Wednesday's Headlines: Flynn departure erupts into crisis for White House

Pence is above the White House fray, but is he also out of the loop?; Pence learned Flynn misled him two weeks after Trump, others knew; From a phone call at a Caribbean resort to a forced resignation at the White House; Flynn episode 'darkens the cloud' of Russia that hangs over Trump administration ;   The morning's most important stories, selected by Post editors   Top Stories Flynn departure erupts into crisis for White House Former national security adviser Michael Flynn repeatedly brushed aside the suggestion that he discussed sanctions imposed by the Obama administration with Russia's ambassador to the U.S., two officials familiar with White House talks said. The denials kept him afloat until a report in The Post last Thursday quoted Flynn as saying he couldn't be sure that he hadn't discussed sanctions. By Karen DeYoung, Abby Phillip and Jenna Johnson  •  Read more » Pence is above the White House fray, but is he also out of the loop? The vice president has largely managed to avoid the infighting at the White House by keeping his head down and soldiering loyally forward. But his influence within the West Wing has come increasingly into question given how he little knew about about the Michael Flynn situation. By Robert Costa and Ashley Parker  •  Read more »   Pence learned Flynn misled him two weeks after Trump, others knew Trump was briefed on Flynn's contacts with the Russian ambassador on Jan. 26, the White House said. Vice President Pence, however, did not learn that Flynn had misled him about those contacts until two weeks later, according to Pence's spokesman. By Abby Phillip, Ellen Nakashima and Jenna Johnson  •  Read more »   From a phone call at a Caribbean resort to a forced resignation at the White House The national security adviser's demise was also a legacy of the forces unleashed by the 2016 election. By Greg Miller, Adam Entous and Ellen Nakashima  •  Read more »   Flynn episode 'darkens the cloud' of Russia that hangs over Trump administration The ouster of the national security adviser brings more intensity to questions about president and his affinity for Moscow. By Rosalind S. Helderman and Tom Hamburger  •  Read more »   ADVERTISEMENT   Opinions   America, meet the nuclear 'football' By Kathleen Parker  •  Read more »   Trump lays the groundwork for a nationwide voter intimidation program By Sherrilyn Ifill  •  Read more »   Michael Flynn's star burns out By David Ignatius  •  Read more »   Driving into the storm By Garrison Keillor  •  Read more »   Trump's toxicity has Republicans running away from their constituents By Dana Milbank  •  Read more »   Michael Flynn is gone. Here's where the National Security Council should go next. By Editorial Board  •  Read more » ADVERTISEMENT   More News   Ahead of Netanyahu meeting, White House official says U.S. won't insist on two-state solution President Trump wants to produce peace between the Israelis and Palestinians in what he calls "the ultimate deal." An administration official said the U.S. won't insist on two states as the only outcome. By Anne Gearan and Ruth Eglash  •  Read more » In a first under Trump, Russian jets buzz a U.S. destroyer at close range The incidents fits a pattern of "unsafe" Russian aircraft activity that has spiked since Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula and backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, beginning in 2014. By Thomas Gibbons-Neff  •  Read more » Ryan goes door-to-door on the Hill to try to salvage plan for Obamacare repeal, replacement With Republicans sharply divided, lawmakers question whether the health-care law can be effectively gutted by the House Speaker's self-imposed deadline in March. By Kelsey Snell and Mike DeBonis  •  Read more » Wary of town-hall protests from their party, Democrats turn to Bernie Sanders for help Some lawmakers have asked the former presidential candidate to urge activists to redirect their anger at Republicans instead of at moderate Democratic leaders. By Ed O'Keefe and David Weigel  •  Read more » The stunning destruction at Oroville Dam and the work ahead The emergency, which displaced nearly 200,000 California residents for about two days, raised questions about why the infrastructure failed and what long-term fixes could prevent future catastrophe. By Kristine Guerra  •  Read more » 'This is ... Nixonian': White House taped heated exchange with reporter, Omarosa Manigault Manigault, a top aide to President Trump, said the recording makes clear she never threatened reporter April Ryan or mentioned "dossiers" allegedly kept on journalists. By Paul Farhi  •  Read more » Henrietta Lacks's family plans to sue Johns Hopkins seeking compensation for her cells Cells taken from Lacks became the most widely used human cells that exist in scientific research. "She'd be horrified that Johns Hopkins profited while her family to this day has no rights," her son Lawrence said. By Andrea K. McDaniels  •  Read more » Rumor the German shepherd wins best in show at Westminster Rumor became just the second German shepherd to win the nation's most prestigious dog show, and she did it just one month after coming out of retirement. By Karin Brulliard  •  Read more » Harrison Ford is involved in another aviation mishap. This time, he landed over an airliner. The FAA is investigating after the actor and experienced pilot landed on a taxiway in Orange County, Calif., overflying a Boeing 737, instead of on a designated runway. By Peter Holley  •  Read more »         Share Today's Headlines:       Twitter      Facebook Trouble reading? 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