NFL fines quarterback for pretending to shoot a gun during touchdown celebration



The NFL handed down fines to two members of the Cleveland Browns including quarterback Deshaun Watson for making gestures pretending to fire guns after a touchdown.

The league determined that during the celebration of a third-quarter touchdown, Watson and tight end David Njoku committed a "violent gesture" when they pretended to shoot guns toward each other for approximately one second during what appeared to be their own signature handshake.

AOL reported that the duo were fined $13,659 for, it seems, playing pretend.

Here\u2019s the \u201cviolent gesture\u201d that led to one of Deshaun Watson\u2019s three fines from Monday night.\n\nWatson and David Njoku were each fined $13,659 for the gun-themed celebration after a #Browns TD. Watson was fined $35,513 total, including two fines for unnecessary roughness.
— Tom Pelissero (@Tom Pelissero) 1695500986

Along with a 26-22 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, more salt was rubbed in the wounds of Watson after he received two additional fines for "unnecessary roughness."

This bumped his infraction total up to $35,513 at the end of the day.

"Both [penalties were] my fault, but as far as the facemask and things like that, I'm stiff-arming just like everyone else," Watson later said. "And once they grab my arm as I'm running, they keep pushing, only way I can really let go is to swing across. And once they do that, my hand is stuck in their helmet or in their facemask, so I gotta do a better job of just hitting them with the palm, I guess, and just releasing as much as I can so we don't get those penalties."

Watson returned this season after an 11-game suspension over sexual assault and sexual misconduct allegations stemming from massage therapy sessions. The suspension included a fine of $5 million, according to the Daily Mail.

A grand jury declined to charge Watson in relation to claims from 22 women in March 2022.

Seemingly in response to the situation, the NFL announced changes to its policy in August 2023 amending its definition of sexual assault so that players are given a base-level suspension that can be expanded if other wrongful conduct is committed.

Under the new definition, a first violation of a sexual assault "involving physical force or committed against someone incapable of giving consent or involving threats or coercion" will carry a six-game suspension without pay. The suspension can be coupled with "possible upward or downward adjustments based on any aggravating or mitigating factors," according to the policy.

For a second offense, the punishment leaps to a lifetime ban from the league.

Indefinite suspensions are more common for the NFL than a lifetime ban.

Former Obama AG Eric Holder is already scheming for a third Trump impeachment in the event of his re-election



A decision by the electorate to have Trump once against serve as president, despite a possible conviction, should not dissuade lawmakers from annulling his presidency, former Obama Attorney General Eric Holder suggested over the weekend.

Speaking to former Biden White House secretary Jen Psaki on her MSNBC show Sunday, Holder said, "The notion that you could have a trial, defend it, be convicted, somehow win the election, be sworn in as president, or whenever it happens, that seems inconsistent with our notion of fairness, of the rule of law."

"At that point, I would hope that an impeachment proceeding might be considered," said Holder, who was held in contempt by Congress in June 2012. "Not only considered, brought. And, ultimately, he would be removed from office."

The proposed termination of Trump's prospective second term may have something to do with the failure to kneecap his campaign.

Trump is presently leading Biden in the polls and refusing to stand down, even if convicted, suggesting as much before a crowd of over 3,500 Saturday in Columbus, Georgia, reported the New York Post.

"Biden is trying to jail his leading political opponent … just like they do in Stalinist Russia or in communist China," he told Georgia's annual GOP convention. "I've put everything on the line for you, and I will never yield."

"We are a nation in decline, and now these radical left lunatics want to interfere with our elections by using law enforcement," said Trump. "It’s totally corrupt and we can’t let it happen."

The former president was explicit about his intentions to see his campaign through in an interview with Politico earlier Saturday, saying, "I'll never leave. ... Look, if I would have left, I would have left prior to the original race in 2016. That was a rough one. In theory that was not doable."

Holder appeared to precook the Democratic narrative in the event of a conviction, stressing, "The notion that a convicted felon, convicted felon, would serve as president of the United States is absurd. It’s simply absurd."

TheBlaze previously reported that Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa) indicated Monday a Ukrainian energy company executive involved in the alleged Biden bribery scheme has secret audio recordings of Hunter Biden and Joe Biden.

In light of this claim and Biden's alleged mishandling of classified documents, it is possible the only options available to voters in November 2024 may be, according to Holder, absurd.

Notwithstanding Holder's reservations, Trump would not be barred from running for president from prison or as a convicted felon, reported the Washington Post.

For instance, Social Party candidate Eugene V. Debs ran for president in 1920 from prison.

A candidate need only be a natural-born U.S. citizen, a resident for at least 14 years, and over the age of 35.

While Trump can run and potentially win, the Senate could conceivably reject the will of the people by way of impeachment.

To impeach a president, lawmakers must make a case showing he has committed "treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors."

In Trump's case, the House, currently controlled by Republicans, would have to vote on whether to impeach. If a majority in Congress votes in favor of pressing charges, the Senate must consider them at a trial with the House prosecuting the case, noted the New York Times.

Two-thirds of the senators must agree to convict; otherwise the president would be acquitted.

Trump was acquitted by the Senate after the House voted to impeach him both in 2019 and 2021.
\u201c.@EricHolder: If Trump's elected again, "I would hope that impeachment proceedings might be ... brought, and ultimately, he would be removed from office."\u201d
— Tom Elliott (@Tom Elliott) 1686565103

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Radical US Rep. Cori Bush proposes $14 trillion in federal reparations, says America has 'moral and legal obligation' to pay up 'for the enslavement of Africans'



Far-left U.S. Rep. Cori Bush proposed $14 trillion in federal reparations Wednesday, saying America has a "moral and legal obligation" to pay up "for the enslavement of Africans."

What are the details?

National Public Radio characterized the Missouri Democrat's push as an "effort to see the federal government atone for the practice of chattel slavery and hundreds of years of racist policies that followed."

"The United States has a moral and legal obligation to provide reparations for the enslavement of Africans and its lasting harm on the lives of millions of black people," Bush said in a news conference, NPR said.

\u201cRep. @CoriBush: "The United States has a moral & legal obligation to provide reparations for the enslavement of Africans ... black people in our country cannot wait any longer" [clip via @FoxBusiness]\u201d
— Tom Elliott (@Tom Elliott) 1684413213

She added that "America must provide reparations if we desire a prosperous future for all," the outlet added.

"We know that we continue to live under slavery's vestiges. We know how slavery has perpetuated Jim Crow. We know how slavery's impacts live on today," Bush added, according to NPR, which also said she cited the racial wealth gap, voter suppression, infant mortality rates, and other negative health outcomes for black people.

"It's unjust, and it wouldn't happen in a just and fair and equitable society," Bush also said, according to the outlet. "Those are not the natural consequences of human society. They are directly caused by our federal government's role in the enslavement and exploitation of Africans and black people throughout our history."

More from NPR:

About three-quarters or more of white adults oppose reparations, and so do a majority of Latinos and Asian Americans.

Black Americans overwhelmingly support the proposal, and young people in general are more likely to support cash payments to the descendants of enslaved people than their older counterparts.

But more than 90 percent of Republicans say they oppose it, while Democrats are split nearly 50/50 on whether descendants should receive compensation.

What else has Bush been up to?

Bush has been hard at work of late pushing leftist perspectives and policies:

President Biden warns Howard University graduates: 'The most dangerous terrorist threat to our homeland is white supremacy'



President Joe Biden gave a commencement speech at Howard University on Saturday, when he warned graduates of the dangerous threats the country faces from white supremacy.

Biden told the graduates of the historically black university, "The most dangerous terrorist threat to our homeland is white supremacy."

He proudly added, "And I’m not saying this because I’m at a Black HBCU, I say it wherever I go."

\u201cBiden at Howard Univ.: \u201cThe most dangerous threat to our homeland is white supremacy \u2026 and I\u2019m not just saying this because I\u2019m at a black HBCU.\u201d\u201d
— Tom Elliott (@Tom Elliott) 1683995950

Biden claimed that he hoped hatred would disappear after Barack Obama was elected as president of the United States, but alleged that hatred "never goes away" and only "hides under rocks."

"A vivid demonstration when it comes to race in America, hope doesn’t travel alone. It’s shadowed by fear, by violence and by hate," he asserted.

"There are those who demonize, and pit people against one another," President Biden added during his address, likely hinting at former President Donald Trump. "There are those who would do anything, everything, no matter how desperate or immoral, to hold on to power."

Biden continued, "That's never going to be an easy battle. But I know this: The oldest most sinister forces, they believe they'll determine America's future. But they are wrong. We will determine America's future. You will determine America's future."

Biden rehashed the Capitol riot from Jan. 6, 2021.

"January 2021 – I stood in the U.S. Capitol to be inaugurated as president of the United States," he said at the commencement ceremony. "Just days before, on that very spot, a violent insurrection took place. A dagger at the throat of democracy."

"For the first time in our history, an attempt to stop a peaceful transfer of power in this country. They failed. Our democracy held. Again hope prevailed," Biden said.

Biden then mentioned Vice President Kamala Harris, "And this time I was standing with a black woman, about to take a two-mile procession down Pennsylvania Avenue as president and vice president of the United States of America."

Biden mentioned the Howard University marching band performing at Biden's inauguration.

Biden bragged, "I was able to fulfill my commitment to put the first black woman on the Supreme Court of the United States of America."

Biden touted Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as "brighter than the rest" of the Supreme Court justices. He added, "She is one bright woman."

\u201cBiden on Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson: \u201cBy the way, she\u2019s brighter than the rest\u201d of the Supreme Court. \u201cShe is one bright woman.\u201d\u201d
— Mark Joseph Stern (@Mark Joseph Stern) 1683994219

Biden attacked the Republican Party for opposing his student debt relief plan. He then conflated student loans with the Paycheck Protection Program launched during the pandemic that offered potentially forgivable government loans to small businesses.

“This new Republican Party is dead set against it, suing my administration to stop you from getting student debt relief," Biden argued. "The same opposition who received relief loans, I might add, to keep their businesses afloat during the pandemic.”

Biden was awarded an honorary "Doctor of Letters" degree from Howard University during the ceremony.

Biden's speech at the historically black university arrived in the same week that a new poll showed that he is losing support from the black community.

The latest Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll shows Biden has a 58% current approval rating among black adults. The AP noted, "Roughly 9 in 10 black adults approved of Biden over his first months in office."

Only 41% of black adults want Biden to run in the 2024 presidential election, and just 55% said they would be likely to support him in a general election.

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WATCH LIVE: Biden delivers commencement address at Howard University www.youtube.com

Biden wants to 'finish the job' — here's how people responded to Biden's re-election bid announcement



President Joe Biden officially announced on Tuesday that he will seek re-election, releasing a video in which he trumpets the importance of freedom.

"Every generation has a moment where they have had to stand up for democracy. To stand up for their fundamental freedoms. I believe this is ours. That's why I'm running for reelection as President of the United States. Join us. Let's finish the job," Biden tweeted.

Some people pounced on the "finish the job" language.

"Finish the job? Based on Biden's record, this sounds like a threat," Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas tweeted.

\u201cFinish the job? \n\nBased on Biden's record, this sounds like a threat.\u201d
— Tom Cotton (@Tom Cotton) 1682427874

"40-year inflation, a stagnating economy, turning over Afghanistan to the Taliban, China flexing its muscles over Taiwan, chaos in the Middle East. Give him four more years, and he'll finish the job, all right," conservative commentator Ben Shapiro tweeted.

"What Joe Biden means by 'Let’s finish the job': Worsening crime rates. More economic struggles. Higher inflation. Exacerbated border crisis. America's enemies further emboldened. Increased attacks on religious liberty and our Constitutional rights. Hell no," Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas tweeted.

"Yes, Joe stands up for fundamental freedoms unless it involves the 1st or 2nd Amendment, search and seizure or the ability to exercise bodily autonomy when it comes to rejecting a dangerous and feckless vaccine. Other than that, he's ALL about freedom," country music star John Rich tweeted.

Left-wing figures, including former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and current California Gov. Gavin Newsom, expressed their support for Biden's re-election bid.

"Proud of all that @JoeBiden and his administration have accomplished these last few years. He's delivered for the American people — and he'll continue to do so once he's re-elected," Obama tweeted.

"Joe and Kamala are the best people for the job of defending our democracy, fighting for our rights, and making sure everyone has a fair shot. Join me in becoming a part of their re-election campaign, starting today," tweeted Clinton, who lost the 2016 presidential election to Trump.

\u201cJoe and Kamala are the best people for the job of defending our democracy, fighting for our rights, and making sure everyone has a fair shot. \n\nJoin me in becoming a part of their re-election campaign, starting today.\u00a0https://t.co/RH881JCR75\u201d
— Hillary Clinton (@Hillary Clinton) 1682429548

If Biden secures the Democratic presidential nomination and former President Donald Trump manages to win the GOP presidential nomination, Americans could face a rematch of the 2020 presidential election during the 2024 contest.

Biden, who is currently 80, would be 86 by the end of a second term in office if he were to win the 2024 contest. Trump, who is currently 76, would be 82 by the end of a second term.

Joe Biden Launches His Campaign For President: Let's Finish the Job www.youtube.com

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Republicans vow to block Schumer's attempt to 'temporarily' replace Feinstein on Judiciary Committee



Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Monday he hopes to act this week to temporarily replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on the Senate's Judiciary Committee, a move Republicans vowed to block.

"I spoke to Sen. Feinstein just a few days ago. She believes she will return soon. She’s very hopeful of that and so am I," Sen. Schumer said at a press conference Monday.

Sen. Feinstein was diagnosed with shingles during the Senate's February recess. She was released from the hospital March 7 and has since been recovering at home.

"We think the Republicans should allow a temporary replacement [on the Judiciary Committee] until she returns," Sen. Schumer continued.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), however, quickly vowed to do no such thing, calling the move a means for President Biden to secure a "rubber stamp" for "unqualified and controversial judges to radically transform America."

"I will not go along with Chuck Schumer’s plan to replace Senator Feinstein on the Judiciary Committee and pack the court with activist judges," Sen. Blackburn tweeted Monday, adding an admonition to fellow Republicans to "stand up and protect the Senate's constitutional role to provide advice and consent on judicial nominees."

\u201cI will not go along with Chuck Schumer\u2019s plan to replace Senator Feinstein on the Judiciary Committee and pack the court with activist judges. Joe Biden wants the Senate to rubber stamp his unqualified and controversial judges to radically transform America.\u201d
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@Sen. Marsha Blackburn) 1681740104

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who also serves on the Judiciary Committee, echoed Blackburn's sentiments: "Democrats serve as a rubber stamp for Joe Biden's radical judicial nominees — no matter how unqualified."

Saturday, fellow Judiciary Committee member Sen. Tom Cotton retweeted an op-ed published in the Federalist. The piece encouraged the GOP to refuse to cooperate with Feinstein's staff's request to temporarily replace the 89-year-old, ailing senator whose cognitive decline "has been known on Capitol Hill for years."

\u201cRepublicans should not assist Democrats in confirming Joe Biden\u2019s most radical nominees to the courts. https://t.co/Dq7DFfojVi\u201d
— Tom Cotton (@Tom Cotton) 1681566623

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) has joined his colleagues on the Judiciary Committee in saying he will not support any move to temporarily replace Sen. Feinstein, CNN's chief congressional correspondent, Manu Raju, reported Monday afternoon. Sen. Cornyn also reportedly said the GOP "shouldn't help confirm Biden judicial nominees."

This "signifies that a Dem effort to replace [Sen. Feinstein] [is] likely to fail in a floor vote," according to Raju.

\u201cNew \u2014 Sen. John Cornyn, a member of Senate GOP leadership, tells us he does NOT support temporarily replacing Dianne Feinstein on Senate Judiciary. Says GOP shouldn\u2019t help confirm Biden judicial nominees. A sign that Dem effort to replace her likely to fail in floor vote\u201d
— Manu Raju (@Manu Raju) 1681762026

Democrats would need 60 votes on the floor to fill Feinstein's seat on the committee since multiple Judiciary Committee members have already said they would block any request for unanimous consent to seat another Democrat, as explained in The Hill.

Watch Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) field reporters' questions about his proposal to replace Sen. Feinstein (D-Calif.) on the U.S. Senate's Committee on the Judiciary below.

\u201c.@SenSchumer (D-NY) on @SenFeinstein (D-CA): "She's hopeful on returning soon. We think the Republicans should allow a temporary [Judiciary Committee] replacement until she returns."\nhttps://t.co/TiYcNeSrNi\u201d
— CSPAN (@CSPAN) 1681753812

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Country music singer John Rich to scrap Bud Light from his Nashville bar amid Dylan Mulvaney backlash



Country music singer John Rich is in search of a new beer to replace Bud Light at his Nashville bar following the backlash to Dylan Mulvaney's partnership with Anheuser-Busch.

Dylan Mulvaney is a 26-year-old biological male who has amassed nearly 11 million followers on TikTok for the "Days of Girlhood" video series. Mulvaney, who has not undergone gender-reassignment surgery, claims that he is a girl. Critics view Mulvaney's impersonation of a female to be aiding the erasure of women.

The transgender social media star caused a stir last week after launching a promotional partnership with Bud Light. The beer company sent the influencer a Bud Light can with Mulvaney's face on it.

On Monday, Rich polled his more than 900,000 Twitter followers: "Are you thirsty for a Bud Light now?" Over 30,000 of his followers voted, and 97.5% responded, "Hell Naw," versus only 2.5% who answered, "Yep."

On Wednesday, Rich hinted at a Bud Light boycott and asked his Twitter followers, "What beer should my bar Redneck Riviera in Nashville replace Bud Light with?"

Rich founded the Redneck Riviera bar and restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee.

Fellow country music singer Travis Tritt also hit back at Bud Light this week.

"I will be deleting all Anheuser-Busch products from my tour hospitality rider. I know many other artists who are doing the same," Tritt declared on Wednesday.

Tritt added that other country music artists are boycotting Bud Light, but not going public "for fear of being ridiculed and canceled."

The country music legend said Anheuser-Busch used to be a great company when it was American-owned, but had become "unrecognizable" since being acquired by Belgian-Brazilian brewing company InBev in 2008.

Kid Rock reacted to the Mulvaney partnership with the beer company by shooting cases of Budweiser beer with a gun.

Kid Rock yelled, "F*** Bud Light, and f*** Anheuser-Busch. Have a nice day!"

Conservative rapper Tom MacDonald lampooned Bud Light for putting Mulvaney's face on a beer can to celebrate Dylan's "365 Days of Girlhood."

"Hey Bud Light, my mom's been a woman for 23,725 days – you didn't put her face on a can," MacDonald said in the video. "Rosa Parks ain't on a can. Mother Teresa ain't on a can. Joan of Arc ain't on a can. Mother Mary ain't on a can, and she gave birth to Jesus."

\u201cDear Bud Light\u2026\u201d
— Tom MacDonald (@Tom MacDonald) 1680644552

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1.2 million inactive voters removed from Los Angeles voter rolls, more than half haven't voted in 10 years



Over 1 million inactive voters have been removed from the voter rolls in Los Angeles County, California, stemming from a lawsuit filed in 2017.

In an effort to clean up voter rolls and prevent possible voter fraud, Judicial Watch, a conservative organization that promotes government transparency, sued Los Angeles County on behalf of legally registered voters.

In 2019, a settlement required "Los Angeles County [to send] almost 1.6 million address confirmation notices in 2019 to voters listed as 'inactive' on its voter rolls," which resulted in nearly 1.5 million inactive registered names to be removed from the rolls.

Judicial Watch announced that the number of removals for 2022 stands at 1,207,613 and that over 634,000 of the inactive voters have not voted in at least 10 years.

“This long overdue voter roll clean-up of 1.2 million registrations in Los Angeles County is a historic victory and means California elections are less at risk for fraud,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

“Building on this success, Judicial Watch will continue its lawsuits and activism to clean up voter rolls and to promote and protect cleaner elections,” he added.

The organization also alleges that 20% of Los Angeles County registered voters had become inactive without being removed from the list.

Under the terms of the settlement, the county is required to send out confirmation notices to voters who are listed as "inactive," and if they do not respond to the notices and do not vote in the following two federal elections, they must be removed from the voter rolls.

In December 2022, the group also settled a similar lawsuit in New York City surrounding election integrity, with the city removing 441,083 ineligible names from the voter rolls and promising to take "reasonable steps going forward to clean its voter registration lists."

Shockingly, the lawsuit pointed out that under the National Voter Registration Act, New York City had only removed 22 names from its list over a span of six years. The total voter registration at the time was over 5.5 million.

This adds to a list of lawsuits filed by the company that includes February 2022 voter roll litigation in North Carolina, resulting in two counties removing over 430,000 inactive voters from their lists.

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\u201cHUGE: 1.2 MILLION NAMES CLEANED FROM VOTER ROLLS THANKS TO JUDICIAL WATCH! Plus Biden Corruption Puts America at Risk; NEW Lawsuit on Big Tech-Big Gov Election Censorship! Massive Update! https://t.co/dN7tSiGamB\u201d
— Tom Fitton (@Tom Fitton) 1677501099

Republicans demand action against China after another report confirms communist lab was likely source of COVID-19



Republicans are demanding that action be taken against China following the apparent confirmation by the U.S. Department of Energy that COVID-19 leaked from a communist Chinese lab.

What's the background?

Numerous Republicans have long maintained that millions of Americans and tens of millions of people worldwide had their lives cut short on account of the virus that escaped from a Chinese Communist Party-controlled lab in Wuhan.

Former President Donald Trump intimated in spring 2020 that he had seen evidence that gave him a high degree of confidence that the virus originated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, adding, "Certainly it could have been stopped."

Trump also lambasted the World Health Organization for suggesting a zoonotic origin, stating, "I think that the World Health Organization should be ashamed of themselves, because they're like the public relations agency for China. ... They shouldn't be making excuses when people make horrible mistakes, especially mistakes that are causing hundreds of thousands of people around the world to die."

\u201cI\u2019ll never forget when they ruthlessly attacked Trump for exposing the birthplace of COVID-19.\n\nLOOK WHO WAS RIGHT!\u201d
— Graham Allen (@Graham Allen) 1677504840

Like Trump, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo caught heat from the liberal media for suggesting in May 2020 that there was "enormous evidence" supporting the lab-leak theory.

In a Jan. 30, 2020, tweet, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) noted that the WIV "works with the world's most deadly pathogens," including the coronavirus, and suggested again a lab-leak origin for the pandemic.

Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and other Republicans on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions released a report in October detailing the untenability of the claim of natural origins and suggesting that the "COVID-19 pandemic was, more likely than not, the result of a research-related incident."

In their December "Second Interim Report on the Origins of the COVID-19 Pandemic," House Republicans on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence noted on the basis of both classified and previously glossed-over declassified intelligence that "there are indications that SARS-CoV-2 may have been tied to China's biological weapons research program and spilled over to the human population during a lab-related incident at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV)."

Contrariwise, the media and elements of the Democratic establishment supported the Beijing-favored zoonotic-origins theory, holding that the lab-leak theory was baseless and denouncing those who entertained it as conspiracy theorists.

The New York Times and the Washington Post were among those outfits that called the claim that COVID-19 came from the WIV a "fringe theory."

Holding communists culpable

The DOE recently joined the FBI in saying the virus likely spread via a mishap at the WIV.

In 2021, the FBI determined with "moderate confidence" that the pandemic was likely the result of a lab leak. The bureau still holds to this view, reported the Wall Street Journal.

Republicans who suspected the coronavirus lab that performed gain-of-function experiments at the epicenter of a coronavirus pandemic may have been responsible are now calling for action.

Cotton tweeted Sunday, "Re. China’s lab leak, being proven right doesn’t matter. What matters is holding the Chinese Communist Party accountable so this doesn’t happen again."

\u201cRe. China\u2019s lab leak, being proven right doesn\u2019t matter.\n\nWhat matters is holding the Chinese Communist Party accountable so this doesn\u2019t happen again.\u201d
— Tom Cotton (@Tom Cotton) 1677432559

CBS News previously denounced Cotton as a conspiracy theorist, suggesting the lab-leak theory was "absolutely crazy."

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) mocked Glenn Kessler, editor of the Washington Post's "Fact Checker," with clown emojis for his May 2020 tweet claiming it was "virtually impossible for this virus jump from the lab":

\u201c4 \ud83e\udd21\u2019s for Glenn.\u201d
— Ted Cruz (@Ted Cruz) 1677438398

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) shared the Wall Street Journal's report on the DOE's recent confirmation, writing, "For years, Anthony Fauci and Biden officials called this a conspiracy."

Former NIAID Director Anthony Fauci long claimed that the virus occurred naturally. He repeatedly dismissed the lab-leak theory, calling it a "circular argument."

TheBlaze previously reported that Fauci was also part of an concerted effort to downplay the possibility that COVID-19 originated in a lab and to instead bolster then-unsubstantiated claims that the virus had naturally made the trans-species jump to humans.

Unredacted emails from 2020 obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by Guardian reporter Jimmy Tobias revealed great anxiety and uncertainty among Fauci and other virologists.

Despite recognizing that the virus' furin cleavage sites were not naturally occurring — suggestive of human intervention and a lab origin — Fauci told CBS' "Face the Nation" in March 2020 the virus had jumped from an animal to a human. In May 2020, he told National Geographic there was "no scientific evidence" to suggest the virus had come from the Wuhan lab.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) tweeted, "Once again... Conspiracy theorists - 100 Media - 0."

Pompeo tweeted, "There was always enormous evidence that the Wuhan coronavirus leaked from the Wuhan lab. I'm glad the Department of Energy recognizes this reality. It's past time to make the CCP pay."

\u201cThere was always enormous evidence that the Wuhan coronavirus leaked from the Wuhan lab.\n\nI\u2019m glad the Department of Energy recognizes this reality.\n\nIt\u2019s past time to make the CCP pay.\n\nhttps://t.co/9AJKF3lK2H\u201d
— Mike Pompeo (@Mike Pompeo) 1677441595

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) tweeted, "The left spent the past 2yrs trying to censor the truth & cover up for Communist China, but the facts are undeniable. The CCP is evil. Its virus killed millions & Xi will stop at nothing to destroy the U.S. It's time to hold this evil regime accountable."

The Hill reported that Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) went on NBC's "Meet the Press" calling for "extensive" public hearings about the origins in Congress.

Sullivan said of China, "Look, this is a country that has no problem coming out and lying to the world. ... I think that we need to make sure every country knows that, and then look at what the consequences could be."

In addition to hearings during which the possibility of action will be discussed, there is a bill presently in the House aimed at holding the CCP responsible.

TheBlaze noted that if passed in the Republican-controlled House, Texas Republican Rep. Troy Nehls' "China Lied, People Died" Act (H.R.566) would "prohibit the availability of Federal funds for programs, projects, or activities in the People's Republic of China until amounts made available for COVID-19 relief in the United States have been reimbursed, and for other purposes."

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Mystery bidder to shell out big bucks for jar of sand from Tom Brady's retirement video



The race is on to score a jar of sand scooped up from the very beach on which NFL great Tom Brady announced his (second) retirement on Wednesday.

"You will be receiving an 8oz mason jar bottled with the exact sand the GOAT Tom Brady made his retirement video on," says eBay seller "gadgetgs" in the listing.

The highest bid among the 119 so far stands at $99,990, plus shipping. Bidding started at $677 to honor the famed quarterback's total career touchdowns, the listing also says. Bidding ends on February 12, 2023, just in time for Valentine's Day.

The listing for the unusual sports memorabilia includes several photographs the seller offers as proof the sand was taken from the spot on the beach where Brady made the video. Photographs include shots of a jar of sand, a dated copy of the New York Times, and what appears to be the same array of buildings in the background.

The seller says he or she took "only two samples" within hours of the announcement. One is the sample that is up for bid. The other, the seller says, he or she will send to the "Pat Mcafee Show if Boston Connor wants to hold on to it."

The seller boasts 100% positive feedback on his 489 sales of other items, all of which were purchased more than a year ago, per eBay's records.

Though the listing says "you will find no other listing like this," multiple similar listings have appeared on the world's largest auction site. Among them is one priced at $24,012.12, from which 10% of the proceeds will go to TB12 Foundation, Brady's nonprofit to "help educate and inspire athletes to excel in both sports and life."

"Brady announced his retirement via video shot in the homeland of the team whose fans he most contaminated with envy, the Miami Dolphins. He stood on a Surfside beach, just over a mile from Indian Creek Village, where he and then-wife Gisele Bündchen bought property in 2020," the Miami Herald reported Wednesday.

Brady made his announcement Wednesday morning in a 53-second video posted to Twitter. To date, the post has garnered more than 123 million views. Brady made his first retirement announcement on February 1, 2022, reversing his decision 40 days later.

\u201cTruly grateful on this day. Thank you \ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffb\u2764\ufe0f\u201d
— Tom Brady (@Tom Brady) 1675257154

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