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Stay up-to-date with live coverage of the Trump administration Friday, as the president revokes ex-Vice President Kamala Harris’ Secret Service detail, and a judge hears Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook’s case to block her firing by Trump earlier this week.

DC federal judge to weigh order blocking Fed gov Lisa Cook’s firing ahead of interest rate meeting

By Josh Christenson

A Washington, DC, federal judge was weighing an order Friday that would block Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook’s ouster by President Trump after hearing arguments for more than two hours from lead defense attorney Abbe Lowell and a Department of Justice lawyer.

The hearing concluded with no clear timeline for when US District Judge Jia M. Cobb would rule on a temporary restraining order request filed by Cook’s attorneys Thursday.

The hearing concluded with no clear timeline for when Judge Jia M. Cobb will rule on a temporary restraining order filed by Cook’s attorneys.

Cobb gave no indication about which way she would rule, but did emphasize the Fed’s “need for independence.”

Trump blasts Elvis, David Bowie over Rose Garden speakers

By Steven Nelson

President Trump spent Friday morning blasting his favorite songs from the new sound system in the Rose Garden.

David Bowie’s "Heroes" and songs by Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra were among those played, according to AFP reporter Danny Kemp, who monitored the playlist from the north driveway of the White House.

Trump previously blasted the speakers in his recently redone and Mar-a-Lago-inspired Rose Garden patio last week, saying at the time he was preparing to host the "greatest event in the history of the White House."

Trump belting out the hits again from new Rose Garden patio sound system — Bowie’s ‘Heroes’ here, and we just had Elvis and Sinatra pic.twitter.com/2aI8kFHuHq

— Danny Kemp (@dannyctkemp) August 29, 2025

Cook was 'next person up' after Trump pressured Fed chair over interest rates

By Josh Christenson

Lisa Cook's lawyer Abbe Lowell is claiming in the hearing that his client is only the latest victim of President Trump's pressure campaign to cut interest rates.

U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 26, 2025.
Lisa Cook's lawyer Abbe Lowell is claiming his client is a victim of President Trump's pressure campaign to cut interest rates. REUTERS
U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell gestures during a press conference following the issuance of the Federal Open Market Committee's statement on interest rate policy in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 30, 2025.
After pushing Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell to cut rates without success, Lowell said Trump "took a swing at the next person up at the plate." REUTERS

After pushing Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell to cut rates without success, Lowell said Trump "took a swing at the next person up at the plate."

Trump lawyer: Fed gov Cook can be removed for mortgage misrepresentation

By Josh Christenson

Lawyers for the Trump administration are arguing in a Friday federal court hearing that Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook's misrepresentation on mortgage documents were sufficient cause for firing.

President Donald Trump talks to journalists after signing executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House on August 25, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Lawyers for the Trump administration are arguing in a federal court hearing that Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook's misrepresentation on mortgage documents was enough to fire her. Getty Images

DOJ attorney Yaakov Roth said the erroneous listing of one of Cook's homes as a primary residence on a 2021 loan document was either "intentional," and therefore criminal, or negligent and thus grounds for removal.

White House budget director Russ Vought now head of USAID

By Josh Christenson

WASHINGTON — Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought is now the head of the US Agency for International Development, Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed Friday.

"I joked with @POTUS [earlier this week] that I had four jobs. He told me to give one to my friend @RussVought47. So I did," Rubio posted on X.

"Since January, we’ve saved the taxpayers tens of billions of dollars. And with a small set of core programs moved over to the State Department, USAID is officially in close out mode. Russ is now at the helm to oversee the closeout of an agency that long ago went off the rails. Congrats, Russ."

I joked with @POTUS that I had four jobs. He told me to give one to my friend @RussVought47. So I did.
⁰Since January, we’ve saved the taxpayers tens of billions of dollars. And with a small set of core programs moved over to the State Department, USAID is officially in close…

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) August 29, 2025

Judge hearing Lisa Cook's suit after she sued to block Trump firing her from the Federal Reserve

By Kaydi Pelletier

Fired Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook's lawsuit is going before a judge for the first time today, after she sued in an attempt to block President Trump from kicking her off the Board of Governors, as he did earlier this week.

Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook attends the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's 2025 Jackson Hole economic symposium, "Labor Markets in Transition: Demographics, Productivity, and Macroeconomic Policy" in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, U.S., August 23, 2025.
Fired Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook's lawsuit is going before a judge for the first time today. REUTERS

Trump fired Cook over allegations she committed mortgage fraud, falsifying bank documents and property records to secure better loan terms.

A second, related criminal referral was filed against Cook on Thursday, this one alleging she may have made “misrepresentations” on mortgage documents and government disclosures.

Trump revokes Kamala Harris’ Secret Service detail that was quietly extended by Biden

By Alex Oliveira

President Trump has revoked former Vice President Kamala Harris’ Secret Service detail that was quietly extended by former President Joe Biden before he left office.

Kamala Harris exiting a vehicle with Secret Service agents.
Vice President Harris’ Secret Service detail has been revoked by President Trump. AFP via Getty Images

Harris’ detail was set to expire on July 21 — per the standard six-month detail former VPs are typically granted after leaving office — but it had been extended by Biden for an extra year before his term ended, a senior administration official confirmed to The Post.

Trump, however, signed his own order stripping away the detail on Thursday, with Harris detail now ending on Sept. 1, sources said.

Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff grocery shopping.
Kamala Harris and husband Doug Emhoff grocery shopping with detail in Westwood, California on Jan. 23. Giles Harrison / London Entertainment for NY Post

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Trump scraps $5B in foreign aid in rare ‘pocket rescission’ — EXCLUSIVE

By Steven Nelson

WASHINGTON — President Trump is moving to cancel nearly $5 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid and peacekeeping spending in a rare “pocket rescission,” The Post has learned — making use of a legally debated maneuver that hasn’t been done in 48 years.

Trump on Thursday night notified Congress of his request to cancel the funds, which had been tied up in a court case until earlier in the day.

Donald Trump Cabinet meeting
President Trump holds a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Ron Sachs/CNP / SplashNews.com

A pocket rescission is a request that’s presented to Congress so late in the fiscal year — which ends Sept. 30 — that it’s made regardless of whether Congress acts.

The clawback includes $3.2 billion in United States Agency for International Development (USAID) development assistance, $322 million from the USAID-State Department Democracy Fund, $521 million in State Department contributions to international organizations, $393 million in State Department contributions to peacekeeping activities and $445 million in separately budgeted peacekeeping aid.

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RFK Jr.’s HHS slashes $122M across nearly 200 DEI, LGBT-focused research projects — EXCLUSIVE DETAILS

By Steven Nelson and Diana Nerozzi

WASHINGTON — Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services has stopped nearly $122 million in grants to research deemed a poor use of taxpayer funds due to focus on LGBT topics and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), The Post has learned.

The grants, funding 195 different projects, were determined by the Trump administration to focus too narrowly on sexual or racial minority groups — drawing outrage from some holdover officials from the Biden administration and contributing to at least one high-profile resignation this week.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaking at a White House cabinet meeting.
The Department of Health and Human Services has slashed nearly 200 significant grants to DEI and LGBT research. Getty Images

The precise savings are difficult to calculate due to the fact that some awards were partially dispensed and often span multiple years. Most of the grants were scrapped in March in cooperation with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but others were canceled as recently as this month.

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Trump admin launches probe into Wikipedia over alleged ‘bad actors’ manipulating opinions about the US

By Alex Oliveira

The Trump administration has launched an investigation into Wikipedia over allegations that foreign individuals and other organizations have altered articles to manipulate opinions about the US.

Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee launched a probe into the open-platform “free encyclopedia” Wednesday, citing studies that found “efforts to manipulate information on the Wikipedia platform for propaganda aimed at Western audiences” in a letter to the organization.

English Wikipedia homepage displayed in a web browser.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committeeciting say studies found “efforts to manipulate information on the Wikipedia platform for propaganda aimed at Western audiences.” Ryan - stock.adobe.com
Reps. Nancy Mace and James Comer at a House Oversight hearing on unidentified anomalous phenomena.
Reps. Nancy mace and James Comer are heading the committee investigation Wikipedia. ZUMAPRESS.com

The probe is focusing on the volunteer editors who “effectively create Wikipedia’s encyclopedic articles,” and what the organization does to “thwart intentional, organized efforts to inject bias into important and sensitive topics,” The Hill reported.

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JD Vance says he’s ready to take over as president ‘if, God forbid, there’s a terrible tragedy’ with Trump

By Patrick Reilly

Vice President JD Vance said he’s prepared to run the country if “God forbid” something “terrible” were to happen to President Trump.

“Yes, things can always happen,” Vance told USA Today when asked if he was prepared to step up if something happened to President Trump, who has survived two assassination attempts.

Vice President JD Vance leads a prayers for the victims of the mass shooting at Annunciation  Catholic Church during an event in La Crosse, Wis. on Aug. 28, 2025.
Vice President JD Vance leads a prayer for the victims of the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church during an event in La Crosse, Wis. on Aug. 28, 2025. AP
President Donald Trump looks over at Attorney General Pam Bondi and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office of the White House on Aug. 25, 2025.
President Donald Trump looks over at Attorney General Pam Bondi and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office of the White House on Aug. 25, 2025. AP

“Yes, terrible tragedies happen,” he said. “And if, God forbid, there’s a terrible tragedy, I can’t think of better on-the-job training than what I’ve gotten over the last 200 days.”

Still, he stressed: “I feel very confident the president of the United States is in good shape, is gonna serve out the remainder of his term, and do great things for the American people.”

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RFK Jr’s deputy expected to replace ousted CDC director as employees stage walkout at agency headquarters

By Victor Nava

Deputy Health and Human Services Secretary Jim O’Neill is expected to be named acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a move that comes as hundreds of staffers walked out of CDC headquarters Tuesday in protest of leadership changes at the public health agency. 

O’Neill, who currently serves as HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s No 2 at the Department of Health and Human Services, was selected by the White House to replace fired CDC Director Susan Monarez, according to multiple outlets

Portrait of HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill.
HHS Deputy Director Jim O’Neill will replace Susan Monarez as director of the CDC. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

A Trump administration official confirmed the move to The Post. 

The Silicon Valley investor was previously CEO of the Thiel Foundation and co-founder of the founder of the Thiel Fellowship, projects funded by billionaire Trump donor Peter Thiel.

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