Back 6 00 p. M. Eastern in the situation room. The lead with jake tapper starts right now the first witness has taken the stand and Donald TrumpsHush Money Cover Up, try all the leads, starts right now former publisher, david, first to testify today about what prosecutors are alleging was a criminal conspiracy and cover up of Donald Trumps alleged tryst with a film star in director Stormy Daniels. How strong is this case . Here, the line of Defense Trump himself offered today right outside the courtroom, plus the first order of business when court resumes tomorrow did trump violate judge merchans gag order . The fine line for the judge as he considers this ruling and a crisis on college campuses, perhaps most at Columbia University in new york protests there spiraling into tense confrontations. Jewish students harassed the atmosphere so charged inperson classes were called off today. Can safety on campus be restored . New york city mayor eric adams will be here in minutes welcome to the liane on jake tapper and we start with an enormously consequential de, in our Law And Justice lead the people of the state of new york versus donald j. Trump. The very first day of Opening Statements. And a key witness taking the stand in this monumental first criminal trial ever of a former us president donald trump, flanked by his Defense Attorneys today, watch just team attempt to defend their quote, larger than life client charged with what prosecutors say was trumps role in alleged hush money coverup scheme to silence porn actress and director Stormy Daniels who threaten to go public with the story of her brief dalliance with Donald Trumps. You wanted to go public before the 2016 flexion during Opening Statements, prosecutors said the case is a criminal conspiracy and a cover up. Trumps Defense Attorney argued, quote, i have a spoiler alert. Theres nothing wrong with trying to influence an election. Its called democracy. The defense also previewed another key tactic, get our aggressively attacking and attempting to discredit trumps former fixer and Attorney Michael Cohen not to mention and Stormy Daniels, after Opening Statements, former publisher of america, media incorporated, david, took the stand. He said to continue his testimony tomorrow, starting at 11 00 a. M. Eastern. Cnns Kara Scannell was inside the courtroom for all of it. And qarrah trumps team really started to dig into Michael Cohen tried to attack him, discredit him. They even said he has quote, an obsession with getting president , President Trump tell us more yeah, jake well, a Key Witness For The Prosecution is going to be Michael Cohen. He facilitated east hey, miss, he will testify about a meeting in the oval office that he had with the former president where they allegedly agreed to the repayment. So the key part of the defense is also to try to discredit cohen trumps attorney, todd blanche, focusing on him today, telling the jury hes previously lied under oath, they shouldnt believe what he is saying today and obsess. He said that repeatedly that Michael Cohen one is obsessed with donald trump adding his entire financial livelihood depends on President Trumps destruction. You cannot make a serious decision about President Trump relying on the words of Michael Cohen. No prosecutors told the jury that. Yeah, Michael Cohen has baggage. They told him to keep them keep an open mind and to look at some of the documents and other evidence that would corroborate cohens testimony. No trumps team also took some hits at Stormy Daniels. She is also expected to testify in this case they said that Hur Testimony ill salacious. It doesnt matter because she has nothing to do with how these records were allegedly falsified in treated on the books of the Trump Organization and Donald Trumps personal in a ledger. So trying to knock down what will be some of the key Witness Testimony in this case as they tried to defend President Trump and get the jury to return a verdict of not guilty. Jake tara, we also learn more today about how Donald TrumpsDefense Attorneys are going to try to distance trump from this alleged crime. Tell us more about that so trumps attorneys are saying that the former president was not involved with how these records were allegedly falsified. Remember this is both the invoices we will cohen submitted to the Trump Organization, how they were accounted for as Legal Expenses pursuant to a Retainer Agreement on the General Ledgers of Donald Trumps personal or General Ledger . And then the checks that he had nothing to do with the commission of the checks, though he did sign nine of them himself and one of the things that they said to the jury today, as they said, you will not hear one whit in this case, testified that donald trump told them how to book these expenses in the companys records. And that is a key part of their defense to say that will donald trump about these payments, which they say were not illegal, that he didnt know about how they were accounted for. And this specific falsification that he is charged with, jake. All right. Kara scannell outside court for us in manhattan. Thanks so much. We want to take a moment now to remind you of just hu, david is the first witness to take the stand today and explain why prosecutors consider him critical to the case. And was the head of ami American Media incorporated publishing staples of Grocery Store magazine stands such as the National Enquirer fire or us weekly, or in touch. My not on the stand because of the latest diet trend or Alien Abduction testified today, we used checkbook journalism, meaning they paid sources for stories and key to this case, the concept behind the term catch and kill. Thats when packer or his publications would hey, people for their stories so as to purposefully not publish the stories, keeping them from the public met with trump in august 2015, pledging to be the campaigns eyes and ears prosecutors alleged he went on to pay 30,000, for example, to a former dorman at Trumpworld Tower or the dorman had claimed that trump had a child outside. Is marriage, the National Enquirer investigated, found the claims to be false, but they still paid the dorman 30 gran to keep it quiet in 2018, ami has admitted to paying Karen Mcdougal, a former Playboy Playmate Of The Year hundred and 50,000 to suppress her story of having an affair with donald trump. To quote, prevent it from influencing the election also contacted Michael Cohen than trumps attorney to alert him that porn star and director Stormy Daniels was shopping around a story of a dalliance with donald trump. Today, prosecutors claim was, quote, nonactive as a publisher he was acting as a coconspirator unquote. Now has been granted immunity to testify in this case. He resigned from his position at ami in 2020. He will return to the witness stand tomorrow. Were told lets bring in criminal Defense Attorney bill brennan and former federal prosecutor at Jennifer Rodgers to talk about this fascinating day in court today, jennifer, lets look ahead to testimony tomorrow it seems like today all the process questions were asked and tomorrow we might get more substantial testimony about conversations that mr. May have had directly with donald trump you expect to hear, i mean, after all has been granted immunity well, i think well hear all of what was previewed in the opening today. I think hell say he was the eyes and ears that they agreed that he was going to play the role of keeping an eye out for stories that might be harmful to trumps candidacy. Also, they agreed to publish negative stories about his opponents to publish positive stories about him. So i think well hear all about that and including this 2015 meeting that he had with trump, where trump would have directly either asked him are agreed that this was their plan. So im expecting that meeting for sure. And then as things went on, when the Karen Mcdougal google situation came up, for example, im expecting to hear about more conversations about the catch and kill with that, of course, was Stormy Daniels ami ultimately didnt pay for that. But i think the original plan was that they would and so i expect that so hes going to take us from the beginning, i think all the way up to the Stormy Daniels situation, which is one why i think it was a good idea to put them first. He sets the stage for what ultimately happens with the daniels payoff. So bill, you have represented trump before. What did you make the defenses strategy today when Defense Attorney todd blanche said, quote, theres nothing wrong with trying to influence an election. Its called democracy, as well as quote, trump fought back to protect his family his reputation and his brand. That is not a Crime Unquote i think a low jake, thanks for having i think todds right about that. I mean there is the conundrum in this case. Youve got some publisher of a magazine. Its headlines are typically elvis raising alien baby on mars. And he is trying to suppress news, paying out of his own coffers people not to come forth with stories. Hes testifying under a grant of immunity, so hes a polluted stores. Youve got a disbarred lawyer with an agenda. Who has what we call law crimes of crimen falsey. Hes a polluted source. I think theyre going to go after these people hard judge verjee likely charged the jury. Theres a classic charge, jury charge in latin, its called forces to know them and falses and omnibus means tell one lie in one thing and the jury can presume eli and everything. So youve got a cough of witnesses here that do not come in with clean hands, and i think the defense has a lot to work with. Jennifer. I want to get your take on something. Mr. Trump said after court raft for the day, take a listen its a case as two bookkeeping, which is a very minor thing in terms of the law, in terms of all the Violent Crime thats going on id as we as we speak right outside, as we speak so it sounds like hes admitting that there was a Bookkeeping Error what do you make of that . Well, its interesting, jake, because i noted that a couple of times during the prosecutions opening, they made this point about trump is frugal. Hes a penny pinch or, and yet Michael Cohen was paid more than double what he paid Stormy Daniels like, why does that happen . Why would trump do that . And the answer is because he had to he really had to hush this up and the way it happened was with all of these invoices. So i think theyre setting the stage for saying trump knew he knew he would never pay more than double. What was paid to Stormy Daniels if he didnt know about this scheme, the way that it was going back to cohen because it had in part to do with making sure that cohen was hold poland wouldnt have to pay taxes on it. So theyre really setting the stage for undercutting that defense pretty effectively. I think i built this morning Trump Defense attorney todd blanche went directly after not just Michael Cohen, but Stormy Daniels, telling the jury, quote, leading up to the 2016 election, she saw her chance painting or as an opportunist saying that nothing ever happened between trump and Stormy Daniels. Jim trusty, a former trump attorney, told me this morning, he might have been if hed been handling the case more subtle in terms of his criticism of Stormy Daniels, so as to not potentially alienate probably agree with gm go ahead. I think you tread softly with that particular witness. Look, you cant just attack everybody if you want to go after this National Enquirer person whos immunized, you want to go after the fixer. And hows that from an epitaph, the fixer. Whos got a bunch of criminal convictions. He attacked those people, but i dont think you attack ms clifford, i think is her name. I think you do that in a moral ill steal a line from jim in a more subtle way jennifer, why didnt prosecutors charged trump with conspiracy if theyre framing of this whole case is a Quote Crim Criminal Conspiracy and cover up yeah, thats a good question. I mean, the reason is that theres no conspiracy aspect here would have been a conspiracy to impact the election. That is one of the ways that they are enhancing the financial falsehood charge, but they decided not to charge it themselves. Im not exactly why they so still havent made entirely clear the ways that they want to enhance it into a felony. So i suspect they just didnt think that they necessarily had it, which is why they also have been a little bit vague with which crimes theyre using to enhance the misdemeanor into a felony. All right. Bill brown and Jennifer Rodgers. Thanks to both of you are coming up new insight into Donald Trumps mindset because hes forced to sit in that cold, cold courtroom listening to the alls Hush Money Cover Up trial so had new york mayor eric adams vits the lead, how hes dicting this City Police Department to ensure sety for jewish students at Columbia University, while also protecting free speech, stay with us how it really happy. Sunday at nine on cnn posted show in late night. Thats sounds insane to be real even a full thing. Probably centuries, the daily show tonight, ive 11 on Comedy Central greetings, tab and yeah, thats not good happened huge things happen happen be there with three, learn more at rnc. Com when we say it will be on time they expect it to be on time. Turn tipping to your advantage, keep those expectations with reliable ground, shipping thanks, brandon, with usps Ground Aantage . Sunglasses brand new brandon hi, im chris and i lost 57 pounds angola after my car accident, i was stuck at home and my im Healthy Eating habits, honore with me. And the weight was piling id seen go on tv and i was curious about it. I really liked that the gold program didnt make you dependent on a pill, a shot, or a frozen meal program for the rest of your life . It was easy and inexpensive. Its just not complicated with golub its treating a look at so here guys remember everything down to this done from design and products to removal and deletion, rebound this with you through every step of your remodel color visit, rebuffed. Com for your free inhome design consultation. Hello ghostbusters its duck, we help people customize and Save Hundreds on Car Insurance with Liberty Mutual situation sure. I can do this. Theres Nothing Better than a subway series footlong, except we got a new footlong psychic like do you eat chicken and bacon ranch with 102 Footlong Churro is the best psaki ive ever had harris, my feelings were on every epic footlong deserve the perfect sidekick a heart attack. Do they have Life Insurance . No. But we have Life Insurance john, im trying to find something we can afford fortunately, it only a few minutes. Select boat found john a 500,000 policy for only 29 a month and his wife and a 500,000 policy for only 21 a month go to select quote. Com now and get the insurance your family needs the price you can afford. Select quote, we shop you save with priceline vip family, you can unlock deals five times faster. You dont even have to be an actual family. Id be the dad on the day physically, its clear that im the dad. Okay. So which data is pa