3 Things To Know Today

1 Cohen Admits Lying, Set For Sentencing

President Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen is entering into a new plea deal in the Russia investigation. Earlier this year, Cohen vowed to put "family and country first" by cooperating with prosecutors in the Russia probe. Cohen once famously said he would take a bullet for Donald Trump. In August, Cohen pleaded guilty to eight counts of bank fraud, tax fraud and campaign finance violations in a deal with federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York. Since then, Cohen has reportedly spent more than 70 hours in interviews with special Prosecutor Robert Mueller's team. As you might expect, President Trump is none too pleased with the development – and as he headed to Argentina for the G20 Summit…he said so. Among other things, Trump said Cohen is “weak” and “not very smart.” He also said Cohen is simply lying to get reduced sentence. “He was convicted …on things totally unrelated to the Trump Organization,” Trump offered. “He was given a fairly long jail sentence. And he’s a weak person. And by being weak, unlike other people that you watch — he is a weak person. And what he’s trying to do is get a reduced sentence.

2 Heading To G20, Trump Cancels Putin Meeting Over Ukraine

President Trump is in Argentina for the G20 summit, a meeting of leaders of the world's largest economies. Representatives from several European nations will be there. In attendance will also be representatives from countries like Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and China. Trump is expected to hold one-on-one meetings in Buenos Aires with several world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinpin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Russian President Vladimir Putin will be there but President Trump is canceling a planned meeting with him. In a tweet aboard Air Force One, Trump cited Russian aggressions in Ukraine. He said Russia has not returned Ukrainian ships and sailors after naval skirmishes. The two-day summit starts today in Buenos Aires. A short time before the tweet, Trump said the Putin meeting would "probably" happen. The President did say he'll have trade talks with the Chinese leader, but he did not set up a meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince. The prince is under growing international scrutiny after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi Trump has seemed skeptical to link the prince to the murder.

3 Trump Says Government Shutdown Is Possible

President Trump says a government shutdown is possible next month. Speaking at the White House, Trump said he wants funding for a massive border wall and a deal to boost border security. The government runs out of money on December 7th. Speaker Paul Ryan said this week that the Republican-led House is ready to give Trump five-billion dollars for the border wall. He said there may be a problem getting that through the closely-divided Senate. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly said Mexico would pay for the border wall.