CIA: Lab Leak Most Likely Source Of Covid Outbreak
Trump's Cabinet: Hegseth Confirmed, More Battles Ahead This Week
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The Super Bowl matchup is final, and it features two familiar teams: the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. Super Bowl LIX (59) will be a repeat of Super Bowl 57 — which the Chiefs won. Kansas City went on to win again last year, and is looking to make history as the first NFL team to win three consecutive Super Bowls.
As for last night, the Eagles dominated the NFC Championship game with a 55-23 win against the Washington Commanders. On the AFC side, the game was a nail-biter with the Chiefs and Buffalo Bills battling until the end, with a final score of 32-29.
When/where to watch: You can watch the big game on Sunday, February 9, at 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX, played at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The Superdome has hosted the Super Bowl more than any other stadium, with this year marking its eighth time hosting the big game and the 11th time for the city.
Halftime: Kendrick Lamar will headline the halftime performance, joined by multi-Grammy winner SZA.
Start getting your snacks ready!
Mosheh, Jill, Sari, & Lauren
PS: Don’t forget to refer friends & family to subscribe to the Mo Newsletter… you could get free Mo News merch — DETAILS at the bottom of this newsletter!
📣 BABYARK: A CAR SEAT WHERE SAFETY HAS NO EXPIRATION DATE
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Taking all the safety features you know and love from infant car seats (LATCH, anti-rebound bar, and a front load leg), plus two new patented energy absorption systems to protect against both frontal and side impact, babyark is committed to keeping your little one safe.
While there are many options out there, there’s only one using technology proven on helicopters and armored cars.
📌 HEGSETH & NOEM CONFIRMED TO TRUMP’S CABINET; RFK JR., PATEL & GABBARD UP NEXT
Late Friday night, Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote to confirm President Trump's Defense Secretary pick, Pete Hegseth. All 47 Democrats and three Republicans voted against his nomination, due to concerns over his qualifications and accusations of sexual and workplace misconduct.
The three Republicans who voted no were Sens. Susan Collins (ME), Mitch McConnell (KY), and Lisa Murkowski (AK).
Rewind: During Trump’s first term, Collins and Murkowski occasionally broke ranks by voting against his Cabinet nominees and judicial picks, helping to block a GOP healthcare plan, and voting to convict him on impeachment charges stemming from the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
McConnell sparred with Trump in 2017-2021 as Senate Majority Leader, but ultimately helped most of his agenda pass. Now, he may be a bit of a wild card in the Republican Senate caucus.
The confirmation of Hegseth marks a departure from the traditionally bipartisan support for Defense Secretary nominees.
Hegseth is only the second cabinet secretary in U.S. history to be confirmed on a tie-breaking vote: Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos in 2017 was the first, with then-Vice President Mike Pence casting the deciding vote.
Over the weekend: In a 59 to 34 vote on Saturday, Kristi Noem was confirmed as the Secretary of Homeland Security.
The former congresswoman and two-term South Dakota governor will head Trump’s planned crackdown in undocumented immigration and mass deportations.
Most of Trump’s incoming cabinet. Via: CNN
BIG WEEK AHEAD
As the Trump administration moves to fill key positions, some of the most contentious confirmation battles are anticipated this week.
Wednesday: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Health and Human Services). RFK would oversee the nation’s healthcare system, including public health agencies like the CDC and FDA.
He’s a controversial choice for his anti-establishment views – including criticism of vaccine mandates and other public health initiatives – and his limited experience in healthcare. Conservatives also worry about his past support for abortion access.
Thursday: Kash Patel (FBI). While the position is not in Trump’s cabinet, Patel will need Senate confirmation to lead the FBI. Patel is known as a Trump loyalist and vocal critic of the FBI and intelligence agencies, accusing them of political bias.
He’s made comments that he would shut down the FBI’s headquarters to create a museum of the “Deep State.”
Thursday: Tulsi Gabbard (Director of National Intelligence). A former Democratic congresswoman, Gabbard would oversee the 18-agency intelligence community and coordinate national security briefings for the president.
She has been accused of parroting pro-Russia propaganda after their invasion of Ukraine, and once met with toppled dictator Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
Bottom line: The GOP’s slim 53-47 Senate majority does not allow too much dissent. A senior Trump White House official told NBC News, “It’s pass-fail. You either support everyone or you don’t… The Senate needs to advise and consent, not advise and adjust.”
📌 CIA ON COVID-19 ORIGINS: LAB LEAK THEORY MOST LIKELY EXPLANATION
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) updated its assessment of the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic over the weekend. Trump’s new CIA director, John Ratcliffe, declassified and made public the Biden administration-ordered analysis.
The “CIA assesses with low confidence that a research-related origin of the COVID-19 pandemic is more likely than a natural origin based on the available body of reporting,” a CIA spokesperson said in a statement.
Ratcliffe said that he wanted the CIA to drop its neutral stance on COVID’s origins and “get off the sidelines.”
The competing theories are (1) that the outbreak originated from a market where an infected animal came in contact with humans – natural origin, or (2) that the virus leaked from a high security lab in Wuhan that creates dangerous viruses for research purposes.
IS THERE CONSENSUS?
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Energy have also said the lab leak theory is most probable.
The CIA is not working with any new intelligence, and the new assessment was made with "low confidence" — a result of fragmentary and incomplete data.
Why? There is no hard evidence the specific novel virus was in any laboratory before the outbreak, but we do know the lab was working on coronaviruses.
The National Intelligence Council’s investigation supports the animal-to-human transmission theory, also with low confidence.
✔︎ Mo News Reality Check: Five years after the initial outbreak, questions around COVID-19’s origins remain hotly contested. China has stalled international efforts to probe the virus’s origin in Wuhan — which scientists warn could prevent future outbreaks.
Other officials in the international community believe the origins matter less because, either way, the Chinese government failed to regulate markets and oversee its labs.
📌 MORE ISRAELI HOSTAGES RETURN HOME, BUT FUTURE OF GAZA REMAINS UNCLEAR
Over the weekend, four additional Israeli hostages were released from Gaza, while 200 Palestinian prisoners were freed from Israeli jails, as part of the first stage of a tense ceasefire deal. Hamas demanded a 50:1 exchange for this group.
The hostages were Karina Ariev (20), Daniella Gilboa (20), Naama Levy (20), and Liri Albag (19) — all Israeli soldiers captured by Hamas from the Nahal Oz military base on October 7, 2023.
After 477 days in captivity, they were reunited with their families at an Israeli military base.
Israeli officials reported that the women were malnourished and described their physical and emotional conditions as “complex.”
During their time in Gaza, the women endured harsh conditions, including periods of starvation, lack of sanitary facilities, and inadequate medical care. One hostage was held alone in a tunnel for an extended period. Before their release, Hamas paraded the hostages through a large crowd, onto a stage with anti-Israel slogans.
Also on Saturday, 200 Palestinian prisoners – nearly two thirds serving life sentences for terror attacks that killed and injured Israelis – were set free.
TRUMP ON GAZA’S FUTURE
Trump said on Saturday that he wants Jordan and Egypt to take in more than 1 million Palestinian refugees as part of a plan to “clean out” Gaza.
He proposed building housing for displaced Palestinians in other Arab countries, calling Gaza “a demolition site” after 15 months of war.
The idea was swiftly rejected by Jordanian leaders, and Egypt has opposed similar suggestions in the past. Leaders of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas also condemned the idea.
Trump also reversed a hold on shipments of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, which the Biden administration had put in place — signaling a more lenient posture toward the Netanyahu government.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 White House in talks to have Oracle and U.S. investors take over TikTok (NPR)
📌 President Trump and Los Angeles Mayor Bass spar over permit and cleanup process (MO NEWS)
📌 Government workers dismayed by Trump's return-to-office mandate (NBC)
📌 Trump says he wants to overhaul FEMA as he travels to North Carolina and California (NPR)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Trump slaps tariffs on Colombia after it turns around US migrant flights (POLITICO) Coffee prices could soar (AXIOS)
📌 Elon Musk tells Germans to get over ‘past guilt’ over Holocaust/WWII in speech to far-right AfD party rally (POLITICO)
📌 WH announces extension of Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, avoiding renewed fighting (Axios)
📌 South Korean prosecutors indict impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his martial law (BBC)
📌 WHO chief urges end to attacks on Sudan health care after 70 killed in drone strike (NBC)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 Expect record-high egg prices for most of the year (CNN)
📌 SpaceX to launch Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center, will release more Starlink satellites (FOX)
📌 Elon Musk’s DOGE is coming for the penny (USA TODAY)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Bill Gates reveals Melinda French Gates divorce is his biggest regret in life (E!)
📌 Mel Gibson’s ‘Flight Risk’ is No. 1 at box office, ‘The Brutalist’ expands (AP)
📌 Jannik Sinner wins back-to-back Australian Opens, defeating Alexander Zverev for third Grand Slam title (YAHOO)