Adam Balm
We already know most of the (available) facts of the impeachment case. Adam Schiff summed up what’s at stake. “There’s nothing immutable about this. Every generation has to fight for it. We’re fighting for it right now. There’s no guarantee that this democracy that has served us so well will continue to prosper.” Schiff concluded the multi-hour presentation with a shout-out to those who risked it all to testify. “Some courageous people came forward. Courageous people that risked their entire careers … They risked everything … And yes I know what you’re asked to decide may risk yours, too. But if they could show the courage, so could we.” Chuck Schumer called Schiff’s performance one of the ten best speeches he’s seen in the Senate, and there was a general consensus among top legal minds that Schiff is delivering a remarkably impressive performance. Will it make a difference in the trial’s outcome? Maybe not. But it’s inspiring to see someone with the intelligence, preparation, and strength to stand up and tell the truth. And inspiration and truth are in short supply these days. In the end, every American is on jury duty. Thursday’s arguments will focus on the president’s abuse of power. The House Managers should have plenty of material to work with. Here’s the latest from WaPo and CNN.
+ NYT: Two Legal Teams With Contrasting Strategies Face Off in the Capitol. “The contrasting amount of material the two legal teams brought into the Senate chamber to support their initial arguments foreshadowed a broader difference in their approaches to the trial.” (One side has facts and ethics, the other side has tweets…)
+ “‘Everybody’s calling, they’ve got to talk to me, and the office [says], ‘I know he wants to talk to you, he just can’t,’ he said with a smile. ‘I love it.'” Buzzfeed: Senators Love Being Freed From Their Phones For Trump’s Impeachment Trial. (Let’s hope they can have their editions of NextDraft read into the record.)
+ In other executive branch news, the Trump Administration is cutting back federal protections for streams and wetlands, Trump will be the first president to attend the March for Life (Grab ’em by the pussy … to protect the fetus?), and Steve Mnuchin ripped Greta Thunberg for saying investors should divest from fossil fuel stocks. WaPo: Mnuchin said Thunberg needed to study economics before offering climate proposals. So we talked to an economist.