Via American Greatness,

President Donald Trump, has sent a letter to the Smithsonian Institution and other museums, requesting a “comprehensive internal review” and calling for the removal of divisive or partisan narratives ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.

Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) is applauding the president’s call to remove divisive and ideologically-driven content at taxpayer-funded institutions, saying, “The reforms Trump is instituting at the Smithsonian can’t come soon enough.”

Racist & anti-American messages—whether on the Smithsonian’s website or as part of a physical exhibit at a museum—have no place in a U.S. taxpayer-funded institution

Indefensible

The reforms Trump is instituting at the Smithsonian can’t come soon enough https://t.co/2vg5c5hrWn pic.twitter.com/XKgVBC2VV7

— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) August 20, 2025

Lee, in a post on X, said that there is no place for racist and anti-American messages “whether on the Smithsonian’s website or as part of a physical exhibit at a museum” at institutions funded by U.S. taxpayers.

The president, in a post Tuesday on his Truth Social platform, called the Smithsonian and other institutions “the last remaining segment of ‘WOKE’” and is directing them to replace divisive language with “unifying, historically accurate, and constructive descriptions across placards, wall didactics, digital displays, and other public-facing materials.”

Trump specifically mentioned anti-American propaganda at the Smithsonian’s American History Museum, saying, “Everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been.”

In a statement released in June, the Smithsonian claimed that it is committed to remaining “free from political or partisan influence.”

The “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” executive order signed by Trump in March, accused the Smithsonian of being “under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology” and of promoting “narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”

The letter sent by the White House to the Smithsonian Institution, explains, “This initiative aims to ensure alignment with the President’s directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.”

Museums currently facing review include the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Portrait Gallery and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

Authored by Jonathan Turley,

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) appears to be doubling down on crazy in Minneapolis this week with calls to pack the Supreme Court and other extremist priorities.

For voters who have repeatedly shown that they want to move to a more moderate center, you are left like Jack Nicholson in As Good As It Gets when his character, Melvin Udall, who declared, “Sell crazy someplace else. We’re all stocked up here.”

As many know, I was raised in a politically active, liberal, Democratic family in Chicago and worked much of my life for Democratic candidates and campaigns. This week again reminded many of us how far the party has moved from its more centrist history. That includes another call to pack the Supreme Court with liberals to force or ratify sweeping political and social changes.

The meeting started in a signature fashion.

Lindy Sowmick, treasurer of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) spoke to the delegates after DNC Chairman Ken Martin asked her to recite the land acknowledgment. Sowmick asked the delegates to think about her works:

“As Democrats, I ask of every one of you to not allow land acknowledgments like these to simply be the checking of a box – be curious, ask questions, ensure our native neighbors are heard and work in partnership with your Indigenous communities.”

Sowmick then declared:

“The DNC acknowledges and honors the Dakota Oyate – the Dakota people – who are the original stewards of the lands and waters of Minneapolis. The Dakota cared for the lands, lakes and the Wakpa Tanka – the ‘Great River,’ the Mississippi River – for thousands of years before colonization. This land was not claimed, or traded – it’s a part of a history of broken treaties and promises. And, in many ways, we still live in a system built to suppress Indigenous peoples’ cultural and spiritual history.”

From there, it was a free-for-all, including a fierce fight over a resolution to condemn Israel.

Martin strangely forced a divisive debate, where he and others pushed through a resolution that only called for a ceasefire and humanitarian aid, which was denounced by others. After passing the resolution, he then moved to rescind it as an act of unity. It left many wondering what the purpose of the exercise was in forcing a debate and then withdrawing the passed resolution.

Delegates continued to show how out of touch the party has become, including one assuring delegates that the public really does not care about carjackings and migrant crimes despite the polls. Another insisted that today the nation is worse to live in than during the pandemic.

Laurence S. Zakson is a DNC member from California and a partner at Reich Adell & Cvitan in Beverly Hills.

He and others called for Congress to act on changing the size of the Supreme Court due to the alleged partisan agenda of the majority and the failure to reach correct decisions.

It is the same playbook that Democrats have used in the last two elections to pack the Court with liberals.

Some on the left have even called for the Supreme Court to be “dissolved.” That rhetoric has been matched by Democratic leaders. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer previously declared in front of the Supreme Court, “I want to tell you, [Neil] Gorsuch, I want to tell you, [Brett] Kavanaugh, you have released the whirlwind, and you will pay the price.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) stated that she wants to impeach all six of the conservative justices. She was immediately joined by other Democratic members. Previously, she admitted that she does not understand why we even have a Supreme Court. She asked, “How much does the current structure benefit us? And I don’t think it does.”

Other members, such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), have called for packing the Court with additional members to immediately secure a liberal majority to rule as she desires. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D., RI) has assured voters that Vice President Kamala Harris will support the packing of the Court with a liberal majority.

Polls show the public understands that such moves are madness. Some of us have discussed the expansion of the Supreme Court for years, but there is a difference between expanding and packing. This is court packing in its rawest and most dangerous form.

It is one last pitch for crazy in an already over-stocked nation.

(Update: 1532ET): A Biden-appointed federal judge who defied a Supreme Court ruling earlier this month has been ‘randomly’ assigned to the (Biden-appointed) Lisa Cobb case, after the Federal Reserve Governor filed a lawsuit challenging her Monday firing by President Trump. Her complaint doesn’t deny the underlying allegations of mortgage fraud – and instead argues that she couldn’t have been fired ‘for cause’ over something that happened before she was confirmed to the Fed. 

Cook also argues that claiming two houses as her ‘primary residence’ at the same time may have been a simple ‘clerical error.’

Doesn’t look like any “clerical error” a @Harvard grad and qualified Fed Governor would/should make!

Maybe a 3rd grader, but certainly not someone of her stature. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/279U8joxqS

— G. Buckman (@g_buckman) August 28, 2025

So, we’re supposed to believe that a Harvard graduate and ‘Top leading economist’ – who’s tasked with setting Fed policy – simply missed the ‘primary residence’ designation plastered all over the mortgage papers she signed? 

Anyway, here’s the new judge, Jia Cobb, who will weigh in on the case. 

Cobb recently defied the Supreme Court according to the Trump administration – after she continued to block the “expedited removal” of migrants despite a Supreme Court ruling that upheld the legality of such removals. 

“Will they be summarily removed from a country that — as they are swept up at checkpoints and outside courtrooms, often by plainclothes officers without explanation or charges — may look to them more and more like the countries from which they tried to escape?” Cobb wrote in an 84-page decision against the deportation effort.

Cobb was also the judge in Jan. 6th defendant Ryan Samsel’s case. Samsel was notably the first rioter to charge across police lines. After he was found guilty, prosecutors wanted him to go away for 20 years, however his February sentencing was called off after President Trump issued a blanket pardon to all J6ers. 

Now, the activist judge will decide at least the first step in Cook’s fate – which is sure to be appealed to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals by the losing party, after which we’re guessing it’s headed to the Supreme Court. 

*  *  *

Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook has sued the Trump administration, Fed Chair Jerome Powell, and the Board of Governors itself – after President Donald Trump fired her on Monday over claims that she lied on mortgage applications – allowing her to double-dip on tax and lending advantages. 

The lawsuit – which doesn’t deny mortgage fraud!! – seeks “A declaration that President Trump’s August 25, 2025 purported firing … is unlawful and void and that Governor Cook remains an active member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve,” and a declaration from the court that “an unsubstantiated allegation of mortgage fraud prior to a Governor’s confirmation is not cause for removal.”

Update: In a statement to CNBC, Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte said: “In her filing, Ms. Cook does not deny that these are her mortgage documents, so one has to wonder why she, or Jerome Powell, would want this to be a part of the Federal Reserve, which is supposed to have preeminent integrity and which is critical to the safety and soundness of the U.S. Mortgage Market.”

Cook’s lawsuit claims that Trump violated the Federal Reserve Act, the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause, and other statutory rights – and that Trump’s action lacks “cause” as required by the FRA. 

Represented by former Hunter Biden attorney Abbe Lowell – who also represents NY Attorney General Letitia James, former Homeland Security official Miles Taylor, and a whistleblower – James filed the lawsuit in federal court in Washington DC – where we’re sure the Jury will be interested to hear, per her complaint, that she is the first black woman on the Board. 

And while former members of the Fed have stepped down over alleged improprieties, Cook is digging in.

2021: Dallas Fed president Kaplan busted for suspicious stock trades, resigns

2021: Boston Fed president Rosengren busted for suspicious stock trades, resigns

2022: Fed vice chair Richard Clarida busted for suspicious trades, resigns

2025: Lisa Cook vows to stay on

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) August 26, 2025

We’re sure Cook’s legal team is counting on a DC jury being sympathetic to Cook’s claims in response to her firing, in which Trump accused her of “deceitful and potentially criminal  conduct in a financial matter.”

The Trump-Cook clash erupted after Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte dropped receipts showing that Cook lied on 2021 loan applications for two properties in Michigan and Georgia – claiming that each was her primary residence. 

Read the complaint below:

Cook Trump Comp 082825 by Zerohedge Janitor

Developing…

Leftist Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s refusal to accept National Guard assistance from the federal government has left many Baltimore residents baffled, given the city’s multi-decade violent crime crisis under failed Democratic Party leadership. 

While Moore recently took a victory lap touting a supposedly “record low” homicide rate, everyone who lives in the metro area knows the truth: large swaths of the city remain ‘no-go zones’, controlled by vicious drug gangs. Years of “defund the police” policies pushed by social justice warriors in City Hall have hollowed out the police to the core. 

Remember the riots? 

Now, residents are taking note of the president’s efforts to clean up the violent crime mess in Washington, D.C. In just over two weeks, violent crime has subsided. Many are left wondering why Democratic leadership in Baltimore never had the same seriousness to clean up their city; instead, Democrats chose to defund the police and allow the metro area to descend into what Trump calls a “hellhole.”

Shocking reversal in DC crime data… 

“In the 17 days since the Guard was deployed in Washington, D.C., Baltimore has recorded more than 2,500 crimes—including six homicides, nine rapes, over 400 assaults, 252 auto thefts, 155 burglaries, and nearly 440 acts of vandalism,” local media Fox Baltimore wrote earlier this week, adding, “This crime rate is nine times higher than D.C.’s during the same period.” 

There was a time when folks in the Baltimore area would go to restaurants and bars across Inner Harbor, Harbor East, Fells Point, Canton, and even Federal Hill. But many have since fled the crime-ridden metro area for surrounding counties, as conditions became so terrible that raising a family there was no longer a suitable option. Now, folks mostly avoid the city because Democratic leadership has failed residents with a population crash to 100-year lows. 

Here’s more from the local news outlet:

Residents and business owners have expressed concern over the escalating violence. “Just brutally attacking somebody is off the case crazy,” one victim said. Betsy Smith of the National Police Association commented, “I’d think residents would welcome help for their very short-staffed police department.”

The discrepancy between the governor’s statements and the reality on the ground has left many questioning whether crime in Baltimore is truly under control. “We need to stop acting tough and start getting tough in Baltimore City,” a local resident said.

Smith added, “If the people in Baltimore City want to truly be free they need to embrace not only their local law enforcement but state and federal partners as well.” As the city grapples with its crime wave, the call for additional support continues to grow.

The most damning chart Democrats don’t want folks to see is the latest exodus from Baltimore City, starting around 2015, mainly driven by failed progressives that unleashed a manufactured crime tsunami of their own doing, making any gang scene from HBO’s The Wire look like child’s play.

Trump is giving parts of the country a taste of law and order, something that might prove contagious, given how the Democratic Party has subjected millions nationwide (btw, nobody voted for violent crime) to more than a decade of backfiring social-justice policies that transformed quiet communities into violent crime zones.

Oh, btw, the way, after Trump called out Moore.

Sigh…

Authored by Stacy Robinson via The Epoch Times,

El Salvador native Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the target of numerous deportation efforts by the Trump administration, cannot be deported until at least early October, a federal judge has ruled.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, at a hearing on Wednesday, extended an Aug. 25 order that blocked his deportation while courts consider his renewed asylum claims.

Later that day, she issued a brief order, clarifying that Abrego Garcia must remain within 200 miles of the courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Abrego Garcia had filed suit, alleging that the government was planning to deport him to Uganda.

Xinis has scheduled a hearing for Oct. 6, and said she will try to issue a ruling within the subsequent 30 days.

Abrego Garcia, an illegal immigrant, previously applied for asylum in 2019 but was denied.

However, the judge in that case ruled that he could not be deported to El Salvador, since there was concern that he faced a “clear probability of future persecution” in his native country.

He has lived in the country since age 16, is married to an American citizen, and was a construction worker.

The government stated that Abrego Garcia is a member of the transnational criminal gang MS-13, which he denied.

He was set to be deported earlier this year, but was sent to El Salvador’s maximum security prison Center for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT), along with a plane full of other deportees.

A district judge in Maryland ordered his return in April while the Trump administration said the Salvadoran was no longer under U.S. jurisdiction.

Abrego Garcia’s case drew public attention, and he gained support from some members of Congress who pressured the administration for his return.

Following a Supreme Court order on April 10, he was eventually returned to the United States and held in custody in Tennessee on charges of smuggling illegal immigrants into the country.

Authorities freed Abrego Garcia last week to await trial at home. His attorneys said that before he was released, the government offered to deport him to Costa Rica, where he would be a free man if he pleaded guilty to the human smuggling charges. After he refused, according to his lawyers, the government said he could be deported to Uganda.

Abrego Garcia was again detained after checking in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Aug. 25, and is asking the judge to reconsider his asylum case, according to his lawyers.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the administration will eventually deport him.

France, Germany, and the UK have submitted a letter to members of the UN Security Council announcing they are triggering the “snapback” mechanism to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran, Axios and others are reporting Thursday.

These are past sanctions which had been suspended under the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal, which the US unilaterally pulled out of in April 2018 under the first Trump administration.

Axios writes that “In the letter, the three European powers emphasized that during the next 30 days – before the sanctions take effect – they are open to negotiations with Iran on a nuclear agreement that could halt the process.”

Tuesday saw tense discussions between Iran and the E3 nations – France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. They warned at the meeting the E3 is preparing trigger the mechanism for reimposing international sanctions on Iran if it fails to either reach a new nuclear agreement by the end of August or agrees to extend UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which covers the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Axios’ Barak Ravid had earlier acknowledged that “It will take a diplomatic miracle to prevent this from happening.”

The Europeans are also pressing Iran to rejoin nuclear talks with Washington; however, the Iranians have made clear that the US can no longer be trusted – as it bombed the Islamic Republic in June at the very moment the sides were engaged in talks.

The Associated Press has explained how ‘snapback’ works in the following:

Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action reached between world powers and Iran in 2015, Iran agreed to limit uranium enrichment to levels necessary for civilian nuclear power in exchange for lifted economic sanctions. The International Atomic Energy Agency was tasked with monitoring Iran’s nuclear program.

The snapback mechanism’s purpose is to swiftly reimpose all pre-deal sanctions without being vetoed by U.N. Security Council members, including permanent members Russia and China.

The process began Thursday, when the E3 formally notified the U.N. secretary-general and Security Council president about Iran’s “significant nonperformance of commitments.”

Iran’s alleged uranium stockpiles are believed to be significantly beyond the limits set by the original deal, in both purity and quantity.

“In May, the IAEA said Iran had amassed 408.6 kilograms (900.8 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity. If it is enriched to 90%, it would be enough to make nine nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA yardstick, though a weapon would require other expertise, such as a detonation device,” the AP noted.

The joint Israel and US surprise assault of the 12-day June war might have actually done much to hasten Iran’s nuclear development and Tehran leaders now believe – not without good reason – that past and future negotiations with Washington are based on deception by the US side.

Spot Ether exchange-traded funds are selling like hot cakes in the US, attracting more than 10 times the inflows of their spot Bitcoin counterparts over the past five trading days. 

Since Aug. 21, spot Ether ETFs have seen a whopping $1.83 billion in inflows, while Bitcoin funds took only a 10th of that with $171 million, according to CoinGlass. 

The latest trading day on Wednesday continued the trend, with nine Ether funds reaching $310.3 million in inflows, while the 11 spot Bitcoin funds saw just $81.1 million. 

Ether has recovered faster than Bitcoin this week, with ETH prices climbing 5% from their Tuesday low, whereas Bitcoin only managed to gain 2.8% over the same period. 

As CoinTelegraph’s Martin Young reports, the massive shift to Ether was not missed by industry observers such as Ethereum educator and investor Anthony Sassano, who described it as “brutal.” 

Source: Anthony Sassano

Meanwhile, NovaDius Wealth Management president Nate Geraci added that spot Ether ETFs are now close to $10 billion in inflows since the start of July.

Spot Ether ETFs have been trading for 13 months and have seen $13.6 billion in total aggregate inflows, the majority of which has come in the last couple of months.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs have been around longer, trading for 20 months with an aggregate AUM of $54BN. However, just looking at the largest BTC ETF (IBIT), we can see it is rapidly catching up with the total AUM of the Gold ETF GLD…

The Wall Street token

The momentum has seemingly been shifting to Ethereum following the passing of the GENIUS Act stablecoin legislation in July, as the network has the largest market share of stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets. 

“It’s very much what I call the Wall Street token,” said VanEck CEO Jan van Eck, speaking on Fox Business this week. 

Meanwhile, Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart reported that investment advisers were the top holders of Ether ETFs with $1.3 billion in exposure.

According to SEC filings, Goldman Sachs is the top holder with $712 million in exposure. 

Department of Health & Human Services announced on X late Wednesday that Susan Monarez, the first Senate-confirmed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is “no longer director of the CDC.”

Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people. @SecKennedy has full confidence in his team at @CDCgov who will continue to be vigilant in protecting Americans against infectious…

— HHS.gov (@HHSGov) August 27, 2025

Monarez appears to have been ousted after a month on the job, which sparked the resignation of four other senior CDC officials.

According to a New York Times report, Monarez “clashed with the secretary over vaccine policy,” which ultimately led to her firing.

Hours after HHS’ X post, attorneys Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell wrote on the social media platform that Monarez “has neither resigned nor received notification from the White House that she has been fired, and as a person of integrity and devoted to science, she will not resign.” 

Abbe Lowell and I represent @CDCgov Director Susan Monarez. Contrary to govt statements, Dr. Monarez has neither resigned nor yet been fired. We have issued the following statement: pic.twitter.com/5OHbwMkVIQ

— Mark S. Zaid (@MarkSZaidEsq) August 27, 2025

The leadership crisis unfolding at the CDC coincided with the Food and Drug Administration’s announcement of new limits on Covid vaccines – and just days after vaccine-pusher Bill Gates met with President Trump at the White House. 

Recall that Monarez previously stated, “Vaccines save lives,” and championed mRNA shots. 

“mRNA IS PERFECTLY SAFE FOR YOUR KIDS”

That was CDC Director Susan Monarez, who was fired today after just 4 weeks on the job.

And less than 24 hours after Bill Gates met with President Trump:

❌ CDC Director Susan Monarez: FIRED
❌ CDC vaccine chief: RESIGNED
❌ CDC chief… pic.twitter.com/GgbcTxwUWC

— HustleBitch (@HustleBitch_) August 28, 2025

The X account “Died Suddenly” published a profile of Monarez, offering readers a snapshot of her background and political leanings

NEW: Susan Monarez was fired as CDC Director for trying to keep mRNA shots on the recommended childhood vaccine schedule and saying “vaccines save lives”

Monarez has a long history of connections to Bill Gates and his foundation, such as her time at Stanford for postdoctoral research where she worked in a department chaired by Mark Davis, who went on to receive $50M from Gates before the pandemic to create vaccines and found the university’s Human Systems Immunology Center.

Monarez also served at the deputy director of ARPA under Bisen and oversaw a partnership with a biotech firm called Ginkgo Bioworks. This firm was underwritten by a Gates-controlled investment firm, Cascade Investment.

NEW: Susan Monarez was fired as CDC Director for trying to keep mRNA shots on the recommended childhood vaccine schedule and saying “vaccines save lives”

Monarez has a long history of connections to Bill Gates and his foundation, such as her time at Stanford for postdoctoral… pic.twitter.com/Fk43y0CoMb

— Died Suddenly (@DiedSuddenly_) August 27, 2025

Confirmation of Monarez’s vaccine-obsessed views came from White House spokesperson Kush Desai, who told Axios News in a statement: “As her attorney’s statement makes abundantly clear, Susan Monarez is not aligned with the President’s agenda of Making America Healthy Again.”

Desai added: “Since Susan Monarez refused to resign despite informing HHS leadership of her intent to do so, the White House has terminated Monarez from her position with the CDC.“

Let’s remind readers that the globalists have captured the CDC:

That’s a corrupt & bought-off agency. Shut it down! pic.twitter.com/5uBUwN4aKj

— RexesRule ⚓USN ⚓😺 🦝 (@CatsRule2023) August 27, 2025

At least four other CDC officials resigned on Wednesday in a massive leadership shakeup at the agency: Dr. Debra Houry, the CDC’s chief medical officer; Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; Dr. Daniel Jernigan, the director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases; and Dr. Jennifer Layden, director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance and Technology.

The big leadership shakeup at the CDC, days after Gates’ visit to the White House, only suggests that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s team is cleaning house.

By Philip Marey, senior US strategist at Rabobank,

The 10 year US treasury yield has fallen back to 4.22%, after peaking at 4.31% on Tuesday, so the impact of President Trump’s attempt to fire Lisa Cook has remained modest. Meanwhile, Trump is continuing his firing spree.

On Wednesday, he first fired Robert Primus, a member of the Surface Transportation Board, the regulator of the railroad industry, that is weighing the proposed megamerger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. In 2023, Primus, a Democrat, was the only member on the board to oppose a merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern. Yesterday afternoon, he received an email from the White House Presidential Personnel Office that his position was terminated, effective immediately, without explanation. He was removed from the Board’s website. However, he planned to challenge his termination. So this is one for the courts again. On Wednesday evening, the White House said it had fired Susan Monarez, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She has been in office for less than a month, but clashed with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over the CDC’s guidance on vaccines. Monarez was notified by a White House staffer that she was fired. Her lawyers said that only the President himself can fire her, so they reject the notification as legally deficient.

While President Trump’s attempt to fire Lisa Cook is heading for the courts, he is wasting no time in preparing her replacement on the Board. In fact, he wants to announce a nominee soon. On Tuesday he said “we have some very good people for that position.” Keep in mind that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is overseeing the selection process for the new Fed Chair. This is providing the White House with a shortlist to fill any vacancy at the Fed, such as those for Governors and regional Fed presidents (although the legal path for the latter remains unclear). What’s more, Trump’s nominee for Adriana Kugler’s seat on the Board, Stephen Miran, could also be directed toward the possible Cook vacancy. As Trump put it on Tuesday: “We might switch him to the other – it’s a longer term.” In the meantime, Senate hearings for Miran’s nomination to replace Kugler are expected next week.

Yesterday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent repeated his call for Fed Chair Jerome Powell to conduct an internal review that should include things like Lisa Cook’s mortgage fraud allegations. Talking to Fox Business, Bessent said “I’ve encouraged Chair Powell to do this on an internal basis before there is an external review.”

This week’s events underline our view that the FOMC may continue to resist delivering the amount of rate cuts that President Trump desires this year, but next year it will be increasingly difficult to keep White House influences from policy rate decisions. In the near term, we expect a rate cut in September, and then it depends on the data whether we are going to see a second one before the end of the year. Evidence of higher inflation could delay the Fed this year, while signs of labor market deterioration are likely to strengthen the case for rate cuts. However, next year the data are likely to matter less in monetary policy decisions and we expect the pace of the cutting cycle to pick up. What’s more, as we discussed in our Jackson Hole comment, we are likely see a major overhaul of the Fed. Stephen Miran is not going to the Fed just to vote for rate cuts, more importantly he is sent there by Trump as a quartermaster for the MAGA makeover.

Meanwhile, New York Fed President John Williams, in an interview with CNBC, said that the September meeting is a “live” one. He said that from his perspective every meeting is live, as the FOMC are getting the risks more in balance. Williams, who is a permanent voter in the FOMC, did not indicate whether he would support a rate cut next month. On Monday, he said that the era of low r-star appears far from over, referring to global demographic and productivity trends that have not reversed. This would imply that he still sees ample room for cutting rates.

Is Israel defending itself – or executing a calculated genocide?

That’s the question on deck tonight at 7 pm ET, live on ZeroHedge’s homepage and X.

Two heavyweight historians—Omer Bartov, Dean’s Professor of Holocaust & Genocide Studies at Brown University, and famed Israeli historian Benny Morris—will go head-to-head.

The moderator: Mario Nawfal, the journalist with 2M+ followers on X.

Bartov: “A deliberate strategy of slow‑moving genocide”

Bartov pulls zero punches. In his New York Times op-ed titled “I’m a Genocide Scholar. I Know It When I See It,” he declares:

“My inescapable conclusion has become that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people…” 

He warns the stakes are existential—not just for Gaza, but for the very foundations of international law. Bartov charges that—by now—it’s beyond debate:

The destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure, hospitals, museums, universities and “anything that would make it possible for a population after a war to try to reconstitute itself” can’t be ignored as anything less than genocidal intent.

Bartov draws a connection between IDF rhetoric and the dehumanizing language of history’s darkest episodes:

Israeli leaders have likened Gazans to “human animals”, invoking “genocidal echos” reminiscent of Wehrmacht-era ideology.

Morris: “Genocide Is a False and Grotesque Accusation”

Morris has been equally blunt in rebuttal.

“Accusing Israel of genocide is historically false, morally grotesque, and strategically destructive.” 

For him, the word “genocide” is being cynically deployed:

“The charge is not an analysis—it is a weapon. A weapon to delegitimize Israel’s right to exist.”

Morris acknowledges Gaza has been devastated, but insists intent matters.

“Genocide means a will to annihilate an entire people. That is not Israel’s objective. Israel is fighting Hamas—an organization openly committed to Israel’s destruction—not the Palestinian people as a whole.”

He warns that blurring those distinctions undermines both truth and law:

“When everything becomes genocide, nothing is.”

We’ll see you tonight at 7pm ET.