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Trump is acquitted despite a bipartisan majority voting to convict and a few last-minute witness surprises, Republicans can’t quit Trumpism, and Democrats look to pass reforms that would save democracy. Then Heather McGhee talks to Jon Lovett about her new book The Sum of Us, What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together.

Trump’s Acquitted, 57-43

• CNN: Trump acquitted for second time following historic Senate impeachment trial
• NYT: Trump Acquitted of Inciting Insurrection, Even as Bipartisan Majority Votes ‘Guilty’
• WaPo: Trump acquitted on impeachment charge of inciting deadly attack on the Capitol
• WaPo: Trump calls impeachment case a ‘witch hunt’ and hints at a political return 
• Slate: Democrats Back Down, Reach Deal to Not Call Witnesses in Trump Impeachment Trial
• Politico: Inside Democrats’ witness fiasco 
• WaPo: Late-night talks and a moment of chaos: Inside the Democrats’ eleventh-hour decision to forgo impeachment witnesses
• NPR: ‘No Regrets’: House Managers Defend Their Decision Not To Call Witnesses 
• Vox: “We got what we wanted”: Democrats defend the decision not to call impeachment witnesses
• NBC News: Democrats defend lack of witnesses: ‘We needed more senators with spines’ 
• WaPo: Who is Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, whose tweet upended Trump’s impeachment trial?
• AP: Support grows for Capitol riot inquiry after Trump acquittal
• The Guardian: US lawmakers call for 9/11-style commission to investigate Capitol riot
• NYT: Calls Grow for Commission to Investigate Capitol Riot 
• WaPo: With impeachment over, 9/11 probe leaders lend weight to calls for an independent commission to investigate Capitol attack
• Lawfare: Nine Questions for the Capitol Insurrection Commission
• NYT: One Legacy of Impeachment: The Most Complete Account So Far of Jan. 6 
• Vox: 7 Senate Republicans vote to convict Trump — the most bipartisan impeachment trial verdict ever
• USA Today: 7 Republican senators bucked their party and voted to convict Trump at his impeachment trial. Here’s how they explained their votes
• CNN: These Republicans voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial 
• WaPo Analysis: An incomparable historic rebuke of a president by his own party 
• Politico: Trump on path to acquittal despite stunning evidence 
• NPR: 7 GOP Senators Voted To Convict Trump. Only 1 Faces Voters Next Year 
• NYT: Why Seven Republican Senators Voted to Convict Trump
• Vox: Two Republicans who voted for Trump’s conviction were immediately censured 
• Politico: Up in ’22, Murkowski readies to face impeachment vote fallout
• NYT: McConnell, Denouncing Trump After Voting to Acquit, Says His Hands Were Tied 
• Vox: Mitch McConnell’s speech shows he’s willing to condemn Trump — but not when it matters
• Rev: Mitch McConnell Speech Transcript After Vote to Acquit Trump in 2nd Impeachment Trial 
• WSJ: McConnell, Atop a Fractious Party, Is Open to Jumping Into Primary Races 
• Politico: McConnell’s next chapter: Guiding the post-Trump GOP
• WaPo Analysis: McConnell would have happily considered finding Trump guilty, were it not for Mitch McConnell 
• NYT Op-ed: Impeachment’s Over. Bring On the Criminal Investigations. 
• NY Mag: Republican Senators Are Asking the Courts to Take Care of Trump for Them
• CNN: Trump has privately voiced concern about being charged related to January 6 riot 
• ABC News: Impeachment trial solidified views on Trump conviction: POLL
• LA Times: GOP grapples with future in Congress and beyond after Trump impeachment trial
• WaPo: Trump’s acquittal further polarizes factions within the GOP
• NYT: Americans Support Convicting Trump, but Only Narrowly
• CNN: Graham says he spoke to Trump after his acquittal and the former President is ‘excited’ about 2022 
• The Hill: Graham: Lara Trump is biggest winner of impeachment trial
• NYT: Nikki Haley Slams Trump’s Election Claims: ‘We Shouldn’t Have Followed Him’ 
• Politico: Nikki Haley’s Time for Choosing

Democracy Reform 

• Brennan Center for Justice: Annotated Guide to the For the People Act of 2021
• The Intercept: THE “FOR THE PEOPLE ACT” WOULD MAKE THE U.S. A DEMOCRACY
• Esquire: If We Don’t Pass H.R. 1, ‘We Are F*cked as a Nation’
• NY Mag: Democrats Push Voting-Rights Expansion With Fresh Urgency
• Mother Jones: The Insurrection Was Put Down. The GOP Plan for Minority Rule Marches On.
• The Atlantic: American Democracy Is Only 55 Years Old—And Hanging by a Thread
• The Atlantic: The GOP Cheat Code to Winning Back the House
• Axios: Dozens of states see new voter suppression proposals 
• WaPo Opinion: Opinion: The GOP response to losing in 2020? Make it harder to vote. Again. 
• NYT: The Gerrymander Battles Loom, as G.O.P. Looks to Press Its Advantage 
• The Atlantic: The Decision That Will Define Democrats for a Decade
• NYT: How Gerrymandering Will Protect Republicans Who Challenged the Election 
• Crooked.com: PollerCoaster: Why Democrats Must Go Big 
• Data for Progress: 67 PERCENT OF AMERICANS SUPPORT H.R.1 FOR THE PEOPLE ACT 
• Brennan Center for Justice: Momentum for Democracy Reform Across the Country 
• The New Republic: Arizona’s Democratic Senators Are Already Angering the Left 
• Politico: The most influential Democrat you never hear from
• Mother Jones: Joe Manchin Backed Filibuster Reform a Decade Ago. What Changed?
• FiveThirtyEight: What Democrats Can’t Do As Long As The Filibuster Remains In Place — And What They Can
• WaPo Opinion: Opinion: Democrats are faced with a choice. Protect the filibuster or protect democracy.
• WaPo Opinion: Opinion: Now is the wrong time for Democrats to skip town
• Center for American Progress: Momentum Grows for Bold Democracy Reform 
• WaPo Opinion: Opinion: Can some sort of voting reform pass?
• WaPo Opinion: Opinion: Why democracy reform is good for Republicans, too
• Buzzfeed News: Progressives Are Just Getting Started On Their Fight To Abolish The Filibuster 
• Mother Jones: The Senate Has Used the Filibuster to Block Civil Rights Bills for Decades. 
• AP: Democrats make federal election standards a top priority 
• WaPo Opinion: Opinion: An early move from Democrats seeks to undo an ugly part of Trump’s legacy
• The Hill: Senate Democrats make democracy reform first bill of new majority
•  Mother Jones: How Joe Biden Can Reverse Republican Attacks on Democracy

For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here.
For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com.