First Draft on Politics: 'I Inherited a Mess'

View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Friday, February 17, 2017 [NYTimes.com/Politics »]( [President Trump took issue with reports of an administration in turmoil, saying his team was running like a “fine-tuned machine.”]( President Trump took issue with reports of an administration in turmoil, saying his team was running like a “fine-tuned machine.” Stephen Crowley/The New York Times Good Friday morning, Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today: - In a [contentious news conference]( President Trump lashed out at the news media, saying “I inherited a mess” as he defended his first month in office. He laid out accomplishments he said were being ignored, dismissed reports about contacts with Russia and said he would issue a new order to replace the travel ban. - Robert S. Harward, Mr. Trump’s pick to replace Michael T. Flynn as national security adviser, turned down the job. Mr. Harward, a retired vice admiral, [cited family considerations]( in refusing. - The president chose R. Alexander Acosta, a former assistant attorney general for civil rights and a Florida law school dean, [to replace]( Andrew F. Puzder as his nominee for labor secretary. - Employees of the Environmental Protection Agency are [attempting to defeat]( Scott Pruitt’s confirmation, a remarkable display of activism and defiance that presages turbulent times ahead for the agency. — The First Draft Team HAVE A CONFIDENTIAL NEWS TIP? Do you have the next big story? Want to share it with The New York Times? We offer several ways to get in touch with and provide materials to our journalists. [Learn More »]( ADVERTISEMENT [The Morning Briefing. In Your Inbox.]( Sign up for the Morning Briefing. Get what you need to know to start your day, delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday. [• Sign up »]( [Trump’s Words, By the Numbers]( By CARL HULSE [President Trump at a news conference on Thursday.]( President Trump at a news conference on Thursday. Stephen Crowley/The New York Times President Trump is clearly obsessed with numbers — the size of his Electoral College win, the number of people at his inauguration, the tally of jobs he is helping keep in the United States. The list goes on. Given his predilection for digits, here are a few interesting ones from his extremely unconventional news conference on Thursday. 2: The number of times he mentioned the name Acosta at an event that started with the announcement of R. Alexander Acosta as his new nominee for secretary of labor. The other time Mr. Trump mentioned the name was when he called on Jim Acosta of CNN and noted that in picking the other Acosta he had instructed his staff members to make sure the two were not related. 11: The number of times he mentioned Hillary Clinton, his vanquished opponent in last year’s election. Mr. Trump is either having a hard time getting past the election or simply likes to talk about it since he won and it is a fond memory. The repeated references were to Mrs. Clinton receiving hints of debate questions ahead of time — a continuing sore subject — and her dealings with Russia while secretary of state, including a proposed reset “with a stupid plastic button that made us all look like a bunch of jerks.” 15: The number of times he said “fake” or “fake news.” It is impossible to overstate how whipped up Mr. Trump is about the tough news coverage he is receiving and how seemingly convinced he is that most of it is manufactured despite clear evidence to the contrary. Mr. Trump’s predecessors typically liked to feign that they paid little attention to what the news media said about them, trying to convey the sense that there were far more important things and that they couldn’t care less. Mr. Trump, it seems, couldn’t care more. [President Defends First Month: ‘I Inherited a Mess’]( 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. [Administration Is a ‘Fine-Tuned Machine,’ Trump Says]( 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. Fact Check [Trump Calls Press ‘Dishonest,’ Then Utters Falsehoods of His Own]( By NICHOLAS FANDOS The president made several questionable statements at a White House news conference. [The President, the Russian Ship and Suspicious Minds]( By CHRISTINE HAUSER The Russian vessel has been plying the Eastern Seaboard, but a Coast Guard official said it was not unusual and there was no cause for alarm. [Replacement Pick for National Security Adviser 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. [R. Alexander Acosta, Law School Dean, Is the New Choice for Labor]( By ALAN RAPPEPORT The president chose Mr. Acosta, a former assistant attorney general for civil rights, to replace Andrew F. Puzder as his nominee for labor secretary. [E.P.A. Workers Try to Block Nominee in a Show of Activism and 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. [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. [Zucker Says CNN’s Brand Is Strong, Despite President’s Criticism]( By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM Jeffrey A. Zucker, the president of CNN, said a public opinion survey he commissioned showed “no diminution whatsoever” in what people think of CNN. [White House Tells Justice Dept. to Investigate ‘Criminal Leaks’]( By CHARLIE SAVAGE AND ERIC LICHTBLAU It is unusual for a president to direct the Justice Department to open a criminal investigation into his opponents, or to talk publicly about doing so. [Trump Will Issue New Travel Order Instead of Fighting Case in Court]( By ADAM LIPTAK The Justice Department said that it would not fight for the travel ban and that President Trump would replace it with a “substantially revised executive order.” [Campaign Over, Trump Will Hold a (What Else?) Campaign Rally]( By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS The rally, to be held in Melbourne, Fla., is an indication that President Trump, who has sometimes felt isolated in the White House, is eager to get outside Washington. [On a ‘Day Without Immigrants,’ Workers Decide to Stay Home]( By LIZ ROBBINS AND ANNIE CORREAL In the New York region and across the country, many workers and business owners chose to not work as part of a protest of the Trump administration’s policies toward immigrants. [Is the Two-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. [Envoy to United Nations Says U.S. Still Backs Palestinian State]( By SOMINI SENGUPTA Nikki R. Haley’s remarks seemed intended to dispel confusion over whether the United States is committed to states for Israelis and Palestinians. White House Memo [Did Trump Drop the Two-State Policy? Experts Say Don’t Be So Sure]( By MARK LANDLER The president challenged the One China policy, then backed down. Seasoned peacemakers predicted a similar cycle for his stand on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. [Nominee for Ambassador to Israel Apologizes for ‘Hurtful Words’]( By EMMARIE HUETTEMAN David Friedman, who wrote an op-ed in which he compared liberal American Jews to Jews who aided the Nazis, told a Senate panel he would be “respectful and measured” if confirmed. [‘Something Big Is Happening’: Readers React to Russian Ties]( By LELA MOORE An article about President Trump’s ties to Russian officials had readers questioning the integrity of his campaign and United States intelligence officials.  [Speaker of the House Paul Ryan at a news conference on Thursday.]( [Republican Health Proposal Would Redirect Money From Poor to Rich]( By MARGOT SANGER-KATZ The outline of the plan points to a simpler system that would give every American a flat tax credit varying by age, but not by income. [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. [From left, Virginia Rometty, chief of IBM; Indra Nooyi, chief of PepsiCo; Stephen A. Schwarzman, chief of the Blackstone Group; President Donald J. Trump; Mary Barra, chief of General Motors; Gary Cohn, chief economic adviser to President Trump; and Doug McMillon, chief of Walmart, during a meeting of the president’s forum of business leaders this month.]( [Risky Business for C.E.O.s: An Invitation From Trump]( By JAMES B. STEWART A summons to the White House has long been much coveted. But for some top executives, it has become something to be ducked, lest it make them a target. [Ben Carson, right, greeted Shermichael Singleton, a top aide, before the start of his confirmation hearing to be secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development last month.]( [A HUD Official Once Criticized Trump. Now He’s an Ex-Official.]( By MAGGIE HABERMAN AND YAMICHE ALCINDOR A top aide to Ben Carson, the nominee to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, was shown the door over an article he wrote during the campaign. [Four hundred and one days after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, the Senate will begin hearings on the man nominated to replace him, Judge Neil M. Gorsuch.]( [Hearing for Neil Gorsuch, Supreme Court Nominee, Is Set for March]( By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA Four hundred and one days after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, the Senate will hold a hearing on the man named to replace him. [In 2012, President Barack Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain watched Mississippi Valley State play Western Kentucky in the N.C.A.A. tournament.]( [No N.C.A.A. Bracket for Trump, but How Good, Really, Were Obama’s?]( By VICTOR MATHER President Trump has declined to fill out an N.C.A.A. tournament bracket for ESPN, but how good were Mr. Obama’s picks really when he was president? ADVERTISEMENT HOW ARE WE DOING? We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to [washington-newsletter@nytimes.com](mailto:washington-newsletter@nytimes.com?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback). FOLLOW NYTimes [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@NYTPolitics]( Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »](  | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps for just $0.99. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's First Draft newsletter. 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