America havent seen its good to have you with us a racist a con man and a cheat thats just a taste of the way Michael Cohen u. S. President trumps former personal lawyer and fixer is likely to describe his client to u. S. Lawmakers cohen is in washington to testify before a special Congressional Committee cohens draft statement was leaked to the media it contains explosive claims that trump knew about wiki leaks emails damaging to his rival Hillary Clinton ahead of their release during the twenty sixteen president ial Campaign Cohen also says trump ordered him to pay hush money to porn actress Stormy Daniels cohen has said hes ashamed for having followed trumps directions the white house denies the claims trump has called cohen a liar and a rat hes already pleaded guilty to Campaign Finance violations and lying to congress and was sentenced to a three year prison term. Well for more on this were joined now in the studio by former washington correspondent my of hello to you so remind our viewers who is Michael Cohen and what is his relationship to the u. S. President and hes one of a large cast of characters that has been cycling through the media as we hear more and more about these meddling allegations more of the tales of trust personal life Michael Cohen specifically is someone who has worked with the president for a long time before he was president before he was a nominee before he was even campaigning and in his Opening Statement which has been released to the press cohen talks about exactly how he met the president seven how he came to be employed by him what he was was sort of a body man a person a lawyer someone who is out there to fix the president s problems whenever he had problems someone who would threaten whoever need to be threatened but are pretty ever need to be better up pay off whatever needs to be payoffs just sort of did his dirty work for him officially he was you know just a lawyer a personal lawyer but stayed on with the president through the president s campaign. As he became president and then as things have stood have started to unravel for trump cohen and trump have had this falling out that has been very public as the president has tried to distance himself and call and say i didnt know him he barely worked for me we barely had any relationship even though theres so much evidence to the contrary well even from hanoi where trump is knitting the north Korean Leader he lashed out on twitter he attacked cohens credibility accusing him of lying to reduce his prison time we do know that cohen did previously make some false statements to congress so can he be trusted this time to actually be telling the truth this is absolutely a. Question Something Else actually that cohen addresses in one of the first paragraphs of his testimony he says i know that my credibility is going to be called into question i know i have lied before congress before. This is something thats going to be fired at him from both sides really you know both republicans and democrats supporters and detractors of the president are going to say why should we bother trusting you at all after youve been found guilty of lying to congress and i believe that we have a tweet from the president explaining exactly how he feels about Michael Cohen and his lying right now where the but the president has had many different opinions of Michael Cohen clearly starting from when the relations of start to fall apart he went from one of his closest advisors to calling him a rat someone who would flip on him disloyal he says that he unfortunately represented me but he had other clients it seems like just a mess of a relationship all right we theres the tweets that we have now pulled up for viewers yes so some very harsh words there from President Trump now my i know you have the printout of Michael Cohens written testimony is this a standard procedure now i mean is he merely going to be reading out what the media has already received a copy of its become fairly standard for you know things like what the Opening Statement is going to be to be released to the media beforehand if for no other reason than its probably going to be leaked beforehand anyway but what it does is it gives everyone a good idea of what is to come what sort of testimony we can expect. Possibly what sort of questions to expect because lawmakers the people who will be questioning him can look at this and say ok he talks about this he mentions this he mentions this payment he mentions this scheme lets try to dig into that lets question him a little bit more about that is this for real because again his credibility is going to be fired at from both sides but we have we seen some. Things of the past james comey the former f. B. I. Director when he testified before congress back in two thousand and seventeen released his statement beforehand and then didnt actually read it out loud he just said you read my statement i want to make a statement saying to the men and women of the f. B. I. Supports you we saw christine blah see for the woman who accused now Supreme CourtJustice Brett kavanaugh Sexual Assault releases to him beforehand Brett Kavanaugh himself did too and then veered way off of it and gave a nearly hour long monologue that didnt resemble the statement i had been released this is something that has just kind of become Standard Operating Procedure if it has not written into the rules of engagement so to speak but it gives us an idea of whats to come and whats in here is just one of the things that in there is that hes expected to testify that donald trump had advance knowledge of a meeting during the twenty six thousand campaign between his Campaign Aides and a russian lawyer who was promising a dirt on Hillary Clinton now could this then in turn revive speculation about trump or the Trump Campaign colluding with russia to influence the twenty six thousand election this is going to be very key because this is the first time that we have heard the president directly implicated and someone has said directly yes he knew and i have the evidence for it up until now all of the allegations all the people being arrested all of the evidence that come out can very rightfully be described as circumstantial this is something that Sarah Huckabee sanders the press secretary the White House Press secretary has said over and over again you know yes there are all these people around him who are doing all these bad things but this doesnt say anything about the president this is peripheral to the president this is nothing to do with the president it wasnt wrong it was very much you know paul a man of war was over here doing one thing roger stone was over here doing another thing and it was very plausible that the president didnt know what was going on despite you know rumors accusations. Allegations and cetera and now we have Michael Cohen coming in here saying yes he did know he knew that this was going on now again we have to remind people collusion in and of itself is not a crime what prosecutors are going to be looking for is evidence of Campaign Finance fraud which may revolve around these these payments to these women who trump allegedly had affairs with and not necessarily meddling but obstruction of justice obstruction of justice is the key phrase that comes up over and over again that has taken down other president s before things like. Trying to live trying to deny that things happen trying to cover up evidence directing his aides to cover up evidence thats what ultimately prosecutors are going to be looking for but is this really just about cohens word or is he also bringing forward some sort of concrete evidence and documents what does he have to show so he explains in several places in this testimony that he has various pieces of evidence exhibits that hes putting forward including checks that the president signed reimbursing him for payments that he made to various women to cover up these affairs allegedly. Or. Other exhibits that he goes on to state which i cant quite find right now but there is concrete evidence that he has apparently given to the committee thats going to be questioned him honestly one of the things that stood out to me the most. Was not even the the exhibits that are of the president s finances it was this story of trump auctioning off a portrait of himself at some Charity Fundraiser where he had a straw better bid on the portrait so that port would be the highest selling item of the evening and then reimbursed the better so that he could have it displayed in this country club its just such a crystallization of what type of person the president seems to be whether or not you love him or you hate and. Really thats who we are well some more serious allegations made by Michael Cohen is that President Trump is a racist as he put it and also a con man whats behind those accusations it really looks like Michael Cohen is one of the things ive seen is that hes sort of out for revenge hes hes out to clear the air you see that a lot of his testimony here is saying i want to apologize to the American People i hope this is a path to redemption hes coming out strong against the president here using words like you said racist cheat con man he has various sections of this testimony where he had lines with these words. Theres really no coming back. For him from this hes going to prison anyway and it looks like cohen is trying to. Bring the president down with him in so far as much as he can now again we have to see how seriously lawmakers are going to take this has credibility issues hes already lied before congress its going to take that much more to convince Congress Even prosecutors to convince anyone watching that any of this should be taken seriously but again this is one of the first links that weve seen that show that the president actually knew what was going on in his campaign actually knew who his aides were talking to and perhaps trumps reaction does suggest that hes perhaps somewhat concerned about Michael Cohens testimony how damaging do you think this is going to be for the u. S. President i think this is going to be the biggest thing since the komi hearings back in the summer of two thousand and seventeen this is another not against the president if nothing else all of this is a very slow unraveling its not going to be just one thing if youre the sort of person who is out there looking for the thing thats going to bring trump down its not going to be just one thing there is a series of events that is going to happen thats going to call me with the investigation by special Counsel Robert Mueller which were expecting to come out. Was actually expected sometime this week but has been pushed off its going to its going to be a long road for anyone whos for anyone whos hoping the president might be taken out of power and after those who support the president we have to say you know that this is all just a circus that is a distraction from what the president is doing in vietnam which is negotiating with the north Korean Leader. But anyone who supports the president is going to see this just as more fake news as congress you know getting all riled up over nothing as michael Michael Cohen will be seen as an unreliable narrator its going to be very interesting to see how that media sphere and spinning this because i have to say for me personally looking at all of this it looks very credible and it will be very damaging to the president at least in the Mainstream Media how his supporters react will be interesting experiment and how these things can be spun and also an interesting experiment and how this could possibly. Be played into the upcoming two thousand and twenty campaign which is sort of hanging over all of these proceedings as we move forward what happens to Michael Cohen then after he gives this testimony i mean he could his jail sentence be reduced or are the three years sort of fixed is he looking at possibly being jailed longer what do we know about whats going to happen to Michael Cohen well hes definitely going to jail for at least some sort of time it very much looks like in this statement he is trying to. Put on a good face show goodwill to the prosecutors say hey look im willing to cooperate with you please be nice to be at the very least. I looks like as far as i know those three years are fixed hes going to be there for at least that amount of time theres always you know Good Behavior bales things that can happen i dont see him wanting to actively spend those three years in jail so his cooperation im sure will be a token of good will at the very least towards maybe as im sure he wants getting out earlier and Something Else that struck me in his remarks he opened by saying that hed been given reassurances that his family would not be in danger as a result of this testimony now was he facing threats what can you tell us about that it was interesting to see the way his family kind of was and wasnt paraded in front of the media at various times there were there was a hearing that he had back at the end of last year where and his family was suddenly there and we had seen his family before the cameras before and his daughter was walking on crutches it was really kind of a gross display of you know trying to suddenly make him look like a sympathetic character when he really hadnt been for so long he had been a villain in all of this both first people who dont support the president people who do support the president because he was someone who was at work for the president and then was betraying the president in a way. He you know the internet is a strange place its a place where you can find Contact Information for so many people if he wasnt receiving threats i would be very surprised if his family has to go into some sort of a hue fair comment. Now the second summit between u. S. President donald trump and north Korean Leader kim jong un is underway the two met for a short time on wednesday evening more lengthy talks are said for the morning trump wants to push came to give up his Nuclear Weapons program in exchange for Economic Development came and dined together at the Metropole Hotel in the vietnamese capital hanoi the talks come eight months after a historic summit in singapore the first between a sitting u. S. President and a north Korean Leader. To w. s alexander phenomenas following the talks and hanoi she sent us this assessment of the meeting so far on the first day of there is some its done old straw. And were all smiles and pleasantries the u. S. President s weve paid to trust his Good Relationship with the north Korean Leader referring to the brutal dictator as my friend he seems to be hopeful that there are personal poor can bridge gaps in negotiations on thursday the talks will continue the u. S. Is seeking detailed commitments from pyongyang to dismantle at least some of its Nuclear Facilities while kims regime wants relief from punishing economic sanctions the challenge will be to turn the apparent Good Chemistry between the two leaders into a concrete agreement both sides are happy with. All right lets get you up to speed now on some of the other stories making news around the world Egyptian State t. V. Says at least twenty people were killed and forty wounded after a fire broke out at cairos main train station a fire was reportedly set off by a trains fuel tank which exploded when the train crashed into a barrier. Emergency crews in indonesia are scrambling to find dozens of people buried in the collapse of an illegal gold mine at least three bodies have been recovered fifteen people were rescued from the mining shaft in north slope we see province. Irans president has rejected the resignation of former minister mohammad. The reef announced he was stepping down on monday in an Instagram Post hes one of the main architects of irans twenty fifteen nuclear deal with world powers. A series of cross border incidents has heightened tensions between Nuclear Armed india and pakistan over the disputed region of kashmir all this video is said to show shells fired from pakistan coming down an indian controlled kashmir near the city over a jury skirmishes have also been reported elsewhere along the line of control that divides kashmir both sides say also say theyve shot down aircraft pakistan says a downed two indian warplanes india has confirmed the loss of one aircraft and says it downs of pakistani jet while none of these claims have been independently confirmed both sides have closed airports and airspace to commercial flights in the region pakistans Prime Minister imran khan has urged restraint after meeting with his top Security Officials at the op to pause on home audible can we afford miscalculation with the kinds of weapons you and we have shouldnt we be thinking where this will go from here if things were to escalate for good or yasi is it wont even be in my control or in or in Remote Control long. Public outcry has forced a french forswear retailer decathlon to scrap plans to market a joggers he jump in france some politicians have threatened to boycott the brand its been a big seller in other countries france banned that he jumped fifteen years ago. It was meant to offer muslim women the way to participate but french politicians said theyre running he just contradicted the country secular values there were threats of a boycott until retail buckled under pressure from angry activists. Dont you need to do the cathedral because you know its promoting a government thats actually a confinement its a womens body you know these women should be doing sports but its supposed to be for the liberation of bodies and excellence this shocks me. Take up close it has received hundreds of calls and emails in protest of the heat up and that staff in stores have been threatened not everyone is offended though. That women should do what they want and im afraid if they come put this on do sports. Its a purely commercial decision sports has nothing to do with it why should. This. Couple is still selling them in morocco well muslim women in france can find he jobs at nike stores the u. S. Sportswear giant introduced the product last year and keep selling it. British Prime Minister theresa may has again appeal to lawmakers to support her plan to take the United Kingdom out of the European Union may address breaks it ahead of a series of votes set for later today so they wont directly determine the fate of her deal but could influence her next steps as she tries to win support from harlem and yesterday she agreed to a parliamentary vote on extending the breaks of date if lawmakers reject her and. Well break the day is currently set for march twenty ninth. Nigerian president. Has been declared the winner in saturdays elections the Electoral Commission reported the incumbent secured fifty five percent of the vote with main rival the billionaire. Claims the election was rigged and says hell challenge the results in court. Scenes of joy as supporters of president mohamed who bahati celebrate his reelection behati swept to power as a reform candidate four years ago now voters have given him another term to deliver on his promises four years he has been busy fighting corruption planning you know before he can create opportunities he has to fight other things before those of what she did can bequeath it so we think this opportunity given he now we give him due right time it is the right time for him to create more implements to the youth and to everybody in one junior. He has vowed to fight corruption bring jobs to Nigerias Young population and end a festering jihadist insurgency in the north of the country but even those who voted for him admit that hes fallen short of expectations. I dont think you have any other choice hes not the best choice and hes the best as but we dont have any other option because all the rest. Was done here. What the supporters of sanguine his opponents a furious his rival. Refuses to accept the Election Results saying the vote was rigged up a bucket supporters feel cheated to cool it is the window of this position election but they begin pulling the election in the field while the at the sea and there were no hard or double dont know what is up be because they dont doubt that. It is time for him to become president of the. Civil Society Groups report that thirty nine people were killed in clashes between rival supporters on election day alone with his second term secured behind his first task is to stop the anger at his controversial victory leading to further bloodshed. Id like to take you back now to our top story a u. S. President on travis. Former lawyer Michael Cohen is set to testify before. A House CommitteeHouse Committee. And while we wait for cohen to take the stand and make his testimony we have. Former a washington correspondent here for some analysis and to talk about what we can expect so still over watching of the live pictures coming through still some sort of procedural remarks being made some introductory remarks but what kind of questions does Michael Cohen will Michael Cohen be asked today so the thing that lawmakers are going to want to try to do here is theyre trying to make actual. Connection a firm connection showing that donald trump then candidate trump during the campaign knew about what Michael Cohen was doing knew about what this whole other cast of characters that weve been talking about for the past two years doing that includes you know is for a Campaign Manager paul manna for roger stone one of his advisors all these people who have now been taken in by a lot of force and pled guilty and go into jail theyre trying to prove that donald trump knew what was going on that he had advance knowledge that he directed what was going to happen that he told people to lie that he told people to start a justice of the type of questions that were going to be looking at are things like. You know youve denied certain allegations before were you instructed to deny these allegations by trump did President Trump to your knowledge know about this infamous meeting between don jr and this russian lawyer that took place in trump tower in june of two thousand and sixteen what sort of information do you have about this alleged trump tower moscow project which has now become the source of a lot of scrutiny in terms of what stroms personal connections to russia may or may not have been. Seated you visit russia at all can you provide more information about the substance of your conversations with trump about the trump tower moscow project and then questions about in these payments that cohen allegedly made to these two women Stormy Daniels and Karen Mcdougal who allegedly had affairs with trump and who were allegedly paid off to keep these affairs under wraps so questions about you know how much did you discuss with trump beforehand how much did you know about what happened between trump and these women did how much did you discuss the payments did he know when you were making the payments and how much for one interesting thing that cohen lays out in his testimony is that. All right my we see now that cohen has taken with dan hes made his oath lets listen in for you know recognize to give oral presentation of your testimony. Your my corn. Chairman cummings Ranking Member jordan and members of the committee thank you for inviting me here today. I have is this committee to ensure that my family be protected from president ial throats and that the committee be sensitive to the questions pertaining to ongoing investigations i thank you for your help and for you understand. I am here under oath to correct the record to answer the committees questions truthfully and to offer the American People what i know about President Trump. I recognize all right youve been watching of the beginning of Michael Cohens testimony on capitol hill Donald Trumps former lawyer well have more coverage of what he testifies in our next program from now on almost in berlin thanks for watching. Just in time just expose pointman schedules time management. Spending. Time on it but the people in the speed force is. Just. Plain made in germany. Nixon terrific continue. To. Really know their stuff. They curbs with because voting stephanie stole. The party chat with musicians from around the world. Every week on t. W. Players. People. At the state. Patrol. 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