When politics replaces medical science as the arbiter of truth, the casualty is public health by Gavin Yamey and Boghuma Titanji British Medical Journal USA   7 August 2026   The vilification of Anthony Fauci by U.S. Senate Republicans will erode trust in science, curtail international research collaborations, and deter scientists and health experts from entering public service, say Gavin Yamey and Boghuma Titanji.   At last week’s U.S. Senate committee hearing, Anthony Fauci, former director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), faced hours of hostile questioning from Republican Senators. They accused the 85 year old physician-scientist of lying, covering up evidence, and misleading the American public during the covid pandemic.   Republican members of the Senate committee have now voted to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress. The hearing, including Fauci pleading the fifth amendment, fuelled anger among the MAGA political base and conservative influencers, energising them ahead of the upcoming midterm elections—but a more lasting harm from the hearing will be damage to science and trust in public health.   Fauci has devoted more than 50 years to public service, leading NIAID and the US through the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the 2001 anthrax attacks, SARS, pandemic influenza, Ebola, Zika, and other infectious disease threats.   Beyond the White House briefing room, he helped transform HIV from an almost uniformly fatal disease into a manageable condition through sustained investment in clinical trials, basic science, and global research infrastructure.   Yet to many Senate Republicans and the US secretary of health and human services, Robert F Kennedy Jr—whose book The Real Anthony Fauci reportedly got a sales boost from the show trial—Fauci is a villain. The Republican senator Rand Paul, chair of the committee hearing, has said that he wants to see Fauci behind bars, baselessly arguing that Fauci has lied to Congress.   During the hearing the Republican senator Ron Johnson accused Fauci of “sabotaging” access to ivermectin (a parasite treatment) and hydroxychloroquine (for treatment of malaria), despite rigorous evidence showing that neither drug provides meaningful clinical benefit for covid-19.   Paul revived claims that SARS-CoV-2 was engineered in a laboratory in China that had US research funding and that Fauci helped to cover up these origins, despite the lack of evidence supporting those allegations and the substantial body of scientific evidence consistent with zoonotic origin. Johnson pushed vaccine misinformation, arguing that the covid vaccine was highly deadly and calling it “experimental gene therapy.”   This was juicy entertainment for vaccine sceptical viewers, but the political theatre risks causing lasting damage to public health in at least four ways.   Firstly, trust in lifesaving science will be affected. When research shows that a vaccine is effective and safe but Republican politicians say that scientists are lying, it drives down public trust in vaccines, especially among Republican voters.   Over a 15 month period in 2021-22, an estimated 232,000 US deaths could have been prevented among unvaccinated adults had they been vaccinated with at least a primary series of the covid vaccine.   When the next pandemic hits, we fear that the politicisation of science will lead Republican voters to demand unproven treatments and eschew vaccination.   Secondly, even before the trial, the Trump administration had set its sights on destroying international research collaborations. Republicans doubled down on this wish at Fauci’s hearing. They expressed particular suspicion about collaborations involving virology, China, or both. But while safeguards must always be in place, banning international collaborations on infectious disease research will make pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response harder.   Through international sharing of viral samples, Bundibugyo virus Ebola—currently causing an outbreak concentrated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo—was discovered and sequenced by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in collaboration with Ugandan researchers. The US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority is now supporting evaluation of a monoclonal antibody for treating this strain of Ebola, which was patented by US CDC scientists.   Shutting down international research collaborations will make it harder to rapidly develop safe and effective vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics in the next pandemic.   Thirdly, watching Republican senators cursing at Fauci and knowing that he and his family receive harassment and death threats will deter scientists and health professionals from public service.   In August 2025 a man fired more than 180 shots into the CDC headquarters to protest about covid vaccines. Instead of dampening down the antivaccine rhetoric, Republican politicians have continued it.   Young scientists and public health academics watch these hearings closely and witness the worsening rhetoric. They see a career servant portrayed as a criminal, subjected to harassment, and public health leaders requiring security protection.   This is hardly an advertisement for a career in public service, at a time when Kennedy and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) director, Jay Bhattacharya, have already decimated the NIH and CDC by laying off thousands of critical federal staff.   Finally, the show trial distracts people from Trump’s own missteps in managing covid and from the damage of Trump, Kennedy, and Bhattacharya dismantling US public health.   While lawmakers revisit the covid pandemic, the immediate challenges facing public health today demand congressional attention—including falling childhood vaccination rates, annual measles cases in 2026 hitting a 35 year high, and uncontrolled cyclospora outbreaks making more than 11,000 people sick and killing two.   More than a million Americans died during the covid pandemic. That tragedy deserves rigorous, bipartisan inquiry to understand what worked and what failed. It would generate lessons on preparing for the next pandemic rather than fuelling political theatre. It would examine supply chains, public communication, structural inequities, workforce protection, data systems, and scientific decision making.   Scientists are not beyond criticism, but any criticism must be grounded in evidence and not conspiracy theories. When politics replaces science as the arbiter of truth, the ultimate casualty is not Fauci: it is the health of the American public.   * Gavin Yamey, is professor of global health and public policy at the Center for Policy Impact in Global Health, Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University. Boghuma Titanji is assistant professor of medicine at the Division of Infectious Diseases, Emory University School of Medicine.   http://www.bmj.com/content/394/bmj-2026-100529 http://www.acponline.org/acp-newsroom/leading-medical-professional-societies-patient-sue-hhs-robert-f-kennedy-jr-for-unlawful-unilateral http://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/32580 http://oneill.law.georgetown.edu/press/professors-michele-bratcher-goodwin-and-lawrence-o-gostin-on-the-trump-administrations-termination-of-key-health-advisory-committees-and-members/   * World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has issued a statement underscoring the critical role of vaccination for public health.   “Every parent wants to keep their children safe, and vaccines are among the most powerful tools for doing that, making deadly diseases preventable.”.. “Vaccination policy should be guided by rigorous, independent and transparent review of the best available science, not by political influence.” http://news.un.org/en/story/2026/08/1168124 Visit the related web page
	International courts must always remain independent and free from political influence and coercion by ICC President Judge Tomoko Akane The International Criminal Court   19 Aug. 2026   The International Criminal Court deplores the announcement of new designations for sanctions by the US administration against Judge Tomoko Akane (Japan), the President of the Court, and Mr Abdoulaye Seye (Senegal), Senior Trial Lawyer at the Office of the Prosecutor.   These sanctions are a flagrant attack against the independence of an impartial judicial institution which operates pursuant to the mandate conferred by its States Parties from across regions. As a result of these designations, at present, nine of the eighteen Judges, both of the two Deputy-Prosecutors, the former Prosecutor and one staff member have been sanctioned by the United States.   Such measures targeting judges, prosecutors and staff who work towards the fulfilment of the mandate that was conferred to the ICC by States undermine the rule of law. When judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk. Threats and coercive measures also impact the ability of victims to seek justice, as they turn to the Court when all other avenues have been exhausted.   As previously stated, the Court remains undeterred and stands firmly behind its personnel and behind victims of unimaginable atrocities. The Court will continue to fully discharge its mandate with independence and impartiality, in full accordance with the Rome Statute and in the interest of victims of international crimes.   The ICC values the consistent demonstrations of solidarity of States Parties, civil society and all those who support the rule of law and justice for the victims of international crimes. The Court will continue its work, with all partners and with the unwavering support of its States Parties, to ensure the effective and independent implementation of its mandate.   http://www.icc-cpi.int/news/icc-strongly-rejects-new-us-sanctions-designations   17 July 2026   Statement of ICC President Judge Tomoko Akane on the Day of International Criminal Justice:   "Twenty-eight years ago today, the Rome Statute was born from a shared conviction: that the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole must not go unpunished. Its adoption made possible the creation of the International Criminal Court, which is the only permanent international criminal court established to end impunity for the perpetrators of those crimes.   Since then, the International Criminal Court has been fulfilling its mandate and is now seized of situations from regions across the world. The Court has never been busier, reflecting the continued relevance of its mission.   On this International Criminal Justice Day, let us recall that the international rule of law cannot exist without independent judicial institutions that uphold the law through the decisions of impartial judges. The International Criminal Court is one such institution. By exercising its jurisdiction over individuals accused of committing the most serious crimes of concern to the international community, the Court provides a necessary mechanism for accountability and offers hope to victims of these grave crimes.   International courts must always remain independent and free from political influence and coercion. This guarantees their impartiality and ensures fair proceedings.   Yet in recent years, international law has come under increasing pressure, through both direct attacks and a weakening of the commitment to uphold it. It has never been more important than it is today to defend the international rule of law and to continue the pursuit of justice.   Even in the most challenging times, the International Criminal Court will remain steadfast in its mission: to bring justice to the victims of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community.   Thanks to the continued support of States Parties and civil society, and the commitment of its staff, the Court is able to continue delivering on its demanding but indispensable mandate.   On this International Criminal Justice Day, let us remember that the pursuit of justice is a shared responsibility. Above all, let us remember those who are still waiting for justice for the crimes committed against them".   17 July 2026   The President of the Assembly of States Parties underscores the importance of upholding the rule of law over impunity:   "17 July is the Day of International Criminal Justice. It marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute on 17 July 1998, the founding treaty of the ICC, which seeks to protect people from genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.   17 July unites all those who wish to support justice, promote victims' rights, and help prevent crimes that threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world.   The President of the Assembly of States Parties, Ambassador Paivi Kaukoranta, states on the Day of International Criminal Justice:   "International Criminal Justice is about upholding the rule of law over impunity, accountability over indifference, and cooperation over division.   On this Day of International Criminal Justice, I pay tribute to all those who contribute to the Rome Statute system and reaffirm the unwavering commitment of the Assembly of States Parties to safeguard the independence, integrity and future of the International Criminal Court for the benefit of victims of mass atrocities of present and future generations.   It is imperative that we stand today together, address challenges and reinforce our support for the Court, its officials and on those who cooperate with it.”   * The Assembly of States Parties is the management oversight and legislative body of the ICC. It is comprised of representatives of States that have ratified and acceded to the Rome Statute.   http://www.icc-cpi.int/news/statement-icc-president-judge-tomoko-akane-day-international-criminal-justice http://www.icc-cpi.int/news/president-assembly-states-parties-underscores-importance-upholding-rule-law-over-impunity http://www.icc-cpi.int/news/statement-icc-deputy-prosecutor-nazhat-shameem-khan-united-nations-security-council-situation http://www.icc-cpi.int/news/iceland-renews-its-support-trust-fund-victims-voluntary-contribution-2025 http://www.icc-cpi.int/news/japan-continues-its-support-trust-fund-victims-icc-bolstering-efforts-assist-survivors-sexual http://www.icc-cpi.int/news/portugal-strengthens-its-voluntary-contribution-2026-and-upholds-its-long-standing-commitment http://www.icc-cpi.int/news/slovenia-reiterates-assistance-survivors-sexual-and-gender-based-violence-through-new http://www.icc-cpi.int/news/germany-bolsters-its-position-leading-donor-and-lends-support-implementation-court-ordered Visit the related web page
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