10 things you need to know today: April 6, 2023

1. Trump calls for 'defunding' FBI, Justice Department

Former President Donald Trump, facing criminal charges in Manhattan and potential indictments elsewhere, on Wednesday called for congressional Republicans to slash funding for the FBI and the Justice Department. "REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS SHOULD DEFUND THE DOJ AND FBI UNTIL THEY COME TO THEIR SENSES," Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social. Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to felony charges of falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 hush payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels. Trump was allegedly buying her silence to keep her claim they had an affair from damaging his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump's proposal would mark a reversal for Republicans, who in recent years have blasted left-wing calls to "defund" local police departments.

Reuters

2. Pence won't appeal order to testify in federal Trump investigation

Former Vice President Mike Pence will not appeal U.S. District Judge James Boasberg's order to testify in special counsel Jack Smith's investigation of former President Donald Trump's efforts to reverse his loss in the 2020 election, Pence adviser Devin O'Malley said Wednesday. Pence's lawyers had argued that the Constitution's Speech and Debate Clause, which protects lawmakers from having to testify about their work as elected officials, should apply to Pence since he was acting as Senate president when Congress met to certify President Biden's electoral victory on Jan. 6, 2021. Boasberg said Pence won't have to answer questions about the certification of the election, but that his immunity didn't cover other matters related to Trump.

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NBC News

3. Saudi Arabia and Iran agree to reopen embassies

Saudi Arabia and Iran on Thursday announced plans to start preparations to reopen embassies and consulates in each other's countries for the first time since 2016. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said foreign ministers from the two longtime Middle East rivals met in Beijing on Thursday after the two countries agreed last month to restore diplomatic ties. Saudi Arabia and Iran also plan to resume bilateral governmental and business visits, and restore flights. Thursday's parley was the first formal meeting between senior diplomats from the two nations since Riyadh severed ties in 2016 after Iranian protesters invaded Saudi diplomatic posts in response to Saudi Arabia's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.

The Associated Press Financial Times

4. McCarthy meets with Taiwan's president, angering China

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) met with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday despite a warning from China. "The friendships between the people of Taiwan and America is a matter of profound importance to the free world," said McCarthy, the highest-level American official to meet with a Taiwanese leader in the United States. Tsai called for the U.S. to continue to support Taiwan. China condemned the meeting, which occurred after Tsai made a diplomatic trip to Central America, but didn't immediately indicate how it would respond. When then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) visited Taiwan last year, Beijing canceled diplomatic engagements with the U.S. and held live-fire military exercises around Taiwan, a self-governing democratic island China considers a renegade province.

The New York Times Financial Times

5. Macron arrives in Beijing, calls for engagement with China

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in China for a three-day state visit on Wednesday, seeking to find a "third way" to address China's assertiveness on the world stage without clashing with Beijing. "We must not disassociate ourselves, separate ourselves from China," Macron said as he arrived in Beijing. He said France will "commit proactively to continue to have a commercial relationship with China." Macron urged China, which has stood by Russia since its invasion of Ukraine, to "bring Russia back to reason" and help negotiate an end to the war. After a state dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Macron will visit Guangdong, a regional capital and export center.

South China Morning Post Reuters

6. Zelensky visits Poland, thanks Poles for war support

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Poland on Wednesday and expressed his gratitude to one of his country's strongest NATO supporters in its effort to fight off Russia's invasion. "I would like to thank the Polish president, the government, and all Poles for the road we have walked together," Zelensky said. The Ukrainian leader has visited Poland several times since Russian forces stormed into his country in February 2022. Polish President Andrzej Duda awarded Zelensky the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest decoration, in a ceremony at the presidential palace, saying Poland has "no doubts that your stance today largely saves Europe from the deluge of Russian imperialism."

The New York Times

7. Ardern makes final speech to New Zealand Parliament as she quits politics

Jacinda Ardern delivered an emotional farewell to New Zealand's Parliament on Wednesday, touching on everything from child poverty to climate change. Ardern, 42, served five years as prime minister before her surprise January resignation. The liberal feminist icon earned praise for her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and a 2019 terrorist attack on two Christchurch mosques, and was the second modern world leader to give birth in office. Ardern said she hoped she'd shown that people can be "anxious, sensitive, kind," but still strong. "You can be a mother or not. ... You can be a nerd, a crier, a hugger," she said. Ardern stayed in Parliament after resigning as prime minister, but is quitting politics and joining Prince William's Earthshot Prize environment charity.

The Washington Post New Zealand Herald

8. Massie becomes 1st House Republican to back DeSantis since Trump arrest

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) on Wednesday became the first congressional Republican to publicly endorse Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the Republican presidential nomination since former President Donald Trump's arraignment over his alleged role in a hush money payment to a porn star. DeSantis hasn't formally launched a campaign yet but is expected to be Trump's strongest rival. Massie, a libertarian, didn't mention Trump's legal troubles, but said he was endorsing DeSantis because the country "needs a leader who is decisive, respects the Constitution, understands policy, puts family first, and leads by inspiring." Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) endorsed DeSantis last month, before Trump's arraignment. Trump in 2020 called Massie a "third-rate grandstander" who didn't belong in the GOP after Massie opposed a massive coronavirus aid package.

Bloomberg

9. Maryland report details abuse allegations against 158 priests

The Maryland Attorney General's Office on Wednesday released a redacted version of a report with details on sexual abuse allegations against 158 Catholic priests, with more than 600 victims in 80 years. The investigation also examined the Archdiocese of Baltimore's handling of the cases. Former Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh launched the inquiry in 2019, and researchers went over more than 100,000 pages of documents dating as far back as the 1940s. The investigation was completed in November. After a court fight, a judge last month ordered the redacted version to be made public. Hours after the report's release, the Maryland General Assembly sent Gov. Wes Moore (D) a bill allowing more survivors to sue people who sexually abused them.

NPR The Baltimore Sun

10. Tornado kills 5 in Missouri

A large tornado killed at least five people in southeastern Missouri on Wednesday. The powerful twister tore through a rural area in Bollinger County about 50 miles south of St. Louis. Rescue crews from 20 agencies rushed to the hardest hit areas, where the tornado uprooted trees and tore apart houses, to clear debris and search for survivors. "The damage is pretty widespread. It's just heartbreaking to see it," said Sgt. Clark Parrott of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Another tornado reportedly caused injuries in Illinois, and a broad part of the Midwest and the South braced for more storms that could bring tornadoes and hail.

The Associated Press