NPR News: 07-29-2026 10AM EDT
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston.
What happened at the Senate hearing after Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment?
A Senate hearing on the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic is continuing after Dr. Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right and refused to answer questions. Fauci has been subpoenaed to appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. During the hearing, Committee Chairman Rand Paul ordered one of Fauci's attorneys removed from the room after a dispute over the proceedings.
This is the way Anthony Fauci wants to be remembered, for a lawyer not listening to the rules. That's the way you want to be remembered, and that's what you're going to do. You are not recognized, sir. Security, please remove him from the room.
The hearing is centering on the origins of COVID-19 and allegations that Fauci misled Congress about federally funded research. Fauci has repeatedly denied those accusations. Senator Paul says the committee will continue its investigation despite Fauci's refusal to answer questions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he had a good meeting with President Trump at the White House yesterday. NPR's Greg Myrie reports Zelensky also received a warm welcome at his other stops in Washington.
Ukraine's President Zelensky appears to have repaired much of the damage stemming from a televised shouting match with President Trump last year. The leaders have now had two friendly meetings this month, and Trump has offered Ukraine a license to build its own Patriot air defense missiles. Immediately after the White House meeting, Zelensky visited executives from Lockheed Martin, the big defense company that makes Patriots and other high-end weapons Ukraine uses. The Ukrainian leader was also well-received by more than 60 U.S. senators from both parties. He watched from the gallery as lawmakers advanced a sanctions bill against Russia. Greg Myhre, NPR News, Kyiv.
FIFA says it's planning to sell stakes of the World Cup to private investors as a way to raise billions of dollars. NPR's Rafael Nam reports the announcement from soccer's world governing body is sparking sharp criticism.
Why did Chairman Rand Paul have an attorney removed during the COVID-19 origins hearing?
It's a complicated plan. FIFA would create a separate company to oversee all commercial decisions for the Men's and Women's World Cup, as well as to other FIFA tournaments like the Club World Cup. And in this new venture, FIFA would partner with a firm called Thrive Eternal, run by Joshua Kushner, the brother of President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Thrive's role will be to bring in new minority investors to this commercial venture, effectively selling a stake to the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments to others. UEFA, though, the body that governs European soccer, strongly opposes the plan, saying, quote, none of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA's to sell. Rafael Nam, NPR News.
This is NPR. Funeral services for Senator Lindsey Graham will be held today in his home state of South Carolina. A public procession will stop at the Statehouse before a service at First Baptist Church in Columbia. Graham, who served in the Senate for more than two decades, died earlier this month at the age of 71. Stocks on Wall Street opened sharply lower this morning as investors wait for an interest rate decision from the Federal Reserve. NPR's Scott Horsley reports the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled more than 600 points in early trading.
Most investors think the Fed will hold its benchmark interest rate steady today, but there's a chance the central bank will raise rates. The new Fed chairman, Kevin Warris, says he and his colleagues are determined to curb inflation, which has been running hotter than the Fed would like for more than five years now. A jump in oil and gasoline prices resulting from the U.S. war with Iran pushed inflation to a three-year high this spring. Gas prices have moderated since then, but renewed fighting in and around the Strait of Hormuz has oil prices climbing once again. The lingering conflict is putting a dent in consumers' confidence. A survey by the conference board finds consumers' attitudes about the current business environment and the job market worsened in July for the third month in a row.
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