There are a lot of things Dr. Anthony Fauci might have said during his Senate hearing yesterday, about what he thought and did and did not do and might have done differently during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and lead member of the White House COVID-19 Response Team invoked his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent more than 90 times. Is this shocking? Predictable? Irresponsible? Dangerous? Yes and yes and yes and yes.

With Sarah busy recording the audiobook for her upcoming memoir, The Only Thing There Is To Want, Nancy asked perennial straight-shooter Mary Katharine Ham to come talk about Fauci, his “cartoonish self-absorption,” the political marketplace that has us tilt toward hero worship, and the one official who maybe kinda sorta admitted she was wrong about lockdowns.

Also discussed:

* Must be nice to have never heard of the Tate brothers

* The “personality disorder economy” that gives us a Dr. Fauci (and a Candace Owens)

* Did Mary Katharine and Nancy adhere to the government-mandated COVID protocols? No, no they did not

* John Fetterman’s statement seemed pretty close to the mark for many of us

* What sort of hubris has you writing your diary on a government computer?

* A small nod of respect for Deborah Birx

* Women watch true crime on TV. Men watch…

* Mary Katharine and Nancy come up with a new hustle

Plus, what is lost when you catastrophize, love and props for Liz Wolfe, Mary Katharine re-reads a book she hates, and much more!

Did you watch Young Washington in anticipation of talking about it on First Sunday Zoom is this Sunday, August 2, 8pm ET/5pm PT? There’s still time! Paid subscribers get link day-of.