Flynn exit leaves Trump national security team in turmoil

White House national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned Monday amid a snowballing controversy over whether he lied about his contacts with a Russian official, throwing President Donald Trump's security team into turmoil just weeks into his term. Flynn's resignation came as Trump struggles to cement his national security apparatus as the president and his cabinet officials are preparing for a series of meetings and summits with foreign leaders in the coming months, starting this week in Europe.

Keep Guantanamo and grow it, GOP senators say in letter to Trump

A group of Republican senators has written President Donald Trump to not only keep the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but to suspend the parole-style review board and grow the prison population. Four of the 11 senators who wrote Trump represent Colorado, Kansas and South Carolina - states the Obama administration had considered as possible sites for relocation of the last 41 Guantanamo detainees.

LePage looking for new utilities commissioner, says Orono lawmaker should resign

Good morning from Augusta, where we emerged from the year's biggest storm to Gov. Paul LePage saying he's looking to replace his former lawyer on the state commission that regulates utilities and calling on an Orono legislator to resign. That first item is a continuation of the Republican governor's crusade against the Maine Public Utilities Commission after their - and not repeal - a solar energy policy that allows panel owners to be credited for energy sold back to the grid.

HAH! Russian Phone Pranksters Persuade Maxine Waters Russian…

Yesterday well known Russian pair of phone pranksters, Vovan and Lexus , placed a phone call to U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters pretending to be Prime Minister Groisman of Ukraine. They discussed another Russian aggression in state of Limpopo and installing Putin's right hand marionette as its President by the name of Aibolit .

Labor nominee Puzder faces uncertainty as confirmation hearing looms

Four Republican U.S. senators have not yet said whether they will support labor secretary nominee Andrew Puzder, raising suspense about whether he will survive an initial confirmation hearing this week. The four senators - Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Tim Scott of South Carolina and Johnny Isakson of Georgia - all sit on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, which will on Thursday hold the first confirmation hearing for Puzder, President Donald Trump's pick to head the Labor Department.

House probe into Russia’s ties to Trump reveals dispute among committee leaders

A simmering dispute between leaders of the House intelligence committee spilled into the public Monday over an investigation into whether President Donald Trump has ties to Russia, even as they pledged to conduct a bipartisan probe. The Republican committee chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes of California, said he has heard no evidence so far that anyone in Trump's orbit was in contact with Russians during the presidential campaign.

Trump ‘evaluating the situation’ involving Flynn, Russia

President Donald Trump is "evaluating the situation" regarding his embattled national security adviser Michael Flynn's conversations with Russia's ambassador to the U.S., the White House said Monday, deepening the uncertainty surrounding Flynn's future in the new administration. Flynn apologized privately for the controversy to Vice President Mike Pence, according to a White House official.

House Freedom Caucus seeks swift Obamacare repeal

OCTOBER 21: Seen in a convex mirror, Rep. Tim Huelskamp is surrounded by journalists after leaving a House Republican caucus meeting in the U.S. Capitol October 21, 2015 in Washington, DC. A member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, Huelskamp said that House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan is asking for "more power and less responsibility" in his pursuit of the speakership.

Diversify this

Along with his remarked-upon shortfalls in diplomacy, nuance, finesse, rationality and often good manners, our 45th president has also been docked for his diversity shortfall. This means he is surrounded by too many persons of pallor and of masculinity, in other words, by white males.

Justice Department warned Trump administration Flynn could be blackmailed by Russians: report

Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates , who was fired by Donald Trump last month, personally delivered a message to the president indicating National Security Advisor Michael Flynn misled administration officials about his conversation with the Russian ambassador to the United States, the Washington Post reports. In her message, Yates also told the new president she believed Flynn to be potentially vulnerable to blackmail by Russian operatives, current and former U.S. officials told the Washington Post.

Senate Confirms Steven Mnuchin as Treasury Secretary

The Senate voted Monday to confirm former Goldman Sachs executive Steven Mnuchin as the next treasury secretary, the latest Cabinet member to be approved after a lengthy and at times contentious confirmation process. "Mr. Mnuchin has 30 years of experience working in a variety of capacities in the financial sector," said Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican.

Hotline Extra: Sununu Strikes Back on Trump’s Voter Fraud Claims

Former South Carolina GOP Chair Chad Connelly officially entered the race to replace Republican Rep. Mick Mulvaney , President Trump 's budget director nominee, The Post & Courier of Charleston reports. A special primary will take place 11 weeks after Mulvaney vacates the seat.

Senate confirms Goldman Sachs executive Mnuchin as Trumpa s treasury secretary

The Senate confirmed Steven Mnuchin as Treasury secretary in a vote Monday evening, adding the former Goldman Sachs executive to President Donald Trump's Cabinet. The 53-47 vote, which fell largely along party lines, makes Mnuchin the 10th of Trump's Cabinet nominees to be confirmed in three weeks.

The Latest: Senate confirms Shulkin as VA secretary

Supporters of Puzder are launching a campaign ... . FILE - In this Jan. 19, 2017 file photo, Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee.

Pelosi: Trump aims to terrify immigrants

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Monday hammered the Trump administration's recent roundup of hundreds of immigrants, accusing the president of launching a campaign explicitly designed to instill fear in immigrant communities. "Fear is not a side effect of President Trump's hateful and destructive immigration agenda," she said in a statement.

Flynn situation is ‘fluid,’ source says

White House press secretary Sean Spicer issued a statement saying President Donald Trump is "evaluating the situation" around Flynn, who is in hot water after possibly misleading Vice President Mike Pence. The issue stems from whether Flynn discussed sanctions against Russia with the Russian ambassador before Trump took office and then misled Pence about it.

Republican senators concerned about Yahoo’s “candor” concerning data breaches

Two senators have given Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer until February 23 to answer lingering questions regarding the two massive data breaches the company sustained in 2013 and 2014 . In a letter sent to Mayer last Friday , Sen. John Thune and Sen. Jerry Moran write that the company has been "unable to provide answers to many basic questions about the reported breaches."