NPR News: 06-02-2026 9PM EDT
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers today the Trump administration is scrapping plans for a nearly $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund.
The reasons for the fund is something that President Trump talked about for a long time, which is the fact that there were a lot of people in this country who had their government weaponized against them. The reasons for the fund, I think, remain as important as they were before, but... We are not moving forward with the fund.
The fund would have compensated President Trump's allies who believe they've been unjustly investigated and prosecuted. Many Republican senators had pushed the administration to impose limits or scrap the idea altogether. Two controversial U.S. Senate hopefuls were in Washington, D.C. today to rally party support. President Trump met with Ken Paxton, a Texas Republican who's fended off criminal indictments, whistleblower allegations and an impeachment lawsuit. Senate Democrats met with Graham Platner, a Democrat from Maine whose controversies include past Reddit posts and a tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol. President Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have a long history of working together, including starting the Iran war.
But NPR's Franco Ordonez reports the relationship has strained over whether to keep up military pressure or look for a diplomatic solution.
After Israel launched a new offensive in southern Lebanon Friday, Trump called Netanyahu and told him to call off the attacks, which were upending negotiations with Iran. Aaron David Miller of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace says Trump's clearly frustrated with the prime minister.
The subtext here is, look what you got me into. You persuaded me that at a minimum, The conditions for regime change would be laid as a consequence of what I've done. Trump has to be beside himself with frustration and hot anger.
It's just the latest example of how hard it has been for Trump working with Israel when they have different security objectives. Franco Ordonez, NPR News.
The Trump administration is dismantling a deep sea observation system that provides data to scientists. NPR's Nate Rott reports.
The Ocean Observatories Initiative has provided real-time data on the world's oceans for a decade. It's made up of more than 900 scientific instruments, some calibrated to withstand the intense pressure of the deep sea. And it's helped researchers better understand marine ecosystems, ocean currents, and the effects of global warming. Starting this month, the National Science Foundation says it will begin removing instruments from the system, which costs nearly $50 million annually to operate. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, recommended closing the system in its Project 2025 playbook, calling it a source of, quote, climate alarmism.
Nate Rott, NPR News. Primaries are being held today in California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota. This is NPR News. President Trump says he will attend the rescheduled White House Correspondents Association dinner on July 24th. The event was postponed after a shooting incident in April. Federal prosecutors charged a man with attempting to assassinate President Trump at the gala. In Florida, a proposal to reduce property taxes will go before voters this November. From member station WFSU, Tristan Wood reports it was championed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.
Under the plan, homeowners whose primary residence has a taxable value of $150,000 or less would pay property taxes only for schools beginning next year. That exemption would rise to $250,000 in 2028, an increase with inflation after that. Supporters, including sponsor Republican Senator Brian Avila, say the measure would force local governments to better prioritize spending.
I think what this will force is local government officials to actually really do right by the residents in terms of looking at their budgets, and prioritizing their spending.
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