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11:45 AM ET, August 20, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Reuters:
Texas House to vote on controversial redistricting plan  —  State Democrats have indicated they plan on fighting the bill from the floor.  —  The House floor before a session, as Democratic lawmakers, who left the state to deny Republicans the opportunity to redraw the state's 38 congressional districts …
RELATED:
Alex Thompson / Axios:
Exclusive: Newsom pollster sees big support for California redistricting  —  Gov. Gavin Newsom's bid to redraw California's congressional seats to create more Democrat-friendly districts has a 22-point advantage in support among the state's voters, Newsom's longtime pollster writes in an internal memo obtained by Axios.
Discussion: New Jersey Online
Associated Press:
First domino in national redistricting fight likely to fall with Texas GOP poised for vote on maps  —  The first domino in a growing national redistricting battle is likely to fall Wednesday as the Republican-controlled Texas legislature is expected to pass a new congressional map creating five new winnable seats for the GOP.
Jeremy Barr / Washington Post:
Jeanine Pirro bragged about helping Trump and GOP while a Fox News host  —  The former Fox host complained of “CENSORSHIP” by Fox over her coverage of the 2020 election, according to newly unredacted documents in the Smartmatic defamation case.  —  Jeanine Pirro, then a weekend host on Fox News …
RELATED:
Michael Luciano / Mediaite:
‘Fact-Check This Crap’: The 5 Juiciest Fox News Revelations in Smartmatic's Newly-Unredacted Court Filing  —  A slew of private text messages from current and former Fox News hosts were made public on Tuesday night after a judicial hearing officer unredacted parts of a motion filed by Smartmatic.
Katie Robertson / New York Times:
New Details Emerge on Fox Hosts' Efforts to Bolster Trump in 2020
Discussion: Mediaite and The Independent
Anemona Hartocollis / New York Times:
Trump's Tactics Mean Many International Students Won't Make It to Campus  —  Students from some countries won't make it to class this fall because of President Trump's travel ban.  Others can't get visa appointments.  Some are simply scared.  Universities are panicking.
RELATED:
Neil Irwin / Axios:
Trump housing regulator accuses Fed governor Cook of mortgage fraud  —  Federal housing finance regulator Bill Pulte accused Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook of mortgage fraud and referred her for criminal prosecution. … - She took out a mortgage on a house in Michigan represented …
RELATED:
New York Times:   Trump Demands a Fed Governor Resign, Escalating Campaign to Remake Central Bank
Washington Post:
Most D.C. residents oppose Trump's city police takeover, poll finds  —  Though crime continues to be a concern, most residents don't think Trump's actions will make D.C. safer, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll.  —  Washington, D.C., residents overwhelmingly oppose President …
Discussion: The Hill and Politico
RELATED:
Steve Benen / MSNBC:
As Trump militarizes the nation's capital, his ‘proof’ of success falls apart
Discussion: Mediaite and NewsMax.com
Washington Post:
‘The city is dead’: D.C. restaurant reservations drop amid federal crackdown
Discussion: Fortune
Salvador Rizzo / Washington Post:
Pirro's office won't pursue gun charges over carrying rifles, shotguns  —  D.C.'s top prosecutor said her office would continue charging violent crimes and firearms trafficking that involve those weapons.  —  Federal prosecutors in D.C. have been instructed not to seek felony charges …
Discussion: NewsMax.com and New York Post
Helene Cooper / New York Times:
National Guard Troops in Washington Stick to Tourist Areas  —  The number of troops in the city is expected to grow.  But Army officials appear to be trying to keep them on the sidelines of President Trump's mission.  —  The number of troops in the city is expected to grow.
Discussion: Washington Post
RELATED:
New York Times:
The Democratic Party Faces a Voter Registration Crisis  —  The party is bleeding support beyond the ballot box, a new analysis shows.  —  Florida has had a significant shift of registered voters in the Republican direction, a remarkable inversion that explains the state's transformation …
Perry Bacon / New Republic:
The Democratic Establishment's Shunning of Mamdani Is Disqualifying  —  In the weeks after he won the 2021 Democratic primary for mayor of New York City, Eric Adams was enthusiastically embraced by the party's establishment.  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi posed for a picture with Adams and described herself as …
Discussion: Chronology and Politico
RELATED:
Punchbowl News:
Cornyn shows signs of closing polling gap
Discussion: The Hill and American Thinker
Janan Ganesh / Financial Times:
Trump's ambiguity is the worst of all worlds  —  He supports Europe enough to make it complacent but not enough to make it safe  —  Donald Trump has given Vladimir Putin the immense prestige of a one-to-one meeting.  But he has also raised tariffs on India for doing business with the same man.
RELATED:
Michael Goodwin / New York Post:
Trump's unique talents make him a true leader - and have redefined what it means to be commander-in-chief
Brian Schwartz / Wall Street Journal:
Elon Musk Pledged to Start a Political Party.  He Is Already Pumping the Brakes.  —  The billionaire has sought to maintain ties with JD Vance, a potential heir to Trump's MAGA political movement  —  The billionaire Elon Musk is quietly pumping the brakes on his plans to start a political party …
Washington Post:
Hegseth's expansive security requirements tax Army protective unit  —  The agency tasked with protecting Defense Department leaders is under significant strain, and the secretary's atypical needs are becoming untenable, officials say.  —  Just now  —  Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's …
Liz Dye / Public Notice:
Dan Bongino's babysitter  —  Public Notice is reader funded.  Support us by becoming a paid subscriber 👇  —  🕵️ Subscribe to PN 🕵️  —  On Monday, the Trump administration announced that Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey will be appointed …
Lara Jakes / New York Times:
Preparations for a Move on Gaza City Have Started, Israel's Military Says  —  Troops have reached the city's outskirts, an Israeli official said, adding that more reservists are being asked to report for duty to cover for other soldiers who will be involved in going into Gaza City.
RELATED:
Jessica Nix / Bloomberg:
RFK Jr. Blamed by HHS Staff for Misinformation That Sparked CDC Attack  —  A group of current and former staff members at the US Department of Health and Human Services are publicly blaming Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for spreading misinformation that led to a deadly shooting …
Discussion: NOTUS
Alicia A. Caldwell / Bloomberg:
Trump Orders Border Wall Painted Black So It's Too Hot to Touch  —  President Donald Trump ordered the entire southern border wall to be painted black to stop migrants from crossing because it'll be too hot to touch, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Kate Knibbs / Wired:
Government Staffing Cuts Have Fueled an Ant-Smuggling Boom  —  “It's getting out of hand,” one seller says.  “They realize the US market is a gold mine.”  —  It's hard to keep track of all the ways that the United States has changed since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January.
Sharon Lerner / ProPublica:
RFK Jr. Vowed to Find the Environmental Causes of Autism.  Then He Shut Down Research Trying to Do Just That.  — Slashed Autism Funding: RFK Jr. promised to identify the causes of autism but has eliminated parts of his agency actively investigating them and has cut millions in funding for autism research.
Discussion: New York Times
Paul Krugman:
ICEing the U.S. Economy  —  Mass deportations will hurt more than people realize  —  Donald Trump has been able to convert Immigration and Customs Enforcement (and Customs and Border Protection, which is effectively part of the same operation) into a huge secret police force …
Josh Funk / Associated Press:
Nebraska announces plan for immigration detention center dubbed the ‘Cornhusker Clink’  —  Nebraska announced plans Tuesday for an immigration detention center in the remote southwest corner of the state as President Donald Trump's administration races to expand the infrastructure necessary for increasing deportations.
Steve Kopack / NBC News:
Trump bought more than $100 million in bonds since January, filings show  —  The purchases could let the president make money off companies and local entities that could be affected by his agenda.  —  President Donald Trump has purchased at least $103 million worth of corporate …
Discussion: CNBC and Bloomberg
Molly Taft / Wired:
FEMA Now Requires Disaster Victims to Have an Email Address  —  Workers at FEMA worry that demanding disaster survivors access services using email could shut out people without internet connectivity from receiving government aid.  —  The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) …
Discussion: The Independent
Frances Vinall / Washington Post:
White House creates account on TikTok, the app Trump once tried to ban  —  The Chinese-owned short-video app is beloved by Gen Z and Trump's team sees it as a way to reach young voters.  —  Just now  —  The White House launched an account on the popular video app TikTok on Tuesday …
Morgan Phillips / Fox News:
DHS pulls funding from groups with ‘alleged terrorist ties’ after watchdog report  —  Review follows Middle East Forum report claiming $25M in grants went to terror-linked groups between 2013-2023  —  FIRST ON FOX: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reviewing federal security grants …
 
 
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 More Items: 
Jennifer Rubin / The Contrarian:
Trump's “Crime” Canard
Discussion: New York Times and Slow Boring
Axios:
Companies can't hold the line on prices much longer
Discussion: Newsweek and KSDK-TV
Amanda Friedman / Politico:
RFK Jr. attacks pediatricians' group over vaccine recommendations
RNS:
Attendance drops, fear rises in immigrant churches as Trump takes over DC
 Earlier Items: 
Nathaniel Weixel / The Hill:
CDC funding changes inject ‘chaos’ into local health programs
Discussion: NPR and Ars Technica
CNN:
Tulsi Gabbard revokes security clearances of 37 current and former national security officials
Financial Times:
US drops probe of gun-sales payment company backed by Donald Trump's son
Discussion: Breitbart
Erica Orden / Politico:
Trump bypasses the Senate — and the courts — to install loyal US attorneys
Discussion: Washington Examiner and Bloomberg
CNN:
Trump escalates attacks against Smithsonian museums, says there's too much focus on ‘how bad slavery was’