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12:45 PM ET, May 19, 2026

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Paul Krugman:
The Looting of America  —  So the Trump administration is creating a $1.776 billion slush fund — 1776, get it? — to pay off victims of “lawfare and weaponization.”  Just to be clear, if you're a U.S. taxpayer, this action means that almost $1.8 billion of your money will be handed …
Discussion: Raw Story
RELATED:
Andrew Duehren / New York Times:
Top Treasury Lawyer Resigns After Creation of ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’  —  Brian Morrissey, the department's general counsel, stepped down hours after the Trump administration announced the $1.8 billion fund.  —  The top lawyer at the Treasury Department stepped down on Monday in the wake …
Zachary Basu / Axios:
Trumpworld's presidential gold rush  —  Democrats erupted Monday over President Trump's $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund for MAGA allies who claim political persecution, vowing to investigate what they called textbook corruption. … - The taxpayer-backed fund will be overseen …
Jay Willis / Balls and Strikes:
The Trump IRS Lawsuit Settlement Will Use Your Tax Dollars to Make January 6ers Rich  —  The following paragraph includes a lot of scare quotes, but I promise that you will soon understand why: On Monday, the Justice Department announced that it had “settled” a “lawsuit” brought by President Donald Trump …
Chris Geidner / Law Dork:
Read Trump's “settlement” with the Trump admin to create a nearly $2 billion slush fund that Trump ultimately controls
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
How to Rob Taxpayers of $1.8 Billion Without Really Trying
Scott MacFarlane Reports:
“DAY AHEAD” - Senators Launch Probes of Justice Dept after Trump Establishes Fund for Convicted Criminals
Discussion: New Republic
Wall Street Journal:
See How Trump's Accounts Were Busy Trading Big Tech Stocks
Discussion: Bloomberg
CNN:
What to know about Trump's $1.8 billion taxpayer-fueled fund for his allies
David Rothkopf / The Daily Beast:
Trump's Golden Age Has Arrived—It's a Golden Age of Grift
John Towfighi / CNN:
30-year US Treasury yield hits highest level in 19 years  —  Investing The Middle East Interest rates  —  A bond rout is deepening as inflation fears take hold of the Treasury market, threatening to raise borrowing costs across the US economy.  —  The 30-year US Treasury yield just hit 5.2% …
Discussion: NewsMax.com and Reuters
Julie Watson / Associated Press:
Teenage gunmen open fire on San Diego mosque, killing 3 men and then themselves  —  Two teenage shooters opened fire at a San Diego mosque on Monday and killed three men before killing themselves a few blocks away, police said.  The attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego is being investigated …
RELATED:
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Five dead, including two teenage suspects, at San Diego mosque shooting  —  A security guard at the Islamic Center of San Diego was among those killed outside the building on Monday morning, police said  —  The San Diego Union-Tribune, TERI FIGUEROA |  The San Diego Union-Tribune and CALEB LUNETTA |
Doree Lewak / New York Post:
San Diego mosque where mass shooting left 3 dead has controversial history — including ties to 9/11 hijackers
G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:
Independents and 2024 non-voters have swung back left  —  The big story in the new NYT/Siena poll isn't Trump's 37% approval (although that's very bad) — it's a 24-point swing among persuadable voters  —  I received six emails from major news outlets on Monday asking me to comment …
RELATED:
Tamara Keith / NPR:
These men voted for President Trump. They have very different views of how he's doing
Discussion: Bloomberg
Fox News:
Unearthed posts show Dem Senate hopeful praising vulgar graffiti, making crude porta potty admission  —  GOP strategist calls the yearslong trail of posts a ‘character issue’ ahead of a potential race against Susan Collins  —  Editor's note: This story contains graphic language.
New York Times:
Trump Moves to Admit 10,000 More White South Africans as Refugees  —  The Trump administration argues that an “emergency refugee situation” in South Africa merits bringing more Afrikaners to America, at a cost of some $100 million.  —  President Trump moved ahead on Monday with plans …
RELATED:
Edward Luce / Financial Times:
America's ailing one-trick pony  —  Trump's excessive faith in military power is squarely within the US tradition  —  Count the obliterated targets.  Tally the corpses of senior leaders.  Behold America's military prowess.  By any measure, Iran has taken a pummelling.
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
Russia's War Is Going Badly—on the Ground and in the Air  —  Putin shows no signs he is rethinking his aims  —  KYIV—Ukraine's military has wrestled Russia's much-larger army almost to a halt in recent months, having gained a tactical and technological edge.
RELATED:
Bloomberg:
Ukraine Sees US Seeking Technology Transfers in Drone Deal
Discussion: NewsMax.com
Benjamin Mullin / New York Times:
Book on Truth in the Age of A.I. Contains Quotes Made Up by A.I.  —  Steven Rosenbaum, author of “The Future of Truth,” said he had started his own investigation after The New York Times asked about the fake quotes.  —  The author of a nonfiction book about the effects of artificial intelligence …
Demetri Sevastopulo / Financial Times:
Xi Jinping told Donald Trump that Putin might ‘regret’ invasion of Ukraine  —  US president also suggested they should co-operate with Russian leader against the International Criminal Court  —  Xi Jinping told Donald Trump during their talks last week that Russian President Vladimir Putin might end …
Courtney Tanner / Salt Lake Tribune:
After Sharon McMahon controversy, Utah colleges must now vote on commencement speakers  —  When author and educator Sharon McMahon was initially named this year's Utah Valley University commencement speaker, there was no official vote or debate where members of the public could weigh in.
Miranda Bryant / The Guardian:
Greenlanders are not ‘experimental subjects’, says minister as she decries US doctor's visit  —  Health minister in Nuuk condemns doctor's presence in US delegation as ‘deeply problematic’  —  Greenland's government has criticised the arrival of a US doctor in Nuuk alongside Donald Trump's special envoy …
Danielle Douglas-Gabriel / Washington Post:
Health worker shortage will worsen with federal loan limit, 25 states say in suit  —  The lawsuit comes after the Education Department finalized rules that reduce the amount of money graduate students can borrow from the federal government.  —  A coalition of 25 Democratic-led states …
New York Times:
G.O.P. Supporters Back Trump, but a Third Seek a New Direction for the Party  —  While President Trump remains overwhelmingly popular within the Republican coalition, a New York Times/Siena poll found, a sizable share wants the party's next nominee to take a different approach.
Discussion: Washington Examiner
Wall Street Journal:
The American Rebellion Against AI Is Gaining Steam  —  Booed commencement speakers, blocked data centers, plummeting poll numbers: Fast-growing industry has a faster-growing crisis  —  The only thing growing faster than the artificial-intelligence industry may be Americans' negative feelings about it …
Brian Krebs / Krebs on Security:
CISA Admin Leaked AWS GovCloud Keys on Github  —  Until this past weekend, a contractor for the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) maintained a public GitHub repository that exposed credentials to several highly privileged AWS GovCloud accounts and a large number of internal CISA systems.
NBC News:
Pentagon's internal watchdog to probe U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats  —  Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have raised concerns about the legality of the strikes.  —  WASHINGTON — The Defense Department's inspector general said Monday that it's investigating U.S. Southern Command …
NOTUS:
Trump Is Pressuring John Thune to Fire the Parliamentarian Over Ballroom Funding  —  The nonpartisan Senate adviser determined that the ballroom funding, as written, could not be included in the party-line budget bill.  — Copy  —  President Donald Trump pressed Senate Majority Leader John Thune …
 
 
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 More Items: 
Samantha Michaels / Mother Jones:
Memphis Is “Under Full-Blown Occupation” by ICE. Here's Why You May Not Know That.
Discussion: Reason
Kenny Stancil / Talking Points Memo:
Democrats Shouldn't Let Russell Vought Fly Under the Radar
Ronda Kaysen / New York Times:
Trump's Deportations Are Costing Americans Jobs
Thomas B. Edsall / New York Times:
Is There a Door No. 3 for Democrats?  —  Despite the collapse of support for President Trump …
New York Post:
Trump reveals the ‘one thing’ he and Mark Cuban have in common at TrumpRX event
Jane C. Timm / NBC News:
News organizations sue to unseal filings in DOJ's Fulton County election investigation
Discussion: Democracy Docket
Kellen Browning / New York Times:
Peltola Debuts First Television Ad in High-Profile Alaska Senate Contest
 Earlier Items: 
Bill Scher / Washington Monthly:
Democrats Have the Biggest Midterm Election Lead in May, by any Party, in 20 Years
Discussion: Sabato's Crystal Ball
Punchbowl News:
5/19/26☀️ AM: … House GOP leaders have pulled the SCORE Act from this week's …
New York Post:
Bloodthirsty Luigi Mangione fangirls unapologetically celebrate CEO's assassination: ‘F—k Brian Thompson,’ ‘His children are better off without him’
Sonia A. Rao / New York Times:
Hantavirus Patient Ordered to Stay in Quarantine Despite Desire to Leave
Discussion: Advocate
Scott Wong / NBC News:
Nancy Pelosi endorses fellow progressive Connie Chan in high-profile race to succeed her
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Jody Godoy / Reuters:
Sources: a group of US states is preparing a lawsuit against Paramount's WBD acquisition; California's AG has said his office would make a decision soon

Ted Johnson / Deadline:
Memo: Lesley Stahl, Bill Whitaker, and Jon Wertheim say they will stay at 60 Minutes as they don't want to see it die and are “working to build trust with Nick”

Daniel Thomas / Financial Times:
Q&A with BBC's Matt Brittin on the necessity of YouTube, growing the BBC's role in education and skills, streamers helping pay for public broadcasting, and more

 
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