KARAH RUCKER: COMING UP – FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP IS EXPECTED TO FLY FROM FLORIDA TO NEW YORK TODAY AS HE PREPARES TO BE ARRAIGNED ON CRIMINAL CHARGES TOMORROW. WHAT TO EXPECT FOLLOWING THAT ARRAIGNMENT. AND – OPEC HAS ANNOUNCED IT’S SLASHING PRODUCTION OF OIL.
WHEN THE OILS CUTS TAKE PLACE AND HOW THE MARKET IS REACTING.
THE DAILY RUNDOWN STARTS RIGHT NOW.
THIS IS STRAIGHT-ARROW NEWS. BRINGING YOU UNBIASED, STRAIGHT FACTS.
I’M KARAH RUCKER.
TRUMP TO BE ARRAIGNED ON TUESDAY
MULTIPLE MEDIA OUTLETS ARE REPORTING FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL LIKELY BE CHARGED WITH FALSIFYING BUSINESS RECORDS IN THE FIRST DEGREE.
IT’S A FELONY STEMMING FROM ALLEGED HUSH MONEY PAID TO adult film star STORMY DANIELS BEFORE THE 2016 ELECTION. SOMETHING TRUMP HAS DENIED FROM THE START. THE INDICTMENT REMAINS SEALED. TRUMP IS EXPECTED TO APPEAR AT THE COURTHOUSE TOMORROW FOR ARRAIGNMENT – WHERE CHARGES ARE EXPECTED TO BE READ ALOUD.
TRUMP’S TEAM HAS CALLED THE CASE AGAINST HIM QUOTE “POLITICAL PERSECUTION.” THE FORMER PRESIDENT DOESN’T EXPECT TO STAY IN NEW YORK FOR LONG. HE ANNOUNCED HE WILL PUBLICLY ADDRESS THE CHARGES AGAINST HIM AT HIS MAR-A-LAGO RESIDENCE IN FLORIDA TUESDAY NIGHT.
Joe Tacopina | Attorney for Donald Trump: “He’s a tough guy, George, as you know, And he’s someone who’s going to be ready for this fight. We’re ready for this fight. And I look forward to moving this thing along as quickly as possible to exonerate.”
OPEC ANNOUNCES OIL OUTPUT CUTS
OVER THE WEEKEND -OPEC ANNOUNCED A SURPRISE SLASHING OF OUTPUT BY MORE THAN ONE MILLION BARRELS A DAY – OIL PRICES SURGING AS MUCH AS 8 PERCENT AT THE OPEN FOLLOWING OPEC’S DECISION. THE VOLUNTARY ACTS WILL START IN MAY AND LAST THROUGHOUT THE REST OF 20-23.
SAUDI ARABIA ANNOUNCED IT WAS A “PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE” TARGETED TOWARD STABILIZING THE OIL MARKET. THIS LATEST CUT TO OIL PRODUCTION COMES ON TOP OF OCTOBER’S OIL CUTS OF TWO MILLION BARRELS A DAY.
Mohammed Ali Yasin | capital markets expert and advisor: “Oil prices, as you know, have dropped to the low 70 range and I think there was the fear, if they break that range going below that, maybe to the 60 plus, that would really become a negative, a very negative for many of the oil producing governments’ economies and they like to keep it above 80 and this move has done that.”
DOZENS OF TORNADOES SPAN ACROSS U.S.
AT LEAST 33 PEOPLE HAVE DIED AFTER DOZENS OF TORNADOES FROM THE SOUTH, MIDWEST, AND NORTHEAST RIPPED THROUGH COMMUNITIES IN A WIDE-RANGING STORM SYSTEM. 15 OF THE DEATHS WERE REPOTED IN TENNESSEE. MORE DANGEROUS STORMS ARE FORECAST FOR THE SOUTH AND MIDWEST TODAY. LARGE
AREAS OF BOTH REGIONS ARE IN RUINS – AT LEAST ELEVEN STATES WERE IMPACTED OVER THE WEEKEND BY CONFIRMED-OR-SUSPECTED TORNADOES — FLATTENING HOMES, BUSINESSES, AND NEIGHBORHOODS.
PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS DECLARED BROAD AREAS OF THE COUNTRY MAJOR DISASTER AREAS – MAKING FEDERAL RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO IMPACTED COMMUNITIES.
Deanne Criswell | FEMA Administrator: “I think the biggest thing right now is that people continue to do what they’re doing. What I saw today, is homes that were already starting to get ready for the storms that are coming in. That debris was already starting to move. And what the presidential disaster declaration does that the governor asked for is it will help reimburse some of those costs.”
RUSSIAN BLOGGER TARGET OF DEADLY BLAST
A WELL-KNOWN RUSSIAN MILITARY BLOGGER WAS KILLED IN AN EXPLOSION AT A CAFE ON SUNDAY IN RUSSIA’S SECOND LARGEST CITY OF SAINT PETERSBURG.
ACCORDING TO OFFICIALS – THE ATTACK APPEARED TO HAVE TARGETED 40 YEAR OLD VLADLEN TATARSKY – A HIGH PROFILE PRO-RUSSIA BLOGGER. RUSSIAN POLICE ARE SEARCHING FOR A WOMAN SUSPECTED OF DELIVERING A BOMB THAT ULTIMATELY KILLED TATARSKY AND WOUNDED 30 OTHERS – 10 OF WHICH REMAIN IN GRAVE-CONDITION.
RUSSIAN NEWS REPORTS SAID THE BOMB WAS HIDDEN IN A FIGURINE THAT THE SUSPECT GAVE TO THE BLOGGER AS A GIFT JUST BEFORE THE EXPLOSION OCCURRED.
MCDONALD’S TO CUT JOBS, TRIM COSTS
CORPORATE EMPLOYEES OF MCDONALD’S HAVE BEEN TOLD TO WORK FROM HOME FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS MCDONALD’S IS PREPARED TO LAY OFF EMPLOYEES AND TRIM COMPANY COSTS.
HOW MANY WORKERS WILL BE IMPACTED BY THE LAYOFFS IS UNCLEAR. IN AN INTERNAL EMAIL SENT OUT LAST WEEK – STAFFING DECISIONS WERE TO VIRTUALLY BE HANDED DOWN TODAY, TOMORROW, AND WEDNESDAY.
THE COMPANY’S JOB CUTS COME AS BIG CORPORATIONS ARE RESTRUCTURING TO REDUCE COSTS AMID AN UNCERTAIN ECONOMY. LAST WEEK MCDONALD’S SHARES CLOSED ON A RECORD HIGH.
50 YEARS SINCE FIRST MOBILE CALL
TODAY MARKS 50 YEARS SINCE THE FIRST PHONE CALL WAS EVER MADE FROM A MOBILE DEVICE RATHER THAN A LANDLINE.
MARTY COOPER – AN ENGINEER AT MOTOROLA IN 1973 – IS CREDITED FOR INVENTING THE PERSONAL, HANDHELD, PORTABLE CELL PHONE. IN THE FIRST PHONE CALL MADE FROM A CELL PHONE – COOPER HAD CALLED THEIR RIVAL COMPANY BELL TO LET THEM KNOW THEY HAD SUCCESSFULLY BUILT A MOBILE PHONE AND WAS CALLING THEM FROM IT.
IN 50 YEARS TIME – THE EVOLUTION OF MOBILE PHONES HAS SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGED. OUT WITH THE ANTENNA AND IN WITH THE SMART PHONES.
THE INVENTOR OF THE CELL PHONE – NOW 94 YEARS OLD – SAID LAST MONTH HE BELIEVES TECHNOLOGY WILL EVENTUALLY TAKE US TO AN IMPLANT-TYPE OF DEVICE FOR COMMUNICATIONS.
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!