AI Summary
5 min readWhen Republican Senator Rand Paul gaveled a contempt vote against Dr. Anthony Fauci through a Senate committee three weeks ago, he assumed the Trump administration would quickly act. Instead, the referral has stalled, and reporting from the Wall Street Journal reveals why: the White House believes Paul’s legal strategy is shaky, JD Vance never received a document to certify, and President Trump himself has been lukewarm on the matter. That story—along with a widening FIFA scandal, a deadly air traffic control failure, and fresh tensions in the Iran standoff—anchors this Thursday’s episode of WSJ What’s News.
The Fauci Contempt Referral Hits a Procedural Wall
The central drama of the episode is the unraveling of Rand Paul’s push to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress. Fauci, who served as the nation’s top infectious disease expert during the COVID-19 pandemic, refused to answer questions from Paul’s committee in late July, invoking his Fifth Amendment rights. Paul responded by having the committee vote to hold Fauci in contempt, then attempted an unusual shortcut: instead of seeking a full Senate floor vote—which would have required 60 votes and likely failed—Paul argued that Vice President JD Vance, in his role as Senate President, could unilaterally certify the referral and send it to the Justice Department.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:19) **FIFA Sell-Off Plan Faces Subpoenas** - European soccer officials seek to subpoena Joshua Kushner and Thrive Capital in New York over FIFA's $20 billion privatization proposal.
- 2 (03:03) **LaGuardia Crash: Controllers Left Early** - The FAA finds two air traffic controllers left work an hour early before a deadly March collision at LaGuardia Airport.
- 3 (03:53) **Trump Admin Rejects Iran Preliminary Deal** - The Trump administration has repeatedly told mediators it has no interest in returning to the preliminary deal with Iran from June, complicating diplomatic efforts.
- 4 (04:32) **Trump Renames Lake Ontario to "Lake America"** - President Trump signs an executive order changing the name of Lake Ontario to "Lake America" amid a trade dispute with Canada.
- 5 (05:04) **Nvidia Surge Lifts Markets** - Nvidia's blockbuster revenue forecast reassures investors, driving the stock up nearly 9% and lifting other AI-linked shares.
- 6 (05:35) **Fauci Contempt Case Hits a Wall** - The Republican-led contempt case against Dr. Anthony Fauci has stalled because the Trump administration doubts the legal strategy pursued by Senator Rand Paul.
- 7 (09:27) **Trump Lukewarm on Fauci Prosecution** - President Trump has not made the Fauci contempt case a high priority and has not raised it with the Attorney General or the U.S. Attorney.
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Guests on this episode
Show Notes
P.M. Edition for Aug. 27. What happened to the Republican effort to prosecute Dr. Anthony Fauci? White House Correspondent Natalie Andrews discusses why some Trump administration officials are skeptical of the contempt of Congress case against Fauci. Plus, the FAA moves to fire two air-traffic controllers who left work early before a deadly collision at LaGuardia Airport in March. And President Trump signed an executive order to change the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America.” Sabrina Siddiqui hosts.
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