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A week that began with a reset ended with Russia, the scandal that refuses to go away.

On Tuesday night, when Donald Trump delivered his first speech before a joint session of Congress, there was a new tone, in marked contrast to the shrillness of his American carnage inaugural, and even new tailoring, a more sleekly fitted suit.

His Twitter feed, that angry scream of consciousness, had also been unusually quiet.

"THANK YOU!" he wrote in caps on Wednesday morning, after his speech received admiring reviews not just from Republicans but some Democratic pundits as well.

Then on Wednesday night, after a day of unusually flattering coverage, came the triple whammy of stories from the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal: Russia, Russia, Russia.

HisAttorney General Jeff Sessions, America's top law enforcement official, was accused of lying to Congress when he denied having any communications with the Russians.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption House Speaker Paul Ryan's (right) party controls both chambers of Congress and the presidency

At the precise moment some White House officials hoped to have stabilised the Trump presidency after a wobbly start, the Russian revelations again had a destabilising effect.

Now it has emerged that five Trump advisers, including the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, interacted with the Russian ambassador, Sergei Kislyak.

Tuesday night's speech put the Republican leadership on Capitol Hill more firmly behind Trump. A delighted House Speaker Paul Ryan called it a "home run".

The Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell declared that Trump had become "presidential", especially in that emotional