#Gravitas The debate over the origins of COVID-19 has taken a new turn after a former senior adviser to Dr. Anthony Fauci admitted to helping conceal U.S. federal records linked to coronavirus research. The development is reigniting questions about transparency, record-keeping, and what information was available during investigations into the pandemic's origins. The case is likely to intensify scrutiny of key figures and institutions involved in COVID-era decision-making.

Covid origins mystery deepens after Fauci adviser’s guilty plea

A Republican-led US Senate committee on Thursday (August 06) approved a motion to hold former top infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he refused to answer questions during a hearing on the Covid-19 pandemic.&nbsp;Fauci, 85, invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during his appearance before the Senate Homeland Security Committee last week. His lawyers advised him not to respond to questions from Republican lawmakers.&nbsp;The committee questioned Fauci over allegations that information related to the origins of the Covid 19 pandemic had been concealed. Fauci declined to answer, citing his constitutional rights.&nbsp;Ahead of the hearing, committee chairman Senator Rand Paul released thousands of pages from Fauci's personal diary.&nbsp;Fauci later said his legal team believed the questioning was designed to draw him into statements that could expose him to perjury charges. Based on that advice, he chose to remain silent throughout the hearing.<h2>Contempt recommendation heads to Justice Department</h2>The contempt recommendation was approved along party lines following an initiative led by Rand Paul, who had earlier subpoenaed Fauci to testify. Paul said he plans to forward the committee's recommendation directly to the Justice Department, which will decide whether to take further action.&nbsp;The move departs from the usual process, under which contempt resolutions are generally considered by the full Senate before being referred further. The decision could raise legal and political questions for President Donald Trump's administration.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pm-modi-s-foreign-visits-cost-74-59-crore-in-2026-till-july-2025-recorded-highest-spending-1786014940930">PM Modi's foreign visits cost ₹74.59 crore in 2026 till July; 2025 recorded highest spending</a><h2>Democrats slam committee's decision</h2>Democratic lawmakers on the panel opposed the contempt vote and questioned the way the investigation had been conducted.&nbsp;Senator Gary Peters described it as a "rushed investigation."&nbsp;He said the vote could “harm our ability to conduct future investigations and disregards constitutional protections long recognised by the US Senate, all without making a reliable case that there is a legal basis for holding Dr Fauci in contempt.”&nbsp;The hearing marked another chapter in the long-running dispute between Fauci and Rand Paul over the origins of Covid-19. Paul has repeatedly alleged, without substantiated evidence, that the pandemic originated in a laboratory and that its origins were concealed.

A Republican led US Senate committee voted to recommend contempt proceedings against former infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci after he invoked his Fifth Amendment right during a hearing on the origins of the Covid 19 pandemic.

A Republican-led US Senate committee on Thursday (August 06) approved a motion to hold former top infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he refused to answer questions during a hearing on the Covid-19 pandemic. Fauci, 85, invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during his appearance before the Senate Homeland Security Committee last week. His lawyers advised him not to respond to questions from Republican lawmakers. The committee questioned Fauci over allegations that information related to the origins of the Covid 19 pandemic had been concealed. Fauci declined to answer, citing his constitutional rights. Ahead of the hearing, committee chairman Senator Rand Paul released thousands of pages from Fauci's personal diary. Fauci later said his legal team believed the questioning was designed to draw him into statements that could expose him to perjury charges. Based on that advice, he chose to remain silent throughout the hearing. Contempt recommendation heads to Justice Department The contempt recommendation was approved along party lines following an initiative led by Rand Paul, who had earlier subpoenaed Fauci to testify. Paul said he plans to forward the committee's recommendation directly to the Justice Department, which will decide whether to take further action. The move departs from the usual process, under which contempt resolutions are generally considered by the full Senate before being referred further. The decision could raise legal and political questions for President Donald Trump's administration. Also Read: PM Modi's foreign visits cost ₹74.59 crore in 2026 till July; 2025 recorded highest spending Democrats slam committee's decision Democratic lawmakers on the panel opposed the contempt vote and questioned the way the investigation had been conducted. Senator Gary Peters described it as a "rushed investigation." He said the vote could “harm our ability to conduct future investigations and disregards constitutional protections long recognised by the US Senate, all without making a reliable case that there is a legal basis for holding Dr Fauci in contempt.” The hearing marked another chapter in the long-running dispute between Fauci and Rand Paul over the origins of Covid-19. Paul has repeatedly alleged, without substantiated evidence, that the pandemic originated in a laboratory and that its origins were concealed.

A Republican-led US Senate committee voted to recommend contempt proceedings against former infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci after he invoked his Fifth Amendment right during a hearing on the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic.

US Senate panel recommends contempt action against Anthony Fauci over Covid hearing

Dr. Anthony Fauci appeared before a Republican-led Senate committee hearing and repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment, declining to answer dozens of questions about his role in the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci, who served as one of the leading figures during America's coronavirus response, was subpoenaed to testify under oath by Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky. During the hearing, Fauci refused to answer more than 100 questions, reigniting long-running political debates over COVID-19 origins, pandemic policies, and government decision-making.

Anthony Fauci Pleads the Fifth Over 100 Times During Senate Hearing on COVID Response

Former NIAID Director Anthony Fauci declined to answer questions at a Senate hearing on Wednesday (Jul 29), pleading the Fifth more than 100 times despite being told that he did not have that right given his current legal status. Fauci repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment right, which protects an individual against self-incrimination. However, a moment from the hearing went viral on social media after Fauci pleaded the Fifth when asked basic facts like what day it is or the colour of his tie.When Senator Josh Hawley got visibly irritated by Fauci’s repeated invoking of the Fifth Amendment, he began testing his invocations.“Let’s try something,” he said.“What day of the week is it today?” Hawley asked, to which Fauci replied that he pleads the Fifth.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-claims-us-strikes-against-pro-iran-militias-in-iraq-were-coordinated-with-baghdad-1785394774515">Trump claims US-Saudi strikes against pro-Iran militias in Iraq were coordinated with Baghdad</a>Hawley then asked him what colour his tie was, and what the colour of the carpet was. Fauci pleaded the Fifth for both simple questions, refusing to answer anything.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨New: Dr. Fauci decided to invoke the Fifth after Senator Josh Hawley (<a href="https://x.com/HawleyMO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HawleyMO</a>) asked him what day of the week was it <a href="https://t.co/Te8JVOsLAL">pic.twitter.com/Te8JVOsLAL</a>&mdash; The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) <a href="https://x.com/TheCalvinCooli1/status/2082488048395137145?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Fauci denied to answer despite Republican Senator Rand Paul warning of consequences for his refusal to answer, given he was not allowed to plead the Fifth Amendment right to prevent him from answering senators’ questions and that a pardon from former president Joe Biden would not protect him.“Let’s just get one thing straight. You don’t have any rights under the Fifth Amendment because you’ve been pardoned, as you very well know,” Hawley said, invoking the 1896 Brown v. Walker case. He added, “This isn’t about the law. This is about contempt, contempt for this body and contempt for the American people.”Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-is-jay-clayton-wall-street-lawyer-chosen-as-trump-s-new-intelligence-chief-1785321613989">Who is Jay Clayton? Wall Street lawyer chosen as Trump’s new intelligence chief</a>The senator said, “But I think I know why you’re doing it. It’s because you don’t want to answer questions. It’s because you did all kinds of terrible things. It’s because during the pandemic, you got rich… while people were dying.”Senator Bernie Moreno questioned if Fauci knew what the Fifth Amendment was. When asked to recite the law, Fauci ironically again pleaded the Fifth.“No, I’m just asking you what it says,” Moreno repeated.“On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution,” Fauci said once more.Moreno even ordered an aide to bring a copy of the Constitution and instructed Fauci to read. The response was the same from the octogenarian immunologist.“So you’re invoking a right that you don’t know who wrote it or what it says? Is that correct?” Moreno quipped. Fauci again invoked his Fifth Amendment right. &nbsp;

Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment over 100 times during a Senate hearing, refusing to answer even basic questions, including what day it was and the colour of his tie.

Former NIAID Director Anthony Fauci declined to answer questions at a Senate hearing on Wednesday (Jul 29), pleading the Fifth more than 100 times despite being told that he did not have that right given his current legal status. Fauci repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment right, which protects an individual against self-incrimination. However, a moment from the hearing went viral on social media after Fauci pleaded the Fifth when asked basic facts like what day it is or the colour of his tie. When Senator Josh Hawley got visibly irritated by Fauci’s repeated invoking of the Fifth Amendment, he began testing his invocations. “Let’s try something,” he said. “What day of the week is it today?” Hawley asked, to which Fauci replied that he pleads the Fifth. Also read | Trump claims US-Saudi strikes against pro-Iran militias in Iraq were coordinated with Baghdad Hawley then asked him what colour his tie was, and what the colour of the carpet was. Fauci pleaded the Fifth for both simple questions, refusing to answer anything.

Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment over 100 times during a Senate hearing, refusing to answer even basic questions, including what day it was and the colour of his tie.

‘What day is it?’ Fauci pleads Fifth over 100 times, refuses to answer basic questions during Senate grilling | WATCH

Senator Rand Paul, Chairman of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, escorted out the lawyer of Dr Anthony Fauci as the two parties engaged in back and forth during the hearing. Paul claimed that Fauci's attorney, David Schertler, was not authorised to sit at the witness table, but he did so. Dr Anthony Fauci took the Fifth Amendment repeatedly at least 100 times, as reported by the New York Post.&nbsp;“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 recognised. 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. I can’t do that today. But I can have you escorted from the premises,” Paul told Schertler. Paul has called for a vote next week on contempt of Congress despite Biden's pardon.<h2>Fauci to face ‘repercussions’ for pleading the Fifth?</h2>Anthony Fauci, former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who had a pardon from former US President Joe Biden during the final hours of his administration, for all of his official conduct from 2014 to 2025. But Kentucky Senator Rand Paul explicitly warned Dr Anthony Fauci that he would face legal and congressional repercussions for refusing to answer questions. Fauci pleaded the Fifth, which is the constitutional right against anything that might incriminate him. But the Fifth Amendment is not absolute; as Paul argued, Fauci had a pardon, so he cannot claim fear of prosecution for questions about the time the pardon covers. So in this case, he could be held in civil contempt. Republicans could get a court order against Fauci requiring him to testify and sanctioning him with fines and incarceration for refusing to do so.

Can Anthony Fauci face legal action after pleading the Fifth despite Joe Biden's pardon? Here's why Rand Paul says Congress could pursue contempt proceedings.

Senator Rand Paul, Chairman of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, escorted out the lawyer of Dr Anthony Fauci as the two parties engaged in back and forth during the hearing. Paul claimed that Fauci's attorney, David Schertler, was not authorised to sit at the witness table, but he did so. Dr Anthony Fauci took the Fifth Amendment repeatedly at least 100 times, as reported by the New York Post. “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 recognised. 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. I can’t do that today. But I can have you escorted from the premises,” Paul told Schertler. Paul has called for a vote next week on contempt of Congress despite Biden's pardon. Fauci to face ‘repercussions’ for pleading the Fifth? Anthony Fauci, former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who had a pardon from former US President Joe Biden during the final hours of his administration, for all of his official conduct from 2014 to 2025. But Kentucky Senator Rand Paul explicitly warned Dr Anthony Fauci that he would face legal and congressional repercussions for refusing to answer questions. Fauci pleaded the Fifth, which is the constitutional right against anything that might incriminate him. But the Fifth Amendment is not absolute; as Paul argued, Fauci had a pardon, so he cannot claim fear of prosecution for questions about the time the pardon covers. So in this case, he could be held in civil contempt. Republicans could get a court order against Fauci requiring him to testify and sanctioning him with fines and incarceration for refusing to do so.

Can Anthony Fauci face legal action after pleading the Fifth despite Joe Biden's pardon? Here's why Rand Paul says Congress could pursue contempt proceedings.

Rand Paul ejects Fauci's attorney: Can he face contempt despite Biden pardon?

Former top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci faced intense questioning from Republican senators on Wednesday over the origins of Covid-19. However, on the advice of his lawyers, Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment, which protects individuals from being compelled to provide potentially self-incriminating testimony, and refused to answer questions. He described the hearing as an attempt at character assassination.&nbsp;The hearing marked the latest development in the long-running dispute between Fauci, who served for decades as the US leading infectious disease expert, and Republican Senator Rand Paul. Paul has repeatedly pushed claims that the Covid 19 pandemic originated in a laboratory and that the truth was later covered up.&nbsp;Citing what he called Paul's "obsession" with him, Fauci said he would invoke the Fifth Amendment and decline to answer questions that could expose him to criminal liability. He said the decision "pains me to do so."&nbsp;Fauci also indicated that his legal team believed Paul was trying to trap him into making a statement that could potentially lead to perjury charges.&nbsp;"The only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything, that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, quote 'behind bars,'" Fauci said.&nbsp;Fauci answered each question with the same line: “On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.”&nbsp;Former President Joe Biden granted Fauci a preemptive pardon on January 19, 2025, while President Donald Trump criticised Fauci in a post on Truth Social, saying his "ideas were CRAZY!" during the early stages of the pandemic.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/we-ll-be-hitting-them-hard-trump-s-expletive-laden-warning-to-iran-after-missile-attack-on-us-bases-in-jordan-1785335199804">'We’ll be hitting them hard': Trump's expletive-laden warning to Iran after missile attack on US bases in Jordan</a><h2>What is the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution?</h2>The Fifth Amendment is part of the US Constitution and provides several legal protections to individuals. One of its best-known protections allows a person to refuse to answer questions if doing so could expose them to criminal prosecution.&nbsp;This protection is commonly known as "pleading the Fifth" or invoking the right against self-incrimination. It means the government generally cannot compel a person to testify in a criminal case that could be used against them.&nbsp;The Fifth Amendment contains five major protections.&nbsp;Protection against self-incrimination: A person can refuse to answer questions or testify when their answers could potentially incriminate them. Under established legal precedent, police must inform people in custody of certain constitutional rights before questioning them.&nbsp;Double jeopardy protection: The government generally cannot prosecute or punish a person twice for the same criminal offence after an acquittal or conviction.&nbsp;Due process of law: The amendment requires the government to follow fair and established legal procedures before depriving a person of life, liberty or property.&nbsp;Grand jury indictment: In certain serious federal criminal cases, the amendment requires a grand jury to issue an indictment before a person can face trial.&nbsp;Takings Clause: The amendment limits the government's power to take private property for public use by requiring the payment of just compensation.

Anthony Fauci declined to answer questions during a tense Senate hearing on Covid origins, citing protections under the Fifth Amendment.

Former top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci faced intense questioning from Republican senators on Wednesday over the origins of Covid-19. However, on the advice of his lawyers, Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment, which protects individuals from being compelled to provide potentially self-incriminating testimony, and refused to answer questions. He described the hearing as an attempt at character assassination. The hearing marked the latest development in the long-running dispute between Fauci, who served for decades as the US leading infectious disease expert, and Republican Senator Rand Paul. Paul has repeatedly pushed claims that the Covid 19 pandemic originated in a laboratory and that the truth was later covered up. Citing what he called Paul's "obsession" with him, Fauci said he would invoke the Fifth Amendment and decline to answer questions that could expose him to criminal liability. He said the decision "pains me to do so." Fauci also indicated that his legal team believed Paul was trying to trap him into making a statement that could potentially lead to perjury charges. "The only conclusion I can reach is that the sole reason he is calling me before this committee is to get me to say something, anything, that could vindicate his repeated public pledges that I end up, in his words, quote 'behind bars,'" Fauci said. Fauci answered each question with the same line: “On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.” Former President Joe Biden granted Fauci a preemptive pardon on January 19, 2025, while President Donald Trump criticised Fauci in a post on Truth Social, saying his "ideas were CRAZY!" during the early stages of the pandemic. Also Read: 'We’ll be hitting them hard': Trump's expletive-laden warning to Iran after missile attack on US bases in Jordan What is the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution? The Fifth Amendment is part of the US Constitution and provides several legal protections to individuals. One of its best-known protections allows a person to refuse to answer questions if doing so could expose them to criminal prosecution. This protection is commonly known as "pleading the Fifth" or invoking the right against self-incrimination. It means the government generally cannot compel a person to testify in a criminal case that could be used against them. The Fifth Amendment contains five major protections. Protection against self-incrimination: A person can refuse to answer questions or testify when their answers could potentially incriminate them. Under established legal precedent, police must inform people in custody of certain constitutional rights before questioning them. Double jeopardy protection: The government generally cannot prosecute or punish a person twice for the same criminal offence after an acquittal or conviction. Due process of law: The amendment requires the government to follow fair and established legal procedures before depriving a person of life, liberty or property. Grand jury indictment: In certain serious federal criminal cases, the amendment requires a grand jury to issue an indictment before a person can face trial. Takings Clause: The amendment limits the government's power to take private property for public use by requiring the payment of just compensation.

Anthony Fauci declined to answer questions during a tense Senate hearing on Covid origins, citing protections under the Fifth Amendment.

Former top US Covid expert Fauci pleads Fifth during Senate hearing over Covid origins: What is the amendment?

Anthony Fauci, the public face of America's Covid-19 pandemic response, kept a diary in which he once described US President Donald Trump as "the smartest person in the world" and "really a famous guy", before his views soured. More than 1,141 pages of material spanning December 2019 to December 2022 have been publicly released. Described in the US media as Fauci's "meticulous notes", these were obtained through congressional oversight, document requests and subpoenas rather than voluntary release by Fauci. The former Chief Medical Advisor to the US President is due to testify before a key congressional committee on Wednesday (Jul 29). What else do the publicly released excerpts reveal? Fair warning: strong language ahead.<h2>What Fauci thought of Trump: From adoration to contempt</h2>The early years of their interaction during Trump's first term, which ended as Covid became a global pandemic, appeared cordial. But in an entry dated 27 February 2020, Fauci recounted urging Trump not to underplay the virus's seriousness, warning it could damage his re-election prospects if the outbreak worsened.Fauci later described Trump as "rambling", "getting out of control", and called some of his press briefings "a total s**t show".Among his strongest comments, Fauci described Trump as "desperate" about re-election, "a true embarrassment", "spewing nonsense" and "incorrigible". In a March 2021 entry, he also compared Trump's post-election conduct to that of Hitler, calling him "truly an obnoxious adolescent".<h2>Fauci noted down his tensions with White House staff</h2>The diaries also recorded his frustrations with then White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who Fauci alleged had threatened to limit his television appearances, shouted at him and pushed for softer public messaging.Fauci also called Michael Caputo, the then US Department of Health and Human Services spokesman, "a con man who is completely full of sh**."<h2>Fauci on Covid origins and the lab-leak theory: Did he favour the Covid natural-origin hypothesis?</h2>One of the biggest controversies surrounding the pandemic has been ‘the lab-leak theory’, which argued that the Covid virus may have escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. Fauci later faced criticism over NIH-funded research involving EcoHealth Alliance and its links to research conducted with the Wuhan Institute of Virology.But in his diary entries, Fauci appeared to oppose the Lab theory. In a diary entry dated 26 January 2020, Fauci wrote: "The first infection was in early December and was not connected to the [Wuhan] market... Now we know the market was not the source, it was the amplifier." He added that "somewhere the virus jumped from animals to humans."A 1 February 2020 entry describing a conference call with outside scientists recorded that only two participants favoured a natural origin, while most others felt "deliberate insertion was possible".The entries show Fauci documenting private scientific discussions about possible origins while publicly maintaining that more evidence and investigation were needed.&nbsp;In later entries, he dismissed some congressional allegations as "conspiracy theory-like" and "a waste of our time".Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lies-disinformation-censorship-gabbard-releases-never-before-seen-docs-to-prove-he-helped-bury-covid-lab-leak-evidence-china-wuhan-lab-1781858814910">'Lies. Disinformation. Censorship': Gabbard releases 'never-before-seen' docs to prove Fauci helped bury COVID files</a><h2>Fauci noted his growing public profile. Was it all about him?</h2>Fauci's multiple diary entries reflected on the intense media attention that he was getting at the time. A 21 March 2020 entry said: "Big front page article about me appeared in The Washington Post. Very flattering. The situation with my national and international fame is explosive and really unimaginable.""It is not hyperbole to say that today I am the most famous and talked about person in the country and one of the most recognisable people in the world," he wrote.Other entries include comments such as "Press is going wild with me", while referring to interactions with celebrities including Barbra Streisand, Julia Roberts, Steph Curry and Larry Ellison. He also noted merchandise such as "Fauci socks", "Fauci doughnuts", Fauci fan art and prayer candles.<h2>Fauci had influence on Covid restrictions in the US</h2>The diary entries suggest Fauci played an influential advisory role as governments considered restrictions during the pandemic. On 15 March 2020, he wrote: "I spoke with Bill de Blasio [the then New York Cit... and convinced him... to close the NYC schools... I went on to tell him he should close the bars and restaurants in NYC."Another entry has drawn attention because it records Fauci discussing with former CDC Director Tom Frieden an estimated Covid case fatality rate of "more like 0.2-0.3% rather than 2.0%". As scientific understanding evolved, Fauci later gave Congress higher estimates based on the information available at the time.<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/tulsi-gabbard-s-major-allegations-against-fauci-1781897232724/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/tulsi-gabbard-s-major-allegations-against-fauci-1781897232724/embed</a><h2>How were the Fauci diary entries accessed, and what happens next?</h2>The diary entries and private notes were released recently by Republican Senator Rand Paul, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, as part of the committee's investigation into Covid origins and gain-of-function research.The release comes ahead of Fauci's testimony before the committee. Paul has argued the entries show differences between Fauci's private discussions and some of his public statements on issues including Covid origins and pandemic restrictions.<h2>Is Fauci's privacy violated by the release of the diary entries?</h2>Notes created during official duties by a senior federal official may be subject to the Federal Records Act and congressional oversight. The material was obtained through legal processes rather than Fauci's consent, raising broader questions about the balance between officials' expectations of privacy for work-related records and public accountability.<h2>Political controversy erupts over Fauci diary entries</h2>Republicans have cited the diary entries to question Fauci's credibility and highlight what they describe as inconsistencies between his private notes and public statements.Supporters of Fauci have argued that the excerpts have been released selectively and should be viewed in the broader context of rapidly evolving scientific evidence during the pandemic.Fauci continues to face political scrutiny. He also received a pre-emptive federal pardon from former President Joe Biden covering potential federal offences related to his official pandemic work, although it does not prevent congressional oversight or testimony.

More than 1,141 pages of Anthony Fauci's pandemic-era diaries have been accessed by a key Congressional panel. Exceprts reveal his private views on Donald Trump, Covid origins, White House tensions. Fauci faces a Senate testimony. What do his alleged diary entries tell?



Anthony Fauci, the public face of America's Covid-19 pandemic response, kept a diary in which he once described US President Donald Trump as "the smartest person in the world" and "really a famous guy", before his views soured. More than 1,141 pages of material spanning December 2019 to December 2022 have been publicly released. Described in the US media as Fauci's "meticulous notes", these were obtained through congressional oversight, document requests and subpoenas rather than voluntary release by Fauci. The former Chief Medical Advisor to the US President is due to testify before a key congressional committee on Wednesday (Jul 29). What else do the publicly released excerpts reveal? Fair warning: strong language ahead. What Fauci thought of Trump: From adoration to contempt The early years of their interaction during Trump's first term, which ended as Covid became a global pandemic, appeared cordial. But in an entry dated 27 February 2020, Fauci recounted urging Trump not to underplay the virus's seriousness, warning it could damage his re-election prospects if the outbreak worsened. Fauci later described Trump as "rambling", "getting out of control", and called some of his press briefings "a total s**t show". Among his strongest comments, Fauci described Trump as "desperate" about re-election, "a true embarrassment", "spewing nonsense" and "incorrigible". In a March 2021 entry, he also compared Trump's post-election conduct to that of Hitler, calling him "truly an obnoxious adolescent". Fauci noted down his tensions with White House staff The diaries also recorded his frustrations with then White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who Fauci alleged had threatened to limit his television appearances, shouted at him and pushed for softer public messaging. Fauci also called Michael Caputo, the then US Department of Health and Human Services spokesman, "a con man who is completely full of sh**." Fauci on Covid origins and the lab-leak theory: Did he favour the Covid natural-origin hypothesis? One of the biggest controversies surrounding the pandemic has been ‘the lab-leak theory’, which argued that the Covid virus may have escaped from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. Fauci later faced criticism over NIH-funded research involving EcoHealth Alliance and its links to research conducted with the Wuhan Institute of Virology. But in his diary entries, Fauci appeared to oppose the Lab theory. In a diary entry dated 26 January 2020, Fauci wrote: "The first infection was in early December and was not connected to the [Wuhan] market... Now we know the market was not the source, it was the amplifier." He added that "somewhere the virus jumped from animals to humans." A 1 February 2020 entry describing a conference call with outside scientists recorded that only two participants favoured a natural origin, while most others felt "deliberate insertion was possible". The entries show Fauci documenting private scientific discussions about possible origins while publicly maintaining that more evidence and investigation were needed. In later entries, he dismissed some congressional allegations as "conspiracy theory-like" and "a waste of our time". Also read: 'Lies. Disinformation. Censorship': Gabbard releases 'never-before-seen' docs to prove Fauci helped bury COVID files Fauci noted his growing public profile. Was it all about him? Fauci's multiple diary entries reflected on the intense media attention that he was getting at the time. A 21 March 2020 entry said: "Big front page article about me appeared in The Washington Post. Very flattering. The situation with my national and international fame is explosive and really unimaginable." "It is not hyperbole to say that today I am the most famous and talked about person in the country and one of the most recognisable people in the world," he wrote. Other entries include comments such as "Press is going wild with me", while referring to interactions with celebrities including Barbra Streisand, Julia Roberts, Steph Curry and Larry Ellison. He also noted merchandise such as "Fauci socks", "Fauci doughnuts", Fauci fan art and prayer candles. Fauci had influence on Covid restrictions in the US The diary entries suggest Fauci played an influential advisory role as governments considered restrictions during the pandemic. On 15 March 2020, he wrote: "I spoke with Bill de Blasio [the then New York Cit... and convinced him... to close the NYC schools... I went on to tell him he should close the bars and restaurants in NYC." Another entry has drawn attention because it records Fauci discussing with former CDC Director Tom Frieden an estimated Covid case fatality rate of "more like 0.2-0.3% rather than 2.0%". As scientific understanding evolved, Fauci later gave Congress higher estimates based on the information available at the time. https://www.wionews.com/videos/tulsi-gabbard-s-major-allegations-against-fauci-1781897232724/embed How were the Fauci diary entries accessed, and what happens next? The diary entries and private notes were released recently by Republican Senator Rand Paul, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, as part of the committee's investigation into Covid origins and gain-of-function research. The release comes ahead of Fauci's testimony before the committee. Paul has argued the entries show differences between Fauci's private discussions and some of his public statements on issues including Covid origins and pandemic restrictions. Is Fauci's privacy violated by the release of the diary entries? Notes created during official duties by a senior federal official may be subject to the Federal Records Act and congressional oversight. The material was obtained through legal processes rather than Fauci's consent, raising broader questions about the balance between officials' expectations of privacy for work-related records and public accountability. Political controversy erupts over Fauci diary entries Republicans have cited the diary entries to question Fauci's credibility and highlight what they describe as inconsistencies between his private notes and public statements. Supporters of Fauci have argued that the excerpts have been released selectively and should be viewed in the broader context of rapidly evolving scientific evidence during the pandemic. Fauci continues to face political scrutiny. He also received a pre-emptive federal pardon from former President Joe Biden covering potential federal offences related to his official pandemic work, although it does not prevent congressional oversight or testimony.

More than 1,141 pages of Anthony Fauci's pandemic-era diaries have been accessed by a key Congressional panel. Exceprts reveal his private views on Donald Trump, Covid origins, White House tensions. Fauci faces a Senate testimony. What do his alleged diary entries tell?&nbsp;

'Total s**t show': Fauci diaries reveal what Covid tsar thought about Trump and his own rising fame. What else is in the notes?

Tulsi Gabbard, the outgoing United States Director of National Intelligence, dropped a video on X Friday (Jun 19) laying out what she's calling never-before-seen proof that former Chief Medical Adviser Anthony Fauci used politicised intelligence officials to keep the COVID-19 origin story under wraps. She claims that Fauci sent millions in federal money to the Wuhan Institute of Virology for "gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV)", then later helped steer the intelligence community away from concluding that this same research likely caused the pandemic.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/holy-s-t-american-flag-blue-turning-puke-green-huge-chunks-of-paint-peeling-trump-s-reflecting-pool-is-already-falling-apart-watch-1781841058202">'Holy s**t!!': American flag blue turning puke green, huge chunks of paint peeling—Trump's reflecting pool is already falling apart | WATCH</a><h2>'Lies. Disinformation. Censorship'</h2>In a post on X, Gabbard's office stated that, "Lies. Disinformation. Censorship. That was Fauci's playbook." The post added that "On her final day as DNI, Tulsi Gabbard is executing POTUS’ priorities and taking on the Deep State, delivering on Josh Hawley's COVID Origins Act of 2023 and exposing the truth the American people were denied under the previous administration."According to the DNI office, the <a href="https://www.odni.gov/index.php/newsroom/reports-publications/reports-publications-2026/4165-fauci-funded-wuhan-lab-research-that-sparked-covid">documents released by them</a> paint a fairly specific picture of how Fauci allegedly hid the truth from the American people. " I’m releasing never-before-seen communications and documents exposing how&nbsp;Dr&nbsp;Fauci&nbsp;provided millions in US taxpayer dollars to fund dangerous gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab, worked with&nbsp;politicised&nbsp;elements within the Intelligence Community to&nbsp;suppress the truth about his actions and hide&nbsp;the virus’ lab-leak origins, and lied to Congress while under oath in 2024," said Gabbard, posting a video. "It’s time you know the truth," she added.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">🚨Lies. Disinformation. Censorship. That was Fauci&#39;s playbook. On her final day as DNI, <a href="https://x.com/TulsiGabbard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TulsiGabbard</a> is executing POTUS’ priorities and taking on the Deep State, delivering on <a href="https://x.com/HawleyMO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HawleyMO</a>’s COVID Origins Act of 2023 and exposing the truth the American people were denied under… <a href="https://t.co/347CniOFJW">https://t.co/347CniOFJW</a>&mdash; Office of the DNI (@ODNIgov) <a href="https://x.com/ODNIgov/status/2067793178799767876?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Fauci, by her account, didn't just fund the research; he also fed his own preferred scientists into the intelligence community's review process, and those scientists' conclusions ended up forming the basis of official assessments. Those assessments were then pointed to publicly as neutral, independent science, even though the chain led back to people Fauci had picked himself.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-trying-to-take-out-competition-newsom-alleges-doj-probe-is-politically-driven-they-chose-a-target-and-went-looking-for-a-crime-1781661000750">Trump trying to take out competition? Newsom alleges DOJ probe is politically driven: They 'chose a target and went looking for a crime'</a><h2>Fauci lied under oath?</h2>She also alleged that Fauci lied under oath. In 2024, lawmakers on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic asked Fauci point-blank whether he'd talked with agencies like the CIA, FBI or DIA about viral research. At the time, he said no, not that he was aware of, anyway. Gabbard's team argues the newly released correspondence contradicts that answer directly.The shocking release by Gabbard's office follows a year-long declassification push, which the outgoing DNI chief has tied to the Trump administration's broader transparency push.Her office claims that it has gathered testimony from intelligence community staffers who say they paid a price for questioning the official line on the virus's origins. "During this process, ODNI officials gathered testimony from multiple IC whistleblowers who reported retaliation for challenging the IC’s manipulation of intelligence on the virus’ origins."According to the press release, one contractor claims he was fired within days of going to ODNI as a whistleblower. Others described being told, more or less, that promotions would go to people who didn't rock the boat. "Managers reminded analysts who advocated for the lab-leak hypothesis that leadership would determine which analysts would be promoted. The message was clear: disagreement with the manipulated finding would derail careers.""The COVID-19 pandemic caused tremendous hardship and pain for millions of our fellow Americans and for countless people around the world. After years of lies, censorship, and cover-ups, the American people deserve transparency, truth, and accountability," Gabbard said in her statement, casting the episode as part of a larger pattern of officials protecting themselves at the public's expense."The tactics used to hide the truth are straight from the deep state playbook: politicised self-serving leaders like Dr Fauci covered up their own wrongdoing and abuses of power, manipulated intelligence, lied to Congress, and undermined a duly elected President by restricting his access to vital facts needed to keep the country safe. It’s time the American people learn the real story."Those whistleblower claims have reportedly been sent to the intelligence community's inspector general. Fauci is yet to respond to the allegations publicly.

Outgoing US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has released a new batch of declassified documents that she says expose former chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci's role in funding Wuhan coronavirus research and suppressing evidence supporting the COVID-19 lab-leak theory.

Tulsi Gabbard, the outgoing United States Director of National Intelligence, dropped a video on X Friday (Jun 19) laying out what she's calling never-before-seen proof that former Chief Medical Adviser Anthony Fauci used politicised intelligence officials to keep the COVID-19 origin story under wraps. She claims that Fauci sent millions in federal money to the Wuhan Institute of Virology for "gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV)", then later helped steer the intelligence community away from concluding that this same research likely caused the pandemic. Also read | 'Holy s**t!!': American flag blue turning puke green, huge chunks of paint peeling—Trump's reflecting pool is already falling apart | WATCH 'Lies. Disinformation. Censorship' In a post on X, Gabbard's office stated that, "Lies. Disinformation. Censorship. That was Fauci's playbook." The post added that "On her final day as DNI, Tulsi Gabbard is executing POTUS’ priorities and taking on the Deep State, delivering on Josh Hawley's COVID Origins Act of 2023 and exposing the truth the American people were denied under the previous administration." According to the DNI office, the documents released by them paint a fairly specific picture of how Fauci allegedly hid the truth from the American people. " I’m releasing never-before-seen communications and documents exposing how Dr Fauci provided millions in US taxpayer dollars to fund dangerous gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab, worked with politicised elements within the Intelligence Community to suppress the truth about his actions and hide the virus’ lab-leak origins, and lied to Congress while under oath in 2024," said Gabbard, posting a video. "It’s time you know the truth," she added.

Outgoing US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has released a new batch of declassified documents that she says expose former chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci's role in funding Wuhan coronavirus research and suppressing evidence supporting the COVID-19 lab-leak theory.

'Lies. Disinformation. Censorship': Gabbard releases 'never-before-seen' docs to prove Fauci helped bury COVID files

Former chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden and as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr Anthony Fauci was grilled Monday (Jun 3) as he testified before a Republican-led House panel investigating the origins of COVID-19 and the government's pandemic response. During the testimony, an intense bipartisan divide was on display as Republicans on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic committee hounded him while Democrats came to his rescue.

The hearing comes as several Republicans have alleged that he had been communicating about official work using his private accounts.

It was Fauci's first public appearance on Capitol Hill since leaving government in 2022.

<h2>What happened in the hearing?</h2>

The committee chairman, Rep. Brad Wenstrup of Ohio, started off with a thanking note, lauding Fauci's "willing cooperation," for his voluntary appearance in the hearing.

But he was quick to give Fauci a tough time with his questions as he claimed he allowed his office to be "unaccountable to the American people."

Also read:&nbsp;<a data-ved="2ahUKEwiIktmV-L-GAxV27TgGHdKjAk0QxfQBKAB6BAgREAE" href="https://www.wionews.com/web-stories/world/trumpfauci-a-love-story-written-by-ai-1686317638115" jsname="YKoRaf" ping="/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https://www.wionews.com/web-stories/world/trumpfauci-a-love-story-written-by-ai-1686317638115&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiIktmV-L-GAxV27TgGHdKjAk0QxfQBKAB6BAgREAE">Trump-Fauci, a Love Story written by Artificial Intelligence</a>

"We have seen officials from your office, in their own writing, discussing breaking federal law, deleting official records, and sharing private government information with grant recipients. The office you directed and those serving under your leadership chose to flout the law and bragged about it," Wenstrup said.

Wenstrup was here referring to Dr David Morens, a senior adviser to Fauci, who had appeared before the panel last week and faced accusations that he had been circumventing federal Freedom of Information Act rules by using a "secret back channel" with Fauci.

Fauci on Monday distanced himself from Morens, saying the latter was not an adviser to him on "institute policy or other substantive issues."

"Let me state for the record, to the best of my knowledge, I have never conducted official business using my personal email," Fauci told the committee.

Fauci also touched upon the claims that he was trying to shield the EcoHealth Alliance, whose funding from the government came to light because of its close links to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Notably, Morens quoted an email to the EcoHealth Alliance to level this allegation against Fauci.

Also read:&nbsp;<a data-ved="2ahUKEwiIktmV-L-GAxV27TgGHdKjAk0QxfQBKAB6BAgHEAE" href="https://www.wionews.com/world/how-dangerously-us-played-with-coronaviruses-lab-under-fauci-tied-up-with-wuhan-institute-for-viral-research-653861" jsname="YKoRaf" ping="/url?sa=t&amp;source=web&amp;rct=j&amp;opi=89978449&amp;url=https://www.wionews.com/world/how-dangerously-us-played-with-coronaviruses-lab-under-fauci-tied-up-with-wuhan-institute-for-viral-research-653861&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiIktmV-L-GAxV27TgGHdKjAk0QxfQBKAB6BAgHEAE">How dangerously US played with coronaviruses? Lab under Fauci tied up with Wuhan institute for viral research</a>

"I don't know where he got that, but that's not true," said Fauci.

Fauci stressed the allegation that he influenced scientists working to determine whether the virus had originated in a lab by bribing them with grant money "is absolutely false and simply preposterous." He also disputed the claim that he made efforts to hide that the virus originated in the lab, saying he has "always kept an open mind to the different possibilities."

(With inputs from agencies)

Former chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden and as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr Anthony Fauci was grilled Monday (Jun 3) as he testified before a Republican-led House panel investigating the origins of COVID-19 and the government's pandemic response.

Former chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden and as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr Anthony Fauci was grilled Monday (Jun 3) as he testified before a Republican-led House panel investigating the origins of COVID-19 and the government's pandemic response. During the testimony, an intense bipartisan divide was on display as Republicans on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic committee hounded him while Democrats came to his rescue. The hearing comes as several Republicans have alleged that he had been communicating about official work using his private accounts. It was Fauci's first public appearance on Capitol Hill since leaving government in 2022. What happened in the hearing? The committee chairman, Rep. Brad Wenstrup of Ohio, started off with a thanking note, lauding Fauci's "willing cooperation," for his voluntary appearance in the hearing. But he was quick to give Fauci a tough time with his questions as he claimed he allowed his office to be "unaccountable to the American people." Also read: Trump-Fauci, a Love Story written by Artificial Intelligence "We have seen officials from your office, in their own writing, discussing breaking federal law, deleting official records, and sharing private government information with grant recipients. The office you directed and those serving under your leadership chose to flout the law and bragged about it," Wenstrup said. Wenstrup was here referring to Dr David Morens, a senior adviser to Fauci, who had appeared before the panel last week and faced accusations that he had been circumventing federal Freedom of Information Act rules by using a "secret back channel" with Fauci. Fauci on Monday distanced himself from Morens, saying the latter was not an adviser to him on "institute policy or other substantive issues." "Let me state for the record, to the best of my knowledge, I have never conducted official business using my personal email," Fauci told the committee. Fauci also touched upon the claims that he was trying to shield the EcoHealth Alliance, whose funding from the government came to light because of its close links to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Notably, Morens quoted an email to the EcoHealth Alliance to level this allegation against Fauci. Also read: How dangerously US played with coronaviruses? Lab under Fauci tied up with Wuhan institute for viral research "I don't know where he got that, but that's not true," said Fauci. Fauci stressed the allegation that he influenced scientists working to determine whether the virus had originated in a lab by bribing them with grant money "is absolutely false and simply preposterous." He also disputed the claim that he made efforts to hide that the virus originated in the lab, saying he has "always kept an open mind to the different possibilities." (With inputs from agencies)

Ex-medical adviser Anthony Fauci grilled by Republicans over COVID-19 handling

Republican Ron Desantis spreads AI Deepfakes of Donald Trump and Fauci hugging. Why would Desantis make such a move? Molly Gambhir tells you more.

Gravitas: DeSantis spreads AI Deepfakes showing Trump and Fauci hugging

The race to the White House has gotten murkier. Republican candidate Ron DeSantis has elevated his war of words with&nbsp;opponent Donald Trump to the next level with deepfake technology and AI-generated scandalous images. In a video released by the DeSantis War Room, the former US president can be seen hugging and even kissing&nbsp;the nose of his anathema, the former US chief medical adviser Dr Anthony Fauci.

<h2>Did Trump really kiss Fauci?</h2>

No, these images published by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' rapid response team are fake. They are generated using artificial intelligence technology and are as fake as the photos of Trump being arrested that went viral a couple of months back.

You can see them here:

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/ai-generated-images-of-donald-trumps-arrest-go-viral-take-a-look-574490">AI predicts what Donald Trump's arrest would look like. Take a look at the viral images!</a>

<h2>What is the DeSantis War Room video all about?</h2>

The video is a criticism of Trump's failure to fire Fauci, who was the United States' top infectious disease specialist at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, back when he was the president.

Fauci's push for Covid restrictions, as per Reuters, worked to turn him into a "boogeyman" for many Conservatives. Among those criticising Fauci's policies was Trump. In October 2020, the politician went as far as calling Dr Fauci a "disaster" that has been around for "500 years".

However, in spite of the often public thrashing, Trump refrained from firing Fauci.

<h2>Is the video completely fake?</h2>

As per Reuters, the video apparently includes some real footage of the former US president's press conferences and interviews.

However, the fake AI-generated content is shown with impudence at the 25-second mark. Here, around five seconds of the 35-second video display six images of Fauci and Trump. In three of them, the two men can be seen hugging or kissing.

Watch the video here:

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Donald Trump became a household name by FIRING countless people *on television* 
 
But when it came to Fauci... <a href="https://t.co/7Lxwf75NQm">pic.twitter.com/7Lxwf75NQm</a>
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeSantisWarRoom/status/1665799058303188992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 5, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<h2>How do we know these images are AI-generated?</h2>

Talking to Reuters, Matthew Stamm, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Drexel University, said that as per an analysis of traces left behind by synthetic image generators, the three images of Trump and Fauci kissing and hugging are likely AI-generated.

"Our results consistently output a decision that these images are fake," he added.

Also read |&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-ai-creates-images-of-world-leaders-as-toddlers-600932" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-ai-creates-images-of-world-leaders-as-toddlers-600932&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjilrOXmbX_AhVfumMGHQRzDssQFnoECAUQAg&amp;usg=AOvVaw2NtfYepZ4k1yjvVYDi8VCy" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-ai-creates-images-of-world-leaders-as-toddlers-600932" target="_blank">In&nbsp;Pics&nbsp;|&nbsp;AI&nbsp;creates&nbsp;images&nbsp;of world leaders as toddlers</a>

<h2>Did Trump use AI? Is this retaliation?</h2>

It could be retaliation. Talking to Reuters, a person with knowledge of Ron DeSantis' campaign operation claimed that the Trump side had been "continuously posting fake images and false talking points to smear the (Florida) governor."

As per the news agency, Trump, however, has primarily shared "obviously fake" content that anyone can see isn't real. For instance, he shared an image of DeSantis riding a rhinoceros. This, according to Reuters, was a suggestion that Ron DeSantis is a "Republican in Name Only" (RINO).

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" class="truthsocial-embed" src="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/110475191660845818/embed" style="max-width: 100%; border: 0" width="1000"></iframe><script src="https://truthsocial.com/embed.js" async="async"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<h2>Why is this problematic?</h2>

The video fails to disclose any potential AI use. While generating someone's AI images for slander purposes is immoral in all scenarios, the use of such images in the campaign of leading candidates makes it even more problematic.

<h2>Are other political campaigns using&nbsp;AI-generated content?</h2>

In the ongoing US Presidential Election race, so far the only high-profile political ad generated by artificial intelligence was by the Republican National Committee. The 30-second ad was released in April. It used fake images to suggest that if President Joe Biden is re-elected, a cataclysmic scenario with China invading Taiwan and San Francisco being shut down due to crime can happen. However, the RNC disclosed that the entire thing was generated using AI. 
 
(With inputs from agencies) 
 
&nbsp;

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You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

The race to the White House has gotten murkier. Republican candidate Ron DeSantis has elevated his war of words with opponent Donald Trump to the next level with deepfake technology and AI-generated scandalous images.

The race to the White House has gotten murkier. Republican candidate Ron DeSantis has elevated his war of words with opponent Donald Trump to the next level with deepfake technology and AI-generated scandalous images. In a video released by the DeSantis War Room, the former US president can be seen hugging and even kissing the nose of his anathema, the former US chief medical adviser Dr Anthony Fauci. Did Trump really kiss Fauci? No, these images published by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' rapid response team are fake. They are generated using artificial intelligence technology and are as fake as the photos of Trump being arrested that went viral a couple of months back. You can see them here: Also read | AI predicts what Donald Trump's arrest would look like. Take a look at the viral images! What is the DeSantis War Room video all about? The video is a criticism of Trump's failure to fire Fauci, who was the United States' top infectious disease specialist at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, back when he was the president. Fauci's push for Covid restrictions, as per Reuters, worked to turn him into a "boogeyman" for many Conservatives. Among those criticising Fauci's policies was Trump. In October 2020, the politician went as far as calling Dr Fauci a "disaster" that has been around for "500 years". However, in spite of the often public thrashing, Trump refrained from firing Fauci. Is the video completely fake? As per Reuters, the video apparently includes some real footage of the former US president's press conferences and interviews. However, the fake AI-generated content is shown with impudence at the 25-second mark. Here, around five seconds of the 35-second video display six images of Fauci and Trump. In three of them, the two men can be seen hugging or kissing. Watch the video here: Donald Trump became a household name by FIRING countless people *on television* But when it came to Fauci... pic.twitter.com/7Lxwf75NQm — DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) June 5, 2023 × How do we know these images are AI-generated? Talking to Reuters, Matthew Stamm, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Drexel University, said that as per an analysis of traces left behind by synthetic image generators, the three images of Trump and Fauci kissing and hugging are likely AI-generated. "Our results consistently output a decision that these images are fake," he added. Also read | In Pics | AI creates images of world leaders as toddlers Did Trump use AI? Is this retaliation? It could be retaliation. Talking to Reuters, a person with knowledge of Ron DeSantis' campaign operation claimed that the Trump side had been "continuously posting fake images and false talking points to smear the (Florida) governor." As per the news agency, Trump, however, has primarily shared "obviously fake" content that anyone can see isn't real. For instance, he shared an image of DeSantis riding a rhinoceros. This, according to Reuters, was a suggestion that Ron DeSantis is a "Republican in Name Only" (RINO). × Why is this problematic? The video fails to disclose any potential AI use. While generating someone's AI images for slander purposes is immoral in all scenarios, the use of such images in the campaign of leading candidates makes it even more problematic. Are other political campaigns using AI-generated content? In the ongoing US Presidential Election race, so far the only high-profile political ad generated by artificial intelligence was by the Republican National Committee. The 30-second ad was released in April. It used fake images to suggest that if President Joe Biden is re-elected, a cataclysmic scenario with China invading Taiwan and San Francisco being shut down due to crime can happen. However, the RNC disclosed that the entire thing was generated using AI. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Did Trump kiss Fauci? Ron DeSantis ups the ante with AI-generated fake images of two men

Dr. Anthony Fauci's farewell briefing ended up in chaos with reporters confronting him on Covid Origins. Fauci avoided the questions & let Karine Jean-Pierre answer them instead. Molly Gambhir tells you what happened next.

Gravitas: Fauci's farewell briefing goes off the rails

After 50 years of government service, Anthony Fauci, the Director of US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will be stepping down before the end of this year. In his farewell speech, Fauci urged the citizens to get vaccinated and take their Covid shot.

US: Anthony Fauci gives final address at White House, says 'I gave it all during my service'

U.S.' Anthony Fauci gave his final address after 50 years of service. Much like his tenure, controversy erupted at Fauci's final address as well .White House Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre got into a heated argument with a reporter.

Chaos at Anthony Fauci's final address; White House Secy gets into heated debate

Chaos ensued at the last press briefing of US chief medical advisor Anthony Fauci at the White House after a reporter raised questions on the origins of the COVID-19 virus.

The outgoing medical advisor was speaking about the Covid response efforts by the Biden administration on Tuesday when a correspondent from the New York Post (NYP), Diana Glebova, tried to ask Fauci what he had done personally to probe the virus origins.

This soon prompted other reporters to shout similar questions at the medical chief, forcing White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to jump in and interrupt them.

"We have a process here…I'm not calling on people who yell and you're being disrespectful to your colleagues and you're being disrespectful to our guest. I will not call on you if you yell, and also you're taking time off the clock because Dr Fauci&nbsp;has to leave in a couple of minutes.”

But her efforts went in vain, as the NYP correspondent continued to press with her questions.

<h2>US: Anthony Fauci gives final address at White House, says 'I gave it all during my service'</h2>

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"I'm&nbsp;done!" Jean-Pierre retorted. "I'm&nbsp;not getting into a back-and-forth with you."

The NYP journalist soon found support from her colleague, Africa Today’s Simon Ateba, who told Jean-Pierre to “allow her to ask the question … She’s asking about the origins of COVID-19, and Dr Fauci is the best person to answer that question.”

Jean-Pierre then shouted back at him, saying, “I hear the question! But we're not doing this the way you want it! This is disrespectful. I'm done. Simon, I'm done. I'm done with you right now."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/multiple-explosions-rock-jerusalem-at-least-13-injured-casualties-feared-536659">Multiple explosions rock Jerusalem, one dead, at least 15 injured; police suspect terror act</a>

This was perhaps the biggest tussle seen at a White House press conference since November 2018 witnessed between CNN correspondent Jim Acosta and then-US president Donald Trump over the asylum situation.

<h2>What is the theory of Covid origins?</h2>

Following the outbreak of Covid, several countries and the scientific community called for a probe to find the origins of the virus.

Since it was first reported in China’s Wuhan market, speculations were mainly concentrated on two possibilities: Whether the virus emerged from the animal market, or was it engineered in a virology lab, which was near the market.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/supreme-court-clears-way-for-handover-of-trumps-tax-returns-to-congress-536612">Supreme Court clears way for handover of Trump's tax returns to Congress</a>

In 2021, Fauci suggested that the virus may have come from the virology lab. "I am not convinced with the theory that the virus developed naturally."

"I think we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we find out to the best of our ability exactly what happened. Certainly, the people who investigated it say it was the emergence of from an animal reservoir that then infected individuals, but it could have been something else, and we need to find that out," Fauci had said.

In June this year, the World Health Organization released a report after their team went to Wuhan for inspection, saying that “key pieces of data” to explain how the pandemic began were still missing.

The scientists said the group would “remain open to any and all scientific evidence that becomes available in the future to allow for comprehensive testing of all reasonable hypotheses.”

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Chaos ensued at the last press briefing of US chief medical advisor Anthony Fauci at the White House after a reporter raised questions on the origins of the COVID-19 virus.

Chaos ensued at the last press briefing of US chief medical advisor Anthony Fauci at the White House after a reporter raised questions on the origins of the COVID-19 virus. The outgoing medical advisor was speaking about the Covid response efforts by the Biden administration on Tuesday when a correspondent from the New York Post (NYP), Diana Glebova, tried to ask Fauci what he had done personally to probe the virus origins. This soon prompted other reporters to shout similar questions at the medical chief, forcing White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to jump in and interrupt them. "We have a process here…I'm not calling on people who yell and you're being disrespectful to your colleagues and you're being disrespectful to our guest. I will not call on you if you yell, and also you're taking time off the clock because Dr Fauci has to leave in a couple of minutes.” But her efforts went in vain, as the NYP correspondent continued to press with her questions. US: Anthony Fauci gives final address at White House, says 'I gave it all during my service' "I'm done!" Jean-Pierre retorted. "I'm not getting into a back-and-forth with you." The NYP journalist soon found support from her colleague, Africa Today’s Simon Ateba, who told Jean-Pierre to “allow her to ask the question … She’s asking about the origins of COVID-19, and Dr Fauci is the best person to answer that question.” Jean-Pierre then shouted back at him, saying, “I hear the question! But we're not doing this the way you want it! This is disrespectful. I'm done. Simon, I'm done. I'm done with you right now." Also read | Multiple explosions rock Jerusalem, one dead, at least 15 injured; police suspect terror act This was perhaps the biggest tussle seen at a White House press conference since November 2018 witnessed between CNN correspondent Jim Acosta and then-US president Donald Trump over the asylum situation. What is the theory of Covid origins? Following the outbreak of Covid, several countries and the scientific community called for a probe to find the origins of the virus. Since it was first reported in China’s Wuhan market, speculations were mainly concentrated on two possibilities: Whether the virus emerged from the animal market, or was it engineered in a virology lab, which was near the market. Also read | Supreme Court clears way for handover of Trump's tax returns to Congress In 2021, Fauci suggested that the virus may have come from the virology lab. "I am not convinced with the theory that the virus developed naturally." "I think we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we find out to the best of our ability exactly what happened. Certainly, the people who investigated it say it was the emergence of from an animal reservoir that then infected individuals, but it could have been something else, and we need to find that out," Fauci had said. In June this year, the World Health Organization released a report after their team went to Wuhan for inspection, saying that “key pieces of data” to explain how the pandemic began were still missing. The scientists said the group would “remain open to any and all scientific evidence that becomes available in the future to allow for comprehensive testing of all reasonable hypotheses.” WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Chaos at US top medical advisor Fauci’s last press briefing over Covid origin questions

US' Anthony Fauci gave his final address after 50 years of service. Much like his tenure, controversy erupted at Fauci's final address as well - when at his final White House press conference descended into a chaos during the question and answer session. This after a journalist shouted a question out of order - the question was about the origin of Covid?

US: Chaos at Anthony Fauci's final address; White House Secretary gets into heated debate

The COVID-19 pandemic is currently under control in the United States but Dr Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, has urged the government to not be “complacent”.&nbsp;

Fauci has been a central figure for the US in the fight against the COVID-19 infection and he believes that it is too early to announce victory over the pandemic. In a recent interview, he warned against the impact of long Covid and requested the authorities to continue the research on the topic.&nbsp;

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“It’s a very insidious beneath-the-radar-screen public health emergency because it isn’t that you have people who are hospitalized or dying but their function is being considerably impaired and, for reasons that are obvious, that doesn’t attract as much attention as a death rate,” he told The Guardian.&nbsp;

“When you say right now in the United States 400 people a day die from Covid – several months ago that number was 3,000 to 4,000 – that’s a number that catches your attention and it’s very real and very acute. But to say that 7 million to 20 million people are really tired after Covid, people say, well, what does that mean? It’s not very concrete. And yet for the individual patient, it could be debilitating.”&nbsp;

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According to the data provided by the World&nbsp;Health&nbsp;Organisation, around 7.5 million to 23 million individuals in the US have shown symptoms of long Covid. While no concrete test exists in order to detect long Covid, Fauci said that it is important to keep investing in developing a proper system.&nbsp;

“When you look at the sheer numbers of people in the country and the world who’ve been infected, even those who’ve been vaccinated, even if a very small percentage of them have significant symptoms both from the standpoint of severity and duration, that’s a real problem,” he concluded.&nbsp;

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The COVID-19 pandemic is currently under control in the United States but Dr Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, has urged the government to not be “complacent”.

The COVID-19 pandemic is currently under control in the United States but Dr Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, has urged the government to not be “complacent”. Fauci has been a central figure for the US in the fight against the COVID-19 infection and he believes that it is too early to announce victory over the pandemic. In a recent interview, he warned against the impact of long Covid and requested the authorities to continue the research on the topic. Also read | UK Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt scraps almost all government tax cut plans “It’s a very insidious beneath-the-radar-screen public health emergency because it isn’t that you have people who are hospitalized or dying but their function is being considerably impaired and, for reasons that are obvious, that doesn’t attract as much attention as a death rate,” he told The Guardian. “When you say right now in the United States 400 people a day die from Covid – several months ago that number was 3,000 to 4,000 – that’s a number that catches your attention and it’s very real and very acute. But to say that 7 million to 20 million people are really tired after Covid, people say, well, what does that mean? It’s not very concrete. And yet for the individual patient, it could be debilitating.” Also read | Mahsa Amini's death: EU sanctions Iran’s Morality Police, minister According to the data provided by the World Health Organisation, around 7.5 million to 23 million individuals in the US have shown symptoms of long Covid. While no concrete test exists in order to detect long Covid, Fauci said that it is important to keep investing in developing a proper system. “When you look at the sheer numbers of people in the country and the world who’ve been infected, even those who’ve been vaccinated, even if a very small percentage of them have significant symptoms both from the standpoint of severity and duration, that’s a real problem,” he concluded.

Anthony Fauci urges US to 'not be complacent' in fight against long Covid

Anthony Fauci, the foremost authority on infectious diseases in the US and the Covid-19 pandemic's public face, will leave the federal government in December. Since 1984, Fauci, 81, has served as the director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). In 1968, at the age of 27, he started working at the National Institutes of Health.&nbsp;

Pioneer in handling infectious diseases

Fauci advised seven US Presidents throughout the course of a career that lasted close to five decades. Even before the coronavirus spread around the world, he was a pioneer in the federal response to HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. He most recently worked as US President Joe Biden's physician advisor. Before Covid-19 shook the world, he enjoyed a successful run for a number of years.

Fauci practically got himself into trouble when dealing with COVID-19 in the US. Then came his order to not initially wear a mask, which he later changed, and his doubts about the origins of the Covid-19 virus. Additionally, he disagreed with MPs from Donald Trump's party and the former US president.&nbsp;

Fauci's allegation

The 3,000 emails, which revealed how he handled Covid-19 in the early days of the outbreak and were obtained by the Washington Post, Buzzfeed News, and CNN under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), caused the most debate surrounding Fauci's allegation.

Wuhan lab controversy

The largest biomedical research institute in the nation's director sent Dr Fauci an email in January 2020 suggesting that the virus's "odd traits" showed it may have been created. Fauci responded by promising to get in touch over the phone.&nbsp;

In 2021, Fauci once more stated his suspicion. On May 11, 2021, Fauci was questioned over the possibility of the virus naturally occurring at the United Facts of America: A Festival of Fact-Checking. Fauci responded by stating that he was not persuaded by the theory. According to Fauci, "I am not convinced with the theory that the virus "developed naturally."

"I think we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we find out to the best of our ability exactly what happened. Certainly, the people who investigated it say it was the emergence of from an animal reservoir that then infected individuals, but it could have been something else, and we need to find that out," Fauci said.

Did the US fund a lab in China?&nbsp;

Republicans in Congress claimed in August 2021 that there was "ample evidence" that the US had supported a lab in China to develop a human-infecting virus. Senator Rand Paul said that US funds were being used to "gain-of-function," a process that makes viruses more lethal and contagious.&nbsp;

This assertion had been refuted by Fauci, who oversaw NIAID as part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the US government.

Denying facts

However, it was also discovered that NIH 2014 had given funding to a group that worked with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, according to BBC. The NIH awarded $3.7 million to the US-based EcoHealth Alliance, of which $600,000 was granted to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.&nbsp;

The project was extended for a further five years in 2019, but the Trump administration cancelled it once the virus started to spread. Despite all of this, Anthony Fauci insisted that NIH did not support research in 2020 that contributed to the Covid-19 virus.

(with inputs from agencies)

Anthony Fauci, the foremost authority on infectious diseases in the US and the Covid-19 pandemic's public face, will leave the federal government in December. Since 1984, Fauci, 81, has served as the director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Anthony Fauci, the foremost authority on infectious diseases in the US and the Covid-19 pandemic's public face, will leave the federal government in December. Since 1984, Fauci, 81, has served as the director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). In 1968, at the age of 27, he started working at the National Institutes of Health. Pioneer in handling infectious diseases Fauci advised seven US Presidents throughout the course of a career that lasted close to five decades. Even before the coronavirus spread around the world, he was a pioneer in the federal response to HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. He most recently worked as US President Joe Biden's physician advisor. Before Covid-19 shook the world, he enjoyed a successful run for a number of years. Fauci practically got himself into trouble when dealing with COVID-19 in the US. Then came his order to not initially wear a mask, which he later changed, and his doubts about the origins of the Covid-19 virus. Additionally, he disagreed with MPs from Donald Trump's party and the former US president. Fauci's allegation The 3,000 emails, which revealed how he handled Covid-19 in the early days of the outbreak and were obtained by the Washington Post, Buzzfeed News, and CNN under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), caused the most debate surrounding Fauci's allegation. Wuhan lab controversy The largest biomedical research institute in the nation's director sent Dr Fauci an email in January 2020 suggesting that the virus's "odd traits" showed it may have been created. Fauci responded by promising to get in touch over the phone. In 2021, Fauci once more stated his suspicion. On May 11, 2021, Fauci was questioned over the possibility of the virus naturally occurring at the United Facts of America: A Festival of Fact-Checking. Fauci responded by stating that he was not persuaded by the theory. According to Fauci, "I am not convinced with the theory that the virus "developed naturally." "I think we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we find out to the best of our ability exactly what happened. Certainly, the people who investigated it say it was the emergence of from an animal reservoir that then infected individuals, but it could have been something else, and we need to find that out," Fauci said. Did the US fund a lab in China? Republicans in Congress claimed in August 2021 that there was "ample evidence" that the US had supported a lab in China to develop a human-infecting virus. Senator Rand Paul said that US funds were being used to "gain-of-function," a process that makes viruses more lethal and contagious. This assertion had been refuted by Fauci, who oversaw NIAID as part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the US government. Denying facts However, it was also discovered that NIH 2014 had given funding to a group that worked with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, according to BBC. The NIH awarded $3.7 million to the US-based EcoHealth Alliance, of which $600,000 was granted to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The project was extended for a further five years in 2019, but the Trump administration cancelled it once the virus started to spread. Despite all of this, Anthony Fauci insisted that NIH did not support research in 2020 that contributed to the Covid-19 virus. (with inputs from agencies)

Explained: Anthony Fauci and the 'Wuhan virus' controversy

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading infectious disease specialist in the United States, announced on Monday that he will depart the federal government in December after more than five decades of service. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he rose to national prominence and was the target of smear campaigns.

Dr. Fauci has worked as a medical researcher for 50 years. During that time, he has witnessed his effigy being burned, had protesters call him a "murderer," and had smoke bombs thrown through his office window.

However, he has also received accolades for being the most well-known physician in America and the person whose compassion and composure allowed the US to make otherwise impossibly large gains in addressing a public health catastrophe.

Dr. <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-bidens-covid-advisor-anthony-fauci-to-step-down-in-december-509222">Anthony Fauci</a>, 79, was in charge of immunology at the National Institutes of Health during the 1980s HIV/AIDS&nbsp;epidemic and has experience with conflict.

When pandemic was identified in the US six months after the first known case, the Trump White House was focusing on Dr. Fauci briefing media, and highlighting his apparent errors.

Born into a family of medics

"I was delivering prescriptions from the time I was old enough to ride a bike," he told the Holy Cross college alumni magazine in 2002.

Anthony was born on Christmas Eve, 1940, to an immigrant Italian pharmacist family in Brooklyn.

As documented by the BBC, he had contributed to the creation of Cornell Medical School's library as a student working construction jobs to support himself during the summers, and in 1966, he graduated top in his class.

<img alt="FAUCI" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="074263da-d377-45fb-9e75-1e125434145b" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/_111411515_fauci1.jpg" />

The family pharmacy in Brooklyn run by Dr. Fauci's father, known in the neighbourhood as 'Doc'. Photo credits: BBC

Instead of being enlisted to fight in Vietnam after completing his medical residency, he joined the NIH in 1968 as part of the<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/solved-police-identify-the-murderer-in-a-34-year-old-unsolved-murder-509323"> US</a> war effort. The researchers were given the nickname "Yellow Berets," a play on the name of the military unit Green Berets.

Years later, he claimed, a report that detailed the passing of an otherwise healthy patient from a peculiar case of pneumonia typically observed in cancer patients on June 5, 1981, marked a turning point in his professional life. Another report detailing 26 deaths—all of which were gay men—suddenly appeared.

"I remember reading it very clearly," he later said. "It was the first time in my medical career I actually got goose pimples. I no longer dismissed it as a curiosity. There was something very wrong here. This was really a new microbe of some sort, acting like a sexually transmitted disease."

Called a doctor and a 'murderer'

Dr. Fauci's work as a clinician on immune system control is credited with revealing how the HIV virus undermines the body's defences. The first antiretroviral medication to treat Aids, zidovudine, was the subject of his clinical trials.

However, when the pandemic spread through the US in the 1980s, he came under fire from activists upset with the Reagan administration's lack of action and lack of access to cutting-edge medications.

Outside of government buildings, protesters held posters that read, "Dr. Fauci, you are killing us," and activists lambasted him on television.

<img alt="fauci" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="02da0c33-68f1-42c6-acff-66f74ef9c4c9" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/_111411517_fauci2.jpg" />

Aids activists protesting the government's response to the epidemic in 1988.&nbsp;Photo credits: BBC

Even the antagonist of a play was modelled after him by playwright and homosexual rights activist Larry Kramer.

Dr. Fauci stated in a 2011 interview, "I remember peeking out a window and people on the lawn of the NIH were throwing smoke bombs. "I told the police to hold off as they prepared to arrest them. Bring them up here to my office so we can chat."

His empathy for HIV/AIDS patients was praised, and he was given credit for persuading authorities to relax limits on clinical trials so that patients may test out new medications.

He was referred to as "the government's leading Aids celebrity" by the New York Times, although the newspaper also highlighted that he actually conducted all of his own research, unlike "a lot of folks you see quoted on TV [who have] aides don white coats and do all that tiresome work." In 2008, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour bestowed by the US.

He was named director of the NIH's division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in 1984, and he still retains that position today.

Working with Trump

He has been in charge of studies on everything from Aids to Ebola to asthma in his research division.

He has provided advice to six presidents, including George W. Bush, and is currently the public's principal expositor of the Covid-19 outbreak during the Trump administration.

He has established himself as a dependable figure for Americans in front of the podium at White House Covid-19 briefings, where he has provided information regarding the US response, clarified the science, and occasionally corrected President Trump's statements.

He has stated that developing a vaccine will take at least a year and a half, contradicting Mr. Trump's hopeful assumption that one would be available very soon.

<img alt="working with trump" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a6bb598e-af2e-429e-9164-d7e3d6d19e17" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/106750682-1603122446326-106750682-1603121827938-gettyimages-1208287362-_da29644.jpg" />

Former US president, Donald Trump and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci arrive for a briefing on the coronavirus pandemic in the press briefing room of the White House on March 26, 2020 in Washington, DC.&nbsp;Photo credits: Getty

Trump, who is known to dislike being challenged, has even begrudgingly given Dr. Fauci a high compliment. The researcher, Mr Trump has said, is "a major television star" as reported by the BBC.&nbsp;

However, observers claim that his denials of the president's assertions have exposed the conflicts that can arise when working with the White House. The US "could have saved lives" if it had taken action to halt Covid-19, Dr. Fauci said in an interview with CNN, prompting Trump to tweet about dismissing him.

According to Dr. Fauci, when it comes to providing the public with accurate information, "I'm making an effort. I can't accomplish the impossible ".

"I'm not allowed to charge the podium and knock President Trump to the ground. He said it, okay. Let's try to fix it so it doesn't happen again."

However, he promised to keep going and added, "To my knowledge, I haven't been fired."

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&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading infectious disease specialist in the United States, announced on Monday that he will depart the federal government in December after more than five decades of service.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading infectious disease specialist in the United States, announced on Monday that he will depart the federal government in December after more than five decades of service. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he rose to national prominence and was the target of smear campaigns. Dr. Fauci has worked as a medical researcher for 50 years. During that time, he has witnessed his effigy being burned, had protesters call him a "murderer," and had smoke bombs thrown through his office window. However, he has also received accolades for being the most well-known physician in America and the person whose compassion and composure allowed the US to make otherwise impossibly large gains in addressing a public health catastrophe. Dr. Anthony Fauci, 79, was in charge of immunology at the National Institutes of Health during the 1980s HIV/AIDS epidemic and has experience with conflict. When pandemic was identified in the US six months after the first known case, the Trump White House was focusing on Dr. Fauci briefing media, and highlighting his apparent errors. Born into a family of medics "I was delivering prescriptions from the time I was old enough to ride a bike," he told the Holy Cross college alumni magazine in 2002. Anthony was born on Christmas Eve, 1940, to an immigrant Italian pharmacist family in Brooklyn. As documented by the BBC, he had contributed to the creation of Cornell Medical School's library as a student working construction jobs to support himself during the summers, and in 1966, he graduated top in his class. The family pharmacy in Brooklyn run by Dr. Fauci's father, known in the neighbourhood as 'Doc'. Photo credits: BBC Instead of being enlisted to fight in Vietnam after completing his medical residency, he joined the NIH in 1968 as part of the US war effort. The researchers were given the nickname "Yellow Berets," a play on the name of the military unit Green Berets. Years later, he claimed, a report that detailed the passing of an otherwise healthy patient from a peculiar case of pneumonia typically observed in cancer patients on June 5, 1981, marked a turning point in his professional life. Another report detailing 26 deaths—all of which were gay men—suddenly appeared. "I remember reading it very clearly," he later said. "It was the first time in my medical career I actually got goose pimples. I no longer dismissed it as a curiosity. There was something very wrong here. This was really a new microbe of some sort, acting like a sexually transmitted disease." Called a doctor and a 'murderer' Dr. Fauci's work as a clinician on immune system control is credited with revealing how the HIV virus undermines the body's defences. The first antiretroviral medication to treat Aids, zidovudine, was the subject of his clinical trials. However, when the pandemic spread through the US in the 1980s, he came under fire from activists upset with the Reagan administration's lack of action and lack of access to cutting-edge medications. Outside of government buildings, protesters held posters that read, "Dr. Fauci, you are killing us," and activists lambasted him on television. Aids activists protesting the government's response to the epidemic in 1988. Photo credits: BBC Even the antagonist of a play was modelled after him by playwright and homosexual rights activist Larry Kramer. Dr. Fauci stated in a 2011 interview, "I remember peeking out a window and people on the lawn of the NIH were throwing smoke bombs. "I told the police to hold off as they prepared to arrest them. Bring them up here to my office so we can chat." His empathy for HIV/AIDS patients was praised, and he was given credit for persuading authorities to relax limits on clinical trials so that patients may test out new medications. He was referred to as "the government's leading Aids celebrity" by the New York Times, although the newspaper also highlighted that he actually conducted all of his own research, unlike "a lot of folks you see quoted on TV [who have] aides don white coats and do all that tiresome work." In 2008, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour bestowed by the US. He was named director of the NIH's division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in 1984, and he still retains that position today. Working with Trump He has been in charge of studies on everything from Aids to Ebola to asthma in his research division. He has provided advice to six presidents, including George W. Bush, and is currently the public's principal expositor of the Covid-19 outbreak during the Trump administration. He has established himself as a dependable figure for Americans in front of the podium at White House Covid-19 briefings, where he has provided information regarding the US response, clarified the science, and occasionally corrected President Trump's statements. He has stated that developing a vaccine will take at least a year and a half, contradicting Mr. Trump's hopeful assumption that one would be available very soon. Former US president, Donald Trump and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci arrive for a briefing on the coronavirus pandemic in the press briefing room of the White House on March 26, 2020 in Washington, DC. Photo credits: Getty Trump, who is known to dislike being challenged, has even begrudgingly given Dr. Fauci a high compliment. The researcher, Mr Trump has said, is "a major television star" as reported by the BBC. However, observers claim that his denials of the president's assertions have exposed the conflicts that can arise when working with the White House. The US "could have saved lives" if it had taken action to halt Covid-19, Dr. Fauci said in an interview with CNN, prompting Trump to tweet about dismissing him. According to Dr. Fauci, when it comes to providing the public with accurate information, "I'm making an effort. I can't accomplish the impossible ". "I'm not allowed to charge the podium and knock President Trump to the ground. He said it, okay. Let's try to fix it so it doesn't happen again." However, he promised to keep going and added, "To my knowledge, I haven't been fired." Also read | Explained: Pregnancy complications amid abortion row in the US

Anthony Fauci: The face of America's fight against COVID-19

Anthony Fauci said that he will be stepping down as chief medical advisor to United States President Joe Biden in December. Fauci said that it has been the "honour of a lifetime" to lead the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).&nbsp;

Fauci emerged as the country's top infectious disease expert and became the face of America's fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.&nbsp;

In a statement, Fauci wrote, "I am announcing today that I will be stepping down from the positions of Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation, as well as the position of Chief Medical Advisor to President Joe Biden."&nbsp;

"I will be leaving these positions in December of this year to pursue the next chapter of my career," the statement added.&nbsp;

He said that over the coming months, he will continue to put his full effort, passion and commitment into his current responsibilities and help prepare the institute for a leadership transition.&nbsp;

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"NIH is served by some of the most talented scientists in the world, and I have no doubt that I am leaving this work in very capable hands," the statement added.&nbsp;

In his statement, the 81-year-old added that he is "not retiring."

He had revealed plans to leave by the end of Biden's current term, and announced he would go in December to "pursue the next chapter of my career."&nbsp;

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Anthony Fauci said that he will be stepping down as chief medical advisor to United States President Joe Biden in December. Fauci said that it has been the "honour of a lifetime" to lead the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Anthony Fauci said that he will be stepping down as chief medical advisor to United States President Joe Biden in December. Fauci said that it has been the "honour of a lifetime" to lead the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Fauci emerged as the country's top infectious disease expert and became the face of America's fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In a statement, Fauci wrote, "I am announcing today that I will be stepping down from the positions of Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Chief of the NIAID Laboratory of Immunoregulation, as well as the position of Chief Medical Advisor to President Joe Biden." "I will be leaving these positions in December of this year to pursue the next chapter of my career," the statement added. He said that over the coming months, he will continue to put his full effort, passion and commitment into his current responsibilities and help prepare the institute for a leadership transition. ALSO READ | Swiss glaciers have shrunk by half since 1931, and melting faster, study reveals "NIH is served by some of the most talented scientists in the world, and I have no doubt that I am leaving this work in very capable hands," the statement added. In his statement, the 81-year-old added that he is "not retiring." He had revealed plans to leave by the end of Biden's current term, and announced he would go in December to "pursue the next chapter of my career." ALSO READ | Magic mushrooms likely to be world's most effective tool against depression WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Joe Biden's Covid advisor Anthony Fauci to step down in December

Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical advisor and the face of America's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, has tested positive for COVID-19.

The National Institutes of Health on Wednesday said that Fauci, who is fully vaccinated and doubly boosted, has mild symptoms and is working from home.

"He is currently experiencing mild symptoms," the NIH said, adding that the 81-year-old had not been in recent close contact with Biden or any other official recently.

"Fauci will follow the COVID-19 guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and medical advice from his physician and return to the NIH when he tests negative," it said.

Fauci’s office told ABC News that he’s taking Pfizer’s antiviral treatment Paxlovid.

In an interview to CNN last month, the top scientist said that he had never tested Covid positive.

US has been witnessing a fresh spurt in breakthrough infections in recent months largely driven by the highly contagious omicron variant.

The current wave of cases began in April with the spread of the BA.2 “stealth” variant. Since mid-May, cases have been hovering at the 100,000 per day mark, with little indication on whether they will rise or fall in the coming weeks and months of summer.&nbsp;

According to the Coronavirus Resource Center at the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, nearly 86 million Americans have been infected with Covid in the past 18 months. Slightly more than 1 million people in the US have died from the virus.

Meanwhile, a panel of experts convened by the US Food and Drug Administration unanimously recommended COVID-19 vaccines Wednesday for children under five, the final age group awaiting immunization in most countries.

(With inputs from agencies)

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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical advisor and the face of America's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, has tested positive for COVID-19. The National Institutes of Health on Wednesday said that Fauci, who is fully vaccinated and doubly boosted, has mild symptoms and is working from home.

Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical advisor and the face of America's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, has tested positive for COVID-19. The National Institutes of Health on Wednesday said that Fauci, who is fully vaccinated and doubly boosted, has mild symptoms and is working from home. "He is currently experiencing mild symptoms," the NIH said, adding that the 81-year-old had not been in recent close contact with Biden or any other official recently. "Fauci will follow the COVID-19 guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and medical advice from his physician and return to the NIH when he tests negative," it said. Fauci’s office told ABC News that he’s taking Pfizer’s antiviral treatment Paxlovid. In an interview to CNN last month, the top scientist said that he had never tested Covid positive. US has been witnessing a fresh spurt in breakthrough infections in recent months largely driven by the highly contagious omicron variant. The current wave of cases began in April with the spread of the BA.2 “stealth” variant. Since mid-May, cases have been hovering at the 100,000 per day mark, with little indication on whether they will rise or fall in the coming weeks and months of summer. According to the Coronavirus Resource Center at the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, nearly 86 million Americans have been infected with Covid in the past 18 months. Slightly more than 1 million people in the US have died from the virus. Meanwhile, a panel of experts convened by the US Food and Drug Administration unanimously recommended COVID-19 vaccines Wednesday for children under five, the final age group awaiting immunization in most countries. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

US chief medical advisor Anthony Fauci tests positive for COVID-19

The relationship between the United States’ top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci and former president Donald Trump has always been quite rocky. Both of them have publicly stated their disliking for each other and it looks like the situation has not changed at all. Fauci made it clear on Sunday that he will resign from his position if Trump is re-elected as President in 2024.

Fauci, who has served under seven US Presidents till date and was a vocal critic of the former president’s handling of COVID-19, said during his CNN interview that he will leave as the director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases if Trump wins the elections in 2024.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mcdonalds-to-leave-russia-after-more-than-three-decades-over-ukraine-conflict-479623" hreflang="en">McDonald's to leave Russia after more than three decades over Ukraine conflict</a>

In the interview, he once again said that he does not trust Trump’s ability to handle a public health emergency and said that the previous administration’s response to COVID-19 was ‘not optimal’.

“If you look at the history of what the response was during the administration, I think at best you could say it wasn’t optimal. And I just think history will speak for itself. I don’t need to make any further comment about that – it’s not productive,” Fauci told CNN in his interview.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/next-couple-of-months-will-be-the-most-difficult-special-statement-from-sri-lanka-pm-479590" hreflang="en">Couple of months will be most difficult, says Lankan PM amid economic crisis</a>

This week, the COVID-19 related deaths in the US exceeded one million – the most for any country in the world. According to the data provided by the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center, 303 out of every 100,000 residents lost their lives to COVID-19 in the United States. The only other country with such high mortality rates in the world is Brazil, according to AFP.

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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

The relationship between the United States’ top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci and former president Donald Trump has always been quite rocky. Both of them have publicly stated their disliking for each other and it looks like the situation has not changed at all.

The relationship between the United States’ top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci and former president Donald Trump has always been quite rocky. Both of them have publicly stated their disliking for each other and it looks like the situation has not changed at all. Fauci made it clear on Sunday that he will resign from his position if Trump is re-elected as President in 2024. Fauci, who has served under seven US Presidents till date and was a vocal critic of the former president’s handling of COVID-19, said during his CNN interview that he will leave as the director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases if Trump wins the elections in 2024. Also read | McDonald's to leave Russia after more than three decades over Ukraine conflict In the interview, he once again said that he does not trust Trump’s ability to handle a public health emergency and said that the previous administration’s response to COVID-19 was ‘not optimal’. “If you look at the history of what the response was during the administration, I think at best you could say it wasn’t optimal. And I just think history will speak for itself. I don’t need to make any further comment about that – it’s not productive,” Fauci told CNN in his interview. Also read | Couple of months will be most difficult, says Lankan PM amid economic crisis This week, the COVID-19 related deaths in the US exceeded one million – the most for any country in the world. According to the data provided by the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center, 303 out of every 100,000 residents lost their lives to COVID-19 in the United States. The only other country with such high mortality rates in the world is Brazil, according to AFP. WATCH WION LIVE HERE -

Anthony Fauci says he will resign if Donald Trump is re-elected as US president

US infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci has now issued a grim warning that the pandemic is far from over. He added that it is impossible for US to completely eliminate COVID but they should strive to control the spread of the virus

US can't eliminate the COVID-19 virus completely : Anthony Fauci

When Jane Timken kicked off an eight-week advertising campaign on the Fox News Channel in her bid for the Republican nomination for Senate, she did not focus on immigration, health care or the economy. Her first ad was titled “Fire Fauci.”

Its subject — Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s top medical adviser for the coronavirus — is also under attack in Pennsylvania, where Mehmet Oz, a television doctor who has entered the Republican Senate primary there, calls him a “petty tyrant.” In Nebraska, an ad shows Jim Pillen, a Republican running for governor, dressed in hunting gear and cocking his gun after saying, “And Fauci? Don’t get me started.”

Republican attacks on Fauci are not new; former President Donald Trump, irked that the doctor publicly corrected his falsehoods about the virus, called him “a disaster” and repeatedly threatened to fire him. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has grilled Fauci in nationally televised hearings, and Fauci — true to his fighter-from-Brooklyn roots — has punched back.

But as the 2022 midterm elections approach, the attacks have spread across the nation, intensifying as Fauci draws outsize attention in some of the most important state and local races on the ballot in November.

The Republican war on Fauci is partly a sign of Trump’s strong grip on the party. But Fauci, both his friends and detractors agree, has also become a symbol of something deeper — the deep schism in the country, mistrust in government and a brewing populist resentment of the elites, all made worse by the pandemic.

And Fauci, whose perpetual television appearances have made him the face of the COVID-19 response — and who is viewed by his critics as a high-and-mighty know-it-all who enjoys his celebrity — seems an obvious person to blame.

“Populism is essentially anti: anti-establishment, anti-expertise, anti-intellectual and anti-media,” said Whit Ayres, a Republican strategist, adding that Fauci “is an establishment expert intellectual who is in the media.”

For the 81-year-old immunologist, a venerated figure in the world of science, it is a jarring last chapter of a government career that has spanned half a century. As director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a post he has held since 1984, he has helped lead the response to various public health crises, including AIDS and Ebola, and advised eight presidents. He has never revealed a party affiliation. President George H.W. Bush once cited him as a hero.

Now, though, some voters are parroting right-wing commentators who compare Fauci to the brutal Nazi doctor Josef Mengele. Candidates in hotly contested Republican primaries like Ohio’s are trying to out-Trump one another by supplanting Speaker Nancy Pelosi with Fauci as a political boogeyman.

In Pennsylvania, Oz recently ran a Twitter ad calling for a debate — not between candidates, but between him and Fauci. In Wisconsin, Kevin Nicholson, a onetime Democrat running for governor as a conservative outsider, said Fauci “should be fired and referred to prosecutors.”

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis has released an advertisement last month telling Fauci to “pound sand” via the beach sandals the governor’s reelection campaign is now selling: “Freedom Over Fauci Flip-Flops.” DeSantis has coined a new term: “Faucism.” In Washington, lawmakers are taking aim at Fauci’s salary, finances and influence.

“I didn’t make myself a polarizing figure,” Fauci declared in an interview. “I’ve been demonized by people who are running away from the truth.”

The anti-Fauci fervor has taken its toll on his personal life; he has received death threats, his family has been harassed and his home in Washington is guarded by a security detail. His standing with the public has also suffered. In a recent NBC News Poll, just 40% of respondents said they trusted Fauci, down from 60% in April 2020.

Still, Ayres said, Fauci remains for many Americans “one of the most trusted voices regarding the pandemic.” In a Gallup poll at the end of 2021, his job approval rating was 52%. On a list of 10 officials, including Biden and congressional leaders, only two scored higher: Chief Justice John Roberts and Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve.

Republican strategists are split on whether attacking Fauci is a smart strategy. Ayres said it could help rev up the base in a primary but backfire in a general election, especially in a swing state like Ohio. But John Feehery, another strategist, said many pandemic-weary Americans viewed Fauci as “Mr. Lockdown,” and it made sense for Republicans “to run against both Fauci and lockdowns.”

Here in Ohio, Timken, a Harvard graduate and former chairwoman of the Ohio Republican Party who promises to “advance the Trump agenda without fear or hesitation,” is doing just that. Her ad shows a parent struggling to put a mask on a screaming toddler, which she brands “child abuse.”

The spot, she said in an interview, was prompted by what she hears from voters who are resentful of vaccine mandates, confused by shifting public health advice and tired of being told what to do.

“It taps into the real frustration they feel,” Timken said, “that Fauci claims to be the bastion of science, but I think he’s playing God.”

She is one of three candidates with elite academic credentials who are going after Fauci in a crowded primary for the seat that Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican, is giving up. The others are J.D. Vance, a lawyer with a Yale degree and the author of the best-selling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” and Josh Mandel, the former Ohio state treasurer, whose law degree is from Case Western Reserve University.

Vance called Fauci “a ridiculous tyrant” during a rally with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the far-right Republican banned from Twitter for spreading COVID misinformation. Mandel has railed against Fauci for months on Facebook and Twitter, calling him a liar and “one of the biggest frauds in American history.”

Ohio Republicans are split between the Trump wing and centrists in the mold of John Kasich, the former governor. Those tensions were on display last week at Tommy’s Diner, a Columbus institution, and at a meeting of the Franklin County Republican Committee, which convened to vote on endorsements. Sentiments seemed to track with vaccination status.

At the diner, Republicans like Mike Matthews, a retired state worker, and George Wolf, a retired firefighter, both of whom voted for Trump, found no fault with Fauci. Both are vaccinated. “I’ve never heard of anyone that I would trust more,” Wolf said.

But at the next table, Andy Watkinson, a remodeling contractor who is unvaccinated, said he was a fan of Joe Rogan, the podcaster, provocateur and Fauci critic. “I think he’s done the same thing for 50 years and he’s in bed with all the pharma companies,” Watkinson said of Fauci, though there is no evidence of that. “He needs to retire.”

At the committee meeting, views about Fauci were more strident.

“He needs to be brought up on charges,” declared Lisadiana Bates, a former business owner who is home-schooling her children. Echoing Dr. Robert Malone, who has become a conservative celebrity by arguing that COVID vaccine mandates are unethical experiments, she asserted that Fauci had “violated the Nuremberg Code,” the set of research ethics developed after the Holocaust.

“This whole thing is nothing but an experiment!” Bates exclaimed.

The roots of anti-Fauci campaign rhetoric can be traced to Washington, where Fauci has clashed repeatedly with two Republican senators who are also doctors: Paul, an ophthalmologist, and Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas, an obstetrician.

Paul has fueled speculation that COVID-19 was the result of a lab leak produced by federally funded “gain-of-function” research — high-risk studies aimed at making viruses more infectious — in Wuhan, China. Fauci and other National Institutes of Health officials have said that the Wuhan research did not meet the criteria for gain-of-function studies, and that it is genetically impossible for viruses studied there to have produced the pandemic.

The nuances of that dispute, however, have gotten lost in the increasingly hostile exchanges between the two men. In July, after Paul accused him of lying to Congress, Fauci shot back, “If anybody is lying here, senator, it is you.” Last month, Fauci arrived at a Senate hearing brandishing a fundraising webpage for Paul that included a “Fire Dr. Fauci” graphic, and accused Paul of exploiting the pandemic for political gain.

Later in that same hearing, Fauci muttered under his breath that Marshall was “a moron” — a comment caught on an open microphone — after the senator posted Fauci’s salary on a placard and demanded his financial disclosure forms, suggesting he might be engaged in financial “shenanigans” with the pharmaceutical industry.

(Fauci’s financial disclosure forms, which Marshall has since posted on the internet, show investments in bonds and mutual funds, not drug companies. He is paid an annual salary of $434,312 under a provision that allows government doctors and scientists to be highly compensated, akin to what they could earn in the private sector.)

Fauci said he did not regret the “moron” remark, or the pushback against Paul. But Timken said calling Marshall a moron was “beyond the pale.”

Even some Fauci fans in academia and government say he might have been better off keeping his cool to avoid amplifying his Republican critics and alienating voters who need to hear his public health message. Some suggest he lower his profile; he says the White House asks him to go on TV.

“He’s been pushing back in a way that is not common for us to see for American scientists, and I don’t know if it’s a good idea,” said Dr. Ashish K. Jha, the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

If Democrats lose seats in the midterm elections, as many expect, Fauci may have a Republican-controlled Congress to contend with. Another Republican from Ohio, Rep. Jim Jordan, who claims that Fauci knew the coronavirus “came from a lab,” has vowed that Republicans will investigate him if they win control of the House.

Some of Fauci’s friends are urging him to avoid that possibility by retiring. He has been working on a memoir, but cannot look for a publisher while he is still a federal employee. Fauci says Republicans will not dictate the terms of his retirement, and he has no plans at the moment to step down. And, he said, he is not worried about any investigation.

“I can’t think of what they would want to investigate except this whole pile of lies that they’re throwing around,” he said. 
&nbsp;

When Jane Timken kicked off an eight-week advertising campaign on the Fox News Channel in her bid for the Republican nomination for Senate, she did not focus on immigration, health care or the economy.

When Jane Timken kicked off an eight-week advertising campaign on the Fox News Channel in her bid for the Republican nomination for Senate, she did not focus on immigration, health care or the economy. Her first ad was titled “Fire Fauci.” Its subject — Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s top medical adviser for the coronavirus — is also under attack in Pennsylvania, where Mehmet Oz, a television doctor who has entered the Republican Senate primary there, calls him a “petty tyrant.” In Nebraska, an ad shows Jim Pillen, a Republican running for governor, dressed in hunting gear and cocking his gun after saying, “And Fauci? Don’t get me started.” Republican attacks on Fauci are not new; former President Donald Trump, irked that the doctor publicly corrected his falsehoods about the virus, called him “a disaster” and repeatedly threatened to fire him. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has grilled Fauci in nationally televised hearings, and Fauci — true to his fighter-from-Brooklyn roots — has punched back. But as the 2022 midterm elections approach, the attacks have spread across the nation, intensifying as Fauci draws outsize attention in some of the most important state and local races on the ballot in November. The Republican war on Fauci is partly a sign of Trump’s strong grip on the party. But Fauci, both his friends and detractors agree, has also become a symbol of something deeper — the deep schism in the country, mistrust in government and a brewing populist resentment of the elites, all made worse by the pandemic. And Fauci, whose perpetual television appearances have made him the face of the COVID-19 response — and who is viewed by his critics as a high-and-mighty know-it-all who enjoys his celebrity — seems an obvious person to blame. “Populism is essentially anti: anti-establishment, anti-expertise, anti-intellectual and anti-media,” said Whit Ayres, a Republican strategist, adding that Fauci “is an establishment expert intellectual who is in the media.” For the 81-year-old immunologist, a venerated figure in the world of science, it is a jarring last chapter of a government career that has spanned half a century. As director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a post he has held since 1984, he has helped lead the response to various public health crises, including AIDS and Ebola, and advised eight presidents. He has never revealed a party affiliation. President George H.W. Bush once cited him as a hero. Now, though, some voters are parroting right-wing commentators who compare Fauci to the brutal Nazi doctor Josef Mengele. Candidates in hotly contested Republican primaries like Ohio’s are trying to out-Trump one another by supplanting Speaker Nancy Pelosi with Fauci as a political boogeyman. In Pennsylvania, Oz recently ran a Twitter ad calling for a debate — not between candidates, but between him and Fauci. In Wisconsin, Kevin Nicholson, a onetime Democrat running for governor as a conservative outsider, said Fauci “should be fired and referred to prosecutors.” In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis has released an advertisement last month telling Fauci to “pound sand” via the beach sandals the governor’s reelection campaign is now selling: “Freedom Over Fauci Flip-Flops.” DeSantis has coined a new term: “Faucism.” In Washington, lawmakers are taking aim at Fauci’s salary, finances and influence. “I didn’t make myself a polarizing figure,” Fauci declared in an interview. “I’ve been demonized by people who are running away from the truth.” The anti-Fauci fervor has taken its toll on his personal life; he has received death threats, his family has been harassed and his home in Washington is guarded by a security detail. His standing with the public has also suffered. In a recent NBC News Poll, just 40% of respondents said they trusted Fauci, down from 60% in April 2020. Still, Ayres said, Fauci remains for many Americans “one of the most trusted voices regarding the pandemic.” In a Gallup poll at the end of 2021, his job approval rating was 52%. On a list of 10 officials, including Biden and congressional leaders, only two scored higher: Chief Justice John Roberts and Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve. Republican strategists are split on whether attacking Fauci is a smart strategy. Ayres said it could help rev up the base in a primary but backfire in a general election, especially in a swing state like Ohio. But John Feehery, another strategist, said many pandemic-weary Americans viewed Fauci as “Mr. Lockdown,” and it made sense for Republicans “to run against both Fauci and lockdowns.” Here in Ohio, Timken, a Harvard graduate and former chairwoman of the Ohio Republican Party who promises to “advance the Trump agenda without fear or hesitation,” is doing just that. Her ad shows a parent struggling to put a mask on a screaming toddler, which she brands “child abuse.” The spot, she said in an interview, was prompted by what she hears from voters who are resentful of vaccine mandates, confused by shifting public health advice and tired of being told what to do. “It taps into the real frustration they feel,” Timken said, “that Fauci claims to be the bastion of science, but I think he’s playing God.” She is one of three candidates with elite academic credentials who are going after Fauci in a crowded primary for the seat that Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican, is giving up. The others are J.D. Vance, a lawyer with a Yale degree and the author of the best-selling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” and Josh Mandel, the former Ohio state treasurer, whose law degree is from Case Western Reserve University. Vance called Fauci “a ridiculous tyrant” during a rally with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the far-right Republican banned from Twitter for spreading COVID misinformation. Mandel has railed against Fauci for months on Facebook and Twitter, calling him a liar and “one of the biggest frauds in American history.” Ohio Republicans are split between the Trump wing and centrists in the mold of John Kasich, the former governor. Those tensions were on display last week at Tommy’s Diner, a Columbus institution, and at a meeting of the Franklin County Republican Committee, which convened to vote on endorsements. Sentiments seemed to track with vaccination status. At the diner, Republicans like Mike Matthews, a retired state worker, and George Wolf, a retired firefighter, both of whom voted for Trump, found no fault with Fauci. Both are vaccinated. “I’ve never heard of anyone that I would trust more,” Wolf said. But at the next table, Andy Watkinson, a remodeling contractor who is unvaccinated, said he was a fan of Joe Rogan, the podcaster, provocateur and Fauci critic. “I think he’s done the same thing for 50 years and he’s in bed with all the pharma companies,” Watkinson said of Fauci, though there is no evidence of that. “He needs to retire.” At the committee meeting, views about Fauci were more strident. “He needs to be brought up on charges,” declared Lisadiana Bates, a former business owner who is home-schooling her children. Echoing Dr. Robert Malone, who has become a conservative celebrity by arguing that COVID vaccine mandates are unethical experiments, she asserted that Fauci had “violated the Nuremberg Code,” the set of research ethics developed after the Holocaust. “This whole thing is nothing but an experiment!” Bates exclaimed. The roots of anti-Fauci campaign rhetoric can be traced to Washington, where Fauci has clashed repeatedly with two Republican senators who are also doctors: Paul, an ophthalmologist, and Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas, an obstetrician. Paul has fueled speculation that COVID-19 was the result of a lab leak produced by federally funded “gain-of-function” research — high-risk studies aimed at making viruses more infectious — in Wuhan, China. Fauci and other National Institutes of Health officials have said that the Wuhan research did not meet the criteria for gain-of-function studies, and that it is genetically impossible for viruses studied there to have produced the pandemic. The nuances of that dispute, however, have gotten lost in the increasingly hostile exchanges between the two men. In July, after Paul accused him of lying to Congress, Fauci shot back, “If anybody is lying here, senator, it is you.” Last month, Fauci arrived at a Senate hearing brandishing a fundraising webpage for Paul that included a “Fire Dr. Fauci” graphic, and accused Paul of exploiting the pandemic for political gain. Later in that same hearing, Fauci muttered under his breath that Marshall was “a moron” — a comment caught on an open microphone — after the senator posted Fauci’s salary on a placard and demanded his financial disclosure forms, suggesting he might be engaged in financial “shenanigans” with the pharmaceutical industry. (Fauci’s financial disclosure forms, which Marshall has since posted on the internet, show investments in bonds and mutual funds, not drug companies. He is paid an annual salary of $434,312 under a provision that allows government doctors and scientists to be highly compensated, akin to what they could earn in the private sector.) Fauci said he did not regret the “moron” remark, or the pushback against Paul. But Timken said calling Marshall a moron was “beyond the pale.” Even some Fauci fans in academia and government say he might have been better off keeping his cool to avoid amplifying his Republican critics and alienating voters who need to hear his public health message. Some suggest he lower his profile; he says the White House asks him to go on TV. “He’s been pushing back in a way that is not common for us to see for American scientists, and I don’t know if it’s a good idea,” said Dr. Ashish K. Jha, the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health. If Democrats lose seats in the midterm elections, as many expect, Fauci may have a Republican-controlled Congress to contend with. Another Republican from Ohio, Rep. Jim Jordan, who claims that Fauci knew the coronavirus “came from a lab,” has vowed that Republicans will investigate him if they win control of the House. Some of Fauci’s friends are urging him to avoid that possibility by retiring. He has been working on a memoir, but cannot look for a publisher while he is still a federal employee. Fauci says Republicans will not dictate the terms of his retirement, and he has no plans at the moment to step down. And, he said, he is not worried about any investigation. “I can’t think of what they would want to investigate except this whole pile of lies that they’re throwing around,” he said.

Republicans wooing Trump voters, make Fauci their boogeyman

The COVID-19 is starting to shift from a pandemic to a more manageable endemic, several top experts have opined, adding that a rapid fall in Omicron cases indicated that the deadly virus is in the&nbsp;‘endgame’.

&nbsp;WHO Europe director Hans Kluge told news agency AFP in an interview on Sunday that the region is witnessing the final phase of the Omicron variant.

“It’s plausible that the region is moving towards a kind of pandemic endgame,” Kluge said, adding that Omicron could infect 60 per cent of Europeans by March.

He said that once the Omicron subsides across Europe, “there will be for quite some weeks and months a global immunity, either thanks to the vaccine or because people have immunity due to the infection, and also lowering seasonality.”

“We anticipate that there will be a period of quiet before COVID-19 may come back towards the end of the year, but not necessarily the pandemic coming back,” Kluge said.

US’ top scientist Anthony Fauci also expressed similar optimism.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/covid-19-is-omicron-sub-variant-ba2-a-threat-in-india-more-than-400-cases-found-in-england-446950">COVID-19: Is Omicron 'sub-variant' BA.2 a threat in India? More than 400 cases found in England</a>

He told ABC News that with Covid-19 cases coming down “rather sharply” in parts of the United States, “things are looking good”.

While cautioning against overconfidence, he said that if the recent fall in case numbers in areas like the US's northeast continues, “I believe that you will start to see a turnaround throughout the entire country”.

Watch |&nbsp;Is Europe eyeing an end to COVID-19 pandemic?

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/is-europe-eyeing-an-end-to-covid-19-pandemic-447007/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The WHO regional office for Africa also said last week that cases of Covid had plummeted in that region and deaths were declining for the first time since the Omicron-dominated fourth wave of the virus reached its peak.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/has-third-wave-of-coronavirus-peaked-in-india-find-several-answers-446836">Has third wave of coronavirus peaked in India? Find several answers</a>

The Omicron variant, which studies have shown is more contagious than Delta but generally leads to less severe infection among vaccinated people, has raised long-awaited hopes that Covid-19 is starting to shift from a pandemic to a more manageable endemic illness like seasonal flu.&nbsp;

But WHO’s Europe director Kluge cautioned that it was still too early to consider COVID-19 endemic and said that other variants might still emerge.

“There is a lot of talk about endemic but endemic means...that it is possible to predict what's going to happen. This virus has surprised (us) more than once so we have to be very careful,” he said.

(With inputs from agencies)

The COVID-19 is starting to shift from a pandemic to a more manageable endemic, several top experts have opined, adding that a rapid fall in Omicron cases indicated that the deadly virus is in the ‘endgame’.

The COVID-19 is starting to shift from a pandemic to a more manageable endemic, several top experts have opined, adding that a rapid fall in Omicron cases indicated that the deadly virus is in the ‘endgame’. WHO Europe director Hans Kluge told news agency AFP in an interview on Sunday that the region is witnessing the final phase of the Omicron variant. “It’s plausible that the region is moving towards a kind of pandemic endgame,” Kluge said, adding that Omicron could infect 60 per cent of Europeans by March. He said that once the Omicron subsides across Europe, “there will be for quite some weeks and months a global immunity, either thanks to the vaccine or because people have immunity due to the infection, and also lowering seasonality.” “We anticipate that there will be a period of quiet before COVID-19 may come back towards the end of the year, but not necessarily the pandemic coming back,” Kluge said. US’ top scientist Anthony Fauci also expressed similar optimism. Also read | COVID-19: Is Omicron 'sub-variant' BA.2 a threat in India? More than 400 cases found in England He told ABC News that with Covid-19 cases coming down “rather sharply” in parts of the United States, “things are looking good”. While cautioning against overconfidence, he said that if the recent fall in case numbers in areas like the US's northeast continues, “I believe that you will start to see a turnaround throughout the entire country”. Watch | Is Europe eyeing an end to COVID-19 pandemic? The WHO regional office for Africa also said last week that cases of Covid had plummeted in that region and deaths were declining for the first time since the Omicron-dominated fourth wave of the virus reached its peak. Also read | Has third wave of coronavirus peaked in India? Find several answers The Omicron variant, which studies have shown is more contagious than Delta but generally leads to less severe infection among vaccinated people, has raised long-awaited hopes that Covid-19 is starting to shift from a pandemic to a more manageable endemic illness like seasonal flu. But WHO’s Europe director Kluge cautioned that it was still too early to consider COVID-19 endemic and said that other variants might still emerge. “There is a lot of talk about endemic but endemic means...that it is possible to predict what's going to happen. This virus has surprised (us) more than once so we have to be very careful,” he said. (With inputs from agencies)

Fall in Omicron cases: Early signs of Covid heading towards ‘endgame’, say experts

Sen. Roger Marshall said he's planning to introduce a bill named after Dr. Anthony Fauci, days after the nation's top COVID-19 expert called him a moron. Marshall, a Republican from Kansas, told the Hill he'd introduce the Financial Accountability for Uniquely Compensated Individuals Act, claiming that records from administrative officials like Fauci cannot be easily acquired by the public.

Sen. Roger Marshall planning to introduce a bill named after Anthony Fauci

Even as the US faces soaring infections and record hospitalisations associated with COVID-19, Anthony Fauci,&nbsp;the nation's&nbsp;top&nbsp;infectious&nbsp;disease expert&nbsp;says the country is approaching the "threshold" of a transition of living with the virus as a manageable illness.

The top US scientist told the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) that eliminating Covid would be unrealistic and that "Omicron, with its extraordinary, unprecedented degree of efficiency of transmissibility, will ultimately find just about everybody."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-says-over-50-of-europeans-on-track-to-contract-omicron-variant-of-coronavirus-443861">WHO says over 50% of Europeans on track to contract Omicron variant of coronavirus</a>

"There's no way we're going to eradicate this" virus, he said, due to its contagiousness, its tendency to mutate into new variants, and a large number of unvaccinated individuals.

While vaccination&nbsp;is still effective against severe outcomes, it is losing its effectiveness against the infection.

However "as Omicron goes up and down," the country will hopefully enter a new phase "where there'll be enough protection in (the) community, enough drugs available so that when someone does get infected and is in a high-risk group, it will be very easy to treat that person," said Fauci.

"When we get there, there's that transition, and we may be on the threshold of that right now," he said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/covid-19-is-deltacron-a-new-variant-a-uk-virologist-explains-what-it-could-possibly-be-443546" hreflang="en">COVID-19: Is 'Deltacron' a new variant? A UK virologist explains what it could possibly be</a>

However, with the country currently recording almost a million infections each day, nearly 150,000 hospital admissions, and more than 1,200 daily deaths, he points out, "we're not at that point."

Despite the fact that a significant portion of Covid cases are thought to be hospitalized "with" the disease rather than for the disease, official data showed 145,982 hospitalisations for the disease.

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Europe looks to ‘live with Covid’

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The Omicron variant may cause severe cases, at a lower rate than Delta, but it is affecting more people due to its extreme infectiousness.

According to New York state data, the age-adjusted vaccine efficacy against hospitalization was 92 per cent by December 27.

(With inputs from agencies)

Even as the US faces soaring infections and record hospitalisations associated with COVID-19, Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert says the country is approaching the "threshold" of a transition of living with the virus as a manageable illness.

Even as the US faces soaring infections and record hospitalisations associated with COVID-19, Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert says the country is approaching the "threshold" of a transition of living with the virus as a manageable illness. The top US scientist told the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) that eliminating Covid would be unrealistic and that "Omicron, with its extraordinary, unprecedented degree of efficiency of transmissibility, will ultimately find just about everybody." Also read | WHO says over 50% of Europeans on track to contract Omicron variant of coronavirus "There's no way we're going to eradicate this" virus, he said, due to its contagiousness, its tendency to mutate into new variants, and a large number of unvaccinated individuals. While vaccination is still effective against severe outcomes, it is losing its effectiveness against the infection. However "as Omicron goes up and down," the country will hopefully enter a new phase "where there'll be enough protection in (the) community, enough drugs available so that when someone does get infected and is in a high-risk group, it will be very easy to treat that person," said Fauci. "When we get there, there's that transition, and we may be on the threshold of that right now," he said. Also read | COVID-19: Is 'Deltacron' a new variant? A UK virologist explains what it could possibly be However, with the country currently recording almost a million infections each day, nearly 150,000 hospital admissions, and more than 1,200 daily deaths, he points out, "we're not at that point." Despite the fact that a significant portion of Covid cases are thought to be hospitalized "with" the disease rather than for the disease, official data showed 145,982 hospitalisations for the disease. Watch | Gravitas: Europe looks to ‘live with Covid’ The Omicron variant may cause severe cases, at a lower rate than Delta, but it is affecting more people due to its extreme infectiousness. According to New York state data, the age-adjusted vaccine efficacy against hospitalization was 92 per cent by December 27. (With inputs from agencies)

No way to eradicate infection, but US fast approaching 'threshold' of living with COVID-19: Dr Fauci

A Senate hearing on Tuesday saw Dr Anthony Fauci, the United States's foremost expert on infectious diseases clash with Republican Senator Rand Paul.

In an unusually emotional congressional testimony, the 81-year-old director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases lambasted vaccine sceptic Republican Senator Rand Paul for unleashing "crazies" who threatened Fauci's life and harassed his family.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/no-way-to-eradicate-infection-but-us-fast-approaching-threshold-of-living-with-covid-19-dr-fauci-444009">No way to eradicate infection, but US fast approaching 'threshold' of living with COVID-19: Dr Fauci</a>

Blaming Paul's false accusations against him for the death threats he has received, Fauci cited an incident in December of 2021. Fauci said authorities found an AR-15 rifle and numerous magazines of ammunition in the man's vehicle when they stopped him. The man was travelling to the capital to "kill Dr. Fauci," because "he thinks that maybe I'm (Fauci) killing people."

Several top officials of President Joe Biden's administration were summoned to testify before the Senate regarding the pandemic. This included his chief medical advisor&nbsp;Fauci, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director, Dr Rochelle Walenksy and acting Food and Drug Administration (FDA) head Janet Woodcock.

While many of his fellow lawmakers focused their questions on the lack of adequate testing and the confusing new guidelines concerning how sick people should end their isolation, Paul, who has complained about vaccination mandates and refused to get vaccinated, claimed that Fauci was personally responsible for the deaths.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-says-over-50-of-europeans-on-track-to-contract-omicron-variant-of-coronavirus-443861">WHO says over 50% of Europeans on track to contract Omicron variant of coronavirus</a>

Despite the fact that the vast majority of those fatalities were unvaccinated, and health officials, including Fauci, have consistently advocated vaccines, Paul blamed Fauci for the thousands of deaths since Biden took office.

"You personally attack me and with absolutely not a shred of evidence of anything you say," Fauci responded.

"All of a sudden that kindles the crazies out there and I have life threats upon my life, harassment of my family and my children with obscene phone calls."

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Europe looks to ‘live with Covid’

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Fauci then brandished a printout from Paul's campaign website showing the banner "Fire Dr Fauci" next to a donation invitation.

Accusing Rand of seeking political gain, Fauci continued, "So I ask myself, Why would Senator want to do this? So go to Rand Paul website and you see "fire Dr Fauci" with a little box that says 'contribute here'. You can do $5, $10, $20, $100, so you are making a catastrophic epidemic for your political gain."

Paul and Fauci have also clashed in previous Coronavirus hearings, arguing over the topic of mask-wearing and the origins of Coronavirus.

(With inputs from agencies)

A Senate hearing on Tuesday saw Dr Anthony Fauci, the United States's foremost expert on infectious diseases clash with Republican Senator Rand Paul. In an unusually emotional congressional testimony, the 81-year-old director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases lambasted vaccine sceptic Republican Senator Rand Paul for unleashing "crazies" who threatened Fauci's life and harassed his family.

A Senate hearing on Tuesday saw Dr Anthony Fauci, the United States's foremost expert on infectious diseases clash with Republican Senator Rand Paul. In an unusually emotional congressional testimony, the 81-year-old director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases lambasted vaccine sceptic Republican Senator Rand Paul for unleashing "crazies" who threatened Fauci's life and harassed his family. Also read | No way to eradicate infection, but US fast approaching 'threshold' of living with COVID-19: Dr Fauci Blaming Paul's false accusations against him for the death threats he has received, Fauci cited an incident in December of 2021. Fauci said authorities found an AR-15 rifle and numerous magazines of ammunition in the man's vehicle when they stopped him. The man was travelling to the capital to "kill Dr. Fauci," because "he thinks that maybe I'm (Fauci) killing people." Several top officials of President Joe Biden's administration were summoned to testify before the Senate regarding the pandemic. This included his chief medical advisor Fauci, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director, Dr Rochelle Walenksy and acting Food and Drug Administration (FDA) head Janet Woodcock. While many of his fellow lawmakers focused their questions on the lack of adequate testing and the confusing new guidelines concerning how sick people should end their isolation, Paul, who has complained about vaccination mandates and refused to get vaccinated, claimed that Fauci was personally responsible for the deaths. Also read | WHO says over 50% of Europeans on track to contract Omicron variant of coronavirus Despite the fact that the vast majority of those fatalities were unvaccinated, and health officials, including Fauci, have consistently advocated vaccines, Paul blamed Fauci for the thousands of deaths since Biden took office. "You personally attack me and with absolutely not a shred of evidence of anything you say," Fauci responded. "All of a sudden that kindles the crazies out there and I have life threats upon my life, harassment of my family and my children with obscene phone calls." Watch | Gravitas: Europe looks to ‘live with Covid’ Fauci then brandished a printout from Paul's campaign website showing the banner "Fire Dr Fauci" next to a donation invitation. Accusing Rand of seeking political gain, Fauci continued, "So I ask myself, Why would Senator want to do this? So go to Rand Paul website and you see "fire Dr Fauci" with a little box that says 'contribute here'. You can do $5, $10, $20, $100, so you are making a catastrophic epidemic for your political gain." Paul and Fauci have also clashed in previous Coronavirus hearings, arguing over the topic of mask-wearing and the origins of Coronavirus. (With inputs from agencies)

Responsible for unleashing 'crazies': Accusations fly as Dr Fauci , Sen Paul clash at Senate hearing

Amid the spread of the Omicron variant at a blistering pace, the United States has recorded over 1 million daily Covid-19 cases as per data from Johns Hopkins University.

It has also reported 1,688 deaths for the same period according to a new tally. According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Omicron variant was estimated to be 58.6 per cent&nbsp;of the coronavirus variants circulating in the United States.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/omicron-update-fda-amends-emergency-use-of-pfizer-booster-dose-for-more-teens-442035" hreflang="en">Omicron update: FDA amends emergency use of Pfizer booster dose for more teens</a>

Top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci had said the country is experiencing "almost a vertical increase" in Covid-19 cases but the peak may be only weeks away.

He had also highlighted that there was still a danger of a surge in hospitalization due to a large number of coronavirus cases even as early data suggests the Omicron COVID-19 variant is less severe.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/record-levels-of-coronavirus-revealed-in-wastewater-samples-across-united-states-442013">Record levels of coronavirus revealed in wastewater samples across US</a>

Across the US, new COVID-19 cases have tripled in the past two weeks to over 400,000 a day, the highest level on record, amid a rush by many Americans to get tested.

The high infection rates and resulting worker shortages are putting a heavy burden on employers large and small. Thousands of airline flights have been canceled in recent days, and many businesses have shelved return-to-work plans.

Meanwhile, the CDC had reduced the recommended isolation period for people with asymptomatic COVID to five days, down from 10.

“We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science,” said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.

(With inputs from agencies)

Amid the spread of the Omicron variant at a blistering pace, the United States has recorded over 1 million daily Covid-19 cases as per data from Johns Hopkins University.

Amid the spread of the Omicron variant at a blistering pace, the United States has recorded over 1 million daily Covid-19 cases as per data from Johns Hopkins University. It has also reported 1,688 deaths for the same period according to a new tally. According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Omicron variant was estimated to be 58.6 per cent of the coronavirus variants circulating in the United States. Also read | Omicron update: FDA amends emergency use of Pfizer booster dose for more teens Top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci had said the country is experiencing "almost a vertical increase" in Covid-19 cases but the peak may be only weeks away. He had also highlighted that there was still a danger of a surge in hospitalization due to a large number of coronavirus cases even as early data suggests the Omicron COVID-19 variant is less severe. Also read | Record levels of coronavirus revealed in wastewater samples across US Across the US, new COVID-19 cases have tripled in the past two weeks to over 400,000 a day, the highest level on record, amid a rush by many Americans to get tested. The high infection rates and resulting worker shortages are putting a heavy burden on employers large and small. Thousands of airline flights have been canceled in recent days, and many businesses have shelved return-to-work plans. Meanwhile, the CDC had reduced the recommended isolation period for people with asymptomatic COVID to five days, down from 10. “We want to make sure there is a mechanism by which we can safely continue to keep society functioning while following the science,” said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky. (With inputs from agencies)

US sets global record of over 1 million daily Covid-19 cases after Fauci warns of 'vertical increase'

An armed 25-year-old man was arrested who was on his way to the White House carrying a rifle and a ‘hit list’ which had names of President Joe Biden and the country’s medical advisor Dr Anthony Fauci.

According to reports, Kuachua Brillion Xiong had an AR-15–type rifle, ammunition, and body armour when he was pulled over for driving aggressively on December 21 in Iowa state.

Xiong, who had the White House address on a GPS device, said he was on his way to “combat evil demons,” according to federal court records that were released on Tuesday.

He told investigators that he had found a “weak spot” in the building that would allow him to get inside.

During interrogation, Xiong said he was “the only person remaining who can free the United States of evil and it is necessary for him to kill those in position of power.”

According to court records, Xiong had compiled the “hit list” of targets from TikTok videos.

Apart from Biden and Fauci, the list also had names of former presidents Bill Clinton and Obama and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

“When concluding the interview, Xiong stated that nothing would stop him from carrying out his plan of gaining access to the White House and killing the persons on his hit list,” the complaint said.

Xiong also told the investigators that if released from custody he would immediately resume traveling to the White House in Washington, DC and “do whatever it takes to complete his plan”, according to the court records.

Xiong is scheduled to appear in federal court for a detention hearing on Thursday (US time), with the federal government arguing he should remain in custody for making a threat against a former president, which is a federal crime, the Times reported.

(With inputs from agencies)

An armed 25-year-old man was arrested who was on his way to the White House carrying a rifle and a ‘hit list’ which had names of President Joe Biden and the country’s medical advisor Dr Anthony Fauci.

An armed 25-year-old man was arrested who was on his way to the White House carrying a rifle and a ‘hit list’ which had names of President Joe Biden and the country’s medical advisor Dr Anthony Fauci. According to reports, Kuachua Brillion Xiong had an AR-15–type rifle, ammunition, and body armour when he was pulled over for driving aggressively on December 21 in Iowa state. Xiong, who had the White House address on a GPS device, said he was on his way to “combat evil demons,” according to federal court records that were released on Tuesday. He told investigators that he had found a “weak spot” in the building that would allow him to get inside. During interrogation, Xiong said he was “the only person remaining who can free the United States of evil and it is necessary for him to kill those in position of power.” According to court records, Xiong had compiled the “hit list” of targets from TikTok videos. Apart from Biden and Fauci, the list also had names of former presidents Bill Clinton and Obama and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. “When concluding the interview, Xiong stated that nothing would stop him from carrying out his plan of gaining access to the White House and killing the persons on his hit list,” the complaint said. Xiong also told the investigators that if released from custody he would immediately resume traveling to the White House in Washington, DC and “do whatever it takes to complete his plan”, according to the court records. Xiong is scheduled to appear in federal court for a detention hearing on Thursday (US time), with the federal government arguing he should remain in custody for making a threat against a former president, which is a federal crime, the Times reported. (With inputs from agencies)

25-year-old armed man with ‘hit list’ of Biden, Fauci arrested on way to White House

A sweet video of the former United States President Barak Obama's interaction with a little girl at a vaccination centre in the country will make your day.&nbsp;

Obama visited the vaccine site in Kimball Elementary School in southeast Washington with Dr Anthony Fauci, who is the White House Chief Medical Advisor.&nbsp;

ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/watch-police-nab-four-arab-lemon-smugglers-seize-consignment-worth-158-million-in-dubai-439578">Watch: Police nab four Arab ‘lemon’ smugglers, seize consignment worth $15.8 million in Dubai</a>

During the visit, Obama interacted with a girl and they discussed their fondness for a book named 'Green Eggs and Ham', which is written by Dr Seuss.

The fun conversation took place when Obama asked the girl: "Do you have any favourite book?" She replied: "Green Eggs and Ham." Obama then said, "That's one of my favourite too…That is a classic."

Watch the video here:

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I thought I knew Green Eggs and Ham better than most people, but at Kimball Elementary’s vaccination site earlier this month I finally met my match. <a href="https://t.co/4MI1BcIsPZ">pic.twitter.com/4MI1BcIsPZ</a>
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1473745362112372744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Obama posted the cute video on his official Twitter handle, he captioned it as: "I thought I knew Green Eggs and Ham better than most people, but at Kimball Elementary’s vaccination site earlier this month I finally met my match."

Since being uploaded, the video has garnered 858.3K views. After watching the wholesome video, social media users dropped in comments to praise the former President and his rapport with kids.&nbsp;

Recently, Obama shared his list of favourites from 2021. His list of favourite films include Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story,' Rebecca Hall's 'Passing,' Jane Campion's 'The Power of the Dog,' Joel Coen's 'The Tragedy of MacBeth' and Mike Mills' 'C'mon, C'mon'. The list also includes 'Judas and the Black Messiah' and 'Pig'. &nbsp;

See the list here:

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A sweet video of the former United States President Barak Obama's interaction with a little girl at a vaccination centre in the country will make your day. Obama visited the vaccine site in Kimball Elementary School in southeast Washington with Dr Anthony Fauci, who is the White House Chief Medical Advisor.

A sweet video of the former United States President Barak Obama's interaction with a little girl at a vaccination centre in the country will make your day. Obama visited the vaccine site in Kimball Elementary School in southeast Washington with Dr Anthony Fauci, who is the White House Chief Medical Advisor. ALSO READ | Watch: Police nab four Arab ‘lemon’ smugglers, seize consignment worth $15.8 million in Dubai During the visit, Obama interacted with a girl and they discussed their fondness for a book named 'Green Eggs and Ham', which is written by Dr Seuss. The fun conversation took place when Obama asked the girl: "Do you have any favourite book?" She replied: "Green Eggs and Ham." Obama then said, "That's one of my favourite too…That is a classic." Watch the video here: I thought I knew Green Eggs and Ham better than most people, but at Kimball Elementary’s vaccination site earlier this month I finally met my match. pic.twitter.com/4MI1BcIsPZ — Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 22, 2021 × Obama posted the cute video on his official Twitter handle, he captioned it as: "I thought I knew Green Eggs and Ham better than most people, but at Kimball Elementary’s vaccination site earlier this month I finally met my match." Since being uploaded, the video has garnered 858.3K views. After watching the wholesome video, social media users dropped in comments to praise the former President and his rapport with kids. Recently, Obama shared his list of favourites from 2021. His list of favourite films include Steven Spielberg's 'West Side Story,' Rebecca Hall's 'Passing,' Jane Campion's 'The Power of the Dog,' Joel Coen's 'The Tragedy of MacBeth' and Mike Mills' 'C'mon, C'mon'. The list also includes 'Judas and the Black Messiah' and 'Pig'. See the list here: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Barack Obama (@barackobama) ×

Watch: Former US President Barak Obama's super cute interaction with small girl about favourite book

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