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.
In 2015, 193 parties signed the Paris Agreement. In doing so, they agreed to pursue efforts to limit the average global temperature increase to 1.5° Celsius - or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit -above pre-industrial levels. To be clear, our planet is already 1.1 degrees hotter than it was 150 years ago. But most scientists agree that an increase of just .4 more degrees will drastically change the world. However, it would continue to be livable. Things do get murky, though, as the projections increase above that.
Dr. Jen Caudle, family physician and associate professor at Rowan University, joined Cheddar to break down how people can protect themselves and family amid the uncertainty of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant. Caudle emphasized the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19 with so much still uncertain about the pandemic. "We have to remember delta variant is still here in the United States," she said. "We're still losing too many people every single day to this virus."
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As cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant continue to pop up, including the first U.S. case in California, how will domestic holiday travel be impacted? That part of the travel sector has mostly recovered from the year-long pandemic rout, while business travel continues its slump. But could a new variant bring new lockdowns and domestic restrictions? Clint Henderson, Senior News Editor at The Points Guy, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss what the omicron variant means for holiday travel, best practices for passengers traveling through airports, and more.
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Elon Musk warned SpaceX employees in a leaked email that the company could be forced to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy if its raptor engine program fails. Musk then commented on the previous statement adding the detail that a recession could make such a bankruptcy possible.
