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Developing now, Monday, Feb. 25, 2019

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SWIPES AT OBAMA, VOWS TO NOT  'COWER' BEFORE NORTH KOREA: As President Trump prepares to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for their second one-on-one summit, in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Wednesday and Thursday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News the administration will abandon what he called the Obama administration's policy of "praying" and "cowering" before the rogue regime ... However, both Pompeo and Trump also sought to tamp down expectations that the meeting would produce a breakthrough, or lead to major concessions by either party.

In an interview with "Fox News Sunday," Pompeo said he was hoping for a "substantive step forward." Still, he cautioned, "it may not happen, but I hope that it will." Trump has predicted a "continuation of the progress" made during his first meeting with Kim in Singapore last June. During the Singapore summit, Kim said he was committed to the "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." But the conditions under which North Korea says it would commit to complete denuclearization have fluctuated over time.

• Trump, Kim Jong Un’s summit in Vietnam: What to expect
• TUNE IN: Sean Hannity will be on the scene in Vietnam to preview the Trump-Kim summit on 'Hannity' at 9 p.m. ET Stay with Fox News all week for live team coverage and analysis

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

'GREEN BOOK' WINS BEST PICTURE OSCAR, SPIKE LEE REPORTEDLY GREEN WITH ENVY: The 91st Academy Awards on Sunday night relied heavily on musical performances instead of witty dialogue after opting to forgo a host for only the second time in decades. While "Green Book" won the top honor for best picture, it was Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's passionate performance of "Shallow" from "A Star Is Born" and Queen, with Adam Lambert singing in Freddie Mercury's place, that moved the audience.

But an awards shows isn't an awards show these days without political statements. Perhaps the most  politically-charged moment of the night came when Spike Lee won best adapted screenplay for "BlacKkKlansman." Lee started out his acceptance speech with some profanity, telling producers not to start the clock on his speech. He read from a two-page letter that tied together history and the years 1619 and 2019, along with his own story. Lee then urged people to "do the right thing" in the upcoming 2020 presidential election. The controversy for Lee didn't end there: He reportedly attempted to storm out of the Dolby Theatre after it was announced that “Green Book” won the award for best picture.

• List of winners at 2019 Oscars
• Liz Peek: Oscars reveal liberal Hollywood's biggest failing -- A basic sense of fairness
• WATCH: 'Bohemian Rhapsody' co-stars Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton's passionate Oscars kiss goes viral

SCHIFF: DEMS READY FOR COURT BATTLE OVER MUELLER REPORT - House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff insisted Sunday he's willing to take the Justice Department to court to make Special Counsel Robert Mueller's forthcoming final report on the Russia investigation public ... Sources tell Fox News Mueller is wrapping up his investigation. The DOJ's inspector general sharply criticized former FBI Director James Comey for publicly outlining the bureau's case against then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016 without finding criminal wrongdoing worthy of prosecution. Against that backdrop, it appeared unlikely the DOJ would be eager to release any findings by Mueller of noncriminal misconduct. But Schiff, D-Calif., suggested to ABC News he has several tools to take matters into his own hands.

• Victoria Toensing: Why Mueller's report (no matter how much Dems clamor for it) must be kept confidential

EMBATTLED VIRGINIA LT. GOVERNOR COMPARES HIMSELF TO LYNCHING VICTIMS: Virginia Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax, accused of sexual assault by two women, stunned lawmakers Sunday with an impromptu speech comparing himself to lynching victims from the late-19th and early 20th centuries as he fights to remain in office amid sexual assault allegations ... "I've heard much about anti-lynching on the floor of this very Senate, where people were not given any due process whatsoever, and we rue that," Fairfax said from his rostrum in the Virginia State Senate, referencing legislation the General Assembly passed expressing "profound regret" for lynchings in Virginia between 1877 and 1950. "We talk about hundreds, at least 100 terror lynchings that have happened in the Commonwealth of Virginia under those very same auspices." he added. "And yet, we stand here in a rush to judgment with nothing but accusations and no facts and we decide that we are willing to do the same thing."

TRUMP DELAYS CHINA TARIFF HIKE: President Trump announced Sunday that he would hold off on implementing planned tariff hikes on hundreds of goods imported from China, citing "substantial progress" in high-level trade talks between the two nations ... The president also tweeted he would hold a summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida to finalize an agreement "assuming both sides make additional progress."


• 'Sunday Morning Futures': Lindsey Graham says China trade deal has to be good on all fronts

THE SOUNDBITE

A 'LOONY' LEFT WARNING FOR REPUBLICANS - "In 2016, the consensus was overthrown in a populist revolution - of course, Donald Trump on the right, but also Bernie Sanders, paving the way for what we see today: the Democrats' lurch to the populist left. That's dangerous for America, because the more we see of these new loony left policies, the clearer it is that they'd bring disaster for our economy and society. But it's a danger for Republicans, too. Because unless they develop a positive populist agenda of their own, they'll be swept away." – Steve Hilton, warning Republicans not to sleep on Democrats' lurch to the far left, on "The Next Revolution." WATCH

TODAY'S MUST-READS
Mystery surrounds Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's address.
Kamala Harris dismisses concerns about Green New Deal price tag: 'It's not about a cost.'
'Pose' star Billy Porter's Oscars tuxedo dress turns heads.

MINDING YOUR BUSINESS
Bayer faces second trial over alleged Roundup cancer risk.
Huawei Chairman agrees with Trump on Tech advances.
Roche nears deal to buy Spark Therapeutics for close to $5B.
The Oscars: A win doesn't guarantee a financial windfall these days | Oscar statue's surprising worth.

STAY TUNED

On Fox Nation:

The Big Story: The Shocking Story of Susan Smith
Two little boys go missing, their mother pleads for help, and law enforcement sets out on a frantic search. But as new evidence surfaces, see how a helpless mother became the prime suspect in this shocking true crime case! Watch a preview of the show now.

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On Fox News:

Fox & Friends, 6 a.m. ET: Special guests include: Donald Trump Jr.; Fox News' Ed Henry previews President Trump's second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un; U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., on his firsthand look at the border. Plus, a behind the scenes look at "Thanks for nothing, AOC," a new billboard in New York City's Times Square.

Special Report with Bret Baier, 6 p.m. ET: Don't miss Chris Wallace's must-see interview with 2020 presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.

On Fox Business:

Countdown to the Closing Bell with Liz Claman, 3 p.m. ET: Special guests include: Michael Pillsbury, senior fellow and director of the Center for Chinese Strategy at the Hudson Institute.

On Fox News Radio:

The Fox News Rundown podcast: "Facebook Expands Its Amber Alert" - Facebook has refocused and expanded its own AMBER Alert system to help law enforcement respond quicker. Emily Vacher, Facebook’s director of Trust & Safety, breaks down the new alert system and why it’s a vital tool. Plus, there is positive data in the fight against cancer as rates have been declining with advances in early detection and treatment becoming more common. Dr. Nicole Saphier, Fox News contributor and director of Breast Imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth, weighs in. Plus, commentary by Dr. Marc Siegel.

Want the Fox News Rundown sent straight to your mobile device? Subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Stitcher.

The Brian Kilmeade Show, 9 a.m. ET: Guests include: New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin on why President Trump's hate crime "victims" are just in it for the money. U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., just returned from a trip to the southern border and reveals what he found. Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman on the second Trump-Kim summit and the latest in the 2020 presidential race. Comedy writer-producer Michael Loftus on the Oscars.

The Todd Starnes Show, Noon ET: Todd Starnes has the latest developments on the conservative student attacked at UC Berkeley.

#TheFlashback
1986: President Ferdinand Marcos flees the Philippines after 20 years of rule in the wake of a tainted election; Corazon Aquino assumes the presidency.
1964: Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) becomes world heavyweight boxing champion as he defeats Sonny Liston in Miami Beach, Fla.
1836: Inventor Samuel Colt patents his revolver.

Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for joining us! Have a good Monday! We'll see you in your inbox first thing Tuesday morning.