memeorandum: Trump's Weary Defenders Face Fresh Worries (New York Times)

8:05 AM ET, March 21, 2017

Top Items:

Trump's Weary Defenders Face Fresh Worries — WASHINGTON — President Trump began Monday as he has started so many other presidential mornings — by unleashing a blistering Twitter attack on critics who suggested his 2016 campaign colluded with the Russians.

Discussion: Political Wire, The Resurgent, Balloon Juice, Mediaite, Raw Story, ThinkProgress and Business Insider

David Leonhardt / New York Times:

All the President's Lies — The ninth week of Donald Trump's presidency began with the F.B.I. director calling him a liar. — The director, the very complicated James Comey, didn't use the L-word in his congressional testimony Monday. Comey serves at the pleasure of the president, after all.

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, ThinkProgress, Axios and The Stranger …

McClatchy Washington Bureau:

FBI's Russian-influence probe includes a look at far-right news sites — WASHINGTON — Federal investigators are examining whether far-right news sites played any role last year in a Russian cyber operation that dramatically widened the reach of news stories — some fictional …

Discussion: Political Wire, Geller Report, Occupy Democrats, The Gateway Pundit, Vox Popoli and Media Matters for America

Washington Post:

President Trump faces his hardest truth: He was wrong — On the 60th day of his presidency came the hardest truth for Donald Trump. — He was wrong. — James B. Comey Jr. — the FBI director whom Trump celebrated on the campaign trail as a gutsy and honorable “Crooked Hillary” …

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

What Did We Learn Today? — Judged by time, today's House Intelligence Committee hearing was mainly an exercise in hypotheticals and ‘no comments’. For those who hadn't gotten the full treatment until now, it was also an exposure to what we might term James Comey's militant earnestness.

Discussion: The Guardian, CANNONFIRE and Washington Monthly

Michael Isikoff / Yahoo:

FBI probe of Trump-Russia ties began 3 months before election — The FBI's counterintelligence investigation into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, confirmed by FBI director James Comey in congressional testimony Monday, began as early as late July …

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Business Insider

Andrew Kaczynski / CNN:
Roger Stone responds to Comey hearing, denies claims of Russia collusion

Discussion: RedState, Talking Points Memo, Axios and CANNONFIRE

Martin Matishak / Politico:
Roger Stone takes center stage as Congress lines up Russia probe witnesses

Discussion: New York Times, CNN, Balloon Juice, NBC News, Raw Story and Business Insider

New York Times:
F.B.I. Is Investigating Trump's Russia Ties, Comey Confirms

Ken Dilanian / NBC News:
Comey: ‘No Information’ To Back Trump's Claim Obama Wiretapped Him

Louis Nelson / Politico:
Spicer digs in after FBI confirms Russia probe

Discussion: Daily Kos

Stephen Battaglio / Los Angeles Times:

Fox News pulls Judge Napolitano over his Trump wiretap claims — Judge Andrew Napolitano, the senior judicial analyst for Fox News, is being kept off the air indefinitely. (Jim Watson / AFP/Getty Images) — Fox News senior judicial analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano is being kept off …

Discussion: Raw Story, BizPac Review, The Gateway Pundit, Media Matters for America, Occupy Democrats, Politicus USA, The Daily Caller, Business Insider, Daily Wire, TheBlaze, twitchy.com and TVNewser, more at Mediagazer »

Rebecca Savransky / The Hill:
Fox News pulls Napolitano after his Trump wiretap claims

Discussion: Business Insider

Josh Feldman / Mediaite:
Report: Fox News Pulls Judge Andrew Napolitano Following Trump Wiretap Comments (UPDATED)

Discussion: Deadline

Media Matters for America:
The Bigotry And Idiocy Of Donald Trump's Favorite News Show

Discussion: The Guardian

Ezra Klein / Vox:

The new Republican health care bill doesn't fix the old bill's problems — Work requirements for Medicaid, bigger tax cuts for the rich, but nothing for the uninsured. — There are three problems you could have imagined the manager's amendment to the American Health Care Act trying to fix:

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, New York Magazine, IJR, RedState and Common Dreams

Josh Dawsey / Politico:

GOP leaders pile on sweeteners to sell Obamacare repeal — House Republican leaders are making a last-ditch attempt to win enough support to pass their Obamacare repeal, revealing an expansive series of changes to the bill on Monday night designed to woo wary GOP lawmakers.

Discussion: Axios, RedState, Forbes, Talking Points Memo, Business Insider and Vox

Matthew Yglesias / Vox:

Republican leaders are adding a $75 billion magic asterisk to their Obamacare repeal plan — It will help older people in some totally unspecified way. Allegedly. — In an effort to blunt the American Health Care Act's disastrous effect on older Americans, House Republican leaders …

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money, ACASignups.net and Politico

Jessie Hellmann / The Hill:

Conservative chair: ObamaCare talks ‘over’ but bill won't pass — The chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus says the negotiations on the ObamaCare repeal plan are “over” but predicts the legislation won't pass the House. — “We've communicated very clearly what we'd like to see and have done.

Discussion: Vox

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
The Republican Health-Care Plan Has Disappeared Again

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight

CNN:
Republicans change health care bill in search for votes

Discussion: Occupy Democrats

The Hill:
GOP mulls ObamaCare tweak to win NY support

Discussion: Uticaod

Matt Lewis / The Daily Beast: Sen. Pat Toomey's Serious Medicaid Idea

Jacob Gardenswartz / Vox:
Every House Republican who could sink the GOP health care bill

Discussion: Politico and Axios

Ron Nixon / New York Times:

U.S. Limits Devices for Passengers on Foreign Airlines From Eight Countries — Passengers on foreign airlines headed to the United States from 10 airports in eight majority-Muslim countries have been barred from carrying electronic devices larger than a cellphone under a new flight restriction enacted …

Discussion: Business Insider and Axios

Sam Thielman / The Guardian:
US forbids any device larger than cellphone on airlines from eight countries

Discussion: Business Insider and The Stranger …

Jon Ostrower / CNNMoney:
Electronics banned from cabins on some Middle Eastern and African flights to U.S.

Discussion: Politico, Business Insider, WPMT FOX43 and TheBlaze, more at Techmeme »

Melanie Zanona / The Hill:
Feds temporarily ban electronics on certain flights to US

Discussion: NBC News, BizPac Review, The Verge, The Daily Caller and Engadget

Annie Karni / Politico:

Ivanka Trump set to get West Wing office as role expands — Ivanka Trump, who moved to Washington saying she would play no formal role in her father's administration, is now officially setting up shop in the White House. — The powerful first daughter has secured her own office …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, CNN, RedState, Washington Post, New York Magazine, Business Insider, Occupy Democrats, ABC News, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Raw Story, NBC News, TalkLeft, Political Wire and Axios

Peter Hasson / The Daily Caller:

The Blaze Suspends Tomi Lahren — Conservative media company The Blaze has suspended political commentator Tomi Lahren, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Daily Caller. — Lahren's show is suspended for effect for at least one week starting Monday, according to TheDC's sources.

Discussion: Glenn Beck, Raw Story, BizPac Review, Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Wire, Mediaite, Washington Free Beacon, Heat Street, The Resurgent, New York Magazine, Business Insider, TVNewser, Axios and The Federalist, more at Mediagazer »

Andrew Kirell / The Daily Beast:
Glenn Beck Publicly Battles Tomi Lahren, His Most Famous Employee

Discussion: Dallas Morning News, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, The Hill, Heat Street, Hit & Run and theGrio

Reuters:

Exclusive: Tillerson plans to skip NATO meeting, visit Russia in April - sources — U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson plans to skip an April 5-6 meeting of NATO foreign ministers for a U.S. visit by the Chinese president and will travel to Russia later in the month, U.S. officials said on Monday …

Discussion: Occupy Democrats, The Guardian, Axios and New York Magazine

Joe Concha / The Hill:

Survey: Only 43 percent can name a Supreme Court justice — Only 43 percent of like U.S. voters can name a Supreme Court justice, according to a C-SPAN survey released Sunday. — The survey comes as President Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, began confirmation hearings on Monday.

Discussion: The Daily Caller