it was michael flynn. the truth is the problem wasn't michael flynn. there's a lot going on that michael flynn is not responsible for. he is the fall guy. he is taking the blame. when they say they are moving on, they are saying all of those stories that were bad about what's going on in national security and the trump administration, that's solved. let's move on. >> ellis, you are nodding. >> moving on is please don't ask me questions about it. let's take one step back. this is the first real stumble. the first -- >> the first? >> the first one you can't interpret a way. no way to say i appointed this guy to my advisorme. i made him the guy i listen to more than anyone else. he had to leave two weeks in. there is no way to spin that in a way that makes it good. i don't know. to me, it's the one that even folks in the administration have to say, you know, that general flynn thing didn't work out so well. >> we have a lot more questions about this. good thing you are coming back to talk about it more. >>> one of the president's top money men sworn in to

evaluating michael flynn's future. i heard later in the evening, just a few hours ago, that really, his status was a, quote, gray area. michael, as you know, from observing what happens in washington, once a top administration official gets to that point, when the president cannot express he has full confidence in that individual, it's pretty difficult to walk in a back. and for that person to once again have the confidence of the president. and so, it did become an untenable situation. they're starting to talk about the possible replacement for michael flynn, keith kellogg, the retired general. he had been working in the national security council office. he will be the acting national security adviser. but david petraeus, the retired general, is the front-runner for the job. he was involved in the obama administration. was a top official in the obama administration but resigned from that position because he shared classified secrets with his mistress. and another retired admiral, bob harward is under consideration for

so it's not just michael flynn that he lied. it's also that there are other aspects to this which have yet to be released to the public which are very important to this discussion and obviously that goes back to russia as far as how many of our senior cabinet officials including the president quite possibly, or have these ties to russia that are not being revealed yet need to be discussed and obviously would shed a different light on how we may proceed this administration. >> look, i totally understand the play here, and you just saw that. democrats see blood in the water, and they're going to try to catch something, a big fish off of it. i just don't think based on the resignation letter, based on how long flynn even had the confidence of the president until this afternoon, i think this is the story. he has now resigned. he made a mistake, and it was a mistake that cost him his job. and this will be his legacy now, but if democrats over-play this it may actually backfire on them if you try to make it into a bigger scandal than

there were a lot of questions raised did they talk about sanctions, michael flynn denied it. sean spicer denied it. said they were exchanging holiday greetings and other topics but not sanctions. then the vice president went on morning shows mid-january and said it was coincidental but they did not discuss sanctions. fast forward january 26th we have learned that the department of justice acting attorney general sally yates alerted white house counsel that flynn was in fact was misleading them and that phone conversation, that in fact there were discussions about russian sanctions, we were told today that the white house counsel immediately met with trump and a small number of senior advisors to discuss this and president trump at the time asked if there was anything illegal done. apparently there was a fast investigation and within several days done mcgahn said this wasn't illegal. you heard sean spicer today talk about doj' role in this actually pointing a finger to the department of justice even though it one until nearly three weeks later that donald trump asked for micha

michael flynn has resigned as national security adviser. the news came just hours after it was learned the justice department warned the white house that flynn could be vulnerable to black mail. >>> plus, the senate confirms two more of president trump's cabinet picks as the battle to fill the cabinet continues. >>> evacuation orders remain in effect this morning for 200,000 people living near california's oroville dam. they're racing to get as much water out of the dam before a new storm hits. >>> a very good morning to all of you.

michael flynn. so some contradictory messages there coming out of the white house. hallie jackson joins me now from that white house. we got a version of events here today that raised as many questions as it answered. you had that report last night that suggested the administration was warned by the justice department about flynn weeks ago, and of course that raised one question about why didn't anything happen publicly in the intervening weeks. >> reporter: right, and this is what the white house is saying, steve, in those intervening weeks as you called them, the president was assessing the matter of what the press secretary talked about was trust. right, not the legal issue which they say was decided fairly early on by white house council and others, but it was a trust issue. could michael flynn continue to hold that position? and that is apparently what the president was weighing in that period of time between when they were notified by the acting toe attorney general, the white house, and when

but michael flynn lied? the logan act has been in play, they have been threatened under the logan act, even if they have not been prosecuted, over the last 20 years. but michael flynn might have been told by somebody else to have these conversations with the russian ambassador on the date president 0bama put new sanctions on russia. so if anybody in the white house knew of michael flynn discussing this, it goes wider. it is notjust democrats calling for an investigation, there are three republican senators who have said we wa nt republican senators who have said we want investigations into this matter. it not only raises what michael flynn said, but what trump officials have ties to russia. one wonders now how deep those ties actually go? there are two enquiries that were already in play. 0ne about the russian hacking into the us presidential election last year, which appears to have benefited donald trump and his campaign and hurt hillary clinton. but secondly, there is now an investigation over there is no

who will replace michael flynn? ryan brown is live in washington with more. >> reporter: well, alysin we're learning that three names have emerged from a senior administration officials. one of those names retired lieutenant general keith kellogg. he was the chief of staff to the national security council. he's been exposed to this administration. a long-term mb of the military, 36 years. a decorated army veteran. now, some of the more high eer profile names in contention, david petraeus. he's due to meet this week in the white house to discuss about possible positions. he resigned as director of the cia after it was found out that he had disclosed classified and sensitive information. he's currently under probation. that probation is due to expire in a few months. finally, another name we're hearing is retired vice admiral ryan howard, a former navy s.e.a.l. he served as current secretary of defense mattis' deputy commander. hopefully, they're trying to fill this position as quickly as possible. given the national

president trump's national security adviser, michael flynn, resigning. he says he misled the white house about his communications with russia before the president took office. the big question is, who knew? who knew what flynn was doing with russia? the roots could go very deep. >> and then late last month flynn may have been compromised last month andil blackma blackmail. the major shake-up on day 26 of the trump administration. joe johns is live at the white house. what you have learned? >> good morning, kellyanne -- sorry, alisyn, good morning, alisyn. kellyanne conway said this morning that michael flynn flatly misled the vice president on this issue and he resigned, she says, because he determined that staying on was unsustainable, but there's still a lot of questions ahead. president trump's embattled national security adviser, michael flynn, stepping down after misleading mike pence and others about his conversations with the russian ambassador to the united states. an official telling cnn the justice department warned the white house last month t

michael flynn resigned overnight. the fallout from the controversial phone calls with russia and sanctions discussed and lying about it. now new questions from the administration about what it knew and when. we have live coverage now. good morning. welcome to "early start." i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. tuesday, february 14th. happy valentine's day. i got nothing. >> water? >> it is 5:00 a.m. in the east. only 25 days into the trump administration and chaotic

nbc news has confirmed donald trump's advisor lieutenant general michael flynn has resigned. the news comes four days after general flynn may have discussed easing sanctions against russia before he spoke to the ambassador before trump was inaugurated. we learned from two trump senior source he the justice department had informed the white house late last month that it believed general flynn could be subject to blackmail by the russian government. in a statement released tonight general flynn said, quote, unfortunately because of the fast pace of events i inadvertently briefed the vice president-elect and others with the incomplete -- with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the russian ambassador. i have sincerely apologized to the president and the vice-president and they have accepted my apology. throughout my over 33 years of honorable military service and my tenure as the national security advisor, i have always performed my duties with the utmost of integrity and hahn at this so those i have served to include the president of the united states. i am ten

this morning we know that michael flynn is out as national security adviser. we know he talked about sanctions with the russian ambassador and then lied about it or misled or forgot to tell mike pence, and all of that is big news 25 days into the administration, and what is bigger news may be what we do not know. e we don't know if the president knew about the conversations with russia when they happened and we don't know if or why the white house ignored an explicit warning that russia could blackmail his aadviser. let's begin with dana bash who is in washington, and there's so much. good morning to you. there's so much to walk through this morning. let's begin with all of the reporting you have on exactly how this all unravelled in the late hours last night. >> well, the headline from senior administration officials who i am talking to is that they just realized and the president finally realized the situation was untenable, and they situation they describe as untenable is the idea that either now the former national security adviser did not remember what he

this lasted longer than michael flynn's tenure. kim kardashian's marriage to kris humphries survived 72 days, three times as long as the general's did. tweeted someone, i once had a fun gal infection that lasted longer than flynn. noted another, in fact, milk bought when he assumed his role may still be good. but only if it was ultrapasteurized. you can bet a car air freshener could outlive flynn. posted someone i'm pretty sure at least one david blaine stunt lasted longer. bingo. blaine starved himself in a plexiglas cube suspended over london for 44 days. >> will the air supply get cut off and suddenly cause suffocation and death? >> reporter: he survived but lost 55 pounds. flynn will no longer be throwing his weight around. they aye used to say you're in like flynn. now it's in and out. jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> does change that whole in like flynn thing, doesn't it. thanks for join us. "ac 360" stars right now. >>> official answers to the question of what president trump knew about his national security adviser's vulnerab

this is from michael flynn. he said, in the course of my duties as the incoming national security adviser, i held numerous phone calls from foreign counterparts. he said he did this with the russian ambassador to ensure a smooth transition. he said, unfortunately because of the fast pace of events, i briefed the vice president elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the russian ambassador. i sincerely apologize to the president and vice president, and they have accepted my apology. that's where the rubber met the road, giving vice president pence information that was not accurate. >> yeah, don, i think that's the straw that broke the camel's back, if folks will pardon the late-night cliches. essentially what happened here, the incoming national security adviser before this administration came into office, the incoming national security adviser gave bad information to the vice president elect, who went on national television and vouched for the national security adviser about th

first, what are you learning about the fbi interview with michael flynn? >> reporter: well, we are told, wolf, that the fbi did interview michael flynn, the national security adviser, when he was still at his post in the early days of the administration. not clear yet what the fbi did with that investigation or with that information that they drew out of that interview, but the white house laid out its version of events today, wolf, surrounding the resignation after national security adviser michael flynn, after senior administration officials told reporters that flynn stepped down on his own. the white house now says president trump asked for flynn's resignation. press secretary sean spicer said the white house was contacted by the justice department on january 26th about its concerns regarding flynn's conversations with the russian ambassador. spicer says white house counsel don mcgann immediately briefed the president on the matter. all of that means the president has known about all of this for nearly three weeks. still, spicer says it was yesterday wh

confidence in michael flynn, mr. president? will you be evaluating -- >> the president smiled but didn't answer as he walked out. let's discuss this now, with christopher rudsdy. we're so glad to have you on, thank you, chris, good evening. >> don, thanks for having me on, always great to be on with you. >> tonight we're reporting about the white house, the white house was warned in january that general flynn misled pence and sean spicer. the white house has known about it for weeks, what's going on here, if so, why is general flynn still in this position? >> i think if -- i'm not privy to all the inner workings of the white house. i know donald trump to know he's very deliberate. he doesn't just go on news reports, on cnn or obama holdovers. let's put this in clear perspective. general mike flynn was promoted by barack obama. he was considered a brilliant general, national security guy, put in charge of the defense national intelligence agency, defense agency, why? because he was a guy that could get things done. he

flynn, general michael flynn has resigned. jim acosta reading the resignation letter on television. gloria borger breaking the news for us. three possible replacements for michael flynn, keith kellogg will be the interim national security adviser. he's now the nsc chief of staff currently. and a senior administration official also telling jim acosta our sarah murray and gloria borger that kellogg -- it says that kellogg, retired general david petraeus and bob harwood, the folks who are under consideration. gloria, do i have that correct? >> yes, i -- you know, i -- look, we don't know who the next national security adviser is going to be, we know who it is acting now, we know petraeus is coming in tomorrow, there have been other names, and i think the white house needs to conduct a search that's complete here, given what's transpired over the last three weeks, and so as long as they can keep it running, they need to come up with -- they need to come up with somebody that the president has confidence in. they may not be looking

michael flynn lasted 24 days. and there are a number of things about the nicer's sudden departure last night which make no sense. we've got adam schiff, the top democrat on the intelligence committee to help us sort this out. we have time weiner, the foremost modern historian of the fbi and the cia. time weiner will be here to help us sort this out. but there are just some baseline fundamental questions we don't have an answer for. or that we have answers for that make no sense. first there's the direct simple question of mike flynn and how he got to be national security advisor. how he lasted 24 days at that job. it's wudly reported general flynn was under investigation by counterintelligence community at the fbi and by counterintelligence investigators at the cia. he's also reportedly under investigation by the u.s. army for having taken allegedly undisclosed payments from the russian government during the presidential campaign at the end of 2015. those investigations didn't just start now. how did he get named

i think the words that we have full confidence in michael flynn, and he is evaluating the situation, that is not a good sign, is that? it is not a good sign. i think you would have two conclude that. michael flynn spoke several times to the russian ambassador during that handover period, if you like, between the brack obama administration and the incoming administration of donald trump. around that time, mr obama had announced sanctions on russia for its intervention in the us election. —— ba rack. for its intervention in the us election. —— barack. now, michael flynn initially said that the conversations did not include any mention of possible lifting of the sanctions that barack obama had imposed. the vice president, mike pence, went on television based on that, to say categorically that there had been no such discussion of sanctions, only for intelligence intercepts to prove the opposite. and that, of course, let's mike pence looking rather embarrassed to me to say the least. now, there was a weekend of deafening silence, so far as michael pence was concerned. ben kelly an

new revelations about fired white house national security advisor michael flynn. a white house official confirms to cnn that the fbi interviewed flynn early on in the administration about his discussion of u.s. sanctions with the russian ambassador to the united states. the white house says president trump asked flynn to resign because his trust in the general had eroded. we now know mr. trump was warned by the justice department late last month about flynn, but waited 18 days to ask for his resignation. key senate republicans are calling for an investigation not only into flynn, but also of the trump administration's ties to russia. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell says the flynn probe is, quote, highly likely. we're covering all of that, much more this hour with our guests, including congressman adam kinzinger of the foreign affairs committee and our courts and expert analysts are also standing by. let's begin with the unfolding political drama, the firing of national security advisor general michael flynn. our white house correspondent sara murray is work

michael flynn had had this conversation? >> john articulately turned into a process problem at the white house. it's going to prove to be a much bigger issue. essentially the president of the united states not only got sworn in but handed his national security adviser top security clearance knowing that he had done this, knowing that he had broken essentially the law when he went around the sitting president and assured -- seemingly assured russia something about sanctions. at least we know the day president obama announced these sanctions vladimir putin was silenced. he's never been silent before when being sanctioned or criticized by the united states. so, something must have been told to him or assured to him. the big question now, i think, i talked to democrats over the course of the last several hours, democrats are going to be wondering and asking, what did donald trump know and when dehe know it? i don't think this is going to go away today with mike flynn. >> john that's the heart of matter, unless you think that mik

flynn saying it was in a february 8 interview with the washington post that michael flynn thi denied discussing things and which sanctions with the russian ambassador. again, we will take your thoughts on this matter, the resignation and the larger aspects of national security. 202-748-8001 for republicans. 202-748-8000 for democrats. .or independents, 202-748-8002 partel flynn wrote in saying "i inadvertently briefed the vice president-elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the russian .mbassador i have sincerely apologized to the president and the vice president and they have accepted my apology." we will start this morning with kathleen in chicago. the mike ross line. good morning. -- democrats line. good morning. caller: give me a second. here is a president who came in and said he was going to be a smart president and he was going to surround himself with very smart people and president obama's administration was dumb and stupid. being led offf with a slap on the wrist? flynn, they said trump knew this a month ago.the g send out your lackeys t

flynn, whether or not he told michael flynn to talk to the russian ambassador. the chairman of the house intelligence committee told me yesterday that he doesn't think those contacts between trump and flynn would be subject to their review because of executive privilege. now, on the other side of the capitol, senate republicans are suggesting that intelligence committee will look into that aspect. as well as will look into more broadly speaking russia's meddling in the election as well. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell addressed this yesterday when i asked him specifically about the flynn controversy. are you confident that president trump did not direct mike flynn to talk about the issue of sanctions with the russian ambassador? >> the fundamental question for us is what is our involvement and who ought to look at it. and the intelligence committee is already looking at russia involvement in our election. the senator has indicated it's highly likely they will want to take a look at this episode as well. they have the broad jurisdiction to do it. and any q

michael flynn has resigned as national security adviser. the news came just hours after it was learned the justice department warned the white house that flynn could be vulnerable to black mail. >>> plus, the senate confirms two more of president trump's cabinet picks as the battle to fill the cabinet continues. >>> evacuation orders remain in effect this morning for 200,000 people living near california's oroville dam. they're racing to get as much water out of the dam before a new storm hits. >>> a very good morning to all of you. it is tuesday, february 14th. i'm alex witt along said eamon mohyeldin. >>> this morning national security adviser michael flynn has resigned his post. his departure comes amid discussions that he discussed easing sanctions with a russian ambassador and misled the vice president and other senior administration officials about the nature of his conversations. in a resignation letter flynn wrote, in part, unfortunately, because of the fast pace of events i inadvertently briefed the vice press elect and others with

some growing trouble for national security advisor michael flynn. he says he is not going anywhere, but some in the white house say otherwise. is flynn on thin ice? make sure the germs they bring home don't stick around. use clorox disinfecting products. because no one kills germs better than clorox. knows how it feels to seees your numbers go up, despite your best efforts. but what if you could turn things around? what if you could love your numbers? discover once-daily invokana®. it's the #1 prescribed sglt2 inhibitor that works to lower a1c. a pill taken just once in the morning, invokana® is used along with diet and exercise to significantly lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. in fact, it's been proven to be more effective at lowering a1c than januvia. invokana® works around the clock by reducing the amount of sugar allowed back into the body, and sending some sugar out through the process of urination. and while it's not for lowering systolic blood pressure or weight loss, it may help you with both. invokana® can cause importa

after the michael flynn debacle will h.r. mcmaster bring stability and straight do you think in inner circle. russia opens um -- and the vice-president talks about getting false information and digging into information with moscow warning that any and all information must be preserved and protected. last night in sweden, president trump con found and confuses by referencing a remark that never happened. tonight the sweeds are fuming that the commander in chief is making false claims. and the widespread about illegal voting is now being disputed by a former source. corey lewandowski says he's in a position to know what happened and didn't happen in new hampshire. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i mean wolf blitzer. you're in the "the situation room." >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >>> we're following breaking news. president trump fills a gaping hole if his national security team naming respected arm lieutenant general h.r. mcmaster as his new national security adviser. mcmas

so certainly there weren't bad feelings in iran when michael flynn had to step down. there was one senior columnist who said it was a big victory for the country and they believed relations could get easier. but donald trump has been strong in his rhetoric on iran and general mattis as well, the defense secretary. so right now, the iranians are in this wait and see mode. they realize they're in a very, very delicate situation with the united states. they realize that any sort of problems that they have with the u.s., any sort of different diplomatic moves, military moves, could lead to a further escalation. right now, the iranians know they're treading a fine line. they're not unhappy about michael flynn stepping down, but they realize the trump administration is going to take a staunch line towards iran as well. isa? >> gentlemen, thank you very much. i could speak to you both for hours. oren lieberman there for us in jerusalem and fred pleitgen there in tehran. thank you to both of you. >>> i'm joined now to talk about the new development that the u.s. is no longer

flynn, retired general michael flynn's security clearance has been suspended. we are told this is normal procedure when questions are raised about a person's compliance with security clearance standards. this, of course, follows his resignation as national security advisor after the revelation that he lied about conversations he had with russian diplomats, possibly about u.s. sanctions against russia. at the same time, we're learning new information that during the campaign the most senior trump advisors including flynn and others were having repeated constant communication with officials of the russian government and other russian nationals known to u.s. intelligence. cnn has learned that high-level advisors to donald trump were in constant contact during the campaign with russian officials and other russian nationals known to u.s. intelligence. this, according to multiple current and former u.s. intelligence and law enforcement official. officials tell cnn then president obama and then president-elect trump were both fully briefed on the extent of the communi

what is his take on how this all went down with michael flynn? that's next. >>> plus, another one of president trump's cabinet picks in serious jeopardy. key republican support may be fading away for andy puzder. hear why oprah, his ex-wife and a videotape are now involved. >>> just days after north korea launched its first test from the trump administration, cnn is live in north korea. we'll have that ahead. wireless. introducing t-mobile one. now with taxes and fees included. get 4 lines of unlimited lte data for 40 bucks each. all unlimited. all in! switch to t-mobile today. wheyou wantve somto protect it.e, at legalzoom, our network of attorneys can help you every step of the way. with an estate plan including wills or a living trust that grows along with you and your family. legalzoom. legal help is here. [vo] quickbooks introduces he teaches lessons to stanley... and that's kind of it right now. but rodney knew just what to do...he got quickbooks. it organizes all his accounts, so he knows where he stands in an instant. ahhh...that's a prof

why was michael flynn wiretapped. we do not know that michael flynn was wiretapped but it keeps being said by people that want these investigations into the leaks and it deserves to be called out. also what deserves to be called out and i'm interesting to see if you agree with this. you want to look at the leaks but you do not look at the under lying substance that lead to the leaks. >> i'm open to all of that but let's proceed in a deliberate way here. let's let the committees get the fact. if the committee wants to do more i'm willing to do that. we did that in the last administration and i've never been one accused of not being tough in our own party. you can ask former speaker boehner about disagreements we had. i'm willing to do that but let's proceed to get the facts from the american people including how this leak happened. how classified information was given to the press. how that is out there and as you point out the wiretap and everything, what was behind all of that as well. >> i don't know if there was a

but another white house aide claims michael flynn has the president's full confidence. so what is really going on behind closed doors? >>> big, big problem. mr. trump promises to show strength against north korea just hours after a provocative new missile test. we're getting new details about why the pentagon is escalating the warning that kim june you know,'s threat is back. >>> danger in restaurant. a discussion on an open terrace in mar-a-lago where patrons were within earshot and posting photos online. was national security protocol compromised. >>> damage to the nation's tallest dam prompts massive evacuations and fear of cats if i can flooding. the threat to hundreds of thousands of people right now. >>> we want to welcome the viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in the "the situation room." >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >>> we're following the fate of the national security adviser floif. white house sean spicer says the white house is quote evaluating the situation. there are concerns within the administration tha

flynn was speaking out of turn, a problem that michael flynn wasn't familiar with, say, the logan act. the problem with michael flynn lying potentially to mike pence. >> uh-huh. >> they were waiting to see if he did anything illegal. so, that really -- that stall tactic i think made things much, much worse. >> mave, you and i were talking about this. amazing somebody with the years of service to his country and the information about how intelligence operates in this country, it didn't even occur to him apparently u.s. spies might be spying on the phone of the russian ambassador to the u.s. >> that's just another completely stunning thing. you would just assume that he would know that those conversations were being monitored and that he should be extremely careful about what he said. that's all the more reason why we need to see the transcripts of the call and what exactly was said at that time. >> mave, essie, jen, thank you so much. appreciate t. rushing waters emerging after damage to the nation's tallest dam. now there is more rain in the forecast, but there is some good news for e

regarding now resigned general michael flynn. it was revealed the department of justice warned the administration late last month that flynn could be blackmailed by the russians. he originally denied speaking about sanctions with russia and then yes, indeed discussions were held. he apologized for giving quote unquote incomplete information to the vice president and to others. so moments ago you had sean spicer saying flynn's quitting was not a legal issue, it was a trust here. here he was. >> the issue isn't whether or not what he discussed. there's been a complete legal review of that and there's no issue of that. the issue is whether or not he failed to properly inform the vice president or not remember it but that's the simple issue, when he lost trust that's when the president asked for the resignation. >> we go to sara marie. >> the president found out about this 19 days ago, tell me about that. >> that's right, we know that donald trump essentially fired his national security adviser last night asking for his resignation a

it is a stunning fall forall general michael flynn. who will take his place and what signal does that resignation send? >> covering every angle of this story tonight. first let's catch you up to speed. the president asked for michael flynn's resignation late last came amid reports that flynnat f spoke to the russian ambassador about sanctions. in his resignation letter flynn admitted to having several conversations back in september. today flynn lied about theut t content of the phone calls to members of the trump team, including vice-president mikeg i pence much there's stilcel a lot unfolding with this story. let's bring in juan williams.lim he's live tonight to break iteak down for us. mike flynn and that sent a big signal that, in fact, mike flynn was in trouble meeting with the vice-president, two or three meetings before, apparently nowo we know president trump requested his resignation as a matter of failure of trust. i'm going to ask you the n first let's listen to one of the comments that sean spicer made today when asked abou

michael flynn's departure as national security advisor raises more questions than answers . the half-brother of north korea's leader murdered at a malaysian airport. and all aboard for a train ride not seen for half a century good century. how a regular steam service has returned to the u.k. bringing , bringing back memories of yesteryear. jane: welcome to our viewers on public television in america and around the globe. the big question tonight is how much president donald trump knew about his top security adviser's dealings with moscow and when. democratic lawmakers are demanding answers after michael flynn resigned less than a month into the job amid allegations that he misled the public and lied to white house officials. north america editor jon sopel starts our coverage. jon: they were oh so close, politically inseparable. after three weeks as national security advisor, michael flynn has gone in a stunning fall from grace after a day of chaos and confusion at the white house. the camera-loving president suddenly becoming camera shy when asked about his future. >> you do

michael flynn, general flynn, is a wonderful man. i think he's been treated very, very unfairly by the media. as i call it, the fake media, in many cases. after the chaotic downfall of the national security adviser, critics in congress want to know who is in charge at the white house. also tonight: a new administration, a new relationship and yet another attempt to find peace between the israelis and the palestinians.

after michael flynn's resignation. now we have democrats and top republicans demanding investigations into alleged links between the white house and russia and whether those links influenced the election. the president tweeted out, this russian connection is nonsense. he's saying there is fake news going on, there is blind hatred in the news media. he just said that moments ago. now andy puzder withdrawing his name after republican pushback. is the d.c. swamp fighting back? >> the d.c. swamp is rising up, colluding and viciously fighting to take down the 45th president. impeachment of the president is the end goal for the left. facts, truth don't matter. mike flynn is a small as cute of that bigger plan. the left is trying to make what happened here into the next water gate. you have to remember these are the same liberals who fiercely defended hillary clinton. liz: another writer said a top intelligence member on the committee said this is a plan to push everybody out, including the president. first it's michael flynn

the resignation of michael flynn was brought about, not —— michael flynn was a spear—carrier for donald trump during the election, making hillary clinton's honesty a central point of attack. we do not need a reckless president who believes she is above the law. crowd: lock her up! but now it is michael flynn who on a question of trust has been found wanting, and finds himself very much alone. earlier, i spoke to michael mcfaul a professor at stanford university. he was us ambassador to russia and special assistant to president 0bama. i pointed out that he was from the previous administration, but this would be a big hit for trump and could he recover? yes, i mean, this is a bad start for the administration. whether you are a democrat or a republican, there is wide consensus that if you have to fire one of the most important people to you in terms of formulating foreign policyjust three weeks in, that is a blow to president trump. having said that, they can recover and certainly i think senior administration officials from other agencies are hopeful that president trump will replace gene

amy: so michael flynn is out. he resigned. clearly, a forced resignation with president trump under enormous pressure for many days as this information was coming out. then you have his counselor kellyanne conway. can you comment on this latest news of the office of government ethics saying she violated the law that the counselor violated the law -- the federal ethics long rules when she used a tv appearance on fox to market merchandise sold by president trump's daughter ivanka? she actually was following up on president trump using his potus account to castigate the department store nordstrom for dropping the training line. >> i can't believe i have to say this, but the white house shall not be used for the purpose of enriching the president's family. that is basic common sense. it is also federal regulation. so the federal regulations say that federal employees cannot promote or endorse a product product line.'s kellyanne conway did exactly that. she violated the federal relations -- regulations very clear. last week i wrote

cohen said he would consider this an issue for michael flynn. that contradicts michael cohen. he was at the dinner and they didn't discuss peace and said it never got near them. we do see here is a public perception in the world of the trump white house, if you know somebody from his business past, you may be able to freelance the peace initiative. some welcome and anything, frankly, could bring peace, but others say that could be destroyed as the broader established state department dealing with complex issues like war. >> thank you.

on 29 december, michael flynn speaks to the russian ambassador, in the first of a series of calls. on 15 january, vice president mike pence denies that sanctions were discussed. what i can confirm, having spoken to him about it, is that those conversations, that happened to occur around the time that the united states took action to expel diplomats, had nothing whatsoever to do with those sanctions. but, in late january, the former acting attorney—general warned the white house it might have been misled by general flynn's account. no action was taken. but then, on 9 february, the washington post revealed that flynn did discuss sanctions, and it was then that pressure grew. and democrats are not going to let the matter go. the resignation of michael flynn was brought about, not by discovering the falsehood, but by the fact that the falsehood became public. and that ought to be deeply disturbing to everyone. michael flynn was a spear—carrier for donald trump during the election, making hillary clinton's honesty a central point of attack. we do not need a reckless president who be

>> i spoke to annie, and she blames michael flynn. she sees this as a man who lied to the administration or lied at least to vicpresident pence, and, as a result, he did the right thing. he should have resigned, and he did resign. she does not blame president trump. and then you've got wood, that's the farmer there. he sees this in a broader political per speck testify, and it's basically as politics as usual, a fought is found this time with the trump administration, and the democrats and those who don't like donald trump are going to exploit it to the hilt just as many republicans did when they found things they didn't like when president obama was in office. they were on struxist, and what happens? nothing happens in washington. and woods says he is sick and tired of just that. >> great to hear their perspectives. martin savage next hour on 360, the fallout from michael flynn, but the question, well, they keep coming. than with tylenol pm. advil pm combines the number one pain reliever with the number one sleep aid. gentle, non-hab

>> michael flynn, general flynn is a wonderful man. i think he's been treated very, very unfairly by the media. as i call it, the fake media in many cases. and i think it's really a sad thing that he was treated so badly. >> again, donald trump is the man that fired flynn, not the media. that's not fake news. it's just news. just yesterday his press secretary sean spicer said flynn was terminated because he misled the vice president about his conversations with the russian ambassador to the united states. today's whackiness comes on a day "the new york times" broke news about russian officials and trump campaign aides last year. according to times report, phone records and intercepted calls show that members of donald trump's 2016 presidential campaign and other trump associates had repeated contacts with senior russian intelligence officials in the year before the election. well, times notes that law enforcement officials found no evidence of collusion when trump's aides and the russians and it's not known what was discussed in the ca

especially in light of michael flynn. for republicans. (202) 748-8000 for democrats. (202) 748-8002 for independents. you can call the line now. we will get a sense of what is happening in congress. christie marcos of the hill joins us. can you tell us where the senate is on an investigation? guest: that they have been sending mixed signals of the last 24 hours. in the house, the leaders that are charged with oversight not expressing a lot of interest in investigating what trump new and what led to the circumstances that resulted in michael flynn's resignation. chan chase is deferred -- ffetz deferred. they said they were more interested in the underlying story. speaker paul ryan said he wants to withhold judgment until he knew the whole story. some republicans are saying you need investigation to know the facts. on the senate side, you are send more prominent members who are expressing interest in pursuing an investigation. possibly you will bring in michael flynn to testify before congress. host: why do you think there'