Politics

GOP calls for Fauci investigation, resignation mount after NIH admits funding gain-of-function research

GOP calls for an investigation and the resignation of Dr. Anthony Fauci have escalated following this week’s revelation that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded gain of function research on the coronavirus.

The controversial research involves artificially engineering an animal virus in a laboratory setting to further examine how it becomes more easily transmissible and deadly to humans – a measure that Fauci told lawmakers was not utilized by the NIH.

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY ‘COMPLICIT’ IN GAIN-OF-FUNCTION RESEARCH: BOOK

But a letter from the NIH to Ranking Member Rep. James Comer of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform Wednesday admitted to a “limited experiment” was conducted in order to test if “spike proteins from naturally occurring bat coronaviruses circulating in China were capable of binding to the human ACE2 receptor in a mouse model” – contradicting Fauci’s previous claims.

The firestorm that followed renewed demands by Republicans in Congress for the resignation of the infectious disease specialist.

“For the past year and a half, critical decisions for the whole country have hinged off of Dr. Fauci’s advice and decrees. Two presidents have used his advice as the basis for our nation’s response to COVID-19,” California Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa said in a statement to Fox News Friday.

“Yet here we have incontrovertible proof that he has been intentionally lying to Congress,” he added. “Dr. Fauci must resign and should face prosecution for perjury.”

NIH ACKNOWLEDGES US FUNDED GAIN-OF-FUNCTION AT WUHAN LAB, DESPITE FAUCI’S DENIALS

LaMalfa’s comments echo sentiments by at least 14 other House Republicans who called on Fauci to resign this summer following reports that the NIH funded controversial animal testing in foreign countries.

Tennessee Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty took to Twitter to voice his opposition and said, “He should resign immediately.”

Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst has not called for Fauci’s resignation but said an investigation needs to be conducted.

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“The facts are clear: federal funds were misspent on dangerous studies on coronaviruses and taxpayers were misled,” she told Fox News Friday. “Instead of getting to the bottom of this, Dr. Fauci has repeatedly dismissed or denied what we now know to be true. There must be consequences, and the American people deserve a full investigation.”

Fauci’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News’ questions.

GOP Rep. Glenn Thompson hospitalized for breakthrough COVID case

Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., has tested positive for the coronavirus and is currently receiving treatment at a hospital, according to a statement shared from his staff.

CDC MASK GUIDELINES UNDER REVIEW AS COVID NUMBERS FALL, COLD SEASON BEGINS

Congressman Thompson on Friday afternoon began experiencing cold-like symptoms and was promptly tested for COVID-19,” reads the statement, which was shared to Twitter. “While he is vaccinated, the test case back positive.”

Glenn Thompson (R-PA) is sworn in by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi during a mock ceremony on Capitol Hill, January 6, 2008, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Andrew Councill/MCT/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

The staff also noted that “out of an abundance of caution,” Thompson is receiving treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

BETHESDA, MD – OCTOBER 04: A general view of the facade of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

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“He is in good spirits and further updates will be made available in the coming days,” the statement concluded.

DHS pays over $455K to build ‘security fencing’ around Biden’s beach home

Build that wall!

The southern border with Mexico is seeing the highest levels of illegal border crossings in 35 years, but the Department of Homeland Security has found one access point it can shore up — doling out $455,000 to a Delaware construction company for a fence around President Biden’s “Summer White House.”

In September, the department awarded a contract of $456,548 to Turnstone Holdings LLC for “PURCHASE AND INSTALLATION OF SECURITY FENCING AT 32 FARVIEW, REHOBOTH DELAWARE,” according to USAspending.gov, an online database tracking federal government spending.

The contract started Sept. 21 and is expected to end Dec. 31. Construction of the fence is expected to end by that date.

The DHS is listed as the main awarding and funding office of the contract while the US Secret Service is listed as the subagency. Additional information and details about the fence have not been publicly released.

For security reasons, the Secret Service declined to discuss their “protective means and methods” with The Post when asked for comment.

DHS did not immediately respond to The Post’s inquiry about the contract.

YOU CAN BE JOE BIDEN’S NEIGHBOR FOR $2.4 MILLION

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden walk on the South Lawn of the White House after stepping off Marine One on Sunday in Washington. (AP) (AP)

The construction of the private security fence comes in a chaotic first year of Biden’s presidency, which has seen historic numbers of illegal immigrants crossing at the southern border.

This week, data released by US Customs and Border Protection revealed that 1.7 million migrants have crossed the border in FY 2021, the highest number since 1986.

More than 20 illegal immigrants were rescued from a suspected smuggling boat off the coast of California, officials said. (KSWB)

A LOOK AT FOUR OF JOE BIDEN’S HOUSES BEFORE THE WHITE HOUSE

The Biden administration has faced backlash over its action — or sometimes inaction — throughout the surge, with critics slamming the president’s decision to halt construction of the border wall, which he did as one of his first actions as president.

This month, DHS announced its intention to cancel “the remaining border barrier contracts located within US Border Patrol’s (USBP) Laredo Sector and all border barrier contracts located in the Rio Grande Valley Sector.”

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Per the department, the unspent funds will be spent on environmental projects including “biological, cultural, and natural resource surveys” in the border region.

It is not the first time since Biden took office that security has been boosted around the North Shores home. In June, Secret Service and local law enforcement put together a checkpoint at an intersection on the way to the home, closed a nearby pond and put temporary flight restrictions in place, according to the Cape Gazette, which was the first to report on the contract.

During his second visit, the Coast Guard also took security measures by creating security zones in the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal and Atlantic Ocean.

This first appeared in the New York Post

Austin’s understaffed police tell citizens to collect evidence at crime scenes themselves

A business owner in Austin, Texas says police told him to gather his own evidence at the scene of his burglarized store, saying it was due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Kirk Andrews, owner of Petticoat Fair Lingerie in north Austin, told KVUE News that he called authorities after his shop had been robbed that he should put on gloves and search for bullet casings because police would not be able to assist due to the coronavirus.

TEXAS MAN SUSPECTED OF COMMITTING TWO MURDERS WHILE FREE ON BOND IN COUNTY OF SOROS-FUNDED DA

“They got back on the phone with me and said that nobody would be coming out and said it was due to COVID restrictions, which didn’t make any sense to me,” Andrews said.

Andrews said 911 told him to call 311 where he was told to put on gloves and search for bullet casings and other evidence to give to police.

“That to me is extremely frustrating,” said Andrews.

Andrews says that on Saturday morning his surveillance video showed a white car driving up to his store before a passenger shot out the window and grabbed clothing. The incident happened around 6 AM when no one was in the store.

Andrews added that his store has been burglarized multiple times and in the past he has been told by police that they “don’t have the manpower” to track down what they described as “shoplifters”

FORMER AUSTIN POLICE OFFICER RIPS NEW CHIEF, PENS SCATHING LETTER REJECTING OFFER TO RETURN

In the past, Andrews said that police have taken two weeks to call him back and file a report after his store was robbed.

Austin Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News.

Austin police stopped sending sworn officers to certain calls where no immediate danger is involved on October 1 in order to allow uniformed officers to focus on serious calls and emergencies.

The city is currently plagued by a police shortage that Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon has referred to as a “crisis.”

The staffing shortage was caused, in part, by the city’s move to strip funding from the police department and has coincided with a surge in crime that includes the murder rate rising over 90%.

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In November, Austin residents will vote on Prop A which aims to restore police staffing and some units that were lost in the 2020 defunding.

“We are in the midst of the most profound police staffing crisis in Austin history,” Save Austin Now co-founders Matt Mackowiak and Cleo Petricek said in a statement to Fox News. “This is occurring during a historic violent crime wave here, as homicides are up 80% since last year’s modern-day record. Austin police morale is at an all-time low. We are roughly 300 police officers down in one year due to the $150 million police budget cut last year. ADP recently made the stunning announcement that due to the staffing crisis they can no longer respond to 911 calls unless it’s a life-threatening situation or the assailant is on the premises. Rank and file officers are being asked to put their lives on the line without the support they need to do the job. On Nov. 2nd, Austin must pass Prop A to fix this mess.”

The advocacy group founded by liberal billionaire financier George Soros has dumped $500,000 into a campaign to defeat the proposal.

Heckler interrupts Kamala Harris speech in Bronx, gets escorted out

Vice President Kamala Harris was delivering a speech in the Bronx when a protester stood up and began shouting something about climate change, drownings and the “right to infrastructure.”

“You are right, brother,” Harris responded.

“I am right about that,” the man shouted back.

“I know you are, and how about you and I talk about that –” Harris said.

DID KAMALA HARRIS VIOLATE FEDERAL LAW IN VIRGINIA?

The protester then asked her about China’s Belt and Road Initiative, though it was difficult to understand the exact nature of the question.

Vice President Kamala Harris responds to a protester at a Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, event in the Bronx, New York. (Image: Fox News) (Fox News)

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A man is removed by security after shouting questions at Vice President Kamala Harris, including about climate change and recent drownings, during her speech at the Northeast Bronx YMCA, in the Bronx borough of New York, Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

A protester is escorted out of an event with Vice President Kamala Harris Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, in the Bronx, New York. (Image: Fox News) (Fox News)

“You and I will talk after I give my comments, and I’m happy to talk with you,” Harris said.

As a security agent escorted the man from the room, Harris added that “everybody gets a chance to talk, and everybody gets a chance to be heard.”

Some in the crowd clapped as the man was taken away.

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Harris was pitching the administration’s Build Back Better spending agenda, which President Biden has indicated lately could be as high as $1.9 trillion.

Biden has lost more approval at start of term than any other president since World War II, poll finds

Polling shows that President Joe Biden has suffered a larger approval rating drop at the start of his term than any president since World War II.

New polling from Gallup shows that Biden’s approval rating dropped from 56% in Q1 to 44.7% in Q3 which represents an 11.3% drop that has not been experienced by any president since World War II.

President Joe Biden waves as he and first lady Jill Biden walk on the South Lawn of the White House after stepping off Marine One, Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

TAMMY BRUCE SLAMS BIDEN’S ‘SHOCKING’ CNN TOWN HALL: ‘IT’S AS THOUGH HE DOESN’T KNOW HE’S PRESIDENT’

“This 11-point decline is larger than any prior president registered between his first and third quarters, although it is similar to those for the last three Democratic presidents — Barack Obama (10 points), Clinton (seven points) and Carter (nine points),” Gallup reported.

The polling results are based on data collected from October 1 through October 19.

Biden’s approval rating started to significantly drop over the summer as the nation continues to battle through the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions put in place by elected officials, including Biden who has faced widespread criticism for imposing federal vaccine mandates.

President Joe Biden attends the 10th-anniversary celebration of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial near the Tidal Basin on the National Mall on October 21, 2021 in Washington, DC. Biden attended the memorial’s dedication ceremony in 2011 with then President Barack Obama who delivered the keynote address. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

GOP CONGRESSMAN ENDS FLOOR SPEECH WITH ‘LET’S GO, BRANDON’

The president’s approval fell even further in September after his chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan that resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and left Americans behind, despite promises from his administration that wouldn’t occur.

Additionally, Democrats in Congress have failed to advance Biden’s infrastructure and spending agenda, further exacerbating his approval rating struggles.

President Joe Biden holds his face mask and waves as he exits Air Force One at Capital Region International Airport, Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, in Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Biden is also severely under water when it comes to how Republicans view him, with only 4% of Republicans polled saying they approve of the job he’s done and 94% disapproving. Conversely, 92% of Democrats approve of the job Biden is doing and 6% disapprove.

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The 88% partisan gap in job approval is the highest since Biden took office. Biden campaigned on uniting the country.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News.

Migrant encounters at southern border just under 200,000 in September, as FY 2021 breaks record

Migrant encounters at the southern border dropped slightly to under the 200,000 mark in September, data released Friday by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) show – as numbers for FY 2021 show record numbers amid an ongoing border crisis that has been a major challenge for the Biden administration.

192,001 migrants were encountered in September, slightly down (9%) from 209,840 in August and 213,593 in July. It means that there has been more than 1.7 million encounters at the border in Fiscal Year 2021, marking the highest number for a fiscal year on record.

WHITE HOUSE REPORT ON CLIMATE, MIGRATION OPENS DOOR TO REFUGEE STATUS FOR ‘ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDERS’

CBP said that 26% of those encountered had at least one prior encounter, higher than a 14% average in prior years. The administration has been using a Title 42 public health order, implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to expel migrants quickly, even though it is not using it as broadly or as aggressively as the Trump administration. The Biden administration has only been expelling single adults and a fraction of migrant families under the order.

According to the numbers, 75% of single adults were expelled under Title 42, while just 27% (17,599) of family units were expelled via Title 42.

It means that CBP says that the number of unique encounters in Sept. 2021 was 142,710. The agency said that 59% of encounters were single adults.

“CBP encounters along the Southwest border declined in September from the prior month, and a majority of noncitizens encountered were expelled under Title 42,” acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller said in a statement. “The men and women of CBP continued to rise admirably to the challenge, despite the strain associated with operating during a global pandemic that has claimed far too many lives among our frontline personnel.”

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS GATHERING AT SOUTHERN BORDER AHEAD OF ‘REMAIN IN MEXICO RESTART’ SOURCES SAY

The Biden administration has been facing a massive migrant surge which has overwhelmed officials and communities. The administration has blamed root causes like violence and corruption in Central America, while Republicans have blamed the administration’s dramatic rollback of Trump-era border protections – including ending border wall construction and seeking to end the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP).

MPP, known as “Remain-in-Mexico,” saw migrants wait in Mexico as they awaited their proceedings. President Biden abolished the program, but the administration has been ordered to reinstall it due to a federal order in response to a lawsuit from Missouri and Texas, which was in turn upheld by the Supreme Court.

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The administration said last week that it will be in a position to restart the program by mid-November, but as long as Mexico co-operates. DHS also said that it is also seeking to end the program through different means at the same time.

Meanwhile, Fox News reported this month that more than 160,000 migrants have been released into the U.S. since March, including tens of thousands using humanitarian parole, which is used on a “case-by-case” basis for urgent humanitarian needs.

Biden border absence defended by Psaki, who says he made a ‘drive through’ in 2008

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki attempted to defend President Biden on Friday for his unwillingness to travel to the southern border, using a trip he made more than a decade ago to the region as evidence for his familiarity with the issues there.

BIDEN SAYS HE HASN’T HAD TIME TO VISIT SOUTHERN BORDER, ADMITS HE PROBABLY SHOULD

“Why did President Biden say he has been to the border,” Fox News White House Correspondent Peter Doocy asked Psaki, referencing remarks made by the president during Thursday night’s town hall with CNN.

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 22: White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki talks to reporters in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on October 22, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“As you may have seen, there has been reporting that he did drive through the border when he was on the campaign trail in 2008 and he is certainly familiar with the fact, and it stuck with him, the fact that in El Paso, the border goes right through the center of town,” Psaki told reporters during the press briefing. “But, the most important thing everyone should know and understand is that the president has worked on these issues throughout his entire career and is well-versed in every aspect of our immigration system, including the border – that includes when he was Vice President.”

Psaki also attempted to defend Biden’s understanding of the immigration system in America by claiming that Biden “does not need a visit to the border to know what a mess was last by the last administration,” adding “that’s his view.”

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Further pressed by Doocy on whether that does “count as a visit,” Psaki began to ask questions. “What is the root cause?” Psaki questioned. “Where are people coming from who are coming to the border?”

CIUDAD ACUNA, MEXICO – SEPTEMBER 20: Mounted U.S. Border Patrol agents watch Haitian immigrants on the bank of the Rio Grande in Del Rio, Texas on September 20, 2021 as seen from Ciudad Acuna, Mexico.(Photo by John Moore/Getty Images) ((Photo by John Moore/Getty Images))

“People come from Central America and Mexico to go to the border,” Psaki said. “The president has been to those countries ten times to talk about border issues. There is a focus, right now, on a photo-op. The president does not believe a photo-op is the same as solutions.”

“That may be a difference he has with Republicans,” Psaki added.

Last night, during the town hall event, Biden said, “I’ve been there before, I know it well, I guess I should go down. … The whole point of it is, I haven’t had a whole hell of a lot of time to get down.”

Daines demands answers on Afghan parolee accused of Montana rape, calls DHS statement ‘deeply insufficient’

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., on Friday wrote to the Biden administration calling for answers on the resettlement of an Afghan national who was resettled in Montana and has since been charged with rape — with Daines criticizing the initial response by the Department of Homeland Security.

“Your initial generic statements concerning Zabihullah Mohmand, an Afghan granted humanitarian parole by [DHS] and resettled to Missoula, Montana, and who was recently charged with sexual assault, have been deeply insufficient,” Daines said in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

AFGHAN EVACUEE CHARGED WITH RAPE IN MONTANA, GOVERNOR SAYS, DEMANDING RESETTLEMENT HALT

Mohmand was arrested in Missoula, Montana after police received a 911 call from the victim and a local motel about concerning behavior. Missoula Police Department told Fox that Mohmand, 19, is now being held at the Missoula County Jail on charges of sexual intercourse without consent and the case is being investigated by detectives.

The victim says she met Mohmand, who asked her to go back to his hotel room, but she said she did not want anything to happen, court documents reviewed by Fox News show. The victim was later seen in the lobby visibly upset and called 911, according to those documents. Authorities found the victim’s bra and socks in Mohmand’s room. The man said the incident was consensual.

Daines said that Mohmand was resettled in Montana in early October, “fewer than two weeks before allegedly committing this horrible crime.”

Feb 24, 2021: Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., speaks during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on the nomination of Xavier Becerra to be Secretary of Health and Human Services on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Michael Reynolds/Pool via AP)

The case led to multiple lawmakers, including Daines and Gov. Greg Gianforte to call for a halt on resettlements in the state until there are assurances on vetting and answers about the case.

The case comes amid continued Republican concerns about the vetting process of Afghan nationals, which the Biden administration has defended as both effective and multilayered — with crimes being relatively rare rare considering the numbers being brought in.

OVERSIGHT REPUBLICANS URGE DHS OIG TO INVESTIGATE AFGHAN REFUGEE VETTING, RESETTLEMENT

DHS released a lengthy statement Thursday evening, which did not confirm the specific details of Mohmand’s case but said that Afghan parolees are “expected to abide by the laws of the United States, both while in military installations and as resettled members of local communities.”

“Criminal behavior is not tolerated and those who violate the law are subject to prosecution and may be put into removal proceedings,” the spokesperson said. “|While at military installations, Afghan parolees are briefed about the conditions of their parole and that violating the law violates their parole.”

A spokesperson emphasized that individuals are subjected to “rigorous, multi-layered screening and vetting processes that involve biometric and biographic screenings conducted by intelligence, law enforcement, and counterterrorism professionals from the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, FBI, National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), and additional Intelligence Community partners.”

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In his letter, Daines made a number of requests for information, including whether Mohmand worked with U.S. Armed Forces in Afghanistan or a government entity, whether he was eligible for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) or refugee status, and what screening and vetting procedures he underwent.

The letter also asks whether Mohmand was interviewed by DHS or another agency, if there was any indication of a history of abuse of sex crimes by Mohmand, and if he committed any suspicious conduct while on a U.S. military base.

A DHS spokesperson told Fox on Friday that it responds to congressional correspondence through official channels.

Supreme Court agrees to hear 2 challenges to Texas abortion law

The Supreme Court has agreed to expedite and hear two challenges to Texas’ new anti-abortion law, which effectively bans most abortions after six weeks.

One case is the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) challenge against the Texas law, another will concern a private organization’s lawsuit.

The court appears to be limiting its consideration, at least in the DOJ case, to only a procedural issue of whether the federal government is allowed to sue over the law. This means the court would not address the merits of the Texas law in that case.

Arguments are scheduled for Nov. 1. The court declined to halt the law in the interim.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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