From cnn
Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo asks Hope Hicks whether the idea that Michael Cohen made the $130,000 payment on his own was consistent with her interactions with him.
“I’d say that would be out of character for Michael,” Hicks says.
Cross examination of Hicks just started
We’ve now officially lost Hope.
ETA: done for the week.
And the judge just ended the day (and the week) in court.
CNN notes that no witness so far has had anything good to say about Michael Cohen.
What is the relevance of the tape to this particular trial?
I mean, in the rape/ libel trial it showed he had an admitted history of sexual assault. It was directly relevant to the plaintiff’s claim. But he isn’t accused of sexually assaulting Stormy Daniels, is he?
It’s not the crime, it’s the coverup.
Well, not literally the case here, but the same idea. The relevance in this trial is how Trump handled the embarrassing facts. He was focused on the political impact, not his wife’s reaction.
I doubt I can get enough in under Fair Use, but here’s a quick read about Hope Hicks’s testimony:
I’m focused on:
“He wanted to know how it was playing, and just my thoughts and opinion about this story versus having a different kind of story before the election had Mr. Cohen not made that payment,” she remembered. “I think Mr. Trump’s opinion was it was better to be dealing with it now, and it would have been bad to have that story come out before the election.”
Just her opinion, but she has no clear axe to grind and probably knew him as well as anybody on his team. Probably a good way to go into a weekend.
And Hicks has been excused. We get a new witness on Monday.
Started/going;
He’s gonna have to think of a new lie fast.
Holy crap, he actually spoke the truth. I think the judge might have scared him a bit.
I’m astonished. I figured he’d keep pushing that particular lie.
No problem, that’s one of his superpowers!
I believe that guy to the right of him in those last two screenshots is Todd Blanche. If and when Blanche gets disbarred – which seems to happen to so many of Trump’s fine lawyers – he could have a promising career in the movies playing a mob hitman. He definitely looks the part.
First time in the orange fuckstick’s life that he’s been in that position, and, since I care for his health, I hope it doesn’t do bad things to his blood pressure!
I wonder if he’ll trot out something like, “Hope Hick. Barely knew her. Don’t recall. She’s very disloyal and frankly, not very good. So Unfair!”
I saw something on TV today suggesting that Trump wants to testify but his lawyers were trying to argue that he shouldn’t be cross examined. Sure, let’s make up more rules just for Trump. Go up on the stand and blather but don’t worry about being asked any questions other than supportive ones from your own side! I hope the judge told them where they can stuff that idea.
He could try stuffing his tie in his mouth during such situations. 
There is exactly a zero chance he could testify and be protected from cross examination. Our whole adversarial system is based on giving every party the ability to test the other side’s evidence.
That didn’t happen and there have been a few discussions about what can and can’t be asked during a cross examination should it occur. Just today it was ruled that he couldn’t be asked about the gag order.
It didn’t last.
National security. What if a prosecutor asks him where we keep the UFOs?
He’d almost certainly make something up for fear of looking ignorant for not knowing where we keep them.
That does come up in trials, and you dont have to answer- except maybe in camera with just the judge and a US attorney making sure you give careful answers.