that piece, which was i thought on the mark was to say, to call biden essentially a moderate liberal in an age of extremism as hubert humphrey was and of the 1968 analogy does not bode too well for democrats. obviously, richard nixon, the republican that year, was able to take advantage of the democrats in fighting, the uproar and upheaval among young progressive students who were disillusioned with the leadership of their own party, the general feeling of chaos in the country and nixon ran a law and order campaign and won the presidency. it is not a great analogy. i still don't really understand, to be honest, my democrats are risking the fate of history by going back to chicago this year for their convention. was that really necessary? but, to the bigger picture

question, we heard joe biden's answer this week. we heard him try to thread the needle and to say i support the right to his will protest but that doesn't mean that it is a license for chaos. >> history is at our doorstep as always. susan glasser, thank you for your time this friday evening. that is original for tonight. now it is time for the last word with lawrence o'donnell, special friday night edition. >> friday night edition after a friday in the courthouse . i will be joined by my courthouse posse this week. andrew weissman, adam klasfeld, lisa rubin, all in the courthouse with me this week. >> did you guys break for lunch together? >> i have pictures of lunch together, which can only be shared privately. alex, the heroes in that building or the court officers. they are running an amazing

process to get people in, to get them out, to control the setting in a way that it has never had to be controlled before because of course of the secret service protection for a former president. no group of court officers has ever had to deal with a former president and a secret service detail with a criminal defendant. that has never happened. and, there are tensions created by that, which they handle beautifully. i just have to say. we have all been raving about it. >> the strange tensions between lawrence o'donnell and donald trump in the courtroom. >> there was a little bit, yesterday, there was. today, different story. i will tell that story . >> stay tuned. i will be watching. have a great show. to begin with that story, i guess because donald trump does apparently whatever i tell him to do, he did not glare at me again in the courtroom today after i described donald trump's weird and childish attempt to i guess intimidate me by throwing his angry glare at me when he was leaving the

courtroom yesterday. i said right here on the program last night that it was a mistake for him to do that. i said that his apparently useless handyman, who hangs out in the first roe of the courtroom on the defense side, should have told donald trump not to make a big deal out of that lawrence o'donnell die being in the courtroom today, meaning yesterday. donald trump shouldn't have given me that pleasure. he shouldn't have done that in such a goofy and public way that maggie haberman at "the new york times" felt compelled to write it right away on the live update of the trail. no one had seen donald trump to anything like that. after that item made a little bit of stir on social media yesterday, we have a right to assume that donald trump, as i know he has done many times in the past, tuned in to this show at 10:00 last night to see what i would say about that incident.

and, unfortunately, he took my advice. the advice that boris should have given him yesterday. today, even though i was sitting in an even more prominent position on the aisle in the middle of the courtroom where donald trump couldn't possibly miss me every time he walked past me in and out of the courtroom today, he did everything he could possibly do to not look at me. i know he knows where i was sitting because it was way too obvious and i was giving him my look straight up at him. i know i was within his peripheral vision because whenever his peripheral vision got close, he immediately twisted it away in the other direction. he made sure that his eyes never met my eyes. he just wasn't going to give me that gift again. other reporters in the room, including reporters i don't know, noticed it. noticed his conscious choice

not to do that, especially after yesterday because it was so obvious that he made such an effort yesterday to look at me that today's effort not looking at me was just as obvious with me sitting there looking up at him exactly the same way that i did yesterday. to him, i'm sure it looked like i was gloating. probably the way he interpreted it. a couple of reporters told me after today's session he was afraid to look at you today. i don't think he was afraid. i think he just got good advice. right here at 10:00 p.m. last night. today's courtroom was a tale of two young women describing their work in government. one described her dedication to a difficult job done honorably under intense pressure to with high-stakes, with the best of motivations and pursuit of an

ideal and the other was hope hicks. hope hicks was preceded on the witness stand by a young woman who appeared to be about the same age hope hicks was when she started working for residential candidate donald trump. i wish i could tell you the young woman's name because it is a beautiful name that any parent or fiction writer would be proud to create. i won't tell you her name because homicidal trump supporters are all too eager to threaten the lives of all of us who they despise. they especially like to do that on social media. this young woman's job in the district attorneys office is to study social media and prepare social medium for use as evidence in criminal trials.

that job became the worst job in the district attorney's office when a year and a half ago, she was assigned to the investigation of donald trump and had to read as many as 10,000 social media posts, mostly by donald trump but also by michael cohen and others involving this case. imagine having to keep up with in real time, the poison donald trump's views on social media every day and having to reach back in time for trump weeks that are relevant to this criminal investigation, as far back as 2016 and beyond. she has saved about 1500 posts on instagram, twitter, truth social, and other sites for the district attorney's trump evidence file. she testified that she has analyzed about 30 social media accounts in the process. donald trump's criminal defense lawyers tried to object to her testimony that laid the groundwork for introducing social media posts by donald trump. her testimony was so technically flawless and so

convincing to judge juan merchan that the judge overruled every objection the trump lawyers raised to try to block her testimony and blogger introduction of the exhibits . she won. she beat the trump lawyers at the game of admitting evidence. she described the elaborate and exacting process she had to go through with each piece of social medium to fit the complex requirements of introducing even a single tweet as an exhibit in court and thanks to her painstaking adherence to those legal rules and requirements, the jury was shown this week by donald trump. >> i have never said i am a perfect person, nor pretended to be someone that i'm not. i have said and done things i regret the words released today

on this more than a decade old video or one of them. anyone who knows me knows these words don't reflect who i am. i said it, i was wrong, and i apologize. >> october 8, 2016. that was the one and only time trump has ever apologized in his life. it was immediately after the access hollywood tape was released on october 2016 in the last weeks of donald trump's first presidential campaign. the thousands of hours of work done by that young paralegal assistant in the da office to allow the introduction of exhibits like that paid off today. her dedication and professionalism was obvious to everyone in the courtroom, especially judge juan merchan. she is the lowest paid person who has spoken in that courtroom . she will never be applauded, never publicly thanked, she doesn't get to fly on private jets like hope hicks did when she started her campaign job or on air force one, like hope

hicks did when she worked in the white house. this witness was one of the unsung heroes in the machinery of american justice. that is her job. justice. that is one of the motivators for putting in those long hours. that is the ideal she gets to pursue in her work, justice. the da office does not pay her enough. tops like that never paid enough. but, she gets to take home more than a paycheck. she gets to take home her pride. pride. the thing hope hicks sold to donald trump. at 11:23 a.m., an assistant district attorney said the people call hope hicks. dressed in a black suit, she walked past the defense table within arms reach of donald trump without ever looking at him and he did not look at her as she walked by. she began her testimony with a

bit of biography, saying she was a 2010 graduate of southern methodist university, who then began working for the trump organization in 2014. she told her first flight about 10 minutes into her testimony. now, some people will think a lie is too harsh a word for what i'm about to read to you. it does show what a casual relationship with the truth hope hicks lives by. she described donald trump under oath as "a very good multitasker and a very hard worker." he is not and never has been a hard worker. everyone knows that isn't true. most of the press corps on the campaign trail and in the white house who covered hope hicks easily accepted those lies, lies of that size, from hope hicks all the time without any of those lies diminishing their view of her in any way.

she was, on that witness stand, as she has always been, the picture of privilege. she laughed out loud in the courtroom at the very idea of donald trump offering her a job. she was unqualified to do. press secretary for a presidential campaign. that is what privilege looks like. she had never been a press secretary for anything. she had no idea how to be a campaign presidential campaign press secretary. like everyone on the trump campaign, no serious campaign would hire them to do anything. hope hicks lives on the donald trump side of our politics, where people rant endlessly about attributing things like the failures of boeing manufacturing and maintenance of aircraft to some kind of liberal oriented hiring program that gives jobs to unworthy candidates. there has never been a more

unworthy candidate for hope hicks job in the presidential campaign or in the white house than hope hicks. she didn't need either one of those jobs. she was born rich in connecticut. she could have tried to do something more worthy with her life, or at least do something that wasn't harmful. but, she chose to help donald trump become president of the united states. that is what she chose to do. that job came with a model. deny, deny, deny. that is what she wrote in an email when the trump campaign team of incompetence was trying to respond to the brilliant reporting at ""the washington post"," which revealed the access hollywood video in which donald trump is shown bragging about his favorite method of sexual assault. this rock to the trump campaign on october 7th, 2016 when he sent an email to hope hicks

asking for a comment about the access hollywood video, which he came into possession of before ""the washington post"," would publish it. david fahrenthold included a transcript of the video in the email but not the video itself. " did you read mr. trump that email you received from david fahrenthold? answer "i read him the email and i have a vague recollection of starting to read the transcript and then he finished reading it himself, i believe . did you hand him the email for him to read? yes. that is my recollection. question, what if anything did he say? he said that that didn't sound like something he would say. and so, on the basis of that lie told to hope hicks by donald trump, that that didn't sound like something he would say, hope hicks told the team that the strategy was denied him a deny, deny.

meaning lie, lie, lie. hope hicks did a lot of that. lying, in her testimony. she quoted donald trump lighting to her. anyone who knows donald trump knows that what he said on the access hollywood video does indeed sound like something he would say. hours later, the video was out there and hope hicks could watch him say it herself. so, the jury heard hope hicks described donald trump lighting directly to her. "he said that that didn't sound like something he would say." that was a very harmful line of testimony about donald trump. injuries are always wondering if this witness is telling the truth, would this person lie to us? now they know that donald trump lied to hope hicks right there in that line about that video.

when that video came out proving donald trump said every word that was in the transcript that was enough for john mccain . senator mccain turned against donald trump then. that was enough for republican speaker of the house, paul ryan, who canceled a event with donald trump. republican congressman jason chaffetz came on this program for the one and only time in his life and retracted his endorsement of donald trump in the name of his daughters that very night. republicans were rushing away from donald trump because of what they heard him say and do on that access hollywood video but not hope hicks. not hope hicks. if you don't quit then, when do you quit? hope hicks answer? never. hope hicks was there in washington on the white house payroll on january 6th making no attempt at all to get donald

trump to do the right thing during the attack on the capitol, to stop that attack. what did she do after january 6th? nothing. she eventually did an interview with the january 6th committee where she said as little as she possibly could and offered no significant help to the committee. very little they could even use in their public revelation of their evidence. compare that to cassidy hutchinson. they both took the same oath of office as white house employees to support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies foreign and domestic. hope hicks, who had direct access to donald trump whenever she wanted, didn't say a word to donald trump on january 6th. didn't even try to. cassidy hutchinson, who did not have direct access to donald trump, was desperately trying

to get her boss, mark meadows, the white house chief of staff, to convince donald trump to stop the attack on the capitol. cassidy hutchinson became the january 6th committee's most important witness. cassidy hutchinson has been urging americans not to vote for donald trump. nothing like that from hope hicks, nothing. i have never seen anyone in the white house treated the way the white house press corps treated hope hicks. talk about privilege. there is a video of white house reporters kissing her as they are greeting at white house press briefings. that doesn't happen unless you are hope hicks. she cried. that is the big news of the day out of the courtroom. no one knows why she cried at the very beginning of cross- examination. i heard three different theories from reporters on the way out of the courtroom today. you will hear some theories during this hour from people who were in the courtroom with me today and are more perceptive about that. i don't know why she cried.

and, i don't care. i know she didn't cry for the 628 children who were held at the southern border in custody by donald trump, who was then unable to find their parents and reunite them. hope hicks didn't cry for them. and we can be sure that hope hicks has never cried when her motto of deny took hold in the supreme court deciding to deny women the right they had for 50 years in this country, longer than hope hicks has been alive. i'm sure she didn't cry for that 10-year-old girl in ohio who had to leave the state after being raped to receive abortion services in indiana. hope hicks kept working for donald trump to become the president of the united states after she knew that deny, deny, deny, was a lie. a lie she told.

hope hicks watched the access hollywood video and thought yes, yes, that is who i want to keep working for tonight. that is who i want to be president of the united states. i'm going to continue to work as hard as i can to make that man on that video bragging about sexual assault become the next president of the united states. that is my mission. that is who hope hicks wanted to be reelected as president of the united states. after he recommended injecting bleach into your veins to your covid-19. that is who hope hicks wanted to keep in the white house. we had a monster in the presidency not because of donald trump but because of the people who voted for donald trump and the people who worked for donald trump's campaign to get him there. you get monsters like donald trump thanks to people like hope hicks. people who white house reporters socially just in the white house press briefing

room, reporters whose acceptance of donald trump is warmed by the charms of hope hicks. witness hope hicks got off the witness stand without being asked the most important question of her life. she wasn't asked that question because it wasn't an important question in this trial. that question is why didn't you quit? why didn't you quit the presidential campaign in 2016 when it was so obvious to all of us that you were working for a pathological liar and a dangerous person? why didn't she quit is a much more important question then why did she cry. we will review today's trial evidence for the rest of the hour with people who were in the courthouse with me this week and saw it all. andrew weissman, adam klasfeld, lisa reuben and jonathan alter will join us. us.

there's toothpaste white, and there's crest 3dwhitestrips white. whitens like a $400 professional treatment. [pilot] prepare for non-stop smiles. crest. nothing dims my light like a migraine. with nurtec odt, i found relief. the only migraine medication that helps treat and prevent, all in one. to those with migraine, i see you. for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura and the preventive treatment of episodic migraine in adults. don't take if allergic to nurtec odt. allergic reactions can occur, even days after using. most common side effects were nausea, indigestion, and stomach pain. it's time we all shine. talk to a healthcare provider about nurtec odt from pfizer. every day, more dog people, and more vets are deciding it's time for a fresh approach to pet food. they're quitting the kibble. and kicking the cans. and feeding their dogs dog food that's actually well, food. developed with vets. made from real meat and veggies. portioned for your dog.

and delivered right to your door. it's smarter, healthier pet food. get 50% off your first box at thefarmersdog.com/realfood nothing comes close to this place in the morning. i'm so glad i can still come here. you see, i was diagnosed with obstructive hcm. and there were some days i was so short of breath. i thought i'd have to settle for never stepping foot on this trail again. i became great at making excuses. but i have people who count on me so i talked to my cardiologist. i said there must be more we can do for my symptoms. he told me about a medication called camzyos. he said camzyos works by targeting what's causing my obstructive hcm. so he prescribed it and i'm really glad he did. camzyos is used to treat adults with symptomatic obstructive hcm. camzyos may improve your symptoms and your ability to be active. camzyos may cause serious side effects, including heart failure that can lead to death. a risk that's increased if you develop a serious infection or irregular heartbeat or when taking certain other medicines. so do not stop, start or change medicines

or the dose without telling your healthcare provider. you must have echocardiograms before and during treatment. seek help if you experience new or worsening symptoms of heart failure. because of this risk, camzyos is only available through a restricted program. before taking camzyos, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including current or planned pregnancy. today with camzyos, i don't lose my breath as often. my symptoms have improved, helping me go from expecting less to experiencing more. my name is mike. and this is my camzyos moment. call your cardiologist today and see if a camzyos moment may be in your future too. an alternative to pills, voltaren is a clinically proven arthritis pain relief gel, which penetrates deep to target the source of pain with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicine directly at the source. voltaren, the joy of movement.

and they're all coming? voltaren, those who are still with us, yes. grandpa! what's this? your wings. light 'em up! gentlemen, it's a beautiful... ...day to fly.

court transcripts usually include only the words that are spoken. if it is unspoken, it is not in the transcript. they don't have what film scripts call stage directions. so, usually. we wandered today, with the crying somehow be recorded in the transcript, would there be a stage direction? and, it was. it is there three times.

hope hicks turned quiet and obviously emotional as soon as donald trump's defense attorney began cross-examination. "i want to start by talking a little bit about your time at the trump organization, if that's okay. answer, nods yes. question, i think you said you started around october 2014. answer, nods yes. yes. sorry. it's okay. your initial title was the director of communications. answer, yes. that was a position that the trump organization created to bring you in, right? answer, yes. question, i think you said this morning that you focused on real estate, hospitality, and entertainment, that was your portfolio there. answer yes. crying. sorry. crying.

could i just have a minute? question. of course. answer, sorry. question. judge, maybe we could take a break. judge juan merchan. ms. hicks, do you need a break? answer, yes please. crying. leading off our discussion tonight is andrew weissman, former fbi general counsel and former chief of the criminal division of the eastern district of new york, a msnbc legal analyst and co-author of the "the new york times" best- selling book "the trump indictments ." also with us, adam klasfeld, who was in the courtroom today and will be there every day at the trump trial, a fellow at justice security and lisa rubin, who was also at the courthouse today, msnbc legal analyst. adam, i want to begin with you because among us , having pulled this question, you are the first one to know the crying was happening. you detected it in, something was happening in the silent nonce at the beginning of her

answers. >> that is precisely right. before the stage directions, as you called it, the first stage directions was the nodding in response to a question. you never see that happening very often in trials, you will see the judge instructing the witness to vocalize because the transcript will not record it. it was very, it was very clear that something strange was going on at that time. and, from there, you can see the links of it through the transcript because that was when she started getting emotional. it carried over from the length of that and it was audible. it wasn't just visible. she wiped a tear from her eye. that gives journalists permission to say she was crying rather than getting emotional. it started the questions, why is this happening? innocuous questions about her

cv. >> lisa, when did you pick it up? >> i heard it first. then my eyes immediately went up from iphone. >> you are taking notes like i was. >> i should be clear with our viewers, when i sit in the overflow room where i can use a phone, i am furiously typing to other folks in nbc news and msnbc organization about what i'm seeing. i was in the middle of capturing what she had just finished setting on direct, which was blockbuster , when i heard her cry first and then looked up and saw him her breaking down on the stand and was just flummoxed by how quickly she had gone from the table, and she really grew relaxed under the direct examination, how quickly that shifted for her the minute that was over, it was most like it registered with her what she had said and was overcome with what i will call a collision for her between loyalty to a man she still has affection for and the duty to tell the truth in the courtroom at least as she could best remember it.

>> andrew weissman, i'm sure you've seen so many witnesses getting emotional for so many reasons in courtrooms. sometimes, it is inexplicable. sometimes it is obvious. you are talking about a tragedy that the person lived through and it is incredibly obvious. sometimes it is this weird cross current of pressure in that room and it surprises the person that it happens to as much as anyone else. >> i have to say, i had your reaction, which is i didn't really care why she was crying and i think it is too overplayed. i cared about the substance of her testimony and i also thought about how her crying was kind of icing on the cake for the da office are not in any way suggesting that they sought it her testimony was a body blow to the defense here because she put the guilty

knowledge of the hush money payments and donald trump's mouth and she recounted that testimony to the jurors. i totally understand your opening about putting her in perspective in the same way one could do with respect to david pecker and you could have done with respect to mr. davidson. at the trial, in terms of evidence, i was thinking about what she said was devastating and there's no question that her crying would underscore to the jury, my view, that she was not there because she wanted to help the government, that she had all loyalty for the trump organization and so it was going to make it impossible for the defense to actually say that she was lying to help the government and to hurt donald trump. that is not why you cry.

i just thought it was an exclamation to what had just happened in court, which was i think just very much a very difficult witness for the defense to be able to overcome. >> we are just getting started. we will fit in a quick break right here and be right back with more. with more. with the freestyle libre 3 system know your glucose and where it's heading no fingersticks needed. now the world's smallest and thinnest sensor sends your glucose levels directly to your smartphone. manage your diabetes with more confidence and lower your a1c. the #1 cgm prescribed in the u.s. try it for free at freestylelibre.us liberty mutual customized my car insurance and i saved hundreds. that's great. i know, i've bee telling everyone. baby: liberty. oh! baby: liberty. how many people did you tell? only pay for what you need. jingle: ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪

baby: ♪ liberty. ♪ we're still going for that nice catch. we're still going for that perfect pizza. and with higher stroke risk from afib not caused by a heart valve problem,... ...we're going for a better treatment than warfarin. eliquis. eliquis reduces stroke risk. and has less major bleeding. over 97% of eliquis patients did not experience a stroke. don't stop taking eliquis without talking to your doctor as this may increase your risk of stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. while taking, you may bruise more easily... ...or take longer for bleeding to stop. get help right away for unexpected bleeding or unusual bruising. it may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. the number one cardiologist-prescribed blood thinner. ask your doctor about eliquis.

if you have moderate to severe ulcerative colitis or crohn's disease... put it in check with rinvoq... a once—daily pill. when symptoms tried to take control, i got rapid relief... and reduced fatigue with rinvoq. check. when flares kept trying to slow me down... i got lasting steroid—free remission... with rinvoq. check. and when my doctor saw damage,... rinvoq helped visibly reduce damage of the intestinal lining. check. for both uc and crohn's: rapid symptom relief... lasting steroid—free remission... and visibly reduced damage. check. check. and check. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections and blood clots, some fatal; cancers, including lymphoma and skin; heart attack, stroke, and gi tears occurred. people 50 and older with a heart disease risk factor

have an increased risk of death. serious allergic reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you are or may become pregnant. put uc and crohn's in check... and keep them there with rinvoq. ask your gastroenterologist about rinvoq and learn how abbvie can help you save. ( ♪♪ ) i thought water would help with these dry spots. that's lawn disease. but scotts healthy plus will cure it! lawn disease? been going around. so like other people have it and it's not... pick up a bag of the new scotts turf builder healthy plus lawn food today. feed your lawn. feed it. -cologuard®? -cologuard. cologuard! -screen for colon cancer. -at home, like you want. -you the man! cologuard is for people 45+ at average risk, not high risk. false positive and negative results may occur. ask your provider for cologuard. ♪ i did it my way ♪

the prosecutor asked hope hicks about the payment to

stormy daniels. prosecutor "did the idea that mr. cohen would have made a payment to stormy daniels out of the kindness of his heart, was that consistent with your interactions with him up to that point?" "i would say that would be out of character for michael." prosecutor, "why would it be out of character for michael?" >> i didn't know michael to be charitable or selfless. he is the kind of person who seeks credit. andrew weissman, glenn kirschner, lisa rubin, back with us. that was a pretty important moment. >> that was a really important moment. it was followed by what i think was an equally important moment, when prosecutor asked hope hicks, did he say anything about the timing of the news reporting? that seemed to refresh your recollection. she said oh yes, he wanted to know how it was playing, meaning how it was playing for the populace and my thoughts and opinion on this story

versus having a different kind of story before the campaign had michael not made that payment. i think mr. trump's opinion was that it was better to be dealing with it now and that it would have been bad to have that story, out before the election. prosecutor, "no further questions." that was devastating. it showed everybody that trump had been through the mental calculus at the time of the election of what would have happened had they not conspired together to pay off stormy daniels. >> adam, hope hicks did a very strong delivery for the district attorney about how big a bomb went off in the trump campaign when the access hollywood video came out and how that affected everything else that followed, including stormy daniels. >> there was one moment where she remembered there was a category four hurricane about to hit the u.s. mainland and then, essentially, said that the access hollywood tape drowned that out on the news.

i wanted to pivot back to something lisa said about that line. that was the final line of the direct examination. no further questions, the prosecutor said. returning to your point, lawrence, about whether or not the crying is important cosmically, it is the last image in the jurors mind after that statement. huge! and one that prosecutors may return to during closing arguments and if jurors have a question on their mind, why did hope hicks cry, we will never know from her. it doesn't say it in the record, it does say that she cried in the record and that is evidence. but, they will turn back to the transcript and they may see that

devastating line that lisa flagged. >> an important point. the best view of hope hicks on that witness stand is for the jury view. they are so close to her, especially the front end of the jury, so close. every single seat has a clear, full view of the witness. andrew weissman, one of the issues is for the prosecution is proving that donald trump, the very important issue, donald trump did in fact reimburse michael cohen for the $130,000.00 that michael cohen delivered to stormy daniels. no dispute michael cohen delivered the money to stormy daniels. the defense wants to create doubt about there being any payment there. but, you've pointed out to us today that there is a very important piece of evidence that hasn't come up yet in the trial about this. >> well, you have to remember, obviously, the government has the checks. they have the checks that are signed by donald trump himself. and, one of the reasons hope hicks is so important is she makes it clear that he knew

that these were reimbursements of the michael cohen hush money payments but there's more than that. in 2018, so, not that long after this, in a lawsuit brought by stormy daniels in california, where she was trying to get out of the nda, donald trump repeatedly admitted in filings that he had reimbursed the michael cohen and essential consulting for these payments and it is over and over again and then when the court issues its ruling, the court actually says these are admissions by donald trump and michael cohen, his codefendants. they are codefendants at this point and they are still allies and donald trump has admitted repeatedly that this was reimbursement. i don't exactly know how the defense will deal with that because if you remember, todd

blanche, in his opening, said that these were not reimbursements. i don't know how to use it now, sit there and square that with donald trump's own lawyers in a civil case, which made the exact opposite argument in admission. those are admissible statements. those are admissions and so that obviously is going to be a piece, i would suspect, of the das case and it is very, very hard now with hope hicks testimony to see where the defense will go. >> lisa, we've seen todd blanche argue the impossible, especially on the gag order arguments . this one, i can't figure out what the card trick will be on this one. here is donald trump in a lawsuit under oath in effect saying i reimbursed michael cohen the $130,000.00. michael cohen offers a description of how it was

reimbursed, including a built- in provision for income tax and all that stuff that makes it a different number, a bigger number than $130,000.00. i don't see how they get around that document. >> i'm not sure they do either. i should add that on top of the civil lawsuit andrea was referring to, there are a series of tweets on may 3rd, 2018 that donald trump offered where he essentially also admits to having repaid michael cohen for the nondisclosure agreement with stormy daniels. he gargles his words and says he does it through a retainer agreement but i think the da office is capable of saying he was confessing not only to repaving but telling us all how he tried to disguise that repayment at the same time. here's where i think they are going. i think they will try to say that donald trump was a big multitasker. they came back to that in the cross, he got confused when he was presented with checks to

sign. they will say as donald trump did earlier this week, that michael cohen presented him with invoices for legal services and is it his fault he signed the checks for those invoices submitted by michael cohen? they might also present evidence from ellen curtin, who has testified that he understood that they were paying michael cohen for legal services in his capacity as trump's personal lawyer, even though there wasn't a retainer agreement, the invoices weren't detailed. you have seen bits and pieces along the way of them getting other witnesses to say it's not really that problematic not to have a retainer agreement, for example. keith davidson said that on his cross-examination. that is where i think the defense is going. that doesn't mean i think it is good. >> adam, hope hicks established that every single trump treat, every social media post, donald trump either writes himself or approves if a staff person writes it, it has to be submitted to donald trump, he approves and sends it. there's an awful lot of culpability in an awful lot of those tweets.

>> absolutely. to that point, i think that may be the first time that has been confirmed under oath in a courtroom that the buck stopped with donald trump when it came to his tweets in 2016. everyone has his signoff and that increases a measure of culpability. and, it goes to david testimony that trump was a micromanager. he was a micromanager with tweets and he was a micromanager with the money is what this evidence is all coming to a common thread with. >> lisa, did i see you at 6:00 a.m. on morning joe this morning? it is coming up on 11:00 p.m.. this has to end. >> are you trying to get rid of me question >> everyone you see on this network who has been at the courthouse, they will be down there by 7:30 a.m. at the latest. when you see them here at night after having done that, i am very grateful to them. andrew weissman, adam

klasfeld, lisa rubin, thank you all very much for joining this discussion tonight and this week. jonathan alter, who has written some important observations about defendant trump in the courtroom, will join us next. n , and that means there's about a 5 times greater risk of stroke. symptoms like irregular heartbeat, heart racing, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, or light- headedness can come and go. but if you have afib, the risk of stroke is always there. if you have one or more symptoms, get checked out. holding off on seeing a doctor won't change whether or not you have afib. but if you do, making that appointment can help you get ahead of stroke risk. contact a doctor and learn more at notimetowait.com she runs and plays like a puppy again. his #2s are perfect! he's a brand new dog, all in less than a year. when people switch their dog's food from kibble to the farmer's dog, they often say that it feels like magic.

but there's no magic involved. (dog bark) it's simply fresh meat and vegetables, with all the nutrients dogs need— instead of dried pellets. just food made for the health of dogs. delivered in packs portioned for your dog. it's amazing what real food can do. shop etsy until may 12th for up to 30% off special mother's day gifts that go beyond the usual suspects. save on personalized jewelry, original decor - and other things moms actually love. when you need a gift as unique as she is... etsy has it.

my frequent heartburn had me taking antacid after antacid all day long but with prilosec otc just one pill a day blocks heartburn for a full 24 hours. for one and done heartburn relief, prilosec otc. one pill a day, 24 hours, zero heartburn.

♪ i have type 2 diabetes, but i manage it well ♪ ♪ jardiance! ♪ ♪ it's a little pill with a big story to tell ♪ ♪ i take once-daily jardiance ♪ ♪ at each day's start! ♪ ♪ as time went on it was easy to see ♪ ♪ i'm lowering my a1c! ♪ jardiance works twenty-four seven in your body to flush out some sugar. and for adults with type 2 diabetes and known heart disease, jardiance can lower the risk of cardiovascular death, too. serious side effects may include ketoacidosis that may be fatal, dehydration that can lead to sudden worsening of kidney function, and genital yeast or urinary tract infections. a rare, life-threatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur. stop jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this infection ketoacidosis, or an allergic reaction. you may have an increased risk for lower limb loss. call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of infection in your legs or feet. taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. ♪ jardiance is really swell ♪ ♪ the little pill ♪ ♪ with a big story to tell! ♪

for the best writing coming out of the courtroom, we turn to our next guest, jonathan alter, who has been at the courthouse every day of the trump trial point last week week he wrote with a jeweler's i about his view of the back of

donald trump's had. on the upper left side of the back of his head the meticulously coiffed souffli and industrial-strength hairspray mostly did their comb back job covering evidence of the truth. but by peeking through peachy strands, i could clearly see the pink as a baby apps bottom scalp beneath. we're talking cue ball here, with not a sprout to be seen. joining us now is jonathan alter, a contributing editor for washington monthly and publisher of the sub stack goats with jonathan alter point he's an msnbc political analyst. he's been at the courthouse every day of the trump trial. have that seat that you wrote that from and i was loaned binoculars because people are using binoculars in their tousey witnesses and things on the screens and through the binoculars i saw exactly what you described, which is of course your least important observation in a courtroom.

but you're the only one who could make it and make it so perfectly. today in that courtroom, we saw these two lives that had come together for what they thought was going to be who knows what but has turned out to be this terrible collision with the law, hope hicks and donald trump raqqa >> it was kind of an effort to brew today moment, when julius caesar was being assassinated and he says you, too, brutus. that's the kind of look that donald trump was giving hope hicks. he had given her her first big job. she's 26 years old and she has responsibilities. she's still in her 20s when she's communications director for a presidential campaign. she stayed loyal to him throughout everything but when it came to choosing between the oath that she took to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and

blind loyalty to her old boss, she chose the truth and those were tears of truth. and i think it's kind of an inspiring day and i think if he's convicted it will be remembered in american history, because it's not just because the evidence was so overwhelming and damning that she provided. it was because her tears almost watermarked the moment, so to speak. >> there was a distinguished white-haired man sitting in the front row, where some lawyers are allowed to sit, right before a secret service agent, hope hicks attorney. and in questioning the district attorney asked who is paying for your lawyer and she said i am because there's always the possibility in this crowd that donald trump is paying for that lawyer. what are you gathering now after your fortnite intaking trial testimony in this case?

what does it feel like on this friday night? >> i just think it was a very big day for the prosecution. for the last several days they've been amassing evidence that there was this urgency to cohen putting together this company, wiring the funds, all in a 24 hour period, not long before the election. why the urgency? because they needed to pay off stormy daniels before the election and then you also have all this testimony about donald trump saying the women's vote -- this is after access hollywood, remember? the women's vote is so important that we could lose by five or 10 points because of women. well that also comes to intent and motive for this alleged crime, this cover-up of this activity. and then you have hope hicks today saying that when he says,

oh, michael cohen did this out of the goodness of his heart, and didn't tell anybody about it -- >> that's what trump tells hope hicks. >> trump tells hope hicks in 2018 and then trump says it's better that it comes out now in 2018, then it would have been really bad, he said, if it comes out right before the election. so all of these things, all week, capped by today, they go to this question of intent and motive and if you look at the law that's at issue which we'll hear in the judge apps instructions at the end of the trial, intent is extraordinarily important here and so prosecution has done generally a good job. they had some down moments. keith davidson had some problems with his testimony on his examination, but in general they had been building a narrative that hope hicks reinforced today. >> jonathan alter, thank you very much for guiding me

through the courtroom experience this week and congratulations on becoming a grandfather for a second time yesterday. >> just last night. two granddaughters. charlotte altar is our daughter and she just had her second daughter. >> fantastic, congratulations. jonathan alter, thank you very much. we'll be right back. back. ( ♪♪ ) ♪ i feel free... ♪ ♪ to bear my skin, yeah that's all me. ♪ ♪ nothing is everything ♪ ( ♪♪) with skyrizi, 3 out of 4 people achieved 90% clearer skin at 4 months. and most people were clearer even at 5 years. skyrizi is just 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. serious allergic reactions... ...and an increased risk of infections... ...or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms,... ...had a vaccine, or plan to.

♪ nothing and me go hand-in-hand, ♪ ♪ nothing on my skin, that's my new plan. ♪ ♪ nothing is everything ♪ now's the time,... ...ask your doctor about skyrizi,... ...the number one... ...dermatologist-prescribed biologic in psoriasis. learn how abbvie could help you save. can neuriva support your brain health? mary, janet, hey!! (thinking: eddie, no frasier, frank... frank?) fred! how are you?! fred... fuel up to 7 brain health indicators, including your memory. join the neuriva brain health challenge. everybody wants super straight, super white teeth. they want that hollywood white smile. new sensodyne clinical white provides 2 shades whiter teeth and 24/7 sensitivity protection. i think it's a great product. it's going to help a lot of patients.

okay everyone, our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition for strength and energy. yay - woo hoo! ensure, with 27 vitamins and minerals, nutrients for immune health. and ensure complete with 30 grams of protein. (♪♪) did you know... 80% of women are struggling with hair damage? just like i was. dryness and frizz could be damaged hair that can't retain moisture. new pantene miracle rescue deep conditioner, with first-of-its-kind melting pro-v pearls... locks in moisture to repair 6 months of damage in one wash, without weigh down. guaranteed or your money back! for resilient, healthy-looking hair... if you know, you know it's pantene. did you know you can get 40% off a single pair of glasses at america's best? these savings won't last forever. unlike your eternal elation. ok, settle down. you know, for someone who doesn't wear glasses

you sure are excited. for a limited time get 40% off a single pair of glasses at america's best. shop online or book an exam at americasbest.com. you're at eleven. i'm going to need you to tone it down to at least a four. norman, bad news... you're at eleven. i'm going to neei never graduateddown from med school. what? but the good news is... xfinity mobile just got even better! now, you can automatically connect to wifi speeds up to a gig on the go. plus, buy one unlimited line and get one free for a year. i gotta get this deal... that's like $20 a month per unlimited line... i don't want to miss that. that's amazing doc. mobile savings are calling. visit xfinitymobile.com to learn more. doc?