Is your job and thank you all so much for joining us. This is seen under central as johnson said its metal coverage of the trump trial starts right now, this was Cnn News Central us federal a live view of the criminal courthouse here in manhattan, where we are told doctors legal team will be on a mission today, zeroing in on Michael Cohens admitted and allege lies before president and all it is on his way to the courthouse right now is the defenses preparing to up where it left off, grilling trumps longtime fixer. You can see them there waving to the cameras as he gets into his motorcade. Over the last 24 hours, trumps legal team its been preparing for this moment for colins returned to the Witness Stand. Im told and plotting their strategy to undermine the prosecutions star witness. The question is whether they can the jury, but also their client im Kaitlan Collins here in new york. Object. Saverin, washington dc. Youre watching special seen in live coverage of former president Donald Trumps hush money coverup while the crossexamination of Michael Cohen resumes just minutes from now, the trump team is hoping to shred cohens credibility with the jury by focusing on his hi statements, including some he made under oath, a source saying it will take a long time to quoting now, get through the lights, were told that mr. For trumps defense is also expected to challenge cohens testimony about conversations he had with mr. Trump around the Hush Money Payment to Stormy Daniels and the reimbursement as the prosecution alleges cohens testimony has directly tied trump to the daniels payment and the alleged coverup of that payment that according to cohen and according to prosecutors, was all designed to protect trump and his president ial ambitions in 2016 the prosecution says Michael Cohen will be, its final witness. It is not clear what the defense will do after that, whether theyre going to call mr. Trump to the stand or call any additional witnesses . At all. Cnn team of reporters and producers inside the courthouse are going to bring you constant updates to capture all the drama from this day of testimony. But lets go back to caitlin who has more of her new reporting on what exactly to expect today yeah. Jake, obviously today is one of the biggest days for this file that has happened over the last several weeks and its really going to be a test of the defenses strategy to try to undermine Michael Cohen. Clearly, its a stormy day. Youre outside the courthouse, jake, its also going to be so inside the courthouse because its not just a Strategy Test of how theyre going if you go after Michael Cohen, its also whether or not they can please their client who is often had high and unrealistic, frankly, expectations for his legal team. And he has gone from braiding his legal team and private two praising them. He said two people that he thought todd blanche did a good job when he began crossexamining Michael Cohen on tuesday. Thats despite how blanche got a scolding really from the judge after he made the first two questions to Michael Cohen about the attorneys rather than about the defendant himself. We dont expect him to try to repeat that strategy today, and instead well just be grilling Michael Cohen himself. I mean, this is awesome. A test of Michael Cohen and what his prosecution or what his Witness Value is going to be. But its also a test of how trump views is legal team. And in particular has lead attorney here, todd blanche. Ive got cnns paula reid and Kristen Holmes here with me and paula. I mean, it is not an understatement or an overstatement to say that this is the biggest de for this trial so far. Yeah, thats exactly right. I mean, this is the game and here we expect the todd blanche will shift from ms strategy tuesday, which was really just kinda bad. Michael cohen around a little bit, bring up his more sensational social media posts and instead focus on the substance of this case. Lets go back to what he said in direct testimony. And what do you said previously about the alleged crimes here highlight his past inconsistent statements. What happens today and how successful todd blanche can be. And it least convincing one juror that they should not pin this store decision on the testimony of Michael Cohen. This will really decide the case. The christian what have you heard . I mean, obviously works. I can trump to show up at the wideout. Are the courthouse now the white else any moment he has going to have republicans with him, we believe you hes kind of been bringing a bunch of allies to the white house with, and well see who joined them in court today. But what have you heard about how hes been reflecting on this over the past 24 hours or so when he wasnt in court, will you have to fundraisers yesterday and i am told he was ranting about the case, but the big thing for him yesterday the focus was the fact that now he gets to actually debate joe biden. What ive been told in private is that donald trump wants this case to be over. Hes been talking about it incessantly. He is done sitting in that courtroom. Obviously. No surprise there as they wait for a verdict or wait for case to wrap and then wait for a verdict. But he is really trying to focus on the campaign and thats what you saw a lot of over the weekend. The other thing i want to point out about what were looking forward today is, can todd blanche throw Michael Cohen off . Can you get him to be reactive . That is one of the things donald trump wants. Donald trump has mentioned that to people saying that my cool cohen is always flying off the handle. He wants to see Michael Cohen react and i was told by some republican legal analysts that that might have been why todd blanche seemed all over the place On The Last Day of testimony, two days ago feels like the weekend, so i was buffs his those are our we time. Yeah its but on tuesday it was because they were trying to throw him off to see if you would be reactive in some way. Look at the two people that were really focused on runup donald trump and Michael Cohen, which one of them is going to break first, both of them have been on their best behavior during Michael Cohens testimony well see how today goes. Yeah. Trump shockingly, wasnt responding in the way that he was with Stormy Daniels on the stand with Michael Cohen, you read his eyes closed. There was one moment where a doctor, how much money Michael Cohen made, but it wasnt paula like what we typically what anyone want to guess, even those who no trump, the best that he would do. And Michael Cohens all the way to stand. Thats right. And Michael Cohen also didnt do maybe what they wouldve expected, right . Jumping around the timeline really highlighting some provocative things that he said trying to antagonize him. He was undeterred even though he was prepared for very linear chronological, direct examination, even on the sort of unusual, unorthodox approach that todd blanche took, he wasnt really shaken. Thats why i think today youre going to see them go back to a more additional approach and instead focus on what he said because thatll really make or break the case, forget about making and breaking Michael Cohen on the stand. They need to undercut these criminal charges. Cnns elie honig is at the magic wall and ellie obviously, todd blanche is going to be picking up right where he left off on tuesday. He may not be doing the jumping around that we saw when they were trying to, as christian reported, their throat, Michael Cohen off. Tell us exactly what we heard on tuesday and what we can expect today. The kaitlan pivotal day of testimony i had some really the make or break witness in this whole trial, Michael Cohen. Now, watch for todd blanche, Donald TrumpsDefense Lawyer, to try to develop three main themes as he continues crossexamination today. First, bias turns out Michael Cohen, not a fan of Donald Trumps not anymore, at least now on Tuesday Blanche confronted Michael Cohen with for example, some of his more pure, ill insults directed at donald trump, cheetodusted cartoon villain, but more importantly, with the fact that Michael Cohen has been openly and publicly yearning for donald trump to go to jail. He confronted Michael Cohen with his prior statement that quote, he trump goes right into that little cage, which is where he belongs in a blanking cage, like an animal well, and another thing Michael Cohen said, President Trump needs to wear handcuffs and do the purple. Thats relevant to Michael Cohens credibility. We all know no Breaking News that Michael Cohen dislikes donald trump. But remember, the jury can only go based on what they hear in the courtroom. So expect todd blanche to hit on that the second major theme, kaitlan, as you were talking about the prior lives, Michael Cohen has lied to virtually everyone. You can think of. Hes liked the courts. Hes lied to congress prosecutors, banks, the media. Now, on tuesday, todd blanche focused in particular on ally, that Michael Cohen told to robert baller, the Special Counsel, and to congress about Donald Trumps efforts to build a tower in moscow. Michael cohen minimize that said ended way earlier than it did. And blanche confronted Michael Cohen with those lives. There was some dispute about how to categorize the leinz. They had a little backandforth. Cohen said the information i gave was not accurate. Plan said so is not accurate information, ally, they went back and forth cohen said, its not i mean, bland said, is it ally . Cohen said it was inaccurate . Yes. Blanche, it was a lie. Whenever you want to call it, it was false testimony that cohen gave and the defense team will go today through Michael Cohens prior convictions. Now, back in 2018, Michael Cohen pled guilty in federal court to four crimes, all relating to honesty, Campaign Finance violations that relates to the payments to start for me, daniels at issue in this case. False statements to congress relating to the moscow tower and tax fraud and bank fraud that Michael Cohen committed on his own behalf relating to his own personal finances. Now, the third and final theme to watch for today is that Michael Cohen has a financial motive. Hes really created a minute Mini Industry off his public hatred for donald trump. We learned on tuesday that Michael Cohen, from his two books titled disloyal and revenge, made over 3 we also know that Michael Cohen has a profitable podcast. We learned that Michael Cohen is doing tiktok and selling subscriptions, apparently 5909 a month. And of course, Michael Cohen now has merch, including tshirts and mug showing images of donald trump going to prison 32 bucks a pop. And so the argument will be, not only does Michael Cohen have a bias not lose very much, want to see donald trump convicted. Not only does he have a prior history of wine, but he also has a financial motive. So itll be a contentious day of cross examination. Its really all on the line today. Jake, as we get ready for this key de to kick it back to you at the desk. All right. Well, im here with my panel, including former trump attorney Tim Parlatore. But lets start with some of the politics of this because one of the things thats going to be interesting, dana, is the prosecution has, as their main witness, whether you want to call them the star witness or not. He is the main witness. Michael cohen and the plan of the trump team is to paint him as liar, liar. And they really dont have any shortage of material to work with. They dont. And weve seen so far in their crossexaminati on, liar, but also somebody who has a motive to try to get donald trump, somebody who wants to get revenge we talked last week about, or this week, whatever week it was and that the fact that thats actually the name of his book. And revenge, revenge. And so weve seen that theme. So far. I expect as you were saying, elie at the wall, that the lying part of it is going to be much more emphasized in the cross as they continue today. And its so obvious what theyre trying to do, which is to put that colonel of reasonable doubt into the minds of the jury. Even just wonder. And they hope thats the end of it. I i sort wonder if that motive though, might not cut both ways because the fact that he did live for donald trump helps explain why he could be being honest today, right . If theres this Line In The Sand where he stops lying for donald trump because he has this he explained this during direct examination that his family finally convinced him. Okay. I want to stop doing this. I do wonder if that makes sense to a jury. If not only because Michael Cohen is far from the only person who has lied on behalf of donald trump, and thats their goal. The goal of the prosecution. I mean, thats the whole the whole ball game for them to convince the jury that yes, he sort of, found a higher spirit, a higher calling and said, im not going to live for donald trump anymore. I think the question also is, how much the receipts, the documents that they have on the prosecution sayyed to back that up well realize it out with the jury but jeff zeleny, let me go to you because just put your juror had on for me. If do you work and i wanna go over some of the stuff that elie are already talked about because because i mean, this is this is not insignificant here is the defense getting cohen to admit about some of the rather pure real is not the word you use for your eye all or juvenile i mean this is not i mean, i cant read as to what lanny davis or whatever any prosecutors would have told Michael Cohen to do. But this is not what a prosecutor what Prosecuting Attorney would want a witness to have said. He said on your first this is todd blanche, the trump attorney on your first podcast. May a culpa you referred to President Trump as a boorish cartoon. Misogynist, didnt you . Cohen says, it sounds like something i would say. You recall the first one in 2020. You call them a chito dust and dusted cartoon villain. Cohen, that also sounds like something i said question now, do you recall run that same time, october 2020, you started talking about your hope. Theyre President Trump would be convicted of a crime, correct . Answer. I dont know if these are the exact words that i said, but the sentiment is correct, quote, you think you might have said, i truly effing hope that this man ends up in prison is an exact answer. It sounds like my language on mea culpa, this is clearly a Man With A Mission and a grudge without it out and emission of revenge, like dana said, like his book says in very large type, look, every witness in any case that weve covered personally or watched on television is not perfect. And Michael Cohen is certainly exhibit a of a not perfect witness. However, the receipts that dana talked about are clearly what the prosecution is hoping to jurors focus on that picture in the White House Briefing room. That moment he went to the white house in early february of 2017. I keep going back to that because so unusual at that moment for him to be there, but i think the jurors were going to have to throw a lot of things out. Some of the Stormy Daniels salacious testimony, some of the chito conversation, and focus on the facts, but that is the question. It takes one juror here, i think his demeanor on The Stand Today is also as important as it has been for the last couple of days, just he managed to not lose his cool. And i think that certainly will help him appear credible in the eyes of jurors. But look, hes not a perfect witness. Of course. So im laura, let me ask you this. Was Defense Attorney todd blanche is First Exchange with Michael Cohen when crossexamine examination began on tuesday, so question mr. Cohen. My name is todd blan