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12:45 PM ET, May 14, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Washington Post:
White House eased China tariffs after warnings of harm to 'Trump's people'  —  The president has backtracked repeatedly on his tariff policies, creating a whiplash with downsides and few clear benefits so far.  —  Some of the president's top aides saw an opening.
RELATED:
New Republic:
Trump Tariff Fiasco Worsens as Brutal New Reports Expose a Fresh Scam  —  The White House has been boasting that President Trump's partial pause in the trade war with China is a historic breakthrough.  But two new reports, one from The New York Times and the other from the nonliberal Wall …
Amanda Marcotte / Salon:
Ben Shapiro is cracking under the pressure to shill for Trump  —  Pointless trade wars and $400 million jet bribes make it hard for Trump sycophants to cape for the MAGA messiah  —  No one was more relieved than Daily Wire commentator Ben Shapiro when Donald Trump announced a 90-day “pause” on Chinese tariffs.
David E. Sanger / New York Times:
In High-Stakes Negotiations, Trump's Opponents Are Learning His Patterns
Discussion: Politico
Steve Benen / MSNBC:
Among the problems with Trump's ‘free’ luxury jet from Qatar: It's not actually free  —  Even if the jet from Qatar were free, this arrangement would still be a legal and ethical mess.  But the free plane also wouldn't be free.  —  On Sunday night, as the public first learned …
RELATED:
Ewan Palmer / The Daily Beast:
Carville Lectures Dems on How to Go After Trump for $400m Grift  —  ENOUGH IS ENOUGH  —  The veteran political strategist demands action on unusual deals involving the president, including the jet from Qatar.  —  James Carville is calling on Democrats to go on the offensive over what he calls the …
Wall Street Journal:
Republicans Raise Concerns Over Trump's Plane Gift as He Heads to Qatar  —  Some lawmakers flag potential security issues as the president doubles down on defending the offer, saying only a ‘fool’ would turn it down  —  WASHINGTON—Republican lawmakers on Tuesday expressed national-security concerns …
Philip Bump / Washington Post:
Conduct oversight on Trump's graft — or censure James Comer  —  House Democrats must pressure Republicans to fulfill their constitutional duties.  —  President Donald Trump arrived in the Middle East on Tuesday as the representative of two different entities.
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Democrats are deeply pessimistic about the future of their party, an AP-NORC poll finds
Discussion: IJR
Andrew Solender / Axios:   Scoop: Trump impeachment called “idiotic” in House Dem meeting
Andrew Solender / Axios:
Dems privately rage over “utterly selfish” Trump impeachment vote
Tom Dreisbach / NPR:
Multiple Trump White House officials have ties to antisemitic extremists  —  President Trump campaigned on a pledge to fight antisemitism.  —  “Antisemitic bigotry has no place in a civilized society,” Trump said at an event in 2024.  —  However, the president's critics question whether antisemitism …
Discussion: Raw Story
Associated Press:
Mexican security chief confirms cartel family members entered US in a deal with Trump administration  —  Mexico's security chief confirmed Tuesday that 17 family members of cartel leaders crossed into the U.S. last week as part of a deal between a son of the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Trump administration.
Politico:
Not much more room left for SALT, says GOP tax chief  —  House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) told reporters Wednesday there's only about $50 billion available to increase a key tax deduction sought by blue-state Republicans.  Under legislation advanced out of Ways …
RELATED:
Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
House GOP hard-liners digging in on Medicaid work requirements
J. Michael Luttig / The Atlantic:
The End of Rule of Law in America … The president of the united states appears to have long ago forgotten that Americans fought the Revolutionary War not merely to secure their independence from the British monarchy but to establish a government of laws, not of men, so that they and future generations …
Jake Pearson / ProPublica:
Musk Adviser May Make as Much as $1 Million a Year While Helping to Dismantle Agency that Regulates Tesla and X  —  ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.  Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published.  —  One of Elon Musk's employees …
ABC News:
Trump calls for new Iran nuclear deal  —  In his final open remarks during his time in Riyadh, President Donald Trump echoed his calls for a nuclear deal with Iran and again touted his closeness with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.  —  “The whole world is watching the Middle East …
RELATED:
New York Times:
Live Updates: Trump Meets With Militant Who Now Leads Syria
Jennifer Bowers Bahney / Raw Story:
‘What the holy hell?’  MAGA has a meltdown over House GOP post written in Spanish  —  MAGA Republicans are losing their minds over an innocent social media post that includes a Spanish translation, according to The Daily Beast.  —  The House Republicans' X post claimed …
Discussion: Mediaite
RELATED:
Kashmir Hill / New York Times:
The Professors Are Using ChatGPT, and Some Students Aren't Happy About It  —  Students call it hypocritical.  A senior at Northeastern University demanded her tuition back.  But instructors say generative A.I. tools make them better at their jobs.  —  In February, Ella Stapleton …
Discussion: Fortune
G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:
New poll: Americans oppose cuts to Medicaid, want Democrats to control the U.S. House  —  ...and Kamala Harris leads Donald Trump in a hypothetical 2024 rematch.  Results from the inaugural Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll … Americans broadly disapprove of the job Donald Trump is doing …
Discussion: Reuters
RELATED:
Grace Gilson / The Forward:
Half of American Jewish voters believe Trump is antisemitic, poll finds
Discussion: israelhayom.com and Raw Story
Bertrand Benoit / Wall Street Journal:
Germany Foils Alleged Russian Plot to Mail Incendiary Devices  —  The conspiracy, if confirmed, shows Moscow continues to target the West with acts of sabotage despite Trump's arrival in the White House  —  BERLIN—German police detained three men suspected of planning to mail packages laden …
Ben Jacobs / Politico:
The Republican Trainwreck of the 2026 Election Cycle  —  John Cornyn is one of the winningest politicians in Texas history.  But he might not even make it out of the GOP primary this time.  —  Sen. John Cornyn is anathema to many Republican primary voters.
RELATED:
New York Times:
We Study Fascism, and We're Leaving the U.S.  —  The decision by these three Yale professors to move to Canada is both a warning and a call to action.By Francesca Trianni and James Robinson  —  Legal residents of the United States sent to foreign prisons without due process.
Taryn Luna / Los Angeles Times:
Newsom calls for walking back free healthcare for eligible undocumented immigrants  — Facing a budget deficit, Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing changes to California's program to provide free healthcare coverage to low-income undocumented immigrants.  — The cost of coverage for immigrants …
Marist Poll:
NYC Mayor's Race, May 2025  —  Cuomo Breaks 50% in Fifth Round of Ranked Choice Voting  —  In the Democratic primary race for New York City Mayor, Andrew Cuomo is the first choice of nearly four in ten likely Democratic primary voters, including those who are undecided yet leaning toward a candidate.
NBC News:
Marco Rubio working on major changes to National Security Council  —  Under the plan, the NSC would shrink and shift from making recommendations to the president to carrying out his orders.  —  Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in his new add-on role of national security adviser …
New York Times:
Wisconsin Judge Indicted on Charges That She Helped Immigrant Evade Agents  —  Judge Hannah C. Dugan was accused of helping an undocumented immigrant elude federal agents who were waiting to arrest him outside her courtroom.  —  The Wisconsin judge arrested last month and accused of helping …
Jeff Singer / The Downballot:
Democrats just flipped Nebraska's biggest city  —  Democrat John Ewing unseated Republican Mayor Jean Stothert in Tuesday's officially nonpartisan election to lead Omaha, a victory that ends the GOP's 12-year hold on Nebraska's largest city.  —  Stothert conceded the race after 9 PM local …
New York Times:
Tiny Company With China Ties Announces Big Purchase of Trump Cryptocurrency  —  The firm, which produces content for TikTok, recorded no revenue last year, but it announced this week that a mysterious stock sale would allow it to invest heavily in the $TRUMP memecoin.
Paul Bois / Breitbart:
Ocasio-Cortez Warns: Trump Admin Will Have a ‘Problem’ if More Democrats Arrested  —  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has warned the Trump administration that they will be in for a “problem” if they arrest any more Democrats.  —  The congresswoman issued her warning in an Instagram video posted …
Discussion: The Hill and Twitchy
Liz Dye / Public Notice:
Martin's Out.  Pirro's In.  Incompetence Reigns.  —  🏛️ ⚖️ 👩🏻‍⚖️ With corporate outlets obeying in advance, supporting independent political media is more important right now than ever. … 👩🏻‍⚖️ ⚖️ 🏛️
Nicholas Wu / Politico:
Mike Johnson declares support for congressional stock trading ban  —  Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday he supports a ban on stock trading by members of Congress amid controversy about well-timed trades during recent market volatility.  “You want me to tell you my honest opinion on that?
Andrew Egger / The Bulwark:
Trump Gushes with Envy Toward the House of Saud  —  Good morning to everyone except whoever did the president's makeup today:  —  Happy Wednesday.  —  Autocrats, Kleptocrats, Plutocrats... Oh My!  —  by William Kristol  —  What a spectacle!  There they were yesterday, assembled in Riyadh …
Guy Chazan / Financial Times:
Inside the Trump administration's quiet shift on Ukraine  —  Lack of compromise by Vladimir Putin has led the US to view him as an obstacle to a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv  —  Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free  —  Your guide to what Trump's second term means for Washington, business and the world
Discussion: Semafor
Joseph Buczek / CBS News:
Michigan man, 19, accused of planning mass shooting at military base on behalf of ISIS  —  A former Michigan Army National Guard member is accused of attempting to carry out a mass shooting at a U.S. military base in Warren, Michigan, on behalf of the terrorist organization ISIS.
Zack Beauchamp / Vox:
The anti-woke right won in 2024.  Now they're turning on each other.  —  It's been a rough week in the world of the online intellectual right, which is currently in the midst of two separate yet related blowups — both of which illustrate how the pressures of power are cracking the elite coalition …
Discussion: Blaze Media
Beth Wallis / NPR:
Oklahoma education standards say students must identify 2020 election ‘discrepancies’  —  TULSA, Okla. — New academic standards in Oklahoma call for the teaching of “discrepancies” in the 2020 election results, continuing the spread of a false narrative years after it was first pushed by President Trump and his allies.
Richard Primus / The Atlantic:
Trump's Third-Term Ambitions Are Very Revealing … President Donald Trump is cagey about whether he might try to stay in office after his current term expires.  He frequently says that other people want him to do it, and the Trump Organization is selling Trump 2028 hats.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Adam Serwer / The Atlantic:
Due Process Is a Right, Not a Privilege You Get for Being Good
ProPublica:
An Agency Tasked With Protecting Immigrant Children Is Becoming an Enforcement Arm, Current and Former Staffers Say
Anders Hagstrom / Fox News:
House Democrat to introduce reparations push, declares ‘moral obligation’ to send trillions to Black Americans
Discussion: NOTUS
Brett Samuels / The Hill:
Trump's surgeon general pick pits MAGA vs. MAHA
Dan Primack / Axios:
Trump claims victory on squishy Saudi investment promises
 Earlier Items: 
Financial Times:
What has Elon Musk's Doge actually achieved?
Discussion: CBS News
Margaret Coker / ProPublica:
He Became the Face of Georgia's Medicaid Work Requirement. Now He's Fed Up With It.
Elena Giordano / Politico:
Orbán's Fidesz party proposes Russia-style crackdown on Hungary's civil society
Discussion: Telex, Reuters and Bloomberg
Washington Post:
Inside Marco Rubio's meteoric — and precarious — rise in Trumpworld
Discussion: New York Post
Jordain Carney / Politico:
Ron Johnson is threatening to tank the GOP megabill. He's been here before.
New York Times:
Trump Administration Cuts Additional $450 Million in Grants to Harvard
Don Van Natta Jr / ESPN:
Pete Rose, ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson among players reinstated by MLB
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Peter White / Deadline:
CBS says The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is ending in May 2026 and that this was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night”

Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
Ted Sarandos says The Eternaut featured the first GenAI final footage in a Netflix original and that the VFX costs would have been too high otherwise

Ted Johnson / Deadline:
Filing: Skydance CEO David Ellison and FCC Chair Brendan Carr met on July 15 to discuss the Paramount merger and “Skydance's commitment to unbiased journalism”

 
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