The Morning Briefing: Prison-Bound Cohen to Testify in Public and Much, Much More

Good Wednesday morning!

Here is what’s on President Trump’s agenda today:

The president participates in a photo opportunity with the prime minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
President Trump participates in a restricted bilateral meeting with the prime minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
The president participates in an expanded working lunch with the prime minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
President Trump participates in a greeting with the chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
The president participates in a one-on-one conversation with the chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
President Trump participates in a social dinner with the chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Trump’s North Korea visit:

Later this morning, the president will be meeting with Kim Jong Un and then participate in a dinner, so there is no substantive information to report yet about this meeting. There is lots of speculating and berating from the smart set, however. Stay tuned today for more updates. President Trump will meet with Kim at 6:40 a.m. ET and then there will be a dinner at 7:00 a.m. ET.

Trump urges North Korea to denuclearize ahead of summit

I feel this. Dutch customs seizes 90,000 bottles of vodka thought heading to North Korea

Trump signs Boeing trade agreement with Vietnam

Former Trump lawyer Cohen to testify today

Prison-bound Cohen lied to Congress and others, which is one of the reasons he is in legal trouble. Is he now telling the truth? Who knows, but Cohen is not really a credible witness. Cohen took Trump’s money with no ethical qualms about the things he is now alleging. Did he make a deal to get a shorter prison term? Most likely he did. This investigation is all part of the anti-Trump movement’s plan to gum up the wheels of the Trump administration because they lost the election. And it is how the federal prosecutors operate: bleed their targets dry financially and emotionally so they just give them whatever they want, to save their family, to save their lives. This process isn’t about guilt or innocence or fact-finding. Anyone who cares about the system of justice in this country should be alarmed at the administrative state’s power and reach that this “investigation” has revealed. If Cohen had delivered proof that Trump committed espionage by conspiring with the RUSSIANS to cheat America out of a fair election — the alleged pretense of this entire witch hunt — Mueller would probably not wait and let Trump continue as president. Everything else is just grist for the anti-Trump mill and propaganda. By the way, Cohen’s lawyer is Clinton buddy Lanny Davis.

Here is Cohen’s opening statement.

NOTES: Cohen says he has no direct evidence, only suspicions, that Trump colluded with RUSSIA. Take a number, criminal. Cohen says Roger Stone called Trump and said he talked to Julian Assange about the WikiLeaks email dumps before the leaks. Stone is an embellisher, so even if this did happen, it doesn’t mean Stone wasn’t puffing himself up for Trump. It certainly doesn’t show that Trump worked with WikiLeaks.

Cohen: ‘I look forward to’ public hearing

Cohen to accuse Trump of knowing about Roger Stone Wikileaks plot, but deny ‘direct evidence’ of Russia collusion

Trump says Cohen lying in bid to reduce prison time

Five things to watch as Michael Cohen testifies

How is this a threat? The guy is already convicted and going to jail. Rep. Matt Gaetz Threatens Michael Cohen With Info On Alleged ‘Girlfriends’

Rep. Matt Gaetz apologizes for tweet suggesting Michael Cohen has ‘girlfriends’

Amazing: Rare WWII color photos bring history to life

From the karma bus:

Woman faces deportation after allegedly assaulting man in MAGA hat

Historical picture of the day:

Flames engulf the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, Feb. 27, 1933. A Dutch anarchist was arrested for arson, but Nazis blamed the Communists. Days later, Hitler used the fire as a reason to suspend civil rights and shut down opposition press and political parties. (AP Photo)

Other morsels:

Former U.S. AG Whitaker to clarify House testimony: Nadler

Lovely. Student’s MAGA Apparel Allegedly Gets Ripped Off At School: ‘Take That Sh*t Off N*****’

Why would a state give up its power like this? Colorado Set To Become 12th State Moving To Kill Electoral College

OH COME ON. These Boys Were Killed In The First World War — Now The Supreme Court Must Decide If Their Cross-Shaped Memorial Can Stand

Fix NICS dummies. Arizona Republican proposes using TSA Precheck for buying guns

She is right. Kamala Harris thinks sex work should be ‘decriminalized’

Decorated transgender troops to testify before Congress

AT&T wins legal fight to buy Time Warner

Exclusive: Pentagon spent nearly $8 million to treat 1,500 transgender troops since 2016

So much winning! 9th Circuit gets another Trump-picked judge, after White House bypasses consultation with Dems

House climate-change hearing adjourns after not enough Democrats show up