At the Center of the Lab-Leak Controversy

GOP Draws Line at Orgy Allegations • Biden Labor Pick’s Nomination Tanked • An Update for U.S. Passports [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair Hive logo image]( At the Center of the Lab-Leak Controversy Good morning from the Hive newsroom! Katherine Eban [takes us inside]( EcoHealth Alliance, the virus-hunting nonprofit at the center of COVID-19’s lab-leak controversy. Eban’s investigation, drawing on more than 100,000 leaked documents, shines a light on President Peter Daszak’s murky proceedings and the still-undetermined origin of COVID-19. Elsewhere, Cristian Farias [says]( Justice Clarence Thomas would be wise to follow SCOTUS nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson’s lead on recusals in light of his wife Ginni Thomas’s texts. Caleb Ecarma [reports]( that the U.S. will now allow an “X” gender option on passports. Eric Lutz [explains]( why three Democrats, including Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, helped tank the nomination of Biden’s labor pick. Finally, Bess Levin [writes](, “The party that excused rioters smearing human shit on the walls of the Capitol draws the line at cocaine and orgy allegations.” Thanks for reading! [Image may contain: Human, Person, Advertisement, and Poster]( [“This Shouldn’t Happen”: Inside the Virus-Hunting Nonprofit at the Center of the Lab-Leak Controversy]( By [Katherine Eban]( [Chasing scientific renown, grant dollars, and approval from Dr. Anthony Fauci, Peter Daszak transformed the environmental nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance into a government-funded sponsor of risky, cutting-edge virus research in both the U.S. and Wuhan, China. Drawing on more than 100,000 leaked documents, a V.F. investigation shows how an organization dedicated to preventing the next pandemic found itself suspected of helping start one.]( [Read more button]( [Clarence Thomas Would Be Wise to Follow Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Lead on Recusals]( By [Cristian Farias]( [Clarence Thomas didn’t recuse himself from 2020 election cases despite his wife’s apparent closeness to efforts to keep Donald Trump in office and overturn Joe Biden’s electoral victory.]( [Read more button]( [U.S. Will Allow “X” Gender Option on Passports, Improve Government Inclusivity for Transgender Americans]( By [Caleb Ecarma]( [As Republican states wage a war against transgender Americans, Biden announced measures to make the federal government more inclusive on Transgender Day of Visibility.]( [Read more button]( [A Biden Labor Pick Was Vocal About Protecting Gig Workers. Three Democrats Helped Tank His Nomination.]( By [Eric Lutz]( [Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema, and Mark Kelly voted with Republicans to sink David Weil’s bid to be Biden’s wage and labor standards enforcer. Business groups forcefully lobbied against Weil’s nomination.]( [Read more button]( [Party That Excused Rioters Smearing Human S--t on the Walls of the Capitol Draws the Line at Cocaine and Orgy Allegations]( By [Bess Levin]( [Republicans, many of whom were okay with a plot to overturn the election, want Madison Cawthorn punished for his recent podcast claims.]( [Read more button]( Get on the list Subscribe to our Hollywood newsletter for your essential industry and awards-season news, every day. [Sign Up Now]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( This e-mail was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe](newsletter=vf) Sent from Condé Nast, 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007 Copyright © 2022 Condé Nast