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Editor’s Note
A New Epoch
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MAGAZINE Blood Diplomacy
By Venus Upadhayaya
TEXAS’ NEW WILD WEST
A border county finds new ways to tackle illegal
immigration p.10
How U.S. Funded Wuhan Lab
Timeline reveals how U.S. assisted and funded
controversial Wuhan lab...p.35
AUGUST 27 – 2021
DESPERATE LANDLORDS
Small landlords are at a loss after the CDC issued a new eviction
moratorium p.11
Inflation Stickier Than Anticipated
Companies raise prices in response to higher labor costs, fanning inflation
further. p.40
ON THE COVER
The Taliban surprised the world by taking control over Afghanistan in a matter of days. But behind the terror group is a long-lasting and deep support from China's communist party.
STEPHEN GREGORY PUBLISHER JASPER FAKKERT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CHANNALY PHILIPP LIFE & TRADITION, TRAVEL EDITOR CHRISY TRUDEAU MIND & BODY EDITOR CRYSTAL SHI HOME, FOOD EDITOR SHARON KILARSKI ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR SHANSHAN HU PRODUCTION
CONTACT US THE EPOCH TIMES ASSOCIATION INC. 229 W. 28TH ST., FL. 7 NEW YORK, NY 10001
ADVERTISING ADVERTISENOW@EPOCHTIMES.COM
SUBSCRIPTIONS, GENERAL INQUIRIES, LETTERS TO THE EDITOR HELP.THEEPOCHTIMES.COM
(USPS21-800)is published weekly by the Epoch Media Group, 9550 Flair dr. suite 411, El Monte ca 91731-2922. periodical postage paid at el monte, ca, and additional mailing offices. postmaster: send address changes to The Epoch Times, 229 w. 28th street, floor 5, New York, ny 10001.
2 | Editor’s Note
30 | China–Taliban Relations The Chinese regime provides "all support" to the Taliban to form a government in Afghanistan.paying the price.
37 | Volunteering Serving locally makes you feel more connected to the community.
38 | Vaccine Help No compensation or care provided for vaccine-related injuries.
44 | Pandemic Impact Protracted rent moratoriums are forcing small landlords to sell.
48 | Afghanistan America needs a tougher and smarter strategy.
49 | Gold What does the end of the gold era mean for the monetary system?
Features
8 | Texas Country, All-in
Kinney County takes matters into their own hands to curb a surge of illegal immigrants on the border.
20 | US Involvement, Wuhan Lab
A timeline of how U.S. officials scrambled to respond to questions about controversial research at the lab.
49 | Fighting for Justice
Lawyers in Nigeria fight persecution against Christians.
Kern County Fire Captain Bruce Wells uses a hose line to keep fire from burning up a tree as the wildfire burns close to homes in the Sequoia National Forest near Wofford Heights, Calif., on Aug. 25, 2021.
PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES
50 | Inflation A number of factors could be contributing to more persistent inflation.
51 | China Investment Should U.S. investors boost their investment in China?
54 | COVID-19 Fallout Martin Kulldorff on "the biggest public health fiasco in history."
58 | Anchors Aweigh! Boating 101: How to get started
60 | Epoch Booklist
61 | Epoch Watchlist
62 | Mont-St-Michel
59 | Summer Beers A list of "must-try" brews.
66 | Mindful Living Changing the pace wins the race.
Escaping Afghanistan
FOLLOWING AMERICA'S PULLOUT from Afghanistan, troops scramble to evacuate Americans and Afghans who assisted the U.S. military during the war. U.S. authorities said that as of Aug. 22, 17,000 people had been evacuated, an estimated 2,500 of whom are Americans. The Pentagon said it was unable to gauge how many Americans remained in Afghanistan, but President Joe Biden said the number could be up to 15,000.
PHOTO BY SHAKIB RAHMANI/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
The Week in Short | U.S.
President Joe Biden, saying to ABC NEWS that it was impossible to do so without “chaos.”
BIDEN THREATENS LEGAL ACTION AGAINST GOVERNORS WHO BAN MASK MANDATES IN SCHOOL
Governors who ban school mask mandates could face legal action from the federal government, President Joe Biden has warned.
Biden said in remarks at the White House that he was directing Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to use “his oversight authority and legal action, if appropriate, against governors trying to block and intimidate local school officials and educators.”
348,000 CLAIMS
The number of American workers filing for unemployment fell to a pandemic-era low, at 348,000 for the week ending Aug. 14, the Labor Department said.
Leslie Rutledge, attorney general, Arkansas, saying in a press release that teaching Critical Race Theory ideologies in schools violates U.S. laws.
Facebook says it will maintain its ban of pro-Taliban content under “U.S. law,” after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan. TEXAS GOVERNOR ISSUES ORDER TO MAINTAIN Ban on COVID Vaccine Mandates
ATexas Gov. Greg Abbott has issued an executive order maintaining the state’s prohibition of COVID-19 vaccine mandates by any government entity, regardless of a vaccine’s approval status with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
US Drug Regulators Approve Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine
U.S. drug regulators have approved the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech for people 16 and older, making it the first such shot to receive full approval in the country.
The Food and Drug Administration said the vaccine, which will be known as Comirnaty, proved effective in a clinical trial of approximately 44,000 people. The shot was 91 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 infection, regulators said, and also was effective in preventing severe disease and hospitalization.
Judge Sanctions 9 Trump Campaign Attorneys Over Election Lawsuit
A federal judge in Michigan has sanctioned Sidney Powell, Lin Wood, and seven other attorneys who represented the Trump campaign in a lawsuit challenging the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
U.S. District Judge Linda Parker referred the nine attorneys for investigation and possible disbarment or suspension by relevant state authorities. Parker also ordered the sanctioned individuals to pay the court fees tied to the election lawsuit and to take legal education classes
“We are seeing concerning evidence of waning vaccine effectiveness over time and against the Delta variant."
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, saying during a news conference that data sourced from Israel on COVID-19 vaccines show decreasing effectiveness of the vaccines over time.
7More than 7 million Americans are set to lose federal pandemic unemployment benefits in September. MILLION
A SURVEY BY SALESFORCE SHOWS THAT 53.3 PERCENT OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES SAID STAFFING ISSUES HAVE BEEN A DRAG ON REVENUES.
53.3%
SENATORS ASK FTC TO PROBE TESLA’S SELF-DRIVING CLAIMS FOLLOWING CRASHES
Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal
(D-Conn.) have called on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in a letter, to probe Tesla, alleging that the company exaggerated the capability of its vehicles’ self-driving features and so put the public in danger.
It comes after federal authorities announced a probe into Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems following nearly a dozen crashes with parked emergency vehicles that injured 17 people and left one dead.
CHICAGO PHARMACIST
ARRESTED FOR SELLING
REAL COVID-19 VACCINE CARDS ONLINE: DOJ
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) officials said they’ve charged a Chicago-based pharmacist with selling dozens of authentic COVID-19 vaccination cards on eBay.
Tangtang Zhao, 34, allegedly sold 125 authentic Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine cards for about $10 apiece, said the DOJ in a news. Zhao is accused of selling the vaccination cards to about 11 different buyers.
Federal Lawsuit Claims California
Recall Election Unconstitutional
Offering voters the chance to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom goes against the U.S. Constitution’s “one person, one vote” legal standard, a new lawsuit claims.
The recall election is slated to take place Sept. 14, and many voters have already received absentee ballots.
Paid federal income taxes
39%
U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAXES PAID IN 2020
61%
Paid no federal income taxes
The New Wild West
Kinney County Constable Steve Gallegos and Kinney County sheriff's deputies arrest a smuggler and seven illegal aliens from Guatemala near Brackettville, Texas, on May 25, 2021.
PHOTO BY CHARLOTTE CUTHBERTSON/THE EPOCH TIMES
The New Wild West
Brackettville , texas—Kinney County, Texas, Deputy Danny Molinar stopped a vehicle containing three illegal aliens on July 24. The U.S. citizen driver and his vehicle were based out of Dallas. He was charged with smuggling and released—the local jail is full.
TEXAS
Kinney County
Texas shares 1,254 miles
of international border with Mexico, all separated by the Rio Grande.
THE THREE ILLEGAL ALIENS, all from Mexico, were turned over to Border Patrol.
Four days later, Molinar stopped a vehicle based out of Austin. In it, he found the same three illegal aliens, wearing exactly the same clothing. Another U.S. driver was released pending charges. His arrest warrant, along with around 126 others, will sit on the sheriff’s desk until space opens up in his 14-bed jail.
One of the illegal immigrants being smuggled told Molinar that she was going to keep trying “until she got through.” Once again, she was handed over to Border Patrol.
With limited to zero consequences, illegal aliens have no reason to give up and go home—they know they’ll get through eventually.
Most law enforcement officers in the region have similar stories.
Officials in Kinney County have long given up on federal help, and, while the state is providing some assistance, they’re finding it difficult to access and have started looking elsewhere to solve their border security issues.
“I think we’re on our own here,” Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe said.
The county is considering hiring private security contractors, who have worked in Iraq and Afghanistan, to address the thousands of illegal aliens on the ranchlands.
Coe has started charging illegal aliens with trespassing, evading on foot, and child endangerment. He’s also ready to personally drop illegal immigrants off halfway along the international bridge in Del Rio if he finds out they’re not being deported.
After hearing how overwhelmed Coe’s stable of six full-time deputies are, Galveston Sheriff Henry Trochesset is sending at least four deputies on Aug. 18 to bolster the team. Galveston Constable Jimmy Fullen hit the ground on Aug. 16 in Kinney County.
County Attorney Brent Smith is pushing for the state to approve the use of Florida deputies from sheriffs who are willing to help.
Florida’s Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey told The Epoch Times that if the state approves, he’s ready to help however he can, including sending a deputy or two.
Coe, along with several other Texas sheriffs and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration on July 1 for its “unlawful and unconstitutional” requirements regarding the arrest and deportation of illegal aliens.
And, along with the city and county of Uvalde, Kinney County has set up a subregional planning commission to help force the relevant state agencies to the table.
A group of Venezuelans wait to be picked up by Border Patrol after illegally Recent trail camera photos of illegal crossing the Rio Grande aliens provided by ranchers in Kinney County, Texas. from Mexico into Del Rio, Texas, on June 3, 2021.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF RANCHERS
The 3,600 residents of Kinney County, Texas, aren’t exactly novices to the side effects of border surges, but the current influx is beyond anything many have experienced.
Although the county—1,360 square miles—only shares 16 miles of international border with Mexico, it’s on a direct smuggling route from the border cities of Del Rio and Eagle Pass to San Antonio and beyond. The county, with its extensive ranchlands, has become a thoroughfare for illegal immigrants who don’t want to be caught.
In July, almost 10,000 illegal aliens evaded Border Patrol in the Del Rio Sector, in which Kinney County sits, according to preliminary Customs and Border Protection (CBP) numbers released by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) on Aug. 2.
It’s impossible to estimate the number that went undetected and got away. Border Patrol agents are constantly being pulled off the border and into processing centers as the numbers surge.
The local Border Patrol highway checkpoint is in neighboring Uvalde, 60 miles beyond the border, and a web of small county roads leads around it.
The extra presence of Texas state troopers surged to the area has recently slowed the vehicle smuggling apprehensions in Kinney from a daily occurrence to several a week, while more illegal aliens have taken to walking through the ranches.
The sheriff’s weekly incident reports are full of
ILLEGAL ALIEN TRAFFIC
The Kinney County Sheriff’s office has
six full-time deputies. In July, almost 10,000 illegal aliens evaded Border Patrol in the Del Rio Sector, in which Kinney County sits. During the past two weeks, the county has filed trespassing charges against more than 170 illegal aliens who were apprehended by state troopers. calls regarding break-ins, burglaries, and smuggling encounters. On May 25, The Epoch Times was present when law enforcement stopped a U.S. citizen driving a vehicle with seven illegal alien Guatemalans on board, including two crammed in the trunk. On July 21, local and state law enforcement stopped a stolen pickup truck out of Houston. The driver and passenger were both illegal aliens from Honduras.
On July 30, part-time Kinney County Deputy Mike McCourt stopped a vehicle that contained five illegal aliens, a stolen rifle, and $8,000 in cash.
The sheer volume of foot traffic is evident in the number of dead bodies that the sheriff has had to count recently. In the past two and a half months, eight bodies have been found, mostly on ranches. Coe said the average for Kinney County is about one per year. Hunters will likely find more as the season opens and the heat continues to take its toll.
Local rancher Cole Hill’s property is situated on an illegal alien thoroughfare that flanks the Border Patrol checkpoint. He’s dealt with illegal aliens traversing his land for years, but only around 25 people a year and sometimes months would go by with no activity.
That changed on Jan. 20 this year, when his dog alerted him to a man on the front porch dressed head-to-toe in camouflage clothing.
“That was just kind of the beginning of this giant snowball that’s occurring,” Hill said. Encounters
Kinney County
Sheriff Brad Coe talks about the impact of the border crisis in his county, in Kinney County, Texas, on May 23, 2021. with illegal aliens—mostly men in groups—is now an almost daily occurrence and he’s fed up.
“Sure, there’s probably some good apples in there as well. But I don’t think the good apples are 35 miles off the river trying to evade every law enforcement they can as aggressively as they are,” he said.
On July 30, he saw at least three illegal aliens at his ranch worker house, and called Border Patrol and the local sheriff’s office.
Border Patrol was on scene first, but the illegal aliens had wired the gate shut and escaped on foot before the patrol truck got through. The aliens had broken into the house, stolen food, and destroyed the ignition in Hill’s truck while trying to steal it.
Hours later, they were apprehended on the ranch across Highway 90 and their footprints were matched to those on Hill’s ranch. They’re currently detained in the Briscoe Unit in Dilley, pending charges brought by the Texas Department of Safety (DPS), Coe said. The Briscoe Unit has been repurposed by the state to detain almost 1,000 illegal aliens who are waiting for their court cases and serving out their sentences.
Coe, who was a Border Patrol agent for 31 years before becoming sheriff, said he’s never seen illegal aliens intentionally destroying property like they have been this year.
“We’ve always had a fence cut here, fence cut
Brad Coe, sheriff, Kinney County
there, because they’re hauling dope or small kids or something,” he said. “But we’ve never seen the intentional big four-by-four holes in the fence, or now, a 10-foot section just cut completely out. That’s really starting to bother me.”
County leaders are nervous about the approaching hunting season, but it’s a boon for local business-
es and after a pandemic-riddled year in 2020, they need the income. The county’s population is set to double during the hunting season and it’s inevitable that hunters, with their high-powered rifles, will come face-to-face with illegal aliens walking through the ranches.
So far, though, the only gunshot injury recorded was when an illegal alien accidentally shot another while they were stealing firearms from a ranch.
Seeking Solutions
Kinney County kicked off its call for help on April 21 by declaring a state of disaster in the county. Other counties followed, and a slew of community meetings throughout the state attracted hundreds of irate residents.
In a weather-related disaster, the state’s version of FEMA, Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM) kicks in with assistance.
“We’ll have a hail storm and TDEM is on the phone immediately, asking if we need anything,” Goliad County judge Mike Bennett said. But he said he didn’t hear from the agency after his county declared a disaster over the border crisis on April 21.
Gov. Greg Abbott has issued several executive orders meant to disburse assistance for local border regions, but counties such as Kinney have found it difficult to access help, including TDEM’s resources
A total of 52 ille-
gal immigrants from Mexico and Honduras wait to be booked for criminal trespass after being arrested by Texas state troopers on local ranches, at the Kinney County Sheriff's Office in Brackettville, Texas, on Aug. 13, 2021.
Border Patrol apprehensions along the southern border in July—a 20-year monthly high.
212,672
and the $1 billion the state allocated to border security in the last legislative session.
Meanwhile, the border crisis has been eating up local resources.
The sheriff’s deputies spend a majority of their time on callouts related to illegal aliens. EMS Director Henry Garcia said 50 percent of calls in June were illegal alien-related. He said he’s worried residents won’t get the help they need in an emergency since the county has just one ambulance crew available at any given time and the fire department is run by volunteers.
Frustrated with the absence of federal help and slow state response, county leadership began talks with Garrison Trading, a private security contracting company that has worked in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“If y’all are good enough for the U.S. military, you’re good enough for Texans,” Smith, the county attorney, said during the Kinney County Commissioners meeting on July 7. But, legally, it’s a “patchwork of statutes” to work through, he said.
Rex Morford, president of the Colorado-based company, told the commissioners on July 7 that his team is working on getting the required state licenses and insurances to operate in Texas. The licenses were subsequently approved at the beginning of August, pending insurance review.
Cole Hill, rancher, Kinney County
“Our primary focus is to support you—we’re not here to take over. This is not Iraq. This is not Afghanistan. This is America,” Morford said during the commissioners meeting.
“What we’d like to do is start shutting down avenues along the border. You’ve got multiple lanes of approach. We can help shut those down.”
The sheriffs from Uvalde and Val Verde counties also attended the meeting, along with judges from Edwards and Jeff Davis counties.
The response from state officials has been tepid and a TDEM official told county leaders that a lot of what Garrison could help with is being tackled by the state.
“A lot of the things you describe are already ongoing in Texas,” said Tony Pena, assistant chief for TDEM, during a Zoom conference on July 7. “A lot of these things are already being addressed. I’m not trying to be negative here.”
TDEM officials told meeting participants that they had to submit a State of Texas assistance request (STAR) form to access resources. It was the first time Kinney County officials had ever heard of a STAR request; same with the judges from Edwards and Jeff Davis counties who were also on the call.
Jail space has been one of the most critical bottlenecks, and the county considered using Garrison to build and staff a temporary facility.
At the same time, the state looked at using Brackettville’s Civic Center as a temporary jail facility,
Texas, Nebraska,
and Iowa state troopers, along with Border Patrol and the Kinney County constable, detain the driver of a stolen vehicle and prepare to search the vehicle in Kinney County, Texas, on July 21, 2021.
1,276,194
APPREHENSIONS
along the southern border in the past 10 months.
but the county commissioners ruled that out as it’s smack in the middle of town. Instead, they offered the use of 60 acres adjacent to the county detention center.
Brandon Wood, head of the Texas Jail Commission, joined the July 12 commissioner’s meeting by phone and suggested the county needs to work through TDEM to set up temporary jail space.
“We need to know what y’all need ... and what you’re trying to do down there,” Wood said.
Smith said, “We’ve been trying to get TDEM to help us since April.”
Since then, Kinney County’s jail issues have been relieved somewhat, as DPS erected a temporary jail facility in neighboring Val Verde County, which can hold 96 inmates, and the Briscoe Unit is up and running.
But neither facility is accepting felons, which means drivers charged with smuggling illegal aliens are more often than not being released, pending charges. Illegal alien drivers often aren’t charged and are just handed to Border Patrol to deport.
The high price tag for any extra security measures not being met by TDEM means a potential push for private donations; the Kinney County Commissioners Court on Aug. 2 approved the set-up of a bank account that will accept border security donations. A public web portal has yet to be launched.
Even if they can access TDEM funding, counties often have to bear the upfront costs in many cases
Don McLaughlin
mayor, Uvalde
Follow @ charlottecuthbo on Twitter for border updates and video footage
and the small counties don’t have bags of spare operating capital laying around.
Edwards County Judge Souli Shanklin said he’s still waiting for TDEM to reimburse his county for a 2018 flood.
“Of the $1 million they owe, I’ve got $146,000 reimbursed,” he told The Epoch Times on July 7.
“How much operating capital do you have to pay these guys? I don’t have very damn much. We can’t afford to pay these gentlemen.”
Coe said getting Garrison in could be a “huge game-changer” for the state.
“Let Kinney County be the model, let them see what can be done when we put our mind to it. Instead of rolling over playing dead, let’s be proactive,” he told The Epoch Times.
“Either way, it’s going to cost us money—whether they get over here and live for the rest of their lives on welfare and Medicaid and everything else—or we stop them here.”
Coe said the inner cities, including in Austin and Dallas, have issues with drugs and violence that stems from the border. “So if we stop it here, we save them up there.”
Kinney County is finalizing a letter of intent to provide to Garrison, but it’s nonbinding and contingent on funding. County Judge Tully Shahan wants to move ahead, but is nervous about liability.
“Kinney County is going to be sticking its neck out big-time to hire private contractors,” Shahan said at an Aug. 2 meeting.
“We’ve got to cross that hurdle somehow,” he told representatives of Garrison.
Shahan said he’d feel “more protected liability-wise” if the state Department of Public Safety was involved, but the county has been “waiting on the governor’s office” to get more resources and “hasn’t received any help yet,” so they’re moving in the direction of the private contractors.
“State officials need to realize that this crisis has surpassed that of a law enforcement issue,” Smith told The Epoch Times on Aug. 9. “The solution will have to include aspects of a military operation
With limited to zero consequences, illegal aliens have no reason to give up and go home—they know they’ll get through eventually.
and the manpower that entails.”
Smith said he’s not averse to militias coming in, if need be.
“If it wasn’t for militias, we wouldn’t have a country today. The militias were what originally freed us from the British crown. Militias was what freed Texas from the Mexican government,” he said. “Militias have a bad rap. But I think by and large, they’re formed by the people, by the citizens, and they volunteer to help governments and their own citizens in times of trouble.”
Meanwhile, Sheriff Coe has asked the state to give him 42 National Guard troops. He wants to set them up in key locations in the county as listening post-observation post personnel to report anything that they see or hear.
“Not only along the river, but some places interior, where I know they [illegal aliens] are walking through. And that gives us a better feel of what’s going on,” Coe told The Epoch Times on Aug. 10. “But I don’t think I’m going to get them.”
He said it’s unlikely the state will cede control of the National Guard troops, but that DPS is working on getting more of them deployed throughout the region.
“We’ll give it some time. We’ll see what happens,” Coe said.
On July 27, Abbott issued an executive order for the Texas National Guard to assist DPS in arresting illegal aliens on state charges, including for criminal trespassing, smuggling, and human trafficking.
State troopers have started delivering vanloads of illegal aliens to the Kinney County Sheriff’s Office to be charged with criminal trespass after picking them up off ranches. In the last two weeks, more than 170 charges have been filed.
“DPS has been working hard on conducting more ground operations on the ranches in Kinney County ... where probably 80 percent of the illegal trafficking is occurring,” Smith said.
“They’re having some success in their arrests, but are very limited in the manpower they can deploy on the ground.”
Although the state is doing more and Coe is getting direct help from Galveston deputies, Smith is confident they’ll also employ Garrison in some form.
391 Commission
A group of Venezuelans
waits to be picked up by Border Patrol after illegally crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico into Del Rio, Texas, on June 3, 2021.
and the city of Uvalde have joined forces to create a subregional planning commission under Section 391 of the Texas code. It’s a statute unique to Texas that gives small regions the teeth to force direct coordination with state agencies and their resources.
It sounds academic, but the first major win for a 391 commission was a David and Goliath affair that stopped the construction of the Trans-Texas Corridor—a superhighway and related ecosystem that was to connect Chinese-run ports in Mexico to Canada. It was also known as the NAFTA Superhighway.
American Stewards of Liberty, a nonprofit organization, was instrumental in the 2009 win against the superhighway and the organization’s chief executive and executive director are husband and wife duo Dan and Margaret Byfield, respectively. The Byfields are helping Kinney and Uvalde navigate their way through their new commission, which was officially formed on Aug. 2 and named the Texas Border Subregional Planning Commission
The commission will use the overriding provision in the statute that allows regions to “join and cooperate to improve the health, safety, and general welfare of their residents.”
Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin, the chairman of the commission, said he thinks it’ll be “invaluable” because “small rural counties ... get neglected.”
“I think it’s got the potential to be really effective because you can actually hold a state agency accountable and we don’t have to go to Austin. They’ve got to come to us. They’ve got to talk to us,” McLaughlin told The Epoch Times on Aug. 9.
Uvalde has been beleaguered all year by a huge increase in illegal alien smuggling, vehicle pursuits, and bailouts—which is when a vehicle stops and the illegal aliens jump out and scatter to avoid capture.
“We had car chases Friday, we had car chases Saturday, we had car chases Sunday—and bailouts in the community,” McLaughlin said. He’s so fed up, he’e ready to shut down Highway 90 to force attention to the issue.
McLaughlin said the extra Texas state troopers deployed to Uvalde have been a “tremendous help.”
“I can only imagine the number of chases, and the number of bailouts we’d have had in our community without the DPS. That number would probably be triple or quadruple. So I’m very thankful,” he said.
As with Kinney County, though, jail space in Uvalde is perpetually at capacity.
McLaughlin wants to use the commission to cut through the red tape with TDEM, with the jail standards commission, and with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE).
“You have the governor’s office saying that TDEM is going to help you, and the jail standard commission is waiving things, and TCOLE is going to make it easier for you to bring [retired law enforcement] people back. And that’s not the case right now,” he said.
“I’m almost of the mindset that it’s time to call for a state militia. Because law enforcement is overwhelmed, the federal government’s doing nothing, and so it’s going to be up to us to take care of our state and take care of our citizens.”
Margaret Byfield said although the issues and agencies are different from the superhighway, the 391 commission should work in a similar fashion.
“The scenario is very similar here, where the local governments know exactly what they need to secure the border. And the state, which has the responsibility to do that, is not providing them those resources,” she said.
“So it’s a little bit different, but in a lot of ways, it still is the same problem and can still get resolved through the same process.”
She said the counties should also be able to access TDEM funding they need upfront, which could allow for the use of private security contractors without relying on donations.
The next step for the commission is to formulate and prioritize its needs and then contact the relevant agency decision-makers to meet.
Slow Pace
Kinney County leadership is united in trying to implement solutions to what they’ve declared is an emergency, but they’re frustrated by the glacial pace it’s all unfolding.
Hunting season looms, and ranchers and residents provide daily evidence that groups of illegal aliens are traversing the county unvetted and unchecked.
And while the different levels of government go through their machinations, many residents of Kinney County remain armed and frustrated. ■
Kinney County
Sheriff Brad Coe (L) and Galveston Constable Jimmy Fullen outside the sheriff’s office in Brackettville, Texas, on Aug. 16, 2021.
IN FOCUS
Tropical Storm Henri
MEMBERS OF THE New Market Volunteer Fire Company perform a search amid floods caused by Tropical Storm Henri, in Helmetta, N.J., on Aug. 22, 2021. Tropical Storm Henri hit the East Coast on Aug. 22, knocking out power to thousands of Americans, grounding scores of flights, and bringing record rainfall.
PHOTO BY TOM BRENNER/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
CCP VIRUS
US Involvement in Wuhan Lab
A series of events shows how US was involved in the funding and research of the controversial lab ✒
Text by Jeff Carlson & Hans Mahncke
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in Washington on June 30, 2020.
PHOTO BY AL DRAGO-POOL/GETTY IMAGES
CHINESE VIROLOGIST
Shi Zhengli, inside the P4 laboratory in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, on Feb. 23, 2017.
Since the outbreak of the global CCP virus pandemic, the United States has publicly denied involvement with the controversial Wuhan Institute of Virology. A closer look, however, reveals how U.S. officials privately scrambled to respond to questions about America's involvement in funding and research at the lab.
Timeline
US Involvement in Wuhan Lab
HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
The P4 laboratory of the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China.
JAN. 31, 2020
6:20 p.m. EST
An article is published in Science addressing concerns about experiments conducted at the Wuhan Insti-
tute of Virology. The article indirectly links to a 2015 Nature article detailing gain-of-function experiments conducted by Shi Zheng-Li, a director at the institute. Shi’s research had been funded by Dr. Anthony Fauci’s National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Disease (NIAID).
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JAN. 31, 2020
8:43 p.m. EST
The 2020 Science article is emailed to Fauci by Greg Folkers of NIH. Fauci forwards Folkers’s email to multiple parties.
HIV.GOV
JAN. 31, 2020
9:46 p.m. EST
Fauci forwards the 2020 Science article to John Mascola of NIAID.
NIAID.NIH.GOV
JAN. 31, 2020
9:47 p.m. EST
Fauci forwards the 2020 Science article to Jeremy
Farrar, the head of a British nonprofit, and Kristian Andersen, a professor at Scripps Research.
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JAN. 31, 2020
9:49 p.m. EST
SARAH SILBIGER/GETTY IMAGES
Fauci forwards the 2020 Science article
to Robert Kadlec at the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.
JAN. 31, 2020
10:32 p.m. EST
Andersen replies to Fauci’s email and acknowledges that features of the virus look potentially engi-
neered. Earlier in the day, however, Andersen had sent a tweet rejecting Sen. Tom Cotton’s (R-Ark.) theory that the virus could have stemmed from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
FEB. 1, 2020
7:29:01 a.m. EST
FEB. 1, 2020
7:29:36 a.m. EST
Fauci sends the 2015 Nature article to his dep-
uty, Hugh Auchincloss. “Hugh: It is essential that we speak this AM. Keep your cell phone on. I have a conference call at 7:45 AM with Azar. It likely will be over at 8:45 AM. Read this paper as well as the e-mail that I will forward to you now. You will have tasks today that must be done. Thanks, Tony.”
Thirty-five seconds later, Fauci emails Auchin-
closs the Science article: “As per my prior email.”
FEB. 1, 2020
8:19 a.m. EST
Fauci sends the 2015 Nature article to Lawrence
Tabak of NIH. Fauci’s email is marked “IMPORTANT.”
NIH.GOV TERO VESALAINEN/SHUTTERSTOCK
FEB. 1, 2020
10:34 a.m. EST
Farrar sends out a group email announcing a 2 p.m.
conference call, along with an agenda setting out “desired outcomes” to be discussed “in total confidence.” Including Farrar, a total of 13 people are listed on the teleconference agenda.
FEB. 1, 2020
11:47 a.m. EST
FEB. 1, 2020
12:51 p.m. EST
Auchincloss responds to Fauci in a separate email thread: “The paper you sent me says the experiments were performed before the gain of function pause but have since been reviewed and approved by NIH. Not sure what that means since Emily is sure that no Coronavirus work has gone through the P3 framework. She will try to determine if we have any distant ties to this work abroad.”
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Fauci responds to Auchincloss: “OK. Stay tuned.”
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FEB. 1, 2020
2:00 p.m. EST
Approximate time of teleconference start.
KEVIN DIETSCH-POOL/GETTY IMAGES
FEB. 1, 2020
2:09 p.m. EST
A teleconference participant emails the other par-
ticipants, "We need to talk about the backbone too, not just the insert?"
DRONEANDY/SHUTTERSTOCK
FEB. 1, 2020
2:56 p.m. EST
Farrar sends an email to 4 of the 13 individuals believed to be on the call,
including Fauci: “Can I suggest we shut down the call and then redial in? Just for 5-10 mins?”
TERO VESALAINEN/SHUTTERSTOCK
FEB. 1, 2020
3:03 p.m. EST
Fauci responds by email to Farrar only, “Yes.”
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FEB. 1, 2020
4:00 p.m. EST
Farrar sends an email back to Collins, with Fauci cop-
ied in: “We are altogether as you know! Conversations with you and Tony, and Patrick and others - always great working with you both.”
FEB. 1, 2020
5:06 p.m. EST
Fauci sends an email to Farrar:
“Thanks, Jeremy. We really appreciate what you are doing here. Pleasure to work with you. Best, Tony.“
JULENOCHEK/SHUTTERSTOCK
FEB. 2, 2020
3:30 a.m. EST
Dutch virologist Ron Fouchier sends an email to unknown recip-
ients, thanking Farrar for the “useful teleconference,” and includes a section titled “Ron’s notes.” (The section of notes spans more than two full pages and is completely redacted.)
FEB. 1, 2020
1:13 p.m. EST
Farrar sends an email with the subject “Re: Teleconference” establishing the group’s teleconference.
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FEB. 1, 2020
1:34 p.m. EST
Fauci sends email to
Tabak alerting him to teleconference meeting.
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FEB. 1, 2020
1:43 pm EST
Marion Koopmans, who oversees a Dutch lab that was previously involved with gain-of-function experiments, sends an email to
Farrar and copies in Fauci and other members of the call. (The body of Koopmans’s email is fully redacted.)
HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
FEB. 1, 2020
1:43 p.m. EST
Fauci responds to Anders-
en’s email (about features of the virus appearing potentially engineered): “Thanks, Kristian. Talk soon on the call.“
BRIAN ONGORO/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
FEB. 1, 2020
3:07 p.m. EST
Farrar appears to have rejoined the call,
sending an email that reads, somewhat confusingly, “I have rejoined so a line is open if any help to rejoin.”
FEB. 1, 2020
Sometime after 3:07 p.m. EST
Teleconference call ends.
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FEB. 1, 2020
3:50 p.m. EST
Francis Collins, head of the National Institutes of Health, sends an email to Farrar referencing the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “Hi Jeremy, I can make myself available at any time 24/7 for the call with Tedros. Just let me know. Thanks for your leadership on this critical and sensitive issue. Francis.“
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FEB. 1, 2020
3:59 p.m. EST
Farrar sends a post-teleconference
email: “There is clearly much to understand understand in this. This call was very helpful to hear some of our current understanding and the many gaps in our knowledge.” (A large redaction follows.) Farrar closes with, “I hope that is a reasonable approach, please send any thoughts or suggestions.”
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FEB. 2, 2020
3:40 a.m. EST
Farrar responds to
Fouchier: “Thanks Ron.” (The following paragraph is redacted. It's followed by, “Thoughts on that very welcome.”)
FEB. 2, 2020
4:38 a.m. EST
British biologist Andrew Raumbaut sends an email to the teleconference group:
“Dear Jeremy, Ron and all, Thanks for inviting me on call yesterday." (The rest of the large paragraph is redacted.) He signs off, “Best, Andrew.”
FEB. 2, 2020
4:48 a.m. EST
Farrar responds to Raumbaut and copies in the teleconference
group: “This is a very complex issue. I will: [Long paraPAULPALADIN/SHUTTERSTOCK graph redacted]." Farrar closes his email by advising the participants to take the “complex issue” offline. Farrar also suggests the formation of a new group: “I suggest we don't get into a further scientific discussion here, but wait for that group to be established. Jeremy.”
FEB. 2, 2020
4:48 a.m. EST
Collins sends an email regarding a potential meeting with WHO’s Tedros to Farrar, and copies in
Fauci and Tabak: “I'm available any time today except 3:15 - 5:45 pm EST (on a plane) for a call to Tedros . Let me know if I can help get through his thicket of protectors.”
FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
FEB. 2, 2020
4:48 a.m. EST
Collins sends an email to Farrar and copies in Fauci
and Tabak: “Thanks for forwarding these additional reflections from Mike and Bob.” (The rest of the paragraph is redacted.)
GRAEME JENNINGS-POOL/GETTY IMAGES
FEB. 2, 2020
11:49 a.m. EST
Fauci sends an email to
Collins: “Francis: Do you have a minute for a quick call? Tony.”
MARK WILSON/GETTY IMAGES
FEB. 3, 2020 FEB. 3, 2020
Tedros publicly states,
“[We must] combat the spread of rumours & misinformation.”
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ZeroHedge is banned by Twitter.
ASCANNIO/SHUTTERSTOCK
FEB. 4, 2020 FEB. 5, 2020
Andrew Pope of NASEM writes to the participants:
“Plans have changed in terms of our product. Instead of a ‘Based on Science’ web posting, we are now developing a letter that will be signed by the 3 Presidents of our 3 Academies.” Despite the opposing public stance taken one day later by NASEM, Daszak privately
circulates a letter dismissing laboratory origins as a
conspiracy theory. The letter is published in The Lancet on Feb. 19, 2020.
FEB. 6, 2020
NASEM sends a response to the White House’s Dro-
egemeier, noting that the NASEM had consulted leading experts who stated that additional data were needed to determine the origin and evolution of the virus.
FEB. 2, 2020
7:13 a.m. EST
Collins sends an email to Farrar and copies in Fauci
and Tabak: “Really appreciate us thinking through the options ... ” The next line is redacted.
REDDAVEBATCAVE/SHUTTERSTOCK
FEB. 3, 2020
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Kelvin Droegemeier
requests that the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) “help determine the origins of 2019-nCoV.”
OFFICIAL PHOTO BY THE WHITE HOUSE
FEB. 8, 2020
Farrar initiates another
conference call that is held on a Wellcome Line. (It is not known what was discussed on this call.)
RUBEN SPRICH/REUTERS
FEB. 2, 2020
10:30 a.m. EST
Fauci responds to Farrar and Collins,
and copies in Tabak: “Jeremy: Sorry that I took so long to weigh in on your e-mails with Francis and me. I was on conference calls.” (This is followed by a large paragraph redaction.)
WIN MCNAMEE/POOL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
FEB. 2, 2020
10:28 a.m. EST
Farrar sends an email to Fauci and Collins, and copies in Tabak, with a
link to a ZeroHedge article: “Tedros and Bernhard have apparently gone into conclave .... they need to decide today in my view. If they do prevaricate, I would appreciate a call with you later tonight or tomorrow to think how we might take forward . Meanwhile .... https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/coronavirus-contains-hiv-insertions-stoking-fears-overartificially-created-bioweapon.” ZeroHedge would be banned one day later by Twitter, on Feb. 3, 2020.
SHARAF MAKSUMOV/SHUTTERSTOCK
FEB. 3, 2020
A same-day meeting is organized by the
National Academies of Sciences. Fauci gives a 10-minute presentation. Internal emails suggest that there was significant internal debate following the formal meeting on the official response to Droegemeier’s request.
EQROY/SHUTTERSTOCK
FEB. 4, 2020
Andersen responds to Daszak and the
expert group: “The main crackpot theories going around at the moment relate to this virus being somehow engineered with intent and that is demonstrably not the case. Engineering can mean many things and could be done for either basic research or nefarious reasons, but the data conclusively show that neither was done.”
SCRIPPS.EDU
FEB. 4, 2020
NASEM response is also shaped by Trevor Bedford, a computational biologist who suggests:
“1. I wouldn’t mention binding sites here. If you start weighing the evidence there’s a lot to consider for both scenarios. 2. I would say ‘no evidence of genetic engineering’ full stop.”
FREDHUTCH.ORG
FEB. 16, 2020
Andersen’s “Proximal Origin” article, claiming that the virus has natural origins, is published online.
This same paper would also be published in Nature on March 17, 2020.
SCRIPPS RESEARCH
FEB. 19, 2020
The Lancet publishes a letter claiming that the coronavirus
originated in wildlife and condemned theories of a non-natural origin as conspiracy theories that “do nothing but create fear, rumor and prejudice”. It would later be revealed that co-author Daszak orchestrated the letter. The Lancet fails to note his conflict of interest.
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NEW YORK CHIEF JUDGE Janet DiFiore swears in Kathy Hochul (R) as New York governor during a ceremony at the state Capitol in Albany on Aug. 24, 2021. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo handed over the reins of the nation's fourth most populous state to Hochul, his lieutenant governor and a fellow Democrat, who became New York's first ever female governor.
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