mr. trump. i regret all the help and support i gave him along the way. i am ashamed of my own failings and publicly accepted responsibility for them by pleading guilty in the southern district of new york. "i" ashamed of my weakness and my misplaced loyalty, of the things i did for mr. trump in an effort to protect and promote him. "i" ashamed that i chose to take part in concealing mr. trump's illicit acts rather than listening to my conscience. "i" ashamed because i know what mr. trump is. he is a racist. he is a conman, and he is a cheat. he was a presidential candidate who knew that rogerer stone was talking with julian assange about a wikileaks drop on democratic national committee emails. i will explain each in a few moments. i am providing the committee today with several documents. and these include a copy of a check mr. trump wrote from his personal bank account after he became president to reimburse me for the hush money payments i made to cover up his affair with an adult film star a

mr. trump's 2016 presidential campaign according to the associated press mr. cohen told the jury everything required mr. trump's sign off as he was questioned by prosecutors. cross-examination by the defense is still to come in the trial five years ago michael cohen testified for house lawmakers house lawmakersabout his work fn president trump. highlighting the actions he took at the direction of his former boss here's a portion of the and thank him for participating in today's hearing. mr. cohen, if you would please rice and i will begin to swear you in. raise your right hand. do you swear or affirm that the testimony that you are about to give is the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you god? let the record show the witness answered in the the affirmative. thank you. you may be seated. the microns are sensitive to please speak directly into them. without objection your written statement will be made part of the record. with that, mr. cohen, you are recognized to give an oral pre

mr. trump and his concerns about its impact on the 2016 election, driving cohen to pay hush money to daniels that he says was at mr. trump's direction. he wasn't thinking about melania. this was all about the campaign, cohen testified. the former president denies he had sex with daniels and has pleaded not guilty to falsifying business records to disguise the hush money payments. cohen facing a second day on the stand tomorrow, later followed by what could be a contentious cross-examination by the defense. laura jarrett breaks down the day in court. >> reporter: tonight a highly anticipated courtroom showdown. prosecutors' star witness michael cohen, former president trump's self-described fixer turned fierce critic, telling the jury mr. trump directed him to pay off an adult film actress days before the 2016 election to protect his campaign. >> is michael cohen a liar? >> reporter: everything required mr. trump's sign-off, cohen told the jury, testifying mr. trump was furious in 2016 when he l

mr. trump and now a frequent and vocal critic, is expected to be questioned about a $130,000 hush money payout he says he made to buy the silence of adult actress stormy daniels at the behest of mr. trump, he says. all during the heat of the 2016 presidential race. former president trump has pleaded not guilty to charges he falsified business records to conceal the payments. trump lawyers poised, meantime, for their chance to attack cohen's credibility, and tonight the judge in the case is asking that cohen stop making public statements about mr. trump. senior legal correspondent laura jarrett has the latest. >> reporter: tonight, nbc news learning from multiple sources prosecutors will call their star witness, michael cohen, on monday. he called himself donald trump's fixer. now a vocal trump critic. cohen unleashing on his old boss in his book and on social media spotted online this week wearing a t-shirt depicting mr. trump behind bars. the judge today directing prosecutors to inform cohen t

under cross-examination, cohen pressed about his relationship with mr. trump. asked if he was obsessed with donald trump, cohen responding "i admired him." laura jarrett on one of the most dramatic days in the trial so far. >> reporter: tonight trump's defense team tearing into the prosecution's star witness, suggesting mr. trump's self-described fixer turned fierce trump critic michael cohen is out for revenge on his former boss. "do you want president trump to get convicted in this case?" trump attorney todd blanche asking? "sure," cohen acknowledged. cohen confirming he recently said the former president belongs in a cage, like an animal. the defense trying to cast cohen as motivated to lie, that he previously fed prosecutors dirt on mr. trump to get out of prison early, and that now his financial livelihood, including media appearances and podcasts centers on trashing mr. trump. cohen acknowledging he has made more than $3 million off his books, "disloyal" and "revenge," and that he had been going on tiktok six days a week to slam his former employer. quote

prosecutors believe her account is critical to their contention that mr. trump unlawfully disguised business records to cover up hush money payments to her to buy her silence during the 2016 race for president. laura jarrett was in the courthouse today where trump lawyers once again asked that the case be dismissed. >> reporter: tonight, stormy daniels leaving court after a blistering cross-examination. former president trump's defense team suggesting she's been trying to cash in on her story of sex with mr. trump at a celebrity golf tournament 18 years ago, which he denies ever happened. the defense today accusing daniels of lying. trump attorney susan necklace hammering daniels' years of acting and directing in the porn industry saying it gave her, quote, a lot of experience in making phony stories about sex appear real. daniels fighting back, that if the trump story was untrue, i would have ridden it a lot better. their exchanges growing heated. "you've acted and had sex in over 200 porn movies. but according to you seeing a man sitting in bed in a t-shirt an

mr. trump regarding the hush money payments at the center of this case. tonight, the trial barreling toward its conclusion, but with key decisions still to be made, including will donald trump testify. once again, laura jarrett leads our coverage. >> reporter: tonight, star prosecution witness michael cohen facing a scathing second day of cross-examination as former president trump's defense team tries to paint him as a spurned former employee, desperate for payback. >> i truly [ bleep ] hope that this man ends up in prison. >> reporter: the jury hearing cohen on his podcast, appearing in search of vengeance. >> revenge is a dish best served cold, and you better believe i want this man to go down and rot inside for what he did to me and my family. >> reporter: tension in the room building to a dramatic moment. trump attorney todd blanche accusing cohen of lying about a key part of his testimony. just two days ago, cohen telling the jury unequivocally that mr. trump's bodyguard keith schiller pa

mr. trump's then attorney michael cohen, the star prosecution witness, where mr. p discussed an alleged payoff of a different woman. steinglass calling it jaw-dropping. >> funding, yes. and it's all the stuff. >> reporter: but much of closings today focused on the credibility of cohen. quote, we didn't pick him up at the witness store. the defendant chose michael cohen, steinglass said, acknowledging cohen's criminal history and admitted lies under oath, but telling jurors you don't need michael cohen to connect these dots. but as the ultimate insider, he can do just that. the defense has also tried to discredit cohen as motivated to lie, desperate to put mr. trump behind bars. pointing to cohen's own podcast. >> revenge is a dish best served cold, and you better believe i want this man to go down and rot inside for what he did to me and my family. >> reporter: but steinglass took that head-on, arguing today cohen is understandably angry because mr. trump dropped him like a hot potato after the feds came calling in 2018, urging jurors to see this case not about mic

mr. trump behind bars over future violations. "the magnitude of such a decision is not lost on me. you are the former president of the united states and possibly the next president as well." adding "as much as i do not want to impose a jail sanction, i will if necessary and appropriate." >> frankly, you know what? our constitution is much more important than jail. it's not even close. i'll do that sacrifice any day. >> reporter: the judge fining mr. trump an additional $1,000 for complaining about the jury in deep blue manhattan saying "it's 95% democrat." the judge saying the former president wrongfully called into question the integrity of the jury. mr. trump has pleaded not guilty to low-level felony charges for allegedly disguising reimbursements to michael cohen for hush money payments to stormy daniels as legal expenses in his company's internal business records. if convicted, mr. trump could face anywhere from four years in prison to just probation. taking the stand this morning, jeffrey

mr. trump's personal attorney. and the defense says cohen is now cashing in as a top trump critic too, making over $3 million on two books. while cohen testified he's considering a potential tv show and a third book. the defense calling it a motivation to lie. blanche asking, "do you have a financial interest in the outcome of this case?" cohen saying, "yes, sir." though cohen insisted he'd make more money if mr. trump were acquitted because cohen says "it gives me more to talk about in the future." cohen's credibility critical to the d.a.'s case as he's the only witness who has testified the former president had advance knowledge of the plan to pay stormy daniels and then approved a scheme to disguise how he paid cohen back. which mr. trump denies. >> there were no crimes. we did nothing wrong. and i want to get back to campaigning. i'm representing millions and millions -- hundreds of millions of people. >> reporter: cohen in an exchange with prosecutors today, "do you have any doubt mr. trump gave you the final s

mr. trump's former fixer turned foe, michael cohen, taking the stand for his highly anticipated testimony, telling the jury mr. trump directed him to pay off stormy daniels to keep quiet about their alleged affair to protect his 2016 campaign. cohen saying mr. trump told him, "just take care of it." the defense preparing to attack cohen's credibility after calling him an admitted liar. and the secret tape cohen made of trump played for the jury. >>> also tonight, the race to escape rafah. 360,000 people fleeing as israeli forces advance on the southern gaza city. >>> terrifying moments at a louisiana church during a livestreamed service. a teen with a gun stopped as he tries to get into the building with 60 children inside for their first communion. >>> severe weather from texas to florida. we're tracking it. >>> wildfire smoke from canada moving into the u.s. air quality alerts in multiple states. >>> pro-palestinian protests disrupting some graduations. jerry seinfeld's speech at duke prompti

mr. trump's hush money trial. she recalled the crisis in his presidential campaign when the "access hollywood" tape became public. vaughn hillyard now with late details. >> reporter: she was one of former president trump's most trusted advisers. >> hope, we want hope. >> reporter: but today hope hicks walked into court as a prosecution witness in her old boss' hush money scheme trial. mr. trump without smiling stared on, first directly at her before turning his attention toward a monitor and papers in front of him. hicks today admitting she was nervous. at one point becoming emotional, tearing up and needing a break. hicks telling prosecutors, the release of the "access hollywood" tape weeks before the 2016 election was a crisis. "i was concerned, she said. "everyone was just absorbing the shock of it," hicks testified, adding "its impact on women voters was a major concern." prosecutors say the release of the tape helped propel the hush money scheme. >> hi. >> reporter: but mr. trump today arguing none of it is re

mr. trump's candidacy in 2016 through, quote, unlawful means. at trial prosecutors raised possible violations of multiple other laws that could qualify as those unlawful means including campaign finance violations mr. trump was never charged with. the judge instructing the jury today to reach a guilty verdict, they need not be unanimous about which unlawful means triggers that felony, a major advantage for prosecutors. >> it's a disgrace and i mean mother teresa could not beat these charges. we'll see. i just want to say it's a very unfair trial. >> reporter: the jury asking for a readback from the very first witness, tabloid boss david pecker, as well as cohen, and jurors instructed today not to consider the possible sentence mr. trump could receive. if convicted, he faces anywhere from four years in prison to just probation and the presumptive gop nominee can still be elected president, even if he's found guilty. >> so, laura, what happens now with this testimony that the jurors have asked to hear again? >> reporter: well, lester, the prosecut

mr. trump, the presumptive republican nominee defiant tonight, proclaiming his innocence, calling the process rigged, and accusing president biden of backing a political persecution, as he addressed cameras outside the courtroom. the biden campaign saying, quote, we saw that no one is above the law. and how will a nation driven by political division react? our complete historic coverage, coming up. >> this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> good evening and welcome, everyone. guilty on all counts. donald j. trump, the 45th president of the united states, was found guilty late today in a new york courthouse on all 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal payments to a porn star just before the 2016 election. the stunning verdict was delivered by a manhattan jury of seven men and five women, who deliberated for two days, making mr. trump the first former american president to be convicted of a crime. he remains the presumptive republican nominee in the close race for president.

both threatened to go public of stories of sex with mr. trump ahead of the 2016 election. mr. trump has denied the allegations of both women, and denied any advanced knowledge of the payoff. his defense team suggesting today that davidson had a habit of shaking down celebrities, like charlie sheen for money. davidson saying he never extorted anyone, testifying at lengths about his negotiations with mr. cohen, mr. trump's former attorney. but today saying he never met nor spoke to the former president. instead, he dealt exclusively with cohen, who he painted as desperate and despondent, that then president-elect trump would not make him attorney general or white house chief of staff. describing a phone call where cohen lamented -- "i can't believe i'm not going to washington." cohen saying he saved trump so many times, you don't even know. davidson testifying about cohen, i thought he was going to kill himself. a helpful point for the defense as it tries to cast cohen as having an ax to grind against mr. trump. the former president is accused of illegally doctoring his internal

i believe mr. trump has broken the law. >> i think it's been a witch hunt since the very beginning. >> hallie joining me here in the studio. the former president's sentencing is going to come at a very critical moment. >> that's right, lester, just four days before the start of the republican convention where he's expected to accept the nomination, and once he does, a u.s. official tells nbc news despite mr. trump's conviction, he is still likely to receive those intelligence briefings traditional for presidential nominees. >> all right. we're also joined by our senior legal correspondent laura jarrett and had a day to absorb all this. where does it go from here? >> a lot of focus on the gag order, that's the one that bars him from attacking witnesses and others. the judge has not lifted that order even though the trial is over, and while a verdict came swiftly, any appeal likely taking months, if not more, to resolve. 24 hours after the historic verdict, a vow to challenge it. >> we're going to be appea

if found guilty on the low-level felonies here, mr. trump faces anywhere from four

cohen says they discussed mr. trump reimbursing him for paying off stormy daniels, an arrangement developed by trump organization cfo allen weisselberg months earlier. "i was sitting with president trump and he asked me if i was okay. he asked me if i needed money, and i said, no, all good. he said, because i can get a check. i said, no, i'm okay. he said, all right, just make sure you deal with allen," cohen testifying. later saying he was frightened when the fbi raided his home and office in 2018, saying mr. trump told him, "don't worry, i'm the president of the united states. stay tough," which cohen took to mean don't flip. but cohen says he turned against mr. trump after consulting with his family. "my wife, my daughter, my son all said to me, we're supposed to be your first loyalty." cohen has been disbarred and convicted of lying under oath. and tonight, the defense zeroing in on his motives. trump attorney blanche asking cohen if he was cohen suggesting that's not fair to say. blanche then quoting this excerpt f

weisselberg state in front of mr. trump you were going to receive $420,000 over the course of 12 months? yes. and what if, in anything, did mr. come say the time? he approved it. he also said this is going to be one heck of a ride in d.c. did mr. weisselberg say in front of mr. trump that those monthly payments would be, you know, like a retainer for legal services? yes. not to mention something before, but i wanted to question you about it. did you say something to the effect that you had a sense they had spoken about this previously? yes. why do you say that? because they always play that sort of game of frick and frack type game. i had been around that office more than enough to realize that this conversation had already taken place between the two. when i asked for the 420 mr. trump said it's better it's better to do it over the 12 months. trump defense counsel todd blind your honor, objection to that answer and move to strike. the judge overruled. overruled. when allen weisselberg laid out the plan of how much you are

mr. trump, who refused to take part in this year's republican primary debates. the first of the showdowns timed by the biden campaign to take place before early voting begins. in the time being, the debate among pundits will likely be over which candidate has the most to gain or maybe lose. white house correspondent peter alexander now with how it all came together. >> before i get started -- >> reporter: tonight the stage is set for the first tv confrontation between president biden and former president trump in more than three years. the agreement punctuating a dizzying day of deal-making. the president posting this video responding to weeks of pressure from mr. trump for a debate. >> donald trump lost two debates to me in 2020. since then he hasn't shown up for debates. now he's acting like he wants to debate me again. well, make my day, pal. >> reporter: the president taunting his rival over his manhattan hush money trial that kept him in court four days a with. >> so let's pick the dates,

tr evidence mr. trump knew about or told anyone. mr. trump never used e-mail because too many people have gone down once prosecutors obtain their e-mails. cohen now a disbarred attorney who has been convicted of lying under oath. the defense argues he's out for revenge after he didn't get a job in the white house. cohen testifying he would have liked to have been considered for white house chief of staff for his quote, ego. >> there's no fraud here. there's no crime here. this is four weeks of keeping me from not campaigning. >> our thanks to laura for that report. >>> breaking overnight, secretary of state antony blinken has made a surprise visit to ukraine. here we see blinken stepping offer t off the train in kiev. for the latest, let's go to chapman bell. do we know what's on blinken's schedule during his visit? >> reporter: good morning, frances. as you said, blinken arriving in ukraine in a previously unannounced visit, to a country that's in its third queyear of . this is the fourth visit by secretary blinken to the ukraine, to uk

"not unlike mr. trump," daniels replied. the former president has turned every twist and turn of his trials into a fundraising bonanza. daniels made it clear she's more than happy to see trump on the ropes, his lawyer showing her one old tweet. "you are drinking champagne because you are celebrating that trump was indicted?" "yes," she replied as trump shook his head. but on redirect, prosecutors asking daniels, "have you been telling lies about mr. trump or the truth about mr. trump?" "the trust," she said. after seven hours on the witness stand, stormy daniels left the building. trump's lawyers once again calling for a mistrial, calling the porn star's testimony "extremely prejudicial." but judge juan merchan rejecting that request. "this is not a case about sex," argued defense attorney todd blanche. "the nda was entered. whether it happened or not has nothing to do with the charges in this case." trump's lawyer objecting to daniels' detailed description of her alleged fling with trump. but prosecutor joshua steinglass ins

mr. trump's defense attorney taking direct aim at her credibility and past denials of their alleged encounter, grilling her. "you are looking to extort money from president trump, right?" daniels responding "false." >> and laura, at the top of the newscast, i mentioned a big development in another trump case, this the classified documents case in florida. what happened? >> reporter: yes, lester, the judge tonight making official what was already widely expected, putting that trial date officially on hold, wiping it away, saying essentially there are too many unresolved issues and complex motions left to resolve here, lester. >> and one more federal case, the one focusing on election interference. where does that stand? >> reporter: lester, that one too also in limbo, with no trial date as we await a ruling from the u.s. supreme court about whether the former president is in fact immune from prosecution at all, making this case in new york, lester, perhaps the only case

the defense wrapping its case without calling mr. trump to testify. laura jarrett reports. >> reporter: tonight, the defense resting its case with former president trump choosing not to take the stand in his first criminal trial. jurors left today hearing only from robert costello, a lawyer who briefly advised michael cohen. prosecutors today again trying to paint costello is a trump-allied emissary dispatched by rudy giuliani to prevent cohen from flipping on mr. trump. confronted with emails suggesting he was frustrated. cohen refused to hire him, including one where he wrote, quote, cohen, quote, continues to slow play us and the president. is he totally nuts? he is playing with the most powerful man on the planet. costello suggested monday cohen's entire story, that trump plotted to protect his stormy daniels to protect his campaign was all a lie. telling jurors that michael cohen said numerous times that president trump knew nothing about those payments, and that cohen said he did this on his own. costello only one of two witnesses called by the d

if mr. trump chooses someone who makes a more plausible president than harris, wavering voters could break his way." that is a column in the washington post. this is mark in florida. you are next up. caller: i think the wise move would be to select mike pompeo. this was a man that is very intelligent. he graduated first in the united states military academy at west point, first in his class. from there had a military career. he was also the director of the cia. he has intelligence community experience. he has proven he can work with donald trump. he was chosen by trump as the secretary of state. he was able to keep kim jong-il in check. his rockets stopped which had been flooding over japan and kept -- in check. we know what happened after they left office with the balloons. putin was kept in check and after they left office we know what happened in ukraine. it has been proven he can work with trump. the historic abraham accords was developed during their administration under the work of mike pomp

mr. trump: with no experience in energy? pres. biden: my son did nothing wrong. mr. trump: i think it'd. >> mr. president, let him answer. pres. biden: he doesn't want me to answer because he knows i have the truth. his position has been disclaimed by the media, by our allies, by the world bank. by everyone. it has been discredited. [end video clip] host: from 2020, the first debate then between those two candidates. now they have agreed to forgo this commission on presidential debates and instead, two debates are scheduled for the end of june, hosted by cnn, and then in early september, hosted by abc. many news observers are saying

the defense today trying to cash in on her story of sex with mr. trump at a celebrity golf tournament 18 years ago, which he denies ever happened. the defense today accusing daniels of lying. trump attorney susan necheles hammering daniels' years of acting and directing in the porn industry saying it gave her, quote, a lot of experience in making phony stories about sex appear real. daniels fighting back, that if the trump story was untrue, "i would have written it a lot better." their exchanges growing heated. "you've acted and had sex in over 200 porn movies. but according to you, seeing a man sitting in bed in a t-shirt and boxer shorts was so upsetting that you almost fainted?" daniels defiant, noting mr. trump was twice her age and bigger. necheles saying, "you made this all up, right?" daniels forcefully responding, "no." necheles pressing, "your story has completely changed, hasn't it?" daniels again answering no, saying this signed statement where she denied an affair with mr. trump was done while she was trying to comply with the terms of a nond

i told mr. trump this is troublesome. exhibit -- the prosecution exhibit is the first statement in response to the tape, which she had referred to. it's a statement from donald trump. this was locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago. this is the political spin, vaughn hillyard, of what happens in a campaign. they put the best possible light on this. obviously, something that was personally embarrassing to hope hicks. you could understand all of you why the president -- the former president could look straight ahead, because he is watching this very close woman aide who he viewed as a daughter and close confidante, recollecting a terrible moment in that campaign. >> what does she say? i told him, this isn't good. he thought it wasn't something to get upset about. he wasn't in crisis. he didn't view it as devastating. normal people view it as a devastating crisis. the defendant didn't. he wasn't so upset. he wasn't so devastated. that's probably going to be the defense take on this. >> that'

because mr. trump had previously directed me to speak to mr. weisselberg about getting this matter handled. hoffinger, why were you letting trump know you were in discussions with a.w. about this? cohen, because we are going to need money and open up the llc and resolve this issue. he was the chief financial officer and every penny that came in or out went through alan's office. true to your knowledge of trump world and do you think it could raise questions in the minds of juror where is this weisselberg character and why isn't he testifying? >> first of all, absolutely correct that through allen and his predecessors everything was run through them. it makes perfect sense that michael cohen would be talking about essentially how do we launder this money. the purpose of setting up the payments and labeling them as legal fees was to wander this payment. now, weisselberg is sitting in rikers island. he's gone to jail for trump twice. if the prosecutors don't call him, and it looks like they're not going to, that's a strategic decision that i think

. >> well, mr. trumpmore simply the boss, his demeanor was measured throughout as he told the court how trump avoided email to many people. he said have gone down because of a paper trail. cohen recall trump's saying, and he also painted a picture of trump as the micromanager doling out tasks and demanding updates, or becoming frustrated when he wasn't appraised of the up to the minute progress on various issues, cohen told the jury everything that happened around trump required his sign-off tonight. we're going to take you actually inside the courtroom. we're going to page through word for word, the most tense, the most revealing and weight, the most crippling testimony for the former president. and then we're going to analyze where the prosecution one today, where the government missed some opportunities to bolster its case. there's a lot of head, so let's start with joey jackson reading as michael cohen and mercedes colwyn as prosecutor susan hoffinger. this exchange here is about the payment itself. t

mr. trump's former fixer, back under a scathing cross-examination. the defense appearing to catch cohen offguard, casting doubt on a 2016 call he said he had with trump over the hush money payment to stormy daniels, saying, quote, that is a lie. how cohen responded, as he faces another day on the stand. >>> also tonight, president biden asserting executive privilege over recordings of his interview with the special counsel who ended up criticizing his memory. >>> a rare high risk alert for life-threatening flash floods in the south. the dangerous storms being called a nightmare scenario. >>> just in, the man convicted of murdering a black lives matter protester. why the texas governor just pardoned him. >>> a florida neighborhood terrorized. gunmen with high-powered firearms unleashing a barrage of bullets. a search for answers. >>> the kansas city chiefs kicker under fire for his commencement speech, urging women to be homemakers, and blasting the lgbtq community. what the nfl is now saying. >

mr. trump claiming without evidence that the new york court acted in conjunction with the white house and the doj in a rigged trial. president biden in his first comments calling the claims dangerous, but will it change the political landscape with the election rapidly approaching. mr. trump raking in campaign donations in the hours after the verdict and what about voters as a nation makes sense of a historic moment. our team coverage ahead. >>> also tonight, the new legal defeat for abortion in texas. the state supreme court rejecting the latest challenge to one of the country's most restrictive abortion laws. >>> president biden urging hamas to accept a new israeli peace proposal saying, it's time for the war to end. why there is new optimism tonight. >>> just in, the sentence for michelle troconis convicted of helping her boyfriend plot to kill his estranged wife. >>> o.j. prices at record highs. what's driving them up. >>> the long shot baseball team chasing extra innings after their colleg

. >> the jury found mr. trump falsified business records to cover up a hush money payment made to an adult film star, stormy daniels, who said she had an affair with trump. the $130,000 payment made by mr. trump's former attorney, michael cohen, to daniels in the days before the 2016 election. trump pleaded not guilty to all charges and denied an affair. the jury heard more than four weeks of testimony, including from prosecutors, key witness michael cohen and stormy daniels. trump's defense team has vowed to appeal the decision. here's manhattan district attorney alvin bragg, who brought the charges. speaking earlier this afternoon. >> while this defendant may be unlike any other in american history, we arrived at this trial and ultimately today at this verdict in the same manner as every other case that comes through the courtroom doors, by following the facts and the law and doing so without fear or favor, and the former president's sentencing will be on july 11th, just a few days before the republican conventi

mr. trump. senior legal correspondent laura jarrett has the latest. michael, tonight, nbc news learning from multiple sources. prosecutors will call their star witness, michael cohen. on monday. he called himself donald trump's fixer. now a vocal trump critic, cohen unleashing on his old boss in his book and on social media, spotted online this week wearing a t-shirt depicting mr. trump behind bars. the judge today directing prosecutors to inform cohen that the judge is asking him to refrain from making any statements about the case or mr. trump, but not placing a gag order on cohen. mr. trump remains under won, barring him from attacking witnesses and the jury. it's a disgrace. it's not a case. there's no crime. there is no crime, and they fail to show a crime. cohen, a critical witness for the prosecution as the jury has now read his text messages, heard his voice and seen evidence that he paid stormy daniels $130,000 just days before the 2016 election, so she couldn't derail the campaign. th