BEN SASSE

The University of Florida and the city are working on plans to build a new graduate satellite campus in Jacksonville.

Incoming University of Florida President Ben Sasse will be greeted at his new workplace by protesters who have already put forth a list of demands.

Pete Ricketts was sworn in as the newest member of the U.S. Senate on Monday, replacing Republican Sen. Ben Sasse as the Senate returns from several weeks of recess to begin a new session of closely-divided government. Ricketts is bringing the Senate back to its “full 100-person strength,” said Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who welcomed Ricketts on the Senate floor after he was sworn into office by Vice President Kamala Harris. Ricketts replaces Sasse, who took a job as the president of the University of Florida two years into his second term. He said he chose Ricketts based on their shared conservatism and Ricketts’ promise that he would later run to be elected to the seat. McConnell praised Ricketts' service in Nebraska and said the wealthy investor has “applied private sector savvy to the work of public administration with great effect."

Former Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts was sworn into the U.S. Senate on Monday, replacing Republican Sen. Ben Sasse as the Senate returns from several weeks of recess and begins a new session of closely-divided government.

— (AP) — In one of his first acts as Nebraska’s governor, Republican Jim Pillen named his predecessor to the state’s vacant U.S. Senate seat on Thursday. Pillen surprised no one in naming fellow Republican Pete Ricketts to the seat vacated Sunday by Ben Sasse. The governor said 111 people applied for the vacant seat and nine people — all Republicans — were interviewed. He said he chose Ricketts based on their shared conservatism and Ricketts’ promise that he would later run to be elected to the seat. Ricketts put his net worth at about $50 million when he ran for a second term as governor in 2018.

He lost a Senate campaign in 2006 by 28 points — one of the biggest defeats on record for someone who would later join the chamber.

Pete Ricketts (R), whose second and final term as governor just ended, will replace former senator Ben Sasse (R), who resigned from his seat earlier this week.

In one of his first acts as Nebraska’s governor, Republican Jim Pillen named his predecessor to the state’s vacant U.S. Senate seat on Thursday. Pillen surprised no one in naming fellow Republican Pete Ricketts to the seat vacated Sunday by Ben Sasse. The governor said 111 people applied for the vacant seat.

Sasse was one of seven Republican senators to vote to convict former President Trump of incitement of insurrection in his second impeachment trial.

Sen. Ben Sasse, a critic of former President Donald Trump, stepped down from the Senate as he prepares to become president of the University of Florida.

— (AP) — Nebraska's outgoing U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse knows he may be remembered more for his criticisms of former President Donald Trump than for the policies he supported during his eight years in office. Sasse talked about his political legacy with the Omaha World-Herald as he prepared to leave the Senate Sunday to become president of the University of Florida. Sasse acknowledged that his complicated relationship with Trump will shape his legacy. Before he was elected to the Senate, Sasse led the small, private Midland University in his hometown of Fremont, Nebraska. For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Omaha World-Herald.

Nebraska's outgoing U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse left office Sunday to become the University of Florida's new president and said he knows he may be remembered more for his criticisms of former President Donald Trump than for the policies he supported.

Both Republicans and Tories are finding the revolutions of 2016 difficult to reverse.

Outgoing Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts is expected to be appointed to the state's U.S. Senate seat being vacated by fellow Republican Ben Sasse.

— (AP) — When Republican Jim Pillen becomes Nebraska’s governor next month, one of his first acts will likely be to name his predecessor and biggest supporter to fill an open U.S. Senate seat. What it looks like is two rich guys using their money and power to grab a Senate seat,” said Jeremy Aspen, an Omaha Republican and former state party delegate. There are plenty of conservative Republicans in the state that could fill that seat for two years. “I’ll be looking to appoint someone who embodies the commonsense, conservative values of Nebraska,” Pillen said. Several even advocated the idea of Ricketts appointing himself to the Senate seat if Sasse had stepped down before Ricketts finished out his term early next month.

Outgoing Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts is expected to be appointed to the state's U.S. Senate seat being vacated by fellow Republican Ben Sasse.

When Republican Jim Pillen becomes Nebraska’s governor next month, one of his first acts will likely be to name his predecessor and biggest supporter to fill an open U.S. Senate seat. Pillen was elected in November in large part because of current Gov. Pete Ricketts ’ backing, and now he can return the favor by appointing him to the Senate, more than 15 years after Ricketts spent $12 million of his own money on a failed bid for the office.

Republican U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse on Wednesday was confirmed as the incoming president of the University of Florida, as several members of the state university...

The University of Florida’s Board of Trustees voted to approve Nebraska’s U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse as the new president of UF.

The Nebraska Republican would leave his Senate seat several years early for the post.

Sen. Ben Sasse was chosen to be the next president of the University of Florida Tuesday by the university’s board of trustees.

The Board of Trustees for the University of Florida is meeting to consider the selection of Ben Sasse to serve as the university’s president.

University of Florida faculty members have expressed their displeasure with Nebraska U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse being named as the lone finalist for the school’s presidency.

The University of Florida is going to start enforcing a decades-old prohibition against indoor protests following a raucous demonstration earlier this month against the selection of U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse as a finalist for the school president’s job.

The Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin attacked Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., as an “affirmative action” hire by Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., for the president of University of Florida.

Hundreds of boisterous student protesters drove Sen. Ben Sasse from a stage Monday afternoon at the University of Florida, where he has been selected as...

Gov. Pete Ricketts spent $1.3M to help Jim Pillen win GOP gubernatorial primary to replace him. If he wins the election, Pillen may appoint Ricketts as next senator from Nebraska.

Student organizations at the University of Florida protest the nomination of Republican Senator Ben Sasse as the next president.

Students at the University of Florida expressed their outrage at the university's nomination of a Republican senator to serve as the school's next president.

Nebraska U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse faced pointed questions and loud protests during his first visit to the University of Florida as the lone finalist for the school’s presidency.

Nebraska U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse faced pointed questions and loud protests Monday during his first visit to the University of Florida as the lone finalist for the school's presidency. Sasse, a Republican in his second Senate term, has drawn criticism from some at the school in Gainesville, Florida, for his stance on same-sex marriage and other LBGTQ issues. Others question his qualifications to run such a sprawling school with more than 50,000 students.

— (AP) — With Ben Sasse apparently ready to resign his Nebraska U.S. Senate seat to become president of the University of Florida, speculation is rampant that his temporary replacement could be Gov. Ricketts, who like Sasse is a Republican, would otherwise be out of a political job due to term limits at the end of the year. Ricketts could still appoint a successor if Sasse resigns before Jan. 3, and the governor's statement Friday didn't address what he would do if Sasse resigns before Ricketts' term is up. If Sasse were to leave the Senate after that, when Ricketts leaves office, the newly-elected governor would appoint Sasse’s replacement. The Nebraska Secretary of State's office confirmed that there is nothing in Nebraska law that would keep a sitting governor from appointing himself.

Speculation is rampant that Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts is the most likely person to replace U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, who appears ready to resign to become president of the University of Florida.

With Ben Sasse apparently ready to resign his Nebraska U.S. Senate seat to become president of the University of Florida, speculation is rampant that his temporary replacement could be Gov. Pete Ricketts. Ricketts, who like Sasse is a Republican, would otherwise be out of a political job due to term limits at the end of the year. Scenarios of how Ricketts would ascend to the U.S. Senate run the gamut from his presumptive successor naming him as Nebraska’s newest U.S. senator to Ricketts appointing himself to fill the seat.

The University of Florida Board of Trustees will interview Ben Sasse during a Nov. 1 meeting. The Board of Governors would sing off.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska has emerged as the lone candidate to become the next president at the University of Florida, school officials said Thursday. The UF Presidential Search Committee has unanimously endorsed former Yale and UT Austin professor, past Midland University president and current U.S. Senator Dr. Ben Sasse as the sole finalist to become the 13th president of the University of Florida. “UF is the most important institution in the nation’s most economically dynamic state,” Sasse said in a statement. “This is right for the University of Florida, right for the state of Florida and right for the Sasse family,” Rahul Patel, chair of the university’s presidential search committee, said in a statement.

University of Florida announced a search committee has unanimously recommended Nebraska GOP Sen. Ben Sasse as the lone finalist for the job.

The Nebraska Republican's term doesn't expire until 2027.

WASHINGTON — (AP) — Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse is the sole finalist to become the president of the University of Florida, the school said Thursday, and the Republican senator has indicated that he will take the job. The school said in a statement that its presidential search committee had unanimously recommended Sasse as the sole finalist, a decision that will have to be be voted on by the school’s board of trustees and then confirmed by the board of governors. The school said he will visit the campus on Oct. 10 to meet with students, faculty and other members of the university community. In a statement released by the school, Sasse said he is “thrilled about the opportunity to work alongside one of the nation’s most outstanding faculties.”Sasse is a second-term senator who has been a sometime-critic of former President Donald Trump. He was one of seven Republican senators to vote for the former president’s impeachment after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.

The UF presidential search committee recommended Dr. Ben Sasse as the sole finalist for the job to its Board of Trustees Thursday.

Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse is the sole finalist to become president of the University of Florida, the school says, and the Republican senator has indicated he will take the job.

Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse is the sole finalist to become president of the University of Florida, the school said Thursday, and the Republican senator indicated he will take the job. The school said in a statement that its presidential search committee had unanimously recommended Sasse as the sole finalist, a decision that will have to be be voted on by the school’s board of trustees and then confirmed by the board of governors. In a statement released by the school, Sasse said he was “thrilled about the opportunity to work alongside one of the nation’s most outstanding faculties.”

Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse is expected to resign his seat and take a job as president of the University of Florida, a person familiar with his decision-making told Yahoo News on Thursday afternoon. The Republican senator has been given unanimous approval from the University of Florida selection committee seeking a new president and is expected to be vetted by a series of other university boards before the offer is formally extended to him in mid-November, the person said. Sasse is expected to resign his seat in the Senate after the midterm elections to take the job, giving Nebraska’s governor the opportunity to fill the vacancy, the person said. Thumbnail Credit: Tasos Katopodis/Pool via REUTERS

The Republican senator from Nebraska is the "sole finalist" to be president of the University of Florida.

The wealthy New York enclave of the Hamptons is seeing over a dozen political fundraisers this month as the November midterms approach.

There is absolutely no reason to believe that fundamental rights of same-sex couples are safe.

"I've already got a great dad, thank you very much," Sasse quipped, implicitly chastising his own party for its fealty to former president Trump.

"I've already got a great dad, thank you very much," Sasse quipped, implicitly chastising his own party for its fealty to former president Trump.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and visiting U.S. lawmakers have reaffirmed their commitment to working together under a longstanding alliance at a time of heightened global tensions and threats from China and North Korea.

Ted Cruz checked his Twitter mentions and a little bit of our democracy died

A look at how TV mentions relate to campaign contributions.

Jen Psaki launched a misleading broadside against Senator Tom Cotton on Friday, arguing that he opposes sending military aid to Ukraine.

Senator Ben Sasse and Senator Chris Murphy tangled in an angry exchange on the floor of the upper chamber of Congress on Thursday.

Nuclear war isn't just diplomacy continued by other means

Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson may not get any Republican votes.

Some Democratic and Republican lawmakers say the United States is delaying providing some intelligence to Ukraine in its fight against Russia as the U.S. also seeks to limit any direct confrontation with Moscow.

At the moment, Trump is winning.

Security camera footage from Ecuador shows flooding that left 6 people dead and another 15 injured in the capital Quito.

In a forest on the outskirts of Kyiv, a group of Ukrainian civilians build shelters out of snow and tree branches as part of a crash course in survival techniques as fears swirl over a buildup of Russian troops on the border.

Team Rising discusses the latest shot fired by former President Donald Trump and at former Vice President Mike Pence, and whether either could win the GOP presidential nomination in 2024.

As diplomatic efforts are underway to ease tensions between Russia and Ukraine, regular Ukrainians are fearing a war might come to their doorstep. CBS News correspondent Holly Williams spent time with the so-called “Weekend Warriors,” a group of volunteers outside Kyiv training for a worst-case scenario.

They are just three little words, but they have become nearly impossible for many Republicans to say: “Joe Biden won.”.

Why a senator from the GOP heartland thinks today’s Trump-obsessed politics won’t stick around.

The Nebraska Republican expressed frustration at being asked about statements by other Congress members. "I don't give a shit," he said.

Festival to include interviews with Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Eric Schmidt, Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynthia “Cynt” Marshall, EPA Administrator Michael Regan, and Senators Marco Rubio and Ben Sasse.

Events begin this week on building a racial-equity ecosystem, youth mental health, climate change, and “How to Build a Happy Life”

President Joe Biden is hoping to turn the page after a summer of unrelenting crises and refocus his presidency around his core economic agenda.

After a summer of unrelenting crises, President Joe Biden is hoping to turn the page and refocus his presidency this fall around his core economic agenda.

A little-known Indiana congressman is becoming an influential voice in the Republican Party.

A bipartisan Senate report released last week details security failures surrounding the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and recommends how to fix them.

The two Bureau of Prisons workers tasked with guarding Jeffrey Epstein the night he killed himself in a New York jail have admitted they falsified records, but they will skirt any time behind bars under a deal with federal prosecutors.

But the North Carolina Republican’s vote to convict former President Donald Trump should not have come as a shock. AdWith Burr retiring at the end of his term in 2022, it’s a vote that could end up defining his career. Exactly a year later, as the Russia investigation was wrapping up, Burr’s time leading the committee came to an abrupt end. He sided with most Republicans in a vote to dismiss the trial, creating an expectation he’d also vote to acquit. AdSo when Burr stood up to vote for Trump's conviction, many in the chamber wondered if there would be other surprises.

(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)WASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday that Congress will establish an independent, Sept. 11-style commission to look into the deadly insurrection that took place at the U.S. Capitol. In a letter to Democratic colleagues, Pelosi said the House will also put forth supplemental spending to boost security at the Capitol. After former President Donald Trump’s acquittal at his second Senate impeachment trial, bipartisan support appeared to be growing for an independent commission to examine the deadly insurrection. AdInvestigations into the riot were already planned, with Senate hearings scheduled later this month in the Senate Rules Committee. An independent commission along the lines of the one that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks would probably require legislation to create.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., walks on Capitol Hill after the Senate acquitted former President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. Trump was accused of inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and the acquittal gives him a historic second victory in the court of impeachment. Investigations into the riot were already planned, with Senate hearings scheduled later this month in the Senate Rules Committee. We needed more senators with spines.”AdMcConnell told Republican senators shortly before the vote that he would vote to acquit Trump. Beutler's statement late Friday that Trump rebuffed a plea from House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy to call off the rioters was ultimately entered into the trial record.

But in the end, only seven of 50 Senate Republicans voted to convict Trump in his historic second impeachment trial on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)NEW YORK – The Republican Party still belongs to Donald Trump. But in the end, only seven of 50 Senate Republicans voted to convict Trump in his historic second impeachment trial on Saturday. Indeed, in Trump's Republican Party, there are very few willing to cross him if they harbor future political ambitions. “The authoritarian side of the Republican Party is the dominant side,” he said.

But in the end, only seven of 50 Senate Republicans voted to convict Trump in his historic second impeachment trial on Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)NEW YORK – The Republican Party still belongs to Donald Trump. But in the end, only seven of 50 Senate Republicans voted to convict Trump in his historic second impeachment trial on Saturday. Indeed, in Trump's Republican Party, there are very few willing to cross him if they harbor future political ambitions. “The authoritarian side of the Republican Party is the dominant side,” he said.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, arrives at the start of the fifth day of the second impeachment trial of former President Trump, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021 at the Capitol in Washington. (Stefani Reynolds/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON – Seven Republicans voted Saturday to convict former President Donald Trump in his Senate trial, easily the largest number of lawmakers to ever vote to find a president of their own party guilty at impeachment proceedings. AdAlso striking was the “guilty” vote by Cassidy, who was reelected in November from a deep-red state where GOP support is widespread. I voted to convict President Trump because he is guilty,” Cassidy said in a one-sentence statement issued after his vote to convict. He said he wouldn't vote against his own conscience “simply because it is politically convenient.”Romney’s “guilty” vote at Trump’s initial impeachment trial last February made him the first senator to ever vote to convict a president of the same party.

The 63-year-old auto mechanic praises Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Sasse for condemning former President Donald Trump's actions before the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. AdSasse's criticism of Trump is angering plenty of activists in deeply Republican Nebraska. He is, in effect, betting there's a political future in trying to fight for the comeback of the establishment Republican party. Limited government.”Even in Nebraska, Sasse has some reason to think there's a market for what he's selling. Meanwhile, 7% of Republicans voted for Biden, while 3% of Republicans voted for Sasse's challenger, Democrat Chris Janicek.

Trump's lawyers dismiss that precedent and say language in the Constitution is on their side. But the managers can ask for a Senate vote on calling witnesses if they so choose. While the Democrats are expected to appeal to the senators' emotions, Trump’s lawyers have signaled they will try and tap into raw partisan anger. A (LESS) CAPTIVE AUDIENCEAs they were last year, at Trump’s first impeachment trial, senators are expected to listen to every word of the arguments before they cast their votes. REPUBLICANS TO WATCHFive Republican senators voted with Democrats two weeks ago not to dismiss the trial on constitutional grounds.

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. Stacey Plaskett, D-Virgin Islands, speaks during the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. Ad“On Jan. 6, President Trump left everyone in this Capitol for dead,” said Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, a prosecutor. “Greatly disturbing.”Trump is the first president to face an impeachment trial after leaving office and the first to be twice impeached. Trump's second impeachment trial is expected to diverge from the lengthy, complicated affair of a year ago.

In this image from video, David Schoen, an attorney for former President Donald Trump, speaks during the second impeachment trial of Trump in the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021. Though the trial now proceeds, that’s a legal issue that could resonate with Republicans eager to acquit Trump without being seen as condoning his behavior. Trump attorney David Schoen turned the trial toward starkly partisan tones, saying the Democrats were fueled by a “base hatred” of the former president. On the vote, six Republicans joined with Democrats pursue the trial, just one more than on a similar vote last week. Trump's second impeachment trial is expected to diverge from the lengthy, complicated affair of a year ago.

Under COVID-19 protocols senators will distance for the trial, some even using the visitors' galleries. “This trial is one way of having that difficult national conversation about the difference between dissent and insurrection," he said. Trump's defenders are preparing to challenge both the constitutionality of the trial and any suggestion that he was to blame for the insurrection. The trial was set to break Friday evening for the Jewish Sabbath at the request of Trump's defense team, and resume Sunday. Trump's second impeachment trial is expected to diverge from the lengthy, complicated affair of a year ago.

AdMany senators including Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell immediately denounced the violence and pointed a finger of blame at Trump. Those partisan divisions appear to be hardening ahead of Trump’s trial, a sign of his continuing grip on the GOP. On Sunday, Wicker described Trump's impeachment trial as a “meaningless messaging partisan exercise." Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont will preside over the trial as Senate president pro tempore. Forty-four Republican senators sided with Paul and voted to oppose holding an impeachment trial at all.

What is certain for now is that the impeachment trial will be held after Trump has already left office. But it's still unclear exactly how the trial will proceed and if any Senate Republicans will vote to convict Trump. In the House, 10 Republicans joined Democrats in voting to impeach Trump, including Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-ranking Republican. Every single House Republican voted against Trump's first impeachment in 2019. DIFFERENT CHARGES, DIFFERENT IMPEACHMENTThis impeachment trial is likely to differ from the last one in many ways.

(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)WASHINGTON – For a second time, Republican senators face the choice of whether to convict President Donald Trump in an impeachment trial. Others to watch include GOP senators up for reelection in 2022 and several Republicans who have publicly backed impeachment. “Make no mistake: There will be an impeachment trial in the United States Senate,'' Schumer said. MURKOWSKI, TOOMEY DENOUNCE TRUMPAt least two GOP senators — Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania — have joined Romney in denouncing Trump. Portman pledged to do his duty as a juror in a Senate impeachment trial, but said he is “concerned about the polarization in our country'' and hopes to bring people together.

(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)WASHINGTON – For a second time, Republican senators face the choice of whether to convict President Donald Trump in an impeachment trial. Others to watch include GOP senators up for reelection in 2022 and several Republicans who have publicly backed impeachment. “Make no mistake: There will be an impeachment trial in the United States Senate,'' Schumer said. MURKOWSKI, TOOMEY DENOUNCE TRUMPAt least two GOP senators — Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania — have joined Romney in denouncing Trump. Portman pledged to do his duty as a juror in a Senate impeachment trial, but said he is “concerned about the polarization in our country'' and hopes to bring people together.

What is certain for now is that the impeachment trial will be held after Trump has already left office. But it's still unclear exactly how the trial will proceed and if any Senate Republicans will vote to convict Trump. In the House, 10 Republicans joined Democrats in voting to impeach Trump, including Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-ranking Republican. Every single House Republican voted against Trump's first impeachment in 2019. DIFFERENT CHARGES, DIFFERENT IMPEACHMENTThis impeachment trial is likely to differ from the last one in many ways.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is calling for congressional action to rein in President Donald Trump after inciting last week's deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol. “President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government,” reads the four-page impeachment bill. Pending impeachment, Democrats called on Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to invoke their constitutional authority under the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office before Inauguration Day. Their Democrats' House resolution was blocked by Republicans. But House Republicans are split and a few may vote to impeach.

Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday the House will proceed with legislation to impeach President Donald Trump as she pushes the vice president and the Cabinet to invoke constitutional authority force him out, warning that Trump is a threat to democracy after the deadly assault on the Capitol. The House action could start as soon as Monday as pressure increases on Trump to step aside. Trump, holed up at the White House, was increasingly isolated after a mob rioted in the Capitol in support of his false claims of election fraud. “We will act with urgency, because this President represents an imminent threat,” Pelosi said in a letter late Sunday to colleagues. After that, Pence and the Cabinet would have 24 hours to act before the House would move toward impeachment.

(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)WASHINGTON – Democrats' momentum for a fresh drive to quickly impeach outgoing President Donald Trump gained support Saturday, and a top Republican said the president's role in the deadly riot at the Capitol by a violent mob of Trump supporters was worthy of rebuke. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said he believed Trump had committed “impeachable offenses.” But he did not explicitly say whether he would vote to remove the president from office at the conclusion of a Senate trial if the House sent over articles of impeachment. “I do think the president committed impeachable offenses, but I don’t know what is going to land on the Senate floor, if anything," Toomey said. Late Saturday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to her Democratic colleagues reiterating that Trump must be held accountable — but stopped short of committing to an impeachment vote. Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I, a leader of the House effort to draft impeachment articles — or charges — accusing Trump of inciting insurrection, said his group had grown to include 185 co-sponsors.

Pelosi, addressing her hometown San Francisco constituents during an online video conference, shed no fresh light on Democrats' plans. Trump has not publicly made such threats, but officials warn of grave danger if the president is left unchecked. A person on the call said Pelosi also discussed other ways Trump might be forced to resign. ”Democratic leaders have called on Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to force Trump from office. The House impeached Trump in 2019, but the Republican-led Senate acquitted him in early 2020.

There's little chance that the Republican-led Senate would hold a trial and vote on convicting Trump in less than two weeks. Still, action by the House would still make Trump the first president in history to be impeached twice. That’s what happened in 2019, when the House impeached Trump over his dealings with the president of Ukraine. “In all of this, President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government,” the Democratic draft reads. WHAT IMPEACHMENT WOULD MEANRepublicans, even those who have criticized Trump, say impeachment would be unhelpful.

“Supporting Josh Hawley ... was the worst decision I’ve ever made in my life,” former Missouri Sen. John Danforth told The Associated Press on Thursday. “Assault on democracy: Sen. Josh Hawley has blood on his hands in Capitol coup attempt,” read the headline of the editorial. Hawley, who defeated Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill in 2018, was once celebrated by the Republican establishment as a rising star. Seated near Hawley, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney blasted those who objected to finalizing President-elect Joe Biden’s election. Now Danforth wonders how Hawley will be able to work with his Senate colleagues, even Republicans, moving forward.

“Supporting Josh Hawley ... was the worst decision I’ve ever made in my life," former Missouri Sen. John Danforth told The Associated Press on Thursday. Soon Hawley and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz were leading about 10 other senators in the effort — notably not winning over Sens. With Hawley sitting near, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney blasted those who objected to finalizing President-elect Joe Biden’s election. The student bar association at the University of Missouri law school, where Hawley taught, issued a statement calling for his resignation. Now Danforth wonders how Hawley will be able to work with his Senate colleagues, even Republicans, moving forward.

A mob of violent protesters made its way into the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, forcing police to evacuate lawmakers and delaying the constitutional process to affirm Joe Biden’s victory in the November election. Some of the reaction from around the United States and the world:British Prime Minister Boris Johnson: “Disgraceful scenes in U.S. Congress. Vice President Pence, who was evacuated from the Capitol, should seriously consider working with the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to preserve democracy." Rep. Liz Cheney, Republican from Wyoming: “We just had a violent mob assault the Capitol in an attempt to prevent those from carrying out our Constitutional duty. There is no question that the President formed the mob, the President incited the mob, the President addressed the mob.

(Samuel Corum/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON – Wednesday's congressional joint session to count electoral votes could drag late into the night as some Republicans plan to challenge Democrat Joe Biden's victory in at least six states. Under federal law, Congress must meet Jan. 6 to open sealed certificates from each state that contain a record of their electoral votes. The Constitution requires Congress to meet and count the electoral votes. The presiding officer opens and presents the certificates of the electoral votes in alphabetical order of the states. If they do not both agree, the original electoral votes are counted with no changes.

Under federal law, Congress must meet Jan. 6 to open sealed certificates from each state that contain a record of their electoral votes. The Constitution requires Congress to meet and count the electoral votes. The presiding officer opens and presents the certificates of the electoral votes in alphabetical order of the states. The appointed "tellers" from the House and Senate, members of both parties, then read each certificate out loud and record and count the votes. If they do not both agree, the original electoral votes are counted with no changes.

Under federal law, Congress must meet Jan. 6 to open sealed certificates from each state that contain a record of their electoral votes. The Constitution requires Congress to meet and count the electoral votes. The presiding officer opens and presents the certificates of the electoral votes in alphabetical order of the states. At the end, the presiding officer announces who has won the majority votes for both president and vice president. If they do not both agree, the original electoral votes are counted with no changes.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas on Saturday announced a coalition of 11 senators and senators-elect who have been enlisted for Trump's effort to subvert the will of American voters. But their challenges, and those from House Republicans, represent the most sweeping effort to undo a presidential election outcome since the Civil War. said the Republican effort to create a federal commission “to supersede state certifications" is wrong. On the other side of the Republican divide, several senators spoke out Saturday against Cruz and Hawley's effort. McConnell had previously warned GOP senators not to participate in raising objections, saying it would be a terrible vote for colleagues.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., walks back to his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020. The New York senator said “the only thing standing in the way" is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republican senators. McConnell has shown little interest in Trump's push to bolster the $600 relief checks just approved in a sweeping year-end package, declaring Congress has provided enough pandemic aid, for now. Nancy Pelosi regained the speaker's gavel after Democrats swept to the House majority in the midterm election. The Republican-led Senate acquitted Trump in 2020 of the charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Caught in the middle is Vice President Mike Pence, who faces growing pressure and a lawsuit from Trump's allies over his ceremonial role in presiding over the session Wednesday. Biden is set to be inaugurated Jan. 20 after winning the Electoral College vote 306-232. “A suit to establish that the Vice President has discretion over the count, filed against the Vice President, is a walking legal contradiction,” the department argues. The Republican leader pointedly called on Hawley to answer questions about his challenge to Biden's victory, according to two of the Republicans. When Biden was vice president, he, too, presided over the session as the Electoral College presented the 2016 vote tally to Congress to confirm Trump the winner.