Bulletin Intelligence

From: Bulletin Intelligence Subject: (EXTERNAL EMAIL] - FBI Public Affairs News Briefing Wednesday, July 29, 2020 To: FBI@BulletinIntelligence.com Sent: July 29, 2020 6:26 AM (UTC-04:00) Mobile version and searchable archives available at fbi.bulletinintellicience.com. x TO : THE DIRECTOR AND SENIOR STAFF DATE : WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 2020 6 : 30 AM EDT TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS LEADING THE NEWS • Barr Spars With Democrats At Contentious House Hearing. • Barr Says Democrats Have Tried To "Discredit" Him. EFTA00135667 • Barr Says Bash Investigating "High Number Of Unmaskings" During Obama Administration. PROTESTS • Memo Reveals Federal Agents Sought Role In Suppressing Protests Since Start. • New Mexico Governor Addresses Concerns About Federal Agents In Albuquerque. • Report: US, Oregon In Talks About Pulling Agents From Portland. • Portland Fines Federal Government For Unpermitted Fence Outside Courthouse. • US Park Police Head: Decision To Clear Protesters Not Linked To Trump "Photo Op." • Hundreds Of Cases Involving LAPD Officers Accused Of Corruption Under Review. • Minneapolis Police Link Protest Figure To White Supremacy Group. • Austin Police Release Video Of Deadly Shooting Of Latino Man. • Suspect Arrested In Shooting Of Two Protesters In Colorado. • Biden Calls For Violent Protesters To Be "Found, Arrested And Tried." • Hoyer Denies Democrats Support Violent Rioters, Appears To Liken Trump To Fascists. • WPost Analysis: Civilian Militia Groups Surge Amid Protests. • Miami Journalist: Latinos Should Stand Up For Their Black Neighbors. • Free Beacon: Criticisms A "Calculated Attempt To Tar Cotton's Character." COUNTER-TERRORISM • California Man Charged With Leading Online White Supremacist Group Devoted To Dylann Roof. • Pentagon Admits To Civilian Casualties In Somalia. COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE • Former FBI Agent Strzok Publishing Book In September About Trump, Russia. • Declassified Senate Intelligence Report Highlights Doubts About Steele Dossier. • Valerie Jarrett Pressed On Obama's Role In Russia Probe. • Eisen Says In New Book Mueller Refused To Admit Trump Committed "At Least Five Chargeable Crimes." • US Seeks To Dismiss Charges Against Ex-Twitter Employees Accused Of Spying For Saudi Arabia. • Lawmakers Aim To Deny Visas To Chinese Spies And Their Families. • Report: US To Order Drastic Reduction In Chinese Diplomats. • Op-Ed: The New "Cold War" Between The US And China Is A Dangerous Myth. • Singapore Spy Case Stirs Fears China Recruiting On Island State. • Revised Missile Pact With US To Facilitate South Korean Spy Satellite. • University Of Texas Says Researchers Will Be Contacted By FBI About China Contacts. • Rubio Doubts IC Global Threats Hearing Will Happen This Year. • Russian Intelligence Services Spreading Coronavirus Disinformation. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS • Kansas City Man Charged In Beating Death. • Federal Prosecutors Oppose Maxwell's Effort To Name Epstein Victims. • Illinois Woman Pleads Guilty To Forced Labor. • FBI Agent Shoots Suspect In Arkansas. • Continuing Coverage: Colorado Police Officers Shot In Line Of Duty. • Ohio Man Faces Murder Charges. • Utah Sex Offender Arrested. • FBI Agents Searching Home Of Tennessee State Senator. • South Carolina Man Sentenced Over Firearms Charge. • FBI Investigating Murder Of Illinois Teenager. • Oklahoma Man Arrested Over Fatal Shooting. • Kansas Men Charged In Connection To Kidnapping. • Continuing Coverage: Colorado Man Charged With Assault. EFTA00135668 • Investigation In Kentucky Results In Drug Charges For 14 Individuals. • Multi-State Drug Investigation Operation Leads To 17 Arrests. • Georgia Man Arrested For Methamphetamine Trafficking. • New York Man Sentenced For Drug Trafficking. • Police Investigating 2011 Disappearance Of North Carolina Man. • Michigan Police Reopening Investigation Into 1967 Cold Case. • FBI Investigating Illinois Bank Robbery. • New Mexico Man Arrested In Connection To Bank Robbery. • Continuing Coverage: Ohio Man Accused Of Carjacking. • Washington Drug Investigation Leads To 19 Indictments. • Multiple New York Defendants Plead Guilty To Conspiring To Distribute Meth. FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS • Florida Man Charged With PPP Fraud. • HSI Has Seized More Than $7M In COVID-19 Fraud Proceeds. • Former Ohio Candidate Says He Was FBI Informant In Householder Probe. • Former New Jersey Mayor Sentencing Delayed. • College Admissions Scheme Mastermind Was Working On His Own Degree Until Last Week. • Watchdog At SBA Reports Having Seen Indications Of Extensive Fraud In Emergency Loan Program. CYBER DIVISION • Republicans Raise Concerns TikTok Could Be Used By Chinese Government Interfere In Elections. • Op-Ed: The Cyberattack On Garmin Poses A Complicated Question For The US Government. • Chinese Hackers Infiltrated Vatican Network. • Foreign Hackers Exploit Pandemic. • Op-Ed: In An Evaporating OODA Loop, Time Is Of The Essence. • Langevin Calls Hill Oversight On Cyber "Absolutely Essential." • US Government Issues Warning To Critical Infrastructure Providers. • US Army Cyber Chief Outlines Ten-year Plan For Information Warfare. • Lindy Cameron Named New Head Of GCHQ Cyber Security Agency. LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES • Democrats Investigating Administration Decision To Lift Ban On Some Firearm Silencer Sales. • WPost: Federal Consent Decree Needed To Fix Alabama's "Grotesque" Prisons. OTHER FBI NEWS • Lawmakers Object To FBI HQ Funding In Coronavirus Bill. • Judge Says Finicum Lawsuit Against Oregon Authorities May Proceed, But Not Against FBI. OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS • White House Task Force Now Lists 21 States In "Red Zone." • Pence Credits Trump For Vaccine Progress. • Azar Says US Performing 800K Tests Per Day. • Wilkie: VA Nursing Homes Have Just Two Current COVID Cases. • Birx Meets With Virginia Officials About Coronavirus Mitigation. • Kodak Lands $765M Federal Loan For Pharmaceutical Manufacture. • Twitter Removes Trump Retweet Of Video With Controversial COVID Claims. • Politico Analysis: Trump Reverts To "Typical Behavior" After Briefly Staying On Message. • WPost Analysis: Trump One Factor In Nation's "Fraught Relationship With Masks." • Politico Analysis: Pandemic Is Pushing Biden, Democrats To Left On Healthcare. • Third Church Will Take Challenge To State Worship Restrictions To Supreme Court. • Future Of MLB Season In Doubt Amid COVID Outbreak. EFTA00135669 • Many Colleges Changing Plans For Fall. • CES 2021 To Be A Digital-Only Event. • New York Paramedic Describes Impact Working During Pandemic Has Had On Him. • WSJournal Responds To Senators' Criticism Of Meat Processing Facilities. • Administration To Reject All New DACA Applications. • Trump Calls Senate GOP Coronavirus Bill "Sort Of Semi-Irrelevant." • House Panel Expected To Question Tech CEOs On Antitrust Issues, Social Media Accountability. • VA IG: Breakdown At DC Hospital Preceded Veteran's Suicide. • Senate Democrats Assail Pompeo's Management Of State Department. • DO) Issues Guidance On Awarding Grants To Religious Groups. • Census Officials Worry White House Is Pushing To Complete Count Early. INTERNATIONAL NEWS • Pfizer CEO: Other Countries Will Not Pay Less Than US For Vaccine. • UN Report: Virus-Linked Hunger Causing 10,000 Children To Die Every Month. • China Continues To Report Rise In New Cases. • Defector Who Returned To North Korea Suspected Of Bringing COVID To Nation. • European Countries See "Worrying Rise" In New Coronavirus Cases. • WSJournal: Global Increases Show Lockdowns Won't Stop Virus' Spread. • Iranian Military Exercise Includes Attack On Mock US Aircraft Carrier. • Former Iranian President Reached Out To Saudi Crown Prince. • Iran Moves Imprisoned British-Australian Woman To "Notorious" Prison. • Taliban Declares Temporary Cease-Fire To Mark Eid Al-Adha. • US, Australia Vow To Pursue United Front Against China. • Report: US, Russia Space Security Talks End. • US Sanctions Two Former Venezuelan Officials. • Gallup Poll: Global View Of US Leadership Remains Weak. THE BIG PICTURE • Headlines From Today's Front Pages. WASHINGTON'S SCHEDULE • Today's Events In Washington. LEADING THE NEWS Barr Spars With Democrats At Contentious House Hearing. Media coverage of Attorney General Barr's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee highlighted the contentious exchanges between Barr and Democratic lawmakers, with ABC World News Tonight (7/28, story 4, 3:00, Muir, 7.32M) and NBC Nightly News (7/28, story 6, 2:00, Holt, 6.05M) describing the hearing as "heated," Politico (7/28, Cheney, Swan, 4.29M) as "disjointed and testy," and the New York Timec (7/28, Fandos, Savage, Lafraniere, Qiu, 18.61M) as "increasingly combative as the hours wore on." "Democrat after Democrat," adds the Times, posed "questions to Mr. Barr...only to cut him off when he tried to reply, substituting their own replies for his." The Times further recounts that "clearly frustrated, Mr. Barr complained at one point: 'This is a hearing. I thought I was the one who was supposed to be heard.' At another point, after being reminded he was under oath," Barr "insisted, 'I'm going to answer the damn question." Reports also highlight the AG's forceful defense of the government's efforts to quell what he cast as violent protests across the country. The AP (7/28, Tucker, Jalonick, Balsamo), for example, quotes Barr as saying that "violent rioters and anarchists have hijacked legitimate protests. ... Largely absent from these scenes of destruction are even superficial attempts by the rioters to EFTA00135670 connect their actions to George Floyd's death or any legitimate call for reform." The Washington Timec (7/28, Al, Mordock, 492K) reports Barr also "called out Democrats' refusal to condemn the violence that has swept across Portland, Oregon, and other American cities," saying, "What makes me concerned for the country is this is the first time in my memory the leaders of one of our great two political parties, the Democratic Party, are not coming out and condemning mob violence and the attack on federal courts." There was, however, a marked ideological split on the focus of the reporting, with conservative publications highlighting Barr's description of the protesters' violence and most mainstream media outlets building their accounts around Democratic accusations against Barr, which described this way by politico (7/28, Cheney, Swan, 4.29M), "Democrats went into the hearing intending to highlight a single theme: That Barr distorted the Justice Department in service of [President] Trump's political agenda." NBC Nightly News' (7/28, story 6, 2:00, Holt, 6.05M) reported, for example, that "Democrats said the federal deployments are intended to give the President footage for campaign ads." Nadler was shown saying, "You are projecting fear and violence nationwide in pursuit of obvious political objectives. Shame on you, Mr. Barr." Barr replied that "attackers at the Portland courthouse have set fires." Without attributing the charge to Democrats, the New York Times (7/28, Fandos, Savage, Lafraniere, Qiu, 18.61M) asserts it its report that "the federal intervention...appears to be a critical campaign strategy by Mr. Trump who is trying to stoke a sense that Democrats are leading the country into chaos." The CBS Evening News' (7/28, story 3, 2:20, O'Donnell, 4.37M) also led its report indicating "Democrats accused...Barr of doing...Trump's political bidding and of a double standard by using federal agents against protesters in Portland, while ignoring armed militias who took over Michigan's capital building earlier this year." ABC World News Tonight (7/28, story 4, 3:00, Muir, 7.32M) said, meanwhile, that Barr was "under attack," with "Republicans helping" him to "make his case." USA Today (7/28, Phillips, Johnson, 10.31M) similarly casts Barr as "countering Democratic lawmakers who have characterized federal officers' actions against protesters as unconstitutional, politically charged fearmongering," and adds that the AG's "long-sought testimony comes as House Democrats investigate alleged political interference at the Justice Department, claiming that the attorney general has turned it into a political annex of the Trump White House." Fox News (7/28, Blitzer, 27.59M) reports Barr "did not shy away from Democrats' accusations against him," and the New York Times (7/28, Fandos, Savage, Lafraniere, Qiu, 18.61M) that he "came out swinging." Bloomberg (7/28, Strohm, House, 4.73M) also says Barr "offered a combative defense of his independence from...Trump," and quotes him as saying, "The president has not attempted to interfere. On the contrary, he has told me from the start that he expects me to exercise my independent judgment to make whatever call I think is right." The Los Angeles Times (7/28, Wilber, 4.64M), meanwhile, was one of the few mainstream outlets to quote Barr as saying, "Every night for the past two months, a mob of hundreds of rioters has laid siege to the federal courthouse and other nearby federal property. ... The rioters arrive equipped for a fight, armed with powerful slingshots, tasers, sledgehammers, saws, knives, rifles and explosive devices. Inside the courthouse are a relatively small number of federal law enforcement personnel charged with a defensive mission: to protect the courthouse. ... Since when is it OK to try to burn down a federal court?" The Times adds that "local officials in Portland say that the presence of federal law enforcement agencies in the city has been inflaming the situation, making the violence worse, not better." The Federalist (7/28, Gottschalk, 126K) reports Barr also said yesterday, "To state what should be obvious, peaceful protesters do not throw explosives into federal courthouses, tear down plywood with crowbars, or launch fecal matter at federal officers. Such acts are in fact federal crimes under statutes enacted by this Congress." Breitbart (7/28, Pollak, 673K) recounts Barr also asked Democrats, "Why can't we just say: `Violence against federal courts has to stop?' Could we hear something like that?" National Review (7/28, Bernstein, 731K) notes Barr went on to say, "We should all be able to agree that there is no place in this country for armed mobs that seek to establish autonomous EFTA00135671 zones beyond government control, or tear down statues and monuments that law-abiding communities chose to erect, or to destroy the property and livelihoods of innocent business owners." The New Ynrk Pnst (7/28, Bowden, 4.57M) reports, meanwhile, that Barr also said he "is concerned that Antifa-led violence will grow and spread across the country if state officials allow riots to continue rocking their cities." Barr stated, "I don't think it's a myth," and that "the violent far-left radical group was 'heavily represented in the recent riots." Added Barr, "It's a national organization that moves nationally. ... We are concerned about this problem metastasizing around the country." Along those lines, the President tweeted yesterday, "'Nadler calls ANTIFA violence a MYTH.' @foxandfriends They are Anarchists with miles of 'tape' showing their illegal activity. Jerry, blame it on Russia, Russia, Russia!" Department of Justice spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said on Fox News' Hannity (7/28, 535K), "I think at the end of the day, this is really a lost opportunity for the American people. There are many Americans who want to know more about why the Attorney General has made certain decisions that he's made and taken some of the actions that he's taken, and the Attorney General was prepared to answer those questions today. He's been preparing for weeks. But instead, the Democrats...would ask him questions and then they would refuse to let him answer those questions. The only conclusion that I can draw at least from that is perhaps maybe they realize there is no there, there. There are no buried bodies. There really aren't any scandals like the ones that the media has been drumming u[ for some time." In an editorial, USA Today (7/28, 10.31M) calls the federal government's approach to the protests "corrosive to democracy and contemptuous of conservative principles," and concludes "the American people can spot a ploy to change the subject from the ravages of COVID-19 and the Trump administration's horrible job in combating it." USA Today (7/28, 10.31M) runs its editorial side by side with Barr's opening statement to the Committee. Former DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff, meanwhile, writes in the New Ynrk Times (7/28, 18.61M) that "the Trump administration's deliberate decision to intervene in the Portland protests with a heavy hand, unconventional means and inflammatory political rhetoric has contributed to growing public distrust - particularly of the Department of Homeland Security," whose "critics...are now rightly worried that its law enforcement agents might be increasingly deployed by...Trump to score political points, or even interfere with the November election." McClatchv (7/28, Wilner, Nozicka, 19K), the Wall Street Journal (7/28, Al, Gurman, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) and Daily Caller (7/28, Kruta, 716K), among other news outlets, have more on Barr's testimony. Barr Defends Decision To Drop Flynn Prosecution. The Hill (7/28, Beavers, Neidig, 2.98M) reports that Barr "defended the stunning move" by the DOJ to drop charges against Michael Flynn. Barr "said that the FBI investigation that led to Flynn's questioning had been plagued with problems and that he no longer believed that the prosecution was supported by the facts." Meanwhile, the Austin (TX) American Statesman (7/28, Recio, Subscription Publication, 343K) reports that Barr "disclosed Tuesday that he has directed John Bash, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas, to investigate the 'unmasking"' of Flynn. The "new inquiry, which is on top of another one ordered earlier this year by Barr to examine the FBI's Trump campaign-Russia surveillance, marks an escalation of the Trump administration's attacks on federal officials and the Obama administration in advance of the presidential election." CNN (7/28, Shortell, Herb, 83.16M) reports that that Barr also sparred with Rep. Hank Johnson (D) over the sentencing of Roger Stone "as Johnson repeatedly refused to let Barr respond while the Georgia Democrat recounted the episode." More broadly, CNBC (7/28, Breuninger, Macias, 3.62M) says on its website that Barr "offered a full-throated defense of his much-criticized conduct in the federal probe of Russian election interference." CNBC also reports that Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), the committee's ranking member, "launched into his opening statement by decrying the Russia probe as a coordinated effort by Democrats to undermine Trump." Jordan said to Barr, "Spying. That one word, that's why they're after you." A Wall Street Journal. (7/28, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) editorial lauds the investigation EFTA00135672 and argues that Americans deserve a full accounting of the FBI and Justice Department's intervention in the 2016 election. Barr Doesn't Rule Out Release Of Durham Report During Election. Politico (7/28, Gerstein, 4.29M) reports that a "highly anticipated forthcoming report from U.S. Attorney John Durham on the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation won't trigger a Justice Department policy against interference in the 2020 presidential race, so the review could be released in the weeks leading up to the November election," Barr said Tuesday. Barr said, "I will be very careful. I know what Justice Department policy is. Any report will be, in my judgment, not one that is covered by the policy and would disrupt the election." McEnany: Democrats' Criticism Of Barr Is Rooted In His Probe Of "Russia-gate." White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Fox News' Fox Re Friends (7/28, 831K), "The real problem that Democrats have with Attorney General Barr is he's actually taking Russia- gate seriously, this bogus sham effort that was launched against President Trump when he was just a candidate and went into his Administration. The fact that Bill Barr is looking into why Obama Administration spied on Trump campaign is their real problem." Barn "Possible" Pelosi's Comments Put Law Enforcement In Danger. politico (7/28, Forgey, 4.29M) reports "Barr on Tuesday accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) of potentially endangering America's law enforcement community by likening the federal officers occupying Portland, Ore., to the 'stormtroopers' of Nazi Germany." Asked "whether Pelosi's comparison "encourages the violence that we're seeing" and 'participation against the police' at anti-racism protests," Barr Replied, "I think that's possible, and I think it's irresponsible to call these federal law enforcement officers 'stormtroopers." Pelosi: Barr "Despicable." Pelosi said on MSNBC The Beat' (7/28, 1.44M) that Barr's testimony "demonstrated to the American people the contempt that he has for our democracy. ... I just thought he was despicable and so beneath the dignity of an Attorney General." Pelosi added that Barr "is there to support the President, Donald Trump, no matter what. He's not the President's lawyer. ... He is the Attorney General of the United States of America. Too bad he doesn't care or realize that." Richmond Accuses Barr, Sessions, Whitaker Of Racism. ABC World News Tonight (7/28, story 4, 3:00, Muir, 7.32M) reported that during his testimony, Barr said he" had paid his respects to the late Rep. John Lewis." ABC added that "later, Congressman Cedric Richmond [D- LA] had this to say." Richmond was shown saying, "The one thing that you have in common with your two predecessors, both Attorney General Sessions and Attorney General Whitaker, is that when you all came here and brought your top staff, you brought no black people. That, sir, is systematic racism. That is exactly what John Lewis spent his life fighting. And so, I would just suggest that actions speak louder than words. And, you should really keep the name of the honorable John Lewis out of the Department of Justice's mouth." Pence Criticizes Democrats, Says Violence "Has Got To Stop." Vice President Pence said on Fox News The Stone' (7/28), "It was clear that the Democrats on the Committee wanted to be heard more than they wanted to listen. Bill Barr is leading the Justice Department in this country with great integrity. ... It was clear that the Democrats wanted to hear themselves talk more than they wanted to hear from the Attorney General of the United States." Pence also said on Fox News The Story' (7/28), "The violence in Portland has got to stop." The President "has made it clear, we will have law and order in our streets. With Joe Biden and the radical Democrats, they want to defund the police. While what we are going to do is find a law enforcement, stand up for 'law & order' and that begins right in Portland." Pence also said, "The reality is that the Mayor of Portland and the local community has allowed violent protesters to overrun that community. That community was looking the other way on groups like Antifa a long time ago, and now they are paying a price." Jordan Airs Video Of Violent Protests And Media Calling Them "Peaceful." Townhal( (7/28, O'Brien, 177K) reports Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) "asked for a video to be shown" at hearing. The ViCIP41 "began with clips of different media outlets referring to the riots we've seen these past few months as 'peaceful protests," then "cut to a presser about the death of retired black police EFTA00135673 captain David Dorn, who was killed during a riot in St. Louis as he was helping protect a local business." The video "proceeded to show other footage of rioters toppling statues, looting local businesses, and running over police officers. It was scary, scary stuff." Townhall "included the video here but be warned it does have some graphic and disturbing footage." Fox News (7/28, Flood, 27.59M) recounts "a variety of MSNBC and CNN hosts made cameos" in the video, including "everyone from CNN's Don Lemon to NBC News' Chuck Todd dismissing violence amid images of burning buildings and attacks on law enforcement." The video, "which irked...Nadler," also "featured MSNBC host Ali Velshi famously declaring he was covering a 'mostly a protest' despite a building burning right behind him," and adding, "It is not, generally speaking, unruly." The Washington Examiner (7/28, Dibble, 448K) reports Jordan also "condemned Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee for what became a pattern of asking questions of...Barr only to interrupt and not allow him to answer." Jordan, who is "the top Republican on the panel, noted hours into the hearing that Democratic members had repeatedly cut off Barr while shouting that they were 'reclaiming my time," and "asked why Democrats even invited Barr to testify if they were not going to allow him to fully answer their queries." Barr Says Democrats Have Tried To "Discredit" Him. The Washington Post (7/28, Al, Zapotosky, Demirjian, Wagner, 14.2M) reports that in a written statement to the House Judiciary Committee, before which he testified on Tuesday, Attorney General Barr "alleged that Democrats have tried to 'discredit' him since he vowed to investigate the 2016 FBI probe of possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign and that the media has been unfair in covering the unrest." Reuters (7/28, Lynch, Wolfe) reports that Barr also "den[ied] accusations he is doing...Trump's bidding by intervening in high-profile cases." Reuters says that as Tuesday's hearing opened, House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler told Barr, "Your tenure is marked by a persistent war against the Department's professional core in an apparent effort to secure favors for the President." Barr "denied taking actions to help Trump associates, saying they do not deserve special breaks but also should not be treated more harshly than other defendants." Reuters says Barr "also incited Democrats' fury by saying a report being drafted by federal prosecutor John Durham that is expected to highlight missteps by US intelligence agencies during their 2016 probe into collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia could be made public before the 2020 presidential election." CNRC' (7/28, Breuninger, Macias, 3.62M) says on its website that Barr "offered a full-throated defense of his much-criticized conduct in the federal probe of Russian election interference." CNBC also reports that Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), the committee's ranking member, "launched into his opening statement by decrying the Russia probe as a coordinated effort by Democrats to undermine Trump." Jordan said to Barr, "Spying. That one word, that's why they're after you." The New York Times (7/28, Fandos, Savage, Lafraniere, Qiu, 18.61M) reports that Barr also "accused Democrats of demonizing him because he believed the Trump-Russia investigation was misguided." The Times says Democrats "attacked Mr. Barr's intervention to recommend a shorter prison sentence for Mr. Trump's longtime friend Roger J. Stone Jr. on seven felony crimes," but Barr "defended his extraordinary decision to overrule career prosecutors, saying that they were trying to treat Mr. Stone more harshly than other defendants." Barr said, "The prosecutors were trying to advocate for a sentence that was more than twice what anyone else in a similar position had ever served. ... This is a 67-year-old man, first-time offender, no violence, they were trying to put them in jail for seven to nine years. I was not going to advocate that. That is not the rule of law." The Washington Examiner (7/28, Mastrangelo, 448K) says Barr "struggled to offer a response during a round of questioning" from Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), who "peppered the attorney general with questions about the Roger Stone sentencing, President Trump's Twitter feed, and Barr's role as head of the Justice Department and handling of the case." Johnson said, "You filed a sentencing recommendation hours after President Trump tweeted his dissatisfaction with the Stone recommendation." Barr said, "No, the night before," to which Johnson replied, "I know your story." EFTA00135674 The Examiner says Barr "shot back," "I'm telling my story, that's what I'm here to do ... That's why I'm here," and Johnson replied, "You're here to answer my questions." The Examiner said the exchange was "one of several instances on Tuesday during which Democrats asked Barr probing questions about his conversations with Trump and conduct as attorney general but did not allow Barr to offer a response." Department of Justice spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said on Fox News' Hannity (7/28, 535K) that she found it "particularly ironic" that "the Democrats were hurling their usual allegations at the attorney general, insisting that he was helping President Trump and helping President Trump's friends when in fact the only political pressure that I saw today was that from the Democrats towards the Attorney General as they berated him for not going harsher on Roger Stone, a first- time nonviolent offender, which as we saw when the Attorney General made the recommendation that he did, the judge in that case who is no friend of this Administration, ultimately agreed with the AG. So, if we are going to talk about political pressure that's where it was at." McEnany: Democrats' Criticism Of Barr Is Rooted In His Probe Of "Russia-gate." White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Fox News' Fox & Friends (7/28, 831K), "The real problem that Democrats have with Attorney General Barr is he's actually taking Russia- gate seriously, this bogus sham effort that was launched against President Trump when he was just a candidate and went into his Administration. The fact that Bill Barr is looking into why Obama Administration spied on Trump campaign is their real problem." Barr Says Bash Investigating "High Number Of Unmaskings" During Obama Administration. The Washington Times (7/28, Mordock, 492K) reports that in testimony before the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday, Attorney General Barr "revealed...that he's appointed another U.S. attorney to investigate requests by top Obama officials to 'unmask' President Trump's former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn." Barr "said he's asked John Bash, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas, to look into the unmasking requests." Barr told the panel, "I've asked another US attorney to look into the issue of unmasking because of the high number of unmaskings and some that do not readily appear in the line of normal business." Barr "said that review will be independent of Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham's investigation into the origins of the Russia-collusion investigation." Townhall. (7/28, Pavlich, 177K) reports that Barr "reconfirmed" that Bash is investigating the unmaskings. A Wall Street Journal. (7/28, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) editorial lauds the investigation and argues that Americans deserve a full accounting of the FBI and Justice Department's intervention in the 2016 election. PROTESTS Memo Reveals Federal Agents Sought Role In Suppressing Protests Since Start. The New Ynrk Times (7/28, Al, Kanno-Youngs, Olmos, Baker, Goldman, 18.61M) reports that "from the earliest days of the recent protests against police brutality and racism, some top federal law enforcement officials viewed the demonstrators with alarm and called for an aggressive federal response that two months later continues to escalate." A memo from FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich dated June 2 "demanded an immediate mobilization," declaring the situation "a national crisis," and said that in addition to investigating "violent protesters, instigators" and "inciters," bureau leaders should collect information with "robust social media exploitation teams" and examine what appeared to be "highly organized behavior." Poll: Nearly Two-Thirds Of Americans Support Protests Against Racial Injustice. USA Today (7/28, Behrmann, 10.31M) reports, "Nearly two-thirds of Americans support the recent protests against racial injustice, a new Gallup poll released Tuesday revealed." The poll found that "65% of US adults support the protests." Additionally, "53% said the protests 'will help' public support for equality and racial justice versus 34% who said they would 'hurt' and 13% who said they will 'make no difference.'" In terms of support for the protests, "92% of Black Americans said EFTA00135675 they support the protests, while 89% of Asian Americans, 70% of Hispanics and 59% of white respondents said they do." New Mexico Governor Addresses Concerns About Federal Agents In Albuquerque. KOR-TV Albuquerque, NM (7/26, 51K) reports, "Gov. Lujan Grisham said there's been a dialogue and cooperation with federal agents, but she's still pushing back against the plan to add about 35 more." Grisham "also said she talked to the U.S. attorney assigned to this operation and explained her expectations when it comes to the federal agents. 'They will integrate into the operations that we already have. He certainly gave me every indication that he's willing to do that,' she said." Grisham "mentioned the claim that there's still nearly $10 million that New Mexico hasn't received from the federal government. 'They have not provided the federal funding that was promised to Albuquerque for police and crime interventions,' she said." Report: US, Oregon In Talks About Pulling Agents From Portland. The AP (7/28) reports the Administration has "started talks with the Oregon governor's office and indicated that it would begin to draw down the presence of federal agents sent to quell two months of chaotic protests in Portland if the state stepped up its own enforcement, a senior White House official said Tuesday." The official, however, stressed that the talks with the office of Gov. Kate Brown (D) "are in the early stages and there is no agreement." Brown didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. ACLU Seeks Contempt Findings, Sanctions Against Federal Officers In Portland. The Oregonian (7/28, Bernstein, 1M) reports the ACLU of Oregon is "asking a federal judge to find federal law enforcement operating in Portland in contempt of his order that barred the officers from assaulting or threatening to assault journalists or legal observers during declared riots or unlawful assemblies." The group also is asking US District Judge Michael H. Simon "to sanction the agents for violating the order and urges the judge to make" Acting DHS Secretary Wolf and Acting DHS Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli "personally appear before him court." In the motion filed Tuesday, federal officers are accused of firing pepper spray "into the faces of multiple marked legal observers 'at point blank range," and shooting "another legal observer in the chest with a rubber bullet from four feet away." Portland Fines Federal Government For Unpermitted Fence Outside Courthouse. The Oregonian (7/28, Theen, 1M) reports Portland Commissioner Chloe Eudaly said Tuesday the city is "fining the federal government $500 every 15 minutes - the maximum charge allowed - until it removes an unpermitted fence blocking a bike lane" outside the federal courthouse in the city. Eudaly "said the government hasn't responded to her demand to remove the fence," and the fine is now $192,000 "and counting." Protesters Attack Courthouse, Burn American Flag. NBC Nightly NPWS (7/28, story 7, 1:40, Holt, 6.05M) reported, "In Portland, there was new violence around that federal courthouse." NBC (McLaughlin) added, "It's 9:00 at night. Protestors marched towards Portland's federal courthouse" and "burn a bonfire outside the courthouse fence, including an American flag. Near midnight, hundreds have gathered. Some protestors begin launching fireworks at the courthouse. Flames can be seen. There's a large blast inside the fence. Federal agents later respond with flash bangs and tear gas." Then, "just past 1:00 am, protestors confront federal agents in the streets." DHS "officials tell us they're there because Portland officials won't protect federal property." Acting DHS Secretary Wolf was shown saying, "This has nothing to do with nonviolent or peaceful demonstrations. This has to do with violence against law enforcement officials on federal property." However, added NBC, "state and local officials say they want them gone." In an interview with Sinclair Broadcasting Group (7/28, 38K), Wolf was asked about claims that the presence of federal officers in Portland has made matters worse. Wolf said, "I dismiss that. The Mayor is on record before we arrived saying that the city has been experiencing over a month of violence and is pleading with his city to stop. What we know it was violent before DHS EFTA00135676 arrived and it continues to be violent." Asked about the Mayor's call for a "cease fire," Wolf said, "That term is objectionable. It is wrong. It is inaccurate. It is not a cease fire. Federal law enforcement is there doing their job day in and day out, the same job that we have done for decades there. If the Mayor and the Portland Police Department want to step up and do the job that they should do, we can end the violence in a matter of days." Acting CBP Commissioner Morgan said on the Brian Kilmeade Show (7/28), "The violence was there in Portland well before we put additional resources there. We had actual, credible intelligence that the federal building was going to be attacked by anarchists. That is why we put additional resources and lo and behold, that is exactly what has happened and it has been happening for the last four and a half weeks every single night, destroying the building and harming, potentially harming federal agents and officers. That is the truth. That is the facts." US Park Police Head: Decision To Clear Protesters Not Linked To Trump "Photo Op." The AR (7/28, Knickmeyer) reports that in testimony before the House Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday, Gregory Monahan, the head of US Park Police, "insisted...that the forceful routing of protesters from the square in front of the White House last month had 'zero correlation' with President Donald Trump's staged photo event minutes later." However, Monahan "was unable to point to any immediate threat that justified his officers' sudden, violent drive against the hundreds gathered there." Attorney General Barr, "testifying separately on Trump's deployment of hundreds of federal officers and agents against nationwide protests this spring and summer, also distanced Trump's photo event from the decision to drive demonstrators from Lafayette Square that night." Barr is quoted as saying, "This was something conceived of long before and didn't turn on the nature of the crowd." Politico (7/28, Adragna, 4.29M) reports Monahan's testimony "claiming officers followed all rules in a volatile situation paints a far different image than the prepared testimony from a major in the D.C. National Guard who later told the panel the protestors' removal was 'deeply disturbing' and appeared to be an infringement of their First Amendment rights." Monahan "committed to providing documentation to the committee chronicling what he called a 'sustained level of violence,' and said the days of demonstrations were 'one of the most violent' protests he'd experienced over the course of his decades-long career." The New York Times (7/28, Edmondson, 18.61M) reports when "pressed repeatedly to square his remarks with evidence captured during the demonstrations that his officers attacked protesters, Mr. Monahan demurred." Monahan, the Washington Post (7/28, Jackman, 14.2M) reports, acknowledged that he was informed that President Trump "would be visiting Lafayette Square later that day, but that the decision to forcefully clear protesters from the park at 6:30 that evening was unrelated to Trump's visit soon after." The two events, he said, were a coincidence. USA Today (7/28, Wu, 10.31M) reports House Natural Resources Chairman Raul Grijalva "said what he heard from the Trump administration on its response to protests were 'outright lies' and warned of 'creeping authoritarianism' in its heavy-handed sponses to protests." Hundreds Of Cases Involving LAPD Officers Accused Of Corruption Under Review. The Los Angeles Times (7/28, Rector, Queally, Poston, 4.64M) reports that "hundreds of criminal cases involving three city police officers charged earlier this month with falsifying evidence are now under review by prosecutors after corruption allegations sparked questions about whether their past police work could be suspect." Prosecutors are "analyzing pending cases to determine if they can move forward on the strength of evidence other than the charged officers' testimony, but past cases and convictions - including those based on plea deals - could also be revisited, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey said." Minneapolis Police Link Protest Figure To White Supremacy Group. The New York Times (7/28, Macfarquhar, 18.61M) reports that in "one of the first widely shared images of wanton destruction to emerge from the protests in Minneapolis" after George Floyd's death was a "tall man, dressed head to toe in black, including a black gas mask and a black umbrella." Given the nickname "Umbrella Man," Minneapolis police "unsuccessfully tried to identify EFTA00135677 the man," but "after receiving a tip about his identity, they used other photographs, including a driver's license, to zero in on a suspect who they say has ties to the Hells Angels and a prison biker gang." In a search warrant affidavit filed in Hennepin County District Court on Monday, police asserted the suspect "hoped to instigate racial unrest." Austin Police Release Video Of Deadly Shooting Of Latino Man. The CBS Evening News (7/28, story 4, 0:30, O'Donnell, 4.37M) reported, "A new policy in Austin, Texas, has forced the police there to release video of the deadly shooting of a Black and Latino man named Michael Ramos" back in April. The video shows Ramos "getting out of his car with his hands and shirt raised. Police first shoot Ramos with a bean bag round before he gets back in his car and starts driving. That's when Ramos was shot dead. He was later found to be unarmed. Two officers are now on administrative duty. The case won't go to a grand jury until next year." Suspect Arrested In Shooting Of Two Protesters In Colorado. The 82 (7/28) reports that a man "at a weekend Colorado protest who shot and wounded two demonstrators after he apparently aimed at a Jeep driving toward protesters has been arrested on suspicion of attempted homicide, authorities said." Police in Aurora "said Samuel Young, 23, was arrested on Monday after authorities made public a picture of a person of interest in the case and sought help from the public to identify him." The Daily Caller (7/28, Safi, 716K) reports "the driver of the Jeep has not been arrested or identified publicly, although police seized the vehicle as evidence." Police are "still trying to determine why the driver appeared to drive toward protesters." Biden Calls For Violent Protesters To Be "Found, Arrested And Tried." The New York Post (7/28, Nelson, 4.57M) reports Joe Biden on Tuesday "called for the arrest of violent protesters." Striking "a discordant tone with fellow liberals who insist protests against the May killing of George Floyd by Minnesota police are peaceful, and that authorities are to blame for any violence in Portland and other cities," Biden said, "I think we do need to hold those who violate the law accountable. We should never let what's done in a march for equal rights overcome what the reason for the march is. And that's what these folks are doing. And they should be arrested - found, arrested and tried." More Than 100 Police Agencies Pull Out Of Democratic Convention. The AE (7/28) reports that "more than 100 police agencies are withdrawing from agreements to send personnel to bolster security at next month's Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, in part because they're concerned about a recent directive ordering police in the city to stop using tear gas to control crowds." Since the Milwaukee order was issued last week, "more than 100 law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin and across the country decided against coming to Milwaukee." Hoyer Denies Democrats Support Violent Rioters, Appears To Liken Trump To Fascists. The Washington Examiner (7/28, Picket, 448K) reports House Majority Leader Hoyer "rejected President Trump's assertion that Democrats condone acts of violence and criminality committed by rioters in Portland and other cities across the country." Said Hoyer, "[He] posits that criminal behavior violence is happening with respect to the demonstrations. The assertion that any of us sanction the use of violence or the use criminal behavior in these demonstrations is absolutely untrue." Hoyer also said, "Frankly, we have seen down through history that fascist leaders and those would-be dictators try to scare the populace into thinking that they are under some mob assault." WPost Analysis: Civilian Militia Groups Surge Amid Protests. A 3,400-word Washington Post (7/28, Al, Partlow, 14.2M) report examines how this summer's protests against racial injustice has "energiz[ed] conservatives who are deploying to the front lines of the culture war. Across the country, conservative armed civilians have surged into public view - marching on statehouses, challenging Black Lives Matter protests, chasing Internet rumors - and EFTA00135678 bringing the threat of lethal force to local politics." Miami Journalist: Latinos Should Stand Up For Their Black Neighbors. Miami journalist Lizette Alvarez writes in a Washington Post (7/28, 14.2M) op-ed that "when the Black Lives Matter movement roared into South Florida," she "was caught off guard. I hadn't fully realized the subtle ways that racism thrives in Miami, my hometown, a place dominated by a white Latino supermajority." In the city, Alvarez writes, "there is indifference, or outright hostility, to the Black Lives Matter movement." She argues that "it's certainly recent enough for Miami's white Latinos to remember the oppression our own families overcame, and to honor them by standing up for our black neighbors today." Free Beacon: Criticisms A "Calculated Attempt To Tar Cotton's Character." The Washington Free Beacon (7/28, 78K) editorializes that recent criticisms of Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) over his remarks about the New York Times' 1619 Project represent "a calculated attempt to tar Cotton's character. The same was true when New York Times staffers raised selective outrage at Cotton's op-ed calling for order in the streets." Cotton, the Free Beacon writes, "should wear these latest attacks as a badge of honor." COUNTER-TERRORISM California Man Charged With Leading Online White Supremacist Group Devoted To Dylann Roof. The Sacramento (CA) Bee (7/28, Stanton, 567K) reports, "An Orangevale man who has reportedly led a secret online life as leader of a neo-Nazi movement that idolizes church shooter Dylann Roof is under investigation by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office in connection with racist graffiti and had a firearm seized earlier this month over fears that he might become a "lone wolf" attacker, court records say." Andrew Richard Casarez, 27, "has been under investigation since December 'regarding graffiti which appeared to be motivated by hate/race' and became the subject of an emergency gun violence protective order after an online website identified him as an online poster in white supremacy sites known as 'Vic Mackey,' the purported leader of a group known as the 'Bowl Patrol.'" Pentagon Admits To Civilian Casualties In Somalia. The New York Times (7/28, Gibbons-Neff, 18.61M) reports the Pentagon has "admitted for the third time that its bombing campaign against terrorist groups in Somalia, which has been underway for more than a decade, had caused civilian casualties there, a military report said on Tuesday." The announcement by AFRICOM "substantiated reports by Amnesty International that a U.S. airstrike on Feb. 2 in the Somali town of Jilib killed Nurto Kusow Omar Abukar, 18, and injured her two younger sisters and grandmother." In the report, AFRICOM Commander Gen. Stephen J. Townsend wrote, "Our goal is to always minimize impact to civilians. Unfortunately, we believe our operations caused the inadvertent death of one person and injury to three others who we did not intend to target." COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE Former FBI Agent Strzok Publishing Book In September About Trump, Russia. The AP (7/28, Tucker) reports former FBI counterintelligence agent Peter Strzok "is releasing a book on his concerns the president could be compromised." Publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books & Media "said in a statement that the book, 'Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald 3. Trump,' is due out September 8." The book will offer "an insider's view on some of the most sensational and politically freighted investigations in modern American history, including into whether the 2016 Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to sway the presidential election." Strzok said Tuesday in a statement accompanying the book announcement, "Russia has EFTA00135679 long regarded the US as its 'Main Enemy,' and I spent decades trying to protect our country from their efforts to weaken and undermine us." The Hill (7/28, Scully, 2.98M) reports the book is expected "to provide an insider's view on some of the most notable and politically infamous investigations in modern American history, including the investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to influence the presidential election." Also reporting on the story is Axios (7/28, Allassan, 521K). Declassified Senate Intelligence Report Highlights Doubts About Steele Dossier. Fox News (7/28, Olson, 27.59M) reports a declassified report from the Senate Intelligence Committee "released on Wednesday revealed internal conversations about the notorious Steele dossier between the FBI and CIA during the writing of an Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) on Russian election interference and potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 presidential election." The Steele dossier was "at the center of the applications for FISA warrants against former Trump advisor Carter Page for alleged ties to Russia." The report, the "fourth in a series of such releases by Senate Republicans, adds more detail to information previously reported by Horowitz." The report reinforces the "deep divide regarding how much stock the IC put into the Steele information well before the three renewals of the Page FISA warrants, and that those in the FBI were rather uncritical of Steele's reliability." The Daily Caller (7/28, Ross, 716K) reports the documents "detail an intense debate between the CIA and FBI in late 2016 over the handling of information from Christopher Steele, with one CIA official telling the Senate Intelligence Committee that the former British spy's allegations about Trump-Russia collusion were 'very unvetted.'" Despite the CIA's "concerns about Steele's allegations, the FBI successfully lobbied to include his information in an Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election." The bureau also continued "using information from Steele to conduct surveillance against former Trump campaign aide Carter Page." Jarrett Says It "Makes Sense" Steele's Source Worked At The Brookings Institution. Fox News (7/28, Musto, 27.59M) reports Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett "said Tuesday that the primary source for former British spy Christopher Steele's unverified dossier working for the Brookings Institution research group 'makes sense." In an interview on 'Fox & Friends,' Jarrett "explained that he had previously run into former Brookings Institution senior research analyst Igor Danchenko's name several times." He said, "I could never piece it together. Because frankly...it is so wild and stupid that Steele's source was not from Russia but - it's a guy in Washington, DC working for the liberal Brookings Institution. Now, it sort of makes sense because the president of Brookings at the time was Strobe Talbott: [a] long-time Hillary Clinton ally who was hoping to fuel the collusion narrative and had his own contacts with Christopher Steele." Op-Ed: A Steeley Media Silence. In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal (7/28, Subscription Publication, 7.57M), Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. writes about the release of the key sub- source in the Steele dossier and the unwillingness of mainstream media to provide adequate coverage. The source was Russian Igor Danchenko, who studied at Louisville and Georgetown, and worked as a business and political writer, including at Brookings. He complained that media sources virtually universally ignored the new revelation despite the extreme public attention the story has received during the past three years. He argues there is something wrong with US journalism. Valerie Jarrett Pressed On Obama's Role In Russia Probe. Fox News (7/28, Schultz, 27.59M) reports Fox Business Network anchor Maria Bartiromo "pressed a top aide to President Obama about what the former president knew about the launch of the Russia probe into President Trump's 2016 campaign." In an interview Tuesday, Bartiromo "asked Valerie Jarrett whether Obama 'directed' the probe into Trump campaign ties to Russia, which eventually sparked the Mueller investigation." Jarrett, former Obama senior adviser, said, "That's not how it works. That's not how our investigations work. We leave that to the intelligence community to bring forward information. And the dossier - I would imagine would be one piece of EFTA00135680 a much bigger puzzle." Eisen Says In New Book Mueller Refused To Admit Trump Committed "At Least Five Chargeable Crimes." The Washington Examiner (7/28, Chaitin, 448K) reports special counsel Robert Mueller "refused to admit President Trump committed at least five crimes," according to a top lawyer for the House Judiciary Committee during the impeachment fight. Norm Eisen, a former Obama adviser and US ambassador, "criticizes Mueller in his new book, 'A Case for the American People: The United States v. Donald J. Trump,' chastising the former FBI director for failing to go 'all the way' with his obstruction of justice inquiry and letting the country down." Eisen wrote, "The refusal to admit there were at least five chargeable crimes was his shortcoming, not his lack of style. I understood his old-fashioned restraint under the special counsel regulations and typical prosecutorial standards. But he had leeway under the rules to do much, much more, and he didn't." US Seeks To Dismiss Charges Against Ex-Twitter Employees Accused Of Spying For Saudi Arabia. The Verge (7/28, Statt, 2.05M) reports, "Two former Twitter employees who were last fall charged with spying on behalf of the government of Saudi Arabia may have charges against them dropped at the recommendation of US prosecutors." The Verge adds, "It is unclear at this time why the US is pushing to have the case against the two men, Ahmad Abouammo and Ali Alzabarah, dismissed," but "lawyers in San Francisco submitted the recommendation to a judge on Tuesday. It has yet to be approved. A third man, a Saudi citizen named Ahmed Almutairi, was also implicated in the operation as the recruiter who convinced Abouammo and Alzabarah to spy on Saudi dissidents using internal Twitter tools. Prosecutors are also recommending charges against him be dropped." Lawmakers Aim To Deny Visas To Chinese Spies And Their Families. The Washington Fxaminer (7/28, Dunleavy, 448K) reports, "Republicans in the House and Senate are pushing legislation aimed at denying visas to foreigners who have engaged in espionage or intellectual property theft against the United States." Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) "announced the Protecting America from Spies Act on Tuesday with a particular focus on China, a country against which the Trump administration is turning up the pressure on several fronts. Harztler introduced her version of the bill last month while Cruz dropped his in the evening on Tuesday." According to the Examiner, "Their goal is to empower the State Department to ensure that any espionage and illicit tech-transfer activity makes one ineligible for entry into the U.S. To do so, the Republicans aim to update the Immigration and Naturalization Act because, under current law, spies from China or elsewhere who are expelled from the U.S. are still allowed to then reapply for visas to regain entry." Report: US To Order Drastic Reduction In Chinese Diplomats. The Washington Times (7/28, Gertz, 492K) reports exclusively that the Administration is "preparing to order China to sharply reduce the number of diplomats posted in the United States to levels equal to the number of American diplomats stationed in China, senior State Department officials said." The official said the move "seeks in part to reduce the burden on FBI counterintelligence agents, who in recent months have devoted 2,000 special agents to catching Chinese spies and their agents." Op-Ed: The New "Cold War" Between The US And China Is A Dangerous Myth. In an op-ed in the Washington Post (7/28, 14.2M) reports former DNI Dan Coats writes, "China dominates current discussions of foreign policy, primarily because it poses the greatest challenges to our national interests. But China also dominates the discussion because the Covid-19 pandemic emerged there, a fact that has become a major theme in the President Trump's campaign for reelection. The trade relationship seems to be deteriorating along with the political relationship." EFTA00135681 He concludes, "Policies by the US and our allies must be aimed at expanding the diplomatic and political space to work these issues creatively and productively. ... And it will also require the rebuilding of alliance cohesion and multilateral institutions capable of responding to China's long- term strategic vision with policies of comparable coherence and strength. Only the US can forge those tools. Our allies and other like-minded nations are beginning to recognize the threats China poses to our common future." Singapore Spy Case Stirs Fears China Recruiting On Island State. Reuters (7/28, Geddie, Aravindan) reports the case of a Singaporean "caught spying for China in the US has reawakened fears over China recruiting intelligence assets on an island state which has won trust among Western governments while keeping on good terms with Beijing." Jun Wei Yeo, "a 39-year-old academic who also goes by the name Dickson Yeo, pleaded guilty in a US court on Friday to acting as an illegal agent of Chinese intelligence." He will be "sentenced in October and faces up to 10 years in prison." Singapore's home ministry "said in a brief statement on Sunday that it had been aware of Yeo's case since his arrest by US authorities in November, and he is receiving consular assistance." Court documents "show Yeo was lured into becoming a Chinese asset four years earlier while attending a forum in Beijing to give a presentation on Southeast Asian politics." Revised Missile Pact With US To Facilitate South Korean Spy Satellite. Reuters (7/28, Shin) reports Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Hyun-chong "said on Tuesday. South Korea and the US have agreed to revise their joint missile guidelines to facilitate South Korea's plans to build a spy satellite by easing rules on rocket propellants." Under the current guidelines, "last amended in 2017, South Korea cannot build rockets using solid-fuel engines, posing a setback for its plans to develop a military spy satellite by the late 2020s." Kim "said at a briefing in Seoul that the change in the propellant rules took effect on Tuesday." He said, "This revision would allow us to have an unblinking eye that monitors the Korean peninsula 24/7. If we fire low-altitude launch vehicles based on our own solid fuel propellant as planned, it would dramatically improve our military's reconnaissance capabilities." University Of Texas Says Researchers Will Be Contacted By FBI About China Contacts. KXAN-TV Austin, TX (7/28, Powell, 495K) reports from Austin, Texas, "Monday evening, faculty, graduate and postdoctoral students at the University of Texas at Austin were sent a message from university leaders alerting them that the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation will be contacting researchers regarding efforts the Chinese government may have taken to illegally obtain research from American universities. This is 'including coronavirus vaccine research." KXAN-TV adds, "UT Austin researchers are working on projects to further expedite the development of a COVID-19 vaccine. University leaders said this is part of a 'national situation' that may impact some in UT's research community. They explained the FBI told UT last week that because of the recently ordered closure of the Chinese Consulate in Houston, the bureau will be 'contacting UT researchers about the role of the Consulate and efforts by the Chinese government to illegally procure research." Rubio Doubts IC Global Threats Hearing Will Happen This Year. Politico (7/28, Matishak, 4.29M) reports acting Senate Intelligence Chair Marco Rubio (R-FL) "raised doubts Tuesday that the panel will hold a public session on global threats facing the US this year, citing increased partisanship over the nation's intelligence apparatus." Rubio said, "I'm not sure we're going to have one, especially after the letters over the last ten days, seeing this sort of heavy politicization of it." He was referring to "a war of words that erupted between congressional Democrats and the Trump Administration and Republicans after the nation's top counterintelligence official issued a warning about election interference." Rubio added, "It's become harder to get to an agreement on a forum that doesn't turn into a political circus. Why would a career professional intelligence official, at any level at this point, want to be dragged into being turned into a political pretzel to further the narrative of one side or the other?" EFTA00135682 Russian Intelligence Services Spreading Coronavirus Disinformation. The New York Times (7/28, Barnes, Sanger, 18.61M) reports "Russian intelligence services have been spreading disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic, according to newly declassified intelligence, material that demonstrates how Moscow is continuing to try to influence Americans as the election draws closer." The Hill (7/28, Wise, 2.98M) reports the campaign reportedly includes "the dissemination of news articles with unfounded claims about the virus's origins and how Moscow and the US have responded to it, among other things." The AP (7/28, Tucker) reports US officials "said Tuesday Russian intelligence services are using a trio of English-language websites to spread disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic, seeking to exploit a crisis that America is struggling to contain ahead of the presidential election in November." US government officials "said two Russians who have held senior roles in Moscow's military intelligence service known as the GRU have been identified as responsible for a disinformation effort meant to reach American and Western audiences." CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS Kansas City Man Charged In Beating Death. The Kansas City (MO) Star (7/28, Nozicka, 549K) reports, "A Kansas City man was charged Tuesday in the June beating of a victim found dead in the middle of a street in northeast Kansas City, according to court records." Antoine Cotton, 42, "was charged with second-degree murder in the June 15 killing of 51-year-old Hoang Dinh, who was found in the 3600 block of Thompson Avenue with severe trauma to his head. Police were assisted with surveillance in the case by FBI agents assigned to Operation LeGend, a new federal anti-crime initiative, according to charging documents." Federal Prosecutors Oppose Maxwell's Effort To Name Epstein Victims. The New York Daily News (7/28, Brown, 2.52M) reports, "Federal prosecutors slammed Ghislaine Maxwell's 'absurd' effort Tuesday to name the underage girls she's accused of grooming for Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuse." According to the Daily News, "Maxwell's legal team says they should be allowed to identify women who have previously spoken publicly about the British socialite's alleged role recruiting girls into Epstein's trafficking scheme. Prosecutors have not named any of the women they consider victims of Maxwell's sex abuse trap. In a new filing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Rossmiller wrote that it was important to maintain that anonymity. 'The Government has repeatedly asked defense counsel to explain how or why it would need to publicly name victims of sexual abuse to prepare for trial, and the defense repeatedly has declined to do so, presumably because the argument borders on the absurd,' Rossmiller wrote in Manhattan Federal Court." Illinois Woman Pleads Guilty To Forced Labor. The Chicago Sun-Times (7/28, Seidel, 875K) reports, "A woman accused last year of keeping 'enslaved' Guatemalan immigrants in her squalid Cicero home pleaded guilty Tuesday to forced labor." Concepcion Malinek, 50, "admitted through her lawyer that she helped several people enter the United States between 2009 and 2014, only to charge them fees and demand payment while threatening to have them deported. She also helped some of them obtain fraudulent IDs. In one case, she admitted she offered to help a Guatemalan citizen enter the United States illegally for $8,000 before increasing and adding fees for 'additional services.' Robert Rascia, Malinek's attorney, said Malinek let that person stay at her home while she paid off the debt." FBI Agent Shoots Suspect In Arkansas. The Arkansas Democrat Gazette (7/28, 307K) reports that a FBI agent "shot and wounded a suspect near a west Little Rock discount store" on Tuesday. FBI spokesman Connor Hagan "did not give the condition of the suspect but he did say the agent was uninjured." The Arkansas Times (7/28, 70K) reports that Arkansas police "blocked a portion of Stagecoach Road in the 9100 block near Interstate 430 for an investigation of an apparent vehicle EFTA00135683 crash and a shooting involving an FBI agent." The AP (7/28) reports that a FBI team will "investigate the incident and turn over its findings to the Justice Department or local prosecutors, or both." Local sources include KATV-TV Little RorkjAR) Little Rock, AR (7/28, KATV, 137K), KTHV-TV J ittle Rnrk (AR) Little Rock, AR (7/28, 63K), and KARK-TV Little Rock, AR (7/28). Continuing Coverage: Colorado Police Officers Shot In Line Of Duty. The Denver Post (7/28, 720K) reports in continuing coverage about the shooting of two Aurora police officers, who "were on assignment with the FBI Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force" and "were following an armed-robbery suspect." Aurora police spokesman Matthew Longshore did not identify the officers, but he said that they were not critically injured. Ohio Man Faces Murder Charges. The Xenia (OH) Daily Gazette (7/28) reports that a federal grand jury "charged Joshua Cordell Lee Williams, 19, with firearms-related murder and possessing with the intent to distribute a controlled substance." Court documents "show on Jan. 21, 2020, Williams met with four individuals in Wilmington to sell them marijuana," but a struggle "ensued between the individuals" and Williams "fired the weapon, shooting the victim, Layne Hall, in the chest and fatally injuring him." Utah Sex Offender Arrested. Deseret (UT) News (7/28, 308K) reports Utah sex offender Brandon Albert Larson "was arrested Monday and formally charged Tuesday in 7th District Court with 60 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony; three counts of assault by a prisoner, escape and evidence tampering, all third-degree felonies; interfering with an arresting officer, drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, all class B misdemeanors." The investigation "began in June when the Utah Attorney General's Office and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children notified Emery County sheriff's detectives of possible child pornography being uploaded to a cellphone." FBI Agents Searching Home Of Tennessee State Senator. WHBO-TV Memphis, TN (7/28, 23K) reports that the FBI "confirmed to FOX13 that agents were sent to the home of [Tennessee] State Sen. Katrina Robinson Tuesday morning." The FBI "would not say why they were at Robinson's home and referred all questions to the U.S. Attorney's Office." South Carolina Man Sentenced Over Firearms Charge. The Lexicatsin_Catairke (7/28, 20K) reports United States Attorney Peter M. McCoy, Jr., "announced Tuesday that Demarcus Deon Booker, 34, of Lexington, was sentenced to 6 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition." Evidence "presented to the court showed that federal law prohibited Booker from possessing firearms and ammunition based upon multiple prior convictions, including a 2006 assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, a 2012 possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and a 2012 possession with intent to distribute marijuana." FBI Investigating Murder Of Illinois Teenager. The Chicago Sun-Times (7/28, 875K) reports that the FBI "is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the gunmen in an Englewood shooting that killed four people, including 14-year-old Vernado Jones Jr." Jones "was shot in the back on Independence Day when four gunmen walked up to a gathering at 61st and Carpenter and opened fire, striking eight people." Oklahoma Man Arrested Over Fatal Shooting. The Tulsa (OK) World (7/28, 205K) reports Kyle Sago, who "was sought as the suspect after a man EFTA00135684 was shot dead outside a home in the 18500 block of East First Street about 6:30 p.m. Saturday," was arrested on Monday. He "was booked into the Tulsa County jail and is being held without bond on a hold for the Federal Bureau of Investigation." KOW-13( Tulsa, OK (7/28, Griffin, 108K) reports that the victim "was a Cherokee Nation citizen, and because of the recent Supreme Court ruling, the FBI was given the case." Kansas Men Charged In Connection To Kidnapping. KOAM-TV Pittsburg, KS (7/28) reports Freddie Lewis Tilton and Alvin Dale Boyer "were charged in federal court today for kidnapping a woman" in July 2020. The case "was investigated by the FBI, the Neosho, Mo., Police Department, the Newton County, Mo., Sheriff's Department, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)." Continuing Coverage: Colorado Man Charged With Assault. The Arvada (CO) Presc (7/28) reports in continuing coverage about the investigation into Eric Breemen, who "is accused of hitting [Lakhwant] Singh with his car in April." Breeman "was originally charged with six felonies, including attempted murder, first-degree assault for extreme indifference, first-degree assault for causing serious bodily injury, leaving a scene involving serious bodily injury, vehicular assault and violating bail bond conditions." Investigation In Kentucky Results In Drug Charges For 14 Individuals. The to_uisville (KY) Courier-Journal (7/28, Kachmar, 368K) reports US Attorney Russell Coleman announced on Tuesday that an investigation involving the FBI apprehended members of a gang that allegedly distributed illegal drugs in Louisville. The article says that as a result of the operation, "14 individuals were charged with conspiring to distribute fentanyl, heroin, oxycodone and methamphetamine." An online WHAS-TV Louisville, KY (7/28, 99K) article says the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Louisville Metro Police Department "worked together on the investigation." The WLKY-TV Louisville, KY (7/28, 79K), WDRB-TV Louisville, KY (7/28, 179K), and WAVE-TV Louisville, KY (7/28, Valtierra, 34K) websites also cover this story. Multi-State Drug Investigation Operation Leads To 17 Arrests. The Jackson (TN) Sun (7/28, 55K) reports 17 "individuals have been charged in federal court with operating a multi-state drug trafficking organization in West Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi." The article highlights the FBI's involvement with the investigation of this case. Georgia Man Arrested For Methamphetamine Trafficking. The Covington (GA) Newc (7/28, 22K) reports Andy Kirk Davis, who "is a member of the 'Ghost Face Gangsters' gang," was arrested Tuesday by the Butts County Sheriff's Department with support from the FBI. Sheriff Gary Long "said his agents purchased more than 500 grams of meth from Davis in Butts, Newton and Putnam counties." New York Man Sentenced For Drug Trafficking. WNYT-TV Albany, NY (7/28, 37K) reports Francisco Alarcon Badillo, who "was convicted of selling crystal meth," was "sentenced in federal court Tuesday to five years in prison for drug trafficking." The FBI supported the investigation. Police Investigating 2011 Disappearance Of North Carolina Man. The Charlotte (NC) Observer (7/28, 470K) reports that the Northampton County Sheriff's Department "combed the farm across from Daniel Moses' old house, covering 65 acres with a cadaver dog," as part of a new push to solve the reason behind Moses' disappearance in 2011. Moses' family has asked the FBI to investigate, but the agency has not committed to do so. Michigan Police Reopening Investigation Into 1967 Cold Case. EFTA00135685 WZZM-TV Grand Rapids, MI (7/28, 73K) reports Ottawa County Sheriff's Office will exhume the unidentified body of a woman found dead in 1967 in an effort to finally identify her. She "is believed to have been between 16 and 21 years of age, around 5-foot-7 and between 90 and 100 pounds at the time of death." WHTC-AM Holland, MI (7/28, Inc., 399) reports that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children "is providing resources, including forensic anthropology, to further this investigation." FBI Investigating Illinois Bank Robbery. The Park Ridge (IL) Herald-Advocate (7/29, Johnson, 1.75M) reports that the FBI is investigating the July 27 robbery of Parkway Bank. The agency "is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the suspect's arrest." New Mexico Man Arrested In Connection To Bank Robbery. The Brainerd (MN) Daily Dispatch (7/28) reports James Richard Ardito, who "was convicted of robbing the same bank over a decade ago," was "arrested Monday, July 27, at a residence in Andover" in connection to the Deerwood Bank robbery on July 24. This case "remains an active investigation by the sheriff's office working jointly with the FBI." Continuing Coverage: Ohio Man Accused Of Carjacking. WOW-TV Cleveland (7/28, Tullos, 68K) reports James King Belle, who "arrested for carjacking a woman's car at gunpoint in Mayfield Heights," was ordered held on a $75,000 bond. FBI agents "arrested Belle on July 20." Washington Drug Investigation Leads To 19 Indictments. The Kent (WA) Reporter (7/28, Hunter, 90K) reports 19 people, including three Kent residents, have been indicted in connection with an "18-month investigation of a drug trafficking organization tied to the" Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) in Mexico, which is often referred to as the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Commenting on the results of the investigation, "conducted by the US Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Tacoma Resident Office in partnership with" the FBI and several other law enforcement organizations, was DEA Special Agent in Charge Keith Weis, who stated, "The South Sound streets are safer today with the removal of this violent criminal ring that pushed heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl into our communities." Multiple New York Defendants Plead Guilty To Conspiring To Distribute Meth. The Salamanca (NY) Press (7/28, Eckstrom, 5K) reports 10 defendants have pleaded guilty "to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute, and distributing, five grams or more of methamphetamine." The pleas "are the result of an investigation" conducted by the DEA, the FBI and some other law enforcement organizations. The Genesee (NY) Sun (7/28) and the Jamestown (NY) Post-Journal (7/10, 42K) also cover this story. FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS Florida Man Charged With PPP Fraud. Forbes (7/28, Erb, 9.71M) reports, "The Department of Justice has announced the arrest of a Florida man in connection with Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan fraud. David T. Hines, 29, of Miami, Florida, was arrested and charged with fraudulently obtaining $3.9 million in PPP loans and using those funds, in part, to purchase a 2020 Lamborghini Huracan sports car. Authorities seized the $318,000 sports car and $3.4 million from bank accounts at the time of the arrest." Forbes adds, "According to the complaint, Hines applied for approximately $13.5 million in PPP funds to pay employees. However, it's alleged that those employees either didn't exist or were paid a fraction of what Hines claimed. Hines' state and bank records showed little to no payroll expense during this period." EFTA00135686 HSI Has Seized More Than $7M In COVID-19 Fraud Proceeds. Fox News (7/28, Dorman, 27.59M) reports, "Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Tuesday that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents have seized more than 900 shipments of counterfeit or substandard medical equipment and supplies - including test kits and purported treatments for COVID-19. The agency made the announcement to mark 100 days since the April launch of Operation Stolen Promise, meant to 'protect the Homeland from the increasing and evolving threat posed by COVID-19-related fraud and criminal activity.'" Fox News adds, "In addition to the seizure of hundreds of shipments, HSI said its agents had initiated 570 criminal investigations and made 53 arrests. Agents have also seized more than $7 million in "illicit proceeds," including $2.2 million obtained through fraud related to the CARES Act." Former Ohio Candidate Says He Was FBI Informant In Householder Probe. The Cleveland Plain Dealer (7/28, Tobias, 895K) reports from Columbus, Ohio, "A former state legislative candidate says he went to the FBI earlier this year with his concerns over the anonymously funded political ads that flooded the airwaves during his race, earning him a spot as a witness in the federal charging documents against Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder and others that were unsealed last week." Nick Owens, "a Brown County Republican and member of the State Board of Education, says he is referenced in the 81-page affidavit as 'Individual 1.' Individual 1 provided the FBI with information about Householder's political operation relevant to the investigation, the affidavit says, including by detailing Householder's secret control of a political group prosecutors said covertly received $60 million from FirstEnergy in exchange for Householder's delivery of nuclear bailout legislation." Owens, "a former assistant county prosecutor, said he called the FBI tip line in mid-March. He said he was connected with Blane Wetzel, the FBI special agent who ended up writing the complaint." The Cincinnati Enquirer (7/28, Balmert, 223K) reports from Columbus, Ohio, "Owens, from Clermont County, knew that something wasn't right when Householder said that he put $500,000 into the race. That included an attack ad that incorrectly accused the Democrat of abusing his elected position during a traffic stop. 'I understand campaign finance,' Owens told The Enquirer about the November 2018 meeting. 'You can't just dump in $500,000.'" The Enquirer adds, "Now, Householder, political adviser Jeff Longstreth and three GOP lobbyists are the subjects of a federal investigation into a $61 million bribery scheme to elect Householder as speaker, pass a $1.3 billion bailout for two nuclear plants and defend that legislation against a ballot effort to upend it. Part of that effort included funneling money from FirstEnergy and other donors to dark money groups, which are not required to disdose donors, and political action committees." The Cleveland Plain Dealer (7/28, Eaton, 895K) reports, "Ned Hill will never forget his first encounter with Larry Householder. During the Perry County state legislator's first term as Speaker of Ohio's House of Representatives, Householder visited a board meeting of an industry group that Hill was attending. 'The ethos of "pay to play" was palpable,' recalls Hill, an Ohio State University professor of economic development. 'I saw him work the room, pounding people's chests with his fingers and telling them how much their donation was going to be. It was the closest thing to a shakedown that I have ever seen." The Plain Dealer adds, "More than a decade before Householder's July 21 arrest in a federal bribery probe of the state's nuclear bailout law, Householder's aggressive fundraising practices came under law enforcement scrutiny. But no charges resulted from that case." Former New Jersey Mayor Sentencing Delayed. The Press of Atlantic City (1‘13) (7/28, 177K) reports former Atlantic City Mayor Frank Gilliam Jr's sentencing "has been rescheduled to September." His sentencing "has been pushed back five times since he pleaded guilty Oct. 3 to defrauding a youth basketball program out of more than $87,000." The FBI investigated. College Admissions Scheme Mastermind Was Working On His Own Degree Until Last Week. EFTA00135687 0SA Today (7/28, Oldham, 10.31M) reports from Phoenix, Arizona, "The man who exploited a broken system to help wealthy parents bribe and cheat their way into sending their children to elite colleges spent the past eight months taking a familiar approach to turning his life around: education." Rick Singer, "the consultant at the center of the largest college admissions scandal in American history, had been enrolled at Arizona's Grand Canyon University since November 2019, according to GCU spokesperson Bob Romantic. As of July 21, Singer no longer was a student at the university, Romantic said." Singer "had been working on a doctorate in psychology at the Phoenix- based university and had hoped to be near completion when he was sentenced sometime in 2021 or 2022, his lawyer Donald Heller said Tuesday." Watchdog At SBA Reports Having Seen Indications Of Extensive Fraud In Emergency Loan Program. Reuters (7/28, Prentice) reports, "The internal watchdog at the U.S. government agency responsible for managing COVID-19 emergency loans and grants to small business owners and nonprofits said it has found 'strong indicators of widespread potential fraud' in the disaster loan program." The Office of the Inspector General at the Small Business Administration (SBA) "said it has been 'inundated' with contacts to investigative field offices, receiving complaints of more than 5,000 instances of suspected fraud from financial institutions receiving economic injury loan deposits through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Advance grant programs, according to a public memo on Tuesday." SBA inspectors have commenced several probes "into reports of suspected fraud in the disaster loan program, the memo from SBA Inspector General Hannibal 'Mike' Ware to SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza said." The Washington Post (7/28, Gregg, 14.2M) reports the SBA's office of inspector general indicated "that it has identified $250 million in taxpayer-subsidized coronavirus loan funds given to 'potentially ineligible recipients." The Post adds, "Among the potentially fraudulent transactions detailed in the report are $1.9 million in pending SBA transactions made to accounts outside the United States, roughly 3,000 'suspicious' transactions worth $73 million that were flagged by a banking service provider." A credit union informed the Justice Department that of the 60 SBA deposits it received, 59 seemed to be fraudulent. The inspector general said, "We are alarmed by these reports, but they are consistent with our investigations, which indicate pervasive fraudulent activity." The report included a response from Carranza, who "said the findings were 'unexpected" and challenged the contention that the SBA did not put appropriate internal controls in place. Said Carranza, "The reality is that SBA has developed and implemented a comprehensive, rigorous, end-to-end infrastructure to reduce the risk of fraud in the EIDL COVID program." The Hill (7/28, Moreno, 2.98M) says, "According to the report, nine financial institutions have reported a combined total of $187.3 million in suspected fraudulent transactions through the program." Meanwhile, the New York Times (7/28, Cowley, 18.61M) says the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program "offers eligible companies low-interest loans and small grants." In contrast to the Paycheck Protection Program, "the disaster program does not rely on banks to vet applicants and issue loans." Ware "recommended 'immediate action and attention' to prevent further losses." The Times adds that Ware "identified one especially glaring shortfall: The S.B.A. has no formal process for working with financial institutions to review possible fraud cases." CYBER DIVISION Republicans Raise Concerns TikTok Could Be Used By Chinese Government Interfere In Elections. The Hill (7/28, Miller, 2.98M) reports a group of Republican senators "led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R- AR) on Tuesday raised concerns that popular social media app TikTok could be used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to spread disinformation around US elections." The lawmakers - who also "included Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Rick Scott (R-FL) - wrote to the FBI, the DHS and ODNI raising concerns that EFTA00135688 the app could be used by China to interfere in American elections." Cotton and his colleagues wrote, "TikTok has become a popular forum for Americans - particularly younger Americans - to engage in political conversations. I'm greatly concerned that the CCP could use its control over TikTok to distort or manipulate these conversations to sow discord among Americans and to achieve its preferred political outcomes." The Washington Fxaminer (7/28, Neale, 448K) reports the senators "asked each agency what sort of punishment could be leveled if the app is used in disinformation campaigns during election cycles." Reuters (7/28, Alper) reports a spokesperson for the company "said that TikTok, though not a 'go-to' for political news, was 'proactively investing to safeguard our app,' and taking cues from the experience of peers during the last election." The person said, "TikTok already has a strict policy against disinformation, and we don't accept political ads," adding that "content and moderation policies are led by a California-based team and aren't 'influenced by any foreign government." Op-Ed: The Cyberattack On Garmin Poses A Complicated Question For The US Government. In a commentary in Slate (7/28, 1.58M), Josephine Wolff writes, "What really made the Garmin attack interesting...was the test it posed to the US government's ongoing attempts to crack down on Russian cybercrime organizations. The ransomware that infected Garmin's systems appeared to be a program called WastedLocker...by the Russian cybercrime group known as Evil Corp. In late 2019, the US Treasury's OFAC announced sanctions against Evil Corp, which prohibited US individuals and firms from engaging in any transactions with them." Wolff concludes, "The Treasury Department would now investigate what happened with Garmin and penalize the company if, in fact, it did authorize any ransom payment. But the government may be understandably wary of appearing to bully a company that has already suffered considerable losses. If, however, Garmin faces no investigation into what happened then the government will be sending a clear signal to all other cybercrime victims that its sanctions were never more than a symbolic gesture." Chinese Hackers Infiltrated Vatican Network. The New York Times (7/28, Sanger, Wong, Horowitz, 18.61M) reports Chinese hackers "infiltrated the Vatican's computer networks in the past three months, a private monitoring group has concluded, in an apparent espionage effort before the beginning of sensitive negotiations with Beijing." While "Chinese hackers and state authorities have often used cyberattacks to try to gather information on groups of Buddhist Tibetans, Muslim Uighurs and Falun Gong practitioners outside China," the Times says this "appears to be the first time" they "have been publicly caught directly hacking into the Vatican and the Holy See's Study Mission to China." Foreign Hackers Exploit Pandemic. Forbes (7/28, Fisher, 9.71M)reports the cybercrime risks "faced by Americans working from home are just the tip of a very dangerous cyberattack iceberg." Strong evidence indicates that "Russia, China and potentially other adversaries have been attempting to hack universities and research institution's databases to steal potentially lifesaving Covid-19-related intellectual property." With millions of lives and trillions of dollars at stake, the US "is in a dangerous place when it comes to vulnerabilities associated with the pandemic." To understand just what we're facing, Forbes interviewed Bryan Cunningham, long-time cybersecurity and privacy lawyer and Founding Executive Director of the University of California, Irvine Cybersecurity Policy & Research Institute, about "exactly what's going on, what the focus should be, and what precautions Americans should be taking." Op-Ed: In An Evaporating OODA Loop, Time Is Of The Essence. In a commentary in C4ISR & Networks (7/28), Jan Kallberg, a research scientist at the Army Cyber Institute at West Point, writes, "Both the accelerated execution of cyberattacks and an increased ability to, at machine speed, identify vulnerabilities for exploitation compress the time window that cybersecurity management has to address unfolding events. ... It is time to face the EFTA00135689 issue of accelerated cyber engagements." Kallberg raises "the 'observe, orient, decide, act' loop and the utility of the OODA concept for cybersecurity. The CODA loop resurfaces in cybersecurity and information security managerial approaches as a structured way to address unfolding events." Kallberg condudes, "I have no intention of being a narrative impossibilist, who presents challenges with no solutions, so the current way forward is pre-authorizations. In the near future, the human ability to play an active role in rapid engagement will be supported by artificial intelligence decision-making that executes the tactical movements." Langevin Calls Hill Oversight On Cyber "Absolutely Essential." MeriTalk (7/28, Weingarten) reports Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) - one of the pioneering policy voices in Congress on cybersecurity issues - "told MeriTalk in an exclusive interview that legislative oversight of Federal government actions in the cybersecurity arena remains 'absolutely essential." Rep. Langevin, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities, said, "I do believe that congressional oversight here is absolutely essential. It's really important." The congressman, "who co-founded the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus in 2008 with Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), "talked about a range of a pending legislative and policy issues in a wide-ranging interview on July 24." Asked about a July 15 Yahoo News report that "said the CIA has received White House clearance to conduct offensive cyber operations, Rep. Langevin said, "I can't comment on that since I have not been briefed on that." He added, "I can neither confirm nor deny that such a program exists." US Government Issues Warning To Critical Infrastructure Providers. 1360 Gov (7/28) reports the US government on Thursday "issued a cybersecurity alert to operators of critical infrastructure, outlining 'immediate actions' that should be taken during a 'time of heightened tensions' to avoid being compromised by a cyberattack." Recommendations include "disconnecting from the Internet any operational systems that do not need connectivity for safe and reliable operations, and planning for 'continued manual process operations' should the industrial control systems (ICS) become unavailable or need to be deactivated due to hostile takeover." Security experts "say it is significant that NSA joined DHS' Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on the alert, and that the alert was not related to a specific incident." They "said the warning could be a nod to tensions with several adversaries of the US, including Russia, China and Iran." US Army Cyber Chief Outlines Ten-year Plan For Information Warfare. C4ISR & Networks (7/28, Pomerleau) reports the US Army's top cyber general "has described three phases that will prepare the service for information warfare over the next decade." Appearing in a special edition of the Cyber Defense Review, Lt. Gen. Stephen Fogarty, commander of Army Cyber Command, "provided a road map for where his organization is headed." Fogarty "sketched out three phases Army Cyber Command will undertake over the next 10 years, with the first reaching out to mid-2021." By that time, the command "hopes to realize the initial builds of new programs and formations, many of which have already been underway for some time." The main effort is "the migration of ARCYBER's headquarters from Fort Belvoir, Virginia, to Fort Gordon, Georgia." The command "uncased the colors at its new state-of-the-art headquarters attached to NSA's Georgia division in a brief July 24 ceremony." Lindy Cameron Named New Head Of GCHQ Cyber Security Agency. The Independent (UKI (7/28, Sengupta, 1.36M) reports a civil servant who "has served in conflict zones including Afghanistan and Iraq, and has worked in the international development field, will be taking over as the head of one of Britain's cyber intelligence agencies." Lindy Cameron "will replace Ciaran Martin as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a part of GCHQ." She joins the NCSC "from the Northern Ireland Office where she was deputy head to the Permanent Secretary, Sir Jonathan Evans." She had previously "served as the Director-General in charge of the Department for International Development (Dfld) programmes in Asia, Africa and the Middle East." Cameron, a "graduate of the Ministry of Defence's Royal EFTA00135690 College of Defence Studies (RCDS) served in Baghdad and Kabul for Dfid, and Helmand for the Foreign Office at particularly violent times in both conflicts." Security Magazine (7/28) reports Cameron will lead the "UK's principal technical authority on cybersecurity." Her role will include "overseeing the organization's response to hundreds of cyber incidents each year, improving the cyber resilience of the UK's critical national infrastructure, identifying the risks and opportunities for the UK in emerging technologies and leading the NCSC's ongoing response to the coronavirus pandemic." LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES Democrats Investigating Administration Decision To Lift Ban On Some Firearm Silencer Sales. The New York Times (7/28, Vogel, 18.61M) reports House Democrats said Tuesday they are "investigating the Trump administration's decision to lift a ban on firearm silencer sales to foreign private buyers that had been enacted to prevent the devices from being used against American troops." The Times says Democrats are looking into "the involvement of Michael B. Williams, a White House lawyer" who worked for two years as general counsel of the American Suppressor Association, which "had lobbied to overturn the ban." The removal of the ban "pav[ed] the way for as much as $250 million a year in possible new foreign sales for companies that Mr. Williams had championed." Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA), who chairs the House Oversight and Reform Committee's subcommittee on national security issues, "sent a letter Tuesday to the White House budget office requesting documents related to the move, and Mr. Williams's role in pushing it." WPost: Federal Consent Decree Needed To Fix Alabama's "Grotesque" Prisons. In an editorial, the Washington Post (7/28, 14.2M) condemns Alabama's state prisons for male convicts as "overcrowded, understaffed, grotesque chambers of horrors where beatings, rapes and suicides are commonplace and systematically underreported." The Post condemns the state's "sluggish at best" reform efforts, warning, "The culture of mismanagement and violence is too entrenched, and the corrections department lacks basic accountability policies." The Post says that state Attorney General Steve Marshall (R) "is demonstrably less interested in fixing the prisons than in grandstanding," exemplifying how that state government is "incapable of tackling a breakdown in its basic obligation to provide decent, safe prisons." The Post argues that that "what may be the nation's most mismanaged, inhumane and blood-soaked prison system" will only be fixed by "a no-nonsense consent decree, overseen by a federal court." OTHER FBI NEWS Lawmakers Object To FBI HQ Funding In Coronavirus Bill. The Hill (7/28, Bolton, 2.98M) reports, "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says he wants the $1.75 billion in funding for a new FBI headquarters in downtown Washington removed from the GOP's coronavirus relief package." The Hill adds, "Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, McConnell said he hopes that provision and other 'non-germane' items will be removed from the legislation before it's sent to President Trump's desk. 'I am opposed to non-germane amendments, whether it's funding for the FBI building or, for example, in the House bill, whether it's a tax cut for high-income earners in blue states or other non-germane amendments in the House bill like marijuana studies or aid to illegal immigrants,' McConnell told reporters after GOP senators met for lunch with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who are involved in negotiations with congressional Democrats on the COVID-19 package." The Washington Post (7/28, Daly, 14.2M) reports, "McConnell told reporters he opposes inclusion of the FBI money and all other measures not related to the government's response to the virus. 'When we get to the end of the process, I would hope all of the non-COVID-related measures are out,' McConnell said. 'No matter what bills they were in at the s