Subject: [EXTERNAL EMAIL] - FBI Public Affairs News Briefing Monday, August 03,

From: To: Subject: [EXTERNAL EMAIL] - FBI Public Affairs News Briefing Monday, August 03, 2020 Date: Mon, 03 Aug 2020 10:30:11 +0000 c Importan e: Normal Mobile version and searchable archives available at fbi.bulletinintelligence.com. ; AIFBI News Briefing • TO: THE DIRECTOR AND SENIOR STAFF DATE: MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2020 6:30 AM EDT TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS LEADING THE NEWS • First Circuit Overturns Tsarnaev's Death Sentence. PROTESTS • Portland Protests Calmer After Federal Agents Stand Down. • DHS Official Whose Office Compiled Intelligence Regarding Journalists Gets Reassigned. • DC Police Prevent Pro-Life Organizations From Painting "Black Preborn Lives Matter" On Street, Arrest Two Activists. • layapal Says Barr Perjured Himself During Testimony On Protests. • Arkansas Governor Confident In Investigation Into Morris Death. • Nevada Legislature Votes To Ban Police From Using Chokeholds. COUNTER-TERRORISM • UK Goes To Supreme Court To Fight Return Of IS Bride. • Afghan Troops Kill Senior Islamic State Militant. • NYTimes Al: Case Of One Extremist Group Shows How Far-Right Infiltration Has Spread Throughout German Society. COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE • Judge Denies Bail For California Researcher Over China Ties. • Woman Pleads Guilty To Plotting To Steal Trade Secrets From Ohio Hospital. • WPost Examines Trump Campaign's Efforts To "Court QAnon." • Op-Ed: The US And China Need To Find Ways To Manage The New Cold War. • Op-Ed: Communist China Puts Our Technology And Safety At Risk Every Day. • Johnson Says Agencies Are Not Cooperating With Investigation Of Russia Probe. • Op-Ed: Confidentiality Was Never Part Of The Steel Dossier. • Op-Ed: Barr May Try To Spin His "Investigation" Before The Election. • NYTimes Analysis: Trump's Approach To Moscow Appears To Have Undergone "Little Or No Evolution" Since 2016. • Detentions Of 33 Suspected Russian Mercenaries In Belarus Pits Minsk Against Moscow Just Before Election. EFTA00150271 • CIA Declassifies Details Of 1970s Stealth Drone. • Retrial Of Accused CIA Leaker Josh Schulte Delayed At Request Of Defense Lawyers. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS • Maxwell Wins Court Ruling To Prevent Release Of 2016 Testimony As Reports Highlight Ties To Trump, Clinton. • Pair Of Prisoners Apprehended After Escaping From Oklahoma Jail. • FBI Probing Fatal Shooting In Washington Casino Parking Garage. • Arizona Man Arrested After Fleeing Shooting Scene. • Six Former Houston Officers Charged After Deadly Drug Raid. • FBI Searching For Man Who Vandalized Chicago Church. • US Charges Arizona Man For Distributing Child Pornography. • Marine Corps Suspends Search For Missing Personnel Off Southern California. • FBI Investigation Results In Charges Against Hawaii Man Who Allegedly Sent Threatening Emails. • Indiana Girl Dies After Being Caught In Shootout. • Omaha Bank Robber Sentenced Ten Years. • Hawaii Man Sentenced For Possession Of Child Porn. • FBI Believes Toledo Councilwoman Sought To Extort Local Business Owner. • Three ND Tribal Officials Charged In Bribery Scheme. • Honolulu Managing Director Subject Of FBI Investigation. • FBI Increases Reward Amount For Information Leading To Arrest And Conviction In Las Cruces Church Bombings. • Massachusetts Man Faces Federal Charges After FBI Says He Stole "Smart" Light Bulbs From Home Depot. • New York Man Pleads Guilty To Sexually Exploiting Child. • Police Arrest Pontiac Man In Homicide Of Susie Zhao. • Task Force Arrests Grand Island Man On Drug Charges. • Maryland Man Sentenced To 18 Months In Federal Prison For False Use Of A Passport. • FBI: San Antonio Man Arrested, Charged With Distribution Of Child Pornography. • Suspect Accused Of Fatally Beating Another Man In Tulsa Has Been Arrested. • Woman Suspected Of Murder Of Former Springfield Couple Found In New Mexico. • FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive From Tacoma Tracked Down In Mexico. FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS • FBI Raids Legislative Office Of Former Ohio House Speaker. • FBI Visits Office Of Kentucky Official Who Gave Wife Bonuses. • FBI Searches Offices Of Philadelphia Firm In Fraud Probe. • New Jersey Woman Pleads Guilty To Prescription Fraud Ring. • Kentucky Man Sentenced For Running Ponzi Scheme. • US Charges Florida Doctor In Fraud Probe. • Defendant Admits Role In Insurance Fraud Scheme. CYBER DIVISION • Florida Teenager Facing Felony Charges Over Hack Of Celebrity Twitter Accounts. • Pompeo: Trump To Take Broad Action On Chinese Software. • Canadian Attorney General Says Requirements Have Been Met To Extradite Huawei CFO To US. • House Votes To Allot $500M Toward Election Security. • Russia Pledges Reciprocal Steps After EU Sanctions For Alleged Cyberattacks. • China Denies US Accusations Of Hacking To Steal Coronavirus Vaccine Data. • Ransomware Attacks Against Local Voting Systems Feared As Elections Approach. EFTA00150272 • Data Breach At A Genealogy Site Has Privacy Experts Worried. • CISA Hosts Table-Top Training Exercise To Aid In Protecting Elections. • Travel Giant CWT Pays $4.5M Ransom To Cyber Criminals. • Several Solarium Commission Recommendations Successfully Included In House Defense Authorization Bill. • Google Announces Steps To Counter Spread Of Hacked Materials Before Election. • King Says "Two-Pronged Approach" Needed To Deter Cyber-Based Espionage Operations. LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES • FBI Warns Of Faulty COVID-19 Tests In Texas. • FBI Course Informs Attendees About Rights. • WSJournal Analysis: Homicides Up 24% This Year. • Chicago Police: Homicides, Shootings In City Have Spiked This Year. • NYTimes Analysis: First Step Act Leaves Some Prisoners With Little Recourse When Resentencing Applications Are Denied. • Democrats To Press For "Structural Court Reforms." INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS • Deutsche Bank Opens Probe Into Personal Banker for Trump, Kushner. LAWFUL ACCESS • House Members Propose Encryption Bill Backed By Barr. OTHER FBI NEWS • Justice Department Announces Dates For Two Executions. • Ohio Officials Push For Relocation Of FBI HQ. • FBI Eyes Cloud Migration For Unclassified Data. • Conservatives Press For Federal Investigation Into Murder Of Milwaukee Trump Supporter. OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS • Meadows Says There Is "A Long Ways To Go" On Unemployment Benefit Negotiations. • Birx Says Nation Has Entered A "New Phase" Of Pandemic. • Giroir: There Is No Evidence Hydroxychloroquine Is Effective Against Coronavirus. • Researchers Fear Political Intervention In Vaccine Development. • Despite Early Success Flattening Curve, San Francisco Seeing Surge In Cases. • Trump Challenges Fauci Over Cause Of Increase In US Coronavirus Cases. • FDA Expands Warning About Potentially Toxic Hand Sanitizers. • Rep. Grijalva Tests Positive For Covid-19. • More Players On St. Louis Cardinals Test Positive For Coronavirus. • Administration Reportedly Lacks Vaccine Distribution Plan. • House Panel Claims Administration Wasted $500 Million On Ventilators. • Survey: Americans Hesitant To Return To Daily Routines Among Increases In Coronavirus Cases. • Numerous Municipalities Hardly Enforcing Mask Ordinances. • CDC: 260 Children, Staff At Georgia Sleep-Away Camp Infected With Coronavirus. • Supreme Court Signals Disinterest In Ruling On Virus-Related Election Matters. • Politico Analysis: Push To Reopen Schools Is Latest Example Of Trump Reversing Course. • Some Colleges Offer Tuition Discounts After Deciding Not To Being Students Back. • Trump Installs Tata As Official "Performing The Duties" Of Pentagon Undersecretary. • Trump Met Yoo At White House Last Week. • NYTimes Analysis Questions What Purpose McEnany Serves Beyond "Berating" Media. • Undocumented Workers, Families Running Out Of Options To Survive In US. EFTA00150273 • CREW Claims Miller Violated Hatch Act By Criticizing Biden. • "Large Club" Of Administration Alums Wrote Books Critical Of President. • House Committee Subpoenas Pompeo Over Biden-Ukraine Investigation. • Appeals Court Upholds Ruling Throwing Out Lawsuit Filed Against Trump By Stormy Daniels. • Legislators Call For FTC Investigation Into Practice Employed By Mobile Advertising Sector. • Acting ICE Director To Retire. • Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner Earned At Least $36 Million In Outside Income Last Year. • Trump Releases 2019 Financial Disclosure Report. • Knight First Amendment Institute Files New Lawsuit Against Trump For Blocking Twitter Critics. • OCE: Rep. Bishop Allegedly Misused Campaign, Official Funds. • WPost Al: Supreme Court Has Yet To Return To Normal Summer Silence. • One Marine Dead, Eight Service Members Missing After Training Accident Near San Diego. INTERNATIONAL NEWS • Trump: "Fake News" Media Not Covering "Big China Virus" Outbreaks In Other Countries. • Nations Around The World See Increases In Coronavirus Cases. • Australia Imposes Curfew In Melbourne To Stem Rising Cases. • Cases Continue To Rise In Europe Driven By Young People Flooding Into Bars, Beaches. • Russia Plans To Launch Nationwide Vaccination Campaign In October. • Kosovo Prime Minister Self-Quarantines After Testing Positive. • Indian Home Minister Hospitalized After Testing Positive. • Militants Attack Afghan Prison As Ceasefire Expires. • Netanyahu Rejects Protesters' Call For His Resignation. • Mexico Arrests Santa Rosa De Lima Cartel Chief. • Richardson: Two Of Six Citgo Executives Detained In Venezuela Have Been Moved To House Arrest. • Japan's Ruling Party Proposes Granting Military Pre-Emptive Strike Capabilities. • Relatives Forming Collectives To Find Remains Of Missing In Mexico. THE BIG PICTURE • Headlines From Today's Front Pages. WASHINGTON'S SCHEDULE • Today's Events In Washington. LEADING THE NEWS First Circuit Overturns Tsarnaev's Death Sentence. The New York Times (7/31, Barry, 18.61M) reports the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on Friday "overturned the death sentence of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was convicted of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, and ordered a new penalty-phase trial." The decision "concluded that the presiding judge in the 2015 trial, George A. O'Toole Jr., 'did not meet the standard' of fairness, because he did not sufficiently scrutinize sitting jurors for bias." In arguments during December, attorneys for Tsarnaev "had pointed to 22 Twitter posts and retweets by the jury's forewoman - one referring to Mr. Tsarnaev as 'that piece of garbage' - that had not been voluntarily disclosed as part of jury screening." The Washington Post (7/31, Sacchetti, 14.2M) reports the case is going to return "to the lower court for additional hearings, but the court's overturning of the death sentences does not mean Tsarnaev will have an opportunity to get out of prison." The court said, "Dzhokhar will remain confined to prison for the rest of his life, with the only question remaining being whether the government will end his life by executing him." The Post adds, "Tsarnaev's federal EFTA00150274 defenders said in a statement Friday that they were `grateful for the Court's straightforward and fair decision.' The AP (7/31, Richer) reports, "A three-judge panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered a new penalty-phase trial on whether the 27-year-old Tsarnaev should be executed for the attack that killed three people and wounded more than 260 others. 'But make no mistake: Dzhokhar will spend his remaining days locked up in prison, with the only matter remaining being whether he will die by execution,' Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson wrote in the ruling, more than six months after arguments were heard in the case." Prosecutors "could ask the full appeals court to hear the case or go straight to the U.S. Supreme Court." USA Today (7/31, Garrison, 10.31M) reports, "Prior to his sentencing, attorneys for Tsarnaev, 19 at the time of the bombings, agreed their client was responsible for the deaths but contended he was less culpable than his accomplice, older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was killed by authorities following a four-day manhunt. A fourth victim, an MIT police officer, was shot and killed by the Tsarnaev brothers during the manhunt. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's defense attorneys argued during a December appeal hearing he did not receive a fair trial in Boston before he was sentenced to death, pointing to relentless media coverage in the city where the bombing occurred and city-wide trauma that 'filtered' into the jury pool. They said two jurors lied by concealing prejudiced remarks made on social media about the case before the trial." Reuters (7/31, Raymond) reports that Judge Thompson "said the trial judge 'fell short' in conducting the jury selection process and screening jurors for potential bias following pretrial publicity surrounding the high-profile case. Thompson said the pervasive news coverage of the bombings and their aftermath featured `bone-chilling' photos and videos of Tsarnaev, now 27, and his brother carrying backpacks at the marathon and of those injured and killed near its finish line. Thompson said the judge deemed jurors eligible who had `already formed an opinion that Dzhokhar was guilty - and he did so in large part because they answered "yes" to the question whether they could decide this high-profile case based on the evidence." The Hill (7/31, Moreno, 2.98M) reports, "Tsarnaev's lawyers have argued that his sentencing trial should not be held in Boston, where jurors have been exposed to heavy local and national media coverage of the attack and its aftermath." The AP (8/1, Mustian, Ring) reports, "'Boston Strong' remains a 'vibrant' rallying cry more than seven years after the marathon bombing killed three people and injured more than 260 others, a federal appeals court noted as it threw out the death sentence of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev," but "even as the ruling opened old wounds, it raised familiar questions about whether Tsarnaev can receive a fair hearing in the city where the bombs exploded - a community that may now be asked to relive unspeakable trauma." The AP adds, "The Justice Department is expected to appeal. Legal observers predict prosecutors will turn straight to the U.S. Supreme Court without asking for a hearing before the full 1st Circuit. The U.S. government recently resumed federal executions following a 17-year pause and, under President Donald Trump, has pursued capital punishment in an increasing number of cases." The Hill (8/2, Klar, 2.98M), the Springfield (MA). Republican (8/2, Croteau, 395K), and the Boston Globe (8/1, Crimaldi, 972K) also report. The Wall Street Journal (7/31, Kamp, Randazzo, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) as well as brief CBS Evening NewsVi (7/31, story 12, 0:19, O'Donnell, 3.97M) and NBC Nightly NewsVi (7/31, story 11, 0:20, Holt, 5.44M) broadcasts provided similar coverage. Trump Demands Death Penalty For Tsarnaev. The New York Post (8/2, Sheehy, 4.57M) reports that in a tweet Sunday afternoon, President Trump "demanded the death penalty for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev - whose execution was taken off the table by an appellate court last week." Trump wrote, "Rarely has anybody deserved the death penalty more than the Boston Bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. The court agreed that this "was one of the worst domestic terrorist attacks since the 9/11 atrocities". Yet the appellate court tossed out the death sentence. So many lives lost and ruined. The Federal Government must again seek the Death Penalty in a do-over of that chapter of the original trial. Our Country cannot let the appellate decision stand. Also, it is ridiculous that this process is taking so long!" EFTA00150275 Reuters (8/2, Schroeder) reports, "In a tweet, Trump said the federal government must challenge a Friday appeals court decision overturning the death penalty for the 2013 attack. 'Rarely has anybody deserved the death penalty more than the Boston Bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev,' tweeted Trump. 'The Federal Government must again seek the Death Penalty in a do- over of that chapter of the original trial." PROTESTS Portland Protests Calmer After Federal Agents Stand Down. The Washington Post (8/2, Taylor, Rosenberg, 14.2M) reports that after "66 straight nights," the protests in downtown Portland "may be reaching a turning point: The weekend brought none of the large-scale tear gas and firework-fueled clashes that marked the previous two months of unrest, a potential sign of calming tensions after the Trump administration pulled back federal law enforcement officers." However, it is "not clear what direction the protests in the city, which show no sign of stopping, will take next." In a similar report headlined "With No Federal Agents On Streets, Portland Protests Turn Largely Peaceful," the Wall Street Journal (8/2, Caldwell, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) says that since Thursday, the first night without a visible federal law enforcement presence, protests have been mostly peaceful. The New York Times (8/2, Baker, 18.61M) too reports that on Saturday night, "the crowd saw a third consecutive night of calm since the start of a plan to withdraw federal agents who had brought a militarized crackdown to the city." The AP (7/31, Flaccus) reports that in Portland, there has been a "dramatic change in tone outside a federal courthouse that's become ground zero in clashes between demonstrators and federal agents...after the U.S. government began drawing down its forces under a deal between Democratic Gov. Kate Brown and the Trump administration." According to the AP, "As agents from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Marshals Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement pulled back, troopers with the Oregon State Police were supposed to take over." The AP says "there were no signs of any law enforcement presence outside the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse, however, where a protest lasted into early Friday." The Washington Post (7/31, Taylor, 14.2M) also reports that "as the Black Lives Matter- inspired vigil wound down early Friday morning, there was virtually no sign of the Oregon State Police officers who had taken over protection of the federal buildings at the center of the protests." According to the Post, "Instead of being forcibly removed from downtown's Lownsdale Square and the adjacent Chapman Square...the crowd thinned out on its own, with many protesters heading home of their own accord." The Post says that "by a little after 1 a.m., only a relatively small crew remained, far down from the enormous crowd that had gathered four hours earlier to listen to speakers and chant anti-law enforcement slogans." Reuters (7/31, Bloom) reports that Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell "tweeted his thanks to protesters who stopped attempts to light fires and throw projectiles on the 63rd night of demonstrations, when there were no arrests." While Reuters adds that acting Homeland Security Secretary Wolf indicated Friday morning that DHS agents "remained on standby and National Guard troops could be sent in should state police be overrun," the Wall Street Journal (7/31, Caldwell, Calfas, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) says that officials in Portland expect the protests this weekend will be less violent given the drawdown of federal forces. Trump: DHS Will Remain In Portland Until Police "Complete Cleanup Of Anarchists And Agitators." President Trump on Friday tweeted, "Homeland Security is not leaving Portland until local police complete cleanup of Anarchists and Agitators!" Wolf: Joint Federal-Local Policing Has "Worked Fairly Well" In Portland. Appearing on Fox News' Fox & Friends (7/31, 831K), Wolf said the developments in Portland "worked fairly well. What we saw is we saw a robust contingent of Oregon State Police come into the area yesterday afternoon together with Portland Police Bureau. They cleaned out the parks across the street from the courthouse and what we saw overnight is almost little to no EFTA00150276 criminal activity. And that really is how it should be. It reinforces the principle if you work with federal state and local law enforcement work together we can protect our communities. We can secure our communities. We can secure federal properties and protect law enforcement officers. This is what we have been asking for or over 60 days and I'm glad Oregon and Portland has finally accepted up to the challenge." Cuccinelli Highlights Barr's House Testimony Regarding Portland Protests. Speaking on Chicago's Morning Answer (7/31), Acting Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Cuccinelli discussed Attorney General Barr's recent House testimony regarding the presence of federal agents in Portland. Cuccinelli also discussed the DHS' role in protecting federal property, including the federal courthouse. US Marshals Discuss Portland Protests, Role In Protecting Federal Courthouse. Appearing on NBC Nightly NewsVi (7/31, story 13, 1:58, Holt, 5.44M), US Marshals Service Director Donald Washington and US Marshall Russel Burger discussed the protests in Portland and their role in protecting the federal courthouse. Washington said, "People should be yelling, shouting from the courthouse steps their grievances, not trying to burn it to the ground." When asked by NBC's Erin McLaughlin, "Who are these people that are doing this?," Burger responded, "We have legitimate protesters that are out there expressing their First Amendment right, and we support that. But then you've got this other group, they want nothing more than to create chaos and injure people. And it's not a big group." Judge Allows Release Of 18-Year-Old Accused Of Attempted Arson At Portland Courthouse. The Oregonian (7/31, Bernstein, 1M) reports Gabriel Agard-Berryhill, 18, "made his first appearance in federal court Friday on an attempted arson allegation, accused of lighting and throwing a large firework Tuesday over the fence that struck and set on fire protective wood covering the entrance to the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse." The Oregonian adds US Magistrate Judge Jolie A. Russo "allowed Agard-Berryhill to be released," but he "must not come within a five-block radius of the courthouse at any time of the day or night while his case is pending." Judge May Order Federal Agents To Wear Numbered Jerseys. Politico (7/31, Gerstein, 4.29M) reports US District Court Judge Michael Simon on Friday suggested the uniforms of federal agents "responding to long-running protests and unrest in that city be emblazoned with easily visible numbers so officers can be easily identified if they commit abuses." Politico says Simon's comments came "in connection with a lawsuit he's overseeing that accuses city police and federal law enforcement officers of unjustified use of force against journalists and legal observers monitoring the protests, which have centered in recent weeks on the main federal courthouse in Portland." Poll: 53% Support Deployment To Protect Federal Property, 475 Opposed. The Hill (7/31, Schulte, 2.98M) reports a Hill-HarrisX poll of 948 "registered voters" (7/26-7/27) found 53% "said they support sending federal agents to major cities in order to protect federal property despite the mayors of those cities not making a request for such action," while 47% "opposed the Trump administration's move." However, The Hill adds the survey "fell heavily along party lines with 76 percent of Republican respondents saying they agreed with the use of federal troops to protect federal property while 77 percent of Democrats said they disagree with the move. Fifty-five percent of independent voters said they disagree with the move. The survey found 55 percent of white voters agree with federal agents and officers being deployed into major cities to protect federal property. Twenty-one percent of Black voters said they oppose the move along with 33 percent of Hispanic voters." DHS Official Whose Office Compiled Intelligence Regarding Journalists Gets Reassigned. The New York Times (8/1, Kanno-Youngs, Goldman, 18.61M) reports Department of Homeland Security Acting Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis Brian Murphy was reassigned "after his office compiled reports about protesters and journalists covering the Trump EFTA00150277 administration's response to unrest in Portland, Ore., last month." Murphy was moved "to a new position in (DHS] after his office disseminated to the law enforcement community 'open-source intelligence reports' containing Twitter posts of journalists, noting they had published leaked unclassified documents, according to an administration official familiar with the matter." The Times adds, "It was not clear what Mr. Murphy's new position would be." The Washington Post (8/1, Harris, Miroff, 14.2M) reports the decision to remove Murphy from his job was made on Friday by Acting DHS Secretary Wolf. DHS "has been under mounting scrutiny from lawmakers and civil liberties groups over its use of federal law enforcement officers to quell protests in Portland and in light of President Trump's threat to deploy federal personnel to other cities that he asserts are being overrun by violent criminals." DHS Stops Collecting Intel On Reporters Covering Portland Response. The New York Times (7/31, Kanno-Youngs, Tracy, 18.61M) reports DHS spokesman Alexei Woltornist "said on Friday that [Wolf] had shut down an intelligence examination of the work of reporters covering the government's response to protests in Portland, Ore., beginning an investigation into what he suggested was an infringement on First Amendment rights." Woltornist said, "The acting secretary is committed to ensuring that all D.H.S. personnel uphold the principles of professionalism, impartiality and respect for civil rights and civil liberties, particularly as it relates to the exercise of First Amendment rights." Woltornist added Wolf ordered DHS to "immediately discontinue collecting information involving members of the press" once he learned of its actions. Meanwhile, Reuters (7/31, Hosenball) reports all seven Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee on Friday "wrote to the Department of Homeland Security requesting details on its agents conducting intelligence monitoring of ongoing anti-racism protests in Portland." Cuccinelli Relaxed Oversight Of DHS Intel Office. Politico (8/2, Swan, 4.29M) reports that "several months ago, the leadership of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis asked" Acting DHS Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli to limit "a department watchdog from regularly reviewing the intelligence products it produces and distributes." Cuccinelli "signed off on the move, according to two sources familiar with the situation, which constrained the role of the department's Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in approving the intelligence office's work." Since the change, however, "I&A's work has drawn withering criticism. The Washington Post reported last week that the office distributed an intelligence report documenting communications between protesters over the Telegram messaging app. The Post also reported that I&A compiled intelligence reports on journalists covering DHS's response to protests in Portland, Oregon against racism and police brutality." A DHS spokesperson declined to comment. DC Police Prevent Pro-Life Organizations From Painting "Black Preborn Lives Matter" On Street, Arrest Two Activists. The Washington Times (8/1, Richardson, 492K) reports, "Police stopped pro-life groups Saturday from painting 'Black Preborn Lives Matter' on the street in front of a Washington, D.C., Planned Parenthood clinic and subsequently arrested two for writing the message in chalk on a sidewalk, even though the activists said they had the District government's permission for the street painting." Leaders from Students for Life of America indicated that they told law enforcement "and city officials during the permit process that they would be painting the message on the 1200 block of 4th Street NE, citing the precedent of the protesters who painted 'Defund the Police' in June on 16th Street NW." In an email, Students for Life spokesperson Kristi Hamrick said, "We were told verbally that we would not be prevented from painting and what kind of paint to buy." Jayapal Says Barr Perjured Himself During Testimony On Protests. EFTA00150278 Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) said on MSNBC's Politics NationVi (8/2, 932K) that Attorney General Barr "is not the President's personal attorney. He is supposed to be the attorney for all Americans and he is not acting that way. So, when there are protesters who are protesting the President, like the movement for Black Lives [Matter] protesters, then...a whole series of officers that come and push them out of the way just so that the President can get a photo-op. ... But when you have right-wing extremists...then somehow the Attorney General is nowhere to be found. And I believe he actually perjured himself because he said he wasn't even aware of those protests and that is impossible that as Attorney General he wouldn't be aware of those protests." Trump Retweets Video Of Fox News Hosts Criticizing House Democrats' Treatment Of Barr. President Trump retweeted a post from a Twitter user called The Dirty Truth who tweeted video of a segment from Fox News' Watters World during which host Jesse Watters said House Democrats' treatment of Barr during his testimony last week was "despicable," and Fox News host Mark Levin said, "I have never seen a senior official of any administration ever treated like that." Arkansas Governor Confident In Investigation Into Morris Death. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R), on CNN's State Of The UnionVi (8/2, 954K), commented on a newly released video showing the death of Lionel Morris, who died in police custody. Hutchinson said, "I'm confident that the review by the Arkansas state police was thorough and the prosecuting attorney's office, any death like that in custody is a tragedy, but, in this case, one thing you didn't mention that he was very high on methamphetamine that was in his system and that was a large part of the reason that he died in custody because of that, as well as other contributing factors. I have confidence in the review that was done, in addition one thing that we are doing as a result of the George Floyd protests and the tragedy that was there, we do have an ongoing task force to review the advancement of law enforcement and what controls, changes need to be made there." Nevada Legislature Votes To Ban Police From Using Chokeholds. The Washington Examiner (8/2, Dibble, 448K) reports the Nevada state legislature over the weekend passed "a series of police reforms, including a ban on the use of chokeholds by officers." The state Senate and assembly "each passed separate policing reforms on Saturday" including restricting the use of chokeholds "unless the officer's life is in danger." COUNTER-TERRORISM UK Goes To Supreme Court To Fight Return Of IS Bride. The AP (7/31, Kirka) reported the British government is going "to the UK's Supreme Court to challenge the return of a woman who ran away from home as a teenager in London to join the Islamic State group." A lower appeals court "ruled earlier this month that Shamima Begum had the right to come back to her home country to mount a legal challenge aimed at restoring her British citizenship, which was revoked on national security grounds." The three-judge Court of Appeal panel "ruled that 'the only way in which she can have a fair and effective appeal is to be permitted to come into the UK." Britain's Home Office "challenged the decision, arguing that Begum doesn't have the right to repatriate." A lawyer for the Home Office, James Eadie, "said there were 'significant national security concerns' surrounding her return." Afghan Troops Kill Senior Islamic State Militant. The AP (8/2) reports Afghanistan's intelligence service "said the country's special forces killed a high-ranking official with the local Islamic State group affiliate in an operation in eastern Afghanistan." A statement late Saturday by the National Directorate of Security "said the slain EFTA00150279 militant was Assadullah Orakzai, an intelligence leader for the IS affiliate in Afghanistan." The statement "said he was killed near Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province." Orakzai was suspected of "being involved in several deadly attacks against both military and civilian targets in Afghanistan." NYTimes Al: Case Of One Extremist Group Shows How Far-Right Infiltration Has Spread Throughout German Society. In a roughly 3,200-word front-page article, the New York Times (8/1, Al, Bennhold, 18.61M) examines the creation of the German group Nordkreuz, or Northern Cross, and how its members began making plans to "round up political enemies and those defending migrants and refugees, put them on trucks and drive them to a secret location," and then kill them. The Times says, "The Nordkreuz case, which only recently came to trial after being uncovered more than three years ago, shows that the problem of far-right infiltration" in Germany "is neither new nor confined to...the KSK, or even the military. Far-right extremism penetrated multiple layers of German society in the years when the authorities underestimated the threat or were reluctant to countenance it fully, officials and lawmakers acknowledge. Now they are struggling to uproot it." COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE Judge Denies Bail For California Researcher Over China Ties. The AP (8/2) reports from Sacramento, California, "A federal judge in California denied a bail request for a university researcher accused of lying about her ties to China's military and Communist Party to gain access to the United States." US Magistrate Judge Deborah Barnes "said Friday that 37-year-old Juan Tang 'would have every reason to leave' the country if released on bail. The former Chinese researcher at the University of California Davis has been held without bail at the Sacramento County Main Jail since July 23." Tang "was arrested by FBI agents when she left the Chinese consulate in San Francisco to visit a doctor, authorities said. Tang was considered a fugitive who sought refuge for a month inside the consulate after being questioned June 20." The Sacramento (CA) Bee (7/31, 567K) reported Barnes said, "I just don't see sufficient conditions to overcome flight risk." Law360 (7/31, Subscription Publication, 8K) reported Barnes "found it 'highly suspicious' that the defendant's daughter returned to China without the court's knowledge." Stanford University visiting scholar Chen Song is "one of a handful of scientists who the US has recently charged with visa fraud, claiming they concealed their active Chinese military duty status in their US visa applications in an orchestrated program by the Chinese government." Bloomberg (7/31, Rosenblatt, 4.73M) reported Lexi Negin, the public defender representing Tang, "said in an email that she's disappointed by the decision." Negin said,"We will continue to work to try and find a suitable release package for Dr. Tang so that she can defend her case." Woman Pleads Guilty To Plotting To Steal Trade Secrets From Ohio Hospital. WXIX-TV Cincinnati (8/1, Fisher, Goffinet, 42K) reports, "The FBI division in Cincinnati is helping Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus with an investigation involving a woman who pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiring to steal scientific trade secrets from the hospital for her company in China and wire fraud, court documents states." According to WXIX-TV, "Court documents say, Li Chen, 46, from Dublin, Ohio, admitted to stealing scientific trade secrets related to exosomes and exosome isolation from Nationwide Children's Hospital's Research Institute. 'Li Chen was a trusted researcher at Nationwide Children's Hospital, conducting cutting-edge U.S. government-funded research,' stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge, EFTA00150280 Chris Hoffman. 'With her guilty plea, she admits that she abused this trust to establish a company in China for her own financial gain." WPost Examines Trump Campaign's Efforts To "Court QAnon." The Washington Post (8/2, Al, Stanley-Becker, 14.2M) has a front-page feature on "how the Trump campaign came to court QAnon," writing that the President "and his campaign have courted and legitimized" adherents to "the viral online movement, which took root on Internet message boards in the fall of 2017 with posts from a self-proclaimed government insider identified as 'Q' [that] has triggered violent acts and occasional criminal cases. ... The Trump campaign's director of press communications, for example, went on a QAnon program and urged listeners to 'sign up and attend a Trump Victory Leadership Initiative training," and QAnon "iconography has appeared in official campaign advertisements targeting battleground states." White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications Dan Scavino "has gone from endorsing praise from QAnon accounts to posting their memes himself." Op-Ed: The US And China Need To Find Ways To Manage The New Cold War. In a commentary in the Wall Street Journal (7/31, Subscription Publication, 7.57M), David Shambaugh, the Gaston Sigur Professor of Asian Studies, Political Science and International Affairs and director of the China Policy Program at George Washington University, wrote that ties between the US and China are deteriorating quickly and that the two countries are essentially now engaged in a new Cold War. He contends the situation has been deteriorating for some time, but the recent Consulate closures in each country demonstrates the clear decline and the two countries need to find ways to deal with the new bilateral dynamic and deter the situation from getting even more serious. Op-Ed: Communist China Puts Our Technology And Safety At Risk Every Day. In an op-ed in CQ Roll Call (7/31, 154K), Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Rep. John Joyce (R- PA) wrote, "Communist China puts our technology and safety at risk every day. It's been a long time coming, but more and more Americans are waking up to the threat of Chinese influence in our technology. This is a reality we must face as a nation and one we need to get a handle on before it's too late." They contended, "The China Task Force is focused on equipping our scientists to win the race to 5G and remove Chinese telecom infrastructure from the US. To achieve lasting progress, America must continue and expand its prohibition of dangerous technologies originating from China, like Huawei and ZTE." They concluded, "In the 21st century, the US simply cannot afford to fall behind China's technology momentum. ...We must once again lead in innovation and ensure security for our telecommunications." Johnson Says Agencies Are Not Cooperating With Investigation Of Russia Probe. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures (8/2) about his investigation into the Russia probe. Johnson said, "We're trying to assemble a puzzle. I think we basically know what the picture is but we're trying to get all the pieces of the puzzle. Democrats have a huge advantage over us in our investigation. Some of them know exactly what they did. ... One of our problems is obtaining documents from these agencies. ... I can't tell you my frustration how difficult it is getting information out of agencies that are supposedly controlled by this Administration but simply aren't. ... I'm actually hoping the White House gets engaged and gets into the agencies and makes sure that the American people finally get to understand and see the full picture of the corruption of the transition process that occurred." Op-Ed: Confidentiality Was Never Part Of The Steel Dossier. In an op-ed in The Hill (8/1, 2.98M), former FBI agent James Casy wrote, "Critics who claim that Attorney General Barr has recklessly declassified...FBI electronic communication, putting Danchenko and other sources - and future source operations - in peril are wrong. Steele was a EFTA00150281 'non-US Person,' and not an FBI source when he was de facto working for...the Hillary Clinton campaign to develop opposition research. Steele subcontracted this work to Danchenko...who, by his own admission during the FBI interview, provided what he categorized as 'bar talk over beers' back to Steele. The fact that this kind of information in an FBI communication was classified as 'secret' in the first place is unexplainable." Casey concluded, "The information that Danchenko provided was the last nail in the coffin of the Steele dossier, and it created a serious dilemma for the FBI. ... How this all ends will be determined largely by US Attorney Durham's investigation." Op-Ed: Barr May Try To Spin His "Investigation" Before The Election. In an op-ed in the Washington Post (8/1, 14.2M), Joshua Geltzer And Ryan Goodman wrote, "One of William Barr's weaknesses is a godsend for the rule of law: The attorney general is not completely effective at lying. ... Barr's behavior in his prior career in government and in his current office reveals voluminous and specific examples in which he misled the public and Congress. ... And there's every reason to suspect Barr will soon try again to mislead - this time regarding...an investigation by his handpicked US attorney, John Durham - in an effort to skew the 2020 elections." They contended, "The problem is that there are two types of lies that Barr is willing to employ. One can be detected quickly. The other often takes time to uncover." They concluded, "It's essential that Congress, the media and the public refuse to accept what Barr says at face value. Wait till we see what Durham's investigation actually concludes." NYTimes Analysis: Trump's Approach To Moscow Appears To Have Undergone "Little Or No Evolution" Since 2016. In an analysis, the New York Times (7/31, Sanger, 18.61M) says President Trump's "approach to Moscow...has been consistent. With three months until Election Day, he is repeating a variant of lines that he uttered during his first campaign." For example, "it would be 'wonderful' if 'instead of fighting each other, we got along.' That he and Mr. Putin are working together to reduce the threat of nuclear war, even though both nations have spent the past four years developing nuclear weapons and scuttling treaties that limited their stockpiles. In recent days, he has begun deflecting questions about Russia's cyberactivities by repeating another line from 2016: that everyone turns a blind eye to China." The article says, "What is striking about all these comments is that they indicate little or no evolution in Mr. Trump's approach." Op-Ed: Trump Is Committed To Defending The US, And Russia Knows It. In an op-ed in the Washington Post (8/2, 14.2M), Robert O'Brien, the national security adviser to President Trump, writes, "Like Reagan, President Trump strives for good relations with all nations, including Russia. But no nation, including Russia, should doubt the president's commitment to defending the US and our allies. President Trump has demonstrated to Russia that he means what he says about putting 'America First.' If recently reported allegations of Russian malign activity toward Americans in Afghanistan prove true, Russia knows from experience that it will pay a price - even if that price never becomes public." He concludes, "No president since Reagan has shown such resolve to Moscow. Like Reagan, President Trump seeks another path with Russia - one in which Russia refrains from aggression abroad and becomes a friendly partner to the United States and Europe. In such a world, sanctions on Russia would be unnecessary, and trade between our countries would flourish." WPost Analysis: Dissonance Between Trump, National Security Team Shows Lack Of Strategic Approach To Russia. In an analysis, the Washington Post (8/1, Deyoung, 14.2M) said, "The public dissonance between President Trump and his top national security team over Russia reached new heights in the past week," in some ways overshadowing what several experts describe as the Administration's lack of strategic approach to dealing with Moscow. For example, a former senior Administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that to the extent President Trump "'undermines US policy,' it is not necessarily EFTA00150282 because of his lauding of Putin, but `because there is no coherent policy." The official added, "There is no devolution to fill out the details of the kind of deals he wants to make." Detentions Of 33 Suspected Russian Mercenaries In Belarus Pits Minsk Against Moscow Just Before Election. The Washington Post (8/1, Khurshudyan, 14.2M) reported the detentions of "33 suspected Russian mercenaries near Minsk" earlier this week "have expanded an unusual run of tension between Belarus and Russia, once tight allies that have drifted apart as Belarus's president, Alexander Lukashenko, tests policies independent of Moscow's backing. The rare friction with Russia is now part of the backdrop for an Aug. 9 election that is expected to extend Lukashenko's 26-year authoritarian grip on power." However, "Lukashenko also appears to be using the showdown with Moscow to bolster his populist credentials and to try to discredit opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, a newcomer who has led a surprisingly strong campaign. Belarus claims - without making any evidence public - that the alleged mercenaries are part of Russia's shadowy Wagner Group paramilitary outfit and were sent to Minsk to destabilize the country ahead of presidential elections." CIA Declassifies Details Of 1970s Stealth Drone. Forbes (7/31, Hambling, 9.71M) reported The CIA's Project Aquiline was "a drone with a ten- foot wingspan which would carry out spy missions deep into the Soviet Union." The CIA has "declassified a new stash of documents about the project from the early 1970s, revealing among other things, plans to fit nuclear propulsion and have it operating out of the celebrated Area 51." Project Aquiline never "became operational, for reasons which we will explore." But, as the CIA "notes in a preface to the new release, `the concept proved invaluable as a forerunner to today's multi-capability UAVs [Unmanned Aerial Vehicles]." The project originated "in the 1960s." After the shooting down "of Gary Powers U-2 spy plane over the Soviet Union, manned flights were becoming politically too risky." Satellites could peer "over the Iron Curtain, but only provided grainy long-range photographs." What was needed was "a small, unmanned aircraft for strategic reconnaissance from close-up." Retrial Of Accused CIA Leaker Josh Schulte Delayed At Request Of Defense Lawyers. The Washington Times (7/31, Blake, 492K) reported a federal court judge "pushed back proceedings Friday in the government's longstanding criminal case against Joshua Adam Schulte, a former CIA engineer suspected of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks." Senior US District Court Judge Paul A. Crotty "agreed to postpone a status conference in the Schulte case previously scheduled for August 3 in light of defense layers recently asking for an adjournment." The conference has been "rescheduled for Oct. 17, per the judge's order, indicating Schulte's yearslong legal saga is unlikely to come to a conclusion anytime soon." CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS Maxwell Wins Court Ruling To Prevent Release Of 2016 Testimony As Reports Highlight Ties To Trump, Clinton. According to Bloomberg (7/31, Hurtado, 4.73M), "Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite fighting sex-trafficking charges in the U.S., persuaded a federal appeals court in Manhattan to temporarily halt the release of sworn testimony she gave in April 2016 in a civil case." Bloomberg says the court on Friday "granted Maxwell's request to block the unsealing of documents that include her deposition testimony in that lawsuit," but "said it would consider the fight over the unsealing on an expedited basis and scheduled a hearing for Sept. 22." In article titled, "Before President Trump Wished Ghislaine Maxwell `Well; They Had Mingled For Years In The Same Gilded Circles," the Washington Post (7/31, Helderman, Fisher, EFTA00150283 14.2M) reports that "for at least 15 years" after meeting in 1989, President Trump and Maxwell "continued to mingle in the same gilded circles, attending the same parties in Florida and New York, sharing meals and flying together at least once on [Jeffrey] Epstein's private plane." The Post says "during those years, Trump socialized with Epstein, particularly after Epstein purchased a mansion in Palm Beach, Fla., in 1990, not far from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate." The Post says that while Trump said last year that he and Epstein "had had a falling out," he "as not made a similar effort to distance himself from Maxwell, Epstein's longtime companion." The Washington Post (7/31, Helderman, Jacobs, 14.2M) also reports that Virginia Giuffre, "who has accused...Epstein of years-long abuse that began when she was a teenager, alleged in a newly unsealed deposition that...Maxwell, was both his chief accomplice and a participant in the sexual abuse." According to the Post, Giuffre "has claimed that Maxwell recruited her to serve as a traveling masseuse for Epstein after spotting her working a summer job as a locker room attendant 20 years ago at Mar-a-Lago, President Trump's private estate." According to Bloomberg (7/31, Hurtado, 4.73M), Giuffre "has recounted how she had a job at 16 handing out towels in a spa locker room at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida before Maxwell lured her to work as a masseuse for Epstein, when he began sexually assaulting her." Bloomberg adds, "After that, Giuffre testified, Maxwell and Epstein began farming her out to powerful men, including directing her to have sex with Britain's Prince Andrew - a claim the prince has strenuously denied." Meanwhile, Stephanie Gosk reported on NBC Nightly NewsVI (7/31, story 12, 1:57, Holt, 5.44M), "In a 2011 transcript of a conversation with attorneys, Giuffre said she saw former President Bill Clinton on the island. According to this document, she told lawyers, 'I remember asking Jeffrey what's Bill Clinton doing here kind of thing. And he laughed it off and said, 'well, he owes me a favor.' He never told me what favors they were.' In a statement today, a Clinton spokesperson tells NBC News, 'The story keeps changing. The facts don't. President Clinton has never been to the island.' Giuffre has acknowledged to NBC News that she used drugs when she says she was abused by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, his long-time friend who pleaded not guilty to federal charges earlier this month. But Giuffre pushes back on Maxwell and others who have questioned her credibility." Gosk added, "Giuffre does not allege that Clinton engaged in any illegal sexual activity, nor has any other known Epstein accuser." The AP (7/31) reports that US District Judge Alison J. Nathan "said Friday that her attorneys are not permitted to publicly identify accusers even if they've spoken in a public forum. 'Not all accusations or public statements are equal,' U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan wrote in her ruling in the case facing Ghislaine Maxwell. 'Deciding to participate in or contribute to a criminal investigation or prosecution is a far different matter than simply making a public statement "relating to" Ms. Maxwell or Jeffrey Epstein, particularly since such a statement might have occurred decades ago and have no relevance to the charges in this case.' Judge Nathan "said the women 'still maintain a significant privacy interest that must be safeguarded." The San Jose (CA) Mercury News (7/31, Ross, 456K) reports, "Newly released documents in a lawsuit against Jeffrey Epstein's associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, shed new light on the late accused sex trafficker's friendship with Prince Andrew, including the claim that the British royal worked to help Epstein secure a reduced sentence in a child prostitution case in Florida in 2008." The Mercury News adds, "Andrew's reputation has already been tarnished by his long association with Epstein and by allegations that he had sex multiple times with Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of the teenage girls Epstein allegedly pimped out to his powerful friends. Andrew, who was asked to step down from his royal duties last year, has repeatedly denied having sex with Giuffre, but the new documents appear to challenge his assertion that he wasn't good friends with Epstein and only saw him infrequently through the 2000s before he claims he ended their friendship." The Wall Street Journal (7/31, Paul, O'Brien, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) and a brief ABC World News TonightVi (7/31, story 14, 0:27, Llamas, 6.66M) broadcast provide similar coverage of the unsealed documents. EFTA00150284 Pair Of Prisoners Apprehended After Escaping From Oklahoma Jail. ABC World News TonightVi (7/31, story 15, 0:23, Llamas, 6.66M) reported on a "dramatic jailbreak in Oklahoma City. Authorities say 34-year-old Pablo Robledo and his cellmate busted out glass blocks and used bed sheets tied together to climb down from the 12th floor of the jail. The cellmate was arrested after breaking his leg. Robledo, who is facing a first degree murder charge...briefly got away but was arrested after a manhunt this afternoon." FBI Probing Fatal Shooting In Washington Casino Parking Garage. KOMO-TV Seattle (8/1, 402K) reports from Tacoma, Washington, "Puyallup Tribal Police responded to a report of a shooting at the south parking garage of the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma just before midnight Friday night. Tribal officers and Emerald Queen security performed CPR on the male victim." KOMO-TV adds, "The victim was pronounced deceased early Saturday morning. Tribal police say a male suspect fled the scene on foot. Police believe the shooting did not appear to be a robbery." According to KOMO-TV, "Following standard procedure for major crimes on the Puyallup reservation, the FBI is now investigating the shooting." Arizona Man Arrested After Fleeing Shooting Scene. The Arizona Daily Sun (7/31, 32K) reports, "Flagstaff police, with the help of federal officials, made an arrest in a shooting on the 5200 block of East Cortland Boulevard in mid-July." Pedro Herrera, 35, of Flagstaff, Arizona, "was identified by victims and witnesses on July 18 after a shooting in the neighborhoods near North Country Club Drive in Flagstaff. The victim was shot in the leg and survived his injuries. Herrera has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and attempted homicide." The Daily Sun adds, "On July 18, police believed Herrera was in the area of Flagstaff or Winslow and considered him armed and dangerous driving a Ford Fusion. The Marshal's Office's Flagstaff Violent Offender Task Force and Phoenix division, Flagstaff FBI and Navajo Department of Public Safety worked together to arrest Herrera." Six Former Houston Officers Charged After Deadly Drug Raid. The AP (7/31, Lozano) reports from Houston, Texas, "A grand jury has indicted six former Houston police officers whose work with a narcotics unit has been under scrutiny since a 2019 drug raid in which a couple was killed, prosecutors announced Friday." The AP adds, "Prosecutors allege that the former officers falsified documentation about drug payments to confidential informants, routinely used false information to get search warrants, and lied in police reports. The grand jury on Thursday brought indictments on a total of 17 felony charges against the officers. The indicted former officers are Gerald Goines; Steven Bryant; Sgt. Clemente Reyna; Sgt. Thomas Wood; Lt. Robert Gonzales; and Hodgie Armstrong. The charges, which include tampering with a government record and aggregate theft by a public servant, were first filed earlier this month by the Harris County District Attorney's Office, which then brought the case before a grand jury." FBI Searching For Man Who Vandalized Chicago Church. The Chicago Tribune (7/31, Williams-Harris, 2.65M) reports, "The FBI is asking for the public's help identifying a man who brought a dog with him while he vandalized a church in the Pilsen neighborhood last fall." The Tribune adds, "On Oct. 15, about 1:30 p.m., the man attempted to gain entry to the Lincoln United Methodist Church, 2242 S. Damen Ave. After someone told the man the church was closed, he began to kick the glass doors, shattering both, the FBI said. When employees of the church confronted him, he made racist comments and performed a gesture described as a Nazi salute." The Chicago Sun-Times (7/31, Struett, 875K) reports, "The incident, which happened about 1:30 p.m. Oct. 15, 2019, was logged by Chicago police as a religious-motivated hate EFTA00150285 crime, according to a review CPD hate crime records. In 2019, the CPD recorded six other hate crimes at churches and nine at synagogues. The FBI did not detail the possible motivation behind the incident." US Charges Arizona Man For Distributing Child Pornography. KOLD-TV Tucson, AZ (7/31, Ramirez) reports from Tucson, Arizona, "A 34-year-old Lake Havasu City man faces up to 20 years in prison for child pornography distribution charges." Dale L. Bauwens II "was indicted by Matthew D. Krueger, a U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, on Tuesday, July 21 on two counts of distributing child porn, which carries a minimum sentence of five years and maximum of 20 years in prison, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office Eastern District of Wisconsin. Bauwens's arrest and subsequent indictment came as part of Operation Kick Boxer, a collaborative effort between the Milwaukee Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Attorney's Office, and the Winnebago County Sheriff's Office, aimed at apprehending sex offenders who target children." Marine Corps Suspends Search For Missing Personnel Off Southern California. NBC Nightly NewsVi (8/2, story 8, 0:20, Snow, 4.12M) reported that the US Marine Corps "has suspended the search and rescue effort for seven missing Marines and one Navy sailor off the coast of southern California. The group was on a training mission Thursday when their amphibious assault vehicle sank." ABC World News TonigtSVi (8/2, story 6, 0:25, Llamas, 5.23M) reported, "All eight service members are presumed dead." A brief report on the CBS Weekend NewsVi (8/2, story 4, 0:15, Garrett, 1.32M) provided similar coverage. FBI Investigation Results In Charges Against Hawaii Man Who Allegedly Sent Threatening Emails. Maui (HI) Now (7/31) reported an O'ahu man was charged "in federal court with sending threatening interstate communications. Sean Michael Fujiwara, 43, of Kailua, Hawai'i is accused of sending at least 21 emails that were threatening in nature or contained references to foreign terrorist organizations, or both, according to the US Justice Department." He has since "been remanded to federal custody pending further proceedings." According to FBI Special Agent in Charge Eli S. Miranda ,"The FBI takes these types of threats very serious especially when they reference schools and the killing of students and teachers. Many times these threats are more than words and are actually a precursor to violence. The men and women of the FBI work tirelessly to identify the author of such threats to ensure they are stopped before they act out. This arrest is an example of the FBI's dedication to justice and our goal of making Hawai'i a safer place for all." Big Island (HI) Now (7/31) reported among the alleged messages "were a Feb. 25, 2018 email to a personal Hawai'i Department of Education email address threatening to shoot and kill teachers and students; a June 8, 2020 email to a law enforcement agency threatening to plant a bomb at a specified police station; and multiple emails proclaiming Fujiwara's allegiance to ISIS." The case is being investigated by the FBI. Indiana Girl Dies After Being Caught In Shootout. The AP (7/31) reported a 2-year-old girl died Friday "two days after she was caught in crossfire and shot in the head while sitting in a car with her mother at a northwestern Indiana apartment complex, police said." Police said the girl's mother, "who was not injured in Wednesday night's shooting, did not know the people who traded gunfire in the parking lot at the Kennedy Crossing Apartment Complex in Hammond." Following the shooting, "police searched a wooded area nearby where one suspect had apparently fled. A police helicopter helped in that search while dogs scoured the area, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southeast of Chicago, WLS-TV reported." Hammond detectives used a "fire truck to search the roof of an apartment building EFTA00150286 for evidence, while the FBI assisted police at the shooting scene, where police had marked at least 10 shell casings." Omaha Bank Robber Sentenced Ten Years. Daily Nonpareil (IA) (7/31, Pimper) reported an Omaha man convicted of "robbing a Council Bluffs bank was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment Wednesday." Brandon Bird had his sentence "levied by U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa." As part of his sentence, "the defendant is being required to serve three years of post-release supervision, court records show. It was also ordered by the judge that he pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victims' Fund." The case was investigated "by the Council Bluffs Police Department, Iowa State Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Great Plains Violent Crimes Task Force. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa." Hawaii Man Sentenced For Possession Of Child Porn. Big Island (HI) Now (8/2) reports a Honolulu man was sentenced "to five years in prison for possession of child pornography, the Department of Justice reported last week." Tyler Pang was sentenced "on July 29 by United States District Judge Leslie E. Kobayashi." Pang is also required "to register as a sex offender in the jurisdiction(s) where he resides, is employed, or is a student." The case was investigated by the FBI. According to FBI Special Agent in Charge Eli S. Miranda, "Identifying predators who exploit the innocence of a child will always be a top priority for the FBI. Tyler Pang possessed sexual images of children and distributed the images over the internet. Today's sentencing highlights the hard work of the men and women of the FBI and puts a child predator offline." FBI Believes Toledo Councilwoman Sought To Extort Local Business Owner. The Toledo (OH) Blade (8/1, 88K) reported that as part of a "sweeping bribery probe of four Toledo councilmen and a local attorney," the FBI believes Toledo City Councilman Yvonne Harper intended to extort a local gas station owner. Federal investigators in a criminal complaint "filed June 30 assert she said as much at those meetings in front of another elected official, a Toledo police officer, the leader of Toledo's NAACP chapter, a local bishop, and a member of the mayor's administration who is now the Ohio political director for Joe Biden's presidential campaign." Three ND Tribal Officials Charged In Bribery Scheme. The Minot (ND) Daily News (8/2, 61K) reports two current tribal government "officials and one former tribal government official of the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation) were charged by criminal complaint unsealed on Thursday for their alleged acceptance of bribes and kickbacks from a contractor providing construction services on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, which is the home of the MHA Nation." The FBI investigated the case. Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt "of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Drew H. Wrigley for the District of North Dakota, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Aubree M. Schwartz of the FBI's Minneapolis Field Office made the announcement." Honolulu Managing Director Subject Of FBI Investigation. Honolulu Civil Beat HI (8/1, Jedra) reported Honolulu Managing Director Roy Amemiya "is a 'subject' in a federal investigation and testified before a grand jury on Thursday, the city said on Friday." Amemiya is now the "highest-ranking, non-elected city official to become embroiled in a federal probe" and it is "unclear on what case he was called to testify." However, Amemiya's testimony "follows a recent visit to the grand jury by Max Sword, a former member of the EFTA00150287 Honolulu Police Commission appointed by Caldwell. Corporation Counsel Donna Leong received an FBI target letter in January 2019." FBI Increases Reward Amount For Information Leading To Arrest And Conviction In Las Cruces Church Bombings. The Las Cruces (NM) Sun-News (8/2, 58K) reports the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Friday "increased the reward for the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the church explosions that occurred five years ago in Las Cruces." The FBI "increased its reward from $20,000 to up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for the explosions." On Friday, James Langenberg, "special agent in charge of the Albuquerque FBI Division, said it's fortunate that the devices didn't hurt anyone five years ago. But - had they exploded a few minutes earlier or later - it could have been a different story." Langenberg said, "Investigators have conducted more than 700 interviews, and reviewed hundreds of files, tips and other pieces of information in this investigation. We are determined to solve this case." Among other outlets reporting is the Los Alamos (NM)Ilely Post (8/1). Massachusetts Man Faces Federal Charges After FBI Says He Stole "Smart" Light Bulbs From Home Depot. The Springfield (MA Republican (8/2, Croteau, 395K) reports the theft of light bulbs and batteries "does not bring to mind an FBI investigation, but one Massachusetts man is accused of stealing thousands of dollars' worth of those items and has now found himself facing a federal charge." Justin Farinato, 39, of Groveland, "is facing a charge of transportation of stolen goods in a Massachusetts federal court after authorities say he made nearly $400,000 from stealing `smart' light bulbs, Nest thermostats and batteries from The Home Depot." He "appeared in federal court Friday." Farinato, according to "an affidavit filed by FBI Special Agent Andrea Sciolino, has stolen the special light bulbs, thermostats and other items from various Home Depot locations in New England since 2014." Among other outlets reporting is the Salem (MA) News (8/1, Writer, 64K). New York Man Pleads Guilty To Sexually Exploiting Child. The Schenectady Me) Daily Gazette (8/2, 82K) reports that Blake Spears, 39, of Guilderland, "pleaded guilty Friday to one count of sexual exploitation of a child." Spears "admitted to sexually exploiting the child Dec. 1, 2018 by using his phone to make a recording." He also "admitted to using a phone messaging application to distribute videos to others depicting the sexual abuse of other children, prosecutors said." The case "was investigated by the FBI and its Child Exploitation Task Force." Police Arrest Pontiac Man In Homicide Of Susie Zhao. The Oakland MI Press (8/2, 95K) reports police "have arrested a 60-year-old Pontiac man in the homicide of Susie Zhao, a 33-year-old Waterford Township resident who had worked as a professional poker player, a ClickonDetroit report said." Zhao's "badly burnt remains were found on Monday, July 13 at around 8 a.m. in a Department of Natural Resources parking area near the Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area at Maceday Lake and Cross roads, according to White Lake police." At about 9 a.m. Friday, detectives "were notified by the FBI task force about the location of the suspect's vehicle and stopped it around I-275 and Michigan Avenue, where the search warrants were then executed." Among other outlets reporting are the Detroit (MI) Free Press (8/1, 1.52M) and ABC News (8/1, News, 2.97M). Task Force Arrests Grand Island Man On Drug Charges. EFTA00150288 The Grand Island (NE) Independent (8/1, 52K) reported members of the Central Nebraska Drug and Safe Streets Task Force "arrested a 48-year-old Grand Island man Thursday afternoon on drug charges." Daniel Harp was arrested "for possession of a controlled substance (meth) with intent to distribute and possession of a controlled substance (Xanax)." Grand Island Police Capt. Jim Duering "said the FBI-sponsored task force does most of its investigations at the federal level." Maryland Man Sentenced To 18 Months In Federal Prison For False Use Of A Passport. The Baynet (MD). (7/31) reported that US District Judge George Hazel III "sentenced Arinze Michael Ozor, age 37, of Bowie, Maryland, a dual citizen of the United States and Nigeria, to 18 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for forgery or false use of a passport, in connection with his use of false passports to open `drop accounts' for a money laundering conspiracy." Judge Hazel also ordered Ozor to pay restitution of $43,000. The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert Hur, who "commended the FBI and the DSS for their work in the investigation." FBI: San Antonio Man Arrested, Charged With Distribution Of Child Pornography. KSAT-TV San Antonio (8/1, Rodriguez, 198K) reported a 62-year-old San Antonio man "is now behind bars and charged with distributing child pornography, according to the FBI." Juan Benavidez "was arrested Thursday after federal authorities filed a federal complaint." An FBI release said, "A preliminary examination of the iPhone revealed the presence of multiple image files depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit activity as well as the use of the mobile messaging application named Kik to receive and distribute files depicting child pornography between April and June of this year." Suspect Accused Of Fatally Beating Another Man In Tulsa Has Been Arrested. The Tulsa (OK) World (7/31, 205K) reported Tulsa police and the FBI "worked to arrest a man accused of fatally beating" Donald Thomas, 36, "to death with a water key late Thursday night." Kyle Freeman, 34, "was booked into the Tulsa County Jail on Friday morning on a hold for the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a murder complaint." Thomas, "whose death is Tulsa's 46th homicide of 2020, was also a tribal citizen." The FBI and Muscogee (Creek) Nation Lighthorse Police "were notified." Woman Suspected Of Murder Of Former Springfield Couple Found In New Mexico. The Eugene (OR) Register-Guard (7/31, Brown, 183K) reported, "A 46-year-old woman was arrested in New Mexico on a fugitive warrant this week, for suspected involvement in a 2018 murder of a Grant County couple." The couple Terry and Sharon Smith "were former Springfield residents." On Wednesday, the Albuquerque, New Mexico, Police Department "notified Grant County Sheriff's office they had arrested Gabrielle Isabella Connery, 46, on a fugitive warrant stemming from a two-year investigation of the case." The Bend Office of the FBI "was involved in this case." FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive From Tacoma Tracked Down In Mexico. KIRO-TV Seattle (7/31, 34K) reported a FBI "Ten Most Wanted Fugitive" from Tacoma "was tracked down in Mexico and was booked into the Pierce County Jail on Thursday." Santiago Mederos is "accused of shooting Camille and Josh Love in what investigators believe was a case of mistaken identity." FINANCT,A) rmrmr Pi CORPORATE SCANDALS FBI Raids Legislative Office Of Former Ohio House Speaker. EFTA00150289 The lC ayton (OH) Daily News (7/31, Bischoff, 121K) reports, "Federal agents executed a search warrant on the Ohio House on Friday to seize items from state Rep. Larry Householder's office." The Dayton Daily News "obtained a copy of the search warrant and seizure inventory through a public records request. The House GOP caucus issued the following statement: `The Ohio House of Representatives today received and fully cooperated with a federal search warrant for personal items at the Riffe Center belonging to Larry Householder. The House will continue cooperating with federal investigators as part of our effort to restore integrity and trust to the House." The Cleveland Plain Dealer (7/31, Pelzer, 895K) reports from Columbus, Ohio, "FBI agents raided ex-House Speaker Larry Householder's legislative office on Friday, seizing a number of personal items, according to a House Republican spokeswoman." The Plain Dealer adds, "The move comes a day after a federal grand jury indicted the Perry County Republican and four allies on racketeering conspiracy charges for allegedly running a $60 million bribery scheme using FirstEnergy money to pass a $1.3 billion bailout of two nuclear power plants. Lawmakers also removed Householder as speaker on Thursday. The search warrant, approved Thursday evening, sought six boxes and four envelopes containing computers, storage devices, records, calendars, call lists, photographs, as well as evidence of who used the computers and how." The Cincinnati Enquirer (7/31, Balmert, 223K) reports, "The FBI was searching for records or information related to allegations that Householder and four others participated in a nearly $61 million scheme to help Householder win control of the House, pass a $1.3 billion bailout for two nuclear plants in northern Ohio and upend an effort to block the law on the ballot. Householder and his alleged co-conspirators were indicted on racketeering charges Thursday." FBI Visits Office Of Kentucky Official Who Gave Wife Bonuses. The Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader (7/31, Estep, 257K) reports, "It appears the FBI is following up after the state auditor's office found that a Kentucky county attorney gave his wife bonuses totaling $126,500 in two years." According to the Herald-Leader, "The audit found that Lawrence County Attorney Mike Hogan gave a total of $134,500 in bonuses to staff members between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2019 from delinquent tax fees, but that nearly all the money went to Hogan's wife, a legal secretary in his office." The Herald-Leader adds, "The office referred the findings to the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service, Attorney General Daniel Cameron, the state Revenue Department and the county ethics board. On Thursday, Katie Anderson, a spokeswoman for the FBI in Kentucky, confirmed agents were `conducting judicially authorized activity' at the Lawrence County child support office." FBI Searches Offices Of Philadelphia Firm In Fraud Probe. The Inquirer M. (7/31, Distefano, Roebuck, Arvedlund, 347K) reports, "FBI agents have raided the Old City offices of Par Funding, the firm at the core of an alleged $500 million investment scheme and the subject of a wide-ranging U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission complaint." The Inquirer adds, "The agents executed search warrants on Tuesday morning at locations that included a Par Funding office at 141 N. Second St., according to law- enforcement sources familiar with the matter who were not authorized to publicly discuss it. In its recent sweeping complaint against Par and others alleging financial fraud, the SEC relied on at least one recording in which an `FBI confidential source' spoke with one of the pitchmen who raised money from investors in the scheme." In a separate article, the Inquirer (FS). (7/31, Arvedlund, Distefano, 347K) reports, "In a sweeping new complaint, the Securities and Exchange Commission said that the couple who operated Par Funding out of Philadelphia, joined by others, raised almost $500 million nationwide from 1,200 investors by selling `unregistered, fraudulent securities offerings' with lies. Using undercover operatives posing as investors, and at least one FBI recording, regulators uncovered a web of pitchmen and women stretching from Philadelphia to Florida, who turned high-interest cash-advance loans to small businesses into an investment vehicle to gull EFTA00150290 investors. At the center of the multistate web were Joseph W. LaForte, 50, and his wife, Lisa McElhone, 40, the agency said." New Jersey Woman Pleads Guilty To Prescription Fraud Ring. Nl News (8/2, Satullo, 1.72M) reports, "A 38-year-old Phillipsburg woman has admitted her role in an insurance fraud scheme that bilked public and private health plans out of at least $8.8 million by filling fake prescriptions for compounded medicines." Christine Myers "pocketed almost $1.5 million in the scheme to get insurance reimbursements for phony prescriptions and faces up to a decade in prison, according to a news release. The former co-owner of a New Jersey marketing company last week pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud via video conference before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez. `Christine Myers treated health insurance plans as a vehicle to line her own pockets when she engaged in an elaborate scheme that resulted in defrauding insurers out of at least $8.8 million; said Joe Denahan, the FBI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge." Kentucky Man Sentenced For Running Ponzi Scheme. WTVQ-TV Lexington, KY (7/31, Rogers) reports from London, Kentucky, "A 58-year-old Somerset, Ky., man was sentenced to nine years in prison and ordered to repay more than $2.4 million for running an Ponzi scheme and wire fraud for almost two years." US District Judge Claria Horn Book "ordered the sentence for Rodney Scott Phelps on charges of conspiring to commit wire fraud and committing wire fraud by perpetrating a complex Ponzi scheme." WTVQ- TV adds, "From January 2012 through October 2014, Phelps and co-defendant Jason Castenir defrauded 13 victims out of more than $2.4 million, through three fake investment schemes. `Abusing the trust placed in him by dozens of investors, Rodney Phelps engaged in multiple fraudulent investment schemes over the course of several years,' said Special Agent in Charge Robert Brown, FBI Louisville Field Office." US Charges Florida Doctor In Fraud Probe. The Palm Beach (FL) Post (7/31, Isger, 223K) reports, "A Delray Beach doctor who once tried to distance himself from a sober home that federal investigators said preyed on young addicts and scammed insurers out of tens of millions of dollars is now facing charges that he was deeply involved in such schemes at 50 addiction treatment facilities - on a scale that reached $681 million." The Post adds, "In what appears to be the largest such case to date, Dr. Michael J. Ligotti has been arrested and charged with conspiring to commit health care fraud and wire fraud for his alleged role in a nine-year scheme to fraudulently bill for tests and treatments of vulnerable patients seeking a path out of drug and alcohol addiction, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday. The case was investigated by the Palm Beach County office of the FBI with the assistance of the IRS, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office, as well as the Amtrak Office of the Inspector General." WPEC-TV West Palm Beach, FL (7/31, Lobo, 97K) also reports. Defendant Admits Role In Insurance Fraud Scheme. The Lehigh Valley (PA) Express Times (8/2, Satullo, 257K) reports Pennsylvania resident Christine Myers "has admitted her role in an insurance fraud scheme that bilked public and private health plans out of at least $8.8 million by filling fake prescriptions for compounded medicines." The Express-Times quotes "Joe Denahan, the FBI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge," who said Myers "treated health insurance plans as a vehicle to line her own pockets when she engaged in an elaborate scheme that resulted in defrauding insurers out of at least $8.8 million." Denahan added, "The FBI, in conjunction with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate and bring to justice criminals who defraud the system and cheat" US taxpayers. EFTA00150291 CYBER DIVISION Florida Teenager Facing Felony Charges Over Hack Of Celebrity Twitter Accounts. On its front page, the New York Times (7/31, Al, Conger, Popper, 18.61M) reports 17-year-old Graham Ivan Clark of Florida "faces 30 felony charges in the hack" of several celebrity Twitter accounts, including those of former President Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Kanye West. Clark "was arrested in his Tampa apartment, where he lived by himself, early Friday, state officials said." The Times adds that he's "being charged as an adult." Moreover, "two other people, Mason John Sheppard, 19, of the United Kingdom, and Nima Fazeli, 22, of Orlando, Fla., were accused of helping Mr. Clark," with prosecutors indicating that they "appeared to have aided the central figure in the attack, who went by the name Kirk." While documents disclosed Friday don't provide Kirk's true identity, "they suggest that it was Mr. Clark." On ABC World News TonightVi (7/31, story 11, 1:03, Llamas, 6.66M), correspondent Pierre Thomas reported authorities asserted that Clark is "the mastermind" behind the attack. Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren said, "Make no mistake, this was not an ordinary 17-year-old. This was a highly sophisticated attack and it could have destabilized financial markets both in America and across the globe." Thomas added, "More than $100,000 was illegally raised using those Twitter accounts to urge victims to send money to bogus charities." On NBC Nightly NewsVi (7/31, story 10, 1:41, Holt, 5.44M), correspondent Jo Ling Kent reported that Twitter "says the scam targeted a small number of employees by phone, enabling hackers to access [the] accounts and direct messages." Twitter on Friday said, "We appreciate the shift actions of law enforcement and will continue to cooperate." A front-page Wall Street Journal (7/31, Al, McMillan, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) story says that according the Warren, several law-enforcement agencies probed the attack, including the Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The CBS Evening NewsVi (7/31, story 11, 0:22, O'Donnell, 3.97M) provided similar coverage in a brief broadcast. CNN (7/31, O'Sullivan, 83.16M) reports, "Warren said his office was handling the prosecution because Florida law allows greater flexibility than federal law to charge a minor as an adult in a case like this. `The FBI and Department of Justice will continue to partner with the office throughout the prosecution; he said. 'These crimes were perpetrated using the names of famous people and celebrities, but they're not the primary victims here. This BitCon was designed to steal money from regular Americans from all over the country, including here in Florida. This massive fraud was orchestrated right here in our backyard, and we will not stand for that; Warren said." Reuters (7/31) reports, "Mason Sheppard, a 19-year-old British man who went by the alias Chaewon, was charged with carrying out the hack, as well as related wire fraud and money laundering crimes, according to a Justice Department statement. Orlando-based Nima Fazeli, 22, nicknamed Rolex, was charged with aiding and abetting those crimes." Reuters adds, "In a statement, Twitter said it appreciated the 'swift actions of law enforcement.' The FBI said that two of the accused had been taken into custody, without identifying them." The Tampa Bay (FL) Times (7/31, Fiallo, Talbot, 742K) reports, "Clark faces state charges and will be tried in Hillsborough County because he is a juvenile, federal authorities said. The other two men face federal charges in the Northern District of California." The Times adds, "Clark's scheme was to steal the identities of prominent people, then post messages in their names directing victims to send Bitcoin to accounts he owned. The accounts received more than 400 transfers and he reaped more than $100,000 in bitcoin in just one day, the state attorney's office said Friday." The AP (8/1, Fischer, Bajak) reports, "In one of the most high-profile security breaches in recent years, bogus tweets were sent out on July 15 from the accounts of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Mike Bloomberg and a number of tech billionaires including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, EFTA00150292 Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Celebrities Kanye West and his wife, Kim Kardashian West, were also hacked. The tweets offered to send $2,000 for every $1,000 sent to an anonymous Bitcoin address. The hack alarmed security experts because of the grave potential of such an intrusion for creating geopolitical mayhem with disinformation." Politico (7/31, Matishak, 4.29M) reports, "The breach sparked a massive outcry from Capitol Hill, with lawmakers demanding the social media giant quickly come clean about the circumstances around the breach. Several Senate panels, including Intelligence, Commerce and Homeland Security, have been weighing if they should launch their own investigations into the incident." Among news outlets also reporting are SFGate (CA) (7/31, Chamings, 2.13M), ZDNet (8/1, Cimpanu, 299K), the Daily Beast (7/31, Melendez, 1.39M), Ars Technica (7/31, Cox, Goodin, 1.36M), Wired (8/1, Barrett, 3.49M), Bloomberg (7/31, Mehrotra, Turton, 4.73M), and Courthouse News (7/31, Pickett, 2K). Pompeo: Trump To Take Broad Action On Chinese Software. The AP (8/2, Bussewitz) reports Secretary of State Pompeo said Sunday that President Trump "plans to take action on a what he sees as a broad array of national security risks presented by software connected to the Chinese Communist Party." Appearing on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures? , Pompeo said, "These Chinese software companies doing business in the United States, whether it's TikTok or WeChat - there are countless more...are feeding data directly to the Chinese Communist Party, their national security apparatus. Could be their facial recognition patterns. It could be information about their residence, their phone numbers, their friends, who they're connected to. Those are the issues that President Trump has made clear we're going to take care of." Reuters (8/2, Chiacu) quotes Pompeo as saying, "President Trump has said `enough' and we're going to fix it and so he will take action in the coming days with respect to a broad array of national security risks that are presented by software connected to the Chinese Communist Party." The Washington Times (8/2, Glenn, 492K) reports Pompeo also warned, "These are true national security issues. For a long time, the United States just said, `Goodness, if we're having fun with it - or if a company can make money off of it - we're going to permit it to happen." The Washington Examiner (8/2, Dunleavy, 448K) reports Treasury Secretary Mnuchin also signaled Sunday that Trump was close to taking action against Chinese-owned companies. Mnuchin, who is Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, "shed new light" into an investigation by the panel into TikTok on ABC's This WeekVi . Said Mnuchin, "I will say publicly that the entire committee agrees that TikTok cannot stay in the current format, because it risks sending back information on a hundred million Americans." Bloomberg (8/2, Czuczka, 4.73M) reports the view that "there has to be a change" is shared by lawmakers including House Speaker Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Schumer, Mnuchin said. Microsoft To Continue Pursuit Of TikTok After Trump Speaks With CEO. The Wall Street Journal (8/2, Al, Bender, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports President Trump spoke by phone Sunday with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, sources said, as the Administration weighs whether to support a deal that would give the company control of TikTok in the US. The New York Times (8/2, Swanson, Crowley, Isaac, 18.61M) reports Microsoft said Sunday it would "continue to pursue the purchase of TikTok in the United States after consulting with President Trump, clearing the way for a potential blockbuster deal between the software giant and the viral social media phenomenon." Sunday's call came as the President "has expressed repeated concerns about TikTok and concerns around national security in recent weeks." In a statement, Microsoft said it "fully appreciates the importance of addressing the president's concerns. It is committed to acquiring TikTok subject to a complete security review and providing proper economic benefits to the United States, including the United States Treasury." The Washington Post (8/2, Lerman, 14.2M) and USA Today (8/2, Tyko, 10.31M), among other news outlets, also report the phone call, while Reuters (8/3, Roumeliotis, Wang) reports EFTA00150293 exclusively that the President "has agreed to give China's ByteDance 45 days to negotiate a sale" of TikTok to Microsoft. The New York Times (7/31, Isaac, Swanson, 18.61M) says lawmakers "and the Trump administration have increasingly questioned whether TikTok is susceptible to influence from the Chinese government, including potential requests to censor material shared on the platform or to share American user data with Chinese officials." According to the Times, TikTok "has been under review since late last year by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a federal panel that examines foreign acquisitions of American firms for national security threats." However, the Washington Post (7/31, Al, Nakashima, Lerman, 14.2M) reports on its front page that TikTok "has continually insisted it does not hand over information to the Chinese government." USA Today (7/31, Jackson, Subramanian, Fritze, 10.31M) reports that on Friday, the President "threatened" to "ban TikTok from operating in the U.S. over concerns about the social media platform's ties with China." The President said, "As far as TikTok is concerned, we're banning them from the United States." In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal (7/31, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) calls Microsoft's potential move to buy US owned operations of Chinese-owned video app TikTok a possible example of increasing business competition while also solving a political problem. The Journal concludes Microsoft has the resources to go through with the investment and would offer competition to social media giants. Pompeo Criticizes China's Treatment Of Uighurs. Pompeo, on Fox News' Sunday Morning FuturesVi (8/2, 1.47M), also discussed China's treatment of the Uighurs, saying, "The risk to the people in that region has been great. I've talked about this as the greatest human rights violation to this date. If you want to participate in the world stage, you can't participate in behavior like this. We've begun to impose sanctions by companies and individuals involved in this. The most recent sanctions will put businesses operating there on notice, they have to change their behavior, stop using slave labor, stop participating in systems that have been connected to forced sterilization. ... We told US businesses take a real deep look into their supply chains and companies, some brand names in company, don't want to be connected to what's taking place there." Canadian Attorney General Says Requirements Have Been Met To Extradite Huawei CFO To US. Reuters (7/31, Warburton) reports Canadian Minister of Justice and Attorney General David Lametti "says the requirements for extraditing Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou to the United States on charges of bank fraud have been met, documents submitted in a British Columbia court show." The documents "are a precursor to the formal hearing on committal, or whether Meng should be extradited to the United States. Those hearings will take place in April 2021." House Votes To Allot $500M Toward Election Security. The Washington Times (7/31, Blake, 492K) reports the House of Representatives "voted Friday to allocate a half-billion dollars toward strengthening and securing U.S. elections as part of a giant spending bill unlikely to face similar success in the Senate." The "$500 million to be given out in grants made available by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, or EAC," is included in a $1.3 trillion appropriations measure approved by the House. The measure additionally "calls for $19.1 million to cover EAC operating expenses - an increase of $3.9 million, and $6 million more than the president requested." Coons Warns About Potential Fallout From There Being Uncertainty Surrounding Outcomes Of Upcoming Senate Elections. In a Washington Post (7/31, 14.2M) op-ed, Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) says he's very concerned "that the alarm bells indicating risk to the soundness of an approaching election are ringing right here in our country." The United States EFTA00150294 "is cruising toward a repeat of the election process of 2000, when it took more than a month to determine whether George W. Bush or Al Gore would ultimately become president." Coons goes on to say, "This year, however, things could be worse." In addition to the presidential election's results being potentially "uncertain for weeks or even months; control of the Senate could be contested for just as long. If that uncertainty lasts until January or beyond, that could be destabilizing for our democracy." Russia Pledges Reciprocal Steps After EU Sanctions For Alleged Cyberattacks. Reuters (7/31) reported Russia's Foreign Ministry "said on Friday it would respond with reciprocal measures to EU travel and financial sanctions against a department of Russia's military intelligence service for alleged cyberattacks." The ministry said in a statement, "Of course this unfriendly action by the EU will not be left unanswered," adding that the sanctions "were politically-motivated." In its first ever sanctions "related to cybercrime, the EU targeted the department for special technologies of the Russian military intelligence service, known as Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation." It accused the Russian service of "having carried out two cyberattacks in June 2017, which hit several companies in Europe resulting in large financial losses." The service is also "accused of two cyberattacks against Ukraine's power grid in 2015 and 2016." China Denies US Accusations Of Hacking To Steal Coronavirus Vaccine Data. Fox News (7/31, McFall, 27.59M) reported a US security official tracking Chinese hacking "revealed in an exclusive Reuters report Friday that hackers backed by the Chinese government attempted to steal coronavirus vaccination data from US-based biotech company, Moderna." China "pushed back on this accusation and said, 'Such allegations are pure slander." Wang Wenbin, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, said in a press conference Friday, "Recently so- called sources from the US government have been accusing China of hacking to steal technology and data of U.S. vaccine research, but there has been no evidence whatsoever." The spokesman "said that China in fact is worried about potential hacking from foreign actors attempting to steal their data in the race to find a vaccination for the coronavirus." The Justice Department (DOJ) indicted "two Chinese nationals working for the Chinese intelligence agency, the Ministry of State Security (MSS), last week for alleged hacking US and international systems." Ransomware Attacks Against Local Voting Systems Feared As Elections Approach. The AP (8/2, Tucker, Cassidy, Bajak) reports federal authorities "say one of the gravest threats to the November election is a well-timed ransomware attack that could paralyze voting operations. "The threat isn't "just from foreign governments, but any fortune-seeking criminal." Ransomware attacks targeting "state and local governments have been on the rise, with cyber criminals seeking quick money by seizing data and holding it hostage until they get paid." The fear is that such attacks "could affect voting systems directly or even indirectly, by infecting broader government networks that include electoral databases." Even if a ransomware attack "fails to disrupt elections, it could nonetheless rattle confidence in the vote." Experts and officials "say ransomware is a particularly realistic possibility because the attacks are already so pervasive and lucrative." The FBI and DHS have issued "advisories to local governments, including recommendations for preventing attacks." Data Breach At A Genealogy Site Has Privacy Experts Worried. The New York Times (8/1, Murphy, 18.61M) reported GEDmatch, a longstanding family history site "containing around 1.4 million people's genetic information, had experienced a data breach." Brett Williams, the chief executive of Verogen, a forensic company that has owned GEDmatch since December, "said that the peculiar matches were not new uploads but rather the result of two back-to-back hacks, which overrode existing user settings." Scientists and EFTA00150295 genealogists "say the GEDmatch breach - which exposed more than a million additional profiles to law enforcement officials - offers an important window into what can go wrong when those responsible for storing genetic information fail to take necessary precautions." For many, the presence of "fake users in GEDmatch was as alarming as the breach itself." Genealogists know that a "user can easily upload someone else's genetic profile." But the breach "exposed that behind the scenes, hidden by privacy settings, were all kinds of profiles of people who were not even real." CISA Hosts Table-Top Training Exercise To Aid In Protecting Elections. MeriTalk (7/31, Weingarten) reported the Federal agency primarily responsible "for protecting elections held a training event to test its plans in advance of November's Election Day." The third 'Tabletop the Vote' exercise "hosted by DHS' Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), took place over a three day period from July 28 to 30, featuring 37 states and over 2,000 total participants, the majority of which participated remotely." CISA Director Chris Krebs, along with Federal, state, and local election officials, said in a statement, "In less than three months, millions of Americans will cast their vote. But for the state and local officials who administer elections, and the government and private sector partners who support them, the work has been ongoing for more than three years. We have made significant progress during that time, and this week's Tabletop the Vote exercise demonstrates the unprecedented levels of coordination between all levels of government and the private sector." Travel Giant CWT Pays $4.5M Ransom To Cyber Criminals. Reuters (7/31, Stubbs) reported that, according to a record of the ransom negotiations seen by Reuters, US travel management firm CWT "paid $4.5 million this week to hackers who stole reams of sensitive corporate files and said they had knocked 30,000 computers offline." The attackers used "a strain of ransomware called Ragnar Locke