1/ Otto Warmbier’s family blamed Kim Jong Un for the death of their son a day after Trump said he took Kim “at his word� that the North Korean dictator was not responsible. Fred and Cindy Warmbier called Kim the leader of an “evil regime� that is “responsible for unimaginable cruelty and inhumanity� that resulted in Warmbier death in 2017. Warmbier was arrested for taking a propaganda banner from a hotel in Pyongyang in January 2016 and was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. He was released in a coma after 17 months and died days later. (NBC News / CNN / Washington Post)

The North Korean delegation to the Trump-Kim summit disputed Trump’s claim that Kim demanded that the U.S. lift all sanctions in order for North Korea to move forward with denuclearization. “Basically,� Trump said yesterday, “they wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety, and we couldn’t do that. We had to walk away from that.� Hours later, two top officials from the North Korean delegation told reporters Kim had only asked for partial sanctions relief in exchange for shutting down their main nuclear complex. An anonymous senior U.S. official acknowledged that Kim only wanted the U.N. Security Council to lift the sanctions imposed since March 2016, and did not include sanctions from the previous decade. (Associated Press)

The U.S. military will end its annual, large-scale joint exercises conducted with South Korea in an effort to ease tensions with North Korea. The exercises will be replaced with smaller, mission-specific training. (NBC News)

2/ Michael Cohen and Felix Sater will both testify before the House Intelligence Committee on March 14 to testify about Trump’s effort to build a skyscraper in Russia. Cohen interviewed with the House Intelligence Committee for more than seven hours yesterday. Sater is a Russian-born Trump Organization executive who worked on the Trump Tower Moscow project with Cohen. (CNN / Associated Press)

Trump attacked Cohen’s credibility and accused him of perjury. Trump tweeted that his former personal attorney’s proposed “Book is exact opposite of his fake testimony, which now is a lie!� Trump also referenced a description of Cohen’s book as a “love letter to Trump.� (Washington Post)

Who is Felix Sater and what’s his role in Michael Cohen’s plea deal? (CBS News)

3/ Robert Mueller is expected to need five to eight days for Roger Stone’s trial for lying to Congress and obstruction of justice. The anticipated trial length does not account for any witnesses that Stone’s lawyers plan to call in his defense. (

1/ Trump and Kim Jong-Un abruptly ended their summit in Vietnam after negotiations over North Korea’s nuclear disarmament collapsed. The two leaders were unable to agree on steps toward denuclearization or any measures to ease tensions between North and South Korea. Trump said the main issue was the sanctions, which Kim wanted Trump to remove entirely. “We had some options,� Trump said, “but at this time we decided not to do any of the options.� He added, “Sometimes you have to walk, and this was just one of those times.� (Politico / New York Times / NBC News / Washington Post)

2/ Trump ordered John Kelly to grant Jared Kushner a top-secret security clearance last year and overrule concerns by intelligence officials and Donald McGahn, the White House’s top lawyer. Both Kelly and McGahn wrote contemporaneous internal memos outlining Trump’s “order� to give Kushner the clearance. In January, Trump said he had no role in Kushner receiving his clearance. (New York Times)

3/ The D.C. attorney general’s office subpoenaed Trump’s inaugural committee for documents related to how the fund raised $107 million and whether the fund’s spending was “wasteful, mismanaged� or “improperly provided private benefit.� The subpoena requested records of all payments from or on behalf of the committee to the Trump Organization, including any relating to the Trump International Hotel in Washington. The committee paid the hotel $1.5 million. It’s the third request to the committee for documents – the first two were made by federal prosecutors in Manhattan and by New Jersey’s attorney general. (New York Times / Wall Street Journal)

4/ The House Intelligence Committee intends to call the Trump Organization’s Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg to testify. Michael Cohen repeatedly cited Weisselberg’s firsthand knowledge of alleged financial irregularities during his public testimony before the House Oversight Committee yesterday. Weisselberg was granted limited immunity by New York prosecutors to provide information in their case involving Cohen’s hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal. Weisselberg does not have an ongoing cooperation agreement with prosecutors. (Daily Beast / NBC News /

Overview: During public testimony before the House Oversight Committee, Michael Cohen accused Trump of “criminal conduct� while in office, including the fact that Trump knew ahead of time about WikiLeaks’ plan to release DNC emails that were intended to damage Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. Cohen testified that Trump “asked me to pay off an adult film star with whom he had an affair� with $130,000 of his own money weeks before the 2016 election “to avoid any money being traced back to him that could negatively impact his campaign.� Cohen also described his relationship with Trump: “He is a racist. He is a conman. He is a cheat.� (New York Times / Washington Post / Reuters / Vox / Wall Street Journal / Politico)

�� LIVE BLOGS: New York Times (Video + Chat / Live Blog)/ Washington Post / The Guardian / NBC News / CNN / Wall Street Journal

📚 READ: Cohen’s opening statement to Congress (CNN)

� ANNOTATED: Cohen’s opening statement about Trump (Washington Post)

📄 KEY EXCERPTS: From Cohen’s testimony on the “truth about Trump.� (The Guardian)

This is a work in progress. Check back for updates. If a blurb isn’t directly sourced, please see the live blog links above.

1/ Cohen said Trump knew that Roger Stone was communicating with WikiLeaks during the 2016 election and had advance knowledge that WikiLeaks planned to publish the hacked Democratic National Committee emails intended to damage Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. In his prepared written testimony, Cohen alleged that, in July 2016, he witnessed Trump taking a phone call from Roger Stone, who was on speakerphone. During the call, Stone told Trump that “he had just gotten off the phone with [WikiLeaks founder] Julian Assange and that …within a couple of days, there would be a massive dump of emails that would damage Hillary Clinton’s campaign.� Stone pushed back against Cohen’s claim, saying in a text message to BuzzFeed News: “M...

1/ The House passed a resolution to block and overturn Trump’s unilateral national emergency declaration to get the border wall money that Congress denied him. “The President’s act is lawless,� Nancy Pelosi said. “It does violence to our Constitution and therefore to our democracy. His declaration strikes at the heart of our Founders’ concept of America, which demands separation of powers.� The House voted 245-182, mostly along party lines, with 13 Republicans defecting to side with Democrats. The Senate now has 18 days to bring it to the floor for a vote, where it’s also expected to pass. Four Republican votes are needed to ensure passage if all Senate Democrats vote for the disapproval resolution, and three Republican senators — Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Thom Tillis — have already signaled they will support the measure. Congress has never tried to cancel a national emergency declared by a president, and Trump has vowed to veto any measure that blocks funding for his border wall. (New York Times / Washington Post / CNN / ABC News / Washington Post / Reuters / Politico / Los Angeles Times)

2/ Paul Manafort’s attorneys asked for leniency as he faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison. In a court filing, Manafort’s attorneys described the 69-year-old as a man who has been “personally, professionally, and financially� broken by Robert Mueller’s investigation, and as someone who deserves a sentence “significantly� below the statutory maximum of 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges. Manafort’s lawyers also wrote that because “this case is not about murder, drug cartels, organized crime, the Madoff Ponzi scheme or the collapse of Enron,� the former Trump campaign chairman shouldn’t be sentenced too harshly. Two federal judges will sentence Manafort on two separate occasions over the next month for criminal charges that include tax and bank fraud, witness tampering, and working as an unregistered lobbyist for a foreign government. (Politico / NPR / The Guardian / Salon)

1/ Paul Manafort “repeatedly and brazenly� broke the law and the “crimes he engaged in while on bail were not minor; they went to the heart of the criminal justice system,� according Robert Mueller’s 800-page court filing. Manafort’s sentence should reflect the “gravity of his conduct,� prosecutors wrote in the unsealed filing, which includes a note from Mueller indicating that federal sentencing guidelines suggest Manafort should receive a sentence of 17 to 22 years in prison. Mueller also said Manafort engaged in a “bold� string of criminal actions and an extensive pattern of deceit that “remarkably went unabated even after indictment.� (CNBC / Washington Post / Associated Press / Axios / ABC News / CNN)

🚨 Must Read: Court records reveal a Mueller report right in plain view. (Associated Press)

☑� Where does the Mueller investigation stand? Here’s what could happen next. (Wall Street Journal)

� Court documents: United States of America v. Paul J. Manafort, JR.

2/ Trump asked his outside legal team to stay on after the Mueller probe ends to help with the Southern District of New York investigation, which Trump’s close allies consider a far graver threat than Mueller. Trump Jr., meanwhile, dismissed both the Mueller investigation and the Southern District of New York probe, claiming that Trump, the Trump Organization, and the Trump family “don’t appear all that worried, because we know there’s nothing there.� Separately, the Trump Organization asked the House Judiciary Committee to stop its investigations related to the company, claiming a conflict of interest because the panel hired a lawyer whose firm once represented Trump’s company. (Daily Beast / Fox News / Washington Post)

House Democrats are planning to investigate Trump’s personal finances to discover why Deutsche Bank was willing to lend to the Trump Organization when other banks wouldn’t, and whether Russia was involved. (Politico)

The House Intelligence Committee will subpoena the special counsel’s final report and compel Mueller to testify if the full report is not given to Congress. During his confirmation hearing last month, William Barr said he would “provide as much transparency as I can consistent with the law� ...

1/ Robert Mueller’s sentencing memorandum is due to today before midnight in the prosecution of Paul Manafort. In filings like these, prosecutors typically outline all of the defendant’s crimes, convictions, and their cooperation, which could also shed more light on how Manafort fits into Mueller’s larger Russian investigation. [Editor’s note: I’ve basically been waiting all day for this to drop. I’ll update the blog when this is filed to reflect the latest.] (CNN / Associated Press)

2/ Mueller is not expected deliver a final report to the attorney general next week after all. It was previously reported that William Barr was preparing to announce the completion of the investigation into any links between Trump and Russia as soon as next week. Separately, the chairs of six House committees wrote Barr a letter suggesting that withholding evidence uncovered by Mueller could be the means for a “cover-up.� 34 individuals and three companies so far have pleaded guilty, been indicted or been swept up in the inquiry. (CNBC / CNN / Reuters)

Sarah Sanders is confident that Mueller’s report will not show collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign, claiming that Trump had no reason to collude because he was an “infinitely better� candidate. (Washington Post)

Michael Cohen provided federal prosecutors in Manhattan with information about possible irregularities within the Trump Organization, as well as about donations to the Trump inaugural committee. Prosecutors questioned Cohen about Imaad Zuberi, a California venture capitalist and political fund-raiser, who contributed $900,000 to Trump’s committee. (New York Times)

3/ New York state prosecutors are prepared to charge Paul Manafort if Trump issues a presidential pardon for his federal crimes. Manafort could be charged with state offenses without triggering double jeopardy protections, including evasion of New York taxes and violations of state laws requiring companies to keep accurate books and records. Manafort was convicted of eight felonies and pleaded guilty to two more. He is scheduled to be sentenced next month for those federal crimes. Robert Mueller recommended that Manafort serve up to 24 years – essentially a life sentence for the 69-year-old. (Bloomberg / New York Times)

4/ The Trump administration issued a new rule blocking taxpayer-funded family planning clinics from referring women for abortions. The rule prohibits organizations like Planned Parenthood that provide abortions or abortion referrals from participating in the $286 million federal family planning program. Some of that funding will redirected toward religiously-based, anti-abortion groups. (

1/ House Democrats will file a resolution rejecting Trump’s national emergency declaration. Nancy Pelosi said the House will move “swiftly� to pass the disapproval resolution, which is the first formal step in countering Trump’s effort to go around Congress and build his border wall. While the effort is almost certain to fall short due to the threat of a Trump veto, voting will put some Republicans from swing districts and states on the record. (Washington Post / The Guardian / Politico)

2/ A federal judge banned Roger Stone from speaking publicly about his case after he published an Instagram post with what appeared to be the crosshairs of a gun drawn behind her head. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson banned Stone from issuing statements on the radio, press releases, blogs, media interviews, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat posts. Jackson also banned Stone’s spokespersons, family members or his “many volunteers� from issuing statements on his behalf. Stone claimed he was “heartfully sorry� and that he was “having trouble putting the food on the table and making rent,� and that he needed to be able to make money as a commentator. Stone’s pre-trial consulting income was $47,000 a month. (NBC News / CNN / Washignton Post)

3/ The White House is forcing interns to sign non-disclosure agreements and warning them that a breach of the NDA could result in legal and financial consequences. Interns were also told that they would not receive a copy of the NDA. The Trump intern orientation process calls this “ethics training.� (Daily Beast)

Michael Cohen has agreed to testify publicly before Congress next week about his work as Trump’s longtime fixer, lawyer, and confidant. Lawmakers have said they will limit the scope of their questions out of deference to Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation. Cohen will appear Wednesday before the Hou...

1/ The Justice Department will potentially announce the completion of Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation as early as next week. When that happens, Attorney General Bill Barr will likely submit a summary of Mueller’s confidential report to Congress. Mueller is required to submit a “confidential� report to the attorney general, which is not required to be shared with Congress or the public. Barr suggested during his confirmation hearing last month that the report might not become public, and has made clear that the Justice Department generally guards against publicizing “derogatory� information about uncharged individuals. Trump, meanwhile, will travel overseas next week for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and Justice officials don’t want to interfere with the White House’s diplomatic efforts. Trump said “totally up to Bill Barr� as to whether Mueller’s report comes out while he is overseas. (CNN / NBC News / Washington Post)

The FBI developed a backup plan to protect evidence in its Russia investigation after James Comey was fired in the event that other senior officials were also dismissed. (Associated Press)

Trump intends to nominate Jeffrey Rosen as deputy attorney general. Rosen is currently the deputy transportation secretary and will replace Rod Rosenstein, who is expected to leave his post in mid-March. (Politico / CBS News)

Michael Cohen’s three-year prison stay has been delayed for two months because of a “serious surgical procedure� that requires extensive physical therapy. Cohen will now report to prison on May 6th instead of March 6th. (Bloomberg / CNN)

2/ Democratic 2020 candidates are already facing a coordinated barrage of social media disinformation attacks, with signs that foreign state actors are driving some of the activity. Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Beto O’Rourke have been the main targets of attacks, which have been focused on undermining their nascent candidacies through the dissemination of memes, hashtags, misinformation and distortions of their positions. (Politico)

3/ Democrats in the House and Senate believe a senior Department of Education official tried to oust the department’s independent watchdog because she pushed back against an attempt by the department to intervene in an investigation into Betsy DeVos. Lawmakers on four committees overseeing the DOE say the attempt to remove Sandra Bruce as acting inspector general was related to the probe of DeVos’ decision to reinstate an accreditor that had its certification revoked by the Obama administration. (NBC News)

4/ CNN hired a longtime Republican o...

1/ Trump asked acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker if a Trump-appointed attorney could lead the Southern District of New York’s investigation into Michael Cohen’s hush money payments during the 2016 election. Whitaker couldn’t put Geoffrey Berman, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York and a Trump ally, in charge, because Berman had already recused himself from the investigation, which led to Trump complaining about Whitaker’s inability to pull the strings necessary at the Justice Department to make his legal problems go away. There is no evidence that Whitaker took any direct steps to intervene in the Manhattan investigation, but Whitaker privately told associates that part of his role at the Justice Department was to “jump on a grenade� for Trump. Earlier this month Whitaker testified to the House Judiciary Committee that Trump had never pressured him to intervene in an investigation, which is now under scrutiny by House Democrats for possible perjury. [Editor’s note: This is a must read] (New York Times)

Trump denied the report that he asked Whitaker to put an ally in charge of the investigation into pre-election hush payments to women who claimed to have had affairs with him. Trump then praised Whitaker, who was replaced by William Barr last week, saying “I think he’s done a great job� and “should be given a lot of thanks by the nation.� (Politico / The Hill)

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, asked Whitaker to clarify his recent testimony, saying Whitaker “refused to offer clear responses regarding your communications with the White House.� (Politico)

Michael Cohen plans to describe his “personal, front-line experiences of memories, and incidents, and conduct, and comments that Donald Trump said over that 10-year time period behind closed doors,� which his lawyer described as “chilling.� Cohen has pledged to appear before closed sessions of the House and Senate intelligence committees and in a public session of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee before he reports for a federal prison sentence on March 6. (ABC News)

Trump has publicly criticized the Russia investigation nearly 1,200 times. (New York Times)

2/ Former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe briefed congressional leaders in 2017 about the counterintelligence investigation he opened into Trump and that “no one objected,� including Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan. McCabe ordered the obstruction of justice and counterintelligence investigations after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey in May of 2017, which made McCabe acting director of the bureau at the time. The FBI wanted to know whether Trump had been working on behalf of Russia against American interests. “The purpose of the briefing was to let our congressional leadership know exactly what we’d been doing,� McCabe said, and that nobody raised concerns, “not on legal grounds, not on constitutional grounds, and not based on the facts.� Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein also attended the meeting, which is when the appointment of a special counsel to oversee the Russia investigation was first ann...

1/ Trump declared a national emergency at the border to circumvent Congress and fund his border wall with money lawmakers refused to give him, saying “I didn’t need to do this,� but “I just want to get it done faster, that’s all.� In a Rose Garden news conference, Trump said he would sign the declaration to divert $3.6 billion from military construction projects to his border wall and then use presidential budgetary discretion to redirect $2.5 billion from counternarcotics programs and another $600 million from a Treasury Department asset forfeiture fund. Between the $1.375 billion authorized for fencing in a spending package passed by Congress, and the roughly $6.5 billion in funding from executive action, Trump is will have about $8 billion to construct or repair as many as 234 miles of a border barrier – significantly more than the $5.7 billion that Congress refused to give him. Following the news conference, Trump signed the spending legislation. (New York Times / The Guardian / Politico / Washington Post / NBC News / ABC News)

Capitol Police pushed and physically blocked reporters from talking with Senators headed to vote on the spending package last night, despite some lawmakers willing to engage with the press. (Roll Call)

The White House announced the national emergency by tweet using the iPhone Notes app. (BuzzFeed News)

Trump’s national emergency press conference, annotated. (Washington Post)

Trump’s bizarre, rambling national emergency announcement distracted from what the president actually did. (The Atlantic)

In November 2014, Trump called taking executive action on immigration dangerous, unconstitutional, and impeachable. (CNN)

2/ The Justice Department warned the White House that a national emergency declaration is nearly certain to be blocked by the courts, which would prevent the immediate implementation of Trump’s plan to circumvent Congress and build the wall using his executives powers. (ABC News)

3/ House Democra...