Donald Trump’s deadline to respond to his impeachment trial is looming. Here’s what that means

The clock is ticking towards former US president Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial in the wake of the Capitol riots last month.

Last week, a team of Democratic impeachment managers delivered the article of impeachment to the Senate, formalising the beginning of the trial process.

But there are still a few steps to get through before the trial actually begins, and one of those is almost due.

What is the next step in the impeachment proceedings?

Tuesday, February 2 (that’s early on Wednesday in Australia) is the deadline for Mr Trump to respond to the article of impeachment.

A summons would have been…