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 @ISIDEWITHNewsUnited StatesTrump administrationJustice DepartmentNew JerseyPolitical ConflictFederal Judiciary•••11mos ago

Trump Allies and Federal Judges Clash in Explosive Battle Over New Jersey’s Top Prosecutor

A dramatic power struggle has erupted in New Jersey over the appointment of the state's top federal prosecutor.

After federal judges refused to extend the term of Alina Habba, a Trump ally and former defense lawyer, they appointed her deputy, Desiree Grace, as interim U.S. Attorney. In a swift and unprecedented move, the Justice Department, led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, fired Grace just hours after her appointment, escalating tensions between the executive branch and the judiciary. The conflict highlights deepening politicization within the Justice Department and raises concerns about the erosion of traditional checks and balances.

The standoff has drawn sharp criticism from New Jersey's Democratic senators and underscores the broader national battle over the independence of federal law enforcement.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

U.S. Students Slide in Math, Science Test Scores

U.S. scores were no better than when the tests were first given in 1995. In math, the recent declines wiped out years of gains. American science scores have fallen since 2015, although the latest drops from 2019 weren’t statistically significant.The results come as President-elect Donald Trump has criticized America’s education system and pledged to abolish the federal Education Department. Wednesday’s release did come with a slice of good news, though: U.S. students still score above international averages, which include countries with a range of economic levels.Some other countries’ scores also declined since before the pandemic, but U.S. rankings slid comparatively on some measures, falling to 24 out of 45 education systems in eighth-grade math and 15 out of 63 in fourth-grade science.Countries whose performance moved ahead of the U.S. included Finland in math, England in science, and Poland for both subjects in fourth grade.High-scoring countries included Singapore, Japan and England. Officials say it is difficult to determine why some places excel and others struggle. The quality of a country’s schools, as well as other factors like poverty, can influence test performance. Carr said some countries use curriculum that is more closely aligned with the TIMSS exams.Even as U.S. schools have long since returned to normal from Covid-19 closures, educators struggled with new challenges. More teachers have left the profession. Student misbehavior and absenteeism jumped. “Coming out of Covid, parents and students got comfortable with the idea that it’s OK to stay home,” said Suzan Harris, a middle-school principal in Butts County, Ga. Chronic absenteeism rates have improved recently, but remain elevated compared with prepandemic figures, according to an American Enterprise Institute compilation of state data.In the years before the pandemic, national exams showed that school achievement was already stagnating or declining.

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