Supreme Court Tests Fed Independence as Sundance Opens a Final Park City Chapter

[00:00] Hannah Whitmore: From Neural Newscast, I'm Hannah Whitmore. [00:03] Hannah Whitmore: Today, the Supreme Court signals real doubts about a push to fire a Federal Reserve Governor immediately. [00:14] Hannah Whitmore: Then, Sundance opens its final Park City chapter with 90 premieres and a bigger streaming footprint. [00:22] Isabel Moreno: The stakes are big in both stories. [00:26] Isabel Moreno: One tests the guardrails around economic policy. [00:30] Isabel Moreno: The other marks a major cultural handoff for a medican film. [00:36] Hannah Whitmore: Turning now to the Supreme Court. [00:39] Hannah Whitmore: The justices sound skeptical that President Trump can remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook by [00:45] Hannah Whitmore: fiat. [00:46] Hannah Whitmore: The court is hearing an emergency request after Trump said last summer that he fired her. [00:52] Hannah Whitmore: The administration points to allegations tied to a mortgage transaction from before Cook [00:59] Hannah Whitmore: joined the board in 2022. [01:02] Hannah Whitmore: Cook denies wrongdoing through her lawyers. [01:05] Hannah Whitmore: The justices are pressing on what process is required. [01:10] Isabel Moreno: In the argumento, multiple justices question an standard [01:15] Isabel Moreno: where the president decides to cause a solo, [01:18] Isabel Moreno: no notice, no hearing, and no meaningful review. [01:22] Isabel Moreno: Justice Brett Kavanaugh warns that this approach [01:26] Isabel Moreno: can weaken or even shatter the Fed's independence. [01:30] Isabel Moreno: And that independence matters in the real economy. [01:34] Isabel Moreno: Markets watch whether interest rate decisions stay insulated from short-term political pressure. [01:41] Isabel Moreno: The court also heard concerns that future presidents could reach for old or even trivial allegations to remove governors who resist them. [01:52] Hannah Whitmore: The case is drawing attention for another reason, too. [01:56] Hannah Whitmore: Fed Chair Jerome Powell is in the courtroom, and any ruling here could shape what happens next. [02:03] Hannah Whitmore: A decision is expected by summer, and it could set new boundaries for how independent agencies function. [02:10] Hannah Whitmore: Meanwhile, a very different kind of institution is in transition. [02:15] Hannah Whitmore: The Sundance Film Festival opens this week in Park City, Utah. [02:20] Hannah Whitmore: Organizers are calling this year's lineup broad and bold with 90 features premiering through February 1st. [02:28] Isabel Moreno: This is the 40th Sundance and is the last edition in its long house. [02:35] Isabel Moreno: It's also the first without the founder Robert Redford, who died in September. [02:41] Isabel Moreno: The festivity is planning tributes and legacy screenings. [02:46] Isabel Moreno: Programming is a legend in Your Star Power and new voices at the same time. [02:52] Isabel Moreno: Natalie Portman, Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe, and Olivia Wilde are all tied to premieres. [02:58] Isabel Moreno: Pop star Charlie XCX appears in three films, including a mockumentary called The Moment. [03:06] Hannah Whitmore: Next. [03:07] Hannah Whitmore: Access expands again for viewers far from the mountains. [03:12] Hannah Whitmore: Many Sundance films start streaming online January 25th. [03:17] Hannah Whitmore: Awards are announced January 30th, and the festival is testing what its next era can look like. [03:25] Hannah Whitmore: I'm Hannah Whitmore. [03:27] Isabel Moreno: And I'm Isabelle Morena. [03:29] Isabel Moreno: Nural Newscast is AI-assisted, human-reviewed. [03:35] Isabel Moreno: View our AI transparency policy at neuralnewscast.com.