Id front next opening day of trumps trial in between trump and what will be a star witness . Michael cohen this is the first witness is starting to testify. The david helped trumps case, plus russias new it girl, stink television. Now fawning over Marjorie Taylor greene even though she tried but failed to sink american aid to ukraine. Here what they are saying tonight about quoteunquote moscow, marjorie, and Melania Trump now selling more jewelry. Is it to help her husband pay his legal fees . Lets go out front and good evening. Im Erin Burnett Outfront tonight. We begin with trumps trials spilling out of the courtroom on a day when the prosecution and defense laid out their cases for the first time to 12 jurors and the six alternates in the room. And its on this momentous day, the former President Trump and his former fixer, Michael Cohen, are now in a free for all know, it did actually start in the courtroom. It was during Opening Statements, trump was watching as his lawyers were tearing into the key wetness. They said, quote, his entire financial livelihood depends on President Trumps destruction referring to cohen so that was all in the courtroom. But then after court, when trump walked out and he could speak to the public he said this about cohen what are they going to look at all the lives that gone god did in the last drought. He, that joint line in the last trial well, its lighter. Cohen firing back. Hey, Von Expletive in pants, your attacks of me, stink of desperation. Were all hoping that you take the stand and your defense was public spat between a key witness and the defendant is remarkable in a court and trump, of course, is under a gag order forbidden to speak about any witnesses in the trial. But this public brawl breaking out just hours before trump is back in court facetoface with the judge, juan merchan for hearing on gag order violations he faces fines and of course violations could ultimately put them in jail. So this is really serious stuff it comes as witnesses are already taking the stand, the prosecutors first witness was actually trumps longtime personal friend and the former chief of the National Enquirer, david he was on the stand today for a brief 40 minutes, and he will be on the stand tomorrow and its going to be much more extensive. We just barely started their is at the center of the Hush Money Payment to the Adult Film StarStormy Daniels at the heart of this case now, trump will be there for all of that testimony as he is required to be every single day of this trial now, weve heard him so many times, complained before the court dates are keeping them off the Campaign Trail that he has to be in the courtroom and is prevented from being in iowa, whoever wherever it is. Except for it has not been true until now. Now, he is required to be there and it comes as the stakes are rising, and National Poll tonight showing biden gaining steam, interNational Poll. That has trumped concerned this is what took me off and takes me off the Campaign Trail because i shouldnt be in georgia now i shouldnt be in florida now. I should be a lot of different places right now campaigning of course, is our Kristen Holmes reports, context matters here on a normal week prior to this trial, trump was only campaigning two days out of seven paula reid is out front live outside the courthouse and where you of course, have been spending the day and i know sitting with you for part of the day, paula taxing nonstop with your sources on those legal teams, what more can you tell us about what happened in that courtroom and this was the first time in the history of our country that a jury was sworn in to hear criminal allegations about a former president of the United States and today, their first day on the job, they heard these dueling narrations about events that transpired roughly eight years ago whats going on right here should never be happening. Its a very, very sad de, in america, former president Donald Trumps criminal trial kicked off today with jurors hearing competing accounts of why a Hush Money Payment was made to Adult Film ActressStormy Daniels, just weeks before the 2016 election Matthew Colangelo laid out the prosecutors theory of the case, which he said is about election fraud, pure and simple he says it all started with a 2015 meeting at trump tower between trump his former attorney, Michael Cohen and the former publisher of the National Enquirer, david the government alleges agreed to use the enquirer to help Trumps Campaign by buying and suppressing negative stories about him and by amplifying stories that were favorable to him prosecutors allege the salacious access Hollywood Tape on earth just before the 2016 election was significant because it turned the rest of the president ial campaign entirely upside down when youre star, they let you do it. You can do anything, whatever you want, grab but they alleged that once the tape became public Trumps Campaign went into Damage Control mode, worried about what an allegation of an bear with Adult Film Star might do trump and cohen arranged a 130,000 payment to keep Stormy Daniels quiet just two weeks before the election thats the case as to bookkeeping, which is a very minor thing in terms of the law. And this is what they dry i take me off the trail forum that checks being paid to a lawyer, a lawyer or was a lawyer in the defense is Opening Statement. Attorney todd blanche argued his client is innocent. Thank President Trump did not commit any crimes and call the 34 counts of falsifying Business Records against him just pieces of paper. Blanche directly responded to the allegations of election fraud, saying theres nothing wrong with trying to influence an election. Its called democracy. The defense then attack likely witnesses. Daniels, im Cohen Blanche called Daniels Allegation but a fair sinister and an attempt to embarrass President Trump. He then shifted to trumps former lawyer cohen, who he says this quote obsessed with trump, and that cohens financial livelihood depends on trumps destruction david was the first witness to be called shortly before he took the stand. Prosecutors referred to him as a coconspirator for helping trump tried to cover up his alleged affair tomorrow before the jury returns to the courtroom, therell be a hearing about the gag order in this case. Prosecutors alleged that trump has violated this gag order over a half a dozen time in this gag order prevents trump from attacking people involved in this case, like witnesses and the jury. He is also barred from attacking Family Members of the prosecutors and the judge, though we can freely attack the judge or the district attorney, alvin bragg after that hearing, the jury will come back in the courtroom and david we back on stand. Erin. All right. Paula, thank you very much there in Lower Manhattan and our experts are all here on set together right now. So joey jackson, let me start with you Opening Statements are crucial in some senses for many jurors, theyll say thats what made up their mind, right . Here at the beginning. And then that becomes confirmation on what they heard when the witnesses go. So this matters a lot. So lets start with the prosecution. They go first Prosecution Lawyer goes for 46 minutes. So im just going to pick one line, but it was 46 minutes. One Operative Line from the transcript, donald trump orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 im president ial election. Then he covered up that criminal conspiracy by lying in his new york Business Records over and over and over again did they do a good job . I thought so for a number of reasons. Lets talk about that to your point, aaron, i think Opening Statements are simply a preview of what the evidence was show, but you have to maintain credibility and giving that indication to the jury. Most good lawyers will do with the prosecution did do on the defense, in some measure, which is under promise over, deliver. And i think what the prosecutions Point Of View was and they said it in terms of your theory of the case, conspiracy a cover up now, Conspiracy Hirsi is not charged. That has legal significance. Conspiracy to more people engaging in illegal acts. But it kinda is. And heres why what happens is is that from the prosecutions perspective, this was part of an enterprise orchestrated by trump to interfere with the election. And how did they do that . They did that by virtue this payment that was indeed reimbursement says the prosecution and they had nothing to do with a Retainer Agreement and then they talk about the cover up. Right. And so i think to the extent that they put that narrative out there, they being the prosecution, they did their job and wrapping up what theyre going to show over and over 34 four times again as to these fraudulent Business Records and the intent and purpose which was to interfere with the election. And 34 because obviously there was a payment to Stormy Daniels and that which Michael Cohen says he he made he did make and then trump this is how that reimbursement was broken up. So weve got every single one of those checks. Theres a former prosecutor in the Southern District of new york you really understand the players and whats at stake here. So this conspiracy that theyre trying to talk about here with trump, they say it all begins with a meeting with Michael Cohen, donald trump, and david three individuals that were talking about today before trump even announced the campaign. And they say, in this Opening Statement that they quote four Wonder Conspiracy at that meeting to influence the president ial election by concealing negative information about mr. Trump in order to get him elected and then they continue. And this was interesting. We will never know, and it doesnt matter if this conspiracy was the Difference Maker in a close election. Obviously, this all came to fruition two weeks before the election after that, grab them by the p tape and you had this Stormy Daniels revelation which we didnt know about at the time because of all of this. Did they do a good job . I think they have their purpose here is to present this roadmap and to present a few themes that the jurors are going to take with them throughout this trial. Frankly, i think the Research Shows that jurors really dont retain much more than those few central themes. So they need to hit those particular theme theres over and over again. I think the prosecution had to explain the why the what is really not in question, both sides agreed to some of the basic facts of what happened here, but they had to explain the why and they did that effectively. I think 46 minutes was probably too long. I doubt they had the german pension yeah for that long and they probably could have done it in half that time. Well, and 46 minutes does sound like a long time, you know, when you tell people were giving your best man speech or whatever, you a shorter is better. In this case though, aaron, i mean, 46 minutes. I wish i could keep my openings 2406 a lot to get out there. I think it was short in the context of what they had lets place. All right. So jeremy, you were there. So what was trumps reaction during the prosecutions Opening Statement and said this point about being 46 minutes, how engaged was he throughout . What was most interesting with the premise former president was just how much he was not reacting to what was going on we had the prosecutor, we had matthew clan jaw. He was bringing up a lot of illicit things that trump is alleged to have done i brought up the affair with a playboy playmate, the affair with a porn star. He brought up the access Hollywood Tape and throughout all of that, trump was not reacting. It was sitting back in his chair his eyes would close to time to time and i think its felt like he was making a point not to react. You would pass notes to his attorneys. He was there a sort of a note passing thing. Im particularly when the access Hollywood Tape we noted him had blanche were sending notes between the two of them but its obviously different than what weve seen trump in other courtrooms and even earlier in this case that morning in the morning we had we talked about what the prosecutors would be able to bring into evidence if trump testifies. And when the judge said that he would allow him to ask about the Civil Fraud Verdict that came earlier this year. Trump shook his head at that just before the jury came in with the jury in there today as these things were being brought up, was very stoic, interesting. So its almost as if he really does know that is the audience now that matters, it seems its certainly seems like just fast. So stacy, you criminal defense attorney, and of course, you were a former contestant and the apprentice, so you i mean, youve got both a personal and a professional perspective on this. What did you see on the process . Execution . Yes. So i saw it was a smooth and solid Opening Statement, but i think they missed a really big opportunity Michael Cohen is the Elephant In The Room in this case. And hes got prior conviction. He pled guilty in 2018 in federal court, among other charges two Illegal Campaign contributions. And he said out loud in court, i did this at the direction of donald trump. And that admission is the key of this case. And i think the prosecution should have honed down on that here and brought out to the jury. They said to them here all the bad things Michael Cohen did where were letting you know now. But youre going to see at the end of the case that you should credit his testimony in this courtroom. And what they missed out doing is saying to the jury people dont plead guilty to things they didnt do so, Michael Cohen is going to bleed believable. He took a threeyear Jail Sentence for this alleged scheme. Trump is saying its an alleged scheme. Michael cohen was saying it happened they could have tackled the beast because trump is going to come out and say immediately, michael, mike trumps lawyers. And when Michael Cohen gets on the stand and cross examination, youre a liar. Youre convicted liar. Youve lied over and over again. And the de needs to have Michael Cohen say, which he will its part of his testimony. I may have lived at other times, but im not lying here because i pled guilty to doing this. I didnt even go to trial. Thats why michelle about that the one point i would make to that is i think they strategically in my view, avoided that and i think there were two but i think they were in that Room Fighting should we should we i think the first reason is you dont want to put over upon his testimony. Yes, hes the Elephant In The Room, but were going to prove this case not because of Michael Cohen. And the second thing is i think therell be able to prove it up with other width this is with text messages, with emails, with audios that are not relying upon him. So he doesnt down the center rack, so i think they strategically wanted to pivot such that its not all about Michael Collins when he is ravaged, which he will be in his perjurer, you lied to congress, you lied here. Theyre gonna be like so what about email . What about the texas thats right. What about the audit . What about Everything Else . Thats why were not relying upon which its gonna be fascinating, which, what else they do bring to your point. And Michael Cohen, when ive talked to me, he says they do have all that other information that he views himself in a sense as add