EX, LIES, AND AUDIOTAPE
Like a trailer that gives away too much of the movie, ex-FBI Director James Comey's pre-released opening statement may have taken some of the air out of his live testimony; the most hotly-anticipated television event since the Dallas episode in which viewers learned who shot JR. Comey said he leaked his notes to the media through a friend, in part because, he "thought it might prompt the appointment of a special counsel." Comey also indicated that he took notes after talking to Trump because "I was honestly concerned he might lie about the nature of our meeting." And on the initial reasons the administration's gave for his firing: "Those were lies, plain and simple." As to whether Trump really taped the the now infamous and somewhat stunning dinner exchange, Comey said: "Lordy, I hope there are tapes." (Yeah, bigly.) And like every hearing in the recent past (and one imagines, for the foreseeable future), there was talk of Hillary's email server.
From WaPo: 7 takeaways from Comey's extraordinary testimony. + Lawfare on the written testimony issued before the hearings: "Despite this sparseness, or maybe I should say because of it, it is the most shocking single document compiled about the official conduct of the public duties of any President since the release of the Watergate tapes." + Perhaps the biggest surprise of the big day in DC was that Donald Trump didn't live-Tweet the hearings. Well, actually, one Donald Trump did.
KASOWITZ AND GIGGLES
"Contrary to numerous false press accounts leading up to today's hearing, Mr. Comey has now finally confirmed publicly what he repeatedly told the President privately: The President was not under investigation as part of any probe into Russian interference." Here's the (annotated) reaction to the Comey testimony from Team Trump, delivered by Trump's longtime personal attorney Marc Kasowitz. + Paul Ryan on Trump's interactions with Comey: "He's new to this."
LOVE QATARS LIKE A KNIFE
This was President Trump on his meeting with the Emir of Qatar: "We've been friends now for a long time, haven't we? Our relationship is extremely good. [We'll discuss] the purchase of lots of beautiful military equipment, because nobody makes it like the United States. First, that means jobs. It also means, frankly, great security back here.'" The meeting was part of an effort to build a cohesive coalition in the Middle East. Then the Saudis isolated Qatar, and the president tweeted: "During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar – look." Confused? So is The New Yorker's Robin Wright: Trump Sabotages His New Middle East Alliance. + Further complicating matters in the region (if that's possible), Iran was hit by a terror attack on Wednesday, and ISIS claimed credit.
SHE WORK
"The Wing bills itself as 'an offline destination for women to build essential relationships, hatch plans and you know…run the world, together.' Practically speaking, that means a place where its members can spend the day working at the loft's communal tables, having a drink and socializing, taking a shower or getting a blowout, and attending a wreath-making workshop or book club." Shared workspaces are nothing new. But some of the quite popular ones have a key rule: No dudes. From Village Voice: Inside The Gig Economy's New Wave Of Women's Clubs. + Uber has fired more than 20 people in connection with an internal review of sexual harassment charges. That somehow led to this headline: CEO Travis Kalanick has started meditating in Uber's lactation room. The way the negative stories are multiplying, he may need to implement surge meditating. + At London's Badoo (a Tinder-esque app), they are bucking the trend: Job Perks Include Pole Dancers and Sushi Served on Models.
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