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8:45 AM ET, May 20, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
New York Times:
Biden's Cancer Diagnosis Leaves Democrats With New Questions  —  The former president's cancer diagnosis prompted an outpouring of well wishes and sympathy, as well as some whispered uncertainties that reflected a lack of trust in what he says about his health.
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
Latest Revelations About Biden's Acuity Put Democrats in a Tough Spot  —  Focus on former president comes as party needs to look forward rather than backward to exit political wilderness  —  Democrats are trying to move beyond Joe Biden, but continued questions about the former president's …
Lawrence K. Altman / STAT:
I've reported on presidents' health for 53 years. No public evidence suggests Biden's doctors mishandled prostate cancer testing
James Kirchick / Politico:
All the President's Enablers  —  Three books on Joe Biden's presidency jointly paint …
Discussion: Wall Street Journal and KDFX-TV
The Hill:
Biden's cancer raises questions around screening, timing
Politico:   Playbook: Saints and sinners
Bill Scher / Washington Monthly:
Joe Biden Has Nothing to Do With the 2028 Election
Discussion: HuffPost
Taiyler S. Mitchell / HuffPost:
Trump Goes Off Script And Says What He's Really Thinking About Biden's Cancer Diagnosis
Politico:
Feds charge New Jersey congressmember with assault  —  The charge against Rep. LaMonica McIver stems from a scuffle at a Newark migrant detention facility.  —  The Justice Department announced an assault charge Monday against Rep. LaMonica McIver, a New Jersey Democrat who was involved …
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Democratic Rep. McIver charged with assault after skirmish at ICE center, New Jersey prosecutor says  —  Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver is being charged with assault after a skirmish with federal officers who arrested the Newark mayor outside an immigration detention center, New Jersey's top federal prosecutor announced Monday.
Luis Ferré-Sadurní / New York Times:
Rep. McIver Charged With Assault Over Clash Outside Newark ICE Center  —  The Department of Justice also announced it was dropping a trespass charge against the city's mayor stemming from the same episode.  —  The Justice Department charged a New Jersey congresswoman with assaulting federal agents during …
CNN:
Sources contradict Trump narrative about Qatar offering plane as ‘gift’  —  The Trump administration first approached Qatar to inquire about acquiring a Boeing 747 that could be used as Air Force One by President Donald Trump, four sources familiar with the discussions told CNN.
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
Trump-Putin Call Yields No Breakthrough on Ukraine Cease-Fire  —  The leaders spoke by phone for two hours in their latest exchange over efforts to halt the fighting  —  WASHINGTON—Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to agree to an immediate cease-fire with Ukraine in a two-hour call Monday …
RELATED:
Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:
Putin's Still In Charge
New York Times:
Trump Backs Off His Demand That Russia Declare a Cease-Fire in Ukraine
Washington Post:
The fate of Trump's agenda rests with the House GOP's ‘five families’  —  They call themselves the ‘Five Families.’ This week will test whether the House GOP's factions can come together to advance Trump's big bill.  —  Speaker  —  Problem Solvers  —  Caucus  —  Republican Governance  —  Group
RELATED:
Punchbowl News:
5/20/25 ☀️ AM:  —  House Democrats furious over McIver charges
Discussion: HuffPost
Christian Datoc / Washington Examiner:
Trump signs Take It Down Act with first lady to criminalize revenge pornography  —  President Donald Trump signed a bipartisan bill into law Monday with first lady Melania Trump that would force online platforms to remove artificial intelligence-generated deepfake images and other forms of revenge pornography.
RELATED:
Bloomberg:
Trump Signs Bill Cracking Down on Deepfake Revenge Porn
Alison Durkee / Forbes:
Supreme Court Won't Take Up Case Because Too Many Justices Recused Themselves  —  Topline  —  The Supreme Court declined Monday to take up a copyright dispute case because it lacked a quorum after five justices had to recuse themselves, a move that was cheered by ethics watchdogs as the high court …
Discussion: Washington Post
Thomas Graham / The Guardian:
Lawyer for Venezuelans deported to El Salvador prison arrested  —  Ruth López held without access to lawyers at secret location accused of ‘embezzlement’ a decade ago  —  Thomas Graham and agencies in San Salvador  —  The head lawyer of a human rights group representing the families …
Spencer S. Hsu / Washington Post:
U.S. to pay nearly $5 million to family of Jan. 6 rioter Ashli Babbitt  —  Trump administration reversed Justice Dept. opposition to wrongful death lawsuit in case of Babbitt, who was shot by police while breaking into Speaker's lobby  —  President Donald Trump's administration has agreed …
RELATED:
Scripps News:
Trump administration agrees to nearly $5 million settlement in case of Ashli Babbitt's Jan. 6 shooting death
Politico:
'It's going to be tough': Virginia Republicans brace for a grim November  —  Winsome Earle-Sears has had a sluggish start to her campaign.  Republicans are urging her to turn it around — or face a bloodbath this fall.  —  Virginia Republicans are bracing for November with a growing sense of doom.
Discussion: The Downballot
Vivian Ho / Washington Post:
Trump administration pulls $60M in Harvard grants in third round of cuts  —  The cut to Harvard's federal funding was again linked to alleged failures to tackle antisemitism, and brings the total losses in recent weeks to over $2.7 billion.  —  The Department of Health and Human Services …
Ryan J. Reilly / NBC News:
Judge strikes down DOGE takeover of the U.S. Institute of Peace  —  A federal judge ruled that the actions of “illegitimately-installed leaders” — including the purported transfer of the institute's building — were “null and void.”  —  WASHINGTON — A federal district judge on Monday tossed …
RELATED:
David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:
Trump Admin Must Facilitate Return Of Another Wrongfully Deported Man, Appeals Court Rules  —  For the second time in as many months, a federal appeals court declined to pause a lower court order requiring the Trump administration to “facilitate” the return of a foreign national wrongfully deported to El Salvador.
RELATED:
Paul Blumenthal / HuffPost:   The Supreme Court Has Officially Had Enough Of Donald Trump's Excuses
Mary Clare Jalonick / Associated Press:
Senate confirms Charles Kushner, father of Trump's son-in-law, as ambassador to France  —  The Senate has confirmed real estate developer Charles Kushner, the father of President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, to serve as ambassador to France.  Charles Kushner was pardoned by Trump …
RELATED:
Victoria Bisset / Washington Post:
Charles Kushner, father of Trump's son-in-law, confirmed as ambassador to France
Discussion: Fox News
New York Times:
Justice Dept. to Use False Claims Act to Pursue Institutions Over Diversity Efforts  —  The department's use of the law is all but certain to be met with legal challenges.  —  The Trump administration plans to leverage a law intended to punish corrupt recipients of federal funding …
Discussion: Reuters and KDFX-TV
Brian Stelter / CNN:
Trump's FBI bosses are angering the MAGA media bubble they once stoked  —  In 2025, Dan Bongino, FBI deputy director, disappointed the 2023 version of himself.  —  In 2023, Dan Bongino, star podcaster, demanded to know: “What the hell are they hiding with Jeffrey Epstein?”  —  “I have reviewed the case.
Chicago Tribune:
Justice Department investigating Mayor Brandon Johnson for alleged racially motivated hiring  —  The U.S. Department of Justice began an investigation into Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday over allegations of race-based discrimination, citing his recent remarks at a Woodlawn church …
Washington Post:
White House officials wanted to put federal workers ‘in trauma.’ It's working.  —  Federal workers describe struggling with panic attacks, depression, suicidal thoughts.  “Why doesn't anyone care?”  —  For this story, Post reporters interviewed more than 30 current and former federal employees.
Andrew Duehren / New York Times:
Trump's Pick to Lead I.R.S. Promoted a Nonexistent Tax Credit  —  Billy Long's effort to promote the credit, along with his pushing of a fraud-ridden pandemic-era tax break, will be under close scrutiny during his Senate confirmation hearing.  —  Billy Long, a former Republican congressman …
Discussion: Rolling Stone
Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
Fight or Don't Fight and Take the Consequences … It's become almost commonplace in recent years, and especially in the last four months, that the divisions among Democrats are less progressives vs. “centrists” or liberals than one between institutionalists and what we might call Team Fight.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Nette Nöstlinger / Politico:
Germany reports surge in extreme-right crime
Discussion: Reuters
Victor Nava / New York Post:
Ex-FBI Director James Comey says he doesn't expect to be charged over ‘86 47’ Instagram post: ‘Ridiculous’
Discussion: RedState and Associated Press
Washington Post:
One governor wants Dems to be direct on inflation: ‘We cannot be tone deaf’
Emily Feng / NPR:
Trump has imposed a lot of tariffs. But here's why collecting them can be hard
 Earlier Items: 
Michelle Goldberg / New York Times:
The Trump-Supporting Christians Accusing Jews of Antisemitism
Dave Jamieson / HuffPost:
Missouri Republicans Vote To Repeal State's New Paid Sick Leave Law
Amy Green / Inside Climate News:
Federal Judge Orders Trump Administration to Restore Environmental Grant Funding
elysee.fr:
Joint statement from the leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Canada on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank.
 

 
From Techmeme:

Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
Netflix agrees to acquire WBD's studios and streaming business in an $82.7B cash-and-stock deal, set to close after WBD splits into two companies in Q3 2026

Foo Yun Chee / Reuters:
The EU fines X €120M for breaching online content rules, the first fine under the DSA, citing issues like its deceptive blue checkmarks, after a two-year probe

New York Times:
The New York Times sues Perplexity, claiming the AI startup violated its copyrights and kept using its content despite repeated demands over the past 18 months
 
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