Morning! While you were sleeping (or staying up to binge-watch Friends for the tenth time, or pulling an all-nighter in the library), a few things went down that you’ll probably want to know about. So grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and get scrolling.
Rumor Has It
Taylor Swift and Katy Perry’s longstanding feud is finally over.
The two pop stars have allegedly decided there is no more “bad blood,” only mad love after Perry posted a photo on Instagram Tuesday that showed a plate of cookies with the words “Peace at last” written in icing on the plate.
“feels good ?”, Perry captioned the post, tagging Swift.
Perry and Swift had reportedly been in a feud for years. There have been various theories for how the feud started exactly, but most seem to point to claims that Swift hired some of Perry’s backup dancers for her Red tour, but those dancers allegedly wanted to leave halfway through the show to go work for Perry’s Prism tour, Cosmopolitan reports.
In 2014, Swift told Rolling Stone that her song “Bad Blood” was written about another female star, but declined to name who it was since the drama “had to do with business.”
“She basically tried to sabotage an entire arena tour,” Swift said. “She tried to hire a bunch of people out from under me. And I’m surprisingly non-confrontational — you would not believe how much I hate conflict. So now I have to avoid her. It’s awkward, and I don’t like it.”
From there, things spiraled so badly that the 2015 Grammy organizers reportedly had to keep the two singers separate during the show, according to Us Weekly.
Last year many speculated that Perry’s single “Swish Swish” was about Swift, and the singer confirmed the backup dancers story during an appearance on “Carpool Karaoke.”
Perry told host James Corden that she had given the backup dancers her blessing to join Swift’s tour, and advised them that she would be going on tour later so, if they wanted to rejoin her, they should make sure to put something in their contracts to allow them to leave Swift’s tour.
Perry said that when the time came and the dancers went to tour management to explain, they were fired, CNN reports.
When she tried to discuss it with Swift, she said the “ME!” singer refused to talk to her.
“It was a full shutdown, and then she writes a song about me, and I’m like, ‘OK, cool, cool, cool, that’s how you want to deal with it?’” Perry said. “Karma!”
Perry added, “I’m ready for that B.S. to be done.”
We’re just glad they are in a better place now. Maybe we could get a collab now? Just asking for a friend.
News You Can Eat
A Harry Potter-themed pop-up café has debuted in New York City and it’s literally out of this (wizarding) world.
Steamy Hallows in NYC’s East Village neighborhood has become an instant hit with Harry Potter fans as it boasts an impressive menu of wizarding world-themed food and drinks, Delish reports.
Steamy Hallows is an immersive Harry Potter experience with witch- and wizard-themed decor, like crystal balls, steaming cauldrons and Harry Potter-themed art.
While the Harry Potter-themed café serves the standard coffee drinks, like iced coffee and lattes, the main appeal for Potterheads is the Harry Potter-inspired treats. According to Elite Daily, the café offers a crafted drink called “Love Potion Number 9 3/4 Latte,” which is made with dark chocolate, rose essence, raspberry passion foam, and espresso. Sounds absolutely magical!
And if you’re looking to get the Harry Potter universe’s most classic drink (AKA Butterbeer), Steamy Hallows’ version will be right up your (diagon) alley.
The popular drink has the same cream soda-meets-butterscotch flavor profile, but it’s topped with edible gold glitter. How enchanting!
Even if you’re not a coffee fan, a trip to the coffee shop is worth it just for their cups alone, which are dark with gold lettering that spells out “Steamy Hallows” in a spooky, yet magical font.
Steamy Hallow is a temporary pop-up, so it’s not certain how long they will remain open. So, grab your broom and head over to Steamy Hallows, like now.
Then This Happened
Hope Hicks, a former aide to President Donald Trump, has agreed to testify before the House Judiciary Committee next Wednesday as the committee investigates whether the president obstructed justice.
The Washington Post first reported Wednesday that Hicks will be the first former aide to testify before the House committee. The committee is investigating whether Trump attempted to obstruct justice during special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Just in from @RepJerryNadler: Hope Hicks will testify behind closed doors on June 19, Judiciary Committee plans “to make the transcript promptly available to the public.” pic.twitter.com/4tl1CaHHKi
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) June 12, 2019
“Today, I am pleased to announce Hope Hicks will appear before the Committee for a transcribed interview,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) said. “It is important to hear from Ms. Hicks, who was a key witness for the Special Counsel.”
“Ms. Hicks understands that the Committee will be free to pose questions as it sees fit, including about her time on the Trump Campaign and her time in the White House. Should there be a privilege or other objection regarding any question, we will attempt to resolve any disagreement while reserving our right to take any and all measures in response to unfounded privilege assertions,” Nadler added. “We look forward to her testimony and plan to make the transcript promptly available to the public.”
According to ABC News, the White House had directed Hicks to ignore the request to testify, and had previously blocked former White House counsel Don McGahn from testifying before the committee about his interactions with Trump.
The committee issued subpoenas for documents and testimony from Hicks last month.
Hicks resigned as the White House’s communications director last year as Mueller ramped up his investigation, HuffPost reports.
Happy Thoughts
Happy Cupcake Lover’s Day!