In 2007, actor and comedian Robin Williams traveled to Kuwait for an appearance at Camp Arifjan.

Williams was doing his best to entertain the troops when they suddenly stopped paying attention to the stage. They immediately shifted their focus behind them to render honors as the American flag was lowered. Williams wasn't so much offended as mildly perplexed. At first, he didn't understand what was going on.

Related: Bob Hope entertained the troops from WWII to Desert Storm

Once the service members explained it to Williams, he brought it back to why he traveled 8,000 miles from home.

"Sort of reminds you why we're here, doesn't it?" Williams replied, according to a 2014 Defense Department article.

Here are seven celebrities who were committed to showing their appreciation for the United States military.
Bob Hope (middle) and his USO troupe visit a hospital ward in the South Pacific in 1944. (Library of Congress)
We start with the OG of military entertainers. Hope performed for troops domestically and overseas for five decades, beginning with a performance at March Field in California in 1941. Hope, whose "Road to…" films with Bing Crosby became popular with moviegoers, never tired of traveling to see troops.

His 57 tours with the United Service Organizations conveyed his appreciation to his adopted country. Born in London in 1903, Hope moved to America at an early age. He became a U.S. citizen when he was 17 years old.

"He brought such enthusiasm, brought your life back to you," Navy Seabee Ron Ronning said of Hope's last USO show during the Vietnam War in late 1972. "You felt like you were renewed."

Hope died on July 27, 2003, at the age of 100.
Country singer/songwriter Toby Keith salutes more than 1,000 service members who came to see his concert at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, April 27, 2009. (U.S. Army/Capt. Michael Greenberger)
Lee Greenwood has "God Bless the USA," perhaps the quintessential patriotic song. Few singers, though, compiled a music catalog that honored the military quite like Keith.

The "American Soldier," "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue," and "Call a Marine" singer participated in 18 USO tours. By one estimate, he performed in front of 250,000-plus troops in 17 countries. When mortar fire interrupted a set in Afghanistan, Keith left the stage. He and troops sprinted about a hundred yards to a concrete bunker. There, he signed autographs until he could return to doing what he did best.

"I've met so many great, brave service men and women over the years and had so many wonderful experiences, that I can barely remember them all," Keith said in 2012. "… I won't ever stop doing my part to extend my thanks."

Keith died in 2024 at the age of 62.

#williams

On Monday afternoon, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers sparked plenty of reaction after making blunt and controversial remarks about former National Institutes of Health leader Anthony Fauci, who testified before Congress last week.
Although Rodgers' comments quickly generated controversy, it appears the Pittsburgh Steelers have no plans to discipline him over the remarks.
Fauci, whose medical guidance played a key role in leading the United States through the COVID-19 pandemic, drew headlines after invoking the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during last week's congressional hearing, reigniting criticism over the government's pandemic response. Rodgers, who was a vocal opponent of the COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic, used his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday to once again criticize Fauci.
When McAfee posed a football-related question during the show, Rodgers bypassed the topic entirely and instead directed his attention toward Fauci.
"I'm gonna plead the fifth, like that absolute coward, Tony Fauci," Rodgers said with a big smile.

#pittsburgh #steelers

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Ethics Committee recommended Monday that Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., be censured after finding that he engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young female aides in his congressional office.
A censure registers the House's deep disapproval of a lawmaker's conduct that does not meet the threshold for expulsion.
Edwards, 65, has denied that any of his conduct was intended as a ******* ual or romantic advance, but the committee said his behavior would "lead a reasonable observer to interpret it as such." It also described his actions as "beyond inappropriate."
The panel highlighted numerous examples of actions it considered improper, including Edwards providing the young women with lavish and recurrent gifts, making comments regarding their appearance and dress, inviting them to intimate dinners and vacations, and sending notes regarding his affection.
The Ethics panel found no evidence Edwards explicitly propositioned any person under his employ or engaged in any ******* ual activity with them. But it also said he failed to adhere to "the spirit of rules prohibiting ******* ual harassment of and unwanted advances to House staffers."

#House

"The Pat McAfee Show" aired live from Pittsburgh Steelers training camp on Monday with regular guest Aaron Rodgers joining the host for an interview. The Steelers quarterback is entering what he has said will be his final season before he retires from the NFL. With that in mind, McAfee began the interview by asking Rodgers, "Is everything better? Is everything funner? is everything more awesome?"
Rodgers responded to that question by saying, "I'm pleading the fifth." As McAfee laughed, Rodgers then launched into a personal attack on Anthony Faucci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who was the subject of a contentious congressional hearing last week.
MORE: Aaron Rodgers says he battled flu-like illness before Steelers' wild-card loss to Texans
"Like that absolute coward Tony Faucci," said Rodgers. "Absolute coward. Are you kidding me? You got a pardon and your in front of the and you pleaded over 100 times? At the White House? What are you scared of Tony? I thought you were the science. I thought you… I am science? And how much did the network spend on that? How much time did they spend on my responses every week? On my vaccination status? On Taylor and Travis's wedding? Did they do even a minute? Did they do even a minute on Tony Faucci? No, I bet they didn't."
Rodgers also questioned McAfee about ESPN's coverage of the Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel story. McAfee's responses varied from laughter to "my network?" All-in-all, a great couple minutes of content to appear on ESPN if you're writing about sports media.

#everything

A clean energy super PAC bankrolled by a left-wing billionaire is pouring millions into an effort to unseat Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., as he wages a bid for re-election in Tennessee's 5th Congressional District.
The Invest in Tomorrow Coalition super PAC had spent roughly $1.3 million on opposing Ogles and supporting his Republican challenger, Charlie Hatcher, Tennessee's former commissioner of agriculture, and recently bought another $700,000 worth of ads.
The group has raised $6.7 million this year, making Ogles a sizable portion of their spending this cycle. A Fox News Digital review of FEC filings discovered that the super PAC is bankrolled by Chris Larsen, the California-based billionaire chairman of Ripple, which is described on its website as the "leading financial technology company that offers crypto solutions for businesses."
Larsen has donated $6 million to the super PAC since Feb. 2026. His latest $5 million donation to Invest in Tomorrow Coalition PAC is his second-largest single donation after donating $5,444,975 to Future Forward PAC in 2024 to support Kamala Harris's failed presidential campaign.
Trump-backed Firebrand Wins Arizona Gop Governor Primary, Setting Up High-stakes Showdown

#donation

NEW YORK, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Kay Granger, a Texas Republican who was the first woman from her party ‌to chair the U.S. House of Representatives' powerful Appropriations ‌Committee, has died, her son J.D. Granger confirmed to Reuters on Sunday. She was 83.
No cause of death was given. Kay Granger in 2024 said she was battling "unforeseen health challenges."
Granger represented her Texas district in Congress from 1997 to 2025. In 2023, Granger announced ‌she would not seek ⁠re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives.
In her final term as a lawmaker, Granger chaired the ⁠House Appropriations Committee for more than a year, putting her in charge of spending legislation and making her one of the most influential members of Congress.
House Speaker Mike Johnson praised Granger as a ‌trailblazer. "Throughout her career, she broke barriers for women in public service," Johnson said, noting that she was the first female mayor of Fort Worth and the first Republican woman elected to represent Texas in the U.S. House.

#granger #texas #representatives #congress

Invoking a wounded innocence that their desire for sports to be simple, just like they used to be, conservatives for a decade and a half have dreaded the word "politics". Now they cannot get enough.
Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has spent 40 years in the National Football League unknown except for his defensive schemes, but last week opened his press remarks mocking the congressional testimony of Dr Anthony Fauci, jokingly invoking the Fifth Amendment before taking questions. Apropos of nothing, President Trump publicly surmised that LeBron James might be a racist. Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham is now in the act, accepting the role as the right's anti-Black, anti-transgender culture war ambassador, the role originally intended for Caitlin Clark.
If Clark has lacked the courage and dexterity to say anything beyond the milky and ambiguous, Sophie Cunningham does not suffer from such internal conflicts. Largely anonymous politically or otherwise during her eight-year career, Cunningham – she of the viral finger-point which has been adopted as a symbol of the white animosity toward the WNBA culture – is in her moment. Her comments in a lengthy 21 July ESPN profile stating her opposition to transgender athletes has earned her hero status of the specious "Protect Our Girls" movement, even though you'd need a microscope to find any critical mass of transgender women participating in sports at any level.
Cunningham plays role of the blithe and bubbly iconoclast, oblivious to the world around as she unapologetically speaks her truths, but she is every bit as political as Colin Kaepernick, Megan Rapinoe, or her locked-armed, T-shirt wearing colleagues that defined the WNBA when she first entered the league in 2019. Cunningham forged a tough, take-no-prisoners-without-taking-herself-too-seriously persona, but was too meek to address the toxic roots of her newfound fame.
So too, was ESPN, which waited nearly 75 paragraphs just to sidestep the foundation of Cunningham's rise: she is profiting from cultural fractures that may be good for her but are tearing her league apart:

#cunningham #WNBA #invoking #sports

Aug. 1—A landmark ruling from a U.S. District Court judge in Colorado will open the door for hundreds of college athletes to return to school this coming fall and could help Gonzaga rebuild its roster at a crucial point of the offseason.
On Friday afternoon, Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney granted a preliminary injunction that will give any athlete from the high school class of 2022 an additional year of college eligibility.
The ruling comes after dozens of student-athletes in multiple states filed lawsuits against the NCAA, **** erting they should be eligible to compete under the regulatory body's new "5-for-5" rule that gives players five years to play five seasons.
NCAA President Charlie Baker, who previously stated outgoing college seniors wouldn't be grandfathered in to play under "5-for-5," reacted to Friday's court ruling through a written statement.
"Without targeted intervention from Congress, college sports cannot set nationwide rules everyone can play by and without Congress, failed professionals will continue to use college sports as a fallback option — robbing the next class of young athletes of college scholarships," Baker said. "It is long past time leaders across college sports call for the immediate passage of the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act. ... Today's rulings and the chaos they bring to college sports are exactly why it's time to pass this bill."

#college #sports #play #congress

Jack Schlossberg shared a cooking video on Instagram featuring his niece and nephew, the children of his late sister Tatiana Schlossberg
Tatiana's parents, Caroline Kennedy and Edwin Schlossberg, have stepped in to help raise her two young kids, Jack previously told PEOPLE
Tatiana died on Dec. 30, 2025, at age 35 from acute myeloid leukemia
Jack Schlossberg is sharing a rare glimpse into life with his late sister Tatiana Schlossberg's two children.
In a video posted on Instagram on Saturday, Aug. 1, the congressional candidate, 33, prepared a meal for his niece Josephine, 2, and nephew Edwin, 4.

#jack

Progressive groups celebrated a major victory when 29-year-old Democratic Socialist Melat Kiros ousted 15-term Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado's 1st Congressional District in June. But the Democratic primary upset heightened safety concerns among Denver's Jewish leaders, who warn her sharp rhetoric will fuel antisemitic hostility and violence in their city.
Local Jewish leaders told Fox News Digital that Kiros has left many in the community on edge because of her controversial comments — including describing the Oct. 7 attacks as "inevitable," refusing to label a local firebombing as antisemitic, and accusing Israel of genocide and apartheid.
In the hours after Kiros claimed victory, Rabbi Menachem Lehrfield, director of the Jewish Outreach Initiative in Denver, wrote on social media that he felt fearful knowing that many of his neighbors seemed to support the kind of anti-Israel rhetoric Kiros campaigned on. After his post was met with a barrage of antisemitic comments, Lehrfield published an op-ed explaining how for observant Jews like himself, just wearing a yarmulke down the streets in Denver now feels like a dangerous thing to do.
Just 24 hours after publishing his op-ed, those fears became a reality.
Democratic congressional candidate Melat Kiros speaks to supporters at an election-night watch party after winning the Colorado primary on June 30, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. Kiros defeated incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., in the Democratic primary.

#kiros #democratic #antisemitic #june

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Faced with a narrow path to winning control of the U.S. House, Democrats are seeing fresh opportunity in a northeast Ohio congressional seat where the Republican incumbent is facing mounting pressure over domestic abuse allegations in a bitter and drawn-out dispute with his ex-wife.
Allegations against U.S. Rep. Max Miller, a White House adviser during President Donald Trump's first term, have been public for years but have recently drawn increased media scrutiny amid an escalating legal back-and-forth with his former spouse, who is the daughter of U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio. That has Democrats sensing Miller could be vulnerable in a district he won two years ago with just over 51% of the vote.
Over the past week, they have called for Miller to resign, requested a congressional ethics investigation and suggested more help could be directed in the fall toward his Democratic opponent, union ironworker Brian Poindexter. Miller has denied the abuse allegations and filed defamation lawsuits against his ex-wife and a second accuser.
The House Majority PAC, a super political action committee aimed at electing a Democratic majority, said it is monitoring the race's dynamics as part of its strategy to push deeper into GOP territory in this year's midterm elections.
"HMP is willing to do whatever it takes to take back the House, and nothing is off the table," spokesperson CJ Warnke said.

#House #democrats #majority #congressional

When President Donald Trump helped orchestrate Darline Graham's appointment to finish Sen. Lindsey Graham's term, many Republicans in South Carolina saw it as a fitting tribute to her late brother.
But four days later, following Trump's announcement that he wanted Graham to run for a six-year term, their feelings quickly flipped.
The president's decision to get behind a political unknown for a breakneck special election process is further testing his clout in South Carolina, a solidly red state where Republicans already this year have roundly rejected his first pick for the governor's race and his push to redraw the state's congressional maps. Behind the scenes, some Republicans are stewing as others fret that Trump is setting himself up for failure, once again, in the Palmetto State.
"The issue is that the president continues to get bad advice about South Carolina," said CJ Westfall, chairman of the Dorchester County GOP. "We certainly empathize with Darline — and even the president, as Lindsey was a really good friend of his — but he's certainly getting bad advice. We've got a lot more exciting options for this seat. It's a once-in-a-generation opportunity."
When speaking privately to candidly discuss the race, GOP heavyweights in the state echo a growing number of social media posts lamenting "coronations" and "monarchies" — complaining that what could have been South Carolina Republicans' first open Senate primary in more than two decades now features an incumbent with the same surname.

#president #state #term

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Republican leader of the Indiana Senate announced Friday that he would give up his position after six GOP incumbents who opposed President Donald Trump on his congressional redistricting push in the state lost their primaries.
Indiana Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray drew the ire of Trump in December when he voted against the redistricting plan after saying for weeks that it didn't have enough support to pass. The rejection came after intense lobbying from Trump, Vice President JD Vance, national conservative groups and others.
Bray, who has held his leadership position since 2018, said in a statement Friday that he would not seek reelection to the post when Senate Republicans choose their leaders in November. His current Senate term runs through 2028 and he will remain in office, albeit not as the Republican Senate leader.
Trump reacted to the news in a social media post by saying Bray had "foolishly led," the state Senate, noting the May primary defeats of those who defied him on the redistricting plan.
Bray did not mention Trump or the redistricting fight in his statement announcing his position to step down from the leadership position. Bray said holding the job "has been among the most significant honors of my life, but it's time for the Senate to choose another leader."

#bray #president #republican #Friday

After months of withholding support and weeks of back and forth with lawmakers, the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference on Friday publicly backed a bipartisan Senate bill designed to stabilize college athlete compensation and provide antitrust protections to the NCAA and its most powerful conferences.
The final major sticking point for the conferences with the Protect College Sports Act was language in a provision regarding name, image and likeness deals athletes can strike with companies that work directly with schools. The conferences wanted more well-defined restrictions on deals between athletes and so-called ***** ociated entities to cut off the workarounds some schools have been using to blow past the current annual revenue-sharing limit of $20.5 million they can direct to athletes.
With the Big Ten and SEC now on board, the bill has a chance of getting to the Senate floor next week for a vote. Still, there is no guarantee Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) will be able to squeeze it in before Aug. 7, when the Senate breaks for a five-week recess.
The bill needs 60 votes to pass, and where that count stands in the Senate is unclear. Lawmakers are hoping for robust support that easily passes the threshold, believing that gives the bill a better chance of then passing a House vote in the fall. Reforming college sports has been a priority for President Donald Trump, and the White House has also pushed for Congress to act.
The bipartisan bill was introduced in May by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). It addresses a wide range of issues in college sports, including antitrust exemptions that would allow the NCAA and member conferences to make rules about athlete eligibility, transfers and NIL compensation, while shielding them from an onslaught of legal challenges.

#bill #lawmakers #support

A federal judge in Colorado granted a class-wide preliminary injunction on Friday requiring the NCAA to restore eligibility to all Division I athletes from the high school class of 2022 who finished up their four years this past spring.
The decision by Judge Charlotte Sweeney of the U.S. District Court of Colorado was reported by Boise State ***** ociate professor Sam Ehrlich. The injunction grants a class certification and a temporary restraining order to plaintiffs who qualify as stated:
"All persons in the United States who began to play in collegiate sports in the 2022-2023 season, competed in NCAA Division I sports, and completed four years of eligibility as defined by the NCAA's prior rules by the conclusion of the 2025-2026 season, and are therefore barred from playing a fifth season due to the NCAA's adoption and immediate implementation of the Five-Year Eligibility Rule."
Judge Sweeney's ruling is in response to a class-action lawsuit filed by 11 Division I athletes, including Minnesota men's college basketball player Cade Tyson, that challenged the NCAA approving an age-based, five-year eligibility model that allowed four seasons of eligibility over five years with no age restrictions. The model would eliminate redshirts and waivers.
In a statement released after Judge Sweeney's ruling was reported, NCAA president Charlie Baker disagreed with the ruling, saying Congress passing the Protect College Sports Act was necessary and suddenly restoring eligibility to an entire class would result in "chaos."

#eligibility #ncaa #five #season

DENVER (AP) — A federal court dealt a perhaps chaos-inducing blow to the NCAA's new eligibility rule Friday when it ruled that all high school class of 2022 athletes who exhausted their fourth season of college eligibility this spring are eligible for a fifth season this school year.
The ruling from U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney in Denver, expected to be appealed, undercuts the NCAA's plan to have the so-called "five for five" rule go into play starting with athletes who enroll in college in fall 2027.
It also has potential to wreak havoc on rosters across the country — for instance, opening the possibility that an undrafted player in an NFL training camp could decide to try to head back to college for a fifth year this upcoming season.
In granting the preliminary injunction, Sweeney said the players "will suffer irreparable harm without" it. She did not sign onto the governing body's argument that applying the new rule retroactively would create "roster chaos."
But NCAA President Charlie Baker said it would in responding to the rulings while referencing a bill in Congress designed to provide the NCAA antitrust protection on the eligibility issues.

#rule #school

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Over the past several years, Missouri voters have amended the state constitution to create abortion rights, legalize marijuana and sports betting and expand Medicaid healthcare coverage for low-income adults.
None of those initiatives would have passed under a ballot measure getting decided by voters Tuesday.
Missouri's proposed Amendment 4 would make it significantly harder to amend the constitution by requiring citizen initiatives to pass in all eight of the state's diverse congressional districts instead of by a traditional, simple statewide majority. No other state has such a high standard — or has even asked voters to consider it.
"This is a first-of-its-kind," said Kelly Hall, executive director of the Fairness Project, a national group that backs progressive ballot initiatives like the ones Missouri's Republican lawmakers are hoping to quelch.
"It would be nearly impossible for citizens to participate meaningfully in any sort of direct democracy," said Hall, who believes other states could try to copy Missouri's proposal.

#voters #initiatives #constitution #medicaid

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is warning that President Trump's threat to withdraw Todd Blanche's nomination to serve as attorney general and resubmit it in 2027 to circumvent GOP critics could backfire because control of the Senate could flip in November.
Asked by a reporter Thursday whether it would be "risky" to delay Blanche's nomination until the next Congress, Kennedy responded: "Well, duh. Yeah."
"This place could be very different," Kennedy said, noting Democrats could pick up seats in the Senate or win control of the upper chamber.
Senate Republicans now control 53 seats.
Trump on Thursday threatened to withdraw Blanche's nomination because Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) are threatening to block it in the Judiciary Committee unless the Department of Justice and Trump agree to revise or clarify a settlement with the IRS to establish a $1.8 billion legal compensation fund for MAGA allies.

#kennedy #control #committee #thursday

Republican Senate candidate Mike Collins ended a press conference Thursday after repeatedly declining to answer questions about his relationship with a son-in-law who promoted White nationalist ideology and circulated antisemitic content online, as first revealed by CNN's KFile.
Collins, a two-term congressman from Georgia, was appearing at Monroe County Hospital to outline his health care priorities.
But reporters pressed him to address online statements from his son-in-law, David Alan Scheer II, and whether Scheer had done business or campaign work for him. Collins said the matter had been "fully addressed" and pivoted to attacking Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.
"You know, we've fully addressed that," Collins said. "But Jon Ossoff refuses to disavow these democrat socialist movements in our country."
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#scheer #ossoff #republican #mike

On this episode of the College Football Enquirer, Andy Staples, Ross Dellenger and Steven Godfrey break down the latest on the 'Protect College Sports' Act.

From there Andy and Steven dive into Arion Carter's suspension over his agent covering the cost of a flight.
To round out the show, we break down the how one team in Notre Dame can command the same price as the Big 12 conference for a sponsorship patch.
All this and more on this edition of the College Football Enquirer.
00:00 Show Rundown
00:45 Congressional Update from Ross

#enquirer #ross

More than half of MAGA voters say they would support a Republican candidate accused of ******* ual ******* ault, according to a new poll.
In a recent Politico poll, 66 percent of MAGA voters who cast their ballot for President Trump in his last contest for the White House said they would back a GOP candidate even if "a former partner has accused the Republican candidate of ******* ual ******* ault" rather than support the Democratic candidate in a hypothetical congressional race.
Twenty-five percent of the MAGA voters said they would not cast their ballot for either candidate in the same hypothetical race, while 9 percent of the same group said they would cast their ballot for the Democrat.
In a larger group of Republican-leaning respondents, 42 percent said they would cast their ballot for the GOP candidate accused of ******* ual ******* ault, while 11 percent went for the Democrat and 47 percent went for neither.
MAGA voters showing support for a Republican candidate alleged to have committed ******* ual misconduct is not new. In fact, in May 2023, a jury found that Trump himself ******* ually abused writer E. Jean Carroll in the mid-1990s.

#republican #sexual #ballot #accused

With Congress soon to begin its August recess, the finalization of the Protect College Sports Act negotiations between lawmakers and college sports leaders remains at a standstill on Capitol Hill, leaving the bill's path to a Senate floor vote uncertain.
The impasse comes as leaders from the Power Four conferences — the Big Ten, the SEC, the ACC and the Big 12 — meet Thursday with university presidents to review the latest revisions to the bill made by lawmakers. The bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris **** s (D-Del.) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.).
Late Thursday afternoon, NCAA president Charlie Baker released a statement saying that while no bill is "perfect," he "implores college sports leaders and Senators to support this bill now." Baker, of course, is hinting at the ticking clock on getting the bill passed this session.
HOLDOUT: Why the Big Ten is stopping Congress' college sports fix
"After speaking with conference leaders and university presidents in recent days, one thing is clear: there is overwhelming consensus that targeted intervention from Congress is necessary. I am grateful to Senators Cruz and Cantwell for making meaningful changes to strengthen this bill. This is the legislation we need now," Baker said in a statement.

#cruz #cantwell #senators

TMZ founder Harvey Levin defended Dr. Anthony Fauci against a right-wing "witch hunt" after congressional Republicans grilled him about private diary entries from the COVID era that were leaked by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Monday.
Opening his nearly five-minute statement saying he rarely uses TMZ to "vent personal feelings," Levin told viewers, "Watching Anthony Fauci before a congressional hearing taking the Fifth Amendment is just one of the most heartbreaking things I have seen in government in my lifetime."
While Levin said he did have problems with the way that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "handled COVID," he added that he didn't think it was done "maliciously" but out of an abundance of caution.
Like this article? Keep independent journalism alive. Support HuffPost.
He went on to call Fauci, who served as the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from 1984 to 2022 before stepping into the role of chief medical adviser to the president in 2021, an "amazing public servant" for decades, noting how the work he did during the AIDS crisis of the late 80s and early 90s "really saved lives."

#fauci #covid #republicans

Social Security's share of older Americans' income climbs with age, reaching 40% among those 80 and older.
Most older adults supplement Social Security with wages, pensions, retirement funds, and income from ****** ets.
You may envision relying on Social Security during retirement, but the data shows older adults tend to depend on other income sources.
About 19% of Americans 65 and older rely on Social Security for 90% or more of their income, according to a 2025 Congressional Research Service report. Other sources fill the gap, according to the ****** ysis: wages, pension and retirement fund payments, along with income from ****** ets. The report matched individual tax records with survey responses.
All told, Social Security accounted for 30% of income among Americans 65 and older, with wages contributing 27%, pensions and retirement funds 24%, and ****** et income 12%, the report found. The last category includes interest and dividends, as well as income from renting out property or owning a business.

#pensions

Shares of ASML (NASDAQ: ASML) fell after technology publication The Information reported this week that an unnamed Chinese company backed by the Chinese government has begun manufacturing its own chip-making equipment. However, investors shouldn't be worried, as this is unlikely to hurt ASML's fortunes any time soon.
The machines reportedly being made in China are deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography machines. This is an older technology used to manufacture older chips and the less critical components of advanced chips. DUV machines are also used to manufacture ordinary DRAM and flash memory. While ASML is a top supplier of DUV machines by a wide margin, it is not the only company that makes these machines. ***** anese companies Nikon and Canon also supply them.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
What separates ASML from the pack, though, is that it is the only company in the world with EUV (extreme ultraviolet lithography) technology, which is needed to make advanced logic chips and is also used to make high-bandwidth memory (HBM). These are extremely complex machines, and competitors outside China have largely given up trying to replicate the technology. These are also the machines that drive ASML's growth. EUV machines can cost more than $220 million apiece, while DUV machines can cost as little as $5 million, with higher-end advanced immersion DUV machines running closer to $90 million.
While a loss of DUV sales to China could impact ASML's revenue, the region now accounts for a smaller share of its overall revenue. The company is restricted from selling EUV and advanced DUV machines to China and is only allowed to sell older-technology systems to Chinese companies. As such, only about 14% of its sales came from the country last quarter. Meanwhile, there was already a bill in Congress set to prevent ASML from selling or servicing machines for the first three Chinese companies expected to receive these homegrown DUV machines, so this revenue was likely to be cut off regardless.

#machines #company

Happy Thursday, everyone. Senators are still working on the Protect College Sports Act. The SEC and Big Ten continue to push for higher caps, which would make it even more difficult for schools in other leagues to compete.
A pair of documents outlining concessions the lawmakers have made in the negotiations were headlined by a $20 million-plus "retention pool" that schools could use to keep players from leaving. It would amount to a doubling of the revenue-sharing "salary cap," which is currently set at $21.3 million for this school year.
The conferences are seeking answers on whether the increase in revenue share would impact rules governing third-party payments to players, the likes of which are largely blamed for spiraling roster costs.
There's also the question of whether such an increase would comport with the House settlement — the $2.8 billion lawsuit settlement that dictates rules around revenue sharing. Jeffrey Kessler, the plaintiffs' attorney, has said he would need to see the language before weighing in on whether it impacts the settlement.
Absent from the documents was any mention of rewrites regarding antitrust protection or preemption of state laws. Those have been core requests surrounding legislation from virtually all the conferences and NCAA since Congress began this process.

#whether #schools #million #conferences

The recent entry of Elon Musk's ***** eX (SPCX) into public markets has garnered investment interest on Capitol Hill, with half a dozen lawmakers taking stakes in the company, according to recently disclosed transactions.
The first apparent purchase was made by Rep. Lisa McClain, a Republican and member of House Speaker Mike Johnson's leadership team. Her husband purchased between $100,000 and $250,000 in Musk's xAI in December 2025, before it was folded into ***** eX in February, giving the lawmaker and her family early exposure to the public debut on June 12.
SpaceX's initial public offering then saw five more lawmakers make purchases, according to the disclosures.
Rep. John James, a Michigan Republican, was first in, as his wife Liz bought between $15,000 and $50,000 worth of stock on the day of the IPO.
A spokesperson for the congressman told Yahoo Finance that "the James children are excited about ***** e exploration and Liz purchased stock for them through a brokerage firm, like other members of the public were welcome to do."

#lawmakers #Stock #elon

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When the Federal Reserve changes interest rates, the impact reaches far beyond Wall Street. Higher rates can help savers earn more on their cash, while lower rates can make mortgages, car loans, and credit cards more affordable. But because every rate move creates both winners and losers, there's no simple answer to whether high or low rates are best.
Understanding why the Fed raises and lowers rates — and how those decisions affect your money — can help you make smarter choices about saving and borrowing.
The Federal Reserve is mandated by Congress to promote stable prices and maximum employment within the U.S. economy. One of the tools it has at its disposal to achieve these goals is the federal funds rate.
During times of high inflation, for instance, the Fed will raise its federal funds rate, which is the rate banks charge each other for overnight loans to meet cash reserve requirements.

#loans

Dr. Anthony Fauci ran point as the COVID-19 explainer-in-chief under two different administrations, steering policy and messaging on the virus that rattled the country and world for years.
But there is one thing in all of his media appearances, profiles, interviews and congressional hearings that Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., contended Fauci never said that he was sorry.
"I mean, I'd like to hear him say he's sorry," Paul said. "Can he say he is sorry for funding — the research was dangerous research in China? Almost everybody agrees with that."
Exclusive: Biden Pardon Won't Shield Fauci If He Lies To Congress, Comer Says
Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, arrives to testify before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic at the Rayburn House Office Building on June 3, 2024, in Washington, D.C.

#sorry #China

TMZ
Sen. Rand Paul's (R-KY) attacks against Dr. Anthony Fauci are a "heartbreaking" callback to McCarthyism, TMZ's Harvey Levin said Wednesday after Paul chaired a highly contentious Senate hearing with Fauci.
Fauci's hearing was marked by dozens of instances of the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases pleading the Fifth Amendment, something Levin immediately referenced.
"Anthony Fauci before a congressional hearing taking the Fifth Amendment is just one of the most heartbreaking things I have seen in government in my lifetime, and this is something we need to reckon with," he said. Levin also said he has "problems with how the CDC handled COVID," but that doesn't justify what's happening.
Fauci's years as a "dedicated public servant" go back decades, he added.

#fauci #heartbreaking