MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Well, here in Washington, we all have been captivated by the Mueller hearings today, even the brunch crowd.
LAUREL WHEELER: I wanted to watch it in a public setting where I could have a Bloody Mary and take it all in (laughter).
KELLY: That's Laurel Wheeler from Northern Virginia. She was here in town to hit up a tavern that opened early so that people like her could watch the hearings. Bar service started at 11 this morning.
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Almost 3,000 miles away in Portland, Ore., the Bipartisan Cafe was bustling. Congressional hearings are their bread and butter. It's a politics-themed coffee shop. Twenty-six-year-old Maya Williams usually works in an office. But today, she was set up at the cafe so she could watch the hearings.
MAYA WILLIAMS: I think that people don't necessarily pay attention to this because there are so many other, like, buzzworthy issues at hand with the Trump administration. And so to hear these long-form reports coming out, they deserve attention for sure.
KELLY: Twenty-eight-year-old grad student Roland Hart was there at the cafe, too. He does not think today's proceedings will result in congressional action. He does think Mueller's testimony still matters.
ROLAND HART: I think it's so important that he is going on TV and being listened to by the American public. And hopefully, that will help to disseminate this information to a broader public so they can realize, you know, how bad of a situation this is.
SHAPIRO: Not everyone is paying such close attention to Mueller's testimony. College sophomore Joe Mann was between classes at Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis.
JOE MANN: I'm not even sure what that is.
SHAPIRO: Mann says he's not much into politics, but he is a fan of President Trump.
MANN: I've been enjoying him as a president. I think that I would vote for him, but I don't usually vote, so...
KELLY: Back at the Bipartisan Cafe, 85-year-old Portland resident Moe Bragg just wanted to have breakfast. He thinks the hearings are political posturing.
MOE BRAGG: I think there's a lot of hubbub going on that really isn't necessary. I'd like to see them do something a little more important.
KELLY: Bragg said he'd be thrilled if Congress got back to the business of governing.
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