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4:45 PM ET, May 15, 2026

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 Top Items: 
New York Times:
Back From China, Trump Faces Decision on Whether to Resume Strikes on Iran  —  Top aides have drafted battle plans as peace negotiations have stalled.  —  President Trump returned from China on Friday facing major decisions on Iran, as his top aides have drafted plans for a return …
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Live updates: Trump says he hasn't determined whether to go forward on arms package for Taiwan  —  EDITED BY BRIAN P. D. HANNON, SIDDHARTH KARTHIKEYAN AND BRIDGET BROWN  —  Trump says summit yielded a new Boeing deal for hundreds of planes  —  Trump told reporters on Air Force One that China …
Dave Lawler / Axios:
Trump waffles on Taiwan arms deal after Xi talks  —  President Trump said Friday he's unsure whether he would greenlight a planned $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan after discussing arms sales in “great detail” with Chinese President Xi Jinping. … - “The last thing we need right …
Bloomberg:
Trump Says He May Remove Some Iran-Linked Sanctions on China  —  President Donald Trump said he's weighing whether to ease sanctions on Chinese oil companies that buy supplies from Iran, a move that would mark a concession to Beijing after his summit with President Xi Jinping.
Edward White / Financial Times:
Boeing shares slide as Donald Trump's China summit deals disappoint
Victor Nava / New York Post:
Trump says China will ‘invest hundreds of billions’ in US tech companies whose CEOs met with Xi
Justin Papp / CNBC:
Democrats blast Trump over ‘slush fund’ in possible IRS lawsuit settlement … Democratic lawmakers on Friday slammed the Trump administration over reports that President Donald Trump would drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service in an exchange for what some called a $1.7 billion “slush fund.”
RELATED:
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Trump's $10 Billion Shakedown of IRS Takes Unnervingly Corrupt Turn  —  Would it be legal for President Donald Trump to effectively order a major U.S. government agency to hand over huge piles of taxpayer money to a group of his political allies?  We may be about to find out.
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
You're Getting Robbed. By Trump. In Broad Daylight.
Discussion: Forbes, NewsMax.com and mfa.gov.cn
New York Times:   Trump Administration Weighs $1.7 Billion Fund for Allies Investigated Under Biden10 minutes ago
Andrew Kaczynski / CNN:
Penile implant specialist with history of far-right comments led Hantavirus presser  —  Vaccines Media Donald Trump Abortion rights  —  As the Trump administration sought to reassure Americans this week that a hantavirus outbreak posed little risk to the public, Dr. Brian Christine …
RELATED:
Nikki McCann Ramirez / Rolling Stone:   Hantavirus Response Official Is a Right-Wing Penile Implant Expert
RELATED:
Annie Karni / New York Times:
A Republican's Mysterious Absence Reflects Congress's Silence on Health20 minutes ago
Discussion: The Hill and Breitbart
Connor O'Brien / Politico:
‘Slap in the face’: Republicans skewer Pentagon over Poland move … The move is the latest in a rift between the Trump administration and Republicans on Capitol Hill who have been at odds over U.S. security interests in Europe.  Lawmakers enacted limits on troop withdrawals from Europe …
Discussion: New Republic and The Independent
RELATED:
Associated Press:
Pentagon halts deployments to Poland and Germany to cut troop numbers in Europe, AP sources say
New York Times:30 minutes ago
Judge Declares Mistrial in Weinstein Rape Trial  —  This was the third time Harvey Weinstein was on trial accused of raping an aspiring actress at a hotel in Manhattan in 2013.  —  A judge in Manhattan declared a mistrial on Friday after the jury in Harvey Weinstein's rape trial was unable …
RELATED:
Mike Hixenbaugh / NBC News:
Families caring for disabled relatives face unthinkable choices as Medicaid cuts loom  —  President Trump's “big, beautiful bill,” state budget turmoil and new attacks on paid family caregiving have people fearing financial ruin as they fight to keep loved ones out of institutions.
Kevin Breuninger / CNBC:25 minutes ago
Trump went big on tech stocks in first quarter of 2026, new filings show … President Donald Trump reported thousands of financial transactions totaling hundreds of millions of dollars — including large purchases and sales of tech giants Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta …
RELATED:
US Department of Justice:20 minutes ago
Iraqi National Arrested and Charged with Providing Material Support to Iranian-Backed Terrorist Organizations and Directing Attacks Targeting U.S. Citizens and Interests  —  For Immediate Release  —  The Justice Department announced today the arrest of Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi …
RELATED:
Stephen Groves / Associated Press:
Rep. Steve Cohen ending campaign in Tennessee after redraw of his Memphis district  —  Democratic Rep. Steven Cohen of Tennessee on Friday announced that he is ending his bid for reelection, his career upended by the redistricting battles that are sweeping the country after last month's Supreme Court decision.
Lawrence Hurley / NBC News:
Justice Alito pushes back on calls to recuse in a major Supreme Court climate case  —  The conservative justice has no financial conflict that would require him to step aside from the case, a court spokeswoman told NBC News  —  WASHINGTON — Facing calls to step aside in a major upcoming …
Discussion: E&E News and The Guardian
Tiago Rogero / The Guardian:
13 men killed by US military boat strikes identified: ‘These were flesh-and-blood people’  —  All victims of US strikes in eastern Pacific and the Caribbean identified so far came from extremely poor communities  —  A five-month investigation has named 13 previously unidentified victims …
Discussion: Raw Story
Associated Press:
Texas high court rejects removal of Democratic lawmakers who led quorum break over redistricting  —  The Texas Supreme Court on Friday refused to declare that Democratic lawmakers who briefly fled the state in 2025 to block a vote on new congressional voting maps pushed by President Donald Trump had vacated their office.
New York Times:
Executions Surge in Iran Since Cease-Fire, Rights Groups Say  —  Many were detained during January's mass protests, according to a rights group, amid concerns the authorities are trying to intimidate Iranians from returning to the streets.  —  Iran has executed four prisoners this week …
G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:
You can't gerrymander a bad approval rating  —  Strength In Numbers is a reader-supported newsletter that covers politics, polling, and public opinion from a data-driven perspective.  If you want clear-eyed analysis of what the numbers say about American democracy today, consider a paid subscription.
Discussion: Forbes
Megan Mineiro / New York Times:
Republicans Waited to Challenge Trump on the Iran War.  Now It May Be Too Late.  —  Having deferred to the president for months, G.O.P. lawmakers missed crucial milestones to try to limit his war powers.  That has tied their hands in seeking parameters and exit criteria.
Texas Attorney General:
Attorney General Paxton Makes History by Securing a Landmark Healthcare Fraud Settlement that Creates the Nation's First-Ever Detransition Clinic and Secures $10 Million from Texas Children's Hospital for “Transitioning” Kids  —  Attorney General Ken Paxton secured a historic settlement …
Ryan Mancini / The Hill:
Eric Trump says he'll sue Jen Psaki, MS NOW over report on China trip  —  President Trump's son Eric Trump on Friday said he will sue MS NOW, formerly MSNBC, and one of its hosts Jen Psaki after a monologue on her show questioned whether his business interests, combined with traveling …
Discussion: twitchy.com, RedState and WBUR
Jose Olivares / Drop Site News:NEW!
U.S. Agencies Will Operate From Surveillance Tower in Chihuahua, Despite Recent Unauthorized CIA Presence in the Mexican State  —  Chihuahua officials will share intelligence data from surveillance cameras, license-plate readers, drones, and helicopters with U.S. agencies.
Discussion: New York Times
Anita Komuves / Reuters:
Orban's media empire crumbles after Hungary election defeat  —  The media empire built by former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government, a key pillar of the nationalist leader's 16 years in power, is swiftly unravelling following an election last month that abruptly ended his rule.
Discussion: Bloomberg
Jay Willis / Balls & Strikes:
Trump DOJ Lawyer Correctly Describes Congress's History of Circumcising Presidential Power  —  Over the past year or so, President Donald Trump has transformed the Justice Department from one of the legal profession's most prestigious employers into a gaggle of loyalist weirdos who …
Washington Post:
Parents of teens who break curfew in D.C. will be prosecuted, DOJ says  —  The Justice Department's crackdown on crime comes ahead of 250th anniversary events in the nation's capital.  —  The Justice Department will prosecute the parents of teenagers who break curfew as part of a crackdown …
Axios:NEW!
House Ethics wants reinforcements as misconduct probes pile up … - “He has had a great challenge, the chairman of Ethics Committee, that committee is very busy right now,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told Axios on Friday. … But top lawmakers say the panel tasked with investigating those claims needs more resources to keep up.
Discussion: Raw Story, UPI, MS NOW and The Hill
Jamie Paige / New York Post:
LA mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman proposes backyard BBQ ban  —  Los Angeles mayoral hopeful Nithya Raman wanted to ban backyard barbecues for residents during certain high fire danger days across the city.  —  Raman introduced a motion Wednesday directing city officials to examine emergency restrictions …
Brian Beutler / Off Message:
Institutional Rot And The Death Rattle Of America  —  It's remarkable, when you step back and think about it, how toxically maladapted the power centers in U.S. politics have become to one another.  —  A simple-minded idealist might like to live in a world where the two major U.S. political …
 
 
 New Item Finder: 
20 minutes ago
Annie Karni / New York Times:
A Republican's Mysterious Absence Reflects Congress's Silence on Health   Find
 
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 More Items: 
Yunior Rivas / Democracy Docket:
Cleta Mitchell's election denial network releases new blueprint to severely restrict voting
Discussion: The Federalist
Axios:
Demonstrations to sweep the South over voting rights and redistricting
Gary Fineout / Politico:
Judge weighs effort to block new Florida congressional map
Discussion: Democracy Docket and NBC News
Jennifer Sinco Kelleher / Associated Press:
New Hawaii law targets corporate influence in politics after Citizens United ruling
Discussion: The Atlantic and Election Law Blog
NBC News:
Free primary care for all: Democratic think tank pushes the party on new health policy
Greg Ip / Wall Street Journal:
Beijing's ‘Industrial Policy of Everything’ Leaves Rest of the World in the Dust
Discussion: American Prospect and Cafe Hayek
 Earlier Items: 
Ben Shapiro / The Daily Wire:
The Biggest Lie About China Just Fell Apart In Public
Wall Street Journal:
Boeing, Toyota Donated $1 Million Each to Transportation Secretary's Road-Trip Show
Dan Diamond / Washington Post:
Trump announces planned D.C. site for massive sculpture garden
Associated Press:
CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Raul Castro's grandson in Havana, US and Cuban officials say
Matt Hollingsworth / WATE-TV:
Alex Haley's “Roots” to be removed from Knox County Schools libraries
Discussion: TheGrio and WXIA-TV
 

 
From Mediagazer:

Salt Lake Tribune:
The Salt Lake Tribune drops its paywall, moving from a subscriber model to a member-driven one after turning nonprofit in 2019 and finding financial stability

Democracy for Sale:
Docs show how the UK's Society of Media Lawyers lobbied government officials to push back on anti-SLAPP legislation, arguing it will enable abuse by the press

Nathaniel Rakich / @baseballot:
ABC News seems to have taken all FiveThirtyEight articles offline; the URL redirects to ABC News' politics vertical

 
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