Trump news: President's ally Roger Stone banned from speaking about case after Instagram post of judge

Writing for CNN Politics, analyst Stephen Collinson warns Robert Mueller's Russia report, said to be forthcoming, will only mark the beginning of a new chapter for the saga.

Little is known about what the special counsel's dossier will actually contain or constitute, Mr Mueller having been so careful to avoid talking to the media for much of his investigation's duration.

Whatever happens, Mr Collinson says, the report will mark a turning point for the Trump administration: clear evidence of collusion with Russia would mean protracted impeachment proceedings, no case to answer would embolden a triumphant president and rally his support-base.

"Mueller's endgame is obscured because no one really knows exactly what he will report and the information that [attorney-general William] Barr will choose - or feel compelled - to share with Congress and the public on a scandal that has polarised the nation," says Mr Collinson.

"The uncertainty is almost certain to spark a new struggle between Congress, the White House and the Justice Department that could lead to litigation and has every chance of reaching all the way up to the Supreme Court."

What the famously-methodical Mr Mueller has achieved so far in cornering Trump allies is to weave "a tale of Kremlin troll farms, social media campaigns, spear phishing operations and computer hacking," he writes.

"He's uncovered a pattern of compulsive lying by people close to Trump, often about contacts with Russians, which have raised the key question: What are all of these presidential associates trying to hide?"

While concerns have been raised about the administration using legitimate legal means to withhold damaging information when the report is finally published, legal analyst Susan Hennessy has a warning for William Barr should that happen.

"If he tries to withhold even one word of the Mueller report from Congress, they are going to litigate this question to the absolute end of the earth," she told Wolf Blitzer on CNN's The Situation Room.

In case you missed it, Michael Cohen has agreed to testify in public next Wednesday before Congress about his time working as Donald Trump’s personal lawyer and fixer.

He was originally set to do so on 7 February but the appearance was cancelled by Mr Cohen's legal team, who accused the president and his attorney, Rudy Giuliani, of making threats against the defendant's father-in-law.

As the 30 April deadline approaches for the US to withdraw its 2,000 troops from Syria following the "defeat" of Isis, America's European allies have unanimously refused to fill the gap with their own forces, The Washington Post reports.

French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said last week he was mystified by President Trump's decision to withdraw and, on Tuesday, the UK's foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said "there is no prospect of British forces replacing the Americans" in Syria.

Even Mr Trump's fellow Republicans are not on board with the decision.

Defence secretary Jim Mattis resigned over the plan in December and, as The Post reported this week, South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham unleashed hell on acting-defence secretary Patrick Shanahan on the matter at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

The withdrawal was "the dumbest f***ing idea I've ever heard", Mr Graham said, issuing a dire forecast warning that Isis would be allowed to regroup and rejuvenate, a Turkish attack on Syrian Democratic Forces would be inevitable and Iran would strengthen its influence in the region.

"I am now your adversary, not your friend," Mr Graham told the acting Pentagon chief.

A little more on William Happer, the climate change denier Donald Trump has appointed to a panel advising on the impact of global warming on national security.

Here he is arguing, "the demonisation of carbon dioxide is just like the demonisation of the poor Jews under Hitler", on CNBC's Squawk Box in 2014.

The president appears to be unaware of his own administration's pro-LGBT+ campaign to prevent the criminalisation of homosexuality around the world, seeming baffled when asked about it by a reporter.

The initiative's chief architect, Richard Grenell, the US ambassador to Germany, will no doubt be frustrated by his boss's apparent indifference.

Here's Tom Embury-Dennis.

The president appears to be beginning his day with an early morning Twitter rant calling on American companies to become a leader in a technology that does not yet exist. Here's the latest: 

The 6G technology Mr Trump is tweeting about is not due until at least 2030, according to Network World. The trade magazine spoke to Ari Pouttu, professor for Dependable Wireless at the University of Oulu in Finland, who said "6G will emerge around 2030 to satisfy the expectation not met with 5G" and "will eventually offer terabits per second." The technology remains in the very beginning stages of research and development.

The Academy of Finland, which is funded by the Finish government, has reportedly dedicated $290m (£221m) towards a new programme called 6Genesis, which will conduct developmental efforts towards 6G capabilities.

The president's tweets arrived as Finland is scheduled to host the largest mobile event in the world next week. The rest of the global economy has only just begun to adapt to 5G technology, the Associated Press reported on Thursday. 

In a statement, Finland’s Minister of Transport and Communications Anne Berner said, “Finland plans to be a forerunner as a user and developer of 5G technology. Our Transport and Communications Agency, Traficom, has created a 5G ecosystem that will accelerate the development of new innovations and services through collaboration with other 5G experiments.

The tweets were just a pair of social media posts the president published on Thursday. Mr Trump also — once again — shared a video of barrier construction along the US-Mexico border in New Mexico. 

“THE WALL IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION RIGHT NOW!” he wrote.

US officials have told Reuters the president plans to discuss with North Korean Regime Leader Kim Jong Un “what kind of future North Korea could enjoy” if the regime were to commit to full denuclearization along the Korean peninsula.