Finland joins NATO, doubling presence along Russia’s border: April 4 rundown

KARAH RUCKER: COMING UP – FINLAND IS SET TO BECOME THE NEWEST MEMBER OF NATO TODAY – DOUBLING NATO’S PRESENCE ALONG RUSSIA’S BORDERS. AND —

IT’S ELECTION DAY IN CHICAGO – AS TWO DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES ARE IN A RUN OFF FOR CHICAGO MAYOR. THE DAILY RUNDOWN STARTS NOW.

THIS IS STRAIGHT-ARROW NEWS. BRINGING YOU UNBIASED, STRAIGHT FACTS. I’M KARAH RUCKER.

FINLAND JOINS NATO AS 31ST MEMBER

HAPPENING TODAY — FINLAND WILL BECOME AN OFFICIAL MEMBER OF NATO NEARLY A YEAR AFTER IT FIRST APPLIED FOLLOWING RUSSIA’S INVASION OF UKRAINE. 

Jens Stoltenberg | NATO Secretary-General: “It just demonstrates that when President Putin had the declared goal of the invasion of Ukraine to get less NATO, he wanted less NATO along his borders. He wanted to close NATO’s door. No more NATO membership for any more countries in Europe. He’s getting exactly the opposite.”

NATO’S BORDER WITH RUSSIA WILL NOW DOUBLE WITH THE ADDITION OF FINLAND.

THOUGH THE WORLD’S BIGGEST SECURITY ALLIANCE SAYS IT HAS NO PLANS TO SEND ADDITIONAL TROOPS THERE.

THE FINNISH FLAG IS SET TO BE RAISED AT NATO HEADQUARTERS IN BRUSSELS AT A CEREMONY TODAY – FINLAND BECOMING THE 31ST NATO MEMBER.

TRUMP TO BE ARRAIGNED IN NEW YORK

FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP IS EXPECTED TO FACE AN ARRAIGNMENT ON CRIMINAL CHARGES IN NEW YORK CITY TODAY. THE JUDGE HANDLING THE ARRAIGNMENT RULED LAST NIGHT A HANDFUL OF PHOTOGRAPHERS WILL BE ALLOWED IN THE COURTROOM TO TAKE STILL PICTURES — BUT NO VIDEO WILL BE TAKEN.

TRUMP WILL FIRST GO TO THE MANHATTAN COURTHOUSE FOR FINGERPRINTING AND PROCESSING. THEN THIS AFTERNOON HE’S EXPECTED TO STAND BEFORE THE JUDGE AND PLEAD “NOT GUILTY” TO ANY CHARGES RELATED TO “HUSH MONEY PAYMENTS”.

TRUMP IS EXPECTED TO TRAVEL BACK AT HIS MAR-A-LAGO RESIDENCE IN FLORIDA WHERE HE PLANS TO GIVE A SPEECH TONIGHT.

CHICAGO VOTES FOR NEW MAYOR IN RUNOFF

TODAY VOTERS IN CHICAGO WILL DECIDE WHO THEIR NEXT CITY MAYOR WILL BE.

THE RUN-OFF ELECTION BETWEEN COOK COUNTY COMMISSIONER BRANDON JOHNSON AND FORMER CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS CEO PAUL VALLAS — COMES AFTER NO CANDIDATE RECEIVED THE MAJORITY OF THE VOTES IN FEBRUARY.

THE INITIAL ELECTION OUSTED INCUMBENT MAYOR LORI LIGHTFOOT. IN THE SIX-WEEK RUN-UP TO TODAY, VALLAS AND JOHNSON HAVE DEBATED ISSUES FROM CRIME TO EDUCATION – BOTH DEMOCRATS BUT WITH DIFFERENT POLITICAL APPROACHES.

PAUL VALLAS | CHICAGO MAYORAL CANDIDATE: “I’m getting broad support from the business community because they’ve been decimated because of high crime, they’ve been decimated because of escalating taxes.”

BRANDON JOHNSON | CHICAGO MAYORAL CANDIDATE: “We do what works. And that’s investing in young people. There’s a correlation between hiring young people and, and violence reduction. And so these are the preventive measures that I am taking as mayor of Chicago.”

JOHNSON REPRESENTS THE PROGRESSIVE LEFT WHILE VALLAS IS PART OF THE MODERATE WING OF THE PARTY. POLLS WILL CLOSE AT 8 P-M EASTERN TIME.

WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT ELECTION

VOTERS IN WISCONSIN HEAD TO THE POLLS TODAY FOR A CRUCIAL STATE SUPREME COURT ELECTION. THE RACE IS NONPARTISAN BUT REPUBLICAN ORGANIZATIONS ARE BACKING DAN KELLY, WHILE DEMOCRATIC ONES ARE SUPPORTING JANET PROTASIEWICZ {pro-to-say-vitch}. DEMOCRATS ARE HOPING TO FLIP THE COURT’S BALANCE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 15 YEARS…ABORTION RIGHTS HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST FOCUS OF THE RACE.

Howard Schweber | Political Science Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison: “A second really major issue that’s at stake in this election is gerrymandering. Wisconsin has one of the most extreme gerrymandered systems in the country, and it’s a very extreme pro-Republican gerrymander. If Protasiewicz is elected, it is expected and again, I think correctly, that the new court will strike down the existing gerrymander.”

CHINA WARNS AGAINST MCCARTHY MEETING

CHINA HAS WARNED HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY NOT TO QUOTE “REPEAT DISASTROUS PAST MISTAKES” BY MEETING WITH TAIWANESE PRESIDENT TSAI ING-WEN THIS WEEK, SAYING IT WOULD UNDERMINE REGIONAL PEACE AND STABILITY AND WORSEN U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS.

THE TAIWANESE GOVERNMENT DISMISSED CRITICISM OF THE PLANNED MEETING, WHICH IT CONFIRMED WOULD TAKE PLACE IN CALIFORNIA ON WEDNESDAY. 

TSAI’S TRANSIT THROUGH THE UNITED STATES HAS FUELED NEW THREATS FROM BEIJING AS RELATIONS BETWEEN THE WORLD’S TWO LARGEST ECONOMIES SPIRAL.

UCONN WINS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

UCONN MEN’S BASKETBALL ARE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS AFTER THEIR VICTORY OVER SAN DIEGO STATE. THE FINAL SCORE WAS 76 TO 59. IT IS THE FIFTH NATIONAL TITLE FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT – AND THE FIRST SINCE 2014.

THE TEAM DOMINATED IN THE TOURNAMENT — WINNING EACH GAME BY DOUBLE DIGITS.

HUSKY FANS  CELEBRATED BIG AT A WATCH PARTY AT THEIR HOME STADIUM — COMING IN AS A FOURTH SEED – AND COMING OUT ON TOP.

THANKS FOR WATCHING THE DAILY RUNDOWN. WE’RE ON A MISSION TO BRING BACK TRUSTWORTHY JOURNALISM BY SERVING ONLY YOU — NOT AN AGENDA. BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MORE OF OUR WORK AT STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS DOT COM. WE’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE TOMORROW!

UNTIL THEN I’M KARAH RUCKER. HAVE A GREAT DAY!