A Senate committee voted Thursday to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress and refer him to the Justice Department for potential prosecution over his refusal to answer questions at a hearing last week on his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times at the hearing.
Also, Iran said Wednesday it's in the “final stage” of drafting an agreement with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz, and U.S. President Donald Trump has said a deal could be announced this week. The agreement is likely to be contingent on the U.S. lifting its blockade on Iran’s ports.
Here's the latest:
Trump says some US munitions supplies are ‘a little bit tighter’
The president was asked by a reporter why his administration’s budget request includes $21 million for munitions stockpiles while disputing on social media reports of munitions shortages.
Trump said, “We need more all the time” and said there are some types of munitions of which the U.S. has a “virtually unlimited supply.”
But, he said, “We have others where it’s a little bit tighter.”
He did not specify which.
Trump won’t say whether Rep. Max Miller should step aside
Trump is declining to say whether Rep. Max Miller of Ohio should withdraw his reelection bid following domestic abuse allegations leveled against him by his ex-wife.
Trump was asked about the embattled Republican congressman while taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office at a Thursday signing event.
“Well, I’m not going to get involved in that,” Trump said. He echoed his earlier comments, calling it a “very sad situation.” Miller was a senior adviser to Trump during the president’s first term.
Miller’s ex-wife is the daughter of Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio, who has said Miller should not be serving in the House. Ohio’s other Republican senator, Jon Husted, on Thursday called for Miller to resign and not seek reelection.
Under Ohio law, Miller would need to withdraw by Saturday to allow enough time for the replacement process to play out before the 4 p.m. Monday deadline.
Trump says the Strait of Hormuz is ‘sort of open’
Asked if a deal has been reached with Iran to reopen the vital waterway, Trump said he didn’t want to say.
“It has been sort of open right now,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.
Trump signs immigration orders on ‘birthright citizenship’
The president says he’s signing two executive actions on immigration.
Trump signed an executive action that he says will limit the number of people eligible for U.S. citizenship after being born in the United States.
A second order seeks to curb what Trump called “birth tourism” by increasing restrictions on visitors to the U.S. obtaining visas if they want to give birth while in the country.
Details weren’t provided, but Trump said he thought his latest actions would be constitutional.
In June, the Supreme Court upheld a broad conception of birthright citizenship, rejecting Trump’s previous efforts to declare that children born to people in the U.S. illegally or temporarily aren’t American citizens.
Trump says it’s way too early to think about endorsing Vance in 2028
The president told reporters at the White House that he heard about a report in the Washington Post on Thursday that he has privately told donors they need to back Vance for president in 2028.
Trump didn’t deny the report but said, “No, no,” when asked if that was his official endorsement of his vice president.
“I think he’s great, but we’re way too early to even be thinking about that,” Trump said.
Trump says he’s taking action to boost US polysilicon industry
Trump says he’s ready to impose tariffs and minimum prices on imports of polysilicon to help increase domestic production of the material.
Polysilicon is important to the chip-making industry and to manufacturing solar panels.
Trump discussed his plan during an appearance in the Oval Office but didn’t immediately provide details.
Republican Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio says Rep. Max Miller should leave House and fall campaign
Sen. Jon Husted is calling on Rep. Max Miller of Ohio to resign his House seat and abandon his fall reelection bid.
Husted’s comments on the social platform X on Thursday pile onto pressure from Ohio’s senior senator, Republican Bernie Moreno, Miller’s former father-in-law, who Sunday said Miller is unfit to serve.
Miller is facing a congressional ethics investigation related to domestic abuse allegations leveled against him by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, but is insisting he won’t withdraw.
Miller has vigorously defended himself against the allegations made in a custody fight over their 2-year-old daughter.
Husted said stepping aside as a candidate and legislator is in the best interest of the child.
Miller’s determination to push ahead comes as a Monday deadline looms for replacing him on the November ballot should he change his mind. The second-term congressman’s actions in a parade of public appearances — beginning with a livestream from his X account on Sunday — are heightening concerns among Republicans that his reelection chances are vanishing.
Miller did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sen. Mitch McConnell says he’s been discharged from rehabilitation center
The Kentucky Republican and former Senate leader was first admitted to the hospital on June 14. He disclosed weeks later that his hospitalization was the result of a fall and said he was undergoing physical therapy.
McConnell in a statement Thursday, gave no specific date for his return to the Senate.
“On the advice of my doctors, I’ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period, and I’ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business,” McConnell said.
McConnell’s absence was felt in the Senate as Republicans were unable on Thursday to advance a farm bill out of committee without his vote.
Last week, Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear urged McConnell to either prove that he is fit to continue serving in office or resign.
Brazil’s president to call Trump after his ambassador to Washington had visa revoked
Two days after the U.S. government revoked the visa of Brazil’s ambassador in Washington, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said late Wednesday he intends to call Trump.
Lula’s comments came during a podcast in which he discussed the war in Ukraine and the United Nations’ inaction. In the same interview, he said the latest move by the U.S. government against his administration is “irresponsible.”
“Last week, I called (Chinese President) Xi Jinping to speak about the need for the (U.N.) Security Council to meet. Yesterday (Tuesday), I spoke with my friend (Russian President Vladimir) Putin so they would meet, and I am going to speak with Trump as well,” said Lula, who is bidding for reelection in October.
The Trump administration revoked the visa of ambassador Maria Luiza Viotti in retaliation for Brazil’s denial of visas last month for two American diplomats who sought to visit ahead of the elections.
Trump administration will buy back company’s offshore wind leases off 3 states in $1.2B deal
An offshore wind company says it’s reached a $1.2 billion deal with the Trump administration to walk away from projects under development off New York, California and Louisiana.
RWE U.S. Offshore says its leases represented years of planning, investment and partnership with federal agencies.
But the company determined there was no path forward to permit the projects for the foreseeable future. In exchange for $1.22 billion, RWE is relinquishing the wind power leases.
The president often talks about his hatred of wind power. His administration has been buying back offshore wind leases to discourage the expansion of wind energy in favor of fossil fuel development.
States that are losing offshore wind energy are suing. California intends to sue.
Vance to meet with Senate Republicans on Thursday
The vice president is joining the Senate GOP’s lunch, where he’s expected to discuss a government funding bill and a proof-of-citizenship voting bill Trump is pushing to pass, according to a person familiar with the plans who was not authorized to speak publicly.
The person said the vice president wants to ensure that Republicans are working to get as much of the SAVE America Act passed through the budget reconciliation process. That would allow grant money tied to voting rules to pass the Senate by a simple majority.
Vance also planned to thank Senate Republicans for working to try to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general.
Trump denies report that he is upset with Hegseth
The president’s post on social media was a response to a Washington Post report that Trump angrily confronted the defense secretary last week at Camp David over the U.S.’s depleted defense stockpiles in the wake of the Iran war.
“The Fake News, as usual, is spreading false and completely unfounded rumors. I am extremely happy with the job that Pete Hegseth is doing,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He added that the war with Iran “is going very well!” and said he believed the newspaper’s reporting of the alleged disagreement was “treasonous.
Trump’s ‘Golden Fleet’ of battleships to cost $275 billion, CBO says
The Congressional Budget Office estimated the first ship in the Navy’s new nuclear-powered battleship program would cost about $23 billion. The other 15 ships that would be purchased through 2056 would average slightly more than $18 billion each, it said.
“Congress cannot throw hundreds of billions of dollars at Trump’s ‘Golden Fleet,’ including plastering his name across a new battleship,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Budget Committee, who requested the assessment.
The White House had requested $1 billion for early work on a new “Trump-class” battleship as part of a government funding package that the Senate is considering this week to prevent a government shutdown this fall. Democrats blocked that provision from the package.
For contrast, the last of the Nimitz-class aircraft carriers cost around $11 billion to build, while the newer Ford-class carriers will cost the Navy between $13 billion and $15 billion.
Trump’s IndyCar race: Doing 200 in a 25 mph zone with manhole cover-displacing torque
The president is hosting an IndyCar street race in Washington, D.C., as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
The Freedom 250 Grand Prix, set for Aug. 22 and 23, will see cars speeding down Pennsylvania Avenue at up to eight times the usual 25 mph speed limit.
It is the latest — and the fastest — of the major events Trump has hosted against the backdrop of America’s birthday.
The IndyCar event will be 250 miles over 147 laps on a 1.66-mile track featuring seven turns. Race chair Bud Denker says Penske Corporation is paying for the “vast majority” of the race, while the city handles “very limited” repaving.
Democrat says Paul would upend long-standing congressional respect for Fifth Amendment protections
Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, the committee’s top Democrat, also questioned whether the referral would be valid if Paul bypassed the entire Senate, where the 60 votes needed to pass the resolution are seen as unlikely.
“If this committee now seeks to punish a witness for asserting their constitutionally protected Fifth Amendment rights, future witnesses will argue that appearing before Congress exposes them to punishment regardless of whether they comply with a subpoena and invoke a constitutional protection,” he said.
Fauci’s lawyer accuses Paul of abusing his power by trying to ‘weaponize the Justice Department’
“Today’s partisan committee vote is a crude political stunt intended to punish Dr. Fauci for exercising his constitutional rights,” Fauci’s lawyer, David Schertler, said in a statement. “The Senate should reject Senator Paul’s meritless and politically-motivated contempt resolution. For years, Senator Paul has proclaimed to anyone who would listen that Dr. Fauci should be prosecuted and put in prison. Dr. Fauci has committed no crime — and Senator Paul knows it.”
Iran war renews concerns about the lasting toll of traumatic brain injuries to US troops
The lasting effects of traumatic brain injuries are raising fresh concerns about the toll of the Iran war on American troops who are suffering those wounds during a conflict without a clear end. Nearly 700 U.S. service members have been wounded by drone and missile attacks on bases in the Middle East and other fighting. Most have experienced traumatic brain injuries and returned to duty, according to public statements from military officials.
The Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, Sean Parnell, last month called the vast majority of injuries over a two-week period “minor concussions.”
Concussions often are termed “mild” TBIs, and many people recover within weeks. But sometimes those with seemingly mild initial symptoms go on to have problems persisting for months or years, such as headaches, dizziness or difficulties with memory or attention that’s sometimes called “brain fog.”
Doctors have no way to predict who will suffer lasting problems, a vexing enough question that there’s medical debate over whether to retire the term “mild TBI.”
Kennedy Center board to vote on closure next week
The board for the performing arts venue will meet Aug. 13 to consider whether to move forward with a two-year closure to allow for renovations, according to a person familiar with the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting hasn’t been made public.
A federal judge blocked a closure that was slated to take effect July 5, saying the board vote authorizing it was “ill-informed and seemingly preordained.” The judge also ruled that President Trump’s name was illegally added to the building, ordering its removal.
As the board, which is largely composed of Trump allies, moves toward another vote, management is expected to provide several options for consideration. They include a complete closure, a partial closure with the resumption of some programming or “phased closures” that would allow the full return of programming.
— Steven Sloan
Trump to welcome Winter Olympians to the White House
The president is hosting dozens of Winter Olympians and Paralympians for a Rose Garden reception later Thursday to honor their accomplishments in the 2026 Milano Cortina games.
Nearly half of the Team USA athletes who competed in Italy earlier this year will be at the reception, according to the White House, along with coaches, staff and other representatives.
Three hundred U.S. athletes participated in the Winter Olympics and Paralympics this year, winning 57 medals in all.
“President Trump will proudly celebrate Team USA’s historic achievements at the Winter Olympics with a special reception at the People’s House,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said. “Our patriotic athletes showed the world American excellence, and their extraordinary performances united us all in our love of country.”
Trump administration moves forward with Head Start overhaul, proposing to eliminate regulations
President Donald Trump’s administration said it plans to overhaul Head Start, tossing out many of the regulations that are the hallmark of the early education program for the nation’s poorest children.
Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the federally funded preschool program, said the proposed changes would encourage more local decision-making. Early childhood policy experts argue the deregulation could undermine Head Start’s position as the gold standard in early education.
Head Start centers serve around 700,000 of the nation’s most vulnerable children, including those who are homeless, in foster care or disabled. That wouldn’t change under the overhaul.
But Alex J. Adams, an assistant secretary at Health and Human Service, said the department is hoping to give Head Start centers the flexibility to change the way they operate. That means eliminating most of Head Start’s regulations, such as standards for low staff-to-student ratios or requirements to provide services to preschoolers’ families.
Pirro’s office is the next stop for Fauci’s contempt charge
The Senate has typically considered contempt charges even when they originate with a committee. But Paul is sending the matter directly to the Justice Department, bypassing the full Senate in a move Democrats decried as illegitimate.
That means the referral will land in the office of Washington’s U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.
That’s notable given how Pirro has drawn fire recently from President Donald Trump over her effectively disputing the president’s false claims that vandals damaged the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Pirro dropped charges against a man accused of damaging the pool’s new lining, saying it was instead the result of shoddy contractor work.
So, now, Pirro could end up deciding whether to prosecute Fauci.
Senate committee votes to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress
The Senate committee on Thursday voted to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress and refer him to the Justice Department for potential prosecution over his refusal to answer questions at a hearing last week focused on his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held the vote one week after Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times when he appeared before the panel.
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, the committee chairman, has said that constitutional protection did not apply since Fauci last year received a pardon from Democratic President Joe Biden and thus did not have to worry about the threat of prosecution. Fauci and Democrats who opposed the contempt resolution say he had a well-founded fear of self-incrimination given a public desire by Republicans to seek his prosecution.
