Trump news at a glance: billions of taxpayer dollars could go to president and his allies in unprecedented move
If case is settled for full amount Trump is requesting, a $10bn payment would more than double his family’s net worth – key US politics stories from Saturday, 16 May at a glance
Donald Trump may agree to drop his massive $10bn lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service in exchange for the launch of a $1.7bn fund to compensate people he says were wrongfully targeted by the Biden administration, according to reports.
The case is the latest example of how Trump has taken over the justice department – which typically operates at arm’s length from the White House – and deployed it for his own ends.
Among other people, more than 1,500 January 6 rioters would be eligible to receive compensation from the fund, ABC said. The treasury department’s Judgment Fund, a pool of taxpayer funds reserved to pay out court judgments and settlements, would allegedly become the vehicle for Trump’s self-styled victim compensation fund.
Trump may settle his lawsuit against IRS for $1.7bn fund to compensate allies
Under the terms of settlement deliberations, Trump is also allegedly asking the IRS to issue a public apology for the disclosure of his personal financial records, and to waive an IRS audit of Trump, his family and his businesses. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lauren Boebert suggests Trump withheld funds to Colorado over prosecution of election denier
Republican congresswoman Lauren Boebert suggested that Trump blocked funds for a clean drinking water project in her state over the prosecution of election denier Tina Peters.
At least five people pardoned by Trump for Capitol attack accused of new crimes
The number of the president’s supporters accused of committing new crimes after Trump pardoned them for their roles in the January 6 Capitol attack recently increased to at least five.
Republican Louisiana senator in tough primary after Trump backs opponent
The power of Trump’s endorsement will be put to its latest test on Saturday, when Louisiana holds primary elections in which the US senator Bill Cassidy, who voted to impeach the president after the January 6 insurrection, stands a chance of losing his party’s nomination.
Can a Republican defy Donald Trump and survive? Kentucky voters will decide
Congressman Thomas Massie, chastized by the US president as a ‘lowlife’, will soon face the ballot box – setting up a crucial test of Trump’s political strength.
What else happened today:
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A Kansas judge has temporarily blocked a law banning gender-transition treatments for minors in the state.
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CBS News insiders fear Bari Weiss will soon enact ‘massive changes’ to 60 Minutes.
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Trump said US and Nigerian forces have killed the “second in command” global leader of the Islamic State.
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Trump raised the case of jailed Hong Kong democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai in talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping but was told it “is a tough one”.
Catching up? Here’s what happened on 15 May 2026.
Real leadership means making tough calls, not chasing the next headline.
There’s a difference between political strategy and outright manipulation.
Dark money in politics is corroding democracy from the inside out.
The machinery of government moves far too slowly in times of crisis.
Voter suppression tactics are an affront to the democratic process.
Populism is filling a vacuum left by mainstream parties abandoning their base.
Cross-party cooperation on select issues would actually restore some faith in the system.
Accountability seems to be a foreign concept in modern politics.