5 things you need to know Wednesday
1. Rand Paul visits New Hampshire a day after announcing presidential bid
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky travels to New Hampshire today as he makes his first campaign stop as an official presidential candidate. Paul, who on Tuesday announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination, will appear at the town hall in Milford, N.H. In his speech Tuesday, Paul vowed to stay true to his conservative principles and expand the GOP to include young people and minorities. "Too often when Republicans have won, we have squandered our victory by becoming part of the Washington machine. That's not who I am," he said. New Hampshire is a key campaign state as it holds the first primary election in the U.S. following the Iowa Caucuses, and has traditionally been a swing state.
2. Tickets go on sale for One World Trade Center observatory
If you're eager to be one of the first visitors to the One World Observatory at One World Trade Center when it opens May 29,tickets go on sale online at 10 a.m. ET today. The observatory is on the top three floors of the One World Trade Center building and is 1,250 feet in the air. Ticket prices start at $32 for adults, $30 for seniors, and $26 for children. Admission will be free for families of the 9/11 victims as well as for the rescue and recovery workers who responded to the 2001 terrorist attacks.
3. Tiger Woods makes Par 3 at the Masters a family affair
Tiger Woods will partner with his children and play the Par 3 Contest today at the Masters. Woods' caddies will be daughter Sam, 7, and son Charlie, 6. "It's special," Woods said. "Nice to be able to share these things with my family." Woods, who has not played a competitive round for almost two months, has not played the Par 3 since 2004, when he played with Arnold Palmer and good friend Mark O'Meara. That round included a hole-in-one. This week, the four-time Masters winner has warmed up by playing 20 practice holes and spending time with his chipping, which has lately been an Achilles heel for him.
4. Jury deliberating, could return verdict in trial of former Patriot Aaron Hernandez
Jurors could reach a verdict today in the murder trial of former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez, who is accused along with two co-defendants in the 2013 shooting death of Odin Lloyd. At the time of the murder, the star tight end had a $40 million contract with the Patriots. In closing arguments on Tuesday, prosecutor William McCauley pointed to evidence that showed Hernandez hanging out with co-defendants Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz a few hours after Lloyd was killed. "He's laying around the pool, soaking up the sun, drinking up smoothies with his two confederates," McCauley told jurors. But defense lawyer James Sulton said Hernandez was in shock after witnessing the shooting. He didn't know what to do, so he just put one foot in front of the other."
5. 'Convergence' debuts with Superman as a super-dad
Convergence: Superman debuts today featuring a pre-Flashpoint era where a powerless Man of Steel and wife Lois Lane are fighting the good fight in Gotham City. Illustrated by Lee Weeks, the Convergence crossover catches up with a pregnant Lane aiding and abetting a masked Clark Kent, who's tapping into his inner Batman in Gotham, one of the many cities under a dome on the living planet Telos that keeps superhumans' powers turned off. As usual, Superman has plenty of things to worry about, yet his impending fatherhood ups the stakes even more.
And, the essentials:
Weather: Severe storms could rattle the central Plains Wednesday while winter hangs on across the northern tier.
Stocks: U.S. stock futures were higher Wednesday.
TV Tonight: Can't decide what to watch? TV critic Robert Bianco looks at American Idol, Arrow and Criminal Minds.
Need a break? Try playing some of our games.
You can also subscribe to get the day's top news each weekday in your inbox or find us on the Yo! app: justyo.co/usatoday