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Rand Paul: Fauci intimidates scientists from contradicting him because 'he controls all the funding'
Scientists with differing opinions about COVID-19 origins than Dr. Anthony Fauci keep it to themselves because because the top disease expert controls much of their funding, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, told "Fox News Primetime" Tuesday night.
Paul subjected Fauci to stiff questioning during a Senate hearing earlier in the day, with Fauci quibbling over Paul's definition of gain-of-function research, which the lawmaker said came from a document sourced by another epidemiological expert.
The senator went on to urge Fauci, the head of the National Institutes of Allergy & Infectious Disease, to reconsider prior testimony denying NIAID or NIH's particular funding endeavors at the Wuhan lab; where many believe COVID-19 originated – citing federal perjury laws.
Paul reacted further to Fauci's behavior and doubled down on his assertion that the 80-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y. native is not letting on as much as he should be on the topic of gain-of-function research funding.
He said he read aloud the NIH's definition of gain-of-function research, as well as a scholarly paper from a cellular biology expert working at Rutgers University in New Jersey, which described Wuhan lab official Dr. Shi Zhengli's work as the textbook definition of such experimentation.
"All Dr. Fauci could do was sputter and call me liar – but he never at any point in time addressed any of the facts that we laid out that the money he was giving to Wuhan was indeed for gain of function." CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON OUR TOP STORY.
In other developments:
- Fauci, Rand Paul trade 'lying' accusations about gain-of-function research in hearing on Delta variant
- Ingraham doesn't believe the left's tactics will sway vaccine skeptics
- Hannity: Fauci, NIH 'may have played a role' in development of COVID-19
- 'The Five' reacts to Fauci's 'Clintonian' fireworks with Sen. Paul: 'Depends on the definition of 'is'
Texas Gov. Abbott calls out Democrats 'disaster of a trip' fleeing Austin for DC: 'Constituents getting upset'
Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott told Fox News on Tuesday that he plans to call a subsequent special session of the Texas State Legislature as soon as the absentee lawmakers return from their trip to Washington, where they fled to avoid granting the GOP majority a quorum to vote up or down on an election integrity bill.
Abbott told "America Reports" that Texans are recognizing that the dozens of fleeing State House members are shirking their taxpayer-funded work on their behalf and that the trip has been a "disaster."
"Their constituents are getting mighty upset about the fact that their house member is not in the [Capitol], doing the job they were elected to do," he said.
"Because they abandoned their responsibility, when they get back to Texas, I will be calling another special session and put this back on the agenda as well as so many other items that are so important to their constituents." CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
In other developments:
- Texas Democrat compares threat of arrest after fleeing state to slavery
- Texas GOP Chair rips fleeing Democrats for 'performance theater', says they created 'super spreader event'
- Jesse Watters slams Texas Democrats who fled to DC, says their 'talking points are empty'
- Sixth Texas Dem comes down with COVID-19 and is isolating: report
Rubio contests claim that US embargo is destabilizing Cuba, says only 'blockade' is its government
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, turned back claims by Democrats who followed Black Lives Matter and blamed the decades-long U.S. embargo on Cuba for sparking the recent historic protests.
Rubio spoke from the Senate floor Tuesday, where he contended that people who called the embargo cruel either "don't know what they're talking about," or are "liars."
"There is only one blockage in Cuba and it is the blockage that the regime has imposed on its people," Rubio said.
Earlier this month, pro-democracy protesters took to the streets across the island nation to call for human rights and basic necessities.
Black Lives Matter posted a statement last week that blamed the U.S. embargo for the country's instability and credited the Cuban government for historically granting "Black revolutionaries" asylum. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
In other developments:
- Scalise slams Biden administration for sending 'disgusting message' to Cubans
- Washington DC removes 'Cuba Libre' street painting from in front of Cuban embassy
- Rubio: 'Russia is already' in Cuba, the Diaz-Canel regime 'lost its legitimacy to govern'
- Biden may send more staff to US embassy in Havana to support Cuban people: senior administration official
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TODAY'S MUST-READS:
- Chicago family blasts city, says they're moving after baby girl shot in head: report
- Oklahoma man arrested after 12-year-old arrives at Tulsa hospital 9 months pregnant
- Salt Lake City mayor, city council declare racism a public health crisis
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SOME PARTING WORDS
Leyicet Gokey was a guest on "Fox News @ Night" Tuesday where she discussed with host Shannon Bream the latest news from Cuba she has received from a relative on the island and the fight for freedom in the Communist nation.
"The government," she said, "has started putting up concentration camps to hold the prisoners, who will be tried for treason. You’re looking at people that have absolutely nothing to lose. They were already starving to death, so the idea is they’re out there – they’re already going to die, they might as well die fighting for freedom."
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Fox News First was compiled by Fox News' Jack Durschlag. Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! We’ll see you in your inbox first thing Thursday.
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