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6:20 PM ET, May 16, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
NBC News:
Conservatives block Trump agenda bill from advancing in major setback for GOP leaders  —  The House Budget Committee voted down the massive party-line package, with a critical band of Republicans pushing for deeper spending cuts.  —  WASHINGTON — The GOP-led House Budget Committee voted …
RELATED:
CNN:
Supreme Court blocks Trump from restarting Alien Enemies Act deportations  —  The Supreme Court on Friday blocked President Donald Trump from moving forward with deportations under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act for a group of immigrants in northern Texas, siding with Venezuelans who feared …
The Hill:
GOP fiscal hawks sink key vote on Trump ‘big, beautiful bill’  —  Fiscal hawks on the House Budget Committee on Friday sunk a key vote on advancing the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” that encompasses President Trump's legislative agenda, marking a stunning setback for the legislation.
Wall Street Journal:
Conservatives Block GOP Tax Megabill, Demand Changes
Jacob Knutson / Democracy Docket:   SCOTUS Says Trump Violated Venezuelan Migrants' Rights With Attempted Removals
Politico:
Supreme Court extends block on Trump's deportation bid under Alien Enemies Act
Discussion: CBS News and Raw Story
Lawrence Hurley / NBC News:
Supreme Court rules Trump administration must give Venezuelans more time to challenge deportation under Alien Enemies Act
Mike Allen / Axios:
Happy Friday afternoon! Today's newsletter, edited by Sam Baker, is 559 words, a 2-min. read. Thanks to Carolyn DiPaolo for copy editing.
Discussion: Reuters
Politico:
$40,000 SALT offer discussed with megabill holdouts
Discussion: The Hill and Raw Story
Mark Sherman / Associated Press:
Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to resume quick deportations of Venezuelans under 18th-century law
Politico:
House budget panel rejects GOP megabill amid conservative opposition
CNN:
Former FBI Director James Comey is being interviewed by the US Secret Service  —  Former FBI Director James Comey was escorted by US Secret Service agents to their Washington Field Office on Friday afternoon for an interview, according to law enforcement sources.
RELATED:
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
I Called the Constitution Police and They Say You're Going to Jail  —  We were going to lead off today with a joke about the faux MAGA outrage over an Instagram post from former FBI Director James Comey, who had posted a picture reading “86 47,” which some were ridiculously characterizing as a call to assassinate the president.
Discussion: Washington Post and HuffPost
Washington Post:
Comey under investigation for ‘threat’ to Trump on social media, officials say
Rachel Treisman / NPR:
James Comey is under investigation for his ‘8647’ Instagram post. What does it mean?
Alex Gangitano / The Hill:
Trump: Comey post ‘meant assassination’
Jose Pagliery / NOTUS:
DOGE Is Now Targeting GAO, and the Congressional Agency Is Fighting Back  —  “We are not subject to DOGE or executive orders,” GAO staff were told in an internal email sent Friday.  — Copy  —  Elon Musk's DOGE team is now starting to target government agencies outside of the executive branch …
RELATED:
Chris Geidner / Law Dork:
Breaking: DOGE sought access to Congress's watchdog  —  Congress's watchdog told the Trump administration to stay away on Friday.  —  Law Dork has learned that, in the aftermath of recent Trump administration efforts to upend the leadership at the Library of Congress, officials …
NPR:
DOGE tried assigning a team to the Government Accountability Office.  It refused  —  The Department of Government Efficiency is continuing its attempts to expand its reach beyond executive branch agencies, this time seeking to embed in an independent legislative watchdog that finds waste, fraud and abuse in the government.
Heather Richards / Politico:   GAO rejects DOGE attempt to land at congressional watchdog agency
Politico:
The Biden question hanging over the 2028 field  —  Some Democrats argue their leaders aren't owning up to the truth about Biden — and risk keeping the issue alive indefinitely.  —  Joe Biden may have cost Democrats the White House in 2024.  Their inability to admit it, some Democrats fear, could hobble them in 2028.
RELATED:
Steve Schale / The Bulwark:   I Worked for Joe Biden. I Love Joe Biden. He Must Rethink His Post-Presidency.
Ron Filipkowski / Meidas+:   Dems Must Not Let Media Make 2026/28 About Biden
Matt Wirz / Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Loses Last Triple-A Credit Rating  —  Moody's downgrades the U.S. government, citing large fiscal deficits and rising interest costs  —  The U.S. lost its last triple-A credit rating.  —  Moody's Ratings downgraded the U.S. government on Friday, citing large fiscal deficits and rising interest costs.
RELATED:
New York Times:
Moody's Downgrades U.S. Credit Rating Below Triple-A
Discussion: Reuters
Wall Street Journal:
DHS Is Considering Reality Show Where Immigrants Compete for Citizenship  —  'This isn't ‘The Hunger Games’ for immigrants,' says the producer behind the pitch  —  The Department of Homeland Security is considering being part of a television show in which immigrants would compete …
RELATED:
Isabel Van Brugen / The Daily Beast:   Producer Swears ICE Reality Show for Citizenship Won't Be a Complete Dystopian Nightmare
Stephen I. Vladeck / New York Times:
The ‘Modest’ Ruling That Could Kneecap Our Legal System  —  It is often difficult to persuade anyone other than lawyers to care about the more technical, procedural minutiae of Supreme Court decisions.  But Thursday's oral argument in three Supreme Court cases challenging President Trump's efforts …
NBC News:
Trump administration working on plan to move 1 million Palestinians to Libya  —  Details are murky and no final agreement has been reached, but the plan is under serious enough consideration that the administration has discussed it with Libyan leadership.  —  The Trump administration …
Discussion: Reuters
NBC News:
Trump attorneys draw judge's ire by saying ‘state secrets’ keep them from sharing details on Abrego Garcia's return  —  U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said the government's refusal to provide certain information in the case has been “an exercise in utter frustration.”
Tony Romm / New York Times:
G.O.P. Tax Bill May Hurt the Lowest Earners and Help the Richest  —  Even though most Americans may see lower taxes, Republicans' spending cuts could outweigh those benefits and leave some worse off.  —  As Representative Jason Smith commenced a marathon session this week to consider …
New Jersey Globe:
McIver set to be charged over Delaney Hall incident  —  Habba could announce charges against Newark Democrat as early as today  —  The Justice Department plans to bring charges against Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-Newark) following a scuffle with federal immigration agents last week …
Adrian Carrasquillo / The Bulwark:
Exclusive: Trump's Losing the Latino Voters He Won in '24  —  DONALD TRUMP'S SUPPORT AMONG LATINO VOTERS, including those who voted for him in 2024, is fracturing, a new poll shared exclusively with The Bulwark found.  —  The poll by Equis Research, a Democratic group …
Discussion: New Republic
Reuters:
Exclusive: US aid cuts leave food for millions mouldering in storage  —  Food rations that could supply 3.5 million people for a month are mouldering in warehouses around the world because of U.S. aid cuts and risk becoming unusable, according to five people familiar with the situation.
Discussion: The Dispatch
Rolling Stone:
Sean Combs Allies Are Actively Working for a Trump Pardon  —  Longtime Combs associates have spent months cozying up to Trump officials to lay groundwork for clemency pleas … It may be on to something.  —  Combs, who was charged last September, is currently on trial in the Southern District …
Josh Meyer / USA Today:
FBI moving 1,500 personnel from D.C., closing storied headquarters building: Patel  —  WASHINGTON − FBI Director Kash Patel announced in a Fox News broadcast Friday that he's redeploying 1,500 FBI agents, analysts and other personnel from Washington to posts throughout the country …
Paul Krugman:
The Trade War Isn't Over  —  Monday morning I woke up to an urgent text from Robin, who is still visiting friends in Europe: “You have to look at the news NOW.”  Sure enough, Donald Trump had suddenly slashed his tariff on China from 145 percent to 30 percent.
Discussion: The Hill and CBS News
 
 
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 More Items: 
Hassan Ali Kanu / Politico:
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to allow mass layoffs of federal workers
Washington Post:
Consumers are getting hit by surprise tariff bills
Diane Taylor / The Guardian:
Senior faith leaders urge Starmer to tone down migration rhetoric
Discussion: The New European
 Earlier Items: 
Default:
The Law Firms' Deals with Trump are Even Riskier Than They Seem
Discussion: Politico and New York Times
Associated Press:
Russia-Ukraine peace talks end after less than 2 hours
Anna Merlan / Mother Jones:
The Hyper-Aggressive, Comically Loyal Government Flacks Who Talk Like Trump
Discussion: Grabien
New York Times:
9 Federally Funded Scientific Breakthroughs That Changed Everything
Charlotte Klein / New York Magazine:
The Opinion That Ate the Paper
Discussion: City & State New York
Wall Street Journal:
Donors Promised ‘VIP Experience’ to Military Events With Trump
Discussion: Daily Kos and CBS News
 

 
From Mediagazer:

CNBC:
The WNBA and E.W. Scripps renew their media rights deal, ensuring Friday night WNBA matchups will continue on Ion, along with a new weekly studio show

Kaitlin Washburn / Chicago Sun Times:
The Chicago Tribune is offering buyouts to the newsroom's 75 union members; the newsroom last went through buyouts in 2021, when nearly 40 people left

Todd Spangler / Variety:
Vox Media Union says it has reached a tentative three-year agreement with Vox Media, averting a strike

 
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