Breakfast Briefing: The 6 stories PR pros need to know on Thursday morning, 11.17.2016

Clinton urges supporters to keep fighting. In her first public appearance since her concession speech a week ago, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said there is common ground for working with President-elect Donald Trump and encouraged her supporters stay committed. She spoke at the Children’s Defense Fund’s Beat the Odds gala in Washington, DC, on Wednesday night. More: Staffers tell The Huffington Post the Clinton campaign was done in by its own neglect and a touch of arrogance.

Spotlight on Trump transition. Snags in the Trump transition process are resulting in a faucet-drip of negative coverage for the president-elect. Trump is set to meet with South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, a possible contender for secretary of state, on Thursday, amid concerns about Rudy Giuliani’s fitness for the post due to his international business connections. Trump son-in-law and media owner Jared Kushner will probably have a key role in the administration, but some are questioning the legality of such an appointment. The specter of race is hanging over a possible cabinet appointment for Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), according to The New York Times. Reuters reported that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will meet with Trump today in New York, but there is confusion about many of the details.

Today in celebrity social media. Kate Upton was not happy that fiancee and Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander finished as the runner up for the American League Cy Young award and voiced her displeasure with a NSFW tweet about the voting process. One prominent baseball writer said the supermodel has a point.

The rebranding of Steve Bannon. The Wrap looked at the media relations push to burnish the image of the former Breitbart publisher and soon-to-be White House chief strategist, specifically pitches sent on his behalf by publicist Maria Sliwa, who offered interviews with a Breitbart bureau chief and a retired Navy Seal. Sliwa wouldn’t tell the website who she is working for, saying, "I’m not working for Bannon…I have a client who is." Update: Sliwa, whose client is PR agency CapitalHQ, contends her association with the firm was made clear to The Wrap in her emails. The website also did a follow-up on Monday. 

What happened after a Theranos employee blew the whistle. Tyler Shultz complained to the company’s management, claiming its quality-control checks weren’t up to snuff and it was doctoring research. Then his life changed significantly, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Banned in Russia: LinkedIn. The social network for professionals is being blocked after a court found it did not comply with the country's data-storage laws. The ruling could have implications for the way other foreign companies operate in the country. LinkedIn has more than 6 million users in Russia.