In his closing argument yesterday, prosecutor Josh Steinglass framed the 2015 Trump Tower meeting, for which the jury requested the transcript, as central to the case.

"That was the whole purpose of the Trump Tower meeting, to get AMI to help [Trump] win the election," Steinglass told the jurors, claiming that "the Trump Tower conspiracy violated New York state election law."

Defense attorney Todd Blanche, in his closing, pushed back on the significance of the meeting, saying it was AMI merely agreeing to do what it had done for decades.

"They had been doing it for President Trump since the Nineties," Blanche said of the arrangement to catch and kill unflattering stories. "Mr. Pecker told you that AMI purchases stories all the time.

"They purchased stories about Tiger Woods, Mark Wahlberg and other people. No crime," Blanche said.

The phone call between Trump and then-National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, which the jury requested be read back, involved an alleged discussion about Playboy model Karen McDougal, who alleged a year-long affair with Trump that Trump has denied.

"With all of the evidence and documents in this case, it's easy to lose sight of the significance of this phone call," prosecutor Josh Steinglass told jurors during his closing argument yesterday.

Steinglass argued that the call proved that Trump "was overtly discussing purchasing [McDougal's] story to keep it from being published" -- and that it also proved that Michael Cohen was telling the truth when he said he was acting at the direction of Trump.

"This call makes it impossible for the defense to claim that Cohen was acting on his own, that he was taking it upon himself to work with AMI to purchase the McDougal story," Steinglass told the jurors.

"I will be in the robing room -- let me know when you are ready for readback," Judge Merchan said after the jury requested a review of four pieces of testimony from Michael Cohen and David Pecker.

Merchan then left the courtroom.

A court reporter dropped a 12-inch stack of transcripts on the prosecution counsel table then handed an index to the prosecutors.

Trump attorneys Emil Bove and and Todd Blanche appeared to be searching through papers on their table, while Trump sat motionless. Prosecutors were doing the same thing.

"Good afternoon. We have received a note," Judge Merchan said after taking the bench.

The jury has made four requests for testimony:

- Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker's testimony about the phone conversation with Donald Trump

- Pecker's testimony about the decision regarding the assignment of Playboy model Karen McDougal's life rights

- Pecker's testimony about the 2015 Trump Tower meeting

- Michael Cohen's testimony about the 2015 Trump Tower meeting

Advancing his argument that Trump was extorted by Stormy Daniels, defense attorney Todd Blanche told jurors that Stormy Daniels and her agent Gina Rodrgiuez saw a "time to strike" after the release of the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape.

"Ms. Daniels and Ms. Rodriguez seized an opportunity," Blanche said. "They came back to Mr. Howard again and said ... now it is the time to strike."

Turning a prosecution argument on its head, Blanche argued that rather than being the catalyst for the Daniels hush payment and the eventual falsifying of business records, the "Access Hollywood" was Daniels and Rodriguez seizing an "opportunity."

Shouting emphatically, Blanche ticked through the three alleged catch and kills in an attempt to shred prosecutors' theory that they constituted a conspiracy to influence the election.

The doorman story was "not true," he said. Susan McDougal didn't want her story out. Daniels came forward after the "Access Hollywood tape" and David Pecker said, "Nah, I want nothing to do with it,' Blanche said.

"That's the conspiracy?!" Blanche yelled. "That's the three catch and kills!?"