USA women spark controversy AGAIN as six players stay SILENT during national anthem before their last 16 World Cup exit against Sweden

• Members of USWNT chose not to sing the national anthem before Sweden loss
• But several members of the team did sing along prior to their round of 16 fixture
• Players’ decisions to remain silent in previous games had attracted controversy 

By Adrian Bishop For Mailonline

Updated: 08:22 EDT, 6 August 2023

USA or China? When explorer Kyle Obermann shows people photos of his off-the-beaten path adventures that is one question he loves to ask as ‘it’s easy to confuse the two countries when it comes to their natural beauty.’

The 31-year-old Texan has spent almost a decade visiting some of China’s lesser-known parts and he says that ‘beyond the smog’ there is a lush landscape that often gets overlooked. Indeed, he highlights that China has the second highest number of plant and animal species on Earth and only Brazil has more.

He told DailyMail.com that in a bid to protect its natural beauty, China announced the creation of five national parks in 2021 and about 49 more (spanning 1.1 million square kilometers or more than 424,000 square miles) were set to be established by 2035.

The first National Parks of China include Sanjiangyuan, the Giant Panda National Park, Wuyishan National Park, the National Park of Hainan Tropical Rainforest, and the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park.

Obermann says Sanjiangyuan is one of his favorite national parks as it was the first and the largest – ‘about 13 times the size of Yellowstone.’

He continues: ‘The name literally means the “Source of the Three Rivers” because it is where the Yellow, Yangtze, and Mekong rivers all originate on the Tibetan Plateau. 

‘It’s at an average height of 4,700m (about 15,000ft), which is just an insane scale when you compare that to the highest peaks of Europe or the United States. The plateau, its flora and fauna, are simply unlike anywhere else on earth.’

His other favorite is the Giant Panda National Park, which was formed by ‘amalgamating around 80 pre-existing nature reserves that also encompasses tens of thousands of people living within its borders.’ 

This area of China is extremely mountainous, Obermann says, and the scenery varies from ‘wet bamboo forests shrouded in fog to small villages alongside river valleys.’  

Due to the small communities scattered here and there, the adventurer says ‘here more than any other national park is where the issue of managing human livelihood and nature conservation comes to play.’

Obermann highlights that as with other fertile spots on the map, poaching is a problem in China. 

Pandas, snow leopards and tigers are among the species most at risk, but it is hoped that the establishment of the government-backed national parks will help to combat illegal hunting activities. 

To help efforts further, Obermann is currently building the first English-Mandarin language platform with two Chinese co-founders that ‘will allow people all over the globe to get involved in following and supporting Chinese local conservation efforts.’

He adds: ‘The platform will be online, and hosted through our new non-profit, the China Outdoors and Conservation Network.’

As to when his interest in China’s natural beauty began, Obermann traces it back to 2014 when he moved there to finish his undergraduate degree at Peking University.

This was also the year the Chinese central government proposed a centralized National Park System. 

During his year at Peking University, Obermann used all of his time off to go backpacking, and when those weren’t enough, he ‘skipped a week of class.’ 

Each time he returned from his adventures in the wilderness, he said he was ‘stunned’ that neither his Chinese classmates nor professors had heard of the places he had been. 

‘I began to realize there was a critical lack of awareness about China’s natural beauty and there was a story to tell,’ he recalled.

One of his first jobs as a photographer in China was working with the American nonprofit Conservation International. 

With the organization’s help, Obermann was able to enter some of his first nature reserves, which were apparently ‘very hard to access even for a Chinese citizen.’

He revealed: ‘I was the first photographer let into at least one of these reserves. The raw beauty of the mountains and dynamic relationship between the local rangers, villagers, and remaining poachers intrigued me. 

‘The policy apparatus surrounding these systems were even more complex. Though I was not aware of it at the time, this reserve would later become part of the Giant Panda National Park.’

Asked what people’s biggest misconceptions are about China, Obermann says that it’s often ‘it is just a polluted sprawl of overpopulated metropolises.’ 

He says that because China’s ‘pollution, urban density, and smog has received lots of media coverage, its wild beauty has got forgotten.’ 

The conservationist, who is now based between New York and Chengdu, muses: ‘Forty-two percent of the country is wilderness. 

‘When many people see my photos of China they think I am showing photos of the Dolomites or Canadian Rockies. 

‘Similar to how important raising global awareness about China’s smog was essential for ushering in better clean air policies a decade ago, we need to raise global awareness for the significant wild lands and wildlife that China has so that they are protected today.’

Looking ahead, Obermann says there are many other parks expected to be announced soon, like the Gaoligong Mountains National Park, Minya Konka National Park, Qilian Mountains National Park, and Shennongjia National Park. 

While during his student days, hiking wasn’t a common hobby, Obermann says times have changed in China and adventuring has become increasingly ‘cool.’

Explaining what the hiking demographic in 2023 is like, he says: ‘Ten years ago, it was pretty limited to a small selection of middle-class Chinese born in the late 1970s or 1980s. 

‘Now, the type and number of people who hike in China has exploded. Glamping, of course, has become popular with the young influencers. 

‘Tackling peaks 5000m (about 16,400ft) or more on a long weekend has become standard fare. 

‘On average, the Chinese adventuring community like to travel in larger groups with pack-mules and guides which is quite different from western solo or ultralight backpacking culture. 

‘So, the scale of everything is larger: the elevation, the eagerness to enter nature in large groups, and the pace of change.’

Before venturing off for a trail run around New York and to find some suitably spicy Chinese food, Obermann offers a final lure for people to explore China’s wild side. 

He concludes: ‘These parks are truly some of the most memorable places I’ve visited on the planet. China’s incredible flora and fauna make it the fourth most biodiverse nation on earth. After my first trek I was hooked, and I’m dedicated to helping this area on the map and those protecting it to flourish for generations to come.’

To follow Obermann’s work, visit his Instagram page @kyleobermann.

The Director of National Intelligence on Friday released to Congress their long-awaited report into Intelligence Community conclusions about the origins of COVID-19, and their assessment of the ‘lab leak’ theory. 

In March, President Joe Biden signed into law a bill to declassify intelligence on the origins of COVID-19.

The DNI’s 10-page report did not provide any fresh conclusions as to the Wuhan lab, and shows the various agencies are divided as to the origin of the pandemic.

The Department of Energy, which oversees biological research labs in the U.S., concluded with ‘low confidence’ in February of this year that the virus most likely came from a lab in Wuhan. The FBI concluded the same with moderate confidence. 

The National Intelligence Council and four other agencies disagree, saying the pandemic likely begun naturally. 

The CIA, meanwhile, is on the fence and has been unable to say with certainty how it begun, given repeated blocks imposed by the Chinese authorities. 

‘The Central Intelligence Agency and another agency remain unable to determine the precise origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, as both hypotheses rely on significant assumptions or face challenges with conflicting reporting,’ the report states.

The Intelligence Community (IC) was asked to explore ‘whether the first human infection with SARS-CoV-2—the virus that causes COVID-19—was the result of natural exposure to an infected animal or a laboratory-associated incident.’

The report states that both natural exposure and lab leak could be the source of the outbreak, and none of the U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded definitively how the pandemic begun.

‘All agencies continue to assess that both a natural and laboratory-associated origin remain plausible hypotheses to explain the first human infection,’ the report says.

The report notes that the Wuhan lab did work with the Chinese army on bioweapons programs.

Scientists in the lab were employed from 2017-19 ‘to enhance China’s knowledge of pathogens and early disease warning capabilities for defensive and biosecurity needs of the military.’

The report notes, however, that they have not found any evidence that COVID-19 was manufactured by the lab technicians.

‘Prior to the pandemic, we assess WIV scientists conducted extensive research on coronaviruses, which included animal sampling and genetic analysis,’ the report says. 

‘We continue to have no indication that the WIV’s pre-pandemic research holdings included SARSCoV-2 or a close progenitor, nor any direct evidence that a specific research-related incident occurred involving WIV personnel before the pandemic that could have caused the COVID pandemic.’

The DNI noted that the lab had one of the world’s largest collections of bat samples, and has worked with pangolins and mice, among others, to study coronaviruses.

The lab worked to genetically alter the viruses. 

But they do not believe that COVID-19 resulted from their experimentation.

‘We assess that some scientists at the WIV have genetically engineered coronaviruses using common laboratory practices,’ the report states. 

‘The IC has no information, however, indicating that any WIV genetic engineering work has involved SARS-CoV-2, a close progenitor, or a backbone virus that is closely-related enough to have been the source of the pandemic.’

The DNI did say there was concern about the safety protocols in the lab, although they could not definitively say that lax safety caused a lab leak.

‘Some WIV researchers probably did not use adequate biosafety precautions at least some of the time prior to the pandemic in handling SARS-like coronaviruses, increasing the risk of accidental exposure to viruses,’ the report says. 

‘Before the pandemic, the WIV had been working to improve at least some biosafety conditions and training. 

‘We do not know of a specific biosafety incident at the WIV that spurred the pandemic and the WIV’s biosafety training appears routine, rather than an emergency response by China’s leadership.’

The report points to ‘a need to update aging equipment, a need for additional disinfectant equipment, and improvements to ventilation systems.’

The DNI report discusses illnesses among scientists working at the lab in the fall of 2019, with symptoms similar to COVID.

But again they say the evidence is not definitive either way.

‘Several WIV researchers were ill in Fall 2019 with symptoms; some of their symptoms were consistent with but not diagnostic of COVID-19. 

‘The IC continues to assess that this information neither supports nor refutes either hypothesis of the pandemic’s origins because the researchers’ symptoms could have been caused by a number of diseases and some of the symptoms were not consistent with COVID-19.’

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis held an informal gathering among his top national donors as well as fellow GOP governors and candidates to ‘get to know one another’ over drinks and cigars as his gubernatorial re-election bid nears – and as he positions himself for a potential presidential run in 2024. 

The event in Fort Lauderdale, which sources described to Politico as ‘the most significant assembly of Republican governors outside of the RGA so far this year,’ featured a number of notable GOP luminaries.

Governors Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Henry McMaster of South Carolina, Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma and Bill Lee of Tennessee were all said to be present, along with Arkansas gubernatorial candidate and former Trump White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, former Maine Governor and current gubernatorial candidate Paul LePage and Nevada Senate candidate Adam Laxalt.

The presence of loyal Trump lieutenant Huckabee Sanders at a confab for the former’s potential rival might raise eyebrows, as Trump endorsed her nomination to run for Arkansas governor.

Conservative media figures present included Buck Sexton, Lisa Boothe and Josh Hammer. 

The event was seen as an informal and ‘lightly scheduled’ opportunity to connect key donors and conservative media figures with Republican governors and candidates allied to DeSantis.

The day-long conference served to shore up and consolidate DeSantis’ support base for his upcoming gubernatorial re-election race to keep his seat as Governor of Florida.

It featured a ‘get to know you session’ over ‘drinks and cigars’ and panels moderated by DeSantis that introduced the personalities and policies of the visiting governors and conservative pundits. 

However, any proposed run in 2024 would likely see DeSantis come up in direct competition against former President Trump in the presidential primaries. 

A recent New York Times / Sienna College poll put Trump’s support among GOP voters to be the 2024 presidential candidate in a narrow minority for the first time, as 49 per cent said they wanted it to be the 2016 winner.

Ron DeSantis was next, but with just half the support at 25 per cent. However, he is the challenger that party insiders view as the most potent threat to Trump.

There is a substantial drop-off after that, with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz getting 7 per cent support, former Vice President Mike Pence getting 6 per cent, former South Carolina Gov. and UN ambassador Nikki Haley at 6 per cent, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at 2 percent. 

So far DeSantis has refused to publicly rule out a run for president in 2024 when given the opportunity, even if it means running against Trump. 

When asked whether he would challenge Trump in the primaries during an interview with Fox News last month, DeSantis replied ‘nice try, man.’ 

And there are reports that DeSantis is set to hold another private fundraiser for his gubernatorial re-election campaign next week in the state of Utah that is expected to draw some of the country’s wealthiest Republican donors.

Sources who briefed CNBC on the matter asked not to be named due to the fact that the DeSantis campaign is trying to keep the event, in a state 2,000 miles away from Florida, on the down-low and away from Trump’s attention.

Invites have been sent verbally, instead of by email, to limit any paper trail, a source said. 

Trump has said that he gets along with DeSantis, who supported him in 2016, but the former president has made strong efforts to assert his dominance within the party, picking favorites in key primaries and trying to defeat Republicans who voted to impeach him.

Trump likes to boast that his endorsement for GOP primary candidates is the key to their election victories and he would be a formidable foe to DeSantis. 

Though the Florida governor is coming to Utah to raise money for his 2022 gubernatorial re-election campaign, fundraisers held in far-flung states like Utah often suggest national aspirations. 

Utah is one of the reddest states in the union, having voted for the Republican candidate in each of the last six elections. They voted for Trump over Biden by 20 per cent in 2020. 

DeSantis’ re-election campaign has already raised $96million from GOP megadonors for the Nov 8 vote, where he will face off against a Democrat challenger who will be determined when the primary elections take place on Aug 23.

Former governor Charlie Crist was seen as the strong favorite, holding a 21 point lead over nearest challenger Nikki Fried in June and having raised four times the funding from donors at around $8million.

But the past month has seen a collapse in Crist’s support, and the latest poll by Real Clear Politics put both Crist and Fried neck and neck at 39 points each.

Pundits in the media see the Democratic primaries as mainly a sideshow, with a re-election for DeSantis, a nationally known figure and rising GOP star, as their likeliest outcome.

Re-election in November is seen as a vital step in any potential presidential run in 2024. 

Ron DeSantis’ team was contacted for comment. 

But former President Trump may have problems of a different nature to overcome before he can formally run as a candidate in 2024.

Panel vice chair Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) of the January 6 committee claimed it was ‘nonsense’ to argue that Trump was misled into believing the election had been stolen from him as the committee played testimony from former White House counsel Pat Cipollone claiming he told Trump to concede after Dec 14.  

The Wyoming Republican, ranking member on the Jan 6 committee, said yesterday the committee had seen a ‘change’ in how Trump-allied witnesses and lawyers had approached the committee’s investigation

‘Today, there appears to be a general recognition that the committee has established key facts including that virtually everyone close to President Trump – his Justice Department officials, his White House advisors, his White House Counsel, his campaign – all told him the 2020 election was not stolen,’ Cheney said. 

She said this had forced Trump’s attorneys to ‘change the strategy’ for defending him. ‘Now the argument seems to be that President Trump was manipulated by others outside the administration that he was persuaded to ignore his closest advisors and that he was incapable of telling right from wrong.’ 

The committee played a clip where White House counsel Pat Cipollone told them that by mid-December he had urged the former president to give up his election fraud claims after court after court ruled against him. 

‘Did I believe he should concede the election at a point in time? Yes I did.’

New National lottery operator Allwyn sees revenues surge 80% to £1.4bn following takeover of Camelot

• The Czech-owned company said its first-quarter revenue grew to €1.65bn 
• Allwyn claimed to experience a ‘limited impact’ from inflationary pressures
• From February 2024, Allwyn will run the UK’s National Lottery for a decade

By Harry Wise For This Is Money

Updated: 11:26 EDT, 13 June 2023

Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.

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A children’s choir was told to stop singing the National Anthem by Capitol Police because it was deemed a ‘demonstration,’ but police insist it was a ‘miscommunication.’ 

The Rushingbrook Children’s Choir – based in South Carolina – was singing inside the US Capitol on May 26 when a female Capitol Police officer directed a congressional staffer to stop the show, Choir Director David Rasbach told the Daily Signal. 

‘I was shocked, I was dismayed, I was stunned,’ the director told the outlet. ‘I couldn’t believe that was happening, that they would stop the National Anthem of all songs.’ 

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy branded the move to stop the children as ‘unacceptable.

In a tweet, he said he would be welcoming them back saying: ‘Just learned kids were interrupted while singing our National Anthem at the Capitol. Unacceptable. 

‘These children were welcomed by my office because your Capitol is back open, particularly for school groups.

‘@RepTimmons, @RepJoeWilson, & @RepRussellFry, and I look forward to having them back to perform in the halls of Congress.’ 

Rasbach said the officer called the performance a ‘demonstration’ and said some were offended by the performance – although, he doubts that because ‘her time was consumed with us’ to hear what others were saying. 

Pop-up performances are ‘not allowed in the US Capitol without the proper approval,’ a Capitol Police spokesperson told DailyMail.com on Saturday. However, they said the interference was ‘due to a miscommunication.’ 

‘The US Capitol Police were not aware that the Speaker’s Office had approved this performance,’ the spokesperson said. ‘We apologize to the choir for this miscommunication that impacted their beautiful rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner and their visit to Capitol Hill.’ 

Rasbach had sought permission from his South Carolina Representatives William Timmons and Joe Wilson, as well as Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy – all of whom provided documentation giving the group permission to perform, the director told the Daily Signal. 

Prior to their performance, another staffer had stopped them from singing, but after getting in contact with higher ups to confirm their permission, allowed them to sing their five scheduled songs – The Star-Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful, My Country ‘Tis of Thee, I Bought Me a Cat, and Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.

After his group stopped singing, Rasbach said he approached the officer to ask her: ‘How do you think this is going to affect these children? Their first time visiting their Capitol and then they have this disappointment.’ 

She reportedly told them they ‘sounded beautiful’ but to go outside if they wanted to continue. 

‘Children singing the national anthem in their Capitol is not a threat to anybody,’ the director told the outlet. 

Timmons, Wilson, and McCarthy didn’t think so either, saying in a statement to the Daily Signal: ‘We recently learned that schoolchildren from South Carolina were interrupted while singing our National Anthem at the Capitol. 

‘These children were welcomed by the Speaker’s Office to joyfully express their love of this nation while visiting the Capitol, and we are all very disappointed to learn their celebration was cut short. We are delighted that the People’s House has been reopened particularly for our children and we look forward to welcoming more Americans back to the halls of Congress.’ 

Marjorie Taylor Greene took to Twitter to criticize the police, writing: ‘Rushingbrook Children’s Choir were singing the National Anthem in the Capitol and were stopped by Capitol police. They were told that “certain Capitol police said it might offend someone/cause issues.” 

‘The National Anthem sung by children is not offensive, it’s needed more.’ 

Travellers are flocking to this ‘magical’ stretch of rainforest despite being home to one very dangerous animal: ‘It’s paradise’

• Adventures are flocking to Lacey’s Creek Walking Track
• It sits in Djiru National Park in Far North Queensland
• The trail winds through a magical rainforest 

By Louise Allingham For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 01:12 EDT, 5 May 2023 | Updated: 01:15 EDT, 5 May 2023