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12:50 PM ET, July 17, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Catie Edmondson / New York Times:
Senate Approves Trump's Bid to Cancel Foreign Aid and Public Broadcast Funds  —  The bill to claw back $9 billion in congressionally approved spending passed over the objections of Republicans who said it abdicated the legislative branch's power of the purse.
RELATED:
Washington Post:
Senate approves Trump's bill to cut spending, sending it to the House  —  The legislation hands the Trump administration a victory in its ongoing power struggle with Congress over federal spending.  The bill now heads to the House.  —  Summary170  —  The Senate narrowly approved President …
Punchbowl News:
7/17/25 ☀️ AM: … “If Texas goes, we are going.” … Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), the chair of the delegation, hosted the meeting with Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar.  —  California Democrats were overwhelmingly on board with drawing a new map, but members want input in how the lines are drawn.
Politico:
Senate votes to cut $9 billion from public broadcasting and foreign aid … “What we are talking about is one-tenth of one percent of all federal spending ... but it's a step in the right direction and it's the first time we have done anything like this in 35 years,” Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said early Thursday morning.
NPR:
Senate approves cuts to NPR, PBS and foreign aid programs
Mia McCarthy / Politico:
Capitol agenda: Brutal day ahead for Mike Johnson
Steve Benen / MSNBC:
Republicans shrug off laundry list of scandals, advance Emil Bove's judicial nomination
Financial Times:
US Senate backs $9bn in cuts to public broadcasting and foreign aid
Ed Morrissey / HotAir:
Trump Scores DOGE Win in Senate; Clock's Ticking in House
Politico:
Trump world searches for off-ramp on Epstein
Discussion: Daily Mail
Politico:
Maurene Comey warns her former colleagues: ‘Fear is the tool of the tyrant’ … NEW YORK — One day after being fired by the Justice Department, Maurene Comey told her former colleagues that “fear is the tool of a tyrant,” appearing to take aim at the upper ranks of DOJ and perhaps the president …
Discussion: New York Post
RELATED:
Erica Orden / Politico:
Maurene Comey, daughter of James Comey and prosecutor of Jeffrey Epstein, is fired … In recent weeks, President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi have faced a firestorm of criticism over their decision not to release additional files related to Epstein, the disgraced financier …
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
A Crisis of MAGA Faith  —  How's this for a vibe check: A Quinnipiac University poll yesterday found that a whopping 63 percent of voters disapprove of how the Trump administration is handling the Epstein-files controversy, with a scant 17 percent approving.  Happy Thursday.  —  What Would William of Ockham Say?
emptywheel:   Pam Bondi Fired the Avenger of Sex Trafficking Victims on Donald Trump's Personal Authority
Associated Press:
Justice Department fires Maurene Comey, prosecutor on Epstein case and daughter of ex-FBI director
Mike Konczal / Rortybomb:
The Four Data Sleights‑of‑Hand Behind Trump's Assault on Powell  —  What looks like a monetary policy debate is really a cover to take control of the central bank.  —  It's a dangerous time for the Federal Reserve.  Last week, President Trump's administration began building …
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
Don't Fire Jerome Powell, Mr. President
New York Times:
Can Trump Fire Powell? He Likely Lacks a Case, Legal Experts Say.
RELATED:
Washington Post:   Democrats try a new tone: Less scripted, more cursing, Trumpier insults
Lauren Egan / The Bulwark:
Do They Have Your Attention Now?  —  Democrats are finally beginning to appreciate the significance of the attention economy.
Discussion: Raw Story
Matthew Goldstein / New York Times:
This Democrat Won't Let Go of the Jeffrey Epstein Case, Either  —  Senator Ron Wyden has found that four banks waited until Mr. Epstein's arrest on federal charges to flag $1.5 billion in suspicious transactions.  Mr. Wyden wants the documents made public.  —  President Trump and his administration …
Josh Fiallo / The Daily Beast:
Elon Musk Blows Major Hole in Trump's Epstein ‘Hoax’ Theory  —  ‘WOW’  —  Trump's former right-hand man is defiantly refusing to let the Jeffrey Epstein story go away.  —  Elon Musk went on a posting spree Wednesday afternoon to slam President Donald Trump's claim that the so-called “Epstein Files” are a lefty-created hoax.
RELATED:
Philip Bump / Washington Post:
When institutions crumble, strongmen step in  —  Trump wants to be the sole authority.  With trust in institutions cratering, he sees his opportunity.  —  What would it take to put the swirling conspiracy theories about Jeffrey Epstein to bed?  Nothing complicated; just an authoritative …
NBC News:
New U.S. assessment finds American strikes destroyed only one of three Iranian nuclear sites  —  President Donald Trump rejected a military plan for more comprehensive strikes on Iran's nuclear program that would have lasted weeks, NBC News has also learned.
Perry Stein / Washington Post:
DOJ seeks one-day sentence for officer in raid that killed Breonna Taylor  —  In November, a federal jury found officer Brett Hankison guilty of violating Taylor's civil rights during a March 2020 police raid in which she was fatally shot.  —  Summary25  —  The Justice Department requested …
Discussion: Reuters, Axios and NBC News
RELATED:
CNN:   Justice Department says former officer convicted in Breonna Taylor raid should get one day in jail
Makena Kelly / Wired:
DOGE Put Free Tax Filing Tool on Chopping Block After One Meeting With Lobbyists  —  A key operative from DOGE initiated plans to potentially kill Direct File, the free tax filing tool developed by the IRS, after offering assurances it would be spared from cuts.
Katherine Tully-McManus / Politico:
Russ Vought: Appropriations process ‘has to be less bipartisan’  —  Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought isn't interested in giving assurances to lawmakers on Capitol Hill that the White House will abide by any bipartisan spending agreements made this year.
Discussion: NOTUS and Washington Times
Paul Walsh / Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Watch: Senior Trump adviser dumps on Minneapolis, prompting retort from Mary Moriarty  —  Stephen Miller's comments are the latest in a recent string from Trump loyalists targeting Minneapolis. … White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller called Minneapolis an unsafe and violent city during …
Becky Morton / BBC:
Voting age to be lowered to 16 by next general election  —  Sixteen and 17-year-olds would be able to vote at the next general election, under government plans to lower the voting age.  —  The pledge is part of a raft of measures being introduced through a new Elections Bill.
Lisa Needham / Public Notice:
Goodbye, separation of church and state  —  🗣️ Paid subscribers make Public Notice possible.  If you appreciate our fiercely independent coverage of American politics, please sign up and support us.  👇  —  The Trump administration last week handed a huge win …
Discussion: Deseret News
Politico:
‘Crazy hill to die on’: Newsom jolts California with bid to throw out House maps … But it's also a longshot.  And to many Democrats in Newsom's home state, it's a new obsession bordering on bizarre — or even anti-democratic.  —  “Trying to save democracy by destroying democracy is dangerous and foolish …
Rümeysa Öztürk / Vanity Fair:
“Even God Cannot Hear Us Here”: What I Witnessed Inside an ICE Women's Prison  —  Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk opens up for the first time about her shocking arrest and 45 days in a South Louisiana processing facility.  She recalls the generous …
Discussion: ACLU
 
 
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 More Items: 
Chris Mirasola / Lawfare:
How Appropriations Are Transforming the Defense Department's Domestic Operations
Charlie Nash / Mediaite:
Ex-Trump Casino President Tells CNN He Reprimanded Trump for Showing Up With ‘Best Friend’ Epstein and 19-Year-Old Girl
Maureen Tkacik / American Prospect:
Meet the Disaster Capitalists Behind Alligator Alcatraz
Nina Lakhani / The Guardian:
Trump's $1tn for Pentagon to add huge planet-heating emissions, study shows
Laya Neelakandan / CNBC:
Trump administration pulls $4 billion from California high-speed rail project
Tessa Stuart / Rolling Stone:
Democratic Voters Who Skipped 2024 Election Want Candidates Like Bernie, AOC
Discussion: Semafor
 Earlier Items: 
Aziz Huq / The Atlantic:
The Court's Liberals Are Trying to Tell Americans Something
Popular Information:
A massive Trump scandal. Minuscule media attention.
Ana Ionova / New York Times:
Trump's Brazil Tariff Threats Rekindle Support for President Lula
Washington Post:
Over 1 in 5 high-level Trump picks held crypto, Post analysis finds
New York Times:
African Nation Says It Will Repatriate Migrants Deported by U.S.
 

 
From Techmeme:

Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg:
Sources: Meta is considering deep budget cuts to its metaverse efforts in 2026, potentially as high as 30% and most likely including layoffs as early as January

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

Will Oremus / Washington Post:
Two studies suggest AI chatbots can shift political views more effectively than TV campaign ads, especially by presenting many claims, regardless of accuracy
 
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