Courtney Brown / Kate Davidson (reporting lines chiefly Courtney Brown)

I mean, his job is to forge consensus.

Now, does it matter if you have disagreement?

No.

I mean, there are certainly people who would argue it's healthy, but

You made an important point, Kai, that it's kind of about helping markets and the broader public understand where the Fed is headed, what is likely to happen.

So much of what they depend on is this forward guidance of signaling what they're going to do.

And I think for the first time, you're really seeing not just people disagreeing, but disagreeing in different directions.

Some people think that they shouldn't cut at all.

Some people think they need to cut even more than they have been.

So it's unusually divergent right now.

One of my sources said that this might be a preview of what the post Powell era looks like with Trump getting to put a leader in place.

You might see more divisions happening.

at the Fed than we've been used to seeing under Powell.

And that's just a different era.

And it comes at a very complicated time for the economy where there's concern about both the labor market and inflation.

So maybe this becomes the new normal.

Thanks, Kai.

It's evening rush hour in Houston.

Most workers here on the west side of town are headed home.

But not Maria.