Fed governor Lisa Cook faces scrutiny as debates over Fed independence intensify and leadership questions surface.
The Supreme Court has ruled 6-3 that children born in the United States remain citizens under the 14th Amendment, rejecting President Trump’s executive order that sought to deny citizenship to babies born to parents on temporary or irregular legal status. Chief Justice John Roberts has invoked long-standing precedent, including United States v. Wong Kim Ark, and said the administration offered insufficient evidence to overturn that history.
The Supreme Court has ruled that presidents may fire heads of most independent agencies for cause, while preserving the Federal Reserve’s protections. The ruling expands executive power but still allows the Fed to remain insulated from political interference for now.
President Donald Trump has named Bill Pulte, the Federal Housing Finance Agency director and chair of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as acting director of national intelligence. Pulte will keep his housing posts, has no known intelligence experience and can serve up to 210 days without Senate confirmation, prompting bipartisan concern about politicising the intelligence community.
President Donald Trump has delayed Jay Clayton’s Senate confirmation and said Bill Pulte will remain acting director of national intelligence. Trump has tied progress on renewing Section 702 surveillance authority and Clayton’s confirmation to passage of a voter ID bill and has ordered Pulte to cut ODNI staff and return employees to their home agencies.
The Supreme Court has upheld Mississippi’s policy to count mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day but received up to five days later. The ruling preserves state flexibility on ballot receipt timing and shields thousands of ballots, including those from military voters, from being discarded. Justices Barrett writes for the majority; Alito dissents.