Good evening to you at 7 p.m. Eastern. I'm Ari Melber anchoring coverage of what we believe is one of the most consequential days of testimony in the entire

criminal trial of defendant Trump. In some ways what is happening today is going to be

key, key to a potential conviction or a potential mistrial or acquittal because a lot of it's

going to come down to whether the jury believes both what Star Witness Michael Cohen said

today and whether they believe the corroboration that really led up to today.

It was all leading up to today.

Now this hour, as I mentioned you if you happen to be watching earlier,

we have some very special guests we have not heard from yet today, Michael Bess-Loss on the history that we're living through Jen

sake on the wider context today including some unexpected guests that

defendant Trump bought from the world of politics into the courtroom today.

But we begin with how Michael Cohen politics into the courtroom today.

But we begin with how Michael Cohen went down this road,

which I don't care if you're one of those people who says,

I saw this coming, I know how it works, I read up on it all I'm on it back if you remember

where you were in 2015 or 2016 few people could have then imagined not only the

road Michael Cohen went on but how now today at this point in history with

this campaign going, he is the key star and closing witness in a trial to try to convict

his former boss Donald Trump of a felony and that is

where we begin now.

Michael Cohen saying I was following directions.

Telling the court, quote,

everything required Mr. Trump sign off.

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