Newsletter: Today: Jeff Sessions’ Less-Than-Total Recall
Jeff Sessions did not recall quite a few things, but he called any claims he was involved in Russian attempts to influence the presidential election a “detestable lie.” I’m Davan Maharaj, editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines I don’t want you to miss today.
TOP STORIES
Jeff Sessions’ Less-Than-Total Recall
Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions was adamant in “defending my honor against scurrilous and false allegations” and called any hint of collusion with Russia in the election “an appalling and detestable lie.” He was steadfast in refusing to describe his interactions with President Trump. And, when asked about meetings and conversations or other Trump campaign members, he was often hazy. “I don’t recall” was one phrase of the day. Did the nearly three hours of testimony, prefaced by a hug from Sessions’ wife, change any minds? Hard to say, but it did distract from Trump’s visit to Wisconsin to promote his economic record. Here are nine key moments, a look at his style in answering questions (or not), and a side-by-side comparison of Sessions’ and Comey’s accounts of events.
More Politics
-- Trump called the House-passed healthcare bill “a great plan” at a Rose Garden ceremony last month; on Tuesday, congressional sources say, he told Republican senators it is “mean” and urged them to craft a version that is “more generous.”
-- Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump “has the right” but “no intention” to fire special counsel Robert Mueller.
-- Nevertheless, she persisted: Sen. Kamala Harris and Sessions faced off over his refusal to answer Senate questions. She got interrupted by Sen. John McCain, and Sessions got “nervous.”
-- Times political analyst Cathleen Decker explains how the Sessions hearing gave an ambitious class of new senators from both parties a chance to stand out.
North Korea Releases an American, and the Worm Returns
It’s a question for the ages: What’s going on in Pyongyang? Just as Defense Secretary James Mattis had labeled North Korea the “most urgent” threat to national security because of its nuclear weapons and missile tests, word came that imprisoned University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier was being flown home. His parents said they had learned just last week that their son has been in a coma for more than a year. And just as Warmbier was released, word came that Dennis “The Worm” Rodman was back in North Korea, fueling all kinds of speculation that the White House shot down.
Uber Vows to Stop Hustlin’
After years of being Silicon Valley’s bad boy, Uber says it’s trying to get on the straight and narrow. It’s unveiled 47 recommendations from an outside review (read it here) that it plans to implement, including eliminating its corporate value of “Always Be Hustlin’.” At the same time, Uber co-founder and CEO Travis Kalanick says he’s taking an indefinite leave of absence to grieve for his mother, killed in a recent boating accident, and to reflect on the company. Then, just when some folks might have thought about undeleting their Uber app, a board member made a joke about women at a companywide meeting addressing the harassment of women. That board member resigned.
Boycott (Your Ad Here)!
What do Breitbart, “Hannity,” “Julius Caesar” and Megyn Kelly have in common? They’ve all created media firestorms that have led to boycott calls against the advertisers who support them. Such boycotts aren’t new, but the speed at which they spread, fueled by social media and partisan feelings about Trump, is.
O.C. Snitch Scandal? Fake News, a Grand Jury Says
Orange County prosecutors and sheriff’s deputies have faced allegations of running a secret jailhouse informant program to obtain confessions from criminal defendants for years. After a months-long investigation, a grand jury says those accusations are a critic- and media-fueled “myth.” Meanwhile, federal and state investigations continue.
MUST-WATCH VIDEO
-- Sessions makes his opening statement before the Senate Intelligence Committee.
-- Four memorable moments from Sessions’ testimony.
-- “Great News” star Andrea Martin has come a long way from playing a chicken on “Captain Kangaroo.”
CALIFORNIA
-- Here’s another reminder to get prepared for an earthquake: Signs of California “mega-quakes” in the past show the danger of the Big One on the San Andreas fault.
-- Gov. Jerry Brown and lawmakers have unveiled a final state budget deal, finally deciding how to spend tobacco tax dollars and boost the bottom line of California’s largest public employee pension fund.
-- Can a genuine, bona fide, electrified monorail over the 405 Freeway ease the traffic? L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti thinks it might.
-- Did you enjoy that cool June gloom earlier this week? Sweltering heat is coming soon, and it will increase the snowmelt along the Sierra Nevada.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- Megyn Kelly’s interview of Alex Jones raises the question: Should certain people be refused a platform?
-- The L.A. Film Festival starts today, looking more and more to reflect the city in which it’s held.
-- R&B singer-songwriter Tinashe has sparked a debate about discrimination based on skin color. “If you’re a black woman, you’re either Beyoncé or Rihanna,” she said.
-- Princeton professor and California native Tracy K. Smith has been named as the new U.S. poet laureate, and at age 45 she is one of the youngest to be so honored.
CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD
Rodney Dangerfield joked he got no respect, but this week in 1986 his film “Back to School” opened No. 1 at the box office. The comic plays a rich but uneducated businessman who attends college with his son. What did he think of “The Great Gatsby”? “He was ... uh ... great!”
NATION-WORLD
-- Firefighters battled a massive fire in an apartment high-rise in London. Deaths were reported and dozens were hospitalized.
-- The House gave final passage to a bill that will make it easier for the troubled Veterans Affairs Department to fire managers accused of misconduct.
-- Republican Ed Gillespie has narrowly won his party’s nomination in Virginia’s race for governor, eking out a victory against an ardent Trump supporter.
-- Jurors in Pennsylvania spent a second day deliberating the Bill Cosby case, and they had several questions.
-- Iran has banned women from dancing, cycling, watching soccer matches, listening to certain music and now … Zumba.
BUSINESS
-- What company sees plenty of opportunity in Uber’s missteps? Lyft, of course.
-- So long, Yahoo. We hardly knew ye.
SPORTS
-- Star Angels center fielder Mike Trout says he could return from a torn left thumb ligament well ahead of the standard timeline for his injury.
-- The Lakers still seem split over whether to use their No. 2 pick in the NBA draft on Lonzo Ball or Josh Jackson.
OPINION
-- Firing Mueller would be a stupid, reckless act even for Trump.
-- The Senate is about to ram through Trumpcare. This is not a drill; it’s an emergency.
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- Since Trump won the GOP nomination, most of his companies’ real estate sales have been to shell companies that obscure buyers’ identities. (USA Today)
-- The story of how the film “The Joy Luck Club” got made, despite Hollywood’s lack of Asian Americans on screen. (BuzzFeed News)
-- What’s the most visited museum in the world? It’s no longer the Louvre. (Smithsonian Magazine)
ONLY IN L.A.
It’s time for ... Abraham Lincoln! Dodgers broadcasting legend Vin Scully is taking a couple of days off from retirement to narrate Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait,” which features the words of the 16th president, with music conducted by Gustavo Dudamel at the Hollywood Bowl. Quite the all-star lineup.
Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.
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