Unless someone has been living under a rock for the past two months, Americans are well aware that Donald Trump has become the third president to be impeached. Moving forward, the Senate impeachment trial could be one of the most important events in United States history.
And yes, you should be paying attention
The House of Representatives voted on Dec.18, 2019 in favor of both articles of impeachment—the first article for abuse of power and the second article for obstruction of congress. Only three Democrats voted against the articles, while Republicans remained in alliance with each other and loyal to Trump.
The Senate impeachment trial officially began on Jan.16, 2020 and is currently ongoing. Democrats have accused Trump of withholding federal aid to Ukraine in order to start an investigation into his political opponent Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden..
The latest issue to arise from the trial has to do with former Security Advisor John Bolton and a leaked manuscript of a book he is currently writing about the president, which was made public by The New York Times. In the manuscript, Bolton asserts that “Trump wanted to keep the hold on the aid to Ukraine until there was an investigation of his political rivals.”
The Senate voted on Feb. 3 to block any new witnesses or documents related to the impeachment inquiry from appearing before the house, effectively blocking Democrats push to hear from Bolton. From here on out, Trump’s chances of acquittal are all but certain, making him the first president in history to run for reelection after being impeached by the house.
If you want to keep up with the trial as it continues on in the coming days—and possibly weeks—it is important to know what sources are out there that have the facts without bias, and others that are geared more towards one party or the other, especially during an election year.
Here are some good sources to keep up to with the impeachment trial:
- Associated Press
If you’re looking for straight facts with the least amount of bias in general, Associated Press is the news outlet you’re looking for. Established in 1846, AP has won 54 Pulitzer Prizes as it has earned itself the reputation of being the most unbiased source for the most important current events. Journalists and reporters look to AP for research purposes as well as finding new stories to write about. In the case of the trial, you will get the most straightforward facts of what is currently being said, by who, when and why, without the conservative or liberal interpretation by the reporter.
- National Public Radio
While it occasionally skews left, NPR is one of the best American-based sources you can get. Often times, their journalists are reporting back almost immediately from whatever press event they have attended as a lot of the articles include recordings and transcripts including phone calls right after the event.
- The Wall Street Journal
Similarly to NPR, The Wall Street Journal occasionally veers in the opposite direction to the right, but is right next to NPR in the content of it’s articles.