Axios

The list of countries that will have new limitations on immigration and refugees because of executive orders Trump is expected to sign on Wednesday, per Reuters: Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Why it matters: Trump promised during the campaign to ban immigration from countries afflicted by terrorism. This looks like a start, and it's sure to draw fire in Congress.

Musk Tweeted out support for the Secretary of State nominee today. Rex Tillerson has received the necessary votes from the Senate Committee, but has yet to be confirmed by the full body.

He Tweeted in response to The Economist:

This may sound surprising coming from me, but I agree with The Economist. Rex Tillerson has the potential to be an excellent Sec of State. — Elon Musk

And in response to a Bloomberg Reporter:

Rex is an exceptionally competent executive, understands geopolitics and knows how to win for his team. His team is now the USA. — Elon Musk

The double take? Musk runs two clean energy companies. Tillerson has not had the cleanest record on renewables as the CEO of ExxonMobil.

Trump has narrowed his picks for the next Supreme Court justice down to three judges, and expects to make a final decision by the end of the week. The AP reported more details on the frontrunners — all white men who were nominated by George W. Bush for their current positions:

• William Pryor, 54, is an Alabama-based judge on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. He faced intense opposition to his nomination under Bush, but was confirmed 53-45.
• Neil Gorsuch, 49, sits on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. Schumer voted for his confirmation back in 2007, and he has ties to Trump's sister, Judge Maryanne Trump Barry.
• Thomas Hardiman, 51, is a Pittsburgh-based judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

What's next: Trump is scheduled to meet with a group of Senators, including Sen. McConnell and Sen. Schumer, this afternoon to discuss the SCOTUS vacancy. Schumer told CNN last week that the Democratic party would retaliate against anyone Trump nominates for the Supreme Court, and it's unlikely he'll change his mind on Trump's top 3.

The populist nationalist — and Trump-boosting — website Breitbart News is slowly populating the White House. It's also adding to its D.C. reporting team.

Editor-in-chief Alexander Marlow tells us they're planning three new hires. They're part of a broader planned expansion of both domestic and global coverage:

Spicer said that Trump stands by his belief that millions of illegal immigrants voted in November's election. When pressed on the topic by 6 different reporters he declined to elaborate on the evidence. Trump "believes what he believes based on the information that he's been provided."

He continued calling on nontraditional media outlets, like LifeZette. It seemed to end somewhat abruptly after 45 minutes. Other highlights:

1. Gag order at EPA and other agencies: Spicer said he doesn't have any information at this time, but he "isn't surprised." Added that an examination of policies comes with a turnover of the administration.
2. Today's executive orders: President reinstated the Keystone pipeline, directed agencies to approve proposals with no delay. Also signed off on Dakota Access pipeline, and said Trump is open to renegotiating where it is being placed.
3. Called out Senate Dems for holding up Cabinet: "Let's get it done, our country's economy and safety is at stake."
4. SCOTUS watch: Bipartisan meeting with key senate leadership this afternoon for SCOTUS nominee. Trump will announce nomination by next week. Calls the pick "mainstream" who will support the constitution, and not create laws from the bench.
5. NATO: Trump doesn't find it effective and isn't pleased with what he sees in terms of U.S. contribution.

Trump has banned employees of the EPA from providing updates on social media or to reporters, and has frozen its grant programs. HHS, Commerce and USDA have also reportedly been told to cease communications with members of Congress and the press.

The list of no-go topics at the EPA, which appears to have the blunt of the blow thus far:

• Social media
• Blogging
• Press releases to media
• Speaking engagements
• Listservs

More trouble for President Trump's pick to head HHS. Last night, CNN obtained a memo released by the Senate Finance Committee that highlights several issues sure to come up in Tom Price's second round of confirmation hearings today:

• Underreporting the value of his stock in an Australian pharmaceutical company
• Failure to disclose that he was investigated by the Office of Congressional Ethics in 2009 (he called it "an inadvertent omission")
• Failure to disclose $1,600 in late tax payments on rental properties

The issue:

President Trump signed an executive action on January 24 to advance construction of the pipeline. On February 7, under that executive order, the Army Corps of Engineers stated that they would allow construction to resume as soon as February 8.

The facts:

The DAPL is a more than 1,000 mile-long oil pipeline that runs through four states: North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois. Native Americans and environmentalists spent several months in 2016 protesting construction in North Dakota, as they argued it could contaminate the water supply of the Standing Rock Sioux reservation and destroy its sacred sites. Obama successfully blocked that part of the route because it required an easement under Lake Oahe in North Dakota.

Why it matters:

Trump's successful resurrection of the pipeline signals his commitment to dismantling many of Obama's signature policies. Following his executive order, the Standing Rock Sioux stated that they would "vigorously pursue legal action to ensure the environmental impact statement order issued late last year is followed so the pipeline process is legal, fair and accurate." However, the Army's announcement on February 7 leaves the tribe with little time to find a legal option to prevent construction.

1. Avoids a messy firing: Comey's term doesn't expire until 2023, but Trump could fire him, with cause. Now he won't have to go through that process, even if it would scramble partisan lines, a Trump favorite.
2. And a bruising confirmation hearing: Democrats would surely use such a forum to litigate the FBI's investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails, in addition to how the agency handled allegations on Trump and Russia. With Comey staying, Trump can skip that process.
3. Finally, it gives some stability: The NYT reports that the FBI workforce is on edge after the past few months, for good reason. Now, at least, they'll have their boss in a stable position to guide the agency.

James Comey has told his top staffers at the FBI that Donald Trump has asked him to stay on the job in the new administration, per the NYT. Comey has faced intense criticism for his handling of the FBI's investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails.

Cecilia Malmstrom, trade chief of the E.U., says the world's largest trading bloc remains committed to open borders and economies. Here's her prediction for Trump's goals on trade:

Those who in the 21st century think that we can become great again by rebuilding borders, re-imposing trade barriers, restricting people's freedom to move, they are doomed to fail.

Context: Trump's decision to pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership on Monday was seen as an indicator of a more closed U.S. trade policy.

Both CBS and ABC have reported over the past few days that Neil Gorsuch, Tenth Circuit judge in Colorado, is a "leading candidate" to replace the late Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court.

The resume: Gorsuch was a Marshall Scholar, has degrees from both Harvard Law and Oxford and was a law clerk for Justice Anthony Kennedy. Gorsuch joined the DOJ in 2005, and would be relatively young for the Supreme Court at just 49 years old. SCOTUSBlog compared him favorably to Scalia, calling him a "natural fit" for the court:

Gorsuch's opinions are exceptionally clear and routinely entertaining; he is an unusual pleasure to read, and it is always plain exactly what he thinks and why. Like Scalia, Gorsuch also seems to have a set of judicial/ideological commitments apart from his personal policy preferences that drive his decision-making.

The timeline:

At yesterday's press briefing, WH press secretary Sean Spicer said to expect a name within a couple weeks.

President Trump will host a "breakfast and listening session" at 9 a.m. today with Detroit's Big Three auto-industry leaders — the CEOs of Ford, General Motors, and Fiat Chrysler. You might as well call it a therapy session. A Wall Street Journal front-pager, "AUTO MAKERS IN THE CROSSHAIRS," counts the ways he has rattled Detroit:

• Ford CEO Mark Fields said he reread Trump's 'The Art of the Deal' over the holidays and that the company has been "rattled" by a series of Trump's tweets accusing Ford of not being sufficiently committed to U.S. jobs and investment, given their heavy reliance on overseas production.
• "Auto executives … hope there might be an upside to Mr. Trump's close attention: "Trump's EPA nominee says he'll review Obama's stringent fuel-economy targets."
• "Trump's interactions with auto-industry chiefs extend back more than a decade to the days when he took the stage at the New York Auto Show as a spokesman for GM's luxury cars."

Trump's take: Trump tweeted shortly after 6 a.m. this morning that he wants new plants to be built in the U.S. for cars sold in the U.S.

The WashPost delves into the reality show in a juicy front-pager, "Tensions, tumult mark Trump's first days as president," by Ashley Parker, Phil Rucker and Matea Gold:

• "As Trump thought about staffing his administration following his surprise victory, he hesitated over selecting Spicer … He did not see Spicer as particularly telegenic and preferred a woman."
• "Efforts to launch an outside group supporting Trump's agenda have stalled amid fighting between Kushner loyalists … and conservative donor Rebekah Mercer … Major disputes include who would control the data."
• Kellyanne "is arguably Trump's most recognizable aide, which has caused her to receive threats against her life. She has been assigned a Secret Service detail."
• "Conway said she now hopes to limit her television appearances. Instead, she is taking on an expanded portfolio, which will include health care and veterans' issues, and Pence — for whom she has worked for years as a pollster — is also expected to carve out more substantive responsibilities for her."

This West Wing is a tough neighborhood. Even after Sean Spicer's successful get-back-on-the-horse presser yesterday, we were told that a top White House official was discussing his possible replacement. On Day 4! With 1,457 to go in this term.

The highest court in the UK says Theresa May's government must go through Parliament to formally trigger the two year exit from the EU.

Why it matters: It could spell delay, delay, delay. May said last week that she'd give Parliament a vote on the final terms of Brexit. Now she'll need their approval to start those negotiations.

Even still: Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition, says he won't block Article 50.

What to watch: May visits the U.S. later this week, meeting with Trump — a very public Brexit supporter — on Friday.

Per the Washington Post:

Two people familiar with the meeting said Trump spent about 10 minutes at the top of the gathering with Republican and Democratic lawmakers rehashing the campaign. Trump also told them that between 3 million and 5 million illegal votes caused him to lose the popular vote.

Nancy Pelosi was the height of decorum afterwards when asked if Trump had said anything surprising: "Well, I won't even go into that," she told reporters.

The Kansas native has enough votes to take on his new role. He was first in his class at West Point, and served several terms in Congress.

Update: The final vote was 66-32.

Senate majority leader came on strong tonight at the White House congressional leadership huddle and told Trump he can't burden the U.S. with $1 trillion in debt, according to the AP. He insisted POTUS lay out a plan that can be fully funded.

The Senate's no. 2, John Cornyn, who relayed the news, said infrastructure is "an area maybe to find common ground" but that "Sen. McConnell made the important point it needs to be paid for because we've got $20 trillion in debt."

As the pool was leaving the room, POTUS said "we're about to make a big deal," and everyone laughed, per the pool report. Trump added they all have a "beautiful, beautiful relationship."

Who was there: Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn, Paul Ryan, Kevin McCarthy, Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin, Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, Mike Pence, Reince Priebus, Jared Kushner, Steve Bannon, and Trump.

One fun thing: Meatballs were served.