Will the $1.8 Billion Fund Have a Second Life and How the AI Industry Is Shaping the Midterms

Here's the Scoop · Aug 4, 2026 · 24m

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines Tuesday to advance Todd Blanche’s nomination as attorney general. Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, had been holding up the proceedings, demanding written guarantees from Blanche that he was killing the Justice Department’s $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund. NBC News Chief Capitol Hill Correspondent Ryan Nobles breaks down how Blanche convinced Tillis and Cornyn to vote yes and why the fund might actually not be dead.

Then, new power players are funneling hundreds of millions of dollars into midterm elections…