Trump vs GOP, $1.776B fund & more — WH behind the scenes

[0:00] The last thing they're thinking about is nuclear. Now they have to put it down in writing. [0:21] Getting ready to do a very major attack tomorrow. I put it off for a little while. [0:25] We've had very big discussions with Iran. [0:28] The Justice Department has confirmed it is going to create a $1.776 billion fund to pay people [0:38] who claim they were unfairly targeted by the Biden administration. [0:41] The Justice Department calls it the anti-weaponization fund. What would you call it? [0:46] I would call it one more day in the worst presidency in American history. [0:50] We cannot allow this to become the norm in America. [1:03] Thomas Massey's a terrible congressman. He's been a terrible congressman from day one. [1:07] I don't think he's a Republican. I think he's actually a Democrat. [1:18] You previously told me that anyone who assaulted a police officer on January 6th should go to prison. [1:23] So why not rule out giving them taxpayer-funded money? [1:25] I don't rule things out categorically when I know nothing about a person's individual [1:30] circumstances. We're not making commitments to give anybody money. We're just making [1:33] commitments to look at things case by case. [1:35] Do you believe that Americans' financial situations should be taken into consideration [1:39] when you're making decisions as an administration about the war? [1:42] He allegedly said that he didn't care about Americans' financial situations. He never said that. [1:46] When he is negotiating with the Iranians, he's focused on the national security objectives [1:51] that he's trying to achieve. Thank you all. Good to see you. [1:54] The president is feeling quite emboldened about his power here and his endorsement authority in [2:03] these races. I've covered the president for a long time. There are very few races that he has been so [2:08] personally invested in as making sure that Thomas Massey cannot return to Washington. [2:13] How are we? [2:14] As we come on the air right now, the president has just scored a major victory in his revenge tour. [2:19] That's because a top target of his fury, Republican Congressman Thomas Massey of Kentucky, [2:24] has just lost his primary race to his Trump-endorsed opponent. What do you make of his loss tonight [2:30] and what's to come potentially? Thomas is a good friend, so I'm saddened just on a personal level. [2:36] He put his career at risk to pass the most popular and consequential bipartisan legislation [2:43] in the Epstein Transparency Act, probably in modern history. And he lost a seat because he stood up [2:47] against the Iran war. Why do you have a microphone with you? [2:59] Khalil, I have some breaking days for you. You are being awarded the 2025 Jerry Thompson award. [3:07] Oh my God, no. No. I swear to God. Do you know what the Jerry Thompson award is for? [3:13] Yeah. You know, those guys were like the big time guys that I always looked up to. [3:17] Congrats. I'm honored. I'm honored. Thank you. Thank you. [3:23] If I say, oh, let's look at this one or that one, they say weaponization, [3:28] weaponization. What they did in terms of weaponization will never be allowed to happen [3:33] in this country again. We think that anybody involved in that process should partake. And [3:38] you're talking about peanuts compared to the value. Tonight, CNN presses acting Attorney General Todd [3:43] Blanche on why the administration won't rule out taxpayer-funded payouts for those who assaulted [3:48] cops on January 6th. The commissioners have a bunch of factors they have to consider. Expenses, [3:54] how much money they want, what the claimant did. President Trump, this Department of Justice, [3:59] does not stand for assaulting law enforcement. The kind of fake outrage at this because there's a [4:04] handful of folks who might apply. By the way, nobody's received money. [4:07] Do you agree with the acting Attorney General there that this is how Americans want their taxpayer [4:11] dollars to be spent? Over half of Americans that are living paycheck to paycheck, that's got to be at [4:15] the forefront of every single House and Senate member's mind. For that and many other reasons, [4:20] I am completely objecting to this and I'm going to do everything I can to fight it. [4:24] Are you losing control of the Senate, Senator Pope? I don't know. I really don't know. I can [4:32] tell you, I only do what's right. How would your bill stop the President and the Justice [4:38] Department from doing what they're trying to do here? It's a very simple one-paragraph bill and it [4:42] just says you can't do this. There's a reason we have checks and balances. Presidents or their [4:47] administrations, sometimes they do things that are really dumb. They want very much to make a deal so [4:51] far they haven't gotten there. Either that or we'll have to just finish the job. [5:08] Today here at Arlington, a very special place. We honor those who fell so that our republic might [5:33] stand. This Memorial Day, we salute them, we exalt them and we thank them for all that we have and for [5:42] all that they gave. If you're wondering what on earth is happening on the South Lawn behind me right [6:00] now, that is not construction of President Trump's new ballroom. That is actually the construction [6:04] ahead of the UFC fight that is scheduled to take place here on June 14th. It's part of the events [6:09] that are leading up to America's 250th birthday on July 4th. That will be held though on Flag Day [6:15] here at the White House, which is also the weekend of President Trump's birthday. [6:20] Still top of mind when the President and his cabinet are all gathered around the table for tomorrow's [6:26] cabinet meeting will be Iran. The President has said he is in no hurry to make a deal, [6:31] though Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said we could see one potentially within days. [6:38] Final polls have just closed in the state of Texas. CNN can now project that the Texas [6:46] Attorney General Ken Paxton will defeat the incumbent Republican Senator John Cornyn. [6:51] It's a huge win for President Trump, who upended this race in recent days by endorsing [6:56] Paxton and declaring that Cornyn, who has served in the Senate for 24 years, [7:01] was not loyal enough to him. Hey Caitlin, how's it going? I'm good. [7:05] Only about the Knicks, right? Yeah, exactly. Yeah, cool, cool, cool. [7:09] You know, your first year as mayor and this happens. I can take zero credit. [7:14] They actually have not been to the finals since you were seven years old. Did you ever think that [7:18] you would see a Knicks finals run during your first year as mayor? You know, I prayed for it, [7:23] I hoped for it. We're excited. It's truly an incredible time to be a New Yorker. [7:26] Negotiating on fumes. We'll see what happens. Maybe we have to go back and finish it. Maybe [7:39] we don't. They thought they were going to outweigh me, you know. We'll outweigh him. He's got the [7:43] midterms. I don't care about the midterms. Look what happened last night. That was the prelude to [7:47] the midterms. There is this tentative deal that seems to be coming out of the diplomatic negotiations [8:04] that we know have been underway between the United States and Iran and the various mediators here. [8:09] If you really want to get a question, you can call me Dr. Besson. [8:20] Thank you, Mr. Secretary. I have two questions for you, but just to follow what you said about [8:23] the $250 bill. Well, you can call me Dr. Besson. I only get one. [8:26] Well, I'll shoot for two. You said that it's up to Congress if the president's face is on a $250 bill, [8:32] but it is actually the Washington Post that's reporting two political appointees from the Treasury [8:36] Department who have asked agencies to be ready to do that. What it says is Treasury is following the [8:41] law and that we've created the bill and that it's up to Congress. We prepare for everything if it gets [8:47] passed. Politically, do you think it's a good idea, though, when people are struggling to afford gas [8:51] and groceries? I don't think that there's anything untoward about having the person who was president [8:56] of the United States on the 250th anniversary bill. The $1.8 billion fund, is it accurate that the [9:02] General Counsel at the Treasury Department resigned over that? I will not be taking any other questions. [9:07] Tonight, the United States and Iran just reached a tentative deal, but will President Trump sign [9:18] off? Even if it's a temporary framework, would you welcome that? We are in a much worse situation [9:22] right now than we were before the war started. It was a wag the dog expedition for Donald Trump who [9:29] wanted to distract from the Epstein files. This is a terrible deal because it was a terrible decision by [9:34] the president.