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10:15 AM ET, May 20, 2025

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 Top Items: 
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 …
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 …
New York Times:
Trump Backs Off His Demand That Russia Declare a Cease-Fire in Ukraine
Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:
Putin's Still In Charge
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 …
RELATED:
New York Times:
Biden's Cancer Diagnosis Leaves Democrats With New Questions
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 …
Discussion: Wall Street Journal
Politico:   Playbook: Saints and sinners
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:
New York Times:
The Inside Story of Trump's Search for a New Air Force One  —  Qatar had been trying to sell off a luxury jet for years, with no luck.  Then President Trump's team set its sights on it.  —  The Boeing 747-8 from Qatar at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida after President Trump took …
The Hill:
Live updates: Trump arrives on Capitol Hill to help break House GOP impasse  —  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.
RELATED:
New York Times:   Republican Tax Plan Could Hurt at Least 58 Colleges
Washington Examiner:
‘Dilbert’ creator announces he was diagnosed with same kind of prostate cancer as Biden  —  Scott Adams, the creator of the comic strip “Dilbert,” announced on Monday that he had been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer.  He said it was the same kind of cancer that former President Joe Biden was diagnosed with.
RELATED:
Lawrence K. Altman / STAT:
I've reported on presidents' health for 53 years. No public evidence suggests Biden's doctors mishandled prostate cancer testing
The Hill:
Biden's cancer raises questions around screening, timing
Taiyler S. Mitchell / HuffPost:
Trump Goes Off Script And Says What He's Really Thinking About Biden's Cancer Diagnosis
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.
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
Hans Nichols / Axios:
Johnson offers $40,000 SALT deduction cap with income limits  —  House Speaker Mike Johnson offered GOP holdouts a detailed proposal on Monday to set the SALT deduction cap at $40,000 for anyone who makes less than $751,600 a year.  —  Why it matters: But Johnson (R-La.) …
Discussion: Politico
RELATED:
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 …
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:
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
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.
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 …
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
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 …
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
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
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
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
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.
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 …
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.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Ron Filipkowski / Meidas+:
Today in Politics, Bulletin 134. 5/19/25
New York Times:
Gulf Deal-Making Spree Also Benefited Elon Musk and His Family
more at Techmeme »
Sidney Blumenthal / The Guardian:
Trump can complain all he wants - but he can't stop his own economic mess
Bloomberg:
South Africa to Offer Musk Starlink Deal Before Trump Meet
Discussion: Reuters
Sophie Bates / Associated Press:
While Trump overhauls FEMA, Mississippi tornado survivors await assistance
Megan Lebowitz / NBC News:
RFK Jr. to testify before Congress again after last week's contentious hearings
Nette Nöstlinger / Politico:
Germany reports surge in extreme-right crime
Discussion: Reuters
 Earlier Items: 
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
Michelle Goldberg / New York Times:
The Trump-Supporting Christians Accusing Jews of Antisemitism
Discussion: CT Mirror
Dave Jamieson / HuffPost:
Missouri Republicans Vote To Repeal State's New Paid Sick Leave Law
Ryan J. Reilly / NBC News:
Judge strikes down DOGE takeover of the U.S. Institute of Peace
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 buy WBD's studios and streaming business in an $82.7B cash-and-stock deal; the transaction is expected to close after Q3 2026

Foo Yun Chee / Reuters:
The EU fines X €120M for breaching online content rules, the first fine under the DSA, citing issues including the deceptive design of its blue checkmarks

Kif Leswing / CNBC:
Apple says general counsel Kate Adams and policy chief Lisa Jackson will retire, and Jennifer Newstead, Meta's former chief legal officer, will replace Adams
 
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