Washington Policy Watch

Supreme Court on Fed Governor Removal

• 🔥 Justices Skeptical of Trump's Firing: The Supreme Court is weighing President Trump's attempt to remove...

Geopolitical multi-angle on US energy pressures:

• Inflation surge: March CPI at 3.3% YoY, energy costs up 21% from Middle East conflict—IEA's top...

Fiscal squeeze intensifies: Excluding Medicare, Medicaid, and $39T debt interest, defense contractors capture the biggest slice of federal taxes via...

Historic plunge in US consumer sentiment to 47.6 — lowest in 74 years, down 10.7% from March — flags weakening household confidence into 2Q.

• Broad...

Key developments in Trump v. Fed Governor Cook:

• Trump seeks to oust Lisa Cook over alleged mortgage fraud (denied, questioned by courts); lower...

Houston's new policy is escalating tensions with the state, putting millions in public safety funding at risk. Stakes are high in this local-state clash.

Core policy push: White House CEA report blames regs for 10M home shortage, proposing deregulation to slash 42% 'bureaucrat tax' ($100k/home) and...

Media Spin Exposed: Business cable guests tout positives because their firms benefit from upbeat outlooks—and suffer from weakness.

Shaky Positives:...

Prospects dim for Trump Supreme Court appointment this term amid Alito speculation:

• Rumors swirl around Justice Alito, 76, but he hasn't signaled...

Key developments in federal healthcare push:

• High-profile appointment: Tony Robbins, peak performance coach, joins 18-member HHS/CMS Healthcare...

Ultra-selective docket: Only 1.9% of 3,856 petitions granted in 2024 term (73 cases argued).

• Petition basics: Filed within 90 days of lower court...

Key tensions in AI-national security policy:

• Mythos capabilities: Exploits flaws in major OS/browsers; withheld from public, early access to 40 tech...

DOJ pushes back hard: Calls lawsuit 'sprawling and speculative,' argues courts can't enjoin executive actions or balance policy trade-offs—that's for...

Key highlights from the White House's 2026 Economic Report amid economic discontent:

• Housing crisis: US faces 10M home shortage from post-2008...

• Catholic bishops condemn Trump's mass deportations for fostering fear and vilifying immigrants, urging reform balancing dignity and security.
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New Jersey faces $7.3B annual costs from undocumented immigration, per GOP report—mainly education (ESL, bilingual staff, capacity).

• Bills expand...

Congress faces a complex path to extend FISA Section 702 in April, with divisions over reforms, warrant requirements, and legislative strategy fueling uncertainty ahead. Policy pros: Track this timeline closely.

• Temporary inflation hit: 59% of corporate economists see short-lived effects from war, minor core pass-through
• Mild GDP setback: U.S. economy to...

March CPI hits 3.3% YoY – nearly 2-year high – as energy jumps 12.5% YoY and 10.9% MoM from Iran war shocks.

• Gasoline leads: +21.2% MoM, avg >$4...

Key trend in US tech statecraft: Evolving restrictions show domestic rifts with EU splits.

• EU-US platform gap widens: EU's DSA/DMA contrasts US...