Image source, Senate Television via Getty Images

White House Counsel and veteran attorney Pat Cipollone begins his defence of President Trump, speaking at a measured pace.

"The president did absolutely nothing wrong," he says.

Democrats are "asking you not only to overturn the results of the last election... they're asking you to remove President Trump from the ballot in the election that's occurring in approximately nine months," he says, echoing a line heard from many Republicans.

Think of the "the consequences for our country" wrought by impeachment, he said.

Democrats are "asking you to do something that no Senate has ever done," Cipollone says. "And they're asking you to do it with no evidence."

Although two US presidents were impeached before Mr Trump, he would be the first to be removed from office.

Image source, Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images

President Trump's defence is being led by two men - White House lawyer Pat Cipollone and personal lawyer to the president, Jay Sekulow.

Before joining the White House, Cipollone was a partner at Kirkland and Ellis - the largest law firm in America. Trump typically surrounds himself with lawyers whom he considers good on television. But Cipollone - privately described by the president as the "strong, silent type" - is better known for his work behind the scenes.

Though some colleagues have applauded Cipollone for his work at the White House, nearly two dozen of his former classmates from the University of Chicago Law School signed a letter saying his position on impeachment "distorts the law and the Constitution".

Sekulow is the chief counsel at the American Center for Law & Justice, a conservative organisation. He is known to have deep ties to the evangelical community.

The longtime Trump loyalist has argued in front of the US Supreme Court a number of times - including staunch defences of religious freedoms.

For the president, Sekulow served as a key figure in Trump's legal team during the Mueller inquiry.

Michael Stenger, the sergeant-at-arms, has opened proceedings in the Senate chamber and Chief Justice Roberts has said to Trump's team: "The Senate will now hear from you."

Image source, Senate Television/ Getty Images

Democratic Representative Adam Schiff ended three days of prosecution testimony on Friday. Here are some key quotes:

• On the need to not rush proceedings: “This is no parking ticket we are contesting, no shoplifting case we are prosecuting. It is a matter of high crimes and misdemeanours"
• On the historical significance of the trial: "I think of how unforgiving history can be of our conduct... I believe this may be one of those moments, a moment we never thought we would see, when the democracy was gravely threatened not from without but from within”
• Appealing to Republicans to defect: “Real political courage doesn’t come from disagreeing with our opponents but from disagreeing with our friends, and with our own party.”
• His concluding remarks, appealing for fairness: "Americans get a fair trial. And so I ask you, I implore you, give America a fair trial. Give America a fair trial. She's worth it."

The president is not happy about the weekend time slot assigned to his defence team - calling it "Death Valley in TV" earlier this week.

But he still wants to make sure the American public is tuning in.

In his first tweet on Saturday about the impeachment trial, the president assailed notable Democrats with some of his favourite nicknames - "Nervous" Nancy Pelosi, "Shifty" Adam Schiff, "Cryin'" Chuck Schumer and "dumb" Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - before listing the TV stations broadcasting his lawyers's arguments.

When Republicans shortened the time given to the trial on Saturday, the president's lawyers denied it had anything to do with TV audiences.

Image source, FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images

Tuesday saw a mammoth tussle between Democrats and Republicans over the rules of the trial. Proceedings didn’t end until the early hours - after almost 13 hours of rancorous debate in which 11 Democrat-backed motions were blocked.

They wanted witnesses like John Bolton to appear to give evidence. They lost that fight but the issue will come up again next week.

It was decided that both sides would get three days to present their case. The House managers - the Democrats prosecuting the case - opened their arguments on Wednesday.

The prosecution spent Thursday explaining why the President Trump’s actions on Ukraine should lead to his conviction and removal from office. They also tried to debunk claims the president has made about Joe and Hunter Biden. Part of a powerful speech by Rep Adam Schiff, who is leading the prosecution, got a lot of attention online.

He told Senators they could not trust the president to do best for the country, only himself, and told them they must find the president guilty and remove him: “Because right matters and the truth matters. Otherwise, we are lost.”

Friday was the final day of the prosecution’s case and they focused on the obstruction charge. Mr Schiff closed his side's defence with a speech that we will break down for you shortly.

Read more on the trial so far

Take your pick on what you need to know...

SIMPLE GUIDE:If you want a basic take on what's going on

GO DEEPER: Here's a 100, 300 and 800-word summary of the story

WHAT'S IMPEACHMENT? It's a political process to remove a president - video guide

IMPEACHMENT QUESTIONS? We’ve got answers

CONTEXT: Why Ukraine matters to the US

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK: Here's a recap

OK, let's bring you up to speed on the big picture.

Trump was impeached on 18 December on allegations he abused his power and obstructed Congress by withholding documents and witnesses.

This is not a criminal process but he now he faces a trial in the Senate over whether he should be removed from office.

The abuse of power charge centres on the allegation he pressured Ukraine's leader to dig up damaging information on a political rival, Joe Biden, and whether he withheld vital military assistance to do it.

Democrats also accuse him of obstructing the work of Congress in investigating all this, by blocking documents sought by the impeachment inquiry, and banning members of staff from co-operating.

The 100-seat Senate is controlled by 53 Republicans, making it highly unlikely that Trump will be voted out of office.

Image source, Getty Images

On the final day of the first week of President Donald's Trump impeachment trial, his lawyers will begin their defence.

The US Senate will begin proceeedings at 10am local time (1500 GMT) and we will bring you all the action from the floor plus all the reaction, analysis and context that you need.