Return of the Zombie Slush Fund
They’re Not NOT Moving Forward With Trump’s Slush Fund
If you saw any headlines recently about Trump’s slush fund being “dead,” you were probably at least a little skeptical. And you were of course right! Just days after Acting Attorney General / Trump Fanboy Todd Blanche told Congress “We’re not moving forward with the fund, period,” Trump went on television to publicly reaffirm his unwavering support for it. In an interview on Meet the Press, he called it "a great idea,” adding that he would be “disappointed” if Republicans fail to get it approved. And for good measure, he also declined to rule out making payments to convicted Jan. 6 insurrectionists.
Then, during budget reconciliation, there was a potential opportunity to block the Justice Department from creating Trump’s deeply unpopular fund, but only three Republicans voted with Democrats… it failed 49-50.
Congress still has one more chance to permanently prevent taxpayer dollars from being used for these incredibly ill-conceived and illegal payouts. Since the majority of House Republicans declined to explicitly ban the fund, lawmakers are expected to launch a discharge petition that would force a vote on new bipartisan legislation blocking the creation of the slush fund (once and for all?) As an added bonus, this would put Republicans on the record for supporting payouts to convicted felons.
Meanwhile, reporting from the Atlantic reveals that Trump officials are exploring “alternative arrangements” for getting payments made to J6-ers…
Call to block Trump's slush fund
Also on our radar…
Iran Deal or No Deal
Trump announced on Truth Social that he has reached a peace deal with Iran, declaring that the U.S. naval blockade would be lifted and the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened. He modestly described his deal as a historic achievement that "remade the Middle East in America's favor." U.S. and Iranian officials are expected to meet soon to formalize the agreement and begin negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
And while that would be historic, the “deal” more closely resembles a 60-day extension of the current ceasefire than a final agreement. Plus, negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program will likely take a while. And wasn’t that the main reason (or so he claimed) for starting the war in the first place? It’s also worth noting that Trump’s deal is looking a lot like the one we had under Obama… only worse. You know, the one Trump tore up in his first term?
We're keeping an eye on this one and will be updating as we learn more about this so-called "deal."
Call to demand oversight of Iran negotiations
Not My Scientific Method
The Trump administration wants more control over federal research funding, and that’s… not great. This is exactly the sort of thing that would give Trump’s political appointees more influence over important grants that have traditionally been evaluated by independent experts. You know, like people who know about science? These changes would undermine the scientific review process and inject politics into decisions that are supposed to be based on evidence and merit, while giving Trump toadies a new way to administer political loyalty tests.