A special line of contact between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, bypassing a “hostile” US government, was discussed by the Russian ambassador to Washington and Michael Flynn. Flynn and other advisers with the Trump campaign were in touch with Russian officials and others with Kremlin ties in at least 18 calls and emails during the last seven months of the 2016 presidential race, current and former US officials familiar with the exchanges told Reuters. The previously undisclosed interactions form part of the record now being reviewed by FBI and congressional investigators probing Russian interference in...