Donald Trump on Monday announced he is firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, marking the first time a U.S. president has sought to fire a member of the U.S. central bank, less than a week after one of his allies accused her of mortgage fraud.
Cook, who refused to cede to Trump’s earlier calls for her to give up her position, made clear she intends to fight the president’s order.
“President Trump purported to fire me ‘for cause’ when no cause exists under the law, and he has no authority to do so,” she said in a statement. “I will not resign.”
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Meanwhile, Trump is continuing his crackdown on the nation’s capital over what he falsely described as “out of control” crime in the city and has threatened to send National Guard troops to more Democratic-run cities, including Chicago.
Despite the president’s efforts to dismiss the Jeffrey Epstein controversy as a “Democrat hoax,” Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), the chair of the House Oversight Committee, announced the panel has sent a subpoena to the estate of the disgraced financier for documents, including a 2003 book reportedly containing a bawdy note from Trump to the sex offender who died in 2019 under circumstances many have called into question.
See previous updates here, and read the latest below:
Trump’s White House Is ‘Bothsidesing’ Putin’s Bloody Attacks On Ukraine
Trump's White House is now “bothsidesing” – literally ― Russia’s bloody and ongoing attacks on Ukraine.
In one of her periodic briefings, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday essentially equated dictator Vladimir Putin’s near-nightly slaughter of Ukrainian civilians in their homes with Ukraine’s retaliatory strikes against Russia’s oil production infrastructure.
“Perhaps both sides of this war are not ready to end it themselves,” she said.
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Trump Takes Aim At Brutalist And Deconstructivist Architecture
With a new executive order, Trump aims to impose his aesthetic preferences on the nation’s federal infrastructure.
The document signed Thursday strongly encourages the General Services Administration to approve plans for buildings with “classical and traditional architecture” over Brutalist or Deconstructivist styles. If a plan moves forward that does not align with Trump’s aesthetic preferences, the order stipulates that the GSA must inform the president within a specific time frame and provide a detailed rationale for the decision to deviate.
The order applies to all federal courthouses, all agency headquarters, all D.C.-based federal buildings and all building projects with a price tag of $50 million or more. It does not apply to things like roads or land ports.
Deconstructivism is associated with “postmodern” architecture, such as the Sydney Opera House. Brutalism is a 20th-century style associated with concrete and blocky, severe forms.
As the order notes, the Founding Fathers "sought to use classical architecture to visually connect our contemporary Republic with the antecedents of democracy in classical antiquity, reminding citizens not only of their rights but also their responsibilities in maintaining and perpetuating its institutions." However, variables such as cost and evolving tastes have led to federal buildings erected in a variety of styles.
JD Vance Says Minneapolis Shooting Means It’s Time For ‘Tough Questions’ On Psychiatric Meds
Vice President JD Vance joined Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to cast doubt on long-approved psychiatric medications and insinuate there could be a link between them and mass shootings.
Speaking at an event to promote Trump’s tax bill in Wisconsin, Vance took a moment to address the shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school that left two dead on Wednesday.
“This happens too much in our country. And if you look, we really do have, I think, a mental health crisis in the United States of America,” Vance said.
“We take way more psychiatric medication than any other nation on earth,” he said.
“And I think it's time for us to start asking some very hard questions about the root causes of this violence. And I’m going to be part of that, and the first lady and the president are going to be part of that. That's going to be an American conversation that we have together,” he said before leading a prayer for the students.
Kennedy sparked the ire of Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith, a Democrat, who told him to “just shut up” and “stop peddling bullshit” Thursday after the health secretary went on Fox News to say he had ordered studies to be done on SSRI drugs “that might be contributing to violence.”
SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, include drugs like Prozac. Evidence doesn't support the suggestion that they cause mass shootings.
White House Says CDC Director Has To Go Because She Is ‘Not Aligned’ With Trump Politically
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declared that CDC Director Susan Monarez is not a good fit for her post after the administration attempted to fire her this week. She was sworn into her post just one month ago.
Monarez is fighting back with a lawsuit stating that she was being punished for refusing to “rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts.”
“Her lawyers' statement made it abundantly clear themselves that she was not aligned with the president’s mission to make America healthy again,” Leavitt told reporters at a briefing.
“It was President Trump that was overwhelmingly reelected on Nov. 5. This woman has never received a vote in her life. And the president has the authority to fire those who are not aligned with his mission,” Leavitt said.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others in the Trump administration have raised alarm in recent days with their baseless suggestions about autism, the efficacy of vaccines and the safety of SSRI medications.
A number of other CDC officials reportedly resigned in the wake of Monarez's attempted ouster.
The press secretary singled out one who had apparently used the term “pregnant people” to be more inclusive.
“That’s not someone that we want in this administration anyway,” Leavitt said.
Trump Tells Chicago To 'Stay Tuned' On Law Enforcement Takeover
The president again suggested that he might take steps to intervene in Chicago by claiming that crime there is out of control, as he has done in the nation's capital.
"Governor Pritzker had 6 murders in Chicago this weekend. 20 people were shot. But he doesn’t want to ask me for help," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"Can this be possible? The people are desperate for me to STOP THE CRIME, something the Democrats aren’t capable of doing. STAY TUNED!!!"
Jan. 6 Rioter Killed As She Stormed Capitol Will Receive Military Funeral Honors
Despite the fact that Ashli Babbitt attempted to climb through a shattered glass door inside the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers fled for their lives during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and ignored multiple commands to stand down before she was fatally shot, the U.S. Air Force has decided it will grant the deceased veteran a funeral replete with military honors.
The request, granted Aug. 15 by Air Force Under Secretary Matthew Lohmeier, reverses a Biden-era decision that had denied the honor. Babbitt illegally entered the U.S. Capitol during the mob assault, then-Air Force Lt. Gen. Brian Kelly said in a 2021 letter to the woman’s family. Honoring Babbitt, Kelly wrote, “would bring discredit upon the U.S. Air Force.”
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Trump Wants A Convention Ahead Of The Midterms
Trump teased a Republican National Convention ahead of the 2026 midterms to celebrate the "millions of people" who have joined the GOP and the party's success.
"The Republican Party is doing really well," Trump wrote Thursday on Truth Social. "Millions of people have joined us in our quest to MAKE AMERICA, GREAT AGAIN. We won every aspect of the Presidential Election and, based on the great success we are having, are poised to WIN BIG IN THE MIDTERMS. We have raised far more money than the Democrats, and are having a great time fixing all of the Country Destroying mistakes made by the Biden Administration, and watching the USA heal and prosper. The results are incredible, a record pace!!! In that light, I am thinking of recommending a National Convention to the Republican Party, just prior to the Midterms. It has never been done before. STAY TUNED!!! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA"
Trump Attacks Judge Over Utah Redistricting Decision
President Donald Trump attacked a Utah judge on Wednesday after she ruled that Republicans’ congressional maps in the state were unlawful.
“How did such a wonderful Republican State like Utah, which I won in every Election, end up with so many Radical Left Judges?” he wrote in a Truth Social post. “All Citizens of Utah should be outraged at their activist Judiciary, which wants to take away our Congressional advantage, and will do everything possible to do so.”
On Monday, Utah District Court Judge Dianna Gibson determined that the state legislature had disregarded an independent redistricting commission that voters supported when drawing its current maps.
Gibson has ordered that the state redo its maps, a move that could put at least one of its seats within Democrats’ reach.
First Lady Calls For Identifying 'Warning Signs' To Prevent School Shootings — But Doesn't Mention Guns
First lady Melania Trump stressed the need to identify behavioral "warning signs" to prevent potential school shootings, but she didn't mention the issue of guns at all in a social media post responding to the tragedy in Minneapolis.
"The tragic mass killing in Minnesota illuminates the need for pre-emptive intervention in identifying potential school shooters," she wrote. "Early warning signs are often evident, with many individuals exhibiting concerning behaviors and making violent threats online prior to their actions."
Trump urged parents and educators to conduct "behavioral threat assessments" in their homes, in schools and on social media in order to intervene and preemptively avert possible violence.
The approach Trump described is similar to the rationale behind "red flag laws," which in more than twenty states that enable law enforcement and family members to petition for someone's firearms to be removed if there's evidence that they could pose a threat to themselves or others.
These laws depend heavily on awareness and implementation to work, however, and experts have long emphasized that other policies also play an important role.
"There are other laws that are supported by evidence as well, such as prohibiting the purchase and possession of firearms after a violent misdemeanour conviction, waiting periods and firearm licensing laws," Veronica Pear, a University of California, Davis, professor who studies gun violence, told PolitiFact in 2022.
CDC Director Leaves Position Less Than A Month After Being Sworn In, Top Resignations Follow
The newly appointed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Susan Monarez, has left her position, and a wave of other departures at the agency has followed.
“Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people,” the Department of Health and Human Services said in a post on X on Wednesday, less than a month after Monarez was sworn in on July 31.
“@SecKennedy has full confidence in his team at @CDCgov who will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious diseases at home and abroad,” the statement continued.
In a statement Wednesday evening, Monarez’s lawyers said she had not resigned or been told she was fired.
“When CDC Director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts, she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda. For that, she has been targeted,” the attorneys wrote.
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DC Mayor Muriel Bowser Praises Donald Trump’s Police Takeover
Mayor Muriel Bowser on Wednesday praised President Donald Trump’s surge of federal police into the city, saying it had significantly reduced carjackings.
Officers from various federal law enforcement agencies have backed up the city’s Metropolitan Police Department on patrol in the city for the past two-and-a-half weeks, with the White House taking credit for more than 1,000 arrests assisted by federal officers.
“We greatly appreciate the surge of officers that enhance what MPD has been able to do in this city,” Bowser said at a press conference. “The difference between this 20-day period of this federal surge and last year represents an 87% reduction in carjackings.”
Still, Bowser criticized two major aspects of Trump’s crime crackdown: Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers nabbing immigrants and the deployment of National Guard soldiers.
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Trump Is Weirdly Concerned With Seth Meyers’ NBC Contract
The president took a moment early this morning to complain about the business relationship between a TV network and a late-night host.
At nearly 2 a.m. ET, he posted to Truth Social: “There is a sick rumor going around that Fake News NBC extended the contract of one of the least talented Late Night television hosts out there, Seth Meyers.”
“He has no Ratings, Talent, or Intelligence, and the Personality of an insecure child,” Trump went on. “So, why would Fake News NBC extend this dope’s contract. I don’t know, but I’ll definitely be finding out!!!”
Trump did not say how he planned to find out, or whether he would take any action in the matter.
DNC Ends Meeting In Minneapolis After Deadly Church Shooting
The Democratic National Committee moved to adjourn its summer meeting in Minneapolis on Wednesday in response to a mass shooting at a nearby Catholic school that killed two children and wounded 17 other people.
On the last day of the meeting, most DNC members in attendance agreed to end the meeting in light of the Wednesday morning shooting during Mass at Annunciation Church. Police say a gunman opened fire through the church windows at children sitting in the pews before fatally shooting himself. Most of the casualties were children.
"As we leave here with heavy hearts, let's steel ourselves again in this work and why it's so important," DNC chair Ken Martin told attendees. "Everything we do, everything we do, is to make sure that things like this never happen again – especially to little, little children."
Donald Trump's D.C. Takeover Has National Guard Soldiers... Picking Up Trash?
We’re in our third week of President Donald Trump’s takeover of public safety in the nation’s capital, and here’s what it’s like: mostly the same.
Since there was no “crime emergency” to start with — the usual bad crime, yes, but no crescendoing crisis — things are not much different.
Read more here.
White House Is Monitoring Minnesota School Shooting
Trump noted on Truth Social that he has been briefed on the morning shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school, where a suspect is reportedly “contained.” The FBI is on the scene with local police.
“The White House will continue to monitor this terrible situation. Please join me in praying for everyone involved!” Trump wrote.
Maryland Governor Says Trump Is 'Obsessed With Me' After Debunking 'Greatest' Claim
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Tuesday that President Donald Trump “seems to be obsessed with me” as he again mocked the president’s claim that Moore called him “the greatest president of my lifetime.”
Appearing on CNN, the Democratic governor derided Trump’s “absolutely comical” recollection of their brief meeting at the Army-Navy game in December, as he noted how the president habitually refers to Moore’s looks.
Read more here.
Trump Prosecutor Fails To Indict D.C. Man Who Threw Sandwich At Federal Agent
A Washington, D.C., grand jury rejected felony charges against a man who threw a sandwich at a federal agent in protest of President Donald Trump’s crackdown in the nation’s capital, according to The New York Times.
Sean Dunn, a 37-year-old former employee of the Department of Justice, was charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer earlier this month after he allegedly threw a sandwich at him and shouted, “Fuck you! You fucking fascists! Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city!”
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Economic Council Head Suggests Fired Fed Governor Is A ‘Partisan’
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told reporters Wednesday that the allegations against fired Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook were “serious” and that Trump “absolutely has the authority” to fire her for cause.
The Trump administration has claimed Cook is the subject of a criminal mortgage fraud investigation. Hassett said she could have taken leave until the investigation was resolved.
"The fact that she is not doing that suggests that she is partisan and is trying to make a partisan stance which is contrary to the independence of the Fed," he said.
Earlier in the week, Cook asserted Trump had no authority to fire her and refused to step down.
Trump Tries To Normalize Having National Guard Troops In American Cities
Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in response to a supposed “crime emergency” in the nation’s capital could be a warmup for troops patrolling other American cities.
In an executive order on Monday, the president outlined plans for a “specialized unit” within the D.C. National Guard for fighting crime in the capital, plus similar units in every state, along with “a standing National Guard quick reaction force” available for quick deployment nationwide.
Randy Manner, a retired major general and former acting vice chief of the National Guard Bureau, said Trump is deploying armed National Guard soldiers to further his authoritarian political ambitions.
“It will intimidate the population and desensitize Americans to the fact that it’s normal for uniformed, armed military to be in our streets,” Manner, now with a group called National Security Leaders for America that warns of threats to democracy, told HuffPost in an interview.
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