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8:40 AM ET, December 12, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Washington Post:
Trump seeks to cut restrictions on marijuana through planned order  —  The president is expected to direct agencies to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug, similar to some common prescription painkillers.  —  Just now … President Donald Trump is expected to push the government …
RELATED:
Mychael Schnell / MS NOW:
Marjorie Taylor Greene's farewell gift to Mike Johnson: a longshot plot to oust him  —  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has been gauging whether there's enough support among her GOP colleagues to remove Rep. Mike Johnson from the speakership.  —  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene may be resigning …
Discussion: Townhall, Raw Story and Mediaite
Chris Geidner / Law Dork:
The Trump administration's authoritarian house of cards is starting to fall down  —  It's not over.  Not by a long shot.  It could — and likely will — still get worse on many fronts in many ways before this is all over.  —  But, on Thursday, a series of developments only connected insofar …
Punchbowl News:
12/12/25 ☀️ AM: … If House Republicans were counting on redistricting to save their endangered majority, it isn't working. … This loss is the latest in a series of stinging redistricting defeats and setbacks for Republicans in Ohio, Utah, Kansas and potentially Missouri.
Discussion: Axios, Washington Monthly and France 24
Jill Lawrence / The Bulwark:
Worst.  Senate.  Ever.  —  THE EMAILS COME POURING IN at all hours, day in, day out, and the headlines are fill-in-the-blank riddles that could refer to anyone or anything.  It's a multiple-choice horror show.  —  “The Malignant Incompetence of ...” shows up, incomplete, on the phone screen, and I wonder who: Pete Hegseth?
Adam Wren / Politico:
Indiana GOP rejects Trump's map in major blow to his gerrymandering push … The members held out in spite of pipe bomb threats, unsolicited pizza deliveries to their homes, and swattings of their homes.  —  It's a major setback for the president as well and a blow to his party's hopes …
Adam Wren / Politico:   Hoosier daddy  —  With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine, Ali Bianco and Rachel Umansky-Castro
Arika Herron / Axios:
Indiana Senate rejects Trump's redistricting effort
Mitch Smith / New York Times:
Indiana Senate Republicans Reject Trump's Redistricting Effort
Washington Post:
Senate blocks Democrats' bill to extend expiring Obamacare subsidies
Dylan Scott / Vox:
Blame Republicans for our health insurance mess
Christa Dutton / NOTUS:
Indiana Republicans Reject Redistricting Despite Trump's Primary Threats
Mary Clare Jalonick / Associated Press:
Senate rejects extension of health care subsidies as costs are set to rise for millions of Americans
Drew Friedman / Federal News Network:
House passes bill to restore collective bargaining for federal employees
New York Times:
A Grand Jury Again Declines to Reindict Letitia James  —  It was a striking rejection of the administration's retribution campaign.  —  A grand jury in Alexandria, Va., on Thursday rejected the Trump administration's effort to bring new charges against Letitia James, the New York attorney general …
RELATED:
NBC News:
Justice Department fails in its 3rd attempt to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James
Discussion: Politico, HotAir, Axios and CBS News
CNN:
Justice Department fails to reindict Letitia James for a second time
Washington Post:
Administration fails again to indict N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James
Discussion: The Independent
Cecilia Kang / New York Times:
Trump Moves to Stop States From Regulating AI With a New Executive Order  —  The order would create one federal regulatory framework for artificial intelligence, President Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.  —  President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that aims …
RELATED:
President Donald J. Trump / The White House:
Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence  —  By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:  —  Section 1.  Purpose.  United States leadership in Artificial Intelligence (AI) …
The Hill:
Trump signs order to fight state AI laws
Discussion: Axios
Christian Paz / Vox:
3 theories that explain Trump's collapsing support  —  The second Trump administration started off with a bang: riding the high of 2024's historic levels of new multiracial and working class support, bullying law firms and universities, flinging out executive orders and DOGE restructurings like nobody's business.
RELATED:
Washington Post:
The minority voters who powered Trump to a second term are drifting away
Discussion: The Hill
New York Times:
U.S. Issues New Sanctions Targeting Maduro's Family and the Oil Sector  —  The United States is escalating its pressure campaign on Venezuela's leader, Nicolás Maduro, after seizing an oil tanker off the coast.  —  The United States on Thursday issued new sanctions on Venezuela's oil sector …
RELATED:
Reuters:
Exclusive: US preparing to seize more tankers off Venezuela's coast after first ship taken, sources say
Associated Press:
Shoppers say 'tis the season for inflation, an AP-NORC poll finds  —  This holiday season isn't quite so merry for American shoppers as large shares are dipping into savings, scouring for bargains and feeling like the overall economy is stuck in a rut under President Donald Trump, a new AP-NORC poll finds.
ProPublica:
The Shakedown: Trump's DOJ Pressured Lawyers to “Find” Evidence That UCLA Had Illegally Tolerated Antisemitism  —  Co-published with The Chronicle of Higher Education  —  ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.  Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published.
Gabriela Aoun Angueira / Associated Press:
Federal judge orders FEMA to restore billions in canceled disaster mitigation funding  —  A federal judge in Massachusetts on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to restore billions of dollars in canceled FEMA disaster mitigation funding, siding with 22 states and the District of Columbia …
RELATED:
Rachel Frazin / The Hill:
Highly anticipated meeting on the future of FEMA abruptly canceled
Joe Heim / Washington Post:
Military admits ‘mistake’ in viral arrest of U.S. civilian in Japan  —  Kareem El, a civilian from Washington, D.C., visiting Okinawa, was held by U.S. military police for declining to provide identification. … Kareem El was standing outside of a bar in Okinawa, Japan …
Phil Stewart / Reuters:
US admiral leading US troops in Latin America to step down  —  The admiral in charge of U.S. military forces in Latin America will retire two years early on Friday, amid rising tensions with Venezuela that include Wednesday's seizure of an oil tanker and more than 20 deadly strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats.
Andrew Prokop / Vox:
Why America gave up on economists  —  Key takeaways  — Economists used to have a sort of special status in US policymaking; they were the consummate technocratic experts.  — But over the past decade, both parties have increasingly been less enamored of economists — and economic thinking in general.
Discussion: NPR and Bloomberg
Lisa Needham / Public Notice:
We're the baddies now.  Our new Security Strategy shows it.  —  PN is supported by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  🌍 Subscribe to PN 🌍  —  The Trump administration recently dropped its National Security Strategy and, like all things Trump, it's equal parts nonsense and vitriol.
Paul Krugman:
Donald Trump, Security Threat  —  The call is coming from inside the White House  —  To update Samuel Johnson, these days national security is the last refuge of a scoundrel.  According to Donald Trump, anything he doesn't like is a threat to national security.  Question his clearly illegal tariffs?
Discussion: USA Today and MS NOW
Politico:
Democrats think they've found their 2026 message — and Miami just backed it up … To party officials, the through line is unmistakable — and increasingly central to how Democrats want to frame the midterms.  —  “This is going to help the Democratic Party and continue to make our case …
Matthew Yglesias / Slow Boring:
Gavin Newsom is the 2028 front-runner and that's bad  —  Plus the SPEED Act, the Pope's pricing strategy, and some Dutch politics takes  —  The Searchlight Institute recently released some polling on corruption that shows incredibly high levels of public support for a range of anti-corruption measures …
Washington Post:
Trump asserts he has pardoned county clerk convicted in Colorado case  —  Impact of Trump's claim is unclear since Tina Peters was convicted in state, not federal, court.  —  Just now … President Donald Trump said Thursday that he has pardoned Tina Peters, a former county clerk in Colorado …
Catherine Rampell / The Bulwark:
The Sleeper Issue That Could Destroy the Economy  —  THERE ARE MANY ITEMS on President Trump's agenda that are hurting the U.S. economy: the pointless trade wars, the socialization of the private sector, the mass deportations, and much more.  —  But in the long run, the most damaging policy …
Discussion: Raw Story, NewsMax.com and MS NOW
Axios:
Trump embraces great power cooperation with China and Russia  —  President Trump's first term opened the age of “Great Power Competition” with China and Russia.  — His second is actively working to end it. … - Trump is challenging that entire foundation, envisioning a new world order …
Discussion: Washington Times
 
 
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 More Items: 
Dasha Burns / Politico:
'Nobody Wants to Take Responsibility for the Tragedy That's Going on Here'
Straight Arrow News:
Judge considers closing courtroom in high-profile Charlie Kirk murder case
Adam Edelman / NBC News:
Redistricting fight shifts to Wisconsin, where judicial panels may pick new maps
Associated Press:
US national park gift shops ordered to purge merchandise promoting DEI
Cory Doctorow / Pluralistic:
Pluralistic: Instacart reaches into your pocket and lops a third off your dollars (11 Dec 2025)
Mickey Djuric / Politico:
Surprise defection leaves Carney's Liberals just one seat short of majority
Discussion: Bloomberg and Associated Press
 Earlier Items: 
Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:
The Curse of Trump 2.0  —  What does it say that the President doesn't even feel he needs …
Discussion: Raw Story and CNN
Josh Funk / Associated Press:
Senator says FAA administrator failed to sell multimillion-dollar airline stake as promised
Hassan Ali Kanu / Politico:
White House raises concerns about Trump's ‘image’ in lawsuit over sign language interpreters
Discussion: NewsMax.com
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Sara Guaglione / Digiday:
The Washington Post's new Your Personal Podcast, which offers AI-generated customizable podcasts, was developed under a multiyear agreement with ElevenLabs

Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
Arkansas PBS severs ties with the PBS network, the first state public TV system to do so since Congress cut CPB funds, citing the annual $2M+ membership cost

Ashley Capoot / CNBC:
Disney and OpenAI sign a three-year deal to bring 200+ Disney characters to Sora; Disney will make a $1B investment in OpenAI and become a major OpenAI customer
 
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