February 27, 2019 - PBS NewsHour full episode

The testimony of former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen in front of the House Oversight Committee produced plenty of material. Lisa Desjardins, who attended the hearing, and Yamiche Alcindor join Judy Woodruff to discuss the day’s key takeaways, including House Republican and White House attacks on Cohen as not trustworthy and Cohen's argument that Trump ran for president solely to enrich himself.

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., is a member of the House Oversight Committee that questioned President Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen on Wednesday. He talks to Judy Woodruff about his conclusions from the hearing's "spectacular claims," including whether he thinks “we learned anything new” and why he sees Cohen as marred by a "cloud of suspicion" for his own track record on the truth and the law.

During Michael Cohen's public, televised congressional testimony Wednesday, Republicans were quick to attack his credibility. They questioned Cohen about his decade of loyalty to President Trump, whether he was disgruntled over not getting a White House job and why he submitted fraudulent documents. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., said Cohen is “pathological" and that "no one should ever listen" to him.

Last June's summit between President Trump and Kim Jong Un marked the first time a sitting U.S. president met a North Korean leader. Now the two are convening in Vietnam, whose economic resurgence U.S. officials hope can serve as an incentive for North Korea to prioritize cooperation with the U.S. Judy Woodruff talks to Nick Schifrin, who is reporting from Hanoi, about the summit's policy goals.

In our news wrap Wednesday, Pakistan said it shot down two Indian warplanes and captured one pilot amid escalating tensions over Kashmir; India said it lost a single plane and pilot. Pakistan’s prime minister called for “dialogue” between the two nuclear-armed nations. Plus, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari appealed for unity a day after winning a second term in Africa’s largest democracy.

Last June, President Trump called his first meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a new chapter in the historically adversarial relationship between the two nations. Since then, American policy toward North Korea has evolved from demanding complete denuclearization to emphasizing peace on the Korean peninsula. Nick Schifrin reports from Hanoi on how and why that change has taken place.

During his appearance before the House Oversight Committee, Michael Cohen was questioned about possible ties between the president and Russia, as well as Trump’s relationship with Roger Stone. Yamiche Alcindor talks to Judy Woodruff about the significance of the information Cohen relayed and whether any of it could pose a potential legal problem for the president.

In his congressional testimony on Wednesday, Michael Cohen produced evidence of hush money paid to porn actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, to keep her from revealing an affair with President Trump. Cohen also accused the president of inflating his financial assets during dealings with banks but under-reporting them to the IRS. Judy Woodruff talks to Lisa Desjardins for more.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chairs the House Intelligence Committee. He talks to Judy Woodruff about his impressions from Cohen’s Wednesday appearance in front of the House Oversight Committee, including evidence of a “code of dishonesty” in the president’s inner circle, plus what he plans to discuss when Cohen comes to his committee Thursday for a closed-door session.

Michael Cohen’s testimony raises many questions about President Trump’s personal, political and financial dealings. For analysis of its potential legal implications, Judy Woodruff turns to Solomon Wisenberg, who was deputy independent counsel during the Whitewater investigation of the early 1990s.