An ‘anti-weaponization’ fund workaround and May jobs report predictions: Morning Rundown

A Treasury fund could allow the Trump administration to pay Jan. 6 rioters. A Florida surgeon’s previous errors come to light after he accidentally removed a patient’s liver. And a new report is expected to show job growth in May.

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DOJ could still pay Jan. 6 rioters even without ‘anti-weaponization’ fund

Even without the “anti-weaponization” fund, the Trump administration has the ability to give payouts to Jan. 6 rioters through an already existing mechanism: the Judgment Fund.

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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress this week that the Justice Department was “not moving forward” with the controversial $1.776 billion pot of cash, after critics labeled it a “slush fund” for Trump’s allies. But Trump said Wednesday that he didn’t know if it was dead or just on hold.

Meanwhile, the DOJ’s Judgment Fund is a bottomless pot of money to settle legal claims made against the government, set up to “eliminate the procedural burdens involved in getting an appropriation from Congress to pay a particular judgment,” according to the Treasury’s website. But, critics have long cautioned the fund could be abused.

The Trump administration has already paid settlements to some of those involved in the riot. The family of Ashli Babbit, who was killed after she jumped through a broken window of the House Speaker’s Lobby, received just under $5 million.

This morning, the Senate passed legislation to fund Trump’s immigration enforcement agencies , after intense bipartisan backlash over the “anti-weaponization” fund threatened to derail the bill.

▶️ Tune in to Here’s the Scoop’s special Supreme Court Edition , where Senior Legal Correspondent Laura Jarrett goes deep on major cases.

Staff Pick: Before an O.R. nightmare, a surgeon left a trail of errors

It seemed impossible: How could a seasoned surgeon remove the wrong organ from a patient?

For the last two months, NBC News reporter Matt Lavietes and I have been investigating a Florida doctor who was charged with manslaughter after he accidentally took out 70-year-old William Bryan’s liver instead of his spleen. Mr. Bryan died on the operating table, devastating his wife of more than three decades and traumatizing hospital staff who immediately knew the surgeon had made a catastrophic mistake.

We learned a lot about the doctor, Thomas Shaknovsky, through lawsuits, insurance records and state health agency documents, as well as interviews with more than a dozen of his co-workers, former patients and their family members. It turns out this was not his first major mistake: He once accidentally removed part of a man’s pancreas instead of his adrenal gland.

Yet how, exactly, Mr. Bryan’s operation went so awry remains a mystery — seemingly even to the surgeon himself . — Elizabeth Chuck , national reporter

May jobs report expected to show growth amid inflation

The U.S. economy is predicted to have added 80,000 jobs in May, experts said, as hiring remains steady despite growing inflation and energy prices triggered by the war in Iran. Economists polled by Dow Jones also believe the May jobs report, which is set to be released today, will show that unemployment remained unchanged at 4.3%.

The education and health sectors are expected to lead job gains, while the trade and transportation category of the report could be “relatively strong.” Economists, however, are worried about the 55% rise in the price of diesel fuel, which can quickly raise costs for consumers. Last month, inflation sharply accelerated to its highest level in three years.

What the Fed is watching as it weighs interest rates.

‘Shark Tank’ mogul says he will shrink AI data center project

Kevin O'Leary to shrink size of Utah data center project

Celebrity investor Kevin O’Leary said he’s willing to downsize a planned 40,000-acre AI data center campus in Utah — that’s roughly twice the size of Manhattan — in the face of rising political pushback. On Wednesday, O’Leary told NBC News he was “going to have to” slim down the project. “I understand their concerns,” O’Leary said. He also said he had reason to believe that one of the most prominent organizations pushing back on the project is funded by dark-money interests.

The proposed data center has drawn growing concerns from residents. Rallies, letter-writing campaigns and even a callout from a rock band’s lead singer have amplified the criticism around the project.

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