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1. GOP senators

On most days, US senators criticizing a US president isn't exactly breaking news. But the spectacle of a pair of GOP senators tearing into a sitting Republican President -- well, that's not something you see every day. Sens. Jeff Flake and Bob Corker went in on Donald Trump, saying that the President's behavior is a danger to our democracy.

Corker started things off just a couple of hours before Trump had lunch with Senate Republicans to talk about tax reform. Trump had been tweeting out insults all morning long to Corker. The senator responded with a barnburner of a hashtag -- #AlertTheDaycareStaff. Then he talked with CNN's Manu Raju and really let loose. Corker called Trump a liar, suggested he shouldn't have access to the nuclear codes, said he's a bad role model for kids and said debasing the country would be Trump's legacy. Oh, and Corker said he'll never support Trump again. Ouch.

Before anyone could catch their breath, Flake dropped a bombshell of his own in a stunning speech we'll be talking about for years . Flake said he won't run for re-election , partly because he feels a conservative like him has a narrow path for victory in the age of Trump. Flake decried the "coarsening" of US politics and blamed the President's tone as the culprit. He went after his fellow Republicans too, saying they're being complicit if they just sit around and not call Trump out because it's politically expedient: "We must stop pretending that the degradation of our politics and the conduct of some in our executive branch are normal. They are not normal. " The White House seemed almost pleased with Flake's decision, saying it's "probably a good move" for him to retire. The President never responded to Flake's speech -- at least not yet.

JUST WATCHED Corker's biggest Trump criticisms (so far) Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Corker's biggest Trump criticisms (so far) 01:31

2. Politics

Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and the Democratic National Committee helped fund research that led to the now-infamous dossier of allegations about President Donald Trump and Russia, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. The source said the law firm Perkins Coie, as part of its representation of the Clinton campaign and the DNC, retained the intelligence firm Fusion GPS and entered "into an engagement for research services that began in April 2016 and concluded before the election in early November." We also know that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team has met with the British former spy who wrote the dossier.

But that wasn't the only Clinton-related news of the day. House Republicans say they're going to investigate a seven-year-old uranium deal with Rosatom, a Russian agency, that took place when Clinton ran the State Department, which had a representative on the committee that OK'd the deal. There are accusations of racketeering and extortion floating around, as well as claims that Russian nuclear officials funneled cash to the US that ended up benefiting the Clinton Foundation.

And finally, House Republicans are returning to an old favorite -- Clinton's emails. Investigators will look into the Justice Department's handling of her use of a private email server. CNN's Chris Cillizza believes the just-announced investigations are just shiny objects being used to take the focus off of Trump.

JUST WATCHED Clinton campaign, DNC helped fund dossier research Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Clinton campaign, DNC helped fund dossier research 03:21

3. Iraq

The Kurdish government is rethinking its independence plans in the face of the military response from Iraq. The leaders of the autonomous Kurdistan region, in oil-rich northern Iraq, propose not acting on last month's independence referendum to stop the violence which has since erupted between Iraqi troops and the Peshmerga, the Kurds' military force. Kurdish leaders want a ceasefire and the start of talks with Baghdad, but Iraq hasn't responded to the proposal yet. The US is watching all of this closely, because both Iraq and Kurdistan are critical allies in the fight against ISIS.

JUST WATCHED Soldiers who fought ISIS turn on each other Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Soldiers who fought ISIS turn on each other 02:20

4. Ransomware attack

You need to be careful where you click today. A new ransomware attack has hit Russia and it's spreading around the globe . Cybersecurity experts say the ransomware -- a virus called "Bad Rabbit -- poses as an Adobe update, but when clicked on, it locks down computers and demands money for people to get their files back. The current attack targeted Russian media companies and transportation systems in Ukraine. But it's also been detected in the US, Germany, Turkey, Poland, Bulgaria, South Korea and Japan.

5. National parks

You may have to start shelling out more cash when you visit America's national parks. The National Park Service wants to more than double entrance fees at 17 popular parks -- including the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and Yellowstone -- to help pay for infrastructure improvements. The fee for private vehicles would rise from $25 to $70 during peak season. Critics have blasted the proposed fee increase, saying it will make a trip to the parks unaffordable for many Americans.

Photos: Most popular National Parks of 2016 The most popular national park: The most popular of the National Park Service's 59 headliner National Parks in 2016, Great Smoky Mountains National Park attracted more than 11 million visits in its centennial year. The park, which straddles the North Carolina/Tennessee border, has incredible views, like this one at sunrise of the Oconaluftee Valley. Hide Caption 1 of 10 Photos: Most popular National Parks of 2016 2. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona: The Grand Canyon is 277 river miles long, up to 18 miles wide in parts, and a mile deep. Mather Point along the park's South Rim is a spectacular place from which to view the sunset. Hide Caption 2 of 10 Photos: Most popular National Parks of 2016 3. Yosemite National Park, California: President Abraham Lincoln signed legislation in 1864 protecting a portion of what is now Yosemite National Park. It was the first instance of the US government setting aside scenic wilderness for public use and preservation. Cook's Meadow and Yosemite Falls are shown here. Hide Caption 3 of 10 Photos: Most popular National Parks of 2016 4. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado: This 415-square-mile park's elevation ranges from 7,600 feet to 14,259 feet, and the park is home to 77 peaks above 12,000 feet. The park, which hosts a diversity of animal and plant life, also straddles the Continental Divide. Dream Lake is shown here. Hide Caption 4 of 10 Photos: Most popular National Parks of 2016 5. Zion National Park, Utah: Zion is the most popular of Utah's "Mighty Five" national parks, which include Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands and Capital Reef. The Zion hike to Angels Landing is hard but worth it; from there, hikers get views of the whole canyon. Hide Caption 5 of 10 Photos: Most popular National Parks of 2016 6. Yellowstone National Park, Idaho/Montana/Wyoming: The world's first National Park, Yellowstone is one of the last large ecosystems on the planet's northern temperate zone. It's home to more than 300 geysers, a volcano and many waterfalls. It's also home to the few remaining members of a wild, continuously free-ranging bison herd that once roamed the Great Plains. Hide Caption 6 of 10 Photos: Most popular National Parks of 2016 7. Olympic National Park, Washington: Olympic has everything an outdoors lover could ask for: over 70 miles of untamed coastline, old-growth temperate rain forests, glacier-capped mountains and this incredible view from a ridge at Deer Park. Hide Caption 7 of 10 Photos: Most popular National Parks of 2016 8. Acadia National Park, Maine: The first National Park east of the Mississippi, Acadia is the most eastern park and therefore the first US National Park to welcome the sunrise. Hide Caption 8 of 10 Photos: Most popular National Parks of 2016 9. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming: The Teton Range at this national park rises 7,000 feet above the valley at Jackson Hole. The 13,770-foot-tall Grand Teton is the highest peak, but there are eight peaks more than 12,000 feet in elevation. Hide Caption 9 of 10 Photos: Most popular National Parks of 2016 10. Glacier National Park, Montana: The glaciers for which this national park is named are disappearing. In 1850, there were an estimated 150 glaciers in the area now within the park's boundaries. Now there are 25, many of which are smaller versions of themselves. They may all be gone by 2030. Hide Caption 10 of 10

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