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United States Government Medicine Politics Science

President Trump Just De-Funded a Research Nonprofit Studying Virus Transmissions (politico.com) 231

Charlotte Web writes: The U.S.-based research non-profit Ecohealth Alliance has spent 20 years investigating the origins of infectious diseases like Covid-19 in over 25 countries, "to do scientific research critical to preventing pandemics."

America just cut it's funding.

Trump's reason? "Unfounded rumors" and "conspiracy theories...without evidence," according to reports in Politico and Business Insider. The group had received a total of $3.7 million through 2019 (starting in 2014), publishing over 20 scientific papers since 2015 on how coronaviruses spread through bats, including at least one paper involving a lab in China. But during a White House press briefing, a conservative web site incorrectly stated the whole $3.7 million had gone to that single lab, while even more erroneously implying that that lab was somehow the source of the coronavirus. They'd then asked "Why would the U.S. give a grant like that to China?" and President Trump vowed he would revoke the (U.S.-based) nonprofit research group's grant, which he did 10 days later.

Slashdot referenced that research nonprofit just this Sunday, citing a recent interview with the group's president who'd said they'd found nearly 3% of the population in China's rural farming regions near wild animals already had antibodies to coronaviruses similar to SARS. "We're finding 1 to 7 million people exposed to these viruses every year in Southeast Asia; that's the pathway. It's just so obvious to all of us working in the field."

Yet Thursday Politico reported the Trump administration "has been pressuring analysts, particularly at the CIA, to search for evidence that the virus came from a lab and that the World Health Organization helped China cover it up," citing a person briefed on those discussions. People briefed on the intelligence also told them there is currently no evidence to support that theory.

Michael Morell, the former acting director and deputy director of America's CIA, also pointed out Thursday that the lab in question was in fact partially funded by the United States. "So if it did escape, we're all in this together."
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President Trump Just De-Funded a Research Nonprofit Studying Virus Transmissions

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  • by Sebby ( 238625 ) on Saturday May 02, 2020 @06:48PM (#60016124)

    Ever since they've acquitted him at his impeachment, the GOP is now responsible for Trump's actions (or, inaction when otherwise something important needs to be done).

    As such, it was the GOP that de-funded it.

    • by fahrbot-bot ( 874524 ) on Saturday May 02, 2020 @06:54PM (#60016144)

      Ever since they've acquitted him at his impeachment, the GOP is now responsible for Trump's actions (or, inaction when otherwise something important needs to be done).

      As such, it was the GOP that de-funded it.

      Looks like the funding was started under the Obama Administration so, simply based what they've been doing so far, of course this Administration would want to stop and/or undo it. Any other reason offered is just smoke ...

      • Except that Trump administration continued the funding. This is a health and science issue, politics should stay out of any decision making here.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by alvinrod ( 889928 )
      This is an utterly idiotic take in general. Was Congress (or at least the Senate (Republican controlled if it matters)) responsible for all of Clinton's actions (or inactions) after he was acquitted (or whatever the correct terminology may be) after his impeachment? Of course not, because that's just stupid.

      More specifically, I've never heard of this organization before and frankly neither has anyone else. They have a Wikipedia article [wikipedia.org] which paints them as a group that moved from conservationism to whate
      • by Cyberax ( 705495 )

        Was Congress (or at least the Senate (Republican controlled if it matters)) responsible for all of Clinton's actions (or inactions) after he was acquitted (or whatever the correct terminology may be) after his impeachment?

        They absolutely were. Fortunately for Clinton, not much has happened after his impeachment.

        • Suppose that you either have been, are, or will be on a jury. If you choose to acquit the person on trial, are you now responsible for their future actions from that point forward in any way? Hopefully you're starting to realize how utterly asinine you point of view is or how such beliefs should logically influence your actions if you were ever to serve on a jury. An impartial judge would toss you before the lawyers ever got around to it.
          • by Cyberax ( 705495 )

            Suppose that you either have been, are, or will be on a jury. If you choose to acquit the person on trial, are you now responsible for their future actions from that point forward in any way?

            Suppose that you're on a jury but you refuse to convict a criminal because it would be bad for your wallet. Are you now responsible for their future actions from that point forward in any way?

            I would say: "yes".

            • I'm not responsible for any other person's actions. I'm only responsible for my own. In your contrived scenario I'd only be responsible for my own morally corrupt actions, not those future actions of any supposedly guilty defendant that I let off the hook.

              I'd like to see you present a legal argument that a jury member should be put on trial because they didn't convict a man who later went on to commit some crime. By your own argument that person is even culpable for failing to convict an innocent man who
              • by Cyberax ( 705495 ) on Saturday May 02, 2020 @11:07PM (#60016722)
                The Senate was presented with clear evidence of Trump's wrongdoings. Yet they decided that it's OK because it's politically expedient for Republicans. This absolutely makes them responsible for Trump's future actions.
                • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

                  by fred911 ( 83970 )

                  "The Senate was presented with clear evidence of Trump's wrongdoings."

                  And the whole word watched Clinton perjure himself under oath. Regardless of the subject or reasoning for his perjury, it's significantly more fact based than what Trump was impeached over.

                  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
                  • by Cyberax ( 705495 )

                    And the whole word watched Clinton perjure himself under oath. Regardless of the subject or reasoning for his perjury, it's significantly more fact based than what Trump was impeached over.

                    Yes, and Clinton should have been removed. Trump made a bad precedent though, so the next president will just stonewall everything.

                • Those "wrongdoings" are entirely in the eye of the beholder. And the charge of "Obstruction of Congress" is not a charge, it's a job description.

              • Strawman detected.

                Construction of a relevant example is a trivial exercise which I leave to the reader.

      • What difference does it make whether or not the public is familiar with the group that had its funding cut? That's a really weird point to make, do you intentionally use the bandwagon fallacy to get people to agree with you? Personally I don't give a shit whether or not the American people know something when I determine whether or not said organization is a good recipient for US taxpayer money.
    • by shanen ( 462549 )

      Ever since they've acquitted him at his impeachment, the GOP is now responsible for Trump's actions (or, inaction when otherwise something important needs to be done).

      As such, it was the GOP that de-funded it.

      What is this GOP thing you mention? Something to do with the GOT (Gang Of Trump)? Making Amerika Grate since 1861 or thereabouts.

    • To all the mod trolls that modded this down initially:

      Score:5, Insightful

      neener neener neener!

  • Wow... (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward

    That's a very VERY longwinded, nonsensical, and some would speculate propagandistic way to say

    Trump defunds the Wuhan Lab.

    • Re:Wow... (Score:5, Informative)

      by F.Ultra ( 1673484 ) on Saturday May 02, 2020 @07:04PM (#60016164)
      No this is not defunding the Wuhan Lab. This is defunding a non profit group that have people in many labs including the one in Wuhan. The Wuhan lab itself is funded by China.
      • Re: Wow... (Score:2, Informative)

        by kenh ( 9056 )

        This defunds one of dozens of gov't contracts for millions of dollars. It likely does little more than cut one or two researcher head counts, nothing more.

        From the politico article:

        EcoHealth Alliance has secured dozens of contracts amounting to millions of dollars from multiple government sources, including health agencies, the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.

        EcoHealth Alliance will be fine.

    • I don't know if AC speaks the truth, but if this is true, then isn't also true that TRUMP FUNDED THE WUHAN LAB?

      Wheels within wheels, people!

      1) Trump secretly funds Wuhan Lab via this non-profit that really seems to be doing good work

      2) Pandemic allows Bill Gates the power to microchip all living beings (this has recently popped up without a real source here on slashdot!).

      3) . . . .

      4) MASSIVE STEAK SALES!!!

    • When Trump orders you to drink the kool-aid, be sure to drink deep.

    • by fermion ( 181285 )
      It is important to explain the process as if we are going to survive in a world, we have to understand that some are still very superstitious. In some evangelical parts of the US, and other less developed parts of the world, people believe in magic and the hand of god. For instance, one evangelical acquaintance, who studied physics, and built bandage materials, mind you one a technician, was insistent that quantum mechanics had no real world applications and that a computer had nothing to do with it. In
      • by q_e_t ( 5104099 )

        This is fact is why we don't eat things like monkeys and even dogs and cats because they can infect us

        Do you eat anything from pigs? Have you ever heard of swine flu? Or have you ever eaten duck?

      • And as soon as these less developed people stop wasting our time

        Yeah, fuck those red states who only continue to exist because of handouts from blue states.

    • Stories like these make it hard to deal with opposition to Trump. They lie and misdirect as much as he does.

  • by h33t l4x0r ( 4107715 ) on Saturday May 02, 2020 @07:11PM (#60016194)
    Like the effectiveness of car exhaust on knocking out the virus. Phase I trials are about to begin, and if you would like to participate all you need is a car (non-EV, sorry liberals), a length of hose, and a garage.
    • Well, the first trials look promising. Of all the covfefe infected people subjected to the treatment, none of them died of the virus.

    • I can save you money on your trials. You don't actually need the hose. Or, if you have a hose, you don't need the garage.

    • by amorsen ( 7485 )

      Liberal policies ruined the effect of car exhaust on the virus.

      I do not recommend running the experiment, but in the majority of cases you will be practically unharmed. The quick killer from car exhaust was carbon monoxide. No car emitting significant amounts of carbon monoxide will pass emissions testing in a reasonably modernized country or the US.

  • but spending tax payer money in a way the most benefits tax payers. They are obviously a non-profit that does good with the funds they get. But please read what they do https://www.ecohealthalliance.... [ecohealthalliance.org] .

    At this time and day, don't you think there's better ways to use tax payer dollars? If we're printing dollars, at least give them to the people that created the dollars. Charity is great when the budget allows it.

    He said he'd do this before his election, why does everyone expect less from people the elect?

  • Looks they failed, why exactly do they deserve more money?

    The rest of the summary is just all over the place and trying to point fingers for click bait.
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • ... with defunding any agency sending money to China for almost any reason.

    List of acceptable reasons includes overthrow of the communist, freeing the Uyghur, etc.

  • citing a person briefed on those discussions.

    People briefed on the intelligence

    Not valid sources. So I'm going to wait the customary 3 days before finding out this is completely fake.

  • The grant was paused in 2014 because the Obama administration felt it was conducting risky and dangerous "gain of function" experiments on flu, SARS, and MERS viruses:

    https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/who-we-are/nih-director/statements/statement-funding-pause-certain-types-gain-function-research

    Quote from the above:

    For purposes of the deliberative process and this funding pause, “GOF studies” refers to scientific research that increases the ability of any of these infectious agents to cause disease

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