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Ariel Gans| Medill News Service

Fauci blasts Paul for virus origins accusation

A heated exchange erupted on Capitol Hill between Dr. Anthony Fauci and Senator Rand Paul as the Kentucky Republican insinuated that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases chief is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. (Nov. 4)

AP

WASHINGTON Dr. Anthony Fauci and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., clashed at a Senate hearing Thursday over the origins of COVID-19, the latest in a series of high-profile skirmishes between the nation's top infectious disease expert and the junior senator from Kentucky.

COVID-19s origin has been a subject of global debate since the start of the outbreak. Yet scientists around the world have not reached a clear conclusion on how the pandemic started.

Paul and Fauci sparred over whether the National Institutes of Health funded "gain-of-function" research, the process of altering a pathogens transmissibility to help predict emerging diseases, at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The COVID-19 pandemic began in Wuhan, China, and some have speculated about whether the institute there was involved in the spread of the virus.

The facts are clear, the NIH (National Institutes of Health) did fund gain-of-function research in Wuhan, despite your protestations, Sen. Paul said.

Fauci objected, but Paul again attacked the scientist.

Until you accept responsibility, were not going to get anywhere close to trying to prevent another lab leak of this dangerous sort of experiment, Paul said. You wont admit that its dangerous, and for that lack of judgment I think its time that you resign.

You have said that I am unwilling to take any responsibility for the current pandemic. I have no responsibility for the current pandemic, Fauci said. He went on to clarify that current evidence indicates that COVID-19 naturally occurred and that he continues to support research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Paul interrupted once again, saying, if hes going to be dishonest he ought to be challenged.

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Staff video, USA TODAY

As usual, and I have a great deal of respect for this body of the Senate, and it makes me very uncomfortable to have to say something, but he is egregiously incorrect in what he says, Fauci concluded.

History will figure that out on its own, Paul retorted.

The two officials have a history of sparring publicly. Paul grilled Fauci in July over whether the NIH funded what Paul called gain-of-function research.

The hearing comes two days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech for children ages 5 through 11. The decision was in line with the Food and Drug Administration, which authorized emergency use of the pediatric dose on Friday.

Connecticut's Hartford hospital delivered some of the first early childhood doses Tuesday night. At a White House briefing Wednesday, President Joe Biden said the administration has secured enough vaccine supply for every American child.

In September, a group of 16 virologists, biologists and biosecurity specialists signed a letter urging more research on the issue in the weekly peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet.

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Sen. Rand Paul calls for Anthony Fauci to resign in latest clash over origins of COVID-19 - USA TODAY

U.S. Rand Paul, R-Ky., spoke out Friday night on Fox News "The Ingraham Angle" in reaction to what host Laura Ingraham called the Biden administrations "spend-o-rama" agenda.

MANCHIN DISMISSIVELY CALLS SANDERS A SELF-DECLARED INDEPENDENT SOCIALIST

U.S. SEN. RAND PAUL, R-KY: Yeah, Ive been watching the trend for several years now and its actually why my wife and I wrote our book, "The Case Against Socialism," because we were alarmed that the trend lines were going up with people wanting more and more so-called "free things," wanting to experiment with socialism.

But I think now weve seen eight, nine months of Big Government Socialism coming from Biden, and people are starting to understand that there are consequences.

One of the consequences is prices are rising. Weve had the highest increase now in the cost of living for Social Security. But the question is will it keep up with prices? What if prices go up 10% next year? What happens to those on Social Security and those of lower-wage incomes?

So yes, I think the results are coming in. Big Government Socialism doesnt work and people are unhappy with it.

But this is important for people to know, but they also need to know the history of socialism: that every time its been tried in world history it always ends up with state-sponsored authoritarianism and violence. So its not a pleasant system to live in, but its also economically a terrible system if you want to try to get ahead for you and your family.

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Rand Paul: Bidens Big Government Socialism brings rising prices, other consequences - Fox News

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) Democratic U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, the influential chairman of the House Budget Committee who has played a key role in pushing for President Joe Bidens agenda to expand the nations social safety net, announced on Tuesday that he will not seek another term in next years election.

Yarmuth, first elected to Congress in 2006, when he unseated a Republican incumbent in his Louisville-area district, said he wanted to spend more time with his family.

The congressman is the 10th Democrat to announce plans to retire ahead of the 2022 election. Although the district he represents has become increasingly blue, the retirement of a Democrat who holds a senior leadership position sends yet another ominous sign about the partys chances heading into next years midterms, when its thin majority in both U.S. chambers will be at stake. The party that wins control of the White House typically loses congressional seats in subsequent elections as President Donald Trump and Republicans did in 2018.

Yarmuth is the only Democrat serving in Kentuckys six-member U.S. House delegation both of the states U.S. senators, Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, are Republicans and his district is one of the few remaining Democratic strongholds in the state. The states GOP legislative leaders have not revealed how they intend to redraw congressional boundaries, a process required now that the 2020 census results are in.

State Sen. Morgan McGarvey, the top-ranking Democrat in Kentuckys GOP-controlled Senate, quickly announced he would run for the seat. State Rep. Attica Scott was already waging a primary challenge against Yarmuth, but the veteran congressman had been considered the prohibitive favorite for reelection next year. The congressmans son, Aaron Yarmuth, told the Courier Journal that he is considering running for his fathers seat.

John Yarmuth, who will be 75 when his final term ends, said hes in excellent health but acknowledged that the significant physical demands of the job will become even more challenging.

The truth be told, I never expected to be in Congress this long, he said in a video posted on Twitter. I always said I couldnt imagine being here longer than 10 years. After every election, I was asked how long I intended to serve but I never had an answer. Today I do. This term will be my last.

The congressman, known for his wit and easygoing demeanor, displayed grit in defeating Republican incumbent Anne Northup to first win the seat in Kentuckys largest city. On Tuesday, Yarmuth spoke in personal terms about his decision to leave Congress after his current term ends, mentioning his incomparable joy in spending time with his young grandson.

The desire to have more control of my time and the years I have left has become a high priority, Yarmuth said.

NBC News was the first to report Yarmuths announcement.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Yarmuth a fierce and extraordinarily effective champion for his constituents and people across the country.

McConnell, the Senate Republican leader who frequently sparred with Yarmuth over high-profile measures, praised the congressman for his many years of public service.

We always shared a deep affinity for our hometown, Louisville, and a strong sense of loyalty to our constituents and neighbors, McConnell said.

Yarmuth said his focus for the remainder of his time in Congress will be on furthering his work on domestic policy.

While I have just become a lame duck, I intend to spend the next 15 months working hard to build on my proudest moment: the passage of the American Rescue Plan, he said, referring to the legislation that provided massive relief for U.S. citizens during the coronavirus pandemic.

Yarmuth said Congress can still do much more for the American people.

And since that progress will unfortunately not be done on a bipartisan basis, my chairmanship of the House Budget Committee puts me in a pivotal position to help build an even better future for our citizens, he said.

Many of the other Democratic U.S. representatives who have said they will retire before next years election hail from more hotly contested swing districts that could flip Republican and ultimately decide control of the House. The GOP has already announced that it is targeting many of the seats being vacated, including that of Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Conor Lamb, who is leaving the House to run for an open Senate seat in his state; and those of Democratic Reps. Filemon Vela of Texas, Cheri Bustos of Illinois and Ron Kind of Wisconsin.

Republicans have seen 10 of their own House members leave office or announce plans not to seek reelection next year, though many are in seats that should remain easily controlled by the GOP.

___

Associated Press reporter Will Weissert in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

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Kentucky US Rep. John Yarmuth won't seek reelection in 2022 - Associated Press

I am a senior living in Bowling Green. I don't mind my candidate losing an election, as long as I know the election has been fair and votes accurately counted. I lick my wounds, congratulate the worthy opponent and plan to do better in the next election. But right now, extremists across the country want to put up deliberate barriers to make it harder to vote especially for people of color.

The Freedom to Vote Act would set national standards for us to safely and freely cast our ballots, ensure every vote is counted and elect people who will deliver for us. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, our senators, need to deliver the Freedom to Vote Act to the American people, and to do that, they need to fix the Jim Crow filibuster that is blocking progress of this overwhelmingly popular and urgently needed legislation.

The modern-day filibuster took root during the Jim Crow era, when racist Southern senators used it to delay passage of important civil rights legislation. Currently, the filibuster has stopped the beginning of debate from happening on the Freedom to Vote Act. Without the chance to debate, important issues such as this are stalled for partisan politics. If we reform Senate rules and fix the filibuster, we have a real chance at protecting the freedom to vote and getting big money out of politics.

Sens. McConnell and Paul must do everything they can to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, including fixing the filibuster, to realize the promise of democracy for all.

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Pass the Freedom to Vote Act | Letters To The Editor | bgdailynews.com - Bowling Green Daily News

Sen. Rand Paul said Wednesday that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley should be investigated and immediately relieved of his duties and court-martialed if he secretly negotiated with his Chinese counterpart.

It should be investigated immediately, today, he should be questioned under oath, if not with a polygraph test, whether it happened. If it happened, he should be immediately relieved of his duties and court-martialed, the Kentucky Republican said on Fox News Fox & Friends.

You have to find out if its true, Paul said. This is innuendo and rumor and propaganda, perhaps. But, if it is true, he absolutely immediately needs to be removed.

A new book, Peril, by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, says Milley phoned his Chinese counterpart, Gen. Li Zuocheng, on Oct. 30 just prior to the general election to warn him that then-President Donald Trump might create a military conflict with the communist nation.

The authors allege a second phone call was made on Jan. 8 just two days after the incursion of the Capitol in which Milley assured Li the United States would not attack China.

The book, excerpted in The Washington Post, also said Milley told Li he would warn him in advance of any American attack.

Gen. Li, you and I have known each other for five years. If were going to attack, Im going to call you ahead of time. Its not going to be a surprise, Milley said, as reported in the excerpt.

The senator was extremely critical of Milleys alleged actions.

And he needs to be asked, did you call the Chinese government in defiance to your commands? Did you warn them or insinuate to them that the president might attack them? Thats incredibly dangerous to the country, to the world and, if true, treasonous, Paul said.

Should Milley be court-martialed if he made the China calls as described?

Yes: 99% (824 Votes)

No: 1% (5 Votes)

Milleys reported actions could end up triggering a war, he noted.

If we have a general calling China and saying, Our president is liable to unleash nuclear weapons on you or unleash an attack on you, that makes any kind of accidental war even more likely by him ginning up the game. Its a terrible thing, very dangerous, but just by defying the chain of command it gets outside of what we have as a constitutional republic, Paul said.

Those phone calls, per the book, were never mentioned to Trump, whose mental state, Milley believed, had declined in the aftermath of the presidential election.

Hence the need, in Milleys view, to prevent the president from taking military action.

Toward that end, the book says Milley made a phone call to the admiral in charge of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command to suggest postponing any additional military exercises in the region.

He also requested senior officers swear an oath again, per the book that his involvement be required should Trump give an order to launch nuclear weapons during his final days in office.

For his part, Milley already under fire for last months hasty and deadly U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan has denied any claims his actions undermined civilian control of the military.

General Milley continues to act and advise within his authority in the lawful tradition of civilian control of the military and his oath to the Constitution, Army Col. David Butler, Milleys spokesman, said in a Wednesday statement reported in the Military Times.

Brett Davis, who earned a bachelors degree in journalism from Western Washington University, has written for newspapers, public policy organizations, a major humanitarian institution and a software company. Brett lives in Federal Way, Washington, just south of Seattle.

Brett Davis, who earned a bachelors degree in journalism from Western Washington University, has written for newspapers, public policy organizations, a major humanitarian institution and a software company. Brett lives in Federal Way, Washington, just south of Seattle.

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Rand Paul Calls for Gen. Milley to Be 'Immediately' Court ...