DR. ANTHONY FAUCI getting vaccinated in December 2020 (NIH)

The United States is headed toward a self-inflicted crisis over vaccination from coronavirus, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert said Sunday.

According to the Associated Press, Fauci said, “We’re going into the wrong direction.” The advent of the COVID-19 vaccines, combined mask-wearing and social distancing reduced new coronavirus cases, deaths and hospitalizations, but now the virus is making a deadly comeback.

About half of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated, but among those not inoculated, the illness is surging.

“This is an issue predominantly among the unvaccinated, which is the reason why we’re out there, practically pleading with the unvaccinated people to go out and get vaccinated,” Fauci said.

The New York Times is reporting that – over a 14-day period – new cases in the U.S are up 172 percent and deaths by 19 percent. So far, over 600,000 Americans have died from the disease.

Wildfires rage across NorCal and Oregon

THE DIXIE FIRE in northern California has burned 300 acres.

Summer is wildfire season in the Pacific Coast area, with 88 major fires blazing across 13 states, according to USA Today. The two biggest are the Dixie Fire in northern California and the Bootleg Fire in Oregon.

Rugged terrain and dry conditions are blamed for the difficult in containing such fires. The  Bootleg Fire has scorched over 640 square miles. Dixie has burned about 300 square miles and destroyed over 20 homes and buildings.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency for four northern counties.

USA men’s basketball falls to France

Missing most of its NBA superstars, the U.S men’s basketball team lost 83-76 to France in its opening game of the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday, snapping a 25-game winning streak.  The game was close until the final minutes, when the French went on a 16-2 run to gain the lead and the win. The U.S. missed its final nine shots.

The victory was not a surprise, as the French team defeated the U.S squad in the Basketball World Cup tournament in China in 2019.

“I think that’s a little bit of hubris if you think the Americans are supposed to just roll out the balls and win,” U.S. coach Gregg Popovich said. “We’ve got to work for it just like everybody else. And for those 40 minutes, they played better than we did,” according to the Associated Press.

The U.S. women’s gymnastics team placed second in the qualifying round to the Russians, but still has a shot at gold in later rounds.