Impeachment Is Almost Over And Here Comes Iowa: Here’s What You Need to Know Today

House impeachment managers and the president’s legal team will deliver closing arguments on Monday. Later, Iowa voters make their choices.

Senate prepares to hear closing arguments

The Senate impeachment trial resumes on Monday to hear closing arguments from the House impeachment managers and President Trump’s lawyers. Only two Republicans—Sens. Mitch Romney and Susan Collins—sided with Democrats on Friday evening over the question of whether or not to hear new witnesses, effectively setting the stage for Trump’s acquittal on charges of abuse of power and obstructing Congress. Several GOP lawmakers admitted believing that the president was guilty of the charges brought against him, but were unwilling to label his actions impeachable offenses. The body will vote on a verdict Wednesday, following Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night. 

DOJ withheld two dozen emails proving Trump’s involvement in Ukraine

Just hours after the Senate voted not to call forth witnesses or evidence in President Trump’s impeachment trial Friday, the Department of Justice revealed it has two dozen emails between June and September 2019 detailing Trump’s role in withholding military to Ukraine unless the nation investigated former vice president Joe Biden. The Office of Management and Budget refused to turn the documents over during the House impeachment investigation and has not shared them with Congress. The emails were part of a court-ordered filing with a Jan. 31 deadline, the result of a lawsuit filed by the Center for Public Integrity.

Iowa begins first day of voting with candidates offering different visions

Top Democratic candidates ended their Iowa campaigns Sunday on high notes, with larger crowds and differentiating visions for unifying the party. Joe Biden touted his mass appeal, Bernie Sanders framed himself as a reformer, Elizabeth Warren declared herself a fighter and Pete Buttigieg positioned himself as a centrist. The hopefuls left the dirty work to surrogates and aides, with proxies attacking rivals’ electability and chances against Trump. 

China calls out U.S. for “spreading fear” of coronavirus

A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry accused the U.S. of overreacting to the coronavirus outbreak, saying barring recent travelers to China from entering the U.S. and the withdrawal of embassy staff are exactly the kind of measures the World Health Organization advised against last week. The U.S. has 11 confirmed cases of coronavirus. In China, more than 17,000 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus and 362 people have died, surpassing the death toll in the 2003 SARS epidemic in the country. The Chinese official also pointed out that it was “thought-provoking” that the U.S. hasn’t paid nearly as much attention to the flu, which has infected 19 million Americans and killed at least 10,000.