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Gabbard spotlights Fauci, COVID-origin questions in final act as intelligence chief amid succession fight
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Just before leaving office amid a contentious battle over who will succeed her, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard used one of her final acts atop the U.S. intelligence community to spotlight Dr. Anthony Fauci’s role in discussions surrounding the government’s COVID-19 origins review.
While much of the material is familiar, Gabbard’s release underscores her effort to make questions surrounding Fauci, COVID origins and federal support for virus research part of her closing legacy atop the intelligence community.
As Gabbard fired her final broadside, Bill Pulte, who has received bipartisan criticism over his lack of intelligence experience, is set to take the reins at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence while Trump’s permanent nominee remains stalled.
Jay Clayton, an attorney and former SEC chairman whom Trump nominated to permanently lead ODNI, has seen his confirmation process delayed after the president said he was holding up the nomination to pressure Congress to pass a voter identification measure.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., on March 18, 2026. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
WHY TRUMP PICKED BILL PULTE TO LEAD US INTELLIGENCE AS CRITICS QUESTION HIS QUALIFICATIONS
Pulte is a construction businessman and housing official who served as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. His tenure at the housing agency has drawn controversy over allegations that he used FHFA authority to target Trump’s political opponents, an allegation amplifying concerns among key senators that he may attempt to weaponize the intelligence community at the behest of the president during his interim tenure.
«We don’t need a weaponized DNI, we need professionals there,» Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune said of Pulte. Other powerful congressional Republicans, such as Sens. Cornyn, Cassidy, Murkowski, Collins and Tillis, have also voiced opposition to or concern over Pulte taking over ODNI.
Senate Democrats share many of the same concerns as their GOP colleagues.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Dick Durbin, Sheldon Whitehouse, Richard Blumenthal, Gary Peters, Adam Schiff, Mark Warner and Ron Wyden have all expressed concerns that Pulte would weaponize America’s intelligence apparatus against Trump’s enemies. Similar to many Republicans, they’ve criticized him for a lack of intelligence experience as well.
William Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), during a news conference at the Federal Housing Finance Association (FHFA) headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
TRUMP DNI PICK BRACES FOR SENATE GRILLING AS TEMPORARY STAND-IN FUELS DEM PRESSURE
Political observers believe that Clayton would face far less opposition from the Senate over his confirmation. However, the upper chamber has so far proven unwilling to move on the president’s voter identification legislation, complicating his advancement and setting the stage for a showdown between the White House and Congress.
While lawmakers and the president go back and forth over the fate of ODNI, Gabbard has sought to spotlight the Fauci documents on her way out.
The documents she released Thursday night include some information that was already known to the public as well as others that do not appear to have been publicly reported.
Dr. Anthony Fauci testifies before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C., on June 3, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
ANTHONY FAUCI MAY BE DEPOSED AS GOP INTENSIFIES COVID INVESTIGATIONS IN NEW CONGRESS
Gabbard’s release contains newly declassified documents that show intelligence officials considered but ultimately rejected Fauci as an outside reviewer of their COVID-19 origins assessment, warning he would be seen as having a conflict of interest.
In a different exchange, intelligence officials tasked with analyzing the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic debated whether to take Fauci’s recommendations on who to interview for their study.
«For those who don’t know me, I’m the [REDACTED] and, as such, leading the [intelligence community’s] 90-day POTUS COVID origin study,» one official wrote in an email. «Per below, Dr Fauci recommended that the IC reach out to the below individuals who were coauthors of the attached paper as part of the study.»
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard speaks to reporters in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on July 23. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
TOP 4 EXPLOSIVE MOMENTS FROM CIA WHISTLEBLOWER’S TESTIMONY ON ALLEGED COVID-19 LAB LEAK COVER-UP
Another official questioned whether it was prudent for the intelligence community to take the advice of a «policymaker» like Fauci when conducting internal affairs, «particularly given the various strong views on the subject and statements regarding their own conclusions.»
An intelligence official responded by arguing that Fauci should not be considered a policymaker in this context, but rather an important subject-matter expert.
«In this particular case, given Dr Fauci’s background we absolutely would like to follow-up on his outreach suggestions,» they wrote. «In this case he’s not a policymaker….he’s a SME with a wealth of knowledge about current and historical research who probably knows better than most who the real Coronavirus experts are.»
A CIA whistleblower previously claimed that Fauci exerted undue influence over the intelligence community’s assessment of COVID-19’s origins, claims that Gabbard now seeks to amplify with her release.
During the COVID-19 era, conservatives alleged that Fauci and other public health officials downplayed or helped steer scrutiny away from the lab-leak theory despite American financial links to coronavirus research in Wuhan, where the disease originated. Gabbard has framed her trove of documents as a look into how the intelligence community incorporated information from people like Fauci while investigating the virus’ origins.
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«Fauci worked with politicized career leadership in the Intelligence Community (IC) to suppress the truth about his actions, the virus’ lab-leak origins, and his role in directing U.S. funding for this dangerous research that caused immeasurable harm and countless lost lives,» ODNI’s press release accompanying the documents asserts. «These documents expose Fauci’s direct role in influencing and manipulating IC assessments on COVID-19, and how Fauci lied to Congress in 2024, when under oath he denied knowledge of or participation in discussions with intelligence officials about viral research.»
Gabbard left her role at ODNI to care for her husband, who has a rare form of cancer, Fox News Digital first reported.
anthony fauci, cia, appointments, tulsi gabbard, coronavirus
INTERNACIONAL
Bloqueos en Bolivia: por qué paralizar las carreteras es una herramienta de presión política
Las principales carreteras de Bolivia están cortadas desde hace más de 45 días por personas que exigen la renuncia del presidente Rodrigo Paz, a quien acusan de traición y de gobernar de manera excluyente en contra de sus intereses.
Aunque el conflicto actual destaca por ser el más prolongado y extendido de los últimos años, el bloqueo de caminos está lejos de ser una medida de presión aislada en la política boliviana. De hecho, fueron la segunda forma de manifestación más recurrente en 2025, solo detrás de las “declaratorias de emergencia”.
Según datos de la Defensoría del Pueblo, el año pasado se registraron 841 hechos de conflictividad en el país, de los cuales 180 se tradujeron en bloqueos, la mayoría motivados por conflictos políticos derivados del proceso electoral y la debacle financiera que atraviesa el país.
Los piquetes actuales han profundizado la crisis y han generado pérdidas millonarias para sectores estratégicos como el transporte, la industria y el turismo. En La Paz, la sede de Gobierno, la población ha experimentado no solo escasez de alimentos y de combustible a causa del cierre de sus vías de acceso, sino también interrupciones en el transporte público, la suspensión de las clases escolares presenciales y la cancelación temporal de algunos servicios médicos por falta de oxígeno.
Ese escenario convulso puso sobre la mesa el debate sobre la legitimidad de los cortes de caminos como una herramienta de lucha política.
“Todo bloqueo es criminal porque atenta contra los derechos de las personas”, manifestó el diputado Carlos Alarcón, quien presentó un proyecto de ley para penalizar los piquetes. La norma, que está trabada en una comisión de la Asamblea Legislativa, plantea sancionar a quienes corten carreteras con penas que van de 3 a 20 años de cárcel.
El diputado justifica su proyecto porque “se afectan los derechos más básicos y elementales, no solo al libre tránsito sino también a la salud, la educación, el trabajo y la alimentación (…) de personas inocentes que no tienen nada que ver con los reclamos de los bloqueadores”. En entrevista con Infobae, Alarcón señaló que “no se puede corregir lo que se considera una injusticia con una injusticia mayor contra el conjunto de la población”.
Para la socióloga Luciana Jáuregui, más allá del debate sobre la criminalización de las protestas, es necesario comprender el origen de este mecanismo de acción política y las tensiones sociales que lo alimentan.
Jáuregui sostiene que en Bolivia existe una “contradicción estructural” entre la conformación institucional y las organizaciones comunitarias que no están representadas en el Estado. “Las protestas se originan en ese desacople”, señala y explica que las causas tienen que ver con una crisis de mediación institucional, la desigualdad económica histórica y una exclusión simbólica de las poblaciones rurales.
Los sectores que recurren a los bloqueos como medida de presión señalan que es la única manera de ser escuchados. “No hay otra forma de lucha sindical”, afirmó en entrevista con Infobae David Mamani, ex dirigente de la Federación de Campesinos de La Paz Túpac Katari, una de las cuales se manifiesta actualmente contra el Gobierno. “Cuando acudimos a una huelga de hambre, nadie la toma en cuenta. Si hacemos una marcha de protesta, no pasa nada. Todo es chiste para los gobernantes. Entonces, ¿cómo podemos lograr hacernos escuchar?”, justificó.
Los bloqueos prolongados revelan el nivel de organización social que tienen las poblaciones campesinas. La forma de sostener más de seis semanas en las calles es mediante turnos de rotación y la toma de decisiones de manera unánime. “Nadie nos da dinero, es una gran mentira que alguien esté financiando esta movilización, no hay nada de eso”, afirmó sobre las versiones que vinculan las protestas con dinero externo y de organizaciones ilícitas.
El dirigente campesino es consciente del daño colateral de la medida de presión y afirma que toda protesta tiene “causa y efectos”. Aún así, considera que su demanda es justa y que si la administración de Rodrigo Paz no hubiera incumplido sus promesas de campaña, ellos no estarían hoy en las calles. “Estamos en las carreteras porque el Gobierno ha ojo cerrado ha ejecutado decretos anticampesinos”, afirmó.
Sin embargo, los bloqueos como herramienta de lucha política trascienden a las organizaciones campesinas. En los últimos años, las clases medias impulsadas por las instituciones cívicas de Santa Cruz también hicieron bloqueos en vías urbanas -con dinámicas diferentes y bajo la modalidad de “paro cívico”-, para exigir desde la renuncia de Evo Morales en 2019 hasta la realización de un censo de población y vivienda en 2022.
Jáuregui explica que estos conflictos suelen estallar en una sociedad dividida y con intereses antagónicos cuando una de las partes no controla los recursos institucionales y económicos del Estado. “Eso sucede en los dos casos (…) cuando no existen canales de ejercicio de poder, se recurre a la calle”, apunta la analista que ve en las instituciones bolivianas un “Estado parcial” que no logra reflejar “la estructura plural de poder que existe en la sociedad”.
Estas diferencias se traducen también en la forma en la que se miran las protestas: mientras unos consideran los bloqueos una medida de presión legítima para obtener beneficios colectivos, otros creen que es un atentado cruel contra los derechos fundamentales.
“¿Cuánto tiempo más nos falta sufrir? ¿Qué quieren? ¿Qué comencemos a robarnos entre nosotros para dar de comer a nuestros hijos? Tanto bloqueo, bloqueo, bloqueo no es justo; nosotros solo queremos trabajar”, manifestó entre lágrimas una mujer comerciante de La Paz, a la que ya no le llegan productos ni clientes. “Nosotros no estamos a favor de nadie, lo único que queremos es poder vender tranquilas”, agregó.
Aunque el diputado Alarcón defiende su proyecto de ley “antibloqueos” como una norma constitutiva de un nuevo ordenamiento social y garantiza los otros métodos de protesta reconocidos en la Constitución Política del Estado —marchas, huelgas, mítines, etc.—, el dirigente Mamani anuncia una “absoluta” resistencia a la aprobación de esa norma.
Esta pulseada latente revela un problema más profundo: la dificultad de una sociedad fragmentada para construir consensos mínimos que le permitan dirimir sus diferencias por vías institucionales.
Civil Conflict,Demonstrations,Riots,South America / Central America,Civil Unrest
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Israel–Hezbollah ceasefire becomes first test of Trump Iran framework after talks delay
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A U.S.-backed ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah was set to take effect Friday afternoon, as Washington tried to salvage a broader regional framework with Iran after talks scheduled for Switzerland were abruptly postponed.
The Israel–Hezbollah ceasefire was set to take effect 9 a.m. Eastern Time/4 p.m. local time, both a senior U.S. and an Israeli official told Fox News Digital, but whether the ceasefire formally took effect remains disputed.
The White House has not publicly commented on whether the ceasefire has formally taken effect.
A Hezbollah spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the group would abide by the ceasefire if Israel does, but «reserves the right to respond» to any violation. The spokesperson said Hezbollah did not yet view the ceasefire as having taken effect, claiming Israel was still carrying out strikes in southern Lebanon more than an hour after it was supposed to begin.
ISRAEL MOVES TOWARDS CEASEFIRE DEAL WITH HEZBOLLAH: REPORTS
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video after the 4 p.m. local start time that he said showed Israel Defense Forces striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. It is unclear when those reported strikes took place, and Fox News Digital could not independently verify their timing.
«As I instructed – the IDF struck powerfully 150 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and eliminated dozens of terrorists,» he wrote on X.
IDF spokesperson Effie Defrin said Hezbollah had killed four Israeli soldiers in overnight strikes early Friday.
An airplane flies as smoke rises after an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs amid escalating tensions between Hezbollah and Israel on March 6, 2026. (Khalil Ashawi/Reuters)
Still, an Israeli official said Israel intends to honor the ceasefire agreement.
«If Hezbollah doesn’t shoot, we won’t shoot. If they shoot — we will respond,» the official told Fox News Digital.
The agreement came after negotiations between the U.S. and Iran scheduled to take place this weekend in Switzerland were abruptly postponed. The White House has not publicly provided a reason for the delay.
Trump has expressed increasing frustration with Netanyahu over the conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
«Bibi has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon,» Trump said to reporters Tuesday at the G7 conference in France. «Too many people are being killed, and you don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses, and they’re not all Hezbollah, that I can tell you.»
«I’m not saying they shouldn’t protect themselves,» he added Wednesday during separate remarks to reporters. «I’m saying when two drones are shot into the desert and drop harmlessly, you don’t have to knock down buildings in Beirut. They could behave better, and frankly, they could do a better job.»
Hezbollah is an Iran-backed Shiite militant group and political movement based in Lebanon that the U.S. has designated as a foreign terrorist organization. Its conflict with Israel dates back decades, but the latest fighting has centered on Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks from Lebanon and Israeli strikes aimed at pushing the group back from the border and protecting northern Israeli communities.
Smoke billows over Beirut’s southern suburbs following reported strikes amid escalating conflict involving Hezbollah and Israel, as seen from Baabda, Lebanon, on March 6, 2026. (Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)
«As the Vice President said at his press conference, the plans for the upcoming technical talks have not been finalized, and the U.S. delegation has been prepared to depart at the first available opportunity,» a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital. «But the logistics of these negotiations have never been simple or predictable. As of now the Vice President is not departing tonight. We will let you know as soon as we have a concrete update about next steps.»
The Iranian foreign ministry on Friday denied reports claiming Iran had once again closed the Strait of Hormuz.
«The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have taken the necessary measures to ensure the safe passage of commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding on the End of the War dated 18 June 1405, and shipping is underway in this route,» foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said in a statement posted to Telegram.
A separate Iranian official told Fox News Digital Friday that traffic was moving «slowly» through the strait due to mine-clearing operations.
HORMUZ CHOKE POINT PERSISTS AS IRAN HALTS OIL TRAFFIC DESPITE TRUMP CEASEFIRE
U.S. officials have described the memorandum signed Wednesday as a 60-day framework for negotiations toward a final agreement largely focused on Iran’s nuclear program.
They have said any U.S. force withdrawal from areas near Iran would be tied to a final deal, not required immediately under the initial agreement.
A fireball rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike targeting an area in Beirut’s southern suburbs overnight on March 10 to 11, 2026. (Fadel itani / AFP via Getty Images)
The agreement also declared the «immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,» according to U.S. officials.
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U.S. officials have said the memorandum also includes immediate oil sanctions waivers for Iran, an end to Iranian threats to the Strait of Hormuz and a process for lifting the U.S. blockade, and future talks over Iran’s nuclear program, including the fate of its enriched uranium stockpile.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Pentagon, Israeli Prime Minister’s Office and Iranian Foreign Ministry for additional comment and had not received responses by publication.
middle east, lebanon, treaties, iran, israel
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