FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP (Gage Skidmore/Flickr).

Former president Donald Trump pleaded “not guilty” to all 37 counts brought against him by the U.S. Department of Justice at his arraignment on Tuesday in Florida.

The day took on the atmosphere of a political campaign event, according to the Associated Press. Hundreds of supporters rallied outside the courthouse and after the arraignment, he shook hands with admirers, took a moment of prayer and fired off promises to have President Joe Biden prosecuted if elected.

He called the government’s legal actions “a heinous abuse of power.”

Trump’s legal problems are formidable, but it appears it hasn’t hurt him in his quest for a third Republican presidential nomination. The average of recent polls showed him with 52.7 percent among Republican voters followed by Ron deSantis with 22 percent.

Two more NATO members?

The pressure is on to add two more members to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as a bulwark against possible future Russian military aggression.

The New York Times is reporting that talks are underway between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other NATO nations about allowing Sweden to join the alliance. Any new NATO members must be confirmed by a unanimous vote of the group.

Also being discussed is admitting Ukraine, but only after its current war is concluded. NATO’s basic policy is that an attack on one is an attack on all.

Putin: Russia doing well vs. Ukraine

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin (Shutterstock).

Russian President Vladimir Putin answered questions from journalists and bloggers on Tuesday for two hours, offering a optimistic appraisal of his nation’s invasion of Ukraine.

According to USA Today, Putin said that Ukrainian forces were sustain heavy casualties and that Russian tanks were prevailing against Ukrainian armor, especially those vehicles from Germany and the U.S.

Also, he suggested that a quick way to end the war would be for the U.S. and NATO to stop supplying Ukraine with military equipment and supplies.

Sports: Angels and Dodgers both win

Tuesday was a good day for both the Los Angeles Angels and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Angels rallied for a 7-3 win over the Texas Rangers to improve to 38-31, just a game out of second place in the AL West.

The Dodgers jumped out to an early lead and coasted to a 5-1 victory. They’re 37-29 and are four games behind Arizona in the NL West.

Also … The Vegas Golden Knights won their first Stanley Cup by defeating the Florida Panthers 9-3 in the fifth game of the NHL championships.

Weather: Be patient, please

If you can wait all the way to Saturday, you’ll have sunny skies and warm temperatures in our West Orange County area. But until then, the forecasts are for partly cloudy skies and daytime highs in the low 70s. Wednesday is 71, Thursday is 72 and Friday 73 and then Saturday is 76 with an overnight low of 62.