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Hey everybody, I'm Dave Rubin and this is first Look. It's Thursday, July 30, 2026. We've got a packed show for you today. Anthony Fauci takes the Fifth more than a hundred times, gets threatened with contempt by Rand Paul, has his lawyer escorted out by Capitol police and faces blistering questions about the lab leak cover up and the catastrophic COVID lockdowns he helped impose. New polling sh shows 90% of Americans say they can easily provide ID and proof of citizenship to vote. History is made as a specially modified Qantas Airbus completes a record breaking 24 hour nonstop flight paving the way for the world's longest commercial routes. Let's dive in. Fauci's fifth Amendment meltdown Yesterday in the Senate Homeland Security Committee, the chief architect of America's disastrous Covid response was finally faced the music and he folded like a cheap tent. Anthony Fauci sat there for nearly four hours and invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination more than 100 times. Every single time, the questions got real. Lab origin of the virus, gain of function, research, document destruction, alternative treatments, the six foot rule, school closures, vaccine mandates that cost people their jobs and military careers. Fauci gave the same scripted on the advice of counsel, I respectfully declined to answer based upon my rights under the fifth amendment to the Constitution. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky wasn't having it. Paul has been chasing this for years and and he made clear that refusing to answer Congress is not a free pass. It's against the law to obstruct an investigation of Congress, Paul warned. There will be repercussions. He announced the committee will vote next week on holding Fauci in contempt. Paul also raised the obvious legal question. Former President Joe Biden's midnight pardon of Fauci covering actions back to 2014 does not magically erase potential perjury or obstruction charges. If lawmakers can show Fauci lied under oath in previous testimony. The hearing turned explosive when Fauci's attorney, David Schertler kept trying to insert himself into the questioning. Paul repeatedly told him he was not authorized to speak. Shurtler ignored the warnings. At Paul's request, Capitol police escorted the lawyer out of the room. Applause broke out in the gallery as the attorney was removed. Then Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno went nuclear. He looked at Fauci and asked the question millions of Americans have been asking for years. Who the f do you think you were for doing that? Moreno invited spectators who had been smeared as racists for saying Wuhan virus or China virus? Who knew the six foot rule was junk science? Or who refused the vaccine and got fired? Who watched their kids education collapse under school closures to stand up? Several did, including Fox News host Laura Ingraham. The room got the message loud and clear. The people who suffered under these policies are done being gaslit. Republicans spent hours pressing Fauci on the lab leak theory he once dismissed as a conspiracy, on whether documents related to the government's response were destroyed, and on whether other treatments could have saved lives. Fauci stonewalled every time. Democrats, of course, claimed the entire hearing was an attempt to entrap him and rewrite history. Rewrite history? The history is already written in the excess debts, the learning loss, the ruined small businesses and the trust that was shattered. Biden's pardon was an attempt to protect the permanent bureaucracy. Yesterday's performance showed that protection may not be as ironclad as they hoped. America wants voter ID Democrats still say no. New numbers from CNN's own data dork Harry Entin should end the debate once and for all. 90% of American voters say they can provide proof of citizenship verification very easily on election day. Voter ID itself is supported by 95% of Republicans, 77% of independents and even 62% of Democrats. Overall, a solid majority of the country wants it. The SAVE act, which Requires documentation of U.S. citizenship when someone registers to vote, still commands 54% support, a clear majority. Entin put it when it comes to voter id, the voters are with President Trump on this one. And yet Senate Democrats continue to bottle up the SAVE act after the House passed it earlier this year. They still call it Jim Crow 2.0 and claim it will disenfranchise women and minority voters. Even though the polling shows 9 out of 10Americans say showing ID is no problem at all. Even some Republican senators refuse to vote for the SAVE Act. The mainstream media keeps repeating the same talking points while the data screams the opposite. This isn't complicated. Secure elections require knowing that only citizens are voting and that the people at the ballot box are who they claim to be. Every other important transaction in American life Flying, buying alcohol, cashing a check requires identification only. Democrats and their media allies pretend that basic safeguard is somehow racist. The numbers are in and even CNN admits it. The people are with Trump and with common sense. The obstruction continues in the Senate. Record breaking non stop flight opens a new Era While Washington was busy with the Fauci circus, something genuinely impressive happened in the sky. A specially modified Airbus operated by Qantas touched down in Toulouse, France after flying 12,460 nautical miles nonstop from Melbourne, Australia, 24 hours and 24 minutes in the air. No passengers, just a flight test crew. But the data will clear the way for Project Sunrise. The world's longest commercial passenger routes. Sydney to London and eventually Sydney to New York. Qantas ordered 12 of these ultra long range jets back in 2022. The extra rear center fuel tank carries an additional 5,300 gallons, stretching the range from about 9,100 nautical miles to 10,000. On this return leg, the crew tested fuel management, air conditioning systems and the flight crew rest area while simulating the longest possible commercial profile, including potential diversions. Airbus confirmed it was the longest flight ever flown by one of their aircraft. More than 3.6 million people tracked it on Flight Radar 24, the second most watched flight in the site's history. The Sydney London service is expected to begin daily operations in October 2027. Lasting up to 22 hours, the plane will carry only 238 passengers across four cabins, giving everyone more space plus a well being zone for stretching and snacks. Qantas has partnered with scientists from the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins center to redesign lighting, meal timing and even ingredients. Caffeine and chili at breakfast, for example, to fight jet lag. Earlier research flights already showed that passengers following these protocols had better cognitive performance and milder jet lag in the days after arrival. The North Pole route will be used in Northern Hemisphere winters to take advantage of favorable jet streams. This is the kind of private sector innovation that actually expands human possibility. Longer range, better passenger experience, fewer connections, no government mandates required. Just engineering, testing and ambition. And that's your first look this Thursday. Quick recap. Fauci hid behind the fifth more than 100 times while Rand Paul had and Bernie Moreno tried to make him answer for the COVID catastrophe. Americans of every stripe demand voter ID and proof of citizenship, yet Senate Democrats keep blocking the save act. And a record breaking 24 hour Qantas test flight just brought non stop Sydney London service one big step closer. We'll keep following all of it. I'm Dave Rubin. Thanks for starting your day with first look. See you tomorrow.
Date: July 30, 2026
Host: Dave Rubin
Segment: First Look
In this episode of The Rubin Report, Dave Rubin delivers sharp commentary on three major stories shaking the headlines: Anthony Fauci’s explosive congressional hearing, latest polling on voter ID and citizenship requirements, and a world-record-breaking nonstop flight from Australia to France by Qantas. The episode features Rubin’s signature no-nonsense tone, with pointed critiques of political and media establishments and praise for private sector achievements.
[00:04 – 06:40]
Fauci’s Fifth Amendment Defense
Rand Paul's Confrontation
Legal Concerns Linger
Hearing Erupts: Lawyer Ejected
Bernie Moreno’s Outburst and the People’s Pain
[06:40 – 10:00]
Polling Data
Political Stalemate
Criticism of Democratic Narratives
[10:00 – 13:56]
Historic Flight
Technical Achievements
Impact on Air Travel
Human Factors Science
[13:56 – End]
Closing Quote:
“Thanks for starting your day with first look. See you tomorrow.” — Dave Rubin, [14:10]
| Segment | Start | Theme | |----------------------------------------|--------|---------------------------------------------| | Fauci Senate Hearing | 00:04 | Congressional grilling and legal showdown | | Voter ID Polling & Politics | 06:40 | National support vs. Senate stall | | Qantas Record Flight | 10:00 | Technological milestone, travel innovation | | Recap & Closing | 13:56 | Main takeaways and sign-off |
This summary delivers the heart of Dave Rubin’s episode: a demand for transparency, accountability, and common-sense policy, matched with respect for technological progress and public sentiment. Rubin’s tone is cutting, direct, and unapologetically skeptical of government and media narratives, championing both the public’s will and the power of private sector achievement.