Trump News for Monday, June 1, 2026

Trump Administration Agrees to Temporarily Suspend $1.8 Billion ‘Weaponization’ Slush Fund

Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone

Last week, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s push to create a fund for people claiming they were "victims of lawfare and weaponization"

US court upholds injunction against Trump policy banning transgender troops

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

The decision was split, allowing the Trump administration to continue barring transgender people from enlisting.

US Homeland Security chief sees no need to stop international flight processing at Newark Airport

By David Shepardson, Yahoo Entertainment

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON, June 1 (Reuters) - U.S.

Prosecutor Nopes Out Of The DOJ After Being Handed The James Comey ‘8647’ Case

Tim Cushing, Techdirt

The DOJ has gone past bleeding talent. Now, it’s just bleeding whatever. It’s one thing to do a bit of MAGA swagger before a captive audience and walk out with a criminal indictment that contains no evidence of criminal activity. It’s quite another thing to p…

All These Defeats Are Ruining Trump’s Birthday

Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic

The end of Trump’s “anti-weaponization” fund is the latest in a series of setbacks.

The fight over Bari Weiss' '60 Minutes' overhaul is getting uglier

James Faris,Nathan McAlone, Business Insider

"60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley exposed a key point of tension in the Bari Weiss era during a fiery exchange on Monday.

The potential consequences of cutting funds for behavioral science

Katia Riddle, NPR

The Trump administration continues its assault on science. One little-known area that's been neglected in funding this year is federal research into social, behavioral and economic science.

Is Trump giving up on his slush fund?

Cameron Peters, Vox

This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here. Welcome to The Logoff: Donald Trump’s $1.8 billion slush fund is — maybe — do…

Why Trump Is Suddenly Asking Americans to Look Away

David A. Graham, The Atlantic

As his signature efforts falter, the president is pleading with Republicans to pipe down and have faith. One can understand their skepticism.

A deleted recording blows up Melania's Epstein story

Jason Weisberger, Boing Boing

A former model with a messy history around Trumpworld and Jeffrey Epstein has made a new, disputed claim about how Melania Trump met Donald Trump. Just about the only people claiming Epstein didn't introduce the two odious pairs are the pair themselves. — Rea…

China’s BYD Is Offering to Pay for Some Crashes Involving Its Self-Driving Tech

Bruce Gil, Gizmodo.com

Elon Musk: You've been challenged.

Denmark gets new government as Greenland crisis persists

Heba Habib, Al Jazeera English

End of election deadlock will see PM Frederiksen continue her stewardship of response to Trump's Greenland lust.

Trump’s Freedom 250 fest crashout proves he’s the only true MAGA celebrity

Constance Grady, Vox

President Donald Trump spent the weekend crashing out on TruthSocial as artist after artist dropped out of the Freedom 250 festival, a White House concert series that will celebrate America’s 250th anniversary later this month. Trump ultimately declared he wa…

'A Web of Deceit': Florida Sues OpenAI Over ChatGPT Safety Concerns

Katelyn Chedraoui, CNET

Florida's lawsuit against OpenAI -- the second one this year -- alleges the AI-maker put profits over people.

Justice Department says it will abide by court order pausing its 'anti-weaponization' fund

Ryan Lucas, NPR

The Justice Department said it 'strongly disagrees' with the court's ruling that paused a $1.776 fund for victims of government "weaponization," but would still abide by it.

How Trump Appeared To Accidentally Reveal His Biggest Fear About Melania

Analice Couto, Boredpanda.com

“What do you think Melania would do if she looked up at a debate and saw what she thought was her husband, that’s the president, having a stroke?”

Trump says Iran talks continuing after regime threatens "other fronts" in war

Yahoo Entertainment

Voter interference probes launched after ballots found torched in LA drop-off box

Bill Hutchinson, Abcnews.com

Just one day ahead of a crucial California primary election, officials said police have been notified of two possible acts of voter interference.

Trump halts $1.8bn ‘anti-weaponisation’ fund amid bipartisan backlash

Andy Hirschfeld, Al Jazeera English

The announcement comes after Trump met with congressional Republicans over concerns about his settlement with the IRS.

John Deere Faces Second Class Action For Monopolizing Repair

Karl Bode, Techdirt

John Deere is facing a second class action lawsuit for its ongoing, ham-fisted effort to monopolize tractor repair and drive up costs for its customers. The latest lawsuit was filed in mid-May in the Northern District of Illinois against John Deere by Christy…

Iowa GOP governor race takes negative turn ahead of June 2 primary

Brianne Pfannenstiel, USA TODAY NETWORK, USA Today

Iowa’s GOP governor candidates are making their final pitches to voters as they hope to lock in support ahead of Tuesday’s primary elections.

Former election clerk Tina Peters released after Trump pressure campaign

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Peters had been sentenced to nine years in state prison after allowing access to Colorado state voting machines.

Scott Pelley Accuses Bari Weiss Of “Murdering” ’60 Minutes’ In Tense Exchange With Show’s New Executive Producer

Ted Johnson, Deadline

Amid a wave of firings at 60 Minutes, longtime correspondent Scott Pelley accused CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss of “murdering” the show, while he questioned her qualifications and that of the top rated newsmagazine’s new executive producer, Nick Bilton.…

OpenAI Is A Menace, & Sam Altman Knows It, Florida AG Declares; “Danger Of Addiction, …Suicide, Violence, & Related Harms”

Dominic Patten, Deadline

With a blistering lawsuit filed Monday, the state of Florida may succeed where Elon Musk failed in bringing OpenAI and Sam Altman to heel. “Today, we announced the first-in-the-nation state-led lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman,” Sunshine State A…

Mandelson files: What you need to know

BBC News

The government has published more than 1,000 pages of documents about the former US ambassador's appointment.

Court blocks removal of transgender troops, but allows restrictions on recruits

Peter Charalambous, Abcnews.com

An appeals court has affirmed a lower court's decision blocking the Department of Defense from removing current transgender servicemembers.

Judge Reopens Trump’s IRS Case, Wants To Know If The Court Was Defrauded

Mike Masnick, Techdirt

Most legal experts seemed pretty skeptical about the tactic of 35 former federal judges asking federal judge Kathleen Williams to reopen the case where Trump sued his own IRS demanding $10 billion. Turns out they were wrong — on Friday, Judge Williams reopene…

Grandpa Pudding Brains says the Supreme Court he rigged is rigged

Jason Weisberger, Boing Boing

He wanted originalism until the original words got in the way. Hoping to somehow convince the country that birthright citizenship isn't a longstanding right, Grandpa Pudding Brains got very mad at the court he himself rigged, because it isn't doing exactly wh…

Trump's watch comes with a hilarious typo

Jason Weisberger, Boing Boing

A Rhode Island Trump supporter bought his wife a $640 pink Trump-branded watch, expecting "the integrity of the President of the United States." He got RUMP. Tim Petit, from Middletown, Rhode Island, treated his wife Melanie to a $640 pink limited-edition Tr…

Trump promised cheap gas and no new wars. Thanks, MAGA!

Jason Weisberger, Boing Boing

Trump promised cheap gas and no new wars, then delivered expensive gas and a war. Some of his voters have noticed. The New York Times talked to Trump voters in several battleground states as they filled up their cars. Some still back him. — Read the rest The…

Tina Peters says Democrats will ‘cheat’ in midterms

Cheyanne M. Daniels, Politico

“I know that the Democrats are going to cheat, and no one’s really addressing the problem that I spent my time in prison as retribution for,” Peters, newly r...

Vietnam Is Moving People’s Graves to Make Room for a Trump Golf Resort

Mabel Kabani, Jezebel

Vietnam broke its own laws to fast track this development because the country was trying to avoid steep U.S. tariffs from the Trump administration.

MISSILES FLY

AFP teams in Tehran, Washington, Beirut, Jerusalem, Yahoo Entertainment

MISSILES FLY (Main headline, 5th story, link) Related stories:SUMMER OF WAR IRAN THREATENS NEW STRIKES ON ISRAEL CEASEFIRE COLLAPSES OIL SURGES

After issuing more than $20 billion in tariff refunds, the Trump administration is now pursuing legal action to bring the process to a standstill

Sasha Rogelberg, Yahoo Entertainment

The Justice Department said in a court filing it would appeal a federal judge’s order allowing all importers—not just those who sued the administration—to...

CBP Commander Greg Bovino Is Taking Guest Speaker Spots At White Nationalist Conferences

Tim Cushing, Techdirt

CBP Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino made that title literal by showing up wherever Trump needed trouble started. Once he had arrived far north of the southern border he was supposed to be patrolling, Bovino (and the people he was “commanding”) found themsel…

Bari Weiss brings Trumpism to “60 Minutes”

Sophia Tesfaye, Salon

CBS News is pushing out dissenters, replacing them with inexperienced hires

Who will replace Newsom? What to know about California’s primary elections

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

The most populous US state has attracted attention for its contentious gubernatorial race with 61 candidates.

Fed faces political 'stress test' that threatens economy, Powell says

Max Zahn, Abcnews.com

The Supreme Court is expected to rule within weeks on Trump's attempted removal of a Fed governor.

SUMMER OF WAR

Jon Gambrell, Associated Press

The United States says it has bombed radar and drone sites in Iran after Tehran shot down an American drone over the weekend. Iran then said it targeted American soldiers in Kuwait with missiles, which the U.S. says it shot down on Monday. The nominal ceasefi…

As Israel pushes past the Litani, Lebanese question the purpose of UNIFIL

Justin Salhani, Al Jazeera English

Israel has pushed past the Litani River, with the UNFIL peacekeeping force helpless to prevent an invasion.

Bowen: Trump needs this war to end but Iran is not backing down

BBC News

Under pressure from the polls and Gulf allies, the White House is pushing for a deal but Iran wants concessions.

Top economist Mark Zandi says Trump has a week to strike an Iran deal before the US faces a 'real problem'

jsor@businessinsider.com (Jennifer Sor), Business Insider

Oil prices could soar again absent a peace deal with Iran, Zandi said. Crude saw a fresh spike on Monday as US-Iran talks appeared to stall.

AI is blowing up music. How should the Grammys handle it?

Nilay Patel, The Verge

Today I’m talking with Harvey Mason Jr., who is CEO of the Recording Academy — that’s the outfit that puts on the Grammy Awards. I last talked to Harvey in 2024, when it was obvious that generative AI would upend the music industry, but still not exactly clea…

Microsoft could be the next Big Tech antitrust target

Lauren Feiner, The Verge

Over the past several years, Microsoft has largely managed to withstand populist calls to break up Big Tech while peers faced sweeping lawsuits. But a probe by the Federal Trade Commission suggests that grace period could be nearing an end. Earlier this year,…

Forever chemicals may change when they enter your body. Here's what we know.

The Conversation, Refractor.io

Carrie McDonough, Carnegie Mellon University / The ConversationContinue ReadingCategory: Society & Community, Wellness and Healthy Living, Body and MindTags: PFAS, Pollution, Health, Blood

The White House Is the New Green Zone

Matt Viser, The Atlantic

Fortifications are growing in tandem with the threat of political violence.

AT&T Sues California Regulators For Trying To Make Broadband Affordable

Karl Bode, Techdirt

Five years years ago AT&T effectively stopped selling DSL and started hanging up on DSL and copper phone line customers. While killing landlines and DSL is understandable given the limitations of the dated copper-based tech, the problem is that thanks to conc…

Hope, Change, Troll

Louis Staples, The Atlantic

Spencer Pratt, the reality star people love to hate-watch, is running for office—and betting that infamy can be political currency.

AP Decision Notes: What to expect in New Jersey’s state primary

ROBERT YOON, Yahoo Entertainment

New Jersey voters will nominate candidates for both chambers of Congress in a state primary on Tuesday, including in one key battleground district that could...

President Melts Down at 'Unpatriotic' Republicans in 1AM Rage Post...

Cameron Adams, Daily Beast

President Melts Down at 'Unpatriotic' Republicans in 1AM Rage Post... (First column, 1st story, link)

U.S. strikes Iranian military sites. And, Trump's $1.8 billion fund faces scrutiny

Suzanne Nuyen, NPR

American aircraft fired on a number of Iranian sites over the weekend, including Qeeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. And, Trump's anti-weaponization fund faces scrutiny in Congress and the courts.

The Trump Administration Wants to Frighten Would-Be Whistleblowers

Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic

A proposal to push federal workers to sign nondisclosure agreements is part of a bigger effort to hide government secrets.

Use It or Lose It

Adrienne LaFrance, The Atlantic

Freedom of speech, and of the press, can be guaranteed only if Americans exercise their rights.

How Spain Avoided the Global Populist Backlash

Rogé Karma, The Atlantic

The country’s center-left has stayed in power by engineering an economic boom. But the boom has created problems of its own.

JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Says Coinbase’s CEO Is ‘Full of Sh*t’ on Crypto Bill

Kyle Torpey, Gizmodo.com

Dimon and Armstrong sit on opposite camps in the CLARITY Act debate, representing the banking and crypto industries, respectively

Why MAGA buys Trump’s perfect health lie

Amanda Marcotte, Salon

Cultish devotion leads Republicans to see Trump as more god-like than human

Farmer Frustrations With Trump Spell Trouble for Iowa Republicans

Catherine Lucey and Skylar Woodhouse, Yahoo Entertainment

(Bloomberg) -- After years in the political wilderness, Iowa Democrats are feeling a new sensation — hope.Most Read from BloombergUS Says Deals With Iran for...

10 Monday AM Reads

Barry Ritholtz, Ritholtz.com

Welcome to June! Kick off your back-to-work with our expertly curated morning reads: • The Lowest Consumer Sentiment EVER: We are currently sitting at the lowest level of consumer sentiment in the past 75 years!. Lower than the Great Financial Crisis when the…

Trump Can’t Decide Whether We’ve Destroyed Iran’s “Military” or “Left It Alone”

Jim Vorel, Jezebel

"We've left Iran's military alone" and "Iran has no military" are an incredible duo of things to say within minutes of each other.

US, Iran trade new attacks amid talks: Here’s what we know

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

Washington and Tehran are attacking each other despite a ceasefire that came into effect on April 8.

Federal housing cuts could leave 7K formerly homeless New Yorkers at risk

Karen Yi, Gothamist

Eric Greene, 60, has been living in the Upper West Side in a single room for the last six years in a program run by Goddard Riverside. HUD is expected to issue a new funding request outlining the kinds of programs it will pay for next year by the end of Mo…

It’s not just high gas prices – inflation is now spreading through the US economy

D. Brian Blank, Brandy Hadley, Salon

Fresh inflation data now suggests the challenge may be deeper and longer lasting than many expected.

This Is What Trumpian Self-Dealing Looks Like

John Cassidy, The New Yorker

The power struggle over regulating crypto and prediction markets offers a window into how the President enriches his family and his wealthy supporters, John Cassidy writes.

A Baltimore man started an income-sharing club after the DOGE job cuts. It's redistributed over $20,000 so far.

Lauren Edmonds, Business Insider

A group of neighbors in Baltimore are redistributing their income each month to support each other. It all began with the DOGE job cuts.

Venezuela’s ruling party unity cracks as Delcy Rodríguez shifts Chávez-era policies

REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press, Abcnews.com

Venezuela's ruling party is facing internal divisions after 27 years of unity

Nvidia salaries revealed: How much the AI giant pays software engineers and researchers as it ramps up H-1B hiring

Geoff Weiss, Business Insider

See how much Nvidia pays in 2026, with engineers and research scientists earning over $300,000. Salary data shows pay ranges across about 1,200 roles.

Iran’s IRGC launches retaliatory strike after US attacks

Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English

Kuwait, which hosts US forces, says its defence systems intercepted missiles and drones amid sirens across the country.

Iran war day 94: US strikes Iranian sites; Kuwait intercepts missiles

Al Jazeera Staff, Al Jazeera English

While a peace deal between the US and Iran remains elusive, Israel has deepened its offensive into southern Lebanon.

John Oliver Roasts Trump’s Freedom 250 Concert: ‘People You Haven’t Thought About Since 2009’

Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone

"Vanilla Ice did not pull out, which I do realize sounds like the answer to the question, 'Why does that baby have frosted tips?'"

Iran live updates: IRGC claims airbase attack after US 'self-defense' strikes

David Brennan, Abcnews.com

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes.

Ex-US Fed Chair Powell warns against politicisation amid Trump’s attacks

John Power, Al Jazeera English

Jerome Powell says the US central bank is undergoing a 'stress test' like other institutions in the current era.

Trump is facing a new inflation warning from the bond market

JOSH BOAK Associated Press, Abcnews.com

The world is getting more uptight about lending money to President Donald Trump’s government

US bombs Iranian military sites and Kuwait is hit by drone and missile fire

JON GAMBRELL, Yahoo Entertainment

The United States bombed Iranian radar and drone control sites in Iran after Tehran shot down an American MQ-1 Predator drone this weekend, the American mili...

US bombs Iranian military sites, then downs missiles Tehran fired at troops in Kuwait

JON GAMBRELL, Yahoo Entertainment

The United States said Monday that it bombed radar and drone sites in Iran after Tehran shot down an American drone over the weekend. Iran then said it...

US says it struck Iranian military sites, Tehran responds with air base attack

By Yomna Ehab, Yahoo Entertainment

By Yomna Ehab DUBAI, June 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. said it struck Iranian military sites at the weekend and Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Monday it had...

John Oliver Derides Freedom 250 & Performer Cancellations: “Stacked Lineup Of People That You Haven’t Thought About Since 2009”

Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline

Back after a brief holiday hiatus last week, John Oliver returned to his desk to roast the botched rollout of Donald Trump’s Freedom 250 celebration, which has seen myriad cancellations since various scheduled performers like Martina McBride, Bret Michaels, M…

US says ban on AI chip shipments applies to Chinese firms outside China

John Power, Al Jazeera English

Department of Commerce issues guidance on chip restrictions amid concerns about loopholes in export control regime.

Not Wind, Not Solar: Mini Nuclear Reactors Could Fix America's Energy Problems

staff@bgr.com (Alec Hively), BGR

Amidst the push for clean energy worldwide, many people are vouching for small nuclear reactors, though there are still a number of factors holding them back.