Today in one sentence: Three senior CDC leaders resigned after the White House fired Director Susan Monarez less than a month into her tenure; the White House named Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s top deputy, Jim O’Neill, as acting director of the CDC; Trump and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard revoked the clearance of a senior CIA Russia expert days after Trump’s summit with Putin in Alaska; Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook sued Trump to block what she called an “unprecedented and illegal” attempt to fire her from the Fed board; federal agents interrupted operations at the site Washington’s largest wildfire for more than three hours to conduct immigration checks and arrest two firefighters; a federal judge barred Kari Lake from firing the director of Voice of America, saying she lacked the authority without a Senate-confirmed advisory board vote, which Trump disbanded earlier this year; the U.S. Air Force will grant military funeral honors to a Jan. 6 rioter who was shot by Capitol Police while trying to climb through a barricaded door to the Speaker’s Lobby near the House chamber; Trump proposed that Republicans hold a national convention before the 2026 midterm elections; and Congress faces a Sept. 30 deadline to keep the government funded.

1/ Three senior CDC leaders resigned after the White House fired Director Susan Monarez less than a month into her tenure. Monarez’s lawyers said she was removed for refusing to “rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives” from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The resigning officials said the shake-up threatened science with Demetre Daskalakis saying “our science is going to be compromised,” while Debra Houry warned vaccine policy was being set “before we had the data,” and Daniel Jernigan accused HHS of pressing him to alter settled safety studies. Hundreds of CDC staff staged a walkout in Atlanta with signs reading “Science not conspiracy” – weeks after a gunman hostile to vaccines attacked the agency. Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, who cast the pivotal vote to confirm Kennedy as HHS Secretary – called for the CDC vaccine panel meeting to be delayed. Kennedy, meanwhile, dismissed the resignations, saying “some people should not be working there,” accused the CDC of a “deeply embedded malaise.” He added “There’s a lot of trouble at CDC, and it’s going to require getting rid of some people.” (Washington Post / Bloomberg / Axios / New York Times / Politico / Wall Street Journal / Politico / The Hill / CNN / Reuters / Wall Street Journal)

2/ The White House named Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s top deputy, Jim O’Neill, as acting director of the CDC. O’Neill, a former Silicon Valley investor and Thiel Foundation executive, is deputy secretary at HHS and a close aide to Kennedy. He was confirmed in June despite lacking a medical degree, but told senators he supported vaccines while criticizing the government’s coronavirus response. His appointment gives Kennedy direct control over the CDC as he moves to rewrite federal vaccine policy. (Washington Post / Bloomberg / The Guardian)

3/ Trump and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard revoked the clearance of a senior CIA Russia expert days after Trump’s summit with Putin in Alaska. Gabbard, acting on Trump’s orders, named the officer in a public list of 37 officials accused of “politicizing and manipulating intelligence,” even though she was reportedly under cover at the time. CIA officials were blindsided, calling her “the antithesis of a political operator,” while another warned, “If it can happen to her, it can happen to anyone.” (Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / CNN)

4/ Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook sued Trump to block what she called an “unprecedented and illegal” attempt to fire her from the Fed board. No president has ever tried to remove a sitting Fed governor, and her case could decide how much power the White House has over the central bank. Trump claimed Cook was “credibly accused of lying in financial documents” on 2021 mortgage applications, referring to allegations pushed by his housing chief Bill Pulte. Cook, however, hasn’t been charged and her lawyers called any discrepancy a “clerical error.” Her lawsuit said the claims were “unsubstantiated and unproven” and a pretext “to effectuate her prompt removal and vacate a seat for President Trump to fill and forward his agenda.” Cook also said she was denied due process since she received no notice or hearing before Trump announced her firing. A hearing on her request for a temporary restraining order is set for Friday. The case expected to reach the Supreme Court. (New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Politico / Bloomberg / Washington Post / NPR / Reuters / Associated Press / CNN / CNBC)

5/ Federal agents interrupted operations at the site Washington’s largest wildfire for more than three hours to conduct immigration checks and arrest two firefighters. Border Patrol said it acted at the request of the Bureau of Land Management after contracts with two Oregon firms were canceled, though officials gave no details about the investigation. Firefighters said they were ordered to line up, told not to film, and blocked from saying goodbye to detained coworkers. One firefighter said a federal officer told him, “You need to get the (expletive) out of here. I’m gonna make you leave.” The Bear Gulch fire has burned nearly 9,000 acres and was 13% contained as of Thursday. (Seattle Times / New York Times / Associated Press / The Guardian)

6/ A federal judge barred Kari Lake from firing the director of Voice of America, saying she lacked the authority without a Senate-confirmed advisory board vote, which Trump disbanded earlier this year. Judge Royce Lamberth issued a permanent injunction and said Trump could replace the removed board members if he wanted Michael Abramowitz out. Lake called it an “absurd ruling” and claimed, “President Trump runs the executive branch.” Lamberth said Lake was “verging on contempt of court” and ordered her to testify under oath next month. (CNN / Washington Post)

7/ The U.S. Air Force will grant military funeral honors to a Jan. 6 rioter who was shot by Capitol Police while trying to climb through a barricaded door to the Speaker’s Lobby near the House chamber. The Biden administration had rejected the request from the family of Ashli Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran, for honors, with an Air Force general saying they’d “bring discredit upon the Air Force.” In May, the Trump administration also approved a nearly $5 million settlement with Babbitt’s family in a wrongful death case. (Politico / HuffPost / The Guardian / CNN)

8/ Trump proposed that Republicans hold a national convention before the 2026 midterm elections. “It has never been done before. STAY TUNED!!!” he wrote on Truth Social, adding that Republicans “won every aspect of the Presidential Election” and are “poised to WIN BIG IN THE MIDTERMS.” House Speaker Mike Johnson endorsed the idea, writing, “YES, Mr. President! Let’s go!!!!” Democrats are also weighing a pre-midterm convention to showcase candidates, but some leaders warned it could be too costly as the DNC lags behind Republicans in fundraising. (Politico / New York Times / Washington Post)

9/ Congress faces a Sept. 30 deadline to keep the government funded. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Republican Leader John Thune to meet next week, calling it “imperative […] to avert a painful, unnecessary lapse in government funding and to address the healthcare crisis Republicans have triggered in America.” They warned that nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts and the end of Affordable Care Act subsidies would close hospitals and raise costs. They said they would not accept another March-style standoff, when Republicans forced through a partisan resolution. “It is past time you reveal your plans […] otherwise, it is clear that you have abandoned bipartisanship altogether and are preparing to shut down the government,” they wrote. (Politico / Axios / The Hill)

33 days to avoid a government shutdown – 432 days until the 2026 midterms.

Five years ago today: Day 1317: "Profoundly."
Six years ago today: Day 951: Dread.
Seven years ago today: Day 586: Serious situation.
Eight years ago today: Day 221: Speaks for himself.