memeorandum: Mar-a-Lago can't release visitor logs — because it doesn't keep them (Darren Samuelsohn/Politico)

9:50 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

Rep. Devin Nunes / National Review:

Devin Nunes Should Step Down as Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee — Nunes's unforced errors have undermined public faith. — Let's begin with two assertions, both of which should be inarguable. First, no one in Washington is entitled to any position of power or responsibility.

Discussion: NewsHounds blog and Hot Air

Mark Hensch / The Hill:

Dem: White House in ‘fantasy land’ on Yates testimony … A Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee said Tuesday he was unconvinced by the White House's insistence that it wants former acting Attorney General Sally Yates to testify about Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Discussion: Politico and CNN

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, The Hill, IJR, Washington Monthly, Raw Story, Daily Kos, Booman Tribune, Hot Air, Progress Pond, Fox News Insider, Talking Points Memo, Mediaite, Weekly Standard and AOL

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

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

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

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, TheBlaze, Business Insider, Hot Air, The Daily Caller, Raw Story and Occupy Democrats

Matt Vespa / Townhall.com:
Cleaning House: DNC Chair Perez Orders All Staffers To Resign

Discussion: Geller Report and SARAH PALIN

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, Common Dreams, Daily Kos, NPR, Axios, Mashable and Engadget, more at Mediagazer »

Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge: Congress just cleared the way for internet providers to sell your web browsing history

Cecilia Kang / New York Times:
Congress Moves to Overturn Obama-Era Online Privacy Rules

Discussion: The FADER and Common Dreams

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

Discussion: Shareblue

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, Raw Story, Salon, Hullabaloo, Politicus USA, Shakesville and Towleroad

Lindsey Ellefson / Mediaite:
Calls For Bill O'Reilly to Be Fired Intensify After Maxine Waters Comment

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

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

Discussion: The Daily Caller, ThinkProgress and The Gateway Pundit

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: Occupy Democrats, Talking Points Memo, CANNONFIRE and Raw Story

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

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, Vox, Bloomberg, Washington Post, Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, CNBC, RedState, The Daily Signal, Daily Wire, Daily Kos, Hot Air, Politico, IJR, Washington Times, Mediaite, Political Wire, Axios, New York Times, 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

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, Shareblue, Washington Post, New York Magazine, Curbed NY - All, Raw Story, Gothamist and Political Wire

NBC News: Manafort-Linked Accounts on Cyprus Raised Red Flag

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 …

Leah Barkoukis / Townhall.com:
GOP Senator: Funding For Border Wall Will Likely Have to Wait

Discussion: SARAH PALIN

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

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, Daily Kos and Raw Story

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

Jordyn Phelps / ABC News:

White House staff will skip Correspondents' Dinner in ‘solidarity’ with President Trump — President Donald Trump's staff is following the commander in chief's lead and will skip next month's White House Correspondents' Dinner, the organization announced Tuesday.

Discussion: The Daily Beast

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

Sylvan Lane / The Hill:

Ryan: Don't tie Planned Parenthood to government funding fight — Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Tuesday that Congress shouldn't try to defund Planned Parenthood in a measure to fund the government, but instead should use a separate healthcare reform bill.

Discussion: Politico and Mashable

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

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

Ashley Parker / Washington Post:

Karen Pence is the vice president's ‘prayer warrior,’ gut check and shield — During the first of Vice President Pence's two unsuccessful races for Congress, he rode a single-speed bicycle more than 250 miles around his district, much of it accompanied by his wife, Karen, along for the journey.

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 …