memeorandum: Republicans lied about healthcare for years, and they're about to get the punishment they deserve (Josh Barro/Business Insider)

3:05 PM ET, March 22, 2017

Top Items:

AP Exclusive: Manafort had plan to benefit Putin government — WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, secretly worked for a Russian billionaire to advance the interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin a decade ago and proposed …

Discussion: Washington Monthly, Taylor Marsh, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, Towleroad, twitchy.com, Little Green Footballs and The Atlantic

Andrew Prokop / Vox:

President Trump appears unable to make a substantive case for the AHCA — When he tries to sell it, he either talks politics or says Obamacare is bad. — The fate of the Republican health bill in the House could rest on President Donald Trump's salesmanship.

Discussion: American Prospect, Politico, Mother Jones, ThinkProgress, The Nation, Hullabaloo, Occupy Democrats and Common Dreams

The Guardian:

Parliament attack: man shot after police officer stabbed at House of Commons - live updates — Major security alert at Westminster after at least one person was shot after police officer was stabbed outside House of Commons — Some pictures from the scene.

Discussion: CNN, Common Dreams, New York Magazine and Towleroad

Tim Sculthorpe / Daily Mail:
HOW PARLIAMENT HAS BEEFED UP SECURITY TO PROTECT AGAINST A TERROR ATTACK

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, TheBlaze, Vox Popoli and Mediaite

Danny Boyle / Telegraph:
Watch | Live: Westminster bridge

Discussion: Daily Wire, Patterico's Pontifications, Mynewsdesk, twitchy.com and The Gateway Pundit

Toby Melville / Reuters:
Assailant shot, policeman stabbed and several injured in UK parliament incident

Discussion: Daily Wire and The Daily Caller

Louis Nelson / Politico:
Trump spoke with British prime minister May after parliament shooting

Discussion: ABC News

New York Times:
Attack Near U.K. Parliament Kills 3; Panic on Westminster Bridge

Discussion: Mediaite, Gothamist, Daily Kos and Hot Air

NBC News:
London Terrorist Attack: 4 Dead in Incident Near UK Parliament

Discussion: Fox News, NBC News, BizPac Review, WJTV, Business Insider, KTLA, Mediaite, CBS New York, Sputnik International and The Resurgent

Ian Millhiser / ThinkProgress:

While Gorsuch was testifying, the Supreme Court unanimously said he was wrong — Awkward. — About 40 minutes after Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch began his second day of testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, all eight of the justices he hopes to join said a major disability decision Gorsuch wrote in 2008 was wrong.

Discussion: Latest from Crooks and Liars, New York Magazine, Occupy Democrats, Daily Kos and CNN

Josh Gerstein / Politico:
Democrats accuse Gorsuch of hiding his legal views

Discussion: ABC News and Washington Free Beacon

Glenn Thrush / New York Times:
'I'll Criticize Judges,' Trump Says, Hours After a Scolding for Doing Just That

Discussion: SCOTUSblog, RedState and Talking Points Memo

Mariam Khan / ABC News:
Neil Gorsuch emotional about right-to-die questions in Supreme Court confirmation hearings

Discussion: Politico and Associated Press

Austin Wright / Politico:

Nunes: Trump transition members were under surveillance during Obama administration — Members of the Donald Trump transition team, possibly including Trump himself, were under U.S. government surveillance following November's presidential election, House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) told reporters Wednesday.

Discussion: RedState, Power Line, Political Wire, Daily Wire, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, The Resurgent and SARAH PALIN

Fox News: Trump team communications captured by intelligence community surveillance, Nunes says

Josh Barro / Business Insider:

Republicans lied about healthcare for years, and they're about to get the punishment they deserve — It's hard to decide which would be the more politically damaging outcome for Republican politicians: passing the American Health Care Act, and therefore owning the premium increases …

Discussion: Vox and No More Mister Nice Blog

Axios:

Why deductibles would rise under the GOP health care plan — Health care is complicated, as the president has discovered. But here is one thing that is not so complicated: if people have modest means and limited tax credits, and coverage is expensive, they will mostly buy health plans with lower premiums — and high deductibles.

Discussion: New York Magazine, Washington Post, The Hill, Economic Policy Institute and Balloon Juice

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

Mitch McConnell's Trumpcare Plan Is to Lose Fast — Trumpcare may or may not grind out enough votes to pass the House. In the Senate, it's hopelessly short of the 50 votes it needs. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has laid out a wildly aggressive time frame, under which his chamber …

Discussion: bradford-delong.com and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Jennifer Haberkorn / Politico:
House Obamacare repeal DOA in the Senate

Discussion: Political Wire

John Bresnahan / Politico:
Conservatives claim votes to stop GOP Obamacare repeal

Discussion: Daily Kos, Political Wire and The Huffington Post

Scott Wong / The Hill:
Trump, GOP struggle to find healthcare votes

Discussion: Politico, Lawyers, Guns & Money, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Hot Air and Balloon Juice

Wall Street Journal:

A President's Credibility — Trump's falsehoods are eroding public trust, at home and abroad. — If President Trump announces that North Korea launched a missile that landed within 100 miles of Hawaii, would most Americans believe him? Would the rest of the world?

Discussion: Vox, CNN, Washington Post, RedState, New York Times, Washington Monthly, Politicus USA, Towleroad, NBC News, CNBC, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Kos, Daily Wire, Mediaite, Axios, Business Insider, Raw Story and The Daily Caller

Jonathan Easley / The Hill:

Poll: By 2 to 1 margin, registered voters reject Comey — FBI Director James Comey is unpopular across the political spectrum, according to a new poll that finds voters have a negative opinion of Comey by a more than two-to-one margin. — According to data from a Harvard-Harris Poll survey …

Discussion: IJR, The Daily Caller, Daily Wire, Washington Times, Hot Air and Political Wire

New York Times:
Why People Continue to Believe Objectively False Things

Discussion: The Resurgent

Derek Hawkins / Washington Post:

Ex-Colo. GOP leader said only Democrats committed voter fraud. Now he's charged with voter fraud. — The 2016 election was just a month away when Steve Curtis, a conservative radio host and former Colorado Republican Party chairman, devoted an entire episode of his morning talk show to the heated topic of voter fraud.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, SoundCloud, Occupy Democrats, FOX31 Denver and Raw Story

Blair Miller / TheDenverChannel.com:
Former Colorado GOP chairman Steven Curtis charged with voter fraud

Discussion: Shakesville, Mediaite, Joe.My.God., Politicus USA and Political Wire

Erin McPike / IJR:

Trump's Diplomat — “I didn't want this job. I didn't seek this job.”

Discussion: Townhall.com, Mother Jones, Washington Examiner, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Reuters, Raw Story, Just Security, The Guardian, Daily Kos, Politico, Occupy Democrats, RT, Business Insider, Towleroad and RedState

Charles Ornstein / ProPublica:

We Fact-Checked Lawmakers' Letters to Constituents on Health Care — When Louisiana resident Andrea Mongler wrote to her senator, Bill Cassidy, in support of the Affordable Care Act, she wasn't surprised to get an email back detailing the law's faults. Cassidy, a Republican who is also a physician, has been a vocal critic.

Discussion: STAT and Vox

Jessica Schulberg / The Huffington Post:

Trump's Team Said It Didn't Ask For Military Vehicles At Inauguration. Emails Show It Did. — “Such support would be out of guidelines,” one Pentagon official wrote. — WASHINGTON The month after Donald Trump won the presidential election, his staff asked the Pentagon to send photographs …

Discussion: Breaking News USA and Raw Story

Sage Lazzaro / Observer:

Exclusive: Trump Sics Lawyers on Teen for Making Silly Site Where Kittens Punch Him — Lucy is a 17-year-old from San Francisco who spends her spare time reading at coffee shops, splurging on guac at Chipotle and practicing her tech skills. The high schooler dreams of working …

Discussion: East Bay Times, Fox News Insider, Refinery29, Mashable, Mediaite, The Root and Occupy Democrats, more at Mediagazer »

Mark Hensch / The Hill:

White House jumper caught on fence: report — A man trying to enter the White House grounds late Tuesday was caught on a fence surrounding the building, according to a new report. — The intruder tried jumping a barrier on 15th Street around 10:50 p.m. when he became entangled, TMZ said Wednesday.

Discussion: TMZ.com, RedState, BizPac Review and Washington Post

Joe Concha / The Hill:

Chelsea Clinton to get lifetime achievement award — Chelsea Clinton will be honored with a Variety's lifetime achievement award next month, the magazine announced Tuesday. — The 37-year-old former first daughter, a vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, is rumored to be eyeing a run …

Discussion: RedState, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, BizPac Review, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and The Daily Caller

Steven Shepard / Politico:

Poll: Approval wanes for GOP health bill — Support for the GOP proposal to repeal and replace the 2010 health care law is fading, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll conducted just before an expected House vote on the legislation. — Voters are divided on the measure …

Discussion: Morning Consult, The Hill, Daily Kos, AOL, Common Dreams and The Daily Caller

Alexander Burns / New York Times:

Eyeing Trump's Budget Plan, Republican Governors Say ‘No, Thanks’ — Gov. Matt Bevin of Kentucky was unrestrained in his praise for President Trump: Opening for him at a rally on Monday, Mr. Bevin, a conservative Republican, echoed Mr. Trump's “America First” slogan and only gently noted the nagging divisions in their party.

Discussion: Daily Kos and Raw Story