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History repeats itself

Ashley Shaffer   | Paste BN

Former President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial is underway. Multiple people were injured in a shooting in Minnesota. And be sure to tell your conspiracy theorist friends that COVID-19 did not leak from a lab in China. 

It's Ashley with the news to know. 

But first, cat got your tongue? A lawyer was forced to tell a judge "I'm not a cat" during a hilarious Zoom kitten filter mishap. 😸

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Trump's impeachment trial has begun

They say history repeats itself, so I suppose that brings us here: Trump’s second impeachment trial kicked off Tuesday. It’s historic not only because Trump is the first president to be impeached twice, but because he stands trial after he left office. Here's what you need to know: 

How’d we get here? Why Trump was impeached a second time

The House voted to impeach the then-president one week after a pro-Trump mob ransacked the US Capitol as lawmakers voted to certify the results of President Joe Biden's victory in the November election. Five people died in the assault.

Today’s agenda: Whether the trial is constitutional 

Six Republicans joined Democrats in voting that Trump’s impeachment trial is constitutional, allowing proceedings to move forward on its opening day. Trump’s legal team argued the case should be thrown out because he is no longer in office. But Democrats countered that they do have jurisdiction to hold the proceeding against a former official, citing previous impeachment trials involving officials after they left office. Now that the trial has been deemed constitutional, the Senate is set to begin hearing evidence Wednesday. 

What are the odds: Will Trump be convicted? 

At least 17 Republican senators would need to join all 50 Democrats to convict Trump by a two-thirds majority. A conviction, though unlikely, means Trump would be barred from ever holding office again. Most Republican senators have made their positions known about the trial, but a handful of GOP senators have no official statement regarding whether they will convict or not.

5 injured in shooting at Minnesota clinic

Authorities say five people were injured and one person was in custody Tuesday after a shooting at a health clinic in Buffalo, Minnesota. The state's governor confirmed that improvised explosive devices were involved in the incident. "It was an active shooter situation and some improvised explosive devices. It’s not confirmed yet the casualties or those injured," Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Tuesday afternoon. One suspect, who appears to have acted alone, was taken into custody, Walz said. The suspect's motive was unclear. 

What everyone’s talking about

Kobe Bryant crash caused by pilot's poor decision-making, NTSB says

The National Transportation Safety Board concluded Tuesday that pilot Ara Zobayan's poor decision-making probably caused the helicopter crash involving NBA star Kobe Bryant. The NTSB found that Zobayan was flying under visual flight rules, which means he had to be able to see where he was going, but chose to fly into thick clouds, where he became spatially disoriented. Investigators also attributed fault to the company that operated the flight, citing its "inadequate review and oversight of its safety management processes." The NTSB's long-awaited findings come a little more than a year after the helicopter crashed in California, killing all nine people on board including Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna. 

It’s settled: It’s 'extremely unlikely' that COVID-19 originated in Wuhan lab

Conspiracy theorists, this one is for you: World Health Organization investigators said Tuesday that they would no longer pursue research into whether the coronavirus leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China. The WHO had spent several weeks on a fact-finding mission in Wuhan, where COVID-19 was first identified. Peter Ben Embarek, a food safety and animal diseases expert, announced that there was not enough evidence to support a hypothesis that the virus escaped from a Chinese biosafety laboratory in Wuhan – the Wuhan Institute of Virology – and that the WHO stood by its previous determination that COVID-19 most likely entered the human population through an intermediate animal. 

Real quick 

Mourning the loss of two legends 

Singer Mary Wilson, who co-founded the legendary Motown group The Supremes, died unexpectedly on Monday at her home in Henderson, Nevada. She was 76. Diana Ross, who began singing with Wilson when the two were teenagers, wrote her a touching tribute: "I am reminded that each day is a gift," Ross tweeted, adding that she has "so many wonderful memories of our time together" and knows "The Supremes' will live on, in our hearts." 

Marty Schottenheimer, a legendary NFL head coach, has died at 77. Schottenheimer posted a 200-126-1 record over 21 seasons with four teams, but is perhaps best known for suffering agonizingly close losses in the playoffs. Schottenheimer was known as a "player's coach," forming deep bonds with those who shared a locker room with him. 

A break from the news

This is a compilation of stories from across the Paste BN Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for The Short List newsletter here.

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