Did the original scope memo from Rod Rosenstein in May 2017 authorize Team Mueller to investigate allegations in the Steele Dossier?…  Allegations that were already debunked by the FBI four months earlier in mid-January 2017?

There’s more than a little irony in this brief CNN soundbite where Evan Perez is discussing the FBI’s fraudulent FISA applications.  On January 10th, 2017, it was the same Evan Perez along with CNN’s Jim Sciutto, who were operating as conduits from the FBI ‘small group’ to push the Steele Dossier as a valid investigative document. {Go Deep}
Evan Perez, Jim Sciutto, Jake Tapper and Carl Bernstein were working together with the FBI group headed by James Comey, to push the legitimacy of the Steele Dossier.
While the CNN crew was coordinating with the FBI; literally two days before the FBI renewed the FISA warrant on January 12th; and shortly after CNN pushed the narrative; FBI agents visited the U.K, interviewed Steele’s primary sub-source and determined the dossier was garbage.   It was the Steele Dossier being identified as garbage that made the FISA renewals invalid…. the same Dossier that Evan Perez was promoting in 2017:

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Inspector General Michael Horowitz informs us in his report the FBI determined the dossier was bunk “shortly after” the January 12, 2017, FISA renewal.
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During a Senate trial break President Trump attorney Jay Sekulow gives a short presser to rebut some of the more egregious disinformation from the House prosecutors.
Sekulow smartly connects the lengthy Schiff prosecution point about foreign interference in U.S. elections to Nellie Ohr, the wife of the third ranking DOJ official, Bruce Ohr, working for Fusion-GPS and Hillary Clinton while contracting with British and Ukraine  officials for an investigation into Donald Trump.  ie. actual foreign interference.

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Additionally, on a housekeeping and scheduling note, Sekulow states the Senate has requested an accommodation from the defense to limit opening to 10am-1pm on Saturday.  So the defense segment will begin at 10am tomorrow then break after three hours and resume on Monday January 27th.
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President Trump personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani appears on Fox and Friends to discuss the scale and scope of corruption he has identified within the story of how Joe Biden and Hunter Biden laundered money from Ukraine for their own financial interests.
Giuliani highlights a January 2016 meeting in the White House between Eric Ciaramella (2020 CIA Whistle-blower) while on the National Security Council, and several members from the former Ukraine government, where the Obama administration and Ukraine officials entered into an agreement to frame dirt against Donald Trump and his campaign.

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Rudy Giuliani Website Launch HERE

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The Coronavirus was first first diagnosed in China less than a month ago. On Thursday (U.S.) / Friday (Beijing) the Chinese government stated they have confirmed cases of 830 patients and the death toll has risen to 25.
The virus has infected more than a dozen people outside China around the world, mostly in Asia. However, the first U.S. case has been reported in Texas who traveled to the epicenter of the outbreak, Wuhan City, China.

A total of 18 million people are now under quarantine in China.

(Via CNBC) […] Local authorities in China have quarantined Wuhan and Huanggang, which have a combined population of 17 million. Including Wuhan where the virus was first identified, travel bans were in effect Thursday for at least eight cities.
[…] The previously unknown, flu-like coronavirus strain is believed to have emerged from an animal market in central Wuhan city.

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Representative Elise Stefanik is a member of President Trump’s defense team.  In this interview the issue of the deficient articles is raised surrounding witnesses.
House witnesses who gave testimony when the articles were framed could be considered appropriate, if needed, when debating those articles in the Senate.  However, witnesses not called by the House; and therefore not used in the assembly of the articles being debated in the Senate; are not valid for consideration.

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It is not the responsibility of the Senate, nor is it constitutionally valid, for the Senate to attempt to rehabilitate improperly constructed articles simply because the House refused to assemble with due diligence.  Any evidence, including witnesses, that falls outside the originating assembly of the two House articles should be considered null and void.
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Lee Zeldin, Mike Johnson, Mark Meadows and Elise Stefanik appear for a quick presser during the impeachment hearings.
Zeldin notes that Adam Schiff has claimed Ukraine interference in the 2016 U.S. election is “conspiracy theory“; then Zeldin cites specific examples of Ukraine activity the media are well aware of.  After calling out the media examples, Mr. Zeldin challenges them to debunk him….. the media are silent. WATCH:

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An interesting ruling, brief and order from the FISA Court (Judge Boasberg) released today [pdf here] reflects an admission by the DOJ the 2nd and 3rd FISA renewal against U.S. person Carter Page were invalid.

The “DOJ assesses that with respect to the applications in [April and June 2017] “if not earlier, there was insufficient predication to establish probable cause to believe that [Carter]Page was acting as an agent of a foreign power.””

The original FISA application was October 21st, 2016.  The first FISA renewal was January 12, 2017 (84 days from origination).  The second renewal was April 7, 2017 (85 days from prior renewal).  The third renewal was on June 29th, 2017 (83 days from prior renewal).
The DOJ has now attested to the FISC the FISA application on April 7, 2017, and the FISA application of June 29th were invalid.  However, the DOJ has not taken a position on the validity of the original application, Oct 21, 2016, or the first renewal of January 12, 2017.
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There will be 24 hours of presentation by House Impeachment Managers (over 3 days); 24 hours of presentation by Defense team (over 3 days); 16 hours of Senate questioning; 4 hours of closing arguments, equally divided; and then a Senate debate/vote on further motions to include witnesses. If there are going to be witnesses, they will first be deposed prior to testimony. No witness testimony will be permitted without first being deposed.
The Senate Trial continues today with the third day opening session at 1:00pm EST.  Today is the second 8 hr day of arguments by House Impeachment Managers.
PBS Livestream Link – Fox10 News Livestream Link – Fox Business – CSPAN Link

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As 21 different state attorneys general noted earlier today, there are several reasons why the impeachment effort is unconstitutional.  These are not process arguments; they are factual arguments central to the constitutional framework of our government.
The failure of a full House vote to authorize the House Judiciary Committee to pursue evidence -via enforceable subpoenas- was a defect by design of Nancy Pelosi’s decision to initiate an impeachment inquiry by her decree, not an authorizing vote.  White House lawyer Patrick Philbin explains the legal issue; this could be the lead argument in the defense case when it starts.  [Video prompted to 03:20]

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CTH noted this structural issue last August, and the issue remained throughout the heavily manipulated proceedings. None of the House requests for testimony or documents held any enforcement authority because the House did not follow the constitutional process.
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President Trump’s co-lead counsel, Jay Sekulow, discusses his perspective on the opening arguments for the House impeachment case.   As Sekulow notes, so far the House appears to be attempting to leverage impeachment for a difference in foreign policy outlooks:

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