Thursday, July 30, 2026

Flotsam and Jetsam - The Fauci Fallout

If you weren't out doing something fun or useful yesterday, you probably know by now that former NIH Director Anthony Fauci made a long appearance at the Senate Homeland Security committee led by Rand Paul, where, as I pointed out yesterday, other than an opening statement saying Rand Paul had it in for him (true, but for good reasons), he said almost nothing, other than to take the 5th amendment 111 times to Republican questions ranging from pointed to ridiculous (what color is your tie?), while receiving tongue bath from Democrats loyal to the Covid lockdown regime. If you need to count them for yourself you can find the whole sordid affair at from sundance at CTH, Dr Anthony Fauci Testifies Before Senate Homeland Security Committee or at Althouse, Fauci invokes the 5th Amendment privilege at the Senate hearing today. Ace, Deep State Mafia Boss Anthony "Little Bones" Fauci Pleads the Fifth, "This is what I thought he would do. But now I wonder if he has any legal right to invoke the Fifth." Matt Vespa at TownHall, So, That's Why Fauci Pled the Fifth, Despite a Blanket Pardon From Biden, state charges? No, that's just the excuse. He just didn't want to own up to all his Covid shenanigans. John Ocasio-Rodham Nolte @NolteNC, "This also states it well... The pardon put Fauci in a position where he could either testify truthfully and face no prosecution, or invoke the Fifth and face a contempt charge. Obviously, Fauci decided telling the truth was more dangerous (even with no fear of prosecution) than facing prosecution with a contempt charge. Why? That's the question." Quote Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney, "Pleading the 5th is tricky, legally, because Fauci is pardoned for all pre-2025 conduct — fear of a future perjury trap is a lot to hang a blanket assertion of 5th Amendment privilege on. And it also opens him up to being held in contempt and prosecuted on that basis." The Vigilant Fox @VigilantFox, "PAUL: "Dr. Fauci, would you like to at least answer this one question for us today...?" FAUCI: "On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline..." PAUL: "The chairman has DENIED your assertion of privilege and directed you to ANSWER, but you nonetheless refuse and stand on privilege despite the existence of the pardon." "It's AGAINST THE LAW to obstruct an investigation of Congress. There will be repercussions to your refusal to testify today." Sean Davis @seanmdav, "Rand Paul did the impossible today: he found a way to make Anthony Fauci not talk. Rand Paul got the world’s most promiscuous media whore to suddenly not want to be on camera behind a microphone." Secretary Kennedy @SecKennedy, "Dear Diary... If I plead the Fifth, will I still be famous?" Pradheep J. Shanker, M.D.@neoavatara "Its over." Quote Senator Rand Paul @SenRandPaul, "Fauci claims he is pleading the Fifth because of my so-called “obsession” with prosecuting him and because I released his "private" diary. The American people know better. He is protecting himself. There is more to this. This is not over." Tim O'Brien at PJM, Fauci’s Disastrous Senate Hearing Signals That It’s Time to Put the Autopen on Trial Through Him. PJM's Stephen Kruiser sighs Regrettably, Anthony Fauci Slept Very Well Last Night.

PJM's Cathy Salgado, Rand Paul Orders Fauci’s Lawyer Removed As Hearing Grows Chaotic. From News Wax, Fauci Solicited Award Noms From NIH-Funded Scientists, for awards with cash prizes. At Hat Hair, Capt Ed quotes Hawley to Fauci: 'You Got Rich, Didn't You … While People Were Dying?' Matt Van Swol @mattvanswol, "If you only watch ONE video from the Fauci hearing today, it should be this one... Bernie Moreno: "It was about six years ago today that I decided I'm going to give up my businesses, sell them all, run for office, run for the United States Senate. Here I am sitting in front of you six years later, saying, "Who the fuck do you think you are for doing that?" It is a total disgrace what you did to this country and my Democrat colleagues are standing there defending you...." RazörFist @RazorFist, "2020: The Science™ is settled 2021: Trust the Science™ 2022: Sorry you lost your job for not trusting The Science™ 2023: We have recalled The Science™ from the market 2026: The Science™ pleads the 5th." Bridget Phetasy @BridgetPhetasy, "My biggest takeaway from this Fauci stuff is that we aren't mad enough."

Matt Vespa, TMZ Had a Total Meltdown Over the Attacks on Fauci...and They're Not Alone. Brad Polumbo @brad_polumbo, "Never forget they literally made action figures of this man..." Drew Holden at Holden Court thinks Legacy Media’s Fauci Love Affair Might’ve Buried COVID’s Origins, "Ahead of the doctor's public testimony, making sense of what the dominant press helped to keep buried." PoIiMath @politicalmath, "If there was another Covid-style pandemic, it would probably be because scientists were carelessly researching deadly novel viruses in large urban centers." Quote Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan, "It’s very clear, sadly, that if there was another Covid-style pandemic today, the level of total disinformation, misinformation, lies, cherry-picked quotes and documents, and conspiracies on this hellsite would mean tens of millions, not just millions, of dead Americans." From Da Caller, Meet The Republicans Who Sided With Anthony Fauci To Shut Down The Country "“Hope Hicks and I convinced him to essentially put Easter on hold for this year,” Fauci wrote." Nick Arama at RedState notices Brandon Gill and Ted Cruz Have a Field Day With James Talarico's Old Fauci Post. Brandon Gill @realBrandonGill, "Do you think James Talarico still plays with his Fauci action figure?" Ted Cruz @tedcruz, "James Talarico called Fauci a superhero. Today, Fauci took the Fifth 111 times. Apparently accountability was sold separately." Leslie Eastman at LI hypes a New Documentary the Asserts Deborah Birx Was Real Culprit Behind Disastrous Covid Lockdowns. "“It Wasn’t Fauci: How the Deep State Really Played Trump” shows how a career bureaucrat seized control of the government and created a disaster. And Birx had help…from Pence." She did kind of slither away unscathed, didn't she. Insty at his substack explains Why Fauci Matters. "He's not just a powerful guy who acted in bad faith. He's a totem to a whole class of people who don't care about that."

I'm of two minds about Fauci. Scientists are allowed to be wrong. It's part of the process of discovery, as long as you change your mind once evidence show it.  But you're not supposed to conspire to blackball those with opposing opinions, and keep up the pretense of being right after you've been proven wrong. And there's the prize stuff, which is just plain corruption. Drew Pinsky put it pretty well here.


At Am Great, the Great Victor Davis Hanson worries The Socialist Monster Awakens, "The Left’s socialist revolt did not come from nowhere—it was the inevitable offspring of years of Democratic radicalization, now turning against the party that created it." Mark Tapscott at Insty asks IS SOCIALISM A FAD OR FULL-ON THREAT?. "Are the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) just a passing fad or a real, long-term threat to the Democratic Party and ultimately America? That’s the question discussed on the latest edition of the Outstanding podcast by host Casey Harper, The Washington Stand’s Managing Editor for Broadcast, Matt Carpener, chief of Family Research Council (FRC) Action, and yours truly." VodkaPundit at PJM hears 'Welcome to Socialism': A Clinton Hand's Stark Warning About Mamdani "In a piece headlined "Welcome to Socialism," Penn wrote that Mamdani’s administration "with fanfare" released its list of "960,000 owners of real estate in New York City that have been determined they could owe the pied-a-terre tax because NYC computers have determined they own what was billed as a market value of $5 million or more."" NYPo opines Mamdani’s vindictive pied-à-terre hitlist reveals his true colors. I think we already knew his colors, red with a dash of green. John Sexton, Business Groups to Sue Mamdani Over Subsidized Grocery Stores. Govt. subsidized competition. At NYPo, Jonathan Turley opines Mamdani’s grocery stores will be the most expensive markets in NYC — paid for by you, the taxpayer.

Hat Hair's John Sexton wonders Are Democrats Worried About Their Antisemitism Problem?. Nope, they're wallowing in it, and Dave Strom sees El-Sayed is Gaining Strength and Stevens Is Sputtering Out. Victory Girls notice MI Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Maligns PA Senator John Fetterman. Stephen L. Miller @redsteeze, "It's hilarious that you think he's leaving the party and that the party is not leaving him. You continue to be the absolute king of misreading the situation." Quote Chris Cillizza @ChrisCillizza, "I don't know if John Fetterman is going to switch parties. But man he is doing everything that someone who is going to switch parties. Wrote about it here:"


At AMAC, The Left’s Imaginary Food Stamps “Crisis” "SNAP enrollment has dropped by about 4.5 million people over the past year—an 11 percent decline. While critics call this a "crisis" and blame the Trump administration for stripping benefits from needy families, the reduction largely reflects new work requirements and stronger anti-fraud measures under the One Big Beautiful Bill. This article examines the data behind the debate and explains what's really driving the change in food stamp participation."





At Twitchy, Deranged WNBA Owner Berates Teenage Fans Supporting Fair Play for Women. Dave Strom hears Sophie Cunningham Fans Harassed in Seattle for Standing Up for Women's Rights. From Ace, Department of Education Investigates Minnesota's Use of "Trans Dolls" with Swappable Genitalia to Promote Transgenderism to Young Children "I think it's time to simply eject Minnesota from the United States. It's a diseased appendage that must be cut off to save the rest of the body. It just gets worse and worse every single day." And "Trans" Man Beats Mother to Death With Hammer, "Coming to a girls locker room near you. But how could you keep him out of a women's locker room? As you can see from the photos that run with that story, he looks exactly like a woman. It's uncanny!"

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Thursday Tune - Sultans of Swing

With ukes:




OverDrive Duo, is a combination of talents that’s been together since 2014, Sharlotte Martins (lead vocalist) and Jorge Lozada (guitar player and vocalist) with experience in different bands and live shows entertainment, from Portugal & Venezuela.


With notable blues and funk musical influences that they manage to fuse with their Latin roots, they create an ideal environment for every moment.

 

Read more »
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Flotsam and Jetsam - Fauci Takes the Stand and the 5th

It's on C-Span now. Rand Paul is setting the stage. Leslie Eastman at LI, Sen. Rand Paul Releases Document Trove Detailing Pre-Pandemic Biosecurity Breaches. "New document release shows Customs and Border Patrol intercepted undeclared biological materials tied to this network of American and Chinese coronavirus researchers in 2018, and the FBI stopped the agency from intercepting a key covid researcher in 2021." Rand Paul @RandPaul, "If Anthony Fauci comes before my committee tomorrow and perjures himself, his preemptive pardon from Joe Biden will not protect him." Quote Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, " JUST IN: Sec. RFK Jr. just said Dr. Fauci can be prosecuted on PERJURY — DESPITE the pardon — if he lies in front of Rand Paul's committee this week "He has immunity against all of the things that he did prior to President Biden signing or the electronic pen signing his pardon, but he could perjure himself now. There are many things that he said that we know are lies, and @RandPaul presumably is going to ask him about those things." "And if he lies again, then he could be subject to perjury prosecution." Fauci has not faced a SINGLE ounce of credibility. We need it, badly!" At PJM, Stephen Kruiser notes it Turns Out Fauci Is an Even Bigger Donkey's Derrière Than We Thought and Sarah Anderson thinks Anthony Fauci Just Handed Marco Rubio One Heck of a Campaign Ad. NYPo's Divine Miranda Devine: Anthony Fauci was the ‘big head’ of COVID response. Matt Vespa at TownHall, This Fauci Diary Entry Will Cause Your Blood to Boil. Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_, "NEW: Dr. Fauci writes in his diary that in June 2021, he received a (classified?) briefing from the CIA on the origins of COVID-19 while in a SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) at NIH, and reveals that the CIA told him they had intercepted Chinese communications in Wuhan, including indications that the Chinese had transferred pangolin viruses from Beijing to Wuhan. Additionally, Fauci writes that the CIA had information from sources that the Chinese military had conducted unknown experiments in Wuhan, and that the CIA had information about a "super spreader" event in China in July 2020 in relation to "passage of a virus in a laboratory." Fauci writes that the CIA briefer, who he names, was "almost pathetic in her naivety and obvious lack of appreciation of any of the science of what she was talking about."" Liz Wheeler @Liz_Wheeler, "We were… right. - Social distancing was a hoax - Masks were a joke - Lockdowns were worthless - mRNA jabs were dangerous - Case fatality rate was low - Ivermectin worked - Hydroxychloroquine also worked - Remdesivir was a killer - COVID came from the Wuhan lab - Fauci funded it Fauci lied about it all. Fauci lied to profit himself. Fauci abused YOU to bolster his ego, money, and power. Put the despicable villain in prison." Elaine @elbh, "Fauci broke our societal trust in ways we will never regain. As confidence was lagging anyway, he caused the collapse. Science. Journalism. Government. Hollywood. Culture. Economics. Law Enforcement. Judicial System. Our fellow Americans. All of it. It will not return in our lifetime."

Dave Strom at Hat Hair, Pravda Totally Buries Fauci Diary Revelations. Mike Lee @BasedMikeLee, "Hats off to @bariweiss and CBS This is news And yet it doesn’t read like it was sanitized by the DNC." Quote CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil @CBSEveningNews, "Diary entries by Dr. Anthony Fauci are shedding light on his soaring notoriety during the COVID epidemic. The documents, released by Republican Sen. Rand Paul, include Fauci's reflections about being invited to a-list parties, but also some uncertainty about the origin of COVID." Hans Mahncke @HansMahncke, "Perhaps surprisingly, both the New York Times and the Washington Post have now published articles on the Fauci diaries. Unsurprisingly, both are complete whitewashes. They sanitize his record and reduce the criticism to the suggestion that he may have been a little too narcissistic. Neither outlet confronts the diaries’ central revelation, which is that Fauci repeatedly said one thing in private and another in public..." Matt Vespa, Why a Former FDA Official Got Very Uncomfortable During This Interview on CNBC. Glenn Greenwald @ggreenwald, "It was well-demonstrated that US and EU elites who imposed strict lockdowns during COVID deemed themselves fully exempt. Countless examples, including Gavin Newsom having a nice maskless dinner with lobbyists, and Pelosi in the hair salon. But @JakeTapper should explain this:" Quote a newsman @a_newsman, "Jul 27Has Jake Tapper addressed why he was having Anthony Fauci over for dinner while husbands and wives of seventy five years were saying goodbye to each other over zoom?" At Althouse, "[His diary] paints a portrait of Dr. Fauci as obsessed with himself, reveling in his own importance and the celebrities he knows..."

From Ace, Revealed: Five Months After Fauci Got Vaccinated, He Suffered a Pulmonary Infarction, an Adverse Effect Associated With the "Vaccine." He Kept This a Secret. "Anthony Fauci is Science, you know. He suffered the exact kind of adverse effect millions of other people were experiencing. Rather than reporting this, he kept it secret from the public." Mike Davis @mrddmia, "Of course, Trump was right. And undermined constantly by government bureaucrats who worked for him." Quote CNN Politics @CNNPolitics, "President Trump contradicts the US intel community by claiming he's seen evidence that the coronavirus originated in a Chinese lab https://cnn.it/3d7KSuC."

Cynical Publius @CynicalPublius, "I had a dream last night that Michael Crichton was still alive and he wrote a book called “Two Weeks to Stop the Spread.” The book’s main character was a megalomaniacal, narcissistic senior US health official who was using NIH funds to work with China to engineer a virus designed to wipe out the world’s elderly and infirm populations, thereby decreasing the public health and expense burden foisted on younger generations...."

Fauci just took the 5th, after an opening statement blasting Rand Paul. Now, Rand Paul reminded him he was unconditionally pardoned by Biden, and therefore the 5th amendment doesn't apply, but Fauci is sticking to it.


Ben Whedon at JTN sees Thune pours cold water on canceling recess to pass SAVE America Act. "Trump on Monday called for Thune to cancel recess to pass the bill, but Thune said nothing had changed." From the Victory Girls, John Thune: Pass The SAVE America Act Already. Sadly, even if they busted the filibuster, I don't think they have the votes, thanks to Sen. Murkowski, Collins and Paul. From Ace, Mitch McConnell Released from Hospital, But Still Not "Medically Cleared" to Do His Job; Democrat Governor Andy Beshear Demands He Return to Senate or Resign. "It was so important to McConnell to remain in office forever. Even after he'd been kicked out of the leadership position due to his opposition to most mainstream Republicans."

Amanda Head at JTN, From proving ground to payday, Trump’s Michigan trip shows auto industry shifting into high gear. "Under Trump’s trade policies, companies such as General Motors (GM) are shifting production of certain vehicles stateside." Carlo Carrasco is happy Japan Determining Lifting Import Prohibition On Fresh US Potatoes. From Da Caller, Trump Admin Putting Major Medical Association’s Billing Code ‘Monopoly’ Under The Microscope. 


Dave Strom at Hat Hair wonders Is Socialism Really Gaining Steam, or Are Socialists Just Gaming the System Better? Da Wire, Mamdani Just Handed The Internet Thousands Of Names And Addresses. "The Department of Finance uploaded a searchable database including the addresses and names of property owners." Jack Posobiec @JackPosobiec, "Anyone who has read the history of communism knows what step comes after naming the enemy land owners." Quote Bernadette Hogan @bern_hogan, "The city published a list of all properties -- and the names of the owners -- that *could be* subject to the new pied a terre tax in a very easy to search Excel sheet:" VodkaPundit at PJM, NYC: Begun, the Class War Has. Alex Berenson @AlexBerenson, "Last week, my mom got a "pied-a-terre" tax notice. She has lived full-time in her townhouse FOR 30 YEARS (she and my dad bought it for under $1 million). She has no other residence. Is NYC not bothering with basic checking of its own tax lists? She's 81 and has three weeks to get her name off the list or she owes $56,000. (Yes, I said I'd help.) Thanks, Zohran Kwame." Ace notes Mamdani Publishes Names of Property Owners Whose Estates Will be Confiscated, "The list of properties to be hit with a huge tax penalty, large enough so that the owners will mostly be forced to sell, turns out to be a bigger list than the laughing boy socialist demon had promised."



Ruby Rippey
From Althouse, "One afternoon he brings matzo ball soup from Max’s deli, my favorite. Another time, a mixtape." "Writes Ruby Rippey, in "How I Blew Up—Then Rebuilt—My Life/When news of her affair with Gavin Newsom exploded into the public eye, it was only the outward mark of a long-rippling private implosion. In the wreckage of the scandal, Ruby Rippey faced her demons but lost her voice. Twenty years later, she is ready to share her story" (Vanity Fair). Spencer Pratt @spencerpratt, "Residents in the Palisades put up Mad Max barricades because construction site theft is so rampant since Karen Bass directed LAPD to remove police patrols from the neighborhood. As if the fire victims haven't dealt with enough...the vile communist is punishing us further." From Reason, California's War on Goats Could Worsen the Wildfire Crisis "Standard minimum wage and overtime laws now apply to the state's goat herders, whose animals clear brush and reduce fire danger. The costs are unsustainable." 

Jeffrey Rosen takes on Birthright Citizenship and Presidential Removal: A Historical Deep Dive. Kyla Becker at RedState sees a Rogue Judge Finally Gets an Act Named After Him - What It Does Is Hilarious. "Schmitt is calling it the BOASBERG Act. It stands for the Blocking Overt Attempts at Shopping By Enforcing Randomization Guidelines Act. ... Fox News Politics @foxnewspolitics, "BOASBERG ACT: Sen. Eric Schmitt introduces legislation named after the federal judge who has repeatedly clashed with the Trump administration — designed to end judge shopping in federal courts by requiring random case assignment. The bill would prohibit chief judges from influencing which cases they oversee, require public disclosure of assignment practices, and create penalties for anyone who meddles with the process. Courts would have 120 days to comply. Schmitt called Judge James Boasberg "the poster child for a rogue judge" who "exposed serious loopholes in our judicial system." Boasberg, an Obama appointee, has blocked Trump's deportation efforts, halted visa restrictions, and landed the Signalgate case — drawing impeachment calls from Trump and a misconduct complaint from the Justice Department."


Stacy McCain sees ‘Suburban Teens’ Make Headlines. "In addition to Vanessa Morales, whose father doesn’t speak English, the other “suburban teens” killed in the crash were identified as Cristofer Lopez Montan, 19, and Yuarem Garcia-Pena, 18, both of Woodstock, and Yaritza Martinez Villeda, 17, of Crystal Lake. So these kids weren’t exactly the cast of Sixteen Candles or Pretty in Pink. On the one hand you can understand that, on those rare occasions when the perpetrators of crime in Chicago aren’t “urban youth,” the local media are eager to convey the message that it wasn’t the usual suspects this time."


Dave Strom realizes DEI Requires 'Good' People to Lie. Wall Street Apes @WallStreetApes, "This should horrify every American A man tries to walk through Minneapolis with an American Flag He immediately gets harassed, threatened with physical violence. Shortly after a car pulls up quickly and a man gets out to rush him to cause harm. He has to run and yell he’s calling the cops The American can’t even sit in his car without worried about being assaulted “This sh*t hurts my heart, man. ..." Lisa Britton @LisaBritton, "One minute we’re being told air conditioning is sexist towards women. The next we’re being told women are the true victims of heat waves. It just never ends!" From Da Mail, Plagiarism or jealousy? Youngest black professor in Cambridge history set to publish extraordinary life story - including how he couldn't speak, read or write during childhood - as he's now accused of copying others' work.

At WaEx, Teachers union uses felons to attack school choice in Arizona. Matt Van Swol @mattvanswol, "My story about pulling our son out of NC public schools to homeschool him reached far more people than I expected. So I owe you the full explanation. Fair warning: it's worse than you think. ..." Really long but worth it.
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Wednesday Wetness

 Kelia Moniz, Professional Surfer, WSL World Longboard Champion, Roxy team rider & model

Bay Journal, Study searches for alternatives to Potomac River water supply
A two-year study, called Secure the Source, will look at large solutions that could provide emergency water supply for weeks to more than 5 million people in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia.

The $25 million study, announced in June, is aimed at finding potential alternatives to the Potomac River water supply. Project partners include water utility leaders from WSSC Water, Fairfax Water, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin.

Read more »
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)