Politics & World Affairs — August 17, 2026

Fauci declines further Senate testimony. Anthony Fauci's attorney rejected Sen. Ron Johnson's request for further testimony in the Senate's COVID-origins probe, arguing a second appearance would amount to political harassment.

According to Fox News, Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during his earlier appearance in the probe, a detail the outlet cited in reporting his refusal to return. His attorney's position frames the dispute as one over the purpose of additional questioning, characterizing Johnson's renewed request as harassment rather than legitimate oversight, setting up a potential standoff over whether the committee will seek other means to compel testimony.

Fox News Politics · Read more →

Blanche declines DOJ independence pledge. Attorney General Todd Blanche declined Sunday to commit to acting independently of President Trump on prosecutions. He said Trump has not asked him to prosecute specific individuals.

The Hill · Read more →

Kushner meets Netanyahu after Hamas talks. Trump envoy Jared Kushner meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday to push the U.S. Gaza peace plan. A day earlier, Hamas officials reaffirmed disarmament commitments in a rare Cairo meeting.

The Cairo session was notable as a rare direct, face-to-face encounter between a U.S. envoy and Hamas officials, according to the BBC. During that meeting, Hamas restated its commitments on disarmament, a central element of Washington's proposal. The back-to-back meetings position Kushner as the intermediary carrying those assurances to the Israeli side, with the Netanyahu talks serving as the next test of whether the plan can advance.

BBC World · Read more →

Ebola outbreak becomes DR Congo's deadliest. Official figures released Monday show the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has killed 2,325 people, making it the deadliest in the country's history.

The outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo species of the virus, according to the BBC, and had already been recorded as the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record before Monday's figures were released. The death toll of 2,325 now exceeds every previous outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country that has faced repeated Ebola emergencies over its history.

BBC World · Read more →