Your afternoon briefing on the day’s top developments in government, courts, and international affairs.
International
Vance opens historic Iran talks in Islamabad. Vice President J.D. Vance arrived in Pakistan’s capital Saturday for face-to-face ceasefire negotiations with an Iranian delegation of 71 officials led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Vance, who called the discussions “going to be positive,” warned Tehran not to “try to play us.” Iran’s state television broadcast red lines ahead of the session, including continued control of the Strait of Hormuz and a separate Lebanon truce. The talks, mediated by Pakistan, represent the highest-level direct engagement between Washington and Tehran since the 1979 Islamic revolution. NBC News
Peru heads to polls Sunday with 35 candidates. Peruvians will vote April 12 to choose their tenth president in a decade from a record field of 35 candidates. Keiko Fujimori leads polls at roughly 18.5 percent, with Rafael López Aliaga trailing at approximately 13 percent and 40 percent of the electorate still undecided. A runoff on June 7 is widely expected. For the first time in decades, voters will also elect a Senate after a 2024 reform reinstated the bicameral legislature. CSIS
OFAC general license for Russian oil transactions expires today. A U.S. sanctions waiver authorizing certain transactions involving Russian-origin crude oil and petroleum products loaded on vessels before March 12 expired April 11. The expiration tightens enforcement on Russian energy trade and comes as India has reportedly resumed imports of Iranian oil and LNG after a seven-year pause, raising questions about whether Washington will reimpose secondary sanctions later this month. Mondaq
Government
Swalwell support collapses after sexual assault allegations. Rep. Eric Swalwell’s campaign for California governor is in freefall after a San Francisco Chronicle report in which a former staffer alleged he sexually assaulted her twice while she was intoxicated. House Democratic leadership, including Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, called for Swalwell to drop out of the race. SEIU California suspended $2 million in campaign expenditures, and campaign chair Rep. Jimmy Gomez resigned from the role. Swalwell denied the allegations and said he will not withdraw. CalMatters
SEC names David Woodcock as new Enforcement Director. The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that David Woodcock, a former director of the SEC’s Fort Worth Regional Office, will become Director of Enforcement effective May 4. The appointment follows the agency’s release of fiscal year 2025 enforcement results showing 456 total actions — the lowest in at least 20 years — and signals a potential recalibration of enforcement priorities under new leadership. SEC press releases
Courts
Judge finds Pentagon violating court order on press access. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman ruled that the Defense Department is in violation of his earlier order requiring the Pentagon to restore reporter access. The judge found that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s revised press policy — requiring journalist escorts throughout the building — effectively reimposed the restrictions Friedman had struck down on First Amendment grounds on March 20. The court ordered a senior Pentagon official to file a sworn compliance declaration by April 16. The Pentagon said it will appeal. The Hill
Artemis II crew safe after historic splashdown. The four Artemis II astronauts — NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — are in good health and en route to Johnson Space Center after splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego Friday evening. The mission marked the first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo 17 in 1972 and set a new distance record for human spaceflight. Space.com
Tomorrow’s Watch
Peru election results and Iran talks outcome. Early returns from Peru’s first-round presidential vote are expected Sunday evening, with a runoff widely anticipated. In Islamabad, the substance of whatever framework emerges from the U.S.-Iran talks will shape the trajectory of the Strait of Hormuz standoff and the broader ceasefire.