memeorandum

8:50 AM ET, April 20, 2026

Top Items:

Live updates: US seizure of Iranian ship near Strait of Hormuz casts doubt on fresh ceasefire talks — EDITED BY BRIDGET BROWN, BRIAN P. D. HANNON AND HRVOJE HRANJSKI — China's Xi calls for Strait of Hormuz to stay open — It is the first time that Chinese President Xi Jinping …

Discussion: Bloomberg, The Hill, Straight Arrow News, The Economist, The Guardian, France 24 and Middle East Monitor

Garrett Downs / CNBC:

U.S. struck, seized Iranian-flagged ship Touska in Gulf of Oman, Trump says … A U.S Navy guided missile destroyer fired on and disabled an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman before Marines boarded and seized the vessel, President Donald Trump said Sunday.

Reuters:

Ceasefire at risk after US seizes Iranian ship, Iran shuns peace talks — A ceasefire between the United States and Iran appeared in jeopardy on Monday after the U.S. said it had seized an Iranian cargo ship that tried to run its blockade and Tehran vowed to retaliate, refusing for now to join new peace talks.

Discussion: The Hill, The Guardian, NPR, WAGA-TV, The Aviationist, Al Jazeera, Associated Press and WXIA-TV

New York Times:
Iran War Live Updates: U.S. Attacks Iranian Cargo Ship While Preparing for New Round of Talks

Discussion: The Left Hook with Wajahat Ali, The Free Press, CNBC, Axios, Los Angeles Times, The Mahablog and Washington Post

NBC News:

Justice Department demands Michigan county turn over 2024 ballots — Michigan Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel dismissed the latest election inquiry from the Trump administration as “absurd” and “baseless.” — The Justice Department has demanded Wayne County, Michigan …

Discussion: Fox News, New York Times, CNN, Democracy Docket, NewsMax.com and Joe.My.God.

Brentin Mock / Democracy Docket:

FBI Director says arrests ‘coming soon’ on 2020 rigged election conspiracy — FBI director Kash Patel said that his agency will soon make arrests - maybe this week - in connection to the 2020 presidential election, which he claims was rigged. — Patel's comments on Fox News anchor Maria …

Discussion: PJ Media, The Independent, Washington Times and Mediaite

Jacob Wendler / Politico:
Trump DOJ redoubling election scrutiny efforts

Discussion: Detroit Free Press, Washington Post, Washington Examiner and The Gateway Pundit

New York Times:

Iran War Live Updates: Iran Vows Retaliation for U.S. Attack on Cargo Ship — President Trump said that a U.S. Navy destroyer had fired on an Iran-flagged vessel that was trying to evade a blockade. He also said an American delegation was heading to Pakistan for more peace talks …

Discussion: Bloomberg, France 24, Business Insider, Semafor, Washington Times and Politico

Politico:

Trump's inconvenient truth — With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco, Irie Sentner and Makayla Gray — Good Monday morning. This is Jack Blanchard, fresh off a sun-baked weekend in beautiful West Virginia, where the kids hunted for salamanders in an icy mountain lake and your author discovered the joys of hot pepper jelly.

Discussion: Raw Story

Punchbowl News:
4/20/26☀️ AM: … The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, and oil prices are nearing $100 per barrel again.

Discussion: The Hill, MS NOW and Semafor

NBC News:

8 children killed in Louisiana mass shooting — The alleged gunman, who is related to some of the children, was killed after a vehicle chase, according to police. — Eight children were killed in a mass shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Sunday morning, according to police.

New York Times:
Haunted by ‘Dark Thoughts,’ Louisiana Father Kills 8 Children

Discussion: New York Post, Associated Press, CNN, Forbes, Mediaite, CBS News, Washington Post, The Hill, Metro.co.uk and Breitbart

KTBS:
SPD, LSP investigating fatal mass shootings involving 8 children in Cedar Grove; victims identifiedNEW!

Discussion: Townhall, New York Post, International Business Times, CNN, Deseret News, Raw Story, Associated Press and CBS News

New York Times:

Trump Administration to Begin Refunding $166 Billion in Tariffs — The government will debut a system to repay importers two months after the Supreme Court struck down tariffs at the heart of the president's trade policy. — When President Trump unveiled his sprawling global tariffs last spring …

Discussion: Fox News, France 24, The Guardian, Fox Business, WTTG-TV, American Prospect, UPI and Semafor

Axios:
What to know about tariff refund site that's set to go live Monday

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Associated Press, Joe.My.God. and Newsweek

Wall Street Journal:

U.A.E. Asks U.S. About a Wartime Financial Lifeline — Emirati officials speak with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about accessing dollars if Middle East conflict drags on — WASHINGTON—The United Arab Emirates has opened talks with the U.S. about obtaining a financial backstop in case …

Discussion: Bloomberg, HuffPost and Mediaite

María Paula Mijares Torres / Bloomberg:
UAE in Talks With US for Possible Financial Lifeline, WSJ Says

Discussion: Politico and ABC News

Nate Cohn / New York Times:

Why a Democratic Senate, Once Unthinkable, Is a Real Possibility — Helped by a favorable national environment and strong candidate recruitment, Democrats are tied or ahead in four Republican-held seats, polls show. — At the start of the 2026 election cycle, the Senate looked far out of reach for the Democrats.

Discussion: New York Magazine and Politico

New York Times:
Democrats Eye a Broader Battlefield to Capture Congress in November

Discussion: Daily Kos and Politico

New York Times:

Energy Secretary Says Gas Prices May Stay Above $3 Until 2027 — Secretary of Energy Chris Wright's acknowledgment in a TV interview undercut President Trump's earlier claim that price increases would be “short-term.” — Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said on Sunday that gasoline prices …

Discussion: The Guardian, Newsweek, The Independent, Crooked Media, NewsMax.com, MS NOW, Washington Examiner, CNBC, Washington Times, The Hill, New York Post, Bloomberg and Axios

Ben Geman / Axios:
Oil prices jump after Strait of Hormuz setbacks

Discussion: Associated Press, WAGA-TV, Newsweek and KDFX-TV

Washington Examiner:15 minutes ago

Universities cannot survive as left-wing echo chambers — Trust in higher education is near an all-time low, and a new Yale University report suggests colleges have only themselves to blame. — In addition to problems such as high prices, opaque admissions processes, and declining academic standards …

Will Bunch / The Philadelphia Inquirer: Why Yale's term paper on what's wrong with college gets a ‘D-’

Emma Whitford / Inside Higher Ed:NEW!

Faculty Defect From Texas Publics, Citing Censorship Concerns — Fed up with the state's censoring of Plato, Joan of Arc and Romeo and Juliet, humanities professors are leaving Texas public institutions in pursuit of academic freedom. — Texas A&M philosophy professor Martin Peterson …

Nick Marsh / BBC:

The insider trading suspicions looming over Trump's presidency — Throughout US President Donald Trump's second term in office, traders have been betting millions of dollars just before he makes major announcements. — The BBC has examined trade volume data on several financial markets …

Discussion: Raw Story and Joe.My.God.

Wall Street Journal:

Hegseth's Feud With Army Secretary Spills Into Public View — Spat comes as the military faces unprecedented commitments around the world — Soon after his first day at the Pentagon in early 2025, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll walked into his boss's office with a proposal.

Bloomberg:15 minutes ago

Fed Pick Warsh to Face Senate Grilling With Confirmation in Limbo — Kevin Warsh has for years accused the Federal Reserve of losing its way and said it's in desperate need of “regime change.” — Now, as President Donald Trump's pick to be the next Fed leader, Warsh will have the opportunity …

Discussion: NewsMax.com

Russell Contreras / Axios:

The pope's English fuels a Trump feud — Escalating tensions between Pope Leo XIV and President Trump may hinge on something unusually simple: the pope doesn't need a translator. … - Without that layer, Leo's comments land more directly in the American media ecosystem and to American Catholics …

Discussion: Raw Story

Gary Fields / Associated Press:

With no end in sight to their deployment, National Guard troops roam Washington — The cherry blossoms draw more than a million visitors to Washington's Tidal Basin annually. This year was no different, except some strolling the area between the Lincoln Memorial and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial …

MS NOW:

‘Most important speech...that should never have been given’: Fmr Judge pans SCOTUS justice's remarks — At a recent event, the conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas delivered a grievance-soaked address that argued that progressivism is incompatible with the Declaration of Independence.

Discussion: Raw Story and Salon

Steve Vladeck / One First:

221. Chief Justice Roberts and the Clean Power Plan — Remarkable reporting from the New York Times provides a peek behind the curtain of the February 2016 rulings that ushered in the modern emergency docket. And what it reveals is pretty discouraging. — Welcome back to “One First,” …

Discussion: Divided Argument, MS NOW, Law Dork and RedState