* That video: If you watch only one thing that comes out of the first day of the trial, you need to make it the 13-minute video presented by the Democratic House managers at the start of their argument. It juxtaposed the proceedings in the House and Senate on January 6 with the gathering riot happening outside. It was at turns terrifying, maddening, frustrating and just plain old sad. "I don't know whether to cry or throw up," tweeted CNN contributor Amanda Carpenter about the video. I felt the same way. But I was also left without any doubt that what happened on January 6 could have been much, much worse if the rioters had been able to get their hands on Vice President Mike Pence or any members of Congress. And they didn't miss doing so by much. Whether you love Donald Trump or hate him, spend 13 minutes watching the video. It provides indisputable evidence of the hate that Trump unleashed -- and not only the damage it did but also the damage it might have done.

* 2024: Before either side began to make its case, the Senate held a vote on a rule package designed to govern the proceedings. That organizing resolution was the result of weeks of negotiations between leaders of both parties. It was a bipartisan effort. And yet, 11 Republican senators still voted against it. And three among those 11 stood out to me: Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas), Josh Hawley (Missouri) and Marco Rubio (Florida). What do they have in common? All three want to run for president in 2024. And all three clearly made the calculation that in order to have a chance at emerging as a favorite of the Trump coalition -- assuming the 45th President doesn't run again -- they needed to not just vote to acquit Trump (as they are all expected to do) but also object to even the idea of having a trial for the former President at all. (It's kind of like this scene from "And Justice for All.") It's worth noting that Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse voted for the rules -- but he is already positioned as running as a sort of anti- or post-Trump candidate.