Rollover: Lawyers for former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn have told the White House they will no longer cooperate with the president’s lawyers on the Russia investigation, an indication that Flynn is negotiating or cooperating with the investigation, the NY Times reports.

Flynn could provide a window into the highest-level dealings, if any, between the Trump campaign and Russians. He sat with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a 2015 event in Moscow and took the lead in dealing with the Russians during the 2016 campaign. A motivating factor in his potential cooperation is that Flynn is worried about his son being indicted for his involvement as well.

Missing at Sea: The search for a missing Argentine submarine with 44 hands on board goes on, but the navy now says an ominous explosion was detected off the  coast of South America around the time and place where the sub lost contact.

Argentine Navy spokesman Enrique Balbi said, “There was an explosion,” describing the blast as “an anomalous event that was singular, short, violent.” — The US Navy has ended its search for three sailors missing since the crash of a transport plane in the Philippine Sea. Eleven survived.

Blade Runner: The prison sentence for South African double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius was doubled to 15 years today by the country’s Supreme Court of Appeal. He was  convicted of killing his girlfriend in 2013. The original sentence of six years was described as “shockingly lenient.”

Wandering Hands: Minnesota Sen. Al Franken apologized yesterday for “crossing the line” on some occasions when he hugged fans during photo shoots.

He said in a statement, “I’ve learned from recent stories that in some of those encounters, I crossed a line for some women — and I know that any number is too many. Some women have found my greetings or embraces for a hug or photo inappropriate, and I respect their feelings about that.”

The Tax Men: Only one in 38 economists agreed that the Republican plan for corporate tax cuts will help grow the economy, according to a recent survey done by Chicago’s Booth School of Business. The economists are at schools including Yale, MIT and the University of California-Berkeley.

Of the 38, 36 percent were uncertain what would happen, 33 percent disagreed that the tax cuts will work as planned, and another 19 percent strongly disagreed.

Only one economist said the corporate tax plan may work, but expressed concerns about whether the overall tax plan is “fair” in how it spreads the benefits.

The NY Times reports that the Communications Workers of America has asked several companies to promise to give workers a pay increase if they get the corporate tax cut.

Chris Shelton, the president of the union, said, “We’re going straight to the people who know how corporations plan to spend the billions of dollars being handed over to them — the C.E.O.s — and asking them if they intend to keep the promises that Trump is making on their behalf.”

So far, no promises.

The Tweet Man: Instead of running out for early Christmas shopping or taking a tryptophan nap, President Trump was tweeting last night. “ObamaCare premiums are going up, up, up, just as I have been predicting for two years. ObamaCare is OWNED by the Democrats, and it is a disaster. But do not worry. Even though the Dems want to Obstruct, we will Repeal & Replace right after Tax Cuts!”

Too many untruths to unravel there.

Brand Popularity: With business down in liberal New York, the Trump company has agreed to remove its name from the Trump SoHo hotel in lower Manhattan. The Trumps don’t own the hotel. Like many other “Trump” properties, they are in a branding agreement for the Trump name to give the hotel status. Now it’s low status.

Earlier this year the Trumps removed their name from the 65-story Trump International Hotel and Tower in Toronto.

These are far from the Trumps’ biggest failure. A hotel and condominium tower they developed in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, never opened despite Trumpian promises that it would be an “ultra-luxury property” with “expansive guest rooms.”

-30-