In a rare, direct-to-camera message released January 11, 2026, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell delivered a steely, eight-minute defense of the central bank’s independence that has already ignited fierce debate across political spectrums. Speaking from a plainly lit room with only the Fed seal behind him, Powell addressed recent DOJ grand jury subpoenas tied to his 2025 Senate testimony about historic building renovations—subpoenas he bluntly labeled “a pretext” designed to intimidate the ins