memeorandum: The new Republican health care bill doesn't fix the old bill's problems (Ezra Klein/Vox)

9:35 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: The Resurgent, Mediaite, Balloon Juice, 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: ThinkProgress, Outside the Beltway, Axios and The Stranger …

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” …

Todd S. Purdum / Politico:

How the FBI tailing Trump could dog his presidency — From Richard Nixon to Bill Clinton, history suggests that it is never a good thing for a president to have the FBI, with its nearly infinite resources and sweeping investigative powers, on his tail. — FBI Director James Comey's promise …

Discussion: Political Wire, ABC News and Shakesville

Veronica Stracqualursi / ABC News:
The Note: Comey drops a bombshell

Discussion: Politico

New York Times:
Comey's Haunting News on Trump and Russia

Discussion: Daily Kos, Washington Post, Talking Points Memo, Mother Jones, Occupy Democrats, Daily Wire, Raw Story, IJR and NBC News

McKay Coppins / The Atlantic:
Washington's Split-Screen Reality

Discussion: Political Wire, Washington Post, ABC News, ThinkProgress, Occupy Democrats, Business Insider, Mother Jones, Real Clear Politics, Mediaite, Politico and Axios

Matthew Nussbaum / Politico:
FBI's Trump-Russia probe knocks White House on its heels

Discussion: The Hill, Daily Kos, Just Security, Althouse and Vox

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

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: Talking Points Memo, New York Magazine, IJR, RedState and Common Dreams

Peter Sullivan / The Hill:

GOP leaders unveil changes to healthcare bill — House Republican leaders on Monday night released a set of changes to their ObamaCare replacement bill, as they seek to win more votes for the legislation. — The changes include two measures that conservative Republican Study Committee members won …

Discussion: Washington Post, Hot Air and Instapundit

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: Talking Points Memo, RedState, Axios, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, The Hill, Vox, The Daily Beast, Forbes and Business Insider

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, Politico and Axios

Jessie Hellmann / The Hill:
Conservative chair: ObamaCare talks ‘over’ but bill won't pass

Discussion: Vox

The Huffington Post:
GOP Health Care Bill Offers Upstate New York A Sweetheart Deal

Discussion: Vox

CNN:
Conservatives on health care bill: Negotiations are over

Discussion: The Resurgent and Axios

New York Times:
House Republicans Turn to Upstate New York to Lure Votes for Health Bill

Discussion: NBC News

Axios:
Freedom Caucus chair pessimistic about health bill

Discussion: Political Wire, NPR and Politico

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

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, Business Insider, Politicus USA, The Daily Caller, Daily Wire, TheBlaze, TVNewser and twitchy.com, more at Mediagazer »

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

Discussion: Deadline

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

Discussion: Infowars and Business Insider

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

Discussion: The Guardian

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, BizPac Review, Geller Report, Occupy Democrats, The Gateway Pundit, Vox Popoli and Media Matters for America

Michael Isikoff / Yahoo:
FBI probe of Trump-Russia ties began 3 months before election

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Business Insider

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:
What Did We Learn Today? — Judged by time, today's House …

Discussion: The Guardian, CANNONFIRE and Washington Monthly

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

Discussion: CNN, New York Times, Post On Politics, Balloon Juice, NBC News, Business Insider, Raw Story and Heat Street

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, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, New York Magazine, Washington Post, Business Insider, Occupy Democrats, ABC News, RedState, Mediaite, Raw Story, The Daily Caller, NBC News, TalkLeft, Political Wire and Axios

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

Carter-era ethics rulings loom over Trump kids — President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka is getting a West Wing office and a security clearance - both key trappings of an official White House job. — But she's moving in without being sworn into a formal role, despite Justice Department legal opinions …

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: Washington Post, Heat Street, Business Insider and Axios

Lori Aratani / Washington Post: U.S. unveils new restrictions on travelers from eight Muslim-majority countries

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

Discussion: Business Insider, The Stranger …, The Daily Caller and BizPac Review

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: CNN, The Guardian, Daily Kos, Politicus USA, Towleroad, Occupy Democrats, Axios and New York Magazine

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.