Monday, April 4

• President Joe Biden doubled down on his condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “war criminal.” Biden said that a “war crimes trial” could be held and that he is seeking additional sanctions against Russia in light of reports of massacres in the Ukrainian city of Bucha.
• United States federal agents, in collaboration with Spain’s Civil Guard, seized a mega-yacht in the port of Palma de Mallorca, Spain, that is owned by an oligarch with close ties to Putin. The Justice Department alleged the vessel “was subject to forfeiture based on violation of U.S. bank fraud, money laundering, and sanction statutes.” This is the first action taken in an initiative to enforce U.S. government sanctions against Russia by seizing and freezing expensive assets of Russian elites.
• Missouri, Arizona and Louisiana sued the Biden administration over its plans to lift Title 42, a border policy that has led to the expulsion of the overwhelming majority of people trying to file asylum claims in the U.S. during the pandemic. The states argue that ending the restriction would result in an “unprecedented crisis at the United States southern border.”
• National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned of a “protracted” conflict in Ukraine as Russia is expected to focus on the broader eastern and southern regions of the country as a way to “encompass more significantly more territory than Russian proxies already controlled” prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Tuesday, April 5

· Former President Barack Obama returned to the White House — his first time since handing over the presidency to Donald Trump in 2017 — to mark the 12th anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act, which he called the “high point of my time here.”

· Enrique Tarrio, a former leader of the right-wing group the Proud Boys, pleaded not guilty to criminal charges of conspiring to block Congress from certifying Biden’s 2020 election victory in advance of last year’s attack on the Capitol.

· The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into electric and hybrid vehicle batteries after General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Stellantis and Volkswagen issued recalls due to possible defects that could cause fires or stalling in more than 138,000 vehicles that use batteries made by the South Korean company, LG Energy Solution.

· The Treasury Department blocked bond payments from Russian accounts at U.S. banks, complicating Russian attempts to meet debt obligations amid the sanctions imposed after it invaded Ukraine.

· The defense alliance known as AUKUS, which is made up of Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S., agreed to cooperate on initiatives to research and develop hypersonic weapons and electronic warfare capabilities. “These initiatives will add to our existing efforts to deepen cooperation on cyber capabilities, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and additional undersea capabilities,” a statement explained.

• Trump’s eldest daughter Ivanka Trump testified before the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, answering questions for about eight hours.

Wednesday, April 6

• The State Department approved the potential sale to Taiwan of $95 million worth of equipment, training and other services to support the island nation’s defense systems. “The proposed sale will help sustain Taiwan’s missile density and ensure readiness for air operations. The recipient will use this capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen homeland defense,” the department said in a statement.
• The U.S. released a new round of sanctions against Russia including a ban on American investments in Russia, penalties on family members of Putin and other top Russian officials and tightened restrictions on Sberbank, Russia’s largest financial institution.
• Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that Russia’s acts in Ukraine and Eastern Europe in general will have “enormous economic repercussions in Ukraine and beyond,” adding that Biden wants Russia expelled from the Group of 20, a major intergovernmental economies forum.
• The House voted 220 to 203 to hold Peter Navarro and Dan Scavino, two former advisors to Trump, in criminal contempt of Congress for their refusal to comply with demands from the committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.

Thursday, April 7

• The Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court on a 53-47 vote, making her the first Black woman in the nation’s history to serve on the U.S.’s highest court.
• Congress voted overwhelmingly to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and ban the importation of Russian oil.
• Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, announced she had contracted COVID-19. “The speaker is fully vaccinated and boosted, and is thankful for the robust protection the vaccine has provided,” a spokesman said in a statement. Several other legislators and cabinet members also tested positive for the virus.

Friday, April 8

• Charles Donohoe, the leader of the Proud Boys’ North Carolina chapter at the time of the Jan. 6 insurrection, pleaded guilty to charges related to the attack on the Capitol.

· The United States arrested Takeshi Ebisawa, a leader of the yakuza (Japanese “Mafia”), along with three Thai men — Sompak Rukrasaranee, Somphob Singhasiri and Suksan Jullanan — accusing them of trafficking in heroin and methamphetamines and trying to acquire U.S.-made surface-to-air missiles for armed groups in Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

Saturday, April 9

• No news to report.

Sunday, April 10

• Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said on CNN that the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol acknowledged there was significant evidence of Trump's criminality but that it has not reached a final decision about making referrals to the Justice Department.