The top prosecutor in New Jersey was fired by the Justice Department as a power struggle between the White House and a group of "rogue" federal judges came to a head.
Attorney general Pam Bondi fired career prosecutor Desiree Leigh Grace shortly after she was tapped to replace interim U.S. attorney Alina Habba, a former Trump lawyer and loyal supporter of the president.
The Justice Department cast Leigh's appointment as a corrupt conspiracy by "activist" judges and Democrats to derail Trump's chosen pick, Habba.
The president nominates U.S. attorneys, who then must receive confirmation by a vote of the Senate to serve permanently.
Trump named Habba to be New Jersey's top prosecutor in March and formally nominated her to the role on July 1, but her confirmation has been stalled as New Jersey Senators Cory Booker (D) and Andy Kim (D) refuse to support her.
Acting U.S. attorneys can serve for up to 120 days without Senate approval. District courts may extend that window or name their own pick.
A panel of judges in New Jersey chose the latter option, rejecting Habba in favor of Grace, a career prosecutor since 2016. A registered Republican, Grace led the criminal division in Habba's office before Habba chose her to be her deputy.
Grace is a more traditional - and for Democrats, more palatable - choice than Habba, who became known during the 2024 presidential campaign as Trump's outspoken attorney as he faced an onslaught of civil and criminal cases brought by his Democratic foes.
During her brief tenure as U.S. attorney, Habba brought federal charges against two Democrats in New Jersey who were involved in a scuffle with immigration enforcement. She later dropped trespassing charges against one of those Democrats, Newark mayor Ras Baraka.
"The firing of a career public servant, lawfully appointed by the court, is another blatant attempt to intimidate anyone that doesn’t agree with them and undermine judicial independence,” senators Kim and Booker said of Grace's firing. “This Administration may not like the law, but they are not above it.”
Meanwhile, Trump's DOJ condemned Habba's dismissal as an effort by partisan judges and Democrats in Congress to control Trump and step on his lawful authority.
"The district judges in NJ just proved this was never about law—it was about politics. They forced out President Trump’s pick, @USAttyHabba, then installed her deputy, colluding with the NJ Senators along the way. It won’t work. Pursuant to the President’s authority, we have removed that deputy, effective immediately. This backroom vote will not override the authority of the Chief Executive," said deputy attorney general Todd Blanche.
Attorney general Pam Bondi also ripped the "politically minded judges" who removed Habba from her role.
“Nonetheless, politically minded judges refused to allow her to continue in her position, replacing Alina with the First Assistant. Accordingly, the First Assistant United States Attorney in New Jersey has just been removed. This Department of Justice does not tolerate rogue judges — especially when they threaten the President’s core Article II powers,” Bondi posted on X.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday unleashed his fury concerning the false and "treasonous" Russia-collusion plot to undermine him, and he named former President Barack Obama as the driving force.
"Barack Hussein Obama is the ringleader," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
"Hillary Clinton was right there with him and so was Sleepy Joe Biden, and so were the rest of them: [James] Comey, [James] Clapper, the whole group. They tried to rig an election and then they got CAUGHT! And then they did rig the election in 2020."
When asked whom the U.S. Justice Department should target in its probe of the matter, Trump responded: "It would be President Obama. He started it. And Biden was there with him, and Comey was there and Clapper, the whole group was there."
"If you look at those papers, they have him stone cold, and it was President Obama. It wasn't lots of people all over the place, it was them too. But the leader of the gang was President Obama. Barack Hussein Obama. Have you heard of him? Except for the fact that he gets shielded by the press for his entire life."
"Look, he's guilty," Trump continued. "It's there. He's guilty. This was treason. This was every word you could think of. They tried to steal the election. They tried to obfuscate the election. They did things that nobody's ever even imagined, even in other countries."
"They caught President Obama absolutely cold," Trump added.
"They tried to rig the election and they got caught, and there should be very severe consequences for that. When we caught Hillary Clinton, I said, 'You know, what? Let's not go too far here. It's the ex-wife of a president.' … I let her off the hook and I'm very happy I did. But it's time to start, after what they did to me, and whether it's right or wrong, it's time to go after people. Obama has been caught directly!"
"It's Obama. His orders are on the paper. The papers are signed, the papers came right out of their office. They sent everything to be highly classified. Well, the highly classified has been released. And what they did in 2016 and 2020 is very criminal, it's criminal at the highest level.
On Monday night, Trump posted similar thoughts on Truth Social, saying: "Obama himself manufactured the Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX. Crooked Hillary, Sleepy Joe, and numerous others participated in this, THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY!. Irrefutable EVIDENCE. A major threat to our Country!!!"
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has already turned over information about the case to the U.S. Justice Department for criminal referral, and Gabbard herself said on Sunday, "There must be indictments."
Meanwhile, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson indicated Monday that Congress may subpoena Obama over allegations of a coordinated plot against Trump.
"I think we have a responsibility to follow the truth, where it leads," Johnson told journalist David Brody.
"To do effectively the opposite of what that other team did – they were engaged in a partisan political plot to take down their foe in the other party. We need to be about the rule of law and bring an order to the chaos and searching out the truth because the American people are owed those answers."
"If it's uncomfortable for him, he shouldn't have been involved in overseeing this, which is what it appears to us has happened," Johnson said.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The United States is withdrawing all of its support from UNESCO, the United Nation's "Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization," because of its anti-Israel bias, exhibited by its decision to claim Palestinian statehood.
The announcement was made by the U.S. State Department, in a statement from spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.
"UNESCO works to advance divisive social and cultural causes and maintains an outsized focus on the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, a globalist, ideological agenda for international development at odds with our America First foreign policy," Bruce explained. "UNESCO's decision to admit the 'State of Palestine' as a Member State is highly problematic, contrary to U.S. policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organization."
The end of the relationship between the two will happen at the end of 2026, the announcement said.
President Trump earlier pulled America out of the leftist agenda, in 2017, a decision based then on the group's anti-Israel bias. Joe Biden quickly had the country rejoin.
The Washington Examiner explained the move "is in line with Trump's executive order from February that called for a 90-day review of federal funding and involvement in the U.N., including UNESCO. The general review specifically probed 'any anti-Semitism or anti-Israel sentiment within the organization.'"
Further, the U.S. review of UNESCO confirmed it also held a pro-China bias and promoted leftist plans like "diversity, equity, and inclusion."
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay expressed disappointment.
UNESCO became part of the discussion earlier, when Trump announced he was pulling American support from the U.N. Human Rights Council.
He also paused funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency that was set up specifically to give money to Palestinians, an organization that was revealed to have had employees take part in the Oct. 7, 2024, terror attack by Hamas on Israel.
New York Democratic Rep. Yvette Clark has been caught admitting that she is in favor of allowing more illegal immigrants into her district "just for redistricting purposes," Fox News reported. This revelation came from a clip that resurfaced on social media.
Republicans have often speculated that Democrats open the borders for their own cynical political purposes. Typically, they couch their arguments for unchecked illegal immigration in terms of humanitarian concerns or other altruistic goals.
However, Clark admitted that her fervor for illegal immigration came from the fact that it would benefit her. She said this during a 2021 briefing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee while claiming Brooklyn could "absorb a significant number of these migrants" into the Haitian community.
"When I hear my colleagues talk about, you know, the doors of the inn being closed, no room in the inn, I’m saying, you know, I need more people in my district, just for redistricting purposes, and those members could clearly fit here," Clarke said. This has caused a social media firestorm as the debate over illegal immigration rages on.
The footage of this stunning admission has resurfaced after journalist Kyle Becker posted it to X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday. "House Rep. Yvette Clarke just said the quiet part out-loud. Democrats are as anti-American as it gets," Becker charged.
"I need more migrants in my district, for redistricting purposes."
House Rep. Yvette Clarke just said the quiet part out-loud. Democrats are as anti-American as it gets.pic.twitter.com/tKG27wFyfl
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) July 22, 2025
Becker went on to slam Clarke and others on her side of the debate. "It is madness that American citizens are footing the bill for foreigners to come here, use our social services, our education services, our infrastructure, and then retire at our expense," Becker said in a comment.
"All because the anti-American Democratic Party wants a few extra seats in Congress. Enough!" Becker added. Others chimed in, including the "End Wokeness" account that said, "This is how you hijack democracy."
Conservative commentator David Freeman added to that sentiment. "Dems have been saying the quiet part out loud for years. This is why the imported MILLIONS. They want to have a one party country," Freeman wrote.
The problem with Democrats and illegal immigration has come to a head recently as they've dropped any pretense of moderating their policies. In 2021, Democrats in deep-blue New York City attempted to allow illegal immigrants to vote in elections.
The New York City Council passed a law that would have permitted almost one million noncitizens to cast ballots in the city council and mayoral elections. The New York Court of Appeals blocked the law, but that doesn't mean Democrats are ready to back off.
With this reality in mind, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) introduced the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act that would require voters wishing to cast ballots in federal elections to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering. It would require require states purge voter rolls of noncitizens.
The bill would also make it a criminal offense to register a person to vote in a federal election without receiving proof of U.S. citizenship. The bill has passed in the House of Representatives but not in the Senate.
It's unconscionable that a politician would be as self-serving as Clarke and allow illegal immigration to destroy the country. Unfortunately, the problem goes well beyond Clarke and infects much of the Democratic Party, which is why the nation is in this predicament.
House Republicans have advanced an amendment to a spending bill that would rename the Kennedy Center's opera house to the "First Lady Melania Trump Opera House," Breitbart reported. The House Appropriations Committee passed the change Tuesday in a 33-28 vote as Democrats cry foul.
The proposal was put forth by House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID), who agrees with President Donald Trump's vision for the arts center to be more welcoming to faith and family. "First Lady Melania Trump serves as the Honorary Chair of the Board of Trustees at the Kennedy Center," Simpson said.
"Naming a theater after her is an excellent way to recognize her appreciation for the arts," he added. The change was added to the FY26 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill.
The department funds the Kennedy Center, and the president is eager to reform its progressive aims. Of course, this has outraged Democrats who have accused Republicans of sneaking it into the bill.
Donald Trump has been adamant about cleaning up the crazy leftism. He posted on Truth Social about the changes, including the firing of most of the board, on February 7.
"At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN. I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture," Donald Trump said shortly after taking office.
"We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP! Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP," the president went on.
"The Kennedy Center is an American Jewel, and must reflect the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation. For the Kennedy Center, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!" Trump concluded.
The president has already succeeded in making the Kennedy Center a more wholesome place. It hosted "The King of Kings" film from Angel Studios to a packed house, with more events like it to come.
"This is family-friendly programming that we will be doing more of in the future. The American people want to see more shows that reflect their values," Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell promised.
Of course, the Democrats detest this and are especially outraged about the name change. According to ABC News, Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) claims Republicans "snuck in" the "divisive" proposal for the name change.
The Trumps have sought to return the nation to a better time when morals and faith mattered, especially in public endeavors. Democrats can't stand this because they are the party of depravity, but it's exactly the reason Donald Trump was elected in the first place.
A federal court has foiled state plans to circumvent national immigration enforcement, following a push to end the use of detention centers with a July 22 decision.
News broke this week that a federal appeals court ruled that New Jersey’s ban on the use of private immigration detention contracts is unconstitutional, as Fox News reported.
This is a big blow to advocates for illegal immigration who have been trying to diminish the impact of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the Garden State.
The court’s decision pertained to a 2021 law signed by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, which barred the company CoreCivic from engaging in a contract with ICE.
The contract would have allowed for ICE, which is a subsidiary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to operate its Elizabeth Detention Center.
U.S. Circuit Judge Stephanos Bibas, an appointee of President Donald Trump, weighed in, saying, ”Just as states cannot regulate the federal government itself, they cannot regulate private parties in a way that severely undercuts a federal function.
The judge added that the law "interferes with the federal government’s core power to enforce immigration laws."
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin was not pleased with the circuit court decision and expressed his frustration on X, formerly Twitter.
“We are disappointed in the Third Circuit’s ruling this morning invalidating our law prohibiting private immigration detention.
Near the end of his comments, he promised that the state wasn’t done with the issue, saying, “We will continue to do all we can to defend these important goals and are evaluating our next steps in this case.”
Statement from Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin on the Third Circuit’s Decision in CoreCivic. pic.twitter.com/d0zh3Tru9l
— Attorney General Matt Platkin (@NewJerseyOAG) July 22, 2025
The decision from the 3rd Circuit was a split 2-1 decision, and the attorney general cited one concern from the dissenting judge in his comments:
“As recent events at Delaney Hall underscore, entrusting detention to for-profit companies poses a grave risk to health and safety, and as the dissenting judge noted, states retain broad latitude to protect the health and safety of people within their borders, particularly where, as here, there is no conflict with federal legislation,” Platkin said.
This is at sharp odds with the assertion by DHS and the Trump administration that the removal of illegal immigrants, who entered the nation in violation of current laws or overstayed without proper documentation, is part of their duty and required by federal legislation.
President Donald Trump has forcefully criticized the policy of cashless bail, attributing an increase in crime to its implementation, Breitbart reported.
Trump has urgently called for the abolition of cashless bail, linking it directly to rising crime and compromised public safety.
On Monday, via Truth Social, Trump expressed his concerns regarding cashless bail policies, which he holds responsible for the rising crime rates and threats to public safety across cities in the United States.
In previous campaign speeches and notably at a Bronx rally last year, Trump derided what he termed "radical left pro-crime policies" like cashless bail, highlighting their negative impact on urban areas such as New York.
He also referred to the tragic death of NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller, who was killed by an individual previously arrested 21 times, to articulate the consequences of failing cashless bail policies.
Illinois' move to abolish cash bail for most non-violent offenses in 2023, driven by a Democrat-controlled legislature and Governor J.B. Pritzker, also drew Trump's ire.
Patrick Kenneally, McHenry County State’s Attorney, has openly condemned Illinois' cashless bail system, describing its outcomes as "absurd" and "incoherent," reflecting widespread dissatisfaction with the policy’s results.
Illustrative cases in Illinois, such as James Tolbert and Juvenal Coronel, who continued to commit crimes after their releases, underscore the dysfunctional reoffending pattern under this system.
A study in Yolo County, California, showed over 70% of suspects released without bail reoffended, clearly supporting the arguments against the cashless bail system by showing significant hikes in crime rates.
"Crime in American Cities started to significantly rise when they went to CASHLESS BAIL," Trump has stated, emphasizing a direct correlation between the policy and increasing crime rates.
"The WORST criminals are flooding our streets and endangering even our great law enforcement officers. It is a complete disaster, and must be ended, IMMEDIATELY!" Trump accentuated the urgent need for policy overhaul.
In detailing the failures at a Bronx rally, Trump lamented the loss of NYPD Officer Diller, citing the repeated release of known offenders: "These dangerous and violent repeat offenders should never have been on our streets. Jonathan should be alive today, but they were released again and again and again."
The contention surrounding cashless bail policies is intensifying, with proponents arguing for its necessity to avoid income-based discrimination in the justice system, while detractors like Trump insist it fosters continuous crime.
His viewpoints resonate with many concerned about urban safety, particularly as national elections approach and public safety policies are hotly debated.
This ongoing discussion sees both supporters and detractors of cashless bail scrutinizing data and arguing over its implications, keeping it at the forefront of national discussions about criminal justice reform in America.
The White House barred the Wall Street Journal from traveling with President Trump on his upcoming trip to Scotland after the newspaper published a "fake" story tying President Trump and Jeffrey Epstein.
“Due to the Wall Street Journal’s fake and defamatory conduct, they will not be one of the thirteen outlets on board" Air Force One, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
"Every news organization in the entire world wishes to cover President Trump, and the White House has taken significant steps to include as many voices as possible.”
The White House press pool has a limited number of slots for reporters covering the president's daily business.
An appeals court on Tuesday declined to overturn a prior ruling that allowed the White House to remove the left-leaning Associated Press from the pool's rotation. The White House cracked down after the AP refused to adopt Trump's renaming of the Gulf of Mexico, which he calls the Gulf of America.
Trump's critics have condemned his shakeup of the press pool as an attack on free speech, but the White House says they are ending the "special" treatment traditionally given to big news organizations.
"As the appeals court confirmed, the Wall Street Journal or any other news outlet are not guaranteed special access to cover President Trump in the Oval Office, aboard Air Force One, and in his private workspaces,” Leavitt said.
The Wall Street Journal drew Trump's ire after publishing an article about a "bawdy" letter that Trump supposedly sent to Epstein for his 50th birthday.
The letter allegedly contained an imagined conversation between the two men written inside a drawing of a naked woman.
Trump and many of his supporters have said the letter sounds nothing like Trump, and Trump promptly sued the Wall Street Journal and its billionaire owner, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, for $20 billion.
“The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
“These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures. I told Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam, that he shouldn’t print this Fake Story. But he did, and now I’m going to sue his ass off, and that of his third rate newspaper. Thank you for your attention to this matter! DJT.”
Trump's clash with the Wall Street Journal comes as the White House has been consumed by backlash over its handling of the Epstein files. Trump has urged his supporters to move on, calling the controversy a "hoax" being pushed by Democrats.
Another newspaper that has been critical of Trump, the New York Times, defended the Wall Street Journal and condemned the White House's action as retaliatory.
“The White House’s refusal to allow one of the nation’s leading news organizations to cover the highest office in the country is an attack on core constitutional principles underpinning free speech and a free press,” a New York Times spokesperson said.
President Trump has called for Barack Obama to be prosecuted over a conspiracy to undermine America's democracy.
Trump's demand comes after the release of new documents exposing Obama's role in shaping the "Russian collusion" investigation that dominated much of Trump's first term.
“He’s guilty … This was treason, this was every word you could think of. They tried to steal the election. They tried to obfuscate the election," Trump said during a White House meeting Tuesday.
Intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard has accused Obama of weaponizing intelligence analysis in a "treasonous conspiracy" to discredit Trump's stunning win over Hillary Clinton, a close ally of Obama who served as his Secretary of State.
Newly released documents show that Obama ordered the intelligence community to develop a new assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 election that ultimately cast doubt on the legitimacy of Trump's shocking victory. The intelligence agencies' final assessment propelled a years-long investigation into Trump-Russia ties that came up empty.
The FBI started investigating Trump's campaign in July 2016, a shocking intervention by federal law enforcement into domestic politics that was guided by rumors and innuendo contained in a notorious dossier procured by the Clinton camp.
Gabbard's report noted that intelligence analysis before Obama's intervention did not find substantive Russian meddling with election infrastructure. After a White House meeting on December 9, 2016, the intelligence community was directed to form a new assessment "per the President’s request” on "tools Moscow used and actions it took to influence the 2016 election.”
The intelligence community's final assessment in January 2017 found that Vladimir Putin actively boosted Trump against Clinton. The report focused largely on the role of Russian information operations, including internet bots and hacks of the Democratic party.
“It’s criminal at the highest level. It would be President Obama, he started it," Trump said. "And [Joe] Biden was there with him, and [then-FBI Director James] Comey was there, and [then-Director of National Intelligence] James] Clapper — the whole group was there, and [then-CIA Director John] Brennan.”
Gabbard has sent criminal referrals to the Justice Department over the alleged Obama-led conspiracy to subvert Trump's first administration.
It was not until more than halfway through Trump's first term that he received vindication from Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who deflated Democrats' hopes with the finding that Trump did not collude with Russia, although Mueller took the unusual step of refusing to exonerate Trump for obstruction.
While Trump was preoccupied with fighting for his political survival during his first term, Trump has remarked that he feels liberated to pursue his agenda without distraction since January, and he's not holding back from getting even with his foes either.
“After what they did to me, whether it’s right or wrong, it’s time to go after people. Obama has been caught directly,” Trump said in the Oval Office.
“If you look at those papers, they have them stone cold, and it was President Obama… the leader of the gang was President Obama, Barack Hussein Obama. Have you heard of him?”
Tennessee Rep. Mark Green (R) has quietly resigned from Congress, shrinking the GOP's narrow majority.
Green's last day at work was Sunday, July 20. The Republican had previously announced he would retire before the end of his term, but his departure came with little fanfare.
The Republican said his work is finished after he helped pass the immigration portion of Trump's mega bill, the One Big Beautiful Bill.
The House now has 219 Republicans and 212 Democrats after Green's resignation.
“It’s with a heavy heart that I say farewell. To my constituents across Tennessee’s 7th District—thank you. The trust you put in me is humbling. I will look back fondly on my years of serving as your voice in Washington,” he said on X.
As chairman of the Homeland Security Committee since 2023, Green helped advance President Trump's immigration agenda.
He led the impeachment of Joe Biden's Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, and shaped the House Republicans' policy response to Biden's border crisis, H.R. 2.
Green planned to retire sooner but was convinced to seek another term in 2024. He delayed his resignation to secure border funding in Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill," which received final House approval in early July.
"Though I planned to retire at the end of the previous Congress, I stayed to ensure that President Trump’s border security measures and priorities make it through Congress," Green said.
"By overseeing the border security portion of the reconciliation package, I have done that. After that, I will retire, and there will be a special election to replace me."
In September, Green was accused of having an affair by his wife, who exposed him in a group text to other lawmakers, and he filed for divorce.
An Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Green was first elected to the House in 2018. His 7th district is seen as safely red, having been won by Trump by over 20 points in November.
The congressman's resignation kicks off a special election to fill the remainder of his term, and GOP candidates are already lining up for the job.
New York Republican Rep. Andrew Garbarino has been chosen to replace Green as chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. Garbarino beat out three other contenders for the role, which is central to immigration policy.
Green is heading into the private sector to pursue a new business opportunity. He has provided no details on the venture, although he says it would play a role in keeping America competitive against China.