Top Items:
Fox News:
Potential ‘smoking gun’ showing Obama administration spied on Trump team, source says — Republican congressional investigators expect a potential “smoking gun” establishing that the Obama administration spied on the Trump transition team, and possibly the president-elect himself …
RELATED:
Mike Levine / ABC News:
Intel chair Devin Nunes unsure if Trump associates were directly surveilled — The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes, R-Calif., does not know “for sure” whether President Donald Trump or members of his transition team were even on the phone calls or other communications …
Discussion:
CNN, Raw Story, Washington Post, RT, Hullabaloo, Politico, Business Insider, Mediaite, Patterico's Pontifications, RedState, Talking Points Memo, Political Wire and The Daily Caller
Veronica Stracqualursi / ABC News:
The Note: The health care ultimatum — The big story: So there is a law of political physics that applies to Donald Trump after all. Actually, this one is basic math, in that House leaders and the White House have never had the majority they assumed they could get, as we approach today's showdown.
Discussion:
Vox, Business Insider and Raw Story
Peter Hoekstra / Wall Street Journal:
Did Obama Abuse Raw Intelligence? — I couldn't have seen those transcripts when I led the House intel committee. — By — It was remarkable when Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, revealed Wednesday that Trump campaign officials were caught up in the inadvertent collection of intelligence.
Discussion:
The Hill and Washington Post
Washington Post:
Shut down Nunes's investigation — and investigate him for leaking
Discussion:
Politicus USA, Raw Story, The Atlantic, No More Mister Nice Blog, Right Wing Watch, Hit & Run, Common Dreams and CNBC
Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo:
Nunes: I Had ‘Duty’ To Brief Trump Since He's ‘Taking Lot Of Heat’ In Media
Discussion:
Daily Kos
Daniel Chaitin / Washington Examiner:
Bob Woodward: Obama officials possibly facing criminal charges for unmasking scheme
Discussion:
Fox News Insider and Balloon Juice
New York Times:
A Brave Front, but Regrets? On Health Bill, Trump Has a Few — WASHINGTON — President Trump, the author of “The Art of the Deal,” has been projecting his usual bravado in public this week about the prospects of repealing the Affordable Care Act. Privately he is grappling with rare bouts of self-doubt.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Vox, Business Insider, Axios, Salon, No More Mister Nice Blog, NPR, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Politico, New York Magazine and Reuters
RELATED:
Gabriel Sherman / New York Magazine:
Why Steve Bannon Might Be the Winner of the GOP's Health-Care Civil War — With hours to go before the House is set to (finally) vote on Paul Ryan's health-care bill, the Trump administration is putting a full-court press on recalcitrant Republicans to rally votes.
Adam Davidson / New Yorker:
What the G.O.P. Doesn't Get About Who Pays for Health Care — A few years ago, a relative of mine, an electrician who made a good living laying cable alongside highways, told me that his economic future depended on one thing: his back. He saw what happened to older guys …
Discussion:
Daily Kos, The Atlantic and Vox
Alison Kodjak / NPR:
GOP Health Bill Changes Could Kill Protections For Those With Pre-Existing Conditions
Discussion:
The American Conservative and indianapublicmedia.org
Matthew Yglesias / Vox:
The Republican health care plan is totally nuts — A pointless, reckless rush to vote on a bad, unpopular, doomed bill. — In both its substance and its procedural details, the plan cooked up by the Trump administration and House Republican leadership to overhaul the American health care system is completely insane.
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money
RELATED:
Max Greenwood / The Hill:
GOP rep: Once healthcare bill passes, lawmakers can ‘really explain it’ — Voter opposition to the Republican healthcare bill is the result of misunderstanding, and lawmakers will be able to “really explain it” once it becomes law, Rep. Chris Collins said Thursday.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller
Reuters:
Republicans scramble for health bill votes after Trump ultimatum
Discussion:
Washington Free Beacon
Adam Peck / ThinkProgress:
The White House may have skirted federal law to try and save its failing health care bill
Discussion:
Fox News, FOX News Radio, Politicus USA, New York Times, Occupy Democrats, NBC News, CNBC and Fox News Insider
Scott Wong / The Hill:
Trump threatens to leave ObamaCare in place if repeal bill fails
Discussion:
Politico, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Washington Post and Political Wire
Nicholas Bagley / The Incidental Economist:
Confusion over essential health benefits — The post has been revised to take into account feedback on how best to understand the manager's amendment. — Last night, House Republicans released the text of the final manager's amendment to the American Health Care Act …
Discussion:
Common Dreams, Balloon Juice, Health Affairs Blog, CBO's Publications, Vox, Los Angeles Times and Mother Jones
Heritage Action for America:
“NO” ON AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT (H.R. 1628) — At some point, the House is expected to vote on the American Health Care Act (H.R. 1628), which would partially repeal and replace various components of Obamacare. The proposed legislation repeals a number of Obamacare provisions …
Discussion:
The Daily Signal, Talking Points Memo and FOX6Now.com
RELATED:
Philip Bump / Washington Post:
The Republican health-care proposal is breathtakingly unpopular
Discussion:
Bloomberg, The Hill, AOL, Politicus USA, Mediaite, Informed Comment, The Guardian, Slate, US News, Hot Air and Daily Wire
US Department of State:
Issuance of Presidential Permit to TransCanada for Keystone XL Pipeline — The Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs has issued a Presidential permit to TransCanada Keystone Pipeline, L.P. ("TransCanada") authorizing TransCanada to construct, connect, operate, and maintain pipeline facilities …
Discussion:
NPR, The Guardian, The Daily Caller and Towleroad
RELATED:
Michael D. Shear / New York Times:
Trump Administration Orders Tougher Screening of Visa Applicants — WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is making it tougher for millions of visitors to enter the United States by demanding new security checks before giving visas to tourists, business travelers and relatives of American residents.
Discussion:
Politicus USA, Occupy Democrats, Axios, updatily.com, Daily Kos and The Daily Caller
RELATED:
Axios:
The state of Trumpcare: Failure is an option — Here's the reality that President Trump and Republican leaders are facing: They want to repeal Obamacare, but not the popular parts of Obamacare. But to the most conservative Republicans, and their supporters, repeal means repeal …
RELATED:
Mike DeBonis / Washington Post:
House leaders and President Trump press for ‘yes’ …
Discussion:
New York Times, Talking Points Memo, CNBC, Political Insider blog, Business Insider, The Daily Caller and Deadline
Media Matters for America:
The Life Cycle Of A Donald Trump Lie — On March 4, President Donald Trump declared himself the victim of a scandal on the level of the the Watergate crimes that brought down President Richard Nixon. In an early-morning tweetstorm apparently triggered by reading a Breitbart article …
Discussion:
PolitiFact, CNBC, Hullabaloo and Mashable, more at Mediagazer »
Annie Karni / Politico:
Ivanka's lawyer, a Democrat, defends herself — Attorney Jamie Gorelick had just finished vetting potential cabinet secretaries for Hillary Clinton—and raising money for the failed 2016 Democratic nominee - when Jared Kushner called her last year, seeking legal counsel.
RELATED:
Nick Parker / The Sun:
GET IN THE CAR, PM Moment Theresa May is bundled into car as shots are heard during London terror attack — Lone wolf jihadi Khalid Masood got dangerously close to the PM before he was gunned down — THIS is the moment Theresa May was rushed from Parliament by armed guards to a waiting car …
Discussion:
New York Times and Business Insider
Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo:
Mulvaney: If Your State Doesn't Mandate Maternity Care, Change Your State — Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, one of the top administration officials who had been working to pass the bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, on Friday morning brushed off concerns …
Discussion:
bradford-delong.com
Paul Krugman / New York Times:
The Scammers, the Scammed and America's Fate — Many people are horrified, and rightly so, by what passes for leadership in today's Washington. And it's important to keep the horror of our political situation up front, to keep highlighting the lies, the cruelty, the bad judgment.
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