Two Weight Inequality for the Hilbert Transform: A Real Variable Characterization, I

The two weight inequality for the Hilbert transform arises in the settings of analytic function spaces, operator theory, and spectral theory, and what would be most useful is a characterization in the simplest real-variable terms. We show that the $L^2$ to $L^2$ inequality holds if and only if two L^2 to weak-L^2 inequalities hold. This is a corollary to a characterization in terms of a two-weight Poisson inequality, and a pair of testing inequalities on bounded functions.