10 things you need to know today: January 21, 2020

McConnell unveils the rules for President Trump's impeachment trial, Democratic candidates march together on MLK Day, and more

Democratic presidential candidates on MLK Day
(Image credit: Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

1. McConnell unveils rules aiming for speedy impeachment trial

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday unveiled his ground rules aiming for a speedy impeachment trial for President Trump. McConnell is calling for 24 hours of opening arguments over two days, starting Wednesday. Senators will then get 16 hours to question the House impeachment managers and Trump's legal team, then four hours to debate whether to call witnesses. If a majority then votes for witnesses, the two sides will make motions for the witnesses they want to testify, followed by votes on whether to subpoena them. The rules are similar to those used in former President Bill Clinton's trial, although unlike in that trial, evidence from the House inquiry won't automatically be admitted. Democrats accused McConnell of rushing the trial and hiding evidence.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.