Tuesday morning news: March 21, 2023

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Good morning! The Iraq War began 20 years ago this week, and Congress has taken steps to close the books.

TIM KAINE:We will start the first procedural steps to formally end the Iraq War.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Also North Korea continues to project strength, but defectors who escaped the regime are calling out its human rights abuses.

Plus, getting Bibles across borders.

TUCKER: I honestly truly believe that supernatural things happened. Whether it was distraction, you know, timing of things that the Lord just blinded eyes. And there's no other explanation.

EICHER: And WORLD founder Joel Belz on living out what we say we believe.

REICHARD: It’s Tuesday, March 21st. This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

EICHER: And I’m Nick Eicher. Good morning!

REICHARD: Up next, Kent Covington with today’s news.

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: I'm Kent Covington.

Trump possible arrest » In New York City, police have been dragging steel barricades off of flatbed trucks, building a security perimeter around a Manhattan courthouse.

They’re gearing up for protests over the possible indictment of former President Donald Trump. In a social media post, the former president said he expects to be arrested today … but it’s unclear when — or if — the former president will be indicted.

Trump called on his supporters to protest if he’s arrested.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said authorities are ready.

ERIC ADAMS: We’re monitoring comments on social media, and the NYPD is doing our normal role of making sure that there’s no inappropriate actions in the city. And we’re confident that we’re going to be able to do that.

The possible charges stem from a probe into money Trump allegedly paid to silence claims about extramarital affairs. Some say those alleged payments may have violated campaign finance law.

Trump denies the encounters occurred and says he has done nothing wrong.

Reaction to possible arrest » The former president also says the investigation has been politically motivated. And many top Republicans agree, including potential 2024 campaign rivals.

Former Vice President Mike Pence:

MIKE PENCE: Just feels like a politically charged prosecution here. And for my part, I just feel like it’s not what the American people want to see.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of ignoring serious crimes in his district every day.

RON DESANTIS: And he chooses to go back many, many years ago to try to use something about hush money payments, you know, that’s an example of pursuing a political agenda.

DeSantis said in his view, Bragg is “weaponizing” his office.

Xi - Russia »

AUDIO: [Putin speaking Russian]

At the Kremlin on Monday, Vladimir Putin warmly welcomed Chinese leader Xi Jinping, with each leader calling one another a “dear friend.”

The two leaders share a cause: Both want to challenge Washington’s global leadership.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby says Beijing continues to prop up Moscow.

JOHN KIRBY: China has not condemned Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. They are still buying Russian oil and energy resources.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul said that while Xi Jinping was the visiting leader … it was Putin who likely showed up for that meeting hat in hand.

MICHAEL MCCAUL: Putin is running out of ammunition. He’s begged Iran for their drones. He’s begged North Korea for artillery shells. And now he’s really coming to Chairman Xi and saying, hey I gotta win this thing. I need your help.

US intelligence agencies remain worried that Beijing may agree to sell weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine.

American freed in Africa » An American missionary has been released from captivity more than six years after he was kidnapped. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER: Jeffery Woodke was kidnapped from his home in the West African nation of Niger in 2016.

He had been a missionary and humanitarian aid worker in the country for more than 30 years, when a terrorist network with ties to ISIS took him hostage.

He was released outside of Niger in the Mali-Burkina Faso region.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said no ransom or concessions were made to his captors, and no prisoner swaps were conducted.

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

France pensions »

SOUND: [French protesters in mall]

Protesters have taken to the streets in France after French President Emmanuel Macron raised the retirement age from 62 to 64, without a vote in parliament.

He said the move is needed to keep the nation’s pension system from going broke.

French police arrested more than 100 people in Paris after demonstrations turned violent in recent days. Meanwhile, trade unions continue to call for strikes throughout the country.

The government survived two no confidence motions in the National Assembly on Monday. Opponents will likely challenge the bill when it reaches the Constitutional Council, which must validate the legislation before it can be signed into law.

Somalia » The United Nations reports that about 43,000 people died last year from Somalia’s longest drought on record. WORLD’s Onize Ohikere has more.

ONIZE OHIKERE: The joint report between the UN and the Somali health ministry marks the first official death count from the drought-hit Horn of Africa.

The report says half of the deaths happened among children younger than five. About 18,000 people are forecast to die in the first six months of this year.

Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya are facing a sixth consecutive failed rainy season. More than 6 million people are hungry in Somalia alone.

The U-N stopped short of a formal famine declaration in Somalia … but warns the situation remains “extremely critical.”

For WORLD, I’m Onize Ohikere.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: A journalist remembers what it was like on the ground in Iraq. Plus, smuggling Bibles into China.

This is The World and Everything in It.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.