Vox Sentences: Some questions for Matthew Whitaker

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Acting AG, Matthew Whitaker, testifies; Supreme Court Rules Abortion Law in Louisiana

Whitaker denies any interference in the investigation of Mueller

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

• Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said Friday in Congress that he He had taken no steps to interfere with the investigation of the special advocate Robert Mueller in the 2016 presidential election. [Vox / Jen Kirby]
• During an intense interrogation led by the House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) Whitaker also denied ever having talked about the Mueller probe with President Trump or anyone in the White House. [NYT / Katie Benner, Nicholas Fandos, and Charlie Savage]
• In a confusing statement last month, Whitaker said that Mueller's investigation was "almost complete [ing]". This contradicts further information that Mueller needed more time to complete his investigation. [Politico / Andrew Desiderio and Darren Samuelsohn]
• Democrats on the panel asked questions on a wide range of topics, including whether Trump had avenged Whitaker about federal charges against Michael Cohen, how Whitaker had even become AG and if, in his opinion, Mueller's investigation was a "witch hunt". [The Hill]
• "Bring your popcorn," said Representative Doug Collins (R-GA), chairman of the GOP on the committee, calling the trial a "political theater." Collins even called to adjourn the hearing, but the Democrats turned the corner. [CNN / Jeremy Herb and Alex Rogers]
• A snapshot of the disputed hearing: "Mr. Mr. Speaker, I see your time is up, "Whitaker told Nadler when he asked her if he had already approved the actions taken by the special council. The Democratic panel responded with a laugh at Whitaker's avoidance of the question. The comment was also a violation of the protocol – as president, Nadler is the one who sets the speaking time, not Whitaker. [Vox / Aaron Rupar]
• There was even some doubt that Whitaker would come forward to testify; On Wednesday, he refused to answer the Democrats' questions unless the Democrats promised not to summon him, which Nadler finally accepted. The whole exchange symbolizes the tense relationship between the Trump administration and the Democratic House. [Washington Post / Devlin Barrett and Matt Zapotosky]

We are about to revisit Roe v. Wade?

• The Supreme Court prevented Louisiana Thursday night from enforcing a law that would have closed at least two of the state's three remaining abortion clinics. It is a temporary decision while the Court decides to hear the case. If they do, Roe v. Wade could finally be overthrown. [Vox / Anna North]
• The law requires that abortion providers in Louisiana have admission privileges to the hospital, which it is often difficult for them to obtain. In 2016, the Supreme Court ruled that a similar law in Texas was unconstitutional. [NPR / Nina Totenberg, Domenico Montanaro, Richard Gonzales, and Barbara Campbell]
• Chief Justice John Roberts, who is generally a Conservative, but now represents the most likely alternative vote of the Court, voted with a majority of 5 to 4, although he may have sided with liberals just to stop until the case is heard again. [NYT / Adam Liptak]
• Although only Judge Brett Kavanaugh dissented on the suspension, this decision could indicate that Conservative Roberts Court is not yet ready to overthrow Roe v. Wade . [Rolling Stone / Tessa Stuart]

Miscellaneous

• Jeff Bezos wrote an article on Medium, accusing the National Enquirer of "extortion and blackmail" because the publication threatened to publish embarrassing pictures of him. The founder of the Amazon, who also owns the Washington Post, has emerged as the defender of the truth. And Trump can be involved. [Atlantic / Alana Semuels]
• Democrats said the sexual assault charges against Brett Kavanaugh should have saved him from running for the Supreme Court last fall. Now that Democratic governor Justin Fairfax, a native of Virginia, faces charges of sexual assault, members of her party have been slower to comment. [Vice News / Matt Laslo]
• A recently transcribed conversation reveals that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had declared in 2017 that he would "use a bullet" if journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi did not stop publishing articles criticizing the government Saudi. [NYT / Mark Mazzetti]
• We are asking for more oil at the same time as we want more responses to climate change. Energy giants such as ExxonMobil plan to increase their investments despite popular sentiments expressing costs for the planet. [Economist]
• You can access FaceTime again. Apple fixed a bug that allowed users to access audio from receivers even if they were not capturing. [Wired / Lily Hay Newman]

Verbatim

"John is beaten to get health insurance – and he won. He fought to pass Medicaid – and he won. He fought for civil rights – and he won. He fought for the endangered species law and the air quality law – and he won. [ Senator Carl Levin in a 2005 statement on former representative John Dingell Jr. (D-MI), the longest-serving congressman, died Thursday via the New York Times ]

Look at this: American cocaine fueled the migration crisis

and destroyed Guatemala and Honduras. [ YouTube / Christina Thornell and Sam Ellis ]

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