Wednesday's world stories

Rice unmasked senior Trump aides over UAE meeting
Obama national security advisor Susan Rice told the House Intelligence Committee last week that she unmasked Trump officials in an attempt to discern why they had met with the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates when he paid an unannounced visit to New York last December, per CNN.
- Her reasoning: The UAE's crown prince didn't tell the Obama administration he'd be visiting the United States — common protocol for such a visit — so Rice unmasked the Trump officials involved, whom CNN reported were Michael Flynn, Jared Kushner, and Steve Bannon.
- The meeting topic: Two sources told CNN that the New York meeting topics included Iran, Yemen, and the peace process in the Middle East.
- What's at issue: Just weeks later, the crown prince was reported to have arranged a meeting between Erik Prince, the founder of private security firm Blackwater, the brother of Betsy DeVos, and a Russian official in the Seychelles to convince Russia to pull back from Iran.

Flynn pushed private nuclear deal as national security advisor
Michael Flynn worked to promote a private plan to build nuclear reactors throughout the Middle East — that, at one point, involved contributions from Russian companies — even during his tenure as President Trump's national security advisor, per The Wall Street Journal.
- Think back: This story was already in the spotlight today as House Democrats asked Special Counsel Robert Mueller to look into Flynn's failure to disclose trips related to the project on his security clearance renewal forms, claiming Flynn "appeared to break the law."
- One step farther: Flynn didn't give up on the project once he assumed a White House position, instead working to arrange meetings between the former military officers behind the project and National Security Council staff.
- Why it matters: It's just more bad news for Flynn as he increasingly finds himself at the nexus of Mueller's investigation.

Dems want Mueller to look into Flynn's trip to Middle East
House Democratic leaders copied Special Counsel Robert Mueller on a letter yesterday stating that former national security advisor Michael Flynn appeared to break the law, per CNN. They argue that he failed to disclose a trip to the Middle East to broker a business deal with Saudi Arabia and a Russian government agency in June 2015.
- The letter was drafted by Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), the top Democrat on the oversight committee, and Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), the top Democrat on the House foreign affairs committee.
- It was sent to Flynn's former business partners and requested documents relating to his trip.
Why it matters: Flynn is already under intense scrutiny by Mueller for his ties to Russia, his calls to the Russian ambassador during Trump's transition period, and the undisclosed work he did for Turkey last year.


