memeorandum: Intelligence Reports Reveal Improper Political Surveillance of Trump, Transition Team (Bill Gertz/Washington Free Beacon)

12:30 PM ET, March 24, 2017

Top Items:

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 …

Katie Bo Williams / The Hill:

Nunes: Manafort volunteered to interview with Intel panel … President Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort has volunteered to interview with the House Intelligence Committee's probe of Russia's interference in last year's election, Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) announced Friday.

Discussion: ABC News, Towleroad, TalkLeft and Raw Story

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: Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, RT, Raw Story, Politico, Business Insider, Hullabaloo, Mediaite, Patterico's Pontifications, RedState, Political Wire, The Daily Caller and CNN

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: Politico, Vox, Raw Story and Talking Points Memo

CNN:

Manafort volunteers for questionings at House intel committee — Rep. Jim Himes, D-Connecticut, accused Nunes of persistently serving “the interests of Donald Trump” — (CNN)President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, has offered to testify before the House Intelligence Committee …

Discussion: Joe.My.God.

Austin Wright / Politico:
Nunes: Manafort has agreed to testify before Congress

Discussion: The Hill and Occupy Democrats

Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo:
Nunes: I Had ‘Duty’ To Brief Trump Since He's ‘Taking Lot Of Heat’ In Media

Discussion: Daily Kos

Washington Post:
Nunes's grandstanding proves he can't lead the Russia investigation

Discussion: Shareblue, Politicus USA and The Atlantic

CNN:
Schiff: New evidence shows possible Trump-Russia collusion

Discussion: Political Wire

Peter Hoekstra / Wall Street Journal:
Did Obama Abuse Raw Intelligence?

Discussion: The Hill and Washington Post

Bill Gertz / Washington Free Beacon:
Intelligence Reports Reveal Improper Political Surveillance of Trump, Transition Team

Discussion: Geller Report

Daniel Chaitin / Washington Examiner:
Bob Woodward: Obama officials possibly facing criminal charges for unmasking scheme

Discussion: Scared Monkeys and Fox News Insider

New York Times:
Rep. Nunes Is a Lapdog in a Watchdog Role

Discussion: MSNBC

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.

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.

Discussion: Axios

Bloomberg:

White House Preparing to Blame Ryan If Health Bill Fails, Official Says — But Trump says ‘yes’ when asked if Ryan should remain speaker — Legislation advances toward crucial House vote on Friday — In public, President Donald Trump is standing by House Speaker Paul Ryan over the Obamacare replacement bill.

Discussion: Hot Air

James Hohmann / Washington Post:
The Daily 202: Trump's health care ultimatum is straight out of ‘The Art of the Deal.’ It just might work.

Discussion: Politico, The Mahablog and New York Magazine

Mike DeBonis / Washington Post:
House leaders and President Trump press for ‘yes’ …

Discussion: New York Times, RedState, Talking Points Memo, CNBC, The Guardian, Refinery29, Daily Wire, AOL, The Gateway Pundit, TheBlaze and The Daily Caller

Axios:
The state of Trumpcare: Failure is an option

Discussion: Slate and Forbes

Dan Balz / Washington Post:
A postponed health-care vote, a big GOP embarrassment and no good options ahead

Discussion: Politico, New York Magazine, Hullabaloo, Occupy Democrats, KTLA, Booman Tribune, TalkLeft, ACASignups.net, Washington Monthly, NBC News, Mother Jones and The Mahablog

Daniel Lippman / Politico:
THE BIG DAY: TRUMP's risky bet, THE STAKES, the vote count …

Discussion: Occupy Democrats

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: Hit & Run, Common Dreams, Health Affairs Blog, Balloon Juice, CBO's Publications, Talking Points Memo, Vox, Los Angeles Times and Mother Jones

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: The Atlantic, Daily Kos and Vox

Talking Points Memo:
What's In The Health Care Bill Changes Unveiled Late Last Night

Discussion: Mother Jones, Health Affairs Blog and Vox

Rodney Frelinghuysen:

Statement of Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11) — American Health Care Act — March 24, 2017 — “Seven years after enactment of Obamacare, I wanted to support legislation that made positive changes to rescue healthcare in America. — “Unfortunately, the legislation before the House today …

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Business Insider, CNBC and Politicus USA

Madeline Farber / Fortune:
The GOP Health Care Bill Would Require New Moms on Medicaid to Find Work 60 Days after Childbirth

Discussion: Daily Kos and ThinkProgress

Heritage Action for America:
“NO” ON AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT (H.R. 1628)

Discussion: The Daily Signal, Talking Points Memo and FOX6Now.com

Philip Bump / Washington Post:
The Republican health-care proposal is breathtakingly unpopular

Discussion: San Francisco Chronicle, Bloomberg, The Hill, Politicus USA, ThinkProgress, AOL, Mediaite, Informed Comment, The Guardian, Slate, Daily Wire and Hot Air

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: RedState, ThinkProgress, ABC News, Daily Wire, The Daily Caller and AOL

Reuters:
Dramatic vote looms on Republican health plan, high stakes for Trump

Discussion: The Daily Caller, CNBC and Washington Free Beacon

Matthew Yglesias / Vox:
The Republican health care plan is totally nuts

Discussion: Lawyers, Guns & Money

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, updatily.com, Axios, The Daily Caller and Daily Kos

Wall Street Journal: Trump, Tillerson Settle on No. 2 at State Department

Dan Alexander / Forbes:

After Promising Not To Talk Business With Father, Eric Trump Says He'll Give Him Financial Reports — Eric Trump sits behind a desk on the 25th floor of Trump Tower in New York City, dressed in a slightly less formal version of his father's go-to power uniform—blue suit, white buttoned-down shirt, no tie.

Discussion: Politico

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: Washington Post, PolitiFact, Raw Story and CNBC, more at Mediagazer »

Chris Erskine / Los Angeles Times:

Mammoth got so much snow this winter it called in the National Guard for help — Some of the National Guard members sent to Mammoth to help with snow removal. (California National Guard) (California National Guard) — Hey, Mammoth Lakes, add this group shot of the National Guard to your winter scrapbook.