Pacific. Right now former President Trump is in a courtroom in New York City as the Civil Fraud Trial against him begins. His Business Empire on the line. On capitol hill, a Government Shutdown has been averted for now. But theres a new crisis for House SpeakerKevin Mccarthy. Well talk to congressman Steven Horsford about that, and get his reaction. At the Supreme Court, Justice Clarence thomas has recused himself from a january 6th case for the very first time. Well explain why. And this weekend, large groups of migrants, mostly from venezuela made their way across the border navigating through razor wire to get to shore. Well speak about why they are fleeing their homes in my sitdown interview with the former interim president juan gaido, who is now living in exile in the United States. We begin in New York City where right now former President Trump is inside a courtroom where his massive Business Empire is on the line. Just moments ago nbc news got a look inside that very courtroom. Take a look at these pictures, the former president seated alongside his legal team as the first day of this critical 250 million case trial unfolds. There you see him inside the court. Also inside that court, new York State Attorney general etitia james who brought the case accusing the former president and his family of over inflating the value of some of their properties when it suited them. Just before this trial began, the former president addressed reporters outside the courtroom and slammed the case as a political witch hunt, denied any wrongdoing. Heres what we heard from new York Attorney general Letitia James this morning. My message is simple. No matter how powerful you are, no matter how much money you think you may have, no one is above the law, and it is my responsibility and my duty and my job to enforce it. Joining us now outside the courthouse, nbc news correspondent vaughn hillyard. Also with us nbc news justice and intelligence correspondent ken dilanian, and glen kir issue ner a former federal prosecutor and msnbc legal analyst. Whats happening right now inside the trial . Reporter right, so Everybody Knows we do not have camera access to these live trial proceedings here. We are relying on our great producer adam reiss who is inside, im looking down at my computer as all of us are tracking his notes hes sending from inside the courtroom. A camera was allowed in before the trial began for about two minutes there. Youre looking at donald trump sitting next to chris kise his lead attorney, as well as alina haba who is another one of his attorneys and a legal spokeswoman, and you see Letitia James who through her office is bringing this case against donald trump as well as the judge who is overseeing this process over the course of the last two years as the Attorney Generals Office worked to compel the turning over of Financial Bank real estate records and forced donald trump and his children to sit down for depositions, and is now overseeing this case that culminated after a three and a half year investigation. So far weve seen the lead prosecutor from the new York AttorneyGenerals Office so far played a couple of video clips from several of the depositions including from Michael Cohen, Donald Trumps former attorney who has testified publicly and in a deposition with the new York Attorney general against donald trump laying out the ways in which he, while working for the Trump Organization, he says that he was directed to inflate the assets, the valuation of the assets in order to inflate Donald Trumps own selfworth, but also in order to gain better tax and loan arrangements, and we also have heard video from Allen Weisselberg, part of his deposition, the longtime chief Financial Officer dating back to 1973, the lead prosecutor from the Attorney Generals Office has played part of his deposition. He could be a key witness. He already served several months in jail over at rikers jail after in a separate case through the Southern District of new york he came to a Plea Agreement in which he pled guilty to tax fraud charges stemming from his work with the Trump Organization and tax perks that benefitted him, but he could very well be a key witness. We are looking at potentially a trial that lasts according to the judge through December 22nd. For donald trump there is still much at stake despite the initial order that the judge came forward with last week on summary judgment, but we expect donald trump to not necessarily be inside the courtroom each of these days ahead. He chose on his own accord to with here in person for this trial. But also you saw Letitia James who stood on these very court steps in Lower Manhattan in which she made it very clear that donald trump would be punished for what she says was financial fraud, and if the new York Attorney general and her prosecutors get the ruling they want from this judge, the Trump Organization empire that is now nearly one century old could very well be brought to its demise here. So for donald trump, there is as much at political stake as we are three and a half months away from the iowa caucus, but potentially more importantly for him and his children and his family at large, there is much for his corporate interest that is at stake and his own future, jose. Ken, why are the stakes so high here for trump . Well, because a judge has already ruled that he engaged in are fraud and the judges ruling has far reaching implications. If strictly enforced, it could mean a Death Sentence for the trump Real Estate Empire in new york state. The judge has already canceled certificates of ownership on most of Donald Trumps properties and those owned by his sons in new york. There was a hearing last week and Donald Trumps lawyers were asking about the implications of that ruling and how it would be enforced and he didnt really answer. He appointed an independent monitor who would get into the Trump Organization, look at the books and try to figure out how to sort through all of this. This ruling will be appealed and well see what happens in this trial in terms of damages. What seems likely at the least here is that donald trump will lose control if not ownership of many of the Signature Properties he has made his name on including trump tower in New York City, which could have unfold financial implications, political implications for him. For good reason, we pay most attention to the four criminal cases that he is facing, but this civil case really goes to the heart of his identity as a real estate developer. We cant underestimate the psychological toll this could be taking on him, the financial costs even as hes staring down millions of dollars in legal bills and the potential loss of his freedom in these criminal cases. This is a potential loss of financial freedom, Financial Resources that with enormous implications, jose. So glenn, talk to us a little bit if you would, about tha this is all in the hands of judges, right . But how unusual is this and what are we seeing here . Yeah, so it really is unusual in many respects. Judge engoron will be sitting as the finder of fact, so there will not be a jury. Judge engoron is the one who will make the decision with respect to liability and damages. We know that Attorney General james is seeking at a minimum, a quarter of A Billion Dollars in damages, but you have to wonder, given judge engorons prior rulings as ken was just discussing like the dissolution of Donald Trumps llcs, his businesses, his companies, you wonder if that money damage award assuming it goes against donald trump could be even higher than a quarter of A Billion Dollars. What im really interested to watch as this trial unfolds, jose is the witnesses that a. J. James chooses to call because her witness list reads like a are veritable whos who of the Trump Organization. She said she may call as witnesses, donald trump, don jr. , eric trump, ivanka trump, Michael Cohen and Allen Weisselberg. Importantly, those are two insiders in the Trump Organization, each of whom pleaded guilty to various crimes. Allen weisselberg, for example, pleaded guilty to a 15year long criminal Tax Fraud Scheme while he was with the Trump Organization, and he testified against the Trump Organization in alvin braggs criminal prosecution of trump org. I am looking forward to what happens when these adverse witnesses are called to testify by Letitia James. How does it normally work how does this work . Is this like a daily situation Going Forward . You talk about some of these witnesses, et cetera, that clearly theyre not going to be proprosecution, but how is this going to work . Is this going to be a daily thing, glenn . So jose, i will say having tried cases for 30 years, when we project how long a trial will last, we are almost always wrong, and that goes for the judges as well. You know, we try to give the parties and if its a jury trial, which this isnt, the jurors a real, you know, estimate of how long everybody can expect to be in that courtroom. Now, here is what i think is most likely to impact the length of the trial. Tish james announced as many as 53 potential witnesses. Trumps attorneys announced as much as 123 or 127 potential witnesses. Heres what i can tell you, the Defense Teams almost always over estimate how many witnesses theyre going to call. That impacts how long the trial will be, and in my experience, if they say theyre going to call 127, they may end up calling only 27. So that will impact how long this trial will actually last. Were seeing some images of the courtroom, we see the former president sitting there, the a. G. There right behind him looking straight at him. Weve often talked about the fact that, you know, whether there is or not cameras in the courtroom in these different cases. What is it like here . Here were seeing essentially a camera spray and no more cameras. Yeah, thats right, jose. What we did see earlier, though, is donald trump standing outside the courtroom and absolutely denouncing the judge and the Attorney General in very personal terms calling the Judge A Rogue judge, exhorting his followers to, quote, go after the Attorney General who he called a racist and not only is that an extraordinary legal strategy, really havent seen any defendant do that before walking into a courtroom where the judge is going to sit in judgment. The its an extraordinary moment for our democracy, a former president denouncing a sitting judge. Its one thing to say that he felt he was treated unfairly, that he disagreed with the ruling, but this is really going to the heart of our democracy, which after all relies on the rule of law, relies on confidence in courts and judges, even when folks disagree with them. Donald trump doesnt play by those rules and, you know, it has a lot of far reaching implications, including for the very people involved who have to get Security Details because of the threats that flow from some of his extraordinary statements. Were going to find out in the washington, d. C. , case whether theres a limit to that kind of rhetoric. Jack smith, a Special Counsel is trying to get the judge to impose a gag order. He weighed in on friday saying to the judge that donald trump continues to make what the prosecutors call inflammatory and prejudicial and improper statements and he needs to be stopped. So well see whether a federal judge in washington can do that, jose. And vaughn, there is, as ken was talking about obviously many legal implications to whats going on inside that courtroom in new york. But there is also the political implications that the former president has already been exploiting. Thats exactly right, and this is an opportunity to also make money for his campaign. He has sent out fundraising emails and Text Messages over the last 24 hours. We have seen them work to profit off of the mug shot that was taken in Fulton County georgia. For donald trump, he did not have to be here in person, but instead he chose to stay the night in trump tower and motorcade to Lower Manhattan to appear before the cameras and the judge and alongside Attorney GeneralLetitia James. For donald trump, making himself the political martyr here is such an important element of his legal peril here because ultimately, it will be the judges and juries that find donald trump, whether he was liable in these cases or guilty of criminal charges in the other four criminal indictments that he faces here, but for donald trump, it is trying to make something out of what are perilous trials ahead for him. And you know, for donald trump, he is going to go back on the campaign trail. He will be in iowa for the weekend. Donald trump has had definitely a Lighter Campaign schedule than other candidates who you have seen barn storm around the early states. For donald trump, he knows that the attention is on him, not only because of the political ends but also the future of the Trump Organization. And for donald trump, they have made a Marketing Campaign out of the attacks, as he says a witch hunt that began as soon as he won the white house. And for donald trump, this is at again, an opportunity to not only make money for his campaign, but also through his super pac, affiliated super pac, an operation that has helped pay his own legal expenses, ones that have racked up to the tens of millions of dollars. Vaughn hillyard, ken dilanian, and glenn kirschner. Well check back in with vaughn outside the courthouse later this hour. Up next, californias governor making an historic appointment in filling senator Dianne Feinsteins seat. Were going to speak with Congressman Horsford who urged the governor to pick someone else. Well chat in just 60 seconds. Youre watching jose diazbalart reports on msnbc. Atching jose dt reports on Msnbc Neumonia . I help others. But i need to help protect myself. Honestly . I couldnt afford to get sick. I want to be there for this one. I cant if im sick. Pneumococcal pneumonia is a potentially serious bacterial lung disease. You may be at risk if youre 19 to 64 with certain chronic conditions. Or if youre 65 or older. Dont pause a moment longer. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about getting vaccinated against Pneumococcal Pneumonia today. That first time you take a step back. I made that. With your very own online store. I sold that. And you can manage it all in one place. I built this. And it was easy, with a partner that puts you first. Godaddy. 16 past the hour, now to washington where attention is now turning to preventing a potential shutdown in november after a bipartisan breakthrough, congress approving a Stopgap Funding Bill to keep the government open for another 45 days, House SpeakerKevin Mccarthys job could be in jeopardy as he shifted course and turned to democrats to help pass that bill. Congressman matt gaetz says he will move to kick mccarthy out of the speakers chair. Mccarthy responded back defiant. I do intend to file a motion to vacate against speaker mccarthy. I think we need to rip off the bandaid, move on with new leadership that can be trustworthy. Ill survive. This is personal with matt. Hes more interested in securing Tv Interviews than doing something. Bring it on. Lets get over with it, and lets start gov