Testimony ends for the day in Trump hush money trial

Bove is now walking Pecker through his deal with Arnold Schwarzenegger, which he described earlier today during the prosecution’s questioning.

Pecker this morning said he agreed to a “catch and kill” deal with Schwarzenegger in 2003 when Pecker was trying to acquire fitness magazines and shortly before Schwarzenegger announced his run for governor of California.

Earlier today, Pecker described how women reached out to him with stories about alleged relationships or alleged sexual harassment after Schwarzenegger announced his run.

Bove in court now stated that 30 or 40 women ended up coming to AMI with stories about Schwarzenegger. Pecker confirmed the statement.

Pecker says he spent “hundreds of thousands of dollars” for stories from women about Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Correction: This post has been updated to reflect Pecker’s testimony from this morning.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office discussed the non-prosecution agreement that David Pecker signed with prosecutors in an effort to get ahead of attacks from the defense, according to CNN legal analysts.

Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, and its parent company, American Media Inc., have been granted immunity in exchange for his testimony. He has been on the stand for the last several days.

The prosecution wants “to be the first ones to point all this information out, so that the defense doesn’t do it, because the defense can weaponize it if they bring out for the first time” that a witness has an agreement with prosecutors, CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams said.

The district attorney’s office is likely to argue that Pecker is “laying it all out on the line,” CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig said, explaining how the prosecution will try to frame the agreement to the jury.

The defense, however, is likely to try to discredit Pecker and argue that he is in the pocket of the prosecution “because they’re the ones who gave him a sweetheart deal,” Honig added.

Bove’s tactic with his early questioning of Pecker is part of a strategy to argue that the publisher’s work helping Trump during the 2016 election was nothing new or out of the ordinary.

Bove says: “Many politicians work with the media to promote their image.” Pecker confirms that’s accurate.

Pecker also confirms that he’s had “mutually beneficial” relationships with other celebrities — not just Trump.

Bove asks if it’s “standard operating procedure” for politicians to work with the media. “Yes,” Pecker says.

Bove also walked Pecker through his “mutually beneficial” relationship with Trump, where Trump provided him with stories and information about “Celebrity Apprentice,” and he tipped off Trump to negative stories and printed positive stories about Trump.

“Before this, you had not heard the phrase catch and kill?” Bove asked Pecker, referring to the hush money case investigation.

“That’s correct,” Pecker responded.

“The first time you had heard the phrase was from a prosecutor right?” Bove asked.

“That’s correct,” Pecker responded.

More context: The practice of “catch-and-kill” means buying exclusive rights to a story for the express purpose of never publishing the information. It is a tactic that gained widespread notoriety during the 2016 presidential election.

Pecker spent the morning taking the jury through the machinations of the Stormy Daniels’ and Karen McDougal’s “catch and kill” deal. 

Pecker confirmed during cross-examination that he has been giving Trump a heads up on negative stories for about 17 years before the election.

Bove clarifies with Pecker that dating back to the 1990’s it was standard practice “to not publish negative stories about President Trump.”

Bove is asking Pecker to describe other instances where AMI would purchase a story, including sometimes “as leverage against a celebrity.”

The former publisher confirms he used a third-party consultant to facilitate large AMI payments for stories. He used this consultant to handle these sensitive payments because he was concerned about leaks, Pecker says.

Bove is confirming that using the consultant to facilitate a possible reimbursement from Michael Cohen to AMI for the Karen McDougal story rights was not unique to that situation involving Trump.

He also confirms with Pecker that around the time of the “Celebrity Apprentice” show, research showed that Trump was a top celebrity who could drive the most sales for the National Enquirer at the time.

Former president Donald Trump's defense team stops to listen as Trump speaks upon arriving at Manhattan criminal court, Monday, April 22, in New York. 

Trump’s legal team is led by Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, two former federal prosecutors from New York, and Susan Necheles, a veteran criminal defense lawyer with deep experience in New York and appearing before Judge Juan Merchan.

Bove is currently cross-examining David Pecker, the prosecution’s first witness in the trial.

Here are the key things to know about Trump’s legal team:

Now that Trump’s team has started its cross-examination of Pecker, a reminder: Defense attorneys are allowed to use leading questions on cross-examination.

That means we will likely hear Pecker confirm or deny things Bove is saying more frequently than give open-ended answers.

Former President Donald Trump is probably experiencing “an immense amount of frustration” as he sits in the courtroom for his New York criminal hush money trial, according to one of his former attorneys, Tim Parlatore.

He went on to say that he thinks the gag order ruling from Judge Juan Merchan is “certainly only going to compound” Trump’s mood.

Trump’s attorney asks Pecker if he managed AMI to make money.

Bove confirms with Pecker that the business model included buying stories, reiterating Pecker’s own words that AMI uses “checkbook journalism.”

Bove also confirms source agreements are “standard operating procedure” for AMI, to give the company control of how, if at all, the information might be released.

Trump attorney Emil Bove is starting his cross-examination by asking Pecker to confirm he was with AMI, the National Enquirer’s parent company, from 1999 to 2020.

When asked, Pecker acknowledges he still has equity in AMI.

Trump attorney Emil Bove now takes the podium to begin cross-examination of David Pecker, the prosecution’s first witness in the trial.

Trump briefly turns his head to look back at Bove when he begins.

Remember: Defense attorneys can cross examine the prosecution’s witnesses and typically aim to discredit their testimony. Witnesses’ responses are considered evidence, but not the questions posed by an attorney.

Read more about the stages of Trump’s criminal trial.

Steinglass has concluded with the prosecution’s direct examination of Pecker, their first witness in the trial.

The parties are at the bench.

Trump seems to be watching Pecker as he sings Trump’s praises.

“I still consider him close — even though we haven’t spoken. I still consider him a friend,” Pecker testifies.

Steinglass is asking if Pecker has an ill will toward Trump.

“On the contrary,” Pecker says. “I talked about, I think it was on Monday: I felt that Donald Trump was my mentor. He helped me throughout my career.”

“When is the last time you saw or spoke to the defendant?” Steinglass asks Pecker.

Pecker says the last time they spoke was in January or February of 2019.

He said Trump hasn’t directly tried to reach out to him since. “I have friends that go to Mar a Lago and they run into Mr. Trump,” he said.

Pecker says that did not respond to the indirect outreach from those friends.

“No I did not,” Pecker says, adding he thought it would be “inappropriate” to respond given the investigations going on.

Steinglass now reviews AMI’s cooperation agreement with the Manhattan district attorney’s office.

Pecker says:

“I left the company in August of 20 so this happened post my leaving and the board of directors of the company agreed to this agreement.”

The former publisher says he believes the company paid a $180,000 fine.

Pecker says his understanding is that the company agreed not to contest that AMI committed a campaign violation in connection to the payment to Karen McDougal for Trump’s benefit.

Pecker confirms he signed a cooperation agreement with the Manhattan district attorney’s office.

The October 25, 2019, agreement is now displayed in court.

One of the lawyers on the jury made a visible facial expression at the agreement as he looked at the screen in front of him.

Trump is sitting back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest. He appears to be reading the agreement as its discussed in court on the screen in front of him.

At one point, he leaned over to whisper to his attorney Emil Bove.

The jury seems to be attentive during the testimony and many are taking notes.

Now they’re following along as Pecker reads the statement of admitted facts on their screens in front of them.

The statement of facts includes many of the same details that Pecker has just told the jury over the past two days.

Pecker is reading parts of the agreement that reference the August 2015 meeting at Trump Tower and AMI’s purchase of McDougal’s story in 2016.

Where the players’ names are not explicitly identified like McDougal and Trump, Steinglass has stopped Pecker to ask him to confirm who the document refers to.

Pecker is reading the statement of facts line by line, again stopping to fill in the names that aren’t in the document. It’s effectively acting as a summary of what Pecker has testified to and offers corroboration to what he’s said on the stand.

The prosecution has to make their case to the jury that Donald Trump’s hush money payment was a scheme to “influence the presidential election,” as prosecutor Matthew Colangelo said in his opening statement. To do that, they have to go beyond establishing that the transactions were salacious.

What the prosecution is trying to establish, according to Williams: 

That’s because the defense would argue the “catch and kill” scheme or hush money payments are not a crime, CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig said.

If it’s substantially both, “that’s good enough for prosecutors,” Honig added. 

Judge Juan Merchan is now reading his limiting instruction to the jury about the non-prosecution agreement (NPA) that prosecutors struck with the National Enquirer’s parent company, American Media Inc.

Steinglass is having Pecker go over parts of the non-prosecution agreement from September 20, 2018.

Merchan instructs the jury about the NPA with the US attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and the conciliation agreement. He says they are to “assist you in assessing David Pecker’s credibility and to help provide context surrounding some of the events.”

Merchan says they may not consider this information when considering Trump’s guilt as to the charges at issue in this trial.

Part of the agreement, shown in court, says SDNY will not criminally prosecute American Media Inc. for any crimes “related to its participation, between in or about August 2015 up to and including in or about October 2016, in making a contribution and expenditure aggregating $25,000 and more during the 2016 calendar year, to the campaign of a candidate for President of the United States.”

Remember: Pecker was granted immunity in exchange for his testimony and AMI signed a non-prosecution agreement with prosecutors.

Steinglass is apologizing “for asking such a silly question,” but asks Pecker to identify which candidate for president the immunity agreement with the Southern District of New York refers to.

Donald Trump, Pecker confirmed.

The jury is watching Steinglass often. They are watching Steinglass and Pecker speak much like a tennis match.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche stayed back while other defense attorneys went to the bench, to discuss an objection with the judge.

Blanche is whispering with Trump, leaning in with his hand over his mouth as he speaks.

Pecker recalled a conversation that he and Cohen had about letters from the Federal Election Commission in 2018.

Pecker said, “We committed a campaign violation.”

He testified that he was worried, but Cohen said he was not, telling Pecker: “Jeff Sessions is the attorney general and Donald Trump has him in his pocket.”

Some background: In 2021, the FEC said it had fined the publisher of the National Enquirer for its role in a “hush-money” payment made to former Playboy model Karen McDougal during the 2016 election cycle. The $187,500 fine came after the commission found that American Media Inc., whose successor is A360 Media, LLC, made an illegal corporate campaign contribution by paying $150,000 during Trump’s first presidential campaign to prevent McDougal from going public with her claims of an affair. Trump has denied the affair.

Donald Trump asked about former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who alleged she had an affair with the former president, at least two times unprompted after the 2016 election, David Pecker testified Tuesday.

These are the two incidents Pecker described:

Trump also called Pecker the day after McDougal’s interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper aired in March 2018, Pecker testified.

Pecker testifies that Trump called him about the Daniels’ interview with Anderson Cooper.

He told Pecker that based on the agreement she signed with Michael Cohen that she should owe him $24 million for breaching the agreement by talking about Trump in the interview, Pecker said.

Pecker says he wanted to extend McDougal’s contract so she wouldn’t say anything negative about AMI, which is the National Enquirer’s parent company, or Trump.

When asked, Pecker confirms McDougal filed a lawsuit against AMI. She wanted to get back her lifetime rights, Pecker says.

Pecker says Trump was skeptical of the idea. “He said it’s your business, you should do whatever you plan on doing,” Pecker says of Trump.

They settled the lawsuit and AMI returned her lifetime rights to her, Pecker says.

Joshua Steinglass asked David Pecker to recall a phone conversation he had with Trump’s White House staff members.

Pecker testified he remembers a call with Hope Hicks and Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

“Both of them said that they thought it was a good idea,” Pecker said, referring to extending McDougal’s contract.

Pecker is testifying about a call he got from Trump the day after Karen McDougal was interviewed by Anderson Cooper in March 2018.

He said Trump called him and said that he thought they had an agreement with Karen McDougal “that she can’t give any interviews or be on any television shows.”

Pecker then told Trump on the call that he had amended McDougal’s agreement. Trump was angry, Pecker testified.

“He was very upset, he couldn’t understand why I did it,” Pecker said, referring to Trump.

The questioning has moved back to discussing Michael Cohen paying Stormy Daniels not to discuss her relationship with Trump.

Steinglass is showing the jury the January 12, 2018, article in the Wall Street Journal that first reported the payment of $130,000 to Daniels.

Trump has his eyes closed and is sitting back in his chair in the courtroom.

The first witness prosecutors put on the stand during a trial is important — they need to set the scene and lay the foundation for the jury. David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, is doing just that, a CNN legal analyst said.

Pecker has been on the stand for more than five hours over the first few days of the trial. He has testified about three different schemes he orchestrated on behalf of former President Trump to buy the rights to negative stories so they don’t get published.

Pecker also is helping introduce the jury to the key players in the case and how they fit together in the story prosecutors are trying to tell, Honig said.

While Pecker represents a solid start for the prosecution, they still have a long way to go in proving their case, Honig added. 

“They have not established all the elements of the crime, nor could you possibly do that as a prosecutor with your first witness,” Honig said, adding if he was an attorney on this case, he would be pleased with what Pecker has done so far.

Pecker testifies that he had lunch with McDougal and her attorney Keith Davidson for lunch in New York. in New York in August 2017.

According to Pecker, McDougal talked about the articles that she was working on with ghost writers. She was a little upset because Howard had to change ghostwriters because they weren’t working well with Karen, Pecker says.

She also complained she hadn’t been given media training, noting she still wanted to be the red carpet anchor for RADAR magazine, Pecker says.

Describing the the purpose of the meeting, Pecker says it was to make sure AMI was holding up their end of the agreement.

During his visit to the White House, Pecker said President Trump asked him about Karen McDougal.

Pecker is testifying that he got a call from the White House in July 2017.

He says Trump invited him to the White House. It was meant to be a “thank you dinner”

Pecker says his wife didn’t want to go to Washington. He called Trump back and told him that, but Pecker says he went anyway and brought business associates with him.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass continues questioning Pecker on direct examination.

The jury has returned to the courtroom. The prosecution’s questioning of Pecker will continue.

David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, is back on the stand.

Attorney Todd Blanche leaned over and whispered to Trump as Pecker walked up to the stand. Trump pursed his lips and nodded.

Attorneys are debating the entry of a text message thread between former editor in chief o the National Enquirer Dylan Howard and Stormy Daniels’ then-publicist Gina Rodriguez, who was one of Howard’s sources on Daniels’ Trump story.

Trump’s attorney says it’s unduly prejudicial to bring in messages from Rodriguez because she’s not considered a co-conspirator — but Steinglass says it’s evidence going to the core of the conspiracy.

Judge Juan Merchan says he needs time to look at the 15 pages of texts more closely.

Steinglass says the prosecution won’t submit the texts through Pecker’s testimony and can do so through a summary witness later.

Trump is whispering with his lawyers Emil Bove and Todd Blanche as prosecutors and attorneys debate what evidence will be allowed in.

Boris Epshteyn, a former White House aide who remains one of Trump’s closest advisers, is in the courtroom today.

On Wednesday, a grand jury in Arizona handed up an indictment against Trump allies, including Epshteyn, over their efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss, including the fake electors from that state and several individuals connected to his campaign.

Judge Juan Merchan said he signed the order to show cause regarding four new violations of a gag order for former President Donald Trump.

He signed the order to show cause from the district attorney for the first 10 violations, too.

This means he will hear the additional four violations they have now added. He hasn’t made a decision yet or held Trump in contempt.

Judge Juan Merchan is back on the bench and the court is in session.

David Pecker, the prosecution’s first witness, is expected to continue his testimony.

Court is expected to come back from its lunch break soon, and Trump is back in the courtroom.

Trump gave a wave and held up a fist in the hallway as walked back inside.

“Catch and kill” operations continue to pop up in Thursday’s testimony as witness David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, has offered illuminating details this week into how the infamous tabloid operated and conducted the secret practice.

The practice of “catch and kill” means buying exclusive rights to a story for the express purpose of never publishing the information. It is a tactic that gained widespread notoriety during the 2016 presidential election.

Pecker spent the morning taking the jury through the machinations of Karen McDougal’s “catch and kill” deal. Pecker said he was especially careful with the McDougal negotiation recalling on the stand a 2003 incident surrounding a deal to “catch and kill” stories on Arnold Schwarzenegger when he ran for California governor.

There are three “catch and kill” schemes prosecutors are working to show the jury evidence of to support their case against former President Donald Trump:

Jury consultant Alan Tuerkheimer told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that at this point, the jury is probably leaning in favor of the prosecutors and may think there is some wrongdoing, but “there is so much left,” he cautioned.

Former President Donald Trump sits in a courtroom at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on Thursday.

As Donald Trump was in a New York courtroom for the third day of testimony in the historic criminal trial, some of his attorneys were in Washington arguing in front of the US Supreme Court that the former president is protected by presidential immunity.

The coincidence of both events speaks to the way Trump approaches official acts, which high court justices focused on, CNN correspondent Audie Cornish said.

“Do you talk about your hush money issue in front of your new FBI chief? Sure, if he’s in the room, ” Cornish said, providing a hypothetical situation that demonstrates Trump’s thinking.

Referring to conversations Trump had with former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, a key witness, and his other associates following his election, Cornish said there was no sense of separation between him as a candidate and as an elected official.

Donald Trump wasn’t reacting to key witness David Pecker’s testimony, according to CNN’s Brynn Gingras.

While the former president sometimes conferred with his attorney, he was mostly sitting back in his chair with his eyes shut, Gingras added. It seemed as if Trump was taking in word by word how Pecker was testifying.

Trump smirked just once, according to Gingras, when Pecker recounted Trump — who was then the president-elect — telling a room full of people that Pecker knows more stories about him than anyone else in the room.

More context: In about five hours of testimony so far, Pecker has detailed several “catch-and-kill” efforts to prevent alleged affairs from becoming public and influencing the 2016 election. Trump has denied the affairs.

David Pecker testifies in court on Thursday.

Questioning picked up on Thursday with David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, testifying about how he vetted allegations of an alleged affair between former President Donald Trump and Playboy playmate Karen McDougal.

Prosecutors also asked about the deal he helped broker with adult film star Stormy Daniels, which is at the center of the case.

Court is taking a lunch break.

Here are some of the highlights so far:

David Pecker has testified for just over five hours so far. 

He was on the stand for 22 minutes on Monday and two hours and 11 minutes on Tuesday.

So far today, he has been on the witness stand for two hours and 36 minutes. 

His testimony will resume after the lunch break and lawyers for both sides suggested that it was unlikely Pecker would be done with questioning and cross-examination by the end of today. 

The former president has been accused of taking part in an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election and an unlawful plan to suppress negative information, which included a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels to hide an affair. 

Trump has denied the affair.

Daniels, whose name is Stephanie Clifford, received a $130,000 payment just days before the 2016 presidential election. Prosecutors allege that Trump allegedly disguised the transaction as a legal payment and falsified business records numerous times to “promote his candidacy.” Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records. He has pleaded not guilty.

Daniels shared in a documentary released last month that she accepted the payment to keep her one-night stand with Trump in 2006 from becoming public to protect her husband and daughter.

Trump’s attorneys subsequently used the documentary’s release to try to bar Daniels from testifying and argued that it should be grounds to dismiss the indictment or delay the trial — both unsuccessful challenges, though the judge did delay the trial on separate grounds.

See a full timeline of key moments in the case.

Trump walked slowly out of the courtroom, scanning both aisles as he left. Court is taking a lunch break until 2:15 p.m. ET.

Trump did not say anything to reporters outside the courtroom. He gave a thumbs up when someone asked how he’s doing today.

The court is now on a lunch break. Proceedings will resume at 2:15 p.m. ET.

Judge Juan Merchan read jury instructions before the panel left the courtroom, including not discussing the case.

Steinglass is asking Pecker about how Trump’s concerns about negative stories shifted over time.

Pecker says that before the election, Trump would express concerns about his wife, Melania Trump, and daughter Ivanka Trump.

“If a negative story was coming out with respect to Donald Trump and we spoke about it, he was always concerned about Melania, he was concerned about Ivanka, he was concerned about what the family my hear or say about it, not saying whether it was true or not,” Pecker says.

After the campaign, Trump’s concern shifted, Pecker says. “It was basically what the impact would be to the campaign and the election,” he says.

Trump’s defense team has made an objection. Attorneys are now at the bench.

Steinglass is asking Pecker if Trump said why he was so grateful about his help handling the negative stories.

After a long pause, Pecker said: “He said the stories would have been very embarrassing.”

Trump appeared to be watching Pecker closely as Pecker paused to answer. (edited) 

Pecker said that in the conversations he had with Cohen and Trump about these stories, Trump’s family was not mentioned.

“So I made the assumption” the concern was the campaign, Pecker says.

At the end of the 2017 Trump Tower meeting, after the others left, Pecker testifies that Trump asked him, “How’s our girl doing?” referring to McDougal.

Pecker says he told Trump she’s doing well and writing articles.

Trump thanked Pecker for “handling the McDougal situation,” Pecker says on the stand.

Pecker recalled visiting Trump Tower in early January 2017 and meeting former FBI Director James Comey, former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and former CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

They were updating Trump on a shooting in Florida, he testified. Pecker said he’d never seen so much security at Trump Tower.

“Mr. Trump introduced me to each of them. He said, ‘here is David Pecker, he’s the publisher of the National Enquirer, and he probably knows more than anybody else in this room,’ as a joke,” Pecker said.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche laughed, and Trump cracked a smile.

There was some laughter in the courtroom, too.

Pecker said on the stand, “unfortunately they didn’t laugh,” referring to the heavy hitters in the room at that briefing.

As Pecker discusses the conversation he said he had with Trump about Cohen, the former president is looking toward him on the witness stand.

Pecker is testifying he didn’t know the details of the transaction between Cohen and Daniels in real time.

He said he later learned Cohen had paid Daniels out of his own funds. “That was the first time I had heard of that,” he says.

Pecker testified that he met with Cohen at Trump Tower after the election, and that Cohen was still asking about the boxes of information about Trump. Pecker says he was not going to let Cohen go through the boxes.

Pecker assured Cohen there’s nothing damaging to be worried about in the boxes, he testified.

Pecker says that after the Wall Street Journal published its story on the agreement between McDougal and AMI, AMI amended the deal.

AMI received a call from a new lawyer saying McDougal wanted to amend the agreement because she would like to speak to the press, Pecker says.

Pecker says that Michael Cohen “highly recommended” he did not amend the agreement. “He said, ‘it was a very bad idea,’ adding that the Trump would be very angry.

But Pecker says that he did not take Cohen’s advice.

Pecker is saying he wanted McDougal to speak to the press because the Wall Street Journal “already set the stage and tone” to what the story was.

Pecker said he wanted to keep control of the story so it didn’t go further in the market

They hired a a press consultant for McDougal who reported to Pecker, the former tabloid executive testified.

Following the Wall Street Journal story, AMI issued a statement denying it was killing negative stories about Trump, Pecker says.

On the stand, Pecker is acknowledging the denials were false.

Asked why he did it Pecker says, “I wanted to protect my company, I wanted to protect myself and I wanted also to protect Donald Trump.”

Steinglass is now asking Pecker about a Wall Street Journal story from November 2016 about McDougal’s agreement with AMI, the National Enquirer’s parent company.

In the article, the Journal questioned Pecker’s relationship with Donald Trump at the time, Pecker says, adding it was published just days before the 2016 election.

Pecker says he spoke with Trump about the article the day after it was published. Trump was very upset, asking, “How could this happen? I thought you had this under control,” Pecker says.

According to Pecker, Trump told him, “Either you or one of your people leaked the story.”

While Donald Trump sits in a Manhattan courtroom in his criminal hush money trial, a federal judge upheld E. Jean Carroll’s defamation verdict and denied the former president’s motion for a new trial Thursday.

Judge Lewis Kaplan said Trump’s legal arguments are without merit, according to a written opinion. The judge also found that the punitive damages the jury awarded Trump pass “constitutional muster.”

Trump is also separately appealing the verdict.

Pecker testified that he got on a call via the encrypted message app Signal with former National Enquirer editor-in-chief Dylan Howard and Cohen, where Cohen once again told Pecker to buy Daniel’ story.

Pecker said that the call was made on Signal at Cohen’s request. “Michael Cohen requested every time we have a conversation that we should use the Signal app,” Pecker said.

Pecker explained how he spoke to Cohen to tell him that American Media Inc. would not be purchasing Daniels’ story.

Cohen then told Pecker that the boss would be furious with him. Pecker said earlier in his testimony that Cohen referred to Trump as “the boss.”

“We’re not paying out any more monies,” Pecker said he explained.

Pecker said that former editor-in-chief of the National Enquirer, Dylan Howard, continued to talk to Cohen about the story, against Pecker’s orders. Howard was upset about Cohen’s negotiations with Daniels’ attorney Keith Davidson.

According to Pecker, Howard said Cohen was going to wire the funds to Davidson twice, but never did. Howard was concerned he’d look bad to his two top sources over Cohen’s behavior.

Pecker says he first learned about Daniels from former National Enquirer editor-in-chief Dylan Howard.

He says his understanding was attorney Keith Davidson reached out to Howard about Daniels’ story.

Pecker is testifying more about why AMI, the National Enquirer’s parents company, couldn’t pay $120,000 for Daniels’ story.

“I said, ‘I don’t want the National Enquirer to be associated with a porn star,’” Pecker says on the stand, adding that with Walmart as a main distributor of the magazine, it would be very bad for AMI.

Steinglass then asked Pecker to explain why he sent Daniels’ story to Michael Cohen.

Pecker says the story could be “very damaging” and the thought it could come off the market.

“If anyone was going to buy it, I thought Michael and Donald Trump should buy it,” Pecker says.

Steinglass is now showing text messages between Pecker and former National Enquirer editor-in-chief Dylan Howard from October 2016.

On October 9, Howard texted Pecker: “Woman wants 120k. Has offers from Mail and GMA want her to talk and do lie detector live. I know the denials were made in the past - but this story is true. I can lock it on publication now to shut down the media chatter and we can assess next steps thereafter. OK?”

Pecker responded: “We can’t pay 120k.”

Howard then texted back: “Ok. They’d need to handle. Perhaps I call Michael and advise him and he can take it from there, and handle.”

Later, Howard texted again: “Spoke to MC. All sorted. Now removed. No fingerprints. I’ll recap with you face-to-face.”

Earlier, Pecker explained that “no fingerprints” meant there was no paper trail. It meant “AMI would have no association with the story.”

Pecker said he told Howard, “great work” after he said he had it sorted out.

Pecker is now testifying about his conversation with former National Enquirer editor-in-chief Dylan Howard about Daniels’ story.

He’s testifying that he was told that Daniels was “trying to sell a story that she had a sexual relationship with Donald Trump.”

According to Pecker, Howard told him on the phone that they could acquire the story for $120,000 “if we make the decision right now.”

Steinglass is now moving onto questions about Stormy Daniels.

“Do you know of someone named Stephanie Clifford?” Steinglass asks Pecker.

Pecker replies: “Stormy Daniels was a porn star.” He adds they’ve never met in person.

Pecker told prosecutors that he spoke with Cohen about the fallout from the “Access Hollywood” tape.

Cohen told Pecker that the tape was “very, very damaging to the campaign and everybody was very concerned.”

Pecker said they were concerned “what impact it would have on the campaign.”

Pecker is saying that Cohen raised to him a posting on Radar Online, an online site owned by AMI, which referred to Trump as a “playboy man.”

Pecker is testifying that Cohen told him he “should immediately take it down.”

Pecker says he then told Dylan Howard, then executive editor of the National Enquirer, to remove the article immediately and notify Cohen.

The email from Howard to Cohen ends with, “I have deleted the text story completely. It no longer exists”

Pecker is saying Howard was following his instructions to remove the story from the Radar site.

The story in question was from October 27, 2008, according to the email Steinglass is showing that Howard sent to Cohen.

Pecker says that the email chain was also sent to Hope Hicks.

Prosecutors have asked Pecker about the “Access Hollywood” tape that was released before the 2016 election.

Trump has his eyes closed, a scowl on his face as he listens to this line of questioning

Pecker is now summarizing the “Access Hollywood” tape.

He says he recalls when the tape went public, saying “it was very embarrassing, very damaging to the campaign.”

Attorneys signaled that they will not be done with Pecker’s testimony today.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said he had about two to three hours left. Trump attorney Emil Bove noted that there’s “a lot more to come.”

“We’re not going to finish today,” Bove said.

Judge Juan Merchan noted that he wasn’t trying to rush Trump’s side and they could have as much time as they wanted to cross.

Steinglass is resuming questioning of Pecker.

The jury is back and Steinglass is resuming questioning of Pecker.

Pecker is returning to the stand to continue his testimony.

Karen McDougal has been a key focus of today’s proceedings as former tabloid executive David Pecker details a “catch and kill” deal involving her.

McDougal is a model and actress who has said she had a monthslong affair with Donald Trump in 2006.

She was paid $150,000 to keep quiet about it by the National Enquirer. Trump has denied the affair.

While the hush money trial is focused on the hush money deal involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels, prosecutors are using the McDougal payoffs as evidence that the schemes were aimed at protecting Trump’s electoral chances.

Prosecutors are discussing with the judge exhibits they want to be submitted into evidence.

They’ve raised text messages National Enquirer Dylan Howard sent during the 2016 election.

One of the texts Howard sent reads: “At least if he wins, I’ll be pardoned for electoral fraud,” according to Steinglass says.

The reading of that text was followed up by a chuckle from the crowd.

Merchan said for the time being he’s excluding the texts, but would consider it some more over lunch.

It’s a day of the cerebral and the sordid in a double courtroom drama swirling around Donald Trump.

In the ornate chamber of the US Supreme Court, the former president’s attorney D. John Sauer dueled in an intellectual argument with nine justices on unresolved questions about the powers of the presidency, the intent of the founders and the nature of the US constitutional settlement.

The exchanges were worthy of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin whose names were invoked in a hearing about Trump’s audacious claims that presidents enjoy absolute immunity for their acts in office.

Up in New York, at Trump’s first criminal trial underway now, the subject matter concerned an earthier aspect of humanity.

Former tabloid publisher David Pecker’s testimony in Trump’s hush money trial has gone deep on a “catch and kill” system allegedly used to squelch negative stories about the ex-president’s personal life to mislead voters before the 2016 election.

There’s rarely been a more graphic illustration of the breadth of the legal and constitutional challenges that the presumptive Republican nominee has posed since he descended his golden escalator at Trump Tower in 2015 into the psyches of every American.

It will be up to voters in November to make some sense of it all.

As Steinglass talks with the judge about exhibits prosecutors want to enter into testimony, Trump is leaning forward in his chair and whispering with his attorney Todd Blanche.

The discussion on the exhibits continues.

David Pecker spent the morning taking the jury through the machinations of Karen McDougal’s “catch and kill” deal.

As a reminder, McDougal is a model and actress who said she had a monthslong affair with Donald Trump in 2006 and was paid $150,000 to keep quiet about it by the National Enquirer. Trump has denied the allegations.

Here’s how Pecker’s explanation went:

Pecker has testified for an hour and 27 minutes so far Thursday. The Stormy Daniels allegations have not come up.

The judge is back on the bench. We’re now going to discuss the disputed exhibits. Steinglass handed the judge a binder with the exhibits.

Prosecutors are back in the courtroom, and Trump has returned to his seat.

He’s chatting with his attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove and gesturing with his hands while they listen on beside him.

Trump is now walking out of the courtroom for the break.

He didn’t speak in hallway as he left. However, he did give a thumbs up when a reporter asked, “Mr. Trump, how’s it going today?”

Court is now taking a break. Merchan says they’ll address evidentiary issues when they return.

Pecker testified that in October, the agreement was off, adding that he said, “I am not going forward, I want you to rip up the agreement.”

Pecker said that Cohen was furious. “He was very angry, very upset. Screaming at me basically,” Pecker said.

According to Pecker, Cohen told him on the phone, “The boss is going to be very angry with you” 

“I said I’m sorry, I’m not going forward. The deal is off,” Pecker said he told Cohen, adding that he said “I am very concerned.”

Pecker testified that at the end of the conversation, he said, “Are you going to rip it up or not?” and Cohen said “I’ll take care of it.”

Pecker, speaking about the transaction, testifies that he assumed Michael Cohen was being reimbursed “by the Trump Organization or Donald Trump.”

In regards to this contract, Pecker says he signed on behalf of the “assignor” and Cohen signed as the “assignee.” The document, which was assigning the rights to McDougal’s story, was dated September 30, 2016 — but the agreement was never executed, Pecker says.

Pecker is saying he asked a consultant to work with Cohen on the McDougal reimbursement.

Pecker informed Cohen of this and made the introduction. Pecker is saying he put the consultant in touch with Cohen, and that he said he created a company called Resolution Consultants to bill it.

At this point, Judge Juan Merchan gave the jury an instruction that the document was accepted into evidence for the fact that it was created, but that jurors should not consider the truth of what it says.

Steinglass asks if its fair that Pecker used the consultant as a middleman and it was objected to by the defense. The judge sustained.

“I used Daniel Rodstein (sp) because I did not want to have a payment received in the AMI finance department from the Trump Organization or Michael Cohen,” Pecker said, referring to the consultant.

Steinglass asked, “Why not?”

Steinglass is having Pecker read the invoice item, which says the money was billed for a “flat fee” for advisory services.

Pecker says that’s not what the $125,000 invoice was for — it was for the lifetime rights to Karen McDougal’s story.

The prosecutor is showing an invoice that was prepared for the reimbursement. Pecker is explaining why the invoice is prepared by Investor Advisory Services, a company owned by a former AMI employee who became a consultant.

Pecker is explaining he used this outside service for large reimbursements, because he had “difficult experiences” within the company where his finance department would tell tabloid editors about expenses, like flying a celebrity in a private jet.

Pecker says he told the consultant, “I don’t want to have a check from the Trump Organization going through American Media.”

As lawyers approach the bench for a sidebar, Trump is sitting at the defense table with his lawyer Susan Necheles. He’s leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed.

Trump just stretched a bit with his arms forward and let out a short sigh. He is now talking to Necheles.

Pecker is explaining that he negotiated with Cohen the amount he would sell the lifetime rights for the McDougal story.

Pecker says that he valued the editorial work that McDougal would do for AMI at $25,000, so he would sell the lifetime rights for $125,000.

Pecker says Cohen was anxious to get the lifetime rights signed over to him on Trump’s behalf.

Pecker told Cohen he would have the contract done by the end of September.

Pecker says that he saw this as a way to recoup at least some of the money he’d laid out for Trump.

“Yes, as I said, it was coming toward the end of the quarter, so I wanted to see if I could get funds refunded before September 30,” Pecker says.

Pecker testifies that Michael Cohen was insistent about getting all of the content AMI had on Trump.

Pecker says he told Cohen it was boxes of old news articles and old files. But Pecker says Cohen insisted Trump wanted the boxes.

Cohen called Pecker constantly in September 2016 to get the boxes to his office, Pecker says.

As to why Cohen wanted the documents, Pecker says: “The boss said if I got hit by a bus or if the company got sold, he didn’t want someone else to potentially publish those stories.”

Pecker says he discussed the reimbursement for the McDougal deal with Cohen after AMI laid out the money.

Pecker says he asked Cohen “on a number of occasions” how the company would be reimbursed.

The former tabloid executive says he wanted the repayment before September 30, when the company’s quarter ended. He wanted the “proper true ups” on the various accounts at AMI, Pecker adds.

Pecker says he was explaining to Cohen why he kept discussing the issue of repayment.

“I wanted to explain to him why it was so important to be reimbursed,” Pecker told the court.

Earlier in his testimony, Pecker said Cohen referred to Trump as “the boss.”

Steinglass is asking Pecker why he didn’t want other outlets to publish McDougal’s story.

“We didn’t want the story to embarrass Mr. Trump or embarrass or hurt the campaign,” Pecker says.

Pecker clarifies that when he says “we,” he’s referring to is himself and Michael Cohen.

Pecker testifies that he wouldn’t have entered into the agreement if it weren’t for Trump’s benefit.

Trump’s attorney objected to a series of questions by Steinglass about Pecker’s knowledge of campaign finance laws at the time of the transaction. The objection is overruled.

Steinglass is asking whether Pecker was aware that corporations making campaign expenditures in coordination with a campaign without disclosing them was unlawful.

Yes, Pecker says.

Pecker also confirms the transaction was not reported under campaign finance obligations.

Trump passed a note from one of his attorneys to the other at that moment.

Steinglass is asking whether Pecker had any intention of printing McDougal’s story about Donald Trump.

“No, we did not,” Pecker says.

Steinglass followed up, asking whether Pecker’s intention was so that her story did not influence the 2016 election.

“Yes, it was,” Pecker says.

David Pecker testified that he had concerns about the legality of the catch and kill deals. In 2016, Pecker testified he consulted an election law attorney when AMI was structuring the catch and kill contract with Karen McDougal and said that AMI’s in-house attorney was aware of the deal.

Still, AMI moved forward and signed a deal with McDougal, including rights to any stories involving married men, with no intention of publishing health and fitness articles they promised her.

Two years later, AMI signed a non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors investigating Michael Cohen. Under the deal, AMI admitted it violated federal campaign finance laws by making a $150,000 donation to Trump’s campaign while coordinating with the campaign. AMI never disclosed the contribution to the Federal Election Commission. As part of the deal, Pecker cooperated with federal prosecutors.

During questioning Thursday, Pecker said he knew at the time the 2016 deal was illegal and he wouldn’t have entered into it if it wasn’t for Trump’s benefit.

Records show McDougal was paid via her attorney on August 10, 2016 — a few days after the contract was signed August 5.

Steinglass is now introducing the AMI payment voucher. The prosecutor is walking Pecker through the mechanics of how this payment was made from start to finish.

Steinglass is having Pecker confirm with each document the dates of the payment and the amount of the payment listed.

Pecker explains filing the payment to McDougal under the president’s budget was a clerical decision because the editors’ budget was limited for smaller transactions.

AMI, the National Enquirer’s parent company, paid for McDougal’s life rights via wire transfer, Pecker says. The paperwork for that transaction is now being shown in court.

Pecker testifies that he, National Enquirer Dylan Howard and AMI’s general counsel were aware of the contract with McDougal.

Steinglass asks Pecker who on Trump’s side knew about the contract. “Michael Cohen,” Pecker says.

After an objection for a leading question that was sustained, Steinglass asks a second question about who else knew on Trump’s side.

“Yes, I believe Donald Trump knew,” Pecker says.

Steinglass is now showing an AMI invoice for $150,000 from Keith Davidson, McDougal’s attorney.

Pecker is explaining how the $150,000 expense was coded at AMI to the “president’s budget,” which was Pecker’s office.

Steinglass asks whether this was the “true purpose” of the agreement. Yes, Pecker says.

The prosecutor asks then why did Pecker include the other items in the agreement. “I wanted to substantiate the $150,000 payment,” Pecker says.

Steinglass asks again whether the primary purpose of entering into the agreement was to buy McDougal’s life rights. “Yes it was,” Pecker says.

“I wanted to have the contract be a record that stipulates that for the services that she was going to perform for American Media has a basis for it with $150,000,” he says.

Pecker explains that if McDougal breached the contract, she would have to return the $150,000.

Pecker explains what “limited life rights” means, saying that “you buy the rights for this specific story and it cannot be published by any other publishing company.”

“You cannot discuss it with any other media. It was exclusively owned by American Media,” he said.

Steinglass is highlighting a line in the agreement that states AMI acquired McDougal’s rights for her story, including “any romantic personal and/or physical relationship McDougal has ever had with any then-married man.”

Steinglass asks Pecker who the married man was in reference to. “She was referring to Donald Trump,” Pecker says.

American Media Inc. was going to hire ghostwriters who would write the articles that McDougal would then approve, Pecker testified.

McDougal would have the “absolute right” to approve any image used of her, he added.

Steinglass is now showing the Karen McDougal contract with AMI, the National Enquirer’s parent company.

The agreement is dated August 5, 2016. Pecker says it was a two-year agreement and McDougal was going to get a monthly column on aging and fitness in Star and OK Magazines.

After testifying that he had concerns about the legality of paying to kill a story concerning a political candidate, David Pecker elaborated that his concerns stemmed from a 2003 incident involving Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Pecker said that at the time, he was buying several fitness magazines, and added that he had a meeting with Schwarzenegger, who had been on the cover of the magazines between 70 and 80 times.

Pecker said Schwarzenegger wanted to be an editor-at-large, and also told him that he was going to run for California governor soon.

“I would like you not to publish any negative stories about me now or in the future,” Pecker recalled Schwarzenegger telling him.

Pecker agreed, and shortly afterward, Schwarzenegger announced his candidacy on Jay Leno’s show. Pecker testified that after the announcement, “a number of women” called in with stories about Schwarzenegger, including stories about alleged relationships and alleged sexual harassment.

“The deal that I had — the agreement I should say — that I had with Arnold was that I would call and advise him of any stories that were out there. I ended up buying them for a period of time,” he said.

He explained that one of the women whose story was purchased ended up taking it to the Los Angeles Times after Pecker did not run it.

“It was very embarrassing for me and the company, and at the time, there was an investigation” by the state, Pecker said. Schwarzenegger had to resign as editor-at-large for the fitness magazines, he said.

Pecker added that the situation gave him pause to buy stories in the future.

Pecker said the contract with Karen McDougal was signed the first week of August 2016.

Remember: American Media Inc agreed to pay McDougal $150,000 five months before the 2016 election for her silence about allegations of an affair with Trump, according to prosecutors. Trump has denied the affair.

This payment is not part of the charges against Trump, but prosecutors have said in court filings that the testimony would help establish a pattern of payments. 

Steinglass asks Pecker if he had concerns about the legality of paying to kill a story concerning a political candidate.

“Yes, I did,” Pecker says.

Jurors can see texts on the screen:

On July 23, 2016, former National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard texted Pecker, “Spoke to MC about that other issue. Obviously concerned that it is proceeding with filming dates etc and wants me to handle it. I’m on it.”

MC refers to Michael Cohen.

Pecker says he can’t remember what text is referring to. He asks for more clarity, and Steinglass suggests that it will become clear as they continue with questioning.

According to the records, Pecker responded hours later, “Good move and follow up”

Pecker testifies that he understood that he’d be reimbursed by the Trump Organization or Trump himself if he paid Karen McDougal the $150,000.

Steinglass is now showing text messages between Pecker and former National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard from 2016 about Karen McDougal.

Jurors have the screens with the evidence in front of their seats. Several are leaning forward to look at the texts.

The parties established the date of the text messages, after Pecker confirmed to Steinglass that in July, the date of the text message, it was daylight savings time, meaning a four-hour time difference from UTC.

David Pecker said he’d update Cohen on the the negotiations as he heard from former National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard.

Pecker says that when they had the price, he had a discussion with Cohen of who should pay. Cohen told him that he should, Pecker says.

“Michael, why should I pay?” Pecker says he responded. “I just paid $30,000 for the doorman story. Now your’e asking me to pay $150,000 for the Karen story.”

Pecker and Cohen spoke daily. Cohen was agitated, Pecker testifies, always asking, “Why is this taking so long? Why didn’t we buy the agreement yet?”

Cohen on the phone reiterated, “Don’t worry about it, I’m your friend, the boss will take care of it,” Pecker says.

Pecker testifies that National Enquirer Dylan Howard gave his updates as the negotiations to purchase Karen McDougal’s story were happening.

Laying out the terms of the agreement, Pecker says they would purchase the lifetime rights for $150,000. McDougal wanted to restart her career, writing articles and being an anchor for Radar Magazine for red carpet events.

Steinglass is asking Pecker how he felt about Cohen’s assertion that Trump would reimburse him.

“Over the years that I know, that I worked with Michael Cohen, I know he didn’t have any authorization to spend or to disperse any funds from Trump Organization,” Pecker says.

Pecker said he was authorized to move forward with former National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard, who would negotiate the terms, but at this point they hadn’t discussed the purchase price for the Karen McDougal story yet.

He says every time he and Cohen would go for lunch, he paid, not Cohen.

Trump confers with his attorneys as Pecker is testifying to these details, at times shutting his eyes as he listens.

Pecker instructed Dylan Howard to negotiate the terms after Cohen called him to tell him to buy the story.

Cohen said to him: “Don’t worry. Im your friend. The boss will take care of it.”

He understood that would mean he would be reimbursed by Trump Org or Trump himself.

Earlier Pecker said that Cohen referred to Trump as “the boss.”

Steinglass is asking Pecker why he told Trump they should buy the story. “I believed the story was true,” he says.

Pecker recalls Cohen told him about paying for the story, saying, “The boss will take care of it.”

Steinglass asks Pecker to clarify who “the boss” was? “Donald Trump,” he says.

Pecker is now describing receiving a call from Trump while he was at an investors meeting in New Jersey.

Pecker says of the phone call: “When I got on the phone, Mr. Trump said to me, ‘I spoke to Michael. Karen is a nice girl. Is it true that a Mexican group is looking to buy the story for $8 million?’”

According to Pecker, Trump said, “What do you think I should do?”

Pecker testified that he said, “I think you should buy the story and take it off the market”

“I believe that when Mr. Trump said that ‘She was a nice girl,’ I believe that he knew who she was,” Pecker said.

He felt it’d be “very embarrassing” for Trump and for the campaign, Pecker said.

David Pecker says Karen McDougal’s attorney Keith Davidson was one of Dylan Howard’s key sources, and that went into the thinking of why they needed to buy the story.

Remember: Davidson also repped Stormy Daniels in her NDA negotiation with Cohen.

Several of the jurors are taking notes as Pecker testifies. They are turning their heads between Steinglass and Pecker as they each speak.

Pecker is testifying that Karen McDougal didn’t want the story to be published.

“She said that she didn’t want to be the next Monica Lewinsky. She wanted to restart her career,” Pecker says.

Pecker is now describing how Michael Cohen told him he wanted to have him buy the McDougal story.

When former editor in chief of the National Enquirer, Dylan Howard, suggested he offer $10,000, which included the entire story, she refused.

Michael suggested we go ahead and try and buy the story, Pecker testified.

At first (Michael) said the story wasn’t true, Pecker said. He said ABC was interested in buying the story and a “Mexican group” offered to buy it for $1 million.

Pecker said that Cohen didn’t think she wanted to have her story out there.

Pecker says that he had a three-way call that day with former National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard and Michael Cohen.

“Michael Cohen told me be sure to use Signal,” Pecker says.

“Immediately Michael Cohen said, ‘It’s not true,’ which is something he always said,” Pecker testifies. But still Cohen at the time said he’d look into it.

Pecker says National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard offered Karen McDougal $10,000 to buy her story, but she refused.

Joshua Steinglass begins by resuming questioning of David Pecker about Karen McDougal.

He’s asking about his conversation with former National Enquirer editor in chief Dylan Howard after Howard had interviewed McDougal.

Pecker says that Howard told him “he believed the story could be true, or was true, but she had no corroborating evidence.”

Howard described McDougal to Pecker after the interview. She claimed she had a yearlong sexual relationship with Donald Trump but didn’t have any corroborating evidence. But Howard said he believed the story was true.

Jurors have entered and are seated.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass is resuming his questioning of David Pecker.

David Pecker is back on the stand.

During his testimony on Tuesday, the former tabloid executive spoke about two of the three “catch-and-kill” deals – but not the one involving adult film star Stormy Daniels, which is likely coming today.

Before key witness David Pecker — the former publisher of the National Enquirer — could take the stand this morning, prosecutors once again brought up Donald Trump’s alleged violations of the gag order, this time arguing that the former president violated the order four times over the past three days.

These are the comments prosecutors pointed to:

Judge Juan Merchan did not react to Conroy’s presentation and did not say when he would rule on the alleged gag order violations.

Remember: Under the gag order, Trump is barred from publicly discussing witnesses or jurors in the case.

Prosecutors previously argued Tuesday that Trump “knows about the order” and “knows what he’s not allowed to do” but violates it anyway. They pointed to eight social media posts and two campaign website posts where Trump was primarily sharing commentary about expected trial witness Michael Cohen. Conroy is seeking a $1,000 fine for each post — the max fine. 

However, the defense has argued that specific attacks from Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney, and adult film star Stormy Daniels prompted the former president to respond, though attorney Todd Blanche has yet to point to specific attacks by them despite several requests to do so from Merchan. Blanche also tried to make the case that Trump has been “very careful” with the order.

Judge Juan Merchan does not react to prosecutor Chris Conroy’s presentation. He’s not issuing his gag order ruling.

Prosecutor Chris Conroy also cites Donald Trump’s comments at his event this morning where he spoke about tabloid publisher David Pecker, in which he said that Pecker was “nice.”

“This is a message to Pecker. Be nice. It’s a message to others,” Conroy says, adding the message to other witnesses is that Trump has a platform and will comment on their testimony.

The prosecutor is arguing Trump also violated the gag order Monday night during a news interview.

He says Trump spoke about how fast the jury was picked and claimed the jury pool was 95% Democrats.

Trump has his head turned as he is listening to gag order violation examples being read.

The first two violations of the gag order that prosecutor Chris Conroy cites came when Donald Trump spoke to cameras outside the courtroom.

Merchan is calling for Pecker to be brought in — but the district attorney’s office stops him to put on the record another violation of the gag order.

The prosecutor says there have been four violations of the gag order in the last three days.

Judge Juan Merchan is asking whether they can begin with testimony anyway.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass says he thinks so, because there’s only one document in the next hour or two of testimony.

They’ll deal with an issue over one exhibit during a break later this morning.

Court is beginning today with discussion of a debate from Tuesday over objections about evidence.

Trump attorney says they discussed their objections with prosecutors, and they made progress, though they still have some issues to work out.

Judge Juan Merchan is on the bench. Court is in session.

“Good morning, Mr. Trump,” Merchan says.

Trump appears to be sucking on a mint or candy.

Donald Trump is chatting with his attorneys Emil Bove and Todd Blanche.

Blanche is nodding along as Trump speaks with him before the judge enters.

After speaking to reporters outside of the courtroom, Trump walked in the courtroom and took his seat at the defendant’s table. He was followed by his attorneys, aides and Secret Service argents.

Speaking to the media before entering the courtroom on Thursday morning, former President Donald Trump repeated his false claim from earlier this week about security restrictions near the courthouse.

Trump has been trying to push back against news coverage of the meager crowds of pro-Trump demonstrators near the courthouse by repeatedly insisting that security measures have prevented his supporters from showing up. On Thursday, he said: “The only place that’s locked down is this courthouse, because they don’t want any supporters here. They don’t want MAGA here, they don’t want anybody. This thing is locked down like a buttoned-up vest.” He added, “This courthouse is locked down; there’s not a person within five blocks.”

Facts First: Trump’s claims are false. While there are various security measures in place near the courthouse, and public access to some nearby streets has been barred, it’s not true that the courthouse is “locked down” or that “there’s not a person within five blocks.” People are permitted to drive right up to the front of the courthouse and walk into the building, which remains open to the public. If people show up early enough in the morning, they can even get into the trial courtroom itself or the overflow room that shows near-live video of the proceedings. And the designated public protest zone for the trial, which anyone is free to enter, is at a park directly across the street from the courthouse. 

CNN journalists reporting from the courthouse area have seen a smattering of visibly pro-Trump demonstrators present in the designated protest zone at Collect Pond Park across from the building, but nowhere even close to the “thousands” Trump claimed this week were turned away.

There were well under 100 visible Trump supporters gathered there at the outset of the trial in mid-April, and there have often been three or fewer there on subsequent days. You can read a longer fact check here.

Trump also delivered a variety of other false claims in his comments at the courthouse on Thursday morning. He exaggerated about gas prices, the extent of border wall construction during his presidency and the situation at the southern border under Biden.

Former President Donald Trump said the “president has to have immunity” in remarks outside of the courtroom Thursday morning.

He also said “every respected scholar has said this is no case. There is no case here. This is just a political witch hunt.”

The former president also attacked President Joe Biden and said Bidenomics is “destroying our country.”

Prosecutors are walking in to the courtroom. Another day of testimony is expected to get underway soon.

Donald Trump has been accused of taking part in an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election and an unlawful plan to suppress negative information, which included a hush money payment made to an adult-film star to hide an affair. Trump has denied the affair.

Prosecutors allege that Trump allegedly disguised the transaction as a legal payment and falsified business records numerous times to “promote his candidacy.” Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records. He has pleaded not guilty.

David Pecker, the ex-publisher of the National Enquirer, is the prosecution’s first witness.

Read up on the other key people in the Trump hush money criminal trial:

Prosecutor Chris Conroy captured the quintessential Donald Trump in a single sentence at the ex-president’s hush money trial on Tuesday.

Conroy was referring to Trump’s incessant testing of a gag order protecting witnesses, court staff and the jury. But there’s rarely been a better description of the presumptive GOP nominee’s entire approach to business and politics – or how he’s promised to behave if voters send him back to the White House.

The New York lawyer made the comments during a tense hearing on whether Trump violated the terms of the gag order in social media blasts, reposts, and remarks claiming the jury was full of biased liberals and targeting two potential key witnesses, his ex-lawyer Michael Cohen and adult film star Stormy Daniels.

In remarks recorded before Tuesday’s hearing but broadcast as Judge Juan Merchan considers whether to punish Trump, the ex-president was at it again.

Only six days into the trial, Trump is doing what he always does, pushing the rules and conventions of the law and accepted behavior to service his own narrative of victimization he’s placed at the core of his 2024 campaign.

Read the full analysis.

Trump’s motorcade has arrived at the Manhattan courthouse where ex-tabloid executive David Pecker is expected to return to the stand to continue his testimony in the hush money trial.  

Trump wanted to attend the Supreme Court oral arguments in Washington, DC, today his lawyer told New York Judge Juan Merchan last week, but as a criminal defendant he would need special permission or the trial needs to be in recess.

Merchan declined the request.

Former President Donald Trump’s first criminal trial is expected to take six to eight weeks from start to finish.

This trial, related to a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016, is the first of four ongoing criminal cases that are expected to head to trial for the presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee.

Now that opening statements are done, prosecutors are presenting trial evidence through witness testimony and exhibits. David Pecker, the ex-publisher of the National Enquirer, is the prosecution’s first witness.

Defense attorneys can cross examine the prosecution’s witnesses and typically aim to discredit their testimony. Witnesses’ responses are considered evidence, but not the questions posed by an attorney.

Read more about the stages of the trial, and what they mean here.

Trump is en route to the Manhattan courthouse where ex-tabloid executive David Pecker is expected to return to the stand to continue his testimony in the hush money trial.  

The prosecution in the hush money trial against Donald Trump will have to rely on documents that prove intent in order to make their case to the jury and judge.

“There are 34 business records counts,” CNN’s chief legal analyst Laura Coates noted.

Coates went through an argument checklist on what prosecutors will be aiming to prove:

And then the motive will need to be determined on whether this was a private or political act: Whether this was done to protect and prevent Trump’s wife, Melania Trump, from finding out about the affair or done for political purposes.

“Even if it was half private, half political, it doesn’t matter,” Coates said.

David Pecker speaks at an event in 2014.

Prosecutors are looking to establish that the hush money case is about election fraud, and Donald Trump’s use of his network to benefit him while running for president in 2016.

In order to do so, prosecutors in their questioning have highlighted again and again the benefits and motivations of David Pecker — former chairman of American Media, Inc., which publishes the National Enquirer —  related to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.

Pecker has testified already about how Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen was deeply involved in the campaign, how other political advisers were in touch with Pecker, and how his contact with the former president and response to stories being shopped to his tabloid took on a new life because of Trump’s campaign.

Prosecutors have made clear they see these record falsification charges against Trump as more serious than common business record violations due to Trump’s interest in concealing his payments through Cohen to adult film star Stormy Daniels because they benefited him politically, akin to contributions to his campaign.

Former President Donald Trump looks on in the courtroom at Manhattan state court in New York on April 23.

Donald Trump had a frustrating day in court on Tuesday. Even with an abbreviated day for the Passover holiday, there was a one-two punch of a morning hearing about possible gag order violations and the testimony about the “catch-and-kill” deals to bury negative stories about the former president during the 2016 election.

Former tabloid publisher David Pecker will return to the stand today. He has spoken now about two of the three catch-and-kill deals — but not adult film star Stormy Daniels, which is likely coming today.

Here are key takeaways from Tuesday’s day in court:

Former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump looks on at Manhattan Criminal Court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs in New York on April 22.

For most people, sitting in court at their own criminal trial would represent a defining moment of their life. But Donald Trump’s return to his hush money trial Thursday does not even represent the most critical courtroom drama of his day.

The ex-president’s attention is certain to stray from what he has repeatedly complained is a “freezing” court in New York to the neoclassical splendor of the US Supreme Court.

Justices will be hearing oral arguments in his sweeping immunity case that could have profound implications for his legal fate and poses never-before-resolved questions about the powers of the presidency.

The double court date will represent yet another unfathomable twist in the saga of the presumptive Republican nominee, who is again stretching America’s judicial and constitutional systems to their limits as he runs to reclaim the White House.

Trump has left no doubt he’d much rather be on the grander stage in Washington, watching Supreme Court justices debate his claim that, as an ex-president, he cannot be prosecuted for any actions that he took in office.

It would be a far more colorful spectacle for a presidential campaign that has morphed with his legal defenses than the increasingly repetitive press gaggles he holds in the dingy corridor outside the Manhattan courtroom hearing his first criminal trial.

But Trump has no choice but to listen to more testimony in New York from former tabloid publisher David Pecker, a key witness for prosecutors who allege the ex-president tried to mislead 2016 general election voters by covering up an affair that he denies.

Read the full analysis.

Former President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media while visiting with construction workers in midtown Manhattan, on April 25.

Former President Donald Trump told reporters on Thursday he doesn’t know if he would pay fines if a judge finds that he has violated his gag order in the New York criminal hush money case against him.

Judge Juan Merchan must decide after a Tuesday hearing whether to punish Trump for purported violations of a gag order meant to protect witnesses, court staff and the jury from public attacks by the former president.

Prosecutors want Merchan to fine Trump $1,000 for each of 10 alleged violations of the gag order and to warn that imprisonment could be an option if he continues to flout restrictions. 

Former President Donald Trump speaks with union representatives at the construction site of the new JPMorgan Chase headquarters in midtown Manhattan, on April 25.

Former President Donald Trump touted his work with the Teamsters union in New York, telling reporters early Thursday morning that he built “a lot of buildings with Teamsters.”

Members of the Teamsters union were in attendance during Trump’s brief remarks, further underscoring the inroads the Trump campaign has made with members of that union.

Teamsters leader Sean O’Brien met with Trump at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida earlier this year. Trump also held a meeting with Teamsters leaders and members at the organization’s Washington, DC, headquarters in January. 

The Teamsters’ political arm wrote a $45,000 check to the Republican National Committee in January as part of what union officials said was a push to ensure elected officials in both political parties hear from rank-and-file workers at this year’s presidential nominating conventions. (The union’s PAC reported making a similar convention-related contribution to the Democratic National Committee in December.)

But the RNC donation was notable as the Teamsters union, under prior leadership, had typically directed its political funds to Democrats and endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020. 

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he meets with Union workers in New York City, on April 25.

Speaking to reporters at an early morning news conference, former President Donald Trump again made his case for presidential immunity as the Supreme Court is poised to hear arguments in the federal election subversion case against him.

Speaking after Trump’s comments, CNN’s Legal Analyst Elliot Williams noted that presidents do have immunity from civil suits for things that happen while they’re serving in office.

But Trump’s argument that he should have immunity from criminal prosecution in the case was previously rejected by a unanimous three-judge panel of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals.

Former President Donald Trump speaks with supporters at the construction site of the new JPMorgan Chase headquarters in midtown Manhattan, New York, on April 25.

Speaking to reporters at an early morning news conference in New York City, former President Donald Trump called former tabloid publisher David Pecker, a key witness in the hush money trial against him, a “nice guy.”

As Trump spoke to reporters, fans chanted, “We want Trump” and “USA.”

Pecker will return to the stand today. He has spoken now about two of the three catch-and-kill deals — but not adult film star Stormy Daniels, which is likely coming today.

On Tuesday, Pecker testified for around two-and-a-half hours, walking jurors through how he worked with Michael Cohen on Trump’s behalf to squash unflattering stories during the 2016 election.

Former President Donald Trump is holding a news conference ahead of his criminal hush money trial in New York.

The stop comes as Trump’s team grapples with how to continue some semblance of campaigning as the former president remains largely tethered to New York City for the trial.

Trump has repeatedly criticized having to attend the trial, saying he should instead be campaigning rather than spending his time in court.

The early morning event Thursday allows Trump to make it to court on time before proceedings kick off at 9:30 a.m. ET.

We’ll bring you the latest updates on what he says as we get them.

CNN compiled a timeline of the key events leading up to the historic trial. Read up on the moments below:

See the full timeline. 

Former President Donald Trump, with attorney Todd Blanche, walks toward the press to speak at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on April 23.

While Donald Trump attends his hush money criminal trial in Manhattan, the Supreme Court will hear arguments Thursday ahead of another case that the former president is facing.

The Supreme Court will decide whether Trump may claim immunity from prosecution in the federal election subversion case brought by special counsel Jack Smith separately, that charged the former president last August with four crimes over his efforts to reverse the 2020 election results.

The indictment alleges Trump and a co-conspirator “attempted to exploit the violence and chaos at the Capitol by calling lawmakers to convince them … to delay the certification” of the election.

The Manhattan court case and the election subversion case are two of four criminal cases Trump faces while also juggling his presidential campaign.

The former president is facing at least 88 charges over the four criminal indictments in Georgia, New York, Washington, DC, and Florida. Trump has pleaded not guilty to every charge in these cases. 

Here’s a recap of the other two cases:

Read more about the four criminal cases Trump faces. 

Former President Donald Trump appears in Manhattan criminal court on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 in New York.

Former President Donald Trump raised $5.6 million online during the first week of his criminal trial, a source familiar with the figure tells CNN.

News of the haul comes as Trump’s campaign has been sending dramatic fundraising appeals to his supporters centered around the trial.

The first day of the trial, Trump and his authorized committees raised $1.6 million dollars, and averaged $1 million daily since the trial’s start, another source told CNN. The average online donation was about $27, the source said.

The US Supreme Court on April 23, 2024, in Washington, DC.

The Supreme Court’s hearing on former President Donald Trump’s immunity claim happening today will underline a historic power shift.

In a closely divided era when neither party has proven able to maintain control of the White House and Congress for very long, the six GOP-appointed justices on the high court have become the most durable source of influence determining the nation’s direction.

Although Chief Justice John Roberts at his confirmation hearing famously likened the court to an impartial “umpire,” the conservative majority has steadily steered policy on a wide range of social, racial and economic issues toward the preferences of the Republican Party, whose presidents nominated them and whose senators provided the vast majority of votes to confirm them.

The rulings by the GOP-appointed justices over roughly the past two decades have produced cumulative policy changes “way more extensive than any administration, even within unified control of government, has been able to generate,” said Paul Pierson, a University of California at Berkeley political scientist.

The Supreme Court arguments come as Trump sits in New York for his hush money trial proceedings.

Read the full analysis.

Before opening statements Monday, Judge Juan Merchan determined that some of Donald Trump’s past wrongdoings and legal matters can be brought up in his hush money trial, but others cannot.

Merchan issued his ruling from last week’s Sandoval hearing — a routine process through which the court will determine to what extent Trump’s past wrongdoing can be brought up in the current trial.

What is allowed:

What’s not allowed: