From: "Bulletin Intelligence" <FBI@BulletinIntelligence.com>

From: "Bulletin Intelligence" <FBI@BulletinIntelligence.com> To: "FBI@BulletinIntelligence.com" <FBI@BulletinIntelligence.com> Subject: [EXTERNAL EMAIL] - FBI Public Affairs News Briefing Friday, October 09, 2020 Date: Fri, 09 Oct 2020 10:28:37 +0000 c Importan e: Normal Mobile version and searchable archives available at fbi.bulletinintelligence.com. ;FBI News Briefing TO: THE DIRECTOR AND SENIOR STAFF DATE: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2020 6:30 AM EDT Holiday Message In observance of the U.S. federal Columbus Day holiday, we will not publish on Monday. October 12. 2020. Service will resume on Tuesday, October 13, 2020. We wish our readers a safe holiday. TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS LEADING THE NEWS • Thirteen Arrested In Alleged Plot To Kidnap Michigan Governor. PROTESTS • Texas Police Officer Charged With Price Murder Fired. • Cole's Family Vows To Continue Fight Against Officer Who Killed Him. • Protests Continue After Security Footage Released Of Kansas City Arrest Of Pregnant Woman. • Analysis: Release Of Chauvin Illustrates Complicated Minnesota Bail Reform Debate. • NYTimes Reviews Facts Known About Prude Case. • Washington Supreme Court Dismisses Effort To Recall Seattle Mayor. COUNTER-TERRORISM • US, States Readying For Election-Related Conflict. • Portland, Oregon City Council Urged To End FBI ITTF Cooperation. COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE • FBI Norfolk Office Prioritizing Election Security. • FBI Warns Of Phony Election Websites. • Trump Expresses Frustration With Administration For Not Prosecuting Democrats. • Former Trump Fundraiser Charged With Illegally Lobbying For Malaysian Fugitive. • NCSC Director Warns Of COVID-19 Disinformation Before Election. • Ratcliffe Accused Of Politicizing Intelligence. • Commentary: Clinton, Obama "Colluded" In 2016, But No Crime. • Grassley, Johnson Accuse CIA Director Of Withholding Trump-Russia Intel. EFTA00148778 • Declassified Russia Investigation Documents Cataloged. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS • Experts Say Ballistics Report Shows Officer Was Shot By Taylor's Boyfriend, Not Friendly Fire. • Fifteen Charged In Connection With Midwest Drug Ring. • Reputed MS-13 Member Arrested In Texas. • FBI Confirms Person Abducted From New Jersey Bodega Is Now Safe. • New Hampshire Man Sentenced For Buying Military Hand Grenades. • California Women Charged With Federal Robbery Had Shoplifted Six Bottles Of Body Wash. • Investigation Leads To Indictment Of 13 People On Federal Drug Charges In Louisiana. • Currency Exchange Case Defendant Pleads Guilty. • Montana Man Pleads Guilty To Stealing Firearms. • Leader Of Conspiracy To Sell Drugs On Dark Web Gets Long Prison Sentence. • Montana Meth Case Defendant Sentenced To 121 Months In Prison. • Connecticut Couple Arrested On Drug Charges. • Nevada Bank Robbery Suspect Arrested. • FBI Seeks Florida Bank Robber. • Oklahoma City Man Pleads Guilty To Child Pornography, Sex Trafficking. • Missouri Man Pleads Guilty To Child Pornography Charges. • Alabama Man Faces Federal Charges For Targeting Military, Police Aircraft With Laser. • Texas Man Convicted Of Child Pornography In 2009 Pleads Guilty To New Charges. • FBI Probes Lead To Charges For 18 Individuals. • FBI Offers $8,000 Reward In Texas Painting Heist. • Indiana Man Charged In 2014 Murder Of Illinois Teen. • Nebraska Principal Arrested On Child Pornography Charges Claims Mistaken Identity. • FBI Offers $5,000 Reward For Killer Of Virginia Teen. • Indiana Man Faces Federal Charges For Sexually Assaulting Sleeping Teen During Flight. • Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty To Bank Robbery. • Idaho Man Accuses Police Of Framing Him In Colorado Cold Case. • FBI Seeking Information In Indiana Bank Robbery. FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS • Florida Rapper Allegedly Bought Ferrari With COVID-19 Relief Money. • FBI Executes Search Warrant For Hawaii TV Station. • Two Contractors Charged In San Francisco Corruption Probe. • Alabama Man Arrested In FBI Corruption Probe Is Sentenced. • Federal Charges Against New York Developer Are Dismissed. CYBER DIVISION • US Appeals Injunction Preventing TikTok Ban. • DO) Announces New Cryptocurrency Enforcement Framework. • Cybersecurity Experts Warn Of Online Disinformation Attacks On Companies. • GAO Report Faults Administration's 5G Security Efforts. • Senate Republicans Take Aim At Foreigners Working To Hack US COVID-19 Data. • Putin: US Has Not Responded To Offer To Cooperate On Cybersecurity. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS • Coast Guard: Two Tons Of Cocaine Were Interdicted In Caribbean Last Month. OTHER FBI NEWS • Trump: Wray Has Been "Disappointing" As FBI Director. EFTA00148779 OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS • Trump Says He Thinks He Is "Better," Hopes To Hold Rally This Weekend. • Trump Says Stimulus Talks Are Back On, Tells McCarthy He Wants A "Big Deal." • Report: Meadows Hosted "Lavish Atlanta Wedding" Despite Coronavirus Restrictions. • NYTimes Report: Political Considerations Influenced Pence's Handling Of Task Force. • Fauci: Volume Of New Cases Needs To Come "Way, Way Down." • Birx Praises UConn Coronavirus Response, Urges Continued Caution. • Azar: Supplies Will Be Sufficient To Vaccinate All Americans By April. • Former CDC Director Urges Redfield To Stand Up To Trump. • AP Analysis: Healthcare Professionals "Battle Virus Skeptics." • Moderna To Forgo Patents Related To COVID Vaccine. • Regeneron, Eli Lilly Ask For FDA EUAs. • NIAID Marks Start Of Convalescent Plasma Study. • WSJournal Analysis: Vaccine Trial Participants Focus On Ending Pandemic. • New York Coronavirus Restrictions Met With Protests, Lawsuits. • Tribal Nations Among Hardest Hit By Coronavirus. • NFL Announces More Postponements Due To Positive Tests. • Airbnb To Require Enhanced Cleaning By Hosts. • WPost Analysis: Both Parties Appear To Believe Barrett Would Restrict Or Overturn Roe. • Cuccinelli Announces Regulations Aimed At Cutting H-1B Abuse. • Massachusetts Lawmakers Ask ICE For Details Of Stopping Black Man. • DO) Suit Alleges Discrimination In Yale's Admissions Process. • Perdue Reprimanded For Politicizing USDA Event. • NLRB Issues Complaint Against Google Contractor. • Supreme Court Temporarily Permits Women To Obtain Abortion Medication Without Doctor Visit. • CMS Rushing To Send Letters To Medicare Recipients About Drug Assistance. • Trump: "Absentee Ballots Are Fine," But "Unsolicited" Ballots Will "Be A Disaster." • Facebook Bans Accounts Linked To Pro-Trump "Troll Farm." • Court Strikes Down Obama-Era Methane Rule. • Friends Say They Recall Dorris' Accusations Against Trump In 1997. • Louisiana Residents Bracing For Delta, Now Category 3 Hurricane. INTERNATIONAL NEWS • India Sees "Rural Surge" Toward Highest Infection Rate Globally. • Hong Kong Considering Mandatory COVID Testing. • Israel Extends Emergency Lockdown Provisions On Public Gatherings. • Spanish Government Tells Madrid To Enforce Restrictions. • German Expert Warns Of "Uncontrolled" COVID Spread. • Administration Sanctions 18 Additional Iranian Banks. • Iranian Human Rights Advocate Freed Amid Health Concerns. • Trump's Troop Withdrawal Pledge Contradicts O'Brien, Alarms Military Officials. • Military Parade Could Include Showcase Of New North Korean Weapons. • Ortagus Says Chinese Communist Party Breaks Commitments. • Ortagus Touts Abraham Accords. • Trudeau Says Canada Paying Close Attention To US Election. • Kyrgyzstan President Says He's Prepared To Resign After New Cabinet Approved. • Islamic Extremists Free Malian Politician, Three European Hostages. • Protests Against Indonesia Jobs Law Continue. • NYTimes: Russia Must Step In To Freeze Conflict In South Caucasus. EFTA00148780 • WPost: Jailed Vietnamese Dissident A "Champion Of Democracy." THE BIG PICTURE • Headlines From Today's Front Pages. WASHINGTON'S SCHEDULE • Today's Events In Washington. LEADING THE NEWS Thirteen Arrested In Alleged Plot To Kidnap Michigan Governor. All three broadcast networks opened their evening newscasts with what Lester Holt of NBC Nightly NewsVI (10/8, lead story, 2:35, 5.56M) called "a stunning domestic terror plot to storm the Michigan statehouse and kidnap" Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D). Federal and state prosecutors announced the arrests "of more than a dozen men who they say targeted the governor over what they saw as her uncontrolled power. The men, according to authorities, are linked to militia groups and are ready to instigate civil war." NBC's Pete Williams said Whitmer said "President Trump's refusals to criticize white supremacist groups have been heard by them as a rallying cry." Whitmer: "When our leaders meet with, encourage, or fraternize with domestic terrorists, they legitimize their actions, and they are complicit." On ABC World News TonightVi (10/8, lead story, 4:05, 6.7M), David Muir said Whitmer, who "has been the target of protests since last spring over restrictions aimed to stop the spread of COVID amid one of the early outbreaks...thank[ed] authorities for protecting her and her family, but went on to talk about white supremacists in this country and the President." ABC's Pierre Thomas: "The FBI and state police...took action after the men met this week to exchange tactical gear and to pool their money to allegedly buy explosives. The mission: Attack the governor before Election Day. Authorities claim the planning was months in the making, with the men even going to the governor's vacation home twice to conduct surveillance." Jeff Pegues reported on the CBS Evening NewsVi (10/8, lead story, 3:35, O'Donnell, 4.22M), "The militia members spent the summer trying to recruit like-minded members and preparing for that attack. ... According to court papers, the militia members discussed the need for 200 men to storm the Michigan Capitol building (and) take hostages, including the governor, who they would try for treason in a kangaroo court." The AP (10/8) reports six men "were charged in federal court with conspiring to kidnap the governor in reaction to what they viewed as her 'uncontrolled power,' according to a federal complaint. Separately, seven others were charged under the state's anti-terrorism laws for allegedly targeting police and the state Capitol." The Detroit News (10/8, Snell, 825K) reports, "The federal court filing alleges the conspirators twice conducted surveillance at Whitmer's personal vacation home in northern Michigan and discussed kidnapping her to a 'secure location' in Wisconsin to stand 'trial' for treason prior to the Nov. 3 election." USA Today (10/8, Egan, Baldas, 1.52M) reports, "Members of the group, who were in the Kent County, Michigan, area, talked about 'murdering...tyrants' or 'taking' a sitting governor." The Detroit Free Press (10/8, Egan, 1.52M) reports Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) "referred to the accused as 'extremists' who are hoping to recruit new members 'by seizing on a moment of civil unrest' to wreak havoc on the country. She identified the militia group as the Wolverine Watchmen, whose members are accused of, among other things, conducting surveillance outside Whitmer's vacation residence, using code language and encrypted messages to throw off police and planting a bomb under a bridge to divert law enforcement." Reuters (10/8, Layne, Bolter) reports, "Thirteen men, seven of them associated with an anti-government militia group called the Wolverine Watchmen, have been arrested on charges EFTA00148781 of conspiring to kidnap the Michigan governor, attack the state legislature and threaten law enforcement, prosecutors said on Thursday." Prosecutors "said the conspirators discussed recruiting a force of 200 supporters to storm the state capitol building in Lansing and take hostages, but later switched to a plan to kidnap Whitmer at her vacation home." Reuters adds, "Internal U.S. security memos in recent months have warned that violent domestic extremists could pose a threat to election-related targets, a concern heightened by political tensions, civil unrest and foreign disinformation campaigns." FBI Director Wray "said in September that his agency was conducting investigations into domestic extremists, including white supremacists and anti-fascist groups." The Detroit Free Press (10/8, Egan, Baldas, 1.52M) reports, "Authorities said Thursday that the Wolverine Watchmen group planned on storming either the capitol or Whitmer's vacation home as part of a broader mission to instigate a civil war. The FBI and Michigan's attorney general outlined felony domestic terrorism charges against the group's organizers, who planned on hurling molotov cocktails at any police officers who tried to stop the kidnapping, a federal affidavit said." USA Today adds, "The FBI became aware early in 2020, through social media, that a militia group was `discussing the violent overthrow of certain government and law enforcement components' and 'agreed to take violent action,' according to a sworn affidavit. Organizers of the domestic terror plot talked about 'murdering ... tyrants' or 'taking' a sitting governor, according to the affidavit. The FBI monitored a meeting June 20 in Grand Rapids, the affidavit says." The New York Times (10/8, Bogel-Burroughs, Dewan, Gray, 18.61M) reports that FBI Special Agent Richard J. Trask "said in the criminal complaint...that one of those arrested had bought a Taser for the mission last week and that the men had been planning to buy explosives on Wednesday. Court records indicated that at least five of the men had been arrested on Wednesday in Ypsilanti, Mich." The Detroit Free Press (10/8, Egan, 1.52M) reports that Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel "referred to the accused as "extremists" who are hoping to recruit new members 'by seizing on a moment of civil unrest' to wreak havoc on the country. 'There has been a disturbing increase in anti-government rhetoric and the re-emergence of groups that embrace extremist ideologies,' Nessel said at a press conference Thursday. 'This is more than just political disagreement or passionate advocacy, some of these groups' mission is simply to create chaos and inflict harm upon others." The Detroit News (10/8, Snell, 825K) reports, "Organizers allegedly met starting in June, including at a Second Amendment rally in Lansing and in a Grand Rapids shop basement accessed through a secret door hidden under a rug." The federal affidavit "was filed hours after a team of FBI agents raided a Hartland Township home Wednesday and comes amid an investigation into the death of a Metro Detroit man killed during a shootout with FBI agents." The Chicago Tribune (10/8, Pratt, 2.65M) reports, "The six men charged in federal court plotted for months, consulting and training with members of a group that federal authorities described as a militia, and undertaking rehearsals in August and September, according to an FBI affidavit. They were arrested Wednesday night and face up to life in prison if convicted. Four planned to meet Wednesday to 'make a payment on explosives and exchange tactical gear,' the FBI said in the court filing. The FBI quoted one of the accused as saying Whitmer 'has no checks and balances at all. She has uncontrolled power right now. All good things must come to an end." The Washington Times (10/8, Mordock, 492K) reports, "Federal prosecutors announced Thursday that they had charged six militia members with conspiring to kidnap Ms. Whitmer, a Democrat. If convicted, all six could face life in prison. Separately, Michigan State Attorney General Dana Nessel filed charges against seven other members accused of having roles in the plot. Those seven face 19 felony charges, including state terrorism counts, that could land each in prison for more than 20 years. It is not clear what role the defendants facing state charges are accused of played in the kidnapping plot." EFTA00148782 CNN (10/8, Carrega, 83.16M) reports, "The arrests are likely to draw additional attention to the political tensions roiling the nation in the closing weeks of the 2020 election season, and underline warnings from law enforcement officials, members of Congress and groups that track extremism about the increasing threat of extremist and far-right groups. Whitmer at times has been the focus of extreme vitriol from far-right groups over her handling of the coronavirus pandemic." CNN adds, "In an interview on CNN's 'Erin Burnett OutFront' on Thursday night, Whitmer thanked law enforcement for making the arrests. `This is unlike anything we have seen before. The brave men and women of these two police organizations put their lives on the line to keep me and my family safe,' she said. 'I'm incredibly grateful and humbled by the work they do." Fox News (10/8, Barrabi, 27.59M) reports, "Whitmer, a Democrat, has enacted strict lockdown measures during the coronavirus pandemic. Local Democrats have praised the measures as a necessary step to protect state residents, while critics, including Trump, have argued her plan was too restrictive and infringed on individual freedoms and the state economy. The Michigan governor said she has made 'tough choices to keep our state safe' and expressed sympathy for losses suffered by local residents and businesses." The Hill (10/8, Budryk, 2.98M) reports, "Whitmer, who imposed some of the nation's strictest measures to mitigate the coronavirus pandemic, said in May that she saw an 'explosion' of threats as a result. The governor's residence implemented a $1.1-million security upgrade in September, which a spokesperson for her office said was part of 'routine maintenance and upgrades." The Hill notes that in May, Robert Sinclair Tesh, "a 32-year-old Detroit man, was charged with threatening to kill both Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel (D)." The LansingjMl) State Journal (10/8, Thompson, 206K) reports, "The arrest of six militia members accused of plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and take her to Wisconsin for a 'trial' did not come as a shock to some of her Lansing neighbors. Though chilling, the plot felt like an escalation of the protests that have become common in the wealthy and usually tranquil neighborhood near Moores River Drive since spring. 'It's a shame that it's not a surprise, but it's not a surprise,' said James Perkins, a retired professor who lives a few doors down from the Michigan governor's residence where Whitmer and her family live." The State Journal adds, "Protesters demonstrating against coronavirus lockdown measures have periodically gathered outside the governor's residence, gridlocking the streets with cars, carrying weapons, shouting into bullhorns." The Washington Post (10/8, Timberg, Stanley-Becker, 14.2M) reports, "In June, one of the suspects in the plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took to the relative privacy of a Facebook group to make clear his brewing hatred. Adam Fox called Whitmer a 'tyrant bitch,' according to an FBI affidavit, and declared, 'I don't know boys, we gotta do something... give me some ideas of what we can do.' Such online declarations, brimming with anger and potentially violent intent, have become staples of extremism-fueled crime news in recent years, from police killings to synagogue massacres to bombing plots. Before they become real, they percolate online, courtesy of a social media ecosystem that's ubiquitous, barely moderated and well suited to helping aggrieved people find each other." Bloomberg (10/9, Wagner, Berthelsen, 4.73M) reports, "Facebook Inc. first approached the FBI six months ago about activity on its platform that led to 13 men being charged in Michigan with planning to storm the state capitol and kidnap the governor." Facebook "alerted" the FBI "that there were discussions happening on its social network about overthrowing the government and law enforcement, according to a person familiar with the tip who asked not to be identified discussing the confidential probe. The FBI was already investigating a Facebook Group for a Michigan militia, called the Wolverine Watchmen, and the company ultimately removed the group in late June." Facebook "confirmed that it worked with the FBI, and said in a statement that it removes content and accounts immediately when they are reported to law enforcement authorities if there is a 'credible threat of imminent harm to people or public EFTA00148783 safety: 'We proactively reached out and cooperated with the FBI early in this ongoing investigation,' a company spokesperson added." The Wall Street Journal (10/8, Ailworth, Levy, Subscription Publication, 7.57M), the Detroit Free Press (10/8, Wisely, 1.52M), Deadline Detroit (10/8, Ikonomova), MLive (MI) (10/8, Agar, 925K), the Lansing (MI) State Journal (10/8, Thompson, 206K), the Oakland MI) Press (10/8, 95K), the Daily Beast (10/8, Melendez, 1.39M), BuzzFeed News (10/8, Jamieson), and Fox News (10/8, Barrabi, 27.59M) websites are among the other outlets covering the story. Trump: Whitmer "Complaining," Doing "Her Political Act." Trump said in an interview on Fox News' Hannity (10/8, 535K), "I see Whitmer today, she's complaining, but it was our Justice Department that arrested the people that she was complaining about. It was my Justice Department that arrested them. But instead she goes and does her political act." The Wall Street Journal (10/8, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) says in an editorial that federal agencies quickly moved against the plotters, and that Whitmer owes a debt of gratitude to the Justice Department and the FBI. FBI Warned Over The Summer About Reenergized Militia Movement. Yahoo! News (10/8, Winter, 12.82M) reports, "Almost four months before the FBI arrested six men for plotting to kidnap Michigan's governor, the bureau warned local and state law enforcement about a surge in militia extremists seeking to target government officials, particularly those they blamed for pandemic restrictions, according to an intelligence bulletin obtained by Yahoo News. 'Militia extremists likely pose an increased threat to state and local law enforcement, government personnel and associated facilities due to a perceived resurgence in recent months of activity surrounding state-level gun control legislation, as well as concerns specific to state and local government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic,' the FBI said in an intelligence bulletin dated June 18 and produced jointly with the National Counterterrorism Center." In an opinion piece for the New York Times (10/8, 18.61M) , former acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mary B. McCord writes, "In the swirls of disinformation that now pollute our political discourse, one is particularly dangerous: that private militias are constitutionally protected. Although these vigilante groups often cite the Second Amendment's 'well regulated militia' for their authority, history and Supreme Court precedent make clear that the phrase was not intended to - and does not - authorize private militias outside of government control. Indeed, these armed groups have no authority to call themselves forth into militia service; the Second Amendment does not protect such activity; and all 50 states prohibit it." More Commentary. In an opinion piece for the Washington Post (10/8, 14.2M) , Greg Sargent writes, "There are two immediate points here: First, this should be another case in which Trump realizes that he needs to be a lot more careful with his language of incitement, though of course he will not for a second treat this as a teachable moment. Second, this may bode very badly for this fall, since it heralds the possibility of more right-wing violence should Trump lose the election, declare it rigged and mobilize his supporters against it in some way. Both these points come to me by way of Elizabeth Neumann, the former senior official at the Department of Homeland Security who recently stepped down and has since been pointedly critical of Trump." In an opinion piece for the Washington Post (10/8, 14.2M) , Kathleen Belew writes, "This isn't just a one-off event or the work of a few mad actors — it's part of a rising tide of white power activity, one that poses an imminent danger to American democracy. The Department of Homeland Security's threat assessment report, released earlier this week after a long wait, made that clear: White power movement violence and affiliated extremism is, by far, the greatest terrorist threat to our nation." Belew adds, "Not only does this kind of extremist violence outstrip any violence carried out by what President Trump has referred to as 'antifa and the left; but white power violence now also exceeds the threat of radical Islamist terror. The DHS assessment makes clear that '2019 was the most lethal year for extremism in the United States since the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.w EFTA00148784 PROTESTS Texas Police Officer Charged With Price Murder Fired. CNN (10/8, Razek, Chavez, 83.16M) reports on its website that Wolfe City, Texas, officials on Thursday said police officer Shaun Lucas was terminated from his position "for his egregious violation of the City's and police department's policies" in the fatal shooting of 31-year-old Black man Jonathan Price. CNN says Lucas was charged with murder earlier this week. He "was responding to a report of a disturbance and a possible fight in progress Saturday at a convenience store in Wolfe City when he shot Price four times in the torso, the probable cause affidavit released by the Hunt County District Clerk said." The Washington Post (10/8, Berman, 14.2M) calls Lucas "one of the rare law enforcement officers to face criminal prosecution for shooting and killing someone while on duty." Cole's Family Vows To Continue Fight Against Officer Who Killed Him. The AP (10/8, Richmond) reports Kimberley Motley, an attorney for the family of Black teen Alvin Cole, who was killed by Wauwatosa Police Officer Joseph Mensah, "vowed Thursday to keep fighting and working to prove racism pervades the officer's department, after a prosecutor declined to file charges in the case." Motley said she intends to file a federal lawsuit against Mensah, and "sued in state court on Tuesday seeking department documents that she believes will show Mensah's supervisors are racist and that officers have racially profiled Black drivers for years." She also seeks to have both Mensah and Police Chief Barry Weber fired. In addition, Cole's sister Taleavia said to protesters Wednesday that Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm, who is white, must step down; she "said he has shown bias against Black families in his more than 20 years as a prosecutor," though "she didn't cite examples." Protests Continue After Security Footage Released Of Kansas City Arrest Of Pregnant Woman. The Kansas City Star (10/8, Rice, Kite, 549K) reports the office of Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker is reviewing the arrest of Deja Stallings, a pregnant Black woman, and is asking the Kansas City Police Department to conduct its own investigation. According to the Star, the arrest - during which a police officer put his knee on Stallings' back "with her belly on the ground" - has "led to protesters occupying the lawn in front of City Hall in Kansas City for the past week." On Thursday, the KCPD "said they have been in touch with the prosecutor's office regarding the incident," though "the officers involved in the arrest remain on duty." CNN (10/8, Toropin, Lee-Johnson, 83.16M) reports on its website that security camera video released by the KCPD of the arrest "shows as many as a dozen people gathered" around a gas station and convenience store, "some pushing each other." Police attest Stallings "and man tried to pull [a] suspect away" from officers, but Stacy Shaw, Stallings' attorney, "disputes the police's assertion." According to CNN, "The security video shows Stallings briefly step between an officer and the man he was moving to arrest, but the officer quickly pushes past her to chase after the suspect, catching up with him just a few feet later." Analysis: Release Of Chauvin Illustrates Complicated Minnesota Bail Reform Debate. The Minneapolis Star Tribune (10/8, Mannix, 1.04M) reports, "For the second time since the death of George Floyd, Minnesota is reckoning with questions over the transparency of its bail system." The release of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin this week on $1 million bond "was so contentious it prompted the governor to activate 100 National Guard members in anticipation of violent protests." Hundreds "marched down south Minneapolis streets Wednesday evening, many calling Chauvin's release pending trial another example of inequality in the justice system." The protests "come a few months after President Donald Trump's re- election campaign leveled attacks against the Minnesota Freedom Fund, a charitable EFTA00148785 organization that posts bail for people who cannot afford it." According to the Star Tribune, the "two cases illustrate the complicated politics of a bail reform debate that other states have wrestled with for years, but Minnesota has mostly avoided up until now." NYTimes Reviews Facts Known About Prude Case. In a piece headlined "What We Know About Daniel Prude's Case And Death," the New York Times (10/8, Gold, 18.61M) reports, "Against the background of a national discussion over police brutality and racism, the family of Daniel Prude held a news conference in September to highlight disturbing video footage of the police encounter that preceded his death in Rochester, NY." The video, in addition to police reports released by local activists, "brought renewed attention to the case of Mr. Prude, a 41-year-old Black man who died in March after a confrontation in which officers put a mesh hood over his face and pressed his head into the pavement." Since the release of the footage, "Prude's family has accused officials of covering up his death to protect the police officers involved." Washington Supreme Court Dismisses Effort To Recall Seattle Mayor. The Seattle Times (10/8, Gutman, 935K) reports, "A unanimous Washington State Supreme Court tossed out the effort to recall Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan," ruling that accusations Durkan allowed the Seattle Police Department to use tear gas in June "did not rise to the level that would allow a citizen initiative to remove her from office." The decision "kills the push to recall the mayor and means that, barring unforeseen circumstances, voters in 2021 will have the final say on Durkan's job performance, should she choose to run for a second term." In a brief order, Chief Justice Debra Stephens said, "The allegations in this case are deeply troubling and our review requires that we treat the factual allegations as true. ... Nevertheless, after carefully considering the issues presented, the court concludes that the recall charges presented in this case are factually and legally insufficient." COUNTER-TERRORISM US, States Readying For Election-Related Conflict. USA Today (10/8, Phillips, Johnson, 10.31M) reports, "A season of unrest is quickly giving way to urgent preparations for possible conflict aimed at next month's contentious election, which President Donald Trump has already repeatedly cast as illegitimate." According to USA Today, "Federal, state and local law enforcement officials have been bracing for possible clashes at local polling places, violence and larger demonstrations similar to the summer-long social justice protests that spilled into the streets of dozens of American cities. Across the country, authorities have been considering their role in securing an election at a time when public confidence in law enforcement has been threatened by a series of fatal shootings involving police, prompting sustained protests in Portland, Minneapolis, Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C." The AP (10/8, Balsamo, Kunzelman, Long) reports, "Federal and state law enforcement officials have begun expanded preparations for the possibility of widespread unrest at the polls on Election Day, a response to extraordinarily high tensions among voters and anxieties about safety stoked in part" by the President. FBI and local officials "have been conducting drills, running through worse-case scenarios, setting up command centers to improve coordination on reports of violence and voter intimidation, and issuing public warnings that any crime that threatens the sanctity" of the election "will not be tolerated." The Washington Post (10/8, Gardner, Bade, Viebeck, 14.2M) reports House Speaker Pelosi "has recently spoken in multiple meetings about preparing for a situation in which neither candidate attains the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency, according to multiple Democrats familiar with her EFTA00148786 remarks," and "has also directed some of her members to be ready if GOP legislatures in states with narrow margins or unfinished counts seek to appoint their own electors." Portland, Oregon City Council Urged To End FBI JTTF Cooperation. The Portland (OR) Tribune (10/8, Redden, 92K) reports, "Pressure is growing for the City Council to end Portland police cooperation with all federal law enforcement organization, including the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. The issue is being fueled by the ongoing controversy over the 58 Portland officers who were federally deputized ahead of dueling political protests on Saturday, Sept. 26." The Tribune adds, "Five people testified against further cooperation with the JTTF before the council on Wednesday, Oct. 7. They included Brandon Mayfield, the local Muslim lawyer who was illegally spied on and arrested by the FBI in 2004, resulting in a $2 million settlement. Mayfield criticized the U.S. Department of Justice for deputizing the Portland officers through the end of the year. Mayor Ted Wheeler, who oversees the Portland Police Bureau, said he and Police Chief Chuck Lovell were not told the officers were being deputized and have told the federal government that they no longer are." COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE FBI Norfolk Office Prioritizing Election Security. WVEC-TV Hampton Roads, VA (10/8, 49K) reports the FBI, DHS, "and other agencies are actively working to make sure the U.S. has a secure election." FBI Norfolk Supervisory Special Agent Scott Zmudzinski "said this time around intelligence agencies are on high alert. Zmudzinski is leading the local effort to investigate election crimes." The article quotes Zmudzinski saying, "One of the biggest threats that the American public faces are foreign influence. Foreign countries that are trying to influence our election cycles through misinformation and sometimes cyber intrusions." FBI Warns Of Phony Election Websites. Business Insider (10/8, Holmes, 3.67M) reports the FBI announced last week that "cybercriminals are setting up fake voting websites to spread misinformation and confuse people" in the runup to the election. "Some of the fake sites aim to mislead voters to influence the election, while others try to use interest around voting to steal people's passwords." Trump Expresses Frustration With Administration For Not Prosecuting Democrats. Bloomberg (10/8, Wingrove, Kinery, 4.73M) reports that in a call to Fox Business Thursday morning, President Trump "lashed out at two of his most loyal Cabinet members - Attorney General Bill Barr and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo - and threatened to personally intervene in federal investigations into Democrats over controversies stemming from the 2016 election." President Trump said on Fox Business Mornings with Maria (10/8) that unless Attorney General Barr "indicts these people for crimes - the greatest political crime in history - then we are going to get little satisfaction unless I win...because I won't forget it. But, there people should be indicted. This was the greatest political crime in the history of our country and that includes Obama and it includes Biden." Trump later said in an interview on Fox News' Hannity (10/8, 535K), "We caught them spying on our campaign. This is treason. We caught them trying to take down a duly elected Administration/President and we have all the evidence now. We have to see what the law enforcement is going to do with it, but we caught them spying - as sure as you are sitting there." The New York Times (10/8, Baker, Haberman, 18.61M) reports Trump "berated his own cabinet officers on Thursday for not prosecuting or implicating his political enemies, lashing out even as he announced that he planned to return to the campaign trail on Saturday just nine days after he tested positive for the coronavirus." The President "has not been seen in person EFTA00148787 since returning from the hospital on Monday, but he sought to reassert himself on the public stage with a pair of telephone interviews with Fox News and Fox Business, a video and a series of Twitter messages." The President "castigated his own team, declaring that" Barr "would go down in history `as a very sad, sad situation' if he did not indict Democrats" like former Vice President Biden and former President Obama. Trump "complained that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had not released Hillary Clinton's emails, saying, `I'm not happy about him for that reason." He also targeted FBI Director Wray, saying, "He's been disappointing." The AP (10/8, Balsamo, Miller, Tucker) reports President Trump "is increasingly at odds" with Barr "over the status of the Justice Department's investigation into the origin of the Russia probe, with the president increasingly critical about a lack of arrests and Barr frustrated by Trump's public pronouncements about the case, according to people familiar with the matter." The President "and his allies had high hopes for the investigation led by Connecticut US Attorney John Durham, betting it would expose what they see as wrongdoing when the FBI opened a case into whether the Trump campaign was coordinating with Russia to sway the 2016 election." However, "a year and a half into the investigation, and with less than one month until Election Day, there has been only one criminal case." Barr "has privately expressed frustration over the public comments, according to a person familiar with his thinking." Durham Reportedly Seeking Grand Jury Testimony To Investigate New Front In Russian Probe. The Daily Caller (10/8, 716K) reports, "US Attorney John Durham has reportedly opened a new front in his investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe." According to a report by The New Yorker, the Caller says, "Durham is seeking grand jury testimony from computer scientists behind an allegation that Donald Trump's real estate company had a secret communications channel with Alfa Bank." The theory "was first floated in October 2016, but was debunked in the Justice Department inspector general's report on the FBI's investigation of the Trump campaign." Durham "is also reportedly seeking the testimony of Daniel Jones, a former Senate Intelligence Committee investigator who partnered with Fusion GPS and Christopher Steele in 2017." Former Trump Fundraiser Charged With Illegally Lobbying For Malaysian Fugitive. The AP (10/8) reports that Elliott Broidy, "a prominent fundraiser for President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, has been charged in an illicit lobbying campaign aimed at getting the Trump administration to drop an investigation into the multibillion-dollar looting of a Malaysian state investment fund." According to the AP, Broidy is "the latest person accused by the Justice Department of participating in the covert lobbying effort." The New York Times (10/8, Vogel, 18.61M) reports Broidy "was charged with a single count of conspiring to violate the Foreign Agents Registration Act as part of an influence operation that prosecutors say sought to use his political ties to help Malaysian and Chinese interests, according to federal court filings that became public on Thursday." The Washington Post (10/8, Zapotosky, 14.2M) reports prosecutors "believe he took millions in undisclosed money to end a US investigation into a billion-dollar embezzlement of a Malaysian state investment fund and, separately, to return outspoken Chinese exile Guo Wengui to his home country." According to the Post, the charges "are the latest blow to the RNC's fundraising leadership under Trump." Bloomberg (10/8, Melby, Voreacos, 4.73M) describes Broidy as "a former top political fundraiser" for President Trump, and says he is accused of having "participated in a scheme to illegally lobby the Trump administration to stop investigating the embezzlement scandal at the 1MDB Malaysian state investment fund." Bloomberg reports that Jho Low, "a Malaysian fugitive and the accused mastermind of the 1MDB fraud, initially paid Broidy $6 million to lobby the Justice Department to stop its investigation and promised an additional $75 million if the lobbying succeeded." Broidy has been "charged with conspiring to lobby for a foreign national without registering." The Wall Street Journal (10/8, Viswanatha, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) says cases emerging from the investiation into the 1MDB fraud exposed an extensive EFTA00148788 effort by Low to attempt scaling back the US investigation by hiring top GOP consultants and lawyers with ties to the President. The Daily Beast (10/8, 1.39M) reports prosecutors "say Broidy conspired in the scheme with a Hawaii businesswoman named Nickie Lum Davis, who pleaded guilty in August to one count of conspiracy to violate FARA, and an unnamed co-conspirator who, based on previous reporting, is believed to be Pras Michel, best known as a founding member of the Fugees." The government "is also seeking to seize any assets derived from the lobbying campaign." NCSC Director Warns Of COVID-19 Disinformation Before Election. Hearst Television (10/8, Albert) reports National Counterintelligence and Security Center Director Bill Evanina "warned in a rare interview that 'more aggressive activity' to spread coronavirus disinformation is expected before the Nov. 3 election - and beyond - and acknowledged the government needs to do a 'much better job' to protect Americans from being fooled." Evanina "told the Hearst Television National Investigative Unit in a more than hour-long interview this week he 'absolutely' expects more foreign influence operations targeting American audiences with false information about COVID-19, the pandemic and President Donald Trump's infection with the virus." Evanina: Foreign Adversaries Exploiting Trump's False Claims To Influence Election. CNN (10/8, Marquardt, 83.16M) reports Evanina told Hearst Television "that foreign adversaries are exploiting lies by President Donald Trump in their campaigns to influence the 2020 election." Evanina "agreed...that foreign powers are using the numerous exaggerated and false claims Trump has made about mail-in voting, voting multiple times and 2020 being the most fraudulent election in history." CNN quotes Evanina saying, "If they see a reference made by the President of the United States, a prominent US Senator, a business person, someone who America looks at as a voice of reason, and they believe it suits their interests, they will amplify that by a thousand to make sure that the most amount of people see it." Ratcliffe Accused Of Politicizing Intelligence. The Washington Post (10/8, Harris, 14.2M) reports Director of National Intelligence Ratcliffe, "failed to meet his commitments when he recently declassified documents that included sensitive intelligence about Russians discussing Hillary Clinton and her 2016 presidential campaign, current and former officials said." The disclosures, "which he told lawmakers came 'at the direction of the president of the United States,' amount to a disinformation operation run by the nation's top intelligence official, in service of a president who has long accused the intelligence agencies of conspiring against him, the current and former intelligence officials said." Former CIA Officer Marc Polymeropoulos said Ratcliffe "is cherry-picking intelligence, and seriously risks exposing sources and methods for absolutely no reason other than to promote and protect the president before the election." Ratcliffe's defenders "said he has been careful to balance the president's direction to declassify more information with the need to protect intelligence operations," and Assistant DNI for Strategic Communications Amanda Shoch said Ratcliffe's "top priority is our nation's security." Meanwhile, the Washington Times (10/8, Blake, 492K) reports Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), who before being elected to Congress served in the CIA and in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, wrote to Ratcliffe criticizing him "over concerns about his recent handling of classified information." Slotkin asked Ratcliffe to testify about the issue, and "pointed out Mr. Ratcliffe seems to be politicizing intelligence for Mr. Trump's benefit, particularly with respect to intelligence regarding the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections." Johnson: Intelligence Committee Covering Up Coup Attempt. In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal (10/8, Subscription Publication, 7.57M), Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) says actions against President Trump by unelected bureaucrats and members of the intelligence community amount to a constitutional crisis. Johnson says not complying with Trump's directive EFTA00148789 to declassify information relevant to the Senate Select Subcommittee on Intelligence's investigations will continue the coverup. Commentary: Clinton, Obama "Colluded" In 2016, But No Crime. In commentary for The Hill (10/8, 2.98M), National Review Institute Senior Fellow Andrew C. McCarthy writes President Trump "did himself no favors with Wednesday's ALL-CAPS tweet about how the latest disclosures from Director of National Intelligence (DNI) John Ratcliffe implicate President Obama, Vice President Biden and Hillary Clinton in a 'TREASONOUS PLOT." McCarthy writes that the documents "corroborate Ratcliffe's revelation, in a Sept. 29 letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham, to wit: In late July 2016, Russian intelligence assessed that Mrs. Clinton approved her campaign advisers' proposal to blame Moscow's hacking of Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails on a conspiracy between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin." However, even if true, "what is the crime?" McCarthy argues that the "real 'collusions" was between Clinton and the Obama administration, but stresses that no crime has been proven. Grassley, Johnson Accuse CIA Director Of Withholding Trump-Russia Intel. The Daily Caller (10/8, Ross, 716K) reports on a letter in which Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) "have accused CIA Director Gina Haspel of withholding documents regarding intelligence the spy agency provided the FBI in its investigation of the Trump campaign." The Senators "said that CIA officials have refused to schedule a phone call to discuss the document request." The article says the letter is "a follow up to one the senators sent Haspel on July 28 requesting any CIA documents provided to the FBI as part of Crossfire Hurricane, the bureau's investigation of Trump associates' possible links to Russia." Declassified Russia Investigation Documents Cataloged. Fox News (10/8, Singman, 27.59M) reports President Trump has "'fully authorized the total declassification' of any and all documents related to the Russia investigation." In May, Trump "told Attorney General Bill Barr to begin a declassification process of documents related to surveillance of the Trump campaign in 2016." The article lists the documents that have thus far been declassified. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS Experts Say Ballistics Report Shows Officer Was Shot By Taylor's Boyfriend, Not Friendly Fire. The Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal (10/8, Wolfson, 368K) reports, "Firearms experts say a ballistics report from Kentucky State Police shows Breonna Taylor's boyfriend fired the shot that wounded a Louisville officer and prompted police to return fire, killing Taylor." According to the Courier-Journal, "The authorities said the four-page report dismisses the theory that Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly was hit by "friendly fire" from his own officers and supports Attorney General Daniel Cameron's conclusion that the 9 mm round came from the gun fired by Kenneth Walker, Taylor's boyfriend." The ballistics report, "part of the investigative file released Wednesday by Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, shows that only one 9 mm bullet was found at Taylor's apartment. Walker had previously acknowledged firing one shot from his legally owned Glock 9 mm handgun. The rest of the rounds found at the apartment were 40-caliber shells that matched the caliber of weapons fired at Taylor's apartment by three officers." Body Camera Videos Of Taylor Shooting Released. ABC World News TonightVI (10/8, story 9, 0:20, Muir, 6.7M) reported that on Thursday "more than 50 body camera videos" involved in the Breonna Taylor case were "made public, including a SWAT team moving through Taylor's apartment after she was shot and motionless on the floor. Four minutes in, EFTA00148790 someone checks her pulse. A judge says she will soon decide whether to allow a grand juror to speak publicly. The state AG now arguing against that." Fifteen Charged In Connection With Midwest Drug Ring. KSDK-TV St. Louis (10/8, Clancy, 493K) reports from St. Louis, "Fifteen people, including nine from the St. Louis area, were arrested and charged after federal investigators said they were involved in a multi-state drug trafficking ring." KSDK-TV adds, "According to a press release from the U.S. State's attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, federal agents worked with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to arrest the 15 people they say were involved in the long-running drug ring in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas. According to an unsealed indictment from Sept. 16, the ring operated in Missouri, Illinois and Kansas. Investigators said they recovered 1.7 kilograms of fentanyl, 250 grams of fentanyl analogues, eight kilograms heroin and 13 kilograms of methamphetamine. They also found more than $150,000 in cash and 15 firearms. The press release said 15 people were charged in connection with the drug trafficking conspiracy." Reputed MS-13 Member Arrested In Texas. The Laredo (TX) Morning Times (10/8, Rodriguez, 115K) reports, "U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a member of the MS-13 criminal gang who was illegally present in the country, authorities said." The Morning Times adds, "At about midnight Thursday, agents detained 27 people on Texas 285 near Hebbronville. All were determined to be immigrants who had crossed the border illegally. Authorities identified one immigrant as Andres Omar Quintanilla-Sanchez, a 31-year old from El Salvador. A records check revealed that Quintanilla-Sanchez is a member and affiliate of the MS-13 gang. Agents said he too had an extensive criminal record that includes criminal activity with a juvenile, assault or battery by mob, robbery and abduction by force without justification." FBI Confirms Person Abducted From New Jersey Bodega Is Now Safe. The Bergen (NU) Record (10/8, Katzban) reports, "An individual was abducted from a bodega in Paterson on Thursday morning, the Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed. He was safely returned by law enforcement later that same day." The Record adds, "The FBI released little information on the kidnapping but stated one suspect was in custody and that both the Newark and New York City offices were involved in the investigation. The FBI also thanked the Paterson and New York police departments, as well as the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office and the Passaic County Sherriff's Office." New Hampshire Man Sentenced For Buying Military Hand Grenades. Foster's Daily Democrat (NH) (10/8, 17K) reports from Concord, New Hampshire, "Daniel Musso of Brentwood was sentenced to 31 months in federal prison for unlawfully possessing fragmentation grenades and explosive material, U.S. Attorney Scott Murray announced Thursday. He also was ordered to pay a $7,500 fine." The Daily Democrat adds, "At a week-long jury trial in August, Musso, 56, was found guilty of four counts of receiving and possessing unregistered firearms (fragmentation grenades) and one count of receiving explosive material. According to evidence presented at the trial, beginning in the summer of 2015, Musso engaged in a series of efforts to obtain ammunition and military weapons and explosives, including hand grenades. After Musso told a firearms dealer about his desire to obtain these items, the FBI arranged for Musso to be introduced to an undercover agent who told him he could obtain illegal hand grenades." California Women Charged With Federal Robbery Had Shoplifted Six Bottles Of Body Wash. EFTA00148791 The San Jose (CA) Mercury News (10/8, Gartrell, 456K) reports from San Francisco, "Last April, the Northern California U.S. Attorney's office announced it had charged two women with robbery charges that carry a maximum 20-year sentence because they allegedly yelled 'we have COVID' and coughed on a Walgreens manager who interrupted their shoplifting." The Mercury News adds, "Both the special agent in charge of the San Francisco division of the FBI and the Bay Area's top federal prosecutor took the rare move of issuing public statements on the case, the former calling it an intolerable act," but "in recent court records the attorney for one of the women has accused federal authorities of misleading the public, in part because the government's news release left out this detail: the women — one of whom was homeless — were accused of shoplifting six bottles of body wash, with an value of $76.50." Investigation Leads To Indictment Of 13 People On Federal Drug Charges In Louisiana. In online coverage, KTBS-TV Shreveport, LA (10/8, 68K) reports 13 "people have been indicted on federal drug charges and 27 arrested on state charges in connection with" an investigation "that targeted drug trafficking activities in" Louisiana. The FBI was involved with the investigation, which "was conducted by the DEA's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force." That task force "is comprised of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers working jointly on drug trafficking cases in the Western District of Louisiana." In other website coverage, KSLA-TV Shreveport, LA (10/8, Gibson, 17K) reports the DEA's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force conducted an investigation that was "called Operation Hustle City." An online KTAL-TV Shreveport, LA (10/8) article quotes DEA Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley, who said Operation Hustle City demonstrates "the combined strength that federal, state, and local law enforcement" organizations "bring to bear in the battle against" drug traffickers. Byerley added, "We are leveraging our respective resources and expertise to achieve results that we could not accomplish on our own. Our combined, concentrated efforts are making communities safer by disrupting the flow of dangerous drugs to our neighborhoods." Additional Operation Hustle City results coverage is run by the Shreveport (LA) Times (10/8, 128K) and the KEEL-AM Shreveport, LA (10/9) website. Currency Exchange Case Defendant Pleads Guilty. The AP (10/8) reports Las Vegas resident Liang Zhou "has pleaded guilty in federal court to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business." The plea was the result of "an investigation into an illegal exchange operation involving US and Chinese currency." The AP adds, "Federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations," the IRS and the DEA were involved with the investigation of this case. The AP article is picked up by a number of well- known media outlets, including US News & World Report (10/8, 2.4M) and the Houston Chronicle (10/8, 730K). Montana Man Pleads Guilty To Stealing Firearms. The Great Falls (MT) Tribune (10/8, 114K) reports, "A Great Falls man on Thursday admitted to stealing firearms during a burglary of an outfitting store, federal officials said." Carlyle Ray Wells, 25, "pleaded guilty to theft of a firearm from a federal firearms licensee. Wells faces a maximum 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris set sentencing for Feb. 4. Wells was detained." Leader Of Conspiracy To Sell Drugs On Dark Web Gets Long Prison Sentence. The New York Post (10/8, Rosenberg, 4.57M) reports Richard Castro has been sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison "for peddling powerful narcotics on the dark web." According to federal prosecutors, Castro "headed a conspiracy that sold fentanyl, a narcotic that's 50 times stronger than heroin, and carfentanil, which is 100 times stronger than fentanyl." EFTA00148792 Montana Meth Case Defendant Sentenced To 121 Months In Prison. In website coverage, KBOI-TV Boise, ID (10/8) reports Montana resident Robert Patrick Chiefstick has been "sentenced to 121 months in federal prison for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute." The story says the investigation that led to Thursday's sentence was conducted by the FBI and several other organizations. Connecticut Couple Arrested On Drug Charges. The Stratford (CT) Patch (10/8, 1.03M) reports Kevin M. Lopez and "his girlfriend, Stephanie Gonzalez," were recently "arrested and charged with operating a drug factory, possession with intent to sell, risk of injury to a minor and numerous firearm violations." The arrests were the "result of a joint police operation involving Bridgeport officers assigned to the Connecticut State Police Gang Unit and the FBI's Violent Gang Safe Streets Task Force, as well as the Stratford Police Narcotics Unit and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives." Nevada Bank Robbery Suspect Arrested. KRNV-TV Reno, NV (10/8) reports from Reno, Nevada, "An alleged member of a bank robbery crew, who was wanted by law enforcement for a bank robbery in Carson City, made his initial appearance yesterday in Reno federal court." KRNV-TV adds, "According to U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada, 29-year-old Antron Dwayne Mouton of Houston, Texas, is alleged to be a member of a bank robbery crew that traveled to Nevada to rob ATMs. He was indicted by a grand jury in June 2020, with one count of conspiracy to commit bank robbery and one count of bank robbery." Mouton "had escaped from authorities and remained a fugitive until his arrest on July 31, in Sealy, Texas, by the FBI's Criminal Apprehension Team." FBI Seeks Florida Bank Robber. WFOR-TV Miami (10/8) reports from Dania Beach, Florida, "The FBI is releasing photographs of a female bank robber wanted for stealing money from a Dania Beach bank at gunpoint." According to WFOR-TV, "The female bandit, wearing a white shirt, black sweater and white visor, walked into the Wells Fargo Bank branch, located at 5991 Ravenwood Road, around 11:56 a.m. on Thursday, October 8. After entering the bank, she pulled out a gun and demanded money from a bank employee. Nobody was hurt and the FBI has not released the amount of money taken." Oklahoma City Man Pleads Guilty To Child Pornography, Sex Trafficking. KOKH-TV Oklahoma City (10/8, Washington, 28K) reports US Attorney Timothy J. Downing announced this week that Roderick Glen Houston Jr. of Oklahoma City "pleaded guilty to child sex trafficking," having been indicted "with child sex trafficking, production of child pornography, and transportation of child pornography." Houston "faces not less than 10 years and up to life in federal prison." Missouri Man Pleads Guilty To Child Pornography Charges. The Missourian (10/8, 41K) reports Gabriel Trevino of Franklin County, Missouri, pleaded guilty to producing child pornography on Wednesday. Court records show Trevino "was arrested in November 2019 after his then-girlfriend noticed a red light on the side of a picture frame in her children's bathroom. The woman, who was not identified in public court documents, took the frame apart and found a hidden camera with an SD card in a slot on the side of the picture frame." Alabama Man Faces Federal Charges For Targeting Military, Police Aircraft With Laser. WDHN-TV Dothan, AL (10/8) reports according to the Dale County, Alabama, Sheriff's Office, Jacob Moseley of Daleville on Tuesday night "was shining lasers and high-powered spotlights at EFTA00148793 military aircraft around Cairns Army Airfield. The lights were being shined into the cockpits while the aircraft were moving in a traffic pattern outside the airfield." Aircraft crew "tracked the light to a home near the airfield, landing near it while the suspect, Jacob Moseley of Daleville, tried to run on foot. However, the tactical flight officer chased the 44-year-old into a wooded area, taking him into custody. The Federal Aviation Administration and FBI will now handle further prosecution." Texas Man Convicted Of Child Pornography In 2009 Pleads Guilty To New Charges. KYTX-TV Tyler, TX (10/8) reports William Johnson Springer of Bowie County, Texas, "pleaded guilty Thursday to possessing child porn. And it's not the first time he's been in trouble for it." Springer "faces between 10 and 20 years in prison. As part of his plea, he agreed to pay restitution to his victims, register as a sex offender and be sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release after he's out of prison." In 2009, "Springer was convicted of possessing child porn in Oklahoma." FBI Probes Lead To Charges For 18 Individuals. GoLocalProv (RI) (10/8, Fenton) reports a "series of FBI Safe Streets Task Force Project Safe Neighborhoods investigations" led to charges for 18 individuals. Those individuals "have been charged in federal court in Providence with trafficking drugs and/or firearms." The WLNE-TV Providence, RI (10/8) website also covers this story. FBI Offers $8,000 Reward In Texas Painting Heist. KCBD-TV Lubbock, TX (10/8, Staff, 51K) reports the FBI "is offering a reward of up to $8,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the theft of six paintings that were stolen in Dallas, Texas, on or about March 26, 2019 while they were being transported from Santa Fe to Louisiana." Indiana Man Charged In 2014 Murder Of Illinois Teen. NBC News (10/8, 6.14M) reports Brodey Ian Murbarger of Evansville, Indiana, "man was arrested Wednesday for the 2014 murder of an Illinois teen whose body was found nearly three years ago in a shallow grave." Authorities also executed a search warrant at Murbarger's home. "Murbarger faces a murder charge after an Illinois grand jury indicted him on September 25, 2020, in connection with Megan Nichols' disappearance and murder." Nichols was featured on NBC's Dateline. "The FBI, along with many law enforcement organizations, including the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office and the Evansville Police Department, continue to investigate Megan's case." Nebraska Principal Arrested On Child Pornography Charges Claims Mistaken Identity. The Omaha (NE) World-Herald (10/8, Conley, 641K) reports a number of educators in Beatrice, Nebraska, say the man depicted on an FBI wanted poster in a child pornography case is "Marian Burki, who had served as the school's principal for the 2019-20 school year." A local police officer agreed, and "Burki, 62, was charged Oct. 2 in U.S. District Court with one count of production of child pornography." However, "Burki's attorney, his relatives and a top law enforcement official argued that it's a case of mistaken identity. ... Sarpy County Sheriff Jeff Davis said during Thursday's hearing that he has known Burki for 20 years through the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization." FBI Offers $5,000 Reward For Killer Of Virginia Teen. WTVR-TV Richmond, VA (10/8, 166K) reports the FBI's Richmond, Virginia, office "is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the murder of an Emporia teenager. K-Ron Surratt, 14, was shot and killed near his Emporia home in the early morning hours of September 5." The FBI has suggested that the EFTA00148794 teen could have fallen victim to shooting between gang factions. WWBT-TV Richmond, VA (10/8, Pegram, 48K) and WRIC-TV Richmond, VA (10/8, 36K) also cover this story. Indiana Man Faces Federal Charges For Sexually Assaulting Sleeping Teen During Flight. The Indianapolis Star (10/8, 633K) reports according to an FBI statement, Ian Wagner of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is "accused of sexually assaulting a sleeping teen aboard a flight from Indianapolis." Wagner faces "two counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent exposure in connection to an incident that happened on Oct. 6, 2017, on a Frontier Airlines flight from Indianapolis to Denver." Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty To Bank Robbery. The North Andover (MA) Eagle Tribune (10/8, 78K) reports Seamus Murphy, formerly of Milford, Massachusetts, "has pleaded guilty in federal court for robbing a Derry bank earlier this year." Murphy "is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 14, 2021, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced in a statement." Murphy "on Jan. 8 of this year, Murphy entered the People's United Bank on Crystal Avenue in Derry and gave a note to the teller, indicating he had a gun and demanding money." The paper notes that the FBI took part in the investigation. Idaho Man Accuses Police Of Framing Him In Colorado Cold Case. The Twin Falls (ID) Times-News (10/8, Matthews, 70K) reports Twin Falls, Idaho, resident Steve Pankey, who "unsuccessfully ran for Idaho governor twice," says he plans to "go before a Colorado grand jury Friday in a nearly 36-year-old homicide case." Pankey "told the Times- News he is scheduled to testify in the unsolved murder of Jonelle Matthews, a 12-year-old Greeley, Colorado, girl who disappeared just days before Christmas in 1984. Pankey, a longtime "person of interest" in the case, says he's been framed by police because of his sexuality." Deep within the article, the paper reports Pankey "said he distrusted the Greeley Police Department, so he told his story to an FBI agent in Fort Collins in January 1985, but his story was ignored." FBI Seeking Information In Indiana Bank Robbery. WXIN-TV Indianapolis (10/8, 434K) reports the FBI Indianapolis Field Office "is asking for help in identifying a bank robbery suspect" in an September 5 robbery. WISH-TV Indianapolis (10/8, 33K) reports the bureau "has released surveillance photos of a man suspected of robbing an Indianapolis bank. ... He's described as a white male with reddish hair in his mid-30s to early- 40s. He was wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses." Also reporting are WTHR-TV Indianapolis (10/8, 465K) and WTTV-TV Indianapolis (10/8, 37K). FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS Florida Rapper Allegedly Bought Ferrari With COVID-19 Relief Money. The New York Post (10/8, Salo, 4.57M) reports, "A Florida rapper allegedly pocketed more than $1 million in COVID-19 relief funds, which he used to buy a Ferrari and other luxe items, federal prosecutors said." Diamond Blue Smith, "who is a member of the group Pretty Ricky," was "charged this week for his role in a $17 million coronavirus relief scheme, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. Prosecutors allege that Smith - who also appears on the show 'Love & Hip Hop: Miami' - obtained $427,000 through his company, Throwbackjersey.com, by falsifying documents for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. The recording artist also was able to secure another PPP loan of $708,00 through another company, Blue Star Records, prosecutors said. He then allegedly used the loan proceeds to buy a $96,000 Ferrari as well as $2,290 in goods from Versace." EFTA00148795 FBI Executes Search Warrant For Hawaii TV Station. Big Island (HI) Now (10/8, DeMasters) reports, "The FBI executed a search warrant at Na Leo TV, located at 91 Mohouli St. in Hilo" on Thursday morning, and "as of 1 p.m., agents were still on scene. However, Special Agent Jason White does anticipate the search will be wrapped up sometime" on Thursday. White "would not provide any details regarding the warrant, only that the investigation is ongoing. White would not comment on whether or not a warrant would be executed on the N station's location in Kona. Na Leo was scheduled to host a forum for Puna candidates this evening at 6:30 p.m. That has now been canceled. According to a press release from Na Leo this afternoon, they are working with Mainstreet Pahoa Association to reschedule the broadcast." Two Contractors Charged In San Francisco Corruption Probe. The San Francisco Examiner (10/8, Barba, Sabatini, 438K) reports, "Two contractors accused of bribing former Public Works head Mohammed Nuru in separate schemes became the latest defendants to plead guilty on Thursday in the wide-reaching City Hall corruption scandal." Balmore Hernandez, "the CEO and vice president of a construction company, pleaded to conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud in federal court. He was initially charged with bribery but has agreed to cooperate with investigators in exchange for leniency. Florence Kong, the owner of another construction company and a debris recycling center, admitted to bribery and lying to the FBI." The Examiner adds, "Hernandez, 55, and Kong, 62, were both charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office in June alongside Nuru's girlfriend, former Fix-it Team Director Sandra Zuniga. They are the third and fourth defendants to take plea deals after permit expediter Walter Wong and restaurateur Nick Bovis, who was first charged alongside Nuru in January." Alabama Man Arrested In FBI Corruption Probe Is Sentenced. WMBB-TV Panama City, FL (10/8) reports from Bay County, Florida, "An Alabama man arrested as part of the FBI corruption scandal in Bay County was sentenced on Thursday. He was charged this past summer for being involved in the Hurricane Michael scandal in Lynn Haven." John David Russell, "the owner of Russell Endeavor's, was charged with worker's compensation fraud. Authorities say he obtained around $245,000 within 2 months from the City of Lynn Haven working as a subcontractor for Erosion Control Specialists. In Bay County Court he pleaded no contest." Russell's company "failed to pay worker's compensation while working under ECS. He was arrested back in June at the same time former Bay County Commissioner Keith Baker was arrested." Federal Charges Against New York Developer Are Dismissed. WROC-TV Rochester, NY (10/8, Gregory) reports from Rochester, New York, "The federal charges against a prominent Rochester-based real estate developer were dismissed Thursday, but the judge's ruling leaves the possibility open for a future indictment." US District Judge Elizabeth Wolford "dismissed the charges against Bob Morgan, who was accused of operating a significant mortgage fraud conspiracy, along with others. Co-defendants include Todd Morgan, Bob's son, and Frank Giacobbe. Kevin Morgan, Bob's nephew, and Patrick Ogiony have since pleaded guilty in this case. The charges were dismissed because of the prosecution's failure to meet court-imposed deadlines, according to the federal court." CYBER DIVISION US Appeals Injunction Preventing TikTok Ban. The New York Times (10/8, Isaac, 18.61M) reports the federal government has appealed a judge's ruling blocking the Trump Administration's ban on the video app TikTok. The Justice Department argued in a filing with the District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals "that a EFTA00148796 preliminary injunction issued last month" in US District Court should be lifted. The Times says the appeal "further escalates the battle between the White House and ByteDance," the Chinese company that owns TikTok. The Wall Street Journal (10/8, Ferek, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) provides similar coverage. Reuters (10/8, Staff) U.S. appeals judge's ruling that blocked U.S. ban on TikTok downloads Reuters (10/8, Staff) reports DO) "said in a court filing on Thursday it was appealing a judge's ruling that prevented it from prohibiting new" TikTok downloads. Reuters notes that a federal judge in September "temporarily blocked a Trump administration order that was set to bar Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google from offering new TikTok downloads." DO) Announces New Cryptocurrency Enforcement Framework. The Hill (10/8, 2.98M) reports the Justice Department unveiled its new Cryptocurrency Enforcement Framework on Thursday, "detailing increasing security concerns around the use of virtual currency." The framework, "developed by the attorney general's Cyber Digital Task Force, lays out the threats and enforcement challenges involved with the use of cryptocurrency, along with strategies used by the Justice Department in response." Bloomberg (10/8, Chen, 4.73M) reports DO) issued a report Thursday stressing that the "emergence of cryptocurrencies presents opportunities for terrorists, rogue nations and other criminals who present a threat to U.S. national security. ... Law enforcement is hampered by the worldwide reach of digital coins and the lack of consistent regulation across regions, which is 'detrimental to the safety and stability of the international financial system,' the report found." Law360 (10/8, Subscription Publication, 8K) calls the document "an overview of" DOJ's "cryptocurrency-related enforcement work to date, adding to the growing body of federal guidance on digital currency days after federal money laundering allegations caused a leadership shakeup at the cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX." The report "outlines the threats, tools and challenges involved in cryptocurrency enforcement in order to provide guidance to other federal prosecutors and regulators." Cybersecurity Experts Warn Of Online Disinformation Attacks On Companies. The Wall Street Journal (10/8, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports cybersecurity experts are warning of an emerging online threats in which companies may spread false rumors to harm the brands of competitors or negatively impact their stock prices. GAO Report Faults Administration's 5G Security Efforts. Law360 (10/8, Subscription Publication, 8K) reports in a report to Congress on Wednesday, the Government Accountability Office said "the Trump administration's strategy for making sure next-generation wireless technology is deployed securely falls short in several critical areas and is therefore likely to be of limited to use to federal agency officials and other policymakers as they allocate resources to address 5G risks." The report said "the strategy, which the White House issued this spring, lacks critical details needed to help government decisionmakers assess and address security risks associated with 5G deployment." Senate Republicans Take Aim At Foreigners Working To Hack US COVID-19 Data. Law360 (10/8, Subscription Publication, 8K) reports Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) have introduced legislation "that would let the president sanction and revoke the visas of foreigners aiming to steal American research on vaccines and treatments for COVID-19, as cybersecurity threats during the pandemic have continued to increase." The Senators "said Tuesday that the Defend COVID Research from Hackers Act would give the president more authority to take swift action against those attempting to cause a cyberattack related to virus research." EFTA00148797 Putin: US Has Not Responded To Offer To Cooperate On Cybersecurity. Newsweek (10/8, 1.53M) reports, "Russian president Vladimir Putin has said that his offer to the U.S. to co-operate on cybersecurity remains unanswered and rejected claims of interference in the U.S. election." Speaking on state-backed TV, Putin "also gave an assessment of the U.S. presidential campaign and offered warm words for Joe Biden, although he criticized the tone the Democratic contender took during the first presidential debate with President Donald Trump." INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Coast Guard: Two Tons Of Cocaine Were Interdicted In Caribbean Last Month. In online coverage, WFOR-TV Miami (10/8) reports that on Thursday, US Coast Guard officials announced that 4,000 pounds of cocaine were interdicted last month in the Caribbean. The article adds, "The Coast Guard," the FBI and the DEA and a number of other organizations "play a role in counter-drug operations." OTHER FBI NEWS Trump: Wray Has Been "Disappointing" As FBI Director. President Trump was asked in an interview on Fox Business' Mornings With Maria (10/8) if he will replace FBI Director Wray if he is reelected. Trump said, "I don't want to say that yet. He has been disappointing." CBS News (10/8, Segers, 3.68M) reports that President Trump called Director Wray "disappointing" on Thursday, "criticizing him for not doing more to investigate voter fraud, after Wray said there is no evidence of any coordinated fraud ahead of the election. 'He's been disappointing,' Mr. Trump said about Wray in an interview with Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo. 'He doesn't see the voting ballots as a problem." Wray "testified before Congress two weeks ago that the bureau has 'not seen, historically, any kind of coordinated national voter fraud effort in a major election, whether it's by mail or otherwise." Trump "declined to say whether he would replace Wray, whom he nominated in 2017, if elected to a second term." The Washington Times (10/8, Mordock, 492K) reports, "Trump hardly offered a ringing endorsement of the FBI director he appointed in 2017. But he stopped short of saying he would ax Mr. Wray. 'I don't want to say [whether Mr. Wray will be fired) yet,' Mr. Trump said in the interview. 'He has been disappointing. He talks about, you know, even the voting thing that he doesn't see the voting ballots as a problem. There are thousands of ballots right there. You pick up any paper in the country, practically, and they're cheating all over the place on ballots. How is that not a problem? That's a much bigger problem than China or Russia if you look at it,' Mr. Trump continued. 'It's a much bigger problem. So, you know, when you say that "Oh, I don't see that as a problem," pick up the newspaper and read:" The Washington Examiner (10/8, Dibble, 448K) reports, "Wray has denied that there is a significant threat to election security from potential voter fraud during recent testimony before Congress. He acknowledged that there was fraud "at the local level from time to time," but maintained that the issue was not a wide-scale threat. The Trump administration expressed frustrated with that testimony, including White House chief of staff Mark Meadows who questioned Wray's leadership of the FBI." The Hill (10/8, Samuels, 2.98M) reports that Trump "swiped at two of his most loyal Cabinet members and his FBI director in a phone interview with Fox Business as he worked himself into a rage over the Russia investigation and the 2016 election." The Hill adds, "The president complained at length about the lack of consequences for Hillary Clinton and other members of the Obama administration for the former's use of a private email server and the latter's involvement in launching an investigation into Russia interference in the 2016 election. Trump turned his frustration toward Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Attorney General Bill EFTA00148798 Barr, lamenting that they had not done enough to speed the process of implicating his political opponents." Trump "also took aim at the current FBI director, Christopher Wray, who has come under scrutiny from Trump allies for what they believe is slow-walking efforts to find wrongdoing in the Obama administration." Bloomberg (10/8, Strohm, 4.73M) reports that Trump "lashed out" at Barr "for not doing more to prosecute his political enemies, including arresting Obama-era officials who the president accuses - without evidence - of illegally spying on his 2016 campaign." Barr "has echoed some of Trump's other election-related allegations, but hasn't gone as far as the president wants on this one. U.S. attorney John Durham, Barr's hand-picked prosecutor looking into the so-called spygate allegations, isn't expected to issue charges or release a report before the election, according to a Justice Department official. `To be honest, Bill Barr is going to go down as either the greatest attorney general in the history of the country or he's going to down as a very sad situation,' Trump said in an interview on Fox Business Network. `I said I'm not going to get involved, but I'm going to have to get involved." The Washington Post (10/8, Blake, 14.2M) reports, "Trump built upon tweets this week suggesting Barr needs to start indicting people tied to the Russia investigation, while explicitly citing President Barack Obama and Biden. `Unless Bill Barr indicts these people for crimes - the greatest political crime in the history of our country - then we're going to get little satisfaction, unless I win,' Trump said, adding that he `won't forget it' and that the crime `includes Obama, and that includes Biden." Trump "also expressed rare dissatisfaction with Pompeo, who he said should release some sort of new information on Hillary Clinton's emails. `They're in the State Department, but Mike Pompeo has been unable to get them out, which is very sad actually. I'm not happy about him for that reason,' Trump said. `He was unable to get that. I don't know why. You're running the State Department; you're able to get them out." OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS-: Trump Says He Thinks He Is "Better," Hopes To Hold Rally This Weekend. On ABC World News TonightVi (10/8, story 5, 3:40, Muir, 6.7M), Jonathan Karl reported, "Exactly one week after he said he tested positive for COVID-19, the President today declared himself cured." President Trump: "I think I'm better. When to a point where I'd love to do a rally tonight. I wanted to do one last night. But I think I am better. I feel perfect. There's nothing wrong." Karl: "In reality, we still know very little about the President's true medical condition. He says he is still on the powerful steroid dexamethasone." On the CBS Evening NewsVi (10/8, story 3, 1:20, O'Donnell, 4.22M), Ben Tracy also said Trump "admits to still being on the powerful steroid dexamethasone" and "is now suggesting that he may have contracted the virus from someone at a White House event honoring Gold Star military families last month." Trump: "They come within an inch of my face sometimes. They want to hug me and they want to kiss me. And they do. And, frankly, I'm not telling them to back up." Hallie Jackson said on NBC Nightly NewsVi (10/8, story 3, 1:20, Holt, 5.56M) that the White House "still refuses to say when the President last tested negative for the virus, a key data point for determining who else could be at risk. ... We learned tonight that several of the President's top aides, including son- in-law Jared Kushner, joined him in the Oval Office today, according to a senior White House official. All they say wearing full PPE." The AP (10/8, Madhani, Colvin, Perrone) reports the President "insisted Thursday that he is ready to resume campaign rallies and feels `perfect,' but the White House has offered little information about his condition one week after his diagnosis with the coronavirus that has killed more than 210,000 Americans." The AP says Trump "is trying to shift his focus to the election that's less than four weeks away." But he "has not been seen in public - other than in White House-produced videos - since Monday and his doctors have provided few medical details since before his release from a military hospital." EFTA00148799 Reuters (10/8, Mason, Holland) reports the President said "he may return to the campaign trail with a rally on Saturday after the White House physician said he had completed his course of therapy for the novel coronavirus and could resume public events." Trump said in an interview on Fox News' Hannity (10/8, 535K), "I think I'm going to try doing a rally on Saturday night if we have enough time to put it together. But we want to do a rally probably in Florida on Saturday night. I might come back and do one in Pennsylvania the following night. It's incredible what's going on. I feel so good." Earlier, Trump said on Fox Business' Mornings With Maria (10/8), "I am back because I am a perfect physical specimen and I am extremely young." USA Today (10/8, Rossman, Aretakis, 10.31M) reports White House physician Sean Conley "cleared Trump to return to public life on Saturday" in a memo released by the White House on Thursday evening. Conley wrote, "Saturday will be day 10 since Thursday's diagnosis, and based on the trajectory of advanced diagnostics the team has been conducting, I fully anticipate the President's safe return to public engagements at that time." Politico (10/8, Goldberg, Ollstein, Roubein, 4.29M) reports that Trump campaign surrogates have been "fanning out to battlegrounds like Arizona, Florida, Nevada and North Carolina" in Trump's absence, "and while many events are outdoors, some have not followed state and city limits on large crowds, the campaign isn't requiring face coverings and social distancing doesn't appear to be enforced." The New York Times (10/8, Grynbaum, Vigdor, 18.61M) reports Conley said Trump "has remained `stable' and `devoid' of symptoms that would suggest the illness was progressing." The Washington Times (10/8, 492K) reports Conley said Trump's heart rate "is 69 beats per minute and his blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen rate remain normal." Townhall (10/8, Stocking, 177K) reports Conley said Trump had "blood pressure of 127/81 mmHg, a respiratory rate of 15-17 breaths per minute, and a pulse oximetry of 96-98 percent room air." Politico (10/8, Choi, 4.29M) says the President's diagnosis "threw a wrench into the campaign's plans, notably with the transition of the second presidential debate into a virtual affair. ... Still, the president has had time to get his voice heard from his White House confinement. In the days following his hospital stay, he has been particularly active on Twitter and engaged in a lively Thursday interview" with Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo. The Washington Post (10/8, Olorunnipa, Parker, Dawsey, 14.2M) writes that Trump - "trailing in the polls, stricken with the novel coronavirus and stuck in isolation at the White House" - has "tried to project an image of strength and normalcy that belies his troubled circumstances. On Thursday, he spent an hour phoning into a television interview, released two video messages aimed at key voting groups, began planning rallies for next week and promised senior citizens free access to the experimental drug he falsely claimed was `a cure' for covid- 19." White House Deputy Press Secretary Brian Morgenstern said on KTRH-AMVi Houston (10/8, 16K), "The President himself received Regeneron, which he has said was a terrific help that gives you antibodies to fight the virus. ... He's recovered really quickly. He's had no symptoms." Morgenstern said on Fox News a Night that "he's doing great. He's feeling great. It's really a testament to Operation Warp Speed and the President's own leadership in getting a vaccine and, in the meantime, treatments to market faster than ever before." Peter Nicholas of The Atlantic (10/8, 3.47M) writes, "Inside the White House, aides created a kind of alternative reality in which the threat is always receding, the boss always prevailing. In meetings with the president, `no one likes to tell him that some areas are catching fire' because of the virus, [a] senior administration official told me." The official continued, "They only say, `Oh, we're turning the corner.' That goes on there all the time. There's always a reluctance to talk about bad news. That permeates all the discussions." The Wall Street Journal (10/8, Bender, Subscription Publication, 7.57M), the New York Post (10/8, Nelson, 4.57M), the Fox News (10/8, 27.59M) website, and The Hill (10/8, Chalfant, 2.98M) are among the other sources covering the President's condition. EFTA00148800 Trump Suggests He Has Not Been Tested Recently. Asked on Fox News' Hannity (10/8, 535K) if he has been tested since his diagnosis, Trump said, "What we're doing is probably the test will be tomorrow, the actual test, because there's no reason to test all the time, but they found very little infection or virus, if any. I don't know if they found any, I didn't go into it greatly with the doctors." Treatment Trump Touts As "Cure" Was Developed Using Cells From Fetal Tissue. The New York Times (10/8, Al, Mandavilli, Holt, 18.61M) reports that when the Administration "suspended federal funding in 2019 for most new scientific research projects involving fetal tissue derived from abortions, officials argued that whatever the scientific benefits, there was a pressing moral imperative to find alternative research methods." But the "cocktail of monoclonal antibodies [Trump] described as a 'cure' in a celebratory video posted on Twitter was developed using human cells derived from a fetus aborted decades ago." The Washington Post (10/8, Goldstein, 14.2M) reports that "a White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, said that under NIH guidelines, 'a product made using extant cells lines that existed before June 5, 2019 would not implicate the administration's policy on the use of human fetal tissue from elective abortions." Trump Suggests Gold Star Family Event May Have Led To His Infection. The New York Times (10/8, Steinhauer, 18.61M) reports the President on Thursday "suggested that veterans and their families had spread the coronavirus at the White House, floating the idea that a meeting with the loved ones of fallen military members might have been the source of his own infection." Trump told Bartiromo, "They want to hug me and they want to kiss me. And they do. And frankly, I'm not telling them to back up. I'm not doing it. But I did say it's obviously dangerous." The Washington Post (10/8, Sonne, 14.2M) says Trump's "singling out of the Gold Star family event as the source of his illness — even though far more people who attended" the event announcing Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court nomination one day earlier "have publicly said they tested positive for the coronavirus - marked an effort to cast his coronavirus infection as the result of selfless presidential service to grieving military families rather than his own disregard for health precautions." The Wall Street Journal (10/8, Lubold, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) and Politico (10/8, Forgey, O'Brien, 4.29M) also report, while the Washington Post (10/8, Al, Stanley-Becker, Helderman, Dawsey, Gardner, 14.2M) looks at the spread of COVID from the Barrett event. The Washington Post (10/8, Fadulu, Cox, Schneider, Chason, 14.2M) reports that "the average number of new daily coronavirus infections across the greater Washington region reached a 19-day high Thursday as local health officials sent an open letter urging people connected to a White House outbreak to get tested." The Washington Post (10/8, Sun, Abutaleb, Dawsey, 14.2M) reports the White House "is now working on a limited basis" with the CDC "to control further spread." McConnell Says He Has Not Been To White House Since Early August. Reuters (10/8) reports Senate Majority Leader McConnell says he has "avoided visiting the White House for more than two months because of its handling of the coronavirus." McConnell, who is 78, told reporters in Kentucky, "I actually haven't been to the White House since August 6, because my impression was their approach to how to handle this was different from mine and what I insisted that we do in the Senate, which is to wear a mask and practice social distancing." The Washington Post (10/8, Sonmez, 14.2M) reports McConnell "has frequently urged lawmakers and others to wear face masks, although he has stopped short of implementing a mask mandate on the Senate side of the Capitol. The Senate also instituted other changes beginning in May, including meeting in larger rooms." Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Navarro was asked on Fox News' The Story (10/8) to respond to McConnell's comments. Navarro said, "The protocols in place here have been stringent. We had, for a long time, tents outside where you regularly got your temperature tested. Anybody who's close to the President or likely to come in contact gets EFTA00148801 tested every day as I do. ... I'm very comfortable walking around this White House and feel very safe here." USA Today (10/8, Tucker, 10.31M), Politico (10/8, LeVine, 4.29M), The Hill (10/8, Carney, 2.98M), and Roll Call (10/8, Tully-McManus, 154K) also cover McConnell's comments. Pelosi Proposes Commission Focused On 25th Amendment. The AP (10/8, Mascaro) reports House Speaker Pelosi announced legislation Thursday "that would create a commission to allow Congress to intervene under the 25th Amendment to the Constitution and remove the president from executive duties." Pelosi said Trump "needs to disclose more about his health after his COVID-19 diagnosis. She noted Trump's `strange tweet' halting talks on a new coronavirus aid package - he subsequently tried to reverse course - and said Americans need to know when, exactly, he first contracted COVID as others in the White House became infected." The President responded on Twitter, "Crazy Nancy is the one who should be under observation. They don't call her Crazy for nothing!" USA Today (10/8, Behrmann, Wu, 10.31M) reports Pelosi said Trump "is `in an altered state' and that action regarding the 25th Amendment and outlining a presidential line of succession will be discussed." The Washington Post (10/8, Sonmez, 14.2M) reports Pelosi told reporters "that she would discuss the 25th Amendment to the Constitution on Friday. She did not elaborate." The New York Post (10/8, Nelson, 4.57M) says the legislation "is almost certain to die in the Republican-held Senate." White House Director of Strategic Communications Alyssa Farah said on Fox Business' Lou Dobbs Tonight (10/8, 49K), "It's an act of sheer desperation. First they tried Mueller, then they tried impeachment, now they're going to try the 25th Amendment? Four years in, they still refuse to accept this is the elected President of the United States, who's working hard for the American people." Bloomberg (10/8, Wasson, Westin, 4.73M), The Hill (10/8, Axelrod, 2.98M), and Breitbart (10/8, 673K) also report. Waiter Reed Staff Were Required To Sign NDAs During Trump's 2019 Visit. The Washington Post (10/8, Leonnig, Harris, Parker, Bernstein, 14.2M) reports, "Doctors and medical staff working at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center when President Trump made a medical visit there last November were required to sign nondisclosure agreements, an unusual request that rankled some personnel." Although the White House "has described Trump's stop at the hospital as part of a routine' checkup, there were multiple signs that the visit was hastily arranged and did not follow the typical protocol for a planned presidential stop." Trump Says Stimulus Talks Are Back On, Tells McCarthy He Wants A "Big Deal." The Washington Post (10/8, Al, Werner, Stein, 14.2M) reports "two days after he abruptly" declared an end to economic relief talks, President Trump said in an interview with Fox Business' Mornings With Maria that they are back on. Trump said, "Well I shut down talks two days ago because they weren't working out. Now they are starting to work out, we're starting to have some very productive talks." Both Trump and House Speaker Pelosi "said Thursday they're still negotiating on broad economic relief legislation, the latest twist after five head- spinning days during which the White House has whipsawed between demanding a stimulus bill, then shutting down talks — only to renew them again." The Intelliqencer (10/8, Kilgore, 1.1M) describes Trump's comments Thursday as "one of the more egregious double flip-flops of" his "erratic career." On its website, CNN (10/8, Mattingly, 83.16M) says Trump, "in a head-spinning reversal, has told allies he's interested in a large-scale stimulus deal, according to a person with direct knowledge of his comments. The person stressed it's unclear what, exactly, Trump's vision of a comprehensive deal would entail and there remains significant hurdles - and skepticism - when it comes to reaching an agreement through talks that have been largely stuck in the same place for several months." Trump called House Minority Leader McCarthy and "indicated he was worried by the stock market reaction and wanted a `big deal' with Pelosi," Axios (10/8, Treene, Swan, 521K) reports, EFTA00148802 citing "two sources familiar with the call." Axios adds Trump "wants a deal that would go beyond securing aid for the struggling airline industry and extending the small business Paycheck Protection Program." CNBC (10/8, Josephs, 3.62M) reports on its website that "at the end of her Thursday news conference, Pelosi suggested the White House and Democrats could renew talks toward a broader aid package." She said, "We're at the table. We want to continue the conversation. We've made some progress, we're exchanging language." The Wall Street Journal (10/8, Al, Peterson, Sider, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) says while Pelosi said Thursday that Democrats are open to discussions on a larger deal, there was little to suggest one could be reached before Election Day. The New York Times (10/8, Cochrane, 18.61M) says Pelosi, "her position bolstered by the president publicly taking credit on Tuesday for torpedoing the talks, made it clear to the administration that any deal would be on her terms." In comments a separate New York Times (10/8, Cochrane, 18.61M) story says "cast doubt on the prospects for a compromise just hours after President Trump had given an upbeat assessment," Pelosi "said she would not agree to stand-alone aid package for airlines unless the Trump administration committed to a broader pandemic relief plan to help struggling Americans." Pelosi said "there is no stand-alone bill without a bigger bill." Roll Call (10/8, Wehrman, McPherson, 154K) reports Pelosi "said she is willing to move airline aid separately but only if there's ta guarantee' that there will also be a larger package containing aid for state and local governments, schools, testing and contact tracing, as well as unemployment assistance and workplace safety regulations." Reuters (10/8, Zengerle) reports Pelosi told Bloomberg TV