memeorandum: Russia is the slow burn of the Trump administration, and it's not going away (Dan Balz/Washington Post)

11:15 AM ET, March 5, 2017

Top Items:

Jon Schwarz / The Intercept:

If Trump Tower Was Wiretapped, Trump Can Declassify That Right Now — If in fact Trump Tower was wiretapped during the 2016 presidential campaign, as President Trump claimed in several tweets Saturday morning, he can do much more than say so on twitter: Presidents have the power …

Ted Mann / Wall Street Journal:

Trump Faces Furor Over Unsubstantiated Claim Obama Wiretapped Him — President adds meeting with attorney general and homeland security secretary as allies and foes react to his claims on Twitter — PALM BEACH, Fla.—President Donald Trump called together several top advisers Saturday …

New York Times:

Trump Seeks Inquiry Into Allegations That Obama Tapped His Phones — WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Trump, a day after leveling a widely disputed allegation that President Barack Obama had ordered the tapping of his phones, demanded a congressional inquiry into whether Mr. Obama abused …

Discussion: Raw Story and The Root

Dan Balz / Washington Post:

Russia is the slow burn of the Trump administration, and it's not going away — Russia has become the slow burn of President Trump's administration. It is the issue that he and his team cannot get beyond. — They cannot get beyond it because they are skittish about accepting what is already known.

Discussion: Politico

Robert Barnes / LawNewz:

Yes, There Could Be Serious Legal Problems if Obama Admin Involved in Illegal Surveillance — President Trump recently tweeted claiming that former President Obama wiretapped him during his campaign. One can only imagine how nuts the media would have gone if the roles had been reversed …

Discussion: Vox Popoli and The Last Refuge

Andrew C. McCarthy / National Review:

The Obama Camp's Disingenuous Denials on FISA Surveillance of Trump — President Trump's early Saturday morning tweeting has exploded to the forefront an uncovered scandal I've been talking about since early January (including in this weekend's column): The fact that the Obama Justice Department …

Discussion: Power Line and The Guardian

CNN:
Trump plans to sign updated travel ban early next week

Discussion: RedState and ImmigrationProf Blog

emptywheel:
The Conspiratorial Game of Telephone in Bannon's Rag that Made Left, Right, and POTUS Go Crazy

Discussion: National Review, The Gateway Pundit, Raw Story, The Last Refuge, The Week, RedState, Politicus USA and Power Line

John Hinderaker / Power Line:
The Associated Press Springs to Obama's Defense

Discussion: Associated Press and The Last Refuge

Neil Munro / Breitbart:
Obama's State Department Sponsored 2016 Meeting of Russian Ambassador with Sen. Sessions

Discussion: The Guardian

Brian Barrett / Wired:
If the Feds Did Wiretap Trump Tower, It's Not Obama Who Should Worry

Discussion: Breitbart, Raw Story, Business Insider, Mediaite, TheBlaze, ABC News, Politico, BizPac Review, Washington Post, Vox, Politicus USA, RedState, CBS New York, The Hill, NBC News, Fox News Insider, WHNT-TV, Conservative 101, The Gateway Pundit, Lawfare and The Verge

CNN:
Trump falsely accuses Obama of wiretapping his phone

Timothy P. Carney / Washington Examiner:

It's literally pay to play at Mar-a-Lago — If you pay $200,000 a year to the company Donald Trump owns, you too can have access most weekends to the president and his top officials. As an alternative, your organization could cut a $150,000 check to bring in a couple of hundred people …

Kristina Webb / Palm Beach Post:

Trump mingles with Mar-a-Lago guests outside charity ball — President Donald Trump mingled with guests outside a charity ball at his Mar-a-Lago Club on Saturday night. — As attendees danced inside the ballroom where the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute held its gala, the president was spotted nearby …

Discussion: Politico

CNN:

Trump angry and frustrated at staff over Sessions fallout — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump is extremely frustrated with his senior staff and communications team for allowing the firestorm surrounding Attorney General Jeff Sessions to steal his thunder in the wake of his address to Congress, sources tell CNN.

Discussion: Hullabaloo and Balloon Juice

Nancy Cook / Politico:
Trump fumes over Sessions' recusal from Russia probe

Discussion: Raw Story, ABC News, Mother Jones and New York Times

Jonathan Karl / ABC News:
Trump flashes anger over Sessions recusal, Russia stories in tense Oval Office meeting

Discussion: Politico, Lawyers, Guns & Money, American Greatness, Mediaite, Raw Story, Business Insider, New York Magazine and The Mahablog

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:

SNL has a blockbuster in search of a hero: The Republican who stands up to Trump — “Saturday Night Live” just ran a two-minute liberal's dream sequence disguised as a movie trailer. — The trailer for “Republican” features a notable omission: a title character.

Daily Mail:

Revealed: Tony Blair's secret White House summit as he launches astonishing bid to work for Donald Trump... as his Middle East peace envoy — Tony Blair has attended a secret meeting at the White House to discuss working for Donald Trump, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Discussion: The Guardian and CANNONFIRE

Barak Ravid / Haaretz:

EXCLUSIVE Netanyahu offered opposition leader to push together for regional peace initiative - and then backtracked — Netanyahu and Herzog reached dramatic understandings six months ago; a joint declaration in Cairo, including readiness for territorial compromise and curb on settlement building …

Discussion: Israpundit

WND:

Loretta Lynch: Need more marching, blood, death on streets — Senate Dems post her impassioned plea on Facebook page as ‘words of inspiration’ — WASHINGTON - The Obama administration's former Attorney General Loretta Lynch has made an impassioned video plea for more marching …

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News and twitchy.com

Vivian Yee / New York Times:

Migrants Confront Judgment Day Over Old Deportation Orders — There are a little more than two weeks between Juan, an electrician in the Bronx, and the date he cannot forget: March 21, 2017, at 8 a.m., when the federal government has told him to report for deportation.