From Michael Schmidt, Matt Apuzzo and Maggie Haberman at The New York Times provide a key update in the Russia investigation:
Lawyers for Michael T. Flynn, President Trump’s former national security adviser, notified the president’s legal team in recent days that they could no longer discuss the special counsel’s investigation, according to four people involved in the case — an indication that Mr. Flynn is cooperating with prosecutors or negotiating a deal.
Mr. Flynn’s lawyers had been sharing information with Mr. Trump’s lawyers about the investigation by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, who is examining whether anyone around Mr. Trump was involved in Russian efforts to undermine Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
That agreement has been terminated, the four people said. Defense lawyers frequently share information during investigations, but they must stop when doing so would pose a conflict of interest. It is unethical for lawyers to work together when one client is cooperating with prosecutors and another is still under investigation.
Drew Harwell at The Washington Post analyze’s Don Jr.’s latest tweet:
Faced with deepening scrutiny of contacts he had in 2016 with people tied to Russia, the 39-year-old has adopted a provocative response: defiance.
In public appearances and on Twitter, Trump Jr. has taken an increasingly caustic tone, mocking critics and shoving himself into the scrum of the country’s most polarizing debates.
Kathyrn Watson at CBS provides some more information the Russia investigation:
"POTUS is not paying anything to Flynn," the official told CBS News. "President (Trump) has never been approached for money from Manafort or Flynn and would not contribute under these circumstances."
That statement comes as NBC reported earlier this month that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has enough evidence to charge Flynn, as Mueller probes Russian meddling in the 2016 election and any ties to the Trump campaign. Among other things, Mueller is reportedly probing whether Flynn was a part of an alleged plot to essentially kidnap a Turkish Muslim cleric living in Pennsylvania and transport him to Turkey for $15 million. Flynn's lawyer has flatly denied that report.
Over at The Washington Post, Colby Itkowitz and Sandhya Somashekhar bring up the fact that Republicans have slashed health care for millions of children:
Officials in nearly a dozen states are preparing to notify families that a crucial health insurance program for low-income children is running out of money for the first time since its creation two decades ago, putting coverage for many at risk by the end of the year.
Congress missed a Sept. 30 deadline to extend funding for CHIP, as the Children’s Health Insurance Program is known. Nearly 9 million youngsters and 370,000 pregnant women nationwide receive care because of it.
Many states have enough money to keep their individual programs afloat for at least a few months, but five could run out in late December if lawmakers do not act. Others will start to exhaust resources the following month.
Jessica Kwong brings us analysis of Trump’s Thanksgiving, which included lots of golfing and an insulting call to the troops:
In a Thursday morning call from his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump told Marines serving in Iraq that their “delivering defeat after defeat to ISIS” was being talked about in Washington, D.C.
“We’re really winning. We know how to win, but we have to let you win. They weren’t letting you win before, they were letting you play even,” Trump said. “We’re letting you win.” [...]
Retired Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, took issue with Trump’s comments and aired his discontent shortly after on CNN, where he serves as a military analyst.
“We have been winning,” Hertling said. “You’re talking to soldiers and military personnel around the world who have been in this fight for 17 years, and to suddenly be told they’re winning now when they weren’t winning before is somewhat insulting.”
John Nichols at The Nation calls out the president for his cruelty to Haitian refugees:
Trump greeted a holiday that celebrates the story of men, women, and children seeking refuge from harsh conditions in their native land by announcing that he was ending a humanitarian program that allowed entry to this country to men, women, and children seeking refuge from harsh conditions in their native land.
On a final note, Eugene Robinson calls for an investigation into Trump’s alleged misconduct:
Trump won the election despite the allegations, but his victory did not erase his history. Now, virtually overnight, the paradigm for thinking about and dealing with sexual harassment has changed. A kind of Judgment Day has arrived for men who thought they had gotten away with their misdeeds. Last week, Rose was one of the most lauded and respected figures in journalism. Today, he is disgraced and out of a job. [...] In Trump’s case, there is a pattern. He described it himself on the tape, and the accusers corroborate his confession. [...]
If Congress is going to probe the conduct of members such as Conyers and Franken, it must also investigate the multiple, believable allegations of sexual misconduct against Trump. If they are true, the president must be censured.