Police say a Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist has been arrested in the northwestern city of Detroit Lakes. Democratic Sen. Nicole Mitchell, 49, of Woodbury, was being held Monday in the Becker County Jail on suspicion of first-degree burglary. Detroit Lakes Police Chief Steve Todd says formal charges are still pending. It's not clear if she has an attorney who could comment on her behalf. Mitchell's arrest comes at an awkward time for Senate Democrats, who hold just a one-seat majority with four weeks left in the legislative session. Her absence would make it difficult to pass any legislation that lacks bipartisan support.

The Chinese government froze meaningful efforts to trace the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, despite publicly declaring that it supported an open scientific inquiry, an Associated Press investigation has found. The AP drew on thousands of pages of undisclosed emails and documents, leaked recordings and dozens of interviews that showed the freeze began far earlier than previously known — in the first weeks of the outbreak — and involved political and scientific infighting in China as much as international finger-pointing. That pattern continues to this day, with labs closed, collaborations shattered, foreign scientists forced out and Chinese researchers barred from leaving the country.

The commencement of opening statements in Donald Trump's hush money trial sets the stage for weeks of testimony about the former president’s personal life and places his legal troubles at the center of his closely contested campaign against President Joe Biden. Proceedings kicked of Monday morning. Trump is accused of falsifying internal business records as part of an alleged scheme to bury stories he thought might hurt his presidential campaign in 2016. It's the first of Trump's four indictments to go to trial and the first criminal trial against a former U.S. president. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts.

European Union countries possessing Patriot air defense systems appear reluctant to give any to Ukraine. The country is desperately seeking at least seven of the missile batteries to help fend off Russian air attacks. At a meeting on Monday of EU foreign and defense ministers, countries with Patriots preferred to focus on the money they are spending to help Ukraine. Only Germany has come forward with a single Patriot missile battery in answer to Ukraine’s latest request. A key advantage of the U.S.-made systems, apart from their effectiveness, is that Ukrainian troops are already trained to use them.