World News: OnPolitics: How Putin might be 'the richest man in the world'

Tuesday, April 26

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on economic issues via videoconference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, Monday, April 18, 2022. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) ORG XMIT: XAZ102

OnPolitics: How Putin might be 'the richest man in the world'

Putin's financial empire was built using public resources and a close circle of friends. Will sanctions really make a difference?

Good afternoon, OnPolitics readers!

Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, the latest White House official to be infected with the virus.

"Today I tested positive for COVID-19. I have no symptoms, and I will continue to isolate and follow CDC guidelines," Harris wrote in a tweet on Tuesday afternoon. "I'm grateful to be both vaccinated and boosted."

Harris is not exhibiting symptoms and has not been a close contact to President Joe Biden or first lady Jill Biden, said Kirsten Allen, press secretary to the vice president, in a statement.

A wave of COVID cases in Washington: Harris tested positive the same day as other lawmakers, including Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore. Harris' recent positive test could throw a wrench in several Senate votes this week, where she would serve as the tie-breaking vote.

It's Amy and Chelsey with today's top stories out of Washington.

Putin's financial empire is worth billions. But where is he hiding the money?

Throughout his decades-long political career, Russian President Vladimir Putin has amassed a fortune that some authorities believe is vast enough to crown him one of the richest people in the world.

Now that wealth is in the crosshairs of the West. Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which is believed to have killed thousands of civilians, has triggered economic sanctions that target him, his associates and now his adult children.

But the system that built Putin's riches has also frustrated U.S. and European efforts to punish him. Each round of sanctions raises new questions about whether those efforts can affect the man who treats the wealth of an entire nation as his own.

That wealth was not built solely by simple corruption or theft, according to statements from an array of government officials, interviews with experts in U.S. intelligence and law enforcement, and a USA TODAY review of thousands of pages of reports and documents.

While Putin was far from the first to capitalize on the wealth of the formerly communist country, he turned the tables on Russia's oligarchs, using the power of his office to put himself in control of their futures – and their fortunes.

He installed his closest allies from St. Petersburg as a new class of oligarchs whose business riches became, effectively, Putin's own. Today, while Putin declares a $123,000 salary, his actual wealth is as hard to imagine as it is to quantify.

Latest updates on Ukraine: A third mass grave has been found near the embattled Ukrainian city of Mariupol , and the mayor says Russian occupiers have forced residents to work on the burials. The trench, seen on satellite images, stretches more than 200 yards – and contains thousands of civilian bodies, Mayor Vadym Boychenko said.

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•	Abortion rights in Nevada: Securing the safety of abortion protections, which are codified in the state's constitution, is a major talking point for both Democrats and Republicans wishing to secure the Senate majority after the midterm elections.
•	Judge blocks Title 42 expiration: The Biden administration wished to end the Trump-era policy that expels migrants from U.S. borders to slow the spread of COVID-19 on May 23.
•	New laws impact disabled voters: Advocates for people with disabilities say they are the unwitting targets of voter suppression.
•	High school admissions policy under scrutiny: Some parents argued a Virginia high school's effort to diversify its admissions violates the Constitution, but the Supreme Court has allowed it to continue temporarily.

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Biden grants clemency to 3 felons, commutes 75 sentences

In his first series of presidential pardons, Biden granted clemency to three convicted felons – Abraham Bolden Sr., Betty Jo Bogans and Dexter Eugene Jackson – and commuted, or shortened, the sentences of 75 others Tuesday.

Many of those targeted for clemency are Black or brown, while all are serving sentences for low-level drug offenses. Some served in confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The announcements preceded Biden's newly proposed reentry program for felons targeted at improving outcomes for formerly incarcerated individuals. The initiative is part of a number of planned reforms to the criminal justice system, including $145 million for a federal job training program and the removal of criminal history in applications for Small Business Administration grants.

In a statement, Biden said he is using the sentencing pardons and commutations that are part of his authority under the Constitution to provide fair and just treatment.

"Elected officials on both sides of the aisle, faith leaders, civil rights advocates, and law enforcement leaders agree that our criminal justice system can and should reflect these core values that enable safer and stronger communities. During Second Chance Month, I am using my authority under the Constitution to uphold those values by pardoning and commuting the sentences of fellow Americans," he said.

Here's how the CDC discovered that 60% of adult Americans (and 75% of children!) were infected with the coronavirus between December and February. — Amy and Chelsey

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