Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

After about 90 minutes of testimony, Michael Cohen is briefly touching on the hush-money payment that led to the charges against Donald Trump in this case.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger is asking Cohen about how he came to know Keith Davidson, who represented adult film star Stormy Daniels in the hush-money negotiations.

Cohen says Davidson wanted him to get a story about Daniels and Trump's alleged sexual tryst removed from a lesser-known website.

The story was eventually taken down.

Hoffinger is now asking Cohen once again about Karen McDougal, the former Playboy model who was paid hush-money over her allegations of an affair.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Prosecutors are attempting to show that Donald Trump was directly involved in the hush-money payment to Karen McDougal.

They ask Cohen if Trump ever spoke directly with David Pecker, the tabloid publisher who eventually purchased McDougal’s story.

Cohen says he was present for a call Trump made to Pecker, in which he asked how things were going with the payment.

“Pecker said we have this under control and we’ll take care of this,” Cohen says.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

We are seeing text messages that prosecutors claim show that Donald Trump was kept informed about Playboy model Karen McDougal's hush-money deal.

This is the deal the National Enquirer and Michael Cohen worked on with McDougal - to buy and bury her story about an alleged affair with Trump.

We see text messages between Cohen and Trump’s bodyguard Keith Schiller, who was with Trump.

In the texts, Cohen asks where "the boss” is.

Cohen testifies that he was trying to keep Trump updated on the McDougal deal.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Now we’ve moved on to Karen McDougal’s hush-money payment.

McDougal, a former Playboy model, alleges a multiple months affair with Donald Trump. Trump denies this.

Cohen says he thought her story could have a “significant” effect on Trump’s political campaign.

He says when he went to Trump with news of McDougal trying to sell her story, Trump replied: “She’s really beautiful".

Others close to Trump who have testified have also said Trump spoke highly of McDougal, sometimes asking, "How's Karen doing?"

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

We are now seeing the contract that doorman Dino Sajudin signed with AMI, effectively quashing his story from becoming public.

Michael Cohen reveals he played a role in beefing up the agreement, pushing to add a significant penalty of $1 million that would punish Sajudin for violating it.

Cohen tells the court that he wanted to get credit for pushing for the additional penalties, and he told Trump about it.

Trump responded it was "great", Cohen testifies.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

We’re getting to the first of several hush-money payments Michael Cohen was involved in - Trump Tower doorman Dino Sajudin’s unsubstantiated allegations that Donald Trump had a child out of wedlock.

Cohen says he was told of the story by either David Pecker or National Enquirer editor-in-chief Dylan Howard.

Cohen says he spoke to Trump about it immediately.

“You handle it,” Cohen says Trump told him.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Michael Cohen is going over some of the stories that tabloid publisher American Media Inc wrote to help boost Trump’s political campaign.

There were allegations that Hillary Clinton had brain damage, Cohen says.

Another story was about Trump’s political opponent Marco Rubio in a swimming pool with a bunch of other men claiming that they were having “a drug binge of some sort”, Cohen says.

Another story published by America Media was titled "The Donald Trump that nobody knows!"

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

The questioning has now circled back to a key episode from the beginning of the trial: The meeting between Michael Cohen, tabloid publisher David Pecker, and Donald Trump in 2015

The court previously heard Pecker's recounting of the three men's alleged agreement to use the National Enquirer to boost Trump's presidential bid. Now, we're hearing Cohen's version.

“If we could place positive stories about Mr Trump, that would be beneficial. And if we could place negative stories about some of the other candidates, that would also be beneficial," Cohen says, as he outlines the terms.

Cohen testifies that Pecker also said he "could keep an eye out for anything negative about Mr Trump" and work to keep it "from coming out".

And who did Pecker say he would get in touch with?

Cohen says Pecker would contact him.

Trump, knowing that Cohen and Pecker already had a relationship, suggested they work together, Cohen testifies.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Michael Cohen is describing his work for Donald Trump on his 2016 presidential campaign, including his effort to start a diversity coalition to back Trump.

Cohen claims Trump's supporters were “very white”, which was a clear issue.

Before Trump announced his run, Cohen alleges the ex-president warned him that it would cause negative stories to surface.

“You know that when this comes out … just be prepared. There’s going to be a lot of women coming forward”, Cohen claims Trump told him.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

We're beginning to hear more about Donald Trump's political efforts.

Cohen talks about Trump's flirtation with running for president in the 2012 election cycle.

Trump ultimately announced he would not run that year.

But Cohen testifies that he did bring Trump a poll that showed a small percentage of people would support his US presidential bid.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Image source, Getty Images

Despite how it all turned out, Cohen says that much of his career at the Trump Organization was "fantastic" and an "amazing experience in many, many ways".

He also adds that there were some great times - and some less great times.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Prosecutors have a big task ahead of them today: making Michael Cohen, a convicted felon and perjurer, seem like a credible key witness in their case.

So far, the 12 members of the jury seem to be taking his testimony seriously, glancing between Cohen and Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Susan Hoffinger as she questions him.

Some are taking notes, and all seem quite tuned into the questions and responses.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Prosecutors are asking Cohen to make it clear that Trump was constantly in the loop regarding the ex-lawyer's work.

It is essential that they establish this with the jury, as it is central to their theory that Trump was aware of the hush-money payments and how Cohen was reimbursed.

It was key for employees to bring Trump information as soon as possible, Cohen testified earlier.

“If you didn’t immediately provide him with the information” and Trump learned in another matter “that wouldn’t go over well for you," Cohen said.

Was Trump a micromanager, Hoffinger, the prosecutor, asked - not for the first time during this trial.

Yes, Cohen replied.

Did you lie for him? Hoffinger asked.

Yes, Cohen replied.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

It makes sense that prosecutors want to establish how Trump communicates.

Remember, they have introduced reams of phone records, emails, and text messages into evidence.

The prosecution is asking Cohen about his phone numbers, and how he communicated with Trump either directly or via his closest associates.

We might see some concrete evidence of those communications here shortly.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

The prosecution asks Cohen how he communicated with Trump, or who he would get a hold of if he couldn't reach Trump directly.

Cohen says he would communicate by phone or in person in Trump's office.

He would sometimes reach out to Trump's children, his assistant Rhona Graff, and bodyguard Keith Schiller, or - later - White House staffer Hope Hicks.

Trump never had an email address, Cohen testifies.

"During some conversations he would comment that emails are like written papers," Cohen says.

Trump told him there were "many people who have gone down as a direct result of having emails that prosecutors can use in a case”.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Cohen is talking about what it was like to work for Trump.

The ex-lawyer says he would report back right away whenever he resolved an issue Trump had asked him to address.

“As soon as you had a result and answer, you would go straight back and tell him - especially if there was a matter that was troubling to him,” Cohen says.

“If you didn’t immediately provide him with the information and he learned it in another manner, that wouldn’t go over well for you,” he adds.

He tells the court that working for Trump - who he sometimes called “Boss” - was “an amazing experience in many, many ways”.

But at times, Cohen says, he had to lie for Trump, adding it was what was needed to resolve the task.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Michael Cohen’s testimony stands in stark contrast to his colourful social media posts.

Online, he has repeatedly insulted Donald Trump - accusing him of falling asleep and farting in court.

But in the room today, he is succinct and composed in his answers, providing only relevant details to prosecutors’ questions.

He occasionally laughs when giving a response, but for the most part, seems quite serious as he tells the court about his work for Trump.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Michael Cohen is now detailing the more aggressive aspects of his job as Donald Trump's fixer.

If the press had printed something that angered Trump, “I would express to them their need to either redact or take the article down or we would file an action against them," Cohen replied.

Did you do it in a strong and threatening matter at times? Hoffinger asks.

“I would say so," Cohen replied. "Not all the time. Often.”

Throughout the trial, witnesses have testified to being on the receiving end of that "strong and threatening" persona.

But they have used far more colourful language to describe it.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Michael Cohen says a lot of his work for Donald Trump initially involved renegotiating invoices from vendors.

After he arrived, he says, there were about 50 vendors that had not been paid.

He says he helped pay back all but two of the vendors that just “went away”, meaning they were never paid.

Cohen says Trump would thank him after he got the vendors paid for the price he wanted, saying things like “fantastic!”

That made Cohen feel “on top of the world”, he says.

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from court

Michael Cohen testifies about his unusual place within the Trump Organization.

He was given the title of "executive vice president and special counsel" for Donald Trump, with an office on the 26th floor of Trump Tower - not far from his boss' own.

But, Cohen testifies, he was not part of the general counsel's office at the Trump Organization.

Instead, he would report “just to Mr Trump".