Monday morning news: April 3, 2023

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Trump » Former President Donald Trump is expected to be arraigned in Manhattan tomorrow.

Trump attorney Joe Tacopina says the sooner, the better.

JOE TACOPINA: We’re ready for this fight, and I look forward to moving this thing along as quickly as possible to exonerate him.

The Secret Service will follow Trump as his fingerprints and mugshot are taken. He is not expected to be handcuffed.

Trump plans to return to Florida after the arraignment and will deliver remarks tomorrow night from his Mar-a-Lago resort.

Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy reacted on Sunday:

BILL CASSIDY: No one should be above the law, but no one should be a target of the law. As Bill Barr has said, this is less about the crime and more about the target.

Trump insists he committed no crime. The indictment is believed to stem from payments he allegedly made to silence reports about extramarital affairs.

Asa Hutchinson running for president » Meantime, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson is calling on Trump to drop out of the race, just as Hutchinson jumps in.

He told ABC’s This Week, the Trump’s indictment creates—in his words—“too much of a sideshow and distraction,” and that he intends to provide voters with another Trump alternative.

ASA HUTCHINSON: I’m convinced that people want leaders that appeal to the best of America and not simply appeal to our worst instincts.

Hutchinson recently completed two terms as governor.

He joins a Republican field that also includes former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

Tornadoes/weather » Deadly tornadoes tore through the United States over the weekend, killing at least 32 people from the South to the Northeast.

An EF-3 tornado ripped apart portions of Little Rock.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin:

TIM GRIFFIN: Any loss of life is horrible. But we’re fortunate that it was not many, many, many more, because there are indeed complete neighborhoods devastated.

At least 5 people were killed in Arkansas.

Meantime, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has declared a state of emergency in his state… where severe weather has killed at least 5 people.

J.B. PRITZKER: This will facilitate the delivery of resources to these communities, those who have been affected. I've also spoken with the federal FEMA Director and the Secretary of Homeland Security in Washington in pursuit of additional federal resources.

Tornadoes were suspected or confirmed in at least 11 states.

Six killed in shelling in Ukraine / new US aid announced for Ukraine » In Ukraine, at least six people are dead in the eastern Donetsk region, after more Russian shelling on Sunday.

MAN: [Speaking Ukrainian]

One resident describing the damage to his home, said a nearby blast shattered his windows and blew doors off their hinges.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: [Speaking Ukrainian]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the attacks, saying the dead were civilians.

Meanwhile U.S. officials are expected to announce a new aid package to Ukraine this week with $2.6 billion dollars worth of weapons to include radar systems, anti-tank rockets, and fuel trucks.

Blinken calls on Russia to release detained Americans » U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken is calling on Russia to release two detained Americans immediately. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER: In a rare phone call Sunday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Blinken demanded the release of former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

Whelan is currently serving a 16-year sentence for espionage.

Russian authorities arrested Gershkovich last week, saying he was caught spying on one of the country’s military facilities. The U.S. says the accusations against both Americans are baseless.

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

Border detention » Law enforcement officers in Texas found dozens of illegal immigrants packed inside a Penske moving truck near the Mexican border over the weekend.

Department of Public Safety officers safely removed 58 migrants from the truck during a traffic stop. All were from Mexico and Central America.The driver now faces federal human smuggling charges.

Meantime, in Eagle Pass, Texas, one resident says she sees people crossing the border near her house daily.

MAN: There’s some people coming for the benefit of the good, but then there’s some that come for the bad. And it’s just—those moments of walking out of your home, do you feel safe or not?

Also over the weekend, DPS also found 36 migrants hiding in a cave in Culberson County, Texas.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Whether the federal government is doing enough to protect the water rights of Native Americans.

Plus, the Monday Moneybeat.

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