ExxonMobil is urging the White House to remain in the Paris climate change accord:

"We believe that the United States is well positioned to compete within the framework of the Paris agreement, with abundant low-carbon resources such as natural gas, and innovative private industries, including the oil, gas and petrochemical sectors."

Why it matters: Exxon's March 22 letter arrives as the White House is grappling with whether to abandon the 2015 climate pact. It notes that the U.S. gas boom has helped drive down the country's carbon emissions, adding that remaining in Paris can help the U.S. promote market access for gas under other nations' climate policies, among other reasons for staying in.

Our thought bubble: The support for the Paris deal from the likes of Exxon and ConocoPhillips highlights a divide between some powerful energy companies and conservative activists who want Trump to make good on his campaign pledge to abandon the deal.

The letter is from Peter Trelenberg, Exxon's environmental policy and planning manager, to David Banks, a top WH aide on international energy policy. It was first reported by the Financial Times.

The White House reportedly attempted to block former acting Attorney General Sally Yates, who was fired early on in the Trump administration, from testifying about ties between Trump campaign officials and Russia, the Washington Post reports.

Recently obtained letters reveal that the Department of Justice told Yates earlier this month that the administration was invoking its "presidential communication privilege" to prevent her from testifying before the House Intelligence Committee. The move came after Yates' attorney sent a letter stating that she was willing to testify, and would avoid discussing classified information that could compromise investigations. The letter was shared with the Intel Committee. The next day committee chairman Devin Nunes canceled the hearing altogether.

Earlier this year, reports surfaced that Yates had warned the White House that former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn could be subject to Russian blackmail due to his false accounts of his contact with the Russian ambassador.

Sean Spicer has called the report "entirely false": "The White House has taken no action to prevent Sally Yates from testifying and the Department of Justice specifically told her that it would not stop her and to suggest otherwise is completely irresponsible."

Private equity firm TPG Capital has agreed to sell its 25.1% stake in listed Israeli coffee producer Strauss Coffee back to the company for around $279 million, via a two-part transaction that will completely wrap up by the end of August.

Why it's a big deal: Because this marks the end of a protracted saga between TPG and Strauss, which first got together via a $293 million TPG investment back in 2008. At issue was Todd Morgan, a TPG employee and the firm's rep on Strauss Coffee's board, before he was later named CEO. In early 2014, however, Morgan was fired over TPG's objections, which became public via a court fight.

Bottom line: "With 14,830 employees, food and beverages manufacturer and marketer Strauss is Israel's second largest company." ― Yossi Nissan

House Republican leaders told the GOP conference this morning that they're going to keep plugging away on Obamacare repeal — using the budget reconciliation bill, just like before. The one thing Republicans couldn't describe after the meeting: an actual plan for doing it.

What they're doing: "it's just reevaluating more than anything else," Republican Study Committee chairman Mark Walker told reporters. "Is this something that we're going to leave on the American people? Specifically, Obamacare. Or is this something we're willing to come back to the table and say what can we do to get this thing done? That's the reality of it."

What it means: Republicans are upset that Ryan said Obamacare is "the law of the land," and the GOP leadership is now aligning with Vice President Mike Pence's message from this weekend, when he said the Trump administration is still committed to repealing Obamacare. But that doesn't mean they have a serious plan to do it. More likely, Republicans will need a cooling-off period.

Consumer confidence hit a 16-year high, the Conference Board announced Tuesday, well above economist's expectations. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones turned positive following the news, after trading slightly down in early trading Tuesday.

Why it matters: 70% U.S. GDP is consumer spending, so survey data showing that consumers feel this good is bullish for the U.S. economy. The release dovetails with recent employment data showing very strong job growth, and these two forces should combine to power the U.S. economy to faster growth in 2017.

Facebook announced Tuesday it's adding even more Snapchat-like features, including a camera feature that will let users post photos to Facebook directly through a camera button on its app. Snapchat, which recently rebranded itself as a "camera company," pioneered the direct-to-app photo-taking technique when it launched in 2011.

Facebook says it's also adding more filters and animations, and a "stories" feature that nearly mimics Snapchat's 24-hour disappearing posts feature that it launched in 2014.

Why it matters: Many argue that Facebook's Snapchat-like features are not as good as Snapchat's original ones, but it doesn't matter. As Business Insider points out, they don't have to be perfect. "Zuck only needs half a percent of his users to prefer his copycat tool and he will have deprived Spiegel of 10% of his potential future users. That's a serious dent."