The Hill
Staff writer at The Hill
PROFILE
Jesse Byrnes
Guest
FROM Jesse Byrnes
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
What came out of Trump and Putin's sit-down meeting? President Trump had a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday in Hamburg, Germany. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says Trump opened the meeting by talking about Russian interference in the U.S. election. Syria came up too -- the leaders agreed on a ceasefire for a part of that fighting. What else was discussed, and how did the meeting play out in the U.S. and overseas?
To the Point
Gun Control, Back on the Front Burner With Republicans in the majority, gun control has almost no chance on Capitol Hill. But last week's mass killing in Oregon has changed the political calculus. Today, Senate Democrats promised to block other action until GOP members are forced to vote against background checks and other provisions. Next week, Hillary Clinton, Martin O'Malley and Bernie Sanders will display their differences in the party's first presidential debate. We look at the prospects for maintaining momentum for gun control until the November election.
Recommended
The Business
In 'Speechless,' Scott Silveri combines comedy, family & disability Scott Silveri has written and produced sitcoms for more than 20 years. In all that time, he never encountered a TV family that looked anything like the one he grew up in -- with a mom, a dad...and a brother with cerebral palsy. He changed that with his show Speechless on ABC. Silveri tells us about looking to his own past for stories, and why he was determined to make a family comedy and not just a "disability show."
Bookworm
Morgan Parker: There Are More Beautiful Things than Beyoncé Morgan Parker says that the poems in her book There Are Things More Beautiful than Beyoncé take a stand against the clichés of the dominant culture.
Good Food
Shaking up the USDA, 'The Beef Cookbook' and 'Tartine All Day' Peggy Lowe explains why Trump’s pick for USDA Secretary is rattling rural America. Dario Cecchini talks future plans for Chianti ramen, and Richard Turner shares cuts from “PRIME: The Beef Cookbook.” Writer Matthew Sedacca looks at the controversy behind liquid smoke. Jonathan Gold tries Chengdu-style dishes, and Elisabeth Prueitt of Tartine fills us in on the latest. Plus, chef Michael Beckman shares a recipe for cactus confit.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Why is Trump so behind on filling staff jobs, establishing concrete policies? Yesterday Donald Trump signed a “decision memo” to revamp the air traffic control system. But there was little legislative detail in the plan. There’s not much to other splashy announcements from the White House, including tax cuts and the arms deal with Saudi Arabia. And hundreds of positions are unfilled in federal agencies.