NPR News: 08-07-2026 10PM EDT
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Why is President Trump threatening to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. President Trump is once again threatening to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook over unproven allegations of mortgage fraud. NPR Scott Horsley reports the move comes just over a month after the Supreme Court blocked Trump's earlier bid to remove Cook.
The White House is demanding that Lisa Cook respond to allegations that she made false statements on mortgage applications. Those charges were first raised by Trump ally William Poulty, who oversees mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mack. Cook has denied any wrongdoing, and her attorney says the allegations are baseless and promise to fight them in court. Trump's earlier effort to ouse Cook came at a time when the President was waging a wider campaign to pressure the Fed to lower interest rates. By design, the central bank's supposed to be insulated from that kind of pressure. The Supreme Court ruled five to four back in June.
How did the Supreme Court block Trump's earlier attempt to remove Governor Cook?
The presidents can only remove Fed governors for cause, a test the White House has yet to meet. Scott Horsley, MPR News, Washington.
The leaders of Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed a joint defense agreement today in the city of Mecca, and Piers Hadil al-Sholci has more.
Details of the agreement were not immediately released, but the Pakistani foreign ministry said that it was intended to quote strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression. This deal comes as tensions in the Middle East rise with fears of a widening war between the United States and Iran. The agreement would combine the strengths of Saudi Arabia as an oil rich country, Pakistan, a nuclear power, and Turkey, which has NATO's second largest military and a growing defense industry. Hadil al Shalchi and PR News, Istanbul.
In Puerto Rico, water rationing started today as the island deals with a historic drought. The Water Authority says water will be shut off for rotating forty eight hour periods in parts of the capital, San Juan, and surrounding areas.
What are the details of the new Saudi‑Turkey‑Pakistan defense agreement signed in Mecca?
And Pierre's Adrian Florido has more.
The island's public water utility has, for the better part of a year, not been able to deliver water to a lot of people's homes. So although the the formal rationing is starting today, a lot of people have been coping for months without water for days at a time. Um in terms of how they're coping, Well they're cooking less, bathing less, letting their plants wilt, storing water in buckets and bins when they do get water, filling them up and storing the water. Uh they're buying a lot of bottled water.
It appears Adrian Florido reporting summer is usually very wet, it's the hurricane season, but there's been almost no rain in Puerto Rico for months. The summer is the island's driest in more than a century. Cameron Hamilton has been confirmed as head of FEMA, the agency the former Navy SEAL briefly led last year.
How is Puerto Rico coping with historic drought and water rationing?
FEMA's future has been uncertain since President Trump threatened to eliminate it. Democrats accuse Trump of politicizing disaster aid. You're listening to NPR News. As the rise of AI drives an influx of new data centers, some places have used eminent domain to seize private property for public use. From Member Station WPLN, Cynthia Abrams reports on efforts in Nashville, where city leaders are trying to use that eminent domain to block a new data center.
The proposed facility is located near the Nashville Zoo and has drawn broad community pushback. More than half a million people have signed a petition in opposition. City leaders have enacted a temporary moratorium on data centers, but it won't block the zoo adjacent facility. Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell has criticized the developer.
Who is the new FEMA head and why is the agency’s future in question?
They ignored encouragement to go engage with the zoo in community.
So Nashville is now trying to prove its need of the $37 million plot of land through eminent domain. The City Council has greenlit the attempt, but Nashville will now have to go through the courts. If successful, it could then purchase the land. For NPR News, I'm Cynthia Abrams in Nashville.
The economy expectedly unexpectedly lost twenty thousand jobs last month.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
Why is President Trump threatening to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook?
0:00–0:52
2
How did the Supreme Court block Trump's earlier attempt to remove Governor Cook?
0:52–1:54
3
What are the details of the new Saudi‑Turkey‑Pakistan defense agreement signed in Mecca?
1:54–2:50
4
How is Puerto Rico coping with historic drought and water rationing?
2:50–3:41
5
Who is the new FEMA head and why is the agency’s future in question?
3:41–4:26
6
Why is Nashville using eminent domain to block a data center near the zoo?
4:26–5:03