WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s place in the history books has been rewritten and on Wednesday, as the House voted to impeach him, the president faced his unprecedented second impeachment largely alone and silent. For more than four years, Trump has dominated the national discourse like no one before him. Yet when his legacy was set in stone with the House vote, he was left on the sidelines.

Trump kept out of sight in a nearly empty White House as impeachment proceedings played out at the heavily fortified U.S. Capitol. The suspension of his Twitter account deprived Trump of his most potent means to keep Republicans in line.

President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial could begin at 1 p.m. on Inauguration Day next Wednesday as President-elect Joe Biden is being sworn into office. That’s according to a a timeline of Senate procedure obtained by The Associated Press.

It’s the possible schedule if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sends the articles of impeachment to the Senate soon.

Trump was impeached by the House on Wednesday on a single charge of incitement to insurrection after the deadly Capitol siege last week by a pro-Trump mob. Trump is the only president ever to be impeached twice.

Pelosi, D-Calif., hasn’t said when she’ll send the impeachment charge to the Senate. Some Democrats have suggested holding back to allow Biden time to be inaugurated and to start working on his priorities first.

Biden has suggested the Senate could divide its time between the impeachment trial and confirming his Cabinet nominees and working on COVID-19 relief and other issues.

—AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro.

(Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano)

Aliquippa School voted to hire Renee D’Alessandro as the district’s payroll and benefits clerk at last night’s work session.  Her pro rated salary will be $30,000 a year with benefits.  She will begin her duties on February 15, 2021.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lady Gaga will sing the national anthem at Joe Biden’s inauguration and Jennifer Lopez will give a musical performance on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol when Biden is sworn in as the nation’s 46th president next Wednesday. The announcement of their participation comes one day after word that Tom Hanks will host a 90-minute primetime TV special celebrating Biden’s inauguration.

At the swearing-in ceremony, the Rev. Leo O’Donovan, a former Georgetown University president, will give the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance will be led by Andrea Hall, a firefighter from Georgia.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people seeking unemployment aid soared last week to 965,000, the most since late August and evidence that the resurgent virus has caused a spike in layoffs. The latest figures for jobless claims, issued Thursday by the Labor Department, remain at levels never seen until the virus struck.

Before the pandemic, weekly applications typically numbered around 225,000. Last spring, after nationwide shutdowns took effect, applications for jobless benefits spiked to nearly 7 million — 10 times the previous record high. After declining over the summer, weekly claims have been stuck above 700,000 since September.

WASHINGTON (AP) — All through downtown Washington, D.C., the primary sound for several blocks is the beeping of forklifts unloading more fencing. The FBI has warned that armed protests by violent Trump supporters are being planned in all 50 state capitals and in the nation’s capital for the days leading up to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

Between the pandemic and the security threat, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is flat-out asking people not to come to the city for the inauguration. Much of the most visible security will come in the form of more than 15,000 National Guardsmen from multiple states.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Potential threats and leads are pouring in to law enforcement agencies nationwide after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The challenge now is figuring out what’s real and what’s just noise. Investigators are combing through a mountain of online posts, street surveillance and other intelligence. The information suggests mobs could try to storm the Capitol again and includes threats to kill some members of Congress.

Security is being tightened from coast to coast. Thousands of National Guard troops are guarding the Capitol ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Governors and lawmakers are stepping up protections at statehouses too.

(WASHINGTON, DC) – Representative Conor Lamb (PA-17) issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives vote on H.Res. 24 to impeach President Donald J. Trump:

“This impeachment vote was bipartisan because it wasn’t about politics.  This is about public safety.  There is no doubt that President Trump committed the conduct in the article of impeachment.  Even though there is only one week left in his term, impeachment is necessary because Donald Trump is a clear and ongoing threat to our communities, to our military, and to our government.

“There are heavily armed groups all over the country who look to Trump for direction and carry his flag, and they continue to plot because he continues to lie about the election.  We all saw how quickly he can incite them to commit serious violence, even against a hard target like the Capitol.  That could happen again at any second over the next week.

“Trump could start pardoning the people who invaded the Capitol or do any number of dangerous things to try and distract from the attack.  If that happens, the Senate must be ready to remove him from office immediately, at a moment’s notice.  Our vote today ensures that they have the power to do exactly that.”