Tennessee voters pick candidates for governor and congressional seats in midterm primary
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The Senate Homeland Security Committee voted to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress.
What to know today
- TENNESSEE PRIMARIES: U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn won the GOP nomination for governor in Tennessee’s primary elections today. Blackburn will face Democratic nominee Jerri Green. Rep. Andy Ogles lost his Republican primary to former state agricultural commissioner Charlie Hatcher.
- FAUCI CONTEMPT VOTE: The Senate Homeland Security Committee voted to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress along party lines in an 8-5 vote after he declined to answer lawmakers’ questions at a fiery hearing on the origins of the Covid pandemic last week.
- TARIFF REFUNDS: President Donald Trump’s administration has refunded more than half of the tariffs it collected before the Supreme Court struck down the duties in February, or about $100 billion of the $166 billion in levies, a court filing showed.
The Trump administration has paid $100 billion in tariff refunds. Consumers shouldn’t expect to see much of it.
Consumers paid higher prices on everything from furniture to flip-flops because of Trump’s tariffs. But they’re likely to come up empty-handed if they’re looking for a cut of the refunds paid to companies.
The Supreme Court ruled this year that many of Trump’s retaliatory tariffs were illegal, but most of the companies reporting massive tariff refunds have indicated that customers are unlikely to receive any direct payments.
The law isn’t on consumers’ side, either.
“If the tariff wasn’t itemized, it’s going to be very difficult for a court to decide that a customer is entitled to payment,” Gregory Germain, professor emeritus of law at Syracuse University, told NBC News.
Senate to hold rare Friday session for votes on Russia sanctions, government funding and other items
The Senate will be in session tomorrow for votes on a number of measures before it leaves town for its August recess.
The session, scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. ET, will include votes on a bill to impose sanctions on Russia and Iran, on a bloc of Trump nominees and on advancing a short-term spending bill to fund the government through Dec. 11. It's still unclear when the Senate will hold a confirmation vote on Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general.
If a bipartisan agreement on floor time comes together, the Senate could vote on Blanche tomorrow. If not, Democrats could use the full procedural time allotted to drag out the process.
After tomorrow's session, the Senate is expected leave town for a five-week recess.
A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., Ryan Wrasse, posted on X this evening, “Public service announcement: This will not be the end of the day tomorrow — it’s just the beginning.”
Trump has called on Senate Republicans to cancel the August recess to pass his election overhaul bill, the SAVE America Act. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said he wants the Senate to vote on canceling recess.
The Senate typically recesses through a unanimous consent agreement, but any senator can object and force a full Senate vote. That would make every senator go on record about whether to leave town.
Rep. Andy Ogles loses his Republican primary in Tennessee
Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee has lost his Republican primary, NBC News projects, falling to a former state official in a primary season that has seen an unusually high number of incumbents lose renomination.
Charlie Hatcher, the former state agricultural commissioner, rode support from prominent establishment Republicans to a victory over the controversial congressman backed by Trump.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn wins the Republican primary for governor of Tennessee
Sen. Marsha Blackburn has won the Republican nomination for governor in Tennessee, NBC News projects, defeating fellow Republican Rep. John Rose in a race in which Trump declined to endorse.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. George Walker IV / AP file
Blackburn, 74, became the first woman to represent Tennessee in the Senate after winning her current seat in 2018, and she previously served in the House since 2003. If she wins the race for governor, she would be the first female governor.
She will be a heavy favorite in the general election in the red state to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Bill Lee. Jerri Green, a member of the Memphis City Council, won the Democratic nomination.
Jerri Green wins the Democratic nomination for governor of Tennessee
Jerri Green. Max Gersh / USA TODAY Network via Reuters file
Memphis City Councilwoman Jerri Green is projected to win the Democratic primary race for governor of Tennessee, NBC News Decision Desk projects.
Green is vying to replace Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who is term limited. The last time Tennessee elected a Democratic governor was in 2006, when Gov. Phil Bredesen won a second term. Trump won in Tennessee by over 20 percentage points in 2016, 2020 and 2024.
Green will face off with the winner of the Republican primary in November — a race in which Trump has not made an endorsement.
Experts appear skeptical of Trump's new orders targeting birthright citizenship
Attorneys and legal experts appeared skeptical today that Trump’s orders aiming to limit birthright citizenship would succeed.
The new executive orders are an attempt for Trump to take a “second bite” after he disliked the court’s interpretation of his previous executive order on birthright citizenship, Tianna Mays, the legal director at Democracy Defenders Action, which helped represent respondents in the Supreme Court birthright citizenship case Trump v. Barbara, said in an interview with NBC News today.
“The order is built around ‘Barbara’ and the Supreme Court decision in that case, and that tells you something very important, which is that the administration lost the central constitutional argument about children being born here, being citizens and upholding the 14th Amendment,” Mays said. “The question now is whether or not the administration can take the court’s narrow exceptions and stretch them, basically, until it swallows the whole 14th Amendment.”
Norm Eisen, co-founder of the Democracy Defenders Fund, said that even by the administration’s own terms, it would be “hard to understand how you would implement” the orders.
“Are we going to give every pregnant person who comes into the United States a lie detector test?” Eisen said in an interview, calling the order "principally a publicity stunt."
Lucas Guttentag, a law professor at Stanford and Yale, said that the executive order, for the most part, restated existing law.
“To the extent that he’s trying to deny citizenship to individuals who are entitled to it under the 14th Amendment, it’s a completely futile effort, and it’s a political stunt to the extent that it is addressing the issue of so-called ‘birth tourism’ that’s already covered by federal law,” Guttentag said. “So what he does isn’t adding anything to what the government is already authorized to do.”
In the "Barbara" case, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in June that children born in the U.S. are citizens, save for a few exceptions, such as children born to diplomats. Trump vowed to ask the Supreme Court to rehear the case, but didn’t follow through before the 25-day window to file a petition closed. The court formally issued its judgment this week.
“Despite having lost again and again, the President of the United States is once again attempting to violate the guaranteed civil rights embedded in our Constitution,” said Juan Proaño, the CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens, which was among the groups that sued the administration over the overruled order.
Cody Wofson, the deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, said the Supreme Court had already ruled that birthright citizenship was “guaranteed by the Constitution.”
“No matter how many executive orders President Trump signs, birthright remains the law of the land,” Wofson said in a statement.
Several legal experts online said that the order was a long shot.
“In the end, it will be difficult to make serious inroads into birthright citizenship numbers without a constitutional amendment,” Jonathan Turley, a professor at the George Washington University Law School and a Fox News contributor, said on X.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, wrote on X that the new orders were specifically aimed at four groups of children, among them babies whose parents are members of a designated foreign terrorist organization, diplomats, born to two noncitizen parents who engaged in “birth tourism," or born in a territory where citizenship is “not conferred by federal statute.”
“This new order is far less sweeping than the original, but like the first order, seemingly violates the Constitution,” wrote Reichlin-Melnick.
‘Smart guy’: Trump says he stands by Pete Hegseth as defense secretary
President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images file
President Donald Trump appears determined to stick with his defense secretary for the time being, despite the Iran war’s unpopularity and some Republican misgivings about Pete Hegseth’s leadership.
In a brief phone interview with NBC News today, Trump stood by Hegseth, whom he plucked from Fox News last year to run the Defense Department.
Trump says deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is 'moving along good'
Trump expressed optimism this evening about efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after he told reporters Tuesday night that a deal to reopen the critical trade route could come this week.
Asked for an update on the deal as he was leaving the East Room this evening, Trump said it was "moving along good."
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office this afternoon that the strait was "sort of open now," adding that he was "involved in the negotiation."
"We have all the blockade headed up by the U.S. Navy; we control it," he said. "Now, we can control it, but they can shoot something or drop a mine. If you have one mine sitting out there, you mess things up."
Both Trump and Iranian officials have said this week that a deal could be close, but one side will have to make concessions to make that happen, as Iran has insisted on having some type of control over the strait while the U.S. has maintained its blockade.
IRS workers group joins Jan. 6 ‘slush fund’ suit, seeking to block Trump audit carve-out
An organization representing career IRS employees has joined a lawsuit over the contentious settlement reached in connection with Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS, challenging a carve-out that would give him and members of his family immunity from certain tax audits.
A Jan. 6 prosecutor fired by the Trump administration and others previously sued to block a fund that could have gone to Trump allies who said they were victims of weaponization, potentially including Jan. 6 rioters. A federal judge then temporarily blocked the fund from moving forward in May.
Now, an amended version of the lawsuit, filed in the Eastern District of Virginia this afternoon, alleges that the IRS audit immunity that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche agreed to for Trump and his family members in connection with the purported settlement is unlawful and unconstitutional. The National Treasury Employees Union, which represents career IRS auditors, has joined the litigation.
Judge formally dismisses case alleging former Olympian vandalized the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
Donald Trump and Jeanine Pirro at the White House. Sarah L. Voisin / The Washington Post via Getty Images file
A D.C. Superior Court judge formally granted U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's request today to dismiss the case against former Olympian canoeist David Hearn over claims by the Trump administration that he had vandalized the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Pirro’s office moved to dismiss the case with prejudice last week, which theoretically would have allowed the Justice Department to bring the case again. In response, Hearn's attorneys sought Tuesday to permanently block any future "politically motivated prosecution" against Hearn.
Associate Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman wrote today that as both parties agree the case should be dismissed but disagree about the grounds on which it should be dismissed, he "discerns no reason why this felony case should remain pending against Mr. Hearn while the parties litigate, and the Court resolves, the remaining legal issues.”
Edelman ordered further briefings over the next few weeks on whether the case should be dismissed with or without prejudice.
Hearn's legal team said in a statement today that the dismissal "reflects that simple fact" that Hearn is innocent.
"But this case never should’ve been brought in the first place. The Department of Justice’s decision to seek an indictment was a miscarriage of justice," the statement said. "The court has ordered briefing on dismissal with prejudice—that is, to prevent the government’s ability to bring the case again. We intend to vigorously advocate for that."
Hearn was charged with one felony count of destruction of property in excess of $1,000 after he stopped by the Reflecting Pool in June during a bike ride. He was accused of touching material that had recently been installed to the pool as part of Trump's renovation plans.
Pirro's office said Friday that it received new evidence from the Interior Department that showed the damage to the pool was a result of a rushed and “botched” installation process.
Trump has condemned Pirro's decision to dismiss the case, continuing to insist that the pool was vandalized.
White House highlights 2020 Arizona voter roll hack in an attempt to back up election integrity claims
The White House released documents on its election integrity website today revealing some more details about a 2020 hack of voter files in Maricopa County, Arizona.
Trump says he's 'not going to get involved' as more Republicans call for Rep. Max Miller to resign amid abuse allegations
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office this afternoon he isn't going to weigh in on whether Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, his former White House aide, should call off his re-election campaign after he faced abuse allegations from his ex-wife, Emily Moreno.
Asked whether he believes Miller should withdraw, Trump said, "Well, I'm not going to get involved in that." Miller has vowed to stay in the race.
"It’s a very sad situation, and I know Max very well, but it’s very, very sad that a situation like that takes place," Trump told reporters.
Miller faces mounting pressure as some Republicans have joined in on calls for him to resign from Congress and call off his re-election campaign. Still, he has denied the allegations and hasn't faced criminal charges.
Trump signs executive orders denying birthright citizenship for children of certain foreigners
Donald Trump holds up a newly signed executive order in the Oval Office, on Thursday. Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images
Trump signed executive orders addressing birthright citizenship.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office this afternoon, Trump called the Supreme Court’s ruling upholding birthright citizenship a “very unfortunate decision.”
“We’re making adjustments, because it’s very unfair,” he added, saying the 14th Amendment, granting birthright citizenship to all babies born in the U.S., was “done right after the Civil War ... for the babies of slaves.”
“What’s happening now?” he asked. “People are building businesses around it. Wealthy people are building businesses around birthright citizenship. That’s not the way it’s supposed to work. It’s a disgrace. They’re buying their way in, and we’re not going to let it happen.”
A White House official confirmed this afternoon that Trump plans to sign two executive orders today denying citizenship to the children of foreign diplomatic staff members born in the U.S. and to the children of tourists present in the U.S. just to give birth here.
Axios first reported the details of the executive orders.
The executive orders, which also target the children of people who are members of federally declared terrorist groups, come just weeks after the Supreme Court blocked a previous executive order Trump signed blocking birthright citizenship for babies born in the U.S. who do not have at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
Sen. Mitch McConnell discharged from rehab center following hospitalization in mid-June
Sen. Mitch McConnell. Nathan Posner / Anadolu via Getty Images file
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said today that he has been discharged from a rehabilitation center where he was recovering from a fall he suffered in mid-June.
“Earlier today, I was discharged from the rehabilitation center to continue my recovery at home. Elaine and I are grateful for the many well wishes and support from friends, colleagues, and Kentuckians, and for the attentive care I’ve received from excellent doctors, nurses, therapists, and hospital staff,” McConnell said in a statement.
He said he would continue to work from home and did not provide a timeline to return to the Senate, which is expected to begin a five-week recess in the coming days.
FCC scraps limit on broadcast TV ownership
The Federal Communications Commission, the government agency that regulates the broadcast airwaves, voted today to eliminate a cap on the share of U.S. television households a single company can reach, a major move that could pave the way for more corporate consolidation in the media industry.
In a 2-1 vote, the FCC repealed a 22-year-old rule holding that a company cannot own stations that reach more than a combined 39% of the U.S. television audience. The ownership limit will be replaced by a case-by-case approach.
The decision had been widely expected. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr last month wrote an op-ed for the conservative news website Breitbart calling the ownership limit an “outdated” policy that blocked local broadcasters from “gaining the same scale that their competitors are free to enjoy.”
FDA approves 1st mRNA flu shot, from Moderna
The Food and Drug Administration yesterday approved the nation's first flu shot that uses mRNA technology: mFlusiva, from drugmaker Moderna.
The FDA granted approval for two age groups, adults 50 to 65 and adults 65 and older, on the condition that Moderna run an additional clinical trial in the older group, the company said in a release. In a late-stage trial, mFlusiva was found to be about 27% more effective than a standard flu shot.
Trump reacts to Abdul El-Sayed's win in Michigan primary
Trump and other top Republicans unleashed a series of attacks on progressive Abdul El-Sayed, the new Democratic nominee for the Senate in the battleground state of Michigan. “When I watch Abdul, he’s full of s----,” Trump said. NBC News’ Garrett Haake reports for "TODAY."
Thune says he assumes legality of committee's decision to send contempt of Congress resolution to DOJ will be tested
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters that he assumed the legality of Sen. Rand Paul's decision to send the contempt of Congress resolution for Fauci directly to the Justice Department before a full Senate vote would be tested.
Asked whether he would bring the contempt resolution to the floor for a full Senate vote, Thune said his "understanding is the chairman believes that he can go directly to the Justice Department with it."
Pressed about the legal questions surrounding the move, Thune said, "I assume that that'll get tested."
Trump: Jeanine Pirro ‘made a big mistake’ in Reflecting Pool case, but ‘that doesn’t mean’ he’ll oust her
Trump vented frustration with the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, in a brief phone interview this morning, saying she “made a big mistake” in dropping a vandalism case related to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool renovation.
Asked whether he is happy with Pirro and would seek a change in her job, however, Trump replied: “I think she made a terrible decision. That doesn’t mean change.”
“She said there was no vandalism. There was tremendous vandalism,” he said. “So she made a terrible mistake. I don’t understand why she did such a stupid thing.”
Trump “had it out” with Pirro over the Reflecting Pool in an Oval Office meeting this week after she dropped the case against Olympian David Hearn, NBC News reported. Pirro's office said in a court filing that the Justice Department had learned that the damage to the pool’s lining “was the result of a botched installation and not vandalism” after having reviewed additional documents from the Interior Department.
Pirro blamed “contractor error” in the filing to dismiss the case, adding, “It is difficult to attribute the widespread damage to the Reflecting Pool to vandalism, let alone to establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Trump said in this morning’s interview: “Just so you understand, she made a big mistake. And the contractor, there’s very little problem.” He added later, “When you have a witness, why don’t you take the case further when you have a witness?”
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Wednesday. Aaron Schwartz / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum have doubled down on the vandalism claims, pointing to video of at least one person touching a piece of the flaking lining in the Reflecting Pool.
But Pirro’s office said in the court filing that vandalism could not explain the “widespread” damage to the lining, “even in the middle of the pool,” which it said was “the result of flawed installation by the contractor Atlantic Industrial Coatings.”
Trump defended the work on the pool. “Look, this hasn’t worked properly since 1922. We had it all filled up. There was absolute acts of vandalism, and we have witnesses,” he said.
“I think with that case she did a very poor job,” Trump added.
Head of Ohio's Americans for Prosperity chapter calls Rep. Max Miller 'unfit for office'
Donovan O'Neil, the state director of Ohio's Americans for Prosperity chapter, called Republican Rep. Max Miller "unfit for office" today amid ongoing reports about Miller's contentious divorce and child custody proceedings, which include allegations of domestic violence from his ex-wife.
"Too many Republicans are afraid to call @MaxMillerOH what he is. Unfit for office," O'Neil wrote on X.
He added that his wife's experiences informed his thinking about Miller. "The behavior being described and acted out—verbal, emotional, and physical abuse—mirrors what my wife experienced growing up as her mother endured an abusive relationship at the hands of an ex-boyfriend who was at the same time applauded in his local community."
Miller has denied any wrongdoing as he faces allegations that he physically abused his young daughter and wife, who is GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno's daughter. Miller's congressional office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about O'Neil's post.
"One of the reasons so many Ohioans have lost faith in politics is that too many elected officials & political figures lack the courage to say publicly what everyone knows privately," O'Neil added. "If we believe character matters, we have to mean it—even when it’s politically inconvenient."
New Democratic bill would tax AI companies to create jobs
Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, is looking back in history for insight into how to solve a potential future problem: mass job losses due to artificial intelligence.
“FDR responded to Great Depression levels of unemployment with a national strategy and a bold plan,” Casar said, pointing to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s creation of the Works Progress Administration, which put millions of Americans to work on public projects.
Casar is introducing legislation that would tax AI companies and create a Work Protection Administration using the revenue from the tax.
The AI Tax and Work Protection Act, shared first with NBC News, would tax AI companies, not individual consumers. Companies would pay the higher of two taxes: either a tax on AI tokens, the unit of measurement for use of AI computing power, or a tax on the revenue of AI products sold.
“We tax AI companies, and the tax goes up as they generate more AI and goes up if they start causing mass unemployment,” Casar said.
Sen. Rand Paul says Fauci contempt referral will be hand-delivered to DOJ today
The chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Rand Paul, R-Ky., said the committee will hand-deliver its contempt of Congress referral of Dr. Anthony Fauci to the Justice Department and the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia later today.
“We will hand-deliver it today to the attorney general, and we will hand deliver it today to the District of Columbia, to the U.S. attorney there,” Paul told reporters.
Asked whether he expects DOJ to take up the referral, Paul responded, “I don’t know the answer. That’s a great question for them.”
Paul said sending the referral to DOJ does not rule out a future Senate vote on the contempt resolution.
“No one said that we won’t put it before the Senate. We’ll see what happens over time,” he said.
On Fauci’s decision to invoke the Fifth Amendment at least week's hearing on Covid origins, Paul said, “I think he should answer questions. ... All you have to do is tell the truth, just not commit a new crime. ... I think the American people do deserve to know this.”
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said Republicans have begun reviewing Fauci’s cellphone records, which he received from the Department of Health and Human Services, but emphasized the process will take time.
“We want to protect people’s privacy,” Johnson said, adding the committee will work together to review the records before releasing any information.
Asked what investigators are looking for, Johnson replied, “Just, I guess, more evidence of how he lied to the American public repeatedly. Again, I don’t know what’s going to be revealed.” Johnson also said lawmakers need “a full Covid reckoning,” arguing the pandemic response, alleged gain-of-function research and vaccine safety all warrant further scrutiny.
Democrats sharply criticized the effort. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., argued the contempt referral is “very unlikely ever to be pursued by the Department of Justice” and “almost certainly never going to be approved by the court because it violates basic constitutional rights.”
While Blumenthal said there should be a serious inquiry into the pandemic and Fauci’s actions, he argued that “putting him through a show trial isn’t the way to get serious answers to serious questions.”
Haley Stevens introduces old rival Abdul El-Sayed at 'unity breakfast' for Michigan Democrats
Rep. Haley Stevens introduced Abdul El-Sayed — who defeated her in this week’s Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary — at a closed-door “unity breakfast” this morning, according to the state Democratic Party, which hosted the event.
The breakfast, which included remarks from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., was not open to reporters.
The event was intended to build support not only for El-Sayed after a fraught primary with Stevens that included attacks in both directions, but to promote the statewide ticket, topped by El-Sayed and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who easily won the nomination for governor this week.
El-Sayed will face Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman, in the general election. Rogers was unopposed in his primary Tuesday.
Benson will face Rep. John James, who won the nomination over businessman Perry Johnson.
Several of the officials and statewide candidates who attended today’s breakfast issued a joint statement.
“Michigan Democrats are fired up and focused on one thing this November: making life more affordable for every family in this state,” the statement read. “From gas to healthcare to groceries, we know what people are up against — and while Republicans in Lansing and Washington rubber-stamp Trump’s agenda of chaos and corruption that’s driving costs higher, we’re ready to cut costs and make sure every family can thrive.”
Michigan Democrats have scheduled a public unity-themed rally for Friday in Detroit. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who lives in the state, will headline that event.
Fauci attorney calls vote 'crude political stunt'
In a statement following the contempt vote this morning, David Schertler, counsel for Dr. Anthony Fauci, said the vote was, "a crude political stunt intended to punish Dr. Fauci for exercising his constitutional rights."
He added, "The Senate should reject Senator Paul’s meritless and politically-motivated contempt resolution. For years, Senator Paul has proclaimed to anyone who would listen that Dr. Fauci should be prosecuted and put in prison. Dr. Fauci has committed no crime — and Senator Paul knows it.”
Lawmakers vote to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress
Senators on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted along party lines to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress in an 8-5 vote.
Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., has said he would refer the matter to the Justice Department if the committee approved it.
Sen. Rand Paul is flanked by Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., left, and Gary Peters, D-Mich., at the committee meeting today. Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images
Democrats are trying to table the Fauci contempt vote
Democratic lawmakers on the committee are trying to table or postpone the vote to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress.
Peters tried to table the vote and Paul said, "This motion to table is intended to avoid accountability. We only have one question — whether to hold a witness responsible for his contempt towards Congress. The witness had many chances to answer the questions pertinent to our investigation, and he made his decision 111 times."
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., called for delaying the resolution vote until the committee has an opportunity to hear from Fauci's attorney who he said "forcibly removed from the hearing last week."
"I should point out that Dr. Fauci had a well-founded fear, based on facts, that he was in jeopardy of prosecution for perjury," said Blumenthal.
The Democratic senator added that, "Even during the darkest days of the McCarthy hearings, counsel were allowed to speak. We denied that opportunity to Dr. Fauci, and we should hear from his counsel before we move on this motion so that we can hear his side of the legal argument here."
Blumenthal was referring to the hearings in the 1950s by Sen. Joseph McCarthy, R-Wis., into the influence of communism.
Sen. Ron Johnson says investigation of Fauci 'has just begun'
Sen. Ron Johnson, R- Wis., said that he's going to vote "yes" on the resolution to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress and said his investigation into the doctor's handling of Covid "has just begun."
"We’ve invited Dr. Fauci for a transcribed interview. OK, he doesn’t want to do it in front of the American public. Come in front of our committee," Johnson said. "You say you you have nothing to hide. Good. We’ll do it behind closed doors. We’ll transcribe it. That that’s only one of the interviews we’ll be conducting."
Johnson said that Fauci displayed last Wednesday "contempt for Congress, contempt for this committee, contempt for our investigation."
Sen. Gary Peters warns that Fauci contempt vote will 'create damaging precedent'
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., the ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, warned that its vote to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress will have long-lasting consequences.
"What it will do is create a damaging precedent that future witnesses will use to resist legitimate constitutional, or excuse me, congressional oversight, and weaken this committee’s ability to compel testimony," Peters said.
"If this committee now seeks to punish a witness for asserting their constitutional protected Fifth Amendment rights, future witnesses will argue that appearing before Congress exposes them to punishment, regardless of whether they comply with the subpoena and invoke a constitutional protection," he added.
Ranking member Sen. Gary Peters speaks at the hearing today. Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
Peters criticized the committee's "one-sided investigation" and a "rushed process that has repeatedly excluded the minority." He said that this vote will harm the panel's ability to conduct future investigations.
"Let's be clear: this resolution will not provide the committee with any additional information, or compel Dr. Fauci to provide answers to our inquiries," he said.
Senate committee meeting to vote on holding Fauci in contempt of Congress has begun
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee meeting on holding Fauci in contempt of Congress has begun.
Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment right during a fiery hearing last week after saying in his opening statement that he believed Republicans would have tried to use his testimony to push for his prosecution.
Republicans argue that Fauci invoking the Fifth Amendment right was not allowed because Fauci received a pre-emptive pardon and delivered an opening statement that they say is relevant to their inquiries, thus waiving his constitutional protection.
It's an open question whether Republicans' arguments will hold up. Abbe Smith, a Georgetown Law professor, told NBC that it's unclear how much protection a pre-emptive pardon would provide. Smith added that despite his opening statement, Fauci didn't answer any of the senators' questions, which suggested he might not have provided any waiver.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., speaks to Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., ahead of the hearing today. Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
Sen. Ron Johnson obtains a copy of Fauci's iPhone
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., the chairman of the Senate Homeland Security subcommittee on investigations, has obtained a copy of Fauci’s iPhone that was used during his time at the Department of Health and Human Services, a spokesperson for Johnson confirmed to NBC News.
“Hopefully, this device will address many of the questions he refused to answer at last week’s hearing," Johnson wrote in a post on X.
The acquisition of the copy of the iPhone, which was provided by HHS, was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.
The full Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee plans to vote on a resolution that would find Fauci in contempt of Congress this morning.
Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., said he would hold a vote on the resolution after Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment right not to answer senators' questions at a hearing last week on the origins of the Covid pandemic.
Three state attorneys general subpoena Anthony Fauci over Covid guidance
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said yesterday that his office is joining two other states in issuing a subpoena to Dr. Anthony Fauci, alleging that he “profited” from the recommendations he gave during the handling of the Covid pandemic.
Uthmeier, joined by West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, said in a news release that he was issuing an investigative subpoena to Fauci for “an official investigation into awards, professional opportunities, financial incentives, grants, and Covid-19 guidance that impacted Florida businesses and consumers.”
Nevada's GOP governor chides Trump supporters who booed fallen police officer Austin Abdelnabi's name
Gov. Joe Lombardo, R-Nev., admonished audience members at a Trump rally in Las Vegas yesterday who jeered when he mentioned the name of fallen police officer Austin Abdelnabi.
"So I know Pastor Tice spoke about officer Abdelnabi," Lombardo began, prompting a smattering of boos from the audience.
"No, we're not booing, we're not booing him," Lombardo said. "He's the officer that passed away here recently."
Lombardo then led the audience in a moment of silence for the officer.
The Clark County sheriff said Abdelnabi, a Las Vegas police officer, was killed after he was ambushed by a shooter Tuesday, local NBC News affiliate KSNV reported.
Trump administration has refunded $100 billion in tariffs struck down by Supreme Court, filing shows
Trump's administration has refunded about $100 billion from tariffs that it collected before the U.S. Supreme Court struck down those duties, a court filing showed.
The court filing in the U.S. Court of International Trade said that “refunds (duties plus interest) of approximately $100 billion have been completed using the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries Refund component, certified by the agency, and sent to the U.S. Department of Treasury for disbursement.”
The amount as of the end of July was noted in Tuesday’s filing by U.S. customs officials. It represented more than half of $166 billion collected in tariffs that the Supreme Court struck down in February.
What to expect in Tennessee’s state primary
Tennessee’s senior U.S. senator eyes a job change in a state primary today while Memphis voters will choose their first U.S. House nominees under a new Republican-drawn congressional map that forced their longtime Democratic representative into retirement.
Republican Gov. Bill Lee is term-limited, and the GOP primary to replace him has attracted U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, four-term U.S. Rep. John Rose and state Rep. Monty Fritts. The outcome of the Republican primary has additional significance in Tennessee, which hasn’t elected a Democratic governor in 20 years.
Blackburn won re-election to a second U.S. Senate term in 2024 and launched her campaign for governor in August 2025. Rose launched his gubernatorial bid in March 2025 and has loaned his campaign about $13 million since mid-June. Aside from candidate loans, Blackburn has outraised Rose in terms of campaign contributions. She also has the support of an outside group that has spent roughly $5.1 million backing her and opposing Rose.
Trump backed Blackburn and Rose in their previous campaigns, but he has not endorsed a candidate in the gubernatorial primary.
Five candidates are running in the Democratic primary for governor, including Memphis City Councilwoman Jerri Green.
Memphis was a prime target among state Republican lawmakers who in May enacted new congressional boundaries that split the heavily Democratic city into three Republican-dominated congressional districts. Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen has represented the current Memphis-based 9th District for 20 years, but he ended his reelection bid shortly after the new map was adopted.
One of the Democrats running to replace him in the new 9th District is state Rep. Justin Pearson, who originally planned to challenge Cohen for the nomination. Pearson was one of two Democratic state lawmakers expelled from office in 2023 over his role in a gun control protest in the chamber. Both won back their seats four months later. Also running are state Sen. London Lamar and former healthcare and nonprofit executive Jim Torino.
Running for the Republican nomination in the new 9th District are state Sen. Brent Taylor, state Rep. Todd Warner, retired Army sergeant and volunteer firefighter Jeremy Thompson and conservative activist Charlotte Bergmann. Taylor has outraised the rest of the combined field and has Trump’s endorsement.
Voters in the new 9th District supported Trump for president in 2024 with about 60% of the vote, compared with the current 9th District, which Democratic then-Vice President Kamala Harris won with about 71% of the vote.
Senators to vote on holding Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress for pleading the Fifth during tense hearing
Senate Republicans are set to vote on holding Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he declined to answer lawmakers’ questions during a fiery hearing last week.
Fauci, who has long been a target of the right since he served as a top health official during the Covid pandemic, repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment right during the hearing, explaining in his opening remarks that he believed Republicans would have tried to use his testimony to prosecute him.
Now, Republicans on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee are escalating their push to do just that.
