The Full Belmonte, 6/3/2026
São Miguel Island, Azores
Todd Blanche: ‘We are not moving forward’ with Anti-Weaponization Fund
Doug Mills/The New York Times
“The Trump administration will drop its $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” that was widely criticized as a payout for the president’s allies, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a congressional hearing Tuesday.
‘We’re not moving forward with the fund, period,’ said Blanche in remarks before the House appropriations subcommittee that oversees funding for the Department of Justice.
Republican blowback from the announcement of the fund has stalled movement on an immigration enforcement bill in the Senate, where GOP leaders feared their members would vote on Democratic amendments to nix or put guardrails on the account. Separately, a judge late last week paused the administration’s ability to administer the fund, prompting DOJ to release a statement saying it would follow the court’s orders.
But Republican senators have been hopeful Blanche would make clear in his testimony that the administration would abandon this effort altogether, which could clear the way for Congress to vote on the party-line package with fewer political headaches.”
Read the latest at POLITICO
Supreme Court allows Alabama to use House map eliminating a majority-Black district
“The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Alabama to eliminate one of its two majority-Black districts as part of a plan to give Republicans an additional House seat in the state.
The ruling will be in effect for this year’s elections — the latest win for Republicans in the redistricting arms race that has consumed the battle for the House over the last year in states across the country.
The justices divided 6-3 along ideological lines as they lifted a lower-court order that blocked the map, devised by Alabama’s GOP-led legislature in 2023, on the grounds that it violated the Constitution by diluting the votes of Black voters. The plan is likely to give Republicans a 6-1 advantage over Democrats in Alabama’s House delegation, compared to the current 5-2 split, by dramatically altering the district held by Rep. Shomari Figures (D-Ala.).
The Supreme Court’s decision comes just hours after Alabama’s GOP Gov. Kay Ivey amended a proclamation delaying the state’s primary elections to account for a new map. Her changes reopened qualifying for candidates if the current map ultimately stayed in place, causing immediate confusion for candidates running across the state.
But with the court greenlighting the 6-1 map, primaries in four of the seven districts will take place on Aug. 11. The three districts that did not change under the 2023 map have already voted.”
Read the latest at POLITICO
Trump names Bill Pulte acting director of national intelligence
“President Donald Trump named Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte acting director of national intelligence on Tuesday, elevating a political ally to a key national security post.
Pulte will take over for Tulsi Gabbard, who announced plans to leave the DNI post at the end of this month. Pulte has used his perch at the housing finance regulator to push for investigations into Trump’s perceived political enemies.
‘William has deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America, the safety and soundness of the Markets, and over 10 Trillion Dollars at Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, a substantial increase from where it was just 12 months ago,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social.”
Read the latest at POLITICO
Trump signs downsized AI order
Doug Mills/The New York Times
“President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a scaled-back executive order that seeks to address the cybersecurity threats of artificial intelligence — but with less-advanced government scrutiny than the White House had been set to impose last month, according to two White House officials familiar with the matter granted anonymity to discuss it.
The order, signed privately, asks some AI companies to submit their powerful new models to a voluntary government review 30 days before releasing the products to the public. An earlier draft of the document had called for a voluntary review as much as 90 days in advance, a provision that some AI industry officials had pushed to whittle to 14 days,POLITICO reported last month.
Trump had been scheduled to sign the 90-day version of the order May 21, but abruptly rejected that draft just hours before the planned White House signing.”
Read the latest at POLITICO
By Irie Sentner
Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, June 2. | Francis Chung/POLITICO
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio made no mention of the war with Iran during the opening statement of his first public hearing before former Senate colleagues since the war began — a conflict with such far-reaching economic consequences, some Republicans in the room could soon lose their jobs.
‘Our foreign policy is one that is solely focused on the national interest of the United States of America — on the defense of our country, both its military defense and our security, but also our economic security and the vibrancy of our economy,’ he said this morning. He lauded the U.S. as ‘the world’s sole global superpower,’ celebrated cuts to foreign aid, and joked that he looked forward to ‘probably half of your questions.’
The questions he wasn’t looking forward to came quickly.
‘You were a senator. You sat on this committee, you sat on the Intelligence Committee’ said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the panel’s top Democrat. ‘You know as well as anyone that effective American foreign policy requires a strong partnership with Congress.’ She said she had ‘a long list of unanswered requests’ to the State Department, including briefings on U.S. force posture in Europe, displacement in the Iran war, Ukraine, sanctions, USAGM, the Romanian visa program termination and Venezuelan oil revenues.
The deeply unpopular war has sent prices skyrocketing ahead of November’s elections — though President Donald Trump has said he isn’t concerned about Americans’ financial situations or the midterms as he pushes for a deal to end the war.
Democrats wasted no time trying to score political points.
‘When I talk to my constituents, they ask for economic relief at home, not regime change in Havana or Caracas or Tehran,’ Shaheen said. ‘Instead, you sent Congress a war powers notification saying we are not in active hostilities with Iran while the U.S. was conducting strikes against Iran and Iran was bombing U.S. embassies and bases throughout the Middle East.’
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who recently wrote an NYT op-ed blasting his party’s support of the Israeli government, called the war ‘a dumpster fire.’ He added that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu ‘said he’s been waiting 40 years to do this. It turns out he finally found a president who was both stupid and reckless enough to join him.’
And in an extended back-and-forth with Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Rubio declared the ‘war is over,’ to which Booker retorted: ‘The war is not over. And yet the American people see how we’re losing at the pump and with their costs, and yet this thing still hasn’t been resolved.’
Rubio’s testimony came as negotiations with Tehran to end the war, now in its third month, appear stalled amid renewed tensions and cracks in the fragile ceasefire.
The secretary of State presented an upbeat view of the status of talks, telling the committee that Tehran ‘agreed to negotiate aspects of their nuclear program that just a month ago, just a year ago, they were refusing to even mention.’ Rubio said a deal could come ‘today, it could happen tomorrow, it could happen next week’ — but also cautioned there is no guarantee that any final agreement will be reached.
Rubio revealed there were ‘indications’ that Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since the initial U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed his father and reportedly severely disfigured him, ‘is increasingly engaging at some level’ in the negotiations. He emphasized the White House would not agree to relieve any sanctions on Tehran unless Iranian negotiators make major concessions on the country’s nuclear program and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. More from POLITICO’s Felicia Schwartz
Democrats appeared skeptical. ‘We are the strongest nation on the planet Earth, and we’re in a stalemate with Iran,’ Booker told Rubio. ‘And now we’re begging to get back into a deal that you all trashed in the first place.’
Rubio replied: ‘There’s no one begging.’” [POLITICO]
A Democratic former Navy pilot wins primary to try unseating Tom Kean Jr. in New Jersey’s most contested House race
Bryan Anselm for The New York Times
“Democrat Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, will challenge Republican Tom Kean Jr. in November in the Garden State’s most hotly-contested congressional race.
Bennett, 39, prevailed in a four-way primary in the 7th Congressional District after running on a more moderate message than her three rivals: Brian Varela, a businessperson; Tina Shah, a medical doctor; and Michael Roth, a former Biden administration official.
Now, Bennett will face Kean, a two-term Republican whose nearly three-month absence from Congress due to an undisclosed medical issue has garnered national headlines and even more attention to the already-competitive district. Kean, who ran unopposed, said in a statement Tuesday that he’s ‘more energized than ever to keep fighting for the people of New Jersey’s 7th District,’ but offered no new details and seemed to push back his timeline for a return to Congress.
Ahead of the primary, Kean received the endorsement of President Donald Trump, who wrote Monday night on Truth Social that ‘Tom is working tirelessly’ to support the president’s agenda.”
Read the latest at POLITICO
Karen Bass heads to runoff in Los Angeles
“LOS ANGELES — Karen Bass will face a November runoff election to keep her job as mayor of Los Angeles.
Her opponent remained to be determined between Republican reality TV personality Spencer Pratt and Democratic City Councilmember Nithya Raman, according to early returns Tuesday night.
The runoff, the first for a Los Angeles mayoral incumbent in more than two decades, comes amid widespread dissatisfaction with Bass’ performance, notably on the city’s still-deep homelessness crisis and the January 2025 wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.”
Read the latest at CNN
Scott Olson/Getty Images
Iowans Pick Turek to Face Hinson in Key Senate Race
Read more at New York Times
Trump-backed Rep. Randy Feenstra concedes Iowa governor primary
“Rep. Randy Feenstra conceded the GOP primary for Iowa governor on Tuesday, a shocking upset after he earned President Donald Trump’s last-minute endorsement.
Feenstra announced in a speech to supporters that he called Zach Lahn, another Republican candidate for governor, to congratulate him. Lahn held a very slight edge in results around midnight Eastern time, but the Associated Press has still not called the race.
The three-term representative outspent Lahn, a businessperson and former GOP operative, by nearly $1 million and leaned heavily into his MAGA credentials during the primary.
Feenstra’s concession is a blow for Trump, who has seen most of his chosen candidates this cycle sail to victory or advance to runoff elections — until now. He backed Feenstra just four days before the primary, a last-ditch attempt to bolster his loyal GOP ally in a race that became increasingly competitive in the final stretch. Feenstra had asked for Trump’s endorsement earlier this year and began calling himself a ‘Trump conservative’ in ads even before receiving the president’s backing.”
Read the latest at POLITICO
Deb Haaland and Greggory Hull advance to November race for governor in New Mexico
“Haaland won the Democratic nomination, giving her a path to become the first Native American woman in the U.S. elected to a governor’s office. Hull beat two Republican challengers to secure the Republican nomination.”
Read more at AP News
Pete Hegseth blocked the appointment of nine Air Force colonels and delayed the promotion of at least two dozen more senior officers, according to current and former U.S. officials.
“His involvement in military promotions has raised concerns, the officials said, in the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill that the defense secretary is targeting certain officers for their race or gender, their association with the previous administration’s DEI policies or being insufficiently loyal. Hegseth has also blocked and delayed senior officer promotions in the Army and Navy. The Pentagon said military promotions are based solely on merit.” [Wall Street Journal]
Pentagon hires convicted Jan. 6 rioter for sensitive counterterrorism job
“The Trump administration’s appointment of Elias Irizarry, who was 19 at the time of the Capitol attack, has alarmed some in the Defense Department.”
Read more at Washington Post
White House correspondents’ dinner rescheduled after first event was cut short by attempted assassination of Trump
“A repeat dinner will be held in July, according to the White House Correspondents’ Association’s president. Details, including security precautions, are scant.”
Read more at Washington Post
Disgraced Comedy Legend Loses in Court—Again
“Bill Cosby, 88, has lost his bid for a new trial in a $19 million sexual assault lawsuit. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Bradley S. Phillips ruled Friday that Cosby did not prove his claim that there was ‘any irregularity’ in the court proceedings that would have prevented him from receiving a fair trial. He also ruled that the $19.25 million in damages awarded to his accuser, Donna Motsinger, were not ‘excessive.’ In March, a civil jury found that Cosby had drugged and sexually assaulted the former waitress in 1972, after escorting her to one of his shows. It awarded Motsinger, now 84, the multimillion-dollar settlement, rejecting Cosby’s defense that he was a target of mass vigilantism and had not assaulted her. The case, brought more than 50 years after the incident, was able to go forward because of changes to the law allowing historical victims of sexual assault to bring civil cases against their abusers. Cosby has faced multiple allegations that he drugged and raped women, with New York magazine publishing an exposé involving dozens of women in 2015, after one woman successfully sued him and won in 2014. He also served almost three years in a Pennsylvania prison on sexual assault charges before that case was overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 2021.” [Daily Beast]
Read it at The Los Angeles Times
House Ethics Committee investigating Rep. Jimmy Gomez over sexual misconduct allegations, sources say
“The House Ethics Committee is investigating Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez over allegations of sexual misconduct, three sources told CNN.”
Read more at CNN
Kenny Holston/The New York Times
U.S. Is Said to Be Investigating George Santos Over Kalshi Betting
Read more at New York Times
INTERNATIONAL
Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times
Iran Targets Neighbors as U.S. Condemns ‘Aggressive’ Strikes
Read more at New York Times
Iranian drone attack hits Kuwait airport, injuring people
“Kuwait has suspended commercial flights after an Iranian drone attack hit its international airport and injured a number of people. The drone attack came after Iran and the United States traded missile strikes late Tuesday, with the U.S. military saying it had launched strikes on an Iranian military facility in retaliation for Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait and Bahrain.”
Read more at AP News
Federico Rios for The New York Times
Trump Endorses Right-Wing Candidate in Colombia
Read more at New York Times
TECH
1 big thing: Trump signs more relaxed AI order
Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
“President Trump signed a narrowed executive order on AI and cybersecurity today, Ashley Gold and Maria Curi report.
The surprise move comes after Trump nixed another version with stricter requirements, saying it could hurt American competitiveness.
The new order lets the White House kick the can down the road while it considers new rules for cutting-edge AI models and what to do about their cybersecurity risks.
‘Advanced AI capabilities make our Nation stronger, but also introduce new national security considerations that require coordinated action across executive departments and agencies, and components,’ the order says.
‘As these capabilities evolve, my Administration will continue to work closely with industry to ensure that the best and most secure technology is deployed rapidly to confront any and all threats to our country.’
Under the order, several federal agencies and White House officials must ‘develop and maintain a classified benchmarking process to assess the advanced cyber capabilities of AI models’ and decide when a model should be treated as a ‘covered frontier model.’
National security agencies must also bolster their cybersecurity abilities and create a ‘cybersecurity clearinghouse.’
The intrigue: Former White House AI czar and current adviser David Sacks pushed for language in the new order prohibiting mandatory government licensing for new AI models, a knowledgeable source told us.” [Axios]
1 for the road: Airport gaming lounge
Inside MSP’s new gaming lounge. Photo: Torey Van Oot/Axios
“Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is leveling up with what it calls a first-of-its-kind premium video game lounge, Axios Twin Cities’ Torey Van Oot reports.
The Portal Lounge has over a dozen stations with Nintendo Switch, Xbox and PlayStation consoles, plus custom-built gaming PCs.
“Toni,” a robotic bartender at MSP’s new gaming lounge. Video: Torey Van Oot/Axios
A dance-happy robotic bartender named Toni even mixes drinks ordered on a nearby touchscreen.” [Axios]
MEDIA
Scott Pelley fired from ‘60 Minutes’
“CBS News has fired longtime “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley, a day after he allegedly said Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss was ‘murdering the show.’ Pelley criticized the program’s leadership during an introductory meeting Monday between the show’s staff and Nick Bilton, the new executive producer, according to a detailed report on the Status website. In a termination notice obtained Tuesday night by The Associated Press, Bilton, a former technology journalist and filmmaker with no traditional broadcast news experience, accused Pelley of carrying out an ambush against him.”
Read more at AP News
TRANSITIONS
Peabo Bryson, Grammy-winning singer of Disney classics, dies at 75
READ FULL STORY→ USA Today
