| | | | Sessions faces big questions at Tuesday public hearing | | A big day is on deck on Capitol Hill tomorrow, with Attorney General Jeff Sessions set to testify at a public hearing of the Senate intelligence committee -- the first time he'll have done so since he recused himself from the Justice Department's probe into Russian meddling in last year's election and the firing of FBI Director James Comey.
Just some of the big questions: How many times did Sessions meet with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak? The previously reported two, or potentially a third? Why did Sessions recuse himself from the Russia probe -- and why was he later involved in the firing of Comey? Is Sessions' relationship with President Donald Trump strained over his decision to recuse himself from the Russia probe? And when and why will Sessions invoke executive privilege?
How the hearing happened: As late as Sunday, the Justice Department signaled it expected Sessions' testimony to be closed but said the final decision was up to the committee. But behind the scenes, there was significant pushback from Democrats -- including Senate intelligence committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner -- who raised objections with Senate intelligence Chairman Richard Burr that Sessions may be trying to skirt public scrutiny. Discussions between the members continued through Sunday and into Monday morning, two sources said. CNN's Tom LoBianco, Manu Raju and Laura Jarrett have more. | | "We thank you for the opportunity and blessing to serve your agenda." -- White House chief of staff Reince Priebus to President Donald Trump during today's Cabinet meeting. | | | This is a photo from President Donald Trump's actual Cabinet meeting that took place at the White House today -- one where members weirdly went around the room heaping praise on Trump individually.
Then, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer re-enacted his interpretation of the events in the meeting -- trolling Trump's Cabinet for their gushing remarks. "I just want to say, thank you for the opportunity and the blessing to serve your agenda," one aide told Schumer in the video, referencing White House chief of staff Reince Priebus' remarks. Watch the video here. | | Ivanka Trump's tone-deaf 'viciousness' complaint | | President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump said in an interview on "Fox & Friends" this morning that she is surprised by the "viciousness" of the media covering her father's presidency, referring to the growing "cloud" of distractions resulting from the Russia probe. "There is a level of viciousness that I was not expecting," she said. Trump also said that "some of the distractions and some of the ferocity was -- I was a little blindsided by on a personal level." More from CNN's Betsy Klein.
It was impossible to miss the irony of a Trump family member complaining about the tone of national politics. After all, some on Twitter pointed out -- how did Sasha and Malia Obama feel when Donald Trump was leading a baseless "birther" conspiracy theory against their father?
CNN's Chris Cillizza's take: "The problem with that statement, of course, is that it seems willfully blind to the fact that her father, aka the president of the United States, ran one of the most vicious campaigns for president in history and has, so far at least, been a president willing to call names and attack whenever possible. (Think of recent weeks in which he has slammed former FBI Director James Comey as both a 'showboat' and a 'grandstander.') That willful blindness gets to the broader critique of Ivanka Trump's time in the White House. She often appears to be operating in a totally different political world than most people who are closely watching this White House." | | 3 things you might have missed today | | Trump travel ban dealt another defeat: Another federal court has ruled against President Donald Trump's revised executive order limiting travel from six predominantly Muslim countries -- and like other courts, used his tweets against him. The ruling from a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is yet another stinging loss from a court that similarly refused to reinstate Trump's original executive order on travel in February. More from CNN's Laura Jarrett and Ariane de Vogue.
Congressman introduces "COVFEFE Act": Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois has introduced a bill, dubbed the "COVFEFE Act," to require the preservation of a president's social media records. More from CNN's Dylan Stafford.
Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star vandalized -- again: The star was covered in stickers that said, "#IResist Extremist," "#IResist Transphobia" and other signs of dissent during L.A. Pride's Resist March. More from CNN's Paul LeBlanc. | | | Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke informed President Donald Trump that he was delaying his final decision on the controversial Bears Ears National Monument, putting off the final recommendation until later in 2017. ... CNN obtained a rare glimpse into the careers of two Navy SEALs who spent years overseas working on secret, dangerous and high-risk missions that have never before been disclosed in detail. ... The policies Trump proposed in the wake of the Pulse nightclub shooting that claimed lives have yet to become a reality. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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