Monday, Jan. 20

á           The White House announced it had assembled President Donald TrumpÕs defense team of eight House Republicans to, according to a press release, Òcombat this hyper-partisan and baseless impeachment."

á           Sen. Mitch McConnell laid out the grounds rules for TrumpÕs impeachment trial in the Senate, which limited arguments to two 12-hour stretches on Tuesday and Wednesday and left open the possibility to reject hearing new evidence. These rules were later modified at the urging of moderate Republicans to allow for a longer trial.

Tuesday, Jan. 21

á           The Senate began TrumpÕs impeachment trial. During about 12 hours of debate, Republicans blocked subpoenas for witness testimony and documents related to the charges against the president. However, moderate Republicans succeeded in extending the trial and automatically admitting the HouseÕs records into evidence.

Wednesday, Jan. 22

á           In the second day of the Senate impeachment trial, Rep. Adam Schiff, lead House prosecutor, reiterated the demand for witnesses and documents denied by the Trump administration; the impeachment managers began their formal arguments and accused Trump of cheating in the election; and Sen. Chuck Schumer ruled out a witness bargain to call on John Bolton and Hunter Biden.

á           Washington D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine filed suit against TrumpÕs inaugural committee, claiming the organization violated local laws prohibiting self-dealing in nonprofit organizations, for example padding Trump business accounts by overpaying by about $170,000 to book a Trump International Hotel ballroom.

Thursday, Jan. 23

á           The Trump administration finalized the ÒNavigable Waters Protection RuleÓ to remove former President Barack ObamaÕs ÒWaters of United StatesÓ regulation, which provided federal environmental protection to streams, wetlands and groundwater. This new rule is considered a victory by rural landowners who saw the 2015 rule as needlessly burdensome.

á           The State Department began to use a new rule allowing visa officers to prevent Òbirth tourism,Ó or trips by pregnant people designed to obtain citizenship for their children. The rule gives officers the ability to reject a visa application if there is reason to believe someone is entering the U.S. specifically to gain citizenship for their children via birthright.

Friday, Jan. 24

á           House Democrats concluded their three-day presentation against Trump to the Senate, outlining the Ukraine pressure campaign as part of a pattern of collaboration with Russia and capping it off with a demand for the presidentÕs removal from office.

á           Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to address the annual anti-abortion March for Life rally in person. ÒUnborn children have never had a stronger defender in the White House,Ó he said to crowd at the National Mall.

á           The Trump administration said it would withhold federal money from California unless the state dropped its requirement that private insurers cover abortions within 30 days.

á           The Pentagon confirmed that at least 34 U.S. service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries in the wake of the Iranian missile attacks Jan. 8 on two military bases in Iraq, roughly tripling the head injury count of 11 acknowledged by the military the week before.

Saturday, Jan. 25

á           TrumpÕs team began its presentation in the presidentÕs defense in the impeachment hearings. Led by White House counsel Pat Cipollone and the presidentÕs personal lawyer Jay Sekulow, it argued for the illegitimacy of the trial, accused the House managers of cherry-picking evidence and of taking part in a plot to subvert the election, and dropped off a nearly 30,000-page record of trial evidence to the Senate.

á           A tape was publicly released of a 2018 evening at TrumpÕs Washington, D.C., hotel in in which the president dined with Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, men who worked with the presidentÕs personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani as part of a shadow pressure campaign in Ukraine, both of whom Trump repeatedly claimed he does not know. In the tape Trump also mentions plans to fire former ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch.

Sunday, Jan. 26

á           On Twitter, Trump accused Schiff of being a ÒCORRUPT POLITICIAN, and probably a very sick manÓ who has Ònot paid the price, yet, for what he has done to our Country!Ó Schiff said the comments were a clear threat to him and urged Republican senators stand up against a Òwrathful and vindictive president.Ó