Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton.

The Trump administration is defending its plan for a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund.

As NPR's Tom Dreisbach reports, the administration says it'll consider giving financial restitution to defendants who assaulted police during the January 6th, 2021 Capitol riot.

Trump administration officials say people who believe the government was weaponized against them

should apply for taxpayer-funded restitution through the Justice Department's upcoming anti-weaponization fund.

And officials would not rule out making payments to Trump supporters who violently assaulted police during the January 6th attack on the Capitol.

Vice President J.D. Vance told reporters they would evaluate applications on a case-by-case basis.

We're trying to compensate people where the book was thrown at them. They were mistreated by the legal system.

Democrats have condemned the initiative, calling it a slush fund for Trump's allies.

Tom Dreisbach, NPR News.

Congress is considering a new annual fee for electric vehicle owners to help pay for the nation's highways.

Their proposal is part of the House of Representatives's Surface Transportation Bill.

As NPR's Kamala Dominovsky reports, EV advocates object that the fee is

unreasonably high. The current draft of the highway bill includes an annual EV registration fee of

$130 to increase over time to $150. The nation's highway system is partly funded by a gasoline tax,

although for many years, that tax has not been high

enough to cover costs. Because EVs do not need gasoline, EVV drivers don't contribute toward

highways at all, a small problem for now, but one that will grow as more EVs hit the road.

EV advocates acknowledge the need for all drivers to pitch in toward highways, but protest that the House bill's proposed fee would be nearly twice what the average driver pays in gas taxes.

Camila Dominovsky, NPR News.

The death toll from the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to 131, according to local health authorities. As NPR's at Jonathan

Lambert reports, more than 500 people are suspected to be sick because of the outbreak.

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