| | | | | Michael Cohen, former attorney and fixer for President Trump, is sworn in before testifying Wednesday before the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill. Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | | What the White House is Talking About:
President Trump today met with Kim Jong Un in Vietnam. He wrapped an almost two-hour long dinner with the North Korean leader and is expected to sign an agreement of some sort with Kim on Thursday.
What the White House Press Corps is Talking About:
After asking questions during a photo op with Trump and Kim, the wire service reporters were banned from the press pool at the Trump/Kim dinner. Here's how it went down, via one of those reporters.
🚨 Michael Cohen Testifying Today 🚨 :
Re-read Cohen's opening statement here. And follow along with all of the live updates here. I think it's fascinating that even the broadcast networks are carrying Cohen's live testimony. This is clearly an indication of just how pivotal the appearance of Trump's former fixer and personal attorney in front of Congress is to the American people. | | Credit : @brianstelter/Twitter
Meanwhile, Over in Vietnam ... :
There is no question the Cohen news is paramount today, which, let's face it, is clearly going to annoy the President, who is trying to make news of his own in Vietnam. Live updates on the trip here, by the way. Trump and Kim had a lengthy dinner on Wednesday night that included lots of smiley times for the camera -- clearly a cozy relationship on display at the meal. | | Credit : Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
The menu for the dinner was clearly Trump-approved -- shrimp cocktail, steak and chocolate cake, basically. Here are the details:
Shrimp cocktail
Chilled shrimp, romaine leaves, Thousand Islands dressing, diced avocado, fresh lemon and herbs
Grilled sirloin with pear kimchi
Marinated tender sirloin grilled with sauce, served with kimchi fermented inside a pear
Chocolate Lava
Hot runny centered chocolate cake, chocolate crumble, with fresh berries and vanilla ice cream
Dried Persimmon punch
Traditional beverage sweetened with dried persimmon and honey
Trump, a notoriously picky eater who does not like to expand his culinary horizons, probably liked the dinner better than his earlier lunch with the Vietnamese Prime Minister, which included several more local dishes:
Course 1: Fresh shredded green mango salad with scallops, mint leaves and cashew nuts served in a sweet vinaigrette dressing.
Course 2: deep-fried Hanoi style spring rolls with shrimp, pork, vermicelli, and vegetables served with a side of sweet and sour fish sauce and red chiles.
Course 3: king crab meat and spinach in a light seafood-based broth
Course 4: grilled cod fish "cha ca"; roasted Wagyu beef medallions with foie gras and a semi-sweet fermented black rice sauce; sautéed "su su" vegetables with garlic (crispy green chayote stems and leaves); steamed sticky glutinous rice with shrimp wrapped in a lotus leaf.
Course 5: a traditional Vietnamese dessert consisting of lotus seeds, longans, and white wood-ear mushrooms served warm and in a light sugary syrup.
I Don't Know Who Would Want These, But OK:
I enjoy following the press on the ground in Vietnam on their social media accounts (@davidnakamura of the Washington Post is a favorite -- he has great food shots and good tourist color) and seeing what is happening in Hanoi while the summit is taking place. For example, these portraits for sale on a street.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ | | Credit: @SkyNews/Twitter
Our Daily Melania:
Melania Trump will not be responding to requests for comment about Cohen's testimony today -- she hasn't thus far when previous requests have been made over the course of the past year. Cohen referenced Melania in his opening remarks today, expressing his remorse for having lied to her about the Stormy Daniels payout. "[Trump] asked me to pay off an adult film star with whom he had an affair, and to lie to his wife about it, which I did. Lying to the first lady is one of my biggest regrets. She is a kind, good person. I respect her greatly – and she did not deserve that."
In Other News, Sully is The Best:
Guys, remember Sully? President George H.W. Bush's former service dog? Well, Sully had a big day today, too. He was sworn in (with other very good dogs) as hospital corpsman second class at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and will now be of assistance to the many brave wounded service members undergoing treatment at the hospital. Congrats, Sully! | | | Credit: @Julio_Rosas11/Twitter | | What Washington is Talking About:
Michael Cohen's public testimony today before the House Oversight Committee; and the House voted 245-182 to overturn President Trump's state of emergency declaration.
What America is Talking About:
The Cohen testimony; and Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos, who donated $2 billion to charity last year, more than anyone else on Earth.
Gaetz Apologizes for Threatening Tweet to Cohen:
Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz suggested in a tweet yesterday that Cohen had multiple girlfriends and wondered if Cohen's wife will "remain faithful when you're in prison. She's about to learn a lot." Gaetz was ratioed hard, with people tweeting that he was engaging in witness tampering. Gaetz deleted his tweet and apologized in a tweet to Speaker Pelosi, saying it was "NOT my intent to threaten." He's not on the oversight committee but was at the hearing today.
When You Detail Your Disinformation Strategy and Get Banned on Twitter:
Jacob Wohl, an online right activist who rose to prominence by claiming on Twitter to hear people in hipster coffee shops share their secret pro-Trump views, has been banned by Twitter after he confessed to running a disinformation campaign. Wohl told USA Today he made up those hipster coffee shop stories as well as a lot of his other claims, and said he planned to create fake "left-wing properties" on social media to attempt to influence the Democratic primary, which led to his ban. The interview is nuts. You can read it here if you haven't already.
Take It Offline:
The US Cyber Command blocked internet access to the St. Petersburg, Russia-based Internet Research Agency on Election Day 2018 and several days after as part of an offensive cyber campaign, according to the Washington Post. An official said the strike frustrated members of the Russian troll farm and was meant to be a curveball. "We showed what's in the realm of the possible," the official told the Post. "It's not the old way of doing business anymore."
Dem Women Cover Rolling Stone:
The magazine interviewed Speaker Pelosi and Reps. Jahana Hayes, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar for their latest issue. In the Pelosi interview, she's asked about impeachment and as per usual, played it down.
"It's a very disruptive process to put the country through, and it's an opportunity cost in terms of time and resources," she said. "You don't want to go down that path unless it is unavoidable." | | Credit: Rolling Stones
Castro Drops New Logo:
Julián Castro is selling new merch he said was designed by artist Cruz Ortiz. It features a new campaign logo that cleverly stacks the candidate's name to highlight "US," and turns the accented "A" into a torch. Wonder if we'll see the Castro campaign phase out its original logo for this one... | | Credit: @juliancastrotx/instagram
Street Art Sighting:
Projection artist played the Cohen hearing today live on "The Swamp," his exhibit at the Corcoran in Washington. | | Credit: @bellvisuals/Instagram
Tag or DM me your political street art sightings @hunterschwarz on Twitter or Instagram, or email me at coverlinehunter@cnn.com. | | | | | | |
