“Chinese government agents are increasingly recruiting and hiring private eyes to harass dissidents and forcibly repatriate Chinese-born U.S. and Canadian residents whom Beijing considers criminals,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
McConnell Pushes GOP Senators to Oppose Jackson
“Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is putting public and private pressure on Senate Republican colleagues to oppose President Biden’s nominee to the Supreme Court, despite the historic nature of her nomination to be the first Black woman on the court,” The Hill reports.
“McConnell has dug in against Biden’s nominee, arguing the vote isn’t about ‘race or gender’ but about Jackson’s record, which he says is too soft on crime and indicates she’ll likely turn into an activist judge on the bench.”
A Wild House Race Takes Shape in Alaska
The Anchorage Daily News reports that 51 candidates — including Sarah Palin — have filed to run in the special election to fill the seat of the late Rep. Don Young (R-AK).
“Some of the candidates were proteges of Young; others were rivals. And their experience runs the gamut from political novices to veterans of statewide campaigns.”
Iran Nuclear Talks at Stalemate
Washington Post: “Tehran’s demand that the United States lift its designation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization, and U.S. refusal so far to do that, have brought the year-long negotiations over reviving the Iran nuclear deal to a halt, with no new meetings scheduled and little obvious room for compromise.”
Russians Leave Mines In Wake of Retreat
“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned his people early Saturday that retreating Russian forces were creating ‘a complete disaster’ outside the capital as they leave mines across ‘the whole territory,’ including around homes and corpses,” the AP reports.
“He issued the warning as the humanitarian crisis in the encircled city of Mariupol deepened, with Russian forces blocking evacuation operations for the second day in a row. Meanwhile, the Kremlin accused the Ukrainians of launching a helicopter attack on a fuel depot on Russian soil.”
“Ukraine denied responsibility for the fiery blast, but if Moscow’s claim is confirmed, it would be the war’s first known attack in which Ukrainian aircraft penetrated Russian airspace.”
Sarah Palin Says She’s Running for Congress
“Former Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin (R) said Friday night she is running for her state’s congressional seat after years away from the national spotlight, casting herself as a fighter against the ‘radical left,’” the Washington Post reports.
New York Times: “She will be joining a crowded field of nearly 40 candidates to fill the House seat left vacant by Representative Don Young, whose unexpected death last month has spurred one of the largest political shifts in the state in 50 years.”
“In the past, Ms. Palin had suggested, but never followed through on, launching various campaigns for elected office several times in the years since she first electrified the base of the Republican Party after 2008 presidential nominee John McCain plucked her from obscurity and named her as his running mate.”
Officials Provided Less Detail About Trump’s Activities
“Just days before the US Capitol riot, White House officials started providing fewer details about then-President Donald Trump’s calls and visits, the person in charge of compiling those activities for the official record told the House select committee investigating January 6, 2021,” CNN reports.
“The committee interviewed Trump’s presidential diarist roughly two weeks ago. That interview has not been previously reported, nor has the testimony describing a noticeable drop-off in information provided by Oval Office staff leading up to January 6.”
U.S. Will Help Transfer Soviet-Made Tanks to Ukraine
“The Biden administration will work with allies to transfer Soviet-made tanks to bolster Ukrainian defenses in the country’s eastern Donbas region,” the New York Times reports.
“The decision to act as an intermediary to help transfer the Soviet-made tanks, which Ukrainian troops know how to use, comes in response to a request from President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, the official said. It marks the first time in the war that the United States has helped transfer tanks.”
Why the Jobs Boom Isn’t Translating
Politico: “The U.S. unemployment rate hit 3.6 percent today, as 431,000 jobs were added during the month of March. It’s the type of data point that should make a White House giddy. And yet, one can’t help but smell the whiff of frustration emanating from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”
“There is a remarkable disconnect among the American public involving the reality of the jobs market and the perception of it. A little-noticed survey by Navigator Research last month showed that 37 percent of the public thought that more jobs had been lost (yes, lost) over the last year while just 28 percent thought that they had been gained. That was particularly pronounced among Republicans, 47 percent of whom believed jobs had been lost over the last 12 months.”
“Needless to say, that’s wildly inaccurate: The unemployment rate was 6.4 percent when Joe Biden took office… That these basic facts aren’t translating to the public says a lot about how news is disseminated and consumed.”
Manchin Slams Biden’s ‘Frightening Decision’
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) slammed President Biden’s decision to rescind Title 42, a Trump-era health order used to rapidly deport people who cross the border without authorization, as “a frightening decision” that would likely increase the volume of migrants at the southern border, The Hill reports.
Said Manchin: “Title 42 has been an essential tool in combatting the spread of Covid-19 and controlling the influx of migrants at our southern border. We are already facing an unprecedented increase in migrants this year, and that will only get worse if the Administration ends the Title 42 policy.”
Select Committee Ups Pressure on Merrick Garland
“Lawmakers investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol are increasingly going public with critical statements, court filings and more to deliver a blunt message to Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice,” the AP reports.
“President Donald Trump and his allies likely committed crimes, they say. And it’s up to you to do something about it.”
“The lawmakers seem nearly certain to send a criminal referral to the Justice Department once their work is through.”
CNN: Garland says the only pressure DOJ feels on January 6 probes is to “do the right thing.”
House Votes to Legalize Marijuana
“The House passed a bill to legalize marijuana for the second consecutive Congress, signaling a continued interest by Democrats in overhauling the federal approach to a substance that is legal for medical use in 37 states,” Roll Call reports.
“The 220-204 vote on the bill, which would decriminalize the possession and use of marijuana, fell mostly along party lines Friday. Three Republicans voted in favor of the bill, and two Democrats voted against.”
“When a similar bill passed in 2020, the GOP-controlled Senate declined to take it up, but lawmakers are hopeful that growing public support and a Democratic majority in the chamber could spur action.”
Trump Told Callers to Bypass White House Switchboard
CNN: “When John Kelly was Trump’s chief of staff, he monitored the switchboard to see who Trump was talking to. Trump would often tell people to hang up and call him back on his cellphone if he didn’t want it showing up on the switchboard call log.”
Said one former Trump official: “Trump hated people knowing who he spoke to, including from the residence at night when they went through the switchboard.”
Capitol Rioter Who Brought Weapons Sentenced to Prison
“An Alabama man who brought a truckload of weapons, ammunition, and Molotov cocktails near the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6 was sentenced to 46 months in prison on Friday,” NBC News reports.
China Accused of Hacking Ukraine Before Invasion
“China staged a huge cyberattack on Ukraine’s military and nuclear facilities in the build-up to Russia’s invasion,” the Times of London reports.
“More than 600 websites belonging to the defence ministry in Kyiv and other institutions suffered thousands of hacking attempts which were co-ordinated by the Chinese government, according to Ukraine’s security service, the SBU.”
“The spy agency revealed that, in an apparent sign of complicity in the invasion, Chinese attacks started before the end of the Winter Olympics and peaked on February 23, the day before Russian troops and tanks crossed the border.”
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Russian Strategy in Ukraine Shifts After Setbacks
“Russia’s war on Ukraine shifted gears this week, as Moscow, lacking the strength to pursue rapid offensives on multiple fronts, began pulling back from Kyiv and other cities in the north, and refocused for now on seizing parts of the country’s east,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The pivot, after five weeks of intense fighting, was a gauge of the intensity and effectiveness of Ukrainian resistance and signaled a decision by the Kremlin to pursue what is likely to become a prolonged war of attrition.”
Starbucks to Eliminate all PFAS in Packaging
“Starbucks earlier this month announced its first commitment to eliminate harmful PFAS chemicals in its food packaging in both the U.S. and abroad, joining other large companies in banning the toxics,” Environmental Health News reports.
Sara Goddard: What you should know about PFAS chemicals.
