Check out Mini-memeorandum for simple mobiles or memeorandum Mobile for modern smartphones.
8:40 AM ET, December 8, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Leigh Ann Caldwell / Puck:
Johnson's Career Crisis & The House G.O.P. Exodus  —  Serving in the House—even when your party controls that chamber, the Senate, and the Oval Office—just ain't what it used to be.  The 119th Congress has been divided and demoralized, and is on track to be the least productive in recent memory.
Discussion: Joe.My.God.
RELATED:
Politico:
As affordability concerns mount, Hill Republicans are struggling to act … “The cost of living is a legitimate issue — I think it was one of the main reasons President Trump was elected.  I think it's still an issue,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said in an interview, urging Republicans …
Discussion: Los Angeles Times
Connor O'Brien / Politico:
Compromise defense bill stymies Trump on Europe troop withdrawals … The final bill is the result of weeks of negotiations between House and Senate leadership in both parties, heads of the Armed Services panels and the White House.  The measure had been slowed in recent days by talks …
Punchbowl News:
12/8/25 ☀️ AM: … The Senate returns this afternoon and the House comes back Tuesday evening.  House Republican staff directors are in Boston for a retreat.  —  Both chambers will be focused on health care and defense policy.  —  With little time left in 2025, the political and policy stakes are high.
Wall Street Journal:
The GOP Can't Agree on a Healthcare Plan. Some Republicans Are Panicking.
Discussion: Alternet.org
ProPublica:
Trump's Own Mortgages Match His Description of Mortgage Fraud, Records Reveal  —  The Trump administration has argued that Fed board member Lisa Cook may have committed mortgage fraud by declaring more than one primary residence on her loans.  We found Trump once did the very thing he called “deceitful and potentially criminal.”
Scott Wong / NBC News:
‘I am America First’: Marjorie Taylor Greene knocks Trump for not focusing on domestic issues  —  In an interview on CBS News' “60 Minutes,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she has “zero plans” to run for president in 2028.  —  In a high-profile interview, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene …
RELATED:
CBS News:
Marjorie Taylor Greene: The 2025 60 Minutes Interview
Discussion: Washington Examiner
Keith Bradsher / New York Times:
China's Trade Surplus Climbs Past $1 Trillion for First Time  —  President Trump's tariffs weren't enough to hold back the global export flood by China, which pushed past last year's record in just 11 months.  —  China got the world's attention last January when it announced that its trade surplus …
RELATED:
Chan Ho-him / Associated Press:
China's exports grow 5.9% in November, while US shipments drop 29%
Discussion: CNBC and IJR
Washington Post:
The Kennedy Center Honors gets a shakeup from its host: Trump  —  After taking over the cultural center, the president curated, and then emceed, its marquee event, which honored Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, Kiss, Sylvester Stallone and George Strait. … Yes, the president of the United States hosted the Kennedy Center Honors.
RELATED:
Politico:
The Trump show hits the stage  —  With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine, Ali Bianco and Rachel Umansky-Castro  —  On the Playbook Podcast: Jack and POLITICO White House reporter Megan Messerly offer their verdicts on Donald Trump's performance at the Kennedy Center last night.
Wall Street Journal:
ObamaCare Is a Mecca for Fraud  —  Federal auditors at the Government Accountability Office show how easy it is for the ineligible to sign up.  —  The Minnesota Medicaid grift illustrates how open-ended government welfare can easily become an inducement for fraud.
Discussion: The Federalist
RELATED:
Joe Stanley-Smith / Politico:
Russia praises US security strategy shift heralded by ‘strong’ Trump  —  Vladimir Putin's press secretary on Sunday praised U.S. President Donald Trump's controversial new National Security Strategy as largely in line with Russia's view of the world.  —  Moscow's public acknowledgement …
RELATED:
Hadriana Lowenkron / Bloomberg:
Trump Voices Disappointment in Zelenskiy as Peace Talks Drag
Discussion: Reuters and The Hill
Noah Berlatsky / Public Notice:
Let's call Trump's anti-Somali hate for what it is  —  PN is supported by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  🎄 Subscribe to PN 🎄  —  President Donald Trump once again disgraced his office last week, this time by launching into multiple disgusting racist attacks …
Lawrence Hurley / NBC News:
Trump's battle with independent agencies is back at the Supreme Court  —  Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has fired multiple members of agencies that Congress set up to be insulated from political pressures.  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday weighs whether …
Bloomberg:
Trump to Unveil $12 Billion in Long-Awaited Farm Aid Program  —  The Trump administration on Monday plans to unveil a long-awaited farm aid package, according to a White House official, offering $12 billion in assistance to a key base of support hit hard by low crop prices and the impact of the president's tariff policies.
Washington Post:
Trump pardons major drug traffickers despite his anti-drug rhetoric  —  The president has granted clemency to about 100 people accused of drug-related crimes during his time in office, a Post analysis shows.  —  Just now … On President Donald Trump's first full day in office this year …
Hunter Woodall / CBS News:
Kentucky's Andy Beshear takes on national role as Democrats eye governors as their way back to the White House  —  Gov. Andy Beshear has spent years building a distinct political identity in the reliably red commonwealth of Kentucky by winning statewide as a Democrat even as Republican power has surrounded him.
Discussion: Newsweek and Associated Press
Axios:
Behind the Curtain: Trump bets party, presidency on AI  —  President Trump is betting his presidency — and the future of the GOP — on lightly regulated, fast expansion of AI. … But none comes close to his sustained, and surging, all-in alliance with tech billionaires and AI companies reshaping the U.S. economy.
Discussion: Alternet.org
Sammy Westfall / Washington Post:
Child deaths under 5 believed to be rising for first time in decades  —  Cuts to development aid from several countries is a key factor, researchers said.  —  Just now … For the first time this century, the number of children worldwide who die before their fifth birthday is projected to rise …
Julia Ornedo / The Daily Beast:
Immigrants ‘Plucked Out’ of Oath Ceremony Lines After Trump Order  —  PLEASE HOLD  —  The Trump administration has reportedly canceled the naturalization ceremonies of immigrants from certain countries.  —  Immigrants who are one step away from American citizenship have suddenly found themselves …
CNN:
Thailand launches airstrikes on Cambodia as Trump's peace agreement hangs in balance  —  Asia Donald Trump  —  Thailand launched airstrikes against Cambodia on Monday as a new wave of fighting erupted between the southeast Asian neighbors, leaving a peace plan presided over by US President Donald Trump …
Rebecca Rosman / NPR:
Zelenskyy heads to London for more Ukraine peace talks.  Here's what to know  —  LONDON — When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives at 10 Downing Street on Monday, he can expect to be greeted with open arms.  —  Not just from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer …
Washington Post:
Venezuela's Maduro, shaken but still standing, aims to wait out Trump  —  Five months into the U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is feeling the pressure but refusing to go into exile.  —  Just now … CARACAS, Venezuela …
Discussion: New York Daily News
Daniel Desrochers / Politico:
‘Only so long’ before Trump's tariff costs hit consumers, businesses warn … “In the first half of next year, we are concerned that consumers are going to start to see the price increases become a little more broad based, and there may not be all the [holiday sales] promotion to help clear through …
Russell Contreras / Axios:
AI boom fuels “environmental justice” fears in communities of color … Many of these centers are clustered in regions where marginalized communities already face higher levels of air pollution, industrial zoning and climate vulnerability.  — Civil rights groups say these impacts resemble …
Adam Liptak / New York Times:
Must the Military Disobey Unlawful Orders?  Pam Bondi Has Said Yes.  —  As a lawyer for a conservative think tank, Ms. Bondi, now the attorney general, filed a Supreme Court brief last year saying service members who followed such orders were committing crimes.
 
 
 Archived Page Info: 
This is a snapshot of memeorandum at 8:40 AM ET, December 8, 2025.

View the current page or another snapshot:


 
 See Also: 
memeorandum: site main
memeorandum River: reverse chronological memeorandum
memeorandum Mobile: for phones
memeorandum Leaderboard: memeorandum's top sources
 
 Subscribe: 
memeorandum RSS feed
memeorandum on Mastodon
 
 
 More Items: 
Victor Davis Hanson / American Greatness:
Immigration Gone Wild
Discussion: New York Times
Reuters:
US envoy Howery meets Greenland officials amid Trump's interest in the island
Anthony Ha / TechCrunch:
Netflix co-CEO discussed Warner Bros. deal with Trump
Michael Kaplan / CBS News:
Appointment of controversial FDA official rocking agency like “an atom bomb,” scientists there say
Discussion: The Atlantic and Forbes
Associated Press:
Zohran Mamdani tells immigrant New Yorkers about their right not to comply with ICE
Holly Otterbein / Axios:
Scoop: S. Carolina Dems enlist influencers for primary fight
Discussion: NewsMax.com
Sharon Waxman / New York Times:
Hollywood Doesn't Want Netflix to Buy Warner Bros.
 Earlier Items: 
Ben Berkowitz / Axios:
Trump pushes foreign food crackdown as grocery prices rise
Benjamin Wallace-Wells / New Yorker:
In the Line of Fire  —  During the Trump era, political violence has become an increasingly urgent problem.
Discussion: Jewish Insider and Axios
Max Rego / The Hill:
Former FDA commissioner: Trump claims about hepatitis B transmission ‘simply not true’
Discussion: CBS News and Forbes
Hannah Murphy / Financial Times:
Tech elites are starting their own for-profit cities
Discussion: The Nerd Reich
Michael Warren / Associated Press:
Bullet-pocked marker memorializing 1918 lynching goes on display in Atlanta
Bill Barrow / Associated Press:
Trump slams pardoned Democratic congressman as ‘disloyal’ for not switching parties
Anne Applebaum / The Atlantic:
Trumpian Corruption Is Worse Than Ukrainian Corruption
Discussion: Politico
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Committee to Protect Journalists:
After the building fire, Hong Kong summoned AFP, FT, NYT, AP, Bloomberg, and WSJ journalists, telling them to avoid “trouble making”, and arrested a commentator

Kerry Flynn / Axios:
Samba TV raised up to $60M in venture debt to scale through acquisitions and new AI-powered measurement tools; Samba previously raised $69M in equity funding

Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
The Academy reports fiscal 2025 revenues of $269.2M, up from $263.1M in 2024, after cutting expenses from $220.1M to $208.1M; Oscars revenue grew to $150.5M
 
Sister Sites:

Techmeme
 Top news and commentary for technology's leaders, from all around the web
Mediagazer
 Top news and commentary for media professionals from all around the web
WeSmirch
 The top celebrity news from all around the web on a single page