Todd Blanche Lied About the Slush Fund – The Friday AM Quickie 6/5/26
RIP to the great artist Marjane Satrapi, creator of "Persepolis," who died at age 56, less than a year after losing her husband. Her family says she "died of sadness." It breaks the heart. I'm off, Whitney's back Monday. - Corey
Sunset Lake CBD is brought to you by long-time MR listeners and fans of the show. They know how crazy buying CBD online can be and that’s why they want to be your one-stop CBD shop. Unlike some companies, Sunset Lake CBD grows everything that they infuse into their products and will provide you with certified test results with every order.
Still unsure? Email or call and speak to a real person— they can help walk you through the process and recommend the right product for you. They want to make buying CBD stress-free! Visit www.sunsetlakecbd.com and let them help you find that peace of mind. Enter code “leftisbest” (that’s one word) at checkout for 20% off every order.
Subscribe to the AM Quickie's NEW paid newsletters here!
THE BIG NEWS
Trump's Zombie Slush Fund Lives
Let's get this straight: the Justice Department said it would create a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund to funnel money to Donald Trump's criminal pals, such as the Jan. 6 seditionists, who feel they've been victimized by the federal government. Beneficiaries of the fund, which has no oversight, could conceivably include Trump himself. Then, following an outcry, Donald Trump's personal lawyer-turned-acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress the regime wouldn't go through with the fund after all. Except, under questioning by Democrats, he refused to put that in writing. Then Trump said he thought the fund was a "beautiful" thing, suggesting the regime may go through with it despite Blanche's assurances.
Then yesterday, Senate Republicans blocked an amendment that would have barred the regime from implementing the slush fund. Three Republicans voted with Democrats for the measure, which failed 50-49. Why would such a vote be necessary if the fund wasn't going to happen? The Washington Post reports that more efforts to block the slush fund will follow. "We need to make it illegal for the president to create a slush fund," Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren tells HuffPost. "That's our job."
But for now, it seems, the slush fund lives on in a kind of semi-secret limbo. Does that mean Blanche lied to Congress? It's a question that will certainly come up in a formal context very soon, as Trump told attendees at a White House dinner Wednesday night that he plans to nominate Blanche as his permanent AG, replacing Pam Bondi, whom he fired for failing to take the heat off of him with the botched release of the government's files on Trump's old pal Jeffrey Epstein. About that: per the Guardian, Bondi told Congress on May 29 that Blanche was actually "in charge" of the Epstein files release. More fodder for the confirmation hearings.
MORE STORIES TO WATCH
J6er Given Pentagon Job Knows About Terrorism First-Hand
No one in the Trump regime has taken responsibility for appointing Elias Irizarry, a twentysomething Jan. 6 insurrectionist, to a sensitive and high-level counterterrorism post in the Pentagon. But the New York Times and the Washington Post are digging deep into how this fox entered the henhouse. The Post compiled photos and videos showing just how violent Irizarry was as he breached the Capitol at age 19, including swinging a metal pole at the cops, an act for which he later pleaded guilty to assaulting federal officers. The Times notes that he also "took part in a group chat titled 'Civil War,' ... in which he discussed 'using small planes to cross borders undetected.'" Sounds like he has a handle on this terrorism stuff!
Of course, Irizarry isn't the only thuggish crank the regime has installed into sensitive positions. Donald Trump said yesterday that Bill Pulte, the wholly unqualified frat boy housing official he's named to replace Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence, will investigate "the rigged elections, etc, etc." Trump also said Pulte is "not going to be permanent because, you know, I don't think he'd want to be permanent." Which may come as a surprise to Pulte.
Platner Admits Bad Behavior But Denies Abuse Allegations
Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner has faced one scandal after another during his campaign, many of them of his own making. The latest is more serious than his blowhardy internet commenting history, his now-covered up Nazi tattoo, or his sexting habit. The New York Times reports that while several of Platner's ex-girlfriends describe him as fun, caring, and safe, three others say he was a volatile, "toxic," and even abusive boyfriend. The most serious accusations come from Platner's ex Lyndsey Fifield, a Republican operative, who says "on one occasion, yanked her out of a cab by her wrist after an argument when she wanted to stay in the car."
"Let's be very clear," the Platner campaign responds. "This is a lifelong GOP operative who's dedicated her career to electing Republicans." Platner himself tells MS Now "I have been very upfront since the beginning of this campaign that that was a pretty dark period of my life after I came back from my combat service." He tells HuffPost he was "a far from perfect boyfriend" but that "any characterization beyond that is false, and I believe, politically motivated." Politico and NBC News report that some Democrats are "furious" and "nervous" about the latest scandal. But Platner's allies accept his explanation, and some will be at his side at a rally in Bar Harbor today.
QUICKEST QUICKIES
- House Passes GOP Funding Bill That Cuts Food Aid to Kids and Pregnant Women The National WIC Association estimates that the bill will "reduce monthly fruit and vegetable benefits from $52 to $13 for breastfeeding mothers and from $26 to $10 for young children." via the Washington Post.
- US Scientists Edit Human Embryo DNA for the First Time The research was carried out at Columbia University; bioethicists warn that the safety of edited embryos may not be apparent until well after birth. via the New York Times.
- Regime Plans to Shovel $800 Million Into Coal Industry, Including from Fund Dedicated to Clean Energy Trump is bypassing the Congressional appropriations process by invoking the wartime powers of the Defense Production Act to provide federal grants to dozens of coal plants and mines. via the Washington Post and the Guardian.
- Kennedy Center to Scrub Trump's Name from Facade and Official Materials Following Court Ruling "The White House responded by citing a social media post in which Trump said the center's board voted unanimously to rename the center after him 'because they thought it would be good for this dying Institution.'" via the Washington Post, ProPublica, and the Associated Press.
SOME NUMBER
57.4 percent
That's how much internet traffic is attributable to bots, versus 42.6 percent from humans, according to new research from the internet company Cloudflare. "In response to the news," NBC News reports, "some commenters have brought up the 'dead internet theory,' which holds that due to the rise of AI, the internet will one day largely be composed of bots interacting with one another, and humans and their content will largely be rendered irrelevant."
ON THE SHOW TODAY
6/5: Sam and Emma will be in studio. The guest will be Jeet Heer, national affairs correspondent at The Nation and host of The Times of Monsters podcast.
DON'T MISS MR CLIPS
Norm Finkelstein Is Right About Tucker and Candace...
"Very strange" indeed how the far right claims to care about Gaza all of a sudden.
What a Moron...
It must be seen to be believed.
PARTING WORDS
"I am proposing a meeting."
-- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, writing directly to Aspiring Tsar Vladimir Putin yesterday for the first time since Russian invaded in 2022. Zelenskyy proposes a full ceasefire for the duration of negotiations to end the war and a prisoner exchange.
Meanwhile, the US House voted to approve $10 billion in new aid for Ukraine and to place new sanctions on Russia. It was the second time this week that House Republicans voted in opposition to Donald Trump and other party leaders.
Quickie Discount Code Corner
Hey check it out! Stuff on sale!
IAC Laser Engraving: Visit https://iaclasers.com and use Coupon Code MAJORITY10 at checkout to save 10% on your order. They have also updated their site recently, so if you’ve visited in the past, you’ll want to visit again and check out the new products.
Fast Growing Trees: This Spring Fast Growing Trees has the best deals online, up to half off on select plants and other deals. And listeners to our show get an ADDITIONAL 15% OFF their first purchase when using the code MAJORITY at checkout. That’s an ADDITIONAL 15% OFF at https://FastGrowingTrees.com using the code MAJORITY at checkout. https://FastGrowingTrees.com code MAJORITY. Offer is valid for a limited time, terms and conditions may apply.
Earthbreeze: Right now, my listeners can receive 40% off Earth Breeze just by going to https://earthbreeze.com/majority! That's https://earthbreeze.com/majority to cut out single-use plastic in your laundry room and claim forty percent off your subscription.
Blueland Cleaning Products: Blueland has a special offer for listeners. Right now, get 15% off your first order by going to https://Blueland.com/MAJORITY. You won’t want to miss this! https://Blueland.com/MAJORITY for 15% off.
Prolon: Right now, Prolon is offering The Majority Report with Sam Seder listeners 10% off their 5-day nutrition program. Go to https://ProlonLife.com/MAJORITY.
Ritual: Essential for Men is a quality multivitamin from a company you can actually trust. Get 40% off your first month for a limited time at https://ritual.com/MAJORITY. This offer is only available through January 31st. Start Ritual or add Essential For Men to your subscription today.
ZBiotics: Go to https://zbiotics.com/MAJORITY to get 15% off your first order when you use MAJORITY at checkout. You can also sign up for a subscription using my code - so you can stay prepared no matter the time or occasion. ZBiotics is backed with 100% money back guarantee so if you’re unsatisfied for any reason, they’ll refund your money, no questions asked.
Henson Shaving: Henson Shaving is giving my audience a 2-year supply of blades for FREE. Just go to https://HENSONSHAVING.com/MAJORITY, That’s https://HENSONSHAVING.com/MAJORITY. Add a razor and 100-pack of blades to your cart, then enter code MAJORITY to get the blades for free.
Shopify: Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at https://shopify.com/majority. Go to https://shopify.com/majority now to grow your business–no matter what stage you’re in.
LiquidIV: Revive yourself for the New Year. Grab your Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier Sugar-Free in bulk nationwide at Costco or get 20% off your first order when you go to https://liquidiv.com/majorityrep at checkout. That’s 20% off your first order when you shop better hydration today using promo code MAJORITYREP at https://liquidiv.com.
Nutrafol: Take the first step to visibly thicker, healthier hair. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners ten dollars off your first month’s subscription and free shipping when you go to https://Nutrafol.com/men and enter the promo code TMR. Find out why over 4,000 healthcare professionals recommend Nutrafol for healthier hair.
Sunset Lake CBD: Sunsetlakecbd is a majority employee owned farm in Vermont, producing 100% pesticide free CBD products. Use code Leftisbest and get 20% off at http://www.sunsetlakecbd.com.
CozyEarth: IF you’ve never tried Cozy Earth, I've got awesome news! You can SAVE up to 35% off Cozy Earth right now! But hurry... this offer won't last. Go to https://CozyEarth.com and enter mypromo code MAJORITY REPORT at checkout for up to 35% off on your first order! That's https://CozyEarth.com promo code MAJORITY REPORT.