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Rand Paul vows to keep pressure on Fauci as statute of limitations on criminal referral expires Monday
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The statute of limitations on Dr. Anthony Fauci’s criminal referral for lying to Congress about gain-of-function research expires Monday, but Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is vowing to keep up the pressure on «the COVID coverup» with a Senate hearing this week.
«David Morens, Dr. Fauci’s top advisor, was indicted, but Fauci himself still walks free,» Paul, who has long pressed Fauci in heated exchanges in congressional hearings, wrote this week on X, continuing his urging of the Justice Department to pick up charges from his criminal referral despite former President Joe Biden issuing a sweeping preemptive pardon of Fauci on his last night in office Jan. 19, 2025.
«The DOJ has 5 days to indict Fauci before the statute of limitations runs out. The clock is ticking. Justice cannot wait.»
The Biden pardon and Fauci’s statute of limitations expiration Monday shields the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and chief medical advisor to Biden, but Morens was indicted late last month for having «deliberately concealed information and falsified records in an effort to suppress alternative theories regarding the origins of COVID-19.»
EX-FAUCI TOP ADVISOR INDICTED OVER ALLEGED COVID COVER-UP, HIDDEN EMAILS
Sen. Rand Paul questions Dr. Anthony Fauci during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on the federal response to monkeypox on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 14, 2022. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
«For years, I warned that Fauci and his inner circle buried the truth about Wuhan,» Paul wrote Wednesday on X. «Now his closest adviser has been indicted.
«Fauci lied to Congress under oath. The statute of limitations expires in 5 days. Will the DOJ finally indict Fauci?»
The Trump Justice Department under former Attorney General Pam Bondi or acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has made no public statements about bringing charges.
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«While we can all have our beefs with Congress, this isn’t in our hands any longer,» Paul wrote Thursday on X. «I DID the work, investigated, and sent multiple CRIMINAL referrals to the DOJ.
«Whether he is indicted or not now is not up to Congress. It is up to the DoJ, and no one else.»
«He lied to Congress about NIH funding dangerous gain-of-function research in Wuhan and engaged in the worst cover-up in modern medical history,» Paul added in another X post. «The American people want Fauci behind bars.»
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Dr. Anthony Fauci gives an opening statement during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on the federal response to COVID-19 and new variants on Jan. 11, 2022, at Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Sen. Rand Paul also speaks during the hearing titled «Addressing New Variants: A Federal Perspective on the COVID-19 Response.» (Greg Nash/AFP/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump has publicly rejected the Biden autopen pardons as having no force or «legal effect,» but there is no precedent for a new president nullifying a past president’s pardons, because they would potentially render presidential pardon authority ultimately powerless against a new administration’s agenda.
«Anyone receiving ‘Pardons,’ ‘Commutations,’ or any other Legal Document so signed, please be advised that said Document has been fully and completely terminated, and is of no Legal effect,» Trump wrote in December on Truth Social.
Just two days after the Fauci clock runs out, Paul is chairing a Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs committee hearing with a «COVID coverup» whistleblower Wednesday.
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«Next week I’m holding a hearing with a whistleblower who will testify publicly about the COVID coverup,» Paul teased in an X post. «Mark your calendars: Wednesday, May 13 at 10 a.m.
«The truth is coming.»
Paul renewed a criminal referral to the DOJ last July to investigate whether Fauci’s May 2021 statements violated federal false-statements law. In the referral, Paul pointed to Fauci’s testimony that «the NIH has not ever and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.»
DOJ INVESTIGATING ANDREW CUOMO FOR ALLEGEDLY LYING ABOUT COVID DECISIONS, SOURCE CONFIRMS
Paul’s referral also noted Fauci later said he had «never lied before the Congress» and did «not retract that statement» after Paul warned him about the criminal implications of lying to Congress.
The referral cites a February 2020 email released by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, in which Fauci wrote that «scientists in Wuhan University are known to have been working on gain-of-function experiments» involving bat viruses and human infection.
Paul argued that the email contradicted Fauci’s sworn testimony.
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Paul also cited research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) that he said was funded under a NIAID award and involved combining spike genes from bat SARS-related coronaviruses with another coronavirus backbone to create chimeric viruses capable of infecting human cells.
«This research, conducted at the WIV and funded under NIAID Award R01AI110964, fits the definition of gain-of-function research,» the referral stated.
The criminal referral further cites a 2023 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that found the WIV and Wuhan University received NIH funding. According to Paul’s referral, the GAO said NIH funded a project that included «genetic experiments to combine naturally occurring bat coronaviruses with SARS and MERS viruses, resulting in hybridized coronavirus strains.»
SCIENTISTS EXPECT MAJOR ‘MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS’ DESPITE TRUMP’S CAP ON NIH RESEARCH FUNDING
Anyone who makes a materially false statement in a congressional investigation or review can face fines and up to five years in prison.
Paul’s July referral also challenged the legal effect of a preemptive pardon Fauci received from Biden’s autopen.
«New information has revealed that these pardons were executed via autopen, with no documented confirmation that the President personally reviewed or approved each individual grant of clemency,» Paul wrote. «According to reports, White House staff authorized the use of the autopen to issue the clemency documents.
«This raises serious constitutional and legal concerns about the legitimacy of Dr. Fauci’s pardon.»
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Fauci has repeatedly denied lying to Congress, including forcefully to Paul himself in multiple congressional hearings.
«Dr. Fauci, knowing that it is a crime to lie to Congress, do you wish to retract your statement of May 11 [2021], where you claimed at the NIH never funded gain-of-function research and move on?» Paul asked in a July 2021 Senate hearing.
«Sen. Paul, I have never lied before the Congress, and I do not retract that statement,» Fauci shot back.
«Let me finish!» Fauci added, when Paul tried to interject. «Sen. Paul, you do not know what you’re talking about, quite frankly. And I want to say that officially, you do not know what you’re talking about.»
DR. FAUCI SAYS HE APPRECIATES PRESIDENT BIDEN’S PARDON BUT INSISTS ‘NO CRIME’ WAS COMMITTED
The nature of the alleged lie revolves around the definition and denials of gain-of-function research surrounding COVID-19.
«You’re dancing around this because you’re trying to obscure responsibility for four million people dying around them from a pandemic,» Paul said in the famed exchange, adding, «you are obviously obfuscating the truth.»
Fauci replied, «I’m not obfuscating the truth – you are.»
«You are implying that what we did was responsible for the deaths of individuals,» he added. «I totally resent that.»
Paul shot back, «It could have been.»
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«If there is any lying here, senator, it is you,» Fauci said, shaking his finger at Paul.
Sitting members of Congress are provided immunity under the speech and debate clause of the Constitution, while most of those investigated by Congress and subject to testifying under oath, which Fauci did.
anthony fauci, hearings, congress, rand paul, investigations
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H5N1 bird flu confirmed in Australia for the first time, meaning virus has now reached every continent
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The first case of H5N1 bird flu has been confirmed in Australia, meaning the virus has now found its way to every continent.
The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said the virus was found in a single seabird, a brown skua, near Esperance on the south coast of Western Australia, in Cape Le Grand National Park.
Australia’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said it was «responding as part of a nationally coordinated plan with the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and stakeholders across [Western Australia] to reduce the impact of this disease.»
The outbreak in the U.S. has left millions of birds dead and has caused grocery store hikes and shortages, most notably with eggs.
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The first case of H5N1 bird flu has been confirmed in Australia, meaning the virus has now found its way to every continent. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)
The spread to humans is rare.
«We all knew we couldn’t be bird flu-free forever,» Australia’s federal Agricultural Secretary Julie Collins said in a press conference on Saturday.
Jackie Jarvis, Western Australia’s agricultural minister, said in a press conference on Friday: «As a result of WA’s established early detection system, appropriate action was taken, including isolating the bird and collecting samples for testing.»
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She added, «this shows that Australia’s and Western Australia’s preparedness measures have worked. We are pleased to see the surveillance, and reporting system working as intended, with the bird reported through to DPIRD for further investigation.»
A brown skua stands on a mossy stone on Macquarie Island, Sub Antarctic, administered by Tasmania, Australia. (Auscape/Universal Images Group)
By Saturday, Jarvis said further testing confirmed the strain that she said was consistent with bird flu found in the remote Australian territories of Heard Island and McDonald Islands near Antarctica, which devastated the wildlife there.
Last year, around 13,000 of a population of 17,000 elephant seal pups died there in just a few months after being exposed.
The outbreak in the U.S. has left millions of birds dead and has caused grocery store hikes and shortages, most notably with eggs. (Emily Elconin/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The islands are wildlife sanctuaries.
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«Importantly, there have been no detections in poultry and there is no evidence of mass mortality,» Jarvis said of the mainland case.
A second case of another migratory bird is also suspected near Esperance.
Reuters contributed to this report.
bird flu, infectious disease, australia, outbreaks, birds, health, world
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La ayuda humanitaria de Estados Unidos se reparte a cuentagotas por Cuba ante la falta de combustible en la isla
La ayuda humanitaria estadounidense llega a Cuba a través de Cáritas, organización sin fines de lucro católica que actúa como vínculo entre Washington y La Habana, en respuesta al paso del huracán Melissa en 2025 y que, hasta el día de hoy, representa un alivio tangible en un contexto de escasez que afecta a los cubanos.
Después de recibir un paquete con arroz, frijoles y productos de higiene, Teodardo Debardet cruza lentamente el barrio de Hongolosongo en su bicicleta adaptada. El paquete de suministros que recibió Debardet es parte de la distribución de casi la totalidad de los USD 3 millones enviados a principios de año, una fracción de los USD 9 millones prometidos.
En esta pequeña comunidad de Santiago de Cuba, muchos habitantes aún no han conseguido reparar los techos destruidos por el ciclón. Menos de la mitad de las casas tienen electricidad y el acceso al agua corriente es un privilegio para unos pocos.
El huracán Melissa golpeó la isla con vientos de 195 km/h en octubre de 2025, y dejó a su paso a muchas familias sin techo y destruyó servicios básicos. La situación se agrava por el bloqueo petrolero y el endurecimiento de las sanciones económicas.
Washington propuso recientemente una ayuda adicional de USD 100 millones para Cuba: USD 60 millones serían canalizados a través de Cáritas, y el resto por otras organizaciones no gubernamentales. Sin embargo, el régimen cubano aún no ha confirmado si aceptará esta nueva oferta.
En respuesta a la propuesta, el dictador Miguel Díaz-Canel expresó que levantar el embargo estadounidense sería, en sus palabras, “más útil que el envío de ayuda humanitaria”.
La distribución de los paquetes enfrenta retos logísticos importantes. “Se nos hace un poquito difícil porque tenemos que buscar transporte, conseguir combustible, ver quién nos puede acercar hasta allá”, explica Katia Simón, responsable de Cáritas en El Cobre.
Cuando escasean la gasolina y el diésel, los envíos se realizan en carretas de bueyes. La llegada de los lotes, acompañados en ocasiones por consultas médicas, sesiones de peluquería y actividades recreativas para niños, es recibida con gratitud.
Las dificultades para transportar y entregar la ayuda humanitaria persisten en toda la región oeste de Cuba. El desabastecimiento de combustible obliga a buscar alternativas rudimentarias y ralentiza la llegada de insumos básicos para los damnificados. A pesar de las carencias, la asistencia internacional permite paliar algunas necesidades esenciales de las comunidades más aisladas.
“Recibimos muy bien esta ayuda venga de donde venga (…) si es del pueblo de Estados Unidos, está bien”, afirmó Osmany Vedey, de 63 años, reflejando el sentir de muchos vecinos, en diálogo con AFP. Tras el desastre natural, la ayuda internacional llegó también desde organismos como la ONU, la Unión Europea, China, México y Venezuela. Naciones Unicdas continúa su programa de asistencia, aunque enfrenta los mismos obstáculos logísticos para alcanzar a los damnificados.
La falta de combustible también afecta al transporte en la isla. Cuba enfrenta una parálisis casi total del transporte interprovincial tras la entrada en vigor de restricciones severas el jueves. Millones de personas se ven obligadas a depender de los limitados asientos disponibles en trenes y autobuses estatales, reservados únicamente para emergencias médicas, funerales u otras situaciones críticas.
A partir de ahora, los trenes que enlazan La Habana con ciudades del este solo circularán cada 16 días, cuando antes ofrecían tres frecuencias semanales. El servicio de autobuses estatales, que anteriormente realizaba viajes diarios entre la capital y otras provincias, quedará reducido a entre una y tres salidas semanales.
La escasez dejó vacías las estaciones de servicio y convirtió la movilidad cotidiana en un desafío para la población de 9,6 millones de habitantes. Muchos recurren al uso de bicicletas ante la disminución del transporte público.
Los pasajeros que necesiten viajar deberán solicitar sus pasajes con al menos una semana de antelación y se aplicará un sistema de prioridades. El viceministro de Transporte, Luis Ladrón de Guevara, precisó que no será necesario gestionar permisos especiales para realizar estos desplazamientos.
(Con información de AFP)
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Biden scores temporary court victory as Trump-appointed judge delays release of Hur investigation materials
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Former President Joe Biden has won another three weeks to block the release of audio recordings and transcripts tied to special counsel Robert Hur’s classified documents investigation after a federal judge granted a temporary injunction while a federal appeals court reviews his challenge.
The recordings stem from Biden’s interviews with Mark Zwonitzer, the ghostwriter of his 2017 memoir, «Promise Me, Dad.»
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, a Trump appointee, on Friday issued an injunction pending appeal that prevents the Justice Department from releasing the materials while the D.C. Circuit considers the case. The order came just hours after Friedrich denied Biden’s request for a preliminary injunction that would have stopped the release altogether.
The legal battle could determine whether Americans ever hear the recordings that helped shape Hur’s decision not to prosecute Biden over his handling of classified documents. The audio has been the subject of intense scrutiny because Hur raised questions about Biden’s memory in explaining why he declined to bring charges against Biden for mishandling classified documents.
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Although the Justice Department previously released audio from Biden’s interviews with Hur, the recordings at the center of the current legal battle involve separate conversations between Biden and Zwonitzer.
Hur’s 2024 report repeatedly referenced Biden’s recorded conversations with Zwonitzer. The special counsel described some exchanges as «painfully slow» and said Biden at times struggled to recall events and relay information, observations that fueled scrutiny of the Biden’s cognitive abilities during an election year.
Former President Joe Biden speaks to a crowd during a fundraising event with the South Carolina Democratic Party at the Columbia Museum of Art on Feb. 27, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
The Heritage Foundation and its Oversight Project director, Mike Howell, have spent more than two years seeking the recordings and transcripts through FOIA requests.
Heritage Foundation officials have argued the public has a strong interest in reviewing the materials referenced throughout Hur’s report, particularly because the special counsel relied on the recordings in explaining his decision not to pursue criminal charges.
Biden has been fighting to keep the potentially embarrassing recordings under wraps.
CNN HOST SUGGESTS ROBERT HUR ‘UNDERSOLD’ EXTENT OF BIDEN MEMORY LAPSES DURING SPECIAL COUNSEL INTERVIEW
After Friedrich denied Biden’s motion for a preliminary injunction Friday, Biden’s legal team immediately sought emergency relief to preserve the status quo while appealing the decision.
In an emergency filing, Biden’s attorneys argued that disclosure would effectively end the case before appellate judges could review the legal questions involved. They maintained that once the recordings are released, any privacy protections would be permanently lost, and the appeal would become largely moot.
Former special counsel Robert K. Hur testifies before the House Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., March 12, 2024. Hur investigated President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents and published a report with conclusions about Biden’s memory. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The filing also stressed that the FOIA litigation has already been pending for more than two years and argued there was no urgent public need requiring immediate disclosure of conversations that occurred roughly a decade ago between Biden and his ghostwriter. Biden’s attorneys noted that the former president is now a private citizen who neither holds nor is seeking public office.
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The Justice Department initially withheld the recordings and much of the transcript material under several FOIA exemptions. Earlier this year, however, the department reversed course and determined the records could be released with redactions after concluding that significant public interest existed in understanding evidence relied upon by Hur during his investigation.
After the Justice Department announced plans to release the recordings, Biden filed suit in May to stop the disclosure, claiming the audiotapes contain private conversations that should remain protected from public release and, if released, would be in violation of the Privacy Act.
President Joe Biden speaks during an official transition event to thank Ron Klain for his work and to welcome successor Jeff Zients. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
His legal team argued that the department’s decision violates the Privacy Act and constitutes arbitrary agency action under the Administrative Procedure Act.
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Leading Biden’s legal effort is Amy Jeffress, a partner at Washington-based law firm Hecker Fink and a former Justice Department national security official. Jeffress has served as the primary attorney advancing Biden’s challenge to the release of the materials and signed the recent emergency filing seeking to prevent disclosure while the appeal proceeds.
Jeffress has also drawn attention because she is married to U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, an Obama appointee who recently ruled against the Trump administration in a high-profile dispute involving the Kennedy Center. Cooper’s ruling prompted criticism from some Trump allies and conservative commentators who pointed to the judge’s family connection to Biden’s attorney, suggesting a conflict of interest may be at play in Cooper’s work.
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