The Latest: Fed Gov. Lisa Cook sues Trump administration to block her attempted firing

Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook has sued the Trump administration in an effort to overturn the president’s attempt to fire her, launching an unprecedented legal battle that could significantly reshape the Fed’s longstanding political independence.

No president has sought to fire a Fed governor in the institution’s 112-year history until Trump posted a letter on his Truth Social media platform late Monday saying that Cook was fired. Trump said the reason for her removal were allegations that she committed mortgage fraud in 2021, before she was appointed to the board.

The Supreme Court has signaled that the president can’t fire Fed officials over policy differences, but he can do so “for cause,” typically meaning misconduct or neglect of duty.

The Latest:

Trump will deliver address to United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 23

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the president’s planned speech to the annual gathering of global leaders at the start of her Thursday news briefing.

Trump administration subs Human Rights Council again

The United States will not take part in an upcoming council review of its human rights record scheduled for November, wrote Tressa Finerty, the U.S. charge d’affaires in Geneva, in a letter to the U.N. human rights chief, Volker Türk.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter, which was dated Thursday.

The council examines the rights records of all 193 U.N. member countries about every four or five years, and the U.S. is due for its next review on Nov. 7.

Finerty said the decision followed an executive order in February by President Donald Trump announcing that the United States was withdrawing from the council, and that engagement in the review “would imply endorsement of the Council’s mandate and activities.”

The first Trump administration, citing the council’s alleged anti-Israel bias and refusal to reform, pulled the United States out in 2018, before the Biden administration brought the U.S. back. The United States still took part in the review process during Trump’s first term.

Obama: Trump’s expansion of military force on US soil puts ‘the liberties of all Americans at risk’

Former President Barack Obama lamented the “federalization and militarization of state and local police functions” in a social media post on X.

He shared a New York Times Opinion interview on the Trump administration’s growing comfort in wielding federal and local law enforcement to conduct its sweeping campaign of arrests against immigrants and criminals and whether it indicates a slide into authoritarianism.

The former president wrote that the “erosion of basic principles like due process and the expanding use of our military on domestic soil puts the liberties of all Americans at risk.”

Trump fires Democrat on Surface Transportation Board ahead of huge rail merger

Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie ahead of the board considering the largest railroad merger ever proposed.

Board member Robert Primus said on LinkedIn that he received an email from the White House last night terminating the position he’s held since he was appointed by Trump in his first term.

Primus said the firing is “deeply troubling and legally invalid,” so he plans to continue serving until he’s blocked and then will consider legal challenges.

The board is set to consider Union Pacific’s acquisition of Norfolk Southern in the next two years. It must then decide whether to approve the nation’s first transcontinental railroad, which would reduce the number of major freight railroads in the U.S. to five.

Georgia senator calls RFK Jr. ‘a quack’

“Yesterday’s events are yet more evidence that putting a quack like Bobby Kennedy in charge of public health was a grave error,” Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff said in a statement Thursday.

“The Trump Administration has been engaged for months in a campaign to destroy the CDC, America’s preeminent disease-fighting agency,” he added. “The Administration’s extremism and incompetence are putting lives at risk.”

RFK Jr. sang the CDC director’s praises less than a month before pushing her out

Trump’s health secretary was effusive in his praise of Susan Monarez when he helped swear her in as director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In an Aug. 1 post on X, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., wrote: ” @CDCMonarez is a public health expert with unimpeachable scientific credentials. I have full confidence in her ability to restore the @CDCgov ’s role as the most trusted authority in public health and to strengthen our nation’s readiness to confront infectious diseases and biosecurity threats.”

Kennedy declined to directly comment Thursday on Fox and Friends on her ouster and the resignations of four other top agency officials, but expressed concerns that many more CDC staffers are not aligned with his and Trump’s health policies.

Marco Rubio say US ‘remains available’ for nuclear talks with Iran

The U.S. Secretary of State welcomed the announcement Thursday by the U.K., France and Germany to reimpose sanctions on Iran for failing to adhere to the 2015 nuclear deal.

The European countries triggered the “snapback” mechanism outlined in the original deal that would again freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran and penalize any development of its ballistic missile program, among other measures. The sanctions are expected to further squeeze Iran’s reeling economy.

“The United States appreciates the leadership of our E3 allies in this effort,” Rubio’s statement said, while adding that the U.S. “remains available for direct engagement with Iran – in furtherance of a peaceful, enduring resolution to the Iran nuclear issue.”

“Snapback does not contradict our earnest readiness for diplomacy, it only enhances it,” Rubio said.

Departing CDC staff say Susan Monarez’s firing was the final straw

Two departing scientific leaders at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say they knew it was time to quit when the agency’s director was pushed aside.

“We knew ... if she leaves, we don’t have scientific leadership anymore,” one of the officials, Dr. Debra Houry, told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Another official, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis said: “I came to the point personally where I think our science will be compromised, and that’s my line in the sand.”

Rwanda becomes third African nation to accept Trump’s deportees

Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said Thursday that seven deportees arrived in the East African country earlier this month as the Trump administration expands its program to send migrants to countries they have no ties with. No announcement was made at the time, and the government has not revealed their identities, nationalities, where they are being held and whether they have criminal records.

Makolo said the seven are being visited by United Nations representatives and Rwandan social services. She said three want to return to their home countries while the other four “wish to stay and build lives in Rwanda.”

South Sudan and Eswatini have already accepted a small number of deportees from the U.S. in what have also been secretive deals. Rwanda did say in early August that it had agreed to take up to 250 deportees but declined then to say when the first would arrive.

▶ Read more about the U.S. deportations to Africa

Wisconsin governor bemoans cost of ‘beautiful bill’ ahead of JD Vance visit

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers beat Vance to the punch ahead of the vice-president’s visit Thursday to promote Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”

Evers says the new law will cost Wisconsin taxpayers more than $284 million between now and when it’s fully implemented in 2028. Most of that comes from the law’s new work requirements for participation in state’s FoodShare and Medicaid programs and the shifting of costs from the federal government to the state.

“Wisconsinites aren’t getting a fair shake from Republicans in Washington—that’s plain as day,” Evers said.

Vance plans to visit a steel fabrication facility near the Minnesota border, in a congressional district held by a Republican that is a priority for Democrats to flip in 2026.

Trump proposes pre-midterm Republican convention

The president posted Thursday that he’s “thinking of recommending a National Convention to the Republican Party, just prior to the Midterms.”

“It has never been done before. STAY TUNED!!!” he added in the Truth Social post.

Conventions are typically held during election years so that parties can formally nominate candidates following state primaries. They also give candidates tons of free media coverage and exposure.

Trump’s proposal comes a day after Axios reported that senior Democrats were considering holding their own national convention before the 2026 midterms “to showcase candidates and emerging leaders of the party.”

Trump, von der Leyen talk after Russia launches another massive attack on Kyiv

European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X that she spoke on Thursday with both Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following Thursday’s major air strike on Kyiv that killed at least 17.

“Putin must come to the negotiating table,” von der Leyen added. “We must secure a just and lasting peace for Ukraine with firm and credible security guarantees that will turn the country into a steel porcupine.”

Border czar says he doesn’t like masks, but ICE agents need them

Responding to the Washington, D.C. mayor’s suggestion that masks make agents less effective in fighting crime, Tom Homan said that wasn’t “based on data.”

“Criminals have been wearing masks for a long time,” Homan said, and federal agents need them as well to keep their identities, and those of their families, from being published online and jeopardizing their safety.

“I don’t particularly like masks, but the agents need the mask,” Homan said. “ICE agents are doing what they gotta do.”

Powerful Senate Republicans calls for ‘oversight’ of CDC departures

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican of Louisiana, has called for the Senate’s health committee to provide oversight of the firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez.

“These high profile departures will require oversight by the HELP Committee,” Cassidy said in a tweet on Wednesday night.

Several CDC leaders have also departed the public agency over the last 24 hours.

Cassidy provided a key vote to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the nation’s health secretary.

Trump administration asks base outside Chicago for support

The Trump administration has asked a military base outside Chicago for support on immigration operations, the base said Thursday, signaling a push to expand its law enforcement crackdown to other cities.

The Department of Homeland Security has asked Naval Station Great Lakes for “limited support in the form of facilities, infrastructure, and other logistical needs to support DHS operations,” said Matt Mogle, spokesperson for the base 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of Chicago.

He said no decisions have been made on the request and that the base has not received an official request to support a National Guard deployment.

Closure of ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detention center can proceed, judge says

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.

What is Trump trying to do with the Federal Reserve?

The Supreme Court has signaled that the president can’t fire Fed officials over policy differences, but he can do so “for cause,” typically meaning misconduct or neglect of duty. Most legal experts say that a “for cause” removal requires some type of process that would allow Cook to respond to the charges, which hasn’t happened. Cook has not been charged with any crime.

The president’s decision comes as he has repeatedly attacked Fed Chair Jerome Powell and the other members of the Fed’s interest-rate setting committee for not cutting the short-term interest rate they control more quickly. Critics say Trump is just finding pretexts to open up seats for Trump loyalists who might allow him to control the central bank that’s a cornerstone of the global economy.

Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook sues the Trump administration

The lawsuit launches an unprecedented legal challenge that could significantly reshape the Fed’s longstanding political independence.

No president has sought to fire a Fed governor in the institution’s 112-year history, until Trump posted a letter on his Truth Social media platform late Monday saying Cook was fired. Trump cited accusations by one of his appointees that she committed mortgage fraud in 2021, before she was appointed to the board.

Weakening growth may, possibly, lead to an interest rate cut

Growth has weakened, with many companies pulling back on expansion projects amid the uncertainty of Trump’s tariff policies. Growth slowed to a 1.3% annual rate in the first half of the year, down from 2.5% in 2024.

The sluggishness in the job market is a key reason that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled last week that the central bank may cut its key interest rate at its next meeting Sept. 16-17. A cut could reduce other borrowing costs in the economy, including mortgages, auto loans, and business loans.

U.S. jobless numbers reflect a ‘no hire, no fire’ economy

Fewer Americans sought unemployment benefits last week as employers appear to be holding onto their workers even as the economy has slowed. Applications for the week ending Aug. 23 dropped 5,000 to 229,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday, and the unemployment rate remains a low 4.2%.

Measures of the job market are being closely watched on Wall Street and by the Federal Reserve as the most recent government data suggests hiring has slowed sharply since this spring. Job gains have averaged barely one-quarter of what they were a year ago. And while layoffs are low, hiring has also weakened as part of what many economists describe as a “no hire, no fire” economy.

Consumer spending a bit stronger as private investment drops

The Commerce Department also reported that consumer spending and private investment were a bit stronger in the second quarter than it had first estimated. Even so, private investment dropped at a 13.8% annual pace from April through June. That would be biggest drop since the second quarter of 2020 at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. A reduction in private inventories cut almost 3.3 percentage points off second-quarter GDP growth.

Trump has overturned decades of free trade policy with his double-digit taxes on imports from almost every country on Earth. Trump sees tariffs as a way to protect American industry, lure factories back to the United States and help pay for the massive tax cuts he signed into law July 4.

But mainstream economists — viewed with disdain by Trump and his advisers — say that his tariffs will damage the economy, raising costs and making protected U.S. companies less efficient as inflation rises.

U.S. economy rebounded amid Trump trade war fallout, government says

In an upgrade from its first estimate, the Commerce Department said Thursday that U.S. gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — expanded at a 3.3% annual pace from April through June after shrinking 0.5% in the first three months of 2025. The department had initially estimated second-quarter growth at 3%.

The first-quarter GDP drop, the first retreat of the U.S. economy in three years, was mainly caused by a surge in imports — which are subtracted from GDP — as businesses scrambled to bring in foreign goods ahead of Trump’s tariffs. That trend reversed as expected in the second quarter: Imports fell at a 29.8% pace, boosting April-June growth by more than 5 percentage points.

RFK, Jr., wants new CDC leaders to address ‘deeply embedded’ agency opposition

HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. declined to directly comment on the ouster of CDC Director Susan Monarez and the resignations of several other top agency officials in an appearance Thursday on Fox and Friends. But he signaled that he continues to have concerns about CDC officials being aligned with his and Trump’s outlook on health policy.

“So we need to look at the priorities of the agency, if there’s really a deeply, deeply embedded, I would say, malaise at the agency,” Kennedy said. “And we need strong leadership that will go in there and that will be able to execute on President Trump’s broad ambitions.”

The White House confirmed late Wednesday that Monarez was fired after it was determined she isn’t “aligned with” Trump’s agenda and refused to resign. She was sworn in as head of the CDC less than a month ago.

Fired CDC Director won’t leave because termination was legally invalid, lawyer says

Attorney Mark Zaid said in a post on X late Wednesday that CDC Director Susan Monarez, as a presidential appointee and Senate-confirmed officer, can be fired only by President Donald Trump.

Zaid says that instead, Monarez was informed of her firing by staff in the presidential personnel office. Zaid says that notification was “legally deficient” and that Monarez will remain as the public health agency’s leader.

Mystery surrounds $1.2 billion Army detention tent camp in Texas desert

The Trump administration awarded a $1.2 billion contract last month to build and operate what’s expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex. The money is going to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.

A member of Congress who recently toured the camp said she was concerned that such a small and inexperienced firm had been entrusted to build and run a facility expected to house up to 5,000 migrants.

Chicago doesn't want or need National Guard, Pritzker tells AP during city tour

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is doubling down on his message to Trump that the nation’s third-largest city doesn’t need or want military intervention to fight crime.

“We want to make sure and show off that there’s no emergency happening in Chicago,” the Democrat told The Associated Press during a walking tour Wednesday of a South Side neighborhood where revitalization has included an art studio, aquarium store and wine bar. “We’ve been trying to prevent crime and it’s been working.”

Pritzker, eyed as a possible 2028 presidential contender, has traded insults with Trump over his threats to deploy the National Guard to Chicago and Baltimore, as the administration has done in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

Pritzker and Chicago leaders vow to sue, but Pritzker meanwhile has convened news conferences, posted sarcastic social media and choreographed a campaign-style neighborhood stop to keep his city in the spotlight.

▶ Read more about Pritzker’s message to Trump

CDC director is fired and other agency leaders resign

The administration's efforts to force Monarez out coincides with the resignations this week of at least four top CDC officials.

They include Dr. Debra Houry, the agency’s deputy director; Dr. Daniel Jernigan, head of the agency’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, head of its National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; and Dr. Jennifer Layden, director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology.

In an email seen by an AP reporter, Houry lamented the damaging effects on the agency from planned budget cuts, reorganization plans and firings.

“I am committed to protecting the public’s health, but the ongoing changes prevent me from continuing in my job as a leader of the agency,” she wrote, noting the Trump administration's misinformation about vaccines and new limits on CDC communications.

In a different email, Daskalakis wrote: “I am no longer able to serve in this role any longer because of the ongoing weaponization of public health.”

▶ Read more about Monarez’s departure

Monarez' lawyers say she's been targeted for protecting the public

Susan Monarez’s lawyers Mark Zaid and Abbe David Lowell issued a statement Wednesday evening saying she had neither resigned nor 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.

“This is not about one official. It is about the systematic dismantling of public health institutions, the silencing of experts, and the dangerous politicization of science.”

CDC director Susan Monarez is out after less than a month on the job

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

HHS officials did not explain why Monarez is no longer with the agency.

Before the department’s announcement, she told The Associated Press: “I can’t comment.”

Monarez was the agency’s 21st director and the first to pass through Senate confirmation following a 2023 law. She was sworn in July 31 — less than a month ago, making her the shortest-serving CDC director in the history of the 79-year-old agency.

▶ Read more about Monarez’s sudden departure

FDA limits COVID shot access for millions of adults and children

U.S. regulators approved Pfizer’s updated COVID-19 shot Wednesday but with limits that could complicate access for millions of American adults and children.

Pfizer said in a release its vaccine is now approved for all seniors to protect against the virus this fall. But the Food and Drug Administration narrowed its use for younger adults and children to those with at least one high-risk health condition, such as asthma or obesity. That presents new barriers to access for millions of Americans who’d have to prove their risk — and millions more who may want to get vaccinated and suddenly no longer qualify.

This year’s updated vaccines target a newer version of the continuously evolving virus and are set to begin shipping immediately. But it could be days or weeks before many Americans know if they’ll be able to get one, with access dependent on various decisions by federal health advisers, private health insurers, pharmacies and state authorities.

The new restrictions — previewed by FDA officials in May — are a break from the previous U.S. policy, which recommended an annual COVID-19 shot for all Americans 6 months and up.

Researchers send letter to FDA on abortion pill safety

More than 260 reproductive health researchers submitted a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday affirming the safety record of the abortion medication mifepristone.

In the letter, the researchers urge the FDA not to impose new restrictions on the drug and to make decisions based on “gold-standard science.”

Dr. Marty Makary, who leads the FDA, hasn’t committed to specific action on the pill, but many Americans wonder if there will be new restrictions under the Trump administration.

Medical professionals call it “among the safest medications” ever approved by the FDA. But a Christian conservative group that sued the FDA over the drug says it has caused “tens of thousands” of “emergency complications.”

Mifepristone is typically used with misoprostol in medication abortions, which make up close to two-thirds of abortions in the U.S.