BUT WHY. State Department orders New York City Medical Examiner to not release cause of death for Vitaly Churkin, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations.

GANG OF EIGHT. Comey briefs congressional leaders: “Lawmakers were tight-lipped entering and leaving the meetings, refusing to discuss the substance of the briefing or whom they met with. Comey and some members used alternate exits that allowed them to avoid the swarm of reporters hoping to get a comment after the meetings.”

ALEXIS ARQUETTE. Lives on in David Arquette's new baby.

ACLU. Complaint filed against Jeff Sessions: “The American Civil Liberties Union on Wednesday filed an ethics complaint with the Alabama State Bar against U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions for testimony he made about Russian officials during his confirmation hearing. ‘Mr. Sessions made false statements during sworn testimony on January 10, 2017, and in a subsequent written response to questions on January 17, 2017,' the complaint reads.”

RECUSED. Rex Tillerson recuses himself from Keystone Pipeline concerns.

HIS BODYGUARD. Adele defends Justin Bieber. “If you started out at 12, you'd be like that too, okay!”

CARTER PAGE. My phone may have been tapped: “Having spoken in favor of some of Mr Trump's policies on other Fox News Group programs during the 2016 campaign as a campaign surrogate and given the peaceful relationship I have had with Russian citizens since my years in the US Navy, it may be understandable why I would be an associated political target if such sick activities had indeed been committed as alleged in the previously cited media reports.”

VATICAN. Pope Francis open to allowing married priests in Catholic Church: “The pope raised the idea in an interview with the German newspaper Die Zeit. He ruled out the prospect of allowing single men who are already priests to marry, but was open to the idea of allowing unmarried laymen or men already married to be ordained. The pope raised the prospect in the context of allowing “viri probati,” Latin for “tested men,” to be ordained in places with a scarcity of priests.”

ROBERT REICH. There are now four grounds to impeach Trump. The fifth is on its way.

By my count, there are now four grounds to impeach Trump. The fifth seems to be on its way. pic.twitter.com/PfAw0a0hfU

— Robert Reich (@RBReich) March 9, 2017

SYRIA. Second Islamist State emerging: “There's a second Islamic State; it's right on the Turkish border,” explains Padnos. “To get to this second Islamic State from any European country, it's a couple of days on the bus. Young kids are going every day—that's what the guys on the ground in Syria are telling me: ‘Oh yes, we have new French people, new English people every day.'”

INSTAGRAM UPDATES. Chad White is chicken chef. More here.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRbcCjsBgpP/

GENTLY DOWN THE STREAM. Harvey Fierstein to open off-Broadway: “For his latest role, Harvey Fierstein is playing a man in love. The actor stars as Beau, a pianist expat living in London in Martin Sherman's Gently Down the Stream, who meets an eccentric young lawyer, Rufus, at the dawn of the internet dating revolution. The play chronicles their love story through the decades, while simultaneously celebrating the triumphs and tragedies of the gay rights movement. Gabriel Ebert, who previously performed in Fierstein's Casa Valentina on Broadway, plays Rufus.”

GINGER SPICE. Tears for her friend and collaborator George Michael.