China Stands Accused of Manufacturing the COVID-19 Virus

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From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus identified as the causative agent, SARS-CoV-2, has been consistently described as “novel” because of its unique structural features.

Also since the onset of the pandemic, the conventional wisdom concerning the origin of SARS-CoV-2 has been that it was a naturally-occurring outbreak, acquired by humans after exposure to infected animals, a conclusion aggressively promoted by the Chinese Communist Party, supported by some Western scientists and endlessly regurgitated by the left-leaning global media.

That narrative is not only unproven, but much of the scientific data being used to buttress it are faulty, perhaps even fabricated.

China has claimed that a bat coronavirus named RaTG13 is the closest relative to SARS-CoV-2 and upon which the global search for the natural origin of the COVID-19 pandemic has been largely based.

According to China’s narrative, in 2013, Zheng-Li Shi, the “bat woman,” and her team from the Wuhan Institute of Virology were asked to investigate the virus profile of a mine shaft in Yunnan Province after six miners contracted pneumonia with symptoms similar to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), although it was subsequently shown to have been a fungus infection.

After sampling the mine shaft for a year, the researchers identified a diverse group of bat coronaviruses from bat fecal samples, one of which was designated RaBtCoV/4991 (GenBank KP876546) and partially sequenced.

Despite being unique enough to be considered a new strain and associated with a human SARS-like outbreak as a Potential Pandemic Pathogen, thereafter, RaBtCoV/4991, de facto, disappeared from the scientific literature.

That is, until 2020.

In the February 3, 2020 Nature article, scientists from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, led by Zheng-Li Shi, stated that the coronavirus RaTG13, known previously as RaBtCoV/4991, showed a 96.2% sequence identity with SARS-CoV-2 and, therefore, “RaTG13 is the closest relative” forming a distinct lineage from other coronaviruses and supporting China’s claim that SARS-CoV-2 is naturally-occurring.

As a result, the conventional wisdom that the COVID-19 was a naturally-occurring outbreak arose, nearly all of it based on a single scientific publication, one of whose authors had earlier received a medal from the Chinese government in January, 2020.

Unfortunately, RaTG13 is not actually a virus because no biological samples exist, but a sequence of a virus for which there are now serious questions about its accuracy, based on the collection methods and sequence gaps, identified in an August 8, 2020 study, and RaTG13’s structure in comparison to SARS-CoV-2, published already on March 15, 2020.

As Dr. Li-Meng Yan, a Chinese virologist and whistleblower, implies in a detailed interview, RaTG13 may have been used to divert the world’s attention away from the true source of the COVID-19 pandemic, a novel coronavirus that originated in military laboratories overseen by China’s People’s Liberation Army.

SARS-CoV-2 has two unique features contained in the S1 section of the spike glycoprotein:

(1) a receptor-binding domain (RBD), which appears “pre-adapted” for human infection, but is structurally similar to the RBD of pangolins (scaly anteaters) and

(2) a furin polybasic cleavage site (amino acid sequence proline-arginine-arginine-alanine or PRRA), a distinctive feature that facilitates membrane fusion between the virus and the human cell and widely known for its ability to enhance pathogenicity and transmissibility, but not present in any closely related bat or pangolin coronaviruses.

A scientific study published on July 1, 2020 states that, while SARS-CoV-2 sequences share the greatest overall genetic similarity with bat coronaviruses, it is not the case for the RBD, which is “nearly identical” to that of two pangolin coronaviruses.

Those authors suggest that a cross-species recombination event between bat and pangolin coronaviruses had occurred.

Yet, there is no evidence supporting a natural viral recombination between bat and pangolin coronaviruses resulting in such an outcome.

When asked about that possibility of pangolins being the SARS-CoV-2 host, Dr. Ralph Baric, a coronavirus expert from the University of North Carolina, in a March 15, 2020 interview, stated that pangolins could not be the source:

“Pangolins have over 3,000 nucleotide changes – no way they are the reservoir species [for SARS-CoV-2], absolutely no chance.”

A scientific article published on August 5, 2020, “COVID-19: Time to exonerate the pangolin from the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to humans,” totally dismisses the notion that pangolins could have acted as a natural intermediate host for a human infection.

Given the overwhelming scientific evidence, the only recombination event possible for the appearance of a pangolin-like RBD in SARS-CoV-2 would be one occurring artificially in a laboratory.

Much has been made in the media about a newly reported bat coronavirus, RmYN02, also found in Yunnan Province by China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology, which shares 93.3% nucleotide identity with SARS-CoV-2.

RmYN02 also has a proline-alanine-alanine (PAA) sequence, which has been used as evidence that the unique PRRA sequence found in SARS-CoCV-2 could have evolved naturally.

What is not highlighted is that the RBD of RmYN02 showed only a 61.3% sequence identity with SARS-CoV-2, meaning that RmYN02 could not bind to human cells.

In addition, the probably out-of-alignment amino acid sequence PAA is chemically neutral, totally unlike SARS-CoV-2’s polybasic PRRA cleavage site, giving PAA no ability to cleave anything.

What can be linked to SARS-CoV-2’s PRRA furin polybasic cleavage site is the extensive research being conducted on such cleavage sites and their pathological effects on humans by the Second Military Medical University in Shanghai, China, examples found here and here.

The science is unequivocal. As hard as China and the other proponents of the naturally-occurring narrative have tried, SARS-CoV-2 has features that cannot be explained by a natural evolutionary process. (For more from the author of “China Stands Accused of Manufacturing the COVID-19 Virus” please click HERE)

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Lawrence Sellin, PhD is a retired US Army Reserve colonel. He has previously worked at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and conducted basic and clinical research in the pharmaceutical industry. His email address is [email protected].

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Hong Kong Media Tycoon Arrested Under New Security Law

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Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai was arrested Monday on suspicion of collusion with foreign powers, his aide said, in the highest-profile use yet of the new national security law Beijing imposed on the city after protests last year. . .

Lai, who owns popular tabloid Apple Daily, is an outspoken pro-democracy figure in Hong Kong and regularly criticizes China’s authoritarian rule.

The national security law came into effect June 30 and is widely seen as a means to curb dissent after anti-government protests rocked Hong Kong last year. . .

The security law outlaws secessionist, subversive and terrorist acts, as well as collusion with foreign forces in the city’s internal affairs. The maximum punishment for serious offenders is life imprisonment. (Read more from “Hong Kong Media Tycoon Arrested Under New Security Law” HERE)

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WATCH: Riot Declared in Portland After Police Union Building Set on Fire

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The police union building in Portland, Oregon, was set on fire Saturday night, leading police to declare a riot and order the area cleared. Federal authorities left the city at the end of July after weeks of violent clashes between them and protesters, and local leaders have hoped for calm after the federal agents withdrew. . .

Police said there were several protests on Saturday that were peaceful, but a small group lit a fire at the Portland Police Association (PPA) building. According to The Oregonian, it’s the second time a fire has been lit at the police union building, a regular site of protests since they began in late May.

According to police, the group was warned around 10:30 p.m. to “not engage in criminal activities” and disperse. “People within the crowd committed crimes when they erected a fence, pushed dumpsters into the street to block traffic, set a dumpster on fire, vandalized the PPA office with spray paint, and destroyed security cameras,” police said in a release.

At 11:35 p.m., people within the crowd broke the window of the police union offices, entered the building and then lit a fire, “committing the crimes of criminal mischief, burglary, and attempted arson,” police said. A riot was then declared and all people assembled were ordered to leave, including members of the media and legal observers.

Officers from the Oregon State Police and the Portland police tried to break up the crowd. But three officers were injured as police said the crowd started throwing bottles and paint balloons, as well as shining green laser lights, which is a crime in Oregon. (Read more from “WATCH: Riot Declared in Portland After Police Union Building Set on Fire” HERE)

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Why China Is Warning Trump of War; South China Sea: Beijing Mobilizes Invasion Craft Along Coast as Taiwan Tensions Escalate

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By Washington Examiner. Having failed to establish a detente that would keep relations calm through the November elections, China is warning that the Trump administration’s policy toward Beijing might lead to war.

Take what Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of China’s preeminent western-focus propaganda outlet, had to say on Friday. Writing in the Global Times, Hu observed that “the US should be reminded to distance itself from China’s core interests. Don’t play with fire off China’s coast, don’t really stir up conflict over Taiwan question, and don’t overdo it in the South China Sea. If the Trump administration just wants to create China-U.S. tensions to help his re-election campaign, and is not really ready for a military showdown, then be careful for the next few months, and don’t go too far.”

A loyal servant of the government Central Foreign Affairs Commission, Hu’s words are closely reflective of Beijing’s thinking. Hu went further. “My suggestion,” he said, “is that under no circumstances should the Chinese military fire the first shot. But I am confident that China will be well prepared to fire a second shot as a response to the first shot. On core interests, China will not back off. China’s stance is clear to all.”

On paper, this push not to fire the first shot looks relatively moderate. But that perception is misguided. China has learned from the Russian example of so-called grey zone warfare, involving actions that threaten U.S. personnel in ways that fall short of lethal attacks. In the South China Sea, this Chinese activity centers on tactics such as shining laser beams into the cockpits of U.S. aircraft and conducting dangerous fighter jet interceptions of those aircraft. This allows China to threaten American interests without explicitly firing the first shot. But as tensions ratchet upward, it is eminently feasible that the U.S. military might take proactive defensive action. Consider the risk, for example, of a Chinese anti-air missile system locking onto a transiting U.S. aircraft. Does the aircraft defend itself by launching weapons against that Chinese system, or does it wait in the hope that China is bluffing? This is just one example, but it speaks to the thin and time-sensitive line between defensive and offensive action. (Read more from “Why China Is Warning Trump of War” HERE)

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South China Sea: Beijing Mobilizes Invasion Craft Along Coast as Taiwan Tensions Escalate

By NZ Herald. As tensions between Taiwan and China continue to escalate, satellite images reportedly show amphibious armoured vehicles and mobile missile launchers massing at military bases near the island nation.

Though Taiwan, a country of 25 million people, is happy as an independent democracy, Beijing insists it is a “breakaway province” and “inviolate” Chinese territory, repeatedly stating it will use force to bring the island back under China’s control.

Now the images have shown the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) moving the military vehicles into the Eastern Theatre Command on China’s coastal cities across the strait from Taiwan, with missile launchers well within range to hit any targets in Taiwan.

“We make no promise to abandon the use of force, and retain the option of taking all necessary measures,” Chinese leader Xi Jinping said in a recent speech.

Under its ‘one country, two systems’ policy, Beijing insists Taiwan is part of its sovereign mandate. Which is why its so-called ‘wolf warrior’ diplomats have reacted with outrage at news this week that the US Health Secretary will visit the island to discuss its success in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. (Read more from “South China Sea: Beijing Mobilizes Invasion Craft Along Coast as Taiwan Tensions Escalate” HERE)

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Pelosi Claims Chinese Interference for Biden Isn’t Equivalent With Russia

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is warning voters the decision over who the next president is may not be totally in their hands.

Pelosi said Sunday that Russia is a major threat to election security heading into November and differentiated the issue from threats posed by China and Iran, which reportedly do not want to see a victory for President Trump.

“Russia is actively, 24/7 interfering in our election,” Pelosi told CNN’s State of the Union. “They did so in 2016, and they are doing so now.”

She added that China is believed to prefer presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden to win in November, an election interference threat she called “not equivalent.” . . .

“They try to blanket it with the Chinese, they said, prefer Biden — we don’t know that, but that’s what they’re saying, but they’re not really getting involved in the presidential election,” she said. (Read more from “Pelosi Claims Chinese Interference for Biden Isn’t Equivalent With Russia” HERE)

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Russia Sends Former Marine to Prison Established ‘as Part of the Gulag Under Stalin’

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Russian authorities have sent imprisoned Michigan native Paul Whelan to “a strict regimen camp” established “as part of the gulag under Stalin,” according to the former Marine’s twin brother. . .

Whelan has been sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment on charges of espionage based on allegations that his family says were trumped up by Russian security services with the assistance of a supposed friend who owed him money. His family believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government wants to swap Paul Whelan in a prospective deal involving high-profile Russian criminals in American prisons, but U.S. officials have dismissed the idea of a trade.

“We seem to be at sort of an impasse where if there are discussions going on, it’s not clear they’re going on,” David Whelan said. “And in fact, Paul being sent out to the labor camp suggests that there aren’t any activities going on between the two countries.”

The lack of communication was evident on Monday, when State Department officials made a routine inquiry about Paul Whelan’s status at Lefortovo Prison only to learn that he “wasn’t there anymore.” Prison authorities declined to provide any information about his whereabouts to the U.S. government, his brother said, but they told British officials on Tuesday that he had been sent by train to a camp in Mordovia.

“It is no surprise that once again the Russian authorities violated Russian law, by failing to notify our family about Paul’s whereabouts,” David Whelan wrote in an email to journalists and supporters. “It also shows how easily American citizens held in Russia can disappear from view, as consular access is now even more curtailed than it has been since Paul was first wrongly detained.” (Read more from “Russia Sends Former Marine to Prison Established ‘as Part of the Gulag Under Stalin'” HERE)

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Looks Like Biden Can’t Remember How Much He Loves Payroll Tax Cuts

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Former Vice President and presumptive Democratic Presidential Candidate Joe Biden is a big fan of payroll tax cuts, at least he was until Trump deferred payroll taxes on Saturday. Unable to do much from his basement in Delaware, Biden is complaining about the executive action President Trump undertook to provide relief to millions of Americans in the midst of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. . .

In a 2011 op-ed, then-Vice President Joe Biden was extolling payroll tax cuts as “real money for real people,” calling the cuts “extra money” that Americans “can use to help with bills and groceries, or even to upgrade appliances or make their home more energy efficient.” Biden wrote that payroll tax cuts will fuel the economy, “spurring growth and creating jobs.”

One would think such a fervent believer in the miracles of payroll tax cuts would be over the moon with the president’s executive order. Instead, Biden now opposes payroll tax cuts, saying the president’s deferral undermines the solvency of Social Security. But check out what Biden said about Social Security and payroll tax cuts back in 2011:

“Critics have been spreading misinformation that the payroll tax cut will threaten the solvency of Social Security,” Biden wrote. “That’s just plain wrong.” (Read more from “Looks Like Biden Can’t Remember How Much He Loves Payroll Tax Cuts” HERE)

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Major Toy Company Releases Doll That ‘Gasps and Giggles’ When a Button on Its ‘Private Area’ Is Pushed (VIDEO)

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Toymaker Hasbro has agreed to pull a new Trolls doll from shelves after outraged parents launched online campaigns exposing how the doll “gasps and giggles” when a button located on its “private area” is pushed, with critics saying that it is an attempt to groom children. . .

A petition calling for the “Trolls World Tour Giggle and Sing Poppy” doll to be removed from shelves has amassed nearly 330,000 signatories as of this writing. The petition reads:

Our society is conditioning our children to think pedophilia is ok. This Trolls World Tour doll named Poppy has a button on her private area under her skirt. When you push this button on the doll’s private she gasps and giggles. This is not okay for a child’s toy! This toy needs to be removed from our stores. What will this toy make our innocent, impressionable children think? That it’s fun when someone touches your private area? That pedophilia and child molestation are ok? It’s not ok! It’s not fun! It’s damaging and has long term affects on a child’s mental/physical health! Sign this petition to get this toy removed from shelves and help #SaveTheChildren! Children are our future and WE are their voice!

. . .Hasbro announced Friday that it would be removing the doll from retailers but that there was no ill-intent with the placement of the toy’s button. (Read more from “Major Toy Company Releases Doll That ‘Gasps and Giggles’ When a Button on Its ‘Private Area’ Is Pushed (VIDEO)” HERE)

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Report: Councilman Who Voted to Defund Police Called Cops to Home 8 Times Since April

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A Los Angeles councilman who voted to cut the city’s police budget by $150 million allegedly called police to his home several times since April.

Fox 11 reporter Bill Melugin tweeted a link Friday to a public information records request that reportedly showed Councilman Mike Bonin “called LAPD to his home 8 times since 4/4/20, including to provide extra patrols and protection from peaceful protesters at his house”:

. . .Bonin, whose website described him as a “Progressive Problem-Solver,” later denied the accusations and said he had never asked officers to patrol his home:

(Read more from “Report: Councilman Who Voted to Defund Police Called Cops to Home 8 Times Since April” HERE)

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The Intelligence Community Believes These Foreign Countries Are Helping Biden Win the Presidency; Biden’s ‘Embrace’ of China ‘Dictatorship’ Should Shock Americans

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By Townhall. The intelligence community has identified three countries attempting to influence the US November elections. Two of those countries, Iran and China, are attempting to undermine President Trump’s bid for reelection. Russia — the only country the media seems to care about when it comes to our elections — is reportedly working to undermine Joe Biden, and Biden doesn’t need any help doing that these days.

National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) Director William Evanina issued the statement to keep Americans abreast of foreign efforts to influence the elections.

China, the country responsible for unleashing a deadly pandemic on the world and lying about it, has decided that President Trump is too unpredictable for their communist regime. The intelligence community says China has expanded its influence efforts ahead of the November elections and has become more aggressive with its attacks on the Trump administration and its handling of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. Trump’s anti-globalist agenda has no doubt ticked off the commies, as has the president’s recent ban on the social media apps TikTok and WeChat. (Read more from “The Intelligence Community Believes These Foreign Countries Are Helping Biden Win the Presidency” HERE)

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Newt Gingrich Claims Biden’s ‘Embrace’ of China ‘Dictatorship’ Should Shock Americans

By Fox News. American voters should closely examine presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his “embrace” of China, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told “The Ingraham Angle” Friday.

“I think there is a huge vulnerability because the Democrats don’t want to deal with the reality of China, and they don’t want to deal with the reality of Xi Jinping and the dictatorship,” Gingrich told host Laura Ingraham. “And I think that will be more obvious as this campaign goes on.”

During an interview at the convention of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), the former vice president told NPR’s Lulu Garcia Navarro he would scrap tariffs on Chinese imports imposed by Trump. “Who said Trump’s idea’s a good one?” Biden asked rhetorically. “Manufacturing has gone into a recession. Agriculture lost billions of dollars that taxpayers had to pay,” A Biden aide later attempted to clarify to Forbes that the Democrat would “reevaluate” the tariffs. . .

Gingrich added that the Democratic view of China goes hand-in-hand with the party’s suspicion of law enforcement and calls for defense cuts. (Read more from “Newt Gingrich Claims Biden’s ‘Embrace’ of China ‘Dictatorship’ Should Shock Americans” HERE)

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