memeorandum: Trump Announces Alexander Acosta as New Labor Secretary Pick (NBC News)

3:00 PM ET, February 16, 2017

Top Items:

Spies Keep Intelligence From Donald Trump — U.S. intelligence officials have withheld sensitive intelligence from President Donald Trump because they are concerned it could be leaked or compromised, according to current and former officials familiar with the matter.

New York Times:

White House Plans to Have Trump Ally Review Intelligence Agencies — WASHINGTON — President Trump plans to assign a New York billionaire to lead a broad review of American intelligence agencies, according to administration officials, an effort that members of the intelligence community fear …

Ashley Dejean / Mother Jones:

Exclusive: Classified Memo Tells Intelligence Analysts to Keep Trump's Daily Brief Short — Keep it short and free of nuance—that is the new guidance that has recently circulated to some intelligence analysts who compile materials for the President's Daily Brief on security threats around the globe.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Kurt Eichenwald / Newsweek:

U.S. ALLIES CONDUCT INTELLIGENCE OPERATION AGAINST TRUMP STAFF AND ASSOCIATES, INTERCEPTED COMMUNICATIONS — U.S. DONALD TRUMP RUSSIA — As part of intelligence operations being conducted against the United States for the last seven months, at least one Western European ally intercepted …

Discussion: CANNONFIRE and Hullabaloo

Louis Nelson / Politico:
Office of Director of National Intelligence: We don't withhold intel from Trump

Discussion: RedState, The Hill, ABC News, Daily Kos, Washington Monthly and Wall Street Journal

Numbers / Pew Research Center:

In First Month, Views of Trump Are Already Strongly Felt, Deeply Polarized — Opposition to Trump's refugee policy; improved views of economy — Less than a month after Donald Trump took office, the public's initial impressions of the new president are strongly felt, deeply polarized and far more negative than positive.

Discussion: Political Wire

Pew Research Center:

1. Early public attitudes about Donald Trump — Overall, 39% say they approve of how Trump is handling his job as president, while 56% say they disapprove and 6% do not offer a view. Job ratings for Trump are more negative than for other recent presidents at similar points in their first terms.

Discussion: Mother Jones

Rasmussen Reports:

in Politics — The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows that 55% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump's job performance. Forty-five percent (45%) disapprove. — The latest figures include 38% who Strongly Approve of the way Trump is performing and 36% who Strongly Disapprove.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and Rush

Bloomberg:

Kremlin Tells Media to Cut Back on Fawning Trump Coverage, Sources Say — Order comes as hopes fade for improved relations with U.S. — Trump was garnering more media mentions in Russia than Putin — The Kremlin ordered state media to cut way back on their fawning coverage of President Donald Trump …

Discussion: The Hill, Politico, Talking Points Memo, Political Wire, The Week, Raw Story, Mediaite and Axios, more at Mediagazer »

ABC News:
The Note: Trump Dodges Questions on Russia

Discussion: Politico and Washington Post

Tara Golshan / Vox:
A guide to what the GOP-led House Oversight Committee will and won't investigate on Trump

Discussion: Politico, ABC News and The Atlantic

Betsy Woodruff / The Daily Beast:

Leaked Emails Show Justice Clarence Thomas's Wife Pushing Travel Ban — Justice Clarence Thomas's wife is organizing in support of President Donald Trump's agenda. And it might make her husband's life a little complicated. — In an email sent to a conservative listserv on Feb. 13 …

Discussion: Daily Kos, Axios, The Root and Raw Story

Jon Schwarz / The Intercept:

Carter Page, at Center of Trump Russian Investigation, Writes Bizarre Letter to DOJ Blaming Hillary Clinton — Carter Page, briefly a foreign policy adviser to Donald Trump's presidential campaign, sent a peculiar, rambling letter this week to the Department of Justice, asking it to review …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Raw Story and Balloon Juice

PBS NewsHour:
CARTER PAGE: Yes.

Discussion: Washington Times

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
GOP senators unnerved by Trump-Russia relationship

Discussion: Politico

Philip Elliott / TIME:

Inside Donald Trump's White House Chaos — For two years, Donald Trump mastered the art of disruption. Name a political precept and he probably broke it during his improbable march to the White House. But disruption in government—the rulemaker breaking the rules—turns out to be more costly.

Discussion: Business Insider and Mother Jones

Josh Dawsey / Politico:

Priebus struggles to control fractious White House — Reince Priebus, facing growing criticism and calls for his ouster, is racing to bring order to a White House that looks to be spiraling out of control. — After weeks of West Wing turmoil and critiques from President Donald Trump himself …

Discussion: The Hill, Raw Story, Hot Air and CNNMoney

Marianne LeVine / Politico:

Trump names Alexander Acosta as labor secretary nominee — President Donald Trump on Thursday announced his intent to nominate Alexander Acosta, a former Justice Department official and current dean of Florida International University College of Law, for labor secretary, just a day after his first pick …

Discussion: RedState and New York Magazine

Donovan Slack / USA Today:
Trump to name Alexander Acosta as new Labor secretary nominee

Discussion: Infowars

NBC News:
Trump Announces Alexander Acosta as New Labor Secretary Pick

Discussion: Above the Law

Anthony Capaccio / Bloomberg:

Trump's F-35 Calls Came With a Surprise: Rival CEO Was Listening — Boeing CEO said to be in room as Trump phoned program chief — Lockheed has faced Trump attacks over cost of F-35 contract — Days before taking office, President-elect Donald Trump made two surprise calls …

Discussion: Mediaite, The Daily Caller, USNI News, Balloon Juice and The Week

Jennifer Steinhauer / New York Times:

G.O.P.'s Grand Visions for Congress Now Look Like a Mirage — WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans, who craved unified control of the government to secure their aggressive conservative agenda, have instead found themselves on a legislative elliptical trainer, gliding toward nowhere.

Discussion: Daily Kos and The Atlantic

Megan McArdle / Bloomberg:
A Rough 24 Hours for Obamacare

Discussion: Los Angeles Times, The Nation, The Week, Business Insider, The Federalist and TheBlaze

CNNMoney:

Businesses rally in support of #ADayWithoutImmigrants — Arab-American business owners: We create jobs & wealth — Restaurants and other businesses across the country will be closing their doors Thursday in support of a “Day Without Immigrants,” a national grassroots movement seeking …

Discussion: The Atlantic, TheBlaze, New York Magazine and The Root

New York Times:
Day Without Immigrants to Hit Washington in the Stomach

Discussion: ABC News, Hot Air, The Daily Caller, DCist, Eater DC - All, Balloon Juice, Mother Jones and Washington Post

Doug Stanglin / USA Today:
Businesses across U.S. close for ‘Day Without Immigrants’

Discussion: USA TODAY College, KTLA and Washington Free Beacon

Katie Mettler / Washington Post:

‘This is really unprecedented’: ICE detains woman seeking domestic abuse protection at Tex. courthouse — A hearing in El Paso County in Texas went from ordinary to “unprecedented” last week when half a dozen Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents showed up at a courthouse …

Discussion: Balloon Juice and Hit & Run

Marty Schladen / El Paso Times:
ICE detains domestic-violence victim in court

Discussion: twitchy.com, Washington Monthly, The Nation, KFOX-TV, The Hill, ThinkProgress, New York Immigration Coalition, Business Insider, The Week, Daily Wire, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, The Huffington Post, Raw Story, The Gateway Pundit and New York Magazine

Paulina Firozi / The Hill:

Martial arts academy posts how-to video for defending against Trump handshake — A mixed martial arts online magazine has posted a tutorial from a jiu-jitsu academy on how to defend against President Trump's handshakes. — Recent meetings with foreign leaders have brought attention to the president's handshake.

Discussion: RedState and Washington Post

Amir Tibon / Haaretz:

Former U.S. Ambassadors Urge Senate Not to Confirm Friedman as Trump's Israel Envoy — Five former U.S. ambassadors to Israel sent a letter on Wednesday to members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urging them to reject the nomination of President Trump's candidate for ambassador to Israel …

Discussion: NBC News and Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Jim VandeHei / Axios:

The media IS the opposition party — President Trump claims traditional media represent a stronger, more effective opposition party than the Democrats. So far, he's undeniably correct. — This has only a little to do with the Democrats. They have no power in Congress …

Discussion: RedState

Richard Pollock / The Daily Caller:

EXCLUSIVE: How The Nation's Spooks Played The Game ‘Kill Mike Flynn’ — Ted Cruz Tries To Wreck Liz Warren's Legacy With One Sentence — Democrats Announce HUGE Show Of No-Confidence In Crucial Senate Race — Why Did The FBI Just Release Trump Real Estate Records From The 70s? — US |

Discussion: Geller Report, BizPac Review and Sputnik International

Maggie Haberman / New York Times:

Kushners Won't Buy Miami Marlins if Seller Gets Ambassadorship — WASHINGTON — The family of Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior adviser, said it would pull back from buying the Miami Marlins baseball team — for now — after it emerged that the current owner is likely …

Discussion: Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Business Insider

Bloomberg:

Republicans Fret Over Slow Pace of Congress Early in Trump Term — Looming fights on spending, debt limit likely to clog calendar — Corker says probes of Trump aide contacts with Russia distract — Congress is off to a slow start this year, and Republicans are starting to get nervous.

Discussion: Washington Post and Rush

Linda Greenhouse / New York Times:

Who Will Watch the Agents Watching Our Borders? — Whom do federal immigration agents despise more: former President Barack Obama, or the immigrants whose lives are in their hands? — That uncomfortable question came to mind as I read articles over the past week of the growing numbers of raids …

Discussion: Daily Kos, Washington Post and ImmigrationProf Blog

Lanny Davis / The Hill:

Ellison for DNC chair — The race for chair of the Democratic National Committee is an important one. This is especially so when Democrats are the party in opposition to a Republican president, and especially when that president is Donald Trump — , and thus there may need …

Discussion: Politico