Trump pleads not guilty; Chicago elects new mayor; Democrats’ choice wins Wisconsin Supreme Court race | Hot off the Wire podcast

On this version of Hot off the Wire:

» For the first time in history, a former U.S. president has appeared in court as a criminal defendant. Donald Trump surrendered to authorities on Tuesday to appear on charges related to hush-money payments at the height of the 2016 presidential election. Trump, a 2024 presidential candidate, pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges.

» Severe thunderstorms are expected to bring hail, strong winds and possibly tornadoes to areas still reeling from a weekend of deadly weather. 

» Former teacher and union organizer Brandon Johnson has been elected Chicago mayor.

» United Nations officials are condemning a Taliban decision to bar female Afghan employees from working at the agency.

» Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived in Poland for a visit meant to thank a key ally and meet with some of the Ukrainians who have found refuge in the neighboring nation.

» A Democratic-backed Milwaukee judge has won the high stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court race, ensuring liberals will take over majority control of the court for the first time in 15 years with the fate of the state’s abortion ban pending.

» Joel Embiid makes his case for the NBA MVP award, the Bucks move to within one win of clinching home court throughout the playoffs, the Phillies finally win while the Rays have yet to lose, and the Panthers leap into playoff position. Correspondent Tom Mariam reports.

From the previous version of Hot off the Wire:

» Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, according to two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter.

» The Biden administration says the U.S. will send Ukraine about $500 million in ammunition and equipment and spend more than $2 billion to buy an array of munitions, radar and other weapons for that country in the future.

» Finland has joined the NATO military alliance, dealing a major blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

» About 5,000 white-collar workers at General Motors took the company’s buyout offers, which the automaker says is enough to avoid layoffs at this time.

» U.S. job openings slipped to 9.9 million in February, fewest since May 2021.

» Tennessee Republican lawmakers have taken the first steps to expel three Democratic members from the GOP-dominant House for their role in a recent gun control protest at the state Capitol.

» The Food and Drug Administration says it found a host of problems at an Indian manufacturing plant recently linked to contaminated eyedrops.

» Gleb Karakulov, an officer in Putin’s secretive personal security service, defected in October. The 35-year-old engineer is one of few Russians to flee and go public who have rank, as well as knowledge of intimate details of Putin’s life and potentially classified information.

» Harry Styles, Post Malone, Lizzo, Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, the cast of “Ted Lasso” and the web series that gave us a kid loving corn are among the nominees for this year’s Webby Awards.