(TUE 4/26/22)

Who’s at war with Russia? … At a press conference in Poland Monday after a surprise meeting in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Secretary of State Lloyd Austin said he “wants to see Russia weakened” and unable to recover quickly from its war against Ukraine. This ramps up, at least, the established Biden administration goal of helping Ukraine retain its sovereignty and defend its territory, The Guardian reports. The U.S. also pledged another $713 million in military aide to Ukraine.

The Kremlin responded Tuesday by cranking up its rhetoric. “NATO, in essence, is engaged in a war with Russia through a proxy and is arming that proxy. War means war,” foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told Russian state media, according to The Guardian. Russian President Vladimir Putin meets later Tuesday with U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who will argue for an immediate cease-fire, The Washington Post reports. Of course, the Kremlin may agree to a cease-fire, but no one should believe it.

•••

Civil case against Trump Organization is very much alive … While the criminal investigation against former Donald J. Trump’s business organization by Manhattan’s district attorney continues to flail after two prosecutors resigned earlier this year, the civil case by state Attorney Gen. Letitia James scored a victory Monday when a New York Supreme Court judge held the former president in contempt and imposed a $10,000 per day fine against him, NPR reports. Trump’s attorney has appealed.

James’ office is investigating whether the Trump Organization has undervalued its properties to avoid taxes and overvalued its properties in order to procure more favorable loans from financial institutions. Trump turned in zero documents to James after her request last year, according to NPR’s Morning Edition, and has turned in just 10 documents from earlier requests. 

Boilerplate: Trump has repeatedly accused James’ investigation of being politically motivated. 

--Todd Lassa