Trump accused of using mortgage fraud allegations as ‘weapon of choice’ to attack Fed
Donald Trump has been accused of wielding unconfirmed allegations of mortgage fraud as his “weapon of choice” to attack the Federal Reserve’s independence, as a governor at the central bank sues the president over his bid to fire her,In court on Friday, lawyers for Lisa Cook argued she was fired without the notice or “cause” required to remove a Fed governor,Cook learned of her removal from the board via a post on social media, they said,US district judge Jia Cobb is overseeing the case, which is widely expected to be ultimately decided by the supreme court,While it makes it way through the courts, Cook is seeking a temporary restraining order against Trump’s attempt to “immediately” dismiss her from the Fed’s board.
Cobb spent Friday’s hearing questioning the lawyers on what they believe constitute “cause” and “pretext” for the case.Abbe Lowell, Cook’s lawyer, said Trump and his ally Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, fired her after they haphazardly accused her of mortgage fraud.Pulte, using his access to mortgage records, said Cook illegally claimed that she had two primary residences to get a better mortgage.Lowell called the attack the administration’s “weapon of choice” after they tried to accuse the Fed chair, Jerome Powell, of fraud over recent renovations at the Fed.He pointed out Trump has been vocally opposed to the Fed’s policies on interest rates, even though the central bank is explicitly and historically a non-political institution.
He cited a recent quote from Trump, who during a cabinet meeting Thursday said: “We’ll have a majority very shortly, and that will be great.”“These are not independent matters in this case,” Lowell said.“If all we have is a tweet, and it says ‘might’, ‘maybe’, ‘could’, ‘possibly’, ‘potentially’ – and there’s no notice, there’s no opportunity [to be heard], it’s all based on this litigation by tweet.”Meanwhile, justice department lawyer Yaakov Roth argued that, as president, Trump’s ability to remove federal officials is broad.“Congress does not have the authority to restrict the removal of a federal officer,” Roth said.
“There’s nothing in the president’s statements, either contemporaneous or after, that suggests that [Cook’s] removal was for any reason other than the reason given in the letter.”Cobb appeared to suggest a decision could come in coming weeks, after both sides present their case.Early on Friday morning, Trump filed a request to the judge to deny Cook’s request.In its own filing, the Fed did not take a stance on the case but urged Cobb to make a “prompt ruling”.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.
The president has spent months attacking the Fed, where most policymakers – including Cook – have so far defied his calls for interest rate cuts.He has spoken of rapidly building “a majority” on the central bank’s board, calling into question the future of its longstanding independence from political oversight.Firing Cook, whose term is not due to expire until 2038, would enable Trump to nominate a replacement.But Cook has argued the president has “no authority” to remove her.“An unsubstantiated allegation about private mortgage applications submitted by Governor Cook prior to her Senate confirmation is not [cause],” her lawyers argued in the complaint.
“President Trump’s letter purporting to fire Governor Cook did not cite appropriate cause for removing her from the board of governors.”The White House claimed on Thursday that Cook had been “credibly accused of lying” by the administration.But the accusations are unconfirmed, and her lawyers said Trump and his officials had not explicitly alleged that any error on her mortgage paperwork was intentional.It comes as the Fed gears up to resume rate cuts as soon as next month, albeit not at the scale or pace Trump has repeatedly demanded – and its chair, Jerome Powell, has cautioned that the president’s tariffs and immigration crackdown have disrupted the global economy and knocked the US labor force.
Potassium-rich diet may cut risk of heart failure by 24%, study suggests
Eating foods rich in potassium, such as avocados, bananas and spinach, could reduce your risk of heart conditions, hospitalisation and death by 24%, a study suggests.Previous research has shown that cutting out salt from meals can slash your risk of heart problems. Reducing the number of meals to which you add salt or ditching it altogether can make a huge difference to your heart health.Potassium increases the amount of salt your body removes from the bloodstream. In a study, scientists set out to understand whether more potassium might benefit people by reducing their cardiovascular risk
Rayner set to hit English councils that block new housing with tougher sanctions
Angela Rayner is poised to introduce tougher sanctions on councils in England that block local housing developments.Councils could be forced to approve new housing developments – overturning locally agreed plans – under stricter rules or risk handing over control of their planning departments to Whitehall officials.Rayner, who has come under pressure this week for adding to her constituency residence and grace-and-favour home in London with the purchase of an £800,000 apartment near Brighton, already has considerable powers to overrule councils that block housing developments but is believed to be frustrated with continuing delays in the system.It is understood that before the end of the year the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will reduce the number of times a council can have planning appeals overturned before sanctions are imposed by central government.Hundreds of councils are expected to fall foul of the new rules after Rayner established new building targets to achieve the government’s aim of 1
Third of children do not play outdoors after school, UK research finds
One in three children do not play outdoors after school and a fifth do not at the weekend, according to research that found outdoor play has a beneficial impact on young people’s developing social and emotional skills.The University of Exeter study looked at data from 2,500 children between sevenand 12 from the multiethnic Born in Bradford research programme, which tracks the health, development and wellbeing of mothers and children from pregnancy onwards.Based on information from questionnaires completed by the children’s parents, researchers measured the social-emotional skills of the children using the “total difficulties score”, a screening tool that can help identify potential behavioural or emotional issues in children and young people.Researchers found outdoor play had a positive effect on children’s social-emotional skills, meaning they were better able to understand, manage and express their emotions and behaviours, as well as interact with the world around them and build relationships.The study, funded by the Medical Research Council and due to be published in the Wellbeing, Space & Society journal, also uncovered different patterns of outdoor play based on ethnicity
Why is chickenpox vaccination being offered to children in England next year?
For the first time, a free chickenpox vaccination will be offered to children in England by the NHS from January next year. Here we explore the background to the rollout.Chickenpox is a highly contagious infection caused by the varicella zoster virus, and is common in the UK. It results in an itchy rash, and can also cause aches, a high temperature and loss of appetite, according to the NHS.Most people catch chickenpox in childhood – about 90% have had it by the age of 10, according to UK Health Security Agency – and tend to have a mild illness, but it can also occur in adults who have not previously been infected
Older autistic people need more help after years of misdiagnosis, review finds
Researchers have called for better support for middle-aged and older autistic people after a review found that 90% of autistic people aged over 50 in Britain are either undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.Greater awareness of autism and improved assessments globally mean it is typically spotted in childhood today. But in past decades autistic people were often forced to navigate middle and old age without the support a diagnosis can unlock.The review into ageing across the autism spectrum found that people in the UK faced widespread difficulties with employment, relationships and milestone events such as menopause and retirement. They consistently suffered from poorer mental and physical health
Chickenpox jabs introduced as experts warn many children in England start school without vaccinations
England needs to “wake up” to its faltering infant vaccination programme, experts have warned, as it was revealed that one in five children start primary school unprotected from serious infectious diseases.It comes as the government announces a new vaccination programme for chickenpox from January, meaning that GPs will offer eligible children a combined vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella – the clinical term for chickenpox – as part of the routine infant vaccination schedule.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the target for vaccine uptake among children in order to achieve herd immunity is 95%. But figures for 2024-25 released by the UK Health Security Agency on Thursday show that no childhood vaccine has met this requirement.Only 83
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