U.S.-China Tensions; USA Gymnastics; Facebook’s Woes

Plus, the rise and fall of Michael Flynn. [NPR] by Korva Coleman and Jill Hudson First Up Here’s what we’re following today. U.S. stock markets plunged again after a Chinese technology executive was arrested in Canada, escalating U.S.-China tensions. [The Dow's dive followed a fall of 799 points Tuesday](. Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese telecom giant Huawei, was taken into custody on Saturday at the request of the U.S., which is seeking her extradition for allegedly violating its sanctions on Iran. One of two rescued U.S. service members is dead after a "mishap" involving two Marine Corps aircraft off Japan. The accident occurred ["during regularly scheduled training"]( on Thursday, some 200 miles off the Japanese coast. What has special counsel Robert Muller got up his sleeve? [A few guesses]( include another secret investigation involving a Turkish cleric, a political figure and that common denominator: money. The organization overseeing U.S. gymnastics has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. USA Gymnastics has been grappling with [serious accusations of sexual abuse](. Facebook shared users' data with certain big tech companies but shunned other companies — including the video app Vine. Facebook internal emails and documents from 2012 to 2015 were [leaked and released by British lawmakers]( on Wednesday. --------------------------------------------------------------- The Daily Good Christmas dinner is on its way to space. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station will be getting [a special holiday care package]( aboard the latest rocket to launch toward the space outpost. A shipment of smoked turkey breast, cranberry sauce, candied yams and, of course, fruitcake is expected by Saturday. --------------------------------------------------------------- Digging Deeper The rise and fall of Michael Flynn. [President Trump's national security adviser Michael Flynn leaves federal courthouse in Washington on July 10. Flynn has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and is scheduled to be sentenced later this month.]( Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP President Trump's former national security adviser has had a rocky ride. Michael Flynn began his career on an ROTC college scholarship and became a scrappy Army lieutenant general who won renown as a talented officer in the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. [He later became head of the Defense Intelligence Agency]( where he clashed with President Obama's White House about how the U.S. was waging wars. He felt the president was not aggressive enough and needed to take a more comprehensive approach; Flynn eventually was ousted. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Flynn supported Trump and began suggesting publicly that Russia and the U.S. could work together in certain instances, such as fighting Islamist radicals. Flynn was the first major Trump official to leave the administration, resigning after less than a month on the job. He later pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe, admitting he had talked with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. in 2016, while Trump was president-elect. Mueller's team now says Flynn's help in the investigation has been "substantial," and prosecutors are requesting little or no jail time for him. --------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Listen Fifty years ago, black students at Brown walked out for change. On Dec. 5, 1968, three-quarters of the African-American students at Brown walked off campus to demand more black students, more black professors and courses in African-American studies. That moment set the stage for changes that are still felt in the Ivy League today. (Listening time, 7:08) [▶ LISTEN]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Throwback Thursday Bush 41’s chicken leg diplomacy. [Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev (left) and former U.S. President George H.W. Bush share a light moment together outside the White House in 1990. Could they be discussing chicken?]( Ron Sachs/ Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images A shortage of food in the former Soviet Union in the 1990s created an opportunity for former President George H.W. Bush to strike a deal to sell American surplus dark meat chicken. [The deal also created a unique legacy for Bush]( — a fondness for “Bush legs,” as Russians there at the time recall. --------------------------------------------------------------- Before You Go [Composer Frank Loesser with his wife and musical partner, Lynn Garland, in 1956 in New York. Decades later, Loesser's ]( Anthony Camerano/AP - The Christmastime classic tune “Baby It's Cold Outside” has been [banned by a few radio stations]( over lyrics seen as sexist — and slightly date rape-y. - The Golden Globe nominations were announced today, and yes, [they were a little weird](. - Is America ready for [prescription heroin]( - Thousands of pounds of raw beef are being [recalled by a Brazilian meatpacking company]( after hundreds of people got sick from salmonella. - An Italian court has ordered the Getty Museum in Los Angeles to [return an ancient Greek statue]( discovered off the Italian coast in the 1960s. The Getty says no way. --------------------------------------------------------------- ✏️ What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [dailynewsletter@npr.org](mailto:dailynewsletter@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) 📬 Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! 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