How ‘Coffees' Made With Chickpeas and Barley Compare
The steaming liquid in the cup is thin and brown, with a familiar if not exceptional taste. 'Like the coffee you'd get in a deli,' as one of my coworkers put it.
Only the label of this medium roast blend by Atomo Coffee betrays that, in addition to coffee beans, the brew also contains things like date seeds and carob.
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Fox News
17 minutes ago
- Fox News
Patel sounds alarm as Chinese nationals charged with smuggling 'agroterrorism agent' into US: 'direct threat'
EXCLUSIVE – FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital that the case involving two Chinese nationals who were charged Tuesday with allegedly smuggling a "dangerous biological pathogen" into the U.S. to study at the University of Michigan laboratory demonstrates a serious national security threat to America's food supply. "This case is a sobering reminder that the Chinese Communist Party continues to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate our institutions and target our food supply, an act that could cripple our economy and endanger American lives," Patel told Fox in a statement. "Smuggling a known agroterrorism agent into the U.S. is not just a violation of law, it's a direct threat to national security. I commend the FBI Detroit Division and our partners at CBP for stopping this biological threat before it could do real damage." University of Michigan research fellow Yunqing Jian and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu – both citizens of the People's Republic of China – have been charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan announced Tuesday. The investigation is being conducted by the FBI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The couple are accused of smuggling a fungus called Fusarium graminearum, which scientific literature classifies as a "potential agroterrorism weapon," according to the Justice Department. Federal prosecutors note the noxious fungus causes "head blight," a disease of wheat, barley, maize, and rice, and "is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year." The Justice Department also says fusarium graminearum's toxins cause vomiting, liver damage, and "reproductive defects in humans and livestock." According to the criminal complaint, Jian, 33, allegedly received Chinese government funding for her work on the pathogen in China. Federal prosecutors say Jian's electronics contain information "describing her membership in and loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party." Liu, 34, allegedly works at a Chinese university where he conducts research on the same pathogen, according to the complaint. Federal prosecutors say "he first lied" but then admitted to smuggling Fusarium graminearum into the United States through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. His alleged goal was to conduct research on the pathogen at the laboratory at the University of Michigan where his girlfriend, Jian, worked, according to court documents. The FBI arrested Jian in connection with the allegations, and she was scheduled to make her first federal court appearance in Detroit on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Justice Department. It's unclear whether Liu has been taken into custody. "The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals – including a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party – are of the gravest national security concerns," U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon said in a statement. "These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a 'potential agroterrorism weapon' into in the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme." CBP Director of Field Operations Marty Raybon said the criminal charges levied against Jian and Liu "are indicative of CBP's critical role in protecting the American people from biological threats that could devastate our agricultural economy and cause harm to humans; especially when it involves a researcher from a major university attempting to clandestinely bring potentially harmful biological materials into the United States." "This was a complex investigation involving CBP offices from across the country, alongside our federal partners," Raybon said. "I'm grateful for their tireless efforts, ensuring our borders remain secure from all types of threats while safeguarding America's national security interests." Jian is still listed as a post-doctoral research fellow on the University of Michigan website as of Tuesday afternoon. Fox News Digital reached out to the University of Michigan for comment on Tuesday but did not immediately hear back. The Justice Department noted that a trial cannot be held on felony charges in a complaint, and a determination will be made about whether to seek a felony indictment when the investigation is completed. The charges were announced at a time when the Trump administration is cracking down on what they categorize as anti-American radicals at U.S. universities, particularly foreign students engaged in antisemitic or anti-Israel protests on campus. Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also announced he would be "aggressively" revoking the student visas for Chinese nationals, "including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields." Related to Harvard University in particular, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement accused what is perhaps America's most prestigious university of potentially having "collaborated with the CCP and other foreign adversaries."
Fox News
18 minutes ago
- Fox News
Suspected Chinese bioterrorists smuggled killer agent into US in boots, officials say
One of the two Chinese nationals arrested for allegedly smuggling a toxic crop-killing pathogen, which also has devastating health effects on humans, stuffed the noxious fungus into her boots while entering the United States in 2022, documents show. According to an arrest affidavit for University of Michigan post-doctoral research fellow Yunqing Jian and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, Jian first brought Fusarium graminearum, described as a "potential agroterrorism weapon" in scientific literature, in August 2022. A transcribed WeChat conversation between Jian and Liu shows Liu instructing Jian on how to smuggle the fungus, according to the affidavit. Liu: "Teacher Liang's seeds must be placed well." Jian: "Where to put it? I only have one pair of shoes. The insole cannot be pulled off." Liu: "Did you bring just one pair of shoes?" Jian: "3 pair, wear one pair." Liu: "Where did the seeds get put? In the tube?" Jian: "I put them in my Martin boots… in a small bag. The ziplock bag. Very small." Liu: "That's good… Just put it in your shoes." Jian: "I stuffed them in the shoes." Fusarium graminearum creates "head blight," a disease of wheat, barley, maize, and rice, and "is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year," according to the Department of Justice. It is also toxic to humans, and can cause vomiting, liver damage, and "reproductive defects in humans and livestock." The affidavit, which said that Jian has been attempting to smuggle the pathogen into the United States since she began post-doctoral studies funded by China in 2022, also accuses Jian of asking a third party to send her Fusarium graminearum in January 2024. "There are usually no problems," Jian said in a message to the third person. "Rest assured. I have mailed these before." That third person allegedly shipped the package, and hid the samples in a statistics textbook. The package was intercepted before it arrived. Jian is accused of lying on a student visa application about what exactly she planned to study in the United States. The latest smuggling attempt took place in July 2024, when Liu entered the United States at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport on a tourist visa under the guise of visiting his girlfriend, Jian, authorities said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) flagged Liu upon his arrival, searched his luggage and conducted an interview. The luggage search "revealed a wad of tissues crumpled up in a small pocket in LIU's backpack," according to the affidavit. "The tissues concealed a note in Chinese, a round piece of filter paper with a series of circles drawn on it, and four clear plastic baggies with small clumps of reddish plant material inside," the affidavit continues. An FBI laboratory test found that the filter paper contained Fusarium graminearum, and the baggies of material contained fibrous material that was infected with Fusarium graminearum, authorities said. "In addition, the laboratory identified 10 separate samples from the filter paper," the affidavit says. "Each sample had a hand drawn circle around it, and each circle was labeled with a code containing letters and/or numbers. The sample labeled '06172' was identified by the FBI laboratory to contain the DNA sequence for Fusarium graminearum. Liu initially denied knowingly putting the pathogen in his bag, but later admitted to doing it intentionally, authorities said. He allegedly revealed his entire scheme to the investigators, including telling them that he planned to use the same laboratory that Jian used at the University of Michigan to conduct research. He said that some days during his visit, the lab would be open for use, according to the affidavit, and other days, Jian planned to let him in. Jian and Liu have been charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud. "This case is a sobering reminder that the Chinese Communist Party continues to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate our institutions and target our food supply, an act that could cripple our economy and endanger American lives," FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital in a statement. "Smuggling a known agroterrorism agent into the U.S. is not just a violation of law, it's a direct threat to national security. I commend the FBI Detroit Division and our partners at CBP for stopping this biological threat before it could do real damage." The University of Michigan released a statement regarding the incident on Wednesday. "As one of the world's leading public research institutions, the University of Michigan is dedicated to advancing knowledge, solving challenging problems and improving nearly every facet of the human experience. Our research enterprise across all three campuses is united in this commitment to serving the people of Michigan and the world," the school said. "We strongly condemn any actions that seek to cause harm, threaten national security or undermine the university's critical public mission. It is important to note that the university has received no funding from the Chinese government in relation to research conducted by the accused individuals. We have and will continue to cooperate with federal law enforcement in its ongoing investigation and prosecution." READ THE FULL AFFIDAVIT
Fox News
18 minutes ago
- Fox News
4-H federally funded camps under fire for cabining kids, adult counselors by 'identity'
EXCLUSIVE: Some federally supported youth programs still have policies in place permitting attendees and adult camp counselors to stay in overnight housing based on their self-identified gender rather than their biological sex – despite the fact that the policy these rules are derived from has since been rescinded by the Trump administration, according to one nonprofit group. The Washington-area Center for Practical Federalism is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees 4-H youth programs that federally funded public universities across the country administer, to evaluate the programs' gender ideology standards. The 4-H programs offer a host of activities for youth through more than 100 public universities across the country in areas including health, science, agriculture and civic engagement. The Center for Practical Federalism is an arm of the nonprofit organization the State Policy Network, and seeks to provide resources to the American public and policymakers to educate them about federalism, and the balance between state and national politics to prevent government overreach. The issue originated in 2017, when the National 4-H Council and USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture shared a "4-H Guidance for Inclusion of Individuals of all Gender Identities, Gender Expressions, Sexual Orientation and Sexes" on a USDA-managed website. That guidance has since been rescinded, and the Trump administration issued an executive order in January instructing agencies to take "appropriate action to ensure that intimate spaces designated for women, girls, or females (or for men, boys, or males) are designated by sex and not identity." But policies that allow 4-H attendees and adult chaperones to stay in overnight accommodations based on their gender ideology – rather than their biological sex – remain in place in multiple states, according to the Center for Practical Federalism. "Now that the Trump administration has rescinded all prior federal policies advancing gender ideology and replaced them with a clear biological framework through Executive Order, it is essential to ensure that federal grantees, including land-grant universities running 4-H programs, bring their practices into alignment with the law," Tony Woodlief, the Center for Practical Federalism's senior executive vice president, said in a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, obtained by Fox News Digital. Specifically, the Center for Practical Federalism pointed to several instances where states have prioritized gender identity over biological sex for their 4-H programs. For example, the group alleged that, in 2022, the Rock Springs Ranch 4-H Camp in Kansas housed a person who was born a male but identified as a female in a cabin with preteen girls – without alerting the parents beforehand for consent. The Sentinel, a nonprofit news site that is a subsidiary of the free market think tank Kansas Policy Institute, also reported on the incident. The Kansas 4-H Foundation has not updated its gender policy online since then, which claims to ban gender discrimination based on "gender identity" in areas including housing, according to the Center for Practical Federalism. "The persistence of gender identity-based policies in 4-H programs shows how rescinded guidance can continue to shape policy and practice in violation of current federal directives," Woodlief said in the letter. "The situation at Rock Springs Ranch 4-H Camp in Kansas is a clear example of how these policies can conflict with parental rights and children's safety." The Kansas 4-H Foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Other states have similar policies, according to the Center for Practical Federalism. For example, California and Oregon both espouse policies in official documents or in training materials for their 4-H programs that place participants and adult chaperones in overnight housing based on their gender identity, rather than biological sex, the group said. The University of California's 4-H Youth Development Program did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital, nor did Oregon State's 4-H Youth Development Program. As a result, the Center for Practical Federalism is requesting that the USDA conduct a review of all federally funded 4-H programs, land grant institutions and 4-H facilities to determine where rescinded gender ideology policies are still being enforced. Likewise, the group urges the USDA to institute formal standards "to prevent subregulatory guidance from circumventing lawful rulemaking." "We also recommend that the Department use this case as a springboard for a broader, agency-wide audit of existing guidance documents, rescinding those that bypassed the regulatory process or are no longer necessary," Woodlief said in the letter. The USDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
