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1 FBI Director Christopher Wray Speaks Publicly On The Origin Of COVID For The First Time
FBI director Christopher Wray spoke publicly for the first time yesterday regarding where the bureau thinks COVID originated from and they’re leaning toward a lab incident in Wuhan, China. Wray, who spoke with Fox News' Bret Baier, also admonished the Chinese government for being less than helpful in working with the U.S. to determine the global pandemic's origin. Wray’s interview followed a Wall Street Journal report stating that an assessment by the Department of Energy found the virus most likely leaked from a lab. However, the DOE reported their findings with "low confidence," compared to the FBI which reported it with “most likely" to "moderate confidence." Four other U.S. agencies including the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Disease and the CDC disagree with the FBI and DOE, saying they believe the virus jumped from animals to humans through a wet market. The CIA and the National Intelligence Council are undecided.
2 House Dems Introduce Bill To Tighten Up Railroad Safety
A bill has been introduced by two Democrats – Ro Khanna of California and Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania – to shore up safety measures for trains carrying hazardous materials. Khanna and Deluzio hope to do this by broadening the definition of what constitutes a “high-hazard flammable train” so that trains carrying toxic materials are subject to tighter safety regulations. Some of the rules the congresspeople are looking to put forth as reported by the New York Times are: High-hazard flammable trains are not allowed to travel faster than 50 miles per hour, They are to use special cars when transporting hazardous materials cross-country. They must have newer braking equipment. Doesn’t the Department of Transportation already have these rules? The answer is yes…kind of. Currently, those rules only apply to trains with hazardous substances with a total of 35 cars. However, this new mandate would lower the threshold to only one rail car. The new legislation would also redefine what meets the qualification for “hazardous materials” and would require carriers to report to local officials, state officials, and the National Response Center within 24 hours of a train derailment of hazardous materials.
3 Los Angeles County Expected To Pay Vanessa Bryant $28 Million In Crash-Photo Lawsuit
Vanessa Bryant has settled her claim with Los Angeles County to the tune of $28.85. The dispute was over photos that members of law enforcement shared after the 2020 helicopter crash that killed her husband Kobe Bryant, their 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others. In a statement yesterday, Bryant's lawyer said it "marks the successful culmination of Mrs. Bryant's courageous battle to hold accountable those who engaged in this grotesque conduct." Co-plaintiff Chris Chester, whose wife and daughter were also killed in the crash, settled for nearly $20 million. Who saw the photos? The snaps were mostly shared among LA County sheriff's department and fire department employees. Some spouses were said to have seen them as well, along with a bartender where a deputy was drinking.