Watch highlights from Day 2 of Trump's impeachment trial, in which Democrats begin their prosecution


The House impeachment managers, or prosecutors in President Trump's impeachment trial, used the first 7 hours and 17 minutes of their allotted 24 hours for opening statements on Wednesday, according to The Washington Post's Mike DeBonis, and the lion's share of speaking time went to the lead prosecutor, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
"Schiff offered a sweeping survey of the case that leaned hard into themes designed to resonate with national-security-minded Republicans," The New Yorker's Susan Glasser recapped. Overall, "the House managers made a polished, impassioned stab at convincing their audience, dramatizing their case with an attention-grabbing presentation (designed to keep the senators awake, perhaps?) that included video clips from Trump; his acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney; and many of the key witnesses from the House's televised impeachment proceedings. It was a sort of greatest hits of the Trump-Ukraine scandal, a primer for senators."
Much of it was familiar territory for people who followed the House impeachment hearings closely," Glasser writes, "but it was frequently eloquent, appalling, and dramatic to hear the alarming facts of the case laid out all over again." For anyone who didn't watch all seven-plus hours — and that includes some of the senator-jurors — PBS NewsHour compiled some highlights:
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Not everyone was wowed by Schiff's "silver-tongued" speechifying, as Glasser phrased it — Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), for example, tweeted "the more we hear from Adam Schiff, the more the GOP is getting unified against this partisan charade," earning at "True!" reply from Trump — but his presentation got generally high marks. On CNN, legal analysts Jeffrey Toobin pronounced it "dazzling."
You can watch Schiff's full closing remarks on Day 2 of Trump's impeachment trial below, including his final call to courage for Republican senators. Peter Weber
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Why does Donald Trump keeping showing up at major sporting events?
Today's Big Question Trump has appeared at the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 and other events
-
‘Democracy is under threat globally’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Job hugging: the growing trend of clinging to your job
In the Spotlight People are staying in their jobs longer than ever
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants