Check out Mini-memeorandum for simple mobiles or memeorandum Mobile for modern smartphones.
4:40 PM ET, January 12, 2026

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Politico:
GOP angst grows over Powell investigation  —  A growing number of Republicans on Capitol Hill are expressing unease with the Justice Department's move to investigate Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, a sign that the probe could become a major inflection point over GOP lawmakers' concerns about central bank independence.
RELATED:
Marc Caputo / Axios:
Scoop: Bessent told Trump that investigation of Fed chair creates a “mess”  —  A perturbed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told President Trump late Sunday that the federal investigation into the Federal Reserve chair “made a mess” and could be bad for financial markets, two sources familiar with the call told Axios.
Amber Phillips / Washington Post:
The extraordinary criminal inquiry of a Fed chair, explained  —  Legal experts warn the Trump administration's probe of Jerome Powell threatens the rule of law, and economists warn it threatens the stability of the U.S. economy.  —  Just now  —  President Donald Trump's Justice Department …
Discussion: Fortune, Newsweek and The Guardian
Colby Smith / New York Times:
Fed Changes Course and Takes On Trump's Political Fight  —  The Justice Department's decision to open up a criminal investigation of Jerome H. Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, is a major escalation in the pressure campaign against the central bank to cut interest rates.
Emily Brooks / The Hill:   Speaker Johnson on Powell investigation: DOJ ‘not being weaponized’
Christopher Rugaber / Associated Press:
Why the Federal Reserve has historically been independent of the White House
Ian Millhiser / Vox:
Trump's war on the Federal Reserve heads to the Supreme Court next week
Discussion: Mother Jones
Statement / Statement on the Federal Reserve:
Statement on the Federal Reserve  —  The Federal Reserve's independence and the public's perception of that independence are critical for economic performance, including achieving the goals Congress has set for the Federal Reserve of stable prices, maximum employment, and moderate long-term interest rates.
RELATED:
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System:
Statement from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell  —  Good evening.  —  On Friday, the Department of Justice served the Federal Reserve with grand jury subpoenas, threatening a criminal indictment related to my testimony before the Senate Banking Committee last June.
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
Take the Masks Off  —  For his entire second term, Donald Trump has been grousing …
Max Zahn / ABC News:
Stocks fall after Trump's DOJ opens criminal probe into Fed Chair Powell
Bloomberg:
Bill Pulte Seen as Key Instigator Behind Powell Subpoena
Axios:
Meet Bill Pulte, Trump's unlikely attack dog
Carol Leonnig / MS NOW:
Trump DOJ fires prosecutor who declined to pursue James Comey case  —  The Justice Department has fired the No. 2 official in the U.S. attorney's office for the Eastern District of Virginia after he declined to lead the controversial prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey …
RELATED:
New York Times:   Federal Prosecutor Is Fired Amid Further Turmoil in Comey Case
Maxine Joselow / New York Times:
E.P.A. to Stop Considering Lives Saved When Setting Rules on Air Pollution  —  In a reversal, the agency plans to calculate only the cost to industry when setting pollution limits, and not the monetary value of saving human lives, documents show.  —  For decades, the Environmental Protection Agency …
Discussion: TechCrunch
Erica L. Green / New York Times:
Trump Says Civil Rights Led to White People Being ‘Very Badly Treated’  —  President Trump's comments were a blunt distillation of his administration's racial politics, which rest on the belief that white people have become the real victims of discrimination in America.
RELATED:
Alexander Willis / Raw Story:   Trump appalls with attack on Civil Rights Act: ‘White people very badly treated’
The Guardian:
Greenland says it cannot accept US takeover ‘under any circumstances’  —  Self-governing island stresses it is member of Nato, which is looking at improving Arctic defences, through Denmark  —  Greenland's government has said it “cannot under any circumstances accept” Donald Trump's desire …
RELATED:
Associated Press:
FBI: Suspect in Mississippi synagogue fire targeted house of worship because of its ‘Jewish ties’  —  A suspect in an arson fire at a historic Mississippi synagogue admitted to targeting the house of worship because of its “Jewish ties” and was turned in to authorities by his father …
Dell Cameron / Wired:
GoFundMe Ignores Own Rules by Hosting a Legal-Defense Fund for the ICE Agent Who Killed Renee Good  —  The fundraiser for the ICE agent in the Renee Good killing has stayed online in seeming breach of GoFundMe's own terms of service, prompting questions about selective enforcement.
Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:
New High of 45% in U.S. Identify as Political Independents  —  More independents lean Democratic than Republican, giving Democrats edge in party affiliation for first time since 2021  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — A record-high 45% of U.S. adults identified as political independents in 2025 …
Elena Schneider / Politico:
Former Rep. Mary Peltola jumps into Alaska Senate race … “Systemic change is the only way to bring down grocery costs, save our fisheries, lower energy prices and build new housing Alaskans can afford,” Peltola said.  “It's about time Alaskans teach the rest of the country what Alaska First and, really, America First looks like.”
Spencer Ackerman / FOREVER WARS:
Either ICE Is Abolished or It Will Kill Many More Renee Goods  —  Minnesota is just the beginning of ICE's transformation into a right-wing death squad.  But it can be the end  —  THERE IS NO reforming this.  —  There is no re-training in deescalation tactics, no reequipping with less-lethal weapons …
Peter Sullivan / Axios:
Scoop: Dems make health deal offer with ACA subsidies  —  Democrats sent Republicans a proposal over the weekend to renew enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies for three years, paired with extensions of other expiring health programs, sources said. … - The underlying package …
Discussion: The Bulwark
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
Trump Has Complained About Pam Bondi Repeatedly to Aides  —  The president has privately criticized his attorney general as weak and ineffective in recent weeks  —  President Trump has complained to aides repeatedly in recent weeks about Attorney General Pam Bondi, describing her as weak …
Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money
Janna Brancolini / The Daily Beast:
Trump, 79, Answers Simple Question With Bizarre Word Salad  —  WHAT KNOWS MEANS  —  The president dodged the question before giving a confused answer.  —  President Donald Trump gave a bizarre response to a simple question about what it would mean for the ICE agent who killed a woman in Minneapolis to be immune from prosecution.
Discussion: Raw Story
Maya Kaufman / Politico:
Nearly 15,000 nurses go on strike at top New York City hospitals … “It is deeply offensive that they would rather use their billions to fight against their own nurses than settle a fair contract,” union president Nancy Hagans said in a statement.  “Nurses do not want to strike, but our bosses have forced us out on strike.”
Reece Rogers / Wired:
MacKenzie Scott Donates $45 Million to the Trevor Project  —  Jeff Bezos' ex-wife has made a donation to the LGBTQ+ advocacy group that the organization calls “transformational.”  —  On Monday, billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donated $45 million to The Trevor Project, a nonprofit that serves LGBTQ+ youth.
New York Times:
Two Hours, Scores of Questions, 23,000 Words: Our Interview With President Trump  —  Four New York Times reporters pressed Mr. Trump about a range of topics in a nearly two-hour interview.  Here is a transcript of their conversation.  —  President Trump spoke to four New York Times reporters …
Jill Lawrence / The Bulwark:
Embracing Impeachment  —  THE TIME HAS COME to get serious about impeachment.  Donald Trump himself expects it if Democrats win the House in this year's midterms, and we've already had previews.  Scores of House Democrats voted to advance impeachment articles against Trump last month …
Matt Vespa / Townhall:
A CNBC Host Delivered One Remarked That Wrecked a Dem Senator's Entire Narrative on Immigration  —  CNBC's Joe Kernen has been an expert in shredding liberal narratives on the network.  If there's one thing former members of the Biden administration or current Democrats should know …
Discussion: IJR and The Gateway Pundit
NBC News:
Sen. Mark Kelly sues Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over efforts to reduce his military retirement rank  —  Hegseth said last week that the Pentagon was taking steps to downgrade Kelly's military retirement rank and pay after the senator urged service members not to follow illegal orders.
Washington Post:
Trump is trying to change how the midterm elections are conducted … Five years ago, President Donald Trump pressured Republican county election officials, state lawmakers and members of Congress to find him votes after he lost his reelection bid.  Now, he's seeking to change the rules before ballots are cast.
Discussion: The Mahablog and Raw Story
J.D. Wolf / MeidasTouch News:
Trump's Greenland Czar Slapped With Community Note  —  Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry fumbles WWII history  —  Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, Donald Trump's Greenland obtainment czar, was hit with a community note after posting a misleading claim about U.S. and Danish history during World War II.
 
 
 Archived Page Info: 
This is a snapshot of memeorandum at 4:40 PM ET, January 12, 2026.

View the current page or another snapshot:


 
 Who's Hiring in Media? 
 
 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: 
Wall Street Journal:
White House Weighs Iran's Nuclear-Talks Offer as Trump Leans Toward Strikes
New Republic:
Transcript: Trump Explodes at GOPers as Defiance of Him Visibly Grows
Discussion: Raw Story
Emily Ngo / Politico:
Eric Adams' next act is exactly what you thought it might be
Zach Everson / Forbes:
Trump Vineyard Seeks Foreign Workers At Lower Wages After Trump Administration Policy Shift
Ashley Capoot / CNBC:
Meta names former Trump advisor Dina Powell McCormick as president, vice chair
Nick Niedzwiadek / Politico:
Labor secretary's top aides sidelined amid inspector general complaint
Discussion: New York Post
Brian Beutler / Off Message:
Abolish ICE—For Real This Time
Nathaniel Weixel / The Hill:
Federal judge orders HHS to restore $12m in funding to American Academy of Pediatrics
Discussion: STAT
 Earlier Items: 
Pam Belluck / New York Times:
F.D.A. Decisions on Abortion Pill Were Based on Science, New Analysis Finds
Discussion: Washington Examiner
Amy Knight / Wall Street Journal:
The U.S. Could Make 2026 Even Worse for Putin Than 2025
Discussion: Breitbart and NewsMax.com
Greg Jaffe / New York Times:
U.S. Citizens Are Joining the Military to Protect Undocumented Parents
Discussion: The Independent
Jeet Heer / The Nation:
Renee Good's Killing Has Unleashed MAGA's Misogyny
Amanda Marcotte / Salon:
MAGA is weirdly thirsty for Barron Trump
Discussion: Raw Story
Madison Mills / Axios:
Trump is getting creative to bypass Congress
 

 
From Techmeme:

Scott Shambaugh / The Shamblog:
A matplotlib maintainer explains how an AI agent that suggests code changes on open source repos wrote a hit piece on him after a rejection, and the aftermath

Eduardo Baptista / Reuters:
ByteDance launches Doubao 2.0, an “agent era” upgrade of China's most widely used AI app capable of executing multi-step tasks, ahead of the Lunar New Year

Jessica Brice / Bloomberg:
A deep dive into a global money-laundering ecosystem powered by crypto and messaging apps like WeChat and Telegram, used by drug cartels and criminal groups

 
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