Britain finally Brexits

There will likely be no witnesses in the trial of President Trump; Britain makes its exit at last. Tonight's Sentences was written by Cameron Peters. TOP NEWS The Senate impeachment trial is drawing to a close [Trump with McConnell.]( Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images - The impeachment trial of President Donald Trump is nearing its end. After two weeks of opening arguments and questions, the Senate on Friday is hearing closing arguments from both sides before a vote on witnesses and, eventually, a vote on whether to convict or to acquit the president. [[Washington Post / John Wagner and Colby Itkowitz](] - Two key Republican senators — Lamar Alexander and Lisa Murkowski — have already come out against calling witnesses, which means that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell almost certainly has the votes to block any subpoenas that could have extended the trial. [[NPR / Bobby Allyn](] - The trial has been shaken this week by a series of major revelations from former National Security Adviser John Bolton, who writes in an as-yet-unreleased manuscript that the president told him directly that he wanted to condition security aid to Ukraine on the announcement of an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden. [[NYT / Maggie Haberman and Michael S. Schmidt](] - Bolton’s manuscript may never be released: The White House told Bolton’s lawyer in a letter that it contained “significant amounts of classified information” and couldn’t be published without revisions. [[CNN / Jake Tapper](] - Democrats have argued that witnesses are essential to a fair trial. “If we've not heard from witnesses and if we've not received documents, don't anyone walk away talking about acquittal because there's no true acquittal if there's not been a fair trial,” Sen. Kamala Harris said. [[Twitter / Kyle Griffin](] - The final vote could still be delayed until next Wednesday as the White House seeks more time to prepare its closing arguments. Such a change would delay the president’s likely acquittal until after his State of the Union address, which is scheduled for Tuesday. [[Politico / John Bresnahan, Burgess Everett, and Marianne LeVine](] - At the time of writing, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said there was no deal yet in place, so the schedule for the remainder of the trial remains in flux. [[NBC / Leigh Ann Caldwell](] - Ultimately, the outcome of the trial was never really in doubt: Whether this week or next, a Republican majority in the Senate will almost certainly vote to acquit Trump of all charges. [[Vox / Andrew Prokop](] - As always, the news moves fast. For all your up-to-the-minute impeachment needs, Vox’s Matthew Yglesias and Andrew Prokop have you covered with [Impeachment, Explained](; you can also tune in to Ezra Klein’s [podcast of the same name](. Britain Brexits, but it's not over yet - Almost four years after the UK voted in a 2016 national referendum to leave the European Union, the day is finally here. At 11 pm GMT Friday, Britain will exit the EU and begin an 11-month transition period, where it will negotiate its new relationship with the bloc. [[The New York Times](] - Next up on the Brexit agenda: striking new deals with the EU on trade, law enforcement cooperation, banking, and a bevy of other complicated topics. The border between the Republic of Ireland (an EU member state) and Northern Ireland is expected to pose an especially thorny challenge. [[Vox / Jen Kirby](] - Another top priority for the UK will be to establish a new trading relationship with the United States, which could be easier said than done. Agricultural standards and drug pricing are expected to be major issues when negotiations begin. [[CNN / Charles Riley](] - Free movement between the EU and the UK is also slated to end when the transition period does. EU citizens residing in Britain will have to apply for “settled status” — permanent residency — in the coming months. [[Washington Post / Karla Adam and William Booth](] - Brexit could also have consequences for the “United” part of the UK; support for independence in the overwhelmingly pro-EU Scotland has ticked up recently. [[Financial Times / Mure Dickie](] MISCELLANEOUS A local news startup flourishes in Iowa. [[NYT / Michael M. Grynbaum](] - And then there were 11: With three days until Iowa, John Delaney is out of the race. [[Vox / Catherine Kim](] - Nike’s Vaporfly shoes escape a World Athletics ban. [[WSJ / Rachel Bachman and Khadeeja Safdar](] - The Maryland legislature is looking to welcome lemonade stands to the free market. [[NPR / Ally Schweitzer](] - Democratic frustrations with Facebook boil over. [[Recode / Emily Stewart](] CROSSWORD OF THE DAY [Can you solve today's crossword?]( What’s a three-letter word for an ancient Greek god whose Roman counterpart was Faunus? [Solve today's new Vox crossword puzzle](, and stay tuned for more puzzles coming out Monday through Saturday. VERBATIM “I think it’s funny and glib, which is why it caught on so fast. But the success of the hashtag also serves to counter a super-frustrating ‘Bernie Bro’ narrative that we keep seeing over and over again — a narrative that erases the support of a lot of women for Bernie.” [[DePaul University student Hadiya Afzal on how #HotGirlsForBernie got started / Vox](] WATCH THIS [Gazprom’s soccer jersey strategy, explained.]( Gazprom’s soccer jersey strategy, explained. [[YouTube / Mac Schneider](] [Read more from Vox](#) [Australia’s bushfires are approaching its capital Canberra]( [The viral video of Mike Pence being grilled by an ER doctor about Medicaid cuts, explained]( [The Good Place was groundbreaking TV. Did its finale measure up?]( [There are far worse things than polarization]( [Palestinians don’t need Jared Kushner to civilize them. They need rights.]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences](, or [unsubscribe]( to stop receiving all emails from Vox. View our [Privacy Policy]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved.