Impeachment trial, World Economic Forum: 5 things you need to know Tuesday
Impeachment trial resumes against President Trump
After House Democrats and White House lawyers traded written jabs over the weekend, the Senate will resume the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump on Tuesday and it will likely start with a fierce debate over proposed rules for the first stage of the trial. According to a copy of the four-page draft organizing resolution for the trial obtained by USA TODAY, all evidence from the House of Representatives' impeachment inquiry must be made available to all senators before the lawmakers will be able to vote on admitting the materials at a later time. The Senate will debate and vote on these rules Tuesday. The Democratic impeachment managers and the president's lawyers would be given 24 hours each to present their cases. Under these rules, each side's presentations must take place over two working days in the Senate – meaning that presentations could go late into the night.
- Trump impeachment trial: What to expect as the Senate trial resumes
- These Senate Republicans will determine whether to subpoena witnesses
- President Trump's lawyers say impeachment case insufficient, unconstitutional
Trump joins world leaders at World Economic Forum
As the Senate embarks on the impeachment trial of President Trump Tuesday, he will be in the Swiss Alps at the World Economic Forum in Davos, an annual meeting of world leaders and elite businesses executives. Trump's Davos trip marks his first return to the economic forum since 2018. He canceled a visit in 2019 because the swanky meetings "to shape global, regional and industry agendas" fell during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Davos has often appealed to left-leaning western ideals of international alliances that run counter to Trump's "America First" approach to foreign policy. But Trump downplayed those disputes in his appearance in 2018 and used the event to tout the U.S. economy, a theme he is certain to return to again this week.
Waiting for the phone to ring: MLB announces Hall of Fame inductees
It's quite possible that baseball's latest cheating scandal could resuscitate the chances for Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens to be elected into the Hall of Fame this year, writes USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale. The National Baseball Hall of Fame will announce the results of its 2019 balloting on Tuesday evening (6 p.m. ET, MLB Network). Candidates must appear on 75% of ballots to earn induction July 26 in Cooperstown, N.Y. If Bonds and Clemens aren’t elected for the widespread belief they used performance-enhancing drugs, are we prepared to keep everyone involved in the Astros’ illegal sign-stealing scheme out of the Hall of Fame, too? Read Nightengale's position.
- How reporters from the USA TODAY Network voted on their official ballots
Human-to-human transmission confirmed in China's coronavirus outbreak
A Chinese official said that human-to-human transmission has been confirmed in an outbreak of a new coronavirus, a development that raises the possibility that it could spread more quickly and widely. Authorities announced a sharp increase in the number of confirmed cases to more than 200, and China’s leader called on the government to take every possible step to combat the outbreak. In Geneva, the World Health Organization announced it would convene an Emergency Committee meeting Wednesday to determine whether the outbreak warrants being declared a global health crisis. Such declarations are typically made for epidemics of severe diseases that threaten to cross borders and require an internationally coordinated response.
- China virus concerns: Rare airport screenings for some travelers
Weapons ban expires around Virginia's state Capitol
The Virginia governor's declaration of a state of emergency around the state Capitol expires Tuesday, a day after thousands gathered there to protest proposed gun restrictions. Gov. Ralph Northam had used the declaration to ban all weapons, including firearms, in the square around the Richmond building, in anticipation of violence especially centered around Monday. But the demonstration proved peaceful, even as many demonstrators — at least those outside a security checkpoint at the square itself — openly displayed military-style semiautomatic rifles.
