Trump’s $1.8 Billion Slush Fund Comes With Huge Disclaimer

The administration has “no liability” for what recipients do with the money—which may be important given who they’re giving it to.

President Trump’s newly minted MAGA slush fund comes with a massive disclaimer that serves to absolve the administration of any future crimes their allies may commit with the taxpayer money.

The “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” approved Monday, contains roughly $1.8 billion for anyone who felt unfairly targeted by the Biden administration— from January 6 rioters, to right-wing think tanks, to the president’s own super PAC. The fund also notes that once these groups have received their money the Trump administration has “no liability whatsoever for the protection or safeguarding of those funds, regardless of bank failure, fraudulent transfers, or any other fraud or misuse of the funds.”

This disclaimer allows Trump to wash his hands preemptively while this billion dollar fund will very well likely go to folks who were convicted of unlawful entry, assault, and seditious conspiracy. Some of those people have already committed crimes since they received their mass pardon from Trump.

“[This] seems like an exceptionally bad idea to give to people notoriously known for committing crimes,” the Ways and Means Committee Democrats wrote on X.

Trump’s Latest Renovation Destroys a Historic Protest Space

Donald Trump is turning a main gathering spot into a parking lot.

The White House is replacing a space known for protests with a parking lot for a month of major national events—including Donald Trump’s birthday.

Over the weekend, a pedestrianized stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and Lafayette Square Park was painted with yellow lines denoting parking spaces. The area has served as a viewing spot for tourists and a gathering place for protesters for two decades.

The White House said the parking lot will last through June 28 in order to accommodate several events on the grounds for the country’s 250th anniversary.

Next month, Trump’s birthday plans include “UFC Freedom 250,” which apparently means a pricey UFC fight on the White House’s South Lawn and a “fan fest” at the Ellipse. It’s the same spot where Trump once urged his followers to “fight like hell” before they stormed the U.S. Capitol. In late June, the Great American State Fair will be held at the nearby National Mall.

Lafayette Square Park, another protest spot, has been closed for months for a “major rehabilitation” and is expected to reopen on May 31, according to the National Parks Service.

It seems clear that the president, who regularly lashes out against critics, isn’t interested in getting any more angry feedback from Americans.

There’s reason to suspect that this change may not be temporary, as the Trump administration hasn’t exactly been forthcoming about the president’s other renovation plans.

The price tag for Trump’s White House ballroom skyrocketed from $200 million in private donations to $400 million, before Republicans decided to throw $1 billion sourced from American taxpayers at the project. Trump claimed last July that the project would not “interfere with the current building,” but then demolished the entire East Wing.

Fox News Wants the Iran War Ceasefire to End

Brian Kilmeade made an unpersuasive case to restart military actions on Monday.

Fox News thinks that escalating the war in Iran is the best way to end the conflict.

On Fox and Friends Monday morning, Brian Kilmeade called for sending American troops to seize Iran’s enriched uranium, seizing the Strait of Hormuz, and targeting the “bad actors that have been insincerely negotiating with our group.”

“The best chance for no casualties is you open up four different fronts immediately, simultaneously, with an army that hasn’t been paid, with the IRGC, which is being also hurt,” Kilmeade said.

Resuming attacks on Iran in this way would likely produce a response from Iran and increase the chance of U.S. military casualties. Kilmeade has no military experience or expertise on the Middle East, but being on Fox News carries weight: Trump is an avid watcher, and could very easily take this as a viable option.

Later on Monday, Trump made a long-winded post on Truth Social complaining about media coverage of the Iran war, mentioning “The Failing New York Times, The China Street Journal (WSJ!), Corrupt and now Irrelevant CNN, and all other members of the Fake News Media” and claiming that even if Iran totally surrendered, the media would say it had defeated the U.S.

Trump didn’t mention Fox News in his rant, and the network continues to support the war even as other right-wing personalities have come out against it. It’s not clear what he’ll do, but the president won’t take any option that makes him look bad, even if it divides his base and is the best way forward.

Trump Has Separated Even More Families Than We Realized

Tens of thousands of U.S.-born children are no longer with their families.

Tens of thousands of children have been separated from their families during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, according to a new analysis by the Brookings Institution.

The report, released Monday, suggests that more than 145,000 children have been separated from their parents since Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, an astronomical projection that far eclipses the estimated 5,500 separations that occurred during Trump’s wildly controversial “zero tolerance” policy in his first administration, reported The New York Times.

Three-quarters of those children are likely U.S. citizens, a detail that could be contributing to the previously under-reported........

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