A federal judge ruled Thursday that President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Alina Habba, has been unlawhttps://www.huffpost.com/entry/alina-habba-trump-us-attorney_n_68a77802e4b00911ce446b6cfully serving as the the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey.

The court, saying the administration used “a novel series of legal and personnel moves,” held that Habba’s term as the interim U.S. attorney ended in July, and the Trump administration’s maneuvers to keep her in the role without getting confirmation from the U.S. Senate didn’t follow procedures required by federal law.

“Faced with the question of whether Ms. Habba is lawfully performing the functions and duties of the office of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, I conclude that she is not,” Chief U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann wrote.

The opinion says that Habba’s actions since July “may be declared void.”

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The $454 million penalty imposed against President Donald Trump in his New York civil fraud case has been thrown out by an appeals court.

Trump and some of his entities were hit with that hefty penalty, plus interest, in February 2024, after New York trial Judge Arthur Engoron concluded that Trump had inflated the value of his assets for years to get better loan and insurance terms. Engoron also imposed about $10 million in separate penalties against Trump's eldest sons, Eric and Don Jr., and former Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg.

However, in an Aug. 21 ruling that included multiple opinions from different members of a five-judge panel, the Manhattan-based appeals court determined the penalties for Trump and the others were improper. Some members of the panel said that the penalty violated the U.S. Constitution's prohibition on excessive fines. Others said Trump should be afforded a new trial due to errors in the trial judge's determinations.

The ruling marks another major personal legal victory for Trump, who has also seen multiple criminal cases against him crumble following his November presidential election victory. Trump's appeal against his conviction in his New York criminal case dealing with payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels is ongoing.

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Donald Trump has called on a Federal Reserve governor to immediately resign, renewing his extraordinary attack on the central bank’s independence as officials mull next steps on interest rates.

A close Trump ally accused Lisa Cook, an appointee of Joe Biden, of “potentially committing mortgage fraud” and urged the US Department of Justice to investigate.

The claims have not been confirmed, and this evening Cook said she had “no intention of being bullied” into stepping down.

The US president has repeatedly broken with precedent in recent months to demand the Fed cut rates and urge its chair, Jerome Powell, to quit after disregarding such calls.

On Wednesday, Trump leaped on the allegations about Cook. The governor “must resign, now!!!”, he wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform.

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President Donald Trump has bought more than $100 million in company, state and municipal bonds since taking office in January, according to government disclosures about the billionaire's holdings.

The forms were filed Aug. 12 with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics and posted online Aug. 19. The documents show 600 purchases the Republican real estate mogul made since Jan. 21, the day after he was inaugurated for his second term in the White House.

The holdings span industries that could benefit from changes in administration policy, such as financial services or technology.

The corporate bonds included financial companies such as Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and Wells Fargo. Others included tech companies such as Meta, Qualcomm and T-Mobile USA, along with The Home Depot and UnitedHealth Group.

The forms detail what types of bonds Trump bought, most of which paid 4% to 5% interest. But the value of each investment was listed only in broad ranges, such as $100,000 to $250,000.

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