If President Trump was trying to neuter Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into his campaign and Russia when he appointed Matthew Whitaker acting attorney general, he may have been "too clever by half," conservative law professor John Yoo writes at The Atlantic. Whitaker "cannot legally hold the office," thanks to the Constitution's Appointments Clause, and it's very unlikely this Supreme Court will uphold the White House's legal argument that his appointment is valid.

Yoo expressed a famously expansive view of presidential powers in his defunct "torture memo." But even Yoo has argued that Trump occassionally exceeds his presidential powers, and the Whitaker appointment is one of those times. Whitaker can try to shut down the Mueller investigation, an idea he's publicly advocated, but it won't stick, Yoo explains:

The White House may have thought it had cleverly figured out a way to curtail the investigation by appointing Whitaker, but it has instead virtually assured that Mueller will complete his job in his own good time. With questions surrounding the ethics and now the legality of his appointment, Whitaker will have little political capital to expend in defending any limits on Mueller. And even if Whitaker displays terrible judgment and makes the fateful choice to cut off the probe, Mueller now has the grounds to refuse to obey the orders of an unconstitutional attorney general. Trump's clever maneuvering has provided Mueller all the space he needs to finish his investigation and even hand over his files and concluding report to a Congress eager to launch impeachment proceedings. [John Yoo, The Atlantic]

"Trump critics should not find joy in such a result," Yoo cautioned, because "every action of the Justice Department might fall before challenges to Whitaker's appointment," including the prosecution of criminals. You can read Yoo's conservative legal case that Whitaker is an invalid attorney general, and his helpful suggestions for what Trump can and should do, at The Atlantic. Peter Weber

Nearly everyone wants Attorney General William Barr to release the entire report of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into whether the Trump presidential campaign colluded with Russian election interference. It's fair to count Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) among those ranks. Sort of.

He did, after all, contribute to a nearly-unanimous House vote in favor of releasing the full report. And when the congressman called into Sunday's edition of Fox & Friends, he admitted to Fox's Katie Pavlich, per Mediaite, that President Trump should, indeed, declassify everything in the report.

Nunes just doesn't really care what it says.

He said that he wants to do away with what he considers a "partisan" investigation altogether. In fact, he wants to burn it. Watch the clip below. Tim O'Donnell

Everyone on both sides of the aisle, it seems, agrees that they want Attorney General William Barr to release Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into whether the Trump presidential campaign colluded with Russian election interference in 2016 in full. But reasons may differ, if ever so slightly.

For example, House Judiciary Chair Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) said during a Sunday appearance on CNN's State of the Union with Dana Bash that it is crucial the report is released. Nadler told Bash that one of the key questions his committee wants to answer is why Mueller did not recommend any further indictments. "We know there was some collusion," he said.

Nadler confirmed that House Democrats are prepared to take their demand to access the entirety of the report to the Supreme Court. He also believes there have been obstructions of justice throughout the process — though he did say he is unsure if those obstructions are criminal.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.), meanwhile, told Chuck Todd on NBC's Meet the Press that he, too, wanted to view the full report. But he was more interested in the probe's "underlying criminal predicate" — particularly how the investigation was conducted in its nascent stages under the Obama Administration, as opposed to the lack of indictments.

The senator also wanted to understand the reasons behind the investigation's FISA applications, which he considers an "extraordinary use of government surveillance power."

Barr is expected to brief Congress on the Mueller investigation's principle conclusions in the coming days, possibly as soon as Sunday. Tim O'Donnell

Evacuees from a cruise ship had some harrowing tales after being brought to safety on Sunday.

479 people were safely airlifted off the Viking Sky cruise, which was stranded in rough seas off the coast of Norway with 1,373 passengers on board. 436 guests and 458 crew still remained on board the ship. But they're safe now, as well. CNN reported that the ship docked on Sunday at a quay in a harbor in western Norway, where relieved passengers exclaimed in jubilation.

Although bad weather conditions persisted on Sunday, the vessel regained power in three out of four engines and was traveling alongside two supply ships and one tug assist vessel.

20 people reportedly sustained non-life threatening injuries while the ship was rocked by wind and waves, the cruise line said. Passengers were able to document the situation, sending footage via social media.

"It was surreal," passenger Deborah Kellet told NBC News. "It was like what you see in the movies." Tim O'Donnell

As lawmakers were bracing themselves for Attorney General William Barr to reveal the principle conclusions of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into whether the Trump presidential campaign colluded with Russian election interference in 2016, President Trump reportedly had quite a calm weekend. He barely even tweeted.

CNN reported that Trump was enjoying time at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida with First Lady Melania Trump and their son, Barron. He was on a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussing trade and Brexit when news that Mueller had handed over his investigation to Barr became official.

Per CNN, Trump and the aides who traveled with him to Florida were relieved that the investigation had reached its conclusion and viewed the fact that Mueller did not recommend any further indictments as a cause for celebration, which lines up with earlier reports that the White House is feeling confident that the investigation will clear Trump legally. The president was reportedly in good spirits on Friday evening at dinner and on Saturday took to the golf course with singer Kid Rock.

So much for stress. Read the full report at CNN. Tim O'Donnell

The Muslim community in Christchurch, New Zealand has reclaimed a place of worship. On Saturday, the restored Al-Noor mosque, one of the sites of the mass shootings that killed 50 people at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15, was reopened.

It remains under heavy police detail, but small groups of worshippers are now allowed in for limited periods of time, reports RNZ National. Although the mosque has been completely restored following the damage, those who enter have been asked to refrain from taking photographs. Several survivors of the shootings, carried about by a 28-year-old Australian named Brenton Tarrant who expressed racist, anti-immigrant views, were among the first people to return to the mosque.

On Saturday, nearly 40,000 people turned out for a vigil in Christchurch on Saturday evening, as the country continues to mourn the attacks. Saturday’s vigil, which included speeches, music, and moments of silence, is the latest in a string of remembrance events that have and will continue to take place around New Zealand. Tim O'Donnell

Protests took place in Pittsburgh on Saturday after a jury acquitted a former East Pittsburgh police officer who was tried for the killing of Antwon Rose, an unarmed black 17-year-old, last June.

The officer, Michael Rosfield, who is white, shot Rose three times after the teenager ran from a traffic stop. Rosfield said that Rose was in a car that matched the description of one involved in a drive-by shooting 20 minutes prior to the traffic stop. Another person in the vehicle, 18-year-old Zaijuan Hester, pleaded guilty last week to the drive-by shooting. He said that he, not Rose, fired the shots.

Crowds gathered in protest over the jury's decision outside of the Allegheny County Courthouse on Friday evening and continued throughout the city on Saturday. Shots were reportedly fired at the window of one of Rosfield's attorney's offices on Saturday morning in what was an apparent retaliation. No one was hurt. But Rose's father urged people to refrain from violence, and Pittsburgh police described the protests as peaceful. Tim O'Donnell