
About this episode
The episode discusses a controversial $1.8 billion settlement involving President Trump and the IRS, highlighting bipartisan criticism.
President Donald Trump and the Justice Department, led by his appointee Todd Blanche, have reached a settlement in a lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Services. The deal includes a $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” for people who claim to be victims of government retaliation. It also includes an addendum providing widespread legal immunity to the president, his family and their businesses. Critics are calling it a slush fund and government-sanctioned corruption. Marisa is joined by Danny Nguyen, a reporter at Politico covering the I.R.S., to explain why the deal is drawing bipartisan backlash. Check out Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. For election information including our voter guide, go to kqed.org/voterguide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
People in this episode
Host: Marisa
Guest: Danny Nguyen
Topics covered
- Trump administration
- legal settlement
- government corruption
- IRS
- bipartisan backlash
Keywords
- Trump
- IRS
- settlement
- Anti-Weaponization Fund
- government corruption
- bipartisan backlash
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Internal Revenue Services, Politico
More episodes of Political Breakdown
- The Dust Settles on California’s Primary · June 12, 2026 · 27 min
- Two Democratic Challengers Make the Case for Change · June 11, 2026 · 31 min
- Is California's Election System 'Crooked'? An Election Integrity Expert Weighs In · June 10, 2026 · 37 min
- San Francisco Voters Are Buying What Daniel Lurie Is Selling · June 5, 2026 · 27 min
- California’s Slow Count and What the Results Mean So Far · June 4, 2026 · 31 min
- California Races to Watch as Election Results Roll In · June 3, 2026 · 28 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Political Breakdown podcast page.