The resignation calls intensify Trump’s attempts to yield influence over the central bank.
United States President Donald Trump has called on Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to resign, intensifying his effort to gain influence over the central bank on the basis of allegations made by one of his allies about mortgages Cook holds in Michigan and Georgia.
US Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte alleged in a post on X earlier on Wednesday that Cook had designated a condo in Atlanta as her primary residence after taking a loan on her home in Michigan, which she also declared as a primary residence.
Loans for a primary residence can carry easier terms than for second homes or investment properties. Pulte said the loans date to mid-2021, before Cook was appointed to the Fed by former President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate the following year. She is a native of Georgia and, at the time, was an economics professor at Michigan State University.
Pulte asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate, and Trump quickly amplified the allegation. The Department of Justice was taking the matter very seriously, a department official told Reuters.
“We’re also probing some property that she has in Massachusetts to see if there’s something there. But I don’t have anything yet on that,” Pulte said in an interview on CNBC.
Cook’s federally filed financial disclosure documents show three mortgages taken out in 2021, including a 15-year 2.5 percent loan on an investment property and two loans for personal residences, including a 30-year 3.25 percent mortgage and a 15-year 2.875 percent mortgage. The weekly average rate for 30-year loans during 2021 ranged between 2.9 percent and 3.3 percent, Mortgage Bankers Association data shows. Cook started at the Fed in 2022 and was reappointed to a 14-year term in 2023.
Spokespersons for the Fed and for Cook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Cook must resign, now!!!” Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform, his latest remarks aimed at reshaping the makeup of the US central bank, a body designed to set benchmark interest rates independent of White House influence.
Trump has told aides he is considering attempting to fire Cook, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited a senior White House official and another person familiar with the matter.
White House at odds with the central bank
Cook is one of three Biden appointees to the Fed whose term extends beyond Trump’s time in office, complicating the president’s efforts to get more control by appointing a majority of its seven-member board.
Currently, two of the Fed’s remaining six board members were appointed by Trump: Governor Christopher Waller and Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman.
Trump has repeatedly blasted Fed Chair Jerome Powell over benchmark rates that he wants sharply reduced, calling for his resignation while acknowledging that the Fed’s unique status in US governance prevents him from firing Fed board members over monetary policy disputes.
Trump can name a new chair when Powell’s term ends in May, but claiming a majority on the board may take more time. Powell could continue serving as a governor until 2028, near the end of Trump’s term, should he buck convention and continue sitting on the board under a new chair.
Until Powell’s departure, Trump at this point has only one other seat to fill, vacated recently by the surprise resignation of former Governor Adriana Kugler. Earlier this month, Trump nominated Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Stephen Miran to serve out the rest of her term.
BBC Sport’s Isa Guha, Deep Dasupta and Sir Alastair Cook reflect on a dramatic final day of the fifth Test which saw India beat England by six runs to draw the series 2-2.
Theater and television actor Tom Troupe has died at 97.
Troupe died Sunday morning of natural causes in his home in Beverly Hills, according to his publicist, Harlan Boll.
Known for his extensive career in theater and TV, Troupe made his Broadway debut in 1957 playing Peter van Daan in “The Diary of Anne Frank.” A year later, he moved to Los Angeles and appeared in more than 75 TV series over the course of his career, including “Mission: Impossible,” “Star Trek,” “Planet of the Apes,” “CHiPs,” “Quincy M.E.” and “Who’s the Boss.”
However, he continued to act in stage productions, appearing in “The Lion in Winter,” “Fathers Day” and “The Gin Game,” all three of which also co-starred his wife, actor Carole Cook. He also starred in a single-character play he co-wrote called “The Diary of a Madman.”
Troupe also had roles in several films, including 1991’s “My Own Private Idaho,” starring Keanu Reeves and River Phoenix; 1970’s “Kelly’s Heroes,” which starred Clint Eastwood and Don Rickles; and 1959’s “The Big Fisherman.”
He and Cook were awarded the L.A. Ovation Award for Career Achievement in 2002 because of their extensive stage work over the years in Los Angeles.
Born in Kansas City, Mo., on July 15, 1928, Troupe got his start acting in local theater productions before he moved to New York City in 1948.
He won a scholarship to train with stage actor and theater instructor Uta Hagen at the Herbert Berghof Studio in Manhattan before he went to fight in the Korean War, where he was awarded a Bronze Star. After the war, he returned to New York to act on the stage.
Troupe married Cook in 1964. The actor, who was known for her roles in “Sixteen Candles” and Lucille Ball’s “The Lucy Show,” died in 2023 at the age of 98.
Troupe is survived by his son, Christopher, daughter-in-law Becky Coulter, granddaughter Ashley Troupe and several nieces and nephews.
Quarterback Makena Cook, injured during the girls’ soccer season, should be ready to go this fall. Cook, whose ability to throw spirals with precision and length helped make her the No. 1 quarterback in the state, will need to adjust to a major rule change that allows defenses to start from just one yard away from the ball instead of seven yards.
That is expected to lead to fewer points scored, quarterbacks forced to release the ball quicker and fewer long passes. It also creates the opportunity for coaches to deploy more sophisticated defenses, such as deciding how many defenders to rush and mixing up their coverages.
Shielding the quarterback long enough to give them time to throw will be the big challenge. Blocking and screening is illegal, so teams need to figure out ways to disguise plays or trick defenses long enough to create opportunities for big plays.
There’s lots of discussions happening in the Sherman family. Kristen is head coach for Orange Lutheran’s flag football team. Her husband, Rod, is head coach for the Lancers’ 11-man team. Film night isn’t “Top Gun: Maverick.”
“In the Sherman house, we’ve been watching a lot of film for boys and girls,” Rod said.
There should be no problem creating interest in finding players. The City Section is up to 85 flag football teams and growing. Chaminade and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame are adding teams in the Southern Section, with Harvard-Westlake set for next year when it opens its new River Park athletic complex.
With the Chargers and Rams providing support and the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028 having a flag football competition, the sport is set for major growth.
Cook became one of the stars last season and still has two more years of eligibility, making her the early face of excellence at the quarterback position in Southern California.
Rev. Jason Cook, a minister at Tapestry, a Unitarian Universalist congregation, wore his traditional white collar and a colorful stole resembling stained glass when he arrived at immigration court in Santa Ana last Friday.
For several weeks, Cook and clergy members from a cross section of religions have been showing up at courtrooms in Orange County, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego to stand with immigrants during their deportation hearings. The practice was launched after faith leaders learned that many immigrants seeking asylum were being whisked away by federal agents after what had been billed as routine court appearances, and locked up in remote detention facilities without a chance to prepare or say goodbye to family.
They have sought to use their presence to comfort migrants and lend a sense of moral authority to the proceedings. They have also taken to the courtroom benches to bear witness with silent prayer.
On Friday, clergy members roamed the courthouse halls in search of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. If plainclothes agents sat outside a courtroom, it was a good indication that the migrants inside had been targeted for expedited removal once their cases were heard.
Clergy members hand out informational fliers to immigrants arriving for deportation hearings at a Santa Ana courthouse.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Cook knows the presence of clergy won’t necessarily change the outcome of the legal proceedings — though in at least one instance last month, ICE agents scattered when clergy showed up at a courthouse in San Diego. If nothing else, they hope to offer spiritual comfort, so the immigrants know they’re not forgotten.
“There’s a big piece of [our faith] that’s about welcoming the stranger, about treating immigrants with compassion and care,” Cook said. “We’re there trying to appeal to a higher authority than ICE.”
Many of the immigrants being detained at immigration court are asylum seekers who came into the country using the CBP One mobile app that the Biden administration had employed since early 2023 to create a more orderly process of applying for asylum. Migrants could use the app once they reached Mexican soil to schedule appointments with U.S. authorities at legal ports of entry to present their bids for asylum and provide biographical information for screening.
President Trump shut down the CBP One app hours after taking office in January. His administration has given ICE officials the power to quickly deport tens of thousands of immigrants who were granted legal entry to the U.S. for up to two years through the CBP One program, and is waging legal battles to roll back protections for hundreds of thousands of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela who were granted temporary parole while seeking asylum.
Faith leaders say the work is an extension of their services for immigrants, who often attend their churches in sizable numbers. In the past, some places of worship have opened up their doors to shelter undocumented immigrants at risk of being deported. In L.A., faith leaders have organized food drives for immigrants afraid to leave their homes, as well as vigils and peaceful marches at the downtown Los Angeles federal building.
In the Inland Empire, clergy members have gone into grape fields to hand out “Know Your Rights” cards.
“Throughout history, across the world, clergy and faith leaders and spiritual leaders have played a really catalytic role in bending the arc toward moral justice,” said Joseph Tomás Mckellar, executive director of PICO California, the largest faith-based community organizing network in the state. “When they do it right, they leave space for others to walk the walk, as well.”
On June 11, the Catholic Diocese of San Diego reached out to area clergy to ask for help in expanding efforts to accompany migrants to their hearings.
Father Scott Santarosa, of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, said the letter garnered so much interest, they had to limit the number of clergy who could attend. That Friday, which also coincided with World Refugee Day, they held a Mass before arriving at immigration court.
“We weren’t planning to block or get in the way or do anything to disrupt. We just planned to be present and observe and say with our presence to migrants and refugees, ‘Hey, you’re not alone,’” he said.
One Venezuelan asylum seeker, who asked not to be identified for fear of retribution if she is deported back to her home country, had a hearing scheduled in L.A. County in early June with her children. She arrived in the U.S. in December after entering through the CBP One app. The June hearing would be her first.
She knew she was at risk of deportation and wondered whether to attend her hearing. She shared her fears with an area pastor, who offered to go with her. On the morning of her hearing, she arrived at court accompanied by three pastors and a translator. She felt protected, she said, when the judge granted a future court hearing and she was allowed to leave.
“Everything went well,” she said. “I feel as if it was because of the Christian support that I had at that moment.”
Cook, the Unitarian Universalist minister in Orange County, said he attends court at least twice a week.
Initially, ICE agents seemed averse to confronting religious leaders, and in some cases, left the courthouse when clergy members arrived.
But over time, Cook said, the agents have gotten more confrontational, telling clergy they must stay 10 feet away from agents. He said he watched one ICE agent push a clergy member against the wall after she tried to escort an immigrant out of court.
Members of the Orange County Catholic Worker community offer a silent prayer of consolation and justice for migrants who would appear in immigration court that day.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
They have carried on, he said, because the work feels important and aligned with their mission of faith.
“What we are is conscience on display for these folks, and if that triggers shame or reflection, that’s a good thing,” Cook said outside a courtroom, not far from ICE agents.
Dave Gibbons, founder of the Newsong Church in Santa Ana, said he took a break from court visits after a Central American couple he was escorting got pulled away and detained in front of their child. He broke down in tears recounting the episode for his congregation. But he was determined to return.
“We believe it’s at the heart of the gospel,” Gibbons said. “There’s nothing more sacred than standing alongside those being marginalized.”
Rev. Terry LePage, a community minister in Orange County, has attended immigration hearings nearly daily. She spent Friday morning handing out fliers that notified migrants headed to hearings of their rights and warning that ICE agents were present.
That morning, clergy members encountered a Haitian man who had been granted temporary protected status during the Biden administration. He arrived for his asylum hearing without an attorney. He wore a crisp white shirt and carried his documents in a black case.
Clergy leaders urged him to contact his family and let them know that he might be detained. But the man, who spoke Spanish, was sure he would be allowed to return home.
Inside the courtroom, a Department of Homeland Security attorney argued that the man’s case should be dismissed, a request the judge granted despite the migrant’s pleas. Seated in the audience, Thomas Crisp, an Orange County chaplain, watched in dismay and offered a few last words of comfort: “May God bless you.”
The Haitian man made it two steps out of the courtroom before he was swarmed by federal agents and ushered down an emergency exit stairwell.
This article is part of The Times’ equity reporting initiative,funded by the James Irvine Foundation, exploring the challenges facing low-income workers and the efforts being made to addressCalifornia’s economic divide.
Saturday Kitchen descended into chaos as host Matt Tebbutt attempted to make Vicky Pattison’s food heaven
Saturday Kitchen guest Angela Scanlon had a cheeky question for host Matt Tebbutt on the latest episode.
During Saturday’s instalment, Angela, 41, and Vicky Pattison were on the show to talk about their new podcast Get A Grip.
Usually on Saturday Kitchen, guests are either served food heaven or food hell depending on the public’s vote.
However, because Angela and Vicky, 37, were both on the show, Matt, 51, revealed that only one of them would be served food heaven and they had to compete in a game.
The duo were tasked with throwing as many velcro balls as they could at Matt’s head with Vicky winning the game and therefore securing her food heaven.
Saturday Kitchen descended into chaos as host Matt Tebbutt attempted to make Vicky Pattison’s food heaven (Image: BBC)
Matt revealed he was going to be making a crustless cheese quiche, where he said: “It was a bit of a quandary because you’re trying to eat less meat, you like chicken but don’t want to eat cows because they’re like puppies in a field.
“You like potatoes, cheese, shallots, but then you say you don’t like vegetables because they’re a bit silly. So imagine my dilemma when trying to come up with a dish!”
As Matt started creating the dish, Angela spotted an instant issue as she said: “Are those tomatoes just for show? Vicky doesn’t like tomatoes!”
Angela, 41, and Vicky Pattison were on the show to talk about their new podcast Get A Grip(Image: BBC)
However, Vicky insisted: “Whack them on!” as they’re a “crowd pleaser” adding that she’s used to picking them off. As Matt got stuck in, Vicky and Angela loudly spoke about the dish to which Matt joked: “We can hear you over here!” to which they insisted: “Sorry, it looks really good!”
When it was time to dish the creation, Angela teased: “Oh, just cold tomatoes on there? Interesting!” as Matt quipped back: “Alright, hang on!”
He then chopped up some shallots with rocket to which Angela asked of the shallots: “Are they supposed to be cooked, did you forget to cook them?” to which a laughing Matt insisted for his fellow guests to keep Angela and Vicky busy.
Matt revealed he was going to be making a crustless cheese quiche(Image: bbc)
Angela then declared: “We’ll have them raw, don’t worry!” to which Matt insisted: “You are going to have them raw, don’t worry!”, adding: “What a morning!”
After serving Vicky the dish, which she declared was “so good”, an exhausted and flustered Matt joked: “I need a glass of wine!”
As well as Vicky and Angela, Matt was joined by chefs Owen Morgan and Avi Shashidhara, Helen McGinn and Jane Dunn.
Saturday Kitchen continues on Saturdays on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Former England captain Alastair Cook believes Ollie Pope showed admirable control in the century that helped guide his side to 209-3 – trailing India by 262 runs – at the end of the second day of the first Test at Headingley.
Cook’s most recent winter was the final step on the road to international cricket. Given he has been overlooked for so long, few would have blamed him had he given up and chased the dollars in short-form leagues.
Instead, he turned down “a few bits of franchise stuff” to play for England Lions in Australia, and was one of the standout performers in an otherwise disappointing tour. While the Lions failed to win any of their three matches, Cook claimed 13 wickets, a handy demonstration of his ability with the Kookaburra ball in an Ashes year.
“I made the right decision to go with the Lions and show what I could do in Australia,” he says. “It’s strengthened my cause for international cricket.”
At a time when England have altered their selection methods, Cook’s inclusion shows county performances can still provide a path to the Test team.
He perhaps should have been most aggrieved last summer, when the exceptionally green Josh Hull was given an opportunity after Mark Wood got injured. At the time, England director of cricket Rob Key explained the decision was down to styles of bowling, and Cook would have been in the frame had a replacement for Woakes been needed. Cook, therefore, had to wait a little longer.
“I just wanted to know what they wanted to see me doing,” says Cook. “It wasn’t a case of kicking up a fuss or moaning, I was just desperate to know how I could improve.
“It was never a case of ‘we don’t think you’re fast enough’. It was just trying to push the echelons of my pace as high as I could, honing skills, and a lot of it was just that the guys in front were better, which is true for bowlers like Jimmy and Broady.”
So Cook arrives in Test cricket battle-hardened, comfortable with his game and, in his opinion, “in a better place than if I was picked a year or two ago”.
At his best, he will provide England with control and accuracy. Holding length is one of his key skills. In the past five years, more than 77% of his deliveries in the Championship have been on a good length, comfortably the highest percentage of the top 10 seamers.
“It is not what the ball does but where it does it from that counts,” says Lewis, the former Australia seamer now on Yorkshire’s coaching staff. “He puts the ball in the right areas and asks questions enough times of batsmen.
“Batsmen get out in two ways: poor decision-making or bad shot selection. He puts enough balls in the areas to get one of those two options. He shifts the ball both ways but his ability to hold his length is pretty special.”
The last time Zimbabwe played a Test in England, 22 years ago, the series was famous for the debut of Anderson, the patron saint of English-style seamers like Cook.
Anderson marked his bow at Lord’s with a five-wicket haul. A choice was put to Cook – to claim a debut five-for of his own, or see Manchester United win the Europa League?
“It’s a no-brainer,” he says. “I’ll take the five-for. If we lose, I’ll be telling everyone the Europa League is an irrelevant trophy. Hopefully I can be greedy and can get both.”
