Dr. Fauci is facing potential scandals on several fronts. While he defends his agency against allegations of animal abuse, dangerous gain-of-function research was revealed to be conducted.
Summary
Dr. Anthony Fauci deflected and defended his earlier denials to Congress that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) were engaging in gain-of-function research on coronaviruses after new information on an NIH grant to EcoHealth Alliance was reported.
- Sen. Rand Paul, who argued with Fauci over NIH’s programs and processes regarding coronavirus research, said Fauci should be fired “for lack of judgement.”
- Sen. Paul argued that new information, previously undisclosed to the NIH, showed EcoHealth Alliance engaging in gain-of-function research, creating “a virus that doesn’t exist in nature to become more dangerous.”
- Fauci also said children between the ages of 5 and 11 will likely be eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations in November.
- Lawmakers are demanding answers from Fauci about a $375,000 grant to a lab in Tunisia to experiment on live dogs with flesh eating insects.
- Newsmax covered a damning letter from a bipartisan group of lawmakers demanding answers from Fauci on the reports of experiments on dogs.
- ABC News gave Fauci cover in the developing scandal over EcoHealth Alliance’s gain-of-function research, quoting Fauci as saying “critics and analysts have seized on that” development to say he “misled the public” about NIH’s funding of gain-of-function research and continuing to deny it.
- CNN reported on the expected vaccine availability for children, saying Fauci expects the Food and Drug Administration to be handing over their recommendation to the CDC in early November, with regulatory approval “within the first week or two of November.”
- Newsmax interviewed Donald Trump, Jr. who criticized Fauci for “lying to Congress about the NIH funding gain-of-function research”, predicting Fauci will not face any consequences and will shift the blame to someone else.
- Fox News reported on the latest Twitter hashtag, #ArrestFauci trending Sunday afternoon in response to his comments about the NIH’s gain-of-function revelation and the reports on cruel animal experimentation.
- Wall Street Journal covered the expected approval of vaccines for children, noting CDC Dr. Rochelle Walenskey telling Fox News that Halloween trick or treating will be safe for children “if you’re spread out.”
© Dallas Gerber, 2021