This photograph taken on March 5, 2021 shows the flag of the World Health Organization (WHO) at their headquarters in Geneva amid the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP) (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)
A report from the Department of Energy on the origins of COVID-19 has agencies divided about its findings.
A classified intelligence report from the Energy Department alleges, with low confidence, that the virus likely leaked from a lab in China — a theory that was raised during the early days of the pandemic. How the agency went about drawing that conclusion has not been revealed to the public but is reportedly based on new information.
Meanwhile, a World Health Organization's investigation is ongoing, but the organization said that as more time passes, coupled with complications in completing studies in China, that it will be more difficult to pinpoint the exact origin of the virus.
In light of the report, the White House national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told CNN that the Department of Energy's findings offer "no definitive answer" about the origins of COVID.
"There is a variety of views in the intelligence community. Some elements in the intelligence community have reached conclusions on one side, some on the other. A number of them have just said they don't have enough information to be sure," he said.
China's foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning has dismissed the allegations altogether and said, "The origins tracing of SARS-CoV-2 is about science and should not be politicized."
"Certain parties should stop rehashing the 'lab leak' narrative, stop smearing China and stop politicizing origins-tracing," Ning added.
The FBI drew a similar conclusion in 2021, but the CIA is among the U.S. intelligence agencies that have not reached a conclusion.
2021 was an exciting year for space innovations, but 2022 could hold even more in store. Cheddar took a deep dive into the space mission on tap for the year ahead.
The United States purchased over 600,000 doses of a monoclonal antibody treatment from Glaxosmithkline and Vir Biotechnology, bringing the total worldwide doses purchased to 1.7 million. This comes as the country attempts to ramp up treatment options as cases of the omicron variant continue to surge. Dr. Asha Shah, Director of Infectious Diseases at Stamford Health joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
As the pandemic slammed the brakes on the nation's economy in 2020, America's greenhouse gas emissions reached their lowest levels in at least three decades. However, as the world, and the economy re-opened, 2021 told a much different story as emissions surged. Biden's flagship 'Build Back Better' act involves billions in spending on electric cars and renewables, in an effort to cut U.S. emissions, experts are still skeptical that the nation will meet the current 2030 target. Andrew Dessler, professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M University, joins Cheddar News.
Amid the omicron surge, a new debate has emerged about whether or not throat swabs are more effective than nasal swabs for COVID testing. Dr. William Schaffner, MD, professor of infectious diseases, Vanderbilt Medical Center, sat down with Cheddar's News Wrap to weigh in on the dispute. "Should there be a change? You've got to do the studies, show that in the field [a throat swab] works as well or better than the nasal specimen," he said. "Let's not do it off our hips, as we say."
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is declaring a state of emergency after Monday's winter storm left hundreds of drivers stranded on the interstate for more than 24 hours.
The snow also knocked out power for many residents, with more than 100,000 outages remaining days later.
Michael Wehner, a climate scientist at Lawrence Berkeley national laboratory, discusses recent weather disasters.
As the need for COVID-19 testing increases, so does the price of the tests themselves. An agreement with The White House and several major companies to sell the tests at a lower cost has now expired, sending prices up as retailers struggle to keep kits on shelves. Dr. Thomas McGinn, executive VP of physician enterprise at Common Spirit Health, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
A new report shows 2021 saw a surge in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, indicating that the country remains far off track from meeting President Biden's climate change targets. Biden previously pledged to cut the nation's emissions in half by 2030, and now experts warn that immediate action must be taken in order to get the nation back on track. Zeke Hausfather, director of climate and energy at The Breakthrough Institute on U.S. Emissions and Global Temperatures, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Electric vehicles are quickly becoming an accessible way for consumers to slash emissions as legacy automakers begin to electrify their fleets and world leaders including President Joe Biden push for broad EV adoption. But consumers have concerns about EV range, the availability of charging stations, and more. What if it were both helpful to consumers — and feasible from a climate change standpoint — to keep hybrid models that run on gas on the market? Gill Pratt, CEO of the Toyota Research Institute & Toyota Motor Corporation's Chief Scientist joins Cheddar Climate to discuss his team's research about 'carbon return on investment,' how Toyota is electrifying its fleet, and more.
According to a recent analysis compiled by The Washington Post, more than four in 10 Americans lived in areas hit by climate-related disasters in 2021. Jonathan Porter, Chief Meteorologist at AccuWeather, joined Cheddar Climate to discuss what this means and what can be done to prevent severe weather events from becoming even worse.
It's a painfully cold week across a large portion of the U.S. with more than 185 million Americans experiencing below-freezing temperatures on Monday and 10 million of them dealing with dangerous sub-zero temps.
