Timcast IRL · September 8, 2021 · 2h 0m

Timcast IRL #367 - New Documents Prove Fauci Lied To Congress, Committing Perjury w/Zaid Jilani

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Episode Recap

Timcast IRL episode 367 featured Tim Pool and co-hosts discussing newly released Intercept documents showing Anthony Fauci potentially lied to Congress about gain-of-function research funding at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The 900 pages of FOIA-obtained documents revealed grant proposals and progress reports demonstrating NIH-funded research involving chimeric viruses at the Chinese lab. Senator Rand Paul's calls for criminal action against Fauci were highlighted, with a Rutgers professor confirming the research met the federal definition of gain-of-function. Guest Zaid Jilani, a freelance journalist and former Intercept reporter, joined the discussion about media bias and institutional shifts. The panel also covered Rachel Maddow's retracted ivermectin story about Oklahoma hospitals being overrun, and the ACLU's reversal on vaccine passports. The conversation explored polarization in media, with Jilani noting his diverse background spanning left-leaning outlets like The Intercept and ThinkProgress to work with Fox News, as Tim Pool emphasized the importance of independent journalism and announced TimCast's upcoming fact-checking initiative.

TL;DR

  • →Intercept published 900+ pages of FOIA documents showing NIH and EcoHealth Alliance funded gain-of-function research at Wuhan Institute of Virology
  • →Anthony Fauci's congressional testimony claiming no gain-of-function research was conducted is now contradicted by the released grant proposals and progress reports
  • →Senator Rand Paul renewed calls for criminal investigation of Fauci, citing the new evidence from Rutgers professor confirming gain-of-function work
  • →Rachel Maddow was criticized for pushing fake news about ivermectin causing Oklahoma hospital overruns, a claim that did not occur
  • →Guest Zaid Jilani discussed his journalism career spanning The Intercept, Alternet, ThinkProgress, and Fox News amid increasing media polarization
  • →Tim Pool announced TimCast is launching a nonprofit fact-checking outlet to rate news organizations based on SPJ journalism ethics standards

Key Moments

  • 0:00
    Opening and Main Story Introduction
    Tim Pool opens the show discussing the Intercept documents proving Fauci potentially lied to Congress about gain-of-function research
  • 5:45
    Guest Zaid Jilani Introduction
    Tim introduces journalist Zaid Jilani, who worked at The Intercept and covered the very documents being discussed
  • 12:30
    ACLU Position Reversal Discussion
    Panel discusses how the ACLU completely reversed its stance on vaccine passports and civil liberties during the pandemic
  • 25:00
    Rachel Maddow Ivermectin Coverage
    Critique of Maddow's fake news about ivermectin and Oklahoma hospitals being overrun
  • 35:00
    Media Polarization Analysis
    Zaid Jilani discusses working across political spectrum and Glenn Greenwald calling Maddow a 'crackpot'
  • 45:00
    TimCast Fact-Checking Announcement
    Tim Pool announces upcoming nonprofit fact-checking outlet to rate media organizations

Notable Quotes

“New reporting by The Intercept shows that Anthony Fauci lied. And I think we knew that because there was a study that came out in 2017.”

— Tim Pool · Opening segment introducing the main story about Fauci and gain-of-function research

“Well, I'll be a little bit more bold than that. Rand Paul is saying, see, told you he lied. He lied again. Now Rand Paul has called for criminal action.”

— Tim Pool · Main discussion on Rand Paul's renewed calls for criminal investigation of Fauci

“I've spent probably a dozen years in journalism. I was a staff reporter at The Intercept. I was a reporter for Alternet. I was a reporter back at ThinkProgress back when it still existed at Center for American Progress.”

— Zaid Jilani · Guest introduction discussing his journalism background across various publications

“These organizations have lost the plot. The ACLU put out a report basically saying that in pandemics, government shouldn't be violating civil liberties. But they've done a total about face basically in the past year where they've embraced both mask mandates in schools and also vaccine mandates.”

— Tim Pool · Discussion of institutional position shifts on civil liberties during the pandemic

“I would say that we could probably just follow all the money to see what's really going on.”

— Ian Crossland · Co-host commentary on media bias and institutional accountability

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