Another email re: the invoice for the payment references the ''Trump' non-published story.'

Pecker said he communicated to Cohen that he determined the story wasn't true, that the doorman was very difficult to deal with, and that the doorman would shop the story around. Pecker suggested he release the source, but Cohen asked him not to release him until post-election.

Pecker says they eventually did release Sajudin from the source agreement.

Steinglass displays a 12/9/16 email btwn AMI general counsel and Sajudin which says 'AMI has no objection to you trying to sell the story,' releasing Sajudin from the source agreement.

Steinglass asks about Karen McDougal now, who Pecker describes as a 'Playboy model.'

Pecker said he heard that there was 'a Playboy model who is trying to sell a story about a [romantic] relationship she had with Donald Trump for a year.'

Trump's eyes remain closed as Pecker says this.

When Pecker learned from Howard about McDougal and her story, he called Cohen.

Pecker: 'I didn't even finish the conversation when Cohen said 'untrue.' I said 'Hold on a second, I think this one is a little different,'' and suggested further vetting.

Apparently, Cohen told Pecker at one point: 'We shouldn't be talking like this over a landline, we should be using Signal.'

Somewhere, I suspect a marketing associate is putting together a pitch deck proposal for Michael Cohen as Signal brand ambassador.

Signal Pecker says that Trump told him directly that 'I don't buy these stories,' because any time you do they come out anyway.

Steinglass will come back to that.

Howard agreed to go to LA to interview
McDougal on 6/20, and Cohen repeatedly called Pecker to find out about the progress. Cohen was 'very agitated' and seemed like he was getting a lot of pressure to get the answer right away. He kept calling, & each time seemed more anxious.

At 1:59 p.m., the ever punctual Merchan asks if this is a good time to break, and Steinglass agrees.

Merchan gives the jury instructions not to discuss the case at all.

And that's a wrap on a day filled with catch-and-kill schemes, a Playboy model, an illegitimate daughter, and a lying doorman.

'Damn today was juicy,' I hear a reporter whisper behind me.