A new six-figure, 10-day ad campaign in Washington D.C. is calling on federal officers and National Guard troops remove their masks, highlighting growing unease over the government's show of force during the federal surge.

The campaign, launched Friday by the group "Home of the Brave," will cover the city with a mobile billboard, wall postings, sidewalk decals, and street posters.

The ads, which show men wearing face coverings, say "Take off your masks!" and "Why are you hiding your face? Public servants should face the public," are concentrated in high-traffic areas around the city.

"There's no justification for using federal law enforcement and National Guardsmen as political pawns," former Metropolitan Police officer Michael Fanone, a spokesman for the group, said. "But as long as they're here, it's imperative that officers conduct themselves professionally—and that starts with showing their faces."

-ABC News' Beatrice Peterson

Ahead of a hearing Friday morning on Lisa Cook's attempted firing, President Donald Trump has responded in court to oppose her effort to remain in her job — calling her request "meritless" and arguing that the allegations over Cook's mortgages are "more than sufficient ground for removing a senior financial regulator from office."

"The grounds the President cited—evidence of deceitful and potentially criminal conduct—plainly constitute "cause" under any standard," the filing states.
Trump's filing also urges the court that standard for cause is essentially up to him — notably writing, "The President's judgment about what constitutes "cause" is not subject to judicial second-guessing."

The filing also notes that even if Cook's statements "were made inadvertently, they still demonstrate lack of care or negligence with respect to important financial matters."

In a separate filing this morning, Chairman Jerome Powell and the Board of Governors took no position on the issue, but asked the court for a "prompt ruling" and reiterated its "intent to follow any order this Court issues."

-ABC News' Olivia Rubin

Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte said Thursday night in a post on X that he sent a new criminal referral against Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook.

This is the second referral letter FHFA has sent to the Department of Justice about Cook. This one includes allegations related to a third property. The new criminal referral comes as President Donald Trump and other administration officials claim she misrepresented her residency status on applications for those home loans, improperly claiming both as her "primary residence."

"3 strikes and you're out," Pulte wrote in his post. "Today, U.S. Federal Housing sent a 2nd Criminal Referral in the matter of Lisa D. Cook, related to a mortgage on a 3rd property and alleged misrepresentations about her properties to the United States Government during her time as Governor of the Federal Reserve."

--ABC News' Isabella Murray

The DC National Guard has spread a lot of mulch, 380 cubic tons, and picked up trash in Washington, D.C., amid the Trump admin's push to combat crime in the nation's capital.

Troops are mostly staying in hotels and have access to hot meals around the clock, officials said.

The administration said it's not tallying the cost of all this yet and has no idea how much it will cost the federal government.

--ABC News' Anne Flaherty