THE $1.8 “anti-weaponization fund” (Pexels photo).

Plans by the Trump administration to create a $1.8 billion fund to compensate people allegedly injured by improper prosecution by the Biden Administration have been abandoned.

According to the Associated Press, critics described Trump’s “anti-demonization” fund as a means to compensate his allies.

“We are not moving forward with the fund, period,” said Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche during a hearing on the Justice Department budget in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

The proposed fund, which may have even paid people convicted of participating in the violent attacks on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, drew heavy criticism not only from Democrats in Congress, but also many Republicans.

““This administration has engaged in what are perhaps the most brazen acts of flagrant corruption I’ve ever seen,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut. “And you are at the center of many of them, Mr. Blanche.”

On Monday, the Justice Department said it would comply with a ruling by a Virginia court temporarily blocking the fund for two weeks.

Rubio rebuking RFK Jr. on vaccine

In an apparent rebuke of controversial Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s stands on vaccination, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that America was going to resume funding of Gavi, an international vaccine alliance.

VACCINATION (Shutterstock).

The New York Times is reporting that Rubio told a Capitol Hill hearing that the State Department – with the likely support of President Trump – was going to “re-engage on the issue of Gavi.” Control of the U.S. relationship with Gavi has originally been with the State Department, but was passed to Health and Human Services with the Trump Administration. Now, it appears, it will return to the State Department.

Congress has appropriated $600 million for Gavi, but Kennedy has blocked spending the money. “We are very encouraged by Secretary Rubio’s comments that the U.S. intends to re-engage of the issue of funding Gavi,” said Dr. Sania Nishtar, chief of that organization.

Russia attacks Ukraine with drones, missiles

A major drone-and-missile attack was launched overnight on targets in Ukraine by Russian forces, killing “at least” nine people.

According to United Press International. the assaults included 656 drones and 73 missiles fired at Dnipro, Kyiv and Kharkiv. Ukraine’s air defenses were reportedly able to shoot down or “suppresse” 40 missiles and 602 drones.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the biggest part of the attack was against Kyiv– the capital – where the damage was to “purely” civilian infrastructure.”

Russia claimed the targets were the Ukrainian defense industries.

Weather: Life in the Seventies

No disco or Earth shoes, but we in West Orange County are back in the 70s, thermometer-wise. The forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-to-high 70s. Wednesday is expected to have a daytime high of 78 with an overnight low of 61 with clouds in the morning and sun in the afternoon. Thursday will have some similarities with a high of 78 with a low of 62 and partly cloudy skies. Friday will cool a bit to 76 (62) with partly cloudy skies. That trend continues on Saturday to 74 (62) with mostly cloudy skies.

Great Quotations (shopping)

“The odds of going to the store for a loaf of bread and coming out with only a loaf of bread are three billion to one.”
– Erma Bombeck

“If men liked shopping, they’d call it research.”
– Cynthia Helms

“Money might not buy happiness directly, but it can surely buy all the things that make us happy.”
– Usman Aman.