John Roberts read the senators' questions as if they implicated some third person in a distant place. But they were about him, the chief justice of the United States, and how much control he might wield over witnesses in the Senate trial of President Donald Trump.

In a sign of their importance, Senate Republicans gave the opening question on Wednesday to Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitt Romney of Utah, three Republicans who hinted they could vote to hear from witnesses. But everybody's talking about the lawmaker who stayed quiet, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee.

An activist and the owners of a New York city bakery teamed up to find a sweet way to pressure Republican senators to subpoena testimony from President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, John Bolton: With cake.

The Senate is halfway through its questions to the President's legal team and the House impeachment managers — and one day closer to the key vote on witnesses. Here are the takeaways after Wednesday's session of President Donald Trump's impeachment trial:

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky expressed frustration with Republican leadership during the Senate impeachment trial Wednesday night after it was made clear Chief Justice John Roberts would not read his question that named the alleged Ukraine whistleblower, sources with knowledge of the situation said.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is expected to move quickly to acquit President Donald Trump if a closely watched vote planned for Friday to compel witnesses and documents for Trump's impeachment trial is defeated, according to Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, who is the number two Senate Republican.

On its face, the 16-hour period allocated for senators to ask questions of the House managers and President Donald Trump's legal team seemed likely to be the most interesting and informative portion of the ongoing impeachment trial.

Republican Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado, who is up for reelection this year, told a home-state news outlet that he does not want additional witnesses to be included in the Senate impeachment trial.

Senators finally get their chance to participate in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial after a week of waiting by asking questions Wednesday — a phase both sides are hoping can sway their undecided colleagues on the question of witnesses.