Top Items:
The Hill:
Live updates: Trump tries to break GOP impasse on Medicaid, SALT in ‘big, beautiful bill’ — House Republicans can't come to agreement on various elements of the reconciliation bill that would fund President Trump's domestic agenda, so the president himself went to the Capitol on Tuesday to speak with them personally.
Discussion:
Axios, CNBC, Fox News, CNN, ABC News, NOTUS, Associated Press and Washington Examiner
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Benjamin Guggenheim / Politico:
Trump appears to be losing patience with blue-state Republicans on SALT
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Washington Times and Fox News
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
'Don't f— around with Medicaid': Trump moves to steamroll megabill opposition
'Don't f— around with Medicaid': Trump moves to steamroll megabill opposition
Discussion:
New York Post
Politico:
What Trump will tell House Republicans
What Trump will tell House Republicans
Discussion:
Washington Post, Townhall, USA Today and One America News Network
Hans Nichols / Axios:
Johnson offers $40,000 SALT deduction cap with income limits
Johnson offers $40,000 SALT deduction cap with income limits
Discussion:
Politico
Washington Post:
The fate of Trump's agenda rests with the House GOP's ‘five families’
The fate of Trump's agenda rests with the House GOP's ‘five families’
Discussion:
Punchbowl News
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 …
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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 …
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.
Discussion:
The Hill, CBS News, CNN, RedState, Axios, New Jersey Online, Twitchy, Washington Post, NBC News, Blaze Media, Associated Press, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Times, Townhall, ZeroHedge News, Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion, The Daily Wire, Washington Examiner, Gothamist, MSNBC, ABC News, USA Today and The Post Millennial
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
May 19, 2025 — The House Rules Committee will take up the Republicans' omnibus bill this week.
May 19, 2025 — The House Rules Committee will take up the Republicans' omnibus bill this week.
Discussion:
JONATHAN TURLEY, Politico and The Hill
Axios:
Trump's deference to Putin stunned European leaders on call — Ukrainian President Zelensky and five other European leaders joined a conference call with President Trump immediately after his call with Vladimir Putin on Monday hoping to hear that Putin had agreed to a ceasefire …
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New York Times:
Trump Backs Off His Demand That Russia Declare a Cease-Fire in Ukraine — President Trump once vowed to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine in 24 hours. Now he says the two sides should work it out themselves. — President Trump on Monday backed off his demand that Russia declare …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, MSNBC, Reuters, The Hill, CNN, BBC, Financial Times, Chicago Tribune, New York Post, The War Zone, Politico, ABC News, New Republic, Breitbart, American Greatness, Associated Press and Fox News
Financial Times:
Has Donald Trump abandoned Ukraine?
Discussion:
Euromaidan Press, Reuters, The Gateway Pundit, CNN and ZeroHedge News
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 …
Discussion:
New York Times, CNN, The Federalist, Newsweek, Washington Examiner, HotAir, NBC News, USA Today, Townhall, RedState, The Hill, New York Post and Fox News
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Bill Scher / Washington Monthly:
Joe Biden Has Nothing to Do With the 2028 Election
Discussion:
National Review, HuffPost and Mediaite
James Kirchick / Politico:
All the President's Enablers — Three books on Joe Biden's presidency jointly paint …
All the President's Enablers — Three books on Joe Biden's presidency jointly paint …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal
The Washington Free Beacon:
The Tapper Dossier: How the CNN ‘Journalist’ Covered (Up) the Biden Cover-Up—Before Writing a Best-Selling Book About It
The Tapper Dossier: How the CNN ‘Journalist’ Covered (Up) the Biden Cover-Up—Before Writing a Best-Selling Book About It
Discussion:
USA Today, IJR, Reuters, The Federalist, Fox News, Louder With Crowder and Semafor
Taiyler S. Mitchell / HuffPost:
Trump Goes Off Script And Says What He's Really Thinking About Biden's Cancer Diagnosis
Trump Goes Off Script And Says What He's Really Thinking About Biden's Cancer Diagnosis
Discussion:
Reuters, The Hill, New York Times, Al Jazeera, PJ Media, Twitchy, Raw Story, NPR, Daily Mail, PolitiFact, New York Post, Scripps News, Newsbusters, The Independent, Associated Press, Town & Country, ABC News, New York Magazine, CBS News, Distractify, RedState, Wall Street Journal, HotAir, Axios, PinkNews, Daring Fireball, Breitbart and Washington Post
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.
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Independent, Daily Mail, Raw Story and Grabien
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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.
Discussion:
Raw Story
Paul Waldman / Public Notice:
Donald Trump and the power of the big (fake) number — 🔌 🤖 💭 With corporate outlets obeying in advance, supporting independent political media is more important right now than ever. PN is possible thanks to paid subscribers. If you aren't one already …
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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
Politico:
Virginia Republicans worry about their gubernatorial candidate who invoked slavery when criticizing DEI — 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:
Raw Story and The Downballot
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
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 …
Discussion:
CNN, NPR, Raw Story, Rolling Stone and Reuters, more at Mediagazer »
CNN:
KFile: Too toxic for Trump's first term, some officials are back in the fold — At least four people from Donald Trump's first term who were deemed too extreme or politically toxic to win Senate confirmation - or even keep their jobs - are now back in the fold and in some cases with more power than before.
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 …
New York Times:
Gulf Deal-Making Spree Also Benefited Elon Musk and His Family — The world's richest man inked new deals as he tagged along on Trump's tour of the Gulf. — President Trump's recent trip to the Persian Gulf was notable for the ways that American foreign policy overlapped with his family's business interests.
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 …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, The Hill, masslive.com, Reuters, Al Jazeera and The Daily Caller
Ynetnews:
Qatar lobby reaches deep into US conservative media, documents show — Newly revealed DOJ documents show Doha's increasing efforts in right-wing outlets, including Fox News, to promote favorable narratives; critics warn of growing Qatari influence, after Trump's public praise for the emirate
John Drake / Forbes:
Trump's NIH And NSF Cuts Estimated To Cost The U.S. Economy $10 Billion Annually — John Drake is a professor at the University of Georgia. — SaveComment — America's long-term growth is at stake. Congress is weighing sweeping FY2026 cuts to fundamental science …
Discussion:
The Nation and Axios
Lee Moran / HuffPost:
Donald Trump Drops Crude Line At Kennedy Center Dinner In Bizarre Rant About 2020 Election — The pro-MAGA audience lapped up the president's remark. — President Donald Trump on Monday dropped a vulgar turn of phrase as he talked about how he'd vowed to avenge his defeat in the 2020 election …
Discussion:
The Bulwark, New Jersey Online and Raw Story
Julia Manchester / The Hill:
Golden running for reelection in Maine, forgoing statewide bid — Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) announced on Tuesday he is running for reelection in Maine's 2nd Congressional District, opting out of a statewide campaign. — “While I have considered many options for how best to continue serving …
Discussion:
Roll Call
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 …
Curtis Morrison / The Hill:
Don't make immigrants pay just to enter a visa lottery — The House Judiciary Committee unveiled a budget bill last month containing a provision designed, much like poll taxes, to undermine access to the Diversity Visa Program and disproportionately impact immigrants of color.
Sophie Bates / Associated Press:
While Trump overhauls FEMA, Mississippi tornado survivors await assistance — More than two months after a tornado destroyed his home, Brian Lowery still looks through the rubble, hoping to find a tie clip his mother gave him, made from the center stone of her wedding band. “I still have hope,” Lowery said.
Discussion:
E&E News, The Independent, New Republic and Gizmodo
Jennifer Rubin / The Contrarian:
Words & Phrases We Can Do Without — Donald Trump has demanded a “big, beautiful” bill to slash taxes for the wealthiest Americans and dismantle government, At various times he has disclaimed efforts to cut Medicaid and Social Security (as congressional allies pursue the former …
Discussion:
Popular Information and Wall Street Journal
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.
Sidney Blumenthal / The Guardian:
Trump can complain all he wants - but he can't stop his own economic mess — Between his tariffs and his regressive ‘big, beautiful bill’, the president is wreaking havoc - and he never learns — With his usual threats, Donald Trump is trying to ward off the dire reality that he has created and is bearing down on him.
Richard Luscombe / The Guardian:
Ron DeSantis's fall from grace: 'He's completely crashed to the ground' — Florida governor stands isolated from Trump and is feuding with Republicans at home - is he drifting to irrelevance? — These are challenging days for Florida governor Ron DeSantis, the man who would have been king.
