Newsletter: Today: Trump, the ‘Russia Thing’ and Testimony (First of Two Parts)

Today is the opening act in two days of high drama in the Russia investigation before the Senate Intelligence Committee. I’m Davan Maharaj, editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines I don’t want you to miss.

TOP STORIES

Trump, the ‘Russia Thing’ and Testimony (First of Two Parts)

The forecast in Washington: cloudy with a chance of tweetstorms. The Senate Intelligence Committee will hold high-stakes hearings today and Thursday, as the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election intensifies. Up first will be some of America’s top national security officials, who will no doubt be asked about the leak of a classified report on Russian hacking to the Intercept, among many other issues. But tomorrow is the big event, with fired FBI Director James Comey poised to testify in a potentially explosive hearing. There are rumblings that President Trump could live-tweet, though he has a speech scheduled shortly after Comey begins his testimony. Asked about Comey on Tuesday, Trump said simply: “I wish him luck.” Here’s what to look for, including a seating chart that gives background on each of the senators who’ll be participating.

More Politics

-- Trump appeared to take credit for spurring Saudi Arabia and four other Arab nations to break off ties with Qatar, home to a massive U.S. military base.

-- The president summoned Republican leaders to the White House to discuss his summer legislative agenda, but discord over the healthcare overhaul is slowly grinding it to a halt.

-- Sean Spicer dodged a question about whether Trump retained confidence in Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, hours before reports broke that Sessions had offered to resign.

Is the President Allowed to Block You on Twitter?

The president wants you to know that “The FAKE MSM is working so hard trying to get me not to use Social Media. They hate that I can get the honest and unfiltered message out.” Well, he wants some of you to know — not those people he’s blocked on Twitter. Does that violate your 1st Amendment rights? Attorneys representing two blocked Twitter users say it does, but other legal experts call it a stretch.

The Devil in a Leaked Document’s Details

Call it the case of the telltale printer dots. Shortly after an article was posted on the Intercept exposing “a months-long Russian intelligence cyber effort against elements of the U.S. election and voting infrastructure,” federal contractor Reality Winner (yes, that is her real name) was arrested and charged with violating government security laws. If she was the alleged leaker, how did the authorities know so fast? As columnist Michael Hiltzik explains, the clues were hidden in plain sight and there’s a lesson for anyone who prints sensitive documents.

On Climate Change, Beijing Sees a Golden State Opportunity

Jerry Brown, leader of the free world on climate change? It didn’t take a Calexit for the Golden State to become a quasi-national negotiator with China on the issue, just Trump’s announcement last week he was pulling the U.S. out of the Paris accord. That opened the door for California’s governor to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a visit that was as symbolic as it was substantial. A telling footnote: Energy Secretary Rick Perry is also in Beijing, but there’s no indication he will meet with Xi.

Now They’re Not Cooking With Gas

Speaking of clean energy… Officials are rethinking plans to build natural gas power plants in California. One factor in their decision: A Los Angeles Times investigation showing that the state already has a glut of electricity. Combine that with the cost of building oil- and gas-fueled plants and with the rise of alternatives, and there’s a real push to think off the grid.

L.A.’s Designs on the World

Frank Gehry has some advice for L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti and developers: “They should take the time to understand what is available architecturally, what talent exists.… Not just let people come in with third-rate developments that make the city uglier and uglier.” Six thousand miles away at the Venice Biennale, L.A. artist Mark Bradford is representing the U.S. via works that contend with rage and beauty. They aren’t the only ones to offer their visions in the first issue of DesignLA, a magazine published by the L.A. Times focusing on L.A. as a world center in design, architecture, art and fashion. Page through it here.

MUST-WATCH VIDEO

-- A plan to build homes at the 91-to-110 freeway interchange is back on the table, but it has some people worried.

-- Actress Rutina Wesley of the drama series “Queen Sugar” tells us about the TV shows she loves.

-- Comedian Kevin Hart previews his new book “I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons.”

CALIFORNIA

-- State Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez will become L.A.’s next member of Congress, after L.A. attorney Robert Lee Ahn conceded the race for the 34th Congressional District.

-- What’s the state of education in L.A.? Columnist Steve Lopez hears it from a teacher and former LAUSD board member who is closing out his four-decade career.

-- The state Supreme Court appears closely divided over the constitutionality of a ballot measure to speed up executions. Voters passed it in November.

-- Columnist Robin Abcarian recounts how the car accident she was in turned into an “unexpected, bizarrely festive, and uniquely Los Angeles moment.”

Check out the Essential California newsletter for more news from the Golden State.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- The owner of Rancho Obi-Wan, the Smithsonian of “Star Wars,” is speaking out about a “really devastating” theft of memorabilia.

-- “Late Night” host Seth Meyers discusses the scramble for news in the age of Trump.

-- Screen it from the rooftops: How outdoor movies have become a “selfie paradise” for millennials.

-- Saved by the Max, a “Saved by the Bell”-inspired pop-up diner, is coming to Los Angeles later this year.

CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD

Prince, who was born on this date in 1958, was much more than a prolific musician. His influence reached into all facets of the music industry. This graphic, first published when he died in 2016, breaks down his most notable collaborations.

NATION-WORLD

-- More than 100 Muslim leaders across Britain have joined forces to denounce the actions of the three London Bridge attackers by declaring that they will refuse to perform funeral prayers for them.

-- Islamic State claimed two attacks Wednesday in Tehran: inside the parliament building and in Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s shrine.

-- A hammer-wielding assailant shouting “This is for Syria!” attacked police outside Notre Dame Cathedral, but he was wounded by police before he could seriously injure anyone.

-- Bill Cosby’s accuser faced off against him in court and described, in dramatic and graphic detail, how he allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2004.

-- A neo-Nazi blogger has been promised donations of more than $150,000 for his legal defense after the Southern Poverty Law Center sued him for organizing a “troll storm” against a Jewish woman in Montana.

-- Madagascar’s lemurs are heading toward extinction, but there could be a way to save them.

BUSINESS

-- Uber has fired 20 employees after an independent investigation into harassment claims, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.

-- The golden age of television has brought production roaring back to the Los Angeles area, but now there’s a shortage of soundstage space.

SPORTS

-- An 8-year-old girl and her soccer team were disqualified from a girls tournament in Nebraska because organizers thought she was a boy. Was it her short haircut?

-- A minor league team of the Dodgers has canceled “Hourglass Appreciation Night.” They weren’t talking about a timekeeper.

OPINION

-- A Cosby accuser speaks out about what she calls the actor’s “reprehensible” defense strategy.

-- Trump obsesses over terrorism but ignores the bigger threat: access to firearms.

-- EPA scientists said to ban the pesticide chlorpyrifos. Agency head Scott Pruitt said no, and the reasoning behind it is worrisome.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- “How Donald Trump shifted kids-cancer charity money into his business.” (Forbes)

-- How do you teach humility in an “age of arrogance”? (The Chronicle of Higher Education)

-- Alice Guy-Blaché is said to be the first female filmmaker, but her career has been unsung. (Hyperallergic)

ONLY IN L.A.

What is President Trump doing on the golf course? It’s unlikely he’s learning about zoning policy in Los Angeles. But at a mini-golf course in downtown L.A. that is part art installation and part public planning lecture — and stuck between a quinceañera dress shop and a Sbarro pizza place — you can do just that. Who knew pondering California’s Costa-Hawkins Act could improve your putting?

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.

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