How a Republican revolt killed off Trump’s “anti-weaponization” fund
6/3/202613 min
The Department of Justice abandoned its plan for a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. The Wall Street Journal reports the fund had threatened to sink Trump’s broader immigration priorities.
President Trump appointed Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence. Reuters’s Jonathan Landay joins to explain why he’s a controversial pick.
The NBA Finals begin tonight. Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press breaks down the matchup between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs.
Plus, why the Pentagon hired a Jan. 6 rioter for sensitive counterterrorism work, Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly testified in Congress, and how Ozempic may be reshaping some people’s brains.
Today’s episode was hosted by Gideon Resnick.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsGideon Resnick· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Good morning. The so-called Anti-Weaponization Fund is no more, as the DOJ bows to pressure from Republican lawmakers. But as Reuters explains, Trump's new pick to lead the intelligence agencies has kept tensions with his party high.
Speaker 20:18
Mr. Pulte's single major qualification for being named by the president appears to be his loyalty to the president.
Gideon Resnick· Host0:27
And tonight, it's an NBA finals rematch years in the making. It's Wednesday, June 3rd. I'm Gideon Resnick, in for Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. It took just over two weeks for a massive reversal from the Justice Department.
Todd Blanche· Soundbite0:43
The reasons for the fund is something that President Trump talked about for a long time, which is the fact that there were a lot of people in this country who had their government weaponized against them. The reasons for the fund, I think, remain as important as they were before, but we are not moving forward with the fund.
Gideon Resnick· Host0:58
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's remarks at a House committee hearing yesterday brought an end to a short-lived attempt to set up what the DOJ was calling an Anti-Weaponization Fund.
Todd Blanche· Soundbite1:08
Not moving forward ever? Correct. Oh, there's no more fund then. Well, to the extent there was a fund, and remember, the fund wasn't set up yet. There were no commissioners named. There was no claims made yet, so yes, we're not moving forward with the fund.
Gideon Resnick· Host1:21
The roughly $1.8 billion fund emerged from President Trump's lawsuit settlement with the IRS. It was billed as a way to offer payouts for people who