President Trump's former national security advisor Michael Flynn pleaded guilty during a court appearance this morning to "willfully and knowingly [making] false, fictitious and fraudulent statements and representations" to the FBI regarding his conversations with Sergey Kislyak, Russia's then-ambassador to the United States. Flynn's plea came under Special Counsel Robert Mueller's expanding investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Why it matters: With his plea, Flynn agreed to cooperate fully with Mueller's investigation. In a development that could have far-reaching implications as Mueller's probe moves forward, Flynn admitted in his plea that senior transition officials directed his contacts with Russian officials in late December of last year.
North Korea's launch of a missile that appears capable of striking anywhere in the U.S. is an early test of the Trump administration's relationship with China, and the goodwill reinforced during President Trump's November meetings with General Secretary Xi Jinping in Beijing. But even if Xi wants to help, there are no good options.
Reality check: China doesn't actually have that much leverage with North Korea, and until the regime is interested in negotiations, even more help from China isn't going to help the U.S. solve the crisis.
"North Korea released dozens of photos ... of the Hwasong-15, a new intercontinental ballistic missile it claims can reach any target in the continental United States. The photo dump, published in the paper and online editions of the ruling party's official daily, is a goldmine for rocket experts," AP reports:
Why it matters: The missile is "bigger, more advanced and comes with a domestically made mobile launcher that will make it harder than ever to pre-emptively destroy."
