Coronavirus Lab-Origin Story Is No Longer a Conspiracy Theory

BY JACK CROWE

May 04, 2020

SIX WEEKS AGO, the coronavirus lab origin story was relegated to conspiracy-minded internet sleuths and a handful of China Hawks in Congress.

Now, less than two months later, officials at the highest levels of U.S. government, and the president himself, have taken up the line.

"There's enormous evidence that that's where this began," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told ABC's This Week on Sunday when asked if the virus came from a lab.

"There is a significant amount of evidence that this came from that laboratory in Wuhan," he added later.

Pompeo's comments came just days after President Trump told reporters that he's been presented evidence that gives him a "high degree of confidence" that the virus originated in a lab.

While dispositive evidence of the virus's lab origin has not yet emerged, there has been some reporting to suggest that the American intelligence community is warming to the theory. Citing unnamed sources, Fox News' John Roberts tweeted Saturday "There is agreement among most of the 17 Intelligence agencies that COVID-19 originated in the Wuhan lab."

The narrative shift comes as western democracies ramp up efforts to cast blame on China for the outbreak and their initial failure to contain it.

A research dossier compiled by the western "Five Eyes" intelligence sharing network, obtained by Australia's Saturday Telegraph, concludes that Beijing destroyed or suppressed evidence of the virus's human-to-human transmission as part of an "assault on international transparency.'' The 15-page dossier claims the "deadly denial of human-to-human transmission," the "disappearing" of medical whistleblowers, the destruction of evidence of the virus from laboratories, and the refusal by Chinese to officials to furnish a live sample of the virus constitute evidence of Beijing's mendacity.

The Five Eyes nations — United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the U.K. — appear united on the question of Chinese culpability, but there is one point of disagreement: Australian intelligence officials still believe the virus originated in a wet market while the other countries remain agnostic on the question.

While the cover up detailed by the Five Eyes was certainly intended to help Beijing save face on the international stage, Chinese officials also had another, more sinister motivation, according to a Department of Homeland Security report obtained by the Associated Press. Chinese Communist Party leaders concealed the severity of the outbreak in early January in order to buy time to purchase additional medical supplies from abroad and to reduce their own medical supply exports, thereby depriving other countries of the very equipment that Chinese leaders could be certain they would soon need.

China Concealed Severity of Virus to Hoard Supplies, DHS Report Concludes

China hid the scope of the country's coronavirus outbreak as well as information on how contagious the illness is in order to have time to stock up on medical supplies, according to an intelligence report from the Department of Homeland Security.

The Chinese government "intentionally concealed the severity" of the outbreak in January and neglected for weeks to inform the World Health Organization that the virus was contagious, the four-page May 1 document marked "for official use only" states.

Meanwhile, China was increasing imports and decreasing exports of medical supplies as the outbreak worsened within its borders. In January, China increased imports of face masks, surgical gloves, and surgical gowns while lowering exports of surgical gloves, surgical gowns, face masks, ventilators, and other medical supplies. (Associated Press)

Trump 'Very Confident' of Coronavirus Vaccine by End of 2020

President Donald Trump stated that he is "very confident" the U.S. will discover a coronavirus vaccine in the next seven months, following news that his administration has organized a "Manhattan Program-esque" project to fast-track development.

"We are very confident that we're going to have a vaccine at the end of the year, by the end of the year," Trump told Fox News during a town hall on Sunday night. "We think we're going to have a vaccine by the end of this year. We're pushing very hard."

South Korea Says Kim Jong Un Did Not Have Surgery During Absence

Amid speculation about his three-week absence from public life, South Korea said Sunday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not undergo surgery or another medical procedure over that period.

"Our assessment is that (Kim) did not undergo surgery," a South Korean official told reporters.

North Korean state media released footage of Kim, 36, walking and talking normally at the opening ceremony for a fertilizer factory, quelling theories that the authoritarian leader could be seriously ill or even dead. However, speculation continued about Kim's leg movements, which at some points appeared stiff. (Reuters)

DNC Chairman Likens Tara Reade Allegations to Clinton Emails 'Because There Was Nothing There'

Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez dismissed calls to search Joe Biden's archives for Tara Reade's sexual-assault accusation, telling ABC's Martha Raddatz that "this is like the Hillary emails, because there was nothing there."

Appearing on ABC's This Week, Perez defended Biden's innocence and his handling of the accusation, saying that Biden had already been thoroughly vetted by Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential race.

"They looked at the entire history of Joe Biden, his entire career. And I'll tell you, if Barack Obama had any indication that there was an issue, Barack Obama would not have had him as his vice-president," Perez argued. "Barack Obama trusted Joe Biden. I trust Joe Biden. And those investigations have been done." (ABC)

Trump Admin. 'Turbocharging' Withdrawal of Supply Chains from China

The Trump administration is stepping up an effort to reduce dependence on Chinese manufacturing following the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, including possible new incentives for companies to shift supply chains, such as tax benefits and subsidies.

"We've been working on [reducing the reliance of our supply chains in China] over the last few years but we are now turbocharging that initiative," Keith Krach, undersecretary for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment at the U.S. State Department, told Reuters, adding that the focus was on "the critical areas" and "bottlenecks."

Measures involving the Commerce Department, State, and other federal agencies are being explored to determine which supply chains are "essential" and how they could be decoupled from China. Sources said that one such proposal involves the creation of a trade network of "trusted partners" called the "Economic Prosperity Network" that would not include China. (Reuters)

WSJ: Smart or Lucky? How Florida Dodged the Worst of Coronavirus

MIAMI—When the coronavirus pandemic swept toward Florida, public-health professionals nationally warned of a potentially devastating wave of infections that could imperil the state's large senior population.

But so far, the state seems to have dodged that fate, despite not following advice to impose measures such as an early, blanket lockdown to minimize spread.

With Gov. Ron DeSantis preparing to start reopening the state on Monday, epidemiologists and others are asking: What happened? Was Florida smart or lucky?

The answer may be a bit of both. Mr. DeSantis restricted visitation to nursing homes but he left early lockdown decisions to local authorities. Mayors in some hard-hit large communities shut down faster and more aggressively than the state, gaining valuable time.

Politico: Gov. DeWine: My face mask order went 'too far'

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Sunday that his order requiring state residents to wear face masks went "too far."

DeWine announced April 27 that face masks must be worn in stores — but after some Ohioans found the order "offensive," he reversed himself the next day.

"It became clear to me that that was just a bridge too far. People were not going to accept the government telling them what to do," he said on ABC's "This Week."

DeWine said getting hung up on the mandatory masks "just wasn't going to work," though he highly recommends wearing them. Employees will still wear face masks, and DeWine urged customers to protect "the folks who are stocking shelves in grocery stores."