memeorandum: Trump self-deals, lies and seems to fall asleep in meetings. The media treats it all as ‘priced in’ (Margaret Sullivan/The Guardian)

2:00 PM ET, May 22, 2026

Top Items:

Tulsi Gabbard is Preparing to Resign as U.S. Intelligence Chief — Outspoken critic of foreign interventions had largely been sidelines from Trump's national-security team — Tulsi Gabbard is preparing to step down as Director of National Intelligence, according to people familiar with the matter …

Discussion: Reuters

Fox News:

EXCLUSIVE: Tulsi Gabbard resigns from Trump Cabinet — Her husband Abraham was recently diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer, she wrote in her resignation letter — EXCLUSIVE: Tulsi Gabbard is resigning from her post as Director of National Intelligence to support …

Politico:

Tulsi Gabbard out as DNI … This is a breaking news story that will be updated.

Colby Smith / New York Times:
Trump Administration Live Updates: Tulsi Gabbard Resigns as Intelligence Chief

Discussion: CNN and Axios

G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:

The real reason Democrats lost in 2024 — My weekly Friday column is free to read, but it is not free to produce. Become a paying member today to support work like this and all the original data Strength In Numbers publishes. — Upgrade to support Strength In Numbers

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, The Daily Wire, Associated Press, The Hill, Washington Times, Fox News, Washington Examiner, Raw Story and RedState

Andrew Duehren / New York Times:
Audit Immunity for Trump Family Puts I.R.S. in a Bind

Discussion: New York Times and The Daily Wire

Politico:
‘A huge omission’: Everyone is baffled by the exclusion of Gaza in DNC autopsy

Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Hill, New York Sun, Townhall, Mother Jones, Associated Press, The Washington Free Beacon, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, New York Times, CNBC, Democratic National Committee, UPI and MS NOW

Erica Orden / Politico:

Todd Blanche pulls his most eyebrow-raising move yet — When Todd Blanche announced charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center last month, critics accused him of placating President Donald Trump in an effort to secure the attorney general job permanently.

Jamie Raskin / New York Times:

There's a Way to Stop Trump's I.R.S. Slush Fund — These days it takes a spectacular burst of corruption to get the attention of our scandal-weary nation, but President Trump and his administration have managed, once again, to transfix Americans by establishing a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” …

Discussion: CNN, CBS News and Truthout

NBC News:
Exclusive: Michael Cohen says he will apply for payments from DOJ's ‘anti-weaponization’ fund

Discussion: CBS News, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, Politico and IJR

Reuters:

Exclusive: Trump officials tried to ban half of U.S. voting machines, citing conspiracy theories — U.S. President Donald Trump's election-security czar last year sought to ban voting machines used in more than half of U.S. states by asking whether the Commerce Department could declare …

Talking Points Memo:

Their Loved Ones Died for the Voting Rights Act. The Supreme Court's Ruling Is a New Injustice. — Dennis Dahmer was 12 years old in January 1966 when Klansmen stormed his family home and set it on fire, murdering his father, Vernon. He still remembers the shootout; he remembers watching his father die from smoke inhalation.

Nikole Hannah-Jones / New York Times: The Civil Rights Era Is Collapsing Before Our Eyes

New York Times:

Lutnick Donated $5 Million to House Republicans Before Epstein Testimony — Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary, made the donation after agreeing to an interview with lawmakers about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. — Howard Lutnick, President Trump's secretary of commerce …

Ryan Quinn / Inside Higher Ed:

Science: NIH, NASA Restrict Co-Authoring With Foreign Scientists — The National Institutes of Health and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are targeting collaborations between U.S. scientists and foreign researchers, Science reports. — The journal wrote that NIH officials …

Sabrina Lam / Politico:

Trump defends ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ amid GOP blowup … President Donald Trump defended the $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” on Friday as it faces fierce bipartisan opposition on Capitol Hill, doubling down on his settlement with his own Justice Department.

Discussion: Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, Fox News, Washington Times, The Daily Caller, Bloomberg, American Greatness and Forbes

Semafor:
How Trump lost Senate Republicans

George F. Will / Washington Post:
Dumb and dumber, Republican-style

Discussion: Alaska Public Media, Newsweek and Raw Story

Jordain Carney / Politico:

‘Goes to Show You How Stupid They Are’: Tillis Lets Loose on Trump Advisers — Sen. Thom Tillis isn't afraid to give his party, or the president, a dose of bitter medicine. — In an interview with POLITICO Magazine in his Capitol Hill Office, the retiring North Carolina Republican said his criticism …

Mikael Thalen / Straight Arrow:

Kash Patel's personal merch site hacked to trick users into installing malware — This recording was made using enhanced software. — FBI Director Kash Patel's personal merchandise site went offline Friday after a hack apparently tricked visitors into downloading malware.

Associated Press:

NATO allies bewildered by Trump's about-face on US troop moves in Europe — NATO allies and defense officials expressed bewilderment on Friday at U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that he would send 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland just weeks after he ordered the same number of forces pulled out of Europe.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Politico, New York Times, The Gateway Pundit, Newsweek, NewsMax.com, Axios, Stars & Stripes, The Hill and Liberal Currents

Margaret Sullivan / The Guardian:

Trump self-deals, lies and seems to fall asleep in meetings. The media treats it all as ‘priced in’ — As the outrages continue, mainstream outlets just see Trump being Trump — His social media posts are unhinged. He seems to fall asleep in meetings.

Josh Fiallo / The Daily Beast:

Home-Wrecked Wife Slams ‘Swinger’ MAGA Candidate Running on Family Values — SHARING MORE THAN VALUES — The self-described “family man” has been accused of threatening women with whom he sexted. — A MAGA candidate running for Congress on a family values platform has been accused …

Discussion: MS NOW and U.S. Home

Brittany Gibson / Axios:

Scoop: Trump escalates citizenship crackdown — The Trump administration is temporarily moving immigration lawyers to the Justice Department to speed up efforts to strip citizenship from naturalized Americans, Axios has learned. … - One source said staffers were being “volun-told” to move offices.

Matt Friedman / Politico:

Tom Kean Jr.'s absence from Congress makes Democrats bullish they can flip his seat … But others caution they're being “cocky” about taking down Kean, who's never been big on unscripted public appearances anyway. On Thursday, Kean spoke to the New Jersey Globe and reiterated that he'll …

Discussion: NBC News

David Wildstein / New Jersey Globe:
Kean says he expects full recovery, confirms re-election bid

Discussion: Politico, Raw Story, The Hill and Washington Examiner

Politico:

Trump yanked AI order after David Sacks raised industry concerns … But during a conversation with Trump, Sacks told the president that companies were already cooperating, and that having the federal government review models before their public release would slow down innovation and harm …

Discussion: UPI, more at Techmeme »