3 h. ago Court stops Trump’s attempt to fire Fed Board Governor Lisa Cook

Ruling allows Federal Reserve official to participate in key rate-setting meeting this week

Events

61 h. ago Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook confirms second home status amid Trump fraud claims

Cook sued the Trump administration to block her firing following a row with the US President

Politics

3 d. ago Fed governor Lisa Cook listed contested home as vacation property

Documents appear to contradict White House allegation that she committed mortgage fraud

Society

3 d. ago Fed Governor Lisa Cook claimed 2nd residence as 'vacation home,' undercutting Trump fraud claims

Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook referred to a condominium she purchased in June 2021 as a “vacation home” in a loan estimate

Politics

5 d. ago Trump suffers blow in bid to fire Federal Reserve governor as judge rules Lisa Cook can stay during fight

Board member’s legal challenge to president’s attempted ouster supported by district court justice

Events

6 d. ago Lisa Cook to remain at Federal Reserve while fighting Trump’s attempt to fire her, judge rules

Agency governor is legally challenging Trump after he sought to remove her, citing unconfirmed mortgage fraud allegationsA federal judge has ruled that Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook can stay in her post while suing Donald Trump over his unprecedented bid to fire her.Cook is legally challenging the US president after he sought to remove her, citing unconfirmed allegations of mortgage fraud, amid an extraordinary campaign by his administration to strengthen its control over the US central bank. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago The ‘bizarre’ referral of the US housing finance agency chief to oust Lisa Cook

Former officials and experts say Bill Pulte’s request for inquiry into Fed governor’s alleged fraud is ‘unusual’The head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency embraced a highly unusual process to accuse Lisa Cook, a Federal Reserve governor, of committing mortgage fraud, former officials and experts have said. One former high-ranking official called the director’s involvement in a criminal referral “bizarre”.William Pulte, a businessman and major GOP donor whom Donald Trump appointed to head the powerful housing agency earlier this year, has accused Cook of committing mortgage fraud by misrepresenting her homes as a primary residence, potentially securing more favorable mortgage rates. The justice department formally opened a criminal investigation into whether Cook committed fraud and has issued subpoenas related to the transaction. Cook’s lawyers have called the discrepancies a “clerical error” and she has denied any wrongdoing. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago US justice department opens criminal inquiry into Fed governor Lisa Cook

Officials to investigate claims of mortgage fraud against Cook, who has refused to accept firing by Donald TrumpThe US justice department has initiated a criminal investigation into mortgage fraud claims against Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook as a lawsuit she filed against Donald Trump over her firing makes its way through court.Lawyers with the justice department have issued subpoenas for the investigation, according to the Wall Street Journal, who first reported the investigation, which has since been confirmed by multiple news publications. Continue reading...

Society

1 week ago US justice department reportedly opens criminal inquiry into Fed governor Lisa Cook

Officials to investigate claims of mortgage fraud against Cook, who has refused to accept firing by Donald TrumpThe US justice department has initiated a criminal investigation into mortgage fraud claims against Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, according to new reports, as a lawsuit she filed against Donald Trump over her firing makes its way through court.Lawyers with the justice department have issued subpoenas for the investigation, according to the Wall Street Journal. Continue reading...

Society

1 week ago Hundreds of economists sign open letter backing embattled Fed Governor Lisa Cook after Trump attacks

Notable and experienced economists warn elected officials that attacks on the Fed ‘undermine’ public confidence

Events

2 w. ago ‘Racist as hell’: Trump’s cabinet is almost all white, and he keeps firing Black officials

President’s targeting of Fed governor Lisa Cook highlights his efforts to remove diverse voices from governmentA day after Donald Trump announced that he was firing Lisa Cook, the first Black woman to serve on the board of governors of the Federal Reserve, the White House proudly released a photo. It showed Trump, his cabinet and other officials giving a thumbs-up. Of the 24 people in the Oval Office, only one was Black.For those who have studied the US president’s long and troubling history of racism, the two events were more than mere coincidence. They were indicative of a man who has recently brought white nationalist perspectives from the margins back to the mainstream. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago The Guardian view on Trump and the Fed: independence is no substitute for accountability | Editorial

The US president’s move against Lisa Cook shows his despotic bent, but the Fed was never democracy’s guardian. It’s time to rethink who really controls moneyDonald Trump’s attempt to sack the Federal Reserve governor, Lisa Cook, is the familiar authoritarian trick of bending institutions to serve the leader’s immediate ends. The widespread condemnation is deserved. This is not some daring experiment in popular control of monetary policy. Yet what should follow censure is reflection. For the furore over Ms Cook has revealed a peculiar reflex: to defend the Fed’s independence as though it were synonymous with democracy itself.But is independence of the Fed, or central banks generally, really that? Eric Levitz at Vox thinks so, or at least that it is close enough. He argues that Congress sets the Fed’s objectives; independence applies only to the means. Without independence, politicians would be free to game rates for votes – as Richard Nixon did in 1972, leaning on the ...

Politics

2 w. ago Lisa Cook, the Federal Reserve governor battling Donald Trump

Economist’s legal showdown with the president will have sweeping implications for the US central bank

Politics

2 w. ago Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook sues Trump after he ‘fired’ her

Trump’s unprecedented move against the central bank's leadership is an effort to ‘undermine the independence of the Federal Reserve’, Cook’s lawyer said

Politics

2 w. ago Trump signals he has ‘somebody I like’ to replace Lisa Cook, as Fed governor sues over removal – live

President’s comment comes amid reporting that he wants to quickly nominate a replacement as Cook resists attempt to force her outLev Menand, a law professor at Columbia law school, said Donald Trump’s attempt to fire Federal Reserve chief Lisa Cook is a “procedurally invalid removal under the statute”.Menand, who authored a book about the Fed’s actions during the coronavirus pandemic, also said for-cause firings are typically related to misconduct while in office, rather than based on private misconduct from before an official’s appointment. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook to sue Trump administration over its attempt to fire her

Cook’s attorney said the president has ‘no authority’ and ‘lacks any factual or legal basis’ to fire the Fed governorThe Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook will sue the Trump administration over its bid to fire her over unconfirmed allegations of mortgage fraud, her attorney has said.Donald Trump announced he was firing Cook on Monday night, in an extraordinary move that marks the latest escalation in the US president’s attack on the central bank’s independence. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Top Democrats fire back against Trump’s plan to remove Federal Reserve governor as Lisa Cook vows to not resign – live

Lisa Cook says ‘no cause exists under the law’ for Trump to remove her; president is accused of ‘cobbling together’ mortgage fraud allegations against herTrump moves to fire Fed governor Lisa CookLev Menand, a law professor at Columbia law school, said Donald Trump’s attempt to fire Federal Reserve chief Lisa Cook is a “procedurally invalid removal under the statute”.Menand, who authored a book about the Fed’s actions during the coronavirus pandemic, also said for-cause firings are typically related to misconduct while in office, rather than based on private misconduct from before an official’s appointment. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Who is Lisa Cook and can Trump actually fire the Fed governor he accuses of mortgage fraud?

President Trump has demanded the removal of the Biden appointee in what would mark an unprecedented move against the central bank's leadership

Politics

2 w. ago Trump fires Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook — she says she’s not going anywhere

Cook rejects Trump’s allegations that she may have falsified records for her mortgage and vowed to push back against the president’s ‘attempted illegal action’

Politics

2 w. ago ‘No cause exists under the law’: Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook responds to Trump’s move to fire her – live

Lisa Cook says she will not resign after Trump accused of ‘cobbling together’ mortgage fraud allegations against herTrump moves to fire Fed governor Lisa CookLev Menand, a law professor at Columbia law school, said Donald Trump’s attempt to fire Federal Reserve chief Lisa Cook is a “procedurally invalid removal under the statute”.Menand, who authored a book about the Fed’s actions during the coronavirus pandemic, also said for-cause firings are typically related to misconduct while in office, rather than based on private misconduct from before an official’s appointment. Continue reading...

Society