1. Trump unveils first major nominees
Donald Trump officially named three key picks for his administration: Jeff Sessions for attorney general, Michael Flynn for national security adviser, and Mike Pompeo to head the CIA.
2. Nominees already face stiff opposition
Sessions’ alleged history of racist comments, Flynn’s comparison of Islam to “malignant cancer” and “serious civil liberties concerns” over Pompeo’s stance on bulk surveillance have ignited firestorms already.
Summary
Thirty years ago, a different Republican Senate rejected Senator Sessions’ nomination to a federal judgeship. In doing so, that Senate affirmed that there can be no compromise with racism; no negotiation with hate. Today, a new Republican Senate must decide whether self-interest and political cowardice will prevent them from once again doing what is right.
- Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren
Summary
Mr Sessions called me into his office and indicated he felt I had been unduly harsh with the secretary. Mr Sessions admonished me to ‘be careful what you say to white folks’.
- Former assistant US attorney Thomas Figures. Sessions has denied saying this
Summary
Bannon, Flynn, Sessions -- Great! Senate must demand that Sessions as AG stop the massive institutional race discrimination against whites!
— David Duke (@DrDavidDuke) November 18, 2016
3. Report: Trump nears settlement in Trump University case
The New York Daily News reports that Trump is close to a settlement agreement in the multi-state class-action fraud lawsuit filed by former customers of the now-defunct Trump University.
4. Retailers drop Ivanka Trump’s brand
#GrabYourWallet, the feisty online campaign to persuade shoppers to boycott Ivanka Trump’s fashion products – and the retailers that stock them – appears to be biting.
Summary
Ivanka Trump fashion dropped by @shoesdotcom, no mo Trump items on @bellacor. @shannoncoulter "elated" as her #GrabYourWallet campaign bites
— Joanna Walters (@Joannawalters13) November 18, 2016
5. Trump camp lies about Muslim registry
A spokesman for the transition team claimed that Trump “never advocated” for a registry tracking individuals based on their religion, despite video proof showing Trump doing exactly that.
6. Jon Stewart on Republicans backing Trump: ‘Those guys are the swamp’
Former Daily Show host Jon Stewart called Trump a repudiation of Republicans in an interview with CBS. “He’s not a Republican. He’s a repudiation of Republicans. But they will reap the benefit of his victory.”
7. Peter Thiel reportedly creates ‘loyalty list’
Billionaire Peter Thiel has reportedly launched a secret database called the “Plum List” to screen potential administration appointees for loyalty to Trump during the campaign, according to the Daily Mail.
8. Obama calls fake news ‘a threat to democracy’
“If we are not serious about facts and what’s true and what’s not, if we can’t discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda, then we have problems,” Obama said during a press conference in Germany.
… and another thing:
The president-elect of the United States has "real" in his Twitter handle.
— Scott Bixby (@scottbix) November 18, 2016
