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10:55 AM ET, December 18, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:
This Is What Presidential Panic Looks Like  —  Donald Trump delivered a fear-drenched rant live from the White House.  —  The president of the United States just barged into America's living rooms like an angry, confused grandfather to tell us all that we are ungrateful whelps.
Discussion: Zeteo, Reuters and Fox News
RELATED:
Zack Beauchamp / Vox:
The revealing pointlessness of Trump's primetime speech  —  When a president gives a primetime televised speech, it is typically about something of serious import: to make the case for a major new policy or to announce the beginning of a war.  —  President Donald Trump's speech on Wednesday night had no grave significance.
Associated Press:
Trump writes partisan plaques for predecessors in his newly installed Presidential Walk of Fame
Isaac Arnsdorf / Washington Post:   Fast, harsh, alone: Trump beams into prime time with uncertain results
Ariana Baio / The Independent:
White House adds plaques below Biden and Obama portraits, calling them ‘the worst President in American history’ and ‘divisive’
New Republic:
Transcript: Mike Johnson Unnerved as ACA Revolt Worsens: “Bullshit!”  —  The following is a lightly edited transcript of the December 18 episode of the Daily Blast podcast.  Listen to it here.  —  Greg Sargent: This is The Daily Blast from The New Republic, produced and presented by the DSR Network.
RELATED:
Mia McCarthy / Politico:
Capitol agenda: Congress leaves health mess for January
Eric Garcia / The Independent:
Inflation spikes 2.7 percent despite Trump's claims ‘prices are down’  —  Prices on numerous goods spike as the labor market continues to be sluggish  —  Inflation spike 0.2 percent in November and 2.7 percent in the past 12 months, according to the latest Consumer Price Index report.
RELATED:
Calvin Woodward / Associated Press:
FACT FOCUS: Trump's glowing account of progress is at odds with his government's own stats
Discussion: Associated Press
Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
Bari Weiss' Next CBS News Move: Town Halls With JD Vance, Sam Altman and Debates About God and Feminism  —  The news division is also planning a town hall with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore in the ‘Things That Matter’ series, with Bank of America lined up as a sponsor.
Thomas Novelly / Defense One:
Trump rebrands Congressionally-approved troop housing subsidy as ‘warrior dividend’ bonus  —  This is a developing story.  —  President Donald Trump's $1,776 checks for more than a million troops, announced Wednesday, come from Congressionally-allocated reconciliation funds intended …
Discussion: 19FortyFive
RELATED:
Josephine Walker / Axios:
Trump announces $1,776 military bonus as appeal to working-class voters
Hamed Aleaziz / New York Times:
Trump Administration Aims to Strip More Foreign-Born Americans of Citizenship  —  An official with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said it would prioritize “those who've unlawfully obtained U.S. citizenship.”  —  The Trump administration plans to ramp up efforts to strip …
Discussion: The Independent and Raw Story
New York Times:
'Don's Best Friend': How Epstein and Trump Bonded Over the Pursuit of Women  —  The president has tried to minimize their friendship, but documents and interviews reveal an intense and complicated relationship.  Chasing women was a game of ego and dominance.  Female bodies were currency.
Washington Post:
Stephen Miller's hard-line Mexico strategy morphed into deadly boat strikes  —  The Trump administration originally planned to go after Mexican drug cartels, but pivoted to Venezuela, according to current and former officials.  A trio of legal documents and directives have subsequently authorized an unorthodox lethal campaign.
Discussion: Bloomberg and Al Jazeera
Brian Schwartz / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Told by Alan Dershowitz Constitutionality of Third Term Is Unclear  —  Trump's former lawyer presented him with his forthcoming book that concludes the Constitution is ambiguous on the question  —  President Trump on Tuesday received and discussed a draft copy of a book by lawyer Alan Dershowitz …
Ben Geman / Axios:
Trump's media company to merge with nuclear fusion startup  —  Trump Media & Technology Group is merging with nuclear fusion power startup TAE technologies in an all-stock deal valued at $6 billion. … - It will provide new resources to the fusion player, and signals Trumpworld's enthusiasm …
John Rogers / Associated Press:
Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent Peter Arnett, who reported from Vietnam and Gulf War, has died  —  Peter Arnett, the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who spent decades dodging bullets and bombs to bring the world eyewitness accounts of war from the rice paddies of Vietnam to the deserts of Iraq, has died at 91.
Shane O'Neill / Washington Post:
His Vanity Fair photos of Trumpworld blew up online.  We called to talk.  —  Every line, spot, blemish and blood vessel was captured by Christopher Anderson's lens.  What was he thinking?  —  On Tuesday, Vanity Fair published a two-part story by Chris Whipple about the inner circle …
Wall Street Journal:
The Trump Family Business Empire Is Growing.  We Mapped Out 268 Pieces of It.  —  A second-term boom in crypto and other areas has created billions in new wealth for the first family  —  When President Trump ran for re-election in 2024, he and his family already had vast business interests stretching …
Discussion: CBS News
Tom Jones / Poynter:
Why a single word disappearing from the FCC's website matters for press freedom  —  FCC Chair Brendan Carr says the agency is not ‘independent,’ sharpening concerns about political pressure on the media … If you went to the Federal Communications Commission website first thing Wednesday morning, you would have read the following:
Toby Buckle / New Republic:
The Americans Who Saw All This Coming—but Were Ignored and Maligned  —  Imagine I sent you back in time to July 2015 with the goal of saving liberal democracy in America.  Donald Trump announced his candidacy a month ago, the polls are showing him with a narrow lead, and the media …
Politico:
Judge lifts Trump administration limits on lawmaker visits to ICE jails … The Biden appointee noted that the seven-day notice requirement complicated lawmakers' ability to view real-time conditions at facilities immigrants have long complained are overcrowded, unsanitary and unsafe.
Politico:
Prosecutors tried and failed to add 3rd felony charge against Letitia James, court docs show … Prosecutors also asked a magistrate judge to keep records of the proposed indictment sealed after grand jurors rejected all three alleged charges, but the judge declined the request, according to court records.
NBC News:
Whooping cough cases soar as vaccination rates drop  —  In an NBC News data investigation of 31 states, about 70% of counties and jurisdictions fell below the target vaccination rate needed for community protection.  —  At just 2 weeks old, Feleena Owens was struggling to breathe.
Emerson Polling:
December 2025 National Poll: Trump's Approval Flips Since Start of the Year  —  Home Polls December 2025 National Poll: Trump's Approval Flips Since Start of the Year  —  Voters Favor “Moderates” in 2028 Matchups  —  The final Emerson College Polling national survey of 2025 finds President Trump …
WVUE-TV:
ICE voodoo doll discovered in New Orleans as immigration crackdown continues  —  Makeshift doll depicting ICE agent found near Magazine Street amid Operation Catahoula Crunch  —  NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A makeshift “voodoo doll” depicting a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent was found …
NOTUS:
These House Republicans Won't Commit to Running in 2026  —  Rumors are swirling around Capitol Hill about an impending mass exodus of House Republicans following a number of surprise retirement announcements over the past few months.  —  With estimates about the number of Republicans ready …
Discussion: Raw Story and The Hill
Liz Dye / Public Notice:
Trump gets bored issuing real pardons, tries a fake one  —  🎄🎄🎄 PN HOLIDAY SPECIAL 🎄🎄🎄  —  Click the button below to sign up for an annual paid subscription for the special price of $40 ⬇️  —  🎅 PN Holiday Special Offer 🎅
Discussion: KUSA-TV, Gazette, HuffPost and The Hill
New York Times:
Trump Pressed Georgia Speaker to Overturn State's Election Vote in 2020 Call  —  During much of the 12.5-minute call, President Trump reiterated his claims that he had won Georgia, a state he lost by more than 11,000 votes that year.  —  In a newly obtained recording of a phone call from late 2020 …
Discussion: Raw Story and Washington Examiner
New York Times:
Dan Bongino Says He Will Step Down From F.B.I. in January  —  The departure of Mr. Bongino had seemed inevitable since August, when the White House hired Missouri's attorney general, Andrew Bailey, to share his job as deputy director.  —  Dan Bongino, the No. 2 official at the F.B.I. …
 
 
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 More Items: 
Tess Owen / Slate:
She's Married to the Architect of Trump's Darkest Policies. She Wants America to Love Her. It's Not Going Well.
Discussion: Raw Story and New York Sun
New York Times:
Venezuelan Navy Escorts Vessels in Defiance of Trump's Blockade Threat
Claire Giangravé / RNS:
Bishop Hicks, Chicago ally of Pope Leo XIV, named to lead New York after Dolan era
Ted Hesson / Reuters:
White South Africans could get Trump biography for kids in refugee welcome packet
Christian Paz / Vox:
The Bravofication of American government
Anna North / Vox:
The looming showdown over IVF, explained
 Earlier Items: 
Li Yuan / New York Times:
China Is Feeling Strong and Senses an American Retreat
Erin Doherty / Politico:
Poll: The economy is fueling political anger in 5 major countries
Discussion: New York Magazine and Semafor
Washington Post:
Trump set to explore expanding CBD access for seniors
Matthew Yglesias / Slow Boring:
Democrats should try to win in Florida
New York Times:
Threats Against Judges Could Lead to a Judicial System Crisis
Washington Post:
The lasting impact of Trump's federal surge on one D.C. neighborhood
Emanuel Maiberg / 404 Media:
Hack Reveals the a16z-Backed Phone Farm Flooding TikTok With AI Influencers
Discussion: Futurism
Associated Press:
Jack Smith set for private interview with lawmakers about Trump investigations
 

 
From Techmeme:

Fanny Potkin / Reuters:
Sources: China built a working prototype of an EUV machine in early 2025 with a team of former ASML engineers who reverse-engineered the company's EUV machines

Financial Times:
Trump Media agrees to merge with Google-backed fusion energy company TAE in a $6B deal and build the “world's first utility-scale fusion power plant” in 2026

Jay Peters / The Verge:
Filing: Sony and Tencent reach a “confidential settlement” over Tencent's Light of Motiram, a game that Sony alleged was a “slavish clone” of its Horizon series
 
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