Why Paul Manafort’s Loving the Clink

[View this email in your browser]( [Advertisement]( [Powered by LiveIntent]( [Ad Choices]( [images-hive-logo (1).jpg]( Why Paul Manafort’s Loving the Clink Good morning! It was another head-spinning day for Europe, dear reader, as Donald Trump elevated [“no puppet, you’re the puppet”]( as the centerpiece of American diplomacy. John Kelly is [eyeing the exits]( as Bill Shine summons the ghost of Roger Ailes in the West Wing. Adam Fisher recalls [the Google massage room](. Jim Jordan is blaming the Deep State for his [sex-abuse scandal](. And [Wall Street still <3 Facebook](. But who wants to talk about yesterday’s news, anyway? Today, Abigail Tracy reveals why legal scholars fear Brett Kavanaugh will nuke the Mueller probe. Bess Levin essays on Paul Manafort’s cushy new prison life. Peter Savodnik games out next week’s Trump-Putin summit in Helsinki. And Chris Smith reports on [“Lover F.B.I. Agent”]( Peter Strzok’s chess match with Congress. We’ll be discussing it all, and more, on this week’s episode of V.F. Hive on Cheddar, which you can watch [here]( or [here]( at noon Eastern. We hope that you’re enjoying what you’re reading. Have a great day! [Brett Kavanaugh]( [“He Is Emphatically a Republican”: Will Kavanaugh Give Trump a Pass on Russia?]( By [Abigail Tracy]( [As legal scholars explained to me, it would not be contradictory for Kavanaugh to uphold the constitutionality of the special counsel but also rule against Robert Mueller’s ability to subpoena the president’s testimony—potentially neutralizing the Russia probe until Trump has left office. In fact, it could be the very first issue he is asked to decide as a Supreme Court justice.]( [Paul Manafort Is Living His Best Life . . . in Prison]( By [Bess Levin]( [The former Trump campaign manager is, in his own estimation, getting the “V.I.P.” treatment.]( [Will Vlad Play the Pee-Pee Tape?: Gaming Out the Trump-Putin Summit in Helsinki]( By [Peter Savodnik]( [The Trump administration is a solipsistic caricature of itself, a long, sad cavalcade of scandals and Twitter mobs. What matters—what ought to matter—is that all the other adults whose job is to lead America and the world in another direction have yet to tell us where they want to go, and how they are going to get there.]( [“Look, I’m Not Defending What Peter Strzok Did”: Behind the Scenes as the Amorous F.B.I. Agent Prepares for His Public Hearing]( By [Chris Smith]( [Strzok, the F.B.I. vet who was booted from the Mueller investigations for anti-Trump texts sent to his inter-office paramour, gets a chance to explain himself on Capitol Hill. And Republicans and Democrats are already spinning.]( [Can Apple Save Siri, the World’s Most Annoying A.I.?]( By [Maya Kosoff]( [For all the creepy efficacy of Amazon’s artificial-intelligence products, Siri is basically nonfunctional. Can Apple change that?]( [Advertisement]( [Powered by LiveIntent]( [Ad Choices]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( This e-mail was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, [vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com]( to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( Copyright © Condé Nast 2018. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.