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California is not just the fourth-largest economy in the world. It has long been a policy laboratory where new progressive ideas get tested, refined, and eventually tried out in the rest of the nation. One in five American agricultural products comes from California. So does a disproportionate share of the nation’s tech innovation, cultural influence, and federal tax revenue. What happens in California doesn’t stay in California.
Which is why the race to replace Gavin Newsom matters beyond its borders. 61 candidates are fighting for the top two spots that advance to the general. Voters are already returning their mail ballots. The deadline is June 2.
I sat down with Tom Steyer, a climate activist and former billionaire investor who describes himself as “the one candidate who is pushing for real change … on behalf of working people … against the corporate special interests that run this state.” We cover a lot of ground: His plan to prosecute ICE agents, regulate construction of AI data centers, and move California toward single-payer health care, plus a new commitment to universal child care and better wages for care workers. I also press him on his history of past investments in industries he now opposes — and he doesn’t dodge it. “I left billions of dollars on the table without any doubt,” he told me. “This is a value system that I don’t agree with.”
Whether you live in California or not, he makes a substantive case for progressive policies being debated well beyond this state’s borders.
Watch our discussion at the top of this newsletter.
We have extended interview invitations to other top-polling candidates. California voters: Your mail ballot is due June 2.
In today’s newsletter: Trump’s DOJ has already paid out over $8.5 million to his allies. Now it’s created a $1.776 billion fund with your tax dollars — and buried something extraordinary inside it. Primary night took out two Republicans who refused to overturn 2020, and Trump’s winning streak may be his party’s midterm problem. Barney Frank died at 86: A career that changed what’s possible and a wit that never quit. James Murdoch just made a very interesting media bet. And in News That Doesn’t Suck, it turns out wildlife has developed a strong opinion about solar farms.
Here Are Your Headlines
New Lows: Trump’s Justice Department just created a $1.776 billion fund to pay people it says the Justice Department wronged. The so-called “Anti-Weaponization Fund” is basically a slush fund of taxpayer money Trump can use to pay anyone, including his political allies. The Treasury Department’s top lawyer resigned hours after it was announced. The president claimed it would help people who were “horribly treated,” who’d “gone bankrupt,” had their lives “destroyed” — and who “turned out to be right.” Attorney General Todd Blanche and Vice President JD Vance both refused to say whether funds would be disbursed to Jan 6 rioters. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington condemned the fund as “one of the single most corrupt acts in American history.” Here’s what we know.
Mechanics: The DOJ’s memo doesn’t define weaponization, specify how people’s claims will be processed, or detail how much money will be distributed. The fund comes from an unlimited account the DOJ uses for legal settlements and requires no congressional approval. A committee of five people, appointed by Blanche and fireable by Trump, controls disbursements. Payments don’t have to be transparent; the fund must only submit a quarterly “confidential written report” to Blanche. The DOJ said the fund will process claims until December 15, 2028 — i.e., the end of Trump’s second term.
Get In Line: The first known claim appears to be from Michael Caputo, investigated in the Russia inquiry and producer of a Biden-Ukraine “documentary.” He says the government destroyed his family and wants $2.7 million for it. Former FBI Director James Comey, whom the Trump administration has indicted twice, said he’ll get “in line.”
Shielded: The fund has a bonus feature: A personal audit shield for Trump and his family. The DOJ announced that the US is “forever barred and precluded” from examining or prosecuting certain claims against Trump, his sons, and his family’s business. That includes tax audits. Sen. Ron Wyden called the deal a “violation of the law that prohibits interference by executive branch officials in IRS audits.” Democrats say the policy also protects Trump and his sons from other investigations, including into insider trading and even sexual harassment. In return, Trump dropped his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS. The New York Times estimates that had the audit proceeded, Trump could have been forced to pay over $100 million. “It makes you wonder what the President has to hide in those tax returns,” a former IRS commissioner said.
Fighting Back: Two police officers who risked their lives defending the Capitol on Jan 6 filed suit to stop the fund, calling it a vehicle to “finance the insurrectionists and paramilitary groups that commit violence in his name.” They warn the fund encourages more violence.
Looking Into It: Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) said Democrats will force a vote on the fund as part of an upcoming “vote-a-rama.” Senate Democrats also launched an investigation into Blanche to see if the former Trump defense attorney recused himself from Trump’s personal lawsuits against the government.
Bad Look: Some Republicans aren’t happy with the deal either. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) said House Republicans are “gonna try to kill it.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said he is “not a big fan.” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said she’d have “significant problems” with giving money to people prosecuted for assaulting police during the Jan 6 riot.
Primary Factor: Trump dominated Republican primaries again this week — which may be great news for both Trump and Democrats running in the midterms.
No Massie: Seven-term incumbent Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) lost to a Trump-endorsed challenger in the most expensive House primary in US history. But the mood at Massie’s election night party was, somehow, upbeat, with supporters cheering and chanting for him to run for president in 2028. “There is a yearning in this country for somebody who will vote for principles over party,” Massie said. Massie will remain in Congress for the remainder of his term; freed from the pressures of re-election, he could become an even sharper thorn in Trump’s side.
Barr None: Trump-endorsed Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) defeated former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron — a protegee of Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) — in Kentucky’s Republican Senate primary. He’ll face former state Rep. Charles Booker in the fight to replace McConnell.
MAGA Went Down to Georgia: Georgia voters are finishing what Trump started in 2020. Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state who refused Trump’s demand he “find” votes and became a symbol of election integrity — lost his bid for governor. He was knocked out by two Trump-aligned candidates who will go to a runoff. Trump-endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones came first, followed closely by healthcare billionaire Rick Jackson, who promised to govern like Trump “with a southern tone.” State Attorney General Chris Carr, who also rebuffed attempts to overturn the state’s election results, was also knocked out of the race.
Left Swerve: In Pennsylvania, progressive state Rep. Chris Rabb comfortably won the Democratic primary for America’s bluest district. Rabb called it a “triumph of the many over the money.” Backed by the Democratic Socialists of America and the Working Families Party, he supports universal health care, universal basic income, community owned grocery stores, and an end to US aid to Israel. “I have been critiqued along this campaign for being too radical,” he said. “They ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Keeping the Pax: In Texas, Trump endorsed scandal-plagued state Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican Senate primary, elevating him over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn. Trump said Cornyn was a “good man … but he was not supportive of me when times were tough.” Several Senate Republicans expressed frustration openly. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said she was “supremely disappointed” in a choice she warned “puts that seat in jeopardy.” Democrats are hopeful Trump’s endorsement will help their candidate, James Talarico, whom polls suggest has a real chance of flipping the seat.
Short-Term Strategy: Trump clearly has sway over the Republican base, but his choices may not be smart midterm strategy. His approval rating recently dropped to a second-term low of 37%. Republicans still broadly support him, but his support has cratered among groups that often decide general elections — young, independent, and Hispanic voters.
Indicted at 94: The DOJ indicted Cuba’s 94-year-old former president Raúl Castro and five others. Prosecutors alleged Castro was involved in the downing of two US planes in 1996. Attorney General Todd Blanche said he expects Castro to “show up here, either by his own will, or another way, and go to prison.”
New Empire: James Murdoch’s company Lupa Systems is acquiring roughly half of Vox Media — including Vox’s main website, its podcast network, and New York magazine. Murdoch said he wants “longer-form, thoughtful journalism that can really speak to the culture.” The younger Murdoch publicly split from his father, conservative media titan Rupert Murdoch, several years ago, reportedly over ideological differences.
Not in My Backyard: New polling shows that 71% of Americans oppose AI data centers being constructed in their communities. For context, 53% of Americans said they oppose nuclear energy plants being constructed in their communities, and that figure has never risen above 63%. That’s a stark finding that will shape the politics around AI.
Keep reading for…
Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin’s warning to Trump
The details of Trump’s unprecedented stock trading spree
The life of Rep. Barney Frank, gay rights trailblazer
The Republican Senators standing up to Trump on Iran
Trump says Iran’s military is gone. US intelligence suggests otherwise
The surprising ways solar power is helping save rare wildlife
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