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9:50 AM ET, August 8, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Kyle Cheney / Politico:
MAGA world swallows a difficult truth: Arresting Trump's opponents is easier said than done … It's a familiar refrain for Trump's second term: The far right lusts to see prominent Democrats or Trump adversaries hauled off in handcuffs, only to be let down when their revenge fantasies run into reality.
Discussion: Raw Story
RELATED:
NBC News:
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott moves to amp up the pressure on Democrats who fled in redistricting standoff  —  More than 50 Texas Democratic legislators left the state to block a GOP effort to redraw congressional lines.  Abbott said they won't be able to wait out the redistricting push.
Discussion: The Hill, Politico and Joe.My.God.
Anna Bower / Lawfare:
A Legal Standoff in the Lone Star State  —  Can Gov. Abbott compel their return or remove them from office?  And what the heck is a “quo warranto” action, anyway?  —  annabower.bsky.social  —  Meet The Authors … A bitter political and legal battle is unfolding in Texas.
Politico:
Behind the Dem U-turn on redistricting
Discussion: The Lever
NBC News:   The cold, hard cash hanging over the Texas redistricting fight: From the Politics Desk
Meghan L. Hall / USA Today:
Crypto group claims responsibility for hurling sex toys at WNBA games … Cryptocurrency meme coin creators say they are responsible for the sex toys being thrown at multiple WNBA games, and they are planning more “pranks.”  —  From Atlanta to Los Angeles, no arena has been safe …
RELATED:
Catherine Bouris / The Daily Beast:
Don Jr. Posts Bizarre Image of Dad Throwing Sex Toy From White House Roof  —  CRINGE  —  The AI-generated image appears to be a reference to an incident involving WNBA player Sophie Cunningham.  —  Donald Trump Jr. is keeping up his streak as purveyor of unusual memes involving his father …
Konstantin Toropin / Associated Press:
US Air Force to deny retirement pay to transgender service members being separated from the service  —  The U.S. Air Force said Thursday it would deny all transgender service members who have served between 15 and 18 years the option to retire early and would instead separate them without retirement benefits.
RELATED:
Christopher Wiggins / Advocate:
BREAKING: Air Force rescinds early retirement approvals for transgender service members kicked out by Trump
Discussion: LGBTQ Nation
Charlie Mahtesian / Politico:
Trump Turns the Screws on the Fortune 500 … Shares of Intel, the semiconductor manufacturer, tanked today after Donald Trump called on the company's CEO to resign because of his past business dealings in China.  —  It's too early to make any assessments about the president's claims about CEO Lip-Bu Tan …
RELATED:
Politico:
‘He is completely upset’: Why Trump scrapped an India trade deal … Instead, Indian goods now face a 50 percent tariff after Trump hit the country with a 25 percent levy on its goods and then followed up with an additional 25 percent to dissuade it from buying Russian oil that was set to kick …
Discussion: Raw Story
RELATED:
Joshua Goodman / Associated Press:
Trump doubles reward to $50 million for arrest of Venezuela's president to face US drug charges  —  The Trump administration is doubling to $50 million a reward for the arrest of Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro, accusing him of being one of the world's largest narco-traffickers …
RELATED:
President Donald J. Trump / The White House:
Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking  —  By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and to improve the process of Federal grantmaking while ending offensive waste of tax dollars, it is hereby ordered:  —  Section 1.  Purpose.
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
How Trump and Putin Reached a New Make-or-Break Moment on Ukraine  —  The threat of more U.S. sanctions jump-started stalled peace talks but might not produce a deal to halt the fighting  —  WASHINGTON—President Trump has long believed the crux of foreign policy is two leaders in a room making historic deals.
RELATED:
Vlad Savov / Bloomberg:
Xi Tells Putin He's Glad to See Attempt at Improving US Ties
Discussion: Reuters, Sputnik News and NewsMax.com
Joel Khalili / Wired:
Donald Trump Orders Crackdown on Politically Motivated ‘Debanking’  —  In a new executive order, the US president has called on federal regulators to investigate and punish banks for alleged discrimination against conservatives and certain types of business.
RELATED:
Stephen Robinson / Public Notice:
Trump's Confederacy rises again  —  🗣️ Paid subscribers keep Public Notice free.  If you appreciate our fiercely independent coverage of American politics, please sign up and support us.  👇  —  🎯 Subscribe to PN 🎯  —  Last Friday, Donald Trump responded …
New York Times:
How the Right Shaped the Debate Over the Sydney Sweeney Ads  —  Right-wing commentators suggested there was widespread criticism of Ms. Sweeney over her new ad campaign.  There wasn't, at least at first.  —  To hear Vice President JD Vance tell it, the Democratic Party has a serious Sydney Sweeney problem.
NBC News:
Satellite images show Israel building up forces for a possible ground invasion of Gaza, sources say  —  The buildup comes during a tense time for the U.S. and Israel after Trump and Netanyahu's last private phone conversation devolved into shouting over humanitarian aid.
Lauren Edmonds / Business Insider:
Google says it's working on a fix for Gemini's self-loathing ‘I am a failure’ comments  — Google Gemini users said it's sharing some disturbing messages.  — One screenshot showed the chatbot saying, “I'm am a failure.”  — Google DeepMind's Logan Kilpatrick blamed an “annoying infinite looping bug.”
Sasha Vakulina / Euronews:
Donald Trump hosts historic peace summit between Armenia and Azerbaijan  —  After almost four decades of bitter conflict, Baku and Yerevan might finally settle for peace in the region.  —  Donald Trump is hosting the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia in the White House on Friday …
Sean Rameswaram / Vox:
The White House has a preferred alternative to PBS.  It may already be in countless classrooms.  —  The Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced last week that it would shut down after Congress voted to claw back over $500 million of federal funding from the organization.
Mark Oliver / The Guardian:
Scientists decry Trump energy chief's plan to ‘update’ climate reports: ‘Exactly what Stalin did’  —  Ex-fossil fuel executive Chris Wright said administration is reviewing national assessments made by past governments  —  The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, is facing growing criticism …
Discussion: Raw Story and Los Angeles Times
RELATED:
Erkki Forster / The Daily Beast:
White House Did Have Secret Talks on Epstein Crisis  —  FLIP-FLOP-FLIP  —  Trump had forced JD Vance to deny that a meeting was taking place.  —  Turns out the Trump administration really did huddle behind closed doors to talk about the Jeffrey Epstein files, despite JD Vance's public denial.
Justin Baragona / The Independent:
Alan Dershowitz once again denied pierogi as Martha's Vineyard residents chant ‘time to go’  —  'I am very surprised that you're here because of the things that you've been saying about us and the business online,' the pierogi vendor told Alan Dershowitz on Wednesday.
Katcy Stephan / Variety:
Gina Carano, Disney Settle Legal Dispute Over ‘Mandalorian’ Firing: ‘We Look Forward to Identifying Opportunities to Work Together in the Future’  —  Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Company have reached a mutual agreement in their legal dispute with Gina Carano following her firing from “The Mandalorian.”
Harry Stevens / New York Times:
E.P.A. to Stop Updating Popular Database After Lead Scientist Criticized Trump  —  The database, which helps companies calculate their greenhouse gas emissions, will continue under a consortium that includes Stanford University.  —  The Environmental Protection Agency said it would stop updating research …
ProPublica:
Veterans' Care at Risk Under Trump as Hundreds of Doctors and Nurses Reject Working at VA Hospitals  —  Amid concerns about the stability of the agency, records show nearly 40% of the doctors offered jobs at the VA from January through March of this year turned them down …
Lucian K. Truscott IV / Lucian Truscott Newsletter:
Mass arrests, purges, show trials, our very own homegrown Gulag: Is this the U.S.A. or the Soviet Union?  —  Silly me.  All this time I thought the director of the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was a bald man who wore little round glasses and was named Lavrentiy Beria.
Regina Zilbermints / The Hill:
Trump orders federal law enforcement to patrol DC  —  Federal law enforcement officers will patrol the streets of Washington, D.C., for the next seven days, the White House announced on Thursday.  —  The enhanced federal presence will begin at midnight.  It will be led by the U.S. Park Police …
Steven Beschloss / America, America:
Joy, Sadism and the Missing Link  —  The once-exuberant White House has gone dark again.  Let's defy this regime with song, celebration, love and wit.  —  When John F. Kennedy was president, he and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy famously hosted exuberant concerts and other memorable cultural events in the White House.
Discussion: CNN and USA Today
Ashleigh Fields / The Hill:
Carville: Democrats have to add states, expand Supreme Court to ‘save democracy’  —  Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville on Thursday suggested Democrats should add two states to the country and expand the Supreme Court in order to “save democracy.”  —  “They are just going to have …
David Fischer / Associated Press:
Judge orders temporary halt to construction at Florida's ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detention center  —  A federal judge on Thursday ordered a temporary halt to construction at an immigration detention center — built in the middle of the Florida Everglades and dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” …
 
 
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 More Items: 
Grace Panetta / The 19th:
Mary Peltola would be the strongest likely candidate for Alaska governor, poll shows
Discussion: Data For Progress
Greg Olear / PREVAIL:
Ramble On: Shouting From the Rooftops (video)
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
August 7, 2025  —  At 7:22 this morning, President Donald J. Trump posted on social media …
Paul Krugman:
It's Beginning to Smell a Lot Like Stagflation
Discussion: Construction Dive
Bloomberg:
Don't Turn Chip Controls Into Bargaining Chips
Discussion: Fox Business and NewsMax.com
Politico:
Trump teased a solution for farmers. It's likely not coming soon.
 Earlier Items: 
Karoun Demirjian / New York Times:
F.A.A. Plans to Hire 8,900 Air Traffic Controllers but Still Expects Shortages
Associated Press:
Israel announces plan to retake Gaza City in another escalation of the war
Apoorva Mandavilli / New York Times:
On Vaccines, Kennedy Has Broken Sharply With the Mainstream
New York Times:
How Your Phone Gets the Weather
Politico:
More heads roll at FBI
The White House:
Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Democratizes Access to Alternative Assets for 401(k) Investors
New York Times:
As Trump Administration Plans to Burn Contraceptives, Europeans Are Alarmed
Discussion: Ms. Magazine