Welcome to the beat. I'm Ari Melber. Our top story is the criminal trial that Donald

Trump has failed to prevent. This New York hush money trial will begin Monday

because Trump has lost every effort to delay it.

Today, he attacked a looming trial

and mused about the possibility

that he could land in jail this year because of it.

A reminder that for all the pseudo bluster here Donald Trump the defendant appears to know

that going on trial is bad for him he'll be back in that courtroom that's an image

from when he was last there he knows what it's like he knows out of control it is for him he knows it's

bad for his campaign duh and he knows that a conviction and jail sentence are

apparently possible as he muses about getting one.

This is the first trial of an ex-president.

Like all trials, it begins with jury selection, then opening arguments, and then the witnesses

who tell the story to the jury.

Remember, it is different than other forums in life.

We've all seen trials or versions of them on TV.

And as you know, the bulk of it, there can be written evidence of course there's

material and documents there's different ways you present that to a jury but the

bulk of it is witnesses answering questions and the jury listening and for

months we've had these clues some of them up on the screen about

who the key witnesses could be. We know Trump aides who have flipped our key to

the DA's case like Michael Cohen. Today one knowledgeable source tells MS NBC the DA is still likely to call big names

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