He said, if you don't present any evidence to me, Trump, then I am left with the records that I have.

I have evidence that these documents are classified.

If you decide for whatever reason you do not want to present any evidence, that's fine.

You don't have to. But he then went ahead and said,

then this case becomes very easy. That's former Mueller team prosecutor Andrew Weissman,

breaking down how the judge responded to Trump's legal team in the first special master hearing.

We'll walk you through what else happened yesterday in the courtroom

in just a moment. Plus, Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a rare national address,

announcing significant moves in the war with Ukraine. The Russian president also talked about a

plan that Kiev is calling a, quote, desperate sham. And President Biden will surely have something to say about all of that

when he takes the podium later this morning at the United Nations General Assembly.

We'll preview that and the other topics he'll likely focus on in his speech.

Thank you. Good morning and welcome to way too early on this Wednesday, September 21st.

I'm Jonathan Lemire. Thanks for starting your day with us. We begin with major moves from Russia this morning.

Claiming that the West is, quote, trying to destroy us,

Vladimir Putin announced overnight that he is partially mobilizing the military in Russia while also approving a move to annex portions of Ukraine.

In a rare pre-recorded national address, Putin said, quote,

Russia will use all the instruments at

its disposal to counter a threat against its territorial integrity. This is not a bluff.

The potential nuclear threat comes amid major setbacks for the Kremlin on the battlefield.

Russia is also reportedly planning to hold sham referendums

on joining parts of Ukraine to join Russia in the occupied regions of Hurson and Zaporizka,

...