A significant day draws to a close: Friday, September 19, 2025, noteworthy for its diverse assortment of celebrations: National Butterscotch Pudding Day, International Grenache Day, International Talk Like a Pirate Day, and not forgetting National Concussion Awareness Day. No shortage of occasions for readers to commemorate notable events, notable figures, or reminiscing the departed.
Going straight to the news, the Trump administration has directly approached the Supreme Court with a notable request. An urgent plea to allow the removal of Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook from the board of the central bank, despite a lawsuit contesting the president’s intent to fire her is still on-going.
This precipitous action comes in the wake of a decision by a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., slapping down the administration’s controversial attempt to sideline Cook prior to this week’s meeting of the Fed. The 2-1 verdict, a crushing setback for the administration, was pronounced just before the kickoff of the meeting.
The underpinning for this is an intricate federal law safeguarding Fed governors from whimsical expulsion. Nevertheless, John Sauer, Solicitor General and advocate for the administration argued that accusations of mortgage fraud levelled against Cook, tied to a Trump political appointee, provides enough justification for the president to fire the Biden appointee, certified with the Senate’s seal of approval.
Sauer went one step further, seeking the court’s permission to oust Cook immediately from the board, even before the justices reach a decision on the urgent request. A move, arguably riddled with unseemly haste and apparent disdain for due process.
In his written submission, Sauer particularly stressed on the Federal Reserve Board’s crucial function in the U.S. economy and the potential risk of allowing an allegedly ‘ethically compromised’ member to maintain her influential reach. However, a glaring disregard seems to be shown for the fact that these allegations are from vested political interests.
Denying all allegations, Cook put forth her vantage point: that all charges are groundless, and more importantly, should not constitute a reasonable basis for her termination as they pertain to personal conduct prior to her Fed assignment. Despite the eyebrow-raising nature of the allegations and the broader context, this case could set a worrying precedent.
In the eye of the storm, it’s not about fraudulent conduct anymore, but rather the overt power struggle to align the Federal Reserve under the President’s aegis, subverting its independence. An ostensibly clear-cut case has now morphed into a political battlefield.
Shifting our focus towards global defense, the Israeli ‘Iron Beam’, a high-powered laser interception system, has been declared operational after a trail of thorough development and final tests. After over a decade in the pipeline, this formidable defense tool is slated for delivery to the military by year-end.
During the ongoing conflict, a less powerful variant of the system was put into combat by the Israel Defense Forces to neutralize drones from Hezbollah, launched from Lebanon. The Israeli Air Force, in conjunction with the Directorate of Defense Research & Development (DDR&D) and the Rafael defense company, marked the successful completion of a series of operational tests, spanning several weeks, that showcased the high-power laser system’s capabilities.
Proving its defense prowess, the ‘Iron Beam’ system was able to intercept rockets, mortars, and drones during the testing phase, conducted in a designated testing area in southern Israel. Thus marking the end of its development process and indicating its readiness to be inducted for practical use in the IDF.
But it should be noted that the ‘Iron Beam’ is not engineered to supersede the ‘Iron Dome’ or other aerial defense systems of Israel. Its function is to augment these systems, dealing with smaller projectiles and leaving the larger threats to more durable missile-based batteries such as David’s Sling and the Arrow systems.
The continuous energy supply ensures that the laser weapon does not face an ammunition shortage, establishing its formidable military potential. Many officials view this as a watershed moment, marking a substantial shift in warfare strategy against projectile attacks.
Designed exclusively for defense, the ‘Iron Beam’ aims to shield Israeli civilians from rockets fired by adversaries, although it’s interesting to note that ‘defensive’ is a term that continues to be a bone of contention in the ever-complex geopolitical landscape.
The post Biden-Backed Federal Reserve Governor Steered Towards Termination appeared first on Real News Now.
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