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10:25 AM ET, December 17, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
New York Times:
Trump Dangles Cash Payments to Buoy Voters' Views of the Economy  —  With tariffs unpopular and prices still high, the White House has teased the promise of tariff rebates and large tax refunds next year.  —  Tariffs are unpopular, prices remain stubbornly high and Americans are souring on President Trump's handling of the economy.
Discussion: Reason and Fox News
RELATED:
Josh Boak / Associated Press:
Trump is previewing his 2026 agenda in an address to the nation as his popularity wanes  —  President Donald Trump intends to preview his agenda for next year and beyond in a live speech from the White House on Wednesday night, remarks that come at a crucial juncture as he tries to rebuild his steadily eroding popularity.
Discussion: The Hill, WWL-TV, NewsMax.com and Bloomberg
Amanda Marcotte / Salon:
Republicans are quiet quitting on Trump  —  The White House chief of staff says the president has “an alcoholic's personality”  —  Donald Trump is worried that Republicans aren't as afraid of him as they used to be.  Despite his self-billing as a dealmaker, the president has only ever had one tool to control his party: fear.
Discussion: Raw Story
Justin Glawe / Public Notice:   2025 was a political disaster for MAGA
The Bulwark:
Why Aren't Dems Going After Trump's Tariffs?
Discussion: MS NOW
Joey Garrison / USA Today:
Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center in Colorado  —  WASHINGTON ‒ The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, according to a senior White House official, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
RELATED:
Ruby Mellen / Washington Post:
Trump administration to dismantle key climate research center
Discussion: CBS News
Matt Dixon / NBC News:
White House scrambles to address Susie Wiles' explosive Vanity Fair interviews  —  One former Trump administration official said they were surprised the White House participated in the interviews, saying, “I'm not sure what they were thinking here.”  —  Susie Wiles generally helps quietly shape headlines.
RELATED:
Steven Nelson / New York Post:
Trump stands by chief of staff Susie Wiles after bombshell Vanity Fair interviews — admits he has 'alcoholic's personality'
Reuters:
They prosecuted the Capitol rioters.  Now the rioters and the DOJ are after them.  —  After Trump's mass pardons of the U.S. Capitol rioters, some have gained influence inside the Justice Department, meeting with officials to push for prosecutions of the federal lawyers who once helped convict them, Reuters found.
RELATED:
Sarah N. Lynch / Reuters:
Unprecedented errors are eroding the credibility of Trump's Justice Department  —  As President Donald Trump's crime crackdown got underway in Washington, D.C., in August, federal agents and police spotted a man named Torez Riley tugging at his backpack inside a Trader Joe's store, searched it and recovered two firearms.
ProPublica:
Inside the Trump Administration's Man-Made Hunger Crisis  —  The End of Aid: Trump Destroyed USAID.  What Happens Now?  —  ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.  Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published.  —  Reporting Highlights
RELATED:
ProPublica:   The Summer of Starvation: Amid Trump's Foreign Aid Cuts, a Mother Struggles to Keep Her Sons Alive
Washington Examiner:
Republican frustration on healthcare hits boiling point  —  House Republicans have found themselves once again staring down the barrel of an eleventh-hour vote ahead of the holidays that risks fracturing the party.  —  The item before the House this time around is their healthcare plan …
RELATED:
The Hill:
Republican tensions boil over as ObamaCare deadline approaches
Associated Press:
Trump orders blockade of ‘sanctioned oil tankers’ into Venezuela, ramping up pressure on Maduro  —  President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is ordering a blockade of all “sanctioned oil tankers” into Venezuela, ramping up pressure on the country's authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro.
RELATED:
Bloomberg:
Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Oil Tankers in Venezuela
John Dowd / MS NOW:
I was Donald Trump's lawyer.  Jack Smith should be celebrated, not vilified.  —  House Republicans are depriving the American people of a chance to hear from a career prosecutor who investigated serious allegations against the president.  —  Former special counsel Jack Smith is scheduled …
RELATED:
Marist Poll:
2026 Economic Outlook, December 2025  —  More Than Six in Ten Say Economy is Not Working for Them Personally.... Economic Pessimism for 2026 Widespread  —  Americans have serious concerns about the economy and how these larger economic forces will influence their personal finances in 2026.
Ron Dicker / HuffPost:
Senator Reaches Damning Conclusions After Classified Briefing With Hegseth, Rubio  —  Sen. Chris Murphy trashed a meeting with the Cabinet duo about the Trump administration's boat bombings.  —  Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said a classified meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth …
Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Judge lets Trump's ballroom construction proceed … “The court will hold them to that,” Leon said during a packed federal court hearing in Washington.  “They've got until the end of this month.”  —  Leon issued the ruling after accepting a classified filing from the government detailing …
RELATED:
NBC News:
Federal judge allows Trump's White House ballroom construction to move forward
Colby Smith / New York Times:
Next Fed Chair in ‘No-Win Scenario’ as Selection Process Draws to a Close  —  The person picked to replace Jerome H. Powell will be thrust into a credibility problem that will be difficult to escape.  —  It was always going to be one of the Kevins.  At least that was the impression among …
Discussion: Reuters
RELATED:
Victoria Guida / Politico:
Trump officials privately raise doubts about Hassett for Fed chair
Discussion: CNBC
Victoria Craw / Washington Post:
Marjorie Taylor Greene says ‘dam is breaking’ within GOP against Trump  —  In a CNN interview, the Georgia congresswoman said Trump's reaction to the death of Rob Reiner was “classless” and she didn't see the GOP winning in the midterms. … Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) …
Discussion: CNN, The Wrap, Raw Story, Breitbart and PinkNews
Don Moynihan / Can We Still Govern?:
Democrats need a theory of power, but democracies need a theory of accountability  —  We are at a crucial, once-in-a-century moment for American governance.  Those on the right are, whether they admit it or not, aligning themselves with an increasingly authoritarian model of governance under Trump.
Lisa Kashinsky / Politico:
Republicans push mail-in voting for the midterms in defiance of Trump … The nonprofit Citizens Alliance, which aided efforts to get Republicans to return their mail ballots in Pennsylvania last year, is planning to knock 750,000 doors ahead of the midterms to encourage infrequent voters to embrace the practice.
Discussion: Axios, Raw Story and The Federalist
John Podhoretz / Commentary Magazine:
Norman Podhoretz, 1930-2025  —  My father died tonight, December 16, a month shy of his 96th birthday.  Norman Podhoretz passed peacefully and without pain, with a new translation of The Odyssey on his desk that had been sent to him by his friend Roger Hertog.
Justin Baragona / The Independent:
Bari Weiss' much-hyped CBS News town hall with Erika Kirk was a massive ratings flop  —  According to Nielsen, the Saturday night town hall saw a 41 percent decline in in the key 25-54 advertising demographic compared to the network's standard programming in that time slot year to date.  —  in New York
Pete Muntean / CNN:
Second near midair collision reported near Venezuela involving US Air Force tanker  —  South America Federal agencies US military Airplane crashes  —  Radio transmissions reviewed by CNN show that the pilots of a private jet narrowly avoided a collision with a United States Air Force refueling …
Discussion: Fox News and The National Pulse
Ivan Penn / New York Times:
Heating Costs Expected to Rise 9.2% This Winter  —  Colder weather and rising electricity and fuel costs will lead to a big jump in costs for individuals, according to estimates from a group representing state energy officials.  —  Consumers already tapped out from rising home energy costs …
Discussion: The Korea Herald and Scripps News
Johnny Ryan / The Guardian:
This is Europe's secret weapon against Trump: it could burst his AI bubble  —  Growth in the US economy - and the president's political survival - rest on AI.  The EU must use its leverage and stand up to him  —  The unthinkable has happened.  The US is Europe's adversary.
Discussion: Politico
Rachel Louise Ensign / Wall Street Journal:
Spooked by AI and Layoffs, White-Collar Workers See Their Security Slip Away  —  Office workers are hanging on to their jobs for dear life  —  Office workers are filled with anxiety.  —  Tuesday's jobs report was the latest ominous sign in an era of big corporate layoff announcements and CEOs warning that AI will replace workers.
Vic Verbalaitis / The Daily Beast:
Trump's Son-In-Law Backs Out of Paramount's Takeover Bid  —  SEE YA!  —  Jared Kushner's firm will no longer back Paramount's takeover bid of Warner Bros. Discovery.  —  President Donald Trump's son-in-law has withdrawn his financial backing for a massive media merger that could give …
Anna Merlan / Mother Jones:
How Benny Johnson Went From BuzzFeed Plagiarist to MAGA's Chief Content Creator  —  He says he did “some very bad things.”  But in Trumpworld, that's a plus.  —  Not long ago, plagiarist-turned-MAGA-influencer Benny Johnson stood in a parking garage underneath Chicago's Trump International Hotel and Tower.
Alexandra Marquez / NBC News:
Rep. Dan Newhouse, one of the last remaining House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump, won't seek re-election  —  Newhouse was one of 10 Republicans in the House to impeach Trump over his role in the Jan.  —  Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., on Wednesday announced that he would not seek re-election to the House next year.
Discussion: Axios and Fox News
Sara Fischer / Axios:
Jared Kushner's firm backs out of Paramount's Warner Bros. bid  —  Affinity Partners, the fund tied to President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, has backed out of Paramount's bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, Axios has confirmed. … - If the board does reject Paramount's offer …
Vivek Ramaswamy / New York Times:
What Is an American?  —  There are two competing visions now emerging on the American right, and they are incompatible.  One vision of American identity is based on lineage, blood and soil: Inherited attributes matter most.  The purest form of an American is a so-called heritage American …
Discussion: Raw Story
 
 
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 More Items: 
Shawn Fleetwood / The Federalist:
The West's Embrace Of Mass Third-World Migration Is Civilizational Suicide
Rachel Sheffield / Fox News:
Taxpayer cash, zero accountability: Minnesota fraud proves welfare is broken
Dahlia Lithwick / Slate:
Why Are Democrats So Afraid to Even Mention the Source of Trump's Political Power?
Discussion: Raw Story
New York Times:
Harvard Secretly Investigates Students Over Larry Summers Video on Epstein
Aaron Blake / CNN:
Who loves Trump? Apparently fewer people than ever
Discussion: Raw Story and HuffPost
Jacob Ware / Lawfare:
A Terrorism of Vengeance  —  Understanding incels, school shooters, and the new category of terrorism …
 Earlier Items: 
David A. Fahrenthold / New York Times:
Two More Heritage Foundation Trustees Resign Over Support for Tucker Carlson
Discussion: Washington Post, Raw Story and Mediaite
Jamelle Bouie / New York Times:
The Man Who Rules the Country Presides Over Nothing
Charlie Nash / Mediaite:
Trump Says Miriam Adelson Offered Him ‘Another $250 Million’ to Run for a Third Term
Discussion: New Republic and The Independent
Rebecca Santana / Associated Press:
Trump expands travel ban and restrictions to include an additional 20 countries
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Wall Street Journal:
WBD recommends shareholders reject Paramount's unsolicited cash bid, calling the offer “illusory” and saying it believes Netflix's proposal is still superior

Jennifer Maas / Variety:
Sources: Disney has been hesitant to license its IP to Roblox because it doesn't consider it a safe platform, bucking the trend followed by Netflix and others

Joseph Berger / New York Times:
Norman Podhoretz, who transformed Commentary magazine into a controversial and influential neoconservative voice as its EIC from 1960 to 1995, has died at 95
 
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