Within the hallways of the U.S. Capitol, there is growing confidence by GOP Senators that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell can whip his caucus to block a vote on witnesses Friday.
While returning to the chamber after a short break Thursday, Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) told Cheddar he's "feeling good" about tomorrow's expected vote.
Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told reporters during the break that Republicans have the "momentum" to move to end the trial tomorrow without witnesses. "If we're able to say no [to witnesses] and go right to final judgment, we'd move in that direction and stay here until that work is decided and completed Friday evening. That's where all the momentum is now."
Still up for debate is what, exactly, happens, if the Republicans vote to end the debate on witnesses quickly.
Meanwhile, back in the chamber, lead impeachment manager Adam Schiff said witness depositions could be limited to just one week and said that the trial should not be rushed just because the State of the Union is Tuesday.
After the break, Senators asked two bipartisan questions, both of which were from senators who may still be undecided on the issue of whether to allow witnesses. First, Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) asked the defense team if the president would assure them that private citizens would not be directed to conduct foreign policy unless formally designated by the president and the State Department.
Murkowski and Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) submitted the second bipartisan question, asking if any action a president takes is inherently political and where the line is between permissible political actions and impeachable political actions.
In President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial, there was only one bipartisan question asked, which Sen. Collins had signed onto at the time.
As Republicans look towards the final passage of the tax bill, Congressman Chris Van Hollen says the bill should be scrapped.
Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) retires after allegations of sexual misconduct. The Hill's Niv Elis explains the significance of the longest-running member of the House making this announcement Tuesday.
The Long and the Short: Top trading tips, powered by TradeStation. On Opening Bell, the latest finance, tech, business, and political news.
Jack Hunter, editor of Rare Politics. and Jarad Geldner, senior adviser for the Democratic Coalition, discuss Washington's busy week. They cover everything from what could be a government shutdown on Friday, to the RNC's endorsement of Roy Moore, to the Senate's recent passing of tax reform.
Between Bells: The latest political news from Flynn to tax reform.
Danica Roem made headlines when she became the first transgender American to be elected to a state legislature. Now she's ready to focus the momentum that propelled her to victory into improving Virginia's infrastructure.
Of the 2,494 people ever to serve as a United States governor, not one has been a black woman. Cosmopolitan's Rebecca Nelson joins us to introduce us to a candidate who wants to change that: Georgia's Stacey Abrams.
President Trump is back at it on twitter again. Did he dig his own grave with a tweet about Michael Flynn over the weekend? Our political round table debates that and more in this week's edition of "Agree to Disagree."
New Hampshire was one of the first states to be hit hard by opioid addiction. Governor Chris Sununu (R) shares how he is enlisting millennials to help craft policy and fight back against the state's opioid problem.
Opening Bell: In deal that could reshape the healthcare industry, CVS agrees to buy Aetna for $69 billion. Also, Disney re-enters talks to acquire 21st Century Fox, and Bitcoin soars near $12,000. We're joined by The Daily Beast, Instagram for Business, Red Alert Politics, PCWorld, TechnoBuffalo, Nerdist, and more.
