POCKET OF RESISTANCE: The Justice Department filed motions to dismiss corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams following the resignation of a seventh prosecutor who refused orders to do the same.

  The federal prosecutors have become a pocket of resistance to the Trump agenda.

  The latest resignation came from lead prosecutor Hagan Scotten, who wrote a blistering letter to Acting Deputy Attorney general Emil Bove, the man who issued the dismissal order.  Bove , a former Donald Trump defense lawyer, had said that prosecuting Adams would interfere with the mayor’s cooperation with federal efforts to deport illegal migrants. 

  Scotten said; “Any assistant US attorney would know that our laws and traditions do not allow using the prosecutorial power to influence other citizens, much less elected officials, in this way. If no lawyer within earshot of the President is willing to give him that advice, then I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion. But it was never going to be me.”

  Although the new US Attorney in New York, who resigned on similar grounds was a Trump administration appointee, Trump said that the prosecutors objecting to the Adams order are  “Mostly people from the previous administration, you understand, so they weren’t going to be there anyway. They were all going to be gone or dismissed.”

  One additional note: Judges generally agree to prosecution motions for dismissal, but don’t assume that in the case of Mayor Adams.

HERE COMES THE JUDGE: A federal judge late yesterday ordered the Trump administration to release foreign aid spending President Trump stopped during his first week in office, putting Trump once again at odds with the courts.

  Judge Amir Ali of the Federal District Court in Washington found that Trump’s executive order imposing a blanket freeze on foreign aid spending was based on dubious logic while probably causing irreparable harm to aid groups. 

  Trump and his administration are on a collision course with the courts on several fronts. He and his aides have denounced what they call “liberal,” “activist,” and “Trump-hating” judges who rule against the President’s executive orders. 

  Trump whisperer Elon Musk posted on his Twitter/X that, “If ANY judge ANYWHERE can stop EVERY Presidential action EVERYWHERE, we do NOT live in a democracy.”

WAG THE FINGER: Vice President JD Vance delivered a stern lecture to European leaders yesterday, telling the generally centrist politicians that they need to accommodate the rising anti-migration, nationalist voices they seek to block from power.

  He also accused European leaders of censoring and jailing their opponents.

  Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany today accused Vance of interfering in his country’s coming elections on behalf of a party that has downplayed the Nazi atrocities of 80 years ago. “A commitment to ‘never again’ is not reconcilable with support for the AfD,” Scholz said

  Taking MAGA to Europe, Vance told European prime ministers and presidents that “No voter on this continent went to the ballot box to open the floodgates to millions of unvetted immigrants.” Echoing the Trump anti-immigrant agenda at home, Vance said, “And more and more all over Europe, they’re voting for political leaders who promise to put an end to out-of-control migration.”

  Surprising his audience by avoiding mention of the Russian war on Ukraine, Vance said, “I believe there is nothing more urgent than mass migration today.”

BLIND MAN’S BLUFF: Continuing its trimming of federal employees without knowing what they do .. or their importance … Trump administration officials on Thursday fired more than 300 staffers at the National Nuclear Security Administration, not knowing that those are the people who manage the country’s stockpile of nuclear weapons.  CNN reports that some of the firings are already being rescinded.

THE WAR ROOM: Israel and Hamas completed their 6^th exchange of hostages for prisoners today. Armed and masked Hamas gunmen made a show of appearing with three thin and pale men they handed over to Israel.

  The three ages 29 to 46 included Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, one of the few American citizens still held in Gaza.

CLEANUP: The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Army Corps of Engineers are standing by their decision not to test the soil after they remove toxic wildfire ash and rubble, along with a 6-inch layer of topsoil from properties burned out in recent wildfires. This comes much to the consternation of  local government and property owners.

  On the plus side this week, California’s insurance commissioner turned down a request by State Farm General for an emergency 22% hike of its home insurance rates following the wildfires.

THE SPIN RACK: For the fourth day in a row the White House barred an Associated Press reporter from official pool events because the news organization does not identify the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America in line with President Trump’s re-naming of the international body of water.  White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich said on Twitter/X that the AP’s “decision is not just divisive, but it also exposes the Associated Press’ commitment to misinformation.” —  The Mammoth Mountain ski area in California’s Sierras closed temporarily yesterday after an avalanche injured two members of the ski patrol. —  As Saturday Night Live prepares to celebrate its 50^thanniversary, Lorne Michaels, the creator and genius behind the show explained his approach to humor about public officials: “I think the whole point is, whoever is in power is probably awful.”

BELOW THE FOLD: They never promised you a rose garden. President Trump is reported to be considering plans to rip up the grass in the iconic rose garden just outside the Oval Office and install a hard surface like the patio he has at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.

  While he fires federal employees and moves to eliminate whole agencies, Trump has also pushed the idea of building a ballroom at the White House, “like I have at Mar-a-Lago,” which the President says would cost $100 million.

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