Monday, March 29

· Head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Rochelle Walensky warned the U.S. of “impending doom” following skyrocketing cases of COVID-19 despite widespread vaccine distribution. “We have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential of where we are, and so much reason for hope,” Walensky said. “But right now, I’m scared.”

· The former White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said the United States’ COVID-19 death toll could have been “decreased substantially” had the administration of former President Donald Trump responded earlier and more effectively.

· The administration of President Joe Biden announced plans to expand offshore wind energy by opening up development, accelerating the permitting process and boosting public financing for such energy projects, as part of a broader plan to address climate change by bringing the U.S. down to net zero greenhouse gas emissions.

· Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged the United Nations Security Council to reopen border crossings into Syria blocked by Russia. “How is it possible that we can’t find in our hearts the common humanity to actually take meaningful action?” Blinken said, voicing outrage at inaction by other world powers in the face of Syrians’ suffering.

· The White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden has no intention of meeting with North Korean President Kim Jong Un.

Tuesday, March 30

· The Biden administration gave journalists access to its main border detention facility for migrant children for the first time, revealing an overcrowded structure housing over 4,100 migrants despite a capacity of only 250. A border patrol executive officer said 250 to 300 children enter daily and significantly fewer leave.

· The State Department released an annual report on global human rights, which determined that in China “genocide and crimes against humanity occurred during the year against the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups in [the western region of] Xinjiang.”

· Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Flo.) denied allegations that he was involved in a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, allegations he claimed are part of a campaign of organized criminal extortion. The congressman’s communications director, Luke Ball, later resigned as scrutiny over the scandal mounted. Politico described Gaetz’s strategy as running “the Trump playbook for scandal: Keep talking, and talking.”

Wednesday, March 31

· Biden unveiled a $2.25 trillion American Jobs Plan to update the country’s physical and technological infrastructure by rebuilding roads, bridges, ports, airports and more as well as encouraging green transportation and energy, to be paid for with a tax hike on corporations. The president said it would create about 19 million jobs.

· Biden released a list of his first 11 federal judicial nominations, hailing the “broad diversity of background experience and perspective” of the nominees and saying the list “draws from the very best and brightest minds of the American legal profession.” The nominees include three Black women and a Muslim man who could become the first Muslim federal judge.

· The Pentagon announced new department regulations to get rid of Trump-era policies largely banning transgender people from serving in the military with new rules for access to medical care and assistance with gender transition.

· Secretary of State Blinken sent a notice to legislators reaffirming the stance that China has continued to “dismantle” Hong Kong’s autonomy, meaning the former British colony does not deserve preferential trade treatment, a view in line with Blinken’s predecessor Mike Pompeo.

· Blinken said Sudan has paid $335 million in compensation for survivors and victims’ families from attacks like the 1998 al-Qaeda bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which were backed by Sudan’s then-leader Omar al-Bashir. The agreement was made to remove Sudan from the federal government’s list of “state sponsors of terrorism.”

· Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Iran has seen “no serious efforts” from the U.S. following Biden’s proposed new offer to resolve the deadlock over the 2015 nuclear deal, which Trump bowed out of, suggesting that Biden’s words of support have not translated into action.

Thursday, April 1

· The Biden administration convened its first Cabinet meeting. Biden said he was appointing five members to work with Congress on communications with the public for his economic plan, which emphasizes spending money on American-made goods and services.

· The White House removed the Interior Department’s chief of staff Jennifer Van der Heide after it was revealed she recently planned a 50-person indoor party at the agency. It cancelled the event and moved her to a senior counselor job instead.

Friday, April 2

· A man rammed his vehicle into the barrier outside the Capitol building, killing one Capitol Police officer and injuring another. Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman said the man exited the vehicle with a knife in hand, at which point an officer shot him dead.

· The CDC issued guidance to say fully vaccinated people can travel within the U.S. freely without getting tested or going into quarantine afterwards.

· Border patrol data revealed over 171,000 migrants were captured by U.S. authorities while attempting from crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in March.

· Biden had his first official phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during which he offered staunch support for Ukraine in its standoff against Russian forces along its order.

· The White House lifted sanctions imposed by Trump on officials in the International Criminal Court who are investigating the U.S. and Israel for war crimes in Afghanistan and Palestine. Blinken said the U.S.’s concerns about these cases should be addressed diplomatically.

Saturday, April 3

· The Department of Health and Human Services tasked pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson with running a vaccine plant in Baltimore, Maryland, that ruined 15 million doses of its vaccine when run by a different contract manufacturer. The doses were contaminated by mixing ingredients from both the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines.

Sunday, April 4

· The U.S. military closed a failing maximum-security facility that housed 40 war-on-terror detainees at Guantánamo Bay to consolidate prisoners, a move planned during the Trump administration to save costs and personnel.