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3:40 PM ET, December 21, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Cheyanne M. Daniels / Politico:
Lawmakers say White House ‘covering up things’ in release of Epstein files … “This is all about covering up things that for whatever reason Donald Trump doesn't want to go public,” the Maryland Democrat added, “either about himself or other members of his family, friends …
RELATED:
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
December 20, 2025  —  On November 19, 2025, Congress passed H.R. 4405, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and although there was none of the usual publicity and fanfare President Donald Trump enjoys around a bill signing, the White House said that Trump signed it the same day, making it a law.
Discussion: The Hill
Alexandra Marquez / NBC News:
Deputy AG says removing photos from Epstein files release has ‘nothing to do’ with Trump  —  Deputy AG Todd Blanche said some images from the newly released files would go back up after the Justice Department determines if they require redactions.  — Add NBC News to Google
New York Times:
Epstein Files Photos Disappear From Government Website, Including One of Trump
RELATED:
NBC News:
U.S. Coast Guard ‘in active pursuit’ of third vessel off the Venezuelan coast  —  The vessel is part of Venezuela's illegal sanctions evasion, a U.S. official said.  —  The U.S. Coast Guard “is in active pursuit” of a sanctioned vessel in international waters off the coast of Venezuela …
Karen DeYoung / Washington Post:
Trump faces narrowing options on Venezuela action
Discussion: The Gateway Pundit
Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Oil Blockade of Venezuela Pushes Cuba Toward Collapse
Mike Allen / Axios:
MAGA media mess deepens at Turning Point convention … People started lining up at 3 a.m. for the climactic program, featuring Vice President JD Vance, Speaker Mike Johnson and Donald Trump Jr.  — Last year's AmFest drew 21,000 to hear President-elect Trump.
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
Charlie Kirk's Empire Is Lining Up Behind a JD Vance Presidential Bid  —  The vice president will speak Sunday at TPUSA's premier event, days after Erika Kirk endorsed him for 2028 run  —  PHOENIX—Before Charlie Kirk was fatally shot, he was readying for JD Vance to become the next president of the United States.
Peter Baker / New York Times:
Trump Takes America's ‘Imperial Presidency’ to a New Level  —  In his first year back in the White House, President Trump has greatly expanded executive power while embracing the trappings of royalty in ways not seen in the modern era.  —  When President Trump hosted the crown prince …
Kelsey Ables / Washington Post:
White House threatens Smithsonian funds in sweeping content review  —  “American people will have no patience” for any museum that is “uncomfortable conveying a positive view of American history,” read a letter from Trump aides.  —  The Trump administration escalated pressure on the Smithsonian this week …
Joe Rivano Barros / Mission Local:
Waymo halts service during massive S.F. blackout after causing traffic jams  — Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email  —  Love what you read?  Love that it was free?  —  Mission Local will never have a paywall.  All our articles are free for everyone, always.
New York Times:
'It's Just Us': The Firefighter, His Son and a Treacherous Choice  —  For two decades, Luis Martinez has fought wildfires for the U.S. government.  Now he's facing down cancer, debt and the threat of separation from his 11-year-old.  —  Luis Martinez was still trying to figure out how to tell …
Washington Post:
The year Trump broke the federal government  —  How DOGE and the White House carried out a once-unthinkable transformation of the nation's sprawling bureaucracy.  —  Government reporters Hannah Natanson and Meryl Kornfield can be reached securely on Signal at (202) 580-5477 and (301) 821-2013, respectively.
Peter Whoriskey / Washington Post:
As insurers retreat from Obamacare, a working family is caught in the squeeze … JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Like millions of other Americans, Stacy Newton turns to Healthcare.gov to shop for health insurance for her family.  The Affordable Care Act website, according to the government …
RELATED:
Sarah Fortinsky / The Hill:
Lankford: Americans will decide whether to blame GOP for lapsed ObamaCare subsidies
Discussion: NewsMax.com and CNN
The Harvard Crimson:
Racial Slurs and Nazi Symbols: Inside the Complaint That Shut Down The Harvard Salient  —  Screenshots and message logs obtained by The Crimson appear to show Salient leaders casually using racial slurs, defending extremist rhetoric, and dismissing internal concerns — conversations …
Laura Kayali / Politico:
Too Early, Too Alone: France Prepares for Russia as U.S. Withdraws … PARIS — The military recruitment center across from the Eiffel Tower, in the posh 7th district's historic École Militaire, is filled with promotional posters for the armed forces.
Discussion: Eurasia Review
New York Times:
How the Supreme Court's Mail-In Ballot Ruling Could Affect Voters  —  Hundreds of thousands of Americans in rural and urban areas alike could see their votes rejected if the court decides that ballots must arrive by Election Day.  —  The Supreme Court is set to decide this term whether states …
New York Times:
Land Grab: Israel's Escalating Campaign for Control of the West Bank  —  Every Saturday, sheep owned by Jewish settlers march through the olive groves that Rezeq Abu Naim and his family have tended for generations, crushing tree limbs and damaging roots.  The extremist settlers …
Discussion: CBS News and Middle East Monitor
New York Times:
Immigration Crackdown Creates Fault Lines Among Baptists  —  An increasingly loud contingent supports the Trump administration's efforts to deport illegal immigrants.  —  When federal agents descended on Louisiana this month to pursue their aggressive deportation campaign …
 
 
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 More Items: 
Nicholas Kerr / ABC News:
Rand Paul says seizure of oil tankers in Caribbean a ‘prelude to war’
Discussion: Washington Times, Townhall and Mediaite
Casey Michel / The Guardian:
Thanks to Donald Trump, 2025 was a good year ... for white-collar criminals
John Sakellariadis / Politico:
Acting CISA director failed a polygraph. Career staff are now under investigation.
more at Techmeme »
Joseph Choi / The Hill:
Trump's base growing impatient on abortion pill action
Jeremy Tanner / The Hill:
Why ‘very large’ tax refunds are coming in 2026, according to officials
Discussion: NewsMax.com and New York Post
Jonathan Rauch / The UnPopulist:
Let's Not Grant the Postliberal Critique of Market Liberalism
Brian Faler / Politico:
Don't call it a tax hike? Trump's demand for a cut of Nvidia's China profits raises novel questions.
 Earlier Items: 
Axios:
Behind the Curtain: Universal Basic Investment
Discussion: Forbes
Paul Krugman:
Affordability, Part IV
Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money
Reuters:
Trump set to expand immigration crackdown in 2026 despite brewing backlash
David J. Lynch / Washington Post:
Market-savvy Treasury chief Scott Bessent emerges as unlikely MAGA warrior
Discussion: Raw Story
Anthony Salvanto / CBS News:
As year ends, Americans weigh in on cost of living, Trump, expectations for 2026 in CBS News poll
Los Angeles Times:
Jury acquits L.A. man who towed immigration agent's car during TikTok influencer's arrest
Discussion: NBC Los Angeles and Breitbart
 

 
From Techmeme:

@metr_evals:
METR: Claude Opus 4.5 has a 50% task completion time horizon of about 4 hours and 49 minutes, more than double that of Claude Opus 4 released earlier this year

Sri Muppidi / The Information:
Source: OpenAI's share of revenue after the cost of running AI models for paying users has jumped to ~70% in October, up from ~52% at the end of 2024

Mariella Moon / Engadget:
Google says it needs more time to upgrade Assistant to Gemini on most Android devices; Google previously planned to complete the transition by the end of 2025
 
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