{"href":"https://api.simplecast.com/oembed?url=https%3A%2F%2Frealclearinvestigations.simplecast.com%2Fepisodes%2F116-1Juc0l3t","width":444,"version":"1.0","type":"rich","title":"The COVID Cover-Up with Paul D. Thacker | RealClearInvestigations Podcast #116","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/69be5d4f-b498-44bc-b3b5-f614ce9a7957/6d2786f9-b14f-4eba-87de-0d7ddfb06ace/rci_116_thumbnail_square_1080x1080.jpg","thumbnail_height":300,"provider_url":"https://simplecast.com","provider_name":"Simplecast","html":"","height":200,"description":"On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Paul D. Thacker about his RCI article which details the central yet largely hidden role played University of North Carolina virologist Ralph Baric in both the risky scientific work that may have created the virus that causes COVID-19 and the subsequent campaign to suppress public debate about its origins. \n \nIn our round-up of the week’s best investigative reporting, Zane and Varney discuss a Wall Street Journal article about the sources of political violence, a Washington Post story on the Trump administration’s effort to bring a venture capital mindset to the Pentagon, and a wide range of reports from PJ Media, the Federalist, the National Review and Fox News on the Trump administration efforts to highlight alleged wrongdoing by the Biden administration.\n\n00:00 Introduction and Podcast Overview\n02:55 Political Violence and Media Responsibility\n05:58 Pentagon's Venture into Silicon Valley\n08:59 COVID Cover-Up and Indictments\n12:00 Ralph Baric and the Origins of COVID\n15:09 Gain of Function Research and Its Implications\n25:38 The Personnel Matter and Media Response\n26:30 The Start of the Cover-Up\n27:41 Gain of Function Research Explained\n29:39 The Role of Media in Scientific Discourse\n31:15 Intel Briefings and Lab Accident Possibilities\n33:00 The Science Community's Response to COVID\n36:09 Financial Motivations Behind the Cover-Up\n39:35 The Implications of Scientific Research Funding\n42:10 The Future of Gain of Function Research\n44:10 The Need for Accountability in Science and Politics\n"}