White House Chief of Staff John Kelly formally leaves his post this Wednesday, Jan. 2, and he discussed his time with President Trump in an exit interview with the Los Angeles Times published Sunday.

Kelly described an administration in chaos on his arrival to the White House last summer. For example, Trump wanted to withdraw the United States from the war in Afghanistan, Kelly said, which "was a huge decision to make ... and frankly there was no system at all for a lot of reasons — palace intrigue and the rest of it." Pushing back on perceptions that Trump's decision-making is emotional and divorced from fact, Kelly said he kept Trump "fully informed" of the consequences of his choices.

He also spoke at length about immigration policy, faulting former Attorney General Jeff Sessions for the administration's court-halted policy of separating migrant children from their families at the border. "What happened was Jeff Sessions, he was the one that instituted the zero-tolerance process on the border that resulted in both people being detained and the family separation," Kelly said. "He surprised us."

As for Trump's promise to wall off the southern border, Kelly quibbled about terminology — "To be honest, it's not a wall" — but insisted a physical barrier is the recommendation of "salt-of-the-earth, Joe-Six-Pack" border patrol agents.

Working as Trump's chief of staff has been a "bone-crushing hard job," Kelly mused, "but you do it." Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney will do it next as acting chief of staff.

Read the full interview at the Los Angeles Times here. Bonnie Kristian

The Michael Avenatti Nike extortion saga just got even stranger.

Prosecutors on Monday indicted Avenatti, Stormy Daniels' former lawyer, for allegedly trying to extort $20 million from Nike, saying he and a co-conspirator threatened to release damaging information about the company unless they were paid millions of dollars. While prosecutors didn't name the co-conspirator, The Wall Street Journal reports that it is celebrity attorney Mark Geragos.

Geragos was hired as a member of the legal defense team of Jussie Smollett, the Empire actor who has been charged over allegedly staging a fake hate crime against himself, in February, per CBS Chicago. He's also currently a lawyer for Colin Kaepernick, per The Daily Beast. Geragos' previous clients have included Michael Jackson and Chris Brown.

Geragos and Avenatti allegedly met with Nike lawyers on March 19 to make their demands, and the Journal reports Boies Schiller subsequently recorded another conversation with Avenatti at the request of prosecutors. Avenatti tweeted that he would soon be "holding a press conference to disclose a major high school/college basketball scandal perpetrated by Nike" shortly before the charges against him were announced.

Geragos has also been a CNN legal analyst, but CNN said on Monday that he is no longer a contributor for the network, per reporter Justin Baragona. CNN itself on Monday backed up the Journal's reporting, noting Geragos had not responded to a request for comment. Brendan Morrow

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had to cut his visit to the U.S. short on Monday after his country began bombing Hamas targets in the disputed Gaza Strip. Yet judging by the very uninformative video President Trump tweeted after the curtailed visit, and by Monday comments by Vice President Mike Pence, he's undoubtedly on their good side.

Last week, Trump unexpectedly tweeted that he'd recognize Israel's sovereignty over Golan Heights, a region long the subject of an Israeli-Syrian dispute. Netanyahu visited the U.S. shortly after to be there when Trump made the proclamation official. And even though Netanyahu's Gaza Strip bombing started while he was still in America, Golan Heights was the only topic in the wordless, dramatically scored video Trump shared later.

Trump did acknowledge Israel's apparent attack on Hamas terrorist cells in the Palestinian territory of Gaza on Monday, saying he supported "our friends in Israel as they carry out an incredible way of life in the face of great terror," per CNN. The bombing came after two rockets were fired at Tel Aviv last week, which did not cause any damage, but which Israel blamed on Hamas, Reuters says.

Netanyahu left before he could make his annual speech at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy Conference. Benny Gantz, a centrist whom Netanyahu faces in a tough upcoming election, still made an appearance. Vice President Mike Pence, meanwhile, used his AIPAC slot to decry Democrats who boycotted the conference. Kathryn Krawczyk

Apple is officially entering the streaming wars.

Apple on Monday announced its brand new streaming service, Apple TV+, during an event in Cupertino. After showing off a montage of clips from upcoming original shows, the company described Apple TV+ as "not just another streaming service" but rather "the destination where the world's greatest storytellers will bring their best ideas to life."

Several of those storytellers were in attendance on Monday to speak briefly about their shows. The line-up consisted of Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell, Jason Momoa, Alfre Woodard, Kumail Nanjiani, J.J. Abrams, Sara Bareilles, and even Big Bird.

The event ended with Oprah Winfrey, who said she's excited to work with Apple because the fact that they're "in a billion pockets" represents a "major opportunity to make a genuine impact." She's working on two documentaries for Apple, one about sexual harassment and one about mental health, and says Apple will also stream book club conversations. "I want to literally convene a meeting of the minds connecting us through books," she said.

Apple ended its event without revealing how much the service will cost, which had remained one of the biggest unanswered questions heading in. But it was announced that the service will be ad-free and available in more than 100 countries, with content being downloadable and new programming coming each month. It's set to launch sometime this fall — meaning it will likely debut around the same time as Disney's streaming service, Disney+. Brendan Morrow

There might be some concern from congressional Democrats after Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation did not definitively find that the Trump campaign colluded with Russian interference in 2016 — no doubt dashing some longstanding impeachment dreams.

But the Democrats campaigning for the party's 2020 presidential nomination? Well, they're not too concerned. And they haven't been for a while.

The Washington Post and The New York Times both report there has been — for quite a while — a "dichotomy" between what was captivating Washington and what the voters on the road actually care about: policy and President Trump's performance as commander-in-chief.

So while the consensus is that Mueller's investigation appears to be a victory for the Trump administration, it may also serve as a boon for his possible 2020 competitors, who now have more clarity about what direction they should take their campaigns. Read more at The Washington Post and The New York Times. Tim O'Donnell

The third time is most certainly not the Brexit charm.

After suffering two failures, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May said Monday there isn't "sufficient support" to bring her proposed Brexit deal for a third vote in Parliament. The announcement effectively spells the end of May's wildly unpopular plan, piling even more uncertainty onto Britain's delayed EU departure.

May's plan for a "slow Brexit" has been rejected twice, with a historic 432-202 denial in January sparking a no-confidence vote in the leader. There's since been little visible progress to find a deal both May's Conservative Party and the opposition Labour will agree on, leading the EU to agree to delay Brexit until June 30 at May's request. In the meantime, the Labour Party has floated the idea of running a second Brexit referendum that could keep Britain in the EU after all. Kathryn Krawczyk

Apple has its own credit card now.

The company at an event on Monday announced Apple Card, which users can sign up for on their phone. They receive a digital card, which they can use to receive 2 percent cash back on Apple Pay purchases, per The Verge. Apple also touted "no late fees, no annual fees, no international fees, and no over limit fees." Purchases can be monitored through the Wallet app.

Although Apple Card is digital, you can also get an actual, physical card, which is made out of titanium and has the user's name laser etched into it. It has no card number, no CVV security code, no expiration date, and no signature. Purchases made with the physical card will earn users 1 percent cash back.

Apple also announced its news subscription service, which will feature content from 300 magazines and cost $9.99 per month, per The Hollywood Reporter. Brendan Morrow