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2:45 PM ET, August 20, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Don Moynihan / Can We Still Govern?:
Trump Uses Legal Threats to Push Federal Reserve Member To Resign  —  One trademark of an authoritarian regime is the use of the legal system to target political opponents and forgive friends.  This has the effect of undermining our basic conception of the law as a set of rules that is fairly and consistently applied.
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 …
Josh Wingrove / Bloomberg:
Trump Presses Fed's Cook to Quit After Mortgage Fraud Allegation  —  President Donald Trump called on Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to resign after a staunch ally called for an investigation of the board member's mortgages, intensifying his campaign on the central bank.
Steve Kopack / NBC News:
Trump says Fed Governor Lisa Cook ‘must resign’ after William Pulte alleges mortgage fraud
Discussion: Axios and Daily Kos
New York Times:
Trump Demands a Fed Governor Resign, Escalating Campaign to Remake Central Bank
Discussion: Fox Business
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 …
RELATED:
Perry Bacon / New Republic:
The Democratic Establishment's Shunning of Mamdani Is Disqualifying
Discussion: Chronology
Associated Press:
Both parties expect a GOP map in Texas to clear a big hurdle in a national fight over redistricting  —  Both parties expected Republicans to win an early round Wednesday in a growing national redistricting battle by pushing a new congressional map creating five new potential GOP seats past its biggest obstacle in the Texas Legislature.
RELATED:
Alex Thompson / Axios:
Exclusive: Newsom pollster sees big support for California redistricting
Discussion: New Jersey Online
Politico:
Playbook: How Gavin Newsom took over your X feed  —  With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco  —  On this morning's Playbook Podcast, Adam Wren and Dasha Burns talk through Gavin Newsom's new Trumpian approach to social media, the latest in the diplomatic scramble over Ukraine …
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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: Defense One and Washington Post
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:
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 …
RELATED:
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 …
RELATED:
David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:
Trump Pushes White Nationalist Agenda Across Multiple Fronts
Discussion: Wall Street Journal
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 …
RELATED:
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:
Anat Peled / Wall Street Journal:
Israel to Call Up 60,000 Reservists for Gaza City Invasion
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: WBUR
RELATED:
The Hill:
Kennedy's latest attack on vaccine science is as dangerous as it is cynical
Discussion: CT Mirror
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Michael Luciano / Mediaite:
‘Fact-Check This Crap’: The 5 Juiciest Fox News Revelations in Smartmatic's Newly-Unredacted Court Filing
Discussion: The Independent
CNN:
Judge rejects Trump administration request to release Jeffrey Epstein grand jury documents  —  A federal judge said he would not unseal grand jury transcripts and exhibits from the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein - rejecting the Justice Department's request to make them public.
Discussion: The Gateway Pundit
RELATED:
Larry Neumeister / Associated Press:
Judge denies Justice Department request to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts
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 …
RELATED:
Maya Goldman / Axios:
HHS workers accuse RFK Jr. of stoking violence against them
Discussion: The Hill, UPI and The Bulwark
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 …
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 …
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 …
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.
Cameron Adams / The Daily Beast:
White House Rages at Rocker Who Dissed Trump's ‘Vulgar’ Oval Office  —  B*TTHURT  —  Donald's decor is full of “splendor and significance,” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung told the Daily Beast.  —  The Trump administration has clapped back at Grammy-winning musician Jack …
Avery Lotz / Axios:
Hillary Clinton predicts SCOTUS will eventually overturn same-sex marriage  —  Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton predicted that the Supreme Court will “do to gay marriage what they did to abortion” and send it back to states to decide. … While the court could surprise legal experts …
Richard L. Hasen / New York Times:
Would You Trust This Man With Your Elections?  —  With Republicans potentially losing their current seven-vote majority in the House in next year's midterm elections (or, less likely, their six-vote majority in the Senate), President Trump has been sending clear signals of his intent to interfere …
Julian E. Barnes / New York Times:
N.S.A.'s Acting Director Tried to Save Top Scientist From Purge  —  Vinh Nguyen, an expert in artificial intelligence and advanced mathematics, was among the current and former officials whose security clearances were revoked by the president.  —  The acting director of the National Security Agency tried …
New York Times:
More Adams Associates and Supporters Are Said to Face Corruption Charges  —  Among those expected to surrender in the coming days are Mayor Eric Adams's closest adviser and a friend whom the mayor installed in a powerful city position.  —  Several associates and supporters of Mayor Eric Adams …
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, UPI and Bloomberg
William J. Burns / The Atlantic:
A Letter to America's Discarded Public Servants  —  You all deserved better.  —  Dear colleagues,  —  For three and a half decades as a career diplomat, I walked across the lobby of the State Department countless times—inspired by the Stars and Stripes and humbled by the names of patriots etched into our memorial wall.
Adam Bonica / On Data and Democracy:
Spam PACs Raise Money by Deceiving Seniors  —  One 89-year-old woman made 7,532 donations totaling $68,666  —  In a recent article, I broke down how the spam PACs flooding our phones and inboxes spend exorbitant amounts on fundraising and consulting fees.  The kind of Democratic fundraising …
 
 
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 More Items: 
US Department of Justice:
Indian Citizen Pleads Guilty to Alien Smuggling
Politico:
‘Heartbreaking’ transportation cuts hit home in GOP districts
Discussion: Raw Story and KAJ-TV
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard / Telegraph:
European rearmament is pushing Trump into irrelevance on Ukraine
Matt Burgess / Wired:
Phone Searches at the US Border Hit a Record High
Nathaniel Meyersohn / CNN:
Target's CEO is stepping down as customers turn away
Jeremy B. White / Politico:
California Common Cause advisory board members quit in gerrymandering fallout
Discussion: Washington Examiner
Cara Lombardo / Wall Street Journal:
Bill Ackman's New Pet Project Is a School That Embraces AI and Rejects DEI
 Earlier Items: 
Ketrin Jochecová / Politico:
Russia wants ... Russia to have veto over Western security guarantees for Ukraine
Janan Ganesh / Financial Times:
Trump's ambiguity is the worst of all worlds
Axios:
Companies can't hold the line on prices much longer
Discussion: Wired, Newsweek and KSDK-TV
Amanda Friedman / Politico:
RFK Jr. attacks pediatricians' group over vaccine recommendations
Molly Taft / Wired:
FEMA Now Requires Disaster Victims to Have an Email Address
Discussion: The Independent
Frances Vinall / Washington Post:
White House creates account on TikTok, the app Trump once tried to ban
Josh Funk / Associated Press:
Nebraska announces plan for immigration detention center dubbed the ‘Cornhusker Clink’
 

 
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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