Good morning everyone. This morning, I am tracking the massive chaos at the CDC where several senior officials have either resigned in protest or have been fired because of their pro-vaccine stance. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration has appointed a election conspiracy theorist to lead the election integrity section of the Department of Homeland Security. A lot to get to this morning.
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Here’s what you missed overnight:
CDC Director Susan Monarez, confirmed just last month, is resisting efforts by the Trump administration to oust her. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced her removal without explanation, but Monarez’s lawyers insist she has not resigned nor been officially notified of termination.
Her lawyers claim she is being “targeted” for refusing to endorse unscientific policies, particularly related to vaccines pushed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Sen. Patty Murray (D) called for Kennedy’s firing, labeling him “dangerous” and driven by conspiracy theories.
Former CDC director Dr. Mandy Cohen warned that the turmoil is weakening the agency and leaving the US more vulnerable. The ousting sparked a wave of resignations, including at least three senior CDC leaders.
Among them, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, head of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, resigned in protest, citing the “weaponizing of public health.”
The Trump administration has asked Naval Station Great Lakes, a military base outside Chicago, for logistical support in immigration operations, including facilities and infrastructure, as part of its broader crackdown beyond Washington. While no final decision has been made, the move signals potential expansion of federal enforcement into Democratic-led cities. Trump has also threatened to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago to address crime, immigration, and homelessness. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker rejected the idea, saying Chicago does not need military intervention.
Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook has filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump, challenging what she describes as his “unprecedented and illegal” effort to remove her from office. Cook, who was appointed to the Fed by President Biden, argues that Trump’s attempt to fire her undermines the central bank’s independence and violates established protections for Federal Reserve officials. The lawsuit is part of a broader pattern of Trump moving to reshape independent agencies across the federal government by ousting officials he views as obstacles to his agenda.
Japan's top trade negotiator canceled a planned U.S. trip after unresolved issues required further talks, with Japan urging tariff changes on autos while Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said an update on trade relations will come later this week.
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from deporting Kilmar Ábrego García, a Maryland man previously wrongfully expelled, ruling he cannot be removed until at least October as his asylum case proceeds.
More than 2,200 National Guard troops deployed to Washington DC under Trump’s “crime emergency” have shifted from policing to tasks like clearing homeless camps, patrolling Union Station, and even raking leaves and mulching cherry trees, raising concerns about the militarization of civilian spaces and the diversion of soldiers from core military duties.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that federal law enforcement made 105 arrests in Washington DC on Wednesday, seizing 12 illegal firearms, bringing the total since 7 August to 1,283 arrests.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser yesterday credited Trump’s surge of federal law enforcement personnel into the city with lowering crime there, but said the presence of immigration agents and National Guard troops was “not working.”
A federal grand jury declined yesterday to indict a former Justice Department employee who was seen on camera hurling a salami sub at the chest of a federal officer deployed to D.C., two people familiar with the matter said.
A conservative election researcher whose faulty analyses of election data were cited by Trump as he tried to overturn his 2020 election loss has been appointed to an election integrity role at the Department of Homeland Security.
Florida’s controversial immigration jail “Alligator Alcatraz” in the Everglades is being emptied and will shut down in compliance with a federal court order citing environmental damage and detainee abuses, despite Gov. Ron DeSantis’s appeal to keep it open.
A Georgia judge fined the Fulton County commission $10,000 a day for refusing to appoint two Republican election board nominees tied to election denialism, ruling Democrats must comply with the county charter despite their objections over voter suppression and conspiracy ties.
Vance travels to Wisconsin today to promote the GOP’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” visiting a steel plant in La Crosse while emphasizing Trump’s “Tax Cuts for Working Families,” as Republicans tout middle-class tax relief and Democrats warn it would strip millions of health insurance while favoring the wealthy.
Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv kills at least 18 people, including four children, in the deadliest night raid since the Alaska summit between Putin and Trump; strikes hit over 20 locations, destroying a residential building, damaging EU and British Council offices, injuring dozens, and prompting President Zelenskyy to condemn Moscow for choosing “ballistics instead of the negotiating table.”
A Los Angeles jury awarded $2.2 million to filmmaker Cellin Gluck, who was shot in the face with a less-lethal projectile by a sheriff’s deputy during a 2020 protest against police brutality following George Floyd’s killing. The jury found LA County liable for excessive force, determining $3.5 million in damages for Gluck and $300,000 for his daughter, later reduced by 35% due to shared fault, leaving Gluck with about $2.27 million and his daughter $195,000.
Rwanda has accepted seven people deported from the US under a controversial Trump administration deal to send migrants to third countries such as South Sudan and Eswatini. Rwandan officials said three of the arrivals want to return to their home countries while four plan to stay and rebuild their lives in Rwanda.
See you this evening.
— Aaron
