China
GOP Senator Warns Chinese Hackers Breach Major U.S. Telecom Networks, Spying on Millions
Republican Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota warned Friday that Chinese state-sponsored hackers, known as Salt Typhoon, have infiltrated all major U.S. telecommunications providers, enabling them to spy on millions of Americans. The Daily Caller News Foundation reported that Rounds spoke at Halifax The Forum, during which he revealed that hackers can access texts and phone conversations across networks like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.
“Any one of us today is subject to review by the Chinese Communist government,” Rounds said. “They can read your texts and hear your conversations—it’s just a matter of who they choose to target.”
Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called the breach “the worst telecom hack in our nation’s history.” Hackers reportedly accessed law enforcement wiretap request logs, revealing investigative targets, though the wiretap systems themselves were not compromised.
The intrusion, ongoing for over a year, exploited outdated infrastructure and network trust, allowing real-time eavesdropping and data exfiltration. While fewer than 150 individuals were directly targeted, millions of associated contacts were compromised. High-profile targets include former President Donald Trump, Vice President-elect JD Vance, and White House officials, according to The Washington Post.
Efforts to expel the hackers remain challenging. Removing them requires replacing thousands of routers and switches across affected networks. Deputy National Security Adviser Anne Neuberger urged stricter cybersecurity measures, warning, “We must lock our digital doors.”
China
House Report Uncovers DOJ Secretly Investigated Nonprofit Accused of Channeling Taxpayer Funds to Wuhan Lab
A bombshell House committee report released Monday, after a two year investigation, revealed that the Department of Justice (DOJ) secretly initiated a grand jury investigation into EcoHealth Alliance, a U.S. nonprofit accused of channeling taxpayer funds to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), the lab suspected of causing the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report, prepared by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, highlights concerns about EcoHealth’s grants, which allegedly funded gain-of-function research at the Chinese lab. Such research, aimed at enhancing viruses to study their potential risks, has been linked to theories suggesting the virus may have escaped from the lab. Efforts to access related records were reportedly obstructed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Internal emails and documents included in the report reveal that the grand jury issued subpoenas for genetic sequences and correspondence between EcoHealth Alliance’s president, Dr. Peter Daszak, and Dr. Shi Zhengli, a WIV scientist known as the “bat lady” for her work on coronaviruses. One email from EcoHealth’s legal counsel advised omitting references to the DOJ investigation when addressing congressional document requests, underscoring the probe’s secrecy.
The report also criticizes EcoHealth Alliance’s failure to comply with grant requirements. NIH funding facilitated a $4 million project on bat coronaviruses, $1.4 million of which was funneled to WIV. NIH deputy director Dr. Lawrence Tabak admitted the grant supported gain-of-function research, leading to highly infectious virus modifications.
The committee’s findings claim these experiments violated biosafety protocols, and Daszak failed to adequately oversee the research. Calls to bar Daszak and EcoHealth from future funding were reinforced by bipartisan agreement within the subcommittee.
The New York Post writes that the report also evaluated U.S. pandemic response measures, describing prolonged lockdowns as harmful to the economy and public health, especially for younger Americans. Mask mandates and social distancing policies were criticized as “arbitrary” and unsupported by conclusive scientific evidence. Public health officials’ inconsistent messaging, particularly from Dr. Anthony Fauci, contributed to public mistrust, according to the subcommittee.
-
Immigration5 days ago‘Times’ Up’ For Tren de Aragua Members, Major Arrest in NYC
-
Media4 days agoTHE POOR DEARS: White House Reporters Claim They’re Already ‘Exhausted’ by Second Trump Administration
-
Immigration4 days agoCNN Host’s Reaction to Tom Homan Comments About Denver Mayor Speaks Volumes (VIDEO)
-
Politics4 days agoBiden Omits God From Thanksgiving Message
