海角大神

Today's stories explore a collective sense of loss amid wildfire in Australia, a recurring thread in U.S. Mideast strategy, a new battlefront in the gun-rights debate, a power struggle between two factions within Shia Islam, and the 10 best books of January.聽But first, some thoughts from Washington.

鈥淭hese are the times that try men鈥檚 鈥� and women鈥檚 鈥� souls,鈥� Thomas Paine might have written today.聽

Indeed, it鈥檚 a sad moment when the Senate has to consider the fate of a president. But we can also think of President Donald Trump鈥檚 impeachment trial, which begins in earnest Tuesday, as a learning opportunity. It is, after all, only the third such trial in American history 鈥� a process that will test the system of self-governance the Founding Fathers聽laid out.聽

One such test centers on transparency. Journalists are protesting that include limits on their ability to talk to senators outside the Senate chamber. Cable news is planning gavel-to-gavel coverage, but at key moments, the Senate could go into 鈥渃losed session鈥� to debate important questions and, ultimately, conduct final deliberations.聽

Limits on press movement are one thing, but the should come as no surprise. They occurred during the trials of both Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. Sometimes private discussion represents the greater good.聽

But even at a solemn time, there鈥檚 room for levity (or farce). After signing the articles of impeachment over to the Senate聽Wednesday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi . Republicans were in high dudgeon. At least there were no typos on the Pelosi pens. During the Clinton impeachment, the GOP souvenir pens said 鈥淯ntied States.鈥澛�