☕ The death penalty push for Luigi

Good morning!

Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race has been won by Susan Crawford, who defeated Brad Schimel. The race became a proxy battle over President Trump’s agenda, with Schimel heavily backed by the Trump administration and Elon Musk, who donated $20m. Nonetheless, Crawford, supported by the Democratic Party and endorsed by former President Barack Obama, prevailed.

Next, we focus on today’s ‘Liberation Day’.

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Some headlines from this morning:

• White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said that President Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs will come into effect “immediately” after a Rose Garden announcement scheduled at 4pm this afternoon (DC time). President Trump has long heralded ‘Liberation Day’ as the commencement date of “reciprocal tariffs” on countries that impose trade barriers on US exports. The details of the tariffs remain unclear.

• Democratic Senator Corey Booker, a one-time presidential candidate, has spoken on the Senate floor for over 25 hours, breaking a 1957 record held by a segregationist attempting to block the passage of a civil rights bill. Booker took the floor, saying he would speak until physically unable in protest of the Trump administration's 2 months in power and to call on “the people” to stand up against it. To avoid ceding the floor, Booker had to talk continuously and was only allowed a break when asked questions by democratic colleagues.

• Embattled National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who recently created a Signal group chat in which confidential information was shared, used Gmail for his government work, according to the Washington Post. The Post also reported Waltz’s aides use the publicly available platform for government work, with one employee sharing highly detailed information about, among other things, weapons systems. Waltz did not share any confidential information on the platform. A spokesperson said Waltz sometimes received emails from “legacy” contacts on Gmail but would promptly move the emails to government systems to comply with procedure.

• The Trump administration admitted they have mistakenly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran with ‘protected status’, to a mega prison in El Salvador. Protected status means the government agrees not to deport individuals back to their home country because they will likely face harm. Garcia faces serious threats from gangs in El Salvador. Still, Trump administration lawyers say that despite the mistake, the court has no power to order his return, saying US foreign policy objectives outweigh the interests of Garcia and his family. The mistake occurred despite immigration officials being aware of the protected status of Garcia, who they alleged was gang-affiliated.

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Russia’s Vladimir Putin has ordered the conscription of 150,000 Russian citizens, the largest conscription push in years. It signals an increase of 10,000 people from the 2024 conscription effort and 25,000 from 2022. Let's dive in.

Putin’s announcement

The Russian military commonly conscripts citizens twice yearly, once in Spring and again in Autumn.

Putin's Monday announcement signalled the beginning of the Spring conscription drive and ordered Russia’s active military personnel to increase by 180,000 to 1.5 million by 2026.

The conscription will occur from April to July and include all eligible citizens between 18 and 30.

Putin also announced that conscripts whose service has expired will be discharged.

The increase in conscripts mirrors Putin’s widening of the age gap for conscripts last year from 27 to 30.

US-Russia-Ukraine peace talks

Putin’s fortification of his military might comes as President Trump enters month two of attempting to negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

President Trump made a rare expression of frustration towards the Russian leader on Friday. Following suggestions made by the Russian leader that the UN should run an interim government of Ukraine and that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy should step down, Trump responded he was: “very angry, pissed off”.

Trump threatened further sanctions on countries buying Russian oil if peace talks were not taken seriously.

Reaction

US and Ukrainian authorities have yet to react to the Russian announcement.

The Russian defense minister insisted, “The forthcoming draft campaign is in no way connected with the special military operation in Ukraine.”

Last week, Zelenskyy alleged that Russia was preparing for a massive offensive to take more land before engaging seriously in peace talks.

“According to our intelligence, Russia is preparing for new offensives in the Sumy, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions.”

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Federal prosecutors have been directed to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione.

The 26-year-old is accused of killing insurance company CEO Brian Thompson in December last year.

Overnight, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi instructed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in this case, in line with “President Trump's agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again”. Here’s what you need to know.

Assassination

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was on his way to an investor conference in early December when he was shot and killed in New York.

The 50-year-old had worked at the health insurance company for 20 years and was appointed CEO in 2021.

The incident was captured on CCTV, and the footage went viral.

The words “Delay, Deny and Depose” – a phrase used to criticize tactics used by insurers to avoid paying claims – were written on the three bullets that killed Thompson.

Following a five-day search, Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania. Police claim he was carrying a gun and a silencer, consistent with the ones used in the murder, when he was apprehended.

Mangione also had a handwritten document on him that accused healthcare companies of putting profits above care. Investigators said the note illustrated “ill will toward corporate America.”

Charges

Mangione will be prosecuted under both federal and state law.

The murder charge will be heard in the state of New York. A separate federal case was brought because he’s accused of crossing state lines to commit and plan the alleged offenses.

State charges: The New York Attorney General will prosecute Mangione for first-degree murder and murder as an act of terrorism, as well as other offenses.

Federal charges: Federal prosecutors have charged him with using a firearm in a murder and interstate stalking.

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the state charges.

He has not yet been called to respond to the federal charges.

Death penalty

The death penalty is legal in 24 U.S. states, not including New York.

When he was President, Joe Biden introduced a pause on the death penalty for most federal cases.

However, this was overturned on Trump’s first day in office, when he signed an executive order “restoring the death penalty”.

Trump’s decision allows federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Mangione, which the U.S. Attorney General has now recommended.

Bondi, who is the country’s chief legal advisor, said Thompson’s murder was a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination” of an “innocent man and father of two young children.”

What’s next?

Before Bondi’s announcement, the state trial was scheduled to proceed ahead of the federal case. It is unclear if this week’s update will affect the proceedings.

If Mangione is found guilty in the federal trial, the jury will be asked to determine if he should be sentenced to death. A decision must be unanimous.

Mangione’s lawyer condemned Bondi’s decision to seek the death penalty, calling it “barbaric” and “political”.