40 h. ago Chicago mayor announces measures to ‘protect our people’ from imminent influx of federal agents on Trump’s orders

Brandon Johnson warns that the city could see ‘some type of militarized activity by the federal government’ within days

Politics

48 h. 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

66 h. 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

66 h. ago Lawyer for Federal Reserve governor targeted by Trump says firing does ‘irreparable harm’ – US politics live

Lisa Cook’s attorney argues she should be allowed to carry on in her role until court makes ruling White House picks Kennedy deputy to replace fired CDC chiefA visit to Taiwan by two US senators has drawn criticism from China, which claims the island as its own and objects to any contact between officials of the two sides.The chair of the Senate armed services committee, Roger Wicker, and the Nebraska senator Deb Fischer arrived in Taipei on Friday for a series of high-level meetings with senior Taiwanese leaders to discuss US-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade and investment, according to the American Institute in Taiwan, Washington’s de facto embassy in lieu of formal diplomatic relations with the self-governing island democracy.A thriving democracy is never fully assured and we’re here to talk to our friends and allies in Taiwan about what we’re doing to enhance worldwide peace. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. 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

3 d. 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

3 d. ago Judge won't halt closure of 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigration detention center in Florida Everglades

A federal judge in Miami has refused to pause her order requiring the winding down of the immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz” while the federal government appeals her ruling

Events

3 d. ago How Elon Musk’s billionaire Doge lieutenant took over the US’s biggest MDMA company

Antonio Gracias is part of the growing movement among Silicon Valley’s right wing enamored with the therapeutic and commercial potential of drugs like MDMAMonths before Antonio Gracias took a leading role in the “department of government efficiency’s” dismantling of the federal government, he was at Burning Man.In the dusty Nevada desert, Gracias, a billionaire private equity investor and one of Elon Musk’s closest friends, attended Nova Heaven, a sunrise rave tribute to victims of the Hamas-led 7 October terrorist attack, and found himself dancing next to Rick Doblin – the US’s most prominent advocate for psychedelic drugs. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ to be vacated in compliance with court order to shut it

Reported email by Florida official confirms state will shutter prison though governor Ron DeSantis has appealedFlorida’s immigration jail known as “Alligator Alcatraz” will probably be empty of detainees within days, a state official has said, indicating compliance with a judge’s order last week that the facility must close.The Republican governor Ron DeSantis’s administration appealed the order by federal court judge Kathleen Williams that the tented detention camp in the Florida Everglades, which attracted criticism for its harsh conditions, must be dismantled within 60 days. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Trump extends control over Washington by taking management of Union Station away from Amtrak

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says his department is taking management of Washington's main transportation hub away from Amtrak, in another example of how the federal government is exerting its power over the nation’s capital

Politics

4 d. ago The Colorado River is in trouble. Some groups want the government to step up

A group of environmental advocates earlier this year sent a petition to the federal government with a simple, seemingly obvious message: Ensure that water from the imperiled Colorado River is only being delivered for reasonable and beneficial uses

Politics

5 d. ago Australia has ‘high level of confidence’ Iran behind antisemitic attacks as ambassador spotted leaving embassy

There is no accusation Ahmad Sadeghi, the embassy or Iranian diplomats in Australia were involved in any attacksFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Australian government has rubbished denials from Iran over accusations its military wing had directed antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne, with the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, claiming evidence of direct links from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the arson attacks.It comes as Iran’s ambassador to Australia, Ahmad Sadeghi, was spotted leaving the Canberra embassy on Wednesday after becoming the first ambassador to be booted by the federal government since the second world war. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago ‘Trump has no authority’: Lisa Cook’s lawyer vows to sue administration over attempted firing of Fed governor – live

Federal Reserve governor’s lawyer says Trump administration’s effort to fire her ‘lacks any factual or legal basis’Lisa Cook to sue Trump over attempt to fire herLev 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

5 d. 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

5 d. 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

5 d. 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

5 d. 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

6 d. ago Donald Trump 'sacks' Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook in never

Donald Trump has launched another move to exert his own influence over America's institutions by announcing the sacking of Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook - a first in its 111-year history

Politics

6 d. ago Trump moves to fire Fed governor Lisa Cook in escalating attack on bank’s independence

Departure of Cook, first Black woman to sit on central bank’s board, would allow US president to put forward a replacementDonald Trump has said he is firing the Federal Reserve governor, Lisa Cook, over allegations she committed mortgage fraud, in an extraordinary move that marks the latest escalation in the US president’s attack on the central bank’s independence.Trump wrote to Cook on Monday, telling her that he was removing her from her position “effective immediately”, based on the allegation from one of his allies that she had obtained a mortgage on a second home she incorrectly described as her primary residence. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago Federal Reserve governor 'fired' by Trump issues scathing rebuke claiming president has no authority over central bank

Cook's sacking was the first in the 111-year history of the Federal Reserve, as Trump all but guaranteed a replacement that would back the president's calls to slash interest rates.

Politics