The story here is consistent with so much else: a deep, inexplicable subservience to/admiration of Putin. Yet this is triggered, apparently by a CNN report, not some angry call from Putin. And a couple months later they went ahead and made the visit anyway. No CNN, no problem.
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) November 12, 2019
Trump sees CNN report of a US Navy ship entering the Black Sea and see it as a challenge to Russia, calls Bolton at home and orders him to cancel the mission.