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Last week, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released its major report. The press release, “FINAL REPORT: COVID Select Concludes 2‑Year Investigation, Issues 500+ Page Final Report on Lessons Learned and the Path Forward,” shows that at least some people in high places are coming around to answering questions — and taking positions — similar to those you’ve read in past entries on this website, Common Sense with Paul Jacob.

Here are a few passages:

COVID-​19 ORIGIN: COVID-​19 most likely emerged from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. The FIVE strongest arguments in favor of the “lab leak” theory include:

• The virus possesses a biological characteristic that is not found in nature.
• Data shows that all COVID-​19 cases stem from a single introduction into humans. This runs contrary to previous pandemics where there were multiple spillover events.
• Wuhan is home to China’s foremost SARS research lab, which has a history of conducting gain-​of-​function research at inadequate biosafety levels.
• Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) researchers were sick with a COVID-​like virus in the fall of 2019, months before COVID-​19 was discovered at the wet market.
• By nearly all measures of science, if there was evidence of a natural origin it would have already surfaced.

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EcoHealth — under the leadership of Dr. Peter Daszak — used U.S. taxpayer dollars to facilitate dangerous gain-​of-​function research in Wuhan, China. After the Select Subcommittee released evidence of EcoHealth violating the terms of its National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) commenced official debarment proceedings and suspended all funding to EcoHealth.

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NIH’s procedures for funding and overseeing potentially dangerous research are deficient, unreliable, and pose a serious threat to both public health and national security. Further, NIH fostered an environment that promoted evading federal record keeping laws.

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The Paycheck Protection Program — which offered essential relief to Americans in the form of loans that could be forgiven if the funds were used to offset pandemic-​era hardships — was rife with fraudulent claims resulting in at least $64 billion of taxpayers’ dollars lost to fraudsters and criminals.

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Fraudsters cost the American taxpayer more than $191 billion dollars by taking advantage of the federal government’s unemployment system and exploiting individuals’ personally identifiable information.

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At least half of the taxpayer dollars lost in COVID-​19 relief programs were stolen by international fraudsters.

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The WHO’s response to the COVID-​19 pandemic was an abject failure because it caved to pressure from the Chinese Communist Party and placed China’s political interests ahead of its international duties. Further, the WHO’s newest effort to solve the problems exacerbated by the COVID-​19 pandemic — via a “Pandemic Treaty” — may harm the United States.

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The “6 feet apart” social distancing recommendation — which shut down schools and small business across the country — was arbitrary and not based on science. During closed door testimony, Dr. Fauci testified that the guidance, “sort of just appeared.”

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There was no conclusive evidence that masks effectively protected Americans from COVID-​19. Public health officials flipped-​flopped on the efficacy of masks without providing Americans scientific data — causing a massive uptick in public distrust.

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Prolonged lockdowns caused immeasurable harm to not only the American economy, but also to the mental and physical health of Americans, with a particularly negative effect on younger citizens. Rather than prioritizing the protection of the most vulnerable populations, federal and state government policies forced millions of Americans to forgo crucial elements of a healthy and financially sound life.

“In October 2022, Chinese leader Xi Jinping held a secret meeting instructing top state officials — overseeing political, intelligence, and influence operations — on a new strategy to target the Falun Gong religious group internationally,” reports The Epoch Times in a new 2000+ word report.

“At the core of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s new anti-​Falun Gong strategy is launching disinformation campaigns via social media influencers and Western media outlets; and using the American legal system to go after companies started by Falun Gong practitioners.”

The report concludes by quoting Rep. Scott Perry (R‑Pa.) on the need to counter-​act the CCP’s anti-​Falun Gong initiative. “‘The Communist Party of China is essentially a criminal organization running a country,’ Perry said, adding that since the United States doesn’t allow criminal organizations to use government systems to persecute adversaries or violate basic human rights, ‘we certainly shouldn’t let the CCP do it either.’”