memeorandum: Hillary Clinton's Lead Expands, and Ivanka Trump Separates From Her Brand (New York Times)

11:25 AM ET, November 23, 2016

Top Items:

Activists Urge Clinton Campaign to Challenge Election Results in 3 Swing States — Hillary Clinton is being urged by a group of prominent computer scientists and election lawyers to call for a recount in three swing states won by Donald Trump, New York has learned.

New York Times:

Hillary Clinton's Lead Expands, and Ivanka Trump Separates From Her Brand — Hillary Clinton has widened her lead in the popular vote to 1.5 percentage points, a spread not seen for a losing candidate since 1876. Meanwhile, Ivanka Trump has taken steps to separate herself from her fashion brand …

Discussion: Towleroad, 89.3 KPCC and NPR

J. Alex Halderman:
Want to Know if the Election was Hacked? Look at the Ballots

Discussion: Vox, Washington Post and electionlawblog.org

Jon Swaine / The Guardian:
Hillary Clinton urged to call for election vote recount in battleground states

Discussion: Fox News Insider and Israpundit

Nolan D. McCaskill / Politico:
Clinton's lead in the popular vote surpasses 2 million

Discussion: LGBTQ Nation

Andy Shain / Post and Courier:

Gov. Nikki Haley picked to become UN ambassador, sources say … COLUMBIA — President-elect Donald Trump is picking South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to become his U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, The Post and Courier has learned. — The move, expected Wednesday …

Discussion: The Hill, ABC News, Washington Post, Politico, Booman Tribune, Red Alert Politics, RedState, Talking Points Memo, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Outside the Beltway, Mediaite, CBS New York, The Geller Report and Washington Free Beacon

NBC News:

Gov. Nikki Haley Accepts Trump Offer to Be Ambassador to United Nations: Source — FROM NOV. 18: Trump Didn't Win on GOP Platform, He ‘Ran Against Both Parties,’ Haley Says 1:35 — South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has accepted Donald Trump's offer to be his ambassador to the United Nations …

Discussion: Hit & Run, Independent Journal Review, BizPac Review, NBC News, Towleroad and AOL

Robert Costa / Washington Post:

Gov. Nikki Haley tapped to be Trump's U.N. ambassador — South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a rising Republican star and daughter of Indian immigrants, has accepted President-elect Donald Trump's offer to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in the coming administration …

Discussion: CBS New York, Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine and The Week

George Stephanopoulos / ABC News:
Trump Offers UN Ambassadorship to SC Gov. Nikki Haley

Discussion: Washington Post, CNN, TheBlaze, Hot Air and Heat Street

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Trump taps Nikki Haley to be UN ambassador

Discussion: Washington Post

New York Times:

Donald Trump's New York Times Interview: Full Transcript — Following is a transcript of President-elect Donald J. Trump's interview on Tuesday with reporters, editors and opinion columnists from The New York Times. The transcription was prepared by Liam Stack, Jonah Engel Bromwich, Karen Workman and Tim Herrera of The Times.

Discussion: Washington Post, Hit & Run, Mediaite, The Daily Caller, The Geller Report, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Business Insider and CNBC

Frank Bruni / New York Times:

Donald Trump's Demand for Love — I had just shaken the president-elect's normal-size hand and he was moving on to the next person when he wheeled around, took a half step back, touched my arm and looked me in the eye anew. — “I'm going to get you to write some good stuff about me,” Donald Trump said.

Discussion: Vox, Mediaite, The New Civil Rights Movement, Towleroad and Mashable, more at Mediagazer »

New York Times:
Trump, in Interview, Moderates Views but Defies Conventions

New York Times:
Questioning Donald Trump

Discussion: Washington Post, Politico, Hot Air, Common Dreams and CNBC

Bill Barrow / Associated Press:
Trump again disavows alt-right, white supremacists

Discussion: The Root, Power Line and Associated Press

Robert O'Harrow Jr / Washington Post:

Trump adviser received salary from charity while steering Breitbart News — Donald Trump's chief White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon accepted $376,000 in pay over four years for working 30 hours a week at a tiny tax-exempt charity in Tallahassee while also serving as the hands-on executive chairman of Breitbart News Network.

Discussion: Mother Jones and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »

Oliver Milman / The Guardian:

Trump to scrap Nasa climate research in crackdown on ‘politicized science’ — Nasa's Earth science division is set to be stripped of funding as the president-elect seeks to shift focus away from home in favor of deep space exploration — Donald Trump is poised to eliminate …

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Watts Up With That?, The Week, Washington Post, RedState and Mother Jones

Hope Hodge Seck / Military.com:

Corps Wants to Put Silencers on a Whole Infantry Battalion — In a series of experiments this year, units from 2nd Marine Division will be silencing every element of an infantry battalion — from M4 rifles to .50 caliber machine guns. — The commanding general of 2nd Marine Division …

Discussion: Bearing Arms and Instapundit

Conrad Black / New York Sun:

Its Defeat by Trump — As there is an incessant crescendo, still gaining in volume each week, about President Obama's “legacy,” I thought it appropriate to try to identify this legacy, which his supporters believe history will honor. I have written here and elsewhere that …

Noam Scheiber / New York Times:

Judge Suspends Rule Expanding Overtime for Millions of Workers — A federal judge in Texas issued a nationwide injunction on Tuesday against an Obama administration regulation expanding by millions the number of workers who would be eligible for time-and-a-half overtime pay.

Discussion: Washington Post, Hot Air, grubstreet and BizPac Review

Reuters:
Judge blocks Obama rule extending overtime pay to 4.2 million U.S. workers

Discussion: New York Magazine, NPR, The Week, The New Civil Rights Movement and Independent Journal Review

Ben Kew / Breitbart:

App Store Users Torch CNN with One Star Reviews over Liberal Bias — Apple App Store and Google Play users are taking their displeasure out on CNN and other news sites by giving the companies' mobile apps one star reviews, citing the outlets' liberal bias. — According to Digiday …

Nolan D. McCaskill / Politico:

Poll: Obama's approval rating highest in seven years — President Barack Obama's approval rating is at a seven-year high, according to a CNN/ORC national poll released Wednesday. — Obama enjoys a post-election approval rating of 57 percent, his highest mark since September 2009, when his approval rating sat at 58 percent.

Discussion: Political Wire, alan.com and The Week

Christiane Amanpour / CNN:

Journalism faces an ‘existential crisis’ in Trump era — CNN's chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour has been awarded the Committee to Project Journalists' Burton Benjamin Memorial Award for “extraordinary and sustained achievement in the cause of press freedom.”

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Jethro Mullen / CNNMoney:

Twitter accidentally suspends its own CEO's account — Twitter has been left red-faced after it briefly suspended its own CEO's account. — For a while late Tuesday, attempts to reach Jack Dorsey's profile produced an error message saying it had been suspended.

Discussion: The Jawa Report and CBS San Francisco

Daniel Halper / New York Post:

Key adviser claims Elton John will play at Trump's inauguration — Elton John will perform at Donald Trump's inauguration, claimed a key adviser, who championed the billionaire as the first president ever to enter the White House with a “pro-gay rights” stance.

Discussion: New York Times, Daily Wire, BroadwayWorld.com and The Daily Caller

Katy O'Donnell / Politico:

Trump gets to pick his own auditor — President-elect Donald Trump will soon be able to appoint a new director of the agency auditing his taxes, a potential political minefield after his writeoffs and his refusal to release his returns were repeatedly questioned in the campaign.

Discussion: Political Wire

Veronique De Rugy / National Review:

Freedom of Association for Me, but Not for Thee — Last week, fashion designer Sophie Theallet announed she would refuse to sell or donate clothes to the next first lady, Melania Trump. In an open letter, Theallet explained: … Good for Theallet for appreciating the greatness of America …

Annie Karni / Politico:

Democrat Harold Ford Jr. emerging as potential Trump pick — Former Democratic Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. is emerging as a possible contender for transportation secretary, or another Cabinet post, in Donald Trump's budding administration. — The telegenic Ford — who served five terms …

Discussion: Jezebel, New York Times, WREG-TV, Law News and Independent Journal Review

TMZ.com:

Kanye West — Dr. Says He Tried to Assault Staff ... Warned of Violence Against Cops — EXCLUSIVE — Kanye West's personal physician is the one who called 911, warning the dispatcher Kanye was not violent but would become violent when police arrived to help him.