July 29, 2026 - US Thwarts Iranian Missile Strike

I did the “Washington read” of the Fauci diaries — the capital's oldest ritual: open a big book and search for your own name. I'm there twice, in his daily press logs. February 19, 2020: “SiriusXM Radio – Michael Smerconish.” February 22, 2020: “CNN with Michael Smerconish.” No editorial comment attached. Innocuous. But look at those dates. They sit inside the most contested stretch of the 1,100 pages Rand Paul released Monday.

On January 26, 2020, Fauci had privately written that “the market was not the source, it was the amplifier.” His notes from a February 1 call record that most scientists on the line thought “deliberate insertion was possible.” Three weeks later he sat with me and said none of it — origins came up only as geography: the virus “unquestionably” came from Wuhan. What he did tell me: “Transparency is absolutely critical... whenever you have information that's being held back, there always are negative consequences.” He meant China. And, to his credit, he told me the virus had “the makings of a pandemic” — three days before the CDC sounded its public alarm.

Today he's back before Congress: under subpoena, facing a committee chaired by Rand Paul, his Biden pardon no shield against anything false said under oath. The hearing will be theater. The real question is the one my own tape frames: when he kept his private doubts private, was that a scientist declining to spread unsettled speculation — or information control?

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The US military said it intercepted an Iranian missile attack aimed at American troops and struck Iran-backed militias in Iraq, marking a sharp escalation in the regional conflict despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the war.

Associated Press

Journal entries released by Sen. Rand Paul show Dr. Anthony Fauci privately wrestled with COVID-19's origins, took some credit for state lockdown decisions, savored his surging fame, and grew increasingly critical of President Trump even as the two forged what Fauci called a "unique" relationship.

The Hill

President Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to overturn an $83.3 million defamation judgment awarded to E. Jean Carroll, arguing the ruling threatens presidential immunity, despite the justices previously rejecting a related appeal in the case.

USA Today

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear sent a letter to Sen. Mitch McConnell on Monday demanding he verbally address constituents and provide proof he is fit to serve or step down, citing 43 days of hospitalization, no votes cast, and scant detail from his attending physician.

Lexington Herald-Leader

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A new study across five experiments with 3,272 participants finds that partisans on both sides of divisive issues like abortion, the 2024 election, and the Israel-Palestine conflict tend to classify moderates as belonging to the opposing camp rather than as neutral.

StudyFinds

The Democratic National Committee's proposed 2028 primary schedule, led by South Carolina, favors establishment candidates and complicates the path for contenders aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America.

The Washington Post

David Roth ended his U.S. Senate campaign Tuesday after pressure from Idaho Democrats to rally behind independent Todd Achilles, though Roth declined to endorse Achilles in his exit statement and cited policy differences with the independent challenging Republican Sen. Jim Risch.

Idaho Capital Sun

Francesca Hong, a 37-year-old chef, state representative and democratic socialist, has surged to the top of Wisconsin's Democratic gubernatorial primary field with an unorthodox, joy-driven campaign, alarming mainstream Democrats who fear she can't beat likely GOP nominee Rep. Tom Tiffany in November.

Wisconsin Public Radio

The Clinton Foundation unveiled the Clinton Policy Institute, its first new initiative in over a decade, aimed at helping state and local governments craft nonpartisan solutions on health, economic security and democracy, with Zayn Siddique as CEO and Jennifer Klein as chair.

ABC News

Ruby Rippey recounted her affair with then–San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom while her husband, Alex Tourk, served as his deputy chief of staff, tracing how alcoholism, rehab, and a confessional email in 2007 detonated her marriage and made her a tabloid fixture.

Vanity Fair