Michigan Advisory Committee Virtual Business Meeting - AI Civil Rights Study

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights published a notice announcing a virtual public meeting of the Michigan Advisory Committee on April 21, 2026, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time via Zoom. The meeting will discuss and potentially vote on the Committee's proposal regarding civil rights implications of the Michigan government's use of artificial intelligence. The public may attend, provide oral comments, or submit written comments within 30 days following the meeting.

OFAC SDN List Updates - Removals and Unblocking Actions

OFAC published notice of unblocking actions and SDN List removals for five persons effective March 6-13, 2026. Actions include removal of GLOBE TREKKERS LLC (Russia-EO14024), Carlos Arnoldo Lobo (SDNTK), and three CYBER2-listed individuals/entities including GAYKOVICH, KOVALEVSKIJ, and ACEX OY (Ukraine-/Russia-Related Sanctions).

SingCERT Security Bulletin: Critical Vulnerabilities Week of 8 April 2026

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) through SingCERT issued its weekly Security Bulletin for 8 April 2026, summarizing critical and high-severity vulnerabilities from NIST's National Vulnerability Database (NVD). The bulletin catalogs multiple CVEs with CVSS scores of 10.0, affecting Microsoft Azure services, ChurchCRM, Dgraph, SandboxJS, Juju, and Samsung Exynos processors. Organizations are advised to review affected products and apply available patches.

EU VAT Gap €773.5B, Quadruple EU Budget

The Tax Foundation published analysis finding that the EU's VAT actionable policy gap—the additional revenue that could be collected by eliminating reduced rates and certain exemptions—reached €773.5 billion in 2024. This represents six times the compliance gap and is quadruple the EU's annual budget. The analysis breaks down how 27.1% of potential VAT revenue is lost through reduced rates (12 percentage points) and exemptions (15 percentage points).

OBBBA makes investment expensing permanent, boosting economic growth

The Tax Foundation analyzed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's expansion of investment expensing provisions, including permanent bonus depreciation for equipment, permanent Section 179 small business expensing, and a new temporary Section 168(n) for manufacturing structures. The analysis found these provisions reduce the after-tax cost of investment by approximately 3.8% for corporations subject to the 21% tax rate.

IG4 Group / Petrobras / Braskem merger prior notification (Case M.12316)

The European Commission received a prior notification of a concentration (Case M.12316) involving IG4 Group, Petrobras, and Braskem. The transaction was published in the Official Journal on March 23, 2026, and is designated as a candidate for the simplified merger procedure. Interested third parties may submit observations on the proposed merger.

AEIF 2026 - U.S. Uzbekistan Alumni Grants, $5k-$35k

The U.S. Department of State's Embassy in Tashkent announces a grant competition for alumni of U.S. government exchange programs to implement projects strengthening economic ties between the United States and Uzbekistan. The 2026 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF 2026) will award $5,000 to $35,000 per project. Priority themes include Business/Energy/Trade, STEM/AI/Innovation, and Education/Culture/Sports/Tourism, with projects required to incorporate Freedom 250 themes for America's 250th Anniversary.

State v. Hammond - Guilty Plea Affirmed, Community Control Sentence

The Ohio Fifth District Court of Appeals affirmed the Guernsey County Common Pleas Court conviction of Clay Hammond following his guilty plea to unlawful sexual conduct with a minor (R.C. 2907.04(A)), a felony of the fourth degree. The defendant was sentenced to five years of community control, including mandatory sex offender counseling, a no-contact order with the victim, and Tier II sex offender registration. The appellate court rejected the defendant's challenge to the negotiated plea agreement.

State v. King - Affirmed (Ineffective Assistance of Counsel)

The Ohio Court of Appeals, Fifth District affirmed the Stark County Court of Common Pleas' denial of Anthony Cooper-King's motion for leave to file a petition for postconviction relief. Cooper-King, convicted of drug possession offenses (heroin, fentanyl, cocaine), claimed ineffective assistance of counsel. The appellate court found no abuse of discretion in the trial court's denial.

Muhammad v. PNC Financial Services - Appeal Dismissed

The Ohio Tenth District Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of plaintiff Haneef Muhammad's claims against PNC Financial Services. The trial court granted PNC's motion to dismiss based on res judicata, as the claims had been previously adjudicated in federal court. Muhammad, proceeding pro se, alleged claims including negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, conversion, and breach of contract arising from a 2023 branch visit.