Diary of Fauci, Government Groceries?, E-Bike Takeover: 7/31/26 | The Wrap Up | PragerU Kids

Dr. Anthony Fauci's own diary gets him in hot water as he pleads the fifth over a hundred times before Congress. New York City Mayor Zoran Mondani unveils government-run grocery stores that economists call a disaster in the making. Hundreds of teenagers on e-bikes swarm downtown Orlando, blowing through red lights and stopping traffic. And a 16-year-old lifeguard in California becomes a national hero after a daring rescue catches the attention of the White House. We'll get into all that and your quick hits now. What's up, guys? Welcome to The Wrap-Up, where we break down the biggest stories of the week that you might have missed but definitely need to know. I'm your host, Kacey. We begin in Washington, D.C. For years, Dr. Anthony Fauci has denied personally pushing for COVID-19 lockdowns and school closures while leading the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. But this week, his own diary told a different story. On Saturday, Senator Rand Paul released more than 1,100 pages of Fauci's diary entries, written between December 2019 and December 2022. In one entry, Fauci wrote that he personally convinced New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to close the city's schools, bars, and restaurants. In another, he described urging Los Angeles County officials to impose lockdowns, even as the public pushed back. The diary also raised questions about how deadly the virus really was. In February 2020, Fauci privately estimated COVID-19's death rate at just 0.2 to 0.3%. But weeks later, while testifying before Congress, he gave a much higher estimate of about 3%. Around the same time, he said on television that even a 1% death rate would make the virus 10 times more lethal than the seasonal flu. Those higher public estimates helped support months of school closures across the country. And those closures came at a real cost. Research published since the pandemic shows that American students fell behind in math and reading. In some states, students lost the equivalent of a full grade level or more. Many still haven't caught up. And the timing of the diary's release was no accident. Senator Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee, has spent years accusing Fauci of misleading the public. The diary came out just days before Fauci was scheduled to testify under subpoena on Wednesday. At the hearing, Fauci didn't answer any questions. Instead, he opened by saying he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right to refrain from answering your questions. He repeated a version of that statement more than 100 times. Fauci accused Paul of trying to get him to say something that could be used against him. Democrats on the committee defended Fauci's decision to plead the fifth and called the hearing a distraction. But Senator Paul said he isn't finished. He announced that the committee will vote next week on whether to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress. Up next, New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani rolled out his government-run grocery store plan this week. Economists are already calling it a disaster in the making. Mamdani announced five city-owned supermarkets, one in each borough. Each store will offer a mandatory 30% discount on essential staples like meat, produce, milk and cheese. Standing on stage, the socialist mayor pitched government price controls as the fix for rising food costs. Today, I am proud to announce a collection of essential staples that will be predictably 30% cheaper at all five of our city-run grocery stores. The backlash came fast. Economists and business leaders say a permanent 30% discount isn't sustainable without massive taxpayer subsidies. That's about $78 million to taxpayers in one year alone, but the recurring costs after that. History offers a bigger warning. Government-run grocery stores were a hallmark of the old Soviet economy. They were known for long lines and bare shelves, not the discounts Mamdani is promising. Beyond the price tag, opponents worry about neighborhood bodegas and small grocers. Those businesses survive on free market competition, but they can't compete with a government store that doesn't pay rent or taxes. Critics say subsidized city-run stores could push both shoppers and taxpayers out of the very neighborhoods they're meant to help. That could create a downward spiral for local businesses already running on thin margins. In our next story, hundreds of teenagers on e-bikes and scooters swarmed downtown Orlando recently in what police are calling a teen takeover. The teens blew through red lights and blocked traffic. Videos showed the group weaving through an intersection while an ambulance, lights flashing, was trying to get through. One bystander said, It was definitely a safety risk. There's a lot of traffic in Orlando. Police detained several teens and issued criminal citations, then released them to their parents. But beyond the chaos of a takeover, e-bikes carry a real safety risk of their own, even when ridden responsibly. E-bike sales have more than quadrupled over the past five years, and injuries have climbed right along with them. Nearly 41% of all emergency room visits for e-bike injuries in 2024 and 2025 involved kids between the ages of 10 and 19. At one children's hospital in Southern California, e-bikes caused just one trauma visit in 2021. By 2025, they were the number one cause of trauma visits at that hospital. The danger comes down to physics. E-bikes are heavier and faster than regular bicycles, making them harder for young, inexperienced riders to control. Most youth models are capped around 20 miles per hour, but some riders illegally remove that limit, making crashes even more dangerous. So if you're heading out on an e-bike this summer, wear all your protective gear, follow the rules of the road, and know the laws in your state before you ride. And in our final story, a California teenager is being hailed a hero and may soon be headed to the White House. 16-year-old lifeguard rider Williams was on duty at Santa Cruz's Seabright Beach on Saturday when a massive tsunami-like wave swept a young boy into the churning surf. Video of the rescue went viral almost instantly. Williams repeatedly vanished beneath crashing waves, refusing to loosen his grip on the child even as the surf pounded them both. Witnesses said beachgoers tried forming a human chain to help, but the powerful waves broke it apart. Williams eventually muscled the boy safely back to shore. Williams didn't stop to celebrate. He sprinted to get more help before paramedics arrived, then went right back to his lifeguard tower to keep watch over the beach for the rest of the evening. The rescue caught the attention of the White House. President Trump praised Williams in a post on X, saying he plans to invite the teen and his family, and possibly the boy he saved, to Washington. "'Very brave. He deserves it,' Trump wrote, adding that he wants to award Williams a high civilian honor. Eric Trump echoed the sentiment, calling Williams, "'Truly the best of America.'" And now it's time for a quick hit. Six Flags' Great Adventure unveiled a new roller coaster set to break six world records when it opens in 2027. Standing 382 feet tall and hitting speeds up to 100 miles per hour, it'll feature the world's first upside-down launch on free-spinning, floorless trains. And in case once isn't enough, riders will do the whole thing twice — forwards and in reverse. About 150 wild ponies and more than 60 foals swam across the channel from Assateague to Chincoteague Island, Virginia, this week for the 101st annual Pony Swim. The tradition dates back to 1925 as a fundraiser for the local volunteer fire company. Tomorrow, the foals go up for auction to keep the wild herd at a sustainable size. Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupted Tuesday night, sending lava fountains soaring up to 500 feet into the sky. It's the volcano's 52nd eruptive episode since December 2024. Thankfully, officials expect the activity to stay contained within Halema'uma'u Crater, just like the eruptions before it. DoorDash just earned FAA certification to run its own commercial drone delivery service called DoorDash Air. The company says it's building its own drones in-house and aims to start real deliveries by fall. Tomorrow's forecast? Cloudy with a chance of meagwals. Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has topped $700 million worldwide in just 12 days, making it the fourth-highest-grossing movie of 2026 so far. The Matt Damon-led epic is on track to join this year's Billion Dollar Club within the coming week. Proof that a 3,000-year-old poem can still pack heaters. Thank you for watching The Wrap-Up. To make sure you never miss an episode, subscribe at FragerUKids.com. We'll see you back here next week on The Wrap-Up.