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The fallout continues after Michael Flynn’s resignation as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser.
Whoever replaces Flynn (these military men are in the running) will have quite a mess to fix. BuzzFeed News’ Nancy A. Youssef looks at what officials from the CIA to the Treasury Department are saying about it. Staffers have complained that they learn about foreign policy from the president’s Twitter account rather than in the Situation Room.
Flynn resigned Monday evening after it was revealed he failed to tell Vice President Mike Pence about communicating with Russia before Trump became president. Pence reportedly didn’t learn about the calls for two weeks after the president was briefed on the matter, at which point Pence had already publicly defended Flynn. And US allies across the Middle East said they’re concerned about signs of chaos in the Trump administration.
If you’re confused about what’s happening — we don’t blame you. Here’s a timeline of the contradictory statements coming from White House officials.
A little extra politics
Key members of Congress and the intelligence community have been kept in the dark over counterintelligence investigations into Trump’s inner circle, underscoring concern about a disconnect between Trump and his national security apparatus.
More Trump aides, including Deputy National Security Adviser K.T. McFarland, will follow Flynn in his exit, a source told BuzzFeed News. But the White House denies she’s leaving.
DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS?
A group of furries have banded together to combat fascism within the furry community. They call themselves the Anti-Fascist Furries.
The group formed shortly after the 2016 presidential election in reaction to what its members believed was a rising wave of neo-Nazism in the US. Within the furry fandom — people who identify with and often dress up as anthropomorphic animals — “Nazi furs” have been a small but persistent online subculture for more than 10 years. In the past, they’ve typically claimed that their interest in Nazi culture was purely for aesthetic reasons and not based in actual racism. According to Geek.com, the Nazi furry subculture has been reinvigorated since the rise of the alt-right. BuzzFeed News’ Rachael Krishna has more.
Gay, bisexual, and transgender flag antifa-fur symbols have been uploaded to imgur for anyones free use… https://t.co/xfv1c7el1M
The “myth” of factory jobs coming back to America.
Trump has made clear that he wants his presidency to be about jobs — more specifically, saying he has a “bold plan to create 25 million new American jobs in the next decade.” Nobody knows exactly how that will work and many believe part of it is simply not going to happen. Economist Jeffrey Sachs says the US economy is capable of another jobs boom — but they won’t be on the factory floor, and they probably won’t pay very well.
QUICK THINGS TO KNOW
From around the world: Malaysian police arrested a female suspect in Kuala Lumpur after the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s half-brother was mysteriously killed on Monday. And two journalists were shot dead during a live radio broadcast in the Dominican Republic.
US news: An undocumented immigrant who has protection from deportation (someone protected under the DREAM Act, or a “DREAMer”) was arrested during a raid, and immigration officials have been ordered to explain why.
Entertainment: Beyoncé may have slayed the ubiquitous tabloid baby announcement once and for all: Gone are the bids for exclusive publishing rights to baby bump photos on magazine covers or TV, thanks to social media. And if you’re watching Santa Clarita Diet on Netflix, here’s Drew Barrymore’s explanation of the shocking finale. (Don’t click if you don’t want spoilers.)
Facebook said it’s developing a standalone video app for cable set-top boxes and streaming devices. The app will roll out “soon.”
Westminster Dog Show: Rumor the German shepherd won Best In Show at Westminster, but they were all good dogs.
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