Flynn resigns

President Trump’s national security adviser Michael Flynn has resigned. Flynn said in his resignation letter that he had held “numerous” phone calls with foreign counterparts, ministers and ambassadors, and had “inadvertently briefed the Vice President Elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian Ambassador.”

Democratic reaction

Democrats pounced quickly on the Trump administration over the resignation of Michael Flynn as national security adviser. The ranking member of a House intelligence sub-committee said Flynn was always “a poor choice” for the vital role. Others used the departure to push for a closer look at the seriousness of Flynn’s actions, or for a joke at the president’s expense.

Russian Reaction

President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman at the Kremlin dismissed Michael Flynn’s resignation as national security adviser to President Trump as an internal U.S. matter, but the first reaction from Moscow came from senior lawmakers on the foreign affairs committees in both houses of Russia’s parliament. They both saw the hands of “Russiaphobia” in his “forced” departure.

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Everyone’s business?

The White House is facing questions about the level of security around the president. Images on social media show President Trump with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Mar-a-Lago Saturday night shortly after a missile test in North Korea. The White House denies that what the president did posed a security risk, but multiple former national security officials disagree.

Kim’s missiles

North Korea has rejected the U.N. Security Council’s statement on its latest ballistic missile launch, insisting its tests are in self-defense. The Security Council unanimously condemned Sunday’s test and called it a grave violation of international law. Even China, one of the North’s only allies, signed the statement. We look at why Beijing is so fed up with its old friend.

Friends in high places

America’s dysfunctional political finance system throws up many potential conflicts of interest. Take Andrew Puzder, President Trump’s pick to head the U.S. Labor Department, who this week will face senators in his confirmation hearing. When he does, federal disclosures show, the controversial fast-food industry executive will encounter some lawmakers who have enjoyed his generosity over the years.

Killer whales

In this edition of Mark Phillips’ Climate Diaries, he follows a group of researchers chasing killer whales in Antarctica. They’re using new technology, including drones, to learn about the health of the ocean’s top predator and see how the Antarctic’s ocean dwellers are experiencing the effects of climate change.





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