Trump-Kim Vietnam summit, Michael Cohen to testify: 5 things to know Wednesday
Trump, Kim to open second summit in Vietnam
President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are expected to discuss nuclear weapons Wednesday as they open their two-day summit in Hanoi, Vietnam - their second meeting in just nine months. At their first summit last June, Trump and Kim signed a vaguely worded agreement promising to work toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The new talks will give them a chance to flesh out details of that accord. Trump and Kim have an odd history of insult-hurling and name-calling, although Trump said in September that the two eventually "fell in love." Here's everything you should know about the Trump-Kim summit, Version 2.0.
Cohen to label Trump a 'conman' and 'cheat' at hearing
Michael Cohen will label President Donald Trump as a "conman" and a "cheat" before Congress on Wednesday and present multiple documents to illustrate the president's "illicit" financial activities, according to his opening statement. Cohen, Trump's former personal lawyer, has pleaded guilty and agreed to provide evidence to prosecutors in two separate criminal investigations into Trump and those around him. He admitted to illegally paying hush money to two women who claimed to have had sex with Trump and lying to Congress about negotiations for a Trump real-estate project in Russia. The House Oversight and Reform Committee plans to delve widely into Trump's business and finances — including whether he participated in Cohen's crimes.
House Democrats to hold first major gun control vote in years
The House on Wednesday will hold its first major vote on gun control legislation in years, bringing to the floor two bills aimed at strengthening the background check system for gun purchases. The changes would be the biggest expansion of the system since background checks were first required 25 years ago. But while the Democratic-led House is expected to pass the bills, they’re unlikely to be considered in the GOP-controlled Senate. Still, Democrats made the legislation an early priority in part because repeated mass shootings increased advocacy around the issue. That energy and activism helped Democrats retake the House. Here’s what you need to know about the legislation.
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Cardinal Pell's sentencing hearing gets underway
Australian Cardinal George Pell's sentencing hearing begins Wednesday after the senior Catholic cleric was convicted of molesting two choirboys in his homeland. Right before the alleged abuse took place, Pell, now 77, had been named the highest-ranking Catholic in Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city. Neither victim has been identified, though one, who is now 34, told the court Pell orally raped him at the time of the incident. The other victim died of a heroin overdose in 2014. Until Tuesday, Australian courts had forbidden the publication of any trial details. Pell faces a maximum sentence of 50 years in prison.
Supreme Court considers fate of cross-shaped war memorial
The Supreme Court is diving into a debate Wednesday about the place of religious symbols in public life in a case about a cross-shaped war memorial in Maryland. The case involves a 40-foot-tall, concrete cross on a large, grassy highway median just outside Washington. Those challenging the cross say that if the court allows it to stand on public land, the ruling could make it easier for government officials to defend support for religion. On the other side, supporters of the cross say a ruling against them could spell the "doom of hundreds of war memorials that use crosses to commemorate the fallen." The nearly 100-year-old cross was built as a memorial to area residents who died in World War I.
Contributing: Associated Press