Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is proposing to push back the start of Donald Trump’s impeachment trial by a week or more to give the former president time to review the case. 

The shift to minority status is always difficult, prompting debates over who is to blame for losing the last election. But the process is especially intense as Republicans confront profound questions about what the party stands for without Donald Trump in charge. 

A solemn and somber Inauguration Day for President Joe Biden, as well as a historic day for Vice President Kamala Harris — and the nation. Our politics team breaks it all down in this special edition of our weekly roundtable.

Now that President Joe Biden is officially in the Oval Office, it’s time to get down to work. Interest groups — made of supporters and critics alike — have a lot of expectations for the country’s 46th president. Here’s a sampling.

President Joe Biden is moving swiftly to dismantle Donald Trump’s legacy on his first day in office, signing a series of executive actions that reverse course on immigration, climate change, racial equity and the handling of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, declaring that “democracy has prevailed” and summoning American resilience and unity to confront the deeply divided nation’s historic confluence of crises.

President Joe Biden is expected to announce legislation this week that would overhaul the country’s immigration laws. The plan comes after a chaotic four years for immigration activists and lawyers under the Trump administration.

President Joe Biden calls for unity while warning against violent dissent in his inaugural address. Political speechwriters Mari Maseng Will and Jason DeSanto share their thoughts.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot praised President Joe Biden’s inaugural address Wednesday, telling WTTW News she was “grateful” to hear him deliver a soaring defense of democracy two weeks after supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Vice President Kamala Harris broke the barrier that has kept men at the top ranks of American power for more than two centuries when she took the oath Wednesday to hold the nation’s second-highest office.

The mayor on Wednesday updated the order for the fourth time to allow it to expire at 12:01 a.m. Friday. Meanwhile, the city is poised to meet state requirements to move from what officials call Tier 2 to Tier 1 on Thursday.

Troops in riot gear lined the sidewalks, but there were no crowds. Armored vehicles and concrete barriers blocked empty streets. Miles of fencing cordoned off many of the nation’s most familiar landmarks.

His presidency over, Donald Trump said farewell to Washington on Wednesday but also hinted about a comeback despite a legacy of chaos, tumult and bitter divisions in the country he led for four years.

President Donald Trump pardoned former chief strategist Steve Bannon in the final hours of his White House term as part of a flurry of clemency action that benefited more than 140 people, including rap performers, ex-members of Congress and other allies of him and his family.

A federal judge has permanently banned Illinois’ panhandling law from being enforced on the basis the statute violates the First Amendment. The case was part of a yearlong effort by advocates, including the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, to eliminate such laws.

A massive criminal justice bill is heading to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk. Approved last week by the Illinois Senate and House, the measure covers everything from police use of force to body cameras. It would also end the practice of cash bail.