Today's edition of quick hits:
* This afternoon's vote: "The Senate voted Tuesday to proceed with the impeachment trial against former President Donald Trump, with six Republicans joining all Democrats. The 56-44 vote rejects an argument from Trump's lawyers that it is unconstitutional to try a former president."
* How it began: "Following a quick procedural vote on an organizing resolution dictating the structure of the trial, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the Democrats' lead impeachment manager, announced in his initial remarks that the case against Trump 'is based on cold, hard facts.' Raskin, after telling lawmakers that they would not hear "extended lectures" from him, then played a devastating 20-minute video reel featuring the most intense moments from the Jan. 6 unrest."
* The latest update on today's shooting in Buffalo, Minnesota: "At least five people were hospitalized after a shooting at a medical clinic in Minnesota and explosives were found at the scene, authorities said."
* Quite a story: "Oldsmar, Florida, experienced one of the biggest fears in cybersecurity Friday — hackers looking to poison its water supply."
* The obvious move: "The Biden administration will begin removing all Senate-confirmed U.S. attorneys appointed during the Trump administration, with two exceptions, a senior Justice Department official said. The process, which is not uncommon, could start as early as Tuesday. They will be asked to resign."
* The latest cabinet confirmation: "The Senate voted 87-7 on Monday to confirm President Biden's pick, Denis McDonough, to serve as Veterans Affairs secretary, making him only the second non-veteran to lead the troubled department."
* Iowa: "Multiple Democratic lawmakers said the director of the Iowa Department of Public Health told them on Monday that Gov. Kim Reynolds did not ask for the department's input before removing the state's limited mask mandate. The department and the governor's office did not deny these reports."
* What a mess: "Dominion Voting Systems hired private investigators and tracked the pro-Trump attorney Sidney Powell across state lines after she evaded service of a massive lawsuit for 'weeks,' attorneys for the voting machine company claimed in a Tuesday filing."
* I'd almost forgot about the Stephanie Winston Wolkoff story: "The Justice Department has abandoned an arguably unprecedented lawsuit seeking to confiscate the proceeds of a book written by an aide to former First Lady Melania Trump."
* South Dakota: "When it came time to cast their ballots, more than 54 percent of South Dakota voters took to the polls in November in favor of a constitutional amendment to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. But on Monday, a South Dakota circuit judge appointed by Gov. Kristi L. Noem (R) rejected that change, arguing that it would have 'far-reaching effects on the basic nature' of the state's government to the point of being unconstitutional."
* Seems like a question in need of an answer: "A House committee investigating conservative social media site Parler on Monday demanded answers about its ownership, possible ties to Russia and whether the company offered a significant stake to former president Donald Trump to entice him to join the platform."
* I've long believed semicolons are underrated: "There are very few opportunities in life to have it both ways; semicolons are the rare instance in which you can; there is absolutely no downside."
See you tomorrow.