National News

Governments gave their blessing Sunday to a major new U.N. report on climate change, after approval was held up by a battle between rich and developing countries over emissions targets and financial aid to vulnerable nations. The report by hundreds of the world’s top scientists was supposed to be approved by government delegations Friday. The deadline was repeatedly extended as officials from big nations such as China, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, as well as the United States and the European Union haggled over key phrases in the text. The report by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change caps a series that digests research on global warming compiled since 2015. The U.N. plans to publish the report at a news conference early Monday afternoon.

The two candidates for Chicago mayor have very different ideas about the future of the heavily Democratic city. Brandon Johnson is a progressive county commissioner who last month advanced to an April 4 runoff thanks to heavy support from the teachers union. The 46-year-old former teacher and union member is endorsed by progressive Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Paul Vallas finished first out of nine candidates in the February vote. The 69-year-old is a more moderate Democrat endorsed by the Chicago police union who focused strongly on reducing crime. He's backed by prominent members of the business community. The increasingly bitter contest is another example of broader tension within the Democratic Party.

Donald Trump says in a social media post that he expects to be arrested Tuesday and he's calling on supporters to protest. A New York grand jury is investigating hush money payments to women who alleged sexual encounters with the former president. But there's no evidence that prosecutors have made any formal outreach to him. And a spokesperson and a lawyer for Trump says his Truth Social post was based on media reports rather than any actual update from, or communication with, prosecutors. The district attorney’s office declined to comment. Trump's post seems designed to preempt a formal announcement from prosecutors and to galvanize outrage from his base of supporters in advance of charges widely seen as coming soon.

Top Republicans, including some of Donald Trump’s potential rivals for the GOP's 2024 presidential nomination, are rushing to his defense after Trump said he's bracing for possible arrest. The reaction points to the political risks faced by would-be opponents who are eager to convince voters that it's time to move on from the former president but also fear alienating his loyal base. The comments came hours after Trump declared in a social media post that he expects to be arrested this coming week in a case that the Manhattan district attorney is investigating over hush money payments made to women who alleged Trump had sexual encounters with them. Trump has denied the allegations.

Prosecutors plan next week to release the video that led authorities in Virginia to charge seven deputies and three state mental hospital employees with second-degree murder in the death of a handcuffed and shackled man. Dinwiddie County Commonwealth’s Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that the family of Irvo Otieno gave their blessing to release the video after watching it. Attorneys for the family described the video to reporters as 12 agonizing minutes of deputies pushing down on Otineo, who is Black. The attorneys said his arms and legs were restrained. Defense attorneys say they haven't seen the video yet, and prosecutors are trying to curry public favor rather than assure a fair trial.