IMPEACHMENT/MITCH MCCONNELL/SENATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The standoff that’s placed President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial in limbo is entering a new critical juncture as both sides angle to wring political benefit from the proceedings. Greater clarity of the future of Trump’s impeachment could be derived Friday when the US Senate reconvenes and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is likely to speak on the floor. But the prospects for any answers on when the trial will begin or what its parameters might be appear slim. McConnell’s speech will mark a return to the impeachment saga after two weeks of relative quiet, where little was learned about how and when Trump’s trial would begin even as more details about his administration’s attempts to withhold aid to Ukraine were revealed. McConnell hasn’t spoken to either of his Democratic counterparts, Sen. Chuck Schumer or House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, people familiar with the lack of conversations said.”
–Kevin Liptak, Phil Mattingly and Pamela Brown, “All eyes on McConnell as Senate returns Friday,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, January 2, 2020 6:52 pm