Kim purportedly offered to dismantle a nuclear facility at Yongbyon in exchange for sanctions relief, but Washington demanded more comprehensive denuclearization that included multiple nuclear development-related sites. The two-day summit was aborted early after Kim and Trump failed to make headway on the contentious issue.Trump admitted that he called Chinese president Xi Jinping for help in the negotiations with N. Korea, signaling that the discussions were not going well:
I actually called him just recently to say hey, you know, whatever you can do on this. But he's been very helpful at the border, and he's been very, very helpful, I think, with North Korea generally. Could he be a little more helpful? Probably, but but he's been very helpful.Despite there being no deal Trump said that he was promised by Kim that he wouldn't test weapons or anything nuclear-related:
"He said the testing will not start," Trump said of Kim. "He said he's not going to do testing of rockets or missiles or anything having to do with nuclear. And all I can tell is that's what he said, and we'll see."Trump also explained why he froze military drills on the Korean peninsula:
"I gave that up quite a while ago because it costs us $100 million every time we do it. We fly these massive bombers in from Guam," Trump said.The narrative coming from Team Trump is that Kim and North Korea "didn't do enough". From Mike Pompeo:
"Exercising is fun and it's nice they play their war games - and I'm not saying it's not necessary, because on some levels it is - but on other levels it's not. But it's a very, very expensive thing."
"We didn't get to something that ultimately made sense for the United States of America. I think Chairman Kim was hopeful that we would [reach an agreement]. We asked him to do more. He was unprepared to do that, but I'm still optimistic"Ultimately "doing more" involves Kim agreeing to denuclearize completely. But as even Tulsi Gabbard points out, it's hard to blame Kim for refusing that "deal":
MP salaries through the yearsSee also:
April 2010 - £65,738
April 2011 - £65,738
April 2012 - £65,738
April 2013 - £66,396
April 2014 - £67,060
May 2015 - £74,000 [It's notable that this was the year the Conservative party won the majority and came into power]
April 2016 - £74,962
April 2017 - £76,011
April 2018 - £77,379
Trump consigliere turned federal informant Michael Cohen shared his fear that there will "never be a peaceful transition of power" if his former boss loses the 2020 election during a congressional hearing some called a 'circus.'Additional from Zero Hedge, 2/27/2019: Cohen Slapped with Criminal Referral Mid-testimony Over FARA Violation
"You don't know him! I do!" Cohen insisted...before predicting Trump would refuse to step down even if he was defeated in 2020. "He is a racist. He is a con man. He is a cheat," declared Cohen, who pleaded guilty to charges he lied to Congress. Cohen failed to deliver anything tangible to the salivating Democrats on the committee, admitting he had no "real examples" of collusion and instead filling his time on the stand with public displays of repentance over his ten years of service to Trump."Everybody's job at the Trump organization is to protect Mr. Trump. Every day most of us knew we were coming in and we were going to lie for him on something. And that became the norm, and that's what's happening right now in this country," Cohen intoned. "This destruction of our civility to one another is just out of control.""This is the same Michael Cohen who has admitted that he lied to Congress previously," Trump campaign spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany pointed out. "Why did they even bother to swear him in this time?"
Trump has accused Cohen of "lying in order to reduce his prison time" and has previously called his former lawyer - who rejoined the Democratic Party in October - a "rat" and a "weak person." Those hurt by Cohen's turncoating shouldn't have been surprised, however: the now-disbarred lawyer revealed he only joined the GOP after former Republican National Committee chair Steve Wynn learned he was a Democrat, while he was serving as vice chairman of the RNC's Finance Committee.
The congressional hearing, which coincided with Trump's Hanoi summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was originally scheduled for earlier this month but postponed because of "ongoing threats" against Cohen's family, according to his lawyer, Democrat operative Lanny Davis.
Cohen is due to report to federal prison to begin his three-year sentence on March 6. He was disbarred earlier this week.
Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen was hit with a criminal referral for violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) by Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC).See also:
Meadows pressed Cohen over his apparent failure to list contracts with foreign companies that paid him for access to the Trump administration, including Novartis, which paid Cohen $1.2 million to act as a consultant on the Trump administration, as well as $150,000 from South Korea's Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and a payment from Kazakhstan BTA bank.
Shortly after the exchange, Meadows tweeted: "I just entered a referral for criminal investigation of Michael Cohen, who violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act by illegally lobbying on behalf of foreign entities without registering," adding "Cohen talks about "blind loyalty." His real blind loyalty? It's to the almighty dollar."
The March 31 vote was supposed to be a battle between two of Ukraine's most experienced politicians: incumbent Petro Poroshenko and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. But around 20 percent of Ukrainians now say they plan to vote for comedian and film actor Zelensky, putting him several points ahead of his main rivals in opinion polls last week.
The 41-year-old entertainer has tapped into popular discontent with the political class and has largely relied on the internet to get his message across. To some, his approach is reminiscent of the populist strategies that swept US President Donald Trump to power.
Supporters, however, see him as an alternative to an old guard that they say has never been able to follow through on promises to tackle corruption and improve living standards.
Poroshenko came to power in 2014 on the back of a pro-Europe, anti-graft popular uprising, while Tymoshenko was a face of the Orange Revolution that promised a new, fairer Ukraine -- in 2004.
"Zelensky is seen as a 'none of the above' candidate. Also he's fresh, he's modern, he's young, he's trendy," political analyst Vadym Karasyov told AFP. "People are tired of (old) ideas and the usual politicians."
But Karasyov said there was a difference between using the actor's candidacy to protest against the political elite, and actually wanting him to take charge of the country. Despite Zelensky's leading position in polls some experts say his bid remains a long shot because many of his supporters are young and will not bother turning out on election day.
There are also a record number of candidates in the race, adding to the vote's unpredictability.
Foreign diplomats have privately raised questions about his candidacy. "He was too general -- no concrete ideas. It was frightening if you consider that he is a presidential candidate," a Western diplomatic source told AFP following a meeting with Zelensky. "He lacks knowledge, but is very keen to learn," said reformist MP Sergiy Leshchenko, who also attended another briefing.
Like the other frontrunners, Zelensky says he wants the country to maintain a pro-Western trajectory.
Zelensky comes from the industrial city of Krivy Rig in central Ukraine. A father-of-two, he has a law degree but made his career on stage. He is artistic director of a studio theatre called Kvartal 95, reportedly part of a business conglomerate that has had business dealings in Russia.
Comment: See also: