Surprise: CIA Now Leaning Towards Chinese Lab Leak For COVID

Many Credentialed Media outlets are leaving heavily on the “low confidence” assessment, but, that the CIA is even admitting this now is extraordinary. Heck, even printing articles on it, after years of calling people nutjobs and conspiracy theorists for saying it leaked from Wuhan and not from the wet market

C.I.A. Now Favors Lab Leak Theory to Explain Covid’s Origins

The C.I.A. has said for years that it did not have enough information to conclude whether the Covid pandemic emerged naturally from a wet market in Wuhan, China, or from an accidental leak at a research lab there.

But the agency issued a new assessment this week, with analysts saying they now favor the lab theory.

There is no new intelligence behind the agency’s shift, officials said. Rather it is based on the same evidence it has been chewing over for months.

The analysis, however, is based in part on a closer look at the conditions in the high security labs in Wuhan province before the pandemic outbreak, according to people familiar with the agency’s work.

It’s something most with a working brain thought back in early 2020, that it was just too convenient that COVID-19 started in the wet market because someone at a bat or something, particularly since the Wuhan Institute of Virology has had leaks before and is not known for their stellar security and medical protocols. Why is it so necessary to protect the Chinese government? Or, is it about protecting Anthony Fauci and the others who were funding the gain of function research in an adversarial nation?

In the final weeks of the Biden administration, Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, ordered a new classified review of the pandemic’s origin. As part of that review, the agency’s previous director, William J. Burns, told analysts that they needed to take a position on the origins of Covid, though he was agnostic on which theory they should embrace, a senior U.S. intelligence official said.

Should they not have been looking at this hard starting from the beginning of the Biden admin? You know, intelligence gathering, the mission of the CIA and other intelligence agencies? This is rather important information, seeing as how there have been over 1.1 million deaths reported to be connected to COVID. It might be nice to know the origination, right?

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, questions have swirled around whether the two labs handling coronaviruses in Wuhan had followed safety protocols strictly enough.

It’s just a coinkydink that they were working on Coronaviruses up the road from the wet market, right?

Even in the absence of hard intelligence, the lab leak hypothesis has been gaining ground inside spy agencies. But some analysts question the wisdom of shifting a position in absence of new information.

There was never any real evidence to support it coming from the wet market, especially since the Chinese government was saying it and blocking WHO from investigating.

BTW, does anyone else yell expletives at the TV/radio when they hear a commercial pushing Bat Flu Virus shots?

Read: Surprise: CIA Now Leaning Towards Chinese Lab Leak For COVID »

Climate Freakout: It Could Maybe Possibly Cut the Economy In Half

It’s always some sort of future doom with this crowd

Climate Change Could Cut the Economy in Half. We’re Not Ready for It.

Later this century, sometime toward my teenage son’s late middle age, climate change might torch 50 percent of the world’s gross domestic product. I’ll say that again. Sometime around 2070–2090, climate change could be doing so much damage to ecological and human systems, and the links between them, that the global economy could contract by half. (For comparison: The U.S. economy shrank by roughly 30 percent in the Great Depression.)

This projection may sound exaggerated to the point of being implausible. Yes, two entire regions of Los Angeles burned to the ground last week. Yes, preliminary estimates of the cost of this one disaster range from $40 to $250 billion. But U.S. GDP is roughly $27 trillion; global GDP $107 trillion. Wouldn’t the U.S. and world economies be orders of magnitude more gigantic by 2070? Surely climate change couldn’t wipe out all that wealth?

No, it doesn’t sound implausible, it sounds like the ravings of a fruitcake doomsday cult

According to the U.K. Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, it could. Actuaries are mathematicians who assess economic risk for banks, insurance companies, and governments. The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, or IFoA, is the professional association that regulates actuaries in the United Kingdom; it traces its roots to the nineteenth century. It’s hardly an environmental advocacy group, let alone a radical one. Yet last week it released a study in collaboration with scientists at the University of Exeter showing that economists have severely underestimated the potentially catastrophic economic costs of global heating. Again, worst-case scenario, we lose 50 percent of GDP this century.

Even understanding the credentials behind the study, many people will still find this figure implausible. Why is that? Humanity is entering a climate regime that has no precedent in our species’ history. The last time there was this much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the oceans were so much higher that the eastern coastline of what would become North America ended about one hundred miles west of where it is currently. The Arctic, now largely a frozen wasteland, was a lush pinewood populated by giant camels. And our economy is adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere faster than any other phenomenon in geological history has ever done. It is absurd to imagine that severely damaging the climate would not severely damage the economy, which relies on a stable climate, even in the coming decades.

Just complete wackos. Can’t this cult be like other cults and just leave other people out of it?

Read: Climate Freakout: It Could Maybe Possibly Cut the Economy In Half »

If All You See…

…is a storm forming because of carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Jihad Watch, with a post on the NEA promoting World Hijab Day.

Read: If All You See… »

Secretary Of State Rubio Halts Almost All Foreign Aid

It’s just temporary, but, it just shows that the Trump admin is serious about revamping the way government works

Secretary of State Marco Rubio orders halt to almost all U.S. foreign aid

Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered an immediate stop to the flow of almost all U.S. foreign assistance Friday pending a review, according to an internal State Department cable obtained by NBC News.

The directive sent to all consular and diplomatic posts follows President Donald Trump’s executive order Monday pausing new obligations and disbursements of foreign aid pending reviews “for programmatic efficiency and consistency” with U.S. foreign policy, within 90 days of the order.

The memo stipulates that U.S. departments, agencies and entities “shall not provide foreign assistance funded by or through the Department and USAID without the Secretary of State’s authorization or the authorization of his designee.”

Rubio issued a waiver for foreign military financing for both Israel and Egypt, but no other countries were specifically mentioned in the cable. Rubio spoke with both his Israeli and Egyptian counterparts Thursday ahead of the directive.

A waiver was also approved for “emergency food assistance and administrative expenses, including salaries, necessary to administer such assistance.” The salaries of U.S. direct-hire employees and locally employed staff also received a waiver on a “temporary basis.”

This is obviously making Democrats Very Upset, since they care more about giving American taxpayer money to other nations, including those who hate the U.S. and which are a complete waste. They want the cash spigot to stay open, and definitely do not want any sort of review over how the money is spent and where it goes and how it is disbursed and if there is any, you know, fraud and waste.

Justice Department curtails prosecutions for blocking access to reproductive health centers

President Donald Trump’s new Justice Department leadership issued an order Friday to curtail prosecutions against people accused of blocking access to abortion clinics and reproductive health centers, calling the cases an example of the “weaponization” of law enforcement.

Prosecutions and civil actions under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act or “FACE Act” will now be permitted only in “extraordinary circumstances” or in cases presenting ”significant aggravating factors,” attorney general chief of staff Chad Mizelle said in a memo sent to the head of the department’s Civil Rights Division.

Mizelle also ordered the immediate dismissal of three FACE Act cases related to 2021 blockades of clinics in Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Good. How this law has sustained judicial review for being against the 1st Amendment, I do not know.

Read: Secretary Of State Rubio Halts Almost All Foreign Aid »

Rare Snow In Louisiana, Florida Raise Climate Doom Fears

Do I want to do this again? Yeah, I do. Some people like going to car races to see the crashes over and over again. People love watching big hits in the NHL and NFL. So, yeah, again. This is why I call it Hotcoldwetdry

Rare snowstorm hits Louisiana, raising climate change concerns

stop global warmingNew Orleans went from almost 70 degrees to a record snowstorm within four days. In a few months, hurricane season will start, bringing a new trend of rapidly intensifying storms.

Why it matters: The weather whiplash, with a record-shattering extreme event, has scientists weighing in on the effects of climate change.

The big picture: The deadly winter storm dropped 10 inches across New Orleans metro, more snow than the region has seen in a century. (snip)

The heavy snow was also in keeping with trends toward more frequent and intense precipitation events, which can come in the form of rain or snow. This is a well-established climate science finding.

Yup, cray-cray.

How bad is Florida’s winter storm? Even DeSantis is waking up on climate change. | Letters

I was surprised to see that Gov. Ron “There’s No Such Thing as Climate Change” DeSantis declared a state of emergency because of the cold weather descending upon the Sunshine State.

I congratulate him on waking up to the reality we are facing and its destructive impact on the state and its economy.

After experiencing the hottest summer on record and now in the middle of an almost continuingly cold winter, it was both amazing and appalling that he hadn’t noticed before that the weather does seem to be changing.

Sigh.

Read: Rare Snow In Louisiana, Florida Raise Climate Doom Fears »

Liberals Freak Out Over Trump Sending ICE To A Chicago School

This is what most of them are doing

Oh, but, he go community noted (I’d like to think I had something to do with it)

U.S. Secret Service visit mistaken for ICE raid at Chicago elementary school

After Chicago Public Schools (CPS) initially claimed that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents visited a South Side elementary school Friday morning, it was later confirmed that this was not the case.

Instead, U.S. Secret Service agents were investigating a threat linked to the TikTok ban.

What Happened?: The Secret Service was responding to a threat originating from a home in the Back of the Yards neighborhood near Hamline Elementary School.

The threat was against someone “the Secret Service protects” but further details haven’t been released.

No one was present at the home, so agents went to the school around 11:15 a.m. They were not allowed inside and left business cards with staff.

Yeah, it was the Secret Service. Not ICE.

But, don’t expect the Useful Idiot moonbats to admit they were wrong

Local Reaction:
“The attempted ICE raid on Hamline Elementary in Chicago today is an attack on not just Chicago’s immigrant community, but our entire city. Chicago is a city of immigrants. I am proud of the way workers and CPS stood firm to defend their students and staff from harassment. We will not be bullied. We know our rights and will continue to make sure our community knows how to exercise their legal rights,” said President of the Chicago Federation of Labor Bob Reiter.

“Chicago and Illinois have led the nation with laws that welcome and protect immigrants, and prohibit coordination with ICE. We will continue to defend our diverse immigrant communities against Trump’s anti-immigrant harassment attempts,” said Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García.

“There is absolutely no reason that ICE should attempt to enter elementary schools. To send federal agents to a school is traumatizing for ALL children. Schools are places where children can learn, grow, and build a community. When ICE arrives, a child does not know if they are there for them, a friend, or a trusted adult. It is sickening, unnecessary, and harmful to any child who attends a school where ICE shows up. Shame on Donald Trump for putting children in harm’s way,” said Congressman Sean Casten.

Sean hasn’t stated the truth on Twitter. Nor has Garcia. Bob doesn’t tweet, but, I bet he has nothing to say in way of retraction.

Read: Liberals Freak Out Over Trump Sending ICE To A Chicago School »

Biden DOJ Spent A Year Trying To Unravel Hacking Against Climate (scam) Group

Did they put in the same effort as they did while throwing pro-life activists in jail (fortunately, Trump pardoned them)

The U.S. is trying to unravel a hacking plot that targeted climate activists

Green Climate Thought PoliceA yearslong U.S. Justice Department investigation of a global hacking campaign that targeted prominent American climate activists took a turn in a London court this week amid an allegation that the hacking was ordered by a lobbying firm working for ExxonMobil. Both the lobbying firm and ExxonMobil have denied any awareness of or involvement with alleged hacking.

The hacking was allegedly commissioned by a Washington, D.C., lobbying firm, according to a lawyer representing the U.S. government. The firm, in turn, was allegedly working on behalf of one of the world’s largest oil and gas companies, based in Texas, that wanted to discredit groups and individuals involved in climate litigation, according to the lawyer for the U.S. government. In court documents, the Justice Department does not name either company.

As part of its probe, the U.S. is trying to extradite an Israeli private investigator named Amit Forlit from the United Kingdom for allegedly orchestrating the hacking campaign. A lawyer for Forlit claimed in a court filing that the hacking operation her client is accused of leading “is alleged to have been commissioned by DCI Group, a lobbying firm representing ExxonMobil, one of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies.” (snip)

DCI and ExxonMobil declined to comment on the allegations made in the London hearing. Both companies referred NPR back to statements they had provided earlier in our investigation.

Craig Stevens, a partner at DCI, said in an email that no one at the firm has been questioned by the U.S. government as part of the hacking investigation. “Allegations of DCI’s involvement with hacking supposedly occurring nearly a decade ago are false and unsubstantiated. We direct all our employees and consultants to comply with the law,” Stevens said. “Meanwhile, radical anti-oil activists and their donors are peddling conspiracy theories to distract from their own anti-U.S. energy activities.”

ExxonMobil spokesperson Elise Otten said in an emailed statement that the company “has not been involved in, nor are we aware of, any hacking activities. If there was any hacking involved, we condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”

Whoa, wait a second: a decade ago? This is what the DOJ is spending their time on? The statute of limitations for the US is 5 years from the reported event. So why is the DOJ wasting taxpayer money investigating this? To what end? And trying to extradite an Israeli citizen?  Even if this actually happened, it is a waste of time, unless they are trying to shake climate heretics down. Perhaps the DOJ would do better to try and find the terrorists that have crossed the US border unimpeded thanks to Biden-Harris policies

Meanwhile

Read: Biden DOJ Spent A Year Trying To Unravel Hacking Against Climate (scam) Group »

If All You See…

…is a hazy day from too much carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is If You are Left you ain’t Right, with a post on where the UN is redistributing US money.

Read: If All You See… »

Trump Admin Continues Rounding Up Illegals, Hits Sanctuary City Newark, NJ

Obviously, this has made the mayor of Newark very upset, and, if he keeps it up, he may end up finding himself charged with violating federal immigration law on harboring as well as obstruction of justice

US agents raid New Jersey worksite as Trump escalates immigration crackdown

U.S. immigration agents rounded up undocumented migrants as well as American citizens in a raid of a Newark, New Jersey, worksite on Thursday that the city’s mayor said involved detaining a military veteran and violations of the people’s rights.

The raid in New Jersey’s most populous city, hailed in the past by mayor Ras Baraka for its “sanctuary” policies protecting migrants, follows President Donald Trump’s pledge to deport millions of immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally.

In a raid of a business establishment in Newark, outside New York City, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents failed to produce a warrant as they detained “undocumented residents as well as citizens,” Baraka said in a statement.

“One of the detainees is a U.S. military veteran who suffered the indignity of having the legitimacy of his military documentation questioned,” Baraka said.

In a statement, an ICE spokesperson said that agents “may encounter U.S. citizens while conducting field work and may request identification to establish an individual’s identity as was the case during a targeted enforcement operation at a worksite today in Newark.”

In other words, ICE asked him for ID, and then let him go. That’s it. And then they took the actual illegals away. Nor do they need a warrant to sweep up illegals. They can get a warrant for you, though, if you interfere.

Baraka said the raid had violated the citizens’ rights under the U.S. Constitution.

“Newark will not stand by idly while people are being unlawfully terrorized,” he said.

Illegals/fake asylum seekers are not citizens.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said on X that the Trump administration arrested 538 people on Thursday, describing all of them as “illegal immigrant criminals”. She said they included members of a Venezuelan prison gang and people convicted of sex crimes.

That is a good start. And it is amazing that Democrats and the Credentialed Media whine about rounding up criminals. Now we need to hear the numbers for those who get booted out as the roundups continue.

Read: Trump Admin Continues Rounding Up Illegals, Hits Sanctuary City Newark, NJ »

Obviously, The Snow In The Deep South Is Your Fault

Of course. You were expecting a doomsday cult to not chime in?

And here’s the NY Times

Why Is It So Cold in the South If the Planet Is Warming? Here’s What We Know.

The unusual gust of frigid air extending down from the North Pole has brought the first-ever blizzard warning to southern Louisiana and grounded flights in Houston. The cold spell could blast the country with heavy snowfall from the Northeast down to the Gulf Coast this week.

What’s responsible for the sudden chill? The polar vortex. And it might be acting strangely because of climate change, though not all researchers agree.

Sigh.

On a warming planet where increasing heat is the main signature of climate change, scientists agree that we will continue to see unusually cold temperatures. A 2021 study suggested that changes in the Arctic, which is warming twice as quickly as the rest of the globe, could be stretching the polar vortex and making the jet stream more wobbly.

“Climate change has increased the disruptions to the polar vortex,” said Judah Cohen, an author of the study and an atmospheric scientist at Atmospheric Environmental Research, a consulting firm that does climate research.

Double sigh. And this same thing was repeated across a wide variety of national and local news outlets. Because cult.

How dare all those people in 1895 drive fossil fueled SUVs!

Read: Obviously, The Snow In The Deep South Is Your Fault »

Pirate's Cove