Judge blocks Trump’s $1.8B “anti-weaponization” fund

A Trump settlement turned into a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” — and a Virginia judge just hit the brakes before the cash machine could start humming. The pitch was simple: people who say the government went after them for politics could apply for payouts. The problem is that the fund comes from Trump settling his own IRS lawsuit with his own administration, so critics saw less victim compensation and more loyalty program with a federal logo. Judge Leonie Brinkema temporarily barred the DOJ from setting it up, funding it, or paying claims while lawsuits play out. Washington finally built a rewards card for grievance politics — and the first benefit is a court-ordered waiting period.