A Treasury fund could allow the Trump administration to pay Jan. 6 rioters. A Florida surgeon’s previous errors come to light after he accidentally removed a patient’s liver. And a new report is expected to show job growth in May.
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DOJ could still pay Jan. 6 rioters even without ‘anti-weaponization’ fund
Even without the “anti-weaponization” fund, the Trump administration has the ability to give payouts to Jan. 6 rioters through an already existing mechanism: the Judgment Fund.
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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress this week that the Justice Department was “not moving forward” with the controversial $1.776 billion pot of cash, after critics labeled it a “slush fund” for Trump’s allies. But Trump said Wednesday that he didn’t know if it was dead or just on hold.
Meanwhile, the DOJ’s Judgment Fund is a bottomless pot of money to settle legal claims made against the government, set up to “eliminate the procedural burdens involved in getting an appropriation from Congress to pay a particular judgment,” according to the Treasury’s website. But, critics have long cautioned the fund could be abused.
The Trump administration has already paid settlements to some of those involved in the riot. The family of Ashli Babbit, who was killed after she jumped through a broken window of the House Speaker’s Lobby, received just under $5 million.
This morning, the Senate passed legislation to fund Trump’s immigration enforcement agencies, after intense bipartisan backlash over the “anti-weaponization” fund threatened to derail the bill.
Read about the Judgement Fund here.
- The House passed a bill that would provide aid to Ukraine, with 18 Republicans joining Democrats in another rebuke of Trump’s foreign policy.
- John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser and now one of his fiercest critics, has agreed to plead guilty to retaining national security information.
- Trump said Bill Pulte will serve only in an acting capacity as director of national intelligence after some Republicans pushed back against Trump’s recommendation.
- Democratic divisions are growing as new information and scandals involving Senate candidate Graham Platner come to light.
- A New Jersey representative has offered little explanation of his absence of more than three months while his staff paints a picture of business as usual.
- For subscribers: The team assembled by the DOJ to ramp up investigations into Trump’s political enemies includes several lawyers and FBI special agents who backed conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
▶️ Tune in to Here’s the Scoop’s special Supreme Court Edition, where Senior Legal Correspondent Laura Jarrett goes deep on major cases.
Staff Pick: Before an O.R. nightmare, a surgeon left a trail of errors
It seemed impossible: How could a seasoned surgeon remove the wrong organ from a patient?
For the last two months, NBC News reporter Matt Lavietes and I have been investigating a Florida doctor who was charged with manslaughter after he accidentally took out 70-year-old William Bryan’s liver instead of his spleen. Mr. Bryan died on the operating table, devastating his wife of more than three decades and traumatizing hospital staff who immediately knew the surgeon had made a catastrophic mistake.
We learned a lot about the doctor, Thomas Shaknovsky, through lawsuits, insurance records and state health agency documents, as well as interviews with more than a dozen of his co-workers, former patients and their family members. It turns out this was not his first major mistake: He once accidentally removed part of a man’s pancreas instead of his adrenal gland.
Yet how, exactly, Mr. Bryan’s operation went so awry remains a mystery — seemingly even to the surgeon himself. — Elizabeth Chuck, national reporter
May jobs report expected to show growth amid inflation
The U.S. economy is predicted to have added 80,000 jobs in May, experts said, as hiring remains steady despite growing inflation and energy prices triggered by the war in Iran. Economists polled by Dow Jones also believe the May jobs report, which is set to be released today, will show that unemployment remained unchanged at 4.3%.
The education and health sectors are expected to lead job gains, while the trade and transportation category of the report could be “relatively strong.” Economists, however, are worried about the 55% rise in the price of diesel fuel, which can quickly raise costs for consumers. Last month, inflation sharply accelerated to its highest level in three years.
What the Fed is watching as it weighs interest rates.
‘Shark Tank’ mogul says he will shrink AI data center project
Kevin O’Leary to shrink size of Utah data center project
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Celebrity investor Kevin O’Leary said he’s willing to downsize a planned 40,000-acre AI data center campus in Utah — that’s roughly twice the size of Manhattan — in the face of rising political pushback. On Wednesday, O’Leary told NBC News he was “going to have to” slim down the project. “I understand their concerns,” O’Leary said. He also said he had reason to believe that one of the most prominent organizations pushing back on the project is funded by dark-money interests.
The proposed data center has drawn growing concerns from residents. Rallies, letter-writing campaigns and even a callout from a rock band’s lead singer have amplified the criticism around the project.
Related coverage:
- Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker plans to temporarily halt tax breaks for data centers and call on lawmakers to hash out a framework for how the centers should be developed.
Read All About It
- Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to deliver a speech at a flagship annual economic forum on Friday, days after Ukrainian drone strikes rocked the host city St. Petersburg. His speech also comes at a time when Russia’s $3-trillion economy appears to be stagnating.
- Former National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre must pay $4.3 million to the organization for misappropriating funds, an appellate court panel ruled.
- Karen Read sued the Massachusetts State Police and the town of Canton, alleging misconduct and negligence in the investigation that led to her prosecution in the death of her boyfriend.
- Actor James Handy, 81, who most recently appeared in “Top Gun: Maverick” was stabbed to death in Los Angeles, authorities said.
- Video of four migrant workers being burned alive by suspected gangmasters triggered an outcry and growing reckoning in Italy.
- Elmo just wanted the Knicks and Spurs to have fun during the NBA Finals — but chaos ensued.
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Summer sales are underway. Up first: Major deals on Le Creuset Dutch ovens, nonstick pans, and more for a limited time. Plus, Target just announced its annual Circle Deals Days event. Here’s everything you need to know.
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