Is Platner Done? All the Antics of Canadian Parliament (with Evan Scrimshaw and Charlie Feldman)

Is Platner Done? All the Antics of Canadian Parliament (with Evan Scrimshaw and Charlie Feldman)

From Politics Politics Politics by Justin Robert Young

June 2, 2026 · 1h 35m

About this episode

The episode discusses the political dynamics surrounding a proposed anti-weaponization fund and the implications of a lawsuit against OpenAI.

The Trump administration is backing away from a planned $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund after a revolt from Republicans on Capitol Hill. The fund, tied to a settlement and intended to be administered by the Justice Department, had drawn criticism as a potential slush fund that could benefit Trump allies prosecuted under the Biden administration. White House officials told GOP leaders they were retreating from the proposal, at least for now. What stands out to me is that this was never something Trump could simply do by executive order. It would have had to move through Congress, and right now he is running short on political leverage. Collins, Murkowski, and McConnell have already shown they’re willing to break with the administration. Add in senators like Tom Tillis, John Cornyn, and Bill Cassidy, who have their own political considerations, and suddenly there are a lot of Republican votes that need convincing. If every other priority is tied to this fund, it becomes a problem. The White House has signaled retreat…. for now. Politics Politics Politics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber…

People in this episode

Host: Justin Robert Young

Guests: Evan Scrimshaw, Charlie Feldman

Topics covered

  • Canadian Parliament
  • Trump administration
  • Republican politics
  • AI regulation
  • legal issues
  • political leverage

Keywords

  • Trump administration
  • anti-weaponization fund
  • Republicans
  • OpenAI lawsuit
  • AI risks
  • political leverage
  • Congress

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Trump administration, Justice Department, Biden administration, OpenAI

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