'Start Here': Michael Cohen testifies, Trump-Kim II, House votes against national emergency

Here's what you need to know to start your day.

February 27, 2019, 4:58 AM

It's Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019. Let's start here.

1. Cohen on Capitol Hill

Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer, is scheduled to testify today in front of the House Oversight Committee.

This is Cohen's first public testimony since pleading guilty in November to lying to Congress about a Trump Tower project in Moscow.

ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Mary Bruce tells us what sources say Cohen plans to discuss.

2. Trump vs. Kim, rematch

As his former fixer testifies against him in Congress, the president will be in Hanoi, Vietnam, for a second summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un.

While Pyongyang is looking for relief from crushing sanctions, the U.S. is pushing the North to dismantle its nuclear weapons program. But intelligence officials have said there's no indication Kim is ready to do that.

ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz joins us from Hanoi and lays out the stakes for the summit.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump arrives at Noi Bai Airport before a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Feb. 26, 2019, in Hanoi.
President Donald Trump arrives at Noi Bai Airport before a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Feb. 26, 2019, in Hanoi.
Kham/AP

3. Blocking border measure

The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a resolution that would block Trump from diverting military funds to construct a border wall under a national emergency declaration.

ABC News' Trish Turner says there are nearly enough Republican votes to pass it in the Senate as well.

Trump said he would veto the current measure.

PHOTO: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell walks to speak to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 26, 2019.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell walks to speak to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 26, 2019.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

In other news:

'We knew her, and the shock and sadness of watching it all play out has just been huge for the community': The sixth and final episode of "The Dropout," a podcast about the rise and fall of Theranos, drops today.

'Together these documents detail an environment of systemic sexual assaults by staff on unaccompanied children': Federal records show that over the past few years there have been thousands of allegations of sexual abuse against migrant children in U.S. custody.

'I personally owe an apology to now-Senator Romney, because I think that we underestimated what was going on in Russia': Madeleine Albright says Mitt Romney was right.

'If we didn't move forward with this right away somebody else was going to beat us to the punch': Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will star in a new comic book.

From our partners at FiveThirtyEight:

How President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un went from 'fury' to 'love': After the two met last summer, Trump said that they "fell in love." "No, really," Trump continued. "He wrote me beautiful letters."

Last 'Nightline':

Selma Blair describes the moment she received her multiple sclerosis diagnosis: The actress discusses her 7-year-old son's reaction to the diagnosis, how she's living with her symptoms and her wanting to raise awareness of MS.

In an emotional interview, the actress discusses her 7-year-old son's reaction to the diagnosis, how she's living with her symptoms and her wanting to raise awareness about MS.
In an emotional interview, the actress discusses her 7-year-old son's reaction to the diagnosis, how she's living with her symptoms and her wanting to raise awareness about MS.

Nicolas Maduro says humanitarian aid to Venezuela is political ploy by U.S.: Maduro, whom critics have called a dictator, sits down for his first interview in years with an American media outlet.

Maduro, whom critics have called a dictator, sits down for his first interview in years with an American media outlet.
Maduro, whom critics have called a dictator, sits down for his first interview in years with an American media outlet.

Today's must-see photo:

For more great photos from around the world CLICK HERE.

Socially acceptable:

Officers climb over ice-covered cars to rescue motorists stuck in a Wisconsin pile-up involving more than 100 vehicles.

All right, you're off and running. Get the latest news on ABCNews.com and on the ABC News app. Details on how to subscribe to the "Start Here" podcast are below. See you tomorrow!

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