WBUR Podcasts, Boston.

If we allow this kind of recovery, it's going to happen with every administration, setting up a slush fund for anyone who was prosecuted in the previous administration.

Prosecuted by the government, President Trump says you may be entitled to compensation.

It's Tuesday, May 9, 19th, and this is here and Now Anytime from NPR and WBOR.

I'm Chris Bentley.

Today on the show, what a proposed mega merger of power companies means for rate pairs from Virginia to Florida and for a data center alley outside D.C.

Also, how big tech is helping immigration agents with surveillance.

I think it's absolutely clear that Pallanty is helping ICE process its investigative work

faster, find which locations to raid efficiently.

But first, what to make of the announcement that the Trump administration could pay more than

$1.7 billion to people who claim they were unfairly investigated or prosecuted by the Department

of Justice during the Biden years. The government is calling it the anti-weaponization fund.

Critics have called it a slush fund to reward Trump's allies and his supporters,

including January 6th rioters. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said this today to Senator

Susan Collins, who asked how the government will determine which claims are eligible.

If an individual wants to apply and assert that they were a victim of weaponization,

and the commission can do anything according to what was set up yesterday, from issuing an

apology to the claimant, to awarding compensation and the monetary commerce compensation.

So it depends on the claim.

Here are a couple things we know.

This is taxpayer money.

It was set up in exchange for Trump dropping a $10 billion lawsuit that he and his family

...