Trump’s New $1.8 Billion Pot of Money, and a Deadly Mosque Attack in California

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Headlines – May 19, 2026

Episode Title: Trump’s New $1.8 Billion Pot of Money, and a Deadly Mosque Attack in California
Host: Will Jarvis (in for Tracy Mumford)
Producer: The New York Times

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Overview

In this episode of “The Headlines,” Will Jarvis and New York Times reporters examine several major stories shaping the news:

• The creation of a controversial $1.8 billion fund by the Trump administration, drawing intense scrutiny from critics and legal experts
• Escalating tensions and behind-the-scenes negotiations in the U.S.-Iran conflict, and the economic impacts on Qatar
• A deadly mass shooting at a San Diego mosque and the broader context of rising Islamophobia in the U.S.
• The legal drama between Elon Musk and OpenAI’s Sam Altman, with a major lawsuit thrown out
• An unusual North-South Korea women’s soccer match, set against a tense political backdrop

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s $1.8 Billion Fund for “Persecuted” Allies (00:42 – 03:41)

• Announcement & Controversy:
  The Trump administration unveiled a nearly $2 billion fund described by critics as a “political slush fund” for Trump supporters, including groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.

  • “The White House said the nearly $2 billion pot of money will be used to compensate people who they claim were persecuted during the Biden administration.” (Will Jarvis, 00:52)

• Criticism & Concerns:

  • Nonprofit watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, called it “one of the single most corrupt acts in American history.” (00:52)
  • Democrats and other critics fear the fund is an unchecked means to funnel taxpayer money to Trump allies.

• Administration’s Defense & Ambiguity:

  • Trump officials insist it’s about reimbursing the “horribly treated.”
    • “This is reimbursing people that were horribly treated. Horribly treated. It's anti weaponization.” (Trump Administration Spokesperson, 01:29)
  • The Justice Department will manage claims from those alleging “weaponization and lawfare,” but criteria remain vague and undefined.

• Eligibility & Oversight:

  • Questioned over whether January 6th perpetrators could be reimbursed, a spokesperson deflects, noting decisions lie with a new committee.
    • “It'll all be dependent on a committee. A committee's being set up of very talented people, very highly respected people.” (Trump Administration Spokesperson, 01:58)
  • The fund’s five-person board is appointed by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, but Trump can fire any member at will.

• Notable Note on Trump and Family:

  • Although Trump previously sought government compensation for personal legal matters, officials insist neither he nor his family will benefit from the new fund.

2. U.S.-Iran Tensions, Qatar’s Economic Strain (03:02 – 06:11)

• Trump’s Threat, Abrupt Reversal:

  • President Trump threatened, then paused, new military strikes against Iran, citing ongoing negotiations and appeals from Middle Eastern leaders.
    • “We were getting ready to do a very major attack tomorrow. I put it off for a little while, hopefully, maybe forever, but possibly for a little while.” (Trump Administration Spokesperson, 02:54)
  • Trump says the leaders of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar urged delay, hoping for a diplomatic solution to reopen the all-important Strait of Hormuz.

• Impact on Qatar:

  • Times reporter River Akira Davis, in Doha, details the economic fallout since the strait’s closure:
    • Losses in the hundreds of millions daily, paralyzed natural gas exports, and suspended shipping trade.
    • Ghostly silence at what are normally bustling ports and markets.
    • Despite trade blockages, consumer prices haven’t spiked—Qatar uses its sovereign wealth fund to subsidize the domestic market and prevent panic.
    • “If there's a dry up in business or a huge spike in inflation, there's a fear that these sort of migrant workers will move to other countries and that could lead to an entire collapse really of the Qatari economy.” (Reporter from Qatar, 05:19)

3. Deadly Mosque Attack in San Diego (06:11 – 07:53)

• The Attack:

  • Two teenagers (17 and 18) conducted a mass shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, killing three, including a security guard, before dying by apparent suicide nearby.
  • The event began with a mother’s urgent call warning that her suicidal son had left with weapons.

• Evidence & Motivation:

  • Authorities discover a suicide note and anti-Muslim writings with the attackers; “hate speech” was inscribed on a firearm.

• Community Impact & Rising Islamophobia:

  • City officials and religious leaders express shock and grief, highlighting the unpredictable emergence of hate-fueled violence.
    • “This is something that we have never expected to take place. But at the same time, the religious intolerance and the hate… is unprecedented.” (San Diego Official, 07:11)
  • The Council on American Islamic Relations reports a near-record 9,000 civil rights complaints from U.S. Muslims last year—a sharp indicator of increasing Islamophobia.

4. Musk v. OpenAI Lawsuit Dismissed (07:53 – 08:53)

• Background:

  • Elon Musk sued OpenAI for $150 billion, alleging the nonprofit-turned-company stole charity resources for profit.

• Trial Outcome:

  • A jury rapidly dismissed the suit as being filed too late—sidestepping deeper issues about OpenAI’s structure or practices.
    • “This lawsuit was a hypocritical attempt to sabotage a competitor.” (Legal Analyst, 07:53)

• Aftermath and Future Litigation:

  • Musk’s lawyers plan to appeal and may press separate antitrust claims.
  • The ruling paves the way for a highly anticipated OpenAI IPO this year.

5. Historic Women’s Soccer Match: North vs. South Korea (08:53 – 10:56)

• Cultural & Political Context:
  • Women’s soccer in South Korea rarely sells out, but tickets for an international semifinal between a South Korean and North Korean team did so instantly.
  • Such matches have occasionally fostered unity, but increased political friction has ended most on-field contacts in recent years.
  • North Korean players traveled via China, unable to fly directly amid bans.
  • The North Korean team is strong, featuring World Cup-winning youth players; if victorious, they’ll remain in the South for the championship.
  • All North Korean athletes abroad are strictly monitored by secret police—curtailing celebrations or unauthorized interactions.
    • “It might be a little harder for them to go out and celebrate than your average team.” (Will Jarvis, 10:46)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump’s Fund:

  • Legal Watchdog:
    • “One of the single most corrupt acts in American history.” (00:52)
  • Trump Spokesperson:
    • “This is reimbursing people that were horribly treated. Horribly treated. It's anti weaponization.” (01:29)
  • On Oversight:
    • “A committee's being set up of very talented people, very highly respected people.” (01:58)

• On Qatar’s Economy:

  • “You can really see the impact wherever you go in Doha... But everything was really silent, from the sort of traditional markets to the boutiques, to the hotels in the south.” (Reporter from Qatar, 04:40)

• On Islamophobia:

  • “This is something that we have never expected to take place. But at the same time, the religious intolerance and the hate… is unprecedented.” (San Diego Official, 07:11)

• On Tech Rivalry:

  • “This lawsuit was a hypocritical attempt to sabotage a competitor.” (Legal Analyst, 07:53)

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Timestamps for Crucial Segments

• Trump Fund Announcement and Controversy: 00:42 – 03:41
• U.S.-Iran Crisis & Economic Impact on Qatar: 03:02 – 06:11
• San Diego Mosque Shooting: 06:11 – 07:53
• Musk vs. OpenAI Lawsuit Ruling: 07:53 – 08:53
• North/South Korea Soccer Match: 08:53 – 10:56

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Tone & Language

The episode maintains The New York Times’ hallmark clarity and measured, analytical tone. Soundbites from officials and reporters lend urgency and immediacy, particularly during coverage of the San Diego mosque attack and Middle East tensions.

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Summary

This episode explores a series of politically, socially, and economically significant developments: the creation of a controversial fund for Trump allies, ongoing Middle East tensions with global economic consequences, the threat of domestic extremism, fierce rivalries at the tech industry’s pinnacle, and the enduring symbolic power of sports amidst geopolitical divides. The reporting is thorough, engaging, and critical for understanding the current moment in U.S. and world affairs.

Transcript

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[Will Jarvis]

From the New York Times, it's the Headlines. I'm Will Jarvis in for Tracy Mumford. Today's Tuesday, May 19th. Here's what we're covering.

[Legal Analyst]

Donald Trump is setting up a $1.7 billion political slush fund for the proud boys and the Oath Keepers and his other political lieutenants and hangers on in

[Will Jarvis]

In Washington, critics are blasting a highly unusual fund that was announced yesterday by the Trump administration. The White House said the nearly $2 billion pot of money will be used to compensate people who they claim were persecuted during the Biden administration. The fund creates a pipeline that could be used to funnel taxpayer money to President Trump's allies and was quickly criticized by Democrats and others as a presidential slush fund. The head of a nonprofit legal watchdog, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, called the fund's creation, quote, one of the single most corrupt acts in American history.

[Trump Administration Spokesperson]

But this is reimbursing people that were horribly treated. Horribly treated. It's anti weaponization.

[Will Jarvis]

The Justice Department will oversee the fund and hear claims from people who, quote, suffered weaponization and lawfare. But neither the department nor President Trump have said what exactly weaponization means or who might be eligible to be paid.

[Interviewer]

Do you believe that people who committed violence against Capitol Hill police officers on January 6th should be eligible for compensation from this DOJ fund?

[Trump Administration Spokesperson]

It'll all be dependent on a committee. A committee's being set up of very talented people, very highly respected people.

[Will Jarvis]

The fund will be controlled by a board of five people appointed by the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche. President Trump will be able to fire any of those members at will. Shortly before the administration announced the new fund, President Trump walked back legal efforts he had been making to collect money from the federal government. He had sued the IRS for $10 billion over a leak of his tax returns, and he had demanded the government pay him millions as restitution for a federal investigation into his 2016 campaign. Despite the timing, administration officials said the president, his sons, and his family business will not get money from the new. At the White House on Monday, we

[Trump Administration Spokesperson]

were getting ready to do a very major attack tomorrow. I put it off for a little while, hopefully, maybe forever, but possibly for a little while.

[Will Jarvis]

President Trump threatened to launch a new wave of strikes against Iran and backed down from that threat. At the very same time, it was the latest head spinning twist from Trump. Three months into the conflict, he appears torn between trying to force Iran into submission and just declaring victory and moving on. According to US Officials, the Pentagon had drawn up a list of potential targets in Iran. And some officials said Trump's about face could be a form of misdirection and that he still might order the strikes. But Trump said he was holding off because of what he called serious negotiations that are underway to end the war.

[Trump Administration Spokesperson]

We've had periods of time where we had, we thought pretty much getting close to making a deal and didn't work out, but this is a little bit different.

[Will Jarvis]

Trump said that the leaders of the uae, Saudi Arabia and Qatar had asked him to postpone the strikes because they believe they can make a deal with Iran that would both satisfy the President and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

[Reporter from Qatar]

Meanwhile, I spent the past week reporting from Qatar, which has long been one of the wealthiest nations in the world, but has been massively impacted by the war with Iran.

[Will Jarvis]

River Akira Davis covers the global economy for the Times. She says that ever since the Strait was effectively shut down, Qatar has been losing hundreds of millions of dollars a day in revenue. That's largely because it can't export natural gas or gas related products, which are the backbone of its economy. Beyond that, the country's been effectively cut off from all shipping trade. And fears about potential attacks have hit the tourism sector hard too.

[Reporter from Qatar]

You can really see the impact wherever you go in Doha, the capital. Qatar has put a lot of effort into becoming sort of a business and tourism hub. But everything was really silent, from the sort of traditional markets to the boutiques, to the hotels in the south. We actually drove down to a port at one point, which is one of the region's most busy ports on a typical day. But it was completely silent. So there was no cranes moving, there was no ships going in and out. I went to some grocery stores and I saw that they were actually having to air in avocados from places like Tanzania, where they would normally just, you know, cart them in by ship. But what is really strange in Qatar is that you don't really see this massive spike in prices that you would assume there would be. And that's because the state is using this massive sovereign wealth fund to essentially subsidize prices and keep everything in a kind of created sense of calm. Speaking to economists, analysts, Qatari officials, not only do they not want Qatari residents to sort of panic about this lack of imports but also 90% of the population in Qatar are actually foreign residents. And so if there's a dry up in business or a huge spike in inflation, there's a fear that these sort of migrant workers will move to other countries and that could lead to an entire collapse really of the Qatari economy.

[San Diego Official]

Let me start off by extending heartfelt condolences to the Muslim community in California.

[Will Jarvis]

Yesterday, two suspects carried out a deadly shooting rampage, opening fire at the Islamic center of San Diego.

[San Diego Official]

This is a city's and a community's absolute worst nightmare as a free society.

[Will Jarvis]

The San Diego police chief said that three people were killed, including a security guard, by the alleged attackers who were 17 and 18 years old. The suspects were found dead in a car nearby with what appeared to be self inflicted gunshot wounds. In the hours leading up to the shooting, there had been a frantic effort to find the pair. After the 17 year old's mother called the police. She said her son was suicidal and had left the house taking several weapons with him. According to law enforcement, investigators found a suicide note and anti Islamic writings in the car. They said the phrase hate speech was written on one of the firearms used in the attack.

[San Diego Official]

This is something that we have never expected to take place. But at the same time, the religious intolerance and the hate, unfortunately, that exists in our nation is unprecedented.

[Will Jarvis]

At a press conference, the director of the Islamic center said his community was in mourning and pointed to concerns about rising Islamophobia in the US The Council on American Islamic Relations says that last year it received nearly 9,000 of what it calls civil rights complaints, the most it's recorded in almost 30 years.

[Legal Analyst]

This lawsuit was a hypocritical attempt to sabotage a competitor.

[Will Jarvis]

Outside a federal courthouse yesterday, lawyers for Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI, celebrated a ruling that threw out a $150 billion lawsuit from Elon Musk. It brought an end to a blockbuster three week trial that saw two of the most powerful titans of the tech world clashing in the courtroom. Musk had accused OpenAI of stealing a charity and effectively turning what was founded as a nonprofit into a multi billion dollar company. Altman and his team had called the whole lawsuit frivolous and said Musk was just trying to take down one of his competitors. But in the end, the jury didn't rule on any of that. Instead, after deliberating for less than two hours, it found that Musk had brought the lawsuit too late, beyond the timeframe required by law.

[Legal Analyst]

We'll go to the court of appeals and see what they have to say about it, but we feel strongly that we're right on the law on that.

[Will Jarvis]

Musk's lawyers have vowed to appeal that decision. They could also go back to court over antitrust claims Musk has made against OpenAI that weren't resolved in this trial. For now, Musk's failure to deal a major blow to OpenAI solidifies the company's place near the pinnacle of the AI industry, and it clears the way for a potential initial public offering as soon as this year. That could be one of the biggest in history. And finally, in South Korea, women's soccer games usually draw sparse crowds. But tickets to a rare match that's scheduled for tomorrow sold out almost immediately. It's a top tier semifinal game in an international tournament that has a South Korean club team facing off against a North Korean team. For decades, sports have been a way for Koreans on both sides of the DMZ to come together. Athletes from the north and south have even marched side by side at the opening ceremonies for the Olympic Games. But recently, as political tensions have flared, those efforts have hit a rocky patch. No North Korean players have set foot in the south in almost eight years. In a sign of how tense things are this time around, the North Korean players had to travel through China to get to South Korea, since direct flights from the north are banned and the North Korean team has a real shot at winning tomorrow's match. Its roster includes players that were part of winning teams at under 20 and under 17. FIFA Women's World Cups. If they do pull off a victory, they'll stay in South Korea until the championship game on Sunday. But it might be a little harder for them to go out and celebrate than your average team. All North Koreans traveling abroad, including the soccer players, are accompanied by secret police agents who monitor them at all times. Those are the headlines. I'm Will Jarvis. The show will be back tomorrow.

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[Will Jarvis]

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