Gravity and divisiveness at first open impeachment hearing

The U.S. Congress opened its third set of formal impeachment hearings in modern history.

In a nationally televised session from a stately committee room, William Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, and another diplomat, George Kent, sketched out a tale of foreign policymaking distorted by President Trump’s political vendettas, leaving a country facing Russian aggression caught in the middle.

Mr. Trump’s Republican defenders dismissed the diplomats as part of a “politicized bureaucracy” who offered only hearsay and supposition, and they raged against a process they called unfair and illegitimate.

Speed-watch: The hearing went on for hours, but our video recap covers the highlights in just about four minutes. And if you have five minutes, this description by our veteran Washington reporter captures the historic moment.

More Trump challenges: The Supreme Court will most likely be faced with deciding whether Mr. Trump’s accounting firm will have to turn over eight years of his financial records to a House committee — a blockbuster case over the separation of powers.