Posted by Matt Kiser

https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2025/09/04/day-1688/

Today in one sentence: Senators from both parties confronted Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his firing CDC Director Susan Monarez, his overhaul of the CDC, and replacing the agency’s vaccine advisory panel with vaccine skeptics; fired CDC director Susan Monarez said she was removed after refusing a directive to “preapprove the recommendations of a vaccine advisory panel newly filled with people who have publicly expressed antivaccine rhetoric”; the Trump administration blocked the release of a government-funded study that linked moderate drinking to higher risks of cancer, liver disease, and early death; the Justice Department opened a mortgage fraud probe into Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, issuing subpoenas tied to properties in Michigan and Georgia after Trump-appointed housing chief Bill Pulte accused her of lying on loan applications; Trump’s nominee to the Federal Reserve said he would take “unpaid leave” from the White House rather than resign if confirmed; Trump asked the Supreme Court to overturn a federal appeals court ruling that his tariffs were illegal and that he had no authority to impose them under emergency powers; a dozen federal judges criticized the Supreme Court for using emergency rulings to overturn lower-court decisions in Trump-related cases; and even Mitch McConnell is concerned that Trump’s second presidency is “the most dangerous period since before World War Two.”

1/ Senators from both parties confronted Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his firing CDC Director Susan Monarez, his overhaul of the CDC, and replacing the agency’s vaccine advisory panel with vaccine skeptics. In a combative Senate Finance Committee hearing, lawmakers pointed to reports of high-risk patients being denied Covid shots under his new limits. “Effectively, we’re denying people vaccine,” Sen. Bill Cassidy said, a Republican who backed Kennedy’s confirmation. Kennedy, however, rejected the criticism as lies, told senators they were “making stuff up,” and called Monarez “untrustworthy,” despite earlier describing her as “unimpeachable.” More than 20 medical and public health groups have urged his resignation, warning his policies put American lives at risk. (New York Times / Washington Post / NPR / Politico / Associated Press / Axios / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / CNBC)

2/ Fired CDC director Susan Monarez said she was removed after refusing a directive to “preapprove the recommendations of a vaccine advisory panel newly filled with people who have publicly expressed antivaccine rhetoric,” according to her Wall Street Journal op-ed. “Once trusted experts are removed and advisory bodies are stacked, the results are predetermined. That isn’t reform. It is sabotage.” Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. denied giving that order and said Monarez was “lying,” adding he fired her because she told him she wasn’t “trustworthy.” Monarez’s firing followed Kennedy’s overhaul of the CDC’s vaccine panel and restrictions on mRNA research that led to mass resignations. Meanwhile, a whistleblower complaint from two former NIH leaders accused the Trump administration of politicizing grants, canceling vaccine studies, and spreading “hostility” toward vaccines inside the agency. (The Hill / Axios / STAT News / New York Times / Axios / NBC News / Politico)

3/ The Trump administration blocked the release of a government-funded study that linked moderate drinking to higher risks of cancer, liver disease, and early death. The three co-authors were told last month the study wouldn’t be published or included in the required reports to Congress. “People are going to get sick who might have avoided getting sick, because they might have decreased their drinking,” one of the study’s authors warned. Instead, the Trump administration is relying on a National Academies report, which downplayed alcohol’s cancer risks and suggested moderate drinking could have benefits. The report includes members with ties to the alcohol industry. Further, the upcoming changes to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are expected to eliminate alcohol limits, reversing decades of federal policy that capped daily consumption. (Vox / STAT News)

4/ The Justice Department opened a mortgage fraud probe into Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, issuing subpoenas tied to properties in Michigan and Georgia after Trump-appointed housing chief Bill Pulte accused her of lying on loan applications. The inquiry is led by Ed Martin, a Trump loyalist running the department’s “weaponization” unit, which is also investigating Trump critics Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James. No charges have been filed against Cook, Schiff, or James. DOJ lawyers, nevertheless, told a judge that Cook’s defense was meaningless, writing that “An opportunity to tell one’s side of the story only matters if one has a side of the story to tell.” Cook, who has sued to block Trump from firing her before her term runs through 2038, called the move “unprecedented and illegal,” while her lawyer said the probe is a “politicized investigation” and insisted “the questions over how Governor Cook described her properties […] are not fraud.” (Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / NBC News / New York Times / Bloomberg / Associated Press)

5/ Trump’s nominee to the Federal Reserve said he would take “unpaid leave” from the White House rather than resign if confirmed, a plan Democrats said would gut the Fed’s independence. Stephen Miran promised to “act independently, as the Federal Reserve always does,” but Senator Jack Reed called the setup “ridiculous.” Senator Elizabeth Warren said he would be Trump’s “puppet” whose “every vote […] will be tainted.” Republicans, meanwhile, showed no opposition, signaling a likely party-line confirmation. (Bloomberg / New York Times / NBC News / Washington Post / CNBC / Axios / Associated Press / NPR)

6/ Trump asked the Supreme Court to overturn a federal appeals court ruling that his tariffs were illegal and that he had no authority to impose them under emergency powers. Solicitor General D. John Sauer demanded a decision by Sept. 10, warning that “The stakes in this case could not be higher.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added that the ruling “is already adversely affecting ongoing negotiations” and warned that undoing $750 billion–$1 trillion in tariffs could cause “catastrophic” consequences. Trump, meanwhile, claimed that without tariffs the U.S. faced “devastation” and an “economic catastrophe,” despite the small businesses that sued said the tariffs “are inflicting serious harm on small businesses and jeopardizing their survival.” (Washington Post / Associated Press / Reuters / CNN / Axios / Wall Street Journal)

7/ A dozen federal judges criticized the Supreme Court for using emergency rulings to overturn lower-court decisions in Trump-related cases. Ten of the 12 judges said the court needs to better explain those rulings, arguing that they appear to validate attacks on judges, with one saying, “It is inexcusable […] They don’t have our backs.” Since January, the Supreme Court has granted the Trump administration’s emergency requests in 17 of 23 cases, often with little reasoning. (NBC News / The Hill / Axios)

8/ Even Mitch McConnell is concerned that Trump’s second presidency is “the most dangerous period since before World War Two.” McConnell compared Trump’s tariffs to the 1930 Smoot-Hawley Act and warned that isolationist policies echo the “America First” movement of the 1930s. He said the U.S. is “not prepared like we should be” to face Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and their proxies. And on Ukraine, McConnell warned that “what we need to do is avoid the headline at the end of the war, ‘Russia wins, America loses.’” (The Guardian / The Hill)

⏭️ Notably Next: Trump’s D.C. police takeover authority ends Sept. 9; Congress has 26 days to pass a funding measure to prevent a government shutdown; and the 2026 midterms are in 425 days.

✏️ Notables.

1. Trump asked the Supreme Court to let him fire FTC commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, after lower courts reinstated and ruled her termination illegal. (CNBC)

2. FBI agents seized computers, phones, and documents from John Bolton’s home and office, including folders labeled “Trump I-IV” and “statements and reflections to allied strikes,” court papers showed. Prosecutors said they are pursuing possible violations of the Espionage Act and stressed, “Law enforcement is actively reviewing evidence and interviewing witnesses.” (Washington Post)

3. A federal judge ruled that Trump’s “pocket rescission” attempt to cancel $11.5 billion in foreign aid without Congress was illegal, writing: “There is not a plausible interpretation of the statutes that would justify the billions of dollars they plan to withhold.” (Politico)

4. Northwestern president Michael Schill resigned after the Trump administration froze $790 million in research funding, forcing the school to cut more than 400 jobs. The White House said it “looks forward to working with the new leadership, and we hope they seize this opportunity to make Northwestern great again.” (Bloomberg / New York Times)

5. Washington, D.C. sued to stop Trump’s National Guard deployment, arguing the 2,000+ troops, including out-of-state units, amount to unlawful domestic policing under the Posse Comitatus Act and violate the Home Rule Act, citing a recent ruling that found a similar Los Angeles deployment illegal. (Associated Press / NBC News / Wall Street Journal)

6. The Pentagon approved the Naval Station Great Lakes as a staging hub for ICE operations in Chicago, which will serve as a “primary processing location” seven days a week for about 45 days. (Washington Post / NBC News)

7. Trump’s Los Angeles military deployment cost nearly $120 million. Gov. Gavin Newsom called the operation “political theater” that sent “millions of taxpayer dollars down the drain,” citing $71 million for food and shelter and $37 million for payroll as the Pentagon’s initial 60-day, $134 million estimate stretched to 89 days. (Los Angeles Times / New York Times)

• Today last year: Day 1324: "It doesn’t have to be this way."
• Five years ago today: Day 1324: "Losers."
• Six years ago today: Day 958: "I don't know."
• Seven years ago today: Day 593: We're in Crazytown.

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https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2025/09/04/day-1688/