This shouldn’t be the last day of the impeachment trial. Live coverage #1

How much of this conversation was “Would you just shut the #$%@ up, Tommy?”

House mangers are going to ask for at least one witness! Now van der Veen claiming “there was a stipulation going around that there weren’t going to be any witnesses.” Van der Veen now says he wants “over 100 depositions.”

They will need 51 votes to get witnesses.

Van der Veen is pissed. Really wants to deliver that closing argument and go home. But sure, let’s have all the witnesses. Let’s get every damn person who ever attended a Trump rally in there. Not much I can think of that would be better than a string of Trumpies stepping up to say how “the president told us to be there.”

Rep. Raskin challenges Trump’s team to simply bring forward their client.

Van der Veen says McCarthy disclaims “the rumor” saying it didn’t happen. Now they’re saying that the conversation with Tuberville and Lee didn’t happen. Which is a lie.

I’m kind of liking just how snarly van der Veen is this morning. They really don’t want anyone to hear this evidence.

Van der Veen: “It doesn’t matter what happened after the insurgents attacked this building.” That’s not a great sale to the people who were at the pointy end of the spears.

Van der Veen now declaring that he wants Nancy Pelosi and Kamala Harris to come to his office in Philadelphia. And people are laughing at him. 

Rep. Raskin says there was never any “stipulation” about having no witnesses. Doesn’t get into the histrionics that van der Veen engaged in.

Now a roll call vote on whether to hold debate on calling witnesses or subpoenaing documents. 

The vote passes, with Collins, Murkowski, Romney, and Sasse voting with Democrats. After the vote, Lindsey Graham changed his vote to an “aye.” Why isn’t clear, but you can be sure that the reason will turn out to be jackassery.

So, by 55 — 45, the vote passes to open debate on calling witnesses. 

Witnesses themselves will also be subject to votes, and no matter what van der Veen shouts, they can do it over Zoom, or any other way, that the Senate approves. Suck it, Michael.

But the biggest point of the day may be van der Veen shouting how nothing that happened after the insurgents attacked the Capitol matters. If that wasn’t a tacit admission that the facts of how Trump handled the assault are damning, it was very near it.

For your morning entertainment.

What’s happening right now, with all the little clusters around the room, is that they’re trying to work out some sort of deal. It may be that each side gets one witness, or they may allow each side to call three witnesses, or the whole thing could fall apart and Republicans could demand a thousand witnesses.

If McConnell still has any control over his caucus, there will be some kind of deal, but that’s definitely not a sure thing.

Then Senatorial version of Where’s Waldo. Find the one jackass who isn’t wearing a mask. 

The Senate has recessed until 12:30 PM ET to give them a chance to work out what happens next.