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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) deleted COVID-19 gene sequences that may have proven valuable to detecting earlier the probability the SARS-CoV-2 virus originated at the Wuhan lab. The deleted gene sequences were recently discovered in a Google cloud database by a virologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. The finding was revealed in an academic paper awaiting peer-review, authored by Dr. Jesse D. Bloom. “The origin and early spread of SARS-CoV-2 remains shrouded in mystery,” Bloom writes. “Here I identify a data set containing SARS-CoV-2 sequences from early in the Wuhan epidemic that has been deleted...

FORREST CITY, Ark. (WREG) – It wasn’t COVID-19, but a questionable fashion choice that kept a Forrest City, Arkansas, woman from visiting her grandmother. Jayla Williams shared a video on her Facebook page of her grandmother refusing to let her in her house after she showed up wearing jeans ripped across her thighs. “She gets out of the car, and when she steps around the car, she was looking naked,” said grandmother Maedean Wilson-Brewer. Williams said her grandmother likes to joke around, but this time, she knew she was serious, and so she pulled out her phone and started recording...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—After Catholic bishops stirred bitter controversy this week by asking people to repent of murder, Father Brian Shannon has offered President Biden a tasty compromise: replacing the Eucharist with a ‘Nilla wafer. “While as Catholics we must object to unifying the body, soul and divinity of Christ to someone who is unrepentant in their support of murder, we fully support President Biden’s right to enjoy a vanilla wafer,” said Father Shannon. “Now can a vanilla wafer undergo transubstantiation? Really getting into the metaphysical weeds here, but to be safe we’ll leave them off the altar until Joe comes up...

CHICAGO - Tensions became heated Friday evening when Newsmax reporter William Kelly asked Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot about violent crime in the city. According to data, more than 300 people have been shot and killed in Chicago this year. More than 1,500 have been shot and wounded. When Kelly pressed Lightfoot on the apparent surge in violent crime, the mayor said he had his facts wrong. (snip) On Monday, Mayor Lightfoot – who promised to reduce Chicago’s bloody street violence – said this month has been less violent than last year in June. "We are seeing a downward trajectory, where...

In recent years, China has made massive inroads to secure valuable assets within Africa. Since the start of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2013, Chinese profits have quadrupled from Africa alone. In 2017 for instance, Chinese projects in Africa from the BRI brought in an estimated of $51 billion dollars in revenues. There is no mistaking that Africa is a key component in China’s economic ambitions. k The amount of labor and capital migrating to China has also seen a spike in recent years. It was reported in 2018 that over 200,000 Chinese workers migrated to Africa, bringing...

Explanation: What drives auroras on Saturn? To help find out, scientists have sorted through hundreds of infrared images of Saturn taken by the Cassini spacecraft for other purposes, trying to find enough aurora images to correlate changes and make movies. Once made, some movies clearly show that Saturnian auroras can change not only with the angle of the Sun, but also as the planet rotates. Furthermore, some auroral changes appear related to waves in Saturn's magnetosphere likely caused by Saturn's moons. Pictured here, a false-colored image taken in 2007 shows Saturn in three bands of infrared light. The rings reflect...

What is likely to happen with the "Still Standing"half of the condo building is probably a no win situation for the owners. The first option is a worst case scenario. The second option is after all the debris is cleared, engineers and inspectors can look for the inevitable wear and tear in the concrete supports. But does this mean they will have to dig out the entire base of the condo, maybe even close to the bedrock? Do you think anyone would want to take part of digging that hole if it comes to that? Maybe some of you out...

For years, we have been discussing the decline of journalism values with the rise of open bias in the media. Now, a newly released report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford has found something that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. The United States ranked dead last in media trust among 49 countries with just 29% saying that they trusted the media. The most tragic aspect is that it does not matter. The media has embraced the advocacy journalism and anyone questioning that trend risks instant cancellation. The result is a type...

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthytorucehd Democrats after thousands of police officers resigned from their departments amid a soaring crime wave. The New York Times reported: “New York City saw 2,600 officers retire in 2020 compared with 1,509 the year before."

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Diabetics are at heightened risk for COVID-19 complications, it's known. But the connection might run in two directions: COVID-19 may itself kick off or exacerbate diabetes. A new study shows that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, selectively attacks the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, the critical hormone that regulates our circulating blood-sugar levels. The loss of these pancreatic cells, known as beta cells, is the defining feature of type 1 diabetes, understood to be triggered when the body's immune system, for unknown reasons, launches an unprovoked attack on those cells.

Antifa militants attacked police in Portland, Oregon, after news broke of a deadly police shooting — forcing the department to quickly announce that it was a “white male” to prevent riots, according to police and reports. At least 50 protesters, most dressed all in black and carrying anti-fascist signs, gathered at a Motel 6 late Thursday where police shot a suicidal man who charged at them with a screwdriver, The Oregonian said. The mob “began yelling, throwing items at officers, and attempting to interfere with the investigation,” Portland Police Bureau said in a release, with videos showing many chanting the...

Colorado police on Friday explained how a heroic bystander who had just shot and killed a cop-hating gunman was himself fatally struck by a responding officer. Johnny Hurley, 40, was shopping in downtown Arvada, a Denver suburb, when he heard Ronald Troyke ambush and murder Officer Gordon Beesley, who was responding to a call Monday afternoon, officials said. Troyke, 59, then returned to his truck to grab an AR-15, and was holding it when Hurley — who was carrying a concealed weapon — confronted him and shot him dead, Police Chief Link Strate said in a video clip posted Friday....

...drawing comparisons to the Pixar flick “Up” in which a balloon salesman clings stubbornly to his house as skyscrapers spring up around it. Orlando Capote told CBS4 News in Miami that his father bought the humble single-family home in 1989, after escaping Cuba and working double jobs to achieve his American dream. “The house is my soul,” said Capote. “So what good is it to sell your soul for all the money in the world?” Capote’s father died in 2005. He then lost his mother last year, who asked before she died that the son not sell the “family treasure.”...

It’s time to “reimagine the Rotunda”. That is the conclusion reached in a report released by the National Archives’ task force on racism. The National Archives Rotunda is an example of structural racism and the Founding Fathers are portrayed too positively. Who knew that the Rotunda is in need of safe spaces and trigger warnings? The Rotunda of the National Archives displays the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. The National Archives holds permanent records created by the U.S. Congress, U.S. Supreme Court, Federal District Courts in the District of Columbia, and Select Federal Agencies. It...

There once was a woman who prayed constantly for her husband and three children. She was the only believer in her family, and she desperately wanted everyone else to embrace the faith. One child in particular gave her more heartache than all the rest. He was very smart, and he knew it. Over time, the woman found a new spiritual advisor who encouraged her to keep on praying. “Surely the son of so many tears will not perish,” he told her. He then initiated a friendship with the woman’s son. Unlike others who had tried to win him over, this...

Chinese Communist Party spies are infiltrating New Zealand universities, three lecturers in Chinese politics and history suspect. Auckland University lecturer Dr Stephen Noakes said people who were not enrolled in his course had attended his lectures and appeared to be gathering intelligence. Canterbury University lecturer Anne-Marie Brady also said she often had people turn up to her class who should not be there. "I was getting people turning up to my class who were not enrolled students and were there to either observe or disrupt," said Brady. "I just simply said, 'If you haven't enrolled in my class, you haven't...

If you’re looking to ditch the popcorn, here’s a look at the sweet and salty treats you can find at local cinemasAfter a hiatus in 2020, it feels like cinema is finally making a comeback. More and more residents are heading back to theatres and a slew of new blockbusters makes a date with the silver screen all the more tempting. While there really is something special about the lights dimming and the surround sound kicking into gear, it’s time to show some appreciation for one of the most over-looked parts of going to the movies: the snacks counter. If...

Olympic hammer thrower Gwen Berry ‘pissed’ national anthem was playing at Olympic trials A U.S. hammer thrower turned away from the American flag as she stood on the medal podium at the Olympic trials during the national anthem on Saturday, saying she’s “pissed” the Star-Spangled Banner was played as she received her bronze medal. Gwen Berry — who qualified for her second U.S. Olympic team during the trials — shifted to face the stands rather than the flag before holding up a black shirt that reads “Activist Athlete.” “I feel like it was a set-up, and they did it on...

Richard Harris, who is the president and CEO of Make A Wish Foundation, might be wishing he did not bow to the #Woke #PC #FeelingsoverFacts crowd and stayed away from any sort of political controversy. Unfortunately taking an experimental vaccine currently is political, and when you walk into that arena, dumb things are going to happen to you.The shame is that the innocent kids who are very sick are the pawns in this.So, let’s start with the basics of what is happening here, and why Harris should have a huge headache right about now.From The Blaze…“We’ve approached this responsibility with...