What's going on in the political world:
President bashes media following Yates, Clapper testimony
-- President Trump took to Twitter after former acting Attorney General Sally Yates and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testified before a Senate subcommittee investigating possible Russian involvement in the 2016 election. Trump tweeted:
Director Clapper reiterated what everybody, including the fake media already knows- there is "no evidence" of collusion w/ Russia and Trump.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2017
Sally Yates made the fake media extremely unhappy today --- she said nothing but old news!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2017
The Russia-Trump collusion story is a total hoax, when will this taxpayer funded charade end?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2017
Biggest story today between Clapper & Yates is on surveillance. Why doesn't the media report on this? #FakeNews!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 8, 2017
Yates told a Senate Judiciary subcommittee Monday that she warned White House officials that former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn could be blackmailed.
"The Russians also knew about what Gen. Flynn had done, and the Russians also knew that Gen. Flynn had misled the vice president and others," Yates said. "They likely had proof of this information, and that created a compromise situation."
Prior to her testimony, former Obama administration officials told multiple media outlets that President Obama directly warned President-elect Trump against hiring Flynn during their face-to-face meeting in November.
Yates defends her travel ban decision
-- During her appearance before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee, Sally Yates was asked about her refusal to enforce President Trump's initial travel order while she was acting Attorney General.
Yates said Trump's travel ban, which targeted several Muslim-majority counties, was "unlawful," and added, "All arguments have to be based on truth. We're not just a law firm. We're the Department of Justice."
Republican Sen. John Cornyn said her actions with regard to the executive order were "enormously disappointing" and accused her of undermining the powers of the President because she disagreed with Trump's order "as a policy matter."
"I made a determination that I believed that it was unlawful," Yates said. "I also thought that it was inconsistent with the principles of the Department of Justice, and I said 'no.' And that's what I promised you I would do, and that's what I did."
Former President Jimmy Carter confirms Sanders vote
-- Former President Jimmy Carter revealed that his Democratic presidential choice was Sen. Bernie Sanders.
The two spoke together Monday evening at a Carter Center discussion about politics, human rights and working towards global peace.
Speaking in a familiar refrain, Sanders bemoaned the United States' relatively low voter turnout rates and said it was a boon for conservative politicians.
"Can y'all see why I voted for him?" Carter said as Sanders concluded.
Early on in the race for the Democratic nomination, Carter said he believed former secretary of state Hillary Clinton would get the nomination "because money dominates, and she has an inside track to the massive amounts that are going to pour into the Democratic Party side."
CNN contributed to this report
