Subject: [EXTERNAL EMAIL] - FBI Public Affairs News Briefing Tuesday, November

From: To: Subject: [EXTERNAL EMAIL] - FBI Public Affairs News Briefing Tuesday, November 24, 2020 Date: Tue, 24 Nov 2020 11:27:38 +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: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2020 6:30 AM EST TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS LEADING THE NEWS • US Charges 15 Reputed Mobsters In Pennsylvania, New Jersey. PROTESTS • Louisville Protest Leader Shot And Killed Monday. • Woman Pleads Guilty To Pointing Laser Pointer At Police Aircraft During Protest. COUNTER-TERRORISM • Judge Declares Mistrial In Massachusetts Attempted Arson Case. • Scottish Court To Hear Appeal Of Libyan Man Convicted Of 1998 Bombing. • O'Brien Says US Sending Missiles, Bombs To Philippines. COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE • Biden Names Prospective Heads Of ODNI, DHS, State, Others. • US Files New Charges Against Florida Navy Officer. • FBI Phoenix Warns Of Chinese Efforts To Steal Data. • Former DO) Official, "Anonymous" Author Miles Taylor Named As Witness In Flynn Probe. • Report: US Has Taken Kim Jong-un's Nephew Into Protective Custody. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS • Epstein Prosecutors Seek Documents Related To Dubin's Children. • Shooting At Brooklyn Party Leaves One Dead, Six Injured. • Suspect In San Jose Church Stabbing Arrested. • Witness In Mueller Probe Attacked By Knife-Wielding Suspect. • Michigan Man Charged With Kidnapping Texas Girl, Who Is Safe. • North Carolina Man Sentenced To Prison For Racial Threats. • FBI Among Agencies Still Investigating Boy's 1991 Disappearance. • Minnesota Man Arrested After Assaulting Officer, Breaking Into University. • FBI Offering Reward For Information In 1988 Abduction Case. • FBI Identifies Missouri Bank Robbery Suspect After Releasing Surveillance Photos. • Florida Man Awaits Sentencing After Pleading Guilty To Possessing Gun As Felon. • Maryland Woman Pleads Guilty To Paying Bribes To DC Police. EFTA00149112 • Five Arrested In Idaho After Child Enticement Sting Op. • Oregon Corrections Officer Charged With Conspiracy To Smuggle Drugs, Having Sex With Inmate. • "Mr. Potato Head" Pleads Guilty On Three Bank Robbery Charges. • California Man Charged With Murdering College Student Whose Remains Were Found In Mojave. FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS • Former Cincinnati City Council Member Dennard To Be Sentenced Today. • Missouri Woman Sentenced In Walmart Fraud Scheme. • Former New York Medical Firm Owner Sentenced For Healthcare Fraud Scheme. • Maryland Brothers Charged With Money Laundering In Alleged $5M Romance Scheme. • US Charges Former Virginia Attorney With Fraud. • US Charges Nine With Stealing, Selling Boats, Other Vehicles. • Apple's Head Of Global Security Charged With Bribery. • Former Chicago Alderman Faces Years In Prison For Tobacco Settlement Scheme. CYBER DIVISION • UK Said To Be Considering Huawei Installation Ban In 2021. • U Of Vermont Medical Records Back Up One Month After Cyberattack. • US Arrests Man In $1M Airplane Cyber-Scam. • Mountie Testifies He Didn't Ask Huawei CFO For Phone Passcodes. • Congress Finalizing Law On loT Security. • Opinion: Firing Of CISA Director Reflects Vulnerability Of Cybersecurity. • NATO Experimenting With Practice That Exposes Phishing Scammer's Techniques. LABORATORY • Ohio Man Named As Suspect In Florida Cold Case Homicide. LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES • DO) Reschedules Woman's Execution For January 12. • NYPD To Increase Subway Patrols Amid Increase In Shoving Incidents. • Incoming Congresswoman Asked Capitol Police About Carrying Firearm. • DC Firefighter Shot While Aiding A Shooting Victim. • New York AG Accuses Buffalo Diocese Of Covering Up Sexual Abuse. • Transgender Woman Sues Georgia Department Of Corrections For A Second Time. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS • Mexican President Denies Deal With US To Capture Cartel Leader For Former Defense Minister. • DEA, FBI Meet With India's NCB To Discuss International Trafficking Networks. LAWFUL ACCESS • UK Officials Say Pedophile Would Not Have Been Caught Under Facebook's Encryption Plans. OTHER FBI NEWS • Sen. Paul: DC US Attorney Won't Probe RNC Protestors Who Confronted Him At Convention. OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS • Trump Says He Has Authorized GSA To Cooperate With Biden Transition. • White House To Hold Indoor Holiday Reception. • Fauci Calls On New York, Other States To Accept A COVID-19 Vaccine Once It Is Approved By FDA. • US To Begin Distributing Regeneron's SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Treatment. • Governors Tighten Restrictions In Bid To Contain Infection Spike. • US Moving Toward Holiday Season As Coronavirus Cases Increase Faster Than Ever. • Airline Travel Surges Despite Guidance Against Holiday Travel. EFTA00149113 • NFL Announces Expansion To Mask Mandate. • Gottlieb Issues Warning About Long-Term COVID Effects. • Maryland Governor Challenges WPost Reporting On Imported COVID Tests. • Study: One In 12 Early COVID Cases Linked To Outbreaks In Meatpacking Plants. • Rule Would Require Visitors To US From Two Dozen Countries To Post Bonds. • Report Says ICE Using Mobile Fingerprinting In Deportation Crackdown. • Rampell: Families Torn Apart At Border Still Not Reunited Or Secure. • Reps. Reed And Gottheimer Say COVID-19 Aid Package Can Be Done. • House Democrats' Disagreement Over Confederate Bases Could Doom Defense Bill. • Major Trump Donor Received $25M Low-Interest Government-Backed Pandemic Loan. • States Plan To File Second Antitrust Suit Against Google In December • Feinstein To Step Down As Top Democrat On Senate Judiciary Committee. • House Democrats Prepare To Govern With Tightest Majority in Two Decades. INTERNATIONAL NEWS • AstraZeneca-Oxford Coronavirus Vaccine Data Indicates Shot Is Up To 90% Effective. • European Governments Prepare To Ease Lockdowns For December Holidays. • UK's Johnson Lays Out Plans To Lift Lockdown Next Week. • Italian Virologist Says He Is Unable Even To Get A Flu Shot. • Spain's King Felipe Quarantining After Close Contact With COVID-19 Case. • Canadians Pushing To Keep Schools Open Despite Resurgence Of COVID-19 Infections. • Mexico's Roman Catholic Church Cancels Guadalupe Pilgrimage. • Shanghai Airport Employees Sealed In For COVID-19 Testing. • Hong Kong Hoping To Encourage COVID-19 Testing With Cash Payments. • South Korean Delivery Drivers' COVID-19 Deaths Prompt Calls For Worker Protections. • COVID Threatens Comeback After South Asian Countries Appear To Have Beaten First Wave. • Senior Administration Officials: White House Considering Joint Alliance Against Beijing. • EU, Canada, Other Countries Agree To Measures Eliminating Export Curbs Amid COVID-19 Battle. • Afghan Youths Escape Reality In Violent Video Game With "Cultlike Following." • G-20 Meeting Demonstrates Relief From Leaders At Prospect Of Biden Presidency. • Jordan's King Expresses To Biden "Keenness" To Continue Partnership With US. • Central European Countries Prepare For Changes Under Biden. • Corruption Trial For Former French President Sarkozy Opens. • Pope Hosts NBA Players To Discuss Social Justice Activism. • Armenian Troops In Nagorno-Karabakh Feel Loss Of Azerbaijan Territory. • Israeli PM Reportedly Met With Saudi Crown Prince. • Yemeni Rebels Fire Missile On Saudi Oil Facility Monday. • China Says It Has Eliminated Extreme Poverty. • Hong Kong Activists Plead Guilty To Unauthorized Assembly Charges. • China Launches Unmanned Spacecraft Toward Unexplored Part Of Moon. • Netflix's "A Suitable Boy" Entangles Streaming Service With Religious Tensions In India. • UN Council Rebukes Japan's Imprisonment Of Ghosn. • Tropical Cyclone Gati Hits Somalia As Nation's Strongest Storm On Record. THE BIG PICTURE • Headlines From Today's Front Pages. WASHINGTON'S SCHEDULE • Today's Events In Washington. EFTA00149114 LEADING THE NEWS US Charges 15 Reputed Mobsters In Pennsylvania, New Jersey. NJ News (11/23, Atmonavage, 1.72M) reports, "More than a dozen alleged organized crime members and associates were indicted Monday on charges of operating a criminal enterprise in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, the U.S. Attorney's office of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced. The superseding indictment alleges members of La Cosa Nostra based in Philadelphia engaged in "acts of illegal gambling, loansharking, drug trafficking, and extortion, among other crimes, for the purposes of enriching the organization and its members." In total, 15 organized crime members and associates were indicted Monday." NJ News adds, "While the indictment mostly focuses on the organization's activities in Philadelphia, it alleges that La Cosa Nostra used its reputation and influence `to exercise control over criminal rackets, like bookmaking and loansharking' in southern New Jersey, particularly Atlantic City." The Inquirer (PA) (11/23, Vella, 347K) reports, "The Philadelphia mob has limped along on life support for the past decade, its former leaders, Joseph `Uncle Joe' Ligambi and Joseph `Skinny Joey' Merlino, out of the picture after high-profile federal prosecutions," but "reports of La Cosa Nostra's demise have been greatly exaggerated, according to a federal grand jury indictment unsealed Monday by U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain. In fact, the mafia was adding new soldiers to its ranks as recently as 2015, prosecutors say, in ceremonies overseen by veterans of those former regimes." The Inquirer adds, "Fifteen mobsters have been indicted on racketeering, extortion, gambling and drug trafficking charges, according to the indictment. Chief among them is Steven `Stevie' Mazzone, 56, the reputed underboss of the organization who once served under Ligambi." The New York Post (11/23, Rosenberg, Sheehy, 4.57M) reports, "A reputed wiseguy nicknamed `Tony Meatballs' is among more than a dirty dozen alleged South Philly mobsters charged in a sweeping federal indictment unsealed Monday. The suspects are accused of everything from illegal sports betting to heroin-peddling to offering loans at 400 percent interest - not to mention plotting to kidnap and possibly murder a drug dealer to save their reputations after the guy sold them fake narcotics." The Post adds, "Anthony `Tony Meatballs" Gifoli, 72, was named in the superseding grand-jury indictment along with others including accused La Cosa Nostra underboss Steven `Stevie' Mazzone and alleged capo Domenic `Mr. Hopkins' Grande, the feds said. Underlings targeted by the indictment include Louis `Louie Sheep' Barretta, Joseph `Joey Electric' Servidio and Daniel `Harry' Castelli, the FBI said." The Garfield-Lodi (Ni) Daily Voice (11/23) reports, "Over the past five years, in fact, new leadership of the Philly and Atlantic City La Cosa Nostra beefed up the ranks, commanding illegal sports gambling, extorting victims through loansharking, selling cocaine, heroin and opioids - even conspiring to kidnap a drug dealer who sold them bad dope, they said. The FBI in Philadelphia began building a new organized crime case in October 2015. That's when, the indictment says, Mazzone joined" Grande, 41, and Mazzone, 55, "in a ceremony inducting several new soldiers at a South Philly residence." The New York Daily News (11/23, Matthews, 2.52M) reports, "Prosecutors allege in the indictment that each of the men are members and associates of the Sicilian criminal outfit La Cosa Nostra, colloquially known as the mafia or mob. Prosecutors said the men operated their criminal enterprise beginning in August 2015 and focused their activities in Philadelphia and Atlantic City by allegedly working to `reclaim territory in Atlantic City by extorting local bookmakers and loansharks' and trying to muscle in on the area's cocaine, oxycodone, heroin and fentanyl sellers. The men also allegedly threatening and assaulted numerous people who had been unable to repay extremely high-interest loans." The AP (11/23) reports from Philadelphia, "Federal prosecutors allege the crime family sought to use its `reputation and influence to exercise control over criminal rackets, like bookmaking and loansharking, in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, particularly Atlantic EFTA00149115 City."The Philadelphia mob isn't what it used to be, and thank God for that,' said U.S. Attorney McSwain in a statement. 'But it is still a problem and is still allegedly committing serious federal crimes." The AP adds, "The announcement is part of a long-running investigation involving the FBI, Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania office of the Attorney General, and the Philadelphia Police Department." NBC News (11/23, 6.14M) reports, "Ten of the defendants were charged with allegedly conspiring to conduct and participate in activities related to the mob, according to court papers. The remaining five were charged with other offenses, including conspiracy to extort money and distribute controlled substances, the indictment said." The Washington Examiner (11/23, Smith, 448K) reports, "A statement from the Justice Department said the case was being investigated by the FBI as well as local authorities. Per court documents, all 15 men will appear before U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick on Jan. 8. 'This group should've learned by now that the FBI is as committed to eradicating organized crime as wise guys are to embracing it,' Michael Driscoll, special agent in charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Division, said in a statement." The Daily Beast (11/23, Briquelet, 1.39M) and the Daily Caller (11/23, Lancaster, 716K) also report. PROTESTS Louisville Protest Leader Shot And Killed Monday. USA Today (11/23, Loosemore, Gardner, Aulbach, 10.31M) reports Hamza "Travis" Nagdy, 21, "a young protest leader known for his energy and optimism amid Louisville's movement for racial justice became a new symbol of gun violence when he was shot and killed early Monday." Nagdy is described as "a regular at Jefferson Square Park, where protesters have gathered to demand justice for Breonna Taylor since late May," and "was frequently seen leading chants and marches." Woman Pleads Guilty To Pointing Laser Pointer At Police Aircraft During Protest. The Washington Post (11/23, 14.2M) reports Virginia woman Amanda Robinson "pleaded guilty Monday to aiming a laser pointer at a police aircraft during the protest of a Confederate memorial in Richmond in the spring, authorities said." Robinson "traveled to the Robert E. Lee Monument traffic circle in Richmond, where she directed a laser pointer at a Cessna aircraft flying above, US Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger of the Eastern District of Virginia said in a statement." She will be sentenced in March. COUNTER-TERRORISM Judge Declares Mistrial In Massachusetts Attempted Arson Case. The Springfield (MA) Republican (11/23, Barry, 395K) reports, "After roughly eight hours of deliberating, jurors in an attempted arson case reported they were hopelessly deadlocked — forcing a judge to declare a mistrial on the primary counts in the indictment." John Rathbun "faced two criminal counts related to accusations he tried to set a Jewish nursing home on fire with a half-filled gas container with a Christian church pamphlet stuck in its spout as a wick. Rathbun was charged in a third count with making two false statements to an FBI agent about where he had been for the first two weeks in April, and his familiarity with the elder care campus off Converse Street. The jury found him guilty of lying about his whereabouts over those two weeks." US District Judge Mark Mastroianni "declared a mistrial on counts one and two, the most onerous of the bunch tethered to a 20-year maximum prison sentence." Scottish Court To Hear Appeal Of Libyan Man Convicted Of 1998 Bombing. EFTA00149116 Reuters (11/23) reports, "Scotland's High Court will begin hearing an appeal on Tuesday against the conviction of a Libyan man found guilty of the 1988 Lockerbie aircraft bombing." Abdel Basset al-Megrahi was jailed for live in 2001 and "died in Libya in 2012 after being released three years earlier by Scotland's government on compassionate grounds following a diagnosis of terminal cancer." This year, "an independent Scottish review body ruled his family could launch an appeal after concluding there might have been a miscarriage of justice." O'Brien Says US Sending Missiles, Bombs To Philippines. The Hill (11/23, Choi, 2.98M) reports National Security Adviser O'Brien on Monday "announced that the US government was sending the Philippine military an arsenal of missiles and bombs in an apparent show of support to its ally as it deals with Islamic militants and territory disputes." At a ceremony, O'Brien "announced the delivery of the weapons on behalf of President Trump. According to Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., Trump pledged $18 million worth of missiles when speaking to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during a phone conversation in the spring." COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE Biden Names Prospective Heads Of ODNI, DHS, State, Others. CNN (11/23, Mucha, Krieg, 83.16M) reports that on Monday, Joe Biden "unveiled a slate of top foreign policy and national security picks." Biden's team confirmed that Antony Blinken would be tapped as Secretary of State, while Avril Haines was selected for DNI and Alejandro Mayorkas was named as Biden's selection for DHS Secretary. Former Secretary of State John Kerry, meanwhile, has been selected "to serve as Biden's climate czar." Biden said, "These individuals are equally as experienced and crisis-tested as they are innovative and imaginative. Their accomplishments in diplomacy are unmatched, but they also reflect the idea that we cannot meet the profound challenges of this new moment with old thinking and unchanged habits - or without diversity of background and perspective. It's why I've selected them." The Washington Post (11/23, 14.2M) reports that "other high-profile choices announced Monday were Jake Sullivan, a Biden adviser who will become national security adviser, and Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a longtime diplomat tapped to represent the United States at the United Nations." The team named by Biden "have longtime relationships with many Republicans. As a group, they inject a new diversity into the foreign policy leadership and signal that Biden intends to show the world a different face after the Trump years." On NBC Nightly NewsVi (11/23, story 2, 1:45, Holt, 6.28M), Geoff Bennett said that after four years of President Trump "often at odds with the foreign policy establishment," Biden "is pulling from that group for his first Cabinet picks." On the CBS Evening NewsVi (11/23, story 5, 1:45, Brennan, 4.43M), Nikole Killion said Biden's national security team is "notable for their diverse personal backgrounds, but all with something in common. They served under President Obama." The New York Times (11/23, Al, Crowley, 18.61M) reports Haines "served as deputy director of the C.I.A. in the Obama administration before succeeding Mr. Blinken as Mr. Obama's deputy national security adviser. She, too, is a former aide to Mr. Biden, serving as deputy chief counsel to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2007 to 2008 while Mr. Biden was chairman. Ms. Haines also served as counsel to Mr. Obama's National Security Council, helping him navigate legal issues around counterterrorism operations and pressing for more restraint to reduce civilian casualties." Bloomberg (11/23, Strohm, 4.73M) reports that, if confirmed, Haines would "be the first woman to serve" as DNI. NPR (11/23, Jones, 3.12M) says that Haines "has the respect of many in the intelligence community, former director of the CIA John Brennan told NPR. Her intelligence career spans over a decade: from the White House to the CIA, the NSC to the EFTA00149117 Department of State." Brennan "said that her varied and extensive intelligence background will help the Biden administration hit the ground running in January." CNN (11/23, Mucha, Krieg, 83.16M) reports that SSCI Vice Chair Mark Warner (D-VA) "immediately leaned on his Republican colleagues to confirm Haines to lead the intelligence community." Reuters (11/23, Landay, Hosenball) reports that Republican and Democratic "Senate sources said Haines is expected to win confirmation - but not without some hard questioning about her role as deputy CIA director from August 2013 to January 2015 and her views on national security challenges, from Russia to cyber warfare." The Washington Post (11/23, Harris, Nakashima, 14.2M) reports that former PDDNI Sue Gordon, "who was also said to be under consideration for the job," said, "I have a great deal of respect for Avril. Her relationship with the president-elect and her experience with the CIA should serve her, the community and the nation well as she leads the [intelligence community] into a very dynamic future that will require not only focus but change." Still, the New York Times (11/23, Barnes, 18.61M) reports that the selection of Haines "prompted concern from some human rights groups, which questioned her role as the architect of the Obama administration's program targeting terrorists with drones, some of which killed civilians. But her defenders argue that Ms. Haines helped put in place safeguards on the use of force and greater transparency for the drone program." NBC News (11/23, Dilanian, Bennett, 6.14M) reports that since leaving the Obama administration, Haines "has been affiliated with Columbia University and the Brookings Institution, and has consulted for various companies, including the national security data contractor Palantir, according to a Brookings biography unearthed by the Intercept. A source familiar with her work for Palantir confirmed it to NBC News, saying she advised the firm on diversity and advancing roles for women in technology." US News & World Report (11/23, Shinkman, 2.4M) also reports on Haines' selection, as does CQ Roll Call (11/23, 154K), Bloomberg (11/23, Faries, Strohm, 4.73M), and the Washington Examiner (11/23, Dunleavy, 448K), among others. Politico (11/23, Forgey, 4.29M) reports that Mayorkas "will become the first Latino secretary of Homeland Security." ABC News (11/23, Nagle, Finnegan, 2.97M) reports that Mayorkas, "who was born in Cuba and came as a refugee to the United States with his family when he was a baby," tweeted in reaction to the announcement, "When I was very young, the United States provided my family and me a place of refuge. Now, I have been nominated to be the DHS Secretary and oversee the protection of all Americans and those who flee persecution in search of a better life for themselves and their loved ones." MeriTalk (11/23, Curran) reports that Mayorkas "cut his teeth as a U.S. attorney in the 1980s and 1990s, went into private law practice, then headed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the first Obama administration." The Hill (11/23, Bemal, 2.98M) reports that Mayorkas's "selection shows the incoming Biden administration is targeting President Trump's executive overhaul of the immigration system, regardless of the likelihood of congressional gridlock on the legislative end." Reuters (11/23, Hesson) reports that Biden "has pledged to undo many of Trump's restrictive immigration policies. The hundreds of planned changes could take months or years to implement. Some pro-immigrant activists favored Mayorkas for the DHS role." Still, USA Today (11/23, Jansen, 10.31M) says that immigration "didn't come up much on the campaign trail, so it's not clear how much Biden will change Trump's policies." Bloomberg (11/23, Strohm, 4.73M) adds that the Biden transition team's "announcement on Monday didn't say who his picks for other key agencies will be, including secretary of defense or CIA director. Some names floated for those jobs include former Under Secretary of Defense Michele Flournoy and former deputy CIA Director Michael Morrell." Finally, Politico (11/23, Bender, Meyer, 4.29M) reports that some of the selections come from the firm WestExec Avisors, which was founded by Blinken and at which Haines was once one of its former principals. EFTA00149118 Sources Say Yellen Is Favorite For Biden Treasury Secretary. Citing unnamed sources, the Wall Street Journal (11/23, Al, Timiraos, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports on its front page that Biden will choose former Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen as Treasury secretary. On ABC World News TonightVi (11/23, story 5, 2:15, Muir, 7.67M), Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz said that if Yellen is confirmed, she "would be the first woman ever to serve as Treasury Secretary, a remarkable first given that she would succeed 75 men who have filled the position and more important than ever during this critical period in the pandemic economy." Reuters (11/23, Lawder, Hunnicutt) says Yellen is "an experienced policymaker respected by Congress, international finance officials, progressives and business interests alike." The AP (11/23, Rugaber, Balsamo) similarly reports that Yellen is "widely admired in the financial world," and Bloomberg (11/23, Greifeld, Leach, 4.73M) says the reports of her selection "landed gently on Wall Street," as "traders intensely familiar with the former Federal Reserve chair cheered the pick in anticipation of her working well with the central bank to help the economy bounce back from the pandemic." The New York Times (11/23, Al, Smialek, 18.61M) reports on its front page that while Yellen "is not the type of firebrand nominee some progressives might have hoped for - she has warned that the United States is borrowing too much money, a fact that some liberals count against her - she has paid consistent, careful attention to inequality and labor market outcomes, even when doing so earned her backlash from lawmakers." Reuters (11/23, Shalal) reports Institute of International Finance President and CEO Tim Adam on Monday said, "Janet Yellen is an extraordinary choice for Treasury Secretary, and should be swiftly confirmed by the Senate." Adam added, "She is a world class economist and dedicated public servant, and will be a trusted, steady, and pragmatic hand on the helm as the U.S. navigates the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic." In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal (11/23, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) says that if Biden does select Yellen for Treasury Secretary, she is likely to have more extensive influence than her recent predecessors. The Journal says lawmakers should focus the confirmation hearings on her position on federal debt. US Files New Charges Against Florida Navy Officer. The Florida Times-Union (11/23, Patterson, 203K) reports, "Prosecutors have stopped trying to prove that an indicted Jacksonville Navy officer was part of a Chinese CEO's smuggling conspiracy, but have expanded firearms charges tied to his relationship with the CEO." Lt. Fan Yang "was the subject last week of a new indictment replacing one filed last year that charged him in an export conspiracy alongside his wife and two Chinese business people. The three co- defendants have already pleaded guilty, leaving only Yang, who had been assigned to Naval Air Station Jacksonville before being jailed last year, scheduled for trial in March." US Magistrate James Klindt "has scheduled an arraignment on the new set of charges, called a superseding indictment, for Dec. 3. The new indictment simplifies the case against Yang, 35," charging him "with twice buying handguns in his name that were really for the CEO's use and lying on a security review to hide the extent of his connection to the business executive." FBI Phoenix Warns Of Chinese Efforts To Steal Data. KTAR-FM Glendale, AZ (11/23, Zetino, 125K) reports from Phoenix, Arizona, "The Phoenix FBI office warns that attempts from the Chinese government to steal sensitive information happen all across the country and even right here in Arizona. The targets are usually people whose jobs give them access to sensitive U.S. government or business information. `We have seen cases where individuals are being recruited, being incentivized to return to China and take a job for more money,' Assistant Special Agent Craig Moringiello said." Moringiello "is in charge of counterintelligence and cyber for the Phoenix FBI office. Just last week, a former engineer at Raytheon Missiles and Defense in Tucson was sentenced to more than three years in prison for taking sensitive military-related technology data in his company-issued computer to China. Wei EFTA00149119 Sun had been working with the company for 10 years and had access to information directly related to defense-related technology." Former DO) Official, "Anonymous" Author Miles Taylor Named As Witness In Flynn Probe. The Washington Times (11/23, Mordock, 492K) reports that former DHS official Miles Taylor was named as a "witness in the FBI's investigation into Michael Flynn, two Senate-panel chairmen said Monday." Taylor "authored an op-ed vowing resistance to President Trump." Sens. Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) "cited a newly-declassified May 2017 Justice Department document summarizing the FBI's efforts in its Russian collusion probe." The document "names Mr. Taylor as a witness in the Flynn investigation, but doesn't explain the FBI's interest in him or his connection to Flynn, who briefly served as Mr. Trump's national security adviser." The document says, "Witness interview of Miles Taylor, mentioned in the [Foreign Agents Registration Act] documents, indicated Flynn Intel Group's involvement with a late 2016 Turkey-related briefing to the now-National Security Adviser to the Vice President." National Review (11/23, Evans, 731K) reports that Johnson and Grassley have asked D0J to declassify notes from the Taylor interview. They wrote in a letter to AG Barr, "We request all records relating to the FBI's interview of Miles Taylor, including all 302s and notes, to better understand his role in the Flynn investigation." The Washington Examiner (11/23, Dunleavy, 448K) adds that Johnson and Grassley wrote, "We believe that further declassification is appropriate at this time because, among other factors, the Inspector General's review of Crossfire Hurricane is closed; the investigation has already been the subject of years of oversight, public hearings, and document productions; and there is a strong public interest in knowing and understanding what really transpired between and among federal government officials relating to Crossfire Hurricane." Report: US Has Taken Kim Jong-un's Nephew Into Protective Custody. War Is Boring (11/23, 695K) reports that the CIA "took the family of Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, after Kim Jong-nam was murdered in February 2017, although it is unclear where the family resides now, said a Korean American writer." Suki Kim, in a New Yorker article titled "The Underground Movement Trying to Topple the North Korean Government," discussed "the activities of Adrian Hong, the leader of Free Joseon, a group that has helped North Korean defectors reach third countries safely." According to the activist group, "Kim Jong-nam's son Han-sol called Hong for help because the Macao police who had been guarding his house disappeared after his father was killed by a nerve agent that two women smeared on his face at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13, 2017." CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS Epstein Prosecutors Seek Documents Related To Dubin's Children. The New York Post (11/23, Vincent, 4.57M) reports, "US Virgin Islands prosecutors are demanding billionaire MoMA benefactor and board member Glenn Dubin turn over all communications that his friend Jeffrey Epstein had with Dubin's three children. A subpoena seeks 'all documents and communications related to any of your three children, Maye, Celina or Jordan, which also relate in any way to Jeffrey Epstein or any Epstein entity.' The islands' Attorney General is probing alleged racketeering by the late billionaire pedophile and has issued subpoenas to numerous Epstein associates, including lawyers, accountants and bankers." The Post adds, "Epstein, who hanged himself in a Manhattan lockup last year, had openly declared his plans to marry Celina Dubin, sources told Business Insider last year. Epstein and Celina developed 'an especially close relationship' when Celina was 12 and it continued into adulthood, according to the Palm Beach Post." EFTA00149120 Maxwell Placed In Quarantine After Jail Staffer Tests Positive For Corona virus. Bloomberg (11/23, Burnson, Hurtado, 4.73M) reports US prosecutors said Monday that Ghislaine Maxwell "has been placed in quarantine after a staff member of the jail where she is being held tested positive for the coronavirus." In a letter to the judge handling Maxwell's criminal case, prosecutors said a rapid test found her to be free of COVID-19. Maxwell "will remain in quarantine for 14 days - and will then be re-tested - at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York." Shooting At Brooklyn Party Leaves One Dead, Six Injured. The New York Times (11/23, Watkins, Schweber, Zaveri, 18.61M) reports one woman was killed and six others were injured when "at least two people opened fire" at a party in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. The Times adds, "The incident reflected a stark rise in shootings in the city. ... Shootings have doubled compared with last year, with at least 1,660 incidents, and murders have risen by about 37 percent, to about 400." The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) provides similar coverage. Suspect In San Jose Church Stabbing Arrested. The New York Times (11/23, Opam, Joseph, Zhuang, 18.61M) reports police in San Jose, California have "arrested a suspect in connection with a stabbing attack at a Baptist church on Sunday night in which two people died and three others were wounded." The Rev. David Robinson, pastor of Grace Baptist Church, "where the attack took place, said on Monday that the victims and the suspect were among a group of homeless people who had been sheltering there." Witness In Mueller Probe Attacked By Knife-Wielding Suspect. The Washington Times (11/23, Mordock, 492K) reports W. Samuel Patten, who was "a key witness" in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, "was brutally attacked by a knife- wielding suspect in Washington" on Thursday. Patten "was stabbed twice in the head and six times in the back during the attack." Patten, "who was convicted of steering illegal foreign money to [President) Trump's inaugural committee," was "treated at a hospital the night of the attack and later released." Michigan Man Charged With Kidnapping Texas Girl, Who Is Safe. The Traverse City (MI) Record-Eagle (11/23, Kansier, 65K) reports that a Michigan man "has been charged in the suspected kidnapping of a Texas girl authorities said they rescued in a predawn raid." The man "was charged with 'transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.' He made a first appearance in federal court Monday." The girl "disappeared from her home in Lubbock" on November 13, according to FBI Spokeswoman Mara Schneider. Discovery of the girl's phone and laptop - which "led investigators to believe she'd been talked into a rendezvous and taken out of state by someone she'd been chatting with online" - prompted "FBI involvement and a much larger-scale investigation, according to the FBI release." WXYZ-TV Detroit (11/23, 236K) reports that according to the Michigan State Police, "troopers, the FBI, U.S. Attorney's Office and Antrim County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant Sunday and located Worley inside the home with an adult man." She was "turned over to Child Protective Services and then transported to a local hospital for medical evaluation." The suspect "is currently behind held by police in Michigan." North Carolina Man Sentenced To Prison For Racial Threats. WCTI-TV Greenville, NC (11/23, Basden) reports that a North Carolina man "has been sentenced to more than two years in prison for threats of force against an African American family because of their race and because they were renting a home, officials say." DO) officials EFTA00149121 say in a hearing in the Eastern District of North Carolina, the man "pled guilty to one count of criminal interference with the Fair Housing Act back in August." The man "admitted he drove to the family's home in December 2014 and yelled racial slurs, telling them they did not belong there and threatening to shoot the family — including four minor children - as well as any other African American that entered the property." He also "brandished a metal rod in a 'threatening manner' and the family moved out of the neighborhood a few days later." FBI Among Agencies Still Investigating Boy's 1991 Disappearance. The Press of Atlantic City (NJ) (11/23, Bilinski, 177K) reports that New Jersey officials "continue search for 11-year-old Middle Township boy who disappeared almost 30 years ago." Local police are asking "anyone with information about the 1991 disappearance of a young boy to come forward." The outlet adds, "Township police, the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office and the FBI are still investigating." Minnesota Man Arrested After Assaulting Officer, Breaking Into University. The St. Cloud (MN) Times (11/23, 64K) reports that a Minnesota man "faces six felony charges and one misdemeanor charge following a daylong manhunt Thursday, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday in Stearns County District Court." The man "is accused of assaulting an officer, driving while intoxicated, fleeing police, breaking into a dorm at St. John's Preparatory School and threatening a man." After assaulting a Minnesota State Trooper, the man "entered the campus area of St. John's University, causing a lockdown." A burglary was then "reported at the St. John's Preparatory School dorms at about 11 a.m." FBI was among the 16 agencies involved in the search, along with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and Department of Corrections. FBI Offering Reward For Information In 1988 Abduction Case. KRON-TV San Francisco (11/23, Rehman, 87K) reports, "The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information that can help them arrest and convict" the person who abducted a California girl 32 years ago. In 1988, the girl "and her friends were at the market when an unknown man moved their scooter closer to his car. When Michaela tried to get the scooter, he grabbed her and drove away with her in his car." FBI Identifies Missouri Bank Robbery Suspect After Releasing Surveillance Photos. The Springfield (MO) News-Leader (11/23, Keegan, 103K) reports that after the FBI released bank surveillance photos of a bank robbery suspect, "tips started pouring in." Agents then visited the suspect's family members "who said they believed he was the man in the surveillance photos." They tracked him down later that day, and he "confessed to the bank robbery, saying he was at the end of his rope and needed some fast cash." The man is "being held in the Greene County Jail on a federal bank robbery charge." KYTV-TV Springfield, MO (11/23, 169K) also reports. Florida Man Awaits Sentencing After Pleading Guilty To Possessing Gun As Felon. The Ocala (FL) Star-Banner (11/23, Miller, 81K) reports that a Florida man "is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon." The man "made the admission on Friday at the federal courthouse in Ocala, government officials said in a press release." The man, "who was indicted in August, faces a maximum sentence of 10 years behind bars." The case was investigated by the Ocala Police Department and the FBI. Maryland Woman Pleads Guilty To Paying Bribes To DC Police. The Washington Patch (11/23, O'Connell, 1.03M) reports, "A Maryland woman pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to paying more than $6,500 in bribes to an employee of the Metropolitan Police Department," according to DOJ. The woman "pleaded guilty to a criminal EFTA00149122 information charge before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia." She was "charged with one count of bribery of a public official, which carries a fine of up to $250,000 and penalties up to 15 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release." She "admitted to paying at least $6,500 in bribes to an MPD clerk, who provided her with confidential reports so that she could contact and solicit potential clients." Five Arrested In Idaho After Child Enticement Sting Op. The Idaho Press Tribune (11/23, Heersink, 2K) reports, "Five men were arrested last week during a two-day police sting on child enticement charges in Caldwell." The men "were taken into custody Thursday and Friday, Caldwell police said in a news release issued Saturday." Three of them "were...booked in the Canyon County Jail on a charge of enticing a child through use of the internet or communication device, a felony offense." One was also "charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance, both a felony and misdemeanor, and possession of drug paraphernalia." The FBI Metro Task Force was among the agencies partnering in the investigation, along with DHS, Canyon County Prosecutor's Office, US Attorney's Office (Idaho), Canyon County Sheriff's Office (narcotics division), the US Marshal's Office, USPS, and District III Probation & Parole. Also reporting is the Idaho Statesman (11/23, Scholl, 200K). Oregon Corrections Officer Charged With Conspiracy To Smuggle Drugs, Having Sex With Inmate. The Oregonian (11/23, Bernstein, 1M) reports, "A corrections officer who worked at the Oregon women's prison admitted Monday in court that he conspired to smuggle heroin, methamphetamine and cellphones into the prison and also had sex with an inmate." The Oregon man "pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute controlled substances in U.S. District Court in Portland." He is "expected to plead guilty to first-degree custodial sexual misconduct," which "does not involve the use of force but recognizes that the guard held an `inherently coercive' role in regard to the inmate, according to the prosecutor." He worked at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. The Oregonian adds, "The FBI, Oregon State Police and Oregon Department of Corrections' Office of Inspector General handled the investigation, which is continuing." "Mr. Potato Head" Pleads Guilty On Three Bank Robbery Charges. PeopleNewspapers (TX) (11/23, Erickson, Snyder) reports that a Texas man "pleaded guilty to three counts associated" with a series of bank robberies. The man had a "penchant for wearing fake mustaches and beards when he robbed Preston Hollow and Park Cities banks last year earned him the FBI nickname `Mr. Potato Head." He was "accused of robbing Oakwood Bank at Preston Center on Sept. 30, 2019, Legacy Bank at Preston and Royal on Oct. 17, 2019, and Bank of America at Preston Center on Oct. 30, 2019." His arrest came "July 29 after an FBI investigation traced his alleged purchases of online child pornography to IP addresses that led to his home and to the school that were associated with social media and PayPal accounts he used to obtain and pay for videos and photos of male minors." California Man Charged With Murdering College Student Whose Remains Were Found In Mojave. The My News LA (CA). (11/23) reports that a California man "was charged Monday with murdering a 21-year-old community college student whose remains were found in a remote area of the Mojave Desert nearly two months after he went missing in South Los Angeles." The man "appeared in a downtown courtroom and pleaded not guilty in the killing of Juan `Cookie' Carlos Hernandez, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office." Another man, "who is charged with being an accessory after the fact, also entered a not guilty plea." The primary suspect "faces a possible maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison," while the accessory "could be sentenced to up to three years in prison. Bail is set at $10 million for EFTA00149123 each defendant." LAPD worked with the FBI to investigate the disappearance, and "'their efforts provided detectives with a sequence of events to find Hernandez,' according to a police statement." FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS Former Cincinnati City Council Member Dennard To Be Sentenced Today. WCPO-TV Cincinnati (11/23, Murphy, 139K) reports, "A federal judge will sentence former Cincinnati City Council member Tamaya Dennard on Tuesday for her role in the first of three corruption scandals to rock City Hall this year." WCPO-TV adds, "The U.S. Probation Office recommends a sentence of 24 to 30 months in prison for Dennard, according to the pre- sentence report the office prepared in her case," but "Dennard's attorney is asking for home confinement, in part due to COVID-19 fears. Her attorney also believes Dennard, a Democrat who won a council seat in a storybook election in 2017, has suffered enough." FBI agents "arrested Dennard on Feb. 25 near a Downtown Starbucks before a council committee meeting. At the time, longtime politicians said they could not remember a corruption scandal of this magnitude in the city's history," but "they were unaware of the scope of the FBI's probe, or that two more council members would be arrested on corruption charges...months later." Pastor Suspended From Cincinnati City Council After Bribery Arrest. The Cincinnati Enquirer (11/23, Coolidge, 223K) reports, "Cincinnati City Councilman Jeff Pastor has been suspended, a process initiated by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost after Pastor was arrested on federal bribery charges. Pastor accepted the suspension without a fight. Pastor will be paid his $65,000 salary while temporarily suspended. 'While allegations of public corruption are resolved in the courtroom, a suspension is the right course of action as even the appearance of corruption has no place in government,' Yost said." Pastor "is one of three Cincinnati councilmembers arrested and accused of pay-to-play schemes this year. Councilwoman Tamaya Dennard was arrested in February and pleaded guilty to honest services wire fraud in July. Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld was arrested Nov. 21 on federal bribery charges alleging he sold a vote on a development deal in exchange for campaign contributions." WXIX-TV Cincinnati (11/23, Baker, 42K) reports that Pastor "is facing felony charges of bribery, extortion, wire fraud, money laundering and other crimes. The Republican, 36, has pleaded not guilty and remains free on his own recognizance. The arrangement would allow Pastor to keep collecting his $65,000 annual council salary and healthcare benefits for not only him but his family, including his pregnant wife and four children, according to the source." Ohio AG Asks State Supreme Court To Begin Suspension Proceedings Against Sittenfeld. WXIX-TV Cincinnati (11/23, Baker, 42K) reports, "Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has asked the Ohio Supreme Court to begin suspension proceedings against Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld. 'While allegations of public corruption are resolved in the courtroom, a suspension is the right course of action even as the appearance of corruption has no place in government,' Yost wrote in a statement Monday." Sittenfeld (D) "was considered by many to be the front-runner in Cincinnati's 2021 mayor's race with more than $700,000 amassed in his campaign war chest," but "now Sittenfeld is the third member of the nine- person council arrested by the FBI and indicted on bribery, attempted extortion and other corruption-related charges this year for allegedly taking bribes for favorable votes on development deals." WLWT-TV Cincinnati (11/23, 319K) reports, "Word of the 36-year-old Sittenfeld's arrest at his East Walnut Hills home Thursday morning sent shockwaves through City Hall, where there have been calls for him to step down. The Hamilton County Democratic Party issued a statement saying if the allegations are true, Sittenfeld should resign." Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley "called it 'a sad day' and, although he said Sittenfeld is entitled to due process, he should focus on that and resign from his elected position. According to the six-count indictment, two years ago this month at a downtown restaurant, Sittenfeld met with someone he thought EFTA00149124 was an investor and laid out his terms for approving a development project. Those terms, federal investigators said, added up to $20,000." WXIX-TV Cincinnati (11/23, Schupp, 42K) reports, "Sittenfeld posted a 'message of gratitude' after being indicted on federal corruption-related charges." Sittenfeld "was indicted on two counts of honest services wire fraud, two counts of bribery, and two counts of attempted extortion by a government official. 'I want to say thank you to the people of Cincinnati, my family, friends, to folks I've heard from all across the city, our state, the country for your incredible outpouring of love and support,' he said in a video statement on Twitter Monday morning." WLWT-TV Cincinnati (11/23, 319K) reports, "Sittenfeld released a video on Twitter Monday, saying he's not giving up and will continue to fight the charges. 'The allegations against me are simply not true,' Sittenfeld said. 'I stand strongly on my record of public service, including providing help that's in the public interest to anyone whether they've ever made a political contribution to me or not.'" Missouri Woman Sentenced In Walmart Fraud Scheme. The Wisconsin State Journal (11/23, Richgels, 372K) reports, "A Missouri woman was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison in a scheme that defrauded Walmart of more than $860,000, according to U.S. Attorney Scott C. Blader." Heather Bishop, 31, of Lee's Summit, Missouri, "was sentenced last week by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley for conspiring with Crystal Austin, Shelly Scott, Jason Edge, and others to commit wire fraud throughout the country." Austin, of Belton, Missouri, "was sentenced in September to 65 months in federal prison. Scott and Edge, both of Kansas City, were sentenced by Conley in November 2018 to four years in prison." The State Journal adds, "Between November 2016 and February 2018, the group conspired to defraud Walmart through use of stolen personal checks, identity fraud, and methods to bypass electronic check authorization measures, resulting in Walmart losing more than $860,000, Blader's office said." Former New York Medical Firm Owner Sentenced For Healthcare Fraud Scheme. Newsday (NY). (11/23, Kessler, 932K) reports, "The former owner of a Hicksville medical company who had been a federal fugitive for 11 years was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison Monday for his role in a multimillion-dollar health care fraud scheme." Etienne Allonce, 56, "a Haitian citizen who had been on a federal Most Wanted list before he was captured in his native Haiti in 2018, also was ordered to make $4.4 million in restitution by U.S. Circuit Court Judge Joseph Bianco at a telephonic hearing in federal court in Central Islip. In addition, Bianco said Allonce probably would be deported after he serves his sentence, but as long as he remains in the United States, he should serve two years' supervised release. Because he has been in custody for 26 months, Allonce will have at most 10 months remaining on his sentence." Maryland Brothers Charged With Money Laundering In Alleged $5M Romance Scheme. WUSA-TV Washington (11/23, Wainman, 98K) reports from Gaithersburg, Maryland, "Two brothers from Gaithersburg, Maryland have been arrested on federal charges stemming from an alleged romance scam involving 200 victims worldwide." David Annor, 27, and Lesley Annor, 22, "were arrested on Nov. 16 and charged with money laundering, according to Robert Hur, the U.S. Attorney for Maryland. The criminal complaint alleges that the Annors, along with co- conspirators, were part of a romance scheme in which they connected with their victims online, typically through social media and dating websites, and convinced them to send money based on a misrepresentation that they were in a romantic relationship with the victim. The co- conspirators would make contact with the victims, convince them they were in a romantic relationship and then request money, often reassuring the victim they would be repaid, and EFTA00149125 give details of where to send the money, which was typically an account controlled by the Annor brothers." US Charges Former Virginia Attorney With Fraud. The Augusta (VA) Free Press (11/23) reports, "A federal grand jury sitting in U.S. District Court in Roanoke has indicted Cherie Anne Washburn, a former attorney who specialized in elder law and estate planning, on federal wire fraud, mail fraud, and false statement charges. Acting United States Attorney Daniel P. Bubar and David W. Archey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Richmond Division made the announcement today following the defendant's initial court appearance." Washburn, 44, of Lynchburg, "is charged with 10 counts of wire fraud, two counts of making a false statement to a mortgage lender, and one count of mail fraud. According to court documents, from around 2015 and continuing until 2018, Washburn engaged in a scheme to defraud and obtain money or property by fraudulent pretenses, representations or promises from two elder victims." US Charges Nine With Stealing, Selling Boats, Other Vehicles. The Providence (RI) Journal (11/23, Perry, 259K) reports, "Nine people have been indicted in schemes to steal and sell nearly $700,000 worth of sport boats, excavators, personal watercraft, all-terrain vehicles and trailers." The schemes were carried out "in Rhode Island and three other states, according to the U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island." Investigating were "Johnston and North Providence police departments," which were "joined by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force." The investigation "was then merged with a parallel investigation by Rhode Island and Connecticut state police, Easton, Massachusetts, and the Hampstead, New Hampshire, police departments." The Attleboro (MA) Sun Chronicle (11/23, Linton, 15K) reports, "The defendants allegedly worked at the direction of or with Jose A. Montes, also known as Jose Rivera and ITuto,' 36, of Cranston, in order to steal excavators, sport boats, jet skis, all-terrain vehicles and trailers, the Rhode Island U.S. Attorney's office said. They allegedly cased various dealerships and marinas during the night in four states looking for equipment to steal." Apple's Head Of Global Security Charged With Bribery. The Washington Post (11/23, Albergotti, 14.2M) reports Thomas Moyer, Apple's head of global security, "was charged with bribery last week for allegedly promising to donate iPads to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office in exchange for concealed weapons permits, according to an indictment made public Monday." According to a news release on the Santa Clara County district attorney's website, Moyer "had applied for concealed weapons permits, according to the release. The sheriff's office held up the application, the news release alleges, until Moyer agreed to get Apple to donate $70,000 worth of iPads." Reuters (11/23, Nellis) reports two officers in the Sheriff's Office "were charged with soliciting bribes for issuing concealed carry permits." The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Elinson, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) provides similar coverage. Former Chicago Alderman Faces Years In Prison For Tobacco Settlement Scheme. The Chicago Tribune (11/23, Meisner, 2.65M) reports that former Chicago Alderman Edward Vrdolyak could receive a sentence of up to "31/2 years behind bars," with prosecutors "saying his decision to play games with the IRS and hide portions of the tobacco income was just the latest in a long string of ethical and legal lapses by someone who should have known better." US Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu said he "came from a privileged background. He was well educated, served as an elected official, and had a thriving legal practice." Bhachu added, "Despite all these advantages in life, he has chosen time and again to be a schemer, and to break the law." The US attorney "referenced the previous conviction in his sentencing filing Friday, noting Vrdolyak had been captured on an FBI wiretap." EFTA00149126 CYBER DIVISION UK Said To Be Considering Huawei Installation Ban In 2021. Bloomberg (11/23, Donaldson, Seal, 4.73M) reports the UK "is considering a ban on the installation of Huawei Technologies Co. 5G equipment as soon as next year to appease lawmakers pushing for tighter restrictions on the Chinese telecom equipment maker, according to people familiar with the matter." Lawmakers from Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party "are demanding stricter rules on companies using Huawei 5G gear, as part of the price for backing telecommunications security legislation due in parliament next week." Previously, "lawmakers had left it to telecom firms to replace Huawei's 5G equipment before a blanket ban is set to be enforced in 2027." U Of Vermont Medical Records Back Up One Month After Cyberattack. VTDigger (VT) (11/23, Jickling, 4K) reports, "The University of Vermont Medical Center's electronic medical records system is up and running nearly a month after the hospital fell victim to a cyberattack." VTDigger adds, "Over the weekend, the hospital tech team restored Epic health records system, giving doctors and nurses full access to patient medical history, appointments, and medications, said Al Gobeille, a vice president of operations for the UVM Health Network on Monday." According to VTDigger, UVMMC President and COO Stephen Leffler and Gobeille "have refused to say whether they were targeted by ransomware. They've referred questions about any ransom, the impact to the system and who was responsible to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 'We've been asked by the FBI not to discuss the incident,' Gobeille said. FBI spokesperson Sarah Ruane declined again to comment on Monday." US Arrests Man In $1M Airplane Cyber-Scam. Infosecurity Magazine (11/23, Coble) reports, "Police in the United States have made an arrest in connection with a million-dollar cyber-scam involving the sale of an airplane in Australia." IM adds, "An investigation was launched in 2018 after a Business Email Compromise (BEC) attack interfered with digital communications between a company in New Zealand that was buying an airplane and a company in Australia that was selling it for $1,028,000. By infiltrating the emails of the two companies, cyber-scammers managed to replace the seller's bank routing information with details of their own bank accounts in Houston, Texas. Using this ruse netted the attackers $928,000, paid in two separate transactions." According to IM, "The audacious theft sparked a two-and-a-half-year international criminal investigation that has already resulted in arrests and prosecutions. On November 18, that investigation led to the arrest of 36-year-old Cletus N. Anyanwu by Houston Police and the FBI." Mountie Testifies He Didn't Ask Huawei CFO For Phone Passcodes. Reuters (11/23, Berman) reports that Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Constable Gurvinder Dhaliwal "testified on Monday he did not plan to obtain" Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou's "mobile phone passcodes or search her electronic devices." Dhaliwal was "involved in the arrest of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou two years ago." He "told a Canadian court that he and his partner were 'discreet' about their contact with Canadian border officials on the eve of Meng's arrest on Dec. 1, 2018." A Canadian border agent, Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) superintendent Sowmith Katragadda, "had previously testified that he requested Meng's phone and laptop passcodes and she provided them voluntarily." Congress Finalizing Law On IoT Security. Forbes (11/23, 9.71M) senior contributor Enrique Dans writes that Congress is finalizing a "law on the security of the Internet of Things (IoT), a nice baseline that will help consolidate a much-needed part of an environment that promises very high growth in the near future, as EFTA00149127 billions of devices of all kinds are progressively connected to the internet." The IoT Cybersecurity Improvement Act "was conceived with the advice of companies such as Symantec, Mozilla and BSA The Software Alliance, is based on a list of considerations that IoT devices must cover: secure development, identity management, patching, and configuration management." It "establishes a series of requirements that will allow a baseline to be established in the consideration of IoT-related products." The EU "also has initiatives under development at various stages aimed at creating reference frameworks with regard to IOT security, which will certainly take note of the legislative approach proposed" by the US. Opinion: Firing Of CISA Director Reflects Vulnerability Of Cybersecurity. Philip Reitinger, the President and CEO of the Global Cyber Alliance, writes in an op-ed in the Cipher Brief (11/23) that former CISA Director Chris Krebs was fired for leading the agency "primarily responsible for securing the 2020 election effectively and with style," and for saying "'out loud' that the election was trustworthy." The ouster "was universally condemned by cybersecurity professionals," as removing him "during a presidential transition, when the threat of disinformation about the election result remains, undermines the homeland and national security of the United States." The Cyberspace Solarium Commission has shown "bipartisan consensus that significant actions must be taken, even if there are minor disagreements about what a few of those actions should be." Krebs' firing reflects the risk that "nationalism and relatively minor differences on cybersecurity and privacy will limit international action," Reitlinger writes. NATO Experimenting With Practice That Exposes Phishing Stammer's Techniques. Defense One (11/20, Tucker, 2K) discusses "honeypots, a deceptive cybersecurity practice that NATO used as part of its most recent exercise, NATO Cyber Coalition, which took place in Estonia and other locations from Nov. 16 to 20." In honeypots, a phishing email that is clicked on gives out meaningless information that may expose the techniques or tools used by a "young cyber officer in the Russian military looking to break into the defended network of a NATO government," for instance. The exercise was "coordinated through Estonia's Cyber Security Training Centre" and "brought in more than 1,000 participants." NATO Supreme Allied Transform Command technical director for Cyberspace Alberto Domingo explained, "The idea is that the adversary will find it easier to attack these machines without knowing and they will do that and we will be preserving the information for NATO and interacting with this adversary." LABORATORY Ohio Man Named As Suspect In Florida Cold Case Homicide. The Newark (OH) Advocate (11/23, Sumner, 47K) reports from Charlotte County, Florida, "A man on death row for the 2000 murder of a Newark woman was named in a Florida cold case homicide on Monday." According to the Advocate, "Via a Monday afternoon press conference, Charlotte County, Florida Sheriff Bill Prummell announced detectives with the agency's cold case unit recently received confirmation from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement that evidence submitted from the scene 'produced viable DNA connecting Roland "Rollie" Thomas Davis Sr. to the murder' of 42-year-old Sharon Gill. According to Prummell, Gill was 'brutally murdered' in her Deep Creek, Florida home in March 1990. The sheriff said the victim was stabbed 39 times and was discovered by her then 18-year-old daughter after she returned home from school." LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES DO) Reschedules Woman's Execution For January 12. EFTA00149128 The AP (11/23, Balsamo) reports the Justice Department has rescheduled the execution of Lisa Montgomery for Jan. 12, "just days before" Joe Biden, "an opponent of the death penalty, takes office." A federal judge had delayed the execution, which was set for December, because Montgomery's lawyers "tested positive for the novel coronavirus after visiting her behind bars. The delay was meant to allow her attorneys to recover from the virus and file a clemency petition on her behalf." The AP adds, "With the new execution date, Montgomery would be one of three federal inmates scheduled to die that week." NYPD To Increase Subway Patrols Amid Increase In Shoving Incidents. The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports the NYPD will step up patrols of subway lines after an increase in incidents in which people are shoved onto train tracks. In a conference call with reporters, NYPD Chief of Transit Kathleen O'Reilly said there have been 20 such incidents this year, up from 17 during the same period last year. Incoming Congresswoman Asked Capitol Police About Carrying Firearm. The AP (11/23, Fram) reports incoming congresswoman Lauren Boebert (R-CO), "who owns a gun-themed restaurant in Rifle, Colorado, has already asked Capitol Police about carrying her weapon on Capitol grounds, her office has acknowledged." The AP adds, "The practice is allowed for lawmakers, with some limitations." Capitol Police spokeswoman Eva Malecki said that Members of Congress are not required to notify them prior to carrying a firearm in the Capitol. DC Firefighter Shot While Aiding A Shooting Victim. The Washington Post (11/23, Hermann, 14.2M) reports while D.C. firefighters were loading a shooting victim into an ambulance on Sunday, "it appears the assailant returned to the area and fired another 14 rounds, wounding one of the rescuers as well as a woman standing nearby. ... Officials said the incident, which comes amid a rise in gun violence in the District, has angered and frustrated firefighters." John A. Donnelly Sr, acting chief of the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, "Our people were doing what we want them to be doing. ... They were responding to a call and they were taking care of a person who was hurt. There were no warning signs. ... We're just so lucky it wasn't worse. There were so many shots." The Post says the shooting "is indicative of a violent year in the District. Homicides are up about 20 percent over this time in 2019, and shootings are up about 35 percent." New York AG Accuses Buffalo Diocese Of Covering Up Sexual Abuse. The New York Times (11/23, Stack, 18.61M) reports New York Attorney General Letitia James "on Monday accused the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo and three bishops connected to it of engaging in a yearslong cover-up of sexual abuse by priests in violation of church policy and state law." The Times says the lawsuit "represents what prosecutors believe is a novel legal strategy" in which the state "will attempt to use civil laws, in particular those governing religious charities and their fiduciaries, to sue a Catholic diocese for failing to follow church policies enacted in 2002, after a series of investigative reports by The Boston Globe thrust the sex abuse scandal into public view." The Times adds that the suit may "raise questions about religious liberty," because it "seeks to ban two bishops from management roles in any charitable organization - a demand that may draw pushback from those who believe this encroaches into church autonomy." Transgender Woman Sues Georgia Department Of Corrections For A Second Time. The New York Times (11/23, Dewan, 18.61M) reports while Ashley Diamond, a transgender woman was "serving time in Georgia for nonviolent offenses," the Georgia Department of Corrections "[denied] her hormone therapy, hous[ed] her with male prisoners and fail[ed] to protect her from sexual assault" for years. Then, the Department "changed its treatment policy, EFTA00149129 released Ms. Diamond on parole and reached a settlement in her lawsuit." But, Diamond "was sent back to prison about a year ago for a parole violation. Once again she has been housed with men, and says she has been sexually assaulted more than 14 times since her return, according to a federal civil rights lawsuit filed on Monday by her lawyers at the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Southern Poverty Law Center." INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Mexican President Denies Deal With US To Capture Cartel Leader For Former Defense Minister. Reuters (11/23) reports "Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday denied that Mexico had agreed to capture a cartel leader for the United States in order to secure the return of ex-defense minister Salvador Cienfuegos from US custody." Reuters "reported last week that Mexico agreed with US Attorney General William Barr to seek the arrest of a high- level Mexican drug cartel leader as part of a deal to get US drug trafficking charges against Cienfuegos dropped." Lopez Obrador said at a news conference, "There is no deal in the shadows." He "said it was wrong to suggest that the United States sent Cienfuegos back so that Mexico would send Washington a leader of organized crime." DEA, FBI Meet With India's NCB To Discuss International Trafficking Networks. The Hindustan Times (IND) (11/23, Chauhan, 168K) reports that the DEA and FBI will meet virtually on Tuesday with India's Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to discuss "sharing intelligence as well as a joint mechanism to track and disrupt the money laundering associated with international drug smuggling networks," as part of the Indo-US Counter-Narcotics Working Group (CNWG). According to Sources, representatives from "the Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Department of Justice (DOJ), FBI, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS)" will likely attend the meeting, while from India, "NCB, Directorate of Revenue and Intelligence (DRI), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), ministry of health, department of revenue and ministry of external affairs (MEA)" will take part. According to the Hindustan limes, the DEA will share "current trends on synthetic opioids and their precursors' production and trafficking pattern in South Asia as well as discuss avenues to increase information sharing to halt the production and trafficking of fentanyl, related analogues, and its precursors, along with other synthetic drugs." LAWFUL ACCESS UK Officials Say Pedophile Would Not Have Been Caught Under Facebook's Encryption Plans. The Telegraph (UK) (11/23, Hymas, 956K) reports, "One of Britain's most prolific paedophiles, who targeted at least 500 children, would not have been caught under Facebook's proposed end-to-end encryption plans, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA)." The Telegraph adds, "Appearing at Ipswich Crown Court on Monday, labourer David Nicholas Wilson, 36, admitted 96 sex abuse offences against 51 boys aged four to 14, whom he conned into sending him sexual images or blackmailed into abusing their younger siblings or friends." The NCA "found 250,000 messages communicating with boys in his Facebook, Snapchat, Google and Instagram accounts after obtaining access to them through an International Letter of Request to the US authorities," but "his...abuse would not have been exposed without Facebook providing 90 referrals of suspect accounts linked to Wilson - evidence that would not be EFTA00149130 available if the social media giant goes ahead with its encryption plans, said Rob Jones, the NCA director of threat leadership." OTHER FBI NEWS Sen. Paul: DC US Attorney Won't Probe RNC Protestors Who Confronted Him At Convention. Fox News (11/23, Barrabi, 27.59M) reports, "Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Monday that prosecutors in Washington informed him that they do not plan to investigate the origins of protestors who heckled him and his wife at the Republican National Convention last August. 'The DC U.S. Attorney today confirmed to me that they will not pursue an investigation of who is funding the thugs who attacked my wife and me and sent a DC police officer to the hospital,' Paul wrote on Twitter." According to Fox News, "A crowd of protestors confronted Paul and his wife as he left the White House grounds after President Trump's keynote address at the convention. The protesters demanded that Paul acknowledge the death of Breonna Taylor, a 26- year-old emergency medical technician was fatally shot during an encounter with police pursuing a no-knock warrant on March 13." OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS Trump Says He Has Authorized GSA To Cooperate With Biden Transition. President Trump on Monday tweeted, "I want to thank Emily Murphy at GSA for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our Country. She has been harassed, threatened, and abused - and I do not want to see this happen to her, her family, or employees of GSA. Our case STRONGLY continues, we will keep up the good fight, and I believe we will prevail! Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same." Typical of the tone of the coverage, Lester Holt opened the NBC Nightly NewsVI (11/23, lead story, 1:30, Holt, 6.28M) by announcing that the General Services Administration is "for the first time acknowledging Joe Biden's win for President. Notifying the President-elect that the formal and official transfer of power can again. The decision comes more than two weeks after Biden was projected as the winner and after a series of legal and procedural defeats in President Trump's efforts to overturn the results." Hallie Jackson added that GSA Administrator Emily Murphy "says she is now making available access to the services and resources millions of dollars the incoming administration will need." In Murphy's letter, which was obtained by The Hill (11/23, Chalfant, Samuels, Miller, 2.98M), she asserted, "As the Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration, I have the ability under the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, as amended, to make certain post- election resources and services available to assist in the event of a presidential transition." Murphy added, "I take this role seriously and, because of recent developments involving legal challenges and certifications of election results, am transmitting this letter today to make those resources and services available to you." Reuters (11/23, Shalal) also reports that Murphy "said the decision allowing the start of a presidential transition to...Biden was 'solely mine' despite" Trump's tweet. On ABC World News TonightVi (11/23, story 4, 1:10, Muir, 7.67M), Jonathan Karl called Murphy's announcement as "the first step towards a Biden Administration," as well as "the first acknowledgment...from anywhere in the Trump Administration of Biden's status as the President-elect." Reuters (11/23, Mason, Hunnicutt) similarly says Trump's tweet "was the closest he has come to admitting defeat," as does a front-page Washington Post (11/23, Al, Hamburger, Reinhard, Ruble, 14.2M) article, which says that while "procedural in nature," EFTA00149131 Trump's "acceptance" of the GSA's action "amounted to a dramatic capitulation and capped an extraordinary 16-day standoff since Biden was declared the winner on Nov. 7." On the CBS Evening NewsVi (11/23, story 2, 0:40, Brennan, 4.43M), Ben Tracy said that while the GSA is "officially agreeing that...Biden has won the election," the President "is not conceding" and "is still vowing to fight the election results." Similarly, USA Today (11/23, Shesgreen, 10.31M) reports Trump "refused to concede and continues to make baseless allegations of voter fraud." However, Administration officials told the Wall Street Journal (11/23, Al, Restuccia, Peterson, Ballhaus, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) that White House Chief of Staff Meadows, White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, and Jay Sekulow, the President's personal lawyer, told Trump on Monday that he does not need to formally concede but needed to begin the transition process. "Some senior White House officials" told Politico (11/23, Choi, Orr, McGraw, Cook, 4.29M) that Trump's tweet "was inevitable amid the recent spate of certification deadlines for battleground states that...Biden won," but Weijia Jiang reported on CBS This MorningVI (11/23, 2.62M) that "senior Administration officials tell CBS News that...Trump will concede if he exhausts all of his legal options and remains the loser." Breitbart (11/23, Spiering, 673K) reports Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) "celebrated the news, noting that the GSA administrator had `ascertained' that they were `the apparent winners of the election." The Washington Times (11/23, Boyer, Swoyer, Miller, 492K) reports a Biden campaign official "called it `a needed step to begin tackling the challenges facing our nation, including getting the pandemic under control and our economy back on track." The New York Times (11/23, Fandos, 18.61M) reports Biden had "tried to stay on the margins of the escalating fight" over ascertainment. The AP (11/23, Eggert, Miller, Long) says that although the "fast-moving series of events" on Monday "seemed to let much of the air out of Trump's frantic efforts to undermine the will of the people in what has amounted to a weekslong stress test for American democracy," Trump's bid "to foment a crisis of confidence in the political system and the fairness of U.S. elections haven't ended and are likely to persist well beyond his lame-duck presidency." Politico (11/23, Cheney, 4.29M) reports Biden's transition was unable to "start until Murphy ascertain[ed] his victory, according to federal law, a determination that has prevented the incoming administration from communicating with key national security and health officials despite the raging coronavirus pandemic." Bloomberg (11/23, Dlouhy, 4.73M) reports the designation "triggers a formal transition process, giving Biden and his team access to current agency officials, briefing books and other government resources, including some $6 million in funding." The Washington Post (11/23, Wagner, 14.2M) says the GSA's announcement comes "after weeks of pressure from Democrats to allow the process to go ahead." Earlier Monday, Bloomberg (11/23, Dlouhy, Flatley, 4.73M) reports Murphy "buck[ed] House Democrats' demands for an in-person briefing Monday to explain her blocking of transition resources for...Biden," although the GSA's offer for "a 30-minute briefing next week with a deputy administrator didn't satisfy committee leaders who warned that continued delays threaten national security and hamper the incoming Biden administration's pandemic response planning." Meanwhile, Reuters (11/23, Zengerle) reports Trump "gave some ground on Monday to allow...Biden's transition to the presidency after the ranks grew of prominent Republicans calling for Trump to end efforts to overturn his election defeat." Reuters says that while "intensifying pressure from some Republicans may have factored in Trump's move to allow funding for Biden's transition," what was "possibly as consequential, if not more, was Michigan's certification of Biden's victory in that state." Politico (11/23, Levine, 4.29M) reports Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) "join[ed] a small group of Republican senators calling for the transition process to begin," and he "wrote that any disputes over the election results should end by December 8." Politico adds Sens. Jim Risch (R- ID), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Mitt EFTA00149132 Romney (R-UT), Ben Sasse (R-NE), and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) have also "acknowledged the need for a transition." On CNBC's Squawk BoxVI (11/23, 114K), Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) said, "I have fully supported the President's pursuing every plausible strategy — recounts, and litigating irregularities — but at some point you exhaust those possibilities. I think the President has reached that point in Pennsylvania. He appears to have reached that point in Georgia. Michigan wasn't even close, and so now the idea that a sitting President would try to, I don't know, pressure, cajole, persuade state legislators to dismiss the will of their voters and select their own group of electors and send them to the electoral college is completely inconsistent with any kind of truly democratic society so that shouldn't be going on in my view." Toomey also said, "I don't have any regrets about having supported Donald Trump for reelection." The New York Times (11/23, Edmondson, Cochrane, 18.61M) says that Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) on Monday "offered a pointed call for President Trump to begin a peaceful transfer of power, urging him to stand aside if only to preserve his legacy after Michigan's statewide electoral board approved its presidential vote tally in favor of" Biden. In a statement, Alexander said, "Since it seems apparent that...Biden will be the president-elect, my hope is that...Trump will take pride in his considerable accomplishments, put the country first and have a prompt and orderly transition to help the new administration succeed." Alexander added, "When you are in public life, people remember the last thing you do." Reuters (11/23, Cowan) reports that Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) on Monday "said while some irregularities in the Nov. 3 presidential election have been found, there is no indication they were widespread enough to call into question...Biden's victory." In a statement, Capito "said Biden and...Harris should begin receiving `all appropriate' briefings related to national security and COVID-19 and that `if states certify the results as they currently stand, Vice President Joe Biden will be our next president." The Hill (11/23, Mastrangelo, 2.98M) says Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) "reportedly said Monday that the outcome of the presidential election is `becoming increasingly clear,' and that `evidence of a systemic problem ... seem to be wanting." The Hill adds that Cornyn on Sunday "said in a tweet that Biden should be allowed to receive intelligence briefings that are being blocked by Trump's General Services Administration." Terry Moran reported on ABC's Good Morning AmericaVi (11/23, 3.1M) that "more Republicans are acknowledging the election is over," and while the New York Times (11/23, Thrush, Cochrane, Rosenberg, Fuchs, Tompkins, 18.61M) says "most congressional Republicans have refused to acknowledge Mr. Biden's victory," the AP (11/23, Bauder) reports that "former Watergate sleuth" Carl Bernstein on Sunday "took to Twitter to list the names of 21 Republican senators who he says have `repeatedly expressed contempt' for...Trump and his fitness to be president." However, the Washington Post (11/23, Hamburger, Nakashima, 14.2M) reports former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, former CIA Director Michael Hayden, and former Director of National Intelligence John D. Negroponte were among "a group of leading GOP national security experts" on Monday who called upon congressional Republicans "to demand...Trump concede the election and immediately begin the transition to the incoming Biden administration." In a statement, the group said, "Trump's refusal to permit the presidential transition poses significant risks to our national security, at a time when the U.S. confronts a global pandemic and faces serious threats from global adversaries, terrorist groups, and other forces." Reuters (11/23) reports the group "decried the failure of most congressional Republicans to condemn Trump's unwillingness to acknowledge...Biden's victory in the Nov. 3 election." USA Today (11/23, Vanden Brook, 10.31M) says the former officials "warned...Trump's refusal to allow a transition to...Biden imperils the nation." Writing at Bloomberg Opinion (11/23), former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says that with "a few notable exceptions, congressional Republicans have been EFTA00149133 complicit...either through their silence or active encouragement. Enough. Over the years I've worked with many Republicans in Washington, and we've had our differences over lots of issues, from taxes to climate change, and that's healthy. But this isn't a policy issue - it's a question of patriotism. I know them to be patriots - and now they must step up and show it." He adds, "It's past time for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to say what's been obvious for weeks: Trump lost and Biden will soon take office." In addition, the New York Times (11/23, Kelly, Hakim, 18.61M) reports that "more than 100 chief executives asked the Trump administration on Monday to immediately acknowledge [Biden] as the president-elect and begin the transition to a new administration." Per the Times, "the chief executives of Mastercard, Visa, MetLife, Accenture, the Carlyle Group, Cond4 Nast, McGraw-Hill, WeWork and American International Group," were among the signatories, which comprised "some of the most important players in the financial industry." The Washington Post (11/23, Denham, 14.2M) reports signatories included "several [executives] who have been major donors to the Republican Party." Bloomberg (11/23, Perlberg, Schmidt, 4.73M) says that while "few" executives "have embraced things Trump quite like the billionaire Stephen Schwarzman," on Monday he issued a statement "saying he was ready to help the Biden administration." The Washington Post (11/23, Telford, 14.2M) also reports Twitter and Facebook "said they will hand over the digital keys to @POTUS, as well as other official social media accounts, to Joe Biden on Inauguration Day, even as...Trump continues to reject his election defeat." In an email, Twitter told the Post that it "is preparing to support the changeover `as we did for the presidential transition in 2017' and that it is doing so in consultation with the National Archives and Records Administration," while a Facebook statement said it "expects a `seamless' transition of the relevant Facebook and Instagram accounts to the new administration." Trump Spreads More Voter Fraud Claims. The Washington Post (11/23, Elfrink, 14.2M) says that even as "more Republicans joined a chorus urging President Trump to concede the election and his legal team splintered over far-fetched conspiracy theories," the President on Sunday "just before midnight...took to Twitter to repeat more of the unfounded claims of mass voter fraud that have animated his weeks-long resistance to acknowledging defeat to...Biden." According to the Post, "Trump's tweets, which included another false claim that he `won' the election, were quickly flagged by Twitter with disclaimers." Lara Trump said on Fox News The Ingraham Angle (11/24) that the President "knows he won this election. We are working really hard every day to prove that and to show the fraud out there and to make sure that this isn't just about right now and this election. Obviously, we want the right thing to happen here. But, this is about the future of America. People need to know that we have integrity in our election system. ... There are millions of people out there that feel like they were cheated." In his New York Times (11/23, 18.61M) column, Paul Krugman writes that it was apparent that Trump "would react badly to defeat. But his refusal to concede, the destructiveness of his temper tantrum and the willingness of almost the entire Republican Party to indulge him have surpassed even pessimists' expectations." New York Times (11/23, 18.61M) columnist Bret Stephens says Trump and his legal team are "contriving their own Dolchstosslegende," which "translates as `stab-in-the-back myth' and was a key element in the revival of German militarism in the Weimar years." To Stephens, "The point of the farce is farce. It is to make an obscene joke of the Biden administration and our constitutional system of government." Stephens adds that if "certain readers think I'm making a comparison between Trump supporters and Nazis, let me emphasize that I am not. What I am saying is that this modem-day Dolchstosslegende...abets future demagogues by eroding public confidence in democratic institutions, until, unprotected, they collapse." In his Washington Post (11/23, 14.2M) column, Max Boot expresses "hope that...Trump's outrageous attempt to overturn the results of an election that he lost by 74 electoral college EFTA00149134 votes and more than 6 million popular votes will be the last gasp of a pathetic presidency in its dying days. But I fear that it might represent only a middle chapter in the Republican Party's transformation...into an authoritarian party similar to the Fidesz party in Hungary, the Law and Justice party in Poland, the Justice and Development Party in Turkey and the Bharatiya Janata Party in India." Trump Campaign's Legal Battles Face Additional Setbacks. On NBC's TodayVi (11/23, 2.93M), Halle Jackson reported the Trump campaign's legal battles "are getting messier with one of the President's highest profile allies basically accusing his attorneys of incompetence." On ABC World News TonightVi (11/23, story 3, 3:00, Muir, 7.2M), Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl said Michigan on Monday "made it official, certifying Joe Biden as the state's winner. Slamming the door shut on President Trump's frantic efforts, including summoning Republican state legislators to the White House on Friday to reverse an election in a state that Biden won by over 150,000 votes. Georgia had already certified Biden as the winner, and Pennsylvania today moved closer to doing the same." Karl added that in the courts, "everything is going bust. The Trump team and its allies have suffered some 30 losses." In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal (11/23, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) says the President is running out of time and legal options as he fights to contest the election. On the CBS Evening NewsVi (11/23, story 3, 1:35, Brennan, 4.43M), Ben Tracy reported that in "another reality check" for Trump, Michigan certified the results of the election, which "officially makes Joe Biden the winner of the state's 16 electoral votes." The AP (11/23) says that the President and his allies had "tried and failed to delay the process" of certification in Michigan, which "comes days after certification in Georgia, another hotly contested presidential battleground." Bloomberg (11/23, Welch, 4.73M) says the vote by Michigan's Board of State Canvassers "means that only a possible Republican request for a recount stands in the way of assuring that Biden will win the Wolverine State and its 16 electoral votes," but the board "didn't ask for a recount after certifying the results." Bloomberg adds Aaron Van Langevelde, a Republican member of the board, "sided with Democrats to certify the vote 3-0, while Norm Shinkle, the other Republican member, abstained and called on the Michigan legislature to conduct a full audit." According to Bloomberg, "Van Langevelde said that he believes that any irregularities should be investigated, but added that the Board of Canvassers is not the entity to do that." The Wall Street Journal (11/23, O'Brien, Goldman, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) states that the Republican National Committee and the Senate campaign of John James have requested the board audit the Wayne County results, particularly with respect to how mail-in ballots were processed, and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) has promised to conduct an audit after certification. USA Today (11/23, Boucher, 10.31M) reports Biden "earned approximately 154,000 more votes than...Trump in the state," but the President "and supporters have argued, without evidence and relying on conspiracy theories, that Michigan's election results were stolen or are otherwise fraudulent," which The Hill (11/23, Coleman, 2.98M) reports prompted Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) to warn on Monday "that a false claim of criminal activity, including election fraud, is itself a crime." The Washington Post (11/23, Ruble, 14.2M) says that while GOP officials on Monday "cited what they described as `significant problems and irregularities' in Wayne County, home of Detroit," state and county election data "shows that four years ago - when...Trump carried the state by a much narrower margin - twice as many Detroit precincts were out of balance." The Post adds neither Trump nor the Republican Party "questioned the validity of those election results - or demanded an audit to verify the vote tally." Meanwhile, the New York Times (11/23, Al, Shear, Fandos, Edmondson, 18.61M) says the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Monday "ruled against the Trump campaign and Republican allies, stating that roughly 8,000 ballots with signature or date issues must be counted." The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Ramey, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) calls the state Supreme EFTA00149135 Court ruling another setback to Trump's campaign, which the Washington Times (11/23, Swoyer, 492K) reports "took its election case against Pennsylvania officials to" the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals. Bloomberg (11/23, Larson, 4.73M) reports the Trump campaign told the appeals court that it "would request an emergency order blocking Pennsylvania from certifying its election result while the campaign seeks to revise a lawsuit over mail-in ballots." Bloomberg says that the filing "signals that Trump hasn't given up his effort to block Pennsylvania from certifying...Biden's victory, even though the state's 67 counties are required by law to certify their results by Monday evening." In another article, Bloomberg (11/24, Larson, 4.73M) says the filing comes as the Trump campaign's team "is increasingly focused on the notion that it can roll back certifications by taking a disastrous Pennsylvania ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court." However, a New York Times (11/23, Feuer, 18.61M) article headlined "The G.O.P. Bungles Its Final Stand To Stop Pennsylvania's Election Certification" says that while Trump's lawyers "have placed their hopes on using the law to stop the certification of Pennsylvania's election results," on Monday they "filed only a narrow appeal of a loss in a big federal case in Pennsylvania." In addition, the New York Times (11/23, Corasaniti, 18.61M) reports Philadelphia, which is "the largest county in the state and where Mr. Biden built his biggest margin, certified its results on Monday night in a 3-0 vote." According to the Times, "The city was the target of most of the Trump campaign's legal efforts in the state, which was not lost on the commissioners as they certified the results." In Wisconsin, the AP (11/23, Bauer) reports the state's "partial presidential recount entered its fourth day Monday, with very few changes in vote totals as...Trump's attorneys appeared to be focused on a legal challenge seeking to toss tens of thousands of ballots, including the one cast by an attorney for the campaign." The recount has been limited to Milwaukee and Dane counties where Biden's advantage "was about 2-to-1." Trump campaign "attorneys have objected to counting any absentee ballots where voters identified themselves as `indefinitely confined;' where information on the certification envelope is in two different ink colors, indicating a poll worker may have helped complete it; and where there is not a separate written record for it having been requested." The AP adds that "all of those ballots were being counted during the recount, but could be targeted as part of a Trump legal challenge." The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports Georgia will begin a machine recount on Tuesday. Meanwhile, a Washington Post (11/23, Kessler, 14.2M) "Fact Checker" analysis headlined "Giuliani Keeps Peddling Debunked Falsehoods On Behalf Of Trump" says the President's personal attorney Rudolph Giuliani's tweets show Trump's legal team "is not serious." According to the Post, Giuliani continues promoting "information that has already been thoroughly debunked, even in the conservative media." In an analysis, the Washington Post (11/23, Bump, 14.2M) says that while "at least at one point, Sidney Powell was part of President Trump's legal team as he pushed to overturn the will of the voters and earn a second consecutive term as president," her removal on Sunday left unanswered questions. According to the Post, Powell "did do two things that Giuliani avoided," which were "that she implied the involvement of Republican elected officials in her...conspiracy theory," and "she was unable to give Fox News adequate cover to present her claims uncritically." In a profile of Powell, the New York Times (11/23, Peters, Feuer, 18.61M) states that she "has said she plans to file a suit in Georgia but hasn't yet," and "it is unclear whether that work will continue now that the Trump campaign has cut her loose." In his Washington Post (11/23, 14.2M) column, Dana Milbank asserts Trump "is losing so much we are sick and tired of his losing." According to Milbank, "There's no realistic possibility his attempt to overturn the election succeeds, but the clown coup still does damage by preventing the incoming Biden administration from getting up to speed on potential national security crises and vaccine distribution. And last-minute sabotage - another government EFTA00149136 shutdown, or vetoing a defense bill over Trump's insistence on keeping the names of bases named for Confederates - can't be ruled out." Milbank concludes Trump "came in promising so much winning, but he's leaving with so much whining." Research Finds Small Numbers Of Right-Wing Personalities Behind Spread Of Election Misinformation. The New York Times (11/23, Frenkel, 18.61M) reports new research from Avaaz, a global human rights group, the Elections Integrity Partnership, and the Times "shows how a small group of people - mostly right-wing personalities with outsized influence on social media - helped spread the false voter-fraud narrative that led to those rallies. That group, like the guests of a large wedding held during the pandemic, were 'superspreaders' of misinformation around voter fraud, seeding falsehoods that include the claims that dead people voted, voting machines had technical glitches, and mail-in ballots were not correctly counted." In another report on "viral misinformation," the New York Times (11/23, Frenkel, 18.61M) says Biden "did not have a maskless birthday party last week," despite posts to the contrary that attempt