[Up First] Primary Results, DOJ Scraps Anti-Weaponization Fund, Trump Appoints Acting DNI

Voters in six states cast ballots Tuesday, setting up key November matchups that could determine control of Congress. The most notable outcome came in Iowa, where Republican primary voters rejected President Trump’s endorsed candidate for governor, businessman Randy Feenstra, in favor of political outsider Zach Lahn — a rare pushback against Trump’s otherwise dominant endorsement record this cycle.

The Iowa governor’s race is now considered a true toss-up heading into November.

On the Democratic side, Iowa’s Senate nominee Josh Turek — a Paralympian state House representative — defeated a progressive opponent by a 2-to-1 margin, positioning himself as a moderate capable of winning in a red state. Meanwhile in Montana, Democrats see an opening in the 1st District, and an independent Senate candidate who outraised all party-backed rivals added another unpredictable element to the race.

In California, where mail-in ballots slow vote counting, the governor’s race features a crowded field. The top-two primary system means it is possible that two Democrats advance, potentially leaving Republicans without a high-profile candidate to boost their congressional prospects. Several California Republican incumbents also face newly competitive districts following a late redistricting process.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress on Tuesday that the Justice Department is scrapping its nearly $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund — a program designed to compensate individuals who claimed to have been targets of politically motivated prosecutions.

The fund had faced nearly two weeks of sustained bipartisan backlash after its existence became public, with critics from both parties questioning its legality and purpose.

The fund originated as part of a legal settlement resolving Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns. While the fund itself is now dead, a critical element of that settlement remains intact: the IRS is still barred from pursuing any audits, probes, or claims against Trump, his family, or his business entities related to past tax matters. Blanche declined to put the fund’s cancellation in writing, drawing skepticism from lawmakers who pressed him on the matter.

President Trump named Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting Director of National Intelligence, replacing Tulsi Gabbard in the role. The appointment immediately drew scrutiny because Pulte has spent his entire career in the housing sector and has no background in intelligence work whatsoever.

Even some Senate Republicans expressed skepticism about whether someone without intelligence experience is suited to oversee the nation’s entire intelligence apparatus.

The Director of National Intelligence coordinates and oversees the work of all seventeen U.S. intelligence agencies and serves as the principal intelligence adviser to the president. Critics argued that placing a housing official in that role — even in an acting capacity — raises serious questions about the administration’s approach to national security appointments and whether qualifications are being set aside in favor of personal loyalty.