memeorandum: President-Elect Donald Trump Taps Michael Flynn for National Security Adviser (Shushannah Walshe/ABC News)

8:45 AM ET, November 18, 2016

Top Items:

Donald Trump offers Jeff Sessions attorney general post — President-elect Trump has offered Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions the post of attorney general, sources directly involved in the selection process tell CBS News. — The choice of Sessions to be the nation's top prosecutor is sure to be controversial.

Discussion: CBS Miami, Reuters, alan.com, CBS New York and Washington Times

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: ABC News, Talking Points Memo, RedState, Political Wire and The Week

New York Times:

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 …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Just Security, Business Insider, Law News, Associated Press and Althouse

Jonathan Swan / The Hill:

Cruz tells friends he's interested in AG job — has told confidants he's interested in serving as attorney general in the Trump administration, according to two sources familiar with the conversations. — Speculation that the Texas senator could become attorney general began Tuesday after Cruz met President-elect Donald Trump

Discussion: ABC News, RedState, Joe.My.God., Political Wire, Patterico's Pontifications and New York Times

Steve Holland / Reuters:

Trump taps Sessions for attorney general, Pompeo for CIA: transition official — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has tapped three senior leaders of his national security and law enforcement teams, choosing Senator Jeff Sessions for attorney general, Representative Mike Pompeo as CIA director …

Ryan J. Reilly / The Huffington Post:
Jeff Sessions Was Deemed Too Racist To Be A Federal Judge. He Might Become Trump's Attorney General.

Discussion: The New Civil Rights Movement and Mediaite

New York Times:

Trump Is Said to Offer National Security Post to Michael Flynn, Retired General — 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 …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, CNN, New York Magazine, Vox, NBC News, The Week, Politicus USA, RedState, Common Dreams, Business Insider, ThinkProgress and Guardian

Guardian:

Michael Flynn said to be offered job of Trump national security adviser — Sources also say David Petraeus, the former CIA director who pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information, has entered the race for secretary of state — President-elect Donald Trump has offered the job …

Discussion: DW.COM, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Hot Air, Washington Post, The New Civil Rights Movement and Taylor Marsh

Shushannah Walshe / ABC News:
President-Elect Donald Trump Taps Michael Flynn for National Security Adviser

Discussion: Politico and Joe.My.God.

Kelly O'Donnell / NBC News:
Power, Tension and the Purge: Inside the Trump Transition Turmoil

Discussion: Guardian, Hot Air, USA Today and The Week

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: Politicus USA, AOL, Business Insider, Jezebel, Mediaite and The Verge, more at Mediagazer »

CNN:

Michael Flynn's son and chief of staff pushed conspiracy theories, obscene memes online — Who is Michael Flynn? Story highlights — Michael G. Flynn regularly shares conspiracy theories, expletive-filled posts, and racially insensitive sentiments on social media.

Discussion: Jezebel

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.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Townhall.com, New York Times, New York Magazine, Reuters, The Gateway Pundit, ABC News, Electoral-vote.com, The Week, emptywheel, 70news, New Century Times and The Daily Caller

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

Discussion: alan.com, Daily Kos, NPR, Politicus USA and Associated Press

Antonio José Vielma / CNBC:

Romney and Trump to discuss secretary of state position, NBC source says — In March, Mitt Romney called Donald Trump “a phony” and “a fraud” when discussing the then-candidate. — FACTBOX-Contenders for key jobs in Trump administration — 19 Mins Ago

Discussion: BizPac Review, Fox Business, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, Joe.My.God., alan.com, Washington Monthly and Reuters

Veronica Stracqualursi / ABC News:
How Trump's Transition Compares With Recent Presidents'

Discussion: The Atlantic, The Daily Signal, Washington Post, Associated Press and Politico

CNN:
First on CNN: Donald Trump, Mitt Romney to meet this weekend

Discussion: Real Clear Politics, NBC News, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, AOL, Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, New York Magazine, ABC News and Political Wire

Chris Geidner / BuzzFeed:

Ivanka Trump, Expected To Run Father's Business, Also Met With Japanese Prime Minister — A CNN reporter deleted a tweet on Thursday evening that included a picture of President-elect Donald Trump's meeting with Japan's prime minister — but not before several people noticed that it showed that Trump's daughter Ivanka was in the room.

Discussion: New York Times, more at Mediagazer »

Joseph R. Murray II / The Hill:

Memo to the LGBT community: Donald Trump is not your enemy — had no sooner delivered his victory speech and my Facebook page — LGBTrump (the largest gays for Trump Facebook page) — was inundated with messages from LGBT Americans fearful that the president-elect would take away their rights.

Discussion: The Atlantic, The Nation and CBS Philly

David Leonhardt / New York Times:

The Democrats' Real Turnout Problem — Barack Obama's two victories created the impression of a strong wind at the back of the Democratic Party. Its constituencies — the young, the nonwhite, the college educated — were not only growing but were also voting in increasing numbers.

Nikita Vladimirov / The Hill:

Reid: Clinton lost because of ‘Republican operative’ James Comey — on Thursday blasted FBI Director James Comey, accusing him of being a “Republican operative” who caused Hillary Clinton — “It's easy to second-guess what Hillary did. I love Hillary Clinton, I am sorry she lost.

Discussion: Political Wire

Walter Russell Mead / The American Interest:

Obama's Never-Ending Lecture Tour — President Obama, who has done less for Europe than any American president since Calvin Coolidge, cannot stop telling Europeans what to do. As he sets out on his final European tour as president, with his political party back home in a state of near collapse …

Discussion: New York Times and TheBlaze

Isaac Arnsdorf / Politico:

Lobbyists scoff at Trump's five-year ban — K Street quickly cast doubt on the effectiveness of Donald Trump's five-year lobbying ban on transition and administration officials, saying the rule would both deter top talent from joining Trump's team and expand the use of loopholes.

Discussion: ABC News, Political Wire, RedState, New York Times and American Prospect

New York Times:

How Rudolph Giuliani, Possible Cabinet Pick, Made Millions as Ex-Mayor — WASHINGTON — It was a golden year for Rudolph W. Giuliani, a mad dash that would take him to 11 countries on four continents, and by the time 2006 was done, earn him $16 million — a princely sum compared with the $7,000 …

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: Political Wire

Rafael Bernal / The Hill:

House Dems ask Obama to pardon ‘Dreamers’ — A group of House Democrats petitioned President Barack Obama — Thursday to pardon undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children for their immigration violations. — Democratic Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Lucille Roybal-Allard of California, and Luis Gutierrez

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News, BuzzFeed, Hot Air and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Associated Press:

APNEWSBREAK: US RELEASES HAITIANS COMING FROM MEXICO — SAN DIEGO (AP) — A surge in border crossings and a lack of immigration jail space have prompted the federal government to start releasing Haitian immigrants who have been entering the country in large numbers in recent months, backtracking on a pledge to jail the migrants.

Tobias Salinger / New York Daily News:

‘Me, Myself and My Killfie’ study shows India has suffered nearly 60% of the world's 127 selfie deaths — India has lost 25 more people than every other country in the world combined to deaths caused by selfies, according to a new study. — At least 127 people worldwide have died since March 2014 …

Discussion: Althouse

Associated Press:

Justice Thomas Calls Conservatives to Continue Scalia's Work — Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas says conservatives should make the work of the late Justice Antonin Scalia a “prologue” in the effort to limit the power of the courts and other branches of government.

Discussion: Politico

Matthew Nussbaum / Politico:

Trump team planning ‘victory tour’ of states he won — President-elect Donald Trump will be embarking on a “victory tour” to the states he carried, a campaign aide told reporters Thursday. — “We're working on a victory tour now; it will happen in the next couple of weeks,” said George Gigicos …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, AOL, Jezebel and New York Magazine

Adolfo Flores / BuzzFeed:

Cal State University System Vows To Not Help Deport Undocumented Students — California State Universities, the largest four-year public university system in the US, reaffirmed its commitment to undocumented students on Wednesday, and its refusal to work with federal immigration officials on deportations.

Discussion: New York Times