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Trump admin pushes back on ‘slush fund’ attacks against Anti-Weaponization Fund and lays out who qualifies
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The Trump administration says the $1.778 billion Justice Department «Anti-Weaponization Fund» will compensate Americans unfairly targeted by politicized federal investigations on a «case-by-case» basis, pushing back on critics who have portrayed the program as a taxpayer-funded payout for Jan. 6 rioters and Trump allies.
Heated dispute over the fund centers on who will ultimately benefit from it, with Trump administration officials saying it is intended to compensate individuals harmed by «weaponized» federal investigations, such as pro-lifers targeted by the Biden administration, while Democratic critics fear it could allow politically connected figures or some Jan. 6 defendants to seek taxpayer-funded payments.
«Republicans can apply for it. Democrats can apply for it,» Vice President J.D. Vance said during a Tuesday White House briefing in answer to the critics. «If Hunter Biden wants to apply for this particular fund, he is welcome to.»
The Anti-Weaponization Fund is unusual because it emerged from a lawsuit settlement between Trump and the IRS, an agency he oversees as president, raising concerns among lawmakers and commentators about potential conflicts of interest.
REPUBLICANS RECOIL AS TRUMP’S BILLION-DOLLAR DOJ ‘SLUSH FUND’ FOR ALLIES THREATENS ICE, BORDER PATROL PLAN
An image shows the Department of Justice building with an overlay of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
MS NOW contributor Joe Scarborough alleged that the Anti-Weaponization Fund would be funneled to those convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots. On his first day in office, Trump issued pardons and commutations to more than 1,500 people involved in the Capitol riots.
«We got this billion-dollar ‘Marie Antoinette’ ballroom, now that they’re talking about funding and $1 billion plus slush fund for people who beat the hell out of cops,» Scarborough said. «It is a slush fund, a weaponization slush fund for supporters of Donald Trump, JD Vance and the Republican Party.»
But the Trump administration’s grievances with the «weaponization» of the Justice Department extend far beyond Biden-era prosecutions of those involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riot.
Biden’s Justice Department prosecuted more than 50 pro-life activists who were accused of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act) between 2021 and 2024. Since returning to office, Trump pardoned dozens of pro-life activists, some of whom were serving jail time.
The Trump Justice Department has also accused Biden-era officials of «zealously pursuing» prosecutions against Christians in its «2026 Report by the Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias,» potentially opening the door for another category of people who could seek compensation through the fund.
Still, Trump faces criticism over the fund even from his own party. Sen. John Thune, R-SD, the top Republican leader in the Senate, said he wasn’t a «big fan» of the fund’s creation and that he «was not sure exactly how they intend to use it.»
BIDEN DOJ WEAPONIZED FACE ACT AGAINST PRO-LIFE AMERICANS, 882-REPORT ALLEGES
«I think that there are, and will continue to be, a lot of questions around that, that the administration is going to have to answer,» Thune said.
Justice Department officials and some legal experts say the fund, while unusual and politically controversial, falls within the government’s legal authority and that payments aren’t guaranteed.
The Anti-Weaponization Fund was born out of a settlement between President Donald Trump and the Internal Revenue Service. Trump filed the lawsuit against in January over the unauthorized disclosure of his tax records.
A sign for the Internal Revenue Service is seen outside its headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 13, 2025. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
Claims will be determined by a five-person board appointed by the Attorney General, with at least one member selected with consultation with congressional leadership, according to a Justice Department press release. At any point in time, the president has the power to remove a member without cause.
Under the settlement agreement, the Anti-Weaponization Fund will evaluate claims by looking at the «totality of the circumstances.» Those factors considered include how strong a person’s claim is and what evidence supports it, the financial harm they allegedly suffered — including legal fees — whether they spent time in prison and whether they have already received compensation or other relief elsewhere.
The agreement also gives the board discretion to weigh «other factors» it considers fair and appropriate when deciding whether someone qualifies for compensation.
«This is about seeking accountability for all Americans who were victims of law fare and weaponization: millions of Americans whose online speech was censored at the behest of the government, parents silenced at school boards, Senators whose records were secretly subpoenaed, churchgoers targeted by the FBI, and so on,» a Justice Department document stated.
The Anti-Weaponization Fund will last until December 1, 2028.
APOLOGIES AND CASH HEADED TO ALLEGED ‘WEAPONIZATION’ VICTIMS IN BILLION-DOLLAR TRUMP SETTLEMENT
«It would be a disgrace if the Supreme Court of the United States allows that to happen. Remember what I said 20 to 25% of the people coming into our country will come in through birthright citizenship,» said Trump. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
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Funding for the Anti-Weaponization Fund is coming from the Judgment Fund, which is a permanent Treasury account used to pay for settlements and claims against the government.
While the Justice Department pointed to the Obama administration’s creation of «Keepseagle,» a $760 million fund for victims of racism by the federal government as precedent for the creation of the fund, legal experts say there are key distinctions between the two. For instance, payouts in Keepseagle were made out to people a part of a class action lawsuit against the government; whereas anyone can apply for a claim with the Anti-Weaponization Fund.
«The Judgment Fund is for lawsuits,» Adam Zimmerman, a professor at USC Gould School of Law told PBS News. «It’s not for an amorphous group of people who feel like they’ve been wronged generally by a prior administration.»
But unlike the Keepseagle, which distributed leftover funds to nonprofits, the Anti-Weaponization Fund will return remaining funds back to the Department of Commerce. Although, the practice of disbursing leftover funds to related third party organizations, which occurred in Keepseagle, is not uncommon in class action lawsuits.
attorney general, administration, capitol protests, congress, justice department, politics
INTERNACIONAL
SpaceX lanza una nueva versión del cohete Starship en una prueba clave para la NASA y la carrera espacial de EE.UU.
La empresa aeroespacial SpaceX se prepara para lanzar este jueves la última versión de su gigantesco cohete Starship, en un vuelo de prueba considerado clave tanto para el futuro comercial de la compañía como para los planes espaciales de Estados Unidos.
El despegue está programado para las 18:30, hora local (20:30 de Argentina) desde la base de lanzamiento de la empresa en el sur de Texas, en un contexto de enorme expectativa por el avance del proyecto y por la inminente salida a bolsa de la firma fundada por Elon Musk.
La prueba se realizará apenas un día después de que SpaceX presentara ante los reguladores financieros estadounidenses la documentación necesaria para cotizar en bolsa, en una operación que podría concretarse en junio y convertirse en una de las ofertas públicas iniciales (IPO) más grandes de la historia reciente del sector tecnológico.
El nuevo Starship, de unos 124 metros de altura, será el protagonista del duodécimo vuelo de prueba del programa, aunque el primero en siete meses.
La compañía transmitirá en directo la misión y aprovechará el lanzamiento para mostrar los avances tecnológicos del sistema, considerado fundamental para los objetivos de exploración lunar de la NASA.
A diferencia de ensayos anteriores, SpaceX no intentará recuperar el propulsor de la primera etapa, una maniobra que ya había ejecutado con éxito en pruebas previas. En esta ocasión, el booster caerá deliberadamente en aguas del golfo de México, mientras que la etapa superior continuará en una trayectoria suborbital.
Durante la misión, prevista para durar unos 65 minutos, la nave desplegará 20 satélites ficticios y dos satélites Starlink modificados especialmente con cámaras para estudiar el comportamiento del escudo térmico del vehículo durante el reingreso atmosférico. Si todo sale según lo previsto, la etapa superior terminará amerizando en el océano Índico.
Aunque las últimas misiones de Starship concluyeron satisfactoriamente, el programa sufrió varios reveses en el pasado. Algunas pruebas terminaron en explosiones, incluso después de alcanzar el espacio, y en junio de 2025 una etapa superior explotó durante un ensayo en tierra.
El nuevo vuelo también se desarrolla bajo la sombra de un reciente accidente laboral en las instalaciones de Texas, donde un trabajador murió tras caer de un andamio, según reportes locales.
Leé también: Las claves para entender por qué Elon Musk fue el gran perdedor en el juicio contra los creadores de ChatGPT
La misión llega además en un momento decisivo para la carrera espacial. La NASA contrató a SpaceX para desarrollar una versión adaptada de Starship que funcione como módulo de alunizaje dentro del programa Programa Artemis, cuyo objetivo es llevar nuevamente astronautas a la Luna antes de finales de 2028.
El nuevo cohete Starship V3 de SpaceX se ve acoplado en la base Starbase durante el duodécimo vuelo de prueba, el 21 de mayo de 2026, visto desde South Padre Island, en Texas. (Foto: Ronaldo Schemidt / AFP)
El proyecto cobra aún más relevancia frente al avance de China, que apunta a concretar su primera misión lunar tripulada hacia 2030. Dentro del gobierno del presidente Donald Trump crece la preocupación por la posibilidad de que Estados Unidos pierda liderazgo en la nueva carrera espacial.
“Hay mucho en juego”, afirmó el físico G. Scott Hubbard, exdirector del Centro de Investigación Ames de la NASA y actual académico de la Universidad de Stanford. Según el especialista, el desafío técnico más complejo sigue siendo demostrar capacidades de reabastecimiento orbital con combustible superenfriado, una tecnología todavía no probada y considerada indispensable para futuras misiones de espacio profundo.
En paralelo, la competencia con Blue Origin, la firma aeroespacial creada por Jeff Bezos, también presiona los tiempos del sector privado. Ambas compañías buscan posicionarse como actores centrales en la futura economía lunar y en los contratos multimillonarios vinculados a la exploración espacial.
(Con información de AFP)
SpaceX, NASA, Elon Musk
El Ministerio de Salud de Costa Rica confirmó que Costa Rica no registra casos de enfermedad por virus Bundibugyo, una de las variantes del virus del Ébola que actualmente mantiene en alerta a organismos internacionales de salud debido a un brote activo en África central.
La institución indicó que tampoco existen casos reportados en la región de las Américas y aseguró que, por ahora, el riesgo para la población costarricense continúa siendo bajo. Sin embargo, las autoridades señalaron que mantienen vigilancia epidemiológica constante y pidieron a la ciudadanía reforzar las medidas preventivas.
La advertencia ocurre en medio de la creciente preocupación internacional por la situación que enfrentan la República Democrática del Congo y Uganda, donde se detectó un brote de la cepa Bundibugyo, una variante rara del Ébola para la que actualmente no existe vacuna ni tratamiento específico aprobado.
De acuerdo con la Organización Mundial de la Salud, hasta mediados de mayo se contabilizaban al menos ocho casos confirmados por laboratorio, 246 casos sospechosos y cerca de 80 muertes sospechosas en la provincia de Ituri, en el este del Congo.
No obstante, reportes más recientes advierten que la cifra podría ser considerablemente mayor. Medios internacionales y organismos humanitarios señalan que el brote ya habría provocado unas 139 muertes y cerca de 600 casos sospechosos o probables entre Congo y Uganda, mientras las autoridades sanitarias continúan investigando nuevas cadenas de transmisión.
La OMS declaró el pasado 16 de mayo la situación como una Emergencia de Salud Pública de Importancia Internacional, debido al riesgo de expansión regional y a las complejas condiciones en las zonas afectadas.
El brote preocupa especialmente porque se desarrolla en áreas con presencia de grupos armados, desplazamientos masivos de población y sistemas sanitarios limitados, lo que dificulta el rastreo de contagios y la atención de pacientes. Además, el virus ya fue detectado fuera de la zona inicial del brote y se confirmaron casos importados en Uganda.
Las autoridades sanitarias internacionales también han advertido que la enfermedad habría circulado durante semanas sin ser detectada, debido a que la cepa Bundibugyo no suele incluirse en pruebas estándar de Ébola y porque inicialmente se confundió con otras enfermedades hemorrágicas.
El virus del Ébola se transmite por contacto directo con sangre o fluidos corporales de personas infectadas, como saliva, vómito, sudor, orina o heces. También puede propagarse mediante objetos contaminados, incluyendo ropa, superficies o sábanas expuestas a dichos fluidos. Las autoridades reiteraron que el virus no se transmite por el aire.
Los síntomas pueden aparecer entre dos y 21 días después del contagio. Inicialmente se presentan fiebre, dolor de cabeza intenso, debilidad y dolores musculares. En etapas avanzadas pueden producirse vómitos, diarrea, dolor abdominal, hemorragias y deterioro severo del estado general.
Según la OMS, las tasas de mortalidad de brotes previos de la variante Bundibugyo oscilaron entre el 30% y el 50%, aunque otras cepas del Ébola pueden alcanzar mortalidades mucho mayores.
Ante este panorama, el Ministerio de Salud de Costa Rica informó que se revisan continuamente los protocolos de preparación y respuesta para eventuales casos sospechosos, así como los mecanismos de vigilancia epidemiológica en puntos de ingreso al país.
La institución recomendó mantener medidas preventivas básicas, entre ellas el lavado frecuente de manos, evitar contacto con personas enfermas y reforzar el uso de equipo de protección en servicios de salud.
Asimismo, pidió a la población mantenerse informada únicamente mediante canales oficiales para evitar desinformación o alarmas injustificadas relacionadas con el virus.
General Health,Medicines,Africa,Health / Medicine
INTERNACIONAL
Senate GOP erupts over Trump DOJ ‘anti-weaponization’ fund, punts ICE, Border Patrol funding
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Senate Republicans are pressing pause on their push to fund immigration enforcement after a tense, closed-door meeting.
But it’s not over internal divisions. This time, the fury is directed toward the Trump administration and the surprise «anti-weaponization» fund created by the Department of Justice (DOJ). It comes as Republicans were near the finish line for their $72 billion package to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol.
For now, Republicans are calling it a day and leaving Washington, D.C.
«We will pick up where we left off,» Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said.
REPUBLICANS RECOIL AS TRUMP’S BILLION-DOLLAR DOJ ‘SLUSH FUND’ FOR ALLIES THREATENS ICE, BORDER PATROL PLAN
Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate GOP leaders are pushing forward with budget reconciliation to fund the final piece of government that had been shut down by Senate Democrats’ opposition to President Donald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu)
That makes President Donald Trump’s June 1 deadline effectively impossible to meet, but Republicans contend that it’s the administration’s actions that have further complicated an already rocky process.
«The message to the administration is this: we were on a glide path to passing this bill until these announcements,» a top Republican aide told Fox News Digital.
The timing of the settlement between Trump and his family and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the subsequent creation of the fund derailed Republicans’ sprint to the finish line.
«We don’t know where the votes are on reconciliation right now,» Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said.
SENATE REPUBLICAN THREATENS TO DERAIL ICE, BORDER PATROL PACKAGE OVER TRUMP’S BILLION-DOLLAR REQUEST
The White House referred Fox News Digital to Trump’s comments Thursday when asked if he would be amenable to no ballroom security funding and restrictions on the DOJ’s nearly $1.8 billion fund, or veto the package outright.
«I don’t need money from the ballroom,» Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, and touted that the actual construction was being done through private funding.
«But this is being made as a gift from me and other people that are great patriots that spent a lot of money,» he continued. «We’re building what will be the finest ballroom anywhere in the world. If they want to spend money on securing the White House, I think it would be very — very much a good expenditure. But the ballroom is being built.»
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was dispatched to the Hill Thursday morning to tamp down lawmakers’ concerns over the «anti-weaponization» fund, which several lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have dubbed a «slush fund.» But instead, he was berated behind closed doors.
A spokesperson for the Justice Department told Fox News Digital that Blanche had a «healthy discussion on the settlement.»
«He made clear that the Anti-Weaponization Fund announced Monday has nothing to do with reconciliation. Indeed, not a single dime from the money the president is seeking in reconciliation would go toward anything having to do with the fund,» the spokesperson said. «We will continue to work with the Senate to get critical reconciliation funds approved.»
TRUMP DEMANDS SENATE PARLIAMENTARIAN’S OUSTER FOR AXING BALLROOM SECURITY FUNDING
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was dispatched to the Hill Thursday morning to tamp down lawmakers’ concerns over the «anti-weaponization» fund. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Sources told Fox News Digital that over two dozen Republicans demanded answers from Blanche on what kind of guardrails could be put into the fund, and specifically if those convicted for assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, riots could be excluded.
Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., erupted at Blanche, and Thune was uncharacteristically frustrated by the situation.
Several Republicans leaving the meeting had little to say about what happened inside, while others reiterated that they were focused on funding ICE and Border Patrol and nothing else.
Those concerns were validated with several people who were pardoned by Trump earlier this year, including former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who declared that he would make a claim this week.
There have been discussions of including those guardrails into the reconciliation package, given that the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees the DOJ, is a major part of the process.
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«I did raise that issue, and that seemed to be what [Blanche] was saying, but you know, we haven’t seen language,» Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said.
Further complicating matters are plans Senate Democrats had for the package with their flurry of amendment votes.
Sources told Fox News Digital that one of the first amendments in the pipeline would have prevented any of the DOJ’s funds from going to convicted rapists and forced the package to be sent back to committee, sending the GOP back to square one on a politically perilous vote.
«This was all 100% avoidable,» a senior Republican aide told Fox News Digital.
politics, republicans elections, justice department, senate elections, democrats senate
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