By Hudson Crozier

What’s new: The Energy Department says COVID-19 most likely originated from a laboratory accident in Wuhan, China, based on its new classified report. The department made the conclusion with “low confidence.”

Why it matters: Evidence has long indicated that a lab leak is the most likely cause of the pandemic. The Energy Department, which oversees U.S. labs and research facilities, has joined the FBI as the second U.S. government agency to lend credence to the theory. It wasn’t long ago that the mainstream media labeled it a “debunked conspiracy theory” and social platforms censored users for discussing it.

Congress’s ongoing investigation: Former National Institutes of Health (NIH) official Anthony Fauci loosened safety restrictions for the gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology ahead of the virus outbreak. He later lied under oath to Congress by saying the NIH never even funded the research. House Republicans have called upon Fauci to testify again as part of their investigation into the pandemic.

Opposition: Multiple U.S. agencies maintain that the virus likely came from infected animals, even going as far as working with Big Tech to suppress lab leak claims on social media. The CIA says it’s undecided on the theory, but a former government insider who worked in Wuhan has claimed that the CIA may be responsible for a lab leak.