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Rand Paul speaks to a group of supporters at Dolly McNutt Plaza on April 10, 2010, during a Senate campaign stop in Paducah, Ky.(Photo: Stephen Lance Dennee, The Paducah Sun via AP)
1. Rand Paul to officially announce White House run
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is set to formally enter the GOP presidential race today during a rally in Louisville. Paul will join Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, a rival for the support of hard-line conservatives, as official candidates in the 2016 race. In a video released Sunday, the libertarian-minded conservative pitches himself as a "different kind of Republican." Here are six things to know about Paul.
2. Voters in Ferguson, Mo., poised to make history
Voters in Ferguson, Mo., go to the polls today with an opportunity to put as many as three African Americans on the City Council for the first time in the history of the St. Louis suburb. Ferguson drew worldwide attention last year when protests erupted after a white police officer shot 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black and unarmed. A Justice Department report last month confirmed a broad pattern of biased policing in Ferguson that singled out African Americans for excessive arrests and harsh punishment.
Ferguson, Mo., activists march through downtown St. Louis during a protest on March 14, 2015.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Scott Olson, Getty Images)
3. Deliberations begin in Boston Marathon bombing trial
Jury deliberations are expected to begin today in the trial of Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Prosecutors used their closing arguments Monday to tie the two Tsarnaev brothers together as a unified terror team. Later, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's defense attorneys tried to convince jurors that the younger brother, on trial for his life, was merely a willing accomplice in the deadly 2013 attacks. Jurors must pick apart the statements, as well as 15 days of testimony, to decide which narrative is true.
In this courtroom sketch, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, center, is depicted between defense attorneys Miriam Conrad, left, and Judy Clarke during his federal death penalty trial in Boston.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Jane Flavell Collins, AP)
4. Chicagoans return to polls for city's first-ever mayoral runoff
Chicago voters return to the polls today to vote in the city's first-ever mayoral runoff, nearly six weeks after none of the five mayoral candidates won an absolute majority of votes. Incumbent Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Cook County Commissioner Jesús "Chuy" Garcia spent the holiday weekend crisscrossing the city in a hunt for votes. Not since Richard M. Daley won the first of six consecutive terms in 1989 has a Chicago mayoral race had even a whiff of competitiveness.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel casts his ballot during early voting April 2, 2015, in Chicago. Emanuel faces Cook County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia in a runoff election.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Brian Jackson, AP)
5. 'Je suis Charlie': 3 months since Paris terror attack
Today marks three months since brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi stormed the Paris offices of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people in the worst terrorist attack on French soil in a half century. The brothers shouted their mission was to avenge publication of what they said were denigrating cartoons about Islam. Following the attacks, the slogan Je suis Charlie ("I am Charlie") captured France's attempts to unite in the face of an event that threatened to stoke already tense relations among its large Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities. Three months later, some believe France has moved on too quickly. "France has not forgotten about these events, but the state of grace that followed them has worn off," said Paul Moreira, 53, a documentary maker and investigative journalist.
Bonus: Marking the release of his latest solo album, No Pier Pressure, Beach Boy Brian Wilson will answer your questions at 6 p.m. ET on the USA TODAY Life Facebook page.
Brian Wilson is releasing a new album, "No Pier Pressure," on April 7.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Brian Bowen Smith)
And, the essentials:
Weather: Some welcome rain and snow will fall in California, while a soggy day is also on tap for much of the Midwest and East.
Stocks: U.S. stock futures were higher Tuesday.
TV Tonight: Can't decide what to watch? TV critic Robert Bianco looks at NCIS and Forever.
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