memeorandum: Mom wants teacher fired for using Ouija board with kindergarten students (Christina Palladino/WISN)

1:40 PM ET, March 2, 2017

Top Items:

Sessions met with Russian envoy twice last year, encounters he later did not disclose — Then-Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) spoke twice last year with Russia's ambassador to the United States, Justice Department officials said, encounters he did not disclose when asked about possible contacts between members …

Discussion: Mother Jones, The Atlantic, The Nation, ABC News, Talking Points Memo, Breitbart, The Hill, ThinkProgress, Daily Kos, Raw Story, Power Line, Politico, CNN, Business Insider, Fox News, RedState, Media Matters for America, Vox, TheStreet.com, WTVR-TV, Bloomberg, The Guardian, Western Journalism, twitchy.com, The Daily Caller, Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times, Washington Examiner, Common Dreams, Reuters, Mashable, The Week, Townhall.com, TheBlaze, The Slot, Hot Air, The Mahablog, IJR, PinkNews, Taylor Marsh, Mediaite, Fox News Insider, CANNONFIRE, Political Insider blog, BizPac Review, emptywheel, Shakesville, Q13 FOX News, Daily Wire, Outside the Beltway, Gothamist, Hullabaloo, NBC News, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Politicus USA, Towleroad, AOL, Infowars, FiveThirtyEight, CBS San Francisco, Patterico's Pontifications, Above the Law, New York Magazine, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Washington Free Beacon, The Resurgent, The Last Tradition, Al Jazeera English and Axios

New York Times:

Obama Administration Rushed to Preserve Intelligence of Russian Election Hacking — WASHINGTON — In the Obama administration's last days, some White House officials scrambled to spread information about Russian efforts to undermine the presidential election — and about possible contacts between associates …

Wall Street Journal:

Investigators Probed Jeff Sessions' Contacts With Russian Officials — Communications from the then-senator occurred during presidential campaign — WASHINGTON—U.S. investigators have examined contacts Attorney General Jeff Sessions had with Russian officials during the time he was …

Discussion: Townhall.com, Politico, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Business Insider, The Resurgent, The Hill, Mediaite, Balloon Juice, ThinkProgress, Politicus USA, The Daily Caller and Booman Tribune

Alex Griswold / Mediaite:

Claire McCaskill Claims She'd Never Meet With Russian Ambassador, But Tweets Prove She Has — In a pointed tweet Thursday, Democratic Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill attacked Attorney General and her former Senate colleague Jeff Sessions for meeting with the Russian ambassador during the 2016 election …

Discussion: America Rising, Politico, RedState, Washington Post, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Gateway Pundit, Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, Liberty Unyielding, Geller Report, Raw Story, The Guardian and AOL

Richard W. Painter / New York Times:

Jeff Sessions Needs to Go — In the wake of Wednesday's revelation that Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke with Russia's ambassador to the United States while working with the Trump campaign, despite denying those contacts during his confirmation hearings, key Republican and Democratic lawmakers …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo and CNN

NBC News:

Attorney General Jeff Sessions : ‘I Will Recuse Myself’ If Necessary — Attorney General Jeff Sessions denied meeting with Russian officials during the course of the presidential election to discuss the Trump campaign, he told NBC News in exclusive remarks early Thursday.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Atlantic, Washington Post, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, NPR, Raw Story, Daily Kos, Media Matters for America, ThinkProgress, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Western Journalism and AOL

John Hudson / Foreign Policy:

Trump Taps Putin Critic for Senior White House Position — The hiring of Brookings scholar Fiona Hill comes as the Trump administration comes under fire for contacts with Russian officials. — The Trump administration has offered a well-respected scholar and sober critic …

Discussion: Washington Post and New York Magazine

Wall Street Journal:

Donald Trump Jr. Was Likely Paid at Least $50,000 for Event Held by Hosts Allied With Russia on Syria — October appearance by son of then-candidate is one of string of contacts between members of the president's inner circle and individuals connected to Moscow

Discussion: Raw Story and Axios

CNN:

Sessions did not disclose meetings with Russian ambassador — The diplomat's interactions with former Trump national security adviser Mike Flynn led to Flynn's firing — (CNN)Attorney General Jeff Sessions met twice last year with the top Russian diplomat in Washington whose interactions …

Discussion: Washington Post, ABC News, Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress, Vox, The Federalist, Political Wire, Politico, Mediaite, Washington Free Beacon and Business Insider

Mark Hensch / The Hill:

Sessions offers to recuse himself from Russia investigation — said early Thursday that he would be willing to recuse himself from any investigation of Russian involvement in the Trump campaign. — “I have said whenever it's appropriate, I will recuse myself,” he told NBC News.

Discussion: ABC News, Politico, New York Magazine, ThinkProgress, RedState, Hot Air and Common Dreams

Louis Nelson / Politico:
McCarthy walks back suggestion that Sessions should recuse himself from Russia investigation

Discussion: Business Insider and The Week

Travis Gettys / Raw Story:
Morning Joe shreds Sessions: Why 'lie about something that you don't have to lie about?'

Discussion: Washington Post, Breitbart, Hot Air and Talking Points Memo, more at Mediagazer »

Brooke Seipel / The Hill:
Bush's ethics lawyer on Sessions talks with Russia ambassador: ‘Good way to go to jail’

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, The Guardian and Political Wire

Kevin Johnson / USA Today:
Sessions was more than Trump surrogate in meetings with Russian envoy

Discussion: Daily Kos

Karoun Demirjian / Washington Post:
Top Republicans call on Sessions to recuse himself from Russia investigation

Discussion: Mediaite, Media Matters for America, The Week and Talking Points Memo

Jordain Carney / The Hill: Dem senator: Sessions should resign

Chuck Ross / The Daily Caller:
CONFIRMED: Obama Admin Sabotaged Trump's Transition To The White House

Discussion: Western Journalism and Raw Story

ACLU:
ACLU Calls for Investigation Into Potential Perjury by Sessions

Discussion: Raw Story

Brooke Seipel / The Hill:
Pelosi calls for Sessions's resignation

Discussion: Politico, Townhall.com, New York Magazine, Daily Kos, Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, BizPac Review, Vox Popoli, Mediaite and The Week

NBC News:
Sessions Met With Russian Ambassador but Didn't Mislead Senate: Spokeswoman

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, The Hill, Sputnik International, AOL, NBC News and Fox News Insider

Austin Wright / Politico:
Sessions under fire over Russia meetings

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, ABC News, The Resurgent, Washington Post and The Atlantic

Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Key Republicans Ask Jeff Sessions to Recuse Himself in Russia Case

Discussion: Raw Story, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, ABC News, Politicus USA, The Guardian, MSNBC, Mediaite and The Stranger …

Claudia Koerner / BuzzFeed:
Attorney General Sessions Told Congress He Had “No Contact” With Russians. But He Met Their Ambassador Twice.

Leon Wagener / Daily Mail:

EXCLUSIVE: Barack Obama's close confidante Valerie Jarrett has moved into his new DC home, which is now the nerve center for their plan to mastermind the insurgency against President Trump — Obama's goal is to oust Trump from the presidency either by forcing his resignation or through his impeachment …

Discussion: Fox News, Western Journalism, Fox News Insider, FOX News Radio, Washington Free Beacon, The Resurgent, Althouse, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Geller Report, Infowars, The Gateway Pundit, BizPac Review, The Daily Caller, Hollywood Life, The Last Tradition and Instapundit

Josh Dawsey / Politico:

Trump's team nixed ethics course for White House staff — President Donald Trump's team rejected a course for senior White House staff, Cabinet nominees and other political appointees that would have provided training on leadership, ethics and management, according to documents obtained by POLITICO.

Discussion: RedState, Common Dreams, Raw Story, New York Magazine and AOL

Amber Phillips / Washington Post:

Democratic congressman: Kellyanne Conway ‘really looked kind of familiar’ kneeling on Oval Office couch — On the list of things to say about any woman — let alone one of the most powerful women in Washington right now — well, this tops it. — At Wednesday's annual Washington Press Club …

Discussion: IJR, Western Journalism, AOL and The Week

The Huffington Post:

Authorities Arrest 22-Year-Old Dreamer After She Speaks To Media — “I feel like I am an American,” Daniela Vargas said. — WASHINGTON Federal immigration authorities arrested a 22-year-old woman in Jackson, Mississippi, on Wednesday shortly after she spoke to the media about the detention of her family.

Discussion: Washington Post, ThinkProgress, USA Today, CBS News, Fusion, twitchy.com, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, The Daily Caller and Business Insider

Rene Stutzman / Orlando Sentinel:

Judge: Casey Anthony may have killed her child by accident — Former Circuit Judge Belvin Perry Jr. on Wednesday said he believes Casey Anthony may have killed her daughter by accident when she tried to quiet the child with chloroform and simply used too much.

Discussion: KTLA, AOL and CBS Pittsburgh

Sen. Ted Cruz / Politico:

The Right Way to Repeal Obamacare — “Is Obamacare Republicans' Waterloo?” That was the question a reporter posed a couple weeks ago. It's the narrative increasingly being pushed by the media, and starting to become conventional wisdom in Washington. — My response?

Discussion: Hot Air

Ann Coulter / Breitbart: How to Provide Universal Health Care Using This One Easy Trick

Paulina Firozi / The Hill:

Rand Paul blasts GOP for keeping ObamaCare bill in ‘secure location’ — (R-Ky.) on Thursday blasted House Republicans for keeping their ObamaCare repeal and replace legislation under wraps. — “I have been told that the House Obamacare bill is under lock & key, in a secure location …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Politico, Bloomberg and Axios

Olivia Beavers / The Hill:

Obama to receive JFK award — Former President Obama will return to the national spotlight to accept the John F. Kennedy “Profile in Courage” Award on the 100th anniversary of Kennedy's birth. — Caroline Kennedy, Kennedy's daughter, and her son, Jack Schlossberg, will present the award to the 44th president this spring.

Discussion: RedState

Naomi Jagoda / The Hill:

Democrats vow that GOP will take more Trump votes — Congressional Democrats have been forcing Republicans to cast tough votes on President Trump — and they're just getting started. — In recent days, Democrats have triggered votes related to Trump's tax returns, business relationships …

Discussion: Political Wire

Steven Hayward / Power Line:

The Liberal/Media Freakout Rolls On — UPDATE/PROLOGUE: I see Paul noted the McCaskill hypocrisy (or early Alzheimers?) within seconds of my post here. Which just shows that Power Line is on the story. (More updates below.) — Liberals are now chumming the waters with news …