Paul Releases Fauci’s Diary Before Senate Hearing

Former White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci is set to testify before the Senate this week. Senator Rand Paul has released over a thousand pages of Fauci’s diary entries from 2020 to 2022 in anticipation of the hearing.

Fauci’s entries reflect his awareness of growing media interest during the pandemic. He shared his thoughts on managing this newfound attention. On March 22, 2020, he noted the media coverage. ‘Press is going wild with me. Front page in Washington Post yesterday and Op Ed by Maureen Dowd in NY Times today about me and my relationship with the POTUS. Profile by Peter Nicholas on me in The Atlantic. I am trying in several articles and on TV to clarify that the POTUS is talking about hope for therapies although there are no good data, while I must stick to the science and so fundamentally we are approaching this from different, but not conflicting standpoints,’ Fauci wrote.

By May 21, 2020, Fauci recognized the extent of his rising profile. He considered some of the attention ‘flattering.’ ‘Big front page article about me appeared in the Washington Post. Very flattering. The situation with my national and international fame is explosive and really unimaginable. It is not hyperbole to say that today I am the most famous and talked about person in the country and one of the most recognizable person in the world,’ Fauci recorded.

Since retiring, Fauci has spoken about the negative impact of the spotlight on him and his family. In 2024, while testifying before the House, he expressed the emotional toll of threats received. ‘There have been everything from harassments by emails, texts, letters of myself, my wife, my three daughters,’ Fauci told Rep. Debbie Dingell. ‘There have been credible death threats, leading to the arrests of two individuals — and “credible death threats” means someone who clearly was on their way to kill me, and it’s required my having Protective Services essentially all the time.’

Fauci is scheduled to appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday.

Essential Reads

The latest healthcare policy updates: A recent poll shows 40% of U.S. adults are buying or eating less produce following a cyclospora outbreak. Only 4% say they are eating more, based on a CBS/YouGov survey. Rep. Robert Garcia seeks transparency from Taylor Farms regarding its ties to the White House amid a parasitic outbreak potentially linked to lettuce supply. Reports from KFF and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS highlight a decline in U.S. funding for the global HIV response in 2025. Decades of progress against HIV are at risk, with the current response termed fragile and off-track for the 2030 goal to end AIDS as a public health threat.

On Our Radar

Topics we are monitoring: Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday.

In Other News

President Trump, in a recent address, claimed there might be 250,000 noncitizens on voter rolls in four states. However, a federal review found fewer than half that number matching federal records — 118,000.

Around the Nation

• Covered California premiums will increase nearly 10% as many struggle to afford coverage (Santa Cruz Sentinel)
• Grocery and retail companies have the highest number of employees on Medicaid in Oregon (Oregon Capital Chronicle)
• The Justice Department has approved a $400M settlement with an Alaska Native health consortium (Tribal Business News)

What We’re Reading

Health headlines from other sources: Some medical schools are embracing RFK Jr.’s nutrition push while managing MAHA priorities (Stat). The Trump administration demands hospitals share emergency room records (KFF Health News). Measles prevalence requires potential treatments soon (Wired).