memeorandum: Paul Ryan: I had a ‘very exciting meeting’ with Trump today (Jake Sherman/Politico)

12:30 PM ET, December 9, 2016

Top Items:

Cynthia Littleton / Variety:

Donald Trump to Remain Executive Producer on ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ (EXCLUSIVE) … Donald Trump will remain an exec producer on NBC's “Celebrity Apprentice,” which is returning Jan. 2 after a two-year hiatus with new host Arnold Schwarzenegger. — MGM confirmed to Variety that Trump has retained his EP credit on the series.

Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo:

Conway On Trump Decision Not To Leave ‘The Apprentice’: Obama Played Golf! — Kellyanne Conway, Donald Trump's former campaign manager, on Friday morning defended the President-elect's decision to stay on as an executive producer of NBC's “The Apprentice,” comparing the move to President Obama's time playing golf.

Discussion: alan.com and The Week

Alexandra Jaffe / NBC News:
Donald Trump to Remain Producer on ‘The Apprentice’ While President

Discussion: CNN, Washington Post, The Week, Politico, alan.com, ThinkProgress and Business Insider

Harper Neidig / The Hill:
Conway: ‘Doubtful’ Trump will take salary from ‘Celebrity Apprentice’

Discussion: Hot Air

Kelsey Sutton / Politico:
Mark Burnett: I 'have never been a supporter of Donald Trump's candidacy'

Discussion: ABC News

Jake Sherman / Politico:

Paul Ryan: I had a ‘very exciting meeting’ with Trump today — Speaker Paul Ryan said he had a “very exciting meeting” with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower on Friday. — “I really enjoyed coming up here and meeting with the president-elect. We had a great meeting.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo and ABC News

Michael Warren / Weekly Standard:

After Repeal — It's the opportunity Republicans have been awaiting for six years, which invites the obvious question: Are they going to screw it up? In January, a united Republican Congress and Republican White House will finally have the ability to dispose of Obamacare, the unpopular and destructive health-insurance law.

Burgess Everett / Politico:
Shutdown looms as Senate Dems oppose short-term spending bill

Discussion: Hot Air

Julia Hahn / Breitbart:

Trump Expected to Tap Labor Secretary Who Prefers Foreign Labor to American Workers — President-elect Donald J. Trump is expected to name as his Labor Secretary fast food executive Andy Puzder, who stands diametrically opposed to Trump's signature issues on trade and immigration — which won him the election.

Discussion: The Nation, CNBC, Washington Free Beacon, Politico, New York Magazine, Talking Points Memo, TheStreet.com and New York Times

Steve M. / No More Mister Nice Blog:
COULD BREITBART BREAK WITH TRUMP?

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Politico, The Week and New York Magazine

Brent Scher / Washington Free Beacon:
Top Ten Reasons Andy Puzder Is a Great Pick for Labor Secretary

Discussion: Power Line, Hit & Run, twitchy.com and ThinkProgress

Mark Krikorian / National Review:
Trump's Labor Department Pick: Put Americans Last

Discussion: Breitbart, Hot Air, The Daily Caller, New York Magazine and The Federalist

Bloomberg:

Trump Team's Memo Hints at Broad Shake-Up of U.S. Energy Policy — Advisers seeking to identify staff involved in climate policy — Advisers to President-elect Donald Trump are developing plans to reshape Energy Department programs, help keep aging nuclear plants online and identify staff …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Mother Jones, ThinkProgress, Politico, Political Wire, Daily Kos and Climate Depot

Sarah Ellison / Vanity Fair:

Could a Last-Minute Suitor Woo Megyn Kelly Away from Fox News? — Despite an offer of more than $20 million from Fox, Kelly appears to be listening to some surprising suitors. — On Wednesday morning, Megyn Kelly was once again promoting her new memoir, Settle for More …

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News, USA Today, Mediaite, FTVLive and TVNewser

Joe Concha / The Hill:
Report: Megyn Kelly in talks with ABC

Discussion: RedState

Jennifer Scholtes / Politico:

Obama orders ‘full review’ of election-related hacking — President Barack Obama has ordered a “full review” of hacking-relating activity aimed at disrupting last month's presidential election and he expects that report before he leaves office on Jan. 20, a top White House official said Friday.

Discussion: Townhall.com and The Week

Jeff Mason / Reuters:
Obama orders review of cyber attacks on 2016 election: adviser

Discussion: Engadget and Mashable

Aaron Rupar / ThinkProgress:

Carrier says it will spend millions automating Indiana plant, plans to lay off workers Trump ‘saved’ — The deal keeps getting worse. — As part of the deal President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence struck with Carrier, the company has promised to make a $16 million investment …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, Washington Post and NBC News

Mark Hensch / The Hill:
Carrier to ultimately lose some jobs Trump saved: report

Discussion: Washington Post, Washington Monthly, The Resurgent, The Daily Caller, CNNMoney, New York Magazine, TheBlaze and The Week

Harper Neidig / The Hill:

Report: Trump down to two candidates for RNC head — 's field of preferred candidates for chair of the Republican National Committee has narrowed to just two candidates, Politico reported Thursday. — Trump is reportedly deciding between Ronna Romney McDaniel, Mitt Romney's niece who's …

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Trump likely to pick McDaniel to lead RNC

Discussion: Political Insider blog, The Resurgent and Political Wire

Reuters:
Trump may signal support for Michigan Republican as next party chair

Discussion: Political Wire

Mark Hosenball / Reuters:

Trump gets one presidential intelligence briefing a week: sources — President-elect Donald Trump is receiving an average of one presidential intelligence briefing a week, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter, far fewer than most of his recent predecessors.

Discussion: Political Wire, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Jezebel and Hot Air

CBS News: Trump has declined many intelligence briefings offered to him according to Senate aide

Patrick J. Michaels / The Hill:

Trump's EPA pick will make Obama regret his environmental overreach — Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt's nomination for administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is as clear a signal as the incoming administration can send with regard to its environmental policies.

Jay Michaelson / The Daily Beast:
Scott Pruitt, Trump's Climate-Denying EPA Pick, Is Worse Than You Think

Discussion: Raw Story

Jenna Johnson / Washington Post:

This is what happens when Donald Trump attacks a private citizen on Twitter — About a year ago, 18-year-old college student Lauren Batchelder stood up at a political forum in New Hampshire and told Donald Trump that she didn't think he was “a friend to women.”

Discussion: New York Magazine

Jesse Berney / Rolling Stone:

Trump's Presidency Is Shaping Up to Be an American Tragedy — His administration is likely to be just as bad as you think - and possibly worse — They're already building the inaugural stand on the west side of the Capitol building. In six weeks, Donald Trump will stand on it …

Discussion: Washington Post, Truthdig and TalkLeft

New York Times:

Trump Eyes Goldman Sachs President for Economic Post; Millions Spent on Campaign, and Millions Made Back — President-elect Donald J. Trump is expected to name Gary D. Cohn, the president of Goldman Sachs, to direct the National Economic Council. — He could also name Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers to be interior secretary.

Graham Rayman / New York Daily News:

Barneys slammed with discrimination suit by black New Jersey couple who say they were hassled when returning scarf, jeans — A black couple filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against Barneys Thursday — claiming the store hassled them when they tried to return a scarf and a pair of fancy jeans, the Daily News has learned.

Discussion: The Root and Raw Story

Mark Moyar / New York Times:

The World Fears Trump's America. That's a Good Thing. — Among global elites, Donald J. Trump's recent phone call with Taiwan's president has induced fear on a scale seldom matched since Ronald Reagan's “Evil Empire” speech. The Sydney Morning Herald warned that the phone call …

Discussion: Liberty Unyielding

Rob Bradford / Full Count:

Sources: Former Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine being considered for United States Ambassador to Japan — Five years ago, Bobby Valentine was just about a week into his career as Red Sox manager. Now he may be on the verge of becoming a United States ambassador.

Discussion: Washington Post, CBS New York and USA Today

Geert Wilders / BBC:

Netherlands trial: Geert Wilders guilty of incitement — Dutch anti-Islam political leader Geert Wilders has been convicted of insulting a group and inciting discrimination. — But no penalty was imposed by the court near Amsterdam on Wilders, whose party is leading in polls ahead of parliamentary elections in March.

Discussion: Common Dreams, NPR, The Daily Caller and Vox Popoli

W. James Antle III / Washington Examiner:

Good riddance Harry Reid — In a Thursday op-ed in the New York Times, Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada wrote ruefully on the occasion of his retirement, addressing what many liberals have described as the “post-truth” world. After all, how else could they have lost the 2016 election?

Discussion: Power Line, twitchy.com and New York Times