Live updates: Senate panel will vote on holding Fauci in contempt for refusing to answer questions
Some Republicans in Congress, including Sen. Rand Paul who subpoenaed Fauci to testify, have long called on him to be arrested for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here’s what we’re following:A Senate committee is set to vote Thursday morning on whether to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress and refer him to the Justice Department for potential prosecution over his refusal to answer questions at a hearing last week on his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times at the hearing.Iran said Wednesday it is in the “final stage” of drafting an agreement with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz, and U.S. President Donald Trump has said a deal could be announced this week. The agreement is likely to be contingent on the U.S. lifting its blockade on Iran’s ports.
Iran says a deal with Oman is close
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, has said an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz with Oman, which lies on the other side of the waterway, is in the “final stage” of drafting. Speaking Wednesday, he said a joint statement will be issued “if certain parties do not obstruct this process,” apparently referring to the U.S.The agreement is likely to be contingent on the U.S. lifting its blockade on Iran’s ports.The strait is crucial to global shipping and energy supplies. Before the war, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in February, around one fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas passed through the waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf.On Thursday, all eyes were on the U.S. for the next development.▶ Read more
