On Politics A.M.: A Partisan Debate Over Impeachment Rules

2020年1月22日星期三

January 22, 2020

Good Wednesday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today.

A divided Senate began the impeachment trial of President Trump on Tuesday as Republicans blocked Democrats’ efforts to subpoena documents related to Ukraine and moderate Republicans forced last-minute changes to rules that had been tailored to the president’s wishes.

Mr. Trump’s impeachment trial poses a unique and particularly onerous challenge for the 100 senators overseeing it: a daily vow of silence that is in effect beginning at 1 p.m. and for the duration of the proceedings, sometimes long into the night.
Scholars have roundly rejected a central argument of Mr. Trump’s lawyers that abuse of power is not by itself an impeachable offense. It turns out that another important legal figure has also contradicted that idea: Attorney General William P. Barr.
The Supreme Court said it would not quickly consider an appeal of a decision that could wipe out the Affordable Care Act, as Democrats had requested, meaning the law is likely to continue to face an uncertain future throughout the 2020 election.

An architect of the C.I.A.’s “enhanced interrogation” program under President George W. Bush was called as a witness at the war court at Guantánamo Bay, facing five men on whom the torture tactics were used.

The Trump administration plans to introduce an updated version of a long-disputed travel ban enacted in 2017, expanding the list to include countries the White House has suggested have fallen out of compliance with United States security measures.

In a forthcoming documentary series, Hillary Clinton had harsh words for Senator Bernie Sanders: “Nobody likes him, nobody wants to work with him, he got nothing done.” She declined to say if she would endorse him if he earned the Democratic nomination.

David Sirota won awards for his investigative reporting. Then last year he went to work for an old boss of his, Mr. Sanders. Now he levies his message against one of the independent Vermont senator’s favorite targets: “the corporate media.”

Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. maintains a strong lead among black voters over all, but Mr. Sanders has stronger support from younger black voters. The overall gap between them has tightened in some polls.

The 2020 census officially began in remote Toksook Bay, Alaska, where officials hope to demonstrate that they can overcome language barriers, isolation and distrust of government to avoid undercounts in Indigenous communities.

Today’s On Politics briefing was compiled by Isabella Grullón Paz in New York.

Is there anything you think we’re missing? Anything you want to see more of? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at onpolitics@nytimes.com.