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Gabbard says declassified biolab records validate concerns previously dismissed as misinformation
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Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released a trove of declassified records detailing U.S. funding of more than 120 biological laboratories across more than 30 countries, arguing the documents validate concerns that were previously dismissed as misinformation.
The release comes years after Gabbard drew criticism for raising concerns about U.S.-funded biolabs in Ukraine following Russia’s 2022 invasion. Critics accused her of echoing Russian narratives, while supporters argued legitimate questions about the labs’ activities and oversight were being unfairly dismissed.
The newly released records include ODNI briefing slides detailing the scope of U.S. involvement in Ukraine’s laboratory network.
DNI TULSI GABBARD PROBES U.S. FUNDING TO MORE THAN 120 BIOLABS AROUND THE WORLD
A bio safety lab where SARS-CoV-2 infectious samples are inactivated is shown at the Penn Center for Research on Coronavirus and Other Emerging Pathogens at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pa., on Dec. 16, 2021.
One document states that more than 40 laboratories in Ukraine received U.S. funding and housed collections of dangerous bacteria and viruses, some dating back to the Soviet era. The records also show Ukrainian scientists received U.S.-funded training to work with hazardous pathogens and participated in a program focused on handling especially dangerous diseases.
The documents list pathogens studied or stored within the laboratory network, including anthrax, tuberculosis, plague, Ebola virus, Marburg virus, MERS and SARS.
Additional records detail U.S.-funded construction and upgrades at laboratories across Ukraine, including facilities in Kherson, Odesa and western Ukraine. The documents identify engineering firm Black & Veatch as a major contractor and show U.S. taxpayers spent between roughly $1.7 million and $3.5 million on individual laboratory projects.
LAWMAKERS DEMAND ANSWERS AFTER SUSPECTED BIOLAB DISCOVERED IN CHINESE NATIONAL’S LAS VEGAS HOME
Newly declassified records released by DNI Tulsi Gabbard reveal details about U.S.-funded biological laboratories around the world, reigniting debate over overseas bioresearch programs. (iStock)
One declassified assessment focuses on a veterinary research laboratory in Kharkiv that received Pentagon funding through the Defense Department’s Biological Threat Reduction Program.
According to the assessment, the facility housed hundreds of samples of dangerous pathogens, including Brucella bacteria, which can cause a disease known as brucellosis. The document warned the lab could become a target of Russian propaganda efforts or be damaged, captured or otherwise compromised during the war.
Another ODNI slide outlines what it describes as a «web of connections» linking Ukrainian laboratories with U.S. government agencies, universities, research organizations and private contractors. The document says U.S. funding supported research on bird flu and other highly infectious viruses in high-security laboratories.
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Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard appeared during a House Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats on March 19, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Gabbard said the documents demonstrate that the public was not given a full picture of U.S.-backed biological research programs overseas. Critics, however, maintain the facilities were part of long-running public health and threat-reduction efforts designed to secure dangerous pathogens and prevent biological proliferation rather than operate as biological weapons programs.
The declassification is likely to reignite debate over government transparency, gain-of-function research and the scope of U.S.-funded biological research overseas.
tulsi gabbard, medical research, ukraine, cia, viruses
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Capturan a mexicano acusado de retirar más de 7 mil dólares en cajeros automáticos en Honduras
Las autoridades hondureñas capturaron a un ciudadano mexicano acusado de acceder de forma ilícita a sistemas de cajeros automáticos en San Pedro Sula, Honduras para retirar efectivo sin usar tarjetas bancarias. La Policía Nacional informó que el arresto se produjo tras alertas de una entidad bancaria sobre transacciones irregulares.
El arresto se realizó en las cercanías de un cajero automático ubicado sobre el bulevar del Norte, en el sector Los Álamos de San Pedro Sula, donde el sospechoso presuntamente intentaba continuar con la misma modalidad utilizada horas antes en otra agencia bancaria de la ciudad.
La investigación comenzó tras una serie de retiros irregulares. Según la Policía Nacional, la institución financiera detectó una secuencia de transacciones anómalas que comprometían el funcionamiento de varios cajeros automáticos.
Las alertas internas llevaron al banco a notificar de inmediato a las autoridades a través del Sistema Nacional de Emergencias 911 y se activó un operativo conjunto entre unidades de investigación e inteligencia policial.
La operación estuvo a cargo de agentes de la Dirección Policial de Investigaciones (DPI), en coordinación con la Oficina Central Nacional (OCN) Interpol Honduras, los agentes ubicaron al sospechoso y lo capturaron cuando permanecía cerca de uno de los cajeros donde presuntamente realizaba nuevas operaciones irregulares.
De acuerdo con las investigaciones preliminares, el detenido tiene 25 años, es originario de Culiacán, México, y reside en el barrio El Centro de San Pedro Sula.
Las pesquisas indican que el sospechoso presuntamente utilizaba un método basado en la manipulación de los sistemas informáticos de los cajeros automáticos.
Según la hipótesis de los investigadores, quienes ejecutaban este procedimiento lograban obtener acceso previo al sistema interno del cajero automático y luego utilizaban un algoritmo instalado en un teléfono celular para generar códigos que autorizaban retiros de efectivo sin necesidad de insertar una tarjeta bancaria.
Ese mecanismo permitía realizar extracciones de dinero mediante vulnerabilidades en los sistemas tecnológicos de los equipos, sin recurrir a métodos tradicionales de clonación de tarjetas o robo de información de clientes.
Las autoridades continúan analizando la forma en que habría sido comprometido el sistema y si existen antecedentes de operaciones similares en otras ciudades del país.
Las investigaciones establecen que el primer retiro irregular fue detectado en un cajero automático ubicado en una agencia bancaria de la 7 calle de San Pedro Sula.
Tras identificar las operaciones sospechosas, el banco reforzó el monitoreo de sus equipos y pocas horas después emitió una segunda alerta desde un cajero automático ubicado en la agencia de Los Álamos.
El sistema detectó nuevamente movimientos con características similares y permitió establecer que una persona con la misma descripción física continuaba realizando retiros mediante el mismo procedimiento. Esa información permitió a las unidades policiales desplegar un operativo que culminó con la captura del ciudadano mexicano antes de abandonar el sector.
Durante la inspección posterior al arresto, los agentes encontraron en poder del sospechoso 190.000 lempiras en efectivo, equivalentes a aproximadamente más de 7 mil dólares, distribuidos en billetes de 500 lempiras.
Además, las autoridades decomisaron un teléfono celular marca que será sometido a análisis forenses para determinar si fue utilizado como herramienta para ejecutar el presunto acceso ilícito al sistema informático de los cajeros automáticos.
La Policía Nacional informó que las investigaciones permanecen abiertas porque existen indicios de que este mismo método habría sido utilizado en otros cajeros automáticos de San Pedro Sula.
Las diligencias buscan determinar el monto total del perjuicio ocasionado a la institución financiera, establecer si hubo otras entidades afectadas e identificar a posibles cómplices que habrían participado en la planificación o ejecución de las operaciones.
Las autoridades tampoco descartan que el sospechoso forme parte de una organización dedicada a cometer delitos informáticos en distintos países de la región, por lo que mantienen coordinación con Interpol y otras instancias de investigación para verificar antecedentes y posibles vínculos internacionales.
Tras ser informado sobre los derechos que le asisten conforme a la legislación hondureña, el ciudadano mexicano fue puesto a disposición del Ministerio Público.
La Fiscalía continuará el proceso judicial por los presuntos delitos de estafa y acceso no autorizado a sistemas informáticos, mientras avanzan las investigaciones para determinar si enfrentará nuevas acusaciones relacionadas con otros retiros irregulares detectados en la ciudad.
Corresponsal:Desde Tegucigalpa, Honduras
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EXCLUSIVE: Beneath a towering 23-foot bronze figure holding the Declaration of Independence aloft, designer Matthew Taylor stopped beside an equestrian statue that many Americans have likely never seen, or even heard of.
«Most Americans have never heard of Caesar Rodney,» Taylor told Fox News Digital during an exclusive tour of the new Spirit of ’76 exhibition at Freedom Plaza. «But we owe this man an enormous debt of gratitude.»
The temporary installation, unveiled as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebration, transforms Freedom Plaza into an open-air gallery honoring Revolutionary War figures whose names rarely appear in history textbooks.
Commissioned by President Donald Trump, the exhibition features 22 statues and sculptural installations, including a restored equestrian monument of Rodney, a towering «Spirit of Liberty» centerpiece, bronze figures representing Revolutionary soldiers, and an immersive memorial honoring Americans who died aboard British prison ships during the Revolution.
EXPERTS FINALLY SOLVE MYSTERY OF TEENAGE REVOLUTIONARY WAR SOLDIER 246 YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH
Matthew Taylor stands beneath the Caesar Rodney statue with members of the fabrication team during the opening of the Spirit of ’76 exhibition at Freedom Plaza. (Dan Fleuette)
According to the National Park Service, the exhibit was created to honor the «heroes and martyrs of the Revolution» during America’s semiquincentennial and is intended to celebrate the enduring «Spirit of ’76’ that continues to live on in every American heart.»
The centerpiece installations include the Caesar Rodney equestrian statue, the «12 Soldiers of the Revolution,» the Prison Ship Martyrs memorial and the 23-foot Spirit of Liberty statue.
ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG AT BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL SITE UNCOVERS REVOLUTIONARY WAR ARTIFACTS
The restored Caesar Rodney equestrian statue stands at Freedom Plaza during the opening of the Spirit of ’76 exhibition in Washington, D.C. (Dan Fleuette)
Rather than beginning with George Washington or Thomas Jefferson, however, Taylor chose to introduce visitors to Rodney.
The Delaware statesman, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, is remembered for his legendary overnight ride from Dover to Philadelphia in July 1776. Suffering from severe illness, Rodney rode roughly 80 miles through a storm to cast the vote that broke Delaware’s deadlock in favor of independence.
«Of all the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Caesar Rodney is one of the most exciting,» Taylor said. «When Delaware’s delegation was deadlocked, he rode through the night to cast the vote that helped secure American independence.»
THE REVOLUTIONARY LANDMARKS WHERE WASHINGTON, ADAMS AND JEFFERSON CHANGED AMERICA
A welder from Atelier Missor places final touches on the «Spirit of Liberty» statue before the installation was made public earlier this month. (Dan Fleuette)
For decades, the bronze statue stood in Wilmington’s Rodney Square before being removed in 2020. It now occupies one of the most prominent locations in the nation’s capital, just blocks from both the White House and the Capitol.
From Rodney’s ride, Taylor naturally guides visitors into the next chapter of the American story.
Arranged around the plaza are bronze sculptures representing 12 Revolutionary War soldiers. Rather than depicting famous generals, the statues celebrate ordinary Americans whose individual stories reflect the sacrifices of the Revolutionary generation.
«These are ordinary citizens who did extraordinary things,» Taylor said. «Every one of these statues tells the story of someone who answered the call during the Revolution.»
An inscription featuring a quote from George Washington appears on the base of the Spirit of Liberty statue at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., during America’s 250th anniversary celebration. (Dan Fleuette)
Among them is Samuel Whittemore, who fought British troops at age 78. According to Taylor, Whittemore was bayoneted multiple times, shot in the head and left for dead before surviving and living into his 90s.
Another figure, Simon Knowles, enlisted at just 15 years old and served alongside George Washington throughout much of the Revolutionary War before returning home to live as a farmer.
Taylor said those stories represent the exhibition’s central message.
«Unlike monuments to George Washington or Thomas Jefferson, these statues honor ordinary Americans who did extraordinary things,» he said.
Nearby, another installation tells one of the Revolution’s lesser-known tragedies.
Designed as visitors physically walk through its narrow bronze panels, the Prison Ship Martyrs memorial recreates the outline of a British prison ship. According to the National Park Service, nearly 12,000 Americans died aboard prison ships during the Revolutionary War; even more than were killed in combat during the conflict.
Taylor said the memorial is meant to immerse visitors in that experience.
«As you walk inside, you hear the water from the fountain,» he explained during the tour. «It helps place you inside the story.»
The fountain itself has also become part of the experience. Taylor noted it was recently restored to operation after years of sitting idle, providing the soundscape surrounding the memorial while complementing the plaza’s redesign.
The Prison Ship Martyrs memorial at Freedom Plaza honors Americans who died aboard British prison ships during the Revolutionary War. (Dan Fleuette)
Towering above the entire exhibition stands the Spirit of Liberty, a new bronze figure inspired by iconic American monuments while looking toward the country’s next 250 years.
Standing 23 feet tall, the statue holds an exact bronze replica of the Declaration of Independence in one hand while raising a sword skyward with the other. Around its base are reliefs depicting three defining moments of the Revolution: the signing of the Declaration of Independence, George Washington crossing the Delaware River and the British surrender at Yorktown.
«The Spirit of Liberty represents the sacrifices that gave birth to this nation,» Taylor said.
During Fox News Digital’s visit, visitors gathered around the plaza to photograph the statues against the Washington skyline. Low-angle views of the bronze figures framed them against bright summer skies, while Rodney’s horse appeared frozen mid-stride as though continuing the historic ride that helped shape the nation’s founding.
For Taylor, whose career has largely been spent both behind the camera and behind the scenes designing historical works, the exhibition is about more than commemorating famous names.
Instead, he hopes visitors leave thinking about people they had never encountered before arriving at Freedom Plaza.
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«When visitors leave here,» Taylor said, «I hope they realize they can do extraordinary things themselves. America was built by ordinary citizens who answered extraordinary moments.»
The Spirit of ’76 exhibition is free to the public and is scheduled to remain on display throughout the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.
america 250, american stories, washington dc, historic sites, politics
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