Welcome to the Daily Briefing. Start Thursday with these reads:
Nicole Fallert here, planning a clothing swap.
The Fauci fiasco isn’t over
Dr. Anthony Fauci responded to every question during yesterday’s three-hour Senate hearing by saying he was declining to answer on the advice of counsel and “based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.”
What’s next: Sen. Rand Paul said he planned to schedule a committee vote next week to move toward recommending contempt charges against Fauci.
But there’s a twist: Fauci was pardoned by former President Biden for any actions he took directing the nation’s coronavirus response from 2014 up through 2025.
More news to know now
- Why are ICE arrests happening at airports? Arrests come amid a newly disclosed agreement between the Transportation Security Administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
- Pause on interest rates survives: A divided Federal Reserve left its key interest rate unchanged despite President Donald Trump’s calls for a cut.
- Tree sit-in: Conservationists defending a historic tree standing in the way of President Donald Trump’s border wall in Arizona began staging a “tree sit” yesterday to keep contractors from tearing down the towering cottonwood.
NFL
Football is back!
Nothing like coming back to work after a holiday. NFL teams across the country gathered this week for training camps to prep passes ahead of the season kickoff.
Best Bars in America
Grab a drink with USA TODAY
Creative or traditional, innovative or tried-and-true, these drinks – and the camaraderie, stories and good times behind them – are among the reasons our food writers from across the country chose the USA TODAY Bars of the Year 2026. Whether it’s cranberry and orange juice while dancing at D’Jais in Belmar, New Jersey, or settling in to a hi-fi listening lounge and savoring an aperitivo at Potential New Boyfriend in Asheville, North Carolina, we love them all. See the list
Before you go
Have feedback on the Daily Briefing? Shoot Nicole an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.