Make Me Smart Trump vs. the courts
Jan 13, 2026
Kyle Cheney, a legal affairs reporter from Politico, joins the discussion on Trump's ongoing court battles. He dives into how these legal challenges may impact Trump's agenda and examines the Supreme Court's stance on impending tariff decisions. The conversation highlights the surprising reactions from some GOP members regarding the DOJ's investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Cheney also reflects on the implications of accountability following January 6, shedding light on the evolving landscape of legal challenges in the political sphere.
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Playing For The Supreme Court
- Cheney says the administration bets lower-court losses will be reversed by the Supreme Court.
- He observes that strategy has largely worked so far for rolling back parts of the bureaucracy.
Fed Probe Sparks Unusual GOP Pushback
- Cheney highlights bipartisan alarm over the Justice Department probe of Fed Chair Jerome Powell.
- He says unusual Republican criticism shows the investigation looked clearly pretextual to many.
The Fed's Unique Legal Shield
- Cheney argues the Fed occupies a unique institutional status that may resist presidential control.
- He suggests an incursion at the Fed could face strong legal resistance, even at the Supreme Court.