The Note: Senate Intel Committee steps up to the plate

— -- TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS with ABC’s RICK KLEIN and SHUSHANNAH WALSHE

Day No. 70

THE BIG STORY: The message from the top two senators on the Senate Intelligence Committee was unmistakable: Here come the grownups. The committee’s public hearing on Thursday is likely to outline the scope of alleged Russian influence attempts in the campaign – or, at least, what lawmakers who have seen the intelligence suspect at this point. “We will get to the bottom of this," said Sen. Mark Warner, the intelligence committee’s top Democrat. The panel’s Republican chairman, Richard Burr, said the investigation will go “wherever the intelligence leads,” and promised an answer to the biggest question: whether President Trump himself had any link to Russia’s election-interference efforts. This marks a big moment in what looks like a longer path than was appreciated even when FBI Director James Comey came to Capitol Hill last week. The senators are now charged with not only learning what happened but also reestablishing public confidence in congressional oversight. The White House maintains that there’s nothing for lawmakers – or the FBI – to discover. That assertion will be tested, and these are the senators in the middle of that effort.

THE SLEEPER STORY: The path away from a possible government shutdown over the budget may require a detour away from the planned border wall. And the wall may have to wait. The White House is making clear that while it is maintaining its request for funding for the border wall, it may not let the wall be a deal-breaker. That’s positive news if you want the lights of the federal government to stay on, considering that Republican senators have already signaled that their budget proposal is unlikely to include the $1.5 billion down payment on Trump’s wall. So even as contract bids are being accepted to build the wall, which could cost $20 billion or more – and yes, we know, Mexico is supposed to pay for it – actual construction is likely to wait awhile. As with so many things that are pushed early in an administration, delays have consequences.

THE SHINY STORY: “I have heard the concerns,” Ivanka Trump said in a statement announcing that she will become a staff member at the White House after all, in an unpaid capacity. There’s no way this move would have happened without the outcry from Democrats and ethics watchdogs, who pointed out that volunteering to comply with ethics regulations means nothing at all. But concerns of possible Trump family conflicts of interest, with Ivanka’s two brothers running the business – and eyeing an expansion inside Washington, D.C. – and a president who likes to frequent his properties, aren’t going anywhere. The bottom line for Ivanka and Jared Kushner is that the president values their input. There’s no reason to be cute about their influence or about their roles, and the new arrangement acknowledges that.

TLDR: It’s the Senate Intelligence Committee’s time in the Russia probe spotlight, with a public hearing Thursday after the committee’s chairman and top Democrat came together to promise a thorough and aggressive investigation.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will head up a new White House commission tasked with tackling opioid addiction nationwide. The position was officially announced Wednesday, and he attended an opioid-and-drug abuse listening session with the president at the White House. As you can see in this image he was seated right next to Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. Yesterday on GMA, Christie denied any rift between the two, saying they "get along just great." (Credit: Shawn Thew/Pool via CNP via Newscom)

NOTABLES

--HAPPENING TODAY: SENATE INTEL COMMITTEE HOLDS PUBLIC OPENING HEARING ON RUSSIA: The Senate Intelligence Committee, led by Sen. Richard Burr, will hold an open hearing as part of its investigation into Russian interference in the US election. While questions swirl about Rep. Devin Nunes' ability to lead an impartial investigation, Sen. Burr along with Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the committee, showed a unified front yesterday at a joint press conference. Sen. Warner vowed to “get to the bottom of this.” "This is one of the biggest investigations that the Hill has seen in my tenure here," Sen. Burr said.

--U.S. JUDGE IN HAWAII EXTENDS HALT ON TRUMP TRAVEL BAN: A federal judge in Hawaii on Wednesday extended the order blocking President Trump's controversial travel ban until the state's lawsuit is resolved. U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson issued the ruling after hearing arguments. Hawaii State Attorney General Douglas Chin argued that the ban's message is like a "neon sign flashing 'Muslim ban, Muslim ban'" that the government did not turn off, according to ABC’s DAVID CAPLAN. http://abcn.ws/2nC8dgZ

--IVANKA TRUMP TAKING FORMAL ROLE IN ADMINISTRATION: President Donald Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka, announced Wednesday that she will take an official position in her father's administration, according to a statement. This comes as her unofficial role has grown in recent weeks and she was granted security clearance and a West Wing office, drawing scrutiny from some. Ivanka Trump will be a special assistant to the president but will not take a salary, she said in a statement. ABC's MEGHAN KENEALLY and JOHN SANTUCCI have more: http://abcn.ws/2o9fkOR

--DEMS: RED FLAGS FROM KUSHNER SIT-DOWN WITH RUSSIAN BANKER: New red flags about Jared Kushner’s business dealings have emerged with his recent disclosure of a December meeting he held with the chief of a Russian development bank, leading Democratic lawmakers tell ABC News. "Mr. Kushner needs to come clean and be fully transparent with the public — immediately — about all of the businesses that he continues to profit from while he serves in the White House," Rep. Elijah Cummings, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, told ABC News. ABC’s MATTHEW MOSK has more: http://abcn.ws/2oBPb7W

--POWERHOUSE POLITICS PODCAST - GOV. TERRY MCAULIFFE ON 2020: 'GO BIG OR GO HOME’: Asked about the possibility of a presidential bid in 2020, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said he isn’t ruling it out, ABC’s RILEY BEGGIN writes. “I'd like to be Tom Brady's backup quarterback, I'd like to be the Pope too in the future. You know my personality, go big or go home,” McAuliffe told ABC’s Jonathan Karl and Rick Klein on the Powerhouse Politics podcast. “I’m not thinking about it, but I never take anything off the table.” http://abcn.ws/2nxu0ob

SPEED READ with ABC’s ADAM KELSEY

TRUMP EXPECTED TO SIGN BILL ALLOWING INTERNET PROVIDERS TO SELL USER WEB DATA. Internet service providers may soon be able to sell your internet history and other sensitive information. The U.S. House and the Senate have both voted in recent days to kill rules that would have forced internet service providers (ISPs) to get consumers’ permission before sharing users’ data with third-parties, such as advertisers. The bill, which President Donald Trump is expected to sign in the coming weeks, has prompted a backlash online and among privacy advocates, report ABC's PAUL BLAKE and ADAM KELSEY. http://abcn.ws/2o9frKs

US MILITARY OPENS INVESTIGATION INTO MOSUL AIRSTRIKE. The U.S. military is now conducting a formal investigation into what role a U.S. airstrike may have played in the deaths of as many as 200 civilians in Mosul, Iraq. General Joseph Votel, the commander of U.S. Central Command, told a congressional committee that there has been no change in the rules of engagement regarding airstrikes targeting ISIS in Iraq and Mosul. The U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS has acknowledged that a March 17 airstrike in western Mosul was close to the location of three houses with civilians inside, writes ABC's LUIS MARTINEZ. http://abcn.ws/2nwi71V

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FORMER ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL SALLY YATES. Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates was fired by President Donald Trump back in January after a career spanning more than 27 years with the Justice Department. Now it appears that she’s come back to haunt the Trump administration. Yates was expected to testify on March 28 at a House Intelligence Committee open hearing as part of its probe into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, ABC's VERONICA STRACQUALURSI notes. http://abcn.ws/2nBjMFb

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

FBI DIRECTOR: 'WE’RE NOT ON ANYBODY’S SIDE, EVER.' FBI Director James Comey on Wednesday affirmed the independence of his agency, saying he didn't care whose "political ox is gored by our work." Speaking at the Intelligence and National Security Alliance Leadership dinner, Comey said if the FBI were ever to "start to think about who will be affected in what way by our decisions in a political sense, we're done." The crux of his speech was focused on the nature of law enforcement and intelligence, but Comey was invariably asked questions about his role in leading investigations into both Hillary Clinton's email scandal and the Trump administration's alleged Russia ties. ABC’s TOM KUTSCH has more: http://abcn.ws/2nOyQ2y

WHO’S TWEETING?

@PressSec: .@POTUS will host President Xi Jinping of China at Mar-a-Lago April 6–7, 2017.

@DavidWright_CNN: O'DONNELL: "Did you encourage him to then tell the president about it?" RYAN: "No. I told him to add to his investigation."

@NorahODonnell: Do you know if Trump is under investigation himself for ties to Russia? "I have no knowledge of that. I do not believe that that's the case"

@Variety: Chelsea Clinton: ‘I Am Not Running for Public Office’ (EXCLUSIVE) http://variety.com/2017/biz/news/chelsea-clinton-i-am-not-running-for-public-office-exclusive-1202018583/