UNDER THE BUS. Gordon Sondland creams Trump and all the president’s men at impeachment hearing. “Gordon D. Sondland testified that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed off on the pressure campaign, and that he told Vice President Mike Pence about an apparent link between military aid for Ukraine and investigations of Democrats. Mr. Sondland confirmed there was a “clear quid pro quo” for a White House meeting between President Trump and Ukraine’s president.”
MIKE POMPEO. “I didn’t see a single thing today. I was working. Sounds like you might not have been.”
From Sondland’s opening statement: “There is a July 19 email that I sent to Secretary Pompeo, Secretary Perry, Brian McCormack (Perry’s Chief of Staff), Ms. Kenna, Acting Chief of Staff and OMB Director Mick Mulvaney (White House), and Mr. Mulvaney’s Senior Advisor Robert Blair. A lot of senior officials. Everyone was in the loop. It was no secret. Everyone was informed via email on July 19, days before the Presidential call. As I communicated to the team, I told President Zelensky in advance that assurances to ‘run a fully transparent investigation’ and ‘turn over every stone’ were necessary in his call with President Trump.”
WTF. A Hollywood executive suggested Julia Roberts play Harriet Tubman in the ’90s.
JUSSIE SMOLLETT. Former Empire actor sues city of Chicago and top cop over fallout since his staged hate crime: “Despite the dismissal of all charges against Mr. Smollett, the CPD’s prosecution of Mr. Smollett based on the Osundairo Brothers’ false statements about the attack has caused Mr. Smollett to be the subject of mass public ridicule and harm to him personally.”
NIKKI HALEY. UN ambassador used unclassified communications channels for classified information after she lost her password.
GOLDEN SHOWERS. Matt Damon wants to clear up the urban myth about peeing on jellyfish stings.
SAO PAULO. Inside the gay underground. “The « Centro », as is defined this part of the city, is the beating heart of the artistic and sexual scene of the city. It is in this rather dangerous part of São Paulo that a pure form of sexual expression takes place, where all do not have to feel threatened of being judged for their promiscuous behavior.”
COVER GIRL OF THE DAY. RuPaul shot by Annie Leibovitz.
007. Henry Cavill was told he looked “a little chubby” when auditioning for the role of James Bond.
THE MORNING SHOW. Early critical reviews of the Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon show blamed on Apple haters. Audiences have since come around. “I just felt there were a lot of Apple haters and wanting Apple to fail.”
LANGUAGE LESSON OF THE DAY. The Crown star Helena Bonham Carter teaches Stephen Colbert to speak like a royal.
MASHUP OF THE DAY. DJ Earworm’s songs of the decade. 100 songs from the 2010s in one mash-up.
HUMP DAY HAIRY. Justin Russo.
