Conflict reporter/writer/cartoonist Ted Rall and political analyst Jamarl Thomas deprogram you from mainstream media every weekday at 9 AM EST.

Today we discuss:

• A crowd of thousands transformed a block of the National Mall into an evangelical-style worship service Sunday at an event backed by Trump and funded with millions of taxpayer dollars. In an eight-hour lineup, speakers including top government officials framed America as a country founded to be explicitly Christian — and in danger if its population turns from their version of that religious faith. Sitting, standing, dancing and praising with hands raised toward a blazing sun, attendees appeared riveted as speakers took the stage during “Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving.” Many said they were thrilled to see an event that tied the nation and its government so overtly to Christianity.

• The Trump administration is considering the establishment of a $1.7 billion fund to compensate the president’s allies and others investigated by the Justice Department under Biden. The unusual plan, which Democrats and former government officials criticized as a vast political slush fund financed by taxpayers, is being fast-tracked. The fund would also address Trump’s separate pair of administrative claims against the Justice Department for its investigations into him. Trump has asked for $230 million for those claims.

• Iran is threatening to impose fees on undersea Internet cables beneath the Strait of Hormuz, CNN reports, raising concerns that Iran could target a critical “digital corridor” for global finance, cloud services and communications as talks with Washington remain stalled.

• The Long Island Railroad commuter rail system is on strike. The main sticking point is a pay raise.

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