Top Items:
Jordain Carney / The Hill:
Resistance grows in Senate to House ObamaCare repeal bill — The House bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare is facing growing opposition from Senate Republicans. — The plan, titled the American Health Care Act, is taking fire from both conservative and moderate factions of the Senate GOP caucus …
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Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:
Why Republicans Are Battling Republicans on Obamacare Repeal — WASHINGTON — Republicans are rarely as exercised as when they are fighting with themselves. — And as the House debates how to best dismantle the Affordable Care Act, a familiar array of interest groups with deep pockets …
Discussion:
The Resurgent and The Last Refuge
John Harwood / CNBC:
The Republican health-care bill threatens Trump's voters — “To the victor belong the spoils,” candidate Donald Trump reminded 2016 voters. But the House Republican health bill turns that old maxim on its head. — Instead of broadly rewarding Trump's backers, the House bill hands huge benefits …
Henry C. Jackson / Politico:
Ryan defends bumpy Obamacare repeal rollout
Ryan defends bumpy Obamacare repeal rollout
Discussion:
The Hill and Political Wire
David Ovalle / miamiherald:
Hot story: Miami lawyer's pants erupt in flames during arson trial in court — A Miami defense lawyer's pants burst into flames Wednesday afternoon as he began his closing arguments in front of a jury — in an arson case. — Stephen Gutierrez, who was arguing that his client's car spontaneously combusted …
Discussion:
The Big Lead, Daily Wire and Raw Story
ProPublica:
Meet the Hundreds of Officials Trump Has Quietly Installed Across the Government — A Trump campaign aide who argues that Democrats committed “ethnic cleansing” in a plot to “liquidate” the white working class. A former reality show contestant whose study of societal collapse inspired …
Discussion:
ProPublica, The Week, Mediaite, Daily Kos, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Axios
Robert Costa / Washington Post:
Trump goes into dealmaking mode, works behind the scenes on health bill — For years, when President Trump pitched a new property that had his name in glittering gold letters above the door, he would throw himself into the sale: showy appearances with an entourage and a rush of boastful television interviews.
Discussion:
Fox News, Daily Kos, Lawyers, Guns & Money and Daily Wire
RELATED:
Jim Acosta / CNN:
Trump to conservative leaders: If this plan fails, I'll blame Democrats
Trump to conservative leaders: If this plan fails, I'll blame Democrats
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Politico, Raw Story, New York Magazine and Washington Post
Jennifer Haberkorn / Politico:
White House: Don't call it Trumpcare
White House: Don't call it Trumpcare
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog, Bloomberg, Daily Kos, ABC News and New York Magazine
Matt Taibbi / Rolling Stone:
Why the Russia Story Is a Minefield for Democrats and the Media — Russia scandals have bloodied the Trump administration. But it carries dangers for those reporting it — Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper appeared on Meet the Press this past weekend to discuss the Trump-Russia scandal.
Emily Steel / New York Times:
Fox Is Said to Settle With Former Contributor Over Sexual Assault Claims — Last summer, as it wrapped up multiple settlements after the Roger Ailes sexual harassment scandal, Fox News and its parent company, 21st Century Fox, were trying hard to end the ugliest chapter in its 20-year history.
Discussion:
Deadline and Raw Story, more at Mediagazer »
Oliver Darcy / Business Insider:
‘There are no sacred cows’: Breitbart's honeymoon with establishment wing of Trump White House may be over — Breitbart, the website that has fervently supported President Donald Trump's campaign and nascent presidency, signaled this week that its brief cease-fire with the establishment wing …
Discussion:
Axios
Michael V. Hayden / New York Times:
How Trump Undermines Intelligence Gathering — The relationship between a new president and the intelligence agencies that serve him can be difficult in the best of times. But it's hard to imagine a more turbulent transition than the current one, which has been marred by assertions …
Discussion:
Politico
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New York Times:
How Many People Are Affected by Obamacare Premium Increases? (Hint, It's Fewer Than You Think) — SCROLL TO START — Republicans cite rising insurance premiums as a primary reason for repealing the Affordable Care Act. But only a narrow slice of the market was actually affected by the increases.
Discussion:
Raw Story
RELATED:
Ben Steverman / Bloomberg:
Republicans Give Rich Investors a Tax Break in Obamacare Revamp
Alex Griswold / Mediaite:
Once Again, Fake Story About CNN's Jake Tapper Makes Rounds on Alt-Right Twitter — A fake screencap- supposedly of a tweet sent by CNN host Jake Tapper— made the rounds on Wednesday morning on alt-right and pro-WikiLeaks Twitter. — In the fake tweet, Tapper supposedly called for the execution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Discussion:
Raw Story
Josh Dawsey / Politico:
Huntsman offered Russia ambassadorship — Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman has been offered the job of U.S. ambassador to Russia and is in the process of submitting paperwork to accept the position, two administration sources have confirmed. — Huntsman, who served as ambassador …
Discussion:
ABC News, Bloomberg, Hot Air, New York Magazine, Mediaite, RedState, Talking Points Memo, Joe.My.God., Axios and Political Wire
RELATED:
New York Times:
C.I.A. Scrambles to Contain Damage From WikiLeaks Documents — WASHINGTON — The C.I.A. scrambled on Wednesday to assess and contain the damage from the release by WikiLeaks of thousands of documents that cataloged the agency's cyberspying capabilities, temporarily halting work on some projects …
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Daily Caller, The Week, Mashable, Consumerist, Political Wire, Hit & Run, Big Think and The Gateway Pundit
CNN:
Graham ready to subpoena for Trump wiretap information — Graham: I'll investigate Trump's wiretap claim — Washington (CNN)Sen. Lindsey Graham said Wednesday he is ready to subpoena the intelligence agencies for evidence that would prove President Donald Trump's claims that he was wiretapped …
Discussion:
Common Dreams, Hot Air, Little Green Footballs, theGrio, The Guardian, Politicus USA and The Daily Caller
RELATED:
Angela Fritz / Washington Post:
This desert in the Southwest is experiencing a wildflower ‘superbloom’ — A wildflower superbloom is underway in the desert Southwest in March after seven inches of winter rain. Anza-Borrego State Park in California hasn't experienced a bloom so prolific since at least 1999 according to park officials.
Matthew Boyle / Breitbart:
Exclusive — Sen. Rand Paul on Paul Ryan's Obamacare Lite: Speaker ‘Trying to Pull the Wool Over the Eyes of the President’ — Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), a top conservative in the U.S. Senate, unloaded on House Speaker Paul Ryan's Obamacare 2.0 replacement plan—that does not repeal Obamacare …
Discussion:
Politico, Hot Air, Daily Wire, Fox News Insider, Mediaite, Morning Consult, American News, twitchy.com and ThinkProgress
David Stern / Politico:
Authorities looked into Manafort protégé — U.S. and Ukrainian authorities have expressed interest in the activities of a Kiev-based operative with suspected ties to Russian intelligence who consulted regularly with Paul Manafort last year while Manafort was running Donald Trump's presidential campaign.
Discussion:
Raw Story and Political Wire
Wbastone / The Smoking Gun:
Roger Stone's Russian Hacking “Hero” — Trump loyalist communicated with “Guccifer 2.0,” target of FBI probe — In the months before Election Day, a longtime confidante and political consultant for Donald Trump was in contact with the Russian hacking group that U.S. intelligence officials …
Discussion:
Raw Story
Massimo Calabresi / TIME:
Inside Donald Trump's War Against the State — At 6:35 a.m. on March 4, President Donald Trump launched an attack against the government of the United States. Deploying his favorite weapon, Twitter, he wrote, “Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower just before the victory.
Bryan Lowry / Kansas City Star:
Report: Brownback to be named ambassador to the UN for food and agriculture — Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback will be named the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations for Food and Agriculture, according to a public radio report. — A possible appointment to the Trump administration for Brownback …
Discussion:
Mother Jones and Political Wire
Christina Wilkie / The Huffington Post:
Jeff Sessions Likely Met Russian Ambassador A Third Time — The attorney general initially denied any contact with the Russians, then later admitted to just two meetings. — Attorney General Jeff Sessions was forced to amend prior testimony to Congress this week, acknowledging that contrary …
Discussion:
The Atlantic, Informed Comment, Politicus USA and ThinkProgress
Queensland Police News:
Man impersonating Bieber online charged with over 900 child sex offences — Media note - there will be no media conference or interviews on this matter for operational reasons. — Police are asking Justin Bieber fans and their parents to be extra vigilant when using the internet after a man …
Discussion:
New York Times and Mashable
David Wasserman / FiveThirtyEight:
Purple America Has All But Disappeared — President Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton was among the narrowest in history, and the country is deeply split on his job performance so far. But if you feel like you hardly know anyone who disagrees with you about Trump, you're not alone …
Discussion:
Mother Jones and Axios
Michael C. Bender / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Begins to Map Out $1 Trillion Infrastructure Plan — President suggests 90-day deadline for states to start projects; expresses interest in high-speed rail and spectrum auction — WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump pushed his White House team on Wednesday to craft a plan for $1 trillion …
Associated Press:
Former Trump aide Flynn says lobbying may have helped Turkey — President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who was fired from his prominent White House job last month, has registered with the Justice Department as a foreign agent for $530,000 worth of lobbying work …
Discussion:
Politico, The Week and Joe.My.God.
Tal Kopan / CNN:
Trump admin quietly made asylum more difficult in the US — Experts say the changes have major implications for how would-be asylum seekers' cases are handled — Washington (CNN)The Trump administration quietly made it more difficult for immigrants to seek asylum in the US last month …
Discussion:
Daily Kos