Michael Cohen testimony's biggest bombshells

Wednesday, February 27

Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's longtime personal attorney, is near tears listening to closing remarks by House Oversight and Reform Chairman Elijah E. Cummings at the conclusion of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Feb. 27, 2019 in Washington. Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for a series of federal crimes, including campaign finance violations and tax evasion.

Michael Cohen's biggest bombshells from today's testimony, all in one place

From Cohen's hush money reimbursements to Trump's SAT scores, here's Wednesday's news.

Happy Michael Cohen Day, Short Listers. It's Ashley, and here's what we learned after hours glued to the testimony of a man who turned on Trump.

Did Michael Cohen leave the stove on? We hear something sizzling.

Michael Cohen delivered five-plus hours of fiery testimony on his dealings as President Donald Trump's longtime attorney before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, casting his former boss as "a con man" and "racist' while tying the White House more directly than ever to multiple investigations that have shadowed Trump's presidency.

So lay it on me. What did Cohen claim?

•	✉️: Trump knew in advance that WikiLeaks planned to release stolen emails damaging to Hillary Clinton and that Trump confidant Roger Stone confirmed it with WikiLeaks' founder.
•	🤫: The president personally reimbursed Cohen for an illegal hush-money payment to a porn star (Stormy Daniels, remember her?).
•	🇷🇺: Trump indirectly encouraged him to lie to Congress about his pursuit of a Trump Tower development in Moscow.
•	💵: Cohen brought documents that appeared to back up some of his claims, including a $35,000 check signed by Trump that Cohen called a hush money reimbursement.

Back up: How did we get here?

"Blind loyalty," Cohen says. He used to be Trump's right-hand man, once boasting he'd "take a bullet" for the president. But after a series of secret recordings, statements to Congress and FBI raids, Cohen has turned on Trump. Cohen was sentenced to three years in federal prison in December, pleading "guilty" as part of a deal with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian efforts to sway the 2016 presidential election.

OK, OK. Just give me the juiciest gossip:

•	'He is a racist': Back when Obama was president, Cohen said Trump once asked him to name "a country run by a black person that wasn't a 'shithole.'"
•	Trump bid on his own portrait: Cohen claimed Trump had him arrange a fake bidder to drive up the price of a Trump portrait at a charity auction.
•	A+ student? Cohen alleged that Trump had him write letters that threatened his high school and colleges "not to release his grades or SAT scores."

So what happens next?

It's not clear whether the lies and unsavoriness detailed by Cohen will significantly sway support for Trump, including for any impeachment or re-election. As for Cohen, he'll testify before the House Intelligence Committee again Thursday. He's to report to prison on May 6.

A copy of a check from President Donald Trump to his former attorney Michael Cohen. Cohen presented the check as evidence as part of his congressional testimony before the House Oversight Committee in Washington on Feb. 27, 2019.

Michael Cohen

Trump fires back, from Vietnam

Trump didn't wait for Cohen to begin his testimony before firing back from Vietnam, where he's meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Cohen "is lying in order to reduce his prison time," the president tweeted from Hanoi, where his second historic summit with Kim Jong Un on North Korean denuclearization began Wednesday. At the summit, Trump is hoping to get Kim to commit to specific steps to eliminate nuclear weapons programs, while Kim wants Trump to lift economic sanctions crippling his impoverished nation.

President Donald Trump meets North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Evan Vucci , Evan Vucci, AP

Real quick:

•	Will Smith's father-in-law suffered a mild heart attack while skydiving on the debut episode of "Will Smith's Bucket List."
•	'Get him out': Pete Davidson kicked a heckler out of his show for making a joke about Mac Miller.
•	Oregon is set to become first in the nation to impose statewide rent control.
•	Millennials have officially racked up over a trillion dollars in debt, and most of that comes from student loans.
•	Momo challenge: How an alarming internet meme could be teaching kids how to commit suicide.

1,000 troops diagnosed with gender dysphoria this month alone

An exclusive report obtained by USA TODAY revealed that the Pentagon has shelled out almost $8 million to treat 1,500-plus transgender troops since 2016 , including 161 surgical procedures. As of Feb. 1, more than 1,000 service members have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Public Health Service on active duty and in the reserve force, including 20 senior officers. Medical treatment of transgender troops has been a hot point since Trump voiced wanting to ban them from the military. In January, the Supreme Court ruled a modified ban could take effect while lower court challenges continued.

Reminder: Here's what can happen if you park next to a fire hydrant

A fire hose strung through the back seat of your car. Don't park in fire lanes, people.

The Anaheim Fire & Rescue Department tweeted a warning to drivers on Feb. 26: a series of photos showing a fire hose strung through the back seat of a car that was parked next to a fire hydrant.

Anaheim Fire & Rescue Department, Anaheim PD

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