Check out Mini-memeorandum for simple mobiles or memeorandum Mobile for modern smartphones.
11:25 AM ET, May 16, 2025

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Julia Ornedo / The Daily Beast:
Kristi Noem Wants Migrants to Compete for Citizenship on New Reality Show  —  LET THE GAMES BEGIN  —  A Homeland Security official told the Daily Beast that the show is in the early stages of vetting, though approval has not been given—or denied.  —  Kristi Noem reportedly wants …
RELATED:
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 …
Discussion: The Hill and Newsweek
Washington Post:
Comey under investigation for ‘threat’ to Trump on social media, officials say  —  The Trump administration accused the former FBI director of insinuating a call to violence in his Instagram post, which he denied.  —  Trump administration officials said Thursday that they would investigate …
RELATED:
Josh Meyer / USA Today:
Secret Service investigating ex-FBI Director James Comey's ‘8647’ Instagram post  —  WASHINGTON — U.S. law enforcement officials said on May 15 that they were looking into a social media post by former FBI Director James Comey depicting an image of “8647,” which some Trump supporters interpreted …
Alex Gangitano / The Hill:
Trump: Comey post ‘meant assassination’
The Bulwark:
I Called the Constitution Police and They Say You're Going to Jail
Discussion: HuffPost, New Republic and Raw Story
Nnamdi Egwuonwu / NBC News:
Former FBI Director James Comey under investigation for post seen as a potential threat to Trump's life
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:
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
RELATED:
Taiwo Adebayo / Associated Press:
Children die as USAID aid cuts snap a lifeline for the world's most malnourished
Discussion: Asterisk Magazine
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 …
RELATED:
Slate:
The Supreme Court May Pick the Worst Possible Case to Cede More Power to Trump
Wall Street Journal:
Donors Promised ‘VIP Experience’ to Military Events With Trump  —  Top donors to a committee supporting events celebrating America's 250th birthday will receive special access to a military parade and other festivities  —  Donors are being offered a “dedicated VIP experience” …
RELATED:
RELATED:
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
Trump's firing of FEMA director unsettles GOP senators
Discussion: Raw Story
Andrew Tangel / Wall Street Journal:
This Air-Traffic Controller Just Averted a Midair Collision.  Now He's Speaking Out.  —  Jonathan Stewart says controllers didn't walk off the job after recent FAA equipment outages; 'I don't want to be responsible for killing 400 people'  —  MALVERN, Pa.—Jonathan Stewart …
Discussion: New York Post, NPR and Fox Business
Sarah Mervosh / New York Times:
Some Republicans Push to Put School Desegregation Officially in the Past  —  Louisiana officials want to overturn the remaining federal desegregation orders in their state.  They may find allies in the Trump administration.  —  Republican leaders in Louisiana are pushing to end the last remnants …
Discussion: Plain Dealer and Raw Story
Associated Press:
Russia-Ukraine peace talks end after less than 2 hours  —  The first direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine since the early weeks of Moscow's 2022 invasion ended Friday after less than two hours, and a senior Ukrainian official said the Russian side introduced new “unacceptable demands.”
RELATED:
Jo Black / BBC:
Cut-price Magna Carta ‘copy’ now believed genuine  —  A manuscript once considered an unofficial copy of Magna Carta is now believed to be a genuine version and “one of the world's most valuable documents”, according to UK academics.  —  Harvard Law School paid $27.50 (then about £7) …
Anna Merlan / Mother Jones:
The Hyper-Aggressive, Comically Loyal Government Flacks Who Talk Like Trump  —  Spokespeople are defending the administration in a language pioneered by the president.  —  In March, Axios reported that Donald Trump's Oval Office had begun to resemble an Oscar night gift suite …
Washington Post:
Big U.S. cities grew in 2024, reversing covid-era population declines  —  Census Bureau data found most major cities increased in population, reversing a downward trend sparked by pandemic deaths and people fleeing for smaller towns.  —  Populations in major American cities have bounced …
Discussion: Oregonian
Charlotte Klein / New York Magazine:
The Opinion That Ate the Paper  —  Under Kathleen Kingsbury, the Times' “Opinion” section has doubled in size.  What kind of publication is she building?  —  In the summer of 2020, as James Bennet, the head of the New York Times' “Opinion” section, was being forced to resign, his deputy …
Mark Olalde / ProPublica:
Trump Asked EPA Employees to Snitch on Colleagues Working on DEI Initiatives.  They Declined.  —  EPA staff didn't use a tip line set up by the Trump administration to identify and assist in slashing programs focused on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.
Discussion: Chicago Tribune and USA Today
New York Times:
Trump Administration Fires Hundreds of Voice of America Employees  —  The layoffs amounted to over a third of the media organization's staff, and came as the Trump administration put up for sale the federal building in Washington that houses the network.  —  The Trump administration …
Kaanita Iyer / CNN:
CNN to air George Clooney's ‘Good Night, and Good Luck’ Broadway play live on June 7  —  CNN will exclusively televise actor George Clooney's record-breaking Broadway show “Good Night, and Good Luck,” on Saturday, June 7, the network announced Thursday.  —  The limited-run play's penultimate performance …
Teo Armus / Washington Post:
Afrikaner resettled by Jewish-affiliated group denies antisemitism claims  —  Charl Kleinhaus, one of about 60 Afrikaners resettled as refugees under an executive order, said his social media posts were being taken out of context.  —  Just two days after arriving in the United States …
Jonathan Martin / Politico:
‘No Way to Run a Two-Car Parade Let Alone the House’  —  Coastal Republicans express anger at red-state leaders who won't help them with SALT deductions.  —  The boiling internal GOP debate that's holding up President Donald Trump's self-declared “big, beautiful” bill isn't over the deductibility …
Scott Neuman / NPR:
Man who attacked author Salman Rushdie is sentenced to 25 years in prison  —  Hadi Matar, the man who severely injured novelist Salman Rushdie in a 2022 stabbing attack, was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison — the maximum for attempted murder, according to The Associated Press.
New York Times:
9 Federally Funded Scientific Breakthroughs That Changed Everything  —  The U.S. is slashing funding for scientific research, after decades of deep investment.  Here's some of what those taxpayer dollars created.  —  Science seldom works in straight lines.
Discussion: UPI
Brett Wilkins / Common Dreams:
2nd-Place Runner in High School Race Rips Maine GOP Lawmaker for Attacking Trans Winner  —  A high school runner in Maine who finished second to a transgender competitor at a recent track meet said this week that a Republican state lawmaker's “hateful” crusade targeting trans athletes …
Greg Olear / PREVAIL:
Ramble On: Sadness and the Sinking Ship (video)  —  Here is today's morning ramble:  —  Every piece at PREVAIL is free to read and always will be.  No paywalls, ever.  Your generous support keeps it that way.  Thank you!  —  And here is the transcript, edited for clarity:  —  Good morning.
Lawrence Ukenye / Politico:
House GOP's pension overhaul could hurt congressional staff  —  A plan from House Republicans to overhaul the federal government's pension program to pay for President Donald Trump's “big, beautiful bill” would hit lawmakers and congressional staffers in their own wallets.
Hailey Fuchs / Politico:
House Judiciary to examine New Jersey ICE facility incident  —  Lawmakers will hold a hearing next week on “Threats to ICE Operations,” in the latest escalation from the GOP after a chaotic protest at a New Jersey Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility that involved three House Democrats.
Discussion: American Greatness
Eric Tucker / Associated Press:
The FBI is disbanding one of its public corruption squads in its Washington office, AP sources say  —  The FBI is disbanding a squad in its Washington field office that investigates allegations of fraud and public corruption against members of Congress and other federal officials, people familiar with the matter said Thursday.
Heather Vogell / ProPublica:
After Two SpaceX Explosions, U.K. Officials Ask FAA to Change Starship Flight Plans  —  ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.  Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published.  —  Update, May 15, 2025: This story has been updated to reflect …
 
 
 Archived Page Info: 
This is a snapshot of memeorandum at 11:25 AM ET, May 16, 2025.

View the current page or another snapshot:


 
 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: 
Politico:
House Budget forging ahead with megabill markup
Discussion: CNN, The Hill and Roll Call
McKay Coppins / The Atlantic:
The Visionary of Trump 2.0 … The opening act of Donald Trump's second term was defined …
Discussion: The Guardian and Salon
Kate Sullivan / Bloomberg:
Gold Palaces, Jet Deals and McDonald's: Trump at Home in Middle East
Discussion: Associated Press
Timothy P. Carney / Washington Examiner:
America needs more stay-at-home parents
Stephen Robinson / Public Notice:
The bribe in the sky  —  🛫 ☁️ 🛬 With corporate outlets obeying in advance …
 Earlier Items: 
Tal Axelrod / Axios:
Why Trump's second 100 days matter more
Punchbowl News:
5/16/25 ☀️ AM:  —  House GOP pushes Bondi on Trump enemies  —  Johnson hits the wall
Discussion: RedState
Matthew Gault / 404 Media:
Why Did Grok Start Talking About ‘White Genocide’?
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Jody Godoy / Reuters:
The FTC approves Omnicom's $13.5B acquisition of rival Interpublic on the condition that the new company does not boycott platforms over political content

Lauren Wolfe / Committee to Protect Journalists:
Russia frees Ukrainian journalist Vladislav Yesypenko, detained since March 2021, and Belarus frees Belarusian journalist Ihar Karnei, detained since July 2023

Ben Smith / Semafor:
Steve Bannon launches a fierce public challenge against Fox News for its pro-war stance on Iran, accusing it of propaganda and calling for a FARA investigation

 
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