Former Arizona newscaster Kari Lake, picked by President Donald Trump to manage Voice of America and the agency overseeing it, told a congressional committee that they were rotten to the core and should be scrapped.

FBI Director Kash Patel is breaking with the Trump administration over a budget proposal that would dramatically slash funding for the bureau.

Congressional Democrats in Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and beyond are seeing an outpouring of volunteers to help Vice President Kamala Harris and counter Republican Donald Trump.

(Senate Television via AP)WASHINGTON – The Latest on former President Donald Trump's second Senate impeachment trial (all times local):8:20 p.m.House Democrats have wrapped up their first full day of arguments at the historic second impeachment trial of Donald Trump. The impeachment trial is set to resume at noon Thursday. Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney say they are deeply disturbed by the evidence shown by Democrats against former President Donald Trump at his second impeachment trial. Prosecutors at Trump’s impeachment trial on Wednesday played security footage from inside the Capitol on Jan. 6. ___2:20 p.m.Democrats are arguing that former President Donald Trump “built” the mob that attacked the Capitol.

In this image from video, a security video shows Vice President Mike Pence being evacuated as rioters breach the Capitol, as House impeachment manager Del. Trump is the first president to face an impeachment trial after leaving office and the first to be twice impeached. AdIn this image from video, a security video shows U.S. Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman running past Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, left, as House impeachment manager Del. It appears unlikely that the House prosecutors will call witnesses, and Trump has declined a request to testify. Trump’s second impeachment trial is expected to diverge from the lengthy, complicated affair of a year ago.

In an early test of the former president’s defense, Trump’s team lost a crucial bid to halt the trial on constitutional grounds. Senators confirmed, 56-44, their jurisdiction over the trial, the first of a president no longer in office. Trump’s second impeachment trial is expected to diverge from the lengthy, complicated affair of a year ago. In that case, Trump was charged with having privately pressured Ukraine to dig up dirt on Biden, then a Democratic rival for the presidency. This time, Trump’s “stop the steal” rally rhetoric and the storming of the Capitol played out for the world to see.

Many Democrats have pushed for an immediate impeachment trial to hold Trump accountable and prevent him from holding future office, and the proceedings could still begin by Inauguration Day. Psaki noted that during Trump's first impeachment trial last year, the Senate continued to hold hearings each day. Pelosi told reporters on Friday that the nine House impeachment managers, who act as the prosecutors for the House, are working on taking the case to trial. McConnell is open to considering impeachment, having told associates he is done with Trump, but he has not signaled how he would vote. No president has ever been convicted in the Senate, and it would take a two-thirds vote against Trump, an extremely high hurdle.

WASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tapped nine of her most trusted allies in the House to argue the case for President Donald Trump’s impeachment. Pelosi hasn’t yet said when she will send the article of impeachment to the Senate. Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette, another manager, says the nine prosecutors plan to present a serious case and “finish the job” that the House started. REP. TED LIEU, CALIFORNIALieu, who authored the article of impeachment with Cicilline and Raskin, is on the Judiciary and Foreign Affairs panels. She is also a member of the House Judiciary Committee, and is a former lawyer and member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Whenever it starts, the impeachment trial will force a further reckoning for the Republican Party and the senators who largely stood by Trump throughout his presidency and allowed him to spread false attacks against the 2020 election. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is open to considering impeachment, having told associates he is done with Trump, but he has not signaled how he would vote. At least four Republican senators have publicly expressed concerns about Trump’s actions, but others have signaled their preference to move on. Under Senate procedure, the trial is to start soon after the House delivers the article of impeachment. After Trump’s first impeachment, in 2019, she withheld the articles for some time to set the stage for the Senate action.

By November, voters will decide who had the right approach — a high-stakes gamble as the coronavirus pandemic rewrites the rules of political campaigning. "But we’re making the most of it.”The House and Senate campaigns are courting voters as attitudes shift about COVID-19. One party strategist said Democrats believe voters will appreciate candidates who take COVID-19 risks seriously, attempting to draw a contrast to Trump and Republicans. He said the rate at which people answer the door is up at least 18% compared with pre-pandemic numbers. Pelosi noted that in some places it may be safe to go door to door.