Washington, DC

1. Trump defends ‘fund’ genesis
2. Patriots for Ukraine in doubt
3. Gaza details questioned
4. Water facilities targeted
5. Ads target care costs

Shares of Amazon jumped ▲ 15% after it reported strong growth in its cloud computing business.

Trump lashes out at Cornyn for stalling Blanche nomination

President Donald Trump, asked today to clarify whether his $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund is dead, gave the kind of answer that inspired Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., to stall Todd Blanche’s confirmation over it. “Well, it is dead, but, you know, I wish it wasn’t,” the president said, explaining he believes his predecessors “weaponized the government and destroyed lives.” Trump also described Blanche as a “pawn” in a political game being played by Cornyn, who lost a primary after Trump endorsed his opponent. “I think I would do the same thing,” Trump said. Yesterday the president threatened to pull Blanche’s nomination and resurrect it when Cornyn and Tillis are out of office next year, but today he seemed to reverse course: “He should get approved,” Trump said of Blanche.

Trump retreats on Patriots for Ukraine

Trump further distanced himself from a commitment he made at a NATO summit earlier this month that the US would grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot missiles, telling Semafor today: “In the case of President Zelenskyy, he’d like to have some Patriots. He’d like to have some Tomahawks,” noting the distinction between the defensive and offensive weapons. “Now, we have not agreed to that. We’re talking about it, but it’s a hard thing to give away that kind of technology.” Trump told the Financial Times yesterday that he was “not sure” if he’d allow Ukraine to produce the missiles, two days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described a positive meeting on the issue. Trump had recently started to move in Ukraine’s direction as leading voices in the MAGA movement, including Laura Loomer, changed their views on Russia’s role in the war.

— Shelby Talcott

Trump’s appetite for negotiation tested across Middle East

Trump’s peripatetic interest in diplomacy is being tested on two fronts in the Middle East. In Gaza, Hamas and Israel both disputed Trump’s announcement last night of a breakthrough. Hamas said today it had not, as Trump said, agreed to “complete disarmament,” and Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the draft agreement is “not acceptable to Israel.” When asked about his hopes for talks with Iran, Trump told Semafor he’s “losing faith.” “We’ll talk about nuclear, and we’ll be in there talking about nuclear for seven hours,” Trump said. “Then they’ll go out and they’ll say we never discussed nuclear.” Trump suggested military strikes would continue in the short term: “We’ll be hitting them very hard. At some point, they’re going to say, ‘We just can’t take it anymore.’”

Federal authorities warn water facilities of increasing threats

Seven states reported cyber attacks on water facilities this week, according to the FBI and the Environmental Protection Agency, a significant development as US spy agencies already suspected Iran targeted 30 similar facilities in Minnesota. Cyber authorities called on water utilities nationwide to take systems off the public Internet “as soon as possible.” The attacks come as the federal body responsible for digital protection of critical infrastructure, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, is under strain. CISA doesn’t have a full-time director, and the agency is attempting to make hundreds of hires, after losing one-third of its workforce since the start of Trump’s second term.

New ads to attack vulnerable Republicans over cost of care

The political arm of advocacy group Care Can’t Wait will launch digital ads in a half-dozen battleground congressional districts next week as part of a six-figure campaign slamming Republicans for the high price of caregiving. The ads, shared first with Semafor, contrast the costs incurred by senior and disability care, child care, and no paid leave with the median wage for constituents of Reps. Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa., Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., Scott Perry, R-Pa., Thomas Barrett, R-Mich., and Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz. The group plans to launch a seventh ad in GOP Rep. John James’ Michigan district following his state’s primary. The move by Care Can’t Wait Action comes after the group released new polling by Impact Research that found 7 in 10 voters in battleground districts are, have been, or expect to be caregivers.

— Eleanor Mueller

White House

• A Trump-aligned panel is proposing an overhaul of federal historic preservation regulations, which critics warn would scale back protections on cultural and historic sites. — NYT

Congress

• A House defense bill proposing deeper US-Israel defense industry integration is facing Senate opposition over concerns that it could give Israel greater influence and limit US sovereignty.

Courts

• New York filed a lawsuit against Kalshi, alleging the company operates as an illegal gambling platform.
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom has expressed concerns that California’s lawsuit blocking Paramount’s $81 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery could hurt Hollywood jobs, encouraging Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office to find a resolution out of court. — WSJ

Campaigns

• Democratic donors are losing confidence in the Democratic National Committee under chair Ken Martin, citing fundraising struggles and organizational dysfunction they fear could hurt the party’s 2028 presidential prospects. — Politico
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom released four years of federal tax returns amid a federal investigation into his wife’s finances, the first time he released returns since he ran for reelection in 2022.
• House Majority Leader Steve Scalise will travel to Nebraska for an event with Republican Brinker Harding, as Democrats seek to flip retiring Republican Rep. Don Bacon’s seat. — Politico

Immigration

• Employers are laying off Haitian workers as the Trump administration moves to end their temporary protected status.

National Security

• Space-Eyes, an AI defense company backed by Eric Trump, plans to become a publicly traded company in a deal valued at $638 million.

World

• The US added 43 companies to its forced-labor import ban list over alleged links to human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region, marking the first such expansion under the Trump administration.
• The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is now the world’s second-largest on record.
• Senior FIFA adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned in protest over FIFA’s plan to sell a stake in the World Cup’s commercial rights.

Environment

• The Trump administration proposed major Colorado River water cuts for Arizona, Nevada, and California, a move that could trigger lengthy legal battles.

Media

• The pro-Trump media ecosystem is splintering as right-wing influencers lose audiences ahead of the midterms. — NYT

— Oklahoma’s Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt in an interview with AP.

Laura McGann, editor

With help from Elana Schor, senior Washington editor, and Morgan Chalfant, Washington briefing editor

Lauren Morganbesser, copy editor

Contact our reporters:

Burgess Everett, Eleanor Mueller, Shelby Talcott, Nicholas Wu, David Weigel