Trump trial: Stormy Daniels tells (almost) all about alleged encounter with Trump

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger resumed her direct examination by asking Stormy Daniels about October 2016, when she agreed to sell the rights to her story -- but the payment from Michael Cohen was repeatedly delayed.

Jurors were shown the final signed agreement between Stormy Daniels, through her attorney, and representatives for Donald Trump.

"Is that who you understand you were signing this agreement with?" Hoffinger asked, referring to Trump.

"Yes," Daniels answered.

Daniels said she received $96,000 of the $130,000 wired by Michael Cohen. The jury has previously seen the paperwork associated with the wire transfer to her attorney Keith Davidson.

With the judge's permission and the defense's consent, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger stepped out to confer with Stormy Daniels before she was to retake the witness stand.

The judge said Hoffinger would remind Daniels to "stay focused" and make sure she "does not provide any unnecessary narrative."

Trump stared forward as Daniels reentered the courtroom. Only after she turned toward the witness stand -- passing the defense table where the former president sits -- did Trump glance at Daniels.

"Good afternoon Miss Daniels, I remind you that you're still under oath," Judge Merchan said as she retook the stand.

"As a threshold matter, Mr. Blanche, I agree that there are some things that would be better left unsaid," Judge Merchan told defense attorney Todd Blanche in denying the defense's motion for a mistrial based on Stormy Daniels' testimony.

"The witness was a little difficult to control. Having said that, I do think there were guardrails in place ... certain details that I don't think we needed to get into," the judge said.

"Whether these are new stories or not new stories, the remedy is on cross-examination. So I'm going to deny your motion for a mistrial at this time," Merchan said.

"I was surprised that there were not more objections" from the defense team, the judge added.

"At one point, the court ... objected, because there was no objection coming from the defense," he said.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger pushed back on the defense's request for a mistrial, arguing Daniels' testimony was consistent and permissible.

"This story -- her account -- is highly probative of the defendant's intent," she said. "This is not new. This is not a new account."

"They opened the door to this," she said. Her testimony was necessary for prosecutors "to rehabilitate credibility where they attacked it" in their opening statement.

Hoffinger defended her direct examination, telling Merchan she dialed back the testimony at his request.

"We were extremely mindful of not eliciting too much testimony about the actual act," Hoffinger said.

Blanche fired back, telling Merchan that the testimony from Daniels was a harmful distraction.

"I don't think anybody can listen to what that witness said and think it had anything to do with the charged conduct," he said. "You run a very high risk of the jury not being able to focus on the evidence that really does matter."

"I don't believe we are at the point where a mistrial is warranted," Merchan said.