent.
They were followed by other mourners, the men stopping every 10 feet or so to set the basket on the ground to say prayers while others touched the baskets to give their blessings.
“It is our belief to participate,” said Houdroug, “to feel the sorrow of your brothers.”
The men moved up the hill toward two freshly dug graves.
At the site, the mourners – maybe 100 in total – formed five lines while an imam led all in prayers.
Then it was time.
The first body was lifted from the basket, carried to a grave and gently lowered while more prayers were given. Then came the second body. Each man was laid in the grave with their heads facing east, toward Mecca, as required by their faith.
A plastic cover was placed over each body.
The mourners began shoveling dirt – gently – on top of each grave, the dead men’s final resting place.
Musawi, Safdari and Ferdawsi had fought in a war for their homeland and lost. They died in their new country, far too soon.
Ukraine suffered its third large-scale aerial barrage of the new year, with the escalation of attacks from Kremlin forces coming at a time harsh weather leaves millions vulnerable to power outages.
Russian military jets fired Kinzhal ballistic missiles and cruise missiles at targets across the country early on Saturday, Ukrainian Air Force command said on Telegram.
Forty missiles and drones of various types were launched nationwide and air defense said it shot down eight missiles. Another 20 or more “failed to achieve their targets due to active work of jamming,” Ukraine said.
Explosions were heard in the northern region of Chernihiv, the western areas of Khmelnytskyi, Ivano-Frankivsk and Rivne, and in the Dnipropetrovsk and Poltava regions in central Ukraine as air defense was working, according to local authorities.
Russia’s defense ministry said in a statement that it had targeted Ukraine’s “military-industrial complex” with “major” hypersonic missiles and drone strikes, but offered no additional details.
After months of relatively few air strikes, Russia ramped up its bombardment campaign just before the new year. Since then it has fired hundreds of missiles at cities across Ukraine, including the capital, Kyiv, killing more than 45 and wounding dozens of civilians and damaging houses.
The air campaign coincides with the arrival of much colder weather, leaving millions of Ukrainians at risk from the loss of heat and electricity if power infrastructure is damaged. Temperatures were around -13 C (8.6 F) in central Ukraine and as low as -18 C (-0.4 F) in the east on Saturday morning, according to Weather Center.
Ukraine’s western neighbor Poland and allies scrambled jets as Moscow launched Saturday’s attack because debris of Russia’s missiles and drones have fallen on the European Union states’ territory on several occasions.
Russia launched the latest strikes hours after U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made a surprise visit to Kyiv to announce a new security commitment and a pledge of 2.5 billion pounds ($3.2 billion) of military aid next year.
Sunak and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also signed a 10-year security cooperation agreement as Ukraine seeks to repel Russian forces who invaded almost two years ago.
Stephane Sejourne, appointed this week as France’s foreign minister in a cabinet reshuffle, is also expected to visit Kyiv this weekend.
Separately, Kyiv said preliminary evidence showed Moscow’s forces likely used missiles provided by North Korea in the Jan. 2 attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city.
South Korea’s defense minister said on Thursday that Pyongyang is looking to step up military cooperation with Russia by sending new types of tactical guided missiles in hopes of securing substantial aid to keep its economy afloat.
President Joe Biden said the U.S. did not support independence for Taiwan, after voters there defied China and returned the governing Democratic Progressive Party — which has sought to limit Beijing’s influence — to a third consecutive term.
“We do not support independence,” Biden told reporters Saturday as he departed the White House for Camp David.
The president’s comment appears intended to assuage concerns in China, who had hoped Taiwan’s current vice president, Lai Ching-te, would not be elected president. Results showed Lai, who has maintained close ties with the U.S., edging out Hou Yu-ih of the opposition Nationalist Party, who had pledged to expand trade and diplomacy with China.
China has long claimed that the island of Taiwan is its territory, and President Xi Jinping has advocated for unification and refused to rule out a military intervention.
The U.S. has traditionally adopted a policy of strategic ambiguity, where it acknowledges China’s historical claims to sovereignty over Taiwan and maintains only unofficial relations with Taiwan while pledging defense assistance to the island. Still, suggestions by Biden that the U.S. would intervene militarily if China were to invade Taiwan have roiled the relationship between the U.S. and Beijing.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the election shows the strength of Taiwan’s “robust democratic system” and reiterated that the U.S. “is committed to maintaining cross-Strait peace and stability, and the peaceful resolution of differences, free from coercion and pressure.”
The U.S. will work with Lai and all party leaders in Taiwan “to further our long-standing unofficial relationship” consistent with the U.S.’s one-China policy, he said in a statement.
House Speaker Mike Johnson will ask a delegation of House lawmakers to travel to Taipei after Lai’s inauguration in May, he said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
A Warren middle school student faces criminal charges after pointing what resembled a firearm at fellow students, according to school officials.
The incident took place Thursday at Carter Middle School, in the area of Masonic Boulevard and Hoover Road, in the Warren Consolidated Schools district.
Authorities said a seventh-grade student brought an airsoft gun onto school property and was shooting it at children. Officials did not say whether anyone was hit or hurt.
“Needless to say, this was a very poor decision,” Superintendent Robert Livernois said in an online message to the Warren Con community.
According to Livernois, the student has been removed from school and is facing discipline and criminal charges. He said school administrators learned of the incident Friday.
An airsoft gun resembles a traditional firearm but shoots nonlethal, plastic pellets. Officials said they are used for target practice and military-style games similar to paintball weapons or BB guns.
In his message to the community, Livernois said “please continue to encourage your children to share difficult information with you or a responsible adult.”
The incident is the first or one of the first of its kind at a school district in Macomb County in 2024.
Citigroup is expected to cut 20,000 jobs, or about 10% of its workforce, over the next two years, the New York-headquartered bank said Friday.
The announcement follows a “very disappointing” fourth quarter for the nation’s third-largest banking institution, CEO Jane Fraser said in a news release. The company reported a $1.8 billion loss in the last three months of 2023 — its worst quarterly financial results since 2009, according to the Financial Times.
During the same period in 2022, the bank reported a net income of $2.5 billion.
This year’s loss was driven by nearly $4 billion in expenses, including a revenue impact linked to the devaluation of the Argentine peso and expenses related to the bank’s “organizational simplification.”
The layoffs are part of Citigroup’s ongoing effort to simplify operations to help boost stock prices and increase profits. In November, the company announced it was cutting more than 300 senior manager roles, Bloomberg reported.
Another round of job cuts is expected to be announced later this month, a source familiar with the matter told CNBC.
The layoffs announced Friday, which are due to be completed by 2026, could save Citigroup as much as $2.5 billion a year.
“While the fourth quarter was very disappointing due to the impact of notable items, we made substantial progress simplifying Citi and executing our strategy in 2023,” Fraser said, noting 2024 will be a “turning point” year for the company.
“We remain confident in our ability to adapt to evolving capital and macro environments to reach our medium-term targets and return capital to our shareholders, whilst continuing the investments needed for our Transformation,” she added.
CFO Mark Mason acknowledged “these types of reductions” can be “tough on a (company’s) morale,” but noted the bank has been upfront about its restructuring strategy.
“(We’ve been) very clear about the momentum that we expect,” he told reporters in a call Friday morning.
