“Sen. Patrick Leahy was hospitalized out of an abundance of caution on Wednesday, just hours after presiding over the opening of former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial,” CNN reports.

“As the Senate president pro tempore — the longest-serving senator of the majority party — the 80-year-old Vermont Democrat is presiding over Trump’s impeachment trial in lieu of Chief Justice John Roberts. Roberts, who oversaw Trump’s first impeachment trial, chose not to oversee the proceedings because Trump is no longer in office, according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.”

Sens. Tim Kaine and Susan Collins are privately pitching their colleagues on a bipartisan resolution censuring former President Trump, Axios reports.

“Senators are looking for a way to condemn Trump on the record as it becomes increasingly unlikely Democrats will obtain the 17 Republican votes needed to gain a conviction in his second impeachment.”

“Republicans rallied en masse on Tuesday against trying former President Donald Trump for ‘incitement of insurrection,’ with only five members of his party joining Democrats in voting to go forward with the impeachment trial for his role stirring up a mob that attacked the Capitol,” the New York Times reports.

“In a 55 to 45 vote that strongly suggested that the Senate does not have the votes to convict the former president, senators narrowly killed a Republican effort to dismiss the impeachment charge as unconstitutional. The opposition of all but a handful of Republicans underscored Mr. Trump’s continued strength in the party even after his brazen campaign to overturn his election defeat, fueled by false claims of voting fraud, and he left office with his party relegated to the minority in both houses of Congress.”

“Sen. Rand Paul will force a vote Tuesday on whether putting a former president on trial for impeachment charges is constitutional,” Politico reports.

“Paul’s effort reflects the widespread belief among Republicans that the Senate should not hold an impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump because he is now a private citizen and therefore is not subject to the punishment of removal from office.”

Playbook: “This might seem like a silly procedural gambit, but it’s important: The move will trigger a vote on whether senators agree, forcing Republicans on record today over whether they even think Trump’s trial is even allowed to proceed.”

“Should more than 34 Republicans agree with Paul, it’s game over. You’ll have your answer that Trump will not be convicted.”