Primary elections in Florida and NY, Arkansas police investigation: 5 things to know Tuesday

New York, Florida to hold primaries

Voters in two of the country’s largest states head to the polls Tuesday as Florida and New York hold their primary elections. In Florida, Democratic voters will decide who will face Gov. Ron DeSantis in the midterms. In the four-person Democratic gubernatorial primary, Rep. Charlie Crist, a former governor, and Nikki Fried, the state agriculture commissioner, are considered the top contenders. For most of the race Crist – a former Republican turned independent turned Democrat – was considered the frontrunner, but recent public surveys suggest the contest may have shifted. In New York, two House committee chairs with 30 years of experience are facing off because of the state legislature’s redistricting process. After polls had them neck-to-neck, Rep. Jerry Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has appeared to jump ahead of Rep. Carolyn Maloney, chairwoman of the House Oversight Committee.

• In 2024 preview, new Florida laws for primary could make it harder to cast ballots

• Who is NY Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney? He’s got the support of Bill Clinton, Pelosi

• Florida's primary election a referendum on DeSantis, who is following through with a campaign to help his preferred candidates in the state.

Prefer to listen? Check out the 5 Things podcast:

Local, federal officials launch investigation after video captures officers beating man in Arkansas

Both Arkansas State Police and federal officials are launching an investigation after three local officers were seen on video beating a man during an arrest Sunday outside a convenience store in Mulberry. In the short video shared widely on social media, three officers are seen punching a man in the head and kneeing him several times as they pinned him down. At one point, a bystander calls out to them and an officer points at the camera ordering the person to stop recording. Officers were responding to a report of a man making threats, authorities said. The suspect was taken to the hospital, arrested on several charges and later released on bail. Crawford County Sheriff Jimmy Damante said that the incident is being investigated by Arkansas state police "as a criminal act." Two Crawford County sheriff's deputies, Zack King and Levi White, will be suspended, Damante said. Mulberry Police Chief Shannon Gregory said police officer Thell Riddle is on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

• 3 Arkansas law enforcement officers suspended after arrest beating caught on video

Memorial for Daria Dugina, daughter of Russian known as 'Putin's brain'

A memorial service will be held Tuesday for Daria Dugina, a 29-year-old TV commentator who was killed in a car bombing on the outskirts of Moscow on Saturday. State-controlled broadcaster RT reported that the vehicle belonged to her father, well-known anti-Western Russian nationalist Alexander Dugin – often called Russian President Vladimir "Putin's brain'' and a vehement supporter of Russia sending troops into Ukraine – giving rise to suspicions that he was the intended target. An adviser to Ukraine's president denied Ukrainian involvement in the car bomb attack. Dugin issued a statement dismissing calls for vengeance in the death of his daughter, instead urging Russians to focus on winning the war with Ukraine.

• Latest updates on Ukraine: Melitopol radar system destroyed; US will ship another $775 million arms package

• What you need to know: Fighting rages around Europe's biggest nuclear power plant

Disaster declared in flood-stricken Dallas, at least 1 person dead

A disaster has been declared in Dallas County after heavy rains across the drought-stricken area caused streets to flood, submerging vehicles Monday. "The Dallas-Fort Worth area was pretty much ground zero for the heaviest rain overnight," said Daniel Huckaby, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. A 60-year-old woman was killed in the Dallas suburb of Mesquite when flood waters swept her vehicle from Texas 352 westbound at Interstate 635, officials said. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, as presiding officer of the Dallas County commissioners, declared a disaster had occurred in the county and requested federal and state assistance. Meanwhile, rescuers kept searching Utah’s Zion National Park after an Arizona woman, 29-year-old Jetal Agnihotri, went missing during flash floods Friday. In New Jersey, the unsettled weather that impacted roads was expected to persist into early Tuesday along the Eastern Seaboard.

• Experts warn California of a disaster 'larger than any in world history.' It's not an earthquake

Ukraine soccer league defies Russian war to begin season, try to restore some normalcy

Under threat of Russian attacks in a war that stopped all soccer in Ukraine in February, a new league season starts Tuesday in the capital Kyiv with the goal of restoring some sense of normal life. No fans will be allowed in the 65,000-capacity Olympic Stadium when Shakhtar Donetsk and Metalist 1925 from Kharkiv face off at 1 p.m. local time. The players must be rushed to bomb shelters if air-raid sirens sound. "We have rules in case of an alarm and we should go to be underground," Shakhtar captain Taras Stepanenko told The Associated Press. “But I think the teams, the players will be proud of this event. We are ready, we are strong and I think we will show to all the world Ukrainian life and will to win." The Ukrainian Premier League returns with the blessing of the nation’s leaders and in a week heavy with meaning. Tuesday is Ukraine’s national flag day and Wednesday is the celebration of independence from control by Moscow that the former Soviet Union republic declared in 1991.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Arkansas police, primary elections, Daria Dugina: 5 things to know Tuesday