Aurelia Butler

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    Read the appeals court ruling on Trump’s tariffs.

    Case: 25-1812 Document: 159

    Page: 69

    Filed: 08/29/2025

    V.O.S. SELECTIONS, INC. v. TRUMP

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    related actions in two categories—one focused on money or its financial substitutes (subsection A) and the other on property (subsection B). War Powers Act of 1941, § 301, 55 Stat. at 839-40 (amending section 5(b) of TWEA). Under TWEA, the President may
    (A) investigate, regulate, or prohibit, any transac- tions in foreign exchange, transfers of credit or pay- ments between, by, through, or to any banking institution, and the importing, exporting, hoard- ing, melting, or earmarking of gold or silver coin or bullion, currency or securities, and
    (B) investigate, regulate, direct and compel, nul- lify, void, prevent or prohibit, any acquisition hold- ing, withholding, use, transfer, withdrawal, transportation, importation or exportation of, or dealing in, or exercising any right, power, or privi- lege with respect to, or transactions involving, any property in which any foreign country or a national thereof has any interest ….
    TWEA § 5(b) [50 U.S.C.§ 4305(b)(1)]. That language has been part of TWEA ever since. See Regan v. Wald, 468 U.S. at 226 n.2, 227 n.7; 50 U.S.C.App. § 5(b) (1976 ed.); 50 U.S.C. § 4305(b)(1) (current version).
    In 1976, Congress enacted the NEA. §§ 101, 201–202, 301, 401, 501-02, 90 Stat. at 1255-59, now codified as amended at 50 U.S.C. §§ 1601, 1621–22, 1631, 1641, 1651. The NEA, where applicable, generally terminated preexist- ing declarations of emergency, NEA § 101, 50 U.S.C. § 1601, and established new constraints on new declara- tions, NEA §§ 201–202, 301, 401, 50 U.S.C. §§ 1621–22, 1631, 1641. One provision governing national emergencies declared under the NEA requires automatic termination of the declared emergency after one year unless renewed by the President. NEA § 202(d), 50 U.S.C. § 1622(d). Another provision, as enacted, allowed both for presidential termi- nation by proclamation and for congressional termination More

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    Read Lisa Cook’s Lawsuit

    Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Pulte’s Criminal Referral
    39. The Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, William Pulte, was confirmed to his role in March 2025. The FHFA’s stated mission is to “ensure the regulated entities fulfill their mission by operating in a safe and sound manner to serve as a reliable source of liquidity and funding for the housing finance market throughout the economic cycle.”

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    40. Since his confirmation, Director Pulte, often through social media postings, has used his office to allege mortgage wrongdoing against public officials, now turning his sights on Governor Cook. Each of Director Pulte’s criminal referrals have notably been, at one time or another, political targets of President Trump’s ire prior to any mortgage fraud allegations.
    41. Director Pulte has also parroted President Trump’s criticisms of the Federal Reserve. On June 18, 2025, Director Pulte posted on X that Chairman Powell “is hurting the housing market by being Too Late to lower rates. He needs to resign, effective immediately.”

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    42. On July 16, 2025, Director Pulte reportedly gave President Trump a draft of a letter firing Chairman Powell. 17 That same day, Director Pulte posted on X that renovations to the building that houses the Federal Reserve are “riddled” with fraud, 18 and President Trump stated that Chairman Powell may be fired for fraud, noting that “I mean it’s possible there’s fraud involved with the $2.5 billion renovation.”

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    16

    18,

    15 U.S. Federal Housing, FHFA At-A-Glance, www.fhfa.gov/about (last visited Aug. 27, 2025). Bill Pulte (@pulte), Χ (June 2025, 2:40 PM) https://x.com/pulte/status/1935407350556561775.
    17 Maggie Haberman and Colby Smith, Trump Has Draft of Letter to Fire Fed Chair. He Asked Republicans if He Should Send It., N.Y. Times (July 16, 2025),

    18

    Bill

    Pulte (@pulte),

    X (July 16, 2025,

    https://x.com/pulte/status/1945562005777293795.

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    3:11

    PM),

    Bloomberg Podcasts, Trump Says Firing Powell ‘Unlikely’ (Full Q&A), YouTube (July 16, 2025), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib-OCc31Wfs.

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    Trump’s Appointees Could Rule the Fed for Decades

    <!–> –><!–> [–><!–> –> <!–> –><!–> [–><!–> –> <!–> –><!–> [–><!–>Mr. Trump has made no secret of his desire to reshape the top ranks of the Fed, repeatedly lashing out at Mr. Powell and his colleagues for keeping interest rates too high.–><!–> –><!–> [–><!–>Mr. Trump’s first opportunity to remake the Fed roster came sooner than […] More

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    Read Trump’s Directive Firing Lisa Cook From Fed Role

    THE WHITE HOUSE

    WASHINGTON

    August 25, 2025

    Dr. Lisa D. Cook

    Member

    Board of Governors
    United States Federal Reserve System
    20th Street & Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20551

    Dear Governor Cook:

    Pursuant to my authority under Article II of the Constitution of the United States and the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, as amended, you are hereby removed from your position on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, effective immediately.

    The Federal Reserve Act provides that you may be removed, at my discretion, for cause. See 12 U.S.C. § 242. I have determined that there is sufficient cause to remove you from your position.

    As set forth in the Criminal Referral dated August 15, 2025, from Mr. William J. Pulte, Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to Ms. Pamela Bondi, Attorney General of the United States (“Criminal Referral”) (attached to this letter as Exhibit A), there is sufficient reason to believe you may have made false statements on one or more mortgage agreements. For example, as detailed in the Criminal Referral, you signed one document attesting that a property in Michigan would be your primary residence for the next year. Two weeks later, you signed another document for a property in Georgia stating that it would be your primary residence for the next year. It is inconceivable that you were not aware of your first commitment when making the second. It is impossible that you intended to honor both.

    The Federal Reserve has tremendous responsibility for setting interest rates and regulating reserve and member banks. The American people must be able to have full confidence in the honesty of the members entrusted with setting policy and overseeing the Federal Reserve. In light of your deceitful and potentially criminal conduct in a financial matter, they cannot and I do not have such confidence in your integrity. At a minimum, the conduct at issue exhibits the sort of gross negligence in financial transactions that calls into question your competence and trustworthiness as a financial regulator. More

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    Try This Quiz on Books Written About America’s Gilded Age

    Welcome to Lit Trivia, the Book Review’s regular quiz about books, authors and literary culture. This week’s installment celebrates novels written about or during America’s Gilded Age era, which many scholars roughly peg between the end of the Civil War in 1865 and the early years of the 20th century. In the five multiple-choice questions below, tap or click on the answer you think is correct. After the last question, you’ll find links to the books. More

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    Maps: Tracking Typhoon Kajiki

    <!–> [!–> <!–> –><!–> [–><!–>Kajiki was a typhoon in the South China Sea Sunday evening Indochina Time, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center said in its latest advisory.–><!–> –> <!–> –> <!–> –><!–> [!–> <!–> –><!–> [!–> <!–> [–><!–> –> Precipitation intensity Very light Heavy Extreme <!–> –> <!–> –><!–> [!–> <!–> [–><!–> –> <!–> [!–><!–> […] More

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    Read the Allegations Against Ingrid Lewis-Martin and Other Associates of Eric Adams

    For example, on July 12, 2023, LEWIS-MARTIN pressured the Deputy Mayor to leave a meeting with Mayor Adams – regarding hate crimes in New York City – to attend a meeting with LANDAU and HPD about the Red Hook Project. At approximately 11:32 AM, LEWIS- MARTIN texted the Deputy Mayor stating, “I know the mayor is major priority, but if you could skip out for second. They had been bugging the stuffings out of me.” Two minutes later, at approximately 11:34 AM, LEWIS-MARTIN sent a Signal message to MARTIN II and LANDAU stating, “Good morning: [the Deputy Mayor] is in a meeting with the mayor about hate crimes. She had [the Deputy Mayor’s Chief of Staff], her number one (1) join the call. I promise you that your project is priority. I need more.” At approximately 11:42 AM, LANDAU sent a Signal message to LEWIS-MARTIN and MARTIN II informing them that HPD “was giving push back and saying [the Red Hook Project] won’t close in December [2023].” At approximately 1:38 PM, MARTIN II replied, “Fuck him we make it close,” and at approximately 4:09 PM, LEWIS-MARTIN responded, “Ok. I agree with Glennie.” Within the same minute, LEWIS-MARTIN sent a text message to the Deputy Mayor stating, “Please give me a call when you have a chance.”

    LEWIS-MARTIN exerted similar pressure on the HPD Commissioner. For example, on July 28, 2023, from approximately 9:53 AM to approximately 12:13 PM, LEWIS-MARTIN sent multiple text messages to the HPD Commissioner directing him, in sum and substance, to “text me what is missing from the project that we discussed. I need to have a conversation with them,” and stating that she was awaiting the HPD Commissioner’s response. Later that afternoon, LEWIS-MARTIN called LANDAU using Signal. The next day, on July 29, 2023, LEWIS-MARTIN sent two follow-up text messages to the HPD Commissioner stating, “I have dates when all of the above was originally sent. More like months but [sic] weeks. We need to get it done,” and then adding, “December,” referring to LANDAU’s desired closing date for the Red Hook Project.

    In or about February 2024, HPD completed its background review of the project’s ownership structure and site acquisition allowing it into HPD’s “pipeline,” a list of projects slated to close. At any given time, hundreds of projects are in the pipeline, but only a few are able to close each calendar year. As a result, many projects wait multiple years before closing. But LANDAU would not wait his turn and LEWIS-MARTIN continued to push.

    LEWIS-MARTIN went so far as to engage directly with LANDAU’s representatives on the Red Hook Project by attending private meetings and phone calls without HPD or other City Hall officials present. For example, on April 10, 2024, at approximately 10:36 AM, LEWIS-MARTIN had a three-way conversation with LANDAU and his private consultant on the Red Hook Project. She stated, “We’re gonna, we gotta get that place [HPD] under control, so when we fucking tell them something, we expect them to make that shit move… I’m gonna speak to the Mayor, and then that’s it, so we’re just gonna push for December [2024] and we’re gonna keep it going.” The next day, on April 11, 2024, LEWIS-MARTIN confirmed a meeting with LANDAU and an attorney representing the Red Hook Project. HPD was not a party to these calls or meetings.

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