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10:15 AM ET, May 21, 2026

memeorandum

 Top Items: 
Glenn Thrush / New York Times:
Trump's Fund Shows Blanche Choosing Loyalty Over Pushing Back  —  Once seen by some as the most conventional of President Trump's political appointees, Todd Blanche has taken off the gloves in his new role as acting attorney general.  —  Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general …
Discussion: The Hill, CNN and Raw Story
RELATED:
Jeffrey Toobin / New York Times:
Trump Just Pardoned Himself and His Family Forever  —  For decades there have been disagreements among constitutional scholars about whether a president can pardon himself.  But Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, just gave President Trump something even better: pre-emptive exoneration …
Noah Shachtman / New York Times:
Trump Just Took Us Somewhere the Country Has Never Been Before  —  Donald Trump has been thinking a lot about his place in history.  That's one of the reasons, according to recent reporting by The Atlantic and The Times, why he's paying so little attention to his plummeting popularity …
Meryl Kornfield / Washington Post:
Trump's allies are already lining up to apply to his $1.8 billion fund  —  Jan. 6 rioters, George Santos, Mark McCloskey and Rod Blagojevich: A wide range of figures are eyeing the president's new settlement fund.  —  Summary  —  Mark McCloskey is eagerly waiting for details to emerge …
New York Times:
Trump's $1.8 Billion Slush Fund Will Benefit Criminals and the President Himself  —  Has there ever been an episode of presidential corruption so blatant and threatening to constitutional order?  Certainly not in modern times.  President Trump's Justice Department is using taxpayer money to create a $1.8 billion political slush fund.
Peter Baker / New York Times:   Trump's Government Moves to Spare an Unhappy Taxpayer Named Trump
CNN:
‘This is long overdue’: Jan. 6 rioters and election deniers celebrate Trump's $1.8 billion compensation fund
Jordain Carney / Politico:
Ballroom won't be funded after Senate GOP drops $1 billion Trump security request … And several GOP senators aired public concerns about including any ballroom funding in a bill otherwise dedicated to immigration enforcement.  A larger swath of Republicans were privately opposed …
RELATED:
Punchbowl News:
5/21/26☀️ AM: … Senate Republicans are preparing to buck President Donald Trump on two of his long-running obsessions: the White House ballroom project and the “weaponization” of federal agencies against his allies. … But Republican leaders are making clear they'd rather risk …
Politico:   Dems' midterm attack plan
New York Times:
Democrats' Midterm Strength Masks Fierce Divides and Frustration, Poll Shows  —  Democratic voters are in a combative, anti-establishment mood, unhappy with their party and disagreeing about its best path forward, a New York Times/Siena poll found.  —  The Democratic Party is entering …
RELATED:
Melody Schreiber / The Guardian:
US is ‘simply choosing not to stop’ Ebola outbreak after massive public health cuts, experts say  —  Hundreds of cases reported in the DRC after USAID has been dismantled and key scientific research canceled  —  A previously undetected outbreak of Ebola is coursing through parts of central Africa …
Discussion: New York Times, Salon and The Bulwark
RELATED:
Politico:
What Ebola and hantavirus are revealing about America's public health system
Discussion: NPR and Gothamist
Jack Healy / New York Times:
Colorado Governor Censured for Commuting Sentence of Election Denier  —  The Colorado State Democratic Party, reflecting the anger of rank-and-file Democratic voters, rebuked Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday over his decision to release Tina Peters from prison.
RELATED:
New York Times:
A $5 Million Donation From Big Tobacco Preceded F.D.A. Vape Decision  —  Reynolds American's contribution to MAGA Inc. came about one week before the Trump administration announced a new policy on e-cigarettes the company had sought.  —  The tobacco company Reynolds American donated $5 million …
Discussion: MS NOW and Raw Story
Steven Lee Myers / New York Times:
Bluesky Says Kremlin Is Hacking Its Platform to Spread Propaganda  —  The company said it was fighting Russian efforts to hijack real users' accounts to post fake content, an apparently novel tactic.  —  Ben Gilbert describes himself on Bluesky, the social media app, as an “economist …
more at Techmeme »
BBC:
Empty rooms and Fifa cancellations - US hotels fear World Cup washout  —  The World Cup was supposed to provide a tourism boom for the US, but now the fear is it may never materialise.  —  A report  —  produced by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) has found that bookings …
Discussion: WHYY, SFist and Raw Story
Steve Vladeck / One First:
Bonus 228: The $1.776B Political Question  —  President Trump's $1.776B “Anti-Weaponization” slush fund is just the latest (and gravest) move that underscores the limits of judicial remedies, and the need to reinvigorate political ones.  —  ∙ Paid  —  Every so often a story comes along …
Discussion: PBS NewsHour
Holly Otterbein / Axios:
Scoop: Fetterman's chief of staff resigns  —  Sen. John Fetterman's chief of staff resigned Wednesday, a source familiar with the move told Axios. … She became his chief of staff in 2025.  — Her official last day will be in the coming weeks.  — Fetterman, who was once a darling …
Discussion: IJR and Mediaite
CNN:
Iran rebuilding military industrial base faster than expected, already producing drones, according to US intel  —  Iran has already restarted some of its drone production during the six-week ceasefire that began in early April, one sign it is rapidly rebuilding certain military capabilities degraded …
Dan Diamond / Washington Post:
Trump officials say they can build 250-foot arch without Congress's okay  —  To build a triumphal arch near Arlington Cemetery, the administration hopes to rely on a 100-year-old authorization for a different project in the area.  —  Summary  —  The Trump administration does not plan …
Discussion: Associated Press, WUSA and Raw Story
Alex Shultz / New York Magazine:
The Man Who Explains Israel to John Fetterman … Over the last three years, Democratic Party support for Israel has undergone a dramatic reversal.  In 2024, 18 Democratic senators backed a measure to block arms sales to the country.  In April of this year, it was 40.
Lisa Needham / Public Notice:
How Hennepin County unwound an ICE agent's web of lies  —  PN is supported by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  🧠 Subscribe to PN 🧠  —  During the Trump administration's siege of Minnesota, federal agents behaved with the sort of impunity that comes …
Discussion: BLCK Press and Chicago Sun Times
Mark Hertling / The Bulwark:
The Last Full Measure, Quietly Remembered  —  FOR ME, MEMORIAL DAY ALWAYS BRINGS with it a deep contradiction.  —  I watch as most of America marks the weekend as the unofficial beginning of summer: cookouts and baseball games, long weekends, beaches, family gatherings, flags fluttering from porches …
Grace Vance / KCRG-TV:
Iowa lawmakers move to mandate students take Center for Intellectual Freedom classes amid low enrollment  —  It comes after a report found the center must require courses to boost student participation  —  IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) - University of Iowa students could soon be required to take classes …
Camille Mumford / Emerson Polling:
New York City 2026 Congressional Polling: NY-07, NY-10, NY-12  —  Home Polls New York City 2026 Congressional Polling: NY-07, NY-10, NY-12  —  New Emerson College Polling/PIX 11 surveys measure key New York City Democratic congressional primaries in New York's 7th, 10th, and 12th districts.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Zack Beauchamp / Vox:
There's more to Trump's corruption than stealing money
Gabrielle M. Etzel / Washington Examiner:
Surgeon general advisory raises concern about screen time for children and teenagers
Sanne Wass / Bloomberg:
US Opens Greenland Consulate as Unease Grows Over Trump Push
Discussion: NewsMax.com and The Hill
Bloomberg:
Xi Plans Reported North Korea Summit After Hosting Trump, Putin
ProPublica:
This Sheriff's Office Says Racial Profiling Reforms Are Too Costly. Auditors Found It Misused $163 Million.
Dave Levinthal / NOTUS:
The White House Gave an Anti-Fraud Leader a Conflict-of-Interest Waiver
Discussion: Raw Story
Jose Pagliery / NOTUS:
Tom Kean's Neighbors Haven't Seen Him Either
Discussion: Raw Story and Mediaite
 Earlier Items: 
Washington Post:
Profanity is a hallmark of Trump's second term, a Post analysis finds
Discussion: Raw Story
Matthew Cooper / Washington Monthly:
Be Thankful Barney Frank Wasn't Pushed Out in 1989
Discussion: WCVB, UPI and New York Times
Joyce Vance / Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance:
Shame and the Supreme Court
Discussion: Reuters
Ebony Davis / MS NOW:
Judge orders White House staff to comply with Presidential Records Act after DOJ calls it ‘unconstitutional’
The White House:
Presidential Message on Cuban Independence Day
Adora Brown / NOTUS:
Kari Lake Earned Tens of Thousands of Dollars From Media Side Hustles
Barak Ravid / Axios:
New Iran peace proposal triggers tense Trump-Netanyahu call
 

 
From Mediagazer:

The Hollywood Reporter:
The Sky-ITV deal raises questions about US ownership of the UK's largest commercially funded free-to-air network and a key part of its cultural landscape

Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Sources: Netflix is studying its data to see why viewers quit its shows after S1, with some shows seeing a 30%-70% S2 drop, as it faces a quarter without hits

Alice Brooker / Press Gazette:
UK left-wing news site The Canary suspends its national weekday print newspaper after two weeks, saying Lloyds closed its bank account and withheld funds
 
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