memeorandum: Exclusive: As Democratic attorneys general target Trump, Republican AGs target them (Dan Levine/Reuters)

8:45 PM ET, March 28, 2017

Top Items:

Trump administration sought to block Sally Yates from testifying to Congress on Russia — The Trump administration sought to block former acting attorney general Sally Yates from testifying to Congress in the House investigation of links between Russian officials and Donald Trump's presidential campaign …

Scott Wong / The Hill:

First GOP lawmaker calls for Nunes to recuse himself — Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) on Tuesday told The Hill that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) should “absolutely” recuse himself from his panel's investigation into Russia's meddling in last year's election.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Shareblue, Washington Times and Raw Story

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:

Now we know why Trump panicked about Russia probe — You know things are looking grim for President Trump when he starts tweeting about Hillary Clinton again. Monday evening he sounded trapped and wounded: “Why isn't the House Intelligence Committee looking into the Bill & Hillary deal …

Discussion: Politico, Washington Monthly, IJR, Raw Story, Booman Tribune, Hot Air, Progress Pond, Talking Points Memo, CNN, Weekly Standard, AOL, Business Insider, Daily Kos and Political Wire

Washington Post:
Read the letters on Sally Yates's potential congressional testimony on Russia

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

David Harsanyi / The Federalist:
Devin Nunes Has Absolutely No Reason To Recuse Himself

Discussion: Politico, Weekly Standard, Instapundit, RedState and KQED News

Manu Raju / CNN:
Amid turmoil, House Intel Committee scraps meetings this week

Discussion: MSNBC, Yahoo, Towleroad, Washington Post, The Federalist, Mediaite, The Atlantic, Talking Points Memo, Shakesville, New York Magazine and Political Wire

Mark Hensch / The Hill:
Dem: White House in ‘fantasy land’ on Yates testimony

Discussion: Politico

Eric Beech / Reuters:
House intel panel chief Nunes says he will not divulge his sources

Discussion: National Review, Hot Air, The Daily Caller and AOL

Louis Nelson / Politico:
Swalwell on Nunes fallout: ‘This is what a cover-up to a crime looks like’

Discussion: Axios, ABC News, Common Dreams, The Hill, NBC News, CNBC and Washington Post

Veronica Stracqualursi / ABC News:
The Note: Nunes' crisis of credibility

Discussion: Politico, Associated Press, Scared Monkeys and New York Times

Aaron Blake / Washington Post:
The White House's Sally Yates problem

Discussion: Politico, The Last Refuge, Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo and Raw Story

Martin Matishak / Politico:
Schiff: Yates would have testified on Flynn ‘cover-up’

Discussion: Washington Post, The Hill, NewsHounds blog, Raw Story, Business Insider, Occupy Democrats, Daily Kos, Fox News Insider, Mediaite, Talking Points Memo, AOL and Washington Free Beacon

Alex Seitz-Wald / NBC News:

Embattled DNC Asks All Staffers For Resignation Letters — Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez has launched a major overhaul of the party's organization, which has been stung by recent crises — and the DNC has requested resignation letters from all current staffers.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, Business Insider, Occupy Democrats, Hot Air, The Daily Caller and Raw Story

Media Matters for America:

Bill O'Reilly: I “Didn't Hear A Word” Rep. Maxine Waters Said Because Of Her “James Brown Wig” — BILL O'REILLY: I didn't hear a word [Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA)] said. I was looking at the James Brown wig. If we have a picture of James, it's the same wig. — STEVE DOOCY (CO-HOST): It's the same one.

Discussion: Shareblue, The Daily Beast, The Slot, Washington Post, Salon, Raw Story, Hullabaloo, Politicus USA, Shakesville and Towleroad

Lindsey Ellefson / Mediaite:

Calls For Bill O'Reilly to Be Fired Intensify After Maxine Waters Comment — Following Bill O'Reilly's comments about Representative Maxine Waters's hair on Fox & Friends this morning, calls for his termination have intensified. His “James Brown wig” observation has been called sexist and racist.

Discussion: Media Matters for America, Business Insider, twitchy.com, TheBlaze, IJR, The Daily Caller and BizPac Review

Tom Kludt / CNNMoney:
Bill O'Reilly apologizes after making racially charged joke about congresswoman

Discussion: ThinkProgress and The Gateway Pundit

Burgess Everett / Politico:

Trump gives Chuck the silent treatment — It was supposed to be one of Washington's most intriguing relationships. Instead, they've had virtually no relationship at all. — President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the most powerful Democrat in Washington …

Discussion: Axios

Elana Schor / Politico:

Gorsuch needs a straight flush to beat filibuster — Senate Democrats on Tuesday left Judge Neil Gorsuch with two roads to the Supreme Court: winning over all of the party's remaining swing votes, or relying on the so-called nuclear option. — The five Democratic senators up for reelection next year …

Rachael Bade / Politico:
Congress may stiff Trump on wall funding

Discussion: Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, Progress Pond, Mediaite, Vox, CNN, The Daily Caller and Associated Press

Oren Dorell / USA Today:

Trump's business network reached alleged Russian mobsters — To expand his real estate developments over the years, Donald Trump, his company and partners repeatedly turned to wealthy Russians and oligarchs from former Soviet republics — several allegedly connected to organized crime …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, CANNONFIRE and Raw Story

New York Times:

Affordable Care Act Repeal Is Back on the Agenda, Republicans Say — WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders and the White House, under extreme pressure from conservative activists, have restarted negotiations on legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act, with House leaders declaring …

Discussion: USA Today, Bloomberg, Vox, Washington Post, Business Insider, Axios, Talking Points Memo, CNBC, RedState, The Daily Signal, Daily Wire, Daily Kos, Hot Air, Politico, IJR, Washington Times, Mediaite, New York Times, Political Wire, Instapundit and TheBlaze

Hunter Woodall / Kansas City Star:
Kansas Senate votes to expand Medicaid as Gov. Sam Brownback doubles down on opposition

Discussion: Vox, Washington Post, ThinkProgress and Mother Jones

The White House:

S.J.Res. 34 - Disapproving the Federal Communications Commission's Rule on Privacy of Customers of Broadband Services — The Administration strongly supports House passage of S.J.Res. 34, which would nullify the Federal Communications Commission's final rule titled “Protecting the Privacy …

Discussion: CNNMoney, New York Times, The FADER, Daily Kos, Axios, NPR, Mashable, Common Dreams and Engadget, more at Mediagazer »

Alex Byers / Politico:
House votes to revoke broadband privacy rules

Discussion: Shareblue

David Shepardson / Reuters:
Congress sends White House repeal of broadband privacy rules

Discussion: Business Insider and BGR

Reuters:

Trump signs order dismantling Obama-era climate policies — President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an order to undo Obama-era climate change regulations, keeping a campaign promise to support the coal industry and calling into question U.S. support for an international deal to fight global warming.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, The White House, Washington Post, American Progress, Vox, Politico, WTVR-TV, New York Times and FOX6Now.com

Coral Davenport / New York Times:
Trump Signs Executive Order Unwinding Obama Climate Policies

Discussion: The Atlantic, Washington Post, Gothamist, Engadget, The FADER, New York Post and Common Dreams

Charlie Spiering / Breitbart:
Exclusive: Scott Pruitt Promises ‘EPA Orginalism’ in Donald Trump Administration

Discussion: Axios, Politico and Washington Monthly

Eriq Gardner / Hollywood Reporter:

Donald Trump Claims U.S. Constitution Bars ‘Apprentice’ Star's Defamation Suit While in Office — The president believes the Supremacy Clause bars state lawsuits against a sitting president and looks to tackle an issue “not decided” by the Supreme Court in Bill Clinton v. Paula Jones.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Hill, Hullabaloo, Raw Story and Daily Kos

Ilya Marritz / WNYC News:

Paul Manafort's Puzzling New York Real Estate Purchases — Paul J. Manafort, the former Trump campaign manager facing multiple investigations for his political and financial ties to Russia, has engaged in a series of puzzling real estate deals in New York City over the past 11 years.

Discussion: Associated Press, New York Magazine, Washington Post, Raw Story, Curbed NY - All, Gothamist and Political Wire

Naomi Jagoda / The Hill:

Republicans vote to block resolutions on Trump's tax returns — The House and its tax-writing committee voted on Tuesday to block Democratic resolutions demanding President Trump's tax returns. — The votes were latest of many Democratic attempts to get Congress to request Trump's tax returns.

Discussion: Political Wire and Axios

Eric Owens / The Daily Caller:

This $56,199-Per-Year Campus Offers ‘Self-Identified White Students’ A Safe Space To Feel Guilty — Loyola University Chicago offers a campus club “for self-identified White students” to admit their own racist feelings and to complain about the racism they perceive around themselves.

Discussion: Campus Reform and John Hawkins' Right Wing News

John Gregory / abc7.com:

NOHO SCHOOL BUDGET CUTS DUE TO HIGH WHITE STUDENT PERCENTAGE SPARKS OUTRAGE … <iframe width="476" height="267" src="http://abc7.com/video/embed/?pid= 1817703" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> — NORTH HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Outrage has grown at Walter Reed Middle School …

Discussion: EAGnews.org, TheBlaze, RedState, IJR, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, Daily Wire, The Last Tradition and The Last Refuge

Christopher Ingraham / Washington Post:

Spiders could theoretically eat every human on Earth in one year — Spiders are quite literally all around us. A recent entomological survey of North Carolina homes turned up spiders in 100 percent of them, including 68 percent of bathrooms and more than three-quarters of bedrooms.

Discussion: KFOR-TV, twitchy.com, AOL, The Verge, Refinery29 and Mashable

Michael Weiss / The Daily Beast:

Jared Kushner Tempted by Russia's Bank of Spies — Not every bank lists a convicted spy serving 30 months in an Ohio prison as its active deputy representative in New York. But then, not every bank is headed by a former spy, much less one found to have spent time with Jared Kushner during a …

Discussion: CNN, Talking Points Memo, Reuters, The Hill, Daily Kos, ThinkProgress, RedState and The Daily Caller

Meredith Newman / capitalgazette.com:

Naval Academy grads ask alumni group to rescind honor for former Sen. Jim Webb — Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb speaks in Baltimore in June 2015 where he announced his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. He's been named a 2017 Distinguished Graduate by the Naval Academy Alumni Association …

Discussion: The Daily Caller

Alexander Bolton / The Hill:

Border wall funding likely to be put on hold — President Trump's funding request for a border wall will likely be put on hold, Senate Republican leaders signaled Tuesday. — Sen. Roy Blunt — (R-Mo.), a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, announced at a leadership press conference …

Megan R. Wilson / The Hill:

Schock staffer was FBI informant, court filings reveal — The FBI wired a congressional staffer and turned him into a secret informant during its investigation into former Rep. Aaron Schock's (R-Ill.) alleged misuse of government and campaign funds, Schock's attorneys said Tuesday in federal court filings.

Discussion: Politico