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1 Energy Department Says Wuhan Lab Most Likely Origin Of COVID-19
The Department of Energy has concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed nearly 7 million people worldwide likely came from a laboratory leak in China. That's according to multiple reports, which cite a classified intelligence report that was delivered to lawmakers last month. However, it adds that the department made the assessment with "low confidence." Conflicting hypotheses on the origins of Covid-19 have come down to either animals transmitting the virus to humans or an accidental leak from a Chinese research laboratory in Wuhan. U.S. government agencies have been divided over whether the health emergency began in China as the result of a lab leak or whether it emerged naturally. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN Sunday that there's no "definitive answer" on the origins of covid. He added there are a "variety of views" on the question within the intelligence community. Meanwhile, the CIA remains undecided on which way the pandemic started, according to the National Intelligence Council study. But even though the 2021 report didn’t reach a definitive conclusion, it did suggest Covid-19 was not part of a Chinese biological weapons program.
2 California Breaks Snow And Rain Records
A significant storm in the past several has left parts of Southern California with major highway closures and almost 27,000 residential and business power outages in Los Angeles County alone. The southern part of the state has also set some new weather records that have left many stunned. So which records have been broken? Here are some of the highlights: Rain: Downtown Los Angeles experienced its wettest February day at 2.29 inches since Feb. 12, 2003, when 2.45 inches fell. Snow: The NWS office in LA issued its first blizzard warning since 1989. But what’s even crazier is that the NWS office in San Diego issued its first blizzard warning ever…in the city’s history. Going up in elevation, California's mountains saw nearly 6 feet of snow over the past few days, including Snow Valley, which recorded 66 inches of snow since last Wednesday. And as for the tourist destination of Big Bear, that city received 100 inches in the past week. In fact, Big Bear Mountain ski resort spokesman Justin Kern says the snowfall last week exceeded the retreat’s yearly average.
3 EPA Temporarily Stops Ohio's Contaminated Waste From Being Sent To Other States
The government has ordered a temporary stoppage when it comes to shipping contaminated waste from the site of the toxic chemical crash in East Palestine, Ohio, to other parts of the country. Norfolk Southern, the company that owns the train that derailed, is in charge of getting the waste out of East Palestine, but other states have complained about not having been warned about receiving these shipments. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 5 administrator, Debra Shore, told the AP, “Everyone wants this contamination gone from the community” and that they “owe it to the people of East Palestine to move it out of the community as quickly as possible.” But officials in Michigan and Texas are pushing back against receiving the toxic waste, saying they’re upset that they weren’t given advanced notice of the plan and that it’s not fair to the constituents they represent. So, how is the EPA going to fix this? The agency says any relocation of the waste will now first have to be approved by them. Furthermore, Shore guarantees the “EPA will ensure that all waste is disposed of in a safe and lawful manner at EPA-certified facilities to prevent further release of hazardous substances and impacts to communities.”