Here's what you missed this weekend: Trump says Kelly's out, 'Yellow Vest' protests rock Europe, and China makes threats over Huawei

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Here's what you missed this weekend: Trump says Kelly's out, 'Yellow Vest' protests rock Europe, and China makes threats over Huawei

Paris demo smoke flag

AFP/Getty Images

A demonstrator holds a French flag as he walks amid the tear gas during a protest of Yellow vests (Gilets jaunes) against rising oil prices and living costs, on December 1, 2018 in Paris.

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  • President Donald Trump said his chief of staff John Kelly will depart by the beginning of 2019. He's said to currently be mulling over replacements.
  • "Yellow Vest" protests continued across Europe. On Saturday, over 1,300 people were arrested.
  • After the CFO of Huawei was arrested in Canada, China asked the US ambassador to make a "strong protest" against the decision.

A flood of filings came Friday evening, implicating former Trump attorney and fixer Michael Cohen, former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, and Trump himself.

Despite the trove of new information on special counsel Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference, the beat of the news cycle kept on throughout the weekend, bringing more major headlines.

Here's what you might have missed.

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Former FBI Director James Comey's testimony to the House committees was released on Saturday.

Former FBI Director James Comey's testimony to the House committees was released on Saturday.

Here's what happened:

  • During Friday's testimony, Comey detailed his role in investigating Hillary Clinton's email server and the Trump campaign's potential ties to Russia.
  • Comey told House lawmakers that he's "not friends" with Mueller, despite Trump's claims the pair are "best friends." Trump once even said that there are 100 pictures of Comey and Mueller "hugging and kissing each other."
  • Comey also said the Russia investigation initially focused on four Americans, but he declined to identify them. He said Trump was not one of them, but could not confirm the names because of an ongoing investigation.
  • Comey doubled down on his previous statements, saying anyone who thinks the FBI favored Clinton in its emails investigation is "smoking something."
  • But Trump was not happy with Comey's statements and lashed out on Twitter Sunday morning to call his testimony: "All lies!"

Trump told reporters Saturday that his chief of staff John Kelly will leave the White House by the beginning of 2019.

Trump told reporters Saturday that his chief of staff John Kelly will leave the White House by the beginning of 2019.

Here's what you need to know:

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"Yellow Vest" protests continued to rock Paris over the weekend.

"Yellow Vest" protests continued to rock Paris over the weekend.

Read more about our coverage:

  • "Yellow Vest" anti-government protesters took to the streets across France on Saturday, in what quickly devolved into violent clashes with police.
  • More than 1,300 people were arrested and dozens more were injured as rioters gathered for the fourth week.
  • Trump mocked French President Emmanuel Macron over his Paris Climate Agreement, which the US has withdrawn from: "The Paris Agreement isn't working out so well for Paris," he tweeted, referring to the angry protests which have set Paris ablaze.
  • Uma Thurman posted a photo of herself on Instagram at the protests alongside smoke bombs and police officers in riot gear. She said in a comment that "99 percent of protesters were peaceful."
  • Read more here about who the protesters are and what they want from President Emmanuel Macron.

The US is caught in the middle after a senior Huawei executive was arrested in Canada.

The US is caught in the middle after a senior Huawei executive was arrested in Canada.

Here's what you missed:

  • Huawei's chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada earlier this month and faces extradition to the United States, which alleges that she covered up her company's links to a firm that tried to sell equipment to Iran despite US sanctions.
  • A White House official told Reuters that Trump was not made aware of plans to arrest Huawei's CFO before he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
  • China has upped the pressure on the US, saying the arrest warrant should be withdrawn and threatening "further action" if she is not freed.
  • Meng's arrest sent shockwaves through the global markets, with fears that her detainment could escalate the trade war between the US and China.
  • Huawei makes telecommunications kits and smartphones and recently overtook Apple as the world's second biggest smartphone seller behind Samsung. But despite its success, the company has been scrutinized over security concerns because of its ties to China's Communist Party.
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North Carolina is experiencing a "mammoth" storm which has knocked out power for more than 300,000 people.

North Carolina is experiencing a "mammoth" storm which has knocked out power for more than 300,000 people.

Here's what's happening: