memeorandum: The Move to Politicize Churches Is Back, and Conservatives Should Be Outraged (Eliza Newlin Carney/American Prospect)

12:40 PM ET, March 8, 2018

Top Items:

Mueller gathers evidence that 2017 Seychelles meeting was effort to establish back channel to Kremlin … Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has gathered evidence that a secret meeting in the Seychelles just before the inauguration of Donald Trump was an effort to establish a back channel between …

New York Times:

Trump Spoke to Witnesses About Matters They Discussed With Special Counsel — WASHINGTON — The special counsel in the Russia investigation has learned of two conversations in recent months in which President Trump asked key witnesses about matters they discussed with investigators …

Rebecca Berg / CNN:

Amid renewed scrutiny, Erik Prince to host fundraiser for Russia-friendly congressman — (CNN)Blackwater founder Erik Prince will host a fundraiser this month for Russia-friendly Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, as Prince faces new questions over a 2017 meeting currently being investigated by special counsel Robert Mueller.

Discussion: The Hill, RedState, Talking Points Memo and Political Wire

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:
If Trump isn't hiding anything, why all the covering up?

Discussion: Daily Kos, Hullabaloo and Politicus USA

CNN:
Democrats say Trump associate may have misled House panel over Seychelles meeting

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit and Shareblue Media

Axios:

Exclusive polls: Big warning signs for Senate Democrats — Five Senate Democrats would lose to a Republican candidate if the election were held today and three have approval ratings under 50%, according to new Axios/SurveyMonkey polls. — Keep reading — 352 WORDS

Discussion: National Review, RedState, New York Times, Breitbart, CNBC, Power Line, twitchy.com, Washington Free Beacon, IJR, Political Wire and The Gateway Pundit

Ian Schwartz / RealClearPolitics:
Kamala Harris On Immigration: Sessions Wants To Roll Back The Clock, “California Represents The Future”

Discussion: Vox, Washington Post, Hit & Run and The Daily Caller

Elana Schor / Politico:
Kamala Harris keeps 'em guessing

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon and Daily Kos

Yahoo:

Miss Universe in Moscow: How Trump's beauty contest spawned a business deal with Russians and a bond with Putin — This is the first of two excerpts adapted from — Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump (Twelve Books), by Michael Isikoff …

Discussion: thecut, The Guardian and Axios

Travis Gettys / Raw Story:
Trump partied with Russian oligarchs at Vegas nightclub shut down over ‘lewd’ acts involving women and urine: report

Discussion: Political Wire

Brad Reed / Raw Story:
Trump vetoed Miss Universe contestants for being ‘too ethnic’ or ‘too dark-skinned’: report

Discussion: Mother Jones

CNN:

Trump upset with Sanders over Stormy Daniels response — Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump is upset with White House press secretary Sarah Sanders over her responses Wednesday regarding his alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels, a source close to the White House tells CNN.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Political Wire, Raw Story, CBS Los Angeles, Jamie Dupree - AJC and Bustle

Sarah Fitzpatrick / NBC News:

Trump lawyer Michael Cohen tries to silence adult-film star Stormy Daniels — President Donald Trump's lawyer is trying to silence adult-film star Stormy Daniels, obtaining a secret restraining order in a private arbitration proceeding and warning that she will face penalties if she publicly discusses …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Raw Story, Fox News, Bustle, Daily Wire, Towleroad, Mediaite, ABC News, Politico, The Daily Beast, ThinkProgress, The Guardian and Shareblue Media

New York Times:
Trump Lawyer Obtained Restraining Order to Silence Porn Star

Discussion: Mediaite, The Daily Caller, Washington Press and Vox

Wall Street Journal:

Russian Trolls Tried to Torpedo Mitt Romney's Shot at Secretary of State — Online campaign targeted the ex-GOP nominee as Donald Trump considered him in late 2016 — Weeks after Donald Trump was elected president, Russia-backed online “trolls” flooded social media to try to block Mitt Romney …

Discussion: Power Line, Politicus USA and Front Page Magazine

John Santucci / ABC News:

Several White House staffers terminated or reassigned for security clearance issues: Sources — Several White House staffers have been terminated or reassigned for issues related to their security clearances — with at least one individual employed in the Office of the First Lady relieved of duty …

Discussion: AOL, Outside the Beltway, Shareblue Media, Raw Story, Daily Kos, Little Green Footballs, Political Wire and Mediaite

Elise Viebeck / Washington Post: DHS official jailed over domestic violence case says he handles ‘high volume’ of classified information

CNN:
White House is in confusion over timing and details of tariffs rollout

Discussion: Reuters, KTLA and CBS San Francisco

NBC News:

Hope Hicks told House Intelligence Committee she was hacked, sources say — WASHINGTON — A day before she resigned as White House communications director, Hope Hicks told the House Intelligence Committee last week that one of her email accounts was hacked, according to people who were present …

Discussion: Shakesville, Just Security, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Gateway Pundit, The Daily Caller, TheBlaze, Gizmodo, Mediaite, CNBC, Washington Times, Raw Story, Axios and Political Wire

CNN:
Republicans signal end is near for House Russia probe after Lewandowski testimony

Discussion: Political Wire

HuffPost:

This Anti-Semitic Term Was Casually Used During A White House Briefing — Its use came a day after it was used to describe a Jewish White House official, sparking concern on social media. — There's perhaps never a bad time to stretch or rethink one's vocabulary.

Discussion: ThinkProgress, Salon, The Gateway Pundit, AOL and Shakesville

Mike Florio / ProFootballTalk:

A team asked Derrius Guice if he likes men — The calendar says 2018. Some NFL locker rooms remain trapped in 1960. — Running back Derrius Guice said in a Wednesday night appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio that a team asked him at the Scouting Combine if he likes men.

Discussion: USA Today, The Daily Caller, The Root, Towleroad, Bleacher Report, Daily Wire, The Guardian, TheBlaze and CBS Detroit

Kyle Kondik / Sabato's Crystal Ball:

House 2018: 26 Ratings Changes, All in Favor of Democrats — PA-18 special now a Toss-up; Democratic incumbents in strong position; and what about Paul Ryan? — KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE — With less than a week to go, the PA-18 special election moves from Leans Republican to Toss-up.

Discussion: Shareblue Media and Daily Kos

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:
Republicans trash their candidate in Pa. special election

Discussion: ThinkProgress, NBC News, Associated Press and Roll Call

New York Times:

Kushner Meets With Mexican President, Underscoring Shift in U.S. Diplomacy — MEXICO CITY — Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, met with Mexico's president on Wednesday, arriving just weeks after a planned meeting between the nations' leaders fell apart …

Discussion: Political Wire

Brandon Carter / The Hill:
Kushner leaves US ambassador to Mexico out of meeting with Mexico president: report

Discussion: RedState

New York Times:

Women We Overlooked in 167 Years of New York Times Obituaries — The poet Sylvia Plath and the novelist Charlotte Brontë. Ida B. Wells, the anti-lynching activist. These extraordinary women — and so many others — did not have obituaries in The New York Times. Until now.

Discussion: Althouse and Mashable, more at Mediagazer »

Carol Rosenberg / miamiherald:

Now we know why defense attorneys quit the USS Cole case. They found a microphone. — Lawyers for the alleged USS Cole bombing mastermind quit the capital case after discovering a microphone in their special client meeting room and were denied the opportunity to either talk about or investigate it, the Miami Herald has learned.

Discussion: VICE News

Carol Robinson / al.com:

Huffman High School shooting: Courtlin Arrington killed; Birmingham police question injured teen — A Huffman High School senior was killed and another injured when gunfire erupted inside a classroom at the east Birmingham school Wednesday afternoon. — Killed was a 17-year-old girl …

Discussion: Washington Post, Associated Press, The Daily Caller, Outside the Beltway, Washington Press and Bustle

Danielle Paquette / Washington Post:

Why a white town paid for a class called ‘Hispanics 101’ … BRANSON, Mo. — In a ballroom with antlers on the wall and hoof prints on the carpet, diversity coach Miguel Joey Aviles asked whether anyone knew how to merengue. — “Lord have mercy,” he said, counting hands. “Only two?”

Discussion: Splinter

Adrian Carrasquillo / Weekly Standard: ‘Welcome to Florida!’ — Displaced Puerto Ricans have come …

Dave Sherwood / Reuters:

Eleven nations - but not U.S. - to sign Trans-Pacific trade deal — SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Eleven countries are expected to sign a landmark Asia-Pacific trade agreement in Santiago on Thursday as an antidote to the increasingly protectionist bent of the United States, which pulled out of the pact last year.

Brian Stelter / CNNMoney:

Sinclair's new media-bashing promos rankle local anchors — “This is so manipulative.” — That's an anchor at a local TV station owned by Sinclair, describing the company's latest mandate, a promotional campaign that sounds like pro-Trump propaganda. — Internal documents call …

Discussion: New York Magazine, Splinter, Political Wire, Raw Story and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »

Brookings:

Macroeconomic effects of the 2017 tax reform — DOWNLOAD — Editor's Note: — This paper is part of the Spring 2018 edition of the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, the leading conference series and journal in economics for timely, cutting-edge research about real-world policy issues.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal and Splinter

Robert Mendick / Telegraph:

Poisoned Russian spy Sergei Skripal was close to consultant who was linked to the Trump dossier — A security consultant who has worked for the company that compiled the controversial dossier on Donald Trump was close to the Russian double agent poisoned last weekend, it has been claimed.

Discussion: Defense One and Raw Story

Lingling Wei / Wall Street Journal:

Trump Tweet on China Trade Understates U.S. Demand — by $99 Billion — President asked Beijing to cut U.S. trade deficit with China by $1 billion—less than 0.3% of the countries' annual trade gap — BEIJING—President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday that Washington had asked Beijing …

Discussion: Washington Post, New York Times, Axios, CNBC, IJR, New York Magazine, Cafe Hayek, Mother Jones, Roll Call, Vox, Politico and Eschaton

Christina Caron / New York Times:

Outrage Over Footage of Police Officer Beating a Black Man in North Carolina — Body camera video showing a black man being Tasered and beaten during a confrontation with two white police officers who accused him of jaywalking has sent shock waves through the western North Carolina city of Asheville …

Discussion: Atlanta Black Star

Linda Trischitta / Sun-Sentinel:

Two Miramar SWAT officers suspended for heading to Parkland massacre — Sun Sentinel — When a gunman started shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, two Miramar SWAT team members did what comes naturally: They went to help. — Now they've been suspended for it.

Discussion: RedState, Tribunist and twitchy.com