Trump White House cannot keep its story straight on Flynn resignation

The Trump administration is operating within such a distorted reality of its own making that, after a weeks-long cover-up, they cannot keep their own story straight regarding the Trump team's ties to Russia and Michael Flynn's resignation.

(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

The Trump administration has had a rough time executing its communications strategy on the resignation of disgraced National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.

In announcing the resignation, Donald Trump did not address the circumstances of Flynn’s resignation at all. And in multiple interviews, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway repeatedly stated that the decision to resign was Flynn’s, while asserting that it would be “inappropriate” to comment on whether Trump had been told of the Department of Justice’s warning, given weeks ago, that Flynn might be vulnerable to blackmail over his lies.

But not long after, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer opened his daily briefing by directly contradicting Conway, stating that Trump had asked Flynn to resign, and that Trump had been notified immediately of the Justice Department’s warning on January 26:

The evolving and eroding level of trust as a result of this situation and a series of other questionable instances is what led the president to ask for General Flynn’s resignation. Immediately after the Department of Justice notified the White House counsel of the situation, the White House counsel briefed the president and a small group of his senior advisers. The White House counsel reviewed and determined that there is not a legal issue, but rather a trust issue.

So, in the course of a day, Trump went from having “full confidence” in Flynn, to reluctantly accepting his resignation because he had become a “distraction,” to demanding Flynn’s resignation over an “eroding level of trust” that apparently occurred in the space of several hours.

LUKE CAGE STARS IN NEW SOLO COMIC SERIES FROM MARVEL

Following the debut of Marvel's Netflix-exclusive Luke Cage TV series last year, a new solo comic starring the bulletproof hero has been announced.

Power Man & Iron Fist writer David Walker is penning the ongoing series, which will feature illustrations by Nelson Blake II.

In an interview with Comic Book Resources, Walker discussed how this new comic will differ from prior portrayals of Luke Cage, noting his new series will offer "a little more mature" take on the hero.

Luke Cage #1, written by David Walker and illustrated by Nelson Blake II

Banned From U.S.: ‘You Need to Go Back to Your Country’

Social media shook with emotion. Headlines shouted the news. Legal scholars debated the order’s scope. But the most immediate effect of President Trump’s executive order barring refugees from entering the United States and halting entry from seven predominantly Muslim countries could be quantified on a human scale: refugees and other immigrants from the seven countries, some on their way to the United States on Friday when Mr. Trump signed the order, who were no longer able to enter the United States.

Here are some of their stories.

Hameed Khalid Darweesh, Iraq

Mr. Darweesh, a husband and father of three who worked for the United States military in Iraq for about a decade, was detained after arriving at Kennedy Airport on Friday night. He was granted a special immigrant visa on Jan. 20. When he filed for it, he said he had been directly targeted because of his work for the U.S. as an interpreter, engineer and contractor.

Although Mr. Darweesh’s wife and children were allowed into the country, he was initially detained. Mr. Darweesh was released on Saturday after lawyers filed a writ of habeas corpus in federal court seeking freedom for him, as well as for another Iraqi who was detained at the airport.

With - now released - Iraqi Refugee blocked by Trump’s order at JFK. Working w/@NydiaVelazquez to help 11 more refugees still being held. pic.twitter.com/8HF7jmBdvQ

— (((Rep. Nadler))) (@RepJerryNadler) January 28, 2017

Speaking to reporters and some protesters who gathered outside Kennedy Airport, Mr. Darweesh called America the greatest nation in the world and said he was thankful for the people who had worked on his behalf. “This is the humanity, this is the soul of America,” he said. “This is what pushed me to move, leave my country and come here.”

‘Hamilton’ Is Coming to the Super Bowl

From left, Phillipa Soo, Renée Elise Goldsberry and Jasmine Cephas Jones in the musical “Hamilton.”Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

The Schuyler Sisters are singing at the Super Bowl.

The National Football League said Friday that Phillipa Soo, Renée Elise Goldsberry and Jasmine Cephas Jones, the actresses who originated the roles of Eliza, Angelica and Peggy Schuyler in “Hamilton,” would reunite to perform “America the Beautiful” during the televised pregame show.

The three women are popular among fans of the Broadway musical — at the annual BroadwayCon gathering of theater fans, now underway in New York, some people dress as the characters, and at a recent Sotheby’s auction of Hamilton family documents there was particular interest in correspondence involving the sisters. (Eliza, of course, married Alexander Hamilton, and, after his death in a duel, became a champion of his legacy; Angelica was a confidante of both Alexander and Eliza.)

NETFLIX IS KILLING IT—BIG TIME—AFTER POURING CASH INTO ORIGINAL SHOWS

NETFLIX

ORIGINAL CONTENT IS paying off for Netflix in a big, big way.

The company just recorded the biggest quarter in its 19-year history, handily beating Wall Street’s expectations while adding a record 7.05 million subscribers. That’s almost two million more new viewers than even Netflix expected, with a fair number of them overseas. The earnings results capped a banner year that saw Netflix launch its streaming service in 190 countries one year ago. Already, 47 percent of its subscribers live somewhere other than the US.

Sales, too, rose—36 percent over the same period last year, to $2.48 billion. Shareholders loved all this good news and boosted Netflix stock 8 percent to an intraday high of $143.46 on Thursday, one day after Netflix’s report dropped. The company’s now worth about $60 billion.

All of which is to say, Netflix is killing it—thanks to its enormous investments in original content. And Netflix is finally getting to reap the rewards from those investments.

“There seemed to be an attitude around the industry that after House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, there was no way Netflix could catch lightning in a bottle again,” says Glenn Hower, a senior digital media analyst with research firm Parks Associates. “Well, after cranking out more hits like Luke Cage, Stranger Things and The OA, it looks like the streaming giant really knows what they are doing in the content creation space.”

That’s for sure. In 2016, Netflix spent $5 billion on original programming. Five of the 10 shows people searched for most often last year are Netflix originals, company officials said, citing Google data during an earnings call. Eager to build on that, Netflix plans to spend $6 billion creating 1000 hours of new content this year, more than doubling its 2016 lineup. At this point, it’s clear Netflix isn’t just a streaming service anymore. “For many millions of consumers around the world, Netflix has already become television,” says Tony Gunnarsson, a television analyst with Ovum.