Just when you thought the world had learned its lesson from the COVID-19 catastrophe, Chinese scientists have been busy in their labs—again—studying yet another bat coronavirus capable of infecting humans.

And guess who’s leading the charge? None other than Shi Zhengli, the infamous “Batwoman” of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the same institution at the center of the lab-leak theory that global elites have tried to bury.

According to a report from the South China Morning Post, the virus—dubbed HKU5-CoV-2—was identified by none other than Shi Zhengli, the infamous “Batwoman” of the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). Shi, whose lab has been at the center of theories regarding the origins of COVID-19, led a study alongside researchers from the Guangzhou Laboratory, the Guangzhou Academy of Sciences, and Wuhan University.

The newly discovered virus, a variant of the HKU5 coronavirus first found in Japanese pipistrelle bats in Hong Kong, reportedly has the ability to bind to the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor—the same receptor that SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, uses to enter human cells.

The study, published in Cell Press, details how HKU5-CoV-2, part of the merbecovirus subgenus that includes the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), has an alarming ability to infect human cells. Structural and functional analyses indicate that HKU5-CoV-2 binds to human ACE2 more efficiently than its predecessor, HKU5-CoV-1.

The virus was successfully isolated and confirmed to infect human ACE2-expressing cells, as well as human respiratory and enteric organoids. In layman’s terms: this virus, which originated in bats, is now proven capable of infecting human tissues.

More from Daily Mail:

The new HKU5-CoV-2 is a coronavirus belonging to the merbecovirus family of pathogens.

Merbecoviruses have been detected in minks and pangolins – the animal believed to be the intermediary for Covid between bats and humans.

This, the scientists wrote, ‘suggests frequent cross-species transmission of these viruses between bats and other animal species.’

They added: ‘This study reveals a distinct lineage of HKU5-CoVs in bats that efficiently use human [cells] and underscores their potential zoonotic risk.’

HKU5-CoV viruses were first detected in bats in 2006, but the new data suggests HKU5-CoV-2 has a ‘higher potential for interspecies infection’ than others.

However, the potential for HKU5-CoV-2 to spill over to humans ‘remains to be investigated.’

Who is Shi Zhengli?

The Gateway Pundit extensively covered Shi Zhengli. TGP first mentioned China’s Dr. Shi Zhengli on April 9, 2020, long before other news publications. About a week after our first post, Dr. Shi’s name was finally breaking into the mainstream media reports.

Chinese doctor Shi Zhengli was part of a team was working on a coronavirus project jointly with US doctors in 2014 before it was shut down by the DHS for being too risky.

After the US research project was shut down, Dr. Shi continued her coronavirus research in Wuhan, China.

After the work stopped in the US, the Chinese moved forward with the project and ran research and development in Wuhan at the Wuhan Virology Center. From Shi Zhengli’s papers and resume, it is clear that they successfully isolated the virus in the lab and were actively experimenting with species <-> species transmission.

The Gateway Pundit has obtained an article from Wuhan Institute of Virology, CAS, in which Dr. Shi was interviewed about her work on the coronavirus obtained from bats.

The article was in Chinese but has been translated. In the article from December 2017, Dr. Shi was interviewed and shared the following:

1. Shi Zhengli and others are called “virus hunters.” They search the world for viruses that have not yet infected humans. Before they wreak havoc, they study them clearly to prevent new infectious diseases.
2. The bat is the source for SARS
3. Viruses from bats generally require an intermediate host, such as the SARS virus.
4. The SARS virus in 2002-2003 was detected in civets (wild cats) sold to the Guangdong market.
5. From 2011 to 2015, Shi Zhengli’s research team took continuous samples from a small cave in Kunming, Yunnan.
6. All the genetic components of the SARS virus strain that caused human outbreaks were found in the bats in this cave.
7. Over the past five years [through 2017], the viruses they received were collected into a large “reservoir”.
8. The prevention and treatment of SARS epidemic is mainly through the direct report system of infectious diseases in hospitals: once the patients suspected of SARS are reported, they will report it. There are already diagnostic techniques and vaccine reserves. If the diagnosis is a case of SARS virus infection, isolate it immediately.
9. For these viruses that are easy to infect humans, we developed diagnostic techniques and even developed some vaccines for storage.

You can read more about TGP’s report on Shi Zhengli here.

The post You Can’t Make This Up: China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology “Discovers” Yet Another Coronavirus Capable of Human Transmission appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Kash Patel sent a letter to subordinates at the FBI prior to being sworn in as FBI Director on Friday afternoon. 

He stated that among his top priorities is to “rebuild the American people’s trust in the FBI.”

“I am honored to have been nominated and confirmed as your new Director,” the letter obtained by Fox reads.

“While I’m new to the Bureau’s ranks, I’ve spent my career in government service and the past decade in national security, working shoulder to shoulder with the FBI and many of its partners throughout the law enforcement and intelligence communities. My commitment has always been — and always will be — to pursuing justice and upholding the rule of law, and I look forward to continuing that commitment alongside all of you.”

Patel reportedly described keeping Americans safe as a “no-fail mission.”

“As I take on this new role, my priorities for our organization are twofold. First is to provide you with the tools and resources you need to keep our communities safe. This will include streamlining our operations at Headquarters while bolstering the presence of field agents across the nation and collaborating even more closely with our essential partners in state and local law enforcement,” he told FBI employees.

“Second is to ensure we rebuild the American people’s trust in the FBI. We’ll do that by committing ourselves to full transparency with the people’s representatives in Congress and by upholding the highest standards in all that we do, ensuring rigorous obedience to the Constitution and a single standard of justice for all.”

“I know that you, the dedicated men and women of the FBI, are courageous warriors of justice,” he continued.

“I will always have your backs, because you have the backs of the American people. I look forward to serving with you in the years to come.”

This will be a huge step up from Biden’s highly politicized FBI and FBI Director Chris Wray’s targeting of innocent Trump supporters, pro-lifers, Christians, and concerned parents at school board meetings. This is perhaps President Trump’s most consequential nomination to be confirmed by the Senate.

Patel made similar remarks during his swearing-in ceremony on Friday.

WATCH:

Patel: To the Senators and the men and women of the United States House of Representatives, you placed an enormous trust in me, an enormous leap of faith, one that I didn’t know that I could possibly earn back, but I’m going to spend every single day on this job doing so. The fact that you placed the confidence you did in me has inspired me to reach new heights at this job. I promise you the following: There will be accountability within the FBI and outside of the FBI, and we will do it through rigorous constitutional oversight starting this weekend.

I know the media’s in here, and if you have a target, that target’s right here. It’s not the men and women at the FBI. You’ve written everything you possibly can about me that’s fake, malicious, slanderous, and defamatory. Keep it coming, bring it on, but leave the men and women at the FBI out of it. They deserve better. 

And for those of you who think that there’s going to be a two-tiered system of justice, not with Attorney General Bondi. There’s a singular system of justice for all Americans, and there will be accountability. And the reason that this mission is so important is simply the following: 100,000 people last year raped, 100,000 people died of CCP fentanyl overdose and heroine, 17,000 homicides. Violent crime is out of control. We cannot have a United States of America where that is acceptable, where someone dies every 30 minutes or someone OD’s every seven, or someone’s raped every six. That cannot be allowed to continue, and it will not be allowed to continue.

Our national security mission is equally as important. Anyone that wishes to do harm to our way of life and our citizens here or abroad will face the full wrath of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. And if you seek to hide in any corner of this country or any corner of this planet, we will put on the world’s largest manhunt, and we will find you, and we will decide your end state, not you. We will uphold the Constitution. We will uphold ourselves to the Constitution. The men and women at the FBI, I have your back because you have the backs of the American people.

You will be held to the same high standard. Any deviation from that standard will not be tolerated at this Federal Bureau of Investigation.The men and women at the FBI who make us safe deserve better, and they are going to get it with our leadership and your support. God bless America, and God bless every single one of you. I love this country.

MUST WATCH: Kash Patel’s full statement after being sworn in as FBI Director.

pic.twitter.com/JWOnYZgC6j

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 21, 2025

The post FBI Director Kash Patel Sends Letter to Subordinates Laying Out New Agency Priorities Under His Leadership appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

3 people were killed in a shooting outside of a Louisville, Kentucky DMV on Friday afternoon.

The unidentified suspect(s) fled in a vehicle and are still at large.

.@WDRBNews Louisville Metro Police said it happened around noon at the Driver Licensing Regional Office on Dixie Highway just north of Interstate 265. pic.twitter.com/PtUTKBQPvL

— Stephan Johnson (@StephanWDRB) February 21, 2025

Authorities said the killing was a “deliberate act.”

One man was found dead in the parking lot and two other female victims were transported to a nearby hospital where they were pronounced dead.

Fox News reported:

Three people on Friday were shot and killed outside a Louisville, Kentucky motor vehicle office, in what authorities are calling a “deliberate act.”

The shooting took place at a driver’s license branch in the 6200 block of Willismore at around noon, the Louisville Metro Police Department (MPD) said.

When police arrived on the scene, they found one man shot dead in the parking lot.

Two women, who were also found with gunshot wounds, were taken to a nearby hospital and later succumbed to their injuries, the MPD said in a statement.

Louisville Metro Police Department Maj. Donald Boeckman told reporters that there was no ongoing threat to the public.

More on this story from KHOU 11:

The post DEVELOPING: 3 People Killed in Shooting Outside Louisville DMV in ‘Deliberate Act’ – Unidentified Suspect at Large appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

President Trump on Friday fired the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles “CQ” Brown and announced his replacement.

Trump nominated Air Force Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

President Trump also said he directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “to solicit nominations for five additional high level positions, which will be announced soon.”

Trump made the announcement on Truth Social:

I want to thank General Charles “CQ” Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family.

Today, I am honored to announce that I am nominating Air Force Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Caine is an accomplished pilot, national security expert, successful entrepreneur, and a “warfighter” with significant interagency and special operations experience.

During my first term, Razin was instrumental in the complete annihilation of the ISIS caliphate. It was done in record setting time, a matter of weeks. Many so-called military “geniuses” said it would take years to defeat ISIS. General Caine, on the other hand, said it could be done quickly, and he delivered.

Despite being highly qualified and respected to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the previous administration, General Caine was passed over for promotion by Sleepy Joe Biden. But not anymore! Alongside Secretary Pete Hegseth, General Caine and our military will restore peace through strength, put America First, and rebuild our military. Finally, I have also directed Secretary Hegseth to solicit nominations for five additional high level positions, which will be announced soon. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

The post BREAKING: Trump Fires Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles “CQ” Brown – Announces New Nominee appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

The left, with its usual hypocrisy, has once again shown its true face in the

The post Biden, Hamas’ Puppeteer! Trump Unleashes Conservative Fury by Releasing the Bombs the Left Wanted to Block. appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.