No new article text was supplied with this update, so the most recent confirmed reporting remains that Dr Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times during a contentious Senate hearing on COVID-19 policy and gain-of-function research. The hearing has intensified political scrutiny of his pandemic-era role, reopening arguments over decision-making, transparency and the possible origins of the virus.

Republican senators, including Ohio's Bernie Moreno, criticised Fauci sharply, while Senator John Fetterman said he regretted not speaking earlier about the laboratory-origin hypothesis. The article also cites diary entries attributed to Fauci suggesting he claimed credit for school closures despite previously denying public involvement, raising questions about consistency in his public account.