Welcome to Friday, January 17th, swords and shields...

The Senate has opened the third presidential impeachment trial in U.S. history.

The chief justice was sworn in as the presiding officer. The senators swore to do "impartial justice." The House impeachment managers read the charges against President Donald Trump.

Chief Justice Roberts vowed to conduct Trump’s impeachment trial “according to the Constitution and the laws."

The charges: Trump leveraged military and diplomatic aid to Ukraine in exchange for 1) investigations into former vice president Joe Biden and his son, Hunter; 2) a debunked conspiracy theory alleging Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election.

The Democratic-led House voted that the president obstructed Congress and abused his power of office in regards to his conduct with Ukraine and the subsequent investigation.

Republicans argue that Trump committed no offenses worthy of impeachment.

The trial began the same day the U.S. Government Accountability Office - a federal watchdog agency - announced that the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) violated the law when it withheld military aid to Ukraine.

Should the Senate vote to impeach President Donald J. Trump? Click below and tell your Senators:

Under the Radar

Trump Announces Protections for Prayer in Schools

President Trump on Thursday announced a series of policies designed to empower students who want to pray in their schools. The U.S. Education Department is also proposing a rule to strengthen the rights of religious student groups at public universities.

"Our actions today will protect the constitutional rights of students, teachers, and faith-based institutions," Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said in a statement.

“Once again, the Trump administration is putting the personal beliefs of taxpayer-funded service providers above the needs of vulnerable children, families, and people they serve,” said Rev. Stan J. Sloan, chief executive of Family Equality.

Do you support prayer in public schools?