Today's Headlines: 'I Inherited a Mess,' Trump Says, Defending His Performance

[In 77 Chaotic Minutes, Trump Defends ‘Fine-Tuned Machine’]( | View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. | [Unsubscribe]( [The New York Times]( [Most Popular]( | [Video]( | [Today's Headlines]( Friday, February 17, 2017 IN THIS EMAIL [NYT] [World](#worldNews) | [U.S.](#nationalNews) | [Politics](#politicsNews) | [Business](#businessNews) | [Technology](#technologyNews) | [Sports](#sportsNews) | [Arts](#artsNews) | [N.Y./Region](#nyregionNews) | [Movies](#dailyFeatureNews) | [Today's Video](#videoNews) | [Obituaries](#obituaries) | [Editorials](#editorialsNews) | [Op-Ed](#opinionNews) | [On This Day](#onthisdayNews) | [CUSTOMIZE »]( Top News [President Trump during a news conference in the White House on Thursday. ]( ['I Inherited a Mess,' Trump Says, Defending His Performance]( By PETER BAKER In a raw news conference on Thursday, President Trump dismissed reports about contacts between his advisers and Russia and said his administration was not chaotic. [In 77 Chaotic Minutes, Trump Defends 'Fine-Tuned Machine']( By MICHAEL D. SHEAR, MAGGIE HABERMAN and GLENN THRUSH In a free-for-all news conference, the president took aim at enemies old and new: journalists, judges and secret-sharing Judases. [Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio, left, and Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, during a news conference on Wednesday where they discussed plans to replace the Affordable Care Act.]( Congressional Memo [G.O.P.'s Grand Visions for Congress Now Look Like a Mirage]( By JENNIFER STEINHAUER Congressional Republicans eagerly anticipated securing their conservative agenda, but they have yet to deliver on any of the sweeping legislation they promised. For more top news, go to [NYTimes.com »]( [Get the Morning Briefing in Your Inbox]( What you need to know to start your day, delivered Monday through Friday. [Sign up »]( ADVERTISEMENT Editors' Picks [Hyphen-Nation]( By BAYETÉ ROSS SMITH, JOSH COCHRAN, AINARA TIEFENTHÄLER What makes someone American? How do you define American identity? When do you feel most American? Or least? Nine American citizens describe their struggle to belong in a nation that both embraces and rejects them. [.][Sign Up for the Race/Related Newsletter]( OPINION | Op-Ed | Richard A. Friedman [Is It Time to Call Trump Mentally Ill?]( By RICHARD A. FRIEDMAN When psychiatrists give diagnoses about the mental health of politicians, it's not just unethical - it's intellectually suspect. QUOTATION OF THE DAY "I thought, 'Oy, my coffee will not be as good as any day,' but I felt, 'good for them, they are standing up for their rights.'" [RABBI JOEL LABIN]( on the absence of Latino immigrant employees at Center Fresh market in Brooklyn during a national "day without immigrants" in protest of the Trump administration's policies toward them. [] World [Harry van Bommel, a left-wing member of Parliament, in his office in The Hague. He used a ]( [Fake News, Fake Ukrainians: How a Group of Russians Tilted a Dutch Vote]( By ANDREW HIGGINS With Europe facing critical elections, fears of Russian meddling are high. Many officials say the first test comes in March in the Netherlands. [An Israeli soldier last month on a street that separates an Israeli settlement and a Palestinian neighborhood inside the West Bank city of Hebron. President Trump's comments on a two-state solution have prompted confusion in the region.]( [Is 2-State Solution Dead? In Israel, a Debate Over What's Next]( By ISABEL KERSHNER Palestinians and Israelis look to the future after President Trump seemingly overturned decades of American policy centered on the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. [Vice President Tareck El Aissami, who was called a drug ]( [Crime Accusations Have Long Dogged Tareck El Aissami, Venezuela's No. 2]( By NICHOLAS CASEY and ANA VANESSA HERRERO A Venezuelan drug trafficker in 2010 bragged about his connection to Tareck El Aissami, the vice president the U.S. has called a drug "kingpin." For more world news, go to [NYTimes.com/World »]( ADVERTISEMENT [] U.S. [Barronelle Stutzman, left, after a state Supreme Court hearing in November.]( [Florist Discriminated Against Gay Couple, Washington Supreme Court Rules]( By KIRK JOHNSON A florist who refused to sell flowers for a same-sex wedding cannot claim religious belief as a defense under the state's anti-discrimination laws. [Mohammad Razvi, center, hung an American flag outside the Council of Peoples Organization in Brooklyn on Thursday, designated ]( [On a 'Day Without Immigrants,' Workers Show Their Presence by Staying Home]( By LIZ ROBBINS and ANNIE CORREAL In the New York region and around the country, many workers and business owners chose to not work as part of a protest of the Trump administration's policies toward immigrants. [A vendor's display at a Florida Gun Shows event in Miami last year.]( [Florida Doctors May Discuss Guns With Patients, Court Rules]( By LIZETTE ALVAREZ A federal court overturned a state law, saying doctors could not be threatened with losing their license for discussing gun safety. For more U.S. news, go to [NYTimes.com/US »]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Politics [Scott Pruitt at his confirmation hearing last month to be administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.]( [E.P.A. Workers Try to Block Pruitt in Show of Defiance]( By CORAL DAVENPORT Employees of the Environmental Protection Agency are calling their senators to try to defeat Scott Pruitt's confirmation to run the agency. [Speaker Paul D. Ryan spoke about the House Republicans' plan to replace the Affordable Care Act on Thursday.]( [House G.O.P. Leaders Outline Plan to Replace Obama Health Care Act]( By ROBERT PEAR and THOMAS KAPLAN The Republican plan includes tax credits to help people buy insurance that would vary by age, not income, and incentives to establish savings accounts to pay medical expenses. [Robert S. Harward, a retired vice admiral and Navy SEAL, during a visit to Zaranj, Afghanistan, in 2011. He refused to replace Michael T. Flynn as national security adviser.]( [Trump's Pick to Replace Flynn Turns Down the Job]( By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS and ERIC SCHMITT Robert Harward's decision reflected the continuing upheaval in the White House, which has been rocked by controversy and personnel troubles. For more political news, go to [NYTimes.com/Politics »]( [] Business [Lee Jae-yong on Friday in Anyang, South Korea. He was later arrested on corruption charges. ]( [Lee Jae-yong, Samsung Heir, Is Arrested on Bribery Charges]( By CHOE SANG-HUN The arrest of Mr. Lee, Samsung's de facto leader, is a dramatic turn in South Korea's struggle to end collusive ties between the government and conglomerates. [Scheme Tied to UnitedHealth Overbilled Medicare for Years, Suit Says]( By MARY WILLIAMS WALSH The Justice Department moved Thursday to join a whistle-blower suit in California that claims the insurer improperly collected vast sums by claiming people under its care were sicker than they were. [Rachel Mayer, left, and Zafrir Schop are co-founders of Trigger, which creates automatic trading triggers for small investors. The ones it has built around President Trump's Twitter account have 10,000 subscribers.]( [A Little Birdie Told Me: Playing the Market on Trump Tweets]( By NATHANIEL POPPER Automated bots and armchair investors are watching the president's Twitter feed for company mentions, but predicting what happens next can be tricky. For more business news, go to [NYTimes.com/Business »]( [] Technology [Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive of Facebook, in September. On Thursday, he said in a 5,800-word letter that ]( [Facebook's Zuckerberg, Bucking Tide, Takes Public Stand Against Isolationism]( By MIKE ISAAC In an update to the social network's mission statement, the C.E.O. said that to achieve progress, people needed to come together "as a global community." [A deer, literally in the headlights in downtown Eastport, Me., last October.]( Wheels [Headlights Get New Attention as More Than a Car Design Flourish]( By ERIC A. TAUB Shifting safety warnings and evaluations focus on how vehicles light up the roadways. At the same time, manufacturers are poised to roll out new headlamp technology. Tech Tip [Adding Facebook's Birthday List to a Calendar Program]( By J. D. BIERSDORFER The social network offers a simple way to sync friends' birthdays and other events to your regular datebook app. For more technology news, go to [NYTimes.com/Technology »]( [] Sports [Jakson Follmann learning to walk with a prosthetic leg after a November plane crash that killed nearly every member of his Brazilian soccer club, Chapecoense. He described his first steps as ]( [A Plane Crash Survivor and a Decimated Soccer Team Push Forward]( By DOM PHILLIPS Jakson Follmann, who lost his right leg in a crash that killed most of his Chapecoense teammates, is starting to walk again as his old team has resumed play. [Amed Rosario warmed up before hitting drills during Mets spring training in Port St. Lucie, Fla., this month.]( [A Top Mets Prospect Let Baseball Wait Until School Was Done]( By JAMES WAGNER Amed Rosario of the Dominican Republic stands out for his hitting and foot speed - and for finishing high school before pursuing a baseball career. [Lowell Bailey after crossing the finish line on Thursday in the men's 20-kilometer individual race at the biathlon world championships in Hochfilzen, Austria.]( [Lowell Bailey Wins U.S.'s First Biathlon World Title]( By VICTOR MATHER Americans had previously won only two silvers and a bronze at the world championships. For more sports news, go to [NYTimes.com/Sports »]( [] Arts [Christine Baranski as Diane Lockhart in ]( [Review: On 'The Good Fight,' a Lawyer Claws Her Way Back to Normal]( By JAMES PONIEWOZIK In this spinoff of "The Good Wife," Diane (Christine Baranski) ends up at a law firm across town, reunited with familiar faces but starting over broke. [Linda Bassett in ]( [Review: In 'Escaped Alone' Fears Small (Cats) and Large (Apocalypse)]( By BEN BRANTLEY Fear festers, burrows and blooms in Caryl Churchill's short and wondrous play that plumbs the depths of 21st-century terrors. [A New Phase of 'Goodnight Moon'?]( By SARAH LYALL How a previously unpublished book by the children's author Margaret Wise Brown is soon to make an appearance. For more arts news, go to [NYTimes.com/Arts »]( Movies [Matt Damon stars as a mercenary warrior in Zhang Yimou's film ]( [Review: Matt Damon Battles Clusters of Monsters in 'The Great Wall']( By MANOHLA DARGIS Zhang Yimou's costume spectacle offers drooling creatures, glowering warriors, a swaggering mercenary and a message about China's might. [Dane DeHaan in Gore Verbinski's ]( [Review: 'A Cure for Wellness' Is a Riot of Film References. With Eels.]( By A. O. SCOTT This thriller from Gore Verbinski makes for a nice game of Name That Movie Influence as it treads the boundary between homage and outright plagiarism. [Octavia Chavez-Richmond and J. Mallory McCree in ]( [Review: Immigrants 'From Nowhere,' Anxiously Living Under the Radar]( By STEPHEN HOLDEN Julianne Nicholson plays a Bronx high school teacher who tries to help three undocumented students cope with the threat of being discovered by the authorities. For more movie news and reviews, go to [NYTimes.com/Movies »]( [] New York [Henry Gifford, the mechanical system designer who supervised the installation of this rooftop boiler at 334 East Eighth Street, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.]( Resilient Design [A Humble Basement Boiler Gets a Penthouse, Above Flood Level]( By DAVID W. DUNLAP It's increasingly common to elevate utilities in new construction. But older buildings like this Lower East Side tenement are also raising them. [Gov. Chris Christie during a bill signing at the White House on Tuesday, when he had lunch with President Trump amid talk of a possible job.]( About New York [Still Shadowed by Bridge Scandal, Christie May Find Sympathy at White House]( By JIM DWYER Two days after the governor had lunch with the president, a judge said a Bridgegate criminal case against Mr. Christie could proceed. [Two N.Y.P.D. Officers Are Charged With Lying About a Suspect]( By RICK ROJAS Detectives Sasha Cordoba and Kevin Desormeau are accused of falsely saying that a man was carrying a gun during a 2014 arrest. The case was dismissed. For more New York news, go to [NYTimes.com/NewYork »]( []Obituaries [David Axelrod in an undated photograph.]( [David Axelrod, Music Producer Who Bridged Genres, Dies at 85]( By JON CARAMANICA Mr. Axelrod's influence can be heard in the work of Lou Rawls, Cannonball Adderley, Lauryn Hill and many others. [E. Clinton Bamberger, in 1990, spent his career championing free legal counsel for poor people.]( [E. Clinton Bamberger, Lawyer With a 'Fire for Justice,' Is Dead at 90]( By SAM ROBERTS His court challenge on behalf of a convicted murderer led to a precedent-setting Supreme Court ruling in 1963 that protected criminal defendants. [Svend Asmussen, left, with Benny Goodman in 1950.]( [Svend Asmussen, an Early Master of Jazz Violin, Dies at 100]( By PETER KEEPNEWS Mr. Asmussen, among the first to carve a place for the violin in the jazz catalog, played with, among other musicians, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and David Grisman. For more obituaries, go to [NYTimes.com/Obituaries »]( [] Editorial Editorial [Bring On the Special Prosecutor]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD The Trump administration's ties with Russia must be investigated immediately and fully. No one else can credibly do it. [President Trump during a press conference on Thursday.]( Editorial [For a Troubled President, the Media Is a Satisfying Target]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Attacking reporters is more fun than defending the White House mess, and his base loves it. [Gov. Cuomo in New York in January.]( Editorial [Plastic Bag Fees Make Sense. Just Not to Albany.]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD In blocking New York City's plan to impose a fee, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has needlessly held back a workable solution. [President Trump addressed a question about anti-semitism at a press conference on Thursday.]( Editorial [Donald Trump's Answer to Anti-Semitism? You Don't Want to Know]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD The president missed an opportunity to make a strong statement against hate speech and crimes, which have accelerated since the election campaign. For more opinion, go to [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [] Op-Ed Op-Ed | Timothy Egan [One-Month Report Card]( By TIMOTHY EGAN Time flies, but we can still count on the president for one thing: to brag about his Electoral College victory. Op-Ed Contributor [A Party to the Russian Connection]( By EVAN McMULLIN Republican leaders knew the danger Trump posed. Now they must own it. [Valerie Grim discovered flyers from a white nationalist group posted outside her office at Indiana University in Bloomington.]( This Week in Hate ['Let's Become Great Again,' the Flyers Said]( By ANNA NORTH A white nationalist group has posted flyers at more than two dozen colleges and universities this year. For more opinion, go to [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [] ON THIS DAY On Feb. 17, 1972, President Nixon departed on his historic trip to China. [See this Front Page]( | [Buy this Front Page]( FOLLOW US: [Facebook] [Facebook]( | [Twitter] [@NYTimes]( | [Pinterest] [Pinterest]( | [Instagram] [Instagram]( [NYT]( Access The New York Times from anywhere with our suite of apps: [iPhone®]( | [iPad®]( | [Android]( | [All]( [.] Save 15% at [The NYTimes Store »]( [.] Have questions? [Help Section »]( [.] Visit our mobile website at [m.nyt.com »]( About This Email This is an automated email. Please do not reply directly to this email. 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