JENNIFER McDERMOTT and MATTHEW DALY.

President Donald Trump has fired a Democratic commissioner for the federal agency that oversees nuclear safety as he continues to assert more control over independent regulatory agencies. Christopher Hanson said Monday the Republican president terminated his position at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission without cause, contrary to existing law and longstanding precedent. The firing of the former NRC chairman comes as Trump seeks to take authority away from the independent safety agency, which has regulated the U.S. nuclear industry for five decades. The White House says it needs leaders rowing in the same direction and Trump reserves the right to remove employees within the executive branch.