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Monday Afternoon Update: Chinese Protests, Fauci Blames Trump, Heritage Foundation Spends Big On Religious Freedom

   DailyWire.com
Akapong Osotsil / EyeEm via Getty Images
Akapong Osotsil / EyeEm via Getty Images

This article is a companion piece to today’s Morning Wire Afternoon Update. To listen to the podcast version, click here.

Chinese Protests Continue

Protests across China are continuing as thousands of demonstrators are lashing out in response to the Chinese Communist Party’s “Zero COVID” policy. Ten people died in an apartment fire late last week, and citizens claim that the CCP blocked emergency workers from the area due to the country’s COVID policies.

Fauci Blames Trump For China’s Dishonesty

Outgoing National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci said this week on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that it is possible that COVID came from a lab, but reiterated that he believes there is evidence the virus might have occurred naturally. Fauci also blamed former President Trump’s “accusatory” relationship with the Chinese for the communist nation’s refusal to be transparent about the virus:

“If you look at the anti-China approach that clearly the Trump administration had right from the very beginning and the accusatory nature, the Chinese are gonna flinch back and say, “No, I’m sorry. We’re not gonna talk to you about it.”

Fauci added that the U.S. should “keep the politics of out of” trying to determine COVID’s origins.

Democrat Senator Throws Cold Water On Biden Gun Power Grab

Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut told the press that President Biden has “probably not” secured the needed 60 votes to pass gun control in the lame-duck session of Congress. Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday, Murphy threw cold water on Biden‘s hopes to pass an assault weapons ban.

“I’m glad that President Biden is going to be pushing us to take a vote on an assault weapons ban, The House has already passed it. It’s sitting in front of the Senate,” Murphy said. “Does it have 60 votes in the Senate right now? Probably not. But let’s see if we can try to get that number as close to 60 as possible. If we don’t have the votes, then we will talk to Senator Schumer and maybe come back next year with maybe an additional senator and see if we can do better.”

Buffalo Shooter Pleads Guilty

The suspect charged with murdering ten people during a mass shooting in May at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, pleaded guilty on Monday morning on all charges.

The 19-year-old man – who we will not name in accordance with Daily Wire policy intended to deprive mass shooters of notoriety – pleaded guilty to all charges in the grand jury indictment, including murder, murder as a hate crime, and hate-motivated domestic terrorism.

Hawaii’s Largest Volcano Explodes

Hawaii’s largest active volcano began erupting Sunday night, with lava flow warnings issued to the surrounding area. The eruption of Mauna Loa, considered the world’s largest active volcano, was detected at approximately 11:30 p.m. local time inside the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

The volcano has erupted 33 times since officials began documenting its activity in 1843. Its lava flows have reached the ocean eight times since 1868.

“We The People” Christmas At White House

First Lady Jill Biden revealed that the White House’s holiday decor theme this year is “We the People.” Over 150 volunteers from around the nation helped decorate the White House over a week.

Avian Flu Hits Nebraska

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture said Saturday that another 1.8 million chickens must be killed after a case of bird flu was found on an egg-laying farm in the state. This comes after more than 50 million birds were slaughtered nationwide earlier this year due to outbreaks.

Heritage Foundation Spends Big To Protect Religious Freedom

The Heritage Foundation spent more than $1 million on national TV ads over Thanksgiving weekend, encouraging U.S. senators to vote against the new bill codifying same-sex marriage until new religious liberty protections are added to the bill.

The U.S. Senate has a cloture vote on the Respect for Marriage Act Monday but has faced backlash from those who say it will punish religious organizations and non-profits.

Heritage president Kevin Roberts told Fox News, “This legislation does not add one additional benefit to same-sex couples in the United States; it’s an attack that sets the stage to take rights away from people of faith.”

“Gaslighting” is 2022’s Word Of The Year

And, Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary has officially declared the 2022 word of the year. It’s “gaslighting.”

To listen to the audio version of this podcast, click here. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.

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