Free Republic

Anthony Fauci responded to President Trump’s characterization of him as “a little bit of an alarmist” on the coronavirus pandemic, with the nation's top infectious diseases expert saying Monday that he prefers to think of himself as “a realist.” “I consider myself a realist, as opposed to an alarmist,” Fauci told Maria Shriver in an Instagram Live interview Monday evening. When asked if he would characterize his position as “dealing with reality,” Fauci responded, “I believe so, but then again, others have different opinions.” Fauci also told Shriver that when it comes to the odds of preventing another wave in...

Click on link for the presser.

A smart choice, if the reports from NBC News and the Washington Post are accurate. Donald Trump has champed at the bit to return to the campaign trail, hoping to reinvigorate his political base and stoke enthusiasm ahead of the November election. That impatience ended up backfiring in Tulsa, where the indoor venue and a clear reluctance of even his fervent backers to risk exposure to COVID-19 led to much smaller crowds than expected.Rather than risk more poor optics, Team Trump has shifted its thinking on venues, NBC reports. Instead of indoor arenas where the risk is highest, they...

The fight is over, but it is not entirely clear who won: Hulk Hogan has finally settled a sex-tape lawsuit that has been dragging on for years. The former pro wrestler, whose real name is Terry Bollea, had been seeking $110m (£94m) from talkshow hosts at Florida-based Cox Radio, who he accused of leaking a video showing him having sex and using racist language. The case was supposed to go to a jury trial next January but a confidential settlement reached on Thursday means that will now be avoided. I don’t want to think about Hogan naked any more than...

At best. Donald Trump sounded pessimistic about his chances of getting border-wall funding in upcoming budget negotiations in Congress, but perhaps not pessimistic enough. In his interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump cites the conference negotiators appointed as the reason for low odds of success, but the real issue is the same one as at the start — Nancy Pelosi: President Trump said Sunday he doesn’t believe congressional negotiators will strike a deal over border-wall funding that he could accept and vowed that he would build a wall anyway, using emergency powers if need be.Mr. Trump, in an...