
Alina Habba Is Too Partisan and Inept to Be a US Attorney
Save
'We could turn New Jersey red.'
Those were the words of Alina Habba just days after being installed as the interim US attorney in New Jersey. President Donald Trump has now nominated Habba to the permanent position. If her missteps had ended with those words, it would still have constituted a gross violation of Justice Department norms. However, there are many other ways in which Habba has shown herself to be a partisan warrior unfit to serve as the state's top federal prosecutor.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Redistricting gamble? DeSantis may push for more GOP-friendly congressional maps
With one redistricting win in the bag, could Gov. Ron DeSantis go for more? Republicans hold a narrow edge in the U.S. House and President Donald Trump is calling for GOP-led states to redraw maps to help the party ahead of the 2026 elections. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has already called his state's Legislature in to do so – and Democrats are wary DeSantis will do the same. DeSantis notched a victory July 17 when the Florida Supreme Court upheld congressional district lines largely drawn by him, cementing GOP-friendly maps. Even with another legal battle pending, there's nothing in state or federal law preventing DeSantis from calling a special session to redraw the maps seven years before the next required redistricting session under the U.S. Constitution. More: Florida Supreme Court upholds DeSantis-backed congressional district maps Such a move, however, carries its own perils. Republicans already have a 20-8 advantage over Democrats in Florida's congressional delegation. Even with the GOP's surging lead in active registered voters, it could be difficult to draw another Republican district, which would likely require splitting a heavily-Democratic district into other GOP districts. Drawing new maps to favor your party but ultimately helping the opposing party is called a 'dummymander.' 'There's also a real question of how much they could realistically do. They do risk a dummymander,' said Matthew Isbell of MCI Maps, a Democratic consultant and redistricting expert. 'If you try to divide things up too much in Orlando and Tampa, then you risk making other districts vulnerable, and there probably is a limit to what the (Florida Supreme Court) would allow.' DeSantis, though, hasn't been shy about pushing the Legislature to redo Florida's congressional districts. A history of drawing new lines In 2022, the GOP-led Legislature's first attempt to draw new lines was vetoed by DeSantis, who rejected the original District 5, a minority access district then-held by U.S. Rep. Al Lawson, a Black Democrat from Tallahassee. The district stretched from Jacksonville west to Tallahassee, encompassing communities of African-American voters along the way. DeSantis wanted a more compact district based in Jacksonville and claimed the original District 5 was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. When DeSantis called lawmakers in for a special session to redraw the maps, they passed his preferred lines. A group of voting rights organizations filed suit over the decision to remove the old CD 5, arguing it violated the state constitution's prohibition on removing minority access districts. But the Florida Supreme Court rejected the claim and upheld the maps. Florida was awarded an extra congressional district after the 2020 census to account for its rise in population. Following the passage of the new maps, after the 2022 election the GOP advantage in Florida's congressional delegation grew from 15-11 to 20-8 over Democrats. 'We helped elect four additional Republicans to the U.S. Congress and we probably wouldn't have the majority if that hadn't happened,' DeSantis told a crowd in Greenville, S.C., on June 2, 2023 as he was running for President. Republicans currently hold a 220-212 advantage over Democrats in the U.S. House. Three Democrats have died in office since March. If Democrats hold those seats in special elections, they would need to net three districts in the November 2026 elections to take control of the chamber. Trump told reporters July 15 he wants the new Texas maps to produce five new GOP districts, and that he wants four other states to redraw their maps too, but didn't specify which states. A spokesman for DeSantis didn't respond to an email seeking comment on whether he'd call a special session for redistricting. But he recently said he'd like a new census to be done that didn't include non-citizens in the count. DeSantis claimed Florida, despite having a large number of non-citizen residents, lost out on an extra district last time because non-citizens were counted. 'My Legislature will redistrict those lines, we'll get it to where it's fair,' DeSantis said July 1. That would depend on an unprecedented redo of the U.S. Census, though. Strained relationship between DeSantis, House could hinder redistricting push Whether the Legislature would go along with any DeSantis push for redistricting is another question. DeSantis' once-mighty sway with the GOP-led Legislature has given way after his loss in the presidential primary to a testy relationship with Republican legislative leaders, especially House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami. Perez initially resisted DeSantis' call for an illegal immigration crackdown earlier this year, offering his own alternative before reaching a compromise, and his move to enact a sales tax cut was slammed by DeSantis as crowding out his push for property tax cuts. Perez is unlikely to acquiesce to DeSantis on redistricting – unless Trump directly calls for it. 'It's really about the Legislature and it's really probably then about Trump,' Isbell said. 'If Trump calls on the lawmakers to do it, then I think there's a risk. But if DeSantis says it, the Legislature's going to tell him (no).' Meantime, Democrats are taking notice of the GOP redrawing push. 'Well, two can play that game,' Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on X in response to the news Trump wants five new GOP districts out of the Texas redistricting session. But California has an independent redistricting commission and it's unclear how Newsom would maneuver his state Legislature to produce more Democratic maps. Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried is also alarmed. 'We are next. Instead of (focusing) on the affordability crisis that Trump is making worse, DeSantis and Florida Republicans will continue to bend a knee,' Fried posted, also on X. Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@ Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: DeSantis eyes new maps as Trump pressures GOP states to redraw
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Albanian court begins corruption trial against former Prime Minister Sali Berisha
TIRANA, Albania (AP) — An Albanian court on Monday started the trial on corruption charges of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who leads the opposition Democratic Party. The trial for Berisha, 80, at the Special Court for Corruption and Organized Crime, which covers cases involving senior officials and politicians, also includes his son-in-law and three other people. In October 2023, prosecutors put Berisha under investigation for allegedly abusing his post to help his son-in-law, Jamarber Malltezi, privatize public land to build 17 apartment buildings in the capital, Tirana. In September 2024 Berisha was formally charged with corruption in connection with a property deal. He has denied the charges, describing them as political repression ordered by Prime Minister Edi Rama of the left-wing Socialist Party. On Monday, Berisha reported to the prosecutor's office, as required every two weeks, but said he did not go to the court where he was represented by his lawyers. 'My presence or not is set from my lawyers and naturally in line with the laws,' he told journalists. 'That is a session where my lawyers will present their claims.' Berisha was prime minister from 2005-2013 and served as president from 1992-1997. He was re-elected as a lawmaker for the center-right conservative Democratic Party in the 2024 parliamentary elections. The United States government in May 2021 and the United Kingdom in July 2022 barred Berisha and close family members from entering their countries because of his alleged involvement in corruption. Corruption remains a top issue that has continuously negatively affected Albania since the fall of the communist regime in 1990. Beside Berisha, former President Ilir Meta and members of Berisha's opposition coalition have also been detained and investigated on corruption charges. Both say the charges are politically motivated, accusing the government of corruption. In October last year, Tirana started full membership negotiations with Brussels on aligning with the European Union on the rule of law, the functioning of democratic institutions and the fight against corruption. Albania aims to join the bloc by 2030, according to Rama. Solve the daily Crossword


Fast Company
20 minutes ago
- Fast Company
This public art project found a new way to bring the January 6 attacks to life
President Donald Trump's modus operandi is to keep the news cycle moving, fast. For even avid consumers of news, that can make it hard to keep up. But one public art project is doing its best to slow things down by retelling stories in new ways, the latest shining light on the people behind the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Wall of Shame is artist Phil Buehler's 50-foot-long, 10-foot-tall mural put up in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn in partnership with Radio Free Brooklyn; it takes a data viz approach to very recent history. Subtitled Visualizing the J6 Insurrection, it's made up of more than 1,500 color-coded waterproof vinyl panels that display a headshot, name, age, and hometown of rioters who invaded the Capitol on January 6, along with details of their actions on that day, including their charges and sentencing—all information that is publicly available. The U.S. flag-inspired colors used for the mural are designed to turn right-wing positioning of rioters as patriots on its head. Red panels indicate violent rioters, while blue panels indicate those who damaged property. The rest are white, according to Radio Free Brooklyn, a local New York station. 'A red hat, white skin, and blue jeans don't make you a patriot. But storming the Capitol makes you a traitor,' Buehler told the station. Buehler's approach makes the attack more personal. This isn't another photo or footage of the faceless mob of flag-waving rioters storming the Capitol in an attempt to overturn an election; it's a look at individual people from the crowd. The artist fact-checked everything written on the panels with reporting from NPR. The artist has made two previous murals with Radio Free Brooklyn. Wall of Lies in 2020 was made up of 20,000 false statements Trump made during his first term as president. Wall of Liars and Deniers in 2022 showed Republican candidates running for office that year who denied the results of the 2020 election. Wall of Shame was unveiled on Independence Day. A February Washington Post /Ipsos poll found that 83% of Americans opposed Trump offering clemency for violent criminal offenders connected to the attack, and 55% opposed him offering clemency for nonviolent crimes. But in today's fast-paced political news cycle, January 2021 can feel like ancient history. By turning the backstories of those who attacked the Capitol into public art, Buehler and Radio Free Brooklyn found a new way to visualize the story, and from hundreds of different points of view. The super-early-rate deadline for Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies Awards is Friday, July 25, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.