President Trump on Monday posted a letter to Cook informing her of his decision to remove her from the Fed "for cause." He previously called on her to resign over an accusation that she committed mortgage fraud.

Washington

Senator Eric Schmitt spoke about the recent removal of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, emphasizing that the president acted within his legal authority, particularly citing the Supreme Court's Wilcox decision. Schmitt argued that the decision clarified the president's power to remove officials from independent agencies for cause, and referenced a mortgage fraud criminal referral as additional justification for Cook's removal.

Schmitt also addressed criticism that the removal was politically motivated, distinguishing between holding officials accountable and targeting political adversaries. He discussed ongoing investigations and suggested that the legal grounds for Cook's removal are likely to be upheld in court, referencing similar cases and the legal strategies involved.

Sen. Eric Schmitt comments on firing of Fed Gov. Lisa Cook

Senator Eric Schmidt joins us now to talk more about this. You were there, you voted against Lisa Cook, all the Republican senators did, even Graham. What do you make of this moment we're seeing right now? The president's getting hit with a lot of criticism for this move, but at the same time, Lisa Cook very clearly doesn't belong in that position. Well, actually, Rob, I wasn't there yet. I would have voted no, but I got there in 2023, but she's a disaster of a nominee, and I can't tell you how many times these Democrats on all these stupid shows go on there and say ridiculous things about how court cases are gonna turn out, and they turn out to be absolutely wrong, 100% wrong. President Trump is well within his rights based on a recent Supreme Court decision, the Trump v. Wilcox decision, that made clear after decades of uncertainty that the president of the United States has the authority under his Article II powers to remove people, especially for cause, from indefendent agencies like this. He did it with the NLRB earlier this year. It was upheld. It's gonna be upheld here, and to further sort of bootstrap his argument and strengthen it, he cited essentially for cause that mortgage fraud criminal referral that's out there right now gives him more than enough authority to get rid of her at this moment in time. Because that was my next question is that, I mean, it says for cause, and of course, that's what everybody's gonna look at, and they're gonna file a lawsuit over this, and right now, this woman apparently says she's just not going to leave, but you believe that that allegation is more than enough for the president to remove this woman from the position? Yeah, I think he would have been able to do it even without the recent Wilcox decision, but the Wilcox decision makes it very clear, and it's almost like, listen, they've got a smart legal team over at the Trump 47 White House right now. That for cause thing is specifically tailored to meet within the confines of the recent Wilcox decision, so he's gonna be successful here, so all the whining that they're doing on CNN and MSNBC will be for naught, and they'll look like fools once again. I bet there's a Biden-Obama judge out there that disagrees with you. Well, the good news is as they make their way up here, as they make their way up through the appellate court, Supreme Court, he'll be victorious. He'll be victorious, okay, great. I wanna take a look, if we can skip ahead one here, guys, take a listen to this from CNN. When you look at the full range of criminal investigations, whether it's Senator Adam Schiff or New York Attorney General Tish James or Lisa Cook, all of these are political adversaries under criminal investigation. This kind of crusade against enemies is absolutely unprecedented. So this kind of crusade is unprecedented, really, because I remember something a lot worse happening just a couple years ago, and you know what I've been saying? This is obviously retaliation, and you know what? And I know they deny it all they want. I don't care, it's clearly retaliation, it's justified. What we watched them do, what they started, was the most pitiful thing I have ever seen. What the president had to go through to get back into the White House was the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. And I think there's a general bloodlust out there from his supporters that it's time to get even, because if you don't, if you let them get away with what they did to him, they're just gonna do it again. Well, it's why I wrote the book, The Last Line of Defense, How to Beat the Left in Court, that's available on Amazon right now. You got the picture right there, yeah. Yeah, when I was attorney general in Missouri, we fought back all the lawlessness from the Biden administration on the vaccine mandates. We fought back on the censorship. We fought back on the student loan debt relief scam. So if we have the courage to fight back, Rob, we can win. This book is a playbook to go do it. I think your audience will love it. But let's also be clear here. There's a difference between what's happening right now versus what happened to President Trump. They went after a political enemy to make sure he never got back to the White House, specifically because he was gonna uncover all the stuff they've uncovered. So what they're trying to do right now with these cases, and I think it's gonna happen with Clapper, Comey, and Brennan, is to hold the people accountable that actually weaponized our judicial system. There's a big difference between going after political enemies just because you're political enemies and holding people accountable. I think that's what's happening right now. The Bolton investigation, Rob, it's an important note, started under Biden's DOJ. They're gonna have a hard time making that argument as this thing moves forward. There's a lot of unclean hands here. But as far as the Russiagate goes, I think indictments are coming, and they should be coming. Senator Schmidt, good to see you. The new book, The Last Line of Defense. Senator, thanks a lot. We appreciate it. Thanks, Rob.

Two young children were killed, and 17 others were injured in a shooting during a Catholic Mass packed with young students in Minneapolis. The gunman is also dead.

Minneapolis

Minneapolis Catholic school shooting leaves two children dead

The group is accused of attempting to infiltrate Greenlandic society, including allegedly recruiting locals for a new independence movement from Denmark, according to the Danish public broadcaster, DR, who was first to break the story.

Nuuk

Denmark summons U.S envoy over claimed interference in Greenland

SpaceX on Tuesday launched its Super Heavy-Starship, the most powerful rocket in the world, for a test flight after three other flights failed earlier this year. NASA hired SpaceX to build a lunar lander version of Starship to carry astronauts to the moon.

Starbase

SpaceX launches Super Heavy-Starship in test flight

The United States has doubled tariffs on many imports from India to 50 percent, as U.S. President Donald Trump followed through on his threat to punish New Delhi for buying discounted Russian oil.

New Delhi

Global Tariffs

U.S. raises India tariffs to 50 percent over Russian oil purchases

President Donald Trump said he would seek the death penalty for murders in Washington, as part of a crackdown on what he calls out-of-control crime in the US capital.

Trump endorses death penalty return in Washington D.C.

As the Israeli military gives an initial assessment of deadly strikes on a Gaza hospital, hundreds of thousands of protesters urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire with Hamas in exchange for a hostage deal.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Middle East Conflict

Protesters urge Netanyahu to reach hostage deal

Cracker Barrel says it will go back to its old logo after facing intense backlash and seeing its company value to sink by nearly $100 million after switching to a new design last week. In a statement, Cracker Barrel thanked their guests for sharing their voices.

Cracker Barrel scrapping new logo, returning to old one after backlash

The small West Tennessee town of Mason, just 2 square miles in size, is home to about 1,000 people. But its residents are now divided by what a new immigration detention facility will mean for the area.

Mason

Small Tennessee town divided over new ICE detention facility

A standoff is brewing between President Trump and economist Lisa Cook. Mr. Trump tried to fire her, claiming "there is sufficient cause" to believe that Cook made false statements on one or more mortgage agreements.

Trump clashes with Fed board member Lisa Cook, pushing to oust her

Protesters demanding an end to the Gaza war and the return of hostages to their homes took to the streets in Israel on Tuesday ahead of a security cabinet meeting scheduled for the evening.

Israeli protesters demand hostage deal as cabinet set to meet

Australia accused Iran on Tuesday (August 26) of executing two antisemitic arson attacks in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne and gave Tehran's ambassador seven days to leave the country, its first such expulsion since World War Two.

Council of the City of Sydney

Australia expels Iranian envoy over antisemitic attacks

President Donald Trump announced the removal of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, the only Black woman to serve on the board. Critics call it an attack on the Fed's independence, while Cook says no legal cause exists for her firing.

Trump says he fired Lisa Cook from Federal Reserve board

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating new National Guard units, including a rapid-response force to handle what the administration calls civil disturbances.

White House authorizes creation of rapid-response National Guard units

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI sued Apple and ChatGPT maker OpenAI in U.S. federal court in Texas, accusing them of illegally conspiring to thwart competition for artificial intelligence.

Texas

Rise of AI

Elon Musk's xAI sues Apple, OpenAI over competition claims

Strikes on the Nasser hospital in Gaza that left at least 20 people dead, including rescuers, journalists and health-care workers are being met with global outrage. The Israeli military is investigating what Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netnayahu called a ‘tragic mishap.’

Israeli PM calls deadly strikes on Gaza hospital a ‘tragic mishap’

Kilmar Abrego Garcia is back in ICE custody and is facing deportation to Uganda, the Department of Homeland Security says, after he was released from criminal custody last week.

Baltimore

Abrego Garcia in ICE custody, court blocks immediate deportation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he will meet with the U.S. and other countries this week to discuss a potential meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed at reaching a ceasefire.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

Zelenskiy say he will meet with U.S., others on potential Putin talks

U.S. President Donald Trump says Chicago could be the next city to see National Guard deployment, sparking strong opposition from Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor JB Pritzker, who argue crime is already falling and federal intervention is unnecessary.

Chicago

Trump threatens to send National Guard troops to Chicago

Four journalists working with Reuters, Al Jazeera and others were killed in explosions at a Gaza hospital. Gaza officials blame Israeli drone strikes, though CBS News has not independently verified the claims.

Jerusalem

Four journalists reported dead after Gaza hospital blasts

U.S. National Guard troops patrolling the streets of Washington D.C. as part of what President Donald Trump said was his crackdown on crime began carrying weapons on Sunday night, two officials said.

National Guard patrolling Washington DC begin carrying weapons

In a visit to Kyiv, Prime Minister Mark Carney affirmed Canada’s support for Ukraine and committed to sending soldiers if a ceasefire with Russia is reached.

Carney in Kyiv pledges support, possibly troops for Ukraine

The Pickett Fire is growing in California's Napa County, prompting new evacuations as it threatens homes and wineries. The flames, fueled by scorching temperatures and dry conditions, are being battled by hundreds of first responders.

Napa Valley

Evacuations ordered in California as heatwave fuels wildfire

Democrats are pushing back against President Trump's plan to send the National Guard to more cities, including Chicago, New York and Baltimore, as troops continue to patrol Washington, D.C. State and local leaders say they have crime under control.

Democrats slam Trump's plans to send National Guard to more cities

Beef prices are at record highs with the average price of a pound of ground beef topping $6. Lisa Rozner reports on what's causing prices to soar.

Why U.S beef prices are soaring

A defiant Ukraine marked its independence from the former Soviet Union Sunday amid more fighting with Russia. Chris Livesay reports on how world leaders joined in, voicing their support.

Ukraine marks its Independence Day as war with Russia continues

The boats are produced by unknown Turkish companies and are then sent disassembled in multiple shipments to avoid suspicion in what authorities say is for the sole purpose of trafficking migrants across the English Channel.

Sofia

Inflatable boats used for migrant trafficking seized

Less than 24 hours after he was released from jail, Kilmar Ábrego García was told that U.S. immigration officials plan to deport him to Uganda. The Salvadoran national, who has been living illegally in the U.S. since about 2011, was wrongly deported to his home country earlier this year.

Breakdown