Friday, August 28, 2026

Lisa Cook is fighting back

eNewspaper | Crosswords | Horoscopes

This is America

Stories of justice and action across America

Fri Aug 28 2026

Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook is fighting back against President Donald Trump , who is trying to oust the first Black woman to serve on the central bank's board.

Welcome back, This is America readers, I'm Phillip M. Bailey, chief political correspondent with USA TODAY.

Earlier this month, the White House demanded Cook respond to allegations of making false statements when she obtained two mortgages in Georgia or risk being fired.

But as USA TODAY's Bart Jansen reports, the 62-year-old fed governor is resisting Trump's efforts in a defiant reply to the administration by her attorney.

"For the second time in a year, we have explained why there is no legal basis for President Trump to remove Governor Cook for cause," Cook’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement. "These attacks on Governor Cook are not about real estate paperwork; they are an attempt by President Trump to force the Federal Reserve to bend to his will."

The administration's claims against Cook stems from a 2021 purchase of a condominium in Atlanta, but it is part of a larger tug-of-war over Trump's ability to hire or fire anyone in the executive branch.

Earlier this year the Supreme Court rebuffed the president's first try to fire Cook but the justices have also overturned a 90-year precedent in June ruling that he could remove members of other independent agencies, such as the Federal Trade Commission.

Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook speaks at the Stanford Institute of Economic Policy Research in Palo Alto, California, on May 27, 2026.

Ann Saphir, REUTERS

For more on Cook's fight with the administration, check out USA TODAY's coverage:

Supreme Court rules Trump can't fire Lisa Cook. What it means for Fed.Who is Lisa Cook? Trump said he fired a Fed Gov. She said she's not stepping down.

Trump vows action after SCOTUS losses on Lisa Cook, mail-in voting: Watch.

What America saw in Dolly Parton

Country music icon Dolly Parton 's death this week at age 80 resulted in a deluge of emotional outpouring from fans and others across the country in what historians say underscores her unconditional love for all Americans.

Born in rural Tennessee, Parton's humanity was remembered by all stripes, from the Trump administration to the Democratic Socialists of America.

Whether it was songs and films that spoke to working women and outsiders or philanthropy in vulnerable communities that changed lives, USA TODAY's MMelissa Ruggieri spoke with The Excerpt about how Parton left a mark far beyond country music that made her one of America's most beloved figures.