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

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

Author: NBC News August 5, 2026 Duration: 24:39

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 across the country. In our first installment of Midterms Money, NBC News National Politics Reporter Ben Kamisar illustrates how the artificial intelligence industry is getting involved, who is getting money and what policies could be influenced down the line.

Lastly, an unmanned, discarded SpaceX rocket will crash into the moon Wednesday morning. While the crash wasn’t intentional, NBC News Senior Correspondent Tom Costello explains what NASA hopes to learn about what’s underneath the lunar surface and why flying space junk is a reason for concern.


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