IMPEACHMENT TRIAL. House votes to send impeachment charges: “The 228-to-193 vote came almost a month after the House impeached Mr. Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, formally accusing him of seeking foreign election assistance from Ukraine and then trying to conceal his actions from a House inquiry. Like that earlier vote, Wednesday’s fell largely along party lines.” Rules call for vote on witnesses but no motion to dismiss. “Language to require a debate and vote on witnesses after the House impeachment managers and Trump’s lawyers have made their arguments was strongly supported by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who has come under pressure from Democrats.”
BRITNEY VAN GOGH. French gallery pranks art world with news of a Britney Spears solo exhibition.
ANYTHING SHE WANTS. Joe Biden says he’d consider Kamala Harris as VP or anything else she wants. “She’s qualified to be president, and I’d consider her for anything that she would be interested in.”
STEPHEN KING. Author says he would not consider diversity when voting for the Oscars.
CLIMATE CRISIS. 2019 was second-hottest year on record: “Last year was the second-hottest on record, government researchers confirmed on Wednesday in analyses of temperature data from thousands of observing stations around the world. They said that 2019 was only slightly cooler than 2016 and the end of what was the warmest decade yet.”
DREAMS DO COME TRUE. How Rob Lowe met Liza Minnelli at age 10.
SCOTLAND. 25-year-old with AIDS fights for life: “Ross Scott of Kirkcaldy, who is just 25, is being treated in a hospice for AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) having not known for years he had been infected with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).”
CISO. Chief Information Security Officer for Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg’s campaign resigns: “Baccio, who has been with the Buttigieg campaign since last August, told CyberScoop he left because he no longer agreed with the way senior leadership in the campaign was envisioning campaign cybersecurity.”
UNIFORMS. Defense department to consult Trump on uniforms, plans: “Besides being prepared to show Trump the logo ideas, the military leaders will be ready to talk about the subject of uniforms and to describe proposed rank structures and organizational charts, according to the Pentagon official.”
SKYWALKER OUT. Mark Hamill quits Facebook. ”So disappointed that #MarkZuckerberg values profit more than truthfulness that I’ve decided to delete my @Facebook account. I know this is a big “Who Cares?” for the world at large, but I’ll sleep better at night.’
GAS SHOWER. Delta flight dumps jet fuel on elementary school children at L.A. playground.
SCOTLAND. Edinburgh Castle lit in rainbow colours to mark the 20th anniversary of the UK military lifting the ban on gay troops.
ROBIN CAUSSE. The French actor shows off his furry birthday suit in a production of Hamlet.
BLOOPERS REEL OF THE DAY. From web comic Michael Henry.
HUMP DAY HOTTIE. PKD.
