Bill Maher Pushes Steve Bannon Wuhan Lab COVID Conspiracy

[Quixote1818]

Trying to keep an open mind on this but these two were not impressive. One of his main points was the virus doesn't spread well outside. So does that mean flu's and colds are man made since they spread better inside too?


Marlow Stern
Fri, January 29, 2021, 10:02 PM

Back in April, Bill Maher went on a hysterical rant against China over the novel coronavirus. The Real Time host insisted that COVID-19 be called “the Chinese virus” because it originated in China, citing the Spanish flu as precedent (which did not come from Spain, unbeknownst to Maher); railed against the “PC Police” for refusing to let him and others call it “the Chinese virus,” even though hate crimes against Asian-Americans had risen to 100 cases a day at the time; and compared China’s wet markets, where he said the virus originated, to nuclear bombs.

Well, on tonight’s edition of his HBO show, Maher welcomed a pair of podcast hosts, the husband-and-wife duo of Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying, to discuss the origins of COVID-19. Weinstein and Heying, for the uninitiated, are members of the so-called “intellectual dark web” who in 2017 both resigned from their posts as biology professors at Evergreen State College in protest of a minority-appreciation day, and have since whined about campus speech on a number of libertarian-leaning podcasts.

Maher proceeded to forward the conspiracy theory that COVID-19 was man-made and somehow escaped from a lab in Wuhan.

More: https://news.yahoo.com/bill-maher-pushes-bonkers-steve-050238602.html

[PirateRo]

1. This is why i stopped watching him

I wrote several times to the show about this constant sensationalism at the expense of the truth. The need to show fools and call them conservative when they are actually extremists or radicalized products of a contemptible intersection of an utter failure of critical thinking and profit motives.

I do not desire nor do i require circus. This lean caused him to lose a long-term viewer. I don’t see a path back.

[Bev54]

2. He has been an asshole for a long time

Quit watching him a few years ago, figured out he is just a shit disturber libertarian, and now I just do not find him funny anymore.

[SCantiGOP]

3. Maher is an egotistical asshole

I haven’t watched him in a year or two.
He shares many personality traits with our deposed dictator.

[Dem4Life1102]

6. Other than being a bigoted, racist, sexist,

rich, white male TV celebrity with sycophantic fans who will make excuses for him?

[kcr]

9. Mahar's fans are in denial about their own bigotry

They don't want to be associated with their old, Fox News watching dad. Mahar gives them a more palatable brand to identify with.

[greenman3610]

4. everything about that Maher/virus interview sets off alarms

He's talking to an "evolutionary biologist", not an epidemiologist or virologist.
Big red flag there.
"Science doesn't work that way" "you have to consider every possibility"

I didn't hear them say "I'm just asking questions" but I'm sure that's coming.

any experts who can weigh in?

[superpatriotman]

25. He should have oppposing views

Or more educated counterpoints to this nonsense

[pandr32]

5. I can no longer stand him

I cannot comment on the segment referred to because I haven't watched--and won't, but Maher pushing a conspiracy would not surprise me in the least.

[mindfulNJ]

7. Not sure

why anyone cares what Bill Maher says. The guy is an egotistical blowhard and always has been. No thanks.

[Initech]

8. That really pissed me off last night.

[womanofthehills]

33. Actually, Astra Zeneca, the vaccine they prefer will be here very soon

It’s cheaper - $3 to $10, maybe one shot instead of 2, does not need to be frozen so easier to get to rural areas, might have better resistance against the South African strain and it’s a traditional vaccine. The PEG vaccines are having higher allergic reaction numbers than traditional vaccines so many like me with severe allergic reactions in the past are waiting for the PEG free vaccines. I don’t know why people object to talking about these things.

[Initech]

34. I was talking about the virus born in a lab theory.

I'm totally OK with more vaccines being easily available, don't get me wrong.

[womanofthehills]

39. Well the WHO scientists will be in Wuhan for the next 3 months trying to find out

Where the virus came from. The lab in Wuhan is a bio safety level 4 working with coronavirus s and accidents can happen.

[Initech]

40. It will be interesting to see what they find, if anything.

Everything I've seen so far has suggested that it came from nature. We already had a SARS-COVID-1 20 years ago, this might be the next evolution of it.

[The Sentinel]

45. Of course it came from nature. The lab in Wuhan was studying coronaviruses from nature and doing

gain of function tests on them.

[StarryNite]

44. But the Germans aren't sure if AstraZeneca is safe for people age 65 and over.

Berlin (CNN)Germany's vaccine commission said the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine should not be given to people older than 65 years, amid a bitter dispute between the European Union and the drugmaker over delayed supplies.

The Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) at Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the country's main public health authority, found there is insufficient data on the effectiveness of the vaccine, developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, for this age group, according to a statement from the interior ministry on Thursday.
"Due to the small number of study participants in the age group ?65 years, no conclusion can be made regarding efficacy and safety in the elderly. This vaccine is therefore currently recommended by STIKO only for persons aged 18-64 years," the panel said in its recommendation.

[link:https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/28/europe/germany-astrazeneca-vaccine-coronavirus-grm-intl/index.html|

[mtnsnake]

10. Maher has been going downhill for quite a while. His show last night was very unsettling

with those two egotistical "scientists" spouting their baseless opinions about the virus leaking out of the Chinese lab as if their opinions were fact. During the entire time that Weinsstein and Heying were speaking, the one thing that kept running through my mind was that I was wondering if the two of them Trumpsters or not. Maybe they aren't, but we sure don't need that kind of shit right now.

Long ago Maher's shows would be comforting in the fact that we knew we had a solid ally in him, one with a big microphone. Lately his shows are not only raising our eyebrows, but they are boring as all hell. I wonder how long HBO will keep him because his ratings must be dropping drastically I would imagine.

[Blecht]

12. He's letting his thin skin show through lately

Last week a panelist said, "What are you? Paul Ryan?" when Maher was spouting Republican talking points about stimulus checks and deficits. Maher was a petulant little child in response. I was honestly embarrassed for Maher.

I tune in, but never while the show is airing live -- I need to be able to fast-forward through the bullshit. Lately it's been taking me about 10 minutes to get through to the end.

[gulliver]

11. Maher's really being dumb when it comes to science.

It could be his writers too. The jokes are really getting lower and lower in quality. I did like the tribute to Waxman at the end this last show.

[dhill926]

13. we decided last night to stop watching Maher...

made for a much more relaxed Friday night. Won't be going back....

[getagrip_already]

14. There really is some basis for that discussion....

Calling it all a conspiracy theory is a little strong. There are unanswered questions, though they may end up having no link to the spread of the virus. But there are legitimate questions.

For example, there was a us government funded project in wuhan to mutate the covid strains to see how bad the virus could get. It was under strict isolation protocols, but it still needs to be investigated. Fauci was involved in the funding. Probably not related, but you can see how links can be drawn.

Not every causal link is a conspiracy theory.

That said, these people are bonkers and likely aren't even referring to this program. They are conspiracy theorists, racists, and trumpists.

[Quixote1818]

15. There is a possibility that it came from the lab but not that it was man made

It's 100% spill over zoonotic virus according to all the scientific communities around the world that have looked into it. If it came from a lab, it was likely just someone not being careful and got infected. He goes into this around the 4 minute mark of the video:

[getagrip_already]

17. I'km not sure they can tell the difference between

naturally occurring and augmented. The lab was apparently combining animal strains, effectively creating superbugs out of naturally occurring viruses. They weren't splicing virus segments using dna methods, from what I've heard.

Some of the animal strain segments, from penguins for example, are hard to explain even in a wet market that doesn't sell penguins

Still, .

[Quixote1818]

24. This was in the linked article in the OP

“These two features of the virus, the mutations … of the spike protein and its distinct backbone, rules out laboratory manipulation as a potential origin for SARS-CoV-2,” explained Kristian Andersen, an associate professor of immunology and microbiology at Scripps Research, who authored a paper debunking the Bannon theory in March. Andersen’s conclusion was backed by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious-disease expert, who said all available evidence pointed to COVID-19 not originating in a Wuhan lab but in bats. And this month, Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a top virologist, released an article concluding that: “There is genetic evidence that SARS-CoV-2 has natural origins. There is no evidence to support a lab leak.”

[dalton99a]

16. I am ok with both of them getting COVID

Maher is a useless has-been

[SoonerPride]

18. That was only half the story of Bill Mahers guests last night

The other was their trashing of the MRNA vaccine technology of Pfizer and Moderna as if they where somehow going to cause harm to those who got them “because this is a new technology.”

That’s not a scientific argument about efficacy or potential side effects. It’s spook theory and fear mongering based on nothing.

“Be afraid of the new!”

It was embarrassing for him to give them the air time to spout their cuckoo nonsense.

[Upward]

32. They Have a Right to a Rational Opinion

And basing that opinion on the idea the AZ was their choice - and they made an emphasis on it being their choice, and their preference, not trying to push it on others - was a more proven technology is fair game.

[Maru Kitteh]

41. It's not a rational fucking opinion. It's fallacious.

It's like telling people it's a rational, "personal choice" to be afraid of a 2021 Prius because, you know - it hasn't been around long enough.

Promoting anti-vax horseshit and hiding it behind the skirt of "personal choice" is going to prolong the pandemic and get more people killed at the altar of mindless woo.

That couple and Bill should maybe try injecting disinfectant and shoving a powerful light up their asses and see how that works - because that's the level and quality of mentation they're engaged in.

[ismnotwasm]

19. Yeah I ignore that dude.

[AnyFunctioningAdult]

20. Just because someone crazy says something

Does not make that thing crazy. The idea that it came from a lab that just happened to exist in the region where it emerged is something that is worth looking into. Like Bret and Heather said, this virus has a lot of characteristics that at least make it a possibility. I am going to trust objective scientists a lot more than what authoritarian governments or crazy people like Bannon says. Saying it COULD have come from a lab is not a conspiracy theory. It is an unanswered question. And scientists asking questions and following evidence are good things.

[Quixote1818]

23. I agree it could have come from a lab. That isn't the main point though. They say it was man made

and scientific organizations from around the world have looked at it and determined it wasn't engineered, but jumped from an animal. Whether that occurred accidentally in a lab or not, no one knows. The fact that China was not prepared to deal with it seems to indicate whatever occurred, if it did come from a lab, was by accident. I am sure there is some really screwed up stuff in some of those labs that was human engineered. Lets hope it never gets out.

Generally I agree with your points. It is good to be open minded about these things. I would need to see a complete 360 in the scientific community about it not having jumped from an animal to start moving to the other side. With the current data presented to the public, it doesn't appear to be man made.

[sarcasmo]

21. IMHO, Maher is a Libertarian.

[kimbutgar]

22. Last week I watched and started getting angry and turned it off

I notice he’s getting more looney. And he’s going to lose two viewers in my family.

[TheFarseer]

26. Everyone knows

Covid happened because Randy Marsh screwed a pangolin. But seriously does anyone know how it started?

[myccrider]

27. I quit watching him years ago, well, mostly.

His anti-science, mean-spirited bs was the main reason.

My husband thinks he’s ‘funny’ enough to still be watchable, though, so I get exposed to the show anyway. I usually stay away while he’s on, but I heard some of what Weinstein was saying and came charging into the room. I was pacing back and forth while those two idiots were blabbling, yelling at the TV! Their entire spiel was ridiculous. "Oh, viruses aren’t naturally so contagious...." and I’m yelling "1918, you dipsh$t! What lab made that virus!!" "Measles is still as contagious as ever!! Who gengineered that one?!?!" And various other pithy comments on my part that they couldn’t hear.

I despise over-educated, pseudo-intellectual snobs who misrepresent science...and Maher is an uneducated, pseudo-intellectual who gives them a platform to spew their big lies.

[womanofthehills]

28. WHO Scientists are in Wuhan now to try to find origin of virus

They will be there for the next 3 months or so. The Wuhan lab actively studies cononavirises so why some believe an accidental release is not possible is beyond me. The Wuhan Institute of Virology is a biosafety level 4 lab with ties to our Galveston level 4 lab at the Univ of Texas along with labs in France and Canada - they all study cononaviruses interactively.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

29. There's no reason to keep an open mind about Bill Maher.

[Upward]

30. If Bannon's Support For the Theory Is Your #1 Reason For Discrediting It

You're playing his game.

[edhopper]

31. It's a pretty good reason

to discredit it.

That it's a wild conspiracy theory, which would include the CDC and WHO is another.

[Cinnamonspice]

35. People need to provide proof that it's man made or shut up.

Furthermore, it doesn't matter where a virus originates.

Once it comes to one's country, the leadership there needs to do what they can to prevent the spread of the virus. Trump didn't do that because it was supposedly all China's fault. He discouraged mask wearing, had rallies, etc. The Republican Party followed him on local levels.

[Upward]

37. Your Are Correct About One Thing

Preventing the spread is #1.

But you're wrong about thinking that people with actual scientific credentials shouldn't be allowed to have a part in the conversation, simply because their take makes you uncomfortable..

[Maru Kitteh]

42. Mengele had actual scientific credentials. It's proof of exactly

jack shit that two racist woo-woo nutjobs who were forced to resign from a community college have "actual scientific credentials."

More fallacy.

[Cinnamonspice]

43. The people in charge of the labs are supposed to let WHO in to investigate.

Until WHO or other scientists actually find proof of what happened in the labs, there is no reason to assume this was done on purpose. Accepting science is about accepting proof. It's not about accepting speculation. Keep in mind that coronaviruses have existed for decades. It only make sense that people would study it in a lab.

[Politicub]

36. He plays the role of a contrarian. So edgy.

He’s fun to watch when he criticizes the right-wing establishment.

He becomes insufferable when he suddenly becomes dormitory libertarian when the Democratic Party is in power.

Maybe he’s trying the Joe Rogan aw-shucks drag on for size.

[Warren_Pointe]

38. Seeing as he only recently accepted Germ Theory

looks like he went back for seconds.