March 20 top stories
It is March 20. Ready for today’s top stories?
Trump says he expects to be arrested
Donald Trump said on Saturday that he expects to be arrested on Tuesday (tomorrow) in Manhattan over his alleged role in the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels. Trump called on his supporters to protest.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is leading the investigation. DA Alvin Bragg wrote an email to his staff saying that they do not tolerate attempts to intimidate their office. Bragg said his office is working with the New York Police Department to make sure they are prepared and to investigate any threats.
What is this case about? If you remember, Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer, paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 during the 2016 presidential campaign to make sure she wouldn’t speak out about an affair she allegedly had with Trump. Cohen said the payment was to make sure that Stormy Daniels wouldn’t hurt Trump’s chances of winning the 2016 election. Cohen said Trump instructed him to make the payment.
Federal prosecutors raided Cohen’s offices during an investigation into this payment and said it broke federal campaign finance laws because the payments were illegal, unreported assistance to Trump’s campaign. Cohen pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison, but served most of his time in home confinement.
The Manhattan DA’s office may bring a criminal case against Trump on the basis that he falsified business records by covering up a reimbursement to Cohen under the guise of attorney fees.
If Trump is indicted tomorrow, it will be the first time that any U.S. president has faced criminal charges. He said he would continue to run for the 2024 Republican nomination for the presidency regardless.
Several powerful Republicans in the House are asking DA Bragg to provide testimony and documents related to their investigation on Trump. House Republicans said Bragg is abusing his power.
Actor Lance Reddick dies at 60
Actor Lance Reddick, who was known for his roles on “The Wire,” “Fringe,” and “John Wick,” passed away on Friday morning. He was 60.
His spokesperson said he died of natural causes. Reddick was born and raised in Baltimore and went to Yale University’s drama school before rising to fame as an actor.
There are many heartfelt tributes on social media over Reddick’s death.
Reddick leaves behind a wife and two children.
2 hurt in shooting outside of Dallas-area high school
There was a shooting outside of a Dallas-area high school this morning around 6:55 a.m. before many students arrived. One boy student was injured by a bullet and a second person, a girl, was injured by debris from the shooting. The high school’s name is Lamar High School.
Police said the suspected shooter never entered the high school and was arrested after police arrived on the scene. It is not known who the shooter is, but he is a juvenile and a student at the school.
It was the high school’s first day back to classes after spring break. The school was placed on lockdown and students were released at noon.
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Chinese President Xi visits Russia, Putin
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Russia today for a three-day visit. Both countries plan to discuss increasing their economic and political cooperation and the war in Ukraine. Xi and Putin talked for at least four hours today in Moscow.
CNBC said Ukraine and Western allies are watching to see if China will move to provide military support to Russia, which may bring sanctions against China from the West.
In separate news, the European Union said it would provide Ukraine with 1 million artillery shells for their defense. The U.S. approved a new security package for Ukraine that is worth $350 million.
UN report says greenhouse gas emissions are increasing
A United Nations panel on climate change said in a recent report that greenhouse gas emissions are continuing to increase, bringing negative impacts around the world.
The report said emissions in 2019 were about 12% higher than they were in 2010 and 54% higher than they were in 1990. As a result, there are many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe, leading to losses and damages to nature and people.
The report said the world must reach net zero by the early 2050s to limit global warming. This means any manmade carbon or greenhouse gas emissions have to be eliminated or removed. The panel said it is concerned that the world is doing too little, saying we are walking when we should be sprinting.
The UN said oil and gas companies should present plans on how they will transition away from the fossil fuel business in favor of renewable energy, but the industry doesn’t seem to want to move quickly in that direction.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://apnews.com/article/lance-reddick-dies-f088c69b89de428bef8240f8aaa3c20e
https://www.axios.com/2023/03/20/ipcc-report-global-warming-narrow-window