Donald Trump arraignment and Oregon kidnapping suspect's violent history: Morning Rundown

A makeshift cell made of cinderblocks in the garage of the suspect, 29-year-old Negasi Zuberi. (KGW)
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Donald Trump will be arraigned in Washington, D.C., on charges he defrauded the United States. A woman’s kidnapping escape leads the FBI to a man with a violent history. And an untrained athlete’s sluggish performance in an elite sprint sparks a nepotism scandal.

Here’s what to know today.

Trump heads to court for his third arraignment

At the Washington D.C. courthouse where Donald Trump is scheduled to appear today, security has been tightened and people are already lining up. At 4 p.m. Eastern, Trump will answer to charges that he used “unlawful means” to subvert the results of the 2020 election.

During his appearance, Trump will be arraigned on an indictment charging him with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction and conspiracy against the right to vote and have one’s vote counted.

This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your morning. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and accused special counsel Jack Smith of engaging in “election interference” by bringing charges against him while he’s campaigning to return to the White House.

It’s his third indictment this year. Trump was also charged in federal court for allegedly mishandling classified documents and in New York criminal court for allegedly falsifying business records related to hush money payments. He has pleaded not guilty in those cases.

Review the details of the indictment ahead of his appearance, and follow along for updates throughout the day.

What it took for Biden to acknowledge his 7th grandchild

President Joe Biden has finally spoken out about his seventh grandchild, Navy Joan Roberts, the girl caught up in a bitter child support case involving Hunter Biden. But before the president publicly acknowledged the child, he wanted to get the “green light” from his son and received that go-ahead last week, a source says. And now, Biden wants to meet Navy Joan and dispel the notion that he was ignoring a member of his family, according to people familiar with the matter.

There’s another reason Biden likely felt compelled to acknowledge her: He wanted to blunt a GOP line of attack.

Jury decides on death sentence for synagogue shooter

A federal judge is expected to deliver a death sentence today to Robert Bowers, the gunman who opened fire on a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, after a jury reached an unanimous decision yesterday to impose the death penalty. The shooting at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood killed 11 people and wounded seven others. It is the most heinous anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history.

A harrowing escape from a cinderblock cell and a suspect with a violent history

A 29-year-old man arrested last month in the kidnapping of a woman in Oregon is linked to four violent sexual assaults in at least four states, officials said. The FBI is now seeking information about the suspect, Negasi Zuberi, and released details about the Oregon kidnapping.

According to police, Zuberi was posing as an undercover police officer when he solicited a woman, who was a sex worker, and drove her roughly 450 miles to his home. He locked the victim in a makeshift cell constructed with cinderblocks and a door that couldn’t be opened from the inside. With the realization “that she would likely die if she did not attempt escape,” the victim started to fight her way out of the cell.

After news of the kidnapping, one of Zuberi’s neighbors in Klamath Falls said that she had no idea anything out of the ordinary was going on at the house next door. Zuberi, she said, once helped her break up a near-lethal dog fight.

Producers want to meet with Hollywood writers

In the first sign of movement in a stalemate between major Hollywood studios and the Writers Guild of America, producers are asking for a meeting. However, the meeting tomorrow between studio negotiator Carol Lombardini and the WGA doesn’t guarantee that producers and writers will resume talks, even as pressure builds for studios to resolve the disputes. It’s been nearly 100 days since the writers strike began, and last month tens of thousands of actors joined the picket lines, bringing Hollywood productions to a standstill.

Sluggish ‘sprinter’ sparks nepotism scandal after dismal race performance goes viral

A viral moment at the World University Games in China has sparked outrage online and accusations of nepotism. The video shows a Somali woman, who officials have since confirmed is not a runner, finishing the 100m race about 10 seconds behind the winner.

The incident has resulted in an official apology and the suspension of Somalia’s athletics chief, who has been accused of “abuse of power, nepotism, and defaming the name of the nation” in the international arena.

Today’s Talker

Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau are…

… separating, the couple announced yesterday. The Canadian prime minister and his wife have been married since 2005 and have three children. After the announcement, the couple signed a “legal separation agreement,” his office said. Now, they’re focused on raising their kids in a collaborative environment, and they plan on going on family vacation next week.

Politics in Brief

Counting votes: An all-Republican Board of Supervisors in an Arizona county has voted against hand-counting ballots in next year’s elections after discovering it would cost more than a million dollars and yield inaccurate results.

Hunter Biden probe: The plea agreement that blew up last week during Hunter Biden’s court appearance was made public, revealing new information about the tax and gun charges against him.

2024 election: Mike Pence’s campaign predicts he will hit the donor threshold next week to qualify for the first Republican presidential debate.

Active shooter report: U.S. Capitol Police officers said a report of an active shooter near the Senate office buildings may have been a “bogus call.”

Jan. 6 riot: A man who participated in the Capitol riot and then was the subject of a conspiracy theory on Tucker Carlson’s former Fox News show has been arrested.

Staff Pick: When teens can’t get help

It’s rarely easy to ask for help as a teen, but it’s much harder when the help you need is especially hard to find. For LGBTQ teens, that’s often the case. Reporter Berkeley Lovelace, Jr. examines the lack of LGBTQ-specific mental health care available for young people in the U.S. He speaks to teens who have struggled to find care and looks into what lawmakers are trying to do to improve access. — Sara Miller, health editor

In Case You Missed It

A former New Jersey police officer was sentenced to five years in prison for striking and killing a nurse with his car and driving the body to his home before returning it to the scene.

Tom Brady is trading one football for another, taking on a minority owner role with a struggling English soccer team that will see the former star head to Birmingham, the country’s “second city.’’

One of Louisiana’s few doctors specializing in pediatric heart conditions is leaving the state over “discriminatory” legislation targeting LGBTQ people.

Actor Leah Remini filed a lawsuit against the Church of Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige, alleging that she has been threatened, stalked and harassed in the past decade.

What does Fitch’s U.S. credit downgrade mean for taxpayers and consumers? Economists lay out what to expect in the immediate term and down the road.

The drugmakers of Ozempic and Mounjaro have been sued over claims that they failed to warn patients about the possible risk of severe stomach problems.

Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

Korean beauty has become immensely popular over the past decade, including the “10-step Korean skin care routine.” Our Select team spoke to dermatologists about the best skin care products to use in your routine, from cleansers and face masks, to serums and moisturizers.

Sign up to The Selection newsletter for exclusive reviews and shopping content from NBC Select.

Thanks for reading today’s Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Elizabeth Robinson. If you’re a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. They can sign-up here.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com