We begin with the federal government facing a shutdown, now just two days away. But today, House Republicans were focused on other issues. Principally, the first hearing in the impeachment inquiry of President J.B. House leaders are accusing the president of corruption and abuse of office, while Democrats say the entire process is an evidence-free waste of time. In testimony, some of the GOP’s own witnesses did not agree with those who invited them saying there is not enough evidence to support articles of impeachment.

There was little new evidence presented during this impeachment hearing, and Democrats blasted Republicans for holding it while the government is in danger of shutting down. After months of investigation, House Republicans began their first impeachment proceeding seeking to tie President B to his son H and his family’s business dealings. The White House has denied any wrongdoing, and minutes into the hearing, the panel’s own GOP witnesses knocked some of the allegations down. Democrats mocked the hearing as a sham. And they called it a distraction from the looming government shutdown with the countdown clock ticking by the minute. Leaders in both chambers to advance separate short-term funding packages. If they fail to pass, a partial shutdown could result in shuttered national parks, hundreds of thousands of federal workers, and essential employees like the military, federal law enforcement and TSA forced to work without pay.