A federal judge temporarily blocked Trump's $1.8B settlement fund tied to his lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns, ruling he acted in bad faith to 'manipulate the judicial process.' Judge Kathleen Williams also referred Trump's attorneys for possible disciplinary sanctions — a rare rebuke in a case originally seeking $10B. The judge required assurances that the settlement money would not proceed without further court approval. The headline's 'January 6 slush fund' framing is loaded but refers to the fact that the settlement money was earmarked for Trump's anti-weaponization initiative, which critics link to pardoned Jan. 6 defendants. NYT, CNN, Guardian, Axios and multiple local outlets all confirm the ruling.