The Hill’s 12:30 Report — Fauci’s post-White House career plans

by Cate Martel - 07/19/22 12:37 PM ET

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–> A midday take on what’s happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.*

*Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha–breaks down crying hysterically.

NEWS THIS MORNING

Uncle Tony is sticking around:

Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, just clarified that is does not actually plan to retire soon.

Where this originated: Politico published an interview with Fauci on Monday, where the 81-year-old said he plans to step down from his position by the end of Biden’s term.

Fauci was asked about this comment at The Hill’s ‘Future of Health Care Summit’ this morning: “I’m not going to retire. No, no, I’m not going to retire. I may step down from my current position at some time,” Fauci explained.

Fauci elaborated — there’s more he wants to do in his career: “What happens between now and then I have not decided, but the one thing I do know is that I have other things that I want to do in a professional way that I want to have the capability — while I still have the energy and the passion to do them.”

More on the back and forth, via The Hill’s Joseph Choi

Watch Fauci’s full response: He addresses retirement right around the 1:17:34-mark.

IT’S TUESDAY. I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.

⛽️ More news this morning

Get low, get low, get low, get low, get low:

Gas prices have hit a two-month low in the U.S., with the average price at $4.495 per gallon. More from Bloomberg’s Alex Longley

It hit 104 degrees (!) in London today:

Via The Washington Post’s William Booth, “If you want to mark an unnatural, scary, real-world data point for climate change, it is here in Britain, right now, which saw its hottest day on record Tuesday, with temperatures hitting 40.2 Celsius or 104 Fahrenheit at London Heathrow. It’s an extreme-weather episode, a freak peak heat, not seen since modern record keeping began a century and a half ago.” The full story

In Congress

The House is cranking out bills like they’re in Santa’s workshop:

Via The Washington Post’s Marianna Sotomayor and Leigh Ann Caldwell, “House Democrats this week will push Republicans to go on the record starting on Tuesday with votes that would give same-sex and interracial marriages federal protection and repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman.”

Plus: “The House will also vote later in the week on legislation that would protect access to birth control and protect health-care providers from penalties for administering it.”

Keep in mind: “[I]t’s possible this week’s legislation related to same-sex marriage and interracial marriage, as well as birth control, could become law.” What to expect

^ Adding onto House votes last week: The House passed two abortion-related bills: One to codify Roe and the other to protect travel to receive an abortion. More from ABC News

➤ AND A GROUP OF HOUSE DEMOCRATS ARE CALLING FOR LEGISLATION TO ADD FOUR SEATS TO THE SUPREME COURT:

Where that effort stands, via The Hill’s Julia Mueller

Yell into a pillow and then come back, k?:

“Angry Senate Democrats have to decide what to do about Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) after he blew up President Biden’s tax reform and climate agenda last week, prompting calls for the maverick senator to lose his committee chairmanship and get kicked out of the party.”

But Democrats have to keep it to themselves: “[L]awmakers are reluctant to retaliate against their colleague because they still need his vote to pass a scaled-down budget reconciliation bill that would lower prescription drug prices and extend subsidies for Affordable Care Act health insurance plans.”

Oh and then there’s this threat: “There’s the looming threat that Manchin could leave the Democratic Party and caucus as an Independent with Republicans, which would put Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in control.”

How Democrats are handling their frustrations, via The Hill’s Alexander Bolton

➤ ‘EYEING MAJORITY, HOUSE GOP MULLS ELECTION INVESTIGATIONS:

From The Hill’s Emily Brooks

🔎 Jan. 6

Committee chair out with COVID-19:

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), who is leading the House investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol siege, announced this morning that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

Timing: The committee has planned for a Thursday prime-time hearing, which could potentially be the last hearing of the summer.

Will Thursday’s hearing still happen?: Yes, according to the committee’s spokesperson.

➤ ‘BY THE WAY — THE COMMITTEE EXPECTS TO RECEIVE THE DELETED SECRET SERVICE TEXTS TODAY:

The Secret Service had deleted its text messages from Jan. 5 and Jan. 6, 2021, due to a system migration. The full back and forth

Coming up on the prime-time episode of ‘What happened on Jan. 6?’:

Sarah Matthews, the former deputy press secretary in the Trump administration, will testify on Thursday, according to CNN’s Evan Perez and Zachary Cohen.

And so will former deputy national security adviser Matthew Pottinger.

Keep in mind about Sarah Matthews: She resigned hours after the pro-Trump mob attacked the U.S. Capitol.What to know about Matthews

What is Matthews up to now?: “The 27-year-old is currently the communications director for Republicans on the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, a position she has held since February 2021.”

🦠 Latest with COVID

➤ ‘WHY YOU’LL NEED TO GET COVID-19 BOOSTERS AGAIN AND AGAIN’:
From Time’s Akiko Iwasaki and Albert Ko

➤ THE COVID-19 NUMBERS

Cases to date: 89.3 million

Death toll: 1,019,210

Current hospitalizations: 21,648

Shots administered: 599 million

Fully vaccinated: 67.1 percent of Americans

CDC data here.

🐥Notable tweets

Ooooh, fancy:

NBC News’s Frank Thorp V tweeted, “Heads up: If you need to take a quick trip to Narnia they installed a wardrobe portal in the Senate subway!” Photo of the new installation

⏱On tap

The House and Senate are in. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C.

10 a.m.: Biden and Harris received the President’s Daily Brief.
11:30 a.m.: Two judicial votes in the Senate. Today’s Senate agenda
11:30 a.m.: First House votes. Today’s House agenda
2:15 p.m.: Another Senate judicial vote.
4:45 p.m.: Last House votes of the day.
1 p.m. Wednesday: The Hill is hosting a virtual Latina Leaders Summit. Featured speakers: Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), “Encanto” voice actor Adassa, activist Maria Teresa Kumar and PepsiCo’s Esperanza Teasdale. RSVP

All times Eastern.

📺What to watch

Today: The Hill is hosting and event on the future of health care.” Featured speakers: Anthony Fauci, CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, USAID’s Atul Gawande and White House COVID czar Ashish Jha. Livestream
This morning: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg testified on infrastructure. Watch
10:15 a.m.: House Democratic leaders held a news conference. Watch
10:45 a.m.: House Republican leaders held a news conference. Watch
3 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds a press briefing. Livestream

🍹 In lighter news

Today is National Daiquiri Day!

This is making me so hungry:

The New York Times’s Adam Nagourney writes, “The Jewish Deli: An American Tale Told in Pickles and Pastrami.” The full story on the Jewish deli exhibit

And to leave you on a healthy note, here’s a cat who is taking personal hydration very seriously.

^Oh what the heck. Who says I can’t include two closing videos? 😉 Here’s a dog who treats personal hydration just as seriously.