1 Senate Committee Votes To Hold Dr. Anthony Fauci In Contempt Of Congress
Republicans on a Senate committee voted yesterday to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress. Fauci, who led the government's infectious disease agency for decades and became the public face of the country's COVID-19 response, invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination at a hearing last week. Sen. Rand Paul, leading the committee, argued that Fauci could not plead the Fifth because former President Joe Biden had already granted him a preemptive pardon, meaning he no longer faced the threat of prosecution. Paul said he plans to send it straight to the Justice Department in hopes they will take action, instead of sending it to the full Senate as usual, where it’s unlikely to get the needed 60 votes. Fauci's lawyer blasted the vote as a crude political stunt meant to punish his client for using his constitutional rights, and said Fauci committed no crime.
2 President Signs Two Executive Orders Targeting Birthright Citizenship
President Trump signed two executive orders yesterday aimed at limiting birthright citizenship, his second attempt after the Supreme Court struck down a broader effort earlier this year. In late June, the court ruled that his Day One executive order violated the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to nearly everyone born on American soil, regardless of their parents' immigration status. Trump called that ruling very unfortunate and unfair, and said he was making adjustments to try again. His new orders are narrower than the first one. One order expands the list of people whose children would not automatically qualify for citizenship, including children born to members of foreign terrorist organizations and certain people acting on behalf of foreign governments. The second order targets what the administration calls birth tourism, meaning people who travel to the United States mainly to give birth so their child can gain citizenship. Trump said he believes his latest actions will hold up as constitutional, but legal experts expect the orders to be challenged in court.
3 Sen. Mitch McConnell Says He's Been Discharged From Hospital
Sen. Mitch McConnell says he has been discharged from a rehabilitation center, nearly two months after he was hospitalized following a fall. The Kentucky Republican said he will continue his recovery at home with an intensive physical therapy routine while staying in touch with his staff and colleagues on Senate business. McConnell, 83, was hospitalized on June 14th; he later revealed the fall did not cause any broken bones, a concussion, a heart attack, or a stroke, though he did deal with a mild case of pneumonia. His office did not say when he expects to return to Capitol Hill.