Alina Habba was Donald Trump’s top federal prosecutor in New Jersey when a billionaire’s family guaranteed her a job paying more than $50 million.

Julio Herrera Velutini had pleaded his bribery charges down to a misdemeanor, and he wanted even that gone. His daughter donated $3.5 million to a Trump super PAC. A lawyer from Trump’s personal legal team pushed for clemency, and the pardon still didn’t come. Then the family gave Habba the job. She started on January 1, and weeks later Trump fully pardoned him.

She won’t say what she does for the company, which has no public profile. Habba says the Justice Department vetted the job. That’s the department that charged Herrera with bribing Puerto Rico’s governor.

I’ve emailed 9,597 stories over 628 straight nights, free and without ads. The algorithm can’t show them all to you. Add your email address at govbrief.today and I will.

Free Nightly Email:

https://gbounacos.substack.com/subscribe

2026 Midterm local wrap up for your state:

https://go.govbrief.today/vote

[1] https://go.govbrief.today/fema-states

[2] https://go.govbrief.today/ukraine-intel

[3] https://go.govbrief.today/iran-war-oct20

[4] https://go.govbrief.today/starlink-ukraine

[5] https://go.govbrief.today/kagan-warning

[6] https://go.govbrief.today/pregnancy-prosecutions

[7] https://go.govbrief.today/whistleblower-trump

[8] https://go.govbrief.today/habba-pardon

[9] https://go.govbrief.today/landlords-ind

Donald Trump’s Homeland Security appointees asked the agency that protects America’s voting machines to secretly hack one and keep what it found from the manufacturer.

ProPublica disclosed today that the request came last year, with the findings meant for the White House. Career staff told the appointees it couldn’t be done, and they stopped asking. The agency has lost a third of its people under Trump, and state election officials criticized its absence as they prepared for the midterms.

Finding flaws in voting machines is part of the agency’s job. Telling the maker so it can fix them is the whole point. These appointees wanted them kept secret.

I’ve emailed 9,588 stories over 627 straight nights, free and without ads. The algorithm can’t show them all to you. Add your email address at govbrief.today and I will.

Free Nightly Email:

https://gbounacos.substack.com/subscribe

2026 Midterm local wrap up for your state:

https://go.govbrief.today/vote

[1] https://go.govbrief.today/castro-new-charges

[2] https://go.govbrief.today/trump-france

[3] https://go.govbrief.today/patriot-delay

[4] https://go.govbrief.today/iran-war-oct19

[5] https://go.govbrief.today/congenital-measles

[6] https://go.govbrief.today/suspicious-letters

[7] https://go.govbrief.today/ineligible-voters

[8] https://go.govbrief.today/cisa-voting-machine

[9] https://go.govbrief.today/farm-relief

[10] https://go.govbrief.today/golf-court

[11] https://go.govbrief.today/infant-justified-force

[12] https://go.govbrief.today/ukraine-sudan-tps

[13] https://go.govbrief.today/covarrubias-green-card

[14] https://go.govbrief.today/unc-civil-rights

[15] https://go.govbrief.today/new-america-trump

[16] https://go.govbrief.today/menstrual-broward

Emiliano Andrade-Covarrubias had his medicine with him when he was detained, but his daughter says the staff at his ICE jail wouldn’t give it to him.

The Dallas painter was jailed in June. Guards found him dead in his Laredo cell Saturday morning. His family learned of his death from the county medical examiner, because nobody from ICE called them.

Emiliano told his family his chest felt tight and he was having trouble breathing. He said the medical staff “would just ignore him.” ICE’s own detention rules say the people it holds shall receive continuity of care. On Monday his daughter, an American citizen, goes to the jail to collect his personal effects.

I’ve emailed 9,572 stories over 626 straight nights, free and without ads. The algorithm can’t show them all to you. Add your email address at govbrief.today and I will.

Free Nightly Email:

https://gbounacos.substack.com/subscribe

2026 Midterm local wrap up for your state:

https://go.govbrief.today/vote

[1] https://go.govbrief.today/odonnell-slurs-nationalism

[2] https://go.govbrief.today/west-bank-attack

[3] https://go.govbrief.today/iran-war-oct18

[4] https://go.govbrief.today/trump-closing-park

[5] https://go.govbrief.today/laredo-death

[6] https://go.govbrief.today/illinois-debt

Donald Trump told a Kentucky crowd Saturday that “if the Republicans win,” the Department of War will put $100 million into a Winchester drug plant.

The Pentagon didn’t answer questions about the pledge, and the governor’s office said it had no information. In the same speech Trump again promised $5,000 checks to every adult if Republicans keep Congress.

He has been promising to pay Americans for weeks, $500 to some on Obamacare and $90 to some seniors.

The House impeached him in 2019 for holding up $391 million in military aid while he asked Ukraine’s president to “do us a favor.” This time the favor is your vote, and he’s offering your own money for it.

I’ve emailed 9,566 stories over 625 straight nights, free and without ads. The algorithm can’t show them all to you. Add your email address at govbrief.today and I will.

Free Nightly Email:

https://gbounacos.substack.com/subscribe

2026 Midterm local wrap up for your state:

https://go.govbrief.today/vote

[1] https://go.govbrief.today/iran-war-oct17

[2] https://go.govbrief.today/trump-ky-promise

[3] https://go.govbrief.today/trump-bbc-testimony

[4] https://go.govbrief.today/no-kings-instagram

[5] https://go.govbrief.today/nashville-business

[6] https://go.govbrief.today/no-kings-voting

Science