Meanwhile, the Trump administration on Monday said it’s creating a $1.7 billion fund to compensate prosecuted allies of the Republican president<\/a> after he moved to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service<\/a>.<\/p>\n The \u201cAnti-Weaponization Fund\u201d was announced by the Justice Department as part of a deal to resolve President Donald Trump\u2019s case over the leak of his tax returns. Democrats and government watchdogs immediately pledged to fight<\/a> the arrangement.<\/p>\n Here’s the latest:<\/p>\n Defeated GOP senator criticizes Trump fund<\/p>\n Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana Republican who lost his reelection bid on Saturday, slammed the nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t actually see any legal precedent for that,\u201d Cassidy told reporters in his first return to Capitol Hill since being knocked out of Louisiana\u2019s primary. \u201cWe are a nation of laws. You can\u2019t just make up things whole piece.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt is as if somebody sued themselves and agreed upon a settlement with themselves that\u2019s going to be funded by the rest of us,\u201d he added. \u201cNow if that\u2019s the case, what?<\/p>\n His comments were a sign of the independent streak Cassidy may take in the final months of his term. He infuriated Trump by voting to convict him in the impeachment trial over the Jan 6. attack. Trump endorsed one of Cassidy\u2019s rivals and repeatedly called for his defeat.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople are concerned about making their own ends meet, not about putting a slush fund together without a legal precedent,\u201d Cassidy said.<\/p>\n Senate confirms Trump\u2019s public lands nominee<\/p>\n Former Republican congressman Steve Pearce<\/a> of New Mexico was confirmed on a 46-43 vote Monday to lead the Interior Department\u2019s Bureau of Land Management.<\/p>\n The agency manages a quarter-billion acres of public lands that are often at the center of disputes over conservation versus development. Pearce is known for his support for industry and for leasing public lands, making him a contentious pick.<\/p>\n Democrats and environmental groups are strongly opposed to his nomination.<\/p>\n Trump and Republicans in Congress have unraveled regulations from former President Joe Biden\u2019s administration that were viewed as burdensome to industry. They have opened millions of acres<\/a> of public lands for mining and drilling and canceled land plans and conservation strategies<\/a> formulated under Biden.<\/p>\n US says it has comm<\/p>\n itted $13 million toward counter-Ebola efforts after criticism<\/p>\n The State Department is pushing aside criticism that the Trump administration\u2019s severe cuts to international health programs, including monitoring of infectious diseases, has played a role in the spread of the current Ebola outbreak in Africa.<\/p>\n The department says it has already provided $13 million in assistance for the response.<\/p>\n The administration has been criticized for dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development, which had provided a significant amount of assistance for global health, and withdrawing from the World Health Organization. But the State Department said Monday none of those actions had inhibited its response.<\/p>\n The statement added that the U.S. government is working to protect Americans from the possible spread of the virus, banning foreigners coming from the affected countries \u2014 Congo, Uganda and South Sudan \u2014 from entering the United States and making arrangements to repatriate American citizens who may be infected.<\/p>\n Mark Cuban, who\u2019s backed Democrats, again supports TrumpRx<\/p>\n Speaking alongside Trump on Monday, the billionaire entrepreneur said there was \u201cappetite on both sides of the aisle\u201d for the website the administration says will help patients buy prescription drugs directly at a discounted rate.<\/p>\n Asked what it was like to herald TrumpRx with Cuban, who stumped for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 campaign, Trump said Cuban \u201cmade a mistake\u201d in endorsing Harris but their cooperation \u201csays we love people, we love our country.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump also called Cuban \u201cgracious.\u201d The businessman has previously lauded Trump\u2019s efforts at lowering prescription drug prices.<\/p>\n Trump said he planned \u2018a very major attack\u2019 on Iran but put it off \u2018for a little while, hopefully, maybe forever\u2019<\/p>\n The president said America\u2019s allies in the Gulf asked him to put off the attack for two to three days because they feel they are close to a deal with Iran.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a very positive development, but we\u2019ll see whether or not it amounts to anything,\u201d Trump said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had periods of time where we had, we thought, pretty much getting close to making a deal, and it didn\u2019t work out. But this is a little bit different.\u201d<\/p>\n Generic prescription drugs being added to TrumpRx website<\/p>\n Trump is making the case that he\u2019s addressing the public\u2019s affordability worries by announcing that generic prescription drugs are being added to his TrumpRx website.<\/a><\/p>\n The president said over 600 \u201caffordable\u201d generic drugs are being added to the government-hosted website, which directs people to the drugmakers\u2019 sites for purchases. It\u2019s an expansion of the site launched in February.<\/p>\n Flanked by government and business leaders, Trump called the site the \u201cgreatest breakthrough\u201d for lowering prescription drug costs.<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear how much savings will be achieved as many people get their prescription drugs through their health insurance. But the administration estimates that its negotiations to price certain prescription drugs at the same level as other countries will save the economy more than $500 billion over 10 years.<\/p>\n US piles on new Cuba sanctions as it steps up pressure<\/p>\n The State Department has imposed a new layer of sanctions on several Cuban government agencies, including the Interior Ministry and National Police and Intelligence Directorate, as the Trump administration ratchets up pressure against the island.<\/p>\n Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday he had also designated 11 Cuban government officials for sanctions, including the ministers of justice, energy and mines, and communications, along with the chief of staff of the Cuban army and the chief of staff of military counterintelligence. The sanctions block any assets that they may have or that come into contact with the U.S. financial system. However, many of those designated had already been subject to U.S. sanctions.<\/p>\n \u201cThese sanctions advance the Trump administration\u2019s comprehensive campaign to address the pressing national security threats posed by Cuba\u2019s communist regime and to hold accountable both the regime and those who provide it material support,\u201d Rubio said in a statement.<\/p>\n Trump says he\u2019s called off Iran strike planned for Tuesday at request of Gulf allies<\/p>\n President Donald Trump<\/a> said he is holding off on a military strike on Iran<\/a> planned for Tuesday because \u201cserious negotiations\u201d are underway.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s announcement in a social media post Monday came as he had threatened the clock was ticking for Iran to strike a deal<\/a> or fighting would renew after a fragile ceasefire.<\/p>\n The president did not offer details about the planned attack but said but he instructed the U.S. military \u201cto be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment\u2019s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump had not previously disclosed that he was planning a strike for May 19, but over the weekend he warned, \u201cFor Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won\u2019t be anything left of them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u25b6 Read more<\/a><\/p>\n Minnesota county charges an ICE officer in a nonfatal shooting during Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown<\/p>\n A Minnesota prosecutor on Monday announced charges against an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in the nonfatal shooting of a Venezuelan man during the Trump administration\u2019s crackdown in Minnesota.<\/p>\n The officer, Christian Castro, is charged with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime in the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said at a news conference. A warrant was issued for his arrest.<\/p>\n A federal officer shot Sosa-Celis in the thigh after he and another officer chased a different man to the apartment duplex where the man and Sosa-Celis lived. Moriarty said both Sosa-Celis and the other man were legally in the U.S.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Read more<\/a><\/p>\n Pentagon pauses participation in joint defense board with Canada<\/p>\n Defense Undersecretary Elbridge Colby accused Canada of failing \u201cto make good on its military commitments\u201d as he announced the change with the 85-year-old Permanent Joint Board on Defense.<\/p>\n Trump has harshly criticized Canada and other NATO countries for spending too little on their own militaries, arguing that the U.S. shoulders too much of the burden.<\/p>\n The board is composed of senior military and civilian leaders and has been involved in various defense efforts. For instance, it provided advice on the creation of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, a joint command between the U.S. and Canada to spot potential enemy attacks as tensions rose with the Soviet Union.<\/p>\n Schumer blasts $1.7 billion fund to compensate Trump allies<\/p>\n Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer says the Trump administration\u2019s creation of a $1.7 billion compensation fund is \u201ccorruption happening in broad daylight.\u201d<\/p>\n The fund is aimed at compensating allies of the Republican president who believe they were mistreated by the Biden administration Justice Department.<\/p>\n \u201cOf all the corrupt things he has done, this is one of the most depraved,\u201d Schumer said in a prepared statement. \u201cNo president should be able to use the Department of Justice as a personal rewards program for the people who helped him attack our democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n US to extend ability of countries to buy Russian oil at sea<\/p>\n Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. will extend by another 30 days the ability of countries to import Russian oil<\/a> that is already in tankers at sea, a move that is meant to reduce the oil supply shortages caused by the Iran war.<\/p>\n Bessent had previously said, including to The Associated Press, that there would not be more extensions only to do so two times, a policy reversal that reflects the global economic challenges created by the conflict.<\/p>\n \u201cThis extension will provide additional flexibility, and we will work with these nations to provide specific licenses as needed,\u201d Bessent said on social media of the 30-day general license.<\/p>\n The U.S. government official said it would help poorer nations in need of oil because China would no longer have the same ability to \u201cstockpile discounted oil\u201d from Russia.<\/p>\n But there are risks as the temporary lifting of sanctions would help Russia finance its war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n House lawmakers hear from Epstein\u2019s jail guard<\/p>\n The House Oversight Committee is interviewing Tova Noel, the former guard who was working the night that Jeffrey Epstein died in a New York jail cell in 2019.<\/p>\n Noel and the other guard on duty that night, Michael Thomas, have admitted to falsifying records after facing federal charges in 2021 that stemmed from Epstein\u2019s death. New York City\u2019s medical examiner ruled his death a suicide, but conspiracy theories have swirled around his death for years.<\/p>\n House lawmakers have said they want to examine the conditions at the jail at the time Epstein died.<\/p>\n Hegseth campaigning alongside a Trump-backed congressional candidate<\/p>\n Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will spend Monday afternoon campaigning alongside a Trump-backed congressional candidate on the eve of Kentucky\u2019s high-profile 4th district GOP primary contest.<\/p>\n Hegseth is scheduled to appear with former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein at the 1 p.m. EST rally in Hebron, Kentucky. The event is hosted by the Trump-allied group, America First Works.<\/p>\n Galleria is challenging incumbent Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, whom Trump has vowed to help defeat because of Massie\u2019s vocal criticism of the Republican president.<\/p>\n The Pentagon issued a statement on Monday declaring that Hegseth was attending Monday\u2019s event \u201cin his personal capacity\u201d and that no taxpayer dollars would be used to facilitate his visit.<\/p>\n If established, the fund would represent a highly unorthodox resolution<\/p>\n It would also be a further demonstration of the Trump administration\u2019s eagerness to reward allies who before Trump came to power were investigated and in some cases charged and convicted.<\/p>\n Most notably, the president on his first day back in office pardoned or commuted<\/a> the sentences of supporters who rioted at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His Justice Department since then has approved payouts to supporters entangled in the Trump-Russia investigation<\/a> and investigated and prosecuted some of his perceived adversaries<\/a>.<\/p>\n Justice Department announces $1.7B fund to compensate Trump allies in deal to drop IRS suit<\/p>\n The Trump administration said Monday that it\u2019s creating a $1.7 billion fund to compensate prosecuted allies of the Republican president after he moved to drop his lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.<\/p>\n The \u201cAnti-Weaponization Fund\u201d was announced by the Justice Department as part of a deal to resolve President Trump\u2019s case over the leak of his tax returns.<\/p>\n Democrats and government watchdogs immediately pledged to fight<\/a> what they called a \u201ccorrupt\u201d and unprecedented resolution.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s lawsuit followed the leak of tax returns<\/p>\n Trump filed the lawsuit earlier this year in a Florida federal court<\/a>, alleging a previous leak of his and the Trump Organization\u2019s confidential tax records caused \u201creputational and financial harm, public embarrassment, unfairly tarnished their business reputations, portrayed them in a false light, and negatively affected President Trump, and the other Plaintiffs\u2019 public standing.\u201d<\/p>\n The president\u2019s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, are also named plaintiffs in the suit.<\/p>\n In 2024, former IRS contractor Charles Edward Littlejohn \u2014 who worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, a defense and national security tech firm \u2014 was sentenced to five years in prison<\/a> after pleading guilty to leaking tax information about Trump and others to two news outlets between 2018 and 2020.<\/p>\n Trump and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul trade blame on the Long Island Rail Road strike<\/p>\n Hochul, a Democrat, has blamed the Trump administration for cutting mediation short in September and pushing the unions toward a strike. Trump, a Republican, said on his Truth Social platform that he had nothing to do with it.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Kathy, it\u2019s your fault, and now looking over the facts, you should not have allowed this to happen,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n Commuters in New York City\u2019s suburbs navigated a gauntlet of car, bus and subway routes to get to work Monday after a strike on the Long Island Rail Road that shut down<\/a> the nation\u2019s busiest commuter rail system entered its third day.<\/p>\n Hochul urged companies and agencies that employ workers from Long Island to let them work from home whenever possible.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Read more<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s not immediately clear who precisely will stand to benefit from the fund<\/p>\n But its creation reflects Trump\u2019s long-running claims that the Biden administration Justice Department was weaponized against him.<\/p>\n He\u2019s cited as proof the since-dismissed criminal charges he faced between his first and second terms of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election he lost and of retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Several aides of his were also prosecuted, as were hundreds of Trump supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.<\/p>\n Merrick Garland, who served as attorney general during former President Joe Biden\u2019s administration, has repeatedly denied allegations of politicization and has said his decisions followed facts, the evidence and the law. His Justice Department also investigated Biden for his handling of classified information and brought separate tax and gun prosecutions against Biden\u2019s son Hunter.<\/p>\n News that administration contemplating fund to pay Trump allies draws backlash from Democrats<\/p>\n Rep. Jamie Raskin called the idea \u201cunconstitutional.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis, of course, is a political grievance fund that Donald Trump can use to pay off his friends,\u201d Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said in an interview Sunday on ABC\u2019s \u201cThis Week.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf these people have a valid cause of action, they should bring it to the court like every other American does, and use the system of due process, and proving things by clear and convincing evidence, or a preponderance of evidence, go and prove it. But the idea that Donald Trump can just pass it out like a pardon is absurd,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Trump moves to dismiss $10B suit over leak of tax returns after reports of a resolution<\/p>\n President Trump on Monday moved to withdraw his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns after reports that a resolution of the case was close at hand.<\/p>\n The disclosure was made in a filing in federal court in Florida, where the lawsuit was filed.<\/p>\n ABC News first reported last week that Trump was prepared to drop his lawsuit as part of a deal that would create a $1.7 billion fund to pay allies of the president who believe they were wrongly investigated and prosecuted.<\/p>\n The court filing did not mention terms of any potential deal.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Read more<\/a><\/p>\n Will White House correspondents\u2019 dinner be rescheduled? Some say: \u2018Let\u2019s call the whole thing off\u2019<\/p>\n
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