Jim O’Neill to Serve As Acting CDC Director As Leadership Turmoil Leaves Agency Reeling

The nation’s top public health agency has been left reeling as the White House worked to expel the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director and replace her with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ’s current deputy, Jim O’Neill.

The turmoil triggered rare bipartisan alarm as Kennedy tries to advance anti-vaccine policies that are contradicted by decades of scientific research.

Two administration officials said Jim O’Neill, the second-in-command at the Department of Health and Human Services, would supplant Susan Monarez, a longtime government scientist. O’Neill, a former investment executive who also served at the federal health department under President George W. Bush, doesn't have a medical background. The officials, who confirmed the change, requested anonymity to discuss personnel decisions before a public announcement.

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Trump revokes Secret Service protection for former VP Harris, AP sources say

President Trump has revoked Secret Service protection for former Vice President Kamala Harris. That’s according to a senior White House official.

Former vice presidents typically get federal government protection for six months after leaving office, while ex-presidents do so for life. But another person familiar with the matter says then-President Joe Biden quietly signed a directive that had extended protection for Harris beyond the traditional six months.

The people insisted on anonymity Friday to discuss a matter not made public.

▶ Read more about Harris’ Secret Service protection

Trump has no public events on his schedule today

It’s not unusual for the president to spend a day away from the public eye. On Thursday, Trump received an intelligence briefing and signed executive orders, but both of those events were closed to the news media.

Fed governor Cook to seek court order blocking her firing by Trump

A case that could provide the Trump administration with new and expansive power over the traditionally independent Federal Reserve will get its first court hearing Friday.

Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook has requested an emergency injunction to block President Donald Trump’s attempt to fire her over allegations that she committed mortgage fraud when she purchased a home and condo in 2021. She was appointed to the Fed’s board by former president Joe Biden in 2022.

If her firing is allowed to stand, it would likely erode the Fed’s longstanding independence from day-to-day politics. No president has ever fired a Fed governor in the agency’s 112-year history. Economists broadly support Fed independence because it makes it easier for the central bank to take unpopular steps such as raising interest rates to combat inflation.

▶ Read more about Lisa Cook and the Federal Reserve