Trump critic Massie joins Democrats in unprecedented bid to sue White House over Iran war
A lone House Republican is joining Democrats in an effort to get President Donald Trump sued over the Iran war. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., is one of the co-sponsors of a new resolution aimed at compelling House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to sue the Trump administration over allegations the president is violating federal law with the U.S. conflict in the Middle East. The bill is also being led by Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as Reps. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., Gabe Amo, D-R.I., Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., Jason Crow, D-Colo., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif. Massie accused Trump and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth of being “in blatant violation of two sections of the War Powers Resolution of 1973.” TRUMP AIMS TO RESET WAR POWERS CLOCK WITH CONTROVERSIAL BID TO BYPASS CONGRESS “For the first time since the law was enacted, a concurrent resolution has passed in accordance with 5(c) of the law, but the White House has ignored it. It seems they’ve assumed the law is unconstitutional, but no court has ever found that to be the case, so the law remains on the books while the White House flouts it. In the 1983 case INS v. Chadha, the Supreme Court did not opine on the 1973 War Powers Resolution. It’s time for the courts to settle this, and that’s what our legislation directs,” Massie said. “They’ve also violated section 5(b) of the law, but rather than ignore the law, they’ve perpetuated a ruse that the 60-day limit on Presidential military activity does not apply with respect to the Iran war, because each time they effect a temporary ceasefire, the statutory clock restarts. We believe no court would agree with this absurdity, and this should be litigated as well.” TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATE ED GALLREIN CALLS KENTUCKY WIN A ‘DAVID VS. GOLIATH’ VICTORY AFTER DEFEATING MASSIE Massie was one of four House Republicans who voted with Democrats to rebuke Trump over the Iran war with a war powers resolution that passed last week. The resolution is largely symbolic, however, and has no practical effect. His open criticism of Trump also earned Massie a primary challenger backed by the president, who wound up defeating the sitting congressman and will likely take his place in the House of Representatives next year. But the new resolution to sue Trump over the Iran war is not likely to get a full House vote unless Massie or Democrats use maneuvers to force it over the objections of House GOP leaders. REP TOM BARRETT: IT’S UP TO CONGRESS TO PREVENT ANOTHER ENDLESS AMERICAN WAR In his comments to Fox News Digital, Massie also criticized congressional leadership for not doing more to block the war. “Unfortunately, Speaker Johnson has chosen to let the power of our institution atrophy and is doing harm to our constitutional authority by his inaction motivated by political expediency,” Massie said. “Although both Iraq wars and the war in Afghanistan were authorized by AUMFs [Authorization for Use of Military Force] from Congress, the Trump administration has sought no such Congressional authorization for the war in Iran, and is therefore operating unconstitutionally.” Johnson, for his part, told reporters last week that he did not believe an AUMF was necessary but suggested he wanted to see an end to the war. “The administration is working very hard. The commander in chief and the whole Department of War, they’re working very hard to bring this to a resolution. There’s a lot of discussions about how that will be done,” Johnson told reporters Tuesday. “We’re all closely watching those developments. Of course, I don’t think an AUMF is in order right now. I think we need to bring this to a resolution.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
NY assemblyman calls for DOJ to investigate Mamdani, protect Jewish New Yorkers after stabbing attacks
A New York State assemblyman called on the U.S. Department of Justice to open a civil rights investigation into New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani following a pair of stabbings on Manhattan’s Upper West Side that are being looked at as potential hate crimes. New York State Assemblyman Michael Novakhov, who represents District 45 in Brooklyn, called for action during an End Jew Hatred rally in New York City on Sunday. “If the DOJ stepped in to protect Jewish students at Columbia, it must now step in to protect Jewish New Yorkers,” Novakhov wrote in a post on Instagram with video of the announcement, referencing a federal probe into alleged antisemitism at the university. SUSPECT ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY YELLING ‘ALLAHU AKBAR,’ STABBING 2 MEN IN NYC ATTACK Novakhov said he was sending the DOJ a formal letter requesting an investigation into New York State, New York City “and most importantly to investigate Mamdani’s hatred against the Jewish population of New York City and New York State.” Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s office for comment but did not immediately hear back. The victims in Thursday’s stabbing attacks were identified in media reports as Chok Sung, 57, and Moshe Grunhaus, 50. New York Attorney General Letitia James said both victims are currently in stable condition. The suspect, identified as Raul Morales, 51, is accused of yelling “Allahu Akbar” while stabbing two men on Thursday afternoon, according to officials. The Upper West Side is known as a neighborhood with a large Jewish population, and Thursday was Tisha B’Av, a day when Jews fast in mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. MAMDANI’S LATEST NETANYAHU REMARKS DEEPEN CONCERNS AMONG JEWISH LEADERS “Jewish New Yorkers should not have to hide their Stars of David, tuck away their kippahs, or fear walking their own streets,” Novakhov wrote. “The Jewish community deserves answers. No one is above the law,” his post read. Jewish leaders have recently spoken out against Mamdani’s comments on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling Netanyahu “a war criminal” and “the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people.” Mamdani had added that while City Hall lacks the authority to arrest Netanyahu, he believes the prime minister should be held accountable under the International Criminal Court’s warrant. This, despite the ICC not having any jurisdiction in the United States, as the U.S. is not a member of the international body. Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman-Diamond and Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
Scalise warns ‘Bolshevik revolution’ taking over Dem Party after socialist primary wins
The No. 2 leader in the House of Representatives is hammering Democrats after a slate of far-left primary victories ahead of the November midterms, warning a “civil war” is in store for their party. “There’s like this Bolshevik revolution that has taken over the Democrat Party. It’s scary to see because many of them are espousing communist viewpoints — very, very radical viewpoints — and they’re winning. They’re beating liberals,” Scalise told Fox News Digital in an interview. Republicans are seizing on wins by candidates affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) as proof that Democrats as a whole are shifting further left than where most American voters are. FAR-LEFT SURGE: MAMDANI-BACKED CANDIDATES OUST DEM ESTABLISHMENT INCUMBENTS “This is surely not your father’s Democrat Party,” Scalise said. “There’s never been a sharper contrast between Republicans who believe in freedom and individual opportunity and Democrats who are moving toward socialism.” It comes after several DSA-linked candidates toppled incumbent progressive Democrats in recent weeks. Reps. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., and Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., both lost primaries to candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, himself a DSA member. Goldman’s challenger Brad Lander, however, left the DSA after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel. MAMDANI-BACKED SOCIALIST WINS IN NEW YORK EXPOSE GROWING RIFT BETWEEN DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT, INSURGENT LEFT Another DSA-backed candidate in Denver toppled longtime Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo. Those victories in safe blue seats mean all three will have a glide path to the House of Representatives come November. “The liberals in the Democrat Party are being beaten in primaries by socialists and that’s foreboding for kind of this civil war that’s going on in the Democrat Party,” Scalise said. “I think if you go through most of middle America, and I go there a lot, all of those districts, they don’t want socialism — and yet that’s what’s on the ballot.” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., leader of House Democrats’ campaign arm, told Fox News Digital in response that her party was focused on lowering costs and panned the GOP criticism as “desperate.” “The midterms will ultimately be a referendum on who is going to lower costs and help improve the lives of everyday Americans — which House Republicans have failed spectacularly to do. In the purple, majority-making districts — Democratic candidates are running substantive campaigns focused on lowering costs, saving health care, and fighting to make life affordable for working families,” DelBene said. “Republicans already know they’ve lost the American people, and that’s why they are resorting to desperate attacks that aren’t actually about the pocketbook issues, but just baseless spin that falls flat with voters who are eager to reject Republicans.” Republicans are facing an uphill battle to keep control of the House in November, given historic trends that show the president’s party traditionally faces significant losses halfway through the White House term. But GOP leaders are hopeful that they can reverse that as lawmakers get ready to spend the entire month of August in their home districts making their case to Americans.
Trump admin targets woke schools accused of hiding students’ gender transitions from parents
FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Education is taking enforcement actions on National Parents’ Day against two school districts accused of hiding students’ gender transitions from parents — a move that could now could cost them federal funding. The action reinforces President Donald Trump’s campaign against radical left-wing gender ideology and the push for more parental rights in the classroom. “As a mother and a grandmother, it is unconscionable that any school district would hide the most sensitive information about children in their care from their own parents. This is not only an affront to basic moral principles, but also to parents’ rights under federal law,” Secretary of Education (ED) Linda McMahon exclusively told Fox News Digital. VIRGINIA SCHOOL DISTRICT SUED OVER ALLEGED POLICY OF KEEPING STUDENTS’ GENDER TRANSITIONS HIDDEN FROM PARENTS “Today, ED and DOJ are putting districts on notice that we will use every tool available to hold them to account for this egregious behavior,” McMahon added. “Under the Trump Administration, ED and DOJ are working together to vigorously uphold parents’ federal protections, and we will work to ensure that no parent is ever kept in the dark about important matters relating to their children.” The Education Department is working with the Department of Justice to investigate Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) violations against Anne Arundel County Public Schools in Maryland and Ann Arbor Public Schools in Michigan. The investigations concern allegations that the districts hid information from parents about their own children’s health and wellbeing, and could result in federal funding being withheld from the schools, Fox News Digital has learned. FERPA is a federal law that gives parents the right to see their child’s school records, ask for mistakes to be corrected and generally control who can access that information about their child. The Trump administration is looking into whether the schools violated FERPA. LOUDOUN COUNTY PARENTS NOT ‘SATISFIED’ AFTER SCHOOL OFFICIALS TESTIFY ON TRANSGENDER POLICIES One case the administration is investigating involves a Maryland family who says they were blindsided after discovering school staff presented their daughter as male during the school day without their knowledge or consent. The parents only learned what was happening after receiving an email that referred to their daughter using male pronouns. According to the Education Department, school administrators refused to provide the parents with additional information, with the assistant principal declining to turn over records related to their child’s gender transition. The department is also looking into a policy at Ann Arbor Public Schools that allows teachers to help students hide their “transgender status” from parents. The school district has a policy that directs school officials to maintain records related to a “gender identity” in a separate filing system. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OPENS FOUR TITLE IX INVESTIGATIONS INTO MICHIGAN AND NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL DISTRICTS Ann Arbor Public Schools must justify their policy to the Education Department by Aug. 11, 2026 or else risk losing its federal funding. Fox News Digital reached out to the school districts in Maryland and Michigan for comment but did not hear back at time of publication.
Exposed Fauci diary shows he estimated COVID-19 death rate to be much lower than what he told Congress
Entries from early 2020 in a now-exposed personal diary kept by Dr. Anthony Fauci during the COVID-19 pandemic show that he privately estimated the death rate from the illness was significantly lower than what he told Congress under oath only weeks later. Fauci, 85, has come under intense scrutiny for years regarding his approach leading the U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic, and his alleged links to the Chinese lab where the virus originated. He will return to Capitol Hill on Wednesday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to speak about his newly publicized personal records. “The stated mortality over all of this when you look at all the data including China is about three percent. It first started off as two and three,” Fauci said in testimony before the House Oversight Committee on March 11, 2020, according to a transcript of the hearing. LEGACY MEDIA IGNORES MASSIVE ANTHONY FAUCI DOCUMENT RELEASE ALLEGING HE MISLED CONGRESS ON COVID ORIGINS During the hearing just weeks into the virus reaching the U.S., he was asked by Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, to compare the mortality from COVID-19 to the mortality of the seasonal flu. “I think if you count all the cases of minimally symptomatic or asymptomatic infection, that probably brings the mortality rate down to somewhere around one percent, which means it is 10 times more lethal than the seasonal flu,” Fauci continued. “I think that is something that people can get their arms around and understand.” But on Feb. 8, 2020, about a month before that congressional testimony, Fauci expressed privately that he believed the virus’s mortality rate was much lower than what he later told lawmakers. “[Former CDC Director] Tom Frieden called me this AM and we discussed various aspects of the outbreak,” Fauci wrote. “He and I are on the same page in thinking tht [sic] this is acting like a bad influenza in its transmissibility and that the denominator is much greater than 34,867 (above) making the case fatality rate (CFR) more like 0.2-0.3 % rather than 2.0%.” FAUCI’S NEWLY RELEASED COVID DIARIES REVEAL BIZARRE FIXATION ON FAME AS PANDEMIC DEATHS MOUNTED At that time, Fauci had counted 34,687 cases of the virus and 724 fatalities, according to his diary, which equals just over 0.2%. Fauci was the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) during the pandemic, and first became the face of combatting COVID-19 at the onset of the pandemic during President Donald Trump’s first term, and remained in the role under President Joe Biden until retiring in 2022. The very influential position wasn’t lost on Fauci. His diary entries tracked his rising influence and press appearances, and he meticulously kept track of how he was portrayed. “Big front page article abut me appeared in the Washington Post. Very flattering. The situation with my national and international fame is explosive and really unimaginable,” he wrote in a diary entry on May 21, 2020. “It is not hyoperbole [sic] to say that today I am the most famous and talked about person in the country and one of the most recognizable peson in the world,” he continued. INSIDE FAUCI’S PRIVATE DIARY: WHAT HE WROTE ABOUT TRUMP, TV PERSONALITIES AND CELEBRITIES Fauci noted that he was developing a “very unique and interesting relationship” with Trump. His diary is adorned with screenshots of headlines that mentioned him, including a New York Times story from March 2020 titled, “Not His First Pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci Sticks to the Facts.” He referenced another Washington Post article in his diary on Aug. 8, 2020, titled, “As Fauci battles the pandemic and politics, his grateful neighbors celebrate him as a hero.” Fox News Digital reached out to Georgetown University and the Georgetown University Department of Public Health, where Fauci serves as a distinguished professor at the university’s school of medicine, seeking comment on the journal entries versus public statements. Fox News Digital also reached out to Paul’s office but did not hear back by time of publication.
Harvard tops nation in foreign cash haul as Cotton demands probe into China funding
FIRST ON FOX: One Ivy League institution has taken in more money from foreign countries, including China, than any other university in the country. The U.S. Department of Education has, for years, compiled a list of federally funded universities that have taken in funding from abroad. The Trump administration sought to revamp the agency’s online reporting portal, and, in doing so, it has shown that one institution, Harvard University, has scored more foreign funding than any other college in the country. Harvard is in the crosshairs of Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., for its ties to China and other foreign nations because of the reams of outside cash the university has taken in. And the Senate Republican, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, wants Education Secretary Linda McMahon to open an investigation into China’s cash flow into higher education. REPUBLICANS TARGET TRUMP’S CRYPTO EMPIRE WITH NEW PLAN, DEMS SAY IT FALLS SHORT “I remain concerned that millions in additional transactions with sanctioned Chinese entities may not have been reported,” Cotton wrote. “Therefore, I encourage additional scrutiny of financial ties between American universities and Communist China.” Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Cotton noted that since the portal was relaunched in January, reporting data has shown that federally funded universities accepted more than $6.8 billion from “Communist China — including more than $300 million from sanctioned entities.” “Harvard, for instance, has received more than $630 million from Chinese entities,” Cotton wrote. “This includes roughly $418,000 from organizations participating in foreign talent programs and nearly $420,000 from entities allegedly supporting unauthorized military advancements.” KHANNA DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM CCP-LINKED COMPANY ACCUSED OF UNDERCUTTING US MANUFACTURERS More money from foreign countries flows to Harvard than any other college on the Education Department’s list, to the tune of nearly $4.5 billion across 7,089 transactions. Of that, $634 million is from countries of concern. Notably, China is not the only country of concern that has sent money to Harvard. A country of concern is one that the federal government designates as engaging in conduct that is detrimental to U.S. national security, foreign policy, or the safety of U.S. citizens. Venezuela and Russia have also both sent money to the university, with $3.3 million and over $750,000, respectively, flowing to the Ivy League institution. CALIFORNIA MAYOR ACCUSED OF SECRETLY WORKING FOR CHINA, SPREADING PROPAGANDA WHILE IN OFFICE: FEDS China’s alleged influence doesn’t stop at Harvard, either. Broken further down, there are four Chinese entities in the top five funders on U.S. watch lists that have provided a total of about $119 million to universities across the country. That list includes the Beijing Institute of Tech, Air China, Ltd., Huawei Technologies Co., and Ocean University of China. The Education Department late last year announced that it would be revamping the portal and charged that the Biden administration had neglected the system. “After years of neglect by the Biden Administration, the new portal will assist our institutions of higher education in fulfilling their statutory responsibilities and enable us to protect our national security by facilitating improved compliance,” McMahon said in a statement at the time. “America’s taxpayer-funded colleges and universities have both a moral and legal obligation to be fully transparent with the U.S. government and the American people about their foreign financial relationships,” she continued.
EXCLUSIVE: Trump admin fast-tracks asylum cases, bypassing interviews to slash backlog
FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration is changing how some asylum claims move through the immigration system, allowing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to refer certain applications directly to immigration judges without first interviewing applicants in an effort to reduce the nation’s asylum backlog. The interim final rule, which takes effect immediately, gives USCIS the authority to send some asylum applications to immigration court without conducting an affirmative asylum interview, eliminating what the administration called an unnecessary step in the adjudication process. The change applies to affirmative asylum claims, which are filed by immigrants who are not in removal proceedings. Defensive asylum claims, in contrast, are raised before an immigration judge after the government has initiated removal proceedings. TRUMP PUTS ASYLUM LAWYERS ‘ON NOTICE’ WITH NEW FRONT IN WAR ON FRAUD Currently, USCIS generally interviews affirmative asylum applicants before either granting asylum or referring the case to an immigration judge for a separate review. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Fox News Digital the process can result in some applications being reviewed twice — first by USCIS and then again by an immigration judge — adding to the agency’s growing backlog. Under the new rule, USCIS can refer certain asylum applications directly to immigration court without first conducting an interview, a change administration officials said will allow both asylum officers and immigration judges to process cases more efficiently while directing resources toward applicants with legitimate claims of persecution. The rule is the latest step in the Trump administration’s broader effort to tighten the asylum system and speed up immigration enforcement, with officials arguing the current process has been exploited by immigrants seeking to delay removal proceedings and obtain work authorization. HOUSE REPUBLICANS MOVE TO MAKE TRUMP’S BORDER POLICIES PERMANENT “For far too long, the asylum system has been exploited for purposes of delay and work authorization, not legitimate claims of protection,” USCIS Director Joseph Edlow told Fox News Digital. “America’s asylum system exists to protect individuals who genuinely fear persecution and this rule will help ensure that resources are directed to the timely adjudication of those claims instead of to those seeking to use the system as a loophole.” DHS general counsel James Percival said delays within the asylum system have hindered immigration enforcement. “One of the greatest barriers to effective immigration enforcement is intentional delay by illegal aliens and the open borders attorneys who represent them,” Percival told Fox News Digital. “My office works every day with the immigration components of DHS to improve efficiency and fulfill the president’s mandate. The rule would do just that.” The rule takes effect immediately, though USCIS said it will continue accepting public comments before issuing a final version, responding to the feedback it receives.
Acting Director of National Intelligence announces 4th wave of layoffs
Acting Director of National Intelligence William Pulte announced Sunday that his office has completed a fourth batch of layoffs. “Since becoming Acting Director of National Intelligence, our team has been smartly, and carefully, reducing the size of [the Office of the Director of National Intelligence], re-focusing ODNI on national security, the law, and the statute,” he wrote in a post on X. “As of this evening, we just finished a 4th round of thoughtful, measured layoffs. Thank you!” he noted. TRUMP GREEN LIGHTS NEW DNI PULTE TO ‘START THE PROCESS’ ON MASS INTELLIGENCE FIRINGS Pulte had previously noted in a July 10 post, “U.S. National Intelligence is operating more efficiently and effectively than ever before, and today, we started a third round of reducing redundant, or non-critical, personnel. DNI’s future is exceptionally bright, and will be focused on following the law and the statute.” President Donald Trump chose Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to serve as acting DNI as well. Tulsi Gabbard, who had been serving as DNI, departed the role last month. She had previously announced in May that she planned to exit the role due to her husband’s bone cancer diagnosis. WHY TRUMP PICKED BILL PULTE TO LEAD US INTELLIGENCE AS CRITICS QUESTION HIS QUALIFICATIONS Prior to when Pulte took the reins at ODNI last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that during an interview, Trump said he had informed Pulte that he thought ODNI was “unnecessary and/or too big.” “I’d like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there,” the president said, pointing to Obama and Biden administration carryovers, according to the Journal. Asked if he was calling for Pulte to engage in firings, the president indicated he wanted Pulte to “start the process,” noting that the eventual DNI nominee should carry on with the effort, the outlet reported. Trump later announced U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton as his nominee for the DNI role. TRUMP’S DNI PICK CLEARS KEY HURDLE, REVIVING PATH FOR NATION’S TOP ANTI-TERROR SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM “So deeply grateful to POTUS for letting me be acting Director of National Intelligence. He is, truly, the best, and it is a blessing to work for him. While it’s been only a few weeks, so much has already been accomplished —Operationally, AND, Transparency. Thank you, POTUS,” Pulte wrote in a Sunday post on his personal X account.
Rep Thomas Massie says the Iran war has ‘significantly weakened’ America ‘all for Israel’
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky argued Sunday that the war with Iran has “weakened” the United States. “The U.S. has been significantly weakened by the war with Iran,” the congressman wrote in a Sunday post on X. “This administration depleted our missile defenses, drained our oil reserves, sacrificed our men & women, inflated the price of consumer goods, increased our debt, and neglected our domestic needs…” he continued, adding, “all for Israel.” Some parts of Massie’s criticism align with publicly reported effects of the conflict. The Energy Department authorized the release of 172 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, while news reports and congressional spending measures have pointed to heavy demand for U.S. missile-defense systems and billions of dollars in additional defense funding. His broader assertion that the United States has been “significantly weakened” is a political judgment. HOUSE REPUBLICAN THOMAS MASSIE SUGGESTS OBAMACARE COULD NOW BE LABELED ‘TRUMPCARE’ Fox News Digital reached out to the White House early on Monday morning to request a comment. Massie, who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives for more than 13 years, lost the May Republican primary in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District to President Donald Trump-backed challenger, retired Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein. MASSIE LASHES OUT WHEN PRESSED ON EX-GIRLFRIEND’S ALLEGATIONS OF AFFAIR WITH GOP FIREBRAND In a Friday post on X, Massie accused Trump of shifting toward a neoconservative foreign policy, writing, “Why did he flip to neocon?” Former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent, who quit earlier this year due to his opposition to the Iran war, has been calling for President Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from the region. EX-COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL JOE KENT CONTINUES CALLING FOR US MILITARY WITHDRAWAL FROM MIDDLE EAST “The Israelis know they can’t fight this war without the U.S., so their goal is to get us on board with more strikes, ground troops, etc., in the hopes that American causalities will sway public opinion enough to escalate into a chaotic, drawn-out war,” Kent wrote in part of a Sunday post on X. “Our only viable option is to leave now—President Trump should use this pause in fighting to get our troops out & use quiet economic diplomacy to reopen the SOH & BAM.” The Trump administration has defended the military campaign as necessary to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, cripple its navy, sever its support for terrorist proxies and prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The White House has also credited what it called “decisive American strength” with producing an agreement intended to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Inside Fauci’s private diary: What he wrote about Trump, TV personalities and celebrities
Newly released diary entries by Dr. Anthony Fauci offer an unfiltered look at what the nation’s top infectious disease expert really thought of the politicians, television personalities and celebrities who filled his orbit during the COVID-19 pandemic. Released by Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., the diaries chronicle Fauci’s day-to-day role during the COVID-19 pandemic through meetings, phone calls and personal observations. The release comes days before Fauci is scheduled to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee after being subpoenaed by Paul. The entries feature everyone from President Donald Trump to Julia Roberts, Steph Curry, Larry Ellison and Hunter Biden, offering an unusually personal look at the people who crossed Fauci’s path during the COVID-19 pandemic. Early entries portray a warm working relationship between Fauci and Trump. Fauci wrote that Trump repeatedly directed questions to him during White House meetings, called him “the smartest person in the world,” told him, “We are counting on you,” and later appeared “enamored” with him as Fauci’s national profile grew. FAUCI’S NEWLY RELEASED COVID DIARIES REVEAL BIZARRE FIXATION ON FAME AS PANDEMIC DEATHS MOUNTED Fauci’s relationship with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows deteriorated throughout the pandemic. Fauci wrote that Meadows threatened to keep him off television, repeatedly pushed him to soften his public messaging and, in one entry, recounted Meadows “screaming” over his public comments. Fauci, however, repeatedly described then-White House communications director Alyssa Farah as an ally during internal battles over media appearances. In one May 2020 entry, he wrote that Farah admitted White House staff had been “holding me back,” said the situation had “gotten out of hand” and promised to begin clearing his television requests again. Not everyone in the administration’s communications operation earned Fauci’s praise. In a July 2, 2020 entry, Fauci called then-HHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Michael Caputo “a con man who is completely full of sh–,” writing that Caputo publicly claimed to support his television appearances while privately blocking them. Television journalists also became recurring figures in Fauci’s diary. CNN anchor Jake Tapper appears repeatedly, with Fauci documenting phone calls, text exchanges and dinners at the Tappers’ Washington home. LEGACY MEDIA IGNORES MASSIVE ANTHONY FAUCI DOCUMENT RELEASE ALLEGING HE MISLED CONGRESS ON COVID ORIGINS Fauci wrote that Tapper privately checked to make sure a CNN interview hadn’t caused problems with the White House. When The Atlantic’s Peter Nicholas suggested Fauci had been “humiliated” over a canceled Tapper interview, Fauci fired back in his diary: “F— you, Peter.” After Fauci’s heated exchange with Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, Fauci wrote that CNN’s Dana Bash texted him, telling him he was “a better man” and relaying that fellow CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer had joked no one would have blamed Fauci if he had told Jordan to “go f— yourself.” The following day, Fauci wrote that Bash texted him again, this time pointing him to a Vanity Fair headline mocking Jordan’s performance at the hearing. The diary also features colorful asides about billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, whom Fauci described as “a bit of a loose cannon” while discussing White House efforts to use Oracle technology during the pandemic. Beyond politicians and White House aides, Fauci’s diary reads at times like a Hollywood guest list. Actress Julia Roberts hosted Fauci on Instagram Live, sent him flowers and later presented him with an award, while Vogue editor Anna Wintour, comedian Trevor Noah, NBA star Steph Curry, actors Sean Penn and Matt Damon, and rapper Lil Wayne also make appearances as Fauci documented his growing celebrity during the pandemic. The diary closes with another unexpected cameo. At the 2022 Kennedy Center Honors, Fauci wrote that he hugged Hunter Biden, who joked the internet “would explode” if someone photographed them together because they were both “being attacked by the far right GOP.”