A single line often inverts meaning once you see what it
answers, so neighbouring messages are always shown.
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May 24, 2007 - Went to Sons of Italy Annual NELA (National Education Leadership Awards) dinner at the Washington Grand Hyatt Hotel on 10th and H Streets. I took Megan with me and she really enjoyed it. Sitting at our table was Nancy Pelosi and Rosa DeLauro. Megan got to meet and speak with them as well as Hilary Clinton, Geraldine Ferraro, Italian Ambassador Castellenata among others. Megan was amazed as Sen. Clinton was on her way out after having presented Geraldine Ferraro with an Award and we thought that we would not have the opportunity to introduce her to Megan. Hilary walked past me, caught my eye and gave a big smile, and threw her arms around me in greeting. Megan could not believe it. I introduced Megan and Clinton asked about her school and her plans for next year. May 24 - June 17, 2007 - Extremely busy: Sometime since last entry (May 24) I was informed by Jack Marberger (Science Advisor to the POTUS) that I would be receiving the National Medal of Science in a White House ceremony in July. I am humbled. Also, Scooter Libby convicted by seemingly vengeful and self-absorbed Judge Reggie Walton and sentenced to 30 months - amazingly excessive! Also, Walton published all of the letters written on Scooter's behalf including mine. Other letter writers were Paul Wolfowitz, Donald Rumsfeld, General Pace, Henry Kissinger, etc. Science magazine (Jon Cohen) wrote a small piece about my writing a letter. He originally thought that I would be in trouble since I did it on Government Stationary. Sorry John - I got clearance by OGC - Ethics Division since the CFR says that I can do this. Typical Jon, good person that he is, he is still trying to get me on something - the instincts of a reporter!
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June 3, 2007 - Gave Commencement address to Megan's NCS graduating class. It was a thrill giving it from the main pulpit at the National Cathedral. It was extremely well received; got many, many personal comments and e-mails. Please see text of speech in my files. Megan won many awards - Science Award, Community Service Award, Major Award voted by students as best all-around student, Major Award voted by faculty as best all-around student (first time at NCS that same student got both)
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June 4, 2007 - Underwent Board of Scientific Counselors 4 year review of my laboratory - Laboratory of Immunoregulation. I received the highest possible score (Outstanding). I had been preparing for this review for almost 1 year since I wanted to nail it given that I am Director of NIAID and my review would be carefully scrutinized.
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June 6, 2007 - Major, major world publicity regarding patient who had Extensively Drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) and traveled by plane to a number of countries in Europe despite somewhat bungled instructions by Georgia (he is from Atlanta) Health Officials and the CDC to not travel. The CDC looking real clumsy on this and the media continue to go after Julie Gerberding (Director, CDC) about this and other issues. I believe that she is being treated unfairly by the press and the Congress. In any event, I appeared with Julie and a customs official (Speaker crossed the border from Canada to New York after secretly flying from Prague to Montreal) at a Senate Appropriations Committee Hearing (Tom Harkin, Chair) on the subject. I was there to discuss the science of TB. Julie got slammed by the Committee and Speaker was on the next panel and said that the CDC was lying. What a mess. I was on major media appearances for the next week - Nightline, NBC News, 20/20 (about Heimlich and malaria treatment for HIV), NPR Morning Edition, WTOP Radio, CNN American Morning, etc)
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2007-06-18 00:00
Anthony S. Fauci
June 18, 2007 - Informed by Don Koshland of the Lasker Foundation that I will be awarded the Lasker Award for Public Service in September ($150,000.00) - amazing. Thus, in 2007 I have won the Kober Medal for Physician Scientist, the National Medal of Science for Basic and Clinical Research and now the Lasker Award for Public Service. I have a lot to be thankful for! Ironically, had dinner over Ellen and Gerry Sigal's house last night with Joe Wilson, Bill Wilson and Melody (Confidante of the Kennedy's), Richard and Donna Ben-Veniste, Judge Judy who is trying the crazy $54 million "lost pants in the Dry Cleaners case and her husband Greg. I mentioned to Ellen that if Joe was pissed at me because I wrote a letter for Scooter, then I would not come to the dinner. Joe was very gracious and insisted that I be there. We had a good discussion and he said that he understood why I wrote the letter. He, however, is filing a civil suit against VP Cheney, Karl Rove, and Scooter and so it is not over yet. Amazing how different are the perspectives of what happened between Scooter and Joe/Valerie. I am in the unusual situation of being friends with both parties.
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June 18, 2007 - Accompanied First Lady Laura Bush at Howard University Hospital for a roundtable discussion of the implementation by Howard of the new CDC recommendations for the "Routinization" of HIV testing. Celia Maxwell (former NIAID fellow) led the discussion for Howard. Very cordial interactions with the First Lady and her staff, particularly Katy Montgomery. She was engaged and interactive. Very hot day in DC - sunny, slightly hazy and 94 degrees F. I explained to her the benefits that are coming out of this testing program as well as the PEPFAR program internationally.
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June 18, 2007).
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June 21, 2007 - Met with Nancy Pelosi in her "Speakers Office" at the Capitol to discuss the funding of the University of California at SF Center for AIDS Research (CFAR). They did not get the funding amount that they had hoped for and we finally worked it out to everyone's satisfaction by getting some extra money from OAR and the NHLBI to give them the additional $771,000.00 that they requested. Nancy was satisfied. I went with Elias Zerhouni and Marc Smolonsky from OLA at NIH. Her main staffer was Scott Brule. Nancy was as usual very warm and cordial to me. We discussed a plan that she had to get extra money to the NIH through a budget supplemental. She felt that if we wrap in the cancer package, all of the Congress would be in favor even though it was understood that it would go way beyond cancer. Elias and I and Marc will world on a strategic plan for the initiative and get back to her. Visited by USA Ambassador to Indonesia (just appointed) Cameron Hume. I know Cameron from time he was Ambassador to South Africa and we (Cliff Lane) established the Phidisa Project with the South African Military to treat HIV infection in the military. Cameron left South Africa and became (briefly) Ambassador to Sudan (during the Darfur crisis). He is on his way to take over in Jakarta and wanted me to brief him on Pandemic Influenza threat and what the USA is doing in this area. Indonesia is a hot spot for recent cases of chicken to human H5N1 Chris and I had dinner tonight at the home of Australian Ambassador to the USA Dennis Richardson and his wife Betty to celebrate the visit of immunologist Ian Frazer (wife Caroline) who is the 2006 Australian of the Year. His research led to the development of the HPV vaccine with Merck (Gardasil). Good food and conversation at the beautiful Ambassador's residence at 3120 Cleveland Avenue, N.W. Balmy Spring night in DC. June 21 - July 4, 2007 - POTUS commuted 30 month jail sentence for Scooter Libby, but did not pardon him. The conservatives are enraged that the POTUS did not go far enough to pardon Scooter and the liberals are saying that the commutation was a "disgrace". Went to the Gala Dinner of "The Golden Plate" with Chris. Usual celebrity gala. Met Hillary Swank for the first time. Others at the dinner were Alberto Gonzales, Margaret Spellings, David Rubenstein (Carlyle Group), and many many others. Sitting at Table with Chris and me were: Gen. Ralston (former Chairman of Joint Chiefs) Mac Macarty (former Chief-of-Staff to Pres. Clinton, Ann Venneman (UNICEF Director and former Sec. Dept. of Agriculture. Entertainment by Brooks and Dunn - country singers who were fantastic (winner of many country music awards) Went to a Cocktail Buffet at Jamie Gorelick's house on June 30 and met with the usual cast of DC notables: Richard Ben-Veniste, Bill Jeffress (Scooter's lawyer), David Ignatius of the Washington Post, Seth Waxman (lawyer), Judy Woodruff (PBS), Al Hunt (Bloomberg News), Mark Shields (Newshour), etc. Living discussions about Washington Politics, including the fact that I wrote a letter for Scooter.
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July 5 - 7, 2007 - Went to the Aspen Ideas Festival in Aspen, CO. Presented a session on "Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases: The Perpetual Challenge to Global Health". Beautiful mountain weather - warm, no humidity, clear skies. Met and interacted with many, many notable people: Colin Powell, Bob Hormats (Vice-Chairman of Goldman Sachs), Rahm Emanuel, Tim Wirth, Margaret Spellings, Dan Glickman (former Sec. Agriculture and current CEO of Motion Picture Association of America), Walter Isaacson (CEO of Aspen Institute), Jim Woolsey (Former Director CIA), Jim Lehrer and his wife Kate (Lehrer NewsHour), and many, many more. Very enjoyable experience. Perhaps started a friendship with Corby Kummer, whom I had not met or heard of before. He is senior editor at The Atlantic magazine. He is one of the most { was respected food journalists and he "narrated" the meal that was served to us at a very elegant dinner on July 6 at Plato's restaurant hosted by Booz, Allan, Hamilton. They brought in a chef from Denver and provided a meal made only from local ingredients (lamb, vegetables, corn soup, etc.). We had long discussions and we flew back together from Aspen to Denver. He offered Chris and me use of his Boston Apartment when we come to Boston to visit Jenny.