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Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will attend Supreme Court oral arguments on Wednesday in a case addressing whether President Donald Trump can fire Fed governor Lisa Cook, according to a person familiar with Powell’s plans. The Supreme Court initially allowed Cook to remain in office in October as they prepared to hear arguments in January. Powell’s planned attendance comes as he wages a broader battle to preserve the Fed’s independence from political pressure. Earlier this month, the Fed chair announced that the Justice Department served the central bank with grand jury subpoenas and threatened a criminal indictment. The subpoenas, which focus on a $2.5 billion renovation of Fed buildings, came after Trump has repeatedly pressured the central bank to lower interest rates further. The president has lashed out at Powell in particular, criticizing him as “too late” and “a major loser.” Economy Jan 12 Why the Federal Reserve has historically been independent of the White House Trump administration Jan 11 Federal Reserve hit with DOJ subpoenas, indictment threat, Chair Jerome Powell says The Federal Reserve declined to comment on Powell attending the arguments, which was first reported by The Associated Press. NBC News has reached out to the White House for comment. Powell said that the threatened indictment was related to his June testimony to the Senate about the renovations, but argued that “those are pretexts.” “The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President,” he said. Trump said in August that he was removing Cook from her position, citing Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte’s accusations of mortgage fraud. The Federal Reserve Act restricts presidents from removing governors unless there is evidence of wrongdoing. Cook has denied the allegations, and NBC News has previously reported that bank documents appear to contradict the allegations. In a statement shortly after Trump attempted to fire Cook, her lawyer Abbe Lowell said that Trump “has no authority to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.” “His attempt to fire her, based solely on a referral letter, lacks any factual or legal basis,” he said in a statement at the time. Cook’s term as Fed governor is set to end in January 2038. Lawrence Hurley contributed.

As the official celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence culminate on July 4, a well-financed, privately funded initiative will kick off to try to connect hundreds of millions of Americans with efforts to solve local problems. The “Be The People” campaign aspires to change the perception that the U.S. is hopelessly divided and that individuals have little power to overcome problems like poverty, addiction, violence and stalled economic mobility. It also wants to move people take action to solve those problems. Brian Hooks, chairman and CEO of the nonprofit network Stand Together, said the 250th anniversary is a unique moment “to show people that they matter, that they have a part to play, and that the future is unwritten, but it depends on each one of us stepping up to play our part.” Funded by a mix of 50 philanthropic foundations and individual donors, Be The People builds on research that indicates many people want to contribute to their communities but don’t know how. The initiative is targeting more than $200 million for its first year’s budget. Founding members range from nonprofits — including GivingTuesday, Goodwill Industries, Habitat for Humanity and More Perfect, businesses like Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment and the National Basketball Association, to funders like the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Hooks said this is a 10-year commitment toward trying to achieve what would be a profound shift in behavior and culture. He referenced a 2024 Pew Research Center survey that found most Americans in 2023 and 2024 did not believe that the U.S. could solve its most important problems, saying it was a “red alert” for the country. news May 10, 2024 Behind America's divided economy: Booming luxury travel and a jump in ‘relief' loans Donald Trump Apr 20, 2022 Poll Offers More Evidence that Partisanship is Dividing America Hooks said the initiative envisions actions far beyond volunteering or service that people could do in their free time. He pointed to a role for businesses and schools and said the initiative would launch a major data collection effort to track whether people are actually more engaged and whether problems are actually getting solved. Stand Together, which was founded by the billionaire Charles Koch, works across a broad range of issues and communities in the U.S. and has carved out a role for itself as a convener that can bring coalitions together across ideological lines. “Be The People,” will not incorporate as a new nonprofit, but act more like a banner for groups to organize under and use to connect to resources. As an example, at the Atlanta Hawks game on Monday, Martin Luther King III and his wife, Arndrea Waters King, linked a program they launched last year, Realize the Dream, which aims to increase acts of service, to the new campaign. “Our vision is that ‘Be The People’ helps lift up what is already happening in communities across the country and reminds people that service and shared responsibility are defining parts of the American story,” the Kings said in a written statement. Asha Curran, the CEO of the nonprofit GivingTuesday, said small actions can build on each other like exercising a muscle. “Our experience with GivingTuesday is that when people volunteer together, when people work together on something to do with positive social impact, they find it harder and harder to demonize each other,” said Asha Curran, its CEO. The initiative comes against a backdrop of deep polarization, economic inequality and the degradation of democratic norms and institutions in the U.S. Hahrie Han, a political scientist at Johns Hopkins University, has studied civic engagement and said people need more opportunities to authentically participate as problem solvers when connecting with local organizations. “They’re more likely to be invited into things where people are asked to let professional staff do most of the…

When the Morello family home began to feel the winter chill in December, mom of four Laney Morello put a space heater in her son’s room. And thus, a beautiful friendship was born. “I think he really loves the sound it makes when it turns on,” Laney says of 18-month-old Elio’s obsession with the heater. “It beeps when you turn it on and it beeps every time you adjust it.” Elio named the heater Jeff. Or at least that’s what his mom thinks. “It’s possible that it was just a syllable that he was saying, but it sounds like ‘Jeff’ when he says it,” Laney tells TODAY.com. “I would plug it in and turn the button on, and he’d go, ‘Jeff!'” These days, Elio and Jeff are inseparable. “He would love to take it with him everywhere. He’ll drag it around the house,” Laney says. “He spends a lot of time trying to plug it in, which we try to not let him do. But even if it’s not plugged in, he still likes to have it nearby because I think he just has become a fan of it now.” (Not to worry, the Morellos adhere to strict safety rules around the heater. In fact, they are so serious about safety that one of their daughters had a safety-themed birthday party. True story.) parenting Jan 10 A 6-year-old wrote a book called ‘The Kid Who Drank Wine.' The internet demands a sequel parenting Jan 5 Parents give a 6-year-old the birthday gift she really wants: A name change she loves When the Morellos went on vacation to visit relatives, Elio looked for Jeff every day. “He was very, very happy to come home and see Jeff,” Laney says. “They reunited. And it was very sweet.” Her video of Elio’s longing for his best buddy earned over 3 million views on Instagram. Jeff’s electronic family has recently expanded. “There’s Larry, which is a handheld little dust buster. Larry’s been more trouble than he’s worth, though, because the battery does not last very long, and he’s not fun if he’s not turned on,” Laney says. Jeff’s inner circle also includes Bucky the robot vacuum and an unnamed salad spinner with pom poms inside. Elio’s obsession didn’t exactly come out of nowhere. Laney’s husband Justin was into appliances when he was young — plus their three older daughters enjoy naming inanimate objects. For example, they call their house Goby and their car Bertha. Laney adores Elio’s quirky friendship with his space heater while it lasts. “I think kids can just be kids, and they can be into weird stuff.” This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY: These Brave Parents Named Their Child Karen. They Stand By It Routines, Screen Time and More Parenting Tips From a Therapist What’s The Toughest Role in Parenting? And Why Do Moms Always Tackle It? This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Emmy-winning actor Timothy Busfield is in court on Tuesday for a hearing to determine whether he will remain in a New Mexico jail or be released pending trial on child sex abuse charges. Actor Melissa Gilbert, Busfield’s wife, is in attendance and could speak at the hearing for her husband, who faces child sex abuse charges stemming from allegations that he inappropriately touched a minor on a TV series set. Busfield, who is known for appearances in “The West Wing,” “Field of Dreams” and “Thirtysomething,” was ordered held without bond last week at his first court appearance. Busfield called the allegations lies in a video shared before he turned himself in. Gilbert, who played Laura Ingalls in the 1970s to ’80s TV series “Little House on the Prairie,” is on the list of potential witness submitted ahead of the hearing. A representative for Gilbert told NBC News that Gilbert would be attending Tuesday’s detention hearing. In a letter of support for her husband filed in court, Gilbert wrote that Busfield “has the strongest moral compass of any human I have ever known.” “He has dedicated his spiritual self to always being of service to others. He starts every day with kindness and compassion,” she said. Gilbert talked about his dedication to his family and his career and asked the judge to “please, please, take care of my sweet husband.” “As he is my protector, I am his, but I cannot protect him now and I think that, more than anything else, is what is truly breaking my heart,” she wrote. “I am relying on you to protect him for me.” Albuquerque police issued a warrant for Busfield’s arrest earlier this month on two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse. A criminal complaint alleges the acts occurred on the set of the series “The Cleaning Lady,” which was directed by Busfield and was filmed in the city. Crime and Courts Jan 14 Timothy Busfield faces new sexual abuse allegation involving 16-year-old girl Celebrity News Jan 13 Actor Timothy Busfield turns himself in amid child sex abuse allegations According to the criminal complaint, an investigator with the police department says the child reported Busfield touched him on private areas over his clothing on one occasion when he was 7 years old and another time when he was 8. The boy’s twin brother told authorities he was also touched by Busfield, but did not specify where. He said he didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to get in trouble. On Monday, Busfield’s attorneys submitted two brief audio recordings of initial police interviews in which the children say Busfield did not touch them in private areas. The attorneys in a court filing argue that the complaint characterizes the interviews as a failure to disclose abuse, but an “unequivocal denial is materially different from a mere absence of disclosure.” According to the criminal complaint, one of the boys disclosed during a therapy session that he was inappropriately touched by the show’s director. Those records were obtained by police during the investigation. Busfield’s attorneys have argued that the allegations emerged only after the boys lost their role in the TV show, creating a financial and retaliatory motive. The filings detailed what the attorneys said was a history of fraud by both the boys’ father and mother. They cited an investigation by Warner Bros. into the allegations that found the allegations unfounded. Busfield also submitted letters vouching for his character, and his attorneys say he passed an independent polygraph test. Legal experts say New Mexico is among a few states that allow polygraph evidence in criminal cases, but a judge has final say over whether one can be used. There are strict requirements for admission.