memeorandum: Trump calls the media ‘the enemy of the American People’ (Jenna Johnson/Washington Post)

12:40 PM ET, February 18, 2017

Top Items:

Trump and Candidates for National Security Adviser Spar Over Staffing — Retired Vice Adm. Bob Harward and retired Gen. David Petraeus have dropped out of consideration — President Donald Trump won't guarantee that his next national security adviser will have full control over staffing and process …

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon, Political Wire, Axios, Business Insider, Politico, Hot Air, FOX News Radio, The Daily Caller, Sputnik International and NBC News

Brooke Seipel / The Hill:

Reports: Petraeus off the list, Trump down to three candidates to replace Flynn — Retired general and former CIA Director David Petraeus has reportedly pulled his name from consideration to replace Michael Flynn as National Security Adviser. — According to a report by the Wall Street Journal Friday …

Discussion: RedState

New York Times:

President Trump, White House Apprentice — It's with a whiff of desperation that President Trump insists these days that he's the chief executive Washington needs, the decisive dealmaker who, as he said during the campaign, “alone can fix it.” What America has seen so far is an inept White House led by a celebrity apprentice.

Julian E. Barnes / Wall Street Journal:

Petraeus Says National Security Adviser Should Hire Own Staff — Official says Petraeus isn't in running for NSA job after Robert Harward turns down role — MUNICH—Former CIA director David Petraeus said anyone considering the national security adviser job in the Trump administration …

Annie Karni / Politico:

Leaked Trump tape: ‘You are the special people’ — President Donald Trump, living alone inside the White House, often hungers for friendly interaction as he adjusts to the difficult work of governance. At his clubs, he finds what's missing. — That showed last November at a cocktail …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Huffington Post and Raw Story

New York Times:

Sun, Sand and Influence: For Mar-a-Lago Members, Proximity Is Power — On any given weekend, you might catch President Trump's son-in-law and top Mideast dealmaker, Jared Kushner, by the beachside soft-serve ice cream machine, or his reclusive chief strategist, Stephen K. Bannon, on the dining patio.

Discussion: ThinkProgress and The Week

Nicholas Schmidle / New Yorker:

Michael Flynn, General Chaos … Two days before the Inauguration of Donald Trump as the forty-fifth President of the United States, Michael Flynn, a retired lieutenant general and former intelligence officer, sat down in a Washington restaurant. On the tablecloth, he placed a leather-bound folder …

WNYW-TV:

Ivanka Trump brand tops Amazon Best Sellers list — NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - First Daughter Ivanka Trump could be getting the last laugh at brick and mortar stores that have dropped her brand of clothing, shoes, perfumes and more. — On Friday morning, Ivanka Trump Eau de Parfum Spray For Women …

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

John Hayward / Breitbart:

Marine Veteran Arrested After Pipe Bombs Allegedly Found in Hotel Safe — 37-year-old Adam Nauveed Hayat of Denver, Colorado, is under arrest and facing federal charges after police allegedly discovered pipe bombs in the safe of his hotel room. — The details surrounding Hayat's arrest …

Discussion: Geller Report, TheDenverChannel.com, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Denver Post and CBS Los Angeles

New York Times:

Popular Domestic Programs Face Ax Under First Trump Budget — WASHINGTON — The White House budget office has drafted a hit list of programs that President Trump could eliminate to trim domestic spending, including longstanding conservative targets like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting …

Discussion: The Root, Common Dreams and Political Wire

Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D. / Breitbart:

Pope Francis: ‘Muslim Terrorism Does Not Exist’ — In an impassioned address Friday, Pope Francis denied the existence of Islamic terrorism, while simultaneously asserting that “the ecological crisis is real.” — “Christian terrorism does not exist, Jewish terrorism does not exist, and Muslim terrorism does not exist.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and Geller Report

James Hibberd / EW.com:

Milo Yiannopoulos spars with Bill Maher, attacks female comics — Bill Maher and Milo Yiannopoulos had their controversial showdown on HBO's Real Time on Friday night, though there were fewer sparks than some had perhaps expected. — The liberal talk show host and conservative Breitbart editor tried …

Discussion: Townhall.com, Washington Times, Daily Wire, American Thinker and IJR

Danielle Douglas-Gabriel / Washington Post:

Betsy DeVos being guarded by U.S. Marshals Service — The U.S. Marshals Service says it is providing security for Education Secretary Betsy DeVos after a handful of protesters prevented her from entering a D.C. middle school. — The move is unusual for the Education Department …

Discussion: Townhall.com and AOL

Michael Stratford / Politico:
DeVos gets beefed-up security

Discussion: Fox News, TheBlaze, Associated Press and Hot Air

Steven Beutler / New Republic:

A Medical Theory for Donald Trump's Bizarre Behavior — Many mental health professionals believe the president is ill. But what if the cause is an untreated STD? — Al Franken recently raised a provocative question about Donald Trump: Is he mentally ill?

Discussion: Raw Story, AOL and Mediaite

ESPN:

Mark Cuban takes apparent jab at Donald Trump with No. 46 jersey — NEW ORLEANS — Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wore a No. 46 jersey in Friday night's NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, an apparent response to President Donald Trump's recent tweet that Cuban is “not smart enough to run for president.”

Discussion: AOL, The Hill, TheBlaze and Raw Story

Christinne Muschi / Reuters:

Eight people flee U.S. border patrol to seek asylum in Canada — ((This version of the Feb. 17 story corrects the headline and first paragraph to eight people from nine)) — Eight asylum-seekers, including four children, barely made it across the Canadian border on Friday …

Discussion: ThinkProgress, PRI, CBC News, NCPR Daily News and Hullabaloo

Washington Post:

Coal is North Korea's largest export, and China just announced it won't buy any for the rest of 2017 — China's Ministry of Commerce announced the ban without giving a reason, but China is thought to be deeply frustrated with North Korea over its recent missile test and the assassination of Kim Jong Un's half brother in Malaysia.

Media Matters for America:

Anti-Semites Praise Trump For Berating Jewish Reporter And Refusing To Condemn Anti-Semitism In Press Conference — Anti-Semitic writers are thrilled that President Donald Trump denounced a Jewish reporter at a press conference and told him to be quiet after he asked the president to condemn anti-Semitism.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Infowars, Washington Free Beacon and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

Veronica Rocha / Los Angeles Times:

Major flooding, mudslides and deadly winds as biggest storm in years barrels into L.A. area — A storm that officials said could be the strongest in years moved into Southern California on Friday. — A storm that forecasters billed as the most powerful in years barreled into Southern California on Friday …

Discussion: Hollywood Life and KTLA

mccain.senate.gov:

REMARKS BY SASC CHAIRMAN JOHN McCAIN AT THE 2017 MUNICH SECURITY CONFERENCE — Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, delivered the following remarks today at the 2017 Munich Security Conference: — “Thank you, Ian, for that kind introduction.

Discussion: AOL, ThinkProgress, Raw Story, The Week, Washington Post and Hot Air

Josh Dawsey / Politico:

Trump ignores ‘the grown-ups’ in his Cabinet — President Donald Trump this week abruptly dropped the nation's commitment to a two-state solution for Middle East peace — without reviewing the specifics of his new strategy with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Discussion: Political Wire

Chris Willman / Billboard:

Pro-Trump Singer Joy Villa Talks ‘Overwhelming Support,’ Hitting Top 10 Thanks to Grammys Dress — She says her three-year-old ‘I Make the Static’ EP now hitting the Billboard 200 is proof “people like to support those who support their beliefs.” — The relatively unknown singer Joy Villa …

Discussion: RedState

CBS News:

Trump yells at CIA director over reports intel officials are keeping info from him — CBS News has learned that on Thursday, an angry President Trump called CIA Director Mike Pompeo and yelled at him for not pushing back hard enough against reports that the intelligence community was withholding information from the commander-in-chief.

Discussion: Political Wire, Raw Story and Business Insider

Jim O’Sullivan / BostonGlobe.com:

Scott Brown under consideration for ambassador to New Zealand — Former US senator Scott Brown is being considered for nomination as President Trump's ambassador to New Zealand, according to four sources familiar with the process. — Brown, who was considered for the veterans affairs Cabinet post …

Discussion: Political Wire

New York Times:

Congress Goes Home, and Constituents Fired Up Over Health Care Are Waiting — As Republican lawmakers prepare to leave Washington for a weeklong congressional recess, liberal groups and Democratic Party organizers are hoping to make their homecoming as noisy and uncomfortable as possible.

Discussion: Political Wire, Common Dreams and BillMoyers.com