The Senate will take up Donald Trump's impeachment next week, essentially bringing a halt to the body's business. Given that Majority Mitch McConnell has shut down legislating anyway, that's not going to be much of a blow. What won't be happening, thanks to Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris's intervention, is more Trump court-packing by McConnell and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham. There won't be committee hearings during the trial. The three-day MLK holiday weekend will be a busy one, however, for the prosecution and defense. Here's the schedule as we know it so far: The House is required to file its trial brief by 5 PM ET on Saturday afternoon. Trump has until Monday to file his trial brief. The House will file a rebuttal to Trump on Tuesday. The Senate reconvenes at 12:30 PM Tuesday afternoon, and the Senate court convenes for the trial at 1 PM. What happens from there is uncertain. As of Thursday afternoon, McConnell had not shared the text of the trial procedures with Senate Democrats. Democratic leader Chuck Schumer plans to force votes for calling witnesses at the outset on Tuesday. They want a minimum of four witnesses, including former national security adviser John Bolton and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney. McConnell has a plan, abetted by «moderates» like Sen. Susan Collins to defeat that vote by postponing any votes on witnesses or documents until after the presentation of the case by the House and the rebuttal by Trump's lawyers. At this point, that's kabuki—his Republicans are all primed to say they've heard enough to vote, and to vote to acquit. It's possible there could be enough new bombshells in the case, a la Lev Parnas, to weigh on the necessary four Republican senators to flip that scenario, but it's not very probable. Read more