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Anthony Fauci stumbled into the Senate chamber today, shaking and looking like he hasn’t slept in weeks, carrying one enormous shield: the Fifth Amendment.(snip)Fauci has backed himself into a corner where every available option right now is dangerous. Tell the truth, and he could destroy what little shred of “reputation” he has left. Lie, and he gets an all-new legal problem that Biden’s autopen pardon can’t touch.
So Fauci chose door number three: say nothing and hope the Fifth gets him out of the room alive.
But thanks to that sweeping Biden pardon, that 5th escape hatch may eventually slam shut.
As Ed wrote, Anthony Fauci did the only thing he could do to avoid going to jail: invoke his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent in the face of questions that would reveal that he and people around him committed crimes, lied to the American people, pushed policies that killed people, ruined lives, interfered in domestic politics, profited off of mass death, and conspired to hide the fact that he likely funded the creation of COVID. Sen. Rand Paul SKEWERS Fauci as he concludes his opening remarks:
"You are here today under duress. You are here today because of the court ordering it. President Biden issued you a sweeping
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) just had Dr. Anthony Fauci’s attorney escorted out of a hearing by Capitol Police.
Paul claimed that the attorney, David Schertler, was not authorized to speak and had been instructed to not sit at the witness table with Fauci — but he did so anyway.
“You will respect these proceedings. You were told not to sit at the table. You insist on sitting at the table and we told you you would not be recognized. You are not invited here for testimony, sir. You are being disruptive. Would you behave this way in a courtroom? No, because the judge would put you in jail.
Anthony Fauci on Wednesday appeared before the U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee, but pleaded the Fifth to avoid answering questions by Senator Rand Paul (R., Ky.) and others about his obfuscation of facts surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.
Fauci told the committee in an opening statement that he believes in and respects “the value of legitimate congressional oversight,” and noted he had testified before or briefed Senate and House committees more than 200 times over his 38-year career. He mentioned appearing for hearings in the Senate and House for transcribed, sworn interviews about the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jimmy Carter the peanut farmer was great, OK?
His 4 years of ineptitude gave us 12 years of Republican rule in the form of Ronald Reagan and his successor, George H. W. Bush. (It would have been at least 16 years, if not for Ross Perot taking many of Bush’s votes to be re-elected in 1992.) And arguably, that 12 years of GOP rule produced another 8 years of GOP rule through the prodigal son, George W. Bush.
I love Jimmy Carter. (I hate Ross Perot.)
EBay, former executives to pay $56 million
to couple sent cockroaches in harassment campaign replies
to couple sent cockroaches in harassment campaign replies
EBay and three former top executives have agreed to pay $55.7 million to resolve a lawsuit by a Massachusetts couple who fell victim to a bizarre stalking and harassment campaign carried out by several of its employees in retaliation for their coverage of the e-commerce company in a newsletter they publish. David and Ina Steiner announced the settlement … Monday, [ending] a case they filed in 2021 in Boston federal court after several former eBay employees were prosecuted for targeting them in a cyber-stalking campaign that involved sending the couple cockroaches, fly larvae and a bloody Halloween pig mask.
Jordan intercepts Iranian missiles as
US and Saudi Arabia launch strikes against
militias in Iraq replies
US and Saudi Arabia launch strikes against
militias in Iraq replies
Jordan’s air defenses intercepted five missiles launched from Iran early Wednesday, the country’s military said, hours after the U.S. military said it had knocked down an Iranian missile barrage launched against American forces in the Middle East, shattering a brief pause in fighting.
The Jordanian military said the missiles had been “intercepted and destroyed.” Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency carried a statement from the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard saying the Guard’s Aerospace Force fired ballistic missiles at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base and the headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command in Jordan.
The renewed hostilities sent oil prices spiking. Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 3.1% to $84.58 a barrel.
Israel’s Next Churchill
replies
Not surprisingly, Israelis and Americans are facing crucial Fall elections. In the United States citizens will vote for Congress and the Senate. Conservatives fear that the Democrats may take both houses. If they do, then they will try to impeach President Trump and they will do everything possible to weaken the alliance with that other Biblically inspired exceptional democracy, Israel.
In Israel, citizens will vote for those parties and leaders that they hope will successfully lead Israel during a time of geo-strategic turbulence. As Donald Trump has just under two years before his time as President expires, one must look to Israel and ask—
A new AARP survey finds that Georgia voters 50 and older are poised to play a decisive role in this November’s closely watched governor and Senate races, reinforcing why AARP is investing in a bipartisan polling series focused on the issues that matter most to older Americans. Conducted by the bipartisan polling firms of Fabrizio Ward (Republican) and Impact Research (Democrat), the Georgia survey is the second release in AARP’s 2025 battleground polling. The effort is designed to better understand what motivates voters 50-plus, the issues shaping their decisions, and how those priorities may influence some of the nation’s most competitive elections.
A voter-registration history reviewed by The Dallas Express lists December 5, 2021, as the “Reg Date” for state Rep. James Talarico (D-District 50) at an Austin address associated with his parents.
An official campaign-finance filing lists a $1,437.84 in-kind contribution from his parents dated December 12 and described as “Moving expenses.” Both entries came after the November 8 constitutional residency deadline for the Austin-area district he sought in 2022.
Talarico announced on October 13, 2021, that he would move from Round Rock “back to HD50” and run for the newly drawn seat. Because the general election was November 8, 2022,
Is there a serious crisis of confidence in the Social Security system? It certainly looks that way, based on the latest national online I&I/TIPP Poll, which was taken June 29 through July 2 by 1,473 Americans.
The poll’s first question asked voters: “How confident are you that Social Security will pay full scheduled benefits throughout your retirement?”
Among those responding, 43% said they were either “very confident” (16%) or “somewhat confident” (23%). But 47% answered either “not very confident” (23%) or “not at all confident” (24%). Another 10% said they were not sure.
Russia charges Telegram founder Pavel
Durov with aiding terrorism and puts him
on wanted list replies
Durov with aiding terrorism and puts him
on wanted list replies
Russia’s main domestic security agency said Wednesday that Pavel Durov, founder and owner of the messaging app Telegram, has been charged with aiding terrorism and put on an international wanted list.
The charges against Durov, who was born and began his career in Russia but later moved abroad, came as the Russian authorities restrict Telegram, one of the most popular messaging apps in the country. It is part of a long-term effort to bring the internet under the Kremlin’s full control that has intensified since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Collins says State Department will reinstate
funding for global humanitarian vaccine alliance replies
funding for global humanitarian vaccine alliance replies
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Tuesday that the State Department is set to reinstate funding for a global humanitarian vaccine program after the Trump administration previously paused the program.
“It is welcome news that following our recent outreach, the State Department has committed to contributing the full $600 million for GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance,” Collins said in a Tuesday press release. I have worked to ensure that the Department uses this funding Congress appropriated to replenish U.S. funding to GAVI, an organization that plays a critical role in averting the spread of preventable diseases globally and stopping outbreaks before they reach U.S. borders,” she added.
What is a Think Tank?
replies
“What is a think tank?” is a question I get asked all the time.
The job of a think tank is to generate the ideas that politicians implement in office. If politics were the movie industry, those we elect would be the stars on the big screen; think tanks help write the script.
“But don’t politicians have ideas of their own?” I hear you ask.
Of course, they do (though having spent twelve years in the UK's House of Commons before running a think tank, I’d suggest they have them less often than you might imagine). Even with a clear goal -- cutting taxes, improving childcare,
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced three separate nationwide drug recalls involving thyroid medication, an injectable antibiotic, and an injectable blood vessel medication because of manufacturing issues that could pose health risks to patients.
The recalls involve certain lots of levothyroxine sodium tablets distributed by Major Pharmaceuticals, Cefazolin in Dextrose Injection manufactured by Baxter International, and Papaverine Hydrochloride Injection produced by American Regent Inc.
Here’s what patients and healthcare providers should know about each recall.
[T]he pro-Hamas lobby is circulating a mass petition calling for the expulsion of the Israeli Medical Association from the World Medical Association.
The petition – which blames the Israeli doctors for alleged bias and omits any mention of Hamas' war crimes – was amplified in June by once-respected UK medical journal The Lancet, clearly crossing the line between professional medical publication and blatant propaganda.
Far from providing medical evidence or reflecting professional ethics, the petition, as echoed by The Lancet, recycles political slogans and ancient blood libels, accusing Israel of "genocide" and the destruction of Gaza's health system. Of course,
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) troops thwarted an attempted surprise attack from the terrorist Iranian regime as Tehran doubles down on “death to America.”
CENTCOM posted an update on X Tuesday afternoon. “At 5:45 p.m. ET today, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East. All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. U.S. forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness,” it apprised the public. Both American and Saudi forces are now conducting strikes on Iranian targets.
Four Texas congressional races remain competitive as Election Day approaches, drawing attention to some of the state’s most closely watched contests.
In August 2025, the Texas Legislature passed a new congressional map during a special legislative session. Although the map was challenged in court, with a lower court ruling that it raised constitutional concerns over race, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Texas to use the map for the 2026 midterm elections.
Since redistricting, four congressional races—most of them in South Texas—have become competitive, with both parties vying for key seats.
Iran launched a missile strike on US forces in the Middle East on Tuesday in what US Central Command described as a “attempted surprise attack.”
All of the missiles were intercepted, CENTCOM says.
This comes after President Trump called off the nearly two-week-long bombing campaign against Iran to continue negotiations on Friday.
“At 5:45 p.m. ET today, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East. All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. U.S. forces remain vigilant and at a high state of readiness,” US Central Command announced in a statement.
Joe Biden shared candid thoughts about some of his fellow Democrat politicians years before his presidency, according to recently released recordings of interviews with his ghostwriter.
Biden’s discussions from October 2016 through April 2017 with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer were published by the Oversight Project, a watchdog group, through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The discussions touched on a range of topics including fellow politicians Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Bernie Sanders.
In a discussion on Nov. 3, 2016, Zwonitzer asked Biden, then serving as vice president, “Were you kind of a lonely voice on Ukraine at this point of the administration?”
Former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., will face dramatically different races for Senate depending on the outcome of the Democratic primary, according to a recent survey.
Rogers, who previously sought the state's other Senate seat, is the Republican Party's presumptive nominee. He is likely to face either Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., or Abdul El-Sayed.
Should he face Stevens, he would trail her with 44.7% support to the Democrat's 45.5% among Michigan voters, the latest Glengarif Group survey revealed. Stevens's lead widens to 2% among definite voters, with her commanding 46.8% to his 44.8%.
Should El-Sayed become the Democratic nominee, however, Rogers would likely cruise to victory.
“I’d rather be Senator Shrek than Pontiac Platner any day,” Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said in response to Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed telling donors he’d be happy to see Fetterman primaried, putting one “ogre on a pike.”
Fetterman’s response tied the radical El-Sayed to the Nazi-tattooed Graham Platner, who had been Maine’s Democratic nominee for Senate before departing the race after rape allegations surfaced. The Pennsylvania senator has clashed with both Platner and El-Sayed over their hostility toward the state of Israel.
But El-Sayed has now upped the ante with what even Democrats are calling “violent, vulgar” rhetoric.
A stunning paperwork failure has handed Democrats a guaranteed pickup in Florida House District 47 without forcing them to win a November general election.
Democrats have effectively flipped a Republican-held seat in the Florida House after GOP incumbent Paula Stark failed to qualify for the ballot and her legal effort to reverse the disastrous mistake collapsed in court.
Leon County Circuit Judge Joshua Hawkes formally dismissed Stark’s lawsuit on July 23 and ordered the clerk to close the case, ending the Republican lawmaker’s last-ditch attempt to regain her place on the 2026 ballot, according to Florida Politics.
The result is an astonishing and completely avoidable loss for Florida Republicans
Trump DOJ Reaches Settlement with Pro-Life
Christian Father of 11 Targeted by Biden Administration replies
Christian Father of 11 Targeted by Biden Administration replies
Christian father of 11 Paul Vaughn has reached a seven-figure settlement with the Trump Department of Justice (DOJ) after being targeted by the Biden DOJ for his pro-life beliefs, his attorneys announced. (snip) In Vaughn’s case, the FBI conducted a predawn raid on his family’s home at gunpoint and arrested him in front of his wife and children, according to his attorneys. (snip) Paul Vaughn was placed in handcuffs by armed FBI agents in front of his children just before school drop-off. Watch as his wife pleads for answers mid-arrest: