5 things you need to know Wednesday

1. Warriors try to finish off Rockets, join Cavs in finals

The Golden State Warriors will try to wrap up their series against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, which would send them to Game 1 of the Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers on June 4. The Warriors currently lead the series 3-1, after the Rockets caught fire to avoid a sweep Monday. The Cavaliers sealed their trip to the Finals with a 118-88 rout to complete their sweep of the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference finals. This will be the Cavaliers first trip to the Finals since 2007, but it will also be LeBron James' fifth consecutive trip there, making him the first player to accomplish that feat with different teams.

2. Santorum poised to join 2016 field

Former senator and House member Rick Santorum is set to announce his candidacy at an event Wednesday in Butler County, Pa., near his boyhood home. Santorum, 57, mounted a surprisingly strong run in 2012 after languishing in polls for months leading up to the Iowa caucuses. He ultimately won in Iowa — belatedly, after Mitt Romney was initially declared the winner — and would go on to carry 10 additional states. Santorum will join a growing GOP field for 2016 that is likely to include more than a dozen candidates.

3. Iraqis to arm more Sunni fighters in battle to retake Ramadi

The U.S.-led coalition in Iraq confirmed that Iraqi security forces are engaged in an operation to retake Ramadi, with between 2,000 and 3,000 Iraqi army forces near the city, along with coalition air support. Ahmad al-Assadi, a spokesman for Iraq's Shiite militias said Ramadi, Anbar's provincial capital, is besieged from three sides by Iraqi forces with some 4,000 Sunni tribal fighters participating in the fight. Two officials from Anbar said the operation is focused on cutting off supply routes to the city first and that more Sunni fighters would be armed Wednesday to join the battle.

Iraq renews effort against Islamic State

Iraq announced Tuesday it is renewing efforts to drive the Islamic State from western Anbar province. Without providing details, authorities said a new operation was being launched with Iraq troops supported by Shiite and Sunni forces.

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4. Nebraska Senate could abolish death penalty with veto override

Gov. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., vetoed a bill Tuesday that would have abolished capital punishment in a traditionally conservative state for the first time in more than 40 years. The state Senate will try to override that veto Wednesday. Many senators argued that they oppose the death penalty for religious reasons. Others said it was too costly and inefficient, and questioned whether government could be trusted to manage it. Thirty senators are needed to override the veto, which is a realistic number since the measure initially passed 32-15. One senator has already publicly said he has changed his position, so Ricketts only needs to convince two more to do the same.

5. The Space Station's getting a bit of a makeover

NASA robotics officers on Wednesday morning plan to relocate an International Space Station storage module, the biggest change to the station's structure since its assembly was completed in 2011. Teams in Houston will command the station's 58-foot, Canadian-built robotic arm to pull the Permanent Multi-purpose Module, or PMM, from the Unity node's Earth-facing port to the Tranquility node's forward port. It should take a few hours, with NASA TV coverage starting at 8 a.m.

Developing story: Swiss open criminal probe into 2018 and 2022 World Cup soccer bids

Swiss federal prosecutors on Wednesday said they have opened criminal proceedings related to the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Earlier, FIFA, world soccer's governing body, was rocked by a dramatic scandal after six officials were arrested in Switzerland and face extradition to the United States on suspicion of federal corruption charges.

And, the essentials:

Weather: Steamy, summer-like heat will spread over the East on Wednesday while the southern Plains sees a few more showers and storms.

Stocks: Wall Street was set to open lower on Wednesday.

TV Tonight: Wondering what to watch tonight? TV critic Robert Bianco looks at iHeartRadio Country Festival, Bullseye and The Briefcase.

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Contributing: The Associated Press