PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. His second impeachment trial will begin the week of Feb. 8. (Gage Skidmore/Flickr).

The impeachment case against former president Donald Trump went from the U.S. House of Representatives to the U.S. Senate Monday, setting up what seems certain to be an epic political battle.

Trump is the only president ever to be impeached twice. To be convicted, two-thirds of the Senate must concur. Since the Democrats hold 50 of the 100 seats, 17 Republicans must agree. Although Trump’s approval rating in most polls sunk to around 35 percent after the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, he is still popular with large numbers of the GOP base.

The trial will start the week of Feb. 8. The delay was agreed to by both parties to give the Senate the chance to consider and – probably – confirm the cabinet nominations of President Joe Biden.

Trump faces one charge of “incitement to insurrection.” Democrats generally feel that despite his being out of office, the former president “needs to be held accountable.” Republican argue that conducting such a trial for a person who is now again a private citizen is not the intended purpose of the impeachment process.

The News: Transgender ban is reversed

President Joe Biden signed an executive order Monday overturning a policy introduced by former president Donald Trump barring transgendered persons from serving in the U.S. military. “What I’m doing is enabling all qualified Americans to serve their country in uniform,” he said.

TREASURY PICK WINS: The U.S. Senate on Monday approved Janet Yellen as the new secretary of the treasury on a bipartisan 84-15 vote. She is the former chair of the Federal Reserve.

VIRUS RECEDING? The number of deaths and cases of coronavirus in the United States are showing declines, according to the Associated Press. Current counts show about 3,100 deaths a day, compared to 3,350 two weeks ago. New cases are averaging 170,000 a day compared to 250,000 on Jan. 11.

Sports: King James back in Ohio

The Los Angeles Lakers are in Cleveland tonight to take on the Cavaliers. It’ll be another reunion for LeBron James, who had two tours on the Cuyahoga River. The Cavs are decent this year at 8-8, but the Lakers are again red-hot with a 13-4 record.