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9:15 AM ET, May 20, 2026

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Alex Rogers / Financial Times:
Donald Trump and sons to be ‘forever’ exempt from tax audits  —  Justice department deal comes day after government set up $1.8bn fund to pay president's allies hit by alleged ‘lawfare’  —  US tax authorities will be barred from pursuing claims against Donald Trump, his eldest sons …
RELATED:
Ryan J. Reilly / NBC News:
DOJ official told GOP ally that big payouts were coming for Jan. 6 defendants  —  Months before the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund was announced, Ed Martin predicted Capitol rioters would get millions, even if it took until 2028, two people told NBC News.
Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Justice Department expands Trump settlement to cover his tax audits … The waiver specifically encompasses “tax returns filed before the effective date” of the settlement, which was Monday.  —  Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed the addendum, dated Tuesday.
New York Times:
I.R.S. to Drop Audits of Trump and Family  —  As part of the Justice Department's compensation fund deal, officials vowed not to pursue any matters, including those involving President Trump's tax returns, that are pending.  —  The Justice Department has granted President Trump …
CNN:
New settlement term bars IRS from investigating Trump, his family for past tax issues  —  IRS barred from investigating Trump or his family for past tax issues, as part of controversial lawsuit agreement  —  Trump says strikes on Iran were imminent Blanche, pressed on Epstein, says: 'He's dead'
Punchbowl News:
5/20/26☀️ AM: … With less than 24 weeks until Election Day, President Donald Trump seems almost maniacally focused on doing and saying things that could harm Republicans' chances of keeping their House and Senate majorities in November.  —  With voters saying they're frightened …
Ryan J. Reilly / NBC News:   John Adams quote projected on DOJ building in protest of $1.8B fund
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Trump's Angry Jan. 6 Tirade Accidentally Hands Dems Midterm Weapon
New York Times:
I.R.S. Prohibited From Pursuing Audits of Trump and His Family
Politico:
Trump's $1.8 billion ‘lawfare’ fund is making Republicans nervous
Liz Dye / Public Notice:   Trump's $1.8b slush fund could turn into giant can of worms
NBC News:   Longtime Trump ally Michael Caputo files first known claim for ‘anti-weaponization’ fund
Bloomberg Law:
DOJ Anti-Weaponization Fund Lacks Safeguards From Past Programs
Discussion: The Hill and NewsMax.com
Jenna Monnin / NOTUS:
Trump's Anti-Weaponization Fund Gets Its First Applicant
Discussion: Raw Story
Torrie Herrington / NOTUS:
IRS ‘Forever Barred’ From Investigating Trump After DOJ Expands Settlement
Sarah Fortinsky / The Hill:
Trump scores major victory with Massie's primary defeat in Kentucky  —  Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) is projected to lose his Kentucky House primary race to President Trump-endorsed challenger Ed Gallrein, according to Decision Desk HQ, a major victory for the president in his bid to oust Republican lawmakers who openly defy him.
RELATED:
Minnah Arshad / Zeteo:
BREAKING: Thomas Massie Loses Primary in Big Win for Trump and AIPAC  —  Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie lost his bid for re-election on Tuesday, falling to a Trump-backed challenger after pro-Israel donors poured millions into the race to depose the seven-term MAGA defector, making it the most expensive House primary on record.
Lisa Kashinsky / Politico:
Trump picks off Massie in Kentucky
New York Times:
Republican Senators Are Livid at Trump's Endorsement of Paxton
Henry J. Gomez / NBC News:
Trump-backed Andy Barr wins GOP nomination for Mitch McConnell's Senate seat in Kentucky
NOTUS:
Trump's Paxton Endorsement Sends Shockwaves Through Senate Republicans
Stephen Groves / Associated Press:
Senate advances bill aimed at ending Iran war as Cassidy, after primary loss, flips to support it  —  The Senate advanced legislation Tuesday that seeks to force President Donald Trump to withdraw from the Iran war, as a growing number of Republicans defied the president's wishes.
RELATED:
Layla A. Jones / Talking Points Memo:
Raffensperger, Who Wouldn't Steal Election For Trump, Loses Governor Race to Two Election Denialists  —  In 2020, Georgia stood out: a red state in which top officials bucked President Trump's demand to overturn his election loss.  —  Tuesday's GOP primaries suggested Georgia's relative independence …
Alec Hernandez / Politico:
Another Trump enemy falls as Brad Raffensperger loses Georgia primary
NBC News:
Senate advances resolution to end Iran war as GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy flips to support it
Erin Doherty / Politico:
Keisha Lance Bottoms wins Democratic nomination for governor in Georgia
Bloomberg:
US Senate Signals Rising Opposition to Trump's War in Iran
Connor O'Brien / Politico:
Senate advances anti-Iran war measure in surprise blow to Trump
The Colorado Sun:
Jared Polis says his Tina Peters decision “will be remembered fondly,” despite growing outrage  —  Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday said he doesn't regret his decision to commute the prison sentence of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, despite widespread condemnation from Democrats …
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Google Search as you know it is over  —  The era of the “ten blue links” is officially over.  —  Google unveiled on Tuesday an AI-powered overhaul of Search centered around a reimagined “intelligent search box” — what the company describes as the biggest change to this entry point …
New York Times:
Early War Goal Was to Install Hard Line Former President as Iran's Leader  —  An Israeli strike designed to free Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from house arrest in Tehran, U.S. officials said, was part of an effort to bring about regime change and put him in power.  —  Days after Israeli strikes …
David Gilbert / Wired:
Election Officials Are Getting Ready for ICE to Show Up at the Polls  —  The Trump administration keeps threatening to send federal agents to oversee elections.  State and local officials are preparing, and even gaming out what happens if they're arrested.  —  Last week, as President Donald …
Ben Berkowitz / Axios:
All 50 states top $4 a gallon gas as Iran impacts linger  —  All 50 states have average gas prices above $4 a gallon, AAA said Wednesday, with seven now topping $5 a gallon. … - California is the nation's high, at $6.15 per gallon, while Georgia is the lowest at $4.01 a gallon.
Shannon Butler / WFTV:
Former ‘gay cure’ ministry leader Alan Chambers charged in underage sex sting  —  DEPUTIES SAY ALAN CHAMBERS COMMUNICATED FOR MONTHS WITH SOMEONE HE BELIEVED WAS A 14-YEAR-OLD BOY  —  ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A former leader of an Orlando-based ministry that claimed for years it could cure homosexuality …
Discussion: PinkNews, RNS and Advocate
Kim Dong-ha / The Chosun Daily:
South Korean Tanker Exits Hormuz Strait Without Fees  —  South Korea's largest shipping company, HMM, reported that its ultra-large crude carrier, the *Universal Winner*, successfully exited the Strait of Hormuz on the 20th (local time), which Iran has effectively blockaded.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Reuters:
Tankers exit Hormuz as Trump, Vance talk up Iran deal prospects
Discussion: CoinDesk, Al Jazeera and NewsMax.com
Washington Examiner:
Trump's slush fund is no better than Obama's
Holly Baxter / The Independent:
Trump called a sudden, urgent press conference. What followed was a fever dream
Discussion: The Hill
Washington Post:
Intelligence official Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, a Gabbard ally, leaves two jobs
Discussion: Raw Story
 Earlier Items: 
Dan Diamond / Washington Post:
House GOP resurrects Trump's plan for year-round daylight saving time
Patrick McNeil / nomination notes:
Eight Democrats vote to confirm a lifetime judge who wouldn't say Biden won in 2020
Discussion: Mediaite
 

 
From Techmeme:

Matthew Sparkes / New Scientist:
Levent Alpöge, a mathematician who works at Anthropic, says he was able to disprove the 87-year-old Jacobian conjecture with the help of Fable 5

Kate Conger / New York Times:
Google's AI Search is endangering the open web; Cloudflare: between June 2025 and April 2026, human traffic to sites of businesses in many industries fell ~40%

Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai / TechCrunch:
Cybersecurity companies say hackers are exploiting vulnerable WordPress versions to take over websites; WordPress patched two critical security flaws last week
 
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