President Trump said he may delay his Thursday meeting with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to avoid “competing” with the Kavanaugh hearing on Capitol Hill. 
 
 “I don't want to do anything that gets in the way,” Trump said at a news conference. 
 
 The President also goes on to say that he “would certainly prefer” not to fire Rosenstein. 
 
 He suggested he may well keep him around for awhile. He also said he believes Rosenstein’s denials of the New York Times story that he didn’t talk about wearing a wire or the 25th Amendment. 
 
 But remember: Of course, the potential delay — or cancelation of Rosenstein meeting — is not only about competing with Kavanaugh. It's actually an acknowledgment from the President that his advisers — from lawyers to Sean Hannity to others — are urging him not to fire Rosenstein, which could only complicate the Russia probe. 
 
 Watch more: ||||| President Donald Trump shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Lotte New York Palace hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan... (Associated Press) 
 
 President Donald Trump shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Lotte New York Palace hotel during the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (Associated Press) 
 
 UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump's appearance at the U.N. General Assembly (all times local): 
 
 6:25 p.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump is claiming credit for saving the rebel-held Syrian stronghold of Idlib from a Russian-backed offensive that could have resulted in thousands of deaths and a humanitarian crisis. 
 
 Trump said Wednesday that he instructed his national security team to warn Russia about the operation after he heard about it from a supporter at a rally and read a news story. 
 
 He also recalled that he used his Twitter account to warn of consequences in the event that chemical weapons were used there by Syrian forces who were poised to enter the province with Iranian proxy fighters and Russian air support. 
 
 The offensive was postponed indefinitely earlier this month after the leaders of Russia and Turkey reached a deal declaring a de-militarized zone around Idlib, which is home to 3 million residents and around 60,000 fighters, including some of the world's most radical. 
 
 Some estimates put the number of radical fighters at about 10,000. The deal aims to end their presence in Idlib. 
 
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 6:15 p.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump is dismissing as "fake news" reports that he was laughed at during the opening moments of his speech before the U.N. General Assembly. 
 
 Trump says the heads of states and delegates in the audience "weren't laughing at me. They were laughing with me." 
 
 Trump opened Tuesday's speech by boasting about an American economy that he says is "booming like never before." He also claimed his administration had accomplished more in the less than two years he's held office than any other administration at the same point. 
 
 His boast elicited laughter from the audience. 
 
 Trump insisted at a news conference on Wednesday that "they did not laugh at me. People had a good time with me." 
 
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 5:55 p.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump says he has rejected a one-on-one meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over the tariff dispute involving the two countries. He's also threatening to place tariffs on cars imported from Canada as trade talks between the two neighbors drag on. 
 
 Trump says during a news conference in New York that Canada has treated the U.S. "very badly" during the trade talks. 
 
 Canada was left out when the United States and Mexico reached an agreement last month to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement. 
 
 The U.S. and Canada are under pressure to reach a deal by Sept. 30. 
 
 Trump is suggesting he may go forward with a revamped NAFTA without Canada. The president says it would be called "USM," for the U.S. and Mexico, instead of "USMC." 
 
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 5:40 p.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump is insisting he has evidence that China is attempting to meddle in the U.S. midterm elections. 
 
 At a news conference Wednesday in New York, a reporter asked Trump what evidence he has to back up the accusation, which China has denied. 
 
 He says he can't disclose what evidence he has, but that it will come out. He says his allegation did not come "out of nowhere." 
 
 The Trump administration says China is stepping up covert and overt activities to stifle free speech, punish those who support the president's tough trade stance against China and interfere in the U.S. political system. 
 
 The administration says China is hurting farmers and workers in pro-Trump states and districts. 
 
 According to Trump, China has "actually admitted that they're going after farmers." 
 
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 5:15 p.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump is trumpeting his efforts to rewrite the nation's trade deals as he kicks off a press conference in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. 
 
 Trump is talking up news that the U.S. and Japan will open negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement. 
 
 And he's touting the deal he signed with South Korea earlier this week. 
 
 Trump is also repeating his claims that China is trying to meddle in the upcoming midterm elections because they oppose his tough trade policies. 
 
 He says, "they would like to see me lose an election because they've never been challenged like this." 
 
 Trump is addressing a roomful of hundreds of reporters from U.S. and international media organizations in a sweltering hotel ballroom. 
 
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 3:40 p.m. 
 
 Japan is confirming in a joint statement with the United States that they will open negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement. 
 
 U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer calls it a "very important step" in expanding U.S.-Japan relations. 
 
 The statement was issued by the White House on Wednesday after talks between President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Shinzo Abe in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. 
 
 It says negotiations will begin after completion of necessary domestic procedures in each country. 
 
 Lighthizer told reporters he would be talking to Congress on Thursday about seeking trade promotion authority for the president to negotiate the agreement. 
 
 Japan is party to a multi-nation trans-Pacific trade pact that Trump withdrew from last year. It was previously reluctant to negotiate a bilateral trade deal with the U.S. 
 
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 2:55 p.m. 
 
 At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says he thinks the current tensions with China will be overcome because both countries value the relationship. 
 
 He said he is not sure what to make of China's rejection of a Hong Kong port visit by a U.S. Navy ship. China also canceled plans for its navy chief to meet with his American counterpart at the Pentagon this week. Mattis said this and other problems with China are being "sorted out." 
 
 Mattis told reporters he does not believe the current tensions amount to a fundamental shift in the relationship. 
 
 His comments came after President Donald Trump accused the Chinese of "attempting to interfere" in the November elections. China denied this. 
 
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 2:20 p.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump says he and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have agreed to open trade talks between their countries. 
 
 Trump says Japan had been unwilling in the past to enter into such talks, but now that Japan is willing, such a deal "will be something very exciting." 
 
 Trump commented as he and Abe met on the sidelines of the annual U.N. General Assembly session in New York. 
 
 The president also congratulated Abe on his "smashing election win." Abe was re-elected in a landslide last week as head of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party, clearing the way for up to three more years as Japan's leader. 
 
 Trump and Abe also met privately over dinner Sunday at Trump Tower after the president arrived in New York. 
 
 A Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman declined comment. 
 
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 2:15 p.m. 
 
 The Trump administration says China is stepping up covert and overt activities to stifle free speech, punish those who support the president's tough trade stance against China and interfere in the U.S. political system. 
 
 A senior administration official briefed reporters Wednesday after President Donald Trump said there was "plenty of evidence" that China is interfering in U.S. midterm elections. 
 
 The official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, says Vice President Mike Pence is expected to deliver a speech on the subject next week in Washington. 
 
 The official says China is hurting farmers and workers in states and districts that voted for Trump. The official says China stifles free speech on U.S. campuses, and punishes or rewards businesses, think tanks, movie studios and political candidates for criticizing or supporting Chinese politics. 
 
 —Deb Riechmann 
 
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 12:50 p.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump says there is "plenty of evidence" that China is attempting to interfere in the U.S. midterm elections because it doesn't like U.S. trade policies targeting Beijing. 
 
 Trump made the claim at the U.N. Wednesday but didn't offer any specifics. 
 
 In response, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said his country does not and will not interfere in any country's domestic affairs. He said China refused to accept any "unwarranted accusation." 
 
 Later, in response to a reporter's question, Trump said there was "plenty of evidence" of China's attempts to interfere. 
 
 Still, Trump did not elaborate. 
 
 Cyber experts say they've seen no proof of Chinese meddling, and intelligence officials so far have not shared any evidence of Chinese interference in this year's elections. 
 
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 12:15 p.m. 
 
 China's foreign minister says his country doesn't interfere in any other nation's internal affairs. His comments came at a U.N. Security Council meeting after President Donald Trump accused the Chinese of "attempting to interfere" in the November elections in the U.S. 
 
 Foreign Minister Wang Yi also said he refused to accept any "unwarranted accusations" against China. 
 
 While chairing his first Security Council meeting, Trump made a point of saying in front of world leaders that "regrettably" his government found that China was trying to interfere. Trump says it's because he's the "first president ever" to challenge China on trade. 
 
 Wang looked on, stone-faced, as Trump made his statement. 
 
 China's longstanding policy is noninterference in other nations' internal affairs — and it is quick to cite that policy when any other nation criticizes it over anything from politics to human rights. 
 
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 11:20 a.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump is following a detailed script as he convenes his first meeting of the United Nations Security Council. 
 
 The famously free-wheeling leader is referring to notes that are guiding him through the body's parliamentary procedures, including which leaders to recognize and when to use the gavel afforded to the council's president. The U.S. holds the presidency for Wednesday's session. 
 
 Wearing an earpiece, Trump is alternating between listening to simultaneous translation as other leaders and ministers spoke and scanning the room or his prepared notes. 
 
 Bolivian leader Evo Morales launched a blistering critique of U.S. policy toward Iran as well as Trump's immigration policies that resulted in the separation of migrant children from their parents. Trump sat stone-faced during the remarks, looking straight ahead. He thanked Morales for his remarks, before recognizing the next leader 
 
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 10:50 a.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump says China has been meddling in the November election in the United States. 
 
 He's offering few details, but says at a meeting of the U.N. Security Council: "Regrettably, we found that China has been attempting to interfere in our upcoming 2018 election." 
 
 U.S. intelligence officials have said previously that other nations could opt to try and copy Russia's playbook of meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. But Trump's comments Wednesday seem to confirm that China is actively interfering now. 
 
 Trump says Beijing doesn't want him or the Republicans "to win because I am the first president ever to challenge China on trade." 
 
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 10:40 a.m. 
 
 For the first time, President Donald Trump is calling to order a meeting of the U.N. Security Council for a meeting on countering nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. 
 
 Trump, seated at the center of an arc-shaped table, immediately uttered tough words against Iran, saying that a government with Iran's track record "must never be allowed to obtain" a nuclear weapon. 
 
 At the same time, he thanked Iran, Russia and Syria for slowing their attack on Idlib province in Syria. Last week, Russia and Turkey reached a deal to avert an offensive against Idlib, the last major rebel-held stronghold in Syria. 
 
 He also said China was interfering in the U.S. midterm elections, but offered no details about the claim except to say that Beijing opposes his trade policy. 
 
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 9:50 a.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump is endorsing a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He says that while he's with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "100 percent," Israel will have to do something that is good for the other side. 
 
 While meeting with Netanyahu on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly Wednesday, Trump said "deals have to be good for both parties," but that he thinks the Palestinians "actually want to do something." 
 
 Last week, eight European Union nations urged Israel to reconsider its planned demolition of a Palestinian community on the West Bank and said they will not give up on a negotiated two-state solution with Jerusalem as the capital of both Israel and a new Palestinian state. 
 
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 9:30 a.m. 
 
 President Donald Trump says all U.S. options are on the table to help end the political, economic and humanitarian chaos in Venezuela — even the "strong ones." 
 
 As he arrived Wednesday for a third day at the United Nations, reporters pummeled Trump with questions about whether the U.S. would ever intervene in the South American country. Venezuela's inflation and homicide rates are among the highest in the world and more than 2 million people have fled the violence and conflict in recent years. 
 
 The Trump administration on Tuesday slapped financial sanctions on four members of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's inner circle, including his wife and the nation's vice president, on allegations of corruption. 
 
 Asked if he would meet with Maduro, Trump said he would meet with anybody if it would help ease the suffering in Venezuela, which he described as a "disgrace." 
 
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 12:20 a.m. 
 
 More meetings with world leaders are on tap for President Donald Trump at the United Nations. 
 
 His schedule for includes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and later in the day the leaders of Japan and Britain. Trump is also set to chair a U.N. Security Council briefing on counterproliferation. 
 
 Trump's address to the General Assembly on Tuesday criticized what he called the "ideology of globalism" while heaping praise on his own administration's achievements. The self-congratulations drew headshakes and even mocking laughter. 
 
 Since taking office, Trump has removed the U.S. from the Paris climate accord, promoted protectionist tariffs and questioned the value of NATO. ||||| FILE - In this May 23, 2018 file photo, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable on immigration policy at Morrelly Homeland Security Center in... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this May 23, 2018 file photo, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable on immigration policy at Morrelly Homeland Security Center in Bethpage, N.Y. Expectations have diminished that a meeting between Trump and Rosenstein will result... (Associated Press) 
 
 FILE - In this May 23, 2018 file photo, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable on immigration policy at Morrelly Homeland Security Center in Bethpage, N.Y. Expectations have diminished that a meeting between Trump and Rosenstein will result... (Associated Press) FILE - In this May 23, 2018 file photo, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable on immigration policy at Morrelly Homeland Security Center in... (Associated Press) 
 
 WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would "certainly prefer not" to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and that he may delay a highly anticipated meeting with the Justice Department's No. 2 official. 
 
 Trump said Rosenstein denied making remarks first attributed to him in a New York Times report, including that he had discussed possibly secretly recording the president and using the Constitution's 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. 
 
 "I would much prefer keeping Rod Rosenstein," Trump said at a news conference in New York. "He said he did not say it. He said he does not believe that." 
 
 Trump added: "My preference would be to keep him and to let him finish up." 
 
 Rosenstein is overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and his dismissal would put that probe in jeopardy and create a political storm. 
 
 In suggesting that he might postpone Thursday's meeting, Trump said he is focused on the extraordinary Senate committee hearing set for the same day with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and a woman who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault. 
 
 Any delay in the meeting would prolong the uncertainty of Rosenstein's status. Rosenstein headed to the White House on Monday morning preparing to be fired and had discussed a possible resignation over the weekend with White House officials. But after meeting with chief of staff John Kelly and speaking by phone with Trump, he got a reprieve with the Trump meeting scheduled for Thursday. 
 
 Since then, the White House has sought to tamp down anxiety that Rosenstein would be fired. White House officials called senators Monday to say Trump had said he wouldn't be firing Rosenstein at the meeting, according to two people familiar with the conversations who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private discussions. Aides have advised Trump against taking any extreme actions ahead of the midterm elections with his party's majorities in Congress already under threat. 
 
 Friends and former colleagues of Rosenstein say they didn't expect him to step aside and give up oversight of Russia investigation and the enormous swath of Justice Department operations for which he is responsible. 
 
 Rosenstein, who has spent his entire career in government, "has tremendous loyalty to the department," said former Justice Department lawyer and longtime friend James Trusty. 
 
 "He's a very long-run, historical-minded guy in a lot of ways," Trusty said. "I think he may have some confidence that history will be kinder to him than politicians are." 
 
 Trump's remarks Wednesday followed a chaotic period that began Friday with reports that Rosenstein had last year discussed possibly secretly recording the president and invoking the Constitution to remove Trump from office. The Justice Department issued statements Friday aimed at denying the reports, including one that said the wiretap remark was meant sarcastically. 
 
 Rosenstein appointed Mueller in May 2017, oversees his work and has repeatedly defended the breadth and scope of the probe. Trump has been critical of Rosenstein's oversight of the probe, but the two have at times displayed a warm working relationship, and Rosenstein has been spared some of the more personal and antagonistic broadsides leveled against Attorney General Jeff Sessions. 
 
 Even if Rosenstein survives the week, it's not clear how much longer he'll be around. Trump has signaled that he may fire Sessions after the midterms, and Rosenstein could go with him. 
 
 But it could be sooner: Some officials around Trump believe Rosenstein's reported musings about invoking the 25th Amendment could make it defensible for Trump to part with him, even during the final sprint to Election Day. 
 
 Rosenstein's friends and former colleagues describe him as exceptionally committed to the Justice Department — one said he "bleeds" for the agency — and unlikely to leave on his own, though they say he respects the chain of command enough to resign if asked. 
 
 He joined the department in 1990, serving as a public corruption prosecutor, a Tax Division supervisor and a member of independent counsel Ken Starr's Whitewater team. He was named U.S. attorney in Maryland by President George W. Bush and held the position throughout the Obama administration — remarkable longevity for a position that typically turns over with changes in political power. 
 
 Within weeks of being confirmed as deputy attorney general, he was engulfed in controversy by writing a memo critical of then-FBI Director James Comey, which the White House cited as justification for Comey's firing. 
 
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 Associated Press writers Chad Day, Ken Thomas Michael Balsamo in Washington and Zeke Miller in New York contributed to this report.
– At what CNN refers to as a "rare news conference" Wednesday in New York—just the fourth solo, formal, announced-in-advance news conference since he became president—President Trump said he would watch Thursday's Senate hearing, at which Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, the first woman to accuse him of sexual misconduct, will both testify—and he signaled that what he sees could affect Kavanaugh's nomination. "They're giving the women a major chance to speak. Now it's possible I'll hear that and say hey I'm changing my mind. Hey, that's possible," Trump said. "I'm going to see what happens tomorrow. I'm going to be watching, believe it or not. I'm going to see what's said. It's possible they will be convincing." But he also called the allegations "false" and repeated his assertion that the accusers should have come forward earlier. "I only say this: 36 years, no charge, no nothing. People are going to have to make a decision. Thirty-six years and there’s no charge." He said "con artist" Democrats "have destroyed a man's reputation," and noted that he can sympathize: "People want fame. They want money. When I see it, I view it differently. It's happened to me many times. I've had many false charges. When you say does it affect me? Absolutely. Because I've had it many times. I was accused by, I believe it was four women ... who got paid a lot of money to make up stories about me. I've had a lot of false charges against me." CNN notes at least 17 women have accused Trump of sexual assault. Trump touched on quite a few other subjects during the press conference, including Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, whom he said he would "certainly prefer not to" fire, the AP reports. He also called reports of the UN General Assembly audience laughing at him "fake news," insisting "they were laughing with me."