Wednesday morning news: April 5, 2023

DONALD TRUMP: I never thought anything like this could happen in America, never thought it could happen.

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: » Former President Trump heard there addressing supporters at his Florida Mar-a-Lago resort last night, just hours after being arraigned on felony charges in New York.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced 34 felony counts against the former president.

ALVIN BRAGG: It’s not just about one payment. It is 34 business records — 34 false statements and business records that were concealing criminal conduct.

Bragg said Trump made hush money payments to hide damaging information from the voting public.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges. And last night, he called the entire case an effort to knock him out of the 2024 presidential race.

TRUMP: This fake case was brought only to interfere with the 2024 election, and it should be dropped immediately.

Bragg insists that the prosecution is not politically motivated. Professor of History and Law at Cedarville University Marc Clauson notes this is the fulfillment of a campaign promise.

MARC CLAUSON: We know that when Alvin Bragg ran for district attorney, he said that one of his main goals was to go after Donald Trump.

Trump’s next in-person court appearance is slated for December 4th.

So far, there’s little indication that the indictment has damaged Trump’s campaign. Millions of dollars in donations have poured in since the indictment was announced.

TRUMP: Massive election interference at a scale never seen before in our country.

Finland » Finland has officially joined the NATO alliance, dealing a major blow to Vladimir Putin. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg.

JENS STOLTENBERG: From today, 31 flags will fly together, a symbol of our unity and our solidarity.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine persuaded Finland to join NATO, doubling Russia’s border with the world’s biggest military alliance.

Stoltenberg said he expects Sweden’s membership to be approved soon as well.

Soltenberg said Finland adds “substantial and highly capable” forces to the alliance.

President Biden celebrated Finland’s membership. He said, “When Putin launched his brutal war of aggression against the people of Ukraine, he thought he could divide Europe and NATO. He was wrong.”

Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto told reporters:

SAULI NIINISTO: It is a great day for Finland. And I want to see that it is an important day for Finland too.

Finland had a policy of neutrality since World War II, but fear of Russian aggression after the invasion of Ukraine changed that.

US Secretary of State Tony Blinken:

TONY BLINKEN: This is maybe the one thing we can thank Mr. Putin for because he once again here has precipitated something he claims to want to prevent.

Blinken and Kuleba in in Brussels / US aid » Blinken is in Brussels where he also met Tuesday with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, ahead of a NATO meeting.

DMYTRO KULEBA: We will be discussing issues related to the deliveries of ammunition and weapons, and we very much appreciate everything that the United States [has] done.

The Pentagon just announced more than 2.5 billion dollars in additional aid to Ukraine.

Washington will send about $500 million in ammunition and equipment, and spend more than $2 billion to buy an array of munitions, radar, and new weapons.

Much of that aid is aimed at countering drone attacks in Ukraine in the months ahead, as Ukrainian troops gear up for a spring offensive.

Kansas trans law » The governor of Kansas is expected to veto a bill establishing stricter rules for single-sex public facilities. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER: The bill requires transgender individuals to use the restrooms and changing rooms that match to the sex on their birth certificate.

The rule would also apply to jails, rape crisis centers, and domestic violence shelters.

The bill passed in both houses of the legislature with enough votes to override the governor’s veto.

Arkansas passed a similar law on Tuesday. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders is expected to sign it.

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

Wisconsin Supreme Court » The Wisconsin Supreme Court is shifting to the left, just before it is likely to hear a major abortion case.

Pro-abortion Judge Janet Protasiewicz beat a pro-life candidate in Tuesday’s statewide election. She will replace a conservative justice who is retiring - swinging the court to a 4-to-3 liberal majority.

Political Science professor Howard Schweber:

HOWARD SCHWEBER - The current majority in Wisconsin court does not view the Wisconsin constitution for securing a right to abortion except in the most extreme of cases, it is widely expected I think correctly, that Protasiewicz say which was elected with a new court will find a much broader right to abortion.

Protasiewicz far outspent her opponent Dan Kelly in what was the most expensive state Supreme Court race in U.S. history.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Analysis of the Trump indictment charges on Washington Wednesday.

Plus, Isaiah 53 set to music.

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.