memeorandum: Trump just took credit for stopping Ford from moving a plant to Mexico. But it wasn't planning to. (Jim Tankersley/Washington Post)

2:15 PM ET, November 18, 2016

Top Items:

Donald Trump Selects Senator Jeff Sessions for Attorney General — WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump has selected Senator Jeff Sessions, a conservative from Alabama who became a close adviser after endorsing him early in his campaign, to be the attorney general of the United States …

New York Times:

Michael Flynn, Anti-Islamist Ex-General, Offered Security Post, Trump Aide Says — WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump has offered the post of national security adviser to Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, potentially putting a retired intelligence officer who believes Islamist militancy poses …

Elise Viebeck / Washington Post:

Trump chooses Sen. Jeff Sessions for attorney general, Rep. Mike Pompeo for CIA director — President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that he plans to nominate Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) as attorney general and Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) as CIA director, the first selections to his Cabinet …

Discussion: Politico, Power Line, ABC News, Gothamist, Mediaite, CNN, The Gateway Pundit, Talking Points Memo and New York Magazine

Bloomberg:

Jeff Sessions Said to Be Trump's Pick for Attorney General — Alabama lawmaker was an early and ardent Trump supporter — Sessions was also under consideration for Defense secretary — President-elect Donald Trump has settled on Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions for attorney general, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Discussion: Politico, ABC News, Washington Monthly, RedState, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, The Week, The Geller Report, Political Wire and TheBlaze

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

Donald Trump Building Team of Racists — Donald Trump's presidential campaign bludgeoned modern norms about the acceptability of racism. The candidate proposed a religious test for immigrants, and called a federal judge unfit on the grounds of his heritage.

Discussion: RedState, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Breitbart, Joe.My.God., Politicus USA and Mediaite

James Hohmann / Washington Post:

The Daily 202: Trump poised to learn the Pottery Barn rule of governing — THE BIG IDEA: — A more apt reference, especially after Trump's inauguration, might be the Pottery Barn Rule. Colin Powell popularized this doctrine in the foreign policy context.

Ryan J. Reilly / The Huffington Post:

Jeff Sessions Was Deemed Too Racist To Be A Federal Judge. He Might Become Trump's Attorney General. — He allegedly joked that he only took issue with KKK's drug use and referred to civil rights groups as “un-American.” — Senior Justice Reporter, The Huffington Post

Discussion: The Atlantic, Washington Monthly, Los Angeles Times, Mediaite, Washington Post, Common Dreams, Above the Law, CNN, ImmigrationProf Blog, The New Civil Rights Movement, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Independent Journal Review and The Week

Michael Isikoff / Yahoo:

Michael Flynn, Trump's reported pick for national security adviser, sat in on intel briefings — while advising foreign clients — Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who has reportedly been offered the role of national security adviser in Donald Trump's White House, began receiving classified …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Bloomberg, Politico, The Intercept, Washington Free Beacon, Business Insider, The Last Refuge, Daily Kos and The Daily Caller

New York Times:

Mike Pompeo Is Trump's Choice as C.I.A. Director — WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump has selected Representative Mike Pompeo, a hawkish Republican from Kansas and a former Army officer, to lead the C.I.A., his transition team said Friday. — Mr. Pompeo, who has served …

Discussion: Gizmodo, The Nation, The Daily Signal, The Week, Common Dreams and Hit & Run

CBS News:
Donald Trump offers Jeff Sessions attorney general post

Discussion: National Review, Media Matters for America, CBS New York, CBS Miami and Mediaite

CNN:
Sessions dogged by old allegations of racism

Discussion: Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Hot Air, Vox, Joe.My.God. and The Week

Esme Cribb / Talking Points Memo:
Trump Team Dodges On Anti-Muslim, Racist Comments From Flynn, Sessions

Discussion: The Week and Right Wing Watch

Steve Holland / Reuters:
Trump picks conservative loyalists for top security, law enforcement jobs

Discussion: Hot Air and Talking Points Memo

Ken Dilanian / NBC News:
Trump National Security Adviser Pick Michael Flynn Has Medals — and Baggage

Discussion: ThinkProgress, neo-neocon, RT, Washington Post, CNBC, Right Wing Watch, Daily Kos, Media Matters for America, NBC News and The Week

Louis Nelson / Politico:
Trump taps Sessions for attorney general, Pompeo for CIA

Discussion: NBC News, ABC News, Just Security and twitchy.com

CNN:
Michael Flynn's son and chief of staff pushed conspiracy theories, obscene memes online

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and Jezebel

McClatchy Washington Bureau:
Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo, an Army veteran, will become Trump's CIA director

Discussion: Daily Kos, The Week, RT, Guardian and Towleroad

Amber Phillips / Washington Post:
10 things to know about Sen. Jeff Sessions, Donald Trump's pick for attorney general

Discussion: The Atlantic, Mashable, Rewire, Boing Boing and Common Dreams

Ari Berman / The Nation:
Jeff Sessions, Trump's Pick for Attorney General, Is a Fierce Opponent of Civil Rights

Discussion: Vox, New York Times, Law News, electionlawblog.org, Common Dreams, The Hayride and Right Wing Watch

Kenneth Lovett / New York Daily News:

President-elect Donald Trump nearing settlement in Trump University fraud case — ALBANY — In a complete turnaround from his previous position, President-elect Donald Trump is nearing a settlement of the fraud cases brought in New York and California involving his now defunct for-profit Trump University, the Daily News has learned.

Discussion: ABC News, Mother Jones, RedState, CNBC, The New Civil Rights Movement, TheBlaze, Law News, Jezebel and Raw Story

Rosalind S. Helderman / Washington Post:
Source: Trump nearing settlement in Trump University fraud cases

Discussion: Politico

Karen Freifeld / Reuters:
President-elect Trump nears settlement in Trump University lawsuit

Discussion: Hot Air

Jim Tankersley / Washington Post:

Trump just took credit for stopping Ford from moving a plant to Mexico. But it wasn't planning to. — President-elect Donald Trump claimed credit on Thursday for keeping a Ford plant in Kentucky from moving to Mexico. But the company never planned to move the entire plant, only one of its production lines.

Binyamin Appelbaum / New York Times:
Donald Trump Takes Credit for Helping to Save a Ford Plant That Wasn't Closing

Discussion: Washington Post, Reuters, NBC News, Courier-Journal, Associated Press, CNBC, Gothamist, Media Matters for America, The New Civil Rights Movement, NPR, Mediaite, Boing Boing, Daily Wire, alan.com and Politicus USA

David Shepardson / Reuters:
Ford tells Trump no Lincoln SUV production going to Mexico

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Vox, Politicus USA, AOL, Hot Air and Politico

David Remnick / New Yorker:

Obama's Days of Reckoning … The morning after Donald Trump was elected President of the United States, Barack Obama summoned staff members to the Oval Office. Some were fairly junior and had never been in the room before. They were sombre, hollowed out, some fighting tears …

Discussion: RedState, Independent Journal Review, Business Insider, BizPac Review, AOL, New York Magazine, Mediaite and TheBlaze

Matt Shuham / Talking Points Memo:
Obama Suggests Meeting With Trump Wasn't All It Was Cracked Up To Be

Discussion: Daily Kos, New Century Times and AOL

Walter Russell Mead / The American Interest:
Obama's Never-Ending Lecture Tour

Discussion: New York Times

The Independent:

Chaos, projectile shoes at Kanye show as he give pro-Trump speech — Kanye West has always been something of a provocateur and a nihilist, and is staunchly anti-political correctness. Last night he stirred a maybe unprecedented level of controversy, however, declaring at a Saint Pablo Tour show …

Discussion: Daily Wire, John Hawkins' Right Wing News and mrctv.org/videos

CNN:
Kanye West: I didn't vote but if I did, ‘I would have voted for Trump’

Michael Wolff / Hollywood Reporter:

Ringside With Steve Bannon at Trump Tower as the President-Elect's Strategist Plots “An Entirely New Political Movement” (Exclusive) — “I'm not a white nationalist, I'm a nationalist. I'm an economic nationalist,” Bannon tells THR media columnist Michael Wolff as the controversial Breitbart …

Discussion: Mediaite, The Week and The Hill, more at Mediagazer »

Mark Lilla / New York Times:

The End of Identity Liberalism — It is a truism that America has become a more diverse country. It is also a beautiful thing to watch. Visitors from other countries, particularly those having trouble incorporating different ethnic groups and faiths, are amazed that we manage to pull it off.

Burgess Everett / Politico:

GOP could nuke filibuster for Supreme Court nominees — Top Senate Republicans are drawing a hard line on the Supreme Court, guaranteeing that no matter what tactics Democrats deploy, they will be forced to swallow Donald Trump's imminent nominee to the high court.

Discussion: Hot Air, The Progressive Pulse, The Week and Political Wire