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From: To: Subject: - u is airs ews rie Ing urs ay, ay , 2021 Date: Thu, 06 May 2021 10:30:48 +0000 c Importan e: Normal Mobile version and searchable archives available at fbi.bulletinintelligence.com. ; ATBI News Briefing TO: THE DIRECTOR AND SENIOR STAFF DATE: THURSDAY, MAY 6, 2021 6:30 AM EDT TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS LEADING THE NEWS • Suspect: Alaska Raid Seeking Laptop Stolen During Capitol Riot Case Of Mistaken Identity. CAPITOL RIOTS • Secret Service Director To Testify Before House For First Time Since Capitol Insurrection. • Grandmother's Tip Helps FBI Identify Capitol Insurgent. COUNTER-TERRORISM • Federal Documents Detail Weaponry, Explosives Found At Right-Wing Protests. COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE • DO) Working To Counter China's Efforts To Obtain Research, Technology From US Universities. • Napolitano Criticizes FISA As Unconstitutional Enabler Of "Security State." CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS • Former Zelensky Adviser Details Giuliani's Ukraine Dealings. • California Bar Owner Arrested For Selling Bogus COVID-19 Vaccine Cards. • Missing Colorado Woman's Husband Charged With Murder. • Co-Conspirator Testifies In Former Massachusetts Mayor's Corruption Trial. • Columnist Dismayed That Some Los Angeles City Hall Corruption May Be Legal. • Pittsburgh Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Child Pornography Charges. • Arkansas Residents Charged With Selling Non-Existent Purebred Puppies. • Minnesota Man Facing Federal Sextortion, Child Pornography Charges. • Former Maui Police Officer Pleads Guilty To Soliciting Sex In Exchange For Sabotaging Criminal Case. • Alabama Trooper Facing Child Sex Charges Is Former FBI Agent. • Arizona Man Arrested In Serial Rapes Is Former Border Patrol Agent. • Chicago Rapper G Herbo Accused Of Lying To FBI. • Alabama Man Faces Charges For Threatening Huntsville Schools. • Body On California Beach Is Convicted Bank Robber. • Kentucky Man Guilty Of Murder In Multi-state Robberies. • FBI Assisting Investigation In Southeast Kansas Armed Bank Robbery. • FBI Assisting Missouri Police Department In Cold Case. EFTA00149800 • FBI Assisting Search For Suspect In Pennsylvania Bank Robbery. • Colorado Man Pleads Not Guilty Gang Murder. • Longtime Eco-terror Fugitive Pleads Not Guilty To Charges In 2001 California Fire. • Target In Illinois FBI Raid Now Faces Multiple Child Sex Charges. • In Iowa, Sex Offender Faces Murder Charges In Death Of 10-year-old Girl. • Opioids Case Leads To Prison Time For Alabama Doctor And Her Husband. • Three Rhode Island Residents Plead Guilty To Drug Charges. • Texas Lawyer Gets Long Prison Sentence In Case Involving Cocaine Traffickers. • Drug Investigation Leads To Decade In Prison For Florida Man. • Drug Case Defendant Gets 71-Month Prison Sentence After Pleading Guilty. FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS • Former Adidas Consultant Says Firm Gave Airline Tickets, Gifts To College Players. • Actor Faces Federal Fraud Charges In Movie Distribution Ponzi Scheme. CYBER DIVISION • Washington State Doctor Indicted in Dark Web Kidnapping Plot. • Biden Administration To Keep Trump Doctrine On Cybersecurity In Space. • DHS Giving More Attention To Ransomware Attacks. • Lawmakers Seek More Funds, Authorities For CISA. LABORATORY • Attorneys For Accused "Killer Clown" Say Evidence May Be Tainted. OTHER FBI NEWS • Study Points To Significant Spike In Hate Crimes Targeting Asians In US Cities. • Many Native American Missing Persons Cases Go Unsolved. • FBI's Closing Of 2004 Child Murder Case Contrasted With Local Detectives' Unsuccessful Investigation. OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS • Atlanta Police Officer Reinstated Following Brooks Shooting. • States Embrace Bans Of Police Facial Recognition Usage. • Army Will Reportedly Appoint Civilian To Criminal Investigations Department. • South Carolina Votes To Add Firing Squad To Execution Methods. • Administration Backs Proposed WTO Vaccine Patent Waiver. • CDC Expects "Sharp Decline" In US COVID Cases By July. • US Daily Vaccination Average Down To 2.2M From Peak Of 3.4M. • Walensky Says She Is "Really Enthusiastic About Relaxing Restrictions." • Public Heath Experts Praise Administration Over Vaccine Stockpile Program. • Moderna Study Finds Vaccine Is Effective Against Variants. • Pfizer Studies Show Vaccine Is Effective Against Variants. • California COVID Hospitalizations Drop To Lowest Levels Since 2020. • Asian Americans Are Most Vaccinated Group In NYC. • Cuomo Announces September Resumption For Broadway. • Biden Open To Compromise On Jobs Plan, But Says He Will Not "Deficit-Spend." • Biden Touts High Demand For Restaurant Assistance Funds. • Harris Takes Lead On Small Business Outreach As Administration Sells Recovery Plans. • Raimondo Says Infrastructure Bill Has Bipartisan Support. • Analysis Concludes White House Underestimated Cost Of Families Plan By $700B. • Judge Rules CDC Exceeded Its Authority With Eviction Moratorium. EFTA00149801 • Administration Officials Receiving Reports Of Worker Shortages. • IRS Announced Distribution Of Another Batch Of Stimulus Payments. • Fed Officials Not Concerned About Potential For Accelerating Inflation. • Treasury Urges Congress To Increase Debt Ceiling This Summer. • Labor Department Blocks Rule Classifying Gig Workers As Contractors. • Apple Investing $410M In Texas Manufacturing Firm. • GM Reports $3.3B Q1 Net Profit. • Ford Says Summer Deliver Of Bronco "On Track" Despite Supply Chain Challenges. • Dow Hits Record As Major Indexes Post Mixed Finish. • Lawmakers Seek Administration's Help To Eliminate Vietnamese Pork Tariffs. • EU Moves To Limit Chinese Investments And Imports. • ABC Examines Growing Rate Of Attacks On Asian Americans. • State Law Enforcement Steps Up To Assist At Border. • Mayorkas Says DHS Probe Will "Root Out" Domestic Extremists Internally. • WPost: Biden "Has More Work To Do" On Refugees. • Biden Says GOP Going Through "Mini-Revolution" As Leaders Turn Against Cheney. • Biden Responds To McConnell's Pledge To Work Against "This New Administration." • Biden: Philadelphia Sports Fans "Are The Most Informed And Most Obnoxious." • Biden Reportedly Backs Nuclear Power Subsidies. • NYTimes Analysis: Biden's Approach To Oval Office Art "Distinct" From Predecessors. • DC Mayor Admitted Into Democratic Governors Association. • Democratic Lawmakers Revise Voting Bill Ahead Of Committee Vote. • DO) Expresses Concern About GOP-Led Arizona Ballot Recount. • US Birth Rate Declined For Sixth Straight Year In 2020. • Board Says Facebook Needs To Make Consistent, Transparent Ruling On Trump. • NYTimes Analysis: Swing District Departures Put Democrats' House Majority At Risk. • Jenner Expresses Support For US-Mexico Border Wall. • Hohmann Says Virginia GOP Likely To Throw Away Chance At Gubernatorial Win. • Adams Leads Yang In NYC Democratic Mayoral Primary Poll. INTERNATIONAL NEWS • WPost Analysis: Biden Shuns Trump-Friendly "Strongmen." • Austin Makes Case For "Integrated Deterrence." • US Considers Sanctioning Officials In Central America For Corruption. • Colombian Police Lead Forceful Crackdown On Protests. • Afghan Militants Kill Four Pakistani Soldiers In Ambush. • In Ukraine, Blinken To Offer Support Against Russia, Pressure On Graft Issues. • Spanish Voters Favor "Right-Wing Leader" In Regional Elections. • Tories, Scottish Nationalists Likely To Gain In UK Local Elections. • Two Americans Convicted Of Murdering Rome Police Officer. • Negotiations With Iran Stall Over Centrifuge Issue. • Opposition Leader Lapid Has Four Weeks To Form New Israeli Government. • Duckworth Calls For Biden To Pressure Turkey To Stop Attacks On Syrian Kurds. • In Video, French Journalist Claims To Be Kidnapped In Mali, Pleads For Rescue. THE BIG PICTURE • Headlines From Today's Front Pages. WASHINGTON'S SCHEDULE • Today's Events In Washington. EFTA00149802 FATITNIC TWF Suspect: Alaska Raid Seeking Laptop Stolen During Capitol Riot Case Of Mistaken Identity. The AP (5/5) reports on the recent raid of the home of Marylyn Hueper of Homer, Alaska, during which FBI agents reportedly said they were looking for a laptop stolen from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during the Capitol insurrection. The AP says that "even though Hueper looks strikingly similar to the thief," the raid could be based on mistake identity. "The Justice Department's massive prosecution" of participants in the attack "has not been without its problems. ... And as Republicans are increasingly seeking to minimize the insurrection and play down the horror of the day, any missteps by federal prosecutors could be used in that effort to discredit what actually happened." KTUU-TV Anchorage, AK (5/5) reports, "Newly unsealed court records show why Joint Terrorism Task Force investigators and a judge believed there was probable cause to search the premises of Paul and Marilyn Hueper in Homer in late April." While they attended the "Jan. 6 rally at the nation's Capitol," the couple "have said they did nothing wrong." The couple says "the FBI mistook Marilyn Hueper for a woman who'd entered the Capitol that day, and that during the search, agents said they were looking for Nancy Pelosi's laptop." CAPITOL RIOTS Secret Service Director To Testify Before House For First Time Since Capitol Insurrection. CNN (5/5, Wild, 89.21M) reports Secret Service Director James Murray is scheduled to testify before the House Appropriations Committee's Homeland Security Subcommittee Thursday, "the first time the agency is appearing in an open hearing since the January 6 riot, during which agents swiftly moved then-Vice President Mike Pence to an unknown location." Murray's prepared remarks "make only brief mention of the events of January 6, but he does note that the agency has made some operational adjustments because of civil unrest and the rise in domestic violent extremism." The remarks say, "The Secret Service has reviewed its operational security posture over the past 10 months due to the increase in civil unrest and domestic violent extremism, as well as our open source intelligence capabilities given the proliferation of social media platforms." Grandmother's Tip Helps FBI Identify Capitol Insurgent. The New Jersey Star-Ledger (5/5, 1.47M) reports in January one grandmother told another "that her son was actually one of the hundreds who stormed" the US Capitol. "By Jan. 17, the other grandmother had told one of her grandchildren about what she had learned and the grandchild soon informed the FBI that Robert Petrosh Jr., of Mays Landing, was among" the insurgents. "Investigators soon learned more after a current FBI Task Force officer, who has known Petrosh for approximately 15 years, identified the South Jersey man in screenshots" of Capitol surveillance video. COUNTER-TERRORISM Federal Documents Detail Weaponry, Explosives Found At Right-Wing Protests. The Guardian (UK) (5/5, Wilson, 5.53M) reports federal documents "show a wide range of explosives, flamethrowers and incendiary devices found by law enforcement agencies outside political conventions, public buildings and protests during 2020 and 2021. The extent of the weaponry - including timed devices deposited as part of a suspected pro-Trump bomb plot - EFTA00149803 reveals the perils and potential violence circulating through American politics in the grip of unrest linked to pandemic shutdowns, anti-racism protests and rightwing activism and insurrection that culminated in the attack on the Capitol in Washington." COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE DO) Working To Counter China's Efforts To Obtain Research, Technology From US Universities. The Washington Examiner (5/5, Dunleavy, 888K) reports the DOJ is "increasingly sounding the alarm about the economic challenge and national security threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party, especially as the Chinese government's Thousand Talents Program exploits the openness of academia in the United States to steal advanced research to increase China's wealth and enhance its power" DOJ's China Initiative "is shining the spotlight on the Chinese Communist Party's coordinated and multifaceted efforts to steal research and technology from academic institutions across the country, with prosecutors mounting aggressive efforts over the past few years to crack down on Chinese malign influence at U.S. universities." The piece quotes Attorney General Merrick Garland saying in House Appropriations testimony this week, "Well, within the last month or so, the intelligence community has identified China as a threat ... with respect to espionage, with respect to theft of intellectual property, so the FBI is working very hard on these issues. There's also obviously a very important cybercrime and cyberhacking element of this, so a lot of money and new resources are being put into protecting against that hacking, then prosecuting where we're unsuccessful at protection and then plugging the holes." Napolitano Criticizes FISA As Unconstitutional Enabler Of "Security State." In commentary for the Washington Times (5/5, 626K), former New Jersey Superior Court Judge Andrew P. Napolitano writes that recent revelations about the FBI and US Postal Service's use of FISA warrant surveillance violate the Fourth Amendment. He argues that the FBI's access to NSA data is "deeply troubling because it violates both the Fourth Amendment and federal law" and contributes to the reach of "America's security state." CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS Former Zelensky Adviser Details Giuliani's Ukraine Dealings. On NBC Nightly NewsVI (5/5, story 6, 1:55, Holt, 5.3M), Andrea Mitchell interviewed Igor Novikov, former adviser to Ukrainian President Zelensky, for "a first-person account of how Rudy Giuliani was trying to damage" President Biden's campaign. Novikov, who "listened in as Giuliani pressed for Ukraine's president to investigate Biden," described Giuliani as seeking "a smear campaign" on Biden, and said, "He was especially interested in getting Ukraine to make a public statement and possibly back it up, this crazy allegations that it was Ukraine, not Russia, that meddled in 2016." Mitchell added that Giuliani is "now under investigation for his role in Ukraine," though "he's not been charged with any crime." California Bar Owner Arrested For Selling Bogus COVID-19 Vaccine Cards. McClatchy (5/5, Capron, 29K) reports Todd Anderson, owner of the Old Corner Saloon in Clements, California, "was arrested after officials said he sold fake COVID-19 vaccine cards from his business." Anderson "was arrested Tuesday after undercover agents bought bogus coronavirus vaccination cards from the bar." Since having the cards could be necessary for travel or other purposes in the coming months, "it's become a growing trend to buy or sell fake cards. The FBI has said that's illegal." ABC News (5/5, 2.44M) reports the bar owner "was arrested this week for making fake IDs that had nothing to do with drinking," saying the California Department of Alcoholic EFTA00149804 Beverage Control "announced on Wednesday that it arrested the owner of the Old Corner Saloon in Clements, California, allegedly for selling fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards." The agency launched an undercover investigation on a tip that Anderson "was making and selling the cards at his bar." In March, the FBI released a statement saying, "By misrepresenting yourself as vaccinated when entering schools, mass transit, workplaces, gyms or places of worship, you put yourself and others around you at risk of contracting COVID-19." Missing Colorado Woman's Husband Charged With Murder. The New York Post (5/5, Fitz-Gibbon, 7.45M) reports Chaffee County, Colorado, Sheriff John Spezze said Wednesday that Barry Morphew, "the husband of Colorado mom Suzanne Morphew, who went missing on Mother's Day last year, has been charged with first-degree murder." Barry Morphew was arrested "and charged with murder, tampering with physical evidence and attempting to influence a public servant, authorities said." Though Suzanne Morphew's body has yet to be found, Spezze said, "our belief is that Suzanne is not alive at this time." Fox News (5/5, Pagones, 23.99M) reports Spezze "thanked the FBI, Colorado's Bureau of Investigation and the office of 11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley for their roles in breaking the case almost a full year after Morphew's disappearance. ... Stanley said the investigation remained active and that the missing woman's remains have still not been found." Co-Conspirator Testifies In Former Massachusetts Mayor's Corruption Trial. The Providence (RI) Journal (5/5, 376K) reports on the "corruption and fraud trial against" former Fall River, Massachusetts, Mayor Jasiel Correia II Tuesday, "with a focus on allegations that the former Fall River mayor extorted hundreds of thousands of dollars from marjivana companies. The day was capped by stunning testimony from" alleged co-conspirator Hildegar Camara, who "testified that though he arranged the terms of a $250,000 bribe for David Brayton, he became concerned around the time co-conspirator Tony Costa placed a bribe from Brian Bairos in his garden shed. Camara said when he retrieved an envelope from the shed, he brought it to his basement, where Correia was sitting, and opened it to see a stack of bills totaling $50,000." Columnist Dismayed That Some Los Angeles City Hall Corruption May Be Legal. In a column in the Long Beach (CA) Press-Telegram (5/4, 121K), Susan Shelley writes, "As the FBI's investigation into public corruption at Los Angeles City Hall drags into another year, the really astonishing revelation so far is how much of the corruption is allowed by law," citing a recent Los Angeles Times article describing "what the U.S. attorney's office is calling 'indirect bribes." Prosecutors say former Deputy Mayor Raymond Chan "made some arrangements that benefited close family members of city employees and officials who had a hand in the approval process for the developers' projects. ... Chan's attorney, Harland Braun, says his client's activities were just ordinary business dealings. It could turn out that both things are true - pay- to-play is simply business as usual." Pittsburgh Man Pleads Guilty To Federal Child Pornography Charges. The Daily Caller (5/5, Safi, 375K) reports George Goodwin of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, "pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography and to owning videos that showed the 'sadistic and masochistic abuse' of young children, the Justice Department announced Tuesday." Goodwin "pleaded guilty in federal court to distributing material depicting the sexual exploitation of children." The article notes that the FBI took part in the investigation. Arkansas Residents Charged With Selling Non-Existent Purebred Puppies. KTHV-TV Little Rock, AR (5/5, 125K) reports Helda Berinyuy and Thierry Ekwelle of Malvern, Arkansas, "have been accused of fraudulently selling purebred puppies to 153 victims from EFTA00149805 multiple states, receiving over $110,000 between August 2018 and November 2020." The suspects "reportedly used websites to advertise the sale of purebred, AKC registered puppies such as French Bulldogs, Boxers, Toy Poodles, English Bulldogs, and others, when in fact they never had puppies to sell." The article notes that the FBI is conducting the investigation. Minnesota Man Facing Federal Sextortion, Child Pornography Charges. The Minneapolis Star Tribune (5/4, 855K) reports Mitchell James Ottinger of Carver, Minnesota, "has been charged in a case involving child pornography and sextortion." Ottinger, who worked as a substitute teacher and paraprofessional, "was charged with two counts of production and attempted production of child pornography and two counts of threatening extortion, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office." Former Maui Police Officer Pleads Guilty To Soliciting Sex In Exchange For Sabotaging Criminal Case. Honolulu Civil Beat (HI) (5/5) reports former Maui police officer Brandon Charles Saffeels "admitted in federal court on Wednesday that he told a suspect he would lie on the stand for her if she engaged in a sexual relationship with him, the Department of Justice announced." Federal authorities say Safeels "pleaded guilty to a seven-count indictment that includes public corruption in the form of honest services wire fraud. ... Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Judith A. Philips said in a statement that Saffeels violated the core principles of the Maui Police Department: Integrity, fairness and service." Alabama Trooper Facing Child Sex Charges Is Former FBI Agent. The Hill (5/5, Lonas, 5.69M) reports that Christopher Bauer, an Alabama state trooper who was arrested last week on charges of raping an 11-year-old girl, "was previously kicked out of the FBI while facing sexual misconduct claims." The AP (5/5) reports that, despite losing his federal security clearance, Bauer managed to become an Alabama state trooper "with the apparent help of a fake bureau letter that scrubbed his record clean." According to the AP, "Bauer is the latest - and perhaps most extreme - example yet of an FBI agent accused of sexual misconduct moving on." Arizona Man Arrested In Serial Rapes Is Former Border Patrol Agent. The AP (5/5) reports the FBI and US Marshals assisted the Mesa Police Department in the arrest of John Daly III, a former Border Patrol agent, who investigators recently linked to at least eight rapes that occurred from 1999-2001 through the use of new DNA technology. The Arizona Republic (5/5, White, 1.05M) reports that Rob Daniels, a spokesperson for CBP, "confirmed Daly was a Supervisory Border Patrol Agent at the Douglas Station in southeast Arizona from November 1999 until he retired in December 2019." Newsweek (5/5, Anglesey, 2.67M) reports the FBI provided local law enforcement with "analytical, investigative and support resources" as they pursued the case against Daly. Chicago Rapper G Herbo Accused Of Lying To FBI. The Chicago Tribune (5/5, Meisner, 2.03M) reports "Chicago rap sensation G Herbo has been hit with new federal charges alleging he lied to an FBI agent investigating whether his crew used stolen identities to make up to $1.5 million in fraudulent charges for extravagant services." UpRoxx (5/5, Okon, 1.13M) reports, "After being charged with identity fraud late last year, G Herbo has been hit with new charges related to that case. ... for allegedly lying to a federal agent about his connection to one of the co-defendants in the case. Wright reportedly denied having a direct relationship with Antonio Strong, his friend and business associate. The FBI believes Wright and Strong have known each other since 2016 and maintained frequent contact since." EFTA00149806 Alabama Man Faces Charges For Threatening Huntsville Schools. The Huntsville (NJ Times (5/5, Koplowitz, 623K) reports that the FBI North Alabama Violent Crimes Task Force assisted the Madison County Sheriff's office and the North Alabama Safe Streets Task Force in locating Darren Pullen after he made bomb threats against two Huntsville City schools. WZDX-TV Huntsville, AL (5/5) reports that "no suspicious packages or devices were found at either campus" and the Sheriff's Office has now brought charges against Pullen. WAFF-TV Huntsville, AL (5/5, 28K) also reports. Body On California Beach Is Convicted Bank Robber. The San Diego Union-Tribune (5/5, 587K) reports that the San Diego Medical Examiner's office identified "a man found dead on an Encinitas beach early Tuesday morning...as Christopher Andrew Gibson...who had been convicted of robbing banks in San Diego County in his 20s." The AP (5/5) reports that the FBI said Gibson committed his "first robbery in 2014...hours after" he was released from "a detention center where he was being held on unrelated charges." According to the AP, the cause of Gibson's death remains under investigation. Kentucky Man Guilty Of Murder In Multi-state Robberies. The Lexington (En Herald-Leader (5/5, 205K) reports that jurors in federal court "convicted Cabellero Melgar this week on charges that included conspiring to interfere with commerce by robbery, conspiring to use guns during crimes of violence, murder during a crime of violence, and illegal reentry into the United States after being deported." Prosecutors accused Melgar of participating in a team that carried out robberies of "15 businesses in Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and Indiana in 2016 and 2017." During one of the incidents, a bystander, Jose Cruz, was shot and killed after attempting to defend himself when one of the robbers who became violent towards him. The Herald-Leader quoted Robert Brown, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Louisville field office, as saying, the group of robbers "'demonstrated a penchant for violence and would have no doubt continued their path of carnage' had authorities not caught them." FBI Assisting Investigation In Southeast Kansas Armed Bank Robbery. KOAM-TV Pittsburg, KS (5/5, Strader) reports that the FBI has joined an investigation into an armed robbery at the Kansas Equity Bank in Independence, Kansas. The robbery occurred Wednesday afternoon, and KOAM-TV reports that deputies with the Montgomery County Sheriff's office arrested a suspect the same day. FBI Assisting Missouri Police Department In Cold Case. KTVI-TV St. Louis (5/5, Willeke, 289K) reports the FBI is assisting the Berkeley Police Department in Missouri in the investigation into the 2017 "murder and carjacking of Jayvon Vance." KMOV-TV St. Louis (5/5, 251K) adds the FBI and Berkeley Police are asking for public help in locating a person who used the moniker `Tony King' to communicate with Vance in a Facebook group shortly before the man's death and arranged to meet with him at the location where he was shot and killed. FBI Assisting Search For Suspect In Pennsylvania Bank Robbery. WFMZ-TV Allentown, PA (5/5, 176K) reports the FBI is assisting the Upper Dublin Township Police Department in its efforts to catch the suspect in the robbery of a BB&T bank branch that occurred on Wednesday morning. According to WFMZ, "police say the man they are looking for is black, around the age of 30, approximately 6' tall, large build." Colorado Man Pleads Not Guilty Gang Murder. EFTA00149807 The Pueblo (CO) Chieftain (5/5, Boczkiewicz, 61K) reports that, on Tuesday in Colorado, Emilio Hall, an alleged member of the "Ace gang," pleaded not guilty to federal charges that he murdered a fellow gang member. The Chieftain adds the case against Hall comes "after many months of investigation by the Safe Streets Task Force of Pueblo police and the FBI, as well as several other Pueblo, state and federal law enforcement agencies." Longtime Eco-terror Fugitive Pleads Not Guilty To Charges In 2001 California Fire. The Sacramento (CA) Bee (5/5, Stanton, 519K) reports that Joseph Mahmoud Dibee pleaded not guilty to federal arson charges in a case that originates from a 2001 incident in which Dibee is accused of setting fire to a horse corral at a federal facility near Susanville, California. According to the Bee, Dibee was a member of an eco-terror group called "the Family," which carried out more than "40 attacks that caused more than $45 million in damage." The FBI began targeted the group as part of Operation Backfire, which led to charges against Dibee in 2006. However, Dibee fled and managed to avoid capture for about 12 years until he was finally apprehended in Cuba in 2018. Target In Illinois FBI Raid Now Faces Multiple Child Sex Charges. The Chicago Daily Herald (5/5, Graham, 360K) reports that Jose Torrez, "whose home was raided Tuesday morning by the FBI and local police," faces charges "of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child younger than 13." The FBI became involved in the case when local police discovered that, at one point, Torrez had taken the child out of the country. In Iowa, Sex Offender Faces Murder Charges In Death Of 10-year-old Girl. The AP (5/5, Foley) reports that local prosecutors in Iowa have brought murder and kidnapping charges against Henry Dinkins, a registered sex offender, in connection with the death of 10- year-old Breasia Terrell, the half-sister of Dinkins' son. According to the AP, the FBI provided assistance to local police while they investigated the case after Terrell disappeared last July. Opioids Case Leads To Prison Time For Alabama Doctor And Her Husband. The AP (5/5) reports Dr. Elizabeth Korcz "and her husband, who managed her" Alabama practice, "will serve federal prison sentences for providing opioids to people without a legitimate medical purpose." The FBI and the DEA investigated the Korcz case, according to the AP report and an online WBRC-TV Birmingham, AL (5/5, 57K) article that says Korcz and her husband were sentenced to 52 months and 30 months, respectively, in prison. The article quotes DEA New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley, who said the Korcz investigation shows that the DEA is committed to holding people accountable when they illegally dispense controlled substances. The Birmingham (a) News (5/5, 656K) publishes a similar article. Newsweek (5/5, 2.67M) quotes the FBI's Johnnie Sharp Jr., who said healthcare professionals should "not exploit their profession to line their pockets." Reuters (5/5, Pierson) also covers this story. Three Rhode Island Residents Plead Guilty To Drug Charges. An online WLNE-TV Providence, RI (5/5, LaFrance) report says Rhode Island residents Angel Aviles, Juan Batista and Natalie Cassidy have pleaded guilty to drug charges. The report highlights that "the FBI Rhode Island Safe Streets Gang Task Force" investigated this case, which involved a "scheme to distribute large amounts of crack cocaine and fentanyl in" Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Texas Lawyer Gets Long Prison Sentence In Case Involving Cocaine Traffickers. The New York Times (5/5, Paybarah, 20.6M) reports Texas attorney James Morris Balagia "was sentenced this week to more than 15 years in prison for" participating in a "scheme to pocket money that Colombian cocaine traffickers had been told would go to bribe officials." During Balagia's trial, FBI Special Agent Jason Rennie "testified about a recording of a meeting Mr. EFTA00149808 Balagia and his associates held inside a Colombian prison with Segundo Villota Segura, who was facing extradition to Texas." The New York Daily News (5/5, Feldman, 2.51M) and the iHeartRadio (5/5, 5.47M) website also cover Balagia's sentence. Drug Investigation Leads To Decade In Prison For Florida Man. The Osceola (a) News-Gazette (5/6) reports Florida resident Eddie Quinones Santiago has been sentenced to 10 years in prison "for conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, possession of 100 grams or more of heroin with intent to distribute, and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute." The DEA and the FBI were involved with the drug investigation that led to the sentence. The WESH-TV Orlando, FL (5/5, 255K) website publishes a similar article. Drug Case Defendant Gets 71-Month Prison Sentence After Pleading Guilty. The Martinsburg (14/) Journal (5/5, 51K) reports Martinsburg resident Michael Pierre Christian, who "pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of cocaine base," has been sentenced to 71 months in prison. A number of law enforcement organizations investigated this case, including the FBI and "the Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force," which is a "HIDTA-funded initiative." FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS Former Adidas Consultant Says Firm Gave Airline Tickets, Gifts To College Players. The Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal (5/5, Wolfson, 554K) reports former Adidas consultant Dan Cutler says in a sworn deposition that the firm "provided airfare and other benefits to college players, including former Duke basketball star Zion Williamson." Cutler "said an Adidas representative provided four airline tickets for Williamson's family before he enrolled at Duke." The deposition is part of "a lawsuit filed by disqualified University of Louisville recruit Brian Bowen Jr." The piece explains that a number of colleges have "been accused of misconduct by the NCAA stemming from an FBI investigation into men's college basketball that resulted in the 2018 trial and convictions of James Gatto, an Adidas executive; Merl Code, an Adidas consultant; and Christian Dawkins, an aspiring sports agent." The Louisville (a) Courier-Journal (5/5, 554K) reports the University of Louisville "insists the bribery scheme preceding former basketball recruit Brian Bowen's enrollment was all Adidas' doing and should not be held against the school that stood to benefit from his five-star talents." However, depositions and other court documents filed in the case "could undermine that argument in U of L's infractions case with the NCAA's Independent Accountability Resolution Process." Bowen "was prevented from playing college basketball amid allegations arising from an FBI probe that his signing was induced by a promise of $100,000, in violation of NCAA rules." Actor Faces Federal Fraud Charges In Movie Distribution Ponzi Scheme. The New York Daily News (5/5, Feldman, 2.51M) reports "small-time actor" Zachary Horowitz, who goes by the stage name Zach Avery, "allegedly bilked investors out of $690 million." Horowitz "was indicted Tuesday for an elaborate Ponzi scheme" and faces "five counts of securities fraud, six counts of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft." Horowitz "told investors that he would use their money to buy distribution rights to movies and then license them to Netflix and HBO, according to the Department of Justice." The New York Post (5/5, Rhett Miller, 7.45M) reports Horowitz "has been indicted for running a massive Ponzi scheme that bilked investors out of roughly $230 million." The suspect "falsely claimed his company, 1inMM Capital LLC, would acquire the films due to its `solid relationships' with online platforms, but reps from HBO and Netflix say the companies had no dealings with the firm, federal prosecutors said earlier this month." EFTA00149809 CYBER DIVISION Washington State Doctor Indicted in Dark Web Kidnapping Plot. KREM-TV Spokane, WA (5/5, 307K) reports Ronald Ilg, "an influential Spokane doctor was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of attempted kidnapping." Ilg pleaded not guilty to "finding someone on the dark web to kidnap his estranged wife before assaulting, drugging and extorting her. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison." In an interview with the FBI, Ilg denied accusations the he tired "to hire someone to carry out a week-long kidnapping and trying to pay them in Bitcoin. He wanted the kidnapping to coincide with his trip to Mexico." Biden Administration To Keep Trump Doctrine On Cybersecurity In Space. NextGov (5/5) reports a presidential directive "aimed at implementing cybersecurity in space systems is under review but will likely remain in effect as the Biden Administration looks to sustain commercial enterprise in the domain." Brian Scott, director of critical infrastructure cybersecurity for the National Security Council, said, "The government needs the private sector and the private sector needs the government. Space Policy Directive 5, SPD 5, cybersecurity for space systems issued last September, outlines key cybersecurity principles to guide and continues to serve as the foundation for the US approach to the cyber protection of space systems." Scott "spoke Wednesday along with officials from the departments of Commerce and Homeland Security as well as the intelligence community at a symposium on cybersecurity in space that was attended by participants from around the world." DHS Giving More Attention To Ransomware Attacks. Defense Systems (5/5, 93K) reports DHS and the White House are "putting the spotlight on combatting ransomware, actively developing plans to confront the issue." DHS has "assembled a task force with representatives from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Secret Service, Coast Guard and Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations unit," according to Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The new task force is "part of the secretary's planned `60-day sprint' on ransomware that was announced in March as the first in a series of new efforts." Mayorkas said at an April 29 event hosted by the Institute for Security and Technology, "Beyond CISA...the entire federal government is stepping up to face this challenge. The White House is developing a plan dedicated to tackling this problem." He "confirmed the Justice Department recently established its own task force focused on ransomware." The Hill (5/5, 5.69M) reports DHS, the Department of Justice and Capitol Hill are all "spearheading efforts to get a handle on ransomware attacks, which have skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic as cyber criminals targeted vulnerable networks that came under increased strain." DHS has played a "leading role in prioritizing cybersecurity and made tackling ransomware attacks the first of several 60-day sprints to focus agency resources on the problem." The agency last month "established a Ransomware and Digital Extortion Task Force, while Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said last week that the Justice Department would also launch a 120-day review of cybersecurity challenges under her leadership." Lawmakers Seek More Funds, Authorities For CISA. The Washington Post (5/5, Riley, 10.52M) reports in its Cybersecurity 202 column that leading voices in Congress "say the nation's top cybersecurity agency needs better resources to handle growing threats to critical services like water and power." Rep. John Katko (R-NY) "said yesterday recommended centralizing CISA's authority to track vulnerabilities in industrial control systems that power the nation's critical infrastructure." The top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee "touted legislation he helped introduce earlier this year that EFTA00149810 would grant CISA leadership the authority to coordinate federal response to such vulnerabilities." Katko and other leaders "stressed the agency will need significant additional resources to expand its mission." Katko has "urged Congress to give CISA a $5 billion budget, a number more than double its current budget." LABORATORY Attorneys For Accused "Killer Clown" Say Evidence May Be Tainted. WPBF-TV West Palm Beach, FL (5/5, Parker, 69K) reports, "Lawyers for the accused "Killer Clown" defendant Sheila Keen Warren are trying to take a sworn deposition from the Palm Beach County State Attorney spokesman, saying he may have critical information about possible contaminated evidence against their client in the 31-year-old case." Prosecutors say the deposition would encourage "other 'fishing expeditions." The article says investigators at the scene of Marlene Warren's 1990 murder "recovered a balloon ribbon dropped by the bouquet-bearing killer clown. Prosecutors said there was a 6 to 8-inch long fiber attached to that ribbon - one that the FBI said was similar in composition to fibers in a clown wig prosecutors said they've connected to Keen Warren." However, Keen Warren's attorneys say "no detective, crime scene analyst or even the FBI had ever noted this 'long fiber' in their lists of evidence until 2013 - when a cold case unit reopened the case." OTHER FBI NEWS Study Points To Significant Spike In Hate Crimes Targeting Asians In US Cities. CNN (5/5, Campbell, 89.21M) reports according to a new study from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino, reports of "hate crimes against Asians in 16 of the nation's largest cities and counties are up 164% since this time last year." Researchers spotted "95 anti-Asian hate crimes reported to authorities in the first quarter of 2021, compared with 36 reported incidents in the first quarter of 2020." The spike was particularly sharp in New York City, "which saw a 223% spike in early 2021 as reported incidents rose from 13 to 42 compared to the same time last year; followed by San Francisco with a 140% increase as reported incidents rose from 5 to 12, and Los Angeles with an 80% increase associated with a rise from 5 to 9 reported anti-Asian hate crimes." In a letter to law enforcement agencies around the country last year, FBI Director Christopher Wray "wrote that his agency remained 'concerned about the potential for hate crimes by individuals and groups targeting minority populations in the United States who they believe are responsible for the spread of the virus." ABC Examines Growing Rate Of Attacks On Asian Americans. ABC World News TonightVi (5/5, story 4, 2:00, Muir, 6.42M) reported that US law enforcement authorities are "increasingly concerned with new attacks from New York to California on Asian Americans." Hate crimes targeting Asian American hate crimes "are up over 160% in major cities across the country," and New York City data shows a 223% increase in such attacks. Many Native American Missing Persons Cases Go Unsolved. Great Falls (MT) Tribune (5/5, Mabie, 108K) reports Native Americans in the US "go missing and are killed at disproportionately high rates nationwide," and "with jurisdictional challenges among law enforcement entities and little public outrage, political consequence or media attention, cases of missing or murdered Indigenous people often go unsolved." Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte "in April signed three bills addressing the missing persons crisis in Montana. Two bills will extend a task force and grant program to help tribes report missing people and the other will create a review commission under the state Department of Justice to recommend policy changes." EFTA00149811 FBI's Closing Of 2004 Child Murder Case Contrasted With Local Detectives' Unsuccessful Investigation. ABC News (5/5, 2.44M) reports after Kevin Fox of Wilmington, Illinois, was exonerated in the killing of his three-year-old daughter Riley, and five years after the murder, the FBI began investigating the case. FBI Special Agent Lori Warren "said the FBI started the investigation from scratch, as if the murder had just happened." The article contrasts the FBI's investigation with that of local detectives. "In 2010, then-Sheriff Paul Kaupas admitted his department 'obviously dropped the ball' and commissioned an outside review to see what mistakes were made during its handling of the case." OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS Atlanta Police Officer Reinstated Following Brooks Shooting. The AP (5/5, Brumback) reports former Atlanta police officer Garrett Rolfe, who has been "charged with murder in the shooting death of Rayshard Brooks," was reinstated after a review panel "found the city failed to follow its own procedures for disciplinary actions." The Atlanta Civil Service Board said in its statement, "Due to the City's failure to comply with several provisions of the Code and the information received during witnesses' testimony, the Board concludes the Appellant was not afforded his right to due process." Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) added that Rolfe will "remain on administrative leave until the criminal charges against him are resolved." The New York Times (5/5, Fausset, 20.6M) reports that the decision "turned not on whether the shooting was justified, but on whether the city had followed proper procedures when firing him." The decision "cited the testimony of Sgt. William Dean of the Atlanta police's internal affairs division, who said that the firing 'seemed rushed." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (5/5, 1.46M) reports that the Atlanta Police Department said of the ruling, "The Civil Service Board (CSB) has reversed the termination of officer Garrett Rolfe only on the basis that they were not done in accordance with the Atlanta City Code." It added, "It is important to note that the CSB did not make a determination as to whether officer Rolfe violated Atlanta Police Department policies. In light of the CSB's rulings, APD will conduct an assessment to determine if additional investigative actions are needed." The Washington Post (5/5, 10.52M) reports Rolfe "shot Brooks on June 12 after he and his partner responded to calls about a man sleeping in a car at a Wendy's drive-through." While Brooks "was cooperative at first," he "was shot by Rolfe as he tried to run away, surveillance video showed, sparking protests across the city." USA Today (5/5, Miller, 12.7M) reports Rolfe's attorney Lance LoRusso said of the ruling, "We are very pleased at this action and consider it the first step in the total vindication of Officer Garrett Rolfe." The Los Angeles Times (5/5, 3.37M) reports Atlanta attorney and civil rights activist Gerald Griggs criticized the decision, saying, "Average citizens who are charged with murder don't go back to work. They wait for the process to play itself out - either in custody or on bond - and then after there's a determination made criminally, then the civil matter proceeds. This is backwards." The CBS Evening NewsVi (5/5, story 4, 1:50, O'Donnell, 4.03M) reported that the Brooks family condemned the ruling. Brooks family attorney Chris Stewart said, "It appears that Rayshard Brooks' life didn't really matter, and that the world has moved on." The New York Post (5/5, Fitz-Gibbon, 7.45M) reports that Atlanta city officials had "argued that the mayor has the authority to fire a police officer on a number of grounds, including for 'unnecessary or unreasonable use of force' - but the board disagreed." The New York Daily News (5/5, Oliveira, 2.51M) reports Rolfe "is not allowed to carry a firearm because of the conditions of his bond and is expected to be placed on administrative leave as the criminal case moves through the courts." States Embrace Bans Of Police Facial Recognition Usage. EFTA00149812 The AP (5/5, Smyth) examines the growing trend of states banning police departments from using facial recognition software. Seven states and nearly 24 cities "have limited government use of the technology amid fears over civil rights violations, racial bias and invasion of privacy," and an additional 20 state capitols have started debating "additional bans, limits and reporting requirements." The effort to restrain police abuses "caught fire in statehouses after law enforcement applied facial recognition technology to images taken from street cameras during last year's racial justice demonstrations - and in some cases used those to make arrests." Army Will Reportedly Appoint Civilian To Criminal Investigations Department. The AP (5/5, Baldor) reports that, according to anonymous sources, the Army "plans to put a civilian in charge of the command that conducts criminal investigations, a response to widespread criticism the unit is understaffed, overwhelmed and filled with inexperienced investigators." The decision "reflects recommendations made by an independent commission in the wake of violent crimes and murders at Fort Hood, Texas, including the death of Vanessa Guillen, whose remains were found about two months after she was killed." South Carolina Votes To Add Firing Squad To Execution Methods. The AP (5/5, Collins) reports that the South Carolina House of Representatives "voted Wednesday to add a firing squad to the state's execution methods amid a lack of lethal- injection drugs - a measure meant to jump-start executions in a state that once had one of the busiest death chambers in the nation." The 66-43 vote will "require condemned inmates to choose either being shot or electrocuted if lethal injection drugs aren't available." Administration Backs Proposed WTO Vaccine Patent Waiver. The AP (5/6, Keaten, Miller) reports the Biden Administration on Wednesday "joined calls for more sharing of the technology behind COVID-19 vaccines to help speed the end of the pandemic, a shift that puts the U.S. alongside many in the developing world who want rich countries to do more to get doses to the needy." The proposed temporary waiver of World Trade Organization protections "would allow more manufacturers to produce the life-saving vaccines." Reuters (5/5) reports President Biden, "who had backed a waiver during the 2020 presidential campaign, voiced his support after a speech at the White House. `Yes, I'm going to talk about that later today, yes,' Biden told reporters in reply to a question about whether he intended to back the waiver." Bloomberg (5/5, Leonard, Martin, 3.57M) reports US Trade Representative Tai said in an interview, "We are for the waiver at the WTO, we are for what the proponents of the waiver are trying to accomplish, which is better access, more manufacturing capability, more shots in arms." She said the Administration "will now actively take part in negotiations for the text of the waiver at the World Trade Organization and encourage other countries to back it. ... She briefed Biden on Tuesday, a person familiar with the matter said." The New York Times (5/5, Kaplan, Stolberg, Robbins, 20.6M) writes, "Support from the White House is not a guarantee that a waiver will be adopted. The European Union has also been standing in the way, and changes to international intellectual property rules require unanimous agreement." Tai said the US "would participate in negotiations at the World Trade Organization over the matter, but that they would 'take time given the consensus-based nature of the institution and the complexity of the issues involved." USA Today (5/5, Bacon, Ortiz, 12.7M) reports Tai "cautioned that it would take time to reach the required global 'consensus' to waive the protections under WTO rules, and U.S. officials said it would not have an immediate effect on the global supply of COVID-19 shots. The pharmaceutical industry has opposed lifting the patent protections." Under the headline "Biden Commits To Waiving Vaccine Patents, Driving Wedge With Pharmaceutical Companies," the Washington Post (5/5, Al, Diamond, Pager, Stein, 10.52M) reports the Administration "threw its support behind a controversial proposal to waive EFTA00149813 intellectual property protections for coronavirus vaccines, with liberals framing it as a necessary bid to speed the shots to billions in the developing world, while the drug industry warned of devastating effects to vaccine production." The decision "to go forward with the waiver after weeks of internal deliberations was finalized at a White House meeting on Tuesday with President Biden," senior Administration officials said. CNN (5/5, Liptak, 89.21M) reports on its website that Biden and Tai "had been weighing the issue after calls from global advocacy groups and progressives to support waivers on World Trade Organization rules that had been proposed by India and South Africa. ... In the lead-up to Wednesday's decision, administration officials led by Tai met with more than two dozen stakeholders in the vaccine patent debate, according to an official. That included trade partners, health experts and advocates, labor groups and the major vaccine manufacturers." Politico (5/5, Palmer, 6.73M) says "the decision is a partial victory for progressive Democrats who have pushed...Biden to endorse India and South Africa's call for a broad waiver of all intellectual property protections for Covid-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics." Voice of America (5/5, 85K) reports on its website that "dozens of civil society groups and former heads of state, including former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Mikhail Gorbachev of the former Soviet Union" have urged Biden "to support the proposed waiver. More than 100 members of the...House of Representatives signed a letter to President Biden also urging him to support the proposal." Deutsche Welle (5/5, 76K) says the "idea of waiving intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines has wide support among the developing world, as countries struggle to secure enough doses to inoculate their citizens." CNBC (5/5, Macias, Breuninger, 7.34M) reports on its website that WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus "praised the U.S. decision as a 'monumental moment in the fight against Covid-19' that reflects the "moral leadership" of the White House in the fight to end the pandemic." But "stocks of major pharmaceutical companies that have produced vaccines, including Modema, BioNTech and Pfizer, dropped sharply after news of the potential waivers first broke." Axios (5/5, Baker, 1.26M) says a waiver "would open the door for foreign manufacturers to make their own versions of coronavirus vaccines, using what would otherwise be considered Pfizer and Moderna's trade secrets." The Wall Street Journal (5/5, Al, Hayashi, Hopkins, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) reports the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America said the decision will weaken supply chains and increase counterfeiting. PhRMA said in a statement, "This decision does nothing to address the real challenges to getting more shots in arms, including last-mile distribution and limited availability of raw materials." In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal (5/5, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) says Biden has again given in to pressure from progressives and reached a decision that will make it less likely that investors and manufacturers will put in the money needed for new drug research in the future. The Journal says the World Trade Organization already has rules that let developing nations sidestep drug patents during emergencies, and that the waiver is not needed. The Hill (5/5, Weixel, 5.69M) also reports. CDC Expects "Sharp Decline" In US COVID Cases By July. ABC World News TonightVi (5/5, lead story, 3:25, 6.42M) opened with what anchor David Muir called "major news on the coronavirus. ... For the first time, the CDC is now predicting a, quote, 'sharp decline' in cases by July, if we continue to see vaccinations and social distancing in areas where there are still hot spots. Today, that hopeful new tone from the CDC Director was welcome news. But Dr. Rochelle Walensky did say that the variants are still a wild card." Mola Lenghi said on the CBS Evening NewsVi (5/5, story 2, 2:20, O'Donnell, 4.03M), "There is new hope in the battle to beat COVID. The CDC is projecting the number of new cases could fall sharply by summer, but it comes with a warning: Any drop could be delayed by continued decline in vaccinations." Walensky: "Although we are seeing progress in terms of EFTA00149814 decreased cases, hospitalizations, and death, variants are a wild card that could reverse this progress we have made." Miguel Almaguer said on NBC Nightly NewsVi (5/5, lead story, 2:40, Holt, 5.3M), "The CDC now projects by July, the nation could turn the corner on the pandemic. New models show infections, hospitalizations, and deaths all plummeting if Americans continue to get vaccinated and take precautions. ... But the numbers are in a free fall. After peaking above four million shots in April, we're now below one million. ... With our nation at a turning point, the promise of change [is) intertwined with the need for vaccinations." The AP (5/5, Stobbe) reports that CDC experts published a new report, and they "are projecting COVID-19's toll on the U.S. will fall sharply by the end of July," but they also "warn that a 'substantial increase' in hospitalizations and deaths is possible if unvaccinated people do not follow basic precautions such as wearing a mask and keeping their distance from others." The CDC is currently "reporting an average of about 350,000 new cases each week, 35,000 hospitalizations and over 4,000 deaths," but the cases "could drop below 50,000, hospitalizations to fewer than 1,000, and deaths to between 200 and 300" under the "most optimistic circumstances considered." Axios (5/5, Chen, 1.26M) reports the CDC also predicted a new COVID surge would hit the US in May in a statement released on Wednesday. While new daily cases "have declined in recent weeks, per data from Johns Hopkins University," public health officials "are urging people to remain vigilant as variants spread, some of which are more contagious and deadly than the original strain of the virus." The Washington Post (5/5, Achenbach, Sun, 10.52M) reports that the report "comes as administration officials and leaders in many states are sounding more confident that the country can return to a degree of normalcy relatively soon." Yet, the report "is not a prediction or forecast," and it "is a set of four scenarios based on modeling of the pandemic, using different assumptions about vaccination rates, vaccine efficacy and precautions against transmission." US Daily Vaccination Average Down To 2.2M From Peak Of 3.4M. CNBC (5/5, Rattner, 7.34M) reports on its website that CDC data show the US "is reporting an average of 2.2 million daily vaccinations over the past week, down from a peak of 3.4 million on April 13." CNBC adds that "the pace of individuals receiving their first vaccine doses has fallen even more steeply, indicating that there are fewer people initiating a vaccination program." Axios (5/5, Owens, 1.26M) notes that on Tuesday, the White House announced that President Biden's "new goal is to have 160 million Americans fully vaccinated and at least one shot administered to 70% of adults by July 4." According to Axios, "Slightly more than 56% of adults have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine, meaning 14% more of the adult population has to get a shot before July 4 to reach the president's goal." Currently, "Around 106 million Americans are already fully vaccinated, and 148 million have received at least one dose, per the CDC." The CBS Evening NewsVi (5/5, story 7, 1:50, O'Donnell, 4.03M) examined the drop in vaccinations in Georgia, where Republican counties represent the growing partisan nature of vaccinations. Banks County, where the GOP ticket took 90% of the vote last year, has a vaccination rate of 4%, and its central facility is regularly half-booked for appointments. Fauci Rejects Federal COVID Vaccination Mandate. Asked on MSNBCVI (5/5, 1M) whether businesses should require COVID vaccination, NIAID Director Fauci said, "A company cannot require you to do anything. ... What you can have is you can have independent entities decide. It will never be a decision from the federal government down, but you can see there will be maybe business organizations that say, we're not going to let anybody in unless they're vaccinated. You can see some colleges are already talking about that. I'm sure you're going to see some airlines that are going to say the same thing. So, at the local level you will have individual entities almost certainly are going to require...vaccinations." EFTA00149815 Abernathy: Public Officials Must Overhaul Messaging To Encourage Vaccinations. In his Washington Post (5/5, 10.52M) column, Gary Abernathy describes "an untenable Catch- 22" in which "millions won't get vaccinated...because even then they'll have to keep wearing masks and observing other restrictions - restrictions that cannot end, we're told, until more people get vaccinated." Abernathy argues that "insisting that vaccinated people continue to practice strict pre-inoculation safety measures suggests a lack of faith in the efficacy of the vaccines. If government leaders and health officials really want more Americans to embrace the coronavirus vaccine, they'll start acting like they believe it really works." Bump: US May Not Be Able To Reach Herd Immunity Through Vaccines. Phillip Bump argues in the Washington Post (5/5, 10.52M) that while Americans "should understand by now that stamping out the coronavirus means reaching a level of immunity where it can no longer spread easily," Americans "aren't really clear on this" because new data shows that no state "is close to 85 percent of its population hitting" full vaccination. South Dakota and New Jersey are the two states past 85% at this time, but it is because both states have dealt with extensive COVID waves. He warns that a failure to address the vaccination slowdown could result in a mutation resulting in a return to widespread infections. Walensky Says She Is "Really Enthusiastic About Relaxing Restrictions." In an appearance on CBS This MorningVi (5/5, 2.48M), CDC Director Walensky said, "I've been really enthusiastic about relaxing restrictions as we see more and more signs of people getting vaccinated. That relaxation of the mask mandate outdoors was our third release of guidance for what happens when you get vaccinated. What we're watching now is the population rates of vaccination and the disease rates, watching them come down. And as soon as we're feeling more comfortable with both increased vaccination and decreased disease, we'll look forward to another release of relaxed restrictions." Appearing on CNNVi (5/5, 589K), Walensky was asked, "Why not just say, if you get vaccinated, you can do almost anything." Walensky said, "We are cautious...because there are still some places, some communities that have less than 20% vaccination and still a lot of disease. We still have some places in this country that have over 200 cases per 100,000. Really extraordinary case rates." Walensky added, "These are recommendations. For the most part if you're vaccinated, we've recommended you can do almost anything. We're asking they remain in masks when indoors...and really in public settings." Walensky Defends CDC Guidance For Summer Camps. The Washington Post (5/5, Hassan, Schemm, Beachum, 10.52M) reports that on Wednesday, Walensky "defended her agency's guidance for safely operating summer camps, which stipulates that 'All people in camp facilities should wear masks at all times with exceptions for certain people, or for certain settings or activities, such as while eating and drinking or swimming." According to the Post, the CDC "recently advised that people who have been fully vaccinated do not have to wear masks outdoors in most settings, but Walensky said this allowance does not yet apply to young people for whom the vaccines have not been authorized." Walensky "said the guidance makes it possible to go without masks 'in small groups' while ensuring masking in crowded situations such as 'heavy breathing around a singular soccer ball." Public Heath Experts Praise Administration Over Vaccine Stockpile Program. The New York Times (5/5, Fazio, Depasquale, LaFraniere, Weiland, Walker, 20.6M) reports that public health experts "are praising President Biden's announcement that his Administration would create a federal stockpile of coronavirus vaccine doses and invest millions in community outreach, saying the moves would help immunize underserved communities and ensure doses would go where they're most needed as demand falls." The change in policy will permit pharmacies to "allow people to walk in for shots, and pop-up and mobile clinics will distribute vaccines, especially in rural areas." EFTA00149816 Vox (5/5, 1.88M) reports that the goal will "be for every contact with the health system to come with the offer of a vaccine." Moderna Study Finds Vaccine Is Effective Against Variants. Bloomberg (5/5, Langreth, 3.57M) reports that Moderna published the latest results from its mid-stage vaccine trial, and it found that its COVID booster shots "gave positive results against immune system-evading strains that emerged in South Africa and Brazil." The mRNA-1273.351 shot "produced the highest levels of antibodies against the strain common in South Africa," and the early results "are based on Covid antibody levels two weeks after the booster shots, and the trial is continuing to gather more data." The New York Times (5/5, Mandavilli, 20.6M) reports Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said of the results, "We are encouraged by these new data, which reinforce our confidence that our booster strategy should be protective against these newly detected variants." Fox News (5/5, Rivas, 23.99M) reports on its website that Bancel added, "Our mRNA platform allows for rapid design of vaccine candidates that incorporate key virus mutations, potentially allowing for faster development of future alternative variant-matched vaccines should they be needed." The Wall Street Journal (5/5, Loftus, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) reports that the booster shots did not produce excessive side effects. Pfizer Studies Show Vaccine Is Effective Against Variants. The New York Times (5/5, Anthes, 20.6M) reports that two new studies "showed the [Pfizer- BioNTech] vaccine to be more than 95 percent effective at protecting against severe disease or death from the variants first identified in South Africa and the U.K." The studies, which "are based on the real-world use of the vaccine in" Qatar and Israel, "suggest that the vaccine can prevent the worst outcomes - including severe pneumonia and death - caused by 8.1.1.7, the variant first identified in the U.K., and 8.1.351, the variant first identified in South Africa." The Washington Post (5/5, Johnson, 10.52M) reports that the Qatar study "was not a randomized trial, regarded as the gold standard for medical evidence, but instead used real- world data from a mass vaccination program that began in late December." California COVID Hospitalizations Drop To Lowest Levels Since 2020. The Los Angeles Times (5/5, Lin, Money, 3.37M) reports that, according to the Los Angeles Times, California "recorded its lowest hospitalization rate since the first few weeks of the pandemic." The state "s now at the bottom of the nation when it comes to coronavirus case rate," and Los Angeles County "progressed into the least-restrictive tier of California's color- coded closure system, clearing the way for the nation's most populous county to reopen its economy to the widest extent currently possible." Asian Americans Are Most Vaccinated Group In NYC. The New York Times (5/5, Rosa, 20.6M) reports that an estimated 68% of New York City's Asian American community "has received at least one dose, despite many New Yorkers of Asian descent facing language barriers and a fear of violence." The article attributes some of the success to Mekong NYC, which "is one of several community-based organizations that have been instrumental in helping Asian-American communities schedule vaccine appointments and translate Covid-19 information accurately." Cuomo Announces September Resumption For Broadway. The New York Times (5/5, Paulson, 20.6M) reports that while New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) "says he wants the city to fully reopen on July 1," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) "said Wednesday that Broadway shows would start selling tickets for full-capacity shows with some performances starting Sept. 14." The delay is attributed to concerns that tourists and arts patrons will not be comfortable with attending a tightly packed shows for another few months. EFTA00149817 The Wall Street Journal (5/5, Passy, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) reports Cuomo declined to demand that Broadway shows mandate vaccinations to purchase tickets. Biden Open To Compromise On Jobs Plan, But Says He Will Not "Deficit-Spend." The Washington Post (5/5, Wagner, 10.52M) reports that on Wednesday, President Biden "said...he is open to compromise on his $2 trillion infrastructure and jobs plan but that he stands by his proposal to finance the plan by increasing taxes on corporations and wealthy Americans - an idea Republicans have soundly rejected." Biden said , "I'm willing to compromise, but I'm not willing to not pay for what we're talking about. I'm not willing to deficit-spend." Fox Business (5/5, Lea, 3.06M) reports on its website that Biden suggested "that he is open to negotiating with Republicans on his proposed corporate tax hike, indicating that nothing that he has put forward is set in stone." Asked if he would consider a 25 percent corporate tax rate instead of the 28 percent rate he proposed, Biden said he was "open to compromising, yes." But the New York Times (5/5, Tankersley, Karni, 20.6M) says Biden "defended with gusto his plans to increase taxes on high earners and the wealthy." Biden told reporters, "We're not going to deprive any of these executives of their second or third home, travel privately by jet. ... It's not going to affect their standard of living at all. Not a little tiny bit. But I can affect the standard of living that people I grew up with." The Hill (5/5, 5.69M) quotes Biden as saying, "I'm going to have to be able to explain this and I'm going to keep banging on it." Asked on MSNBCVi (5/5, 832K) about the Administration's willingness to compromise, HHS Secretary Becerra said, "I think the most important thing to the President is getting something done that helps the American people. ... We understand how important it is...to have paid family or medical leave. ... I think the President has said he's willing to discuss the path that we get there; he just wants to make sure we reach the destination, and one of those things in the American Family Plan is providing paid family and medical leave to American workers." E.J. Dionne writes in the Washington Post (5/5, 10.52M) that the "real game-changer in Biden's raft of policy proposals is the revenue he would raise from the wealthy." His plans "are routinely described as big, bold and progressive. This is true but incomplete." What is "really bold," Dionne argues, "is Biden's effort to create a stream of revenue through higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations that would support his efforts on education, child care, infrastructure and more help for low-income families." Biden Touts High Demand For Restaurant Assistance Funds. The New York Times (5/5, Karni, 20.6M) reports President Biden said Wednesday that 186,200 restaurants, bars and other eligible businesses applied for help through the $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund in the first two days it was accepting applications. The numbers "indicat[e) huge demand from a struggling industry for a limited pot of relief funds." The Times says the restaurant industry's return "will serve as a major test of Mr. Biden's goal of bringing the country back to some version of normal by this summer." Biden on Wednesday "described restaurants as important foundations of their communities and gateways to opportunities that" were "more than a major part of our country." Biden said, "They're woven into the fabric of our communities." Harris Takes Lead On Small Business Outreach As Administration Sells Recovery Plans. CNBC (5/5, Mui, 7.34M) reports on its website that Vice President Harris is "taking on a lead role as an ambassador to small business, particularly in underrepresented communities," as the Administration sells President Biden's rescue and recovery plans. Harris "has held events with the Black Chamber of Commerce and spoken directly with community lenders who work with EFTA00149818 Native American tribes." In addition, she has "pushed the country's biggest banks to get federal relief to the smallest players." Harris Focuses On Small Businesses In Visit To Rhode Island. As part of her outreach to small businesses, the Vice President visited Rhode Island on Wednesday. WJAR-TV Providence, RI (5/5, 157K) reports on its website that the purpose of Harris' visit was to "focus on small businesses." Harris, who was accompanied by Commerce Secretary Raimondo, "listened to pitches by entrepreneurs at the Social Enterprise Greenhouse, a small business incubator with a social impact mission." Harris "spoke about the importance of small businesses." She said, "When I think of our small business leaders, I think not only of business leaders but civic leaders, community leaders. It is you who are involved and engaged in the community, a reflection of the best of the community." The Boston Globe (5/5, 1.04M) says Harris told the small-business owners, "Keep doing what you are doing because you are models of the best of what we are doing in the country. ... It's about helping people see the possibilities." Harris and Raimondo later attended a women-led small-business roundtable. The Providence (RI) Journal (5/5, 376K) reports that before she introduced the Vice President at the roundtable, Raimondo "sounded the alarm on the exodus of women from the workforce during the pandemic, calling it 'an emergency." Raimondo said, "Women were clustered in service industries, low-wage industries that got hit hardest in the pandemic." Harris "echoed Raimondo's remarks, pointing to 'devastation across the board' and emphasizing that women were 'among those who suffered the most." The Washington Post (5/5, Wagner, 10.52M) and the AP (5/5) provide similar coverage. Raimondo Says Infrastructure Bill Has Bipartisan Support. Commerce Secretary Raimondo was asked on Bloomberg TVVi (5/5, 3.57M) if she expects the President's infrastructure plan to pass. Raimondo said, "I have had numerous conversations with people on Capitol Hill, and there is bipartisan support for the bill, maybe not all of the bill and all aspects of it, but I think there's a growing recognition that we've kicked the can long enough, and...there's a backlog of infrastructure in every state in America, and I think this will be the moment. And the President is determined." Analysis Concludes White House Underestimated Cost Of Families Plan By $700B. Bloomberg (5/5, Dmitrieva, 3.57M) reports that according to a new analysis by the Penn Wharton Budget Model, President Biden's American Families Plan "will cost about $700 billion more than advertised because the White House underestimated the cost of its child-care and education policies." The analysis concludes that "the plan, which includes child tax credits, paid leave and tuition-free community college, would boost government spending by $2.5 trillion over a decade, compared with the $1.8 trillion estimated by the White House." The analysis also "found that the program's tax increases on wealthy households and corporations would raise $1.3 trillion in revenue over the next decade, rather than the $1.5 trillion that the government expects, if implemented in full." CNBC (5/5, Franck, 7.34M) reports on its website that the Wharton analysis "found that the American Families Plan would increase government debt by almost 5% by 2050 and decrease GDP by 0.4%, as the effects from larger debt on the economy outweigh the productivity gains associated with the new spending programs." Judge Rules CDC Exceeded Its Authority With Eviction Moratorium. The AP (5/5, Casey) reports that Justice Department is appealing a ruling Wednesday from the US District Court in Washington that the CDC "exceeded its authority when it imposed a federal eviction moratorium." The appeal means "there won't likely be any immediate impact on the ban, which in March was extended through the end of June." EFTA00149819 Axios (5/5, Rummler, 1.26M) says the CDC "had sought to extend the eviction moratorium through June 30," but US District Judge Dabney Friedrich "ruled Wednesday on the side of the plaintiffs, who alleged that the CDC overstepped its authority by extending the eviction moratorium." The Washington Post (5/5, Al, Swenson, 10.52M) reports that Friedrich wrote, "The question for the Court is a narrow one: Does the Public Health Service Act grant the CDC the legal authority to impose a nationwide eviction moratorium? It does not." Politico (5/5, O'Donnell, 6.73M) reports the Administration "is racing to end a bottleneck at the state and local government level preventing the disbursement of more than $46 billion in rent relief." Wednesday's ruling "increases the pressure to get the money out the door to keep millions of distressed tenants from facing long-term damage to their credit and the potential loss of their homes." The New York Times (5/5, Thrush, 20.6M) says DOJ's appeal could delay "a final resolution of the case past the moratorium's planned June 30 expiration." Nonetheless, the Wall Street Journal (5/5, Ackerman, Kendall, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) says the ruling could make it easier for landlords to evict tenants are behind on their rent, and Bloomberg (5/5, 3.57M) calls the ruling "a setback to efforts by President Joe Biden to help renters and unwind the financial stress caused by the pandemic." Reuters (5/5, Stempel, Shepardson), USA Today (5/5, Collins, Jackson, 12.7M), the Los Angeles Times (5/5, Logan, 3.37M) and The Hill (5/5, Kruzel, 5.69M) provide similar coverage, as does CNBC (5/5, Nova, 7.34M) on its website. HHS Secretary Becerra was asked about the decision on MSNBCVi (5/5, 832K). Becerra said President Biden "will want to try to correct this or certainly continue to fight to make sure we don't see Americans dispossessed and out on the street, not at this time. We're making too much success on COVID...to go backwards, so I know that this Administration will be looking for ways to try to make sure we keep people in their homes." Administration Officials Receiving Reports Of Worker Shortages. The Washington Post (5/5, Stein, Pager, 10.52M) reports that "senior Biden economic officials have in recent weeks been peppered by complaints from restaurant groups, the construction industry and other businesses about their inability to find enough workers as the U.S. economy begins to recover from the pandemic." NEC Director Deese "has highlighted the matter as a potential area for concern in internal conversations with the president's economic team," but Treasury Secretary Yellen has "cautioned privately against overreacting to anecdotes of worker shortages, arguing that more data and time are needed before assuming they reflect a genuine problem in the American economy." IRS Announced Distribution Of Another Batch Of Stimulus Payments. USA Today (5/5, Bomey, 12.7M) reports the IRS announced Wednesday that an "eighth batch of the third round of stimulus payments aimed at helping shore up Americans' finances during the COVID-19 pandemic" is being distributed. With this round, the US government "has disbursed about 164 million payments worth $386 billion since the checks started March 12." Fed Officials Not Concerned About Potential For Accelerating Inflation. The New York Times (5/5, Smialek, 20.6M) reports while "inflation jitters are popping up in earnings call chatter, spooking investors and dominating business television talk shows," it appears they are not talking over the Federal Reserve. Central bank officials "have been clear for months that they expect prices to pop this spring and summer as the economy reopens but that they think the jump will prove temporary. By and large, they are sticking to that script." In "speeches and appearances on Wednesday, central bank policymakers made clear that they do not think incipient price pressures are going to prove painful or last long," and some "suggested that they would even welcome what a hotter economy might have to offer." Bloomberg (5/5, Boesler, Saraiva, 3.57M) reports on Wednesday, Fed Vice Chair Richard Clarida said, "Our baseline view is that inflation is going to be close to our long-run objective of EFTA00149820 2%. ... What the data is telling us now is there is going to be some upward movement as we reopen, but that it won't persist over a long period of time, and that's my view as well." Also Wednesday, Fed Governor Michelle Bowman made the case that "the risk of inflation running persistently above the central bank's 2% target 'still seems small' despite an improving economic outlook." In a separate story, Bloomberg (5/5, Torres, Davison, 3.57M) says, "The biggest uncertainty for investors watching the Federal Reserve in coming months may not be the rate of inflation but turnover at the top of the U.S. central bank. Chair Jerome Powell and vice chairs...Clarida and Randal Quarles could all potentially be replaced in the coming year, depending on how much President Joe Biden wants to reshape its leadership." Treasury Urges Congress To Increase Debt Ceiling This Summer. The Wall Street Journal (5/5, Davidson, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) reports the Treasury Department has urged Congress to raise the debt ceiling this summer and to do so quickly because the government could run out of cash sooner than in past episodes. Brian Smith, Treasury's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Federal Finance, said Wednesday, "Treasury is evaluating a range of potential scenarios, including some in which extraordinary measures could be exhausted much more quickly than in prior debt-limit episodes." Labor Department Blocks Rule Classifying Gig Workers As Contractors. Reuters (5/5, Bose) reports that on Wednesday, the Biden Administration "blocked a Trump-era rule that would have made it easier to classify gig workers who work for companies like Uber and Lyft as independent contractors instead of employees, signaling a potential policy shift toward greater worker protections." Labor Secretary Walsh said, "By withdrawing the independent contractor rule, we will help preserve essential worker rights and stop the erosion of worker protections that would have occurred had the rule gone into effect." The Wall Street Journal (5/5, Morath, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) provides similar coverage. Apple Investing $41OM In Texas Manufacturing Firm. The Dallas Morning News (5/5, 772K) reports Apple is awarding $410 million from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund to the tech manufacturing firm II-VI "to accelerate the delivery of iPhone components in the coming years, according to a Thursday release." Apple's investment "is expected to support 700 jobs around the country including hundreds in Sherman, where II-VI Inc. manufactures the lasers that power iPhone features like Face ID, Memoji and Animoji as well as portrait mode seines." The Morning News says the investment "is a part of Apple's plan to invest $430 billion and add 20,000 new jobs in the U.S. over the next five years, according to the company." GM Reports $3.3B Q1 Net Profit. In what the Detroit Free Press (5/5, LaReau, 2.16M) calls "an unusual move," GM CEO Mary Barra "issued a Letter to Shareholders simultaneously with GM's first-quarter earnings results Wednesday." In the letter, "Barra said GM expects to have a strong first half with adjusted earnings before interest and taxes of around $5.5 billion and GM is reaffirming its full-year guidance, 'based on what we know today,' coming in at the higher end of the $10 billion to $11 billion EBIT-adjusted range that it shared earlier this year." The company "reported a first- quarter net profit of $3 billion, up from $294 million for the first quarter a year ago. Its EBIT was $4.4 billion, up from $1.3 billion. Net revenue was slightly down at $32.5 billion, compared to $32.7 billion." Ford Says Summer Deliver Of Bronco "On Track" Despite Supply Chain Challenges. The Detroit Free Press (5/5, Wall Howard, 2.16M) reports Ford continues to confront "relentless supply chain challenges," and has again "announced more factory changes to accommodate the EFTA00149821 lack of access to semiconductor chips that provide the smart technology needed to operate everything from driving safety features and cameras to infotainment systems." The company "has the all-new Ford F-150, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Ford Bronco Sport and Ford Bronco" and is "under tremendous pressure to fill massive orders as dealers clamor for products." However, Ford's Kelli Felker told the Free Press, "Important to note that Bronco remains on track to go on sale this summer." Dow Hits Record As Major Indexes Post Mixed Finish. The AP (5/5, Veiga) reports the major US stock indexes ended the day mixed Wednesday "after an early technology company rebound faded, tempering the market's recovery from a sell-off a day earlier." The Dow posted a record, climbing 97.31 points to 34,230.34, and the S&P 500 gained 2.93 points to close at 4,167.59 while the Nasdaq fell 51.08 points to 13,582.42. Reuters (5/5), Bloomberg (5/5, Papuc, Barrett, 3.57M), and the Wall Street Journal (5/5, Ostroff, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) provide similar coverage. Lawmakers Seek Administration's Help To Eliminate Vietnamese Pork Tariffs. Bloomberg (5/5, Boudreau, 3.57M) reports a bipartisan group of 72 House lawmakers have written to US Trade Representative Tai asking the Administration "to seek the elimination of Vietnam's tariffs on American pork and address other restrictions as it engages with the Southeast Asian country over currency and trade practices." Vietnam's domestic pig firms have been devastated by the African swine fever, creating a high demand for imported pork, but the lawmakers said in the letter that "significant tariff and non-tariff barriers unfortunately prevent U.S. pork from competing in that country, even as it seeks reliable sources of non-domestic pork." EU Moves To Limit Chinese Investments And Imports. The AP (5/5, Casert) reports that the European Union is "planning to tighten rules on foreign investment in its 27 members and boost production autonomy for sensitive strategic goods, two measures bound to hit China - amid already precarious relations between the two massive trading powers." According to the AP, "The moves comes at a time when the ratification of a business investment deal with Beijing hangs in the balance because of a rapidly deteriorating political climate over accusations that China abuses an ethnic minority." ABC Examines Growing Rate Of Attacks On Asian Americans. ABC World News TonightVi (5/5, story 4, 2:00, Muir, 6.42M) reported that US law enforcement authorities are "increasingly concerned with new attacks from New York to California on Asian Americans." Hate crimes targeting Asian American hate crimes "are up over 160% in major cities across the country," and New York City data shows a 223% increase in such attacks. State Law Enforcement Steps Up To Assist At Border. NBC Nightly NewsVI (5/5, story 7, 1:50, Holt, 5.3M) reported that state and local law enforcement are undertaking a massive effort to help with "the record migrant surge at the southern border" and relieve "overworked Border Patrol agents." NBC's Gabe Gutierrez added that agents from the Texas Department of Public Safety are "having to patrol more...because federal resources are stretched so thin. In March alone, the number of migrant stops at the border surge to 172,000 a 20-year high." Gutierrez continued, "Since March, state authorities have referred more than 28,000 migrants to the US Border Patrol and seized more than 5,700 pounds of marijuana and almost 100 pounds of cocaine." Asked on MSNBCVi (5/5, 1.38M) about the Administration's response to the surge of migrants at the southern border, DHS Secretary Mayorkas said, "We are now a little bit more than 30 days after I spoke of the fact we had a plan, and we now no longer have more than EFTA00149822 5,000 unaccompanied children in Border Patrol custody, just over 500. No longer are unaccompanied children spending an average of 133 hours in a Border Patrol facility, but rather they are spending just less than 25 hours." ICE Deportations Fell To Record Low In April. The Washington Post (5/5, Miroff, 10.52M) reports that "the number of deportations carried out" by ICE last month "fell to the lowest monthly level on record," a drop that comes as border crossings "remain at a 20-year high, according to the latest enforcement data, obtained by The Washington Post." According to the preliminary data, ICE deported 2,962 in April, "the first time the monthly figure has dipped below 3,000," and marking "a 20 percent decline from March, when ICE deported 3,716." According to the Post, "ICE has recorded about 37,000 deportations" in the last seven months, putting it "on pace for fewer than 55,000 deportations for the 2021 fiscal year. It would be the first time that figure has fallen below 100,000." Cost Of HHS Migrant Shelter Contracts Draw Scrutiny. The AP (5/5, Licon) reports, "Confronted with a stream of unaccompanied children crossing the border from Mexico, the U.S. government has awarded shelter-construction and management contracts to private companies that critics say may not be equipped to adequately care for the minors." According to the AP, "In its haste to provide new facilities, [HHSJ awarded the largest contracts - worth more than $2 billion - to two companies and a nonprofit without a bidding process and has exempted providers from the staffing requirements that state-licensed child facilities must meet." The AP adds that "two of the new large facilities have been shuttered in the past few weeks," and HHS "did not explain why they were closed so suddenly." The Wall Street Journal (5/5, Hackman, Caldwell, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) reports that the Administration has opened more than a dozen emergency shelters to house unaccompanied minors at the border in the last few weeks, which three officials said are serving as a stopgap solution while new licensed shelters are opened. However, some advocates have raised concerns that conditions are inadequate for housing children for long periods. Administration Reunites Four Separated Migrant Families. ABC World News TonightVi (5/5, story 5, 2:25, Muir, 6.42M) reported, "The first migrant families separated under the Trump Administration's zero tolerance policy" are now being "reunited under President Biden." ABC's Cecilia Vega added, "The Biden Administration says the Trump White House left them with little to know information about many of the families. There are still more than 400 children whose parents have yet to be located." Vega said four families were reunited this week, and "the Administration says more families will be reunited soon." All of the reunited families will "receive temporary protected status for humanitarian reasons," though "advocates are calling for permanent legal protection." NBC Nightly NewsVi (5/5, story 8, 0:20, Holt, 5.3M) also reported briefly on the reunions. Mayorkas Says DHS Probe Will "Root Out" Domestic Extremists Internally. Asked on MSNBCVi (5/5, 1.38M) about an investigation into extremism within his department, DHS Secretary Mayorkas said, "I identified from the outset that the most significant terrorism- related threat we face in homeland is the threat of domestic violent extremism, efforts to incite, drive to or commit acts of violence born of extreme ideologies and false narratives. We have obligation at Homeland Security to reflect the nation we want to achieve. Therefore we must identify and root out any domestic violent extremists within our own ranks." WPost: Biden "Has More Work To Do" On Refugees. The Washington Post (5/5, 10.52M) editorializes that "if President Biden expects applause for resurrecting the United States' traditional role as a beacon to refugees, he has more work to do." The Post says that while Biden's announcement recommitting to the refugee cap set during his campaign signals "that this country will reassert its moral and humanitarian leadership on the world stage," it is now "critical that he deliver on that promise, in the face of a worldwide refugee crisis on a scale unknown since World War II." The Post concludes, "The proof will be in EFTA00149823 the numbers of refugees, a cohort whose energy, ambition and courage has been key to making the United States what it is." Biden Says GOP Going Through "Mini-Revolution" As Leaders Turn Against Cheney. Kristen Welker reported on NBC Nightly NewsVi (5/5, story 3, 1:35, Holt, 5.3M) that "the firestorm over Congresswoman's Liz Cheney's position in the Republican Party is growing, with top Republican Steve Scalise saying she needs to be removed as third-ranking GOP leader. ... At issue: Cheney's fierce criticism of former President Trump, arguing he should not be a part of the GOP's future after the Capitol attack and his false claims of election fraud. ... President Biden weigh[ed] in." Biden: "We're in the midst of a significant, sort of mini-revolution going on in the Republican Party." Welker: "A defiant Cheney tonight writing, `history is watching,' and that she's determined to defend the democratic process, quote, `no matter what the short-term political consequences." USA Today (5/5, 12.7M) reports Biden "said Wednesday the Republican Party is going through what he called a `mini-revolution' and said he could not remember a time when partisan divisions have been so stark. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Biden said the GOP is `trying to identify what it stands for.' The New York Post (5/5, 7.45M) reports Biden earlier "said `I don't understand the Republicans'...when he was asked about a GOP push to oust" Cheney from the leadership. The CNN (5/5, Vazquez, Hoffman, 89.21M) and Fox News (5/5, Schultz, 23.99M) websites cover the President's brief remarks. Cheney Says GOP "Is At A Turning Point." In a Washington Post (5/5, 10.52M) op- ed, Cheney writes that Trump continues to claim "that the 2020 election was a fraud and was stolen," and he does so "with full knowledge that exactly this type of language provoked violence on Jan. 6. And, as the Justice Department and multiple federal judges have suggested, there is good reason to believe that Trump's language can provoke violence again." Cheney argues that the Republican Party "is at a turning point, and Republicans must decide whether we are going to choose truth and fidelity to the Constitution." Cheney writes, "History is watching. Our children are watching. We must be brave enough to defend the basic principles that underpin and protect our freedom and our democratic process." Reuters (5/5), the New York Times (5/5, Astor, 20.6M), USA Today (5/5, Cox, 12.7M), and the CNN (5/5, Gangel, 89.21M) and CNBC (5/5, Breuninger, 7.34M) websites cover Cheney's arguments in the op-ed. The AP (5/5, Mascaro, Fram) reports Cheney "was clinging to her post Wednesday. ... Unbowed, she implored her GOP colleagues to pry themselves from a Trump `cult of personality,' declaring that the party and even American democracy were at stake." Vox (5/5, 1.88M) reports, "Back in February, the House GOP batted down an initial effort to oust Cheney from her role as the No. 3 House Republican for the same reason. She survived easily, in a closed-door, secret ballot vote of 145 to 61. Cheney's views have not changed since then. The problem now is just that she's kept talking about those views." Politico (5/5, Beavers, Zanona, 6.73M) says Cheney "is not fighting to hold onto her job as House GOP conference chair. ... To the frustration of many fellow Republicans, Cheney has continued to clearly state her positions on Donald Trump's baseless claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent and on the Jan. 6 vote to certify Trump's loss." Cheney "has been telling people that if holding onto her leadership role requires having to lie or stay quiet, she doesn't believe that's a price worth paying." The Washington Post (5/5, 10.52M) editorializes, "A strong conservative on policy, Ms. Cheney faces punishment for refusing to embrace, or at least to accept with silence, the falsehood that the Democrats stole the 2020 presidential election. ... Two-thirds of GOP House members, many of whom secretly agree with her, would have to vote to remove her. They must ask themselves whether they want to pledge their allegiance even more fully to a single man, over truth, principle and the integrity of U.S. democracy." The New York Daily News (5/5, 2.51M) editorializes, "The top Republican in the House is trying to oust from leadership a staunch conservative whose sole sin, from the perspective of EFTA00149824 the new Grand Old Party, has been honesty, standing up to Donald Trump's corrosive, anti- democratic lies about the 2020 election. ... If [House Minority Leader] McCarthy gets his way, he'll defenestrate the most prominent congresswoman who cares about extracting that poison from Republican veins. He must fail." In a piece for the New York Times (5/5, 20.6M) headlined "Why Trump Still Has Millions Of Americans In His Grip," Thomas Edsall writes that starting in the mid-1960s, "the priorities of the Democratic Party began to shift away from white working- and middle-class voters - many of them socially conservative, Christian and religiously observant. ... By the 1970s, many white Americans...felt that they were being shouldered aside. ... These voters became the shock troops of the Reagan Revolution; they now dominate Trump's Republican Party." Stefanik Could Replace Cheney As Soon As Next Week. The New York Times (5/5, Fandos, Edmondson, 20.6M) reports "top Republicans moved swiftly on Wednesday to purge" Cheney from the leadership, "laying the groundwork to install a replacement who has embraced his false claims of voting fraud." Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) "is more moderate" than Cheney "and has more often parted ways with Republicans over her years in Congress, but she has emerged recently as one of Mr. Trump's most vociferous defenders, willing to indulge and even amplify those claims." USA Today (5/5, Behrmann, 12.7M) says Stefanik is backed by House Minority Whip Scalise and other leading House Republicans. The Washington Post (5/5, 10.52M) says the "onetime moderate whose recent rise was propelled by her embrace of Trump and vigorous defense of his actions during both his impeachment trials" is likely to be tapped to replace Cheney "next week, when the House returns from a recess." Trump endorsed Stefanik on Wednesday. The New York Daily News (5/5, Sommerfeldt, Goldiner, 2.51M) reports Trump said in a statement, "Liz Cheney is a warmongering fool who has no business in Republican Party Leadership. Elise Stefanik is a far superior choice, and she has my COMPLETE and TOTAL Endorsement for GOP Conference Chair. Elise is a tough and smart communicator!" Jonathan Karl said on ABC World News TonightVi (5/5, story 3, 2:45, Muir, 6.42M), "Trump himself endorsed [Stefanik] to replace Cheney in the Republican leadership. Cheney actually voted for the Trump agenda nearly 93% of the time - much more than Stefanik. But on January 6, Stefanik went along with his election lie and voted to overturn Joe Biden's win." Nancy Cordes said on the CBS Evening NewsVi (5/5, lead story, 4:00, O'Donnell, 4.03M), "On his own website," Trump backed Stefanik "to take Cheney's place. Stefanik thanked him for his '100% support." The Hill (5/5, Choi, 5.69M) reports the conservative Club For Growth on Wednesday came out against Stefanik. The group tweeted, "Elise Stefanik is NOT a good spokesperson for the House Republican Conference. She is a liberal with a 35% CFGF lifetime rating, 4th worst in the House GOP. House Republicans should find a conservative to lead messaging and win back the House Majority." The group "was referring to i