A federal appeals court has blocked President Trump from firing a member of the Federal Reserve's governing board, just ahead of a key vote on interest rates.

On a two-to-one vote, the divided court upheld an earlier decision from a district judge who found that firing Lisa Cook would likely violate the Federal Reserve Act, which includes provisions designed to insulate the central bank from political pressure from the White House.

The decision comes just days before the Fed's rate-setting committee is expected to vote to lower its benchmark interest rate for the first time this year. Trump has been waging a high-pressure campaign to get the Fed to cut rates more aggressively.

The president announced his decision to fire Cook in a social media post last month. He pointed to allegati

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