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3:50 PM ET, December 2, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Wall Street Journal:
White House Says Second Strike on Alleged Drug Boat Was Legal  —  Press secretary says admiral who ordered strike, which is reported to have killed survivors of initial attack, was acting under Hegseth's authority  —  WASHINGTON—The White House attempted to defuse a growing controversy …
RELATED:
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
Lies, Coverup, and Videotape  —  It's special-election day in Tennessee's 7th congressional district, where Republican Matt Van Epps is trying to stave off an unexpectedly strong challenge from Democratic state lawmaker Aftyn Behn in a district Donald Trump won last year by 22 points.
NBC News:
Hegseth denies seeing survivors after initial boat strike, calling it ‘the fog of war’  —  During the Cabinet meeting, Trump and Hegseth remarked on a double strike on an alleged drug boat from Venezuela in September that killed the initial survivors, with the defense secretary saying …
Discussion: ABC News, The Independent and CBS News
Washington Post:
Hegseth, with White House help, tries to distance himself from boat strike fallout
Avery Lotz / Axios:
Hegseth says U.S. has “only just begun” sinking alleged drug vessels
Andrew Kaczynski / CNN:
In 2016 video, Hegseth says US troops 'won't follow unlawful orders' from the president
Discussion: The Hill
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
December 1, 2025  —  President Donald J. Trump's behavior over the holiday weekend has increased concern about his mental acuity.
Discussion: Forbes
Leo Sands / Washington Post:
‘Franklin the Turtle’ publisher slams Hegseth post joking about boat strike
Brett Samuels / The Hill:
Republicans show new signs of independence from Trump
Reuters:
Former Honduran president released from US prison after Trump pardon  —  President Donald Trump, who has cast himself as a relentless foe of illegal drugs, pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, freeing him from a 45-year sentence for conspiring to import tons of cocaine into the United States.
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Former Honduras President Hernández freed after Trump pardon
Ben Blanchet / HuffPost:
Trump Launches Into Massive, Unhinged Late Night Posting Spree  —  The president made over 160 posts and reshares in just a matter of hours including one “WILD” claim from far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.  —  President Donald Trump on Monday launched into a late night meltdown …
Discussion: Axios, Raw Story, DNYUZ and Joe.My.God.
RELATED:
Ben Meiselas / Meidas+:
Trump Attacks MeidasTouch in Midnight Mental Breakdown
Discussion: Wonkette
Priscilla Alvarez / CNN:
DHS recommends travel ban list include at least 10 more countries  —  Federal agencies Donald Trump Immigration  —  Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is recommending that the Trump administration's travel ban list include between 30 to 32 countries, marking an increase from the current list …
RELATED:
New York Times:
Elon Musk's Foundation Grows to $14 Billion, but Gives Little to Outsiders  —  The philanthropy has become one of America's biggest, but most of its giving went to charities closely tied to the world's richest man.  —  Elon Musk's charitable foundation grew larger than ever in 2024.
Paul Waldman / Public Notice:
This is what a white supremacist administration looks like  —  🚨 LAST CHANCE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF PN'S THANKSGIVING SPECIAL 🚨 Click the button to sign up for an annual paid subscription for the special price of $40 ⬇️  —  ⌛️ Last chance for PN's special offer ⌛️
RELATED:
Dan Merica / Washington Post:
Why Republicans are sweating Tuesday's special election in Trump country
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
House Republicans sweat Tennessee election, despite Hudson's assurances
Discussion: CBS News and ABC News
Michelle Goldberg / New York Times:
Olivia Nuzzi Isn't Telling All  —  One thing I almost respect about “American Canto,” Olivia Nuzzi's chaotic and elliptical new book about the simultaneous implosions of her life and of America, is that she doesn't pander.  The former Washington correspondent for New York magazine …
RELATED:
Asawin Suebsaeng / Zeteo:
BREAKING: Trump White House Slams Sabrina Carpenter After Using Her Song in ‘Evil’ Video  —  On Tuesday morning, pop star Sabrina Carpenter responded to the Trump White House using her song “Juno” in one of its many pro-mass-deportation videos.  “This video is evil and disgusting.
Wired:
DOGE Isn't Dead.  Here's What Its Operatives Are Doing Now  —  Contrary to popular reports, DOGE has “burrowed into the agencies like ticks,” government sources tell WIRED.  —  To one member of Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency, the last few months have been “crazy.”
Joey Garrison / USA Today:
Michael Dell to pump $6 billion into ‘Trump accounts’ for newborns  —  WASHINGTON ‒ Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, is contributing more than $6 billion to President Donald Trump's new accounts for newborn babies ‒ and the president wants others in the business world …
RELATED:
Hayley Cuccinello / CNBC:
Michael and Susan Dell to donate $6.25 billion to fund ‘Trump accounts’ for 25 million U.S. kids
aeaweb.org:
Statement from the American Economic Association  —  The American Economic Association (AEA) has accepted Lawrence H. Summers' voluntary resignation from membership and, pursuant to the AEA's Policies, Procedures, and Code of Professional Conduct, has imposed a lifetime ban on his membership.
Discussion: Reuters, New York Post and Eschaton
Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling / New Republic:
Trump Shares More Than 150 Brainrot Posts in Late-Night Rampage  —  Donald Trump's social media addiction appeared to reach a new level last night.  —  The president made more than 150 posts to his Truth Social account late Monday night, resharing praise for his deportation agenda …
RELATED:
Axios:
Scoop: Netanyahu asked Trump for more help in pardon push  —  During a long phone call on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked President Trump for more support in his push for a pardon from Israel's president, two U.S. officials and one Israeli official said.
Jason Wilson / The Guardian:
Pete Hegseth told US soldiers in Iraq to ignore legal advice on rules of engagement  —  Defense secretary shares anecdote in The War on Warriors and rails against ‘rules and regulations’ governing war  —  Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, told soldiers under his command in Iraq …
Politico:
Stefanik accuses Johnson of lying, ‘blocking’ her defense bill provision  —  Rep. Elise Stefanik is taking aim directly at Speaker Mike Johnson over signals a provision she has championed won't be included in the annual defense policy bill the House wants to pass next week …
RELATED:
Emily Brooks / The Hill:
Stefanik accuses Speaker Johnson of ‘torpedoing’ GOP agenda on intelligence provision
David Roth / Defector:
The Conservative Grievance Business Is Always Hiring  —  Given his age when he first came to the world's attention and assuming continued good health in the intervening decade and change, Marine Todd would be in his late 30s today.  That would be if he was a real person, though …
Discussion: KARE-TV
Associated Press:
Trump administration says it will withhold SNAP food aid from Democrat-led states over data  —  The Trump administration said Tuesday that it will move to withhold SNAP food aid from recipients in most Democratic-controlled states starting next week unless they provide information on those receiving the assistance.
Dominic Casciani / BBC:
Jury trials scrapped for crimes with sentences of less than three years  —  Dominic Casciani,Home and legal correspondent and  —  Jury trials in England and Wales for crimes that carry a likely sentence of less than three years will be scrapped, the justice secretary has announced.
Ben Berkowitz / Axios:
AI bubble a “key downside risk” to U.S. economy, OECD warns  —  Growth will slow and inflation will rise in the U.S. next year, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development forecast Tuesday, as the labor market weakens and tariff price pressures remain.
Discussion: Bloomberg and Associated Press
Mark Gongloff / Bloomberg:
Erasing a Home's Risks on Zillow Doesn't Make Them Go Away  —  We live in a golden age of magical thinking, and I'm not just talking about the trillions of dollars being burned on artificial intelligence.  When it comes to our rapidly heating planet and its effects on our future …
Discussion: KVIA-TV and The Guardian
Frank Landymore / Futurism:
Grok Says It Would Kill Every Jewish Person on the Planet to Save Elon Musk  —  Leave it to Elon Musk's Grok to innovate new ways of being both staggeringly antisemitic and grovelingly deferential to its creator.  —  In a series of posts on X, the AI chatbot was recently asked to weigh …
Discussion: Bloomberg and Raw Story
O. Rose Broderick / STAT:
STAT+: CDC staff with disabilities feel stranded as HHS implements new policy  —  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is asking employees seeking telework as a reasonable accommodation to return to the office until their requests can be processed under a new Health and Human Services policy …
Discussion: The Atlantic and HotAir
 
 
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 More Items: 
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
Luna pushes to force a vote banning congressional stock trading
Discussion: CBS News
Jim Saksa / Democracy Docket:
GOP Advances Bill Limiting Census Counts For Congressional Seats to Citizens
Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Trump: Jack Smith classified documents report should remain secret
Discussion: Newsweek
Erkki Forster / The Daily Beast:
Why Trump's Presidency Is All But Over: James Carville
Discussion: PBS NewsHour and Raw Story
Politico:
The FDA's top drug regulator submits his resignation to the agency
Discussion: NewsMax.com, KVIA-TV, DNYUZ and STAT
The 19th:
Her baby was in the NICU. She was in ICE detention.
 Earlier Items: 
Greg Olear / PREVAIL:
Infrequently Asked Questions About Jeffrey Epstein, Part One: The Money Thing
Brad Heath / Reuters:
Trump promised a San Francisco crime crackdown. His administration did the opposite.
Irena Hwang / New York Times:
The U.S. Is Funding Fewer Grants in Every Area of Science and Medicine
 

 
From Techmeme:

Foo Yun Chee / Reuters:
The EU fines X €120M for breaching online content rules, the first fine under the DSA, citing issues like its deceptive blue checkmarks, after a two-year probe

Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
Netflix agrees to acquire WBD's studios and streaming business in an $82.7B cash-and-stock deal, set to close after WBD splits into two companies in Q3 2026

New York Times:
The New York Times sues Perplexity, claiming the AI startup violated its copyrights and kept using its content despite repeated demands over the past 18 months
 
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