Michigan
Trump administration renews push to fire Fed governor from Michigan ahead of key vote
President Donald Trump’s administration renewed its request Sunday for a federal appeals court to let him fire Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s board of governors, a move the president is seeking ahead of the central bank’s vote on interest rates.
The Trump administration filed a response just ahead of a 3 p.m. Eastern deadline Sunday to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, arguing that Cook’s legal arguments for why she should stay on the job were meritless. Lawyers for Cook argued in a Saturday filing that the Trump administration has not shown sufficient cause to fire her, and stressed the risks to the economy and country if the president were allowed to fire a Fed governor without proper cause.
Sunday’s filing is the latest step in an unprecedented effort by the White House to shape the historically independent Fed. Cook’s firing marks the first time in the central bank’s 112-year history that a president has tried to fire a governor.
“The public and the executive share an interest in ensuring the integrity of the Federal Reserve,” Trump’s lawyers argued in Sunday’s filing. “And that requires respecting the president’s statutory authority to remove governors ‘for cause’ when such cause arises.”
Bill Pulte, a Trump appointee to the agency that regulates mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has accused Cook of signing separate documents in which she allegedly said that both the Atlanta property and a home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, also purchased in June 2021, were both “primary residences.” Pulte submitted a criminal referral to the Justice Department, which has opened an investigation.
Trump relied on those allegations to fire Cook “for cause.”
Cook, the first Black woman to serve as a Fed governor, referred to the condominium as a “vacation home” in a loan estimate, a characterization that could undermine claims by the Trump administration that she committed mortgage fraud. Documents obtained by The Associated Press also showed that on a second form submitted by Cook to gain a security clearance, she described the property as a “second home.”
Cook sued the Trump administration to block her firing and a federal judge ruled Tuesday that the removal was illegal and reinstated her to the Fed’s board.
The administration appealed and asked for an emergency ruling just before the Fed is set to meet this week and decide whether to reduce its key interest rate. Most economists expect they will cut the rate by a quarter point.
Michigan
Final Michigan Football bowl projections before Selection Sunday
Michigan’s College Football Playoff hopes and dreams were dashed last Saturday, but a high-profile non-CFP bowl game awaits.
We’ve been rounding up various bowl projection lists over the past few weeks, which have been shockingly consistent. The Wolverines already seem destined for one place and one place only — the Citrus Bowl. This was all but confirmed on Saturday afternoon, as On3’s Brett McMurphy reported that Michigan was locked into being the Big Ten’s representative for the Citrus Bowl.
Here are the latest projections following the madness that was Conference Championship Weekend.
Folks, we have ourselves a consensus.
As a reminder, the Citrus Bowl has the first choice of Big Ten and SEC schools to not make the CFP. While Michigan will likely be ranked near USC and the Trojans beat the Wolverines head-to-head, USC is still bound to grandfathered Pac-12 tie-ins for the 2025 season (likely the Alamo Bowl). The Citrus Bowl will likely be choosing between Michigan and Iowa to be their Big Ten representative.
As for the SEC, Texas has been the trendy pick for quite some time. The 9-3 Longhorns missed out on the CFP due to their loss to lowly 4-8 Florida. However, they proved their resilience in a 27-17 win over then-No. 3 Texas A&M. Arch Manning and company would certainly be a test for a young Michigan team looking to go into the offseason with some momentum.
Should Michigan indeed go to the Citrus Bowl, other possible opponents include the Vanderbilt Commodores and the Tennessee Volunteers. However, Texas seems very likely to be the choice at this point.
The Citrus Bowl is set to take place at 3 p.m. ET on Dec. 31 in Orlando, Florida.
Michigan
Man and woman killed, 3 injured in West Michigan shooting, police say
Police in Muskegon, Michigan, are investigating after a man and woman were killed, and three other people were injured in a shooting on Saturday.
According to officials, the incident happened on the 600 block of Jackson Avenue. Responding officers found “multiple individuals” who had been shot, police said.
A 25-year-old man died at the scene, according to police, and a 22-year-old woman was taken to the hospital where she later died.
Two other 25-year-old men were taken to the hospital in critical condition, officials said. A 4-year-old with minor injuries was also transported there.
Investigators said the shooting doesn’t appear to be random, though it hasn’t yet been disclosed whether an arrest has been made.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Muskegon Police Department at 231-724-6750 or Silent Observer at 231-722-7463.
Muskegon is around 197 miles northwest of Detroit.
Michigan
MSU to keep Joe Rossi as defensive coordinator on Pat Fitzgerald’s first staff
East Lansing — A couple of familiar faces are staying on with Pat Fitzgerald’s first football staff.
Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi and safeties coach James Adams will remain on Michigan State’s staff next season, first reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel and confirmed by an MSU spokesperson.
Rossi, 46, joined Jonathan Smith’s inaugural staff in December 2023 after six seasons as defensive coordinator for Minnesota. Rossi originally signed a three-year contract worth $4.8 million in base salary. The Detroit News reported Friday that MSU athletic director J Batt added an extra year worth $1.7 million to Rossi’s contract two days before this season’s opener against Western Michigan, one of four wins in a 4-8 (1-8 Big Ten) season.
A 5-19 record over two seasons resulted in Jonathan Smith’s firing Sunday, and Fitzgerald took over Monday. Rossi’s current contract carries a buyout that would exceed $3.5 million if Michigan State had replaced him as defensive coordinator.
At the end of the 2025 season, Rossi’s defense allowed 29.9 points per game, which ranked 103rd out of 134 Football Bowl Subdivision teams and 15th out of 18 Big Ten teams. An average of 378.7 yards allowed per game ranked 73rd in the FBS and 14th in the Big Ten.
Adams joined Smith’s staff in January after leaving Wake Forest, where he was an associate head coach and safeties coach. He began his career at Wake Forest as a graduate assistant in 2009 before making stops at Wofford, Charlotte, Western Michigan, Navy and Purdue. His contract, signed through Jan. 31, 2027, would have carried a buyout of $285,416.67.
Fitzgerald agreed to terms on a minimum five-year, $30 million contract that could automatically extend to eight years, $54 million if he wins seven games in his first three seasons. Fitzgerald previously coached at Northwestern from 2006 to 2022, a Big Ten West opponent of Rossi’s old Minnesota teams. Fitzgerald also coached against Adams in 2021, when the latter was at Purdue.
Of 11 assistant football coaches under contract with Michigan State, five are on contracts that expire Jan. 31. If Michigan State were to turn over the remaining staff beyond Rossi and Adams, it would cost the university $2,524,000.
That is on top of the estimated $33.5 million owed Smith, which Batt told The News on Thursday will be paid by athletic department funds.
All those contracts, including Smith’s and Rossi’s, are subject to a mitigation clause in which the salary paid by the coach’s next job offsets the buyout amount owed by Michigan State.
cearegood@detroitnews.com
@ConnorEaregood
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