The Morning Sixpack - July 23, 2025

Justice Dept fires NJ U.S. Attorney amid Trump drama; FEMA favors Texas, delays others; wildfires worsen with Trump cuts; Columbia punishes Palestine protesters; Epstein-Trump ties resurface

Justice Department Fires Newly Appointed New Jersey U.S. Attorney in Political Power Play

The Justice Department just axed Desiree Leigh Grace mere hours after judges installed her as New Jersey’s U.S. Attorney, overriding Trump’s pick.

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Grace’s firing shortly after a New Jersey judicial panel chose her over Alina Habba—Trump’s personal attorney and March appointee—to serve as the state’s U.S. Attorney. Grace, who had been Habba’s first assistant, was booted despite the judges’ lawful appointment.

Bondi defended the move by praising Habba’s work “making N.J. safe again,” accusing the judges of political gamesmanship that replaced Trump’s choice with Grace. The department made it clear: “This Department of Justice does not tolerate rogue judges—especially when they threaten the President’s core Article II powers.”

Democratic Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim slammed the firing as a blatant attack on judicial independence and a further example of Trump’s Justice Department undermining the rule of law. “This administration may not like the law, but they are not above it,” they declared.

I guess we’ll see about that, Senators. So far, the administration is definitely above the law.

Meanwhile, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche called the judges’ swift appointment a “left-wing agenda” rather than a commitment to legal order, insisting no partisan bench should override the president’s choice.

Who knew that the entire federal government could be trashed in mere months by a sociopathic has-been reality TV celebrity?

Source: UPI

FEMA Plays Favorites with Texas, Leaves Other States in the Lurch

While Texas got a lightning-fast federal response after deadly floods killed over 130 people, other states are still waiting months for disaster declarations and funds.

Governor Greg Abbott praised the Trump administration’s quick action in Texas, where the disaster declaration was approved the very next day. But that kind of urgency is now the exception rather than the rule. States like Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, West Virginia, Oregon, and New Mexico have been stuck in bureaucratic limbo since spring, waiting for the federal green light to unlock aid essential for housing, search and rescue, and rebuilding.

Internal FEMA sources and disaster officials say the problem stems from new policies requiring Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to approve any expense over $100,000, creating a bottleneck that’s strangling FEMA’s traditional rapid response capabilities.

One official put it bluntly: “FEMA is built to move fast when lives and infrastructure are on the line. But it can’t do that if our highest levels of elected leadership treat disasters as inconvenient—or worse, as inconsistent with a selected narrative.”

Meanwhile, affected communities are suffering. In New Mexico, with four major disasters in four years, residents are running out of resources while waiting for federal approval. Oregon’s hardest-hit counties are being denied disaster declarations without explanation. Essential services like housing assistance, crisis counseling, and even infant formula remain stuck in paperwork.

This isn’t just slow government; it’s a system stall that’s breaking the very mission FEMA was created to fulfill. The current administration’s changes to FEMA have turned what should be a life-saving machine into a political bottleneck, forcing states to scramble on their own and residents to endure unnecessary hardship.

After all, Trump and team have long said they wanted to gut FEMA and make states bear the brunt of natural disasters. Who’s surprised?

Source: WaPo

Staff Shortages from Trump Cuts Leave U.S. Forest Service Firefighters Struggling as Wildfire Season Hits

With wildfire numbers hitting decade highs, understaffed fire teams are stretched thin, with some firefighters scrambling for supplies and even doing janitorial work, all while the agency insists it’s fully prepared.

More than 5,000 U.S. Forest Service employees—about 15% of the workforce—have quit in just five months, leaving critical gaps. Firefighters in Oregon and New Mexico report running low on food, medical supplies, and chainsaw fuel. One Oregon crew leader said her team went hungry after working 16-hour shifts battling blazes.

Note the two states cited immediately above are two of the states that didn’t get FEMA assistance in the previous story? Yeah, me too.

Yet, the Forest Service and USDA say they have the necessary resources and are on track with hiring firefighters. They blame isolated incidents on temporary issues like new caterers, insisting firefighting remains their top priority. Still, former and current employees argue that cuts to biologists, trail builders, and support staff mean frontline crews must fill roles far beyond fighting fires—answering phones, cleaning toilets, and even mowing lawns.

The agency’s chief recently urged managers to maximize use of "red-carded" staff—seasonal firefighters with specialized qualifications—highlighting just how tight the staffing is for what experts call an "extremely challenging" fire year. Meanwhile, critics like Senator Martin Heinrich say the administration’s buyouts and firings have gutted the agency, leaving communities exposed to escalating wildfire risks.

This clash between official assurances and on-the-ground realities paints a troubling picture: America’s wildfire fighters are battling fires—and the fallout of an understaffed federal workforce.

Source: Reuters

Columbia University Punishes Palestinian Protesting Students

More than 70 Columbia students protesting for Palestine have been disciplined, facing everything from probation to expulsions—all while under political fire from the Trump administration.

The University Judicial Board handed down these punishments after the students disrupted Butler Library in May and camped out during Alumni Weekend. Columbia refused to specify the number publicly but insiders told CNN it’s north of 70. Sanctions reportedly include suspensions of up to three years, degree revocations, and expulsions.

This crackdown follows intense pressure from the Trump administration, which has zeroed in on elite schools like Columbia for their left-leaning activism, labeling campus protests against Israel’s Gaza war as violent and anti-Semitic. Columbia even lost about $400 million in federal grants earlier this year after being accused of ignoring harassment of Jewish students, forcing layoffs of 180 researchers.

Columbia insists these measures are about upholding academic integrity and community respect, not politics. Yet groups like CAIR’s New York chapter call the sanctions “grotesquely oppressive” and accuse the university of sacrificing free speech and moral values under political pressure.

The broader context: Since January, Trump’s administration has aggressively targeted universities, rolling back DEI policies and freezing billions in funding. Harvard is suing over this, while George Mason faces federal probes. Columbia’s punishment of these students is just another chapter in this escalating war on campus activism.

Source: UPI

CNN’s KFile Blows Open Epstein & Trump Connection

For the first time, it’s confirmed that Epstein was at Trump’s wedding to Marla Maples, and archival video shows them laughing together at a 1999 Victoria’s Secret event—details fueling renewed scrutiny of their past ties.

CNN’s KFile uncovered this rare footage and photos, predating any known Epstein scandals, showing how intertwined their social circles once were. Trump’s reaction? “You’ve got to be kidding me,” followed by calling CNN “fake news” and hanging up during a call.

The White House dismissed the revelations as “out-of-context frame grabs” from “widely attended events” aimed at implying something sinister, while pointing out Trump had kicked Epstein out of his club for being a “creep.” Meanwhile, the Justice Department faces criticism for delaying release of grand jury files tied to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s case.

Trump’s ties with Epstein date back to the 1980s, including numerous social gatherings and flights on Epstein’s private jets. Despite their eventual falling out in the mid-2000s, these newly surfaced images and video shed fresh light on a relationship that’s been a hot button issue for years.

Source: CNN

Chinese State Hackers Breach U.S. Nuclear Agency, Revealing Major Government Cybersecurity Gaps

Chinese hackers exploited vulnerabilities in Microsoft’s document-sharing software to infiltrate the National Nuclear Security Administration, raising serious concerns about U.S. cyber defenses.

The tech giant confirmed that multiple government agencies were compromised, with China denying involvement and dismissing accusations as “smearing.” This incident highlights a growing wave of state-sponsored cyberattacks targeting sensitive infrastructure worldwide.

Meanwhile, Britain is banning ransom payments to hackers amid an increase in attacks linked to Russian-affiliated groups, including one that forced a historic transportation company to shut down after a simple password breach.

Cybersecurity experts warn this trend of escalating attacks on critical infrastructure requires urgent, coordinated international responses, as governments struggle to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated adversaries.

I’ve said this for a long, long time: The next world war will be a Cyberwar.

Source: Semafor