memeorandum: Democrats Elect Thomas Perez, Establishment Favorite, as Party Chairman (Jonathan Martin/New York Times)

8:30 PM ET, February 25, 2017

Top Items:

Thomas Perez elected the first Latino leader of Democratic Party — ATLANTA — Former labor secretary Thomas Perez was elected the first Latino chair of the Democratic National Committee on Saturday, narrowly defeating Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) at the end of a contentious battle over the fate …

Discussion: CNN, ABC News, Fox News, The Slot, The Root, Hot Air, Western Journalism, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Business Insider and The Hill

Jonathan Martin / New York Times:

Democrats Elect Thomas Perez, Establishment Favorite, as Party Chairman — ATLANTA — Former Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee on Saturday, narrowly defeating Representative Keith Ellison of Minnesota to take the helm of a still-divided party stunned …

Discussion: The Nation, Taylor Marsh and Power Line

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

DNC chair vote: live coverage — Live updates on the Democratic National Committee chair vote in Atlanta. — After the first balloting, Perez falls a single vote short of winning. The race will proceed to a second ballot. — Perez received 213.5 votes, one ballot short of the 214.5 threshold to win.

Discussion: Vox, Mother Jones, Geller Report, ABC News, CBS New York, Daily Kos, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Townhall.com, Western Journalism, IJR, The Week, Fox News Insider and Althouse

Jesse Byrnes / The Hill:

Perez appoints Ellison deputy DNC chair — Tom Perez used his first motion as chairman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Saturday to appoint his top rival for the position, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), as deputy chair of the DNC. — “I would like to begin by making a motion …

Discussion: Raw Story and Liberty Unyielding

Daily Mail:
‘Keep fighting, I will be with you every step of the way’: Hillary surfaces in extraordinary …

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News, RedState and Western Journalism

Jonathan Easley / The Hill: Perez wins bid to lead Democratic Party

Daniel Strauss / Politico:
Buttigieg drops out of DNC chair race

Discussion: IJR

Ryan Struyk / ABC News:
Top Democrats poised to choose next party chair

Discussion: Associated Press and twitchy.com

Gabriel Debenedetti / Politico:
Perez elected DNC chairman

Discussion: NPR, FiveThirtyEight and New York Magazine

David Weigel / Washington Post:
Democrats brace for backlash as they vote on new party chairman

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Scared Monkeys and Balloon Juice

The Hill:

Trump: I won't attend White House correspondents' dinner — President Trump announced Saturday he will not be attending this year's White House Correspondents' Association dinner, a break with past presidents. — “I will not be attending the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner this year.

Erik Hayden / Hollywood Reporter:
Bloomberg Cancels White House Correspondents' Dinner Party

Discussion: RedState, The Slot, Business Insider, Raw Story, Mashable, The Guardian and Liberty Unyielding, more at Mediagazer »

Associated Press:
White House bars major news outlets from informal briefing

Discussion: Townhall.com and Liberty Unyielding

Sarah Kliff / Vox:

Leaked report suggests millions could lose coverage under GOP health proposal — Republican replacement plans for Obamacare would lead to significant declines in the number of Americans with health insurance coverage, according to an analysis presented Saturday at the National Governors Association and obtained by Vox.

Discussion: Washington Post and Political Wire

DN.SE:

Fake Sweden expert on Fox News - has criminal convictions in US, no connection to Swedish security — Fox News continues to focus on the debate about how immigration is breaking Sweden. One guest last night, described as a “Swedish defense and national security advisor” …

Discussion: Raw Story, Little Green Footballs and Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times

Adam Taylor / Washington Post:
Who is Nils Bildt? Swedish ‘national security advisor’ interviewed by Fox News is a mystery to Swedes

Discussion: The Hill, The Local and Politicus USA

New York Times:

Trump Ruled the Tabloid Media. Washington Is a Different Story. — WASHINGTON — The White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, has taken to slapping journalists who write unflattering stories with an epithet he sees as the epitome of low-road, New York Post-style gossip: “Page Six reporter.”

Discussion: RedState and Mediaite

Carrie Dann / NBC News:

Majority of Americans Say Congress Should Probe Contact Between Trump, Russia: Poll — About half of Americans believe that Congress should investigate whether Donald Trump's presidential campaign had contact with the Russian government in 2016, while only a quarter say that lawmakers …

Discussion: NBC News, RedState, Real Clear Politics, Talking Points Memo and Business Insider

Ricky Young / sandiegouniontribune.com:
Issa calls for special prosecutor on Russian interference in election

Discussion: RedState

Kyle Cheney / Politico:
Issa: Trump-Russia probe requires a special prosecutor

Discussion: Deadline, TheBlaze and New York Magazine

New York Times:

Immigration Agents Discover New Freedom to Deport Under Trump — In Virginia, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents waited outside a church shelter where undocumented immigrants had gone to stay warm. In Texas and in Colorado, agents went into courthouses, looking for foreigners who had arrived for hearings on other matters.

Discussion: Hullabaloo, The Atlantic and BizPac Review

Heather Caygle / Politico:

House Democrats plan to troll Trump at big speech — House Democrats are seizing on President Donald Trump's first major speech to Congress Tuesday as an opportunity to troll the new president in prime time. — Many of the same Democrats who boycotted Trump's inauguration are choosing …

Discussion: Occupy Democrats, BizPac Review and The Daily Caller

Peter Holley / Washington Post:

Thousands of furious Trump fans can't stop visiting a website that pretends Clinton won — It's just over a month into Hillary Clinton's historic presidency, and Milo Yiannopoulos works as a Starbucks barista, the Koch brothers have fled the country and the first woman to occupy the Oval Office is the sober …

Discussion: The Hill

Benjamin Weiser / New York Times:

Lynne F. Stewart, Lawyer for Omar Abdel Rahman, Unexpectedly Outlives Him — When Omar Abdel Rahman died last Saturday while serving a life sentence for a 1995 conviction in a plot to blow up New York City landmarks, it came as little surprise that the nearly universal view of him as a dangerous terrorist …

Discussion: twitchy.com

Patrick Svitek / The Texas Tribune:

O'Rourke on Cruz challenge in 2018: “I really want to do this” — U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso, is sailing toward a 2018 Senate campaign, an uphill battle that would pit the little-known congressman against one of the state's most prominent Republicans in the unpredictable era of President Donald Trump.

Miami New Times:

Muhammad Ali's Son Illegally Detained at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Attorney Says … The Muslim son of America's most famous boxer says he was stopped at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, questioned twice about his religion, and then held for about two hours this past February 7.