EFTA Document EFTA01658687

From: To: Subject: FW: [EXTERNAL EMAIL] - FBI Public Affairs News Briefing Thursday, September 03, 2020 Date: Thu, 03 Sep 2020 10:28:04 +0000 Importanc e: Normal From: Bulletin Intelligence Sent: Thursday, September 3, 2020 6:27:30 AM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada) To: FBI@BulletinIntelligence.com Subject: [EXTERNAL EMAIL] - FBI Public Affairs News Briefing Thursday, September 03, 2020 Mobile version and searchable archives available at fbi.bulletinintelligence.com. WIBI News Briefing TO: THE DIRECTOR AND SENIOR STAFF DATE: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 6:30 AM EDT TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS LEADING THE NEWS • Trump Moves To Defund New York City, Other Cities. PROTESTS • Barr: DO] Received Reports Of People Flying To DC To Exploit Protests. • Investigators Release Images Of Those Sought In Kenosha Arson Cases. • Reuters/Ipsos Poll: Public Supports BLM Protests, Doesn't See Crime As Top Issue. • Meadows: Rioters Are Committing Acts Of Terror. • Barr: Idea Of "Epidemic" Of Police Violence Against Blacks Is A "False Narrative." • Administration Officials Criticize Portland Mayor's Handling Of Violence. • Biden Says Portland Victim Was "Inciting Responses." • Biden To Visit Kenosha Thursday, Will Meet With Members Of Blake's Family. • Barr Says Blake Was Armed And "In The Midst Of Committing A Felony." • Chicago Alderman Urges National Guard Deployment In City. • GOP Lawmakers Call On Bowser To Answer For Protester Violence In DC. • Republican State AGs: Democrats Have "Capitulated To Criminals Run Amok." • After High-Profile Uses Of Force, Police Chiefs Call For New Tactics. • Antifa Leader Armed With Flamethrower Bursts Into Tears Upon Being Arrested In Wisconsin. • Chauvin's Lawyers Say Police Manual Teaches Officers To Place Knee On Suspect's Neck. • Police Body Cam Footage Of Man's Death Sparks Protests In Rochester. EFTA01658687 • Police Held Black Jogger For Two Days After Mistaking Him For A Suspect. OPERATION LEGEND • Florida Man Suspected Of Missouri Homicide Is Captured In Operation LeGend. • US Charges Indiana Man With Straw-Purchasing Guns For Chicago Felon. • Morgan: Operation Legend Exemplifies How Trump Is "Committed To Public Safety." COUNTER-TERRORISM • Texas Man Pleads Guilty To Helping ISIS. • Appeals Court Finds NSA Phone Data Collection Program Illegal. • Sudanese Government, Citizens Differ On US Deal To Remove Terrorism Label. • Trial Of Alleged Accomplices In 2015 Attacks Opens In Paris. COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE • Draft DHS Bulletin Warning Foreign Actors Targeting Biden, Trump Health Not Released. • Barr Says Durham Investigation Won't Affect 2020 Election. • FBI Notes From Mifsud Interview Made Public. • Hunter Biden Holds Stake In Chinese Firm Sanctioned For Human Rights Violations. • Maltese Professor Denied Making Offer To Papadopoulos In FBI Documents. • U Of North Texas Cancels Visas For Chinese Researchers. • Arrested Texas A&M Professor Linked To Chinese Firm. • Rubio: SSCI Will Continue To Get In-Person Briefings. • White House Condemns Poisoning Of Navalny. • IAEA: North Korea Enriching Uranium, But Has Not Reprocessed Plutonium In Past Year. • Former CIA Assistant Director: South Korean National Police "Not Geared To Catching The North's Spies." • Colombia Arrests Three Venezuelans "Tied To Anti-Maduro Plot." CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS • New York Town Asks FBI To Probe Racist Hate Mail Sent To Ex-School Superintendent. • Four Arrested In New York Drug Bust. • Two South Carolina Men Sentenced On Drug, Money Laundering Charges. • Montana Woman Sentenced For Running Meth Ring. • US Charges Pittsburgh Man With Shooting ATF Agent During Drug Raid. • Man Pleads Guilty To Making False Bomb Threat To "Endanger Wife's Citizenship" Application. • California Man In Plea Discussions Over Alleged School Threats. • Former UN Official Charged With Lying To The FBI. • Massachusetts Police Officers Charged With Overtime Fraud. • Continuing Coverage: FBI Supporting Investigation Into Texas Bomb Threat. • Continuing Coverage: FBI Identifies Second Body Found In Washington State. • Colorado Man Convicted On Gun Crime Charge. • FBI Investigating Whistleblower Deaths In Missouri. • FBI Charges New Jersey Residents With Felony Drug Possession. • Continuing Coverage: FBI Sting Results In 10 Arrests For Solicitation Of Minors. • Missouri Man Sentenced In Connection To Planned Parenthood Arson Incident. • Four Alabama Residents Charged In Connection To Homicide. • New York Charges Six In Connection To Burned Bodies. • Georgia Man Sentenced For Methamphetamine Trafficking. • Two Men Sentenced To Federal Prison After Pleading Guilty In Drug Case. • After Pleading Guilty In Meth Case, Montana Resident Sentenced To Eight Years In Prison. • Man Pleads Guilty To Drug Charge In Latin Kings Case. EFTA01658688 • Connecticut Man Pleads Guilty To Drug, Firearm Charges. FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS • Utah Man Pleads Guilty To PPP Fraud. • Michigan Man Facing PPP Fraud Charges. • Sentencing Of Former Atlantic City, New Jersey Mayor Delayed For Sixth Time. • Another Charged In College Admissions Probe. • Oregon Couple Who Scammed Elderly Victims Sentenced To Federal Prison. • US Charges Two In $12M Scheme Targeting Investors In Puerto Rico. • Trial Of Chicago Alderman Burke Could Be Delayed To 2020 Amid Pandemic. • Louisiana Man Sentenced For Running Ponzi Scheme. • Three Missouri Men Charged With Scamming Women Out Of $500K In Cash, Electronics. • Continuing Coverage: FBI Investigating Hurricane Recovery Fraud. • New Jersey Man Charged In Money Laundering Scheme. • Iowa Man Sentenced For Bank Fraud. • Texas Man Pleads Guilty To Mail Fraud. • Florida Grand Jury Indicts Businessman Over College Admissions Investigation. • Robinhood Markets Faces Civil Fraud Investigation. CYBER DIVISION • Experts Say Schools Are Particularly Vulnerable To Cyber Attacks. • FBI Has Revamped Hacking Response, Speed. • Colorado Man Sentenced For Moderating Dark Web Marketplace. • Potential TikTok Bidders Consider Four Acquisition Options. • European Officials Targeted By Chinese Phishing Attacks. • CISA Orders Increased Cybersecurity Vulnerability Reporting. • Cybersecurity Talent Initiative Places "First Class Of New Feds." • ODNI Waivers For Huawei, ZTE Rule Expected To Be Rare. • Jewish Federation Of Greater Washington Reports Endowment Cyberattack. LABORATORY • FBI Experts Testify At Homicide Trial Of Pennsylvania Man Whose Wife Vanished In 2012. LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES • Law Enforcement In Ohio Aims To Curb Gun Violence With Operation Red-Zone. • More Nebraska Police Departments Participating In FBI Use-Of-Force Database. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS • Mexican Officials Say Missing Los Angeles Firefighter Likely Victim Of Kidnapping. OTHER FBI NEWS • FBI Documents Reveal New Details Around Comey Firing. OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS • Trump Honors Veterans, Slams "Violent Mobs" In Visit To North Carolina. • CDC Asks Governors To Prepare For Vaccine Delivery By November 1. • Fauci, Birx Dismiss Claims Administration Pursuing "Herd Immunity." • Azar, Slaoui: Operation Warp Speed Is "Working" And Will Likely Succeed. • WPost Analysis Details Criticisms Of Navarro's Role In Pandemic Response. • Another FDA Appointee Ousted Amid Fallout Over Convalescent Plasma Announcement. • Federal Funding Helps New Virus Tests Come To Market. • More Police Officers Have Died From COVID This Year Than All Other Causes Combined. EFTA01658689 • Pelosi Refuses To Apologize, Says Hair Salon Owes Her An Apology. • Ernst Backtracks After Suggesting Coronavirus Figures Are Inflated. • Coronavirus Cases Rising In Midwest. • First Coronavirus Death Tied To Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Reported In Minnesota. • Health Officials Urge Americans To Take Precautions Over Labor Day Weekend. • Depression, Anxiety Rising Sharply During Pandemic, Research Indicates. • State Education Officials Push Back On Trump Effort To Teach "American Exceptionalism." • Fauci: College Students Should Stay On Campus. • Superintendent Expresses Concern As Texas School Reopens. • USPS Has Paid DeJoy's Former Company $286M Over Past Seven Years. • Wolkoff Says First Lady Used Personal Email For Official Business. • Morgenstern: "No Merit" To Reports Trump Suffered Mini-Strokes. • Controversial Drilling Projects Among Those Fast Tracked Following Trump Order. • Air Force Moves Toward Creating A Supersonic Air Force One. • Barr: Mail-In Voting "Fraught With The Risk Of Fraud And Coercion." INTERNATIONAL NEWS • US To Contribute Funds For Some WHO Programs Despite Withdrawal. • US Consulting Firm With Ties Chinese Communist Party Received PPP Loan. • South Korea Struggling With Second Wave Of Coronavirus Infections. • Soldier To Receive Medal Of Honor For Rescuing Hostages From ISIS. • US Sanctions International Criminal Court Officials. • Afghanistan To Include Mother's Names On National ID Cards. • Biegun Warns Putin Against Deploying Troops To Belarus. • State Department Imposes New Restrictions On Chinese Diplomats In US. • Kushner To Meet With British Foreign Minister In London On Thursday. • Issue Of West Bank Annexation Looms Over Israel-UAE Deal. • Saudis Allow Israeli Flights To Access Their Airspace For First Time. • US Suspends Aid To Ethiopia Due To Dispute Over Nile Dam With Egypt. • Analysts: US Pullback Creates Power Vacuum In Mediterranean. • WSJournal, NYTimes Give Analyses Of Abe's Legacy. THE BIG PICTURE • Headlines From Today's Front Pages. WASHINGTON'S SCHEDULE • Today's Events In Washington. LEADING THE NEWS Trump Moves To Defund New York City, Other Cities. The New York Post (9/2, Nelson, 4.57M) reports President Trump is beginning "the process of defunding New York City and three other cities where officials allowed 'lawless' protests and cut police budgets amid rising violent crime." A five-page memo Trump signed on Wednesday orders "all federal agencies to send reports to the White House Office of Management and Budget that detail funds that can be redirected." The Post adds, "New York City, Washington, DC, Seattle and Portland are initial targets as Trump makes 'law and order' a centerpiece of his reelection campaign after months of unrest and violence." Trump says in the memo, "My Administration will not allow Federal tax dollars to fund cities that allow themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones." The Post says the memo "twice mentions New York Mayor Bill de Blasio by name." EFTA01658690 The Washington Times (9/2, Dinan, Boyer, 492K) says Trump directed Attorney General Barr "to come up with a list of communities that have forbidden police to step in to stop violence, have declared no-go zones for officers, or pursued 'Defund Police' policies. Mr. Barr is also to look at communities that have rebuffed Mr. Trump's offers of federal law enforcement." The Washington Post (9/2, Stein, 14.2M) says the memo "comes as the president seeks to intensify his attacks on Democratic mayors of cities that have faced civil unrest amid protests against police brutality." In a tweet Wednesday evening, Trump wrote, "My Administration will do everything in its power to prevent weak mayors and lawless cities from taking Federal dollars while they let anarchists harm people, burn buildings, and ruin lives and businesses. We're putting them on notice today. @RussVought45" The New York Times (9/2, Haberman, McKinley, 18.61M) reports that the move "is almost certain to face legal challenges, and Democrats and city officials reacted furiously." Politico (9/2, Choi, 4.29M) says Senate Minority Leader Schumer "quickly denounced the Wednesday memo as a 'foolish stunt,' urging the president to focus on the coronavirus pandemic instead of threatening federal funding for some of the country's largest cities." Cuomo: Trump Would Need An Army To Walk NYC Streets. Politico New York (9/2, Mahoney) reports that in response to Trump's threat "to withdraw federal funds from 'anarchist' municipalities" like New York City, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) launched his "harshest attack yet on his fellow Queens native, saying he is 'persona non grata' in the city of his birth." Cuomo said, "He can't have enough bodyguards to walk through New York City. ... Forget bodyguards, he better have an army if he thinks he's going to walk down the streets in New York. ... He is persona non grata in New York City, and I think he knows that, and he'll never come back to New York, because New Yorkers will never forget how gratuitously mean he has been." A spokesperson for Cuomo "later clarified that Cuomo did not mean that the president would literally need such additional protection, but was simply illustrating how unwelcome he would be in the city." Shootings In NYC More Than Doubled In August. The New York Times (9/2, Zaveri, 18.61M) reports that New York City "recorded 242 shootings in August, up from 91 last year, continuing a summer spike in gun violence that has become an issue in the presidential race." The "steep rise in gun violence...continued at an alarming rate in August, as shootings more than doubled over the same period last year and murders rose by nearly 50 percent, the police said." The Times says Trump "has seized" on the increase as he has "tried to shift the public's attention away from his response to the pandemic to what he depicts is out-of-control crime in New York City and other urban areas. He has tried to blame the rise in violence on local Democratic leaders." PROTESTS Barr: DO] Received Reports Of People Flying To DC To Exploit Protests. The New York Times (9/2, Benner, 18.61M) reports that in an interview with CNNVi Wednesday, Attorney General Barr "sidestepped questions...about President Trump's incendiary conspiracy theory about a plane 'loaded with thugs' headed to Washington over the weekend." Barr said that he did not know "what the president was specifically referring to," but that the F.B.I. was investigating reports that outsiders had traveled to the city to cause trouble. Barr "said the Justice Department had received reports that people from the West Coast and other parts of the country had flown to Washington to exploit protests for racial justice as opportunities to attack law enforcement and damage property." Barr said, "We received numerous reports of individuals coming from Portland, Washington - Seattle - and several other cities to come into Washington for the specific purpose of causing a riot. ... I think there were many on planes." EFTA01658691 A USA Today (9/2, Collins, Fritze, Jackson, 10.31M) analysis says Trump "has long embraced conspiracy theories as a way to attack his critics or divert attention from events that reflect poorly on him or his administration. But the dizzying pace in which he has given oxygen to outlandish tales that are typically the domain of Internet trolls or fringe groups like QAnon suggests the practice has now become a central part of his reelection strategy." WTimes Review Finds Rioters Are Often Local. The Washington Times (9/2, Dinan, 492K) reports that while officials in the District of Columbia, Portland, and Kenosha Wisconsin blamed the violence in their cities on people coming in from other areas, "a Washington Times review of data" shows that claim is "not particularly accurate." Portland police arrests "from Aug. 21 to Aug. 31 showed nearly two-thirds of those charged were listed as from Portland, and that ratio grows even higher when close-in suburbs like Beaverton and Vancouver, Washington, are counted." Investigators Release Images Of Those Sought In Kenosha Arson Cases. The Kenosha News (9/2, Smith, 63K) reports investigators have released "photos and video of several people sought in arson fires" in Kenosha last week. A statement from the Milwaukee field office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives "stated that investigators are 'seeking to speak to at least seven persons of interest' in the fires set to businesses and vehicles in the unrest that followed the shooting of Jacob Blake" on August 23. Kenosha County Ends Curfew. The Kenosha News (9/2, 63K) reports Kenosha County, Wisconsin "has ended its State of Emergency Curfew. That decision was announced today after local officials consulted with law enforcement and community leaders." USA Today (9/2, Vielmetti, 10.31M) reports four people arrested in Kenosha during demonstrations "have sued the city and Kenosha County, claiming discriminatory curfew enforcement that violates the First Amendment." Reuters/Ipsos Poll: Public Supports BLM Protests, Doesn't See Crime As Top Issue. Reuters (9/2, Kahn) reports that President Trump's "attempt to make civil unrest a central theme of his re-election campaign has yet to boost his political standing, as most Americans do not see crime as a major problem confronting the nation and a majority remain sympathetic to anti-racism protests, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday." The poll "showed the majority - 78% - remain 'very' or 'somewhat' concerned about the coronavirus," and "nearly 60% said Trump is at least partly responsible for the protracted school and business closures due to the virus. ... By contrast, most Americans do not see crime as a major priority and do not think it is increasing in their communities, the poll showed." Moreover, "53% of American adults said they remain sympathetic to people out protesting against racial inequality, nearly unchanged from 52% in a similar poll that ran in late July." Meadows: Rioters Are Committing Acts Of Terror. Appearing on Fox News' Fox & Friends (9/2, 831K), Chief of Staff Meadows was asked, "Do you agree with the President's characterization of rioters as 'domestic terrorists?" Meadows said, "Without a doubt. You know, what a terrorist does is try to instill fear. ...You don't have to go any further than perhaps even the roads outside the White House here where we have a number of these rioters trying to instill fear just in everyday Americans' lives. So whether you see it here or as the President was talking about in Kenosha, Wisconsin, this is a President that has been very clear. ... It's amazing when you stand up for safer communities and support law and order - and, more importantly, our law enforcement officers - how people of all parties come together." Barr: Idea Of "Epidemic" Of Police Violence Against Blacks Is A "False Narrative." Axios (9/2, Axios, 521K) reports that in an interview with CNNVi Wednesday, Attorney General Barr "denied...that there are 'two justice systems' for Black and white people in the U.S." Barr EFTA01658692 argued that the idea that there is an "epidemic" of police shooting unarmed Black men is "simply a false narrative." Barr said, "I did say that I do think that there appears to be a phenomenon in the country where African Americans feel that they're treated, when they're stopped by police, frequently, as suspects before they are treated as citizens. I don't think that that necessarily reflects some deep-seated racism in police departments or in most police officers. I think the same kind of behavior is done by African American police officers." Administration Officials Criticize Portland Mayor's Handling Of Violence. Acting Deputy DHS Secretary Ken Cuccinelli said on Fox Business' Varney & Co. (9/2, 64K), "The first responsibility in these communities is state and local for policing, but we're seeing Portland intentionally not, and willfully, not police to the extent needed to stop the violence. You compare it to Kenosha. We saw the formula for a quick stop to violence and that was with a Democrat mayor and a Democrat governor. Partisanship shouldn't have anything to do with this. This is straight law enforcement." Acting CBP Commissioner Morgan said on Fox News' Bill Hemmer Reports that Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler's "solution is to sit back and burn itself out. Literally that's what has happened. The city will burn itself to the ground. That's his strategy. It's outrageous and absurd and putting politics above public safety." Acting DHS Secretary Wolf said on Fox News' Daily Briefing (9/2) that "we see some District Attorneys taking a very strange approach and posture" to charging protesters. He said, "For instance, the District Attorney in Portland has advertised a series of crimes that he's not going to prosecute, and that involves interfering with a law enforcement officer, I would say, criminal trespassing, and others. And that sets a very dangerous precedent, it fosters this environment that the violence is okay, and it draws people to those communities." Barn At Some Point, Federal Government Has To Step In. Attorney General Barr said on CNNVi (9/2, 2.25M) that "what we're trying to do is make clear that it's the state's responsibility and the locality to provide protection. If they are unable or unwilling to do that, at some point, things could reach a state where the federal government has to step in." He said, "It's very easy to maintain peace in these cities, in any city where the mayor backs the police, the police chief is doing his job, and the governor's willing to provide backup support, there will be peace on the streets and there has been peace on the streets." Portland Mayor Moving After Rioters Target His Condo Complex. The Washington Free Beacon (9/2, Nester, 78K) reports Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler (D) said Tuesday that he intends to move "after anti-police rioters repeatedly targeted" his condominium complex. The announcement comes after "a massive demonstration outside of the 114-unit high-rise on Monday, where more than 200 rioters gathered around the building, vandalized it with spray paint, and threw burning objects inside." In an email to his neighbors, Wheeler wrote, "I want to express my sincere apologies for the damage to our home and the fear that you are experiencing due to my position. ... It's unfair to all of you who have no role in politics or in my administration." Breitbart (9/2, Bleau, 673K) provides similar coverage of Wheeler's announcement. President Trump reacted to Wheeler's announcement in a tweet Wednesday afternoon. Trump wrote, "Mayor Wheeler just got harassed out of his own home in Portland by so-called 'friendly protesters'. The Anarchists, Agitators and Looters treat him HORRIBLY, even though he is so nice and respectful to them. Criminals only understand strength!" Federal Prosecutors Charge Portland Man For Ramming Federal Officers With SUV. The Washington Times (9/2, Dinan, 492K) reports federal prosecutors have announced charges against Lonnie Vantewa Albert, "a Portland man they say targeted federal police officers for an attack, smashing his SUV into their vehicle then trying to run them down." The officers "were on their way back to their hotel early Sunday when they say an SUV began hounding them in their rental car. The SUV tried to block them in, and as they swerved, it smashed them, spinning out in the process. When one of the officers got out to check for EFTA01658693 injuries, the man drove at the officer, then swerved away and fled, prosecutors said." When the officers "followed the SUV into a hospital parking lot, it rammed into their rental car again." Albert "was charged with assault." US Marshals Deputize Oregon State Troopers. The New York Post (9/2, Fitz-Gibbon, 4.57M) reports that the US Marshals Service has deputized Oregon state troopers "to help local police quell riots in Portland, authorizing troopers to charge protesters under federal law, according to reports." The troopers will also have "law enforcement authority on federal property." The Post adds, "The deputized troopers can make arrests that are prosecuted by Oregon US Attorney Billy Williams rather than Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt." Washington Man Arrested On Suspicion Of Making Bomb Threat At Portland Police Precinct. Fox News (9/2, Givas, 27.59M) reports, "A Seattle man was arrested on Wednesday for threatening to destroy a police precinct in Portland, Ore., and also stands accused of using an online communication system to claim he'd planted explosives inside the building." US Attorney Brian Moran "announced the charges against the 36-year-old suspect, Kyle Robert Tornow, who appeared in U.S. District Court following his arrest, according to a press release from the Department of Justice. Case files state Tornow allegedly used the city Police TracklT system to send a message, claiming he'd planted a bomb at one of the nearby police precincts. He used the alias TORNOW and claimed to have set a device that was 'undetectable' to canine units. He also claimed if he was caught that, 'others will take my place and immediately detonate the bomb:" Biden Says Portland Victim Was "Inciting Responses." Joel B. Pollak writes on Breitbart (9/2, 673K) that Joe Biden "suggested Wednesday that the victim of a shooting in Portland, Oregon, was killed because he and other pro-Trump demonstrators had been 'inciting responses:" Biden said, "I think what happened in Portland, where a - one of the Trump guys riding along in vans, inciting responses, shooting rubber bullets, I guess, or paintballs, apparently there was someone shot by someone in the crowd, with a bullet. Killed. I think that person should meet the legal requirements, whatever that calls for, be investigated, and it should follow through on what needs to be done. Let the judicial system work. Let's make sure justice is done." Pollak adds that Aaron "Jay" Danielson "was killed after the pro-Trump caravan was over, as he was walking down the street. The reported suspect, Michael Forest Reinoehl, is a supporter of Black Lives Matter and Antifa, according to the Oregonian." Biden To Visit Kenosha Thursday, Will Meet With Members Of Blake's Family. On ABC World News TonightVI (9/2, story 5, 2:15, Llamas, 6.93M), Mary Bruce reported Joe Biden "is stepping up his travel," planning to visit Kenosha, Wisconsin on Thursday. Bruce said Biden will be meeting with members of Jacob Blake's family, which President Trump did not do during his visit on Tuesday. Peter Alexander said on NBC Nightly NewsVi (9/2, story 3, 2:15, Jackson, 5.53M) that Biden will visit "the scarred city of Kenosha." Ed O'Keefe of the CBS Evening NewsVi (9/2, story 4, 2:40, O'Donnell, 4M) said Biden is "really ramping up" his travel, with plans to also visit Pennsylvania next week. The Chicago Sun-Times (9/2, Sweet, 875K) reports, "The campaign said Biden 'will hold a community meeting in Kenosha to bring together Americans to heal and address the challenges we face. After, Vice President Biden and Dr. Biden will make a local stop." Politico (9/2, Korecki, 4.29M) reports Democrats "have been critical of Biden for not having visited the state sooner, and some feared the recent unrest would boost Trump if Biden didn't take a tough stand against violence that came after the unrest." The AP (9/2, Barrow) reports Biden "said he wants to help 'heal' a city reeling from another police shooting of a Black man. The wounding of Jacob Blake and subsequent demonstrations have made the political battleground state a focal point for debate over police EFTA01658694 and protest violence, as well as the actions of vigilante militias." The Washington Examiner (9/2, Lim, 448K) reports Biden told reporters, "There's been overwhelming requests that I do come. Because what we want to do is we've got to heal, we've got to put things together, bring people together. My purpose in going is to do just that, to be a positive influence." The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (9/2, Beck, 632K) reports, "It's the first visit to Wisconsin by Biden this year, and the first to the state by a Democratic presidential nominee since 2012." Bloomberg (9/2, Pager, 4.73M) reports Biden has already "spoken with Blake's family, [and] said Wednesday that the officer should face charges for the incident." Trump "declined to speak with Blake's mother because she wanted lawyers to monitor the conversation." The New York Times (9/2, Goldmacher, Haberman, 18.61M) reports that the Biden campaign has also "unveiled a new television ad condemning the rioters and looters that have vexed some American cities as he races to cut off President Trump's efforts to define the Democrats as the party of lawlessness." White House Deputy Press Secretary Brian Morgenstern said on Fox News' America's Newsroom (9/2, 896K), "It's too little, too late. I mean, it's unfortunate that violence and rioting and the President, President Trump, taking that seriously is finally what will get a Democratic presidential candidate to visit the people of Wisconsin." RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel said on Fox News' Bill Hemmer Reports (9/2), "Joe Biden doesn't know how to lead, so I'm glad he's following in the President's footsteps." Townhall (9/2, McCarthy, 177K) says that after Trump "demonstrated leadership for the people of Kenosha, who have experienced the devastation first-hand, Biden is now reversing course and plans to visit Kenosha on Thursday." The Kenosha News (9/2, Lee, 63K) reports, "Both Trump and Joe Biden have condemned the physical damage done to the city while also both saying they support non-destructive demonstrations." Bloomberg (9/2, Epstein, 4.73M), Politico (9/2, Korecki, 4.29M), and the CNBC (9/2, 3.62M) website are among the other outlets covering Biden's planned visit. Former Owner Of Store Attended Trump Roundtable After Current Owners Refused. USA Today (9/2, Cummings, Beck, Glauber, 10.31M) reports the owners of Rode's Camera Shop in Kenosha declined to meet with Trump during his visit. Paul Willette told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "I didn't want anything to do with President Trump. If it were any other president I would, but not this one." Co-owner Tom Gram "was surprised to see on TV that Trump was instead joined by" the store's former owner John Rode, who sold it to his two former employees nine years ago, who "was very supportive of the president." The President described Rode as the owner of the business during a roundtable discussion. "Antifa.com" Redirects To Biden Site. The New York Times (9/2, Epstein, Alba, 18.61M) reports that Antifa.com redirects to Biden's campaign website. The Times says "the switch is a prank, one that ties (Biden) to a largely online, far-left activist network to which President Trump has falsely sought to link" Biden. Several weeks ago, "right-wing influencers began tweeting about the website forwarding," and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) shared the link Tuesday in a since-deleted tweet. Barr Says Blake Was Armed And "In The Midst Of Committing A Felony." The New York Post (9/2, Tacopino, 4.57M) reports Attorney General Barr said Wednesday that Jacob Blake "was committing a felony and armed when a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin shot him seven times in the back." Contrasting the case with the death of George Floyd, Barr told CNN, "Floyd was already subdued, incapacitated in handcuffs and was not armed. In the Jacob case, he was in the midst of committing a felony and he was armed." Attorneys for Blake "said that Barr was simply `misinformed' on the facts of the case." Chicago Alderman Urges National Guard Deployment In City. Fox News (9/2, Kaplan, 27.59M) reports on its website that Chicago Alderman Anthony Napolitano called on city officials "to request the National Guard be deployed to the city EFTA01658695 Wednesday" Napolitano told Fox News' Outnumbered Overtime that "we need help." Napolitano's call comes as "the Chicago Police Department has confirmed to Fox News that the FBI has sent out an intelligence alert warning area law enforcement of a pact among street gangs" to "shoot on-sight any cop that has a weapon drawn on any subject in public." Napolitano said, "This anti-police movement, this defund the police movement has created a brazen attitude with criminals in the city of Chicago. ... We knew that criminals were going to be so emboldened to put bounties on police officers. We saw this coming and we warned people of it and it fell on deaf ears and now we're dealing with this just ridiculous ideology to defund the police, asking to take money away from the police." GOP Lawmakers Call On Bowser To Answer For Protester Violence In DC. The Washington Times (9/2, Mordock, 492K) reports Republican members of the House Judiciary and Oversight committees demanded District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) "answer for the increased protester violence plaguing the nation's capital, including the angry mob that swarmed people attending President Trump's nomination speech." Reps. James Comer (R-TN) and Jim Jordan (R-OH) wrote a letter to Bowser Wednesday "questioning why more wasn't done to confront the agitators." They wrote, "Your choice to surrender the streets of D.C. to violent left-wing extremists and agitators so that they can intimidate, coerce, and assault innocent people places at risk all who live, work and patronize businesses in the District. ... You must restore order and peace to the District before left-wing violent extremism gets further out of hand." The lawmakers "asked the mayor to turn over all documents and communications outlining the city's response to 'violent left-wing agitators harassing peaceful individuals' between June 1 and the present." Republicans Blast Bowser Over List Calling For Renaming, Removing Monuments. The Washington Post (9/2, Zauzmer, Brice-Saddler, 14.2M) reports that as President Trump "has picked fights with liberal mayors of American cities, (Bowser) gave him ammunition Tuesday" by "publishing a sweeping list of historical figures whose names should be removed from public property or Icontextualized: Among the sites mentioned were the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial." The White House "lashed out," and Bowser "quickly retreated, modifying the document to remove specific federal properties over which the District has no control." Congressional Republicans "castigated Bowser for the report. ... Many pointed to the page that Bowser removed from the document, which listed eight federal sites that the mayor could consider asking the federal government to 'remove, relocate, or contextualize.' The list included the statue of Confederate Gen. Albert Pike that the District has long endorsed removing...but also world-famous sites such as the Jefferson Memorial and the Washington Monument - both named for presidents who owned enslaved people." Bernhardt : DC Monuments Will Not Be Removed Or Renamed. Interior Secretary Bernhardt was asked on Fox News' The Story (9/2) to respond to Bowser's comments after the Administration rejected a list of recommendations for removing, relocating, or renaming national monuments. Bernhardt said that "no one will be removing or renaming the Washington Monument or the Jefferson Memorial, none of that is going to happen." He added, "Each of these great individuals did great things. No one is saying that each of these individuals was a perfect human being." Republican State AGs: Democrats Have "Capitulated To Criminals Run Amok." The Washington Times (9/2, Mordock, 492K) reports, "The Republican attorneys general of 26 states on Wednesday marked the 100th day of protests in Portland, Oregon, by calling on Democratic officials to condemn the violence escalating in city streets across the nation." The Times adds that "in a press call with reporters, members of the Republican Attorneys General Association said Democratic politicians have 'capitulated to criminals run amok." Said Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, "It is unacceptable that the attorney general of any state would stand idly by and watch their own cities burn around them. We must restore stability and order EFTA01658696 to end this lawlessness." The Federalist (9/2, Davidson, 126K) indicates "the group of attorneys general pushed back on the narrative that these riots are 'perfectly peaceful,' claiming that in order for them to ensure peoples' first amendment rights, there must be clear enforcement of the rule of law." After High-Profile Uses Of Force, Police Chiefs Call For New Tactics. NBC Nightly NewsVi (9/2, story 8, 2:10, Jackson, 5.53M) reported, "In Kenosha, Wisconsin, police say Jacob Blake was not obeying commands, so their use of force quickly escalated from tasers to gunshots. In Minneapolis, George Floyd died after a police officer's continued physical force. Studies show that police use some kind of force at least half a million times a year. Often amping it up for failure to immediately comply with an order. But the recent deadly encounters has many police chiefs telling their recruits that's outdated thinking ... Jeff Wexler of the Police Executive Research Forum has long advocated training in deescalation. He says leaders should review videos like the Jacob Blake shooting and ask, how would I handle that?" WPost Analysis: White Male Police Departments Have Not Changed To Reflect Their Communities. A Washington Post (9/2, Wilson, 14.2M) analysis says "Being Black...has proved dangerous" in "many of the nation's suburbs where predominantly White, male police departments, once a fair facsimile of their communities, have failed to change as rapidly as the places they are charged with protecting." Black men "have been killed by suburban police officers in Ferguson, Mo., in Falcon Heights, Minn., and in Vallejo, Calif., where police officers are being investigated for allegedly bending a prong on their star badges to proudly signify that they have killed someone on duty." The Post story focuses particularly on the death of Elijah McClain in Aurora, CO, where "a tradition of impunity for police officers, a cumbersome hiring process and a changing population have resulted in deep public mistrust of the police force and numerous legal complaints against the department in recent years." Antifa Leader Armed With Flamethrower Bursts Into Tears Upon Being Arrested In Wisconsin. The New York Post (9/2, Brown, 4.57M) reports, "An Antifa leader known as Commander Red was busted carrying a flamethrower to a Wisconsin Black Lives Matter rally - and 'dropped into the fetal position and began crying' when stopped by cops, officials said." The Post adds that according to WBAY-TV Green Bay, WI (9/2, 113K), "Matthew Banta, 23, is 'known to be a violent Antifa member who incites violence in otherwise relatively peaceful protests." When he was arrested, "he was carrying stickers and a flag for the controversial group...along with 'military-grade 5-minute' smoke grenades, fireworks rockets, and a flamethrower," according to the Green Bay (WI) Press-Gazette (9/2, Mathew, 124K). The Daily Caller (9/2, Devlin, 716K), and Townhall (9/2, Barkoukis, 177K), among other news outlets, also report the story. Chauvin's Lawyers Say Police Manual Teaches Officers To Place Knee On Suspect's Neck. Katie Pavlich writes on Townhall (9/2, 177K) that former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin's lawyers "are requesting the dismissal of murder and manslaughter charges against him for the death of George Floyd. They're using the police training manual as justification." In the Minneapolis Police Department training manual, "officers are shown how to subdue violent or resisting suspects by placing their knee on the neck." Pavlich adds, "Newly released court documents show Floyd had a 'fatal level' of fentanyl in his system when he died. He also resisted arrest before being placed on the ground by officers." Police Body Cam Footage Of Man's Death Sparks Protests In Rochester. ABC World News TonightVi (9/2, story 7, 1:55, Llamas, 6.93M) reported there is "growing anger" in Rochester, New York "after the release of body cam video of a police encounter ruled a homicide. Police and protesters facing off, then clashing this afternoon." The conflict stems EFTA01658697 from an incident last March in which "a mentally troubled man [was] handcuffed and pinned down in the street. Officers not noticing at first that he had stopped breathing." ABC (Norma) added that in the body cam footage, "an officer holds [Daniel] Prude's head down for more than two minutes as his yells become whimpers, and then he appears to stop breathing. ... Prude died seven days later. The medical examiner calling his death a homicide." Prude's "family is calling for the officers involved to be fired and charged." The New York Times (9/2, Closson, Shanahan, 18.61M) reports New York State Attorney General Letitia James "and the Rochester police chief said they were conducting inquiries into the death. The officers involved are still on the force." Police Held Black Jogger For Two Days After Mistaking Him For A Suspect. ABC World News TonightVi (9/2, story 8, 0:40, Llamas, 6.93M) reported that in San Antonio, Texas "a Black jogger [is] speaking out after he was confused by police for a suspect in a family violence case and spent two days in jail. Body camera video shows police stopping Matthias Ometu who refused to tell them his name, which people have the right to do in Texas." Ometu was handcuffed and put in a police car. The victim "said he was not the suspect, but police booked him for assaulting a peace officer." ABC added, "The charges have been dropped, but Ometu says the unfair treatment he received must still be addressed." OPERATION LEGEND Florida Man Suspected Of Missouri Homicide Is Captured In Operation LeGend. The Kansas City (MO) Star (9/2, Cronkleton, 549K) reports, "A Florida man suspected in a homicide that occurred during a home invasion robbery in Tallahassee has been caught by federal agents in Jackson County. The department of justice touted the presence of Kansas City's Operation LeGend in the success of his arrest." US Marshals arrested Yuri Harris, 24, Monday "at Longview Lake in the southeastern part of the Kansas City metro area on a warrant from Leon County, Florida, U.S. Marshal Mark S. James announced Tuesday in a news release. `Mr. Harris definitely chose the wrong place to come to with the additional resources in town for Operation LeGend,' James said. `We were able to put a lot of manpower towards his capture." Harris "was charged in the Aug. 27 killing in which the victim was fatally shot during a home invasion robbery." US Charges Indiana Man With Straw-Purchasing Guns For Chicago Felon. The Chicago Sun-Times (9/2, Wilusz, 875K) reports, "A northwest Indiana man is facing federal charges for allegedly straw-purchasing guns in Indiana for a felon in Chicago." Brian Haywood, 24, "is charged with one count of knowingly selling and disposing of a firearm to a convicted felon, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois. On July 30, Aug. 5 and Aug. 20, Haywood allegedly bought guns from stores in Hammond, Indiana, and signed forms indicating he was the actual buyer, prosecutors said. He was actually purchasing them for someone from Chicago whom he knew was prohibited from owning firearms because of a felony conviction, according to the U.S. attorney's office." The charges "were filed as part of Operation Legend." Morgan: Operation Legend Exemplifies How Trump Is "Committed To Public Safety." Acting CBP Commissioner Morgan said on Fox News' Bill Hemmer Reports that "this President is committed to public safety and protecting American citizens. Operation Legend...represents exactly the way it should be done. Local, state and federal authorities joining together to work together to address and reduce violent crime in their cities." COUNTER-TERRORISM EFTA01658698 Texas Man Pleads Guilty To Helping ISIS. The AP (9/2) reports from Dallas, Texas, "A North Texas man pleaded guilty Wednesday to supporting the Islamic State group, federal prosecutors said." Omer Kuzu "pleaded guilty in federal court in Dallas to conspiring to provide material support to terrorism, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney's office." Kuzu, of Plano, Texas, "said in plea papers that he and his brother left home in 2014 for Syria, where he spent five years providing communications support for front-line Islamic State fighters and working in the Caliphate's technology center. Kuzu, who is a U.S. citizen, was captured by Syrian forces in early 2019, turned over to the FBI and returned to Texas to face charges." The Hill (9/2, Moreno, 2.98M) reports, "Kuzu admitted that he left Texas with his brother, Yusuf, for Turkey in 2014 and was then picked up by an `ISIS taxi,' according to court documents. They then stayed in several `waiting houses' before ending up in Mosul, Iraq. There, he and 40 others allegedly underwent five days of physical and weapons training led by ISIS instructors." Kuzu "was one of 1,500 suspected ISIS fighters that were captured in March 2019 by Syrian Democratic Forces. He was handed over to the FBI and was charged with conspiring to provide material support material to ISIS." Appeals Court Finds NSA Phone Data Collection Program Illegal. Reuters (9/2, Satter) reports that a ruling Wednesday from the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit "said the warrantless telephone dragnet that secretly collected millions of Americans' telephone records violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and may well have been unconstitutional." Politico (9/2, Gerstein, 4.29M) reports the NSA program that "swept up details on billions of Americans' phone calls was illegal and possibly unconstitutional, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday." However, the "unanimous three-judge panel" also "said the role the so-called telephone metadata program played in a criminal terror-fundraising case against four Somali immigrants was so minor that it did not undermine their convictions." Judge Marsha Berzon's opinion, "which contains a half-dozen references to the role of former NSA contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden in disclosing the NSA metadata program," concludes that the "bulk collection" of such data violated the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Politico says the release of the opinion "is another reminder of the exceedingly slow pace of some 9th Circuit appeals, particularly those involving classified information or FISA surveillance." The Washington Post (9/2, Barrett, 14.2M) reports the court also ruled "that claims made by FBI and other national security officials in defense of the program were not accurate." The ruling "will not have much immediate effect on the program it criticizes, because that record- gathering effort ended in 2015, replaced by a different method for searching phone records that was also eventually shut down." The judges also "ruled that government prosecutors must tell criminal defendants when it plans to use evidence gathered or derived from surveillance done overseas." The court also "rejected the Justice Department's argument that the call records were properly obtained because they were relevant to a terrorism investigation." That argument, they wrote, "depends on an after-the-fact determination of relevance: once the government had collected a massive amount of call records, it was able to find one that was relevant to a counterterrorism investigation." The judges wrote the FISA act "required the government to make a showing of relevance to a particular authorized investigation before collecting the records." CNET News (9/2, Hautala, 1.99M) reports Berzon wrote, "The metadata collection exceeded the scope of Congress's authorization." Business Insider (9/2, Holmes, 3.67M) reports there is "zero evidence the NSA's phone records program stopped a terror attack, contradicting the public statements of US intelligence officials following Snowden's revelation, Judge Marsha Berzon said in the ruling." She added, "To the extent the public statements of government officials created a contrary impression, that impression is inconsistent with the contents of the classified record." EFTA01658699 Fox News (9/2, O'Reilly, 27.59M) reports the NSA last year "reportedly recommended that the White House abandon the controversial surveillance program, claiming the legal and logistical burdens of maintaining it outweigh its benefits to the intelligence community." Among outlets also reporting are The Hill (9/2, Neidig, 2.98M), Axios (9/2, Knutson, 521K), Law360 (9/2, Subscription Publication, 8K), and San Diego (CA) Union-Tribune (9/3, Kristina Davis The San Diego Union-Tribune (TNS), 755K). Sudanese Government, Citizens Differ On US Deal To Remove Terrorism Label. The Christian Science Monitor (9/2, Luck, 246K) reports Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently "offered to lift the U.S. terrorism label off post-revolution Sudan" in exchange for $330 million in compensation for "Al Qaeda attacks from over two decades ago." Sudan's transitional government "reportedly favors the US offer," but among Sudanese citizens "mired in recession and lingering poverty, a legacy of ousted dictator Omar al-Bashir's destructive 30-year rule, the proposal is encountering resistance." The US has "already lifted sanctions from Sudan in 2017," but the terrorism designation "has continued to deter investment in the country." The civilian- led transitional government "believes that by honoring the previous regime's debts and paying compensation for his crimes - and ridding the country of the terrorism list designation and stigma - the subsequent access to international financial relief and foreign investment will save Sudan's economy." The hope is the benefits "will outweigh any immediate costs several-fold." Trial Of Alleged Accomplices In 2015 Attacks Opens In Paris. The New York Times (9/2, Breeden, Meheut, 18.61M) reports that on Wednesday, France "began revisiting one of the worst chapters in its modern history...as a landmark trial opened in Paris for the January 2015 terrorist attacks that killed 17 people in and around the French capital." According to the Times, "Over at least the next two months, before the glare of the world's media and under tight security, the court is expected to meticulously examine three harrowing days that traumatized France, starting with a daytime assault on the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical magazine that Islamic extremists targeted after it published cartoons lampooning Islam." The Times adds, "The killings were followed by a string of deadly jihadist attacks, culminating with assaults in November that year in and around Paris that killed 130 people, vaulting France into a yearslong state of emergency." The AP (9/2, Hinnant, Vaux-Montagny) reports that "those on trial in France's terrorism court are accused of buying weapons, cars, and helping with logistics in the January 2015 attacks." According to the AP, "Most say they thought they were helping plan an ordinary crime. Three, including the only woman accused, are being tried in absentia after leaving to join Islamic State." COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE Draft DHS Bulletin Warning Foreign Actors Targeting Biden, Trump Health Not Released. Jonathan Karl reported on ABC World News TonightVi (9/2, story 6, 2:25, Llamas, 6.93M) that a draft DHS intelligence bulletin "alerting local, state and federal law enforcement to a Russian scheme to damage Joe Biden's campaign by spreading misinformation that Biden isn't mentally fit to be president" was withheld. According to "an email obtained by ABC News, the bulletin was supposed to go out on July 9, but it never did. The Chief of Staff to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf put the brakes on, writing, 'Please hold on sending this one out until you have a chance to speak to AS1.' AS1 is Acting Secretary Wolf. That was nearly two months ago, and the bulletin still has not gone out." Reuters (9/2, Hosenball, Hesson) reports that the draft bulletin "also said that Iranian and Chinese media had published materials questioning the mental health" of President Trump. EFTA01658700 Geoff Bennett said on NBC Nightly NewsVi (9/2, story 4, 1:55, Jackson, 5.53M), "The unclassified report published by ABC News is titled 'Russia Likely to Denigrate Health of US Candidates to Influence 2020 Election: It does not cite intelligence, but rather stories critical of Biden that aired on Russian state media." Jeff Pegues of the CBS Evening NewsVI (9/2, story 5, 2:05, O'Donnell, 4M) reported Wolf said Wednesday that "the document didn't meet his standards." Wolf: "The report that you referenced was, at the end of the day, a very poorly written report." Pegues: "But the Democrats are concerned the Trump Administration is blocking the flow of key intelligence on election interference to benefit the President." The New York Times (9/2, Kanno-Youngs, 18.61M) reports that that officials from "the Office of Intelligence and Analysis briefed" Wolf "on the document sometime this summer, the department said in a statement." Wolf was asked on Fox News' Daily Briefing (9/2) to respond to accusations that DHS withheld the report. Wolf said, "What we do at the department every day regarding election security in our cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency has been hard at work on this for the last four years. We saw two years ago a very safe and secure election, we're continuing to work very hard at this leading up to November." Attorney General Barr was asked about Russian interference in the 2020 election on CNN Vi (9/2, 2.25M). Barr said, "There is some preliminary activity that suggests they may try again," and "it wouldn't surprise me if Russia tries something again of the same general genre of before." CNBC (9/2, Mangan, 3.62M) and NBC News (9/2, Dilanian, 6.14M), among several others, also report on the issue. Barr Says Durham Investigation Won't Affect 2020 Election. The Washington Examiner (9/2, Dunleavy, 448K) reports that in an interview with CNNVi (9/2, 2.25M) Wednesday, Attorney General Barr "denied that he is being pressured by President Trump in his handling of U.S. Attorney John Durham's inquiry into the Russia investigation and claimed that any actions taken won't affect the 2020 election." Barr "stressed that the Durham review will abide by Justice Department guidelines. He also reiterated that, despite urging from Trump, former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden, who is now the 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, are not under criminal investigation." Barr said, "I will handle these cases as appropriate. ... And I do not think anything that we do in the Durham investigation - I assume that's what you're talking about - is going to be affecting the election." FBI Notes From Mifsud Interview Made Public. The Washington Examiner (9/2, Dunleavy, 448K) reports that FBI's notes from its interview with Maltese professor Joseph Mifsud "were made public Tuesday, showing denials from a key Trump-Russia inquiry figure who special counsel Robert Mueller says lied to investigators yet was never charged." The notes indicate that "the FBI's Feb. 11, 2017, interview with Mifsud in the lobby of the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., was a brief and cursory one in the grand scheme of the investigation." Hunter Biden Holds Stake In Chinese Firm Sanctioned For Human Rights Violations. The Washington Free Beacon (9/2, Goodman, 78K) reports Hunter Biden holds a stake in the Chinese surveillance company Megvii, which is "under U.S. sanctions for human-rights violations, complicating his father Joe Biden's campaign promise to crack down on American businesses with financial ties to China's humanitarian abuses." The investment firm Bohai Harvest RST Shanghai Equity, in which Hunter Biden owns a stake, initially invested in Megvii "in 2017, according to the company's website. The firm holds a nearly 2 percent stake in Megvii through two holding companies, according to a prospectus filed by Megvii as part of its application for a listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange last year." Last year, the Commerce EFTA01658701 Department "added Megvii to its list of sanctioned entities that were 'implicated in human- rights violations and abuses in the implementation of China's campaign of repression, mass arbitrary detention, and high-technology surveillance against Uighurs, Kazakhs, and other members of Muslim minority groups." Maltese Professor Denied Making Offer To Papadopoulos In FBI Documents. Fox News (9/2, DeMarche, 27.59M) reports Maltese professor Joseph Mifsud, "who ex-FBI Director James Comey referred to as a 'Russian agent' in an op-ed, denied any advance knowledge that Russia had dirt on Hillary Clinton and told investigators he never made any offers to George Papadopoulos, the former Trump campaign strategist, according to newly released FBI documents." U Of North Texas Cancels Visas For Chinese Researchers. The Denton (TX) Record-Chronicle (9/2, Reid, 32K) reports, "Law enforcement briefings played a role in the Aug. 26 decision to cancel visas for Chinese researchers working at the University of North Texas. All 15 researchers, none of whom have been publicly identified, were in the country through their affiliation with the Chinese Scholarship Council." UNT spokesperson Jim Berscheidt "said Wednesday, 'UNT took this action based upon specific and credible information following detailed briefings from federal and local law enforcement.' He declined to specify which agencies conducted the briefings, and he did not clarify what kept him from answering further questions." The Record-Chronicle adds, "Many of the FBI warnings around Chinese researchers in the United States revolve around China's Thousand Talents Program, though nobody contacted for this article Wednesday was willing or able to connect that program to the 15 researchers UNT sent home." Arrested Texas A&M Professor Linked To Chinese Firm. The Dallas Morning News (9/2, Krause, Jaramillo, 946K) reports, "The arrest last week of a Texas A&M University professor on charges of conspiracy, making false statements and wire fraud illustrates the threat apparently posed by China against intellectual property and independent institutions in a liberal democracy." Zhengdong Cheng, 53, "led a team of engineers and researchers that received almost $750,000 in grants from NASA. According to the criminal complaint filed by the FBI, Cheng engaged in a seven-year scheme to gain access to 'the unique resources of the International Space Station,' to leverage NASA grant resources for Chinese institutions and to enrich himself to the tune of $86,876." The Morning News adds, "According to the complaint, Cheng maintained a position as research director of an institute in Guangdong, China, and a separate position with a Chinese company, all while working on NASA research." Rubio: SSCI Will Continue To Get In-Person Briefings. Politico (9/2, Desiderio, 4.29M) reports that Acting SSCI Chair Marco Rubio said Wednesday that the panel will "continue to receive in-person briefings from top U.S. intelligence officials about election-security issues, despite the Trump administration's recent directive to effectively cut off the congressional intelligence panels." DNI Ratcliffe, according to Rubio, "had pledged to continue briefing the panel even as its Democratic-led counterpart in the House saw a previously scheduled briefing scrapped." Axios (9/2, Ayesh, 521K) reports that Rubio told Spectrum News, "We are going to continue to schedule these briefings, as we do on a regular basis throughout the year, and we expect them to come in and provide us that information and answer our questions in person." Rubio added, "They can't tell us they're not coming in to talk to us. I don't care what a letter says. They can't do that, and they're not going to do that is what I've been told." Nunes: Democratic Leaks Justify Ratcliffe Move. The Washington Examiner (9/2, Chaitin, 448K) reports that Rep. Devin Nunes, the ranking member on House Intelligence, on EFTA01658702 Tuesday said that leaks have become a serious problem, justifying the move by Ratcliffe to limit election-security briefings. Nunes told Fox Business' Lou Dobbs, "We know that someone on the Democratic side is a leaker, and they've been leaking a really long time, not to mention they also like to go through our telephone numbers and release them to the public." Nunes added, "We're very concerned about this. We have relayed those concerns to the intelligence agencies." Two House Democrat Call On ODNI To Reveal Foreign Actors Exploiting Race Issues. The Daily Beast (9/2, Brodey, 1.39M) reports that in a September 1 letter, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Val Demings (D-FL), both members of House Intelligence, "thank" DNI Ratcliffe "for his response to their inquiry on `how foreign adversaries are heightening and exploiting tensions and social unrest in American communities to further foreign interests." However, they argued that the information needed to be declassified so that the public can better assess the impact on the elections. More Commentary. Peter Grier writes for the Christian Science Monitor (9/2, 246K) that the decision to provide written intelligence products instead of in-person briefings is "hardly" a "dry bureaucratic change." Written documents "are not a good substitute for in- person discussion when it comes to congressional oversight of the executive branch, say some experts. In person, members can gauge tone, ask questions, push for answers, and raise side issues. This is particularly important in intelligence oversight, where outside sources of information are scanty at best." In a Lawfare (9/2) podcast, Benjamin Wittes discusses the decision to end broad election security briefings with David Priess, "a former CIA briefer who used to do briefings like this, and Margaret Taylor, a former congressional staffer who used to consume briefings like this." White House Condemns Poisoning Of Navalny. Axios (9/2, Perano, 521K) reports, "The White House on Wednesday joined other world governments to condemn the apparent poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny." White House National Security Council spokesperson John Ullyot said, "The United States is deeply troubled by the results released today. Alexei Navalny's poisoning is completely reprehensible." Ullyot continued, "We will work with allies and the international community to hold those in Russia accountable, wherever the evidence leads, and restrict funds for their malign activities." He added, "The Russian people have a right to express their views peacefully without fear of retribution of any kind, and certainly not with chemical agents." Other global leaders have condemned the attack, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who tweeted, "I utterly condemn the use of a military-grade nerve agent, which makes it even more urgent that Russia conducts full & transparent investigation." Reuters (9/2, Landay, Hosenball) reports a US government source "familiar with U.S. intelligence reporting said there was no reason to doubt the German finding that a Novichok nerve agent was used to poison Navalny, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin." ABC World News TonightVi 's (9/2, story 9, 1:25, Llamas, 6.93M) Ian Pannell reported, "The White House is saying it's going to work with allies to hold those in Russia accountable." Merkel: Navalny Was Poisoned With Nerve Agent. Reuters (9/2, Nasr, Osborn) reports that according to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, "Kremlin critic" Alexei Navalny, "who is in intensive care in a Berlin hospital, was poisoned with a Soviet-style Novichok nerve agent in an attempt to murder him." Reuters say Merkel indicated that her government "now expected Moscow to explain itself and that Germany would consult its NATO allies about how to respond, raising the prospect of new Western sanctions on Russia." According to Reuters, "The Russian foreign ministry said Germany's assertion was not backed by evidence and complained about the way Germany had chosen to release information about Navalny." A US government source "familiar with US intelligence reporting and analysis said the use of the Novichok family of nerve agents showed Putin was willing to be `bold' in targeting individuals he found EFTA01658703 threatening or irritating." Ivan Zhdanov, a "close Navalny ally, said on Twitter that Novichok could be administered only by Russia's intelligence agencies." However, the New York Times (9/2, Eddy, 18.61M) reports the German government said there is "unequivocal evidence" the nerve agent was used, which has "provided the strongest indication yet that the Kremlin, which has denied involvement, was behind the poisoning, as Western intelligence agencies have assessed that only the Russian government would likely have access to such a dangerous weapon." Merkel is quoted as saying, "Mr. Navalny has been the victim of a crime. It raises very serious questions that only the Russian government can and must answer." The Times goes on to report that Novichok is "a Soviet-era weapon invented for military use," and "was used against Serge' V. Skripal, a former Soviet spy, and his daughter in a 2018 attack in Salisbury, England, that the British government attributed to Russia's military intelligence arm, the G.R.U." The AP (9/2, Moulson) reports that "the Berlin hospital treating the dissident said he remains on a ventilator though his condition is improving," but "it expects a long recovery and still can't rule out long-term effects on his health from the poisoning." On NBC Nightly NewsVi (9/2, story 5, 1:40, Jackson, 5.53M), Richard Engel reported, "Navalny's supporters say this was Putin exacting revenge and that using Novichok was like leaving a calling card to tell other critics no one is safe." On the CBS Evening NewsVi (9/2, story 7, 1:45, O'Donnell, 4M), Charlie D'Agata reported, "The Navalny poisoning comes amid a crackdown on Kremlin critics, including the beating of a prominent activist earlier this week." The Washington Post (9/2, Dixon, Morris, 14.2M), The AP (9/2, Moulson), USA Today (9/2, Hjelmgaard, 10.31M), Politico (9/2, Posaner, 4.29M), and The Hill (9/2, Axelrod, 2.98M), The Guardian (UK). (9/2, Harding, 4.19M), The Sun (UK). (9/2, 712K) are among outlets that have more on the German findings regarding Navalny's apparent poisoning. The New York Times (9/2, Higgins, 18.61M), in an article on Russian president Vladimir Putin's treatment of Navalny, points out that "during more than 20 years in power, Mr. Putin has never publicly uttered the name of his most high-profile opponent." The Times adds, "When he did say his name after prodding from an American interlocutor during a private event in 2013, it became a national news story." CNN's (9/2, 83.16M) Nathan Hodge writes in an analysis that the "brazenness of Navalny's poisoning is precisely the point, by sending a message of impunity." WPost: Putin Fears No Pushback From Trump As He Poisons Rivals. The Washington Post (9/2, 14.2M) editorializes Russian President Vladimir Putin has learned from previous attacks on his political rivals that he faces little repercussions, which "no doubt" played "a part of the Kremlin's calculations" in the poisoning of Navalny. The Post says that "whether there are more concerted consequences will depend in part on whether President Trump is willing to work with Germany and other allies." Pointing to past instances that show Trump's reluctance in standing up to Putin, the Post concludes that "to all appearances," Putin "has the president of the United States in his pocket." WS.lournal: Putin Should Face Repercussions For Poisoning Navalny. In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal (9/2, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) urges the US and Europe to stop accommodating Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Journal argues that Putin's attacks on his political opponents means he doesn't deserve a seat at the G-7. IAEA: North Korea Enriching Uranium, But Has Not Reprocessed Plutonium In Past Year. Reuters (9/2, Murphy) reports there is no sign North Korea "reprocessed spent fuel from its main nuclear reactor into plutonium in the past year, but it seems to have continued to enrich uranium, the other potential fuel for atom bombs, the U.N. atomic watchdog said." The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not had access "to North Korea since the secretive communist state expelled its inspectors in 2009," and since has been "monitoring North Korea's activities from afar, including with satellite imagery." It is "almost certain" the EFTA01658704 experimental 5-megawatt reactor "at the Yongbyon nuclear complex, which is widely believed to have produced plutonium for weapons, has been shut down since early December 2018, the IAEA said in an annual report here dated Sept. 1 and posted online." There has, however, "been no telltale steam at the plutonium reprocessing lab there, suggesting the last batch of spent fuel stayed in the reactor building." The AP (9/2, Dineen) reports the agency also "said that its observations of cooling units at the Yongbyon nuclear fuel rod fabrication plant and vehicular movements there 'were consistent with the production of enriched uranium at the reported centrifuge enrichment facility." North Korea's "nuclear activities remain a cause for serious concern," the agency said. Bloomberg (9/2, Tirone, 4.73M) reports IAEA inspectors "did observe indications that North Korea is manufacturing enriched uranium, as well as mining and milling more of the heavy metal that is the key ingredient for reactors and bombs." Former CIA Assistant Director: South Korean National Police "Not Geared To Catching The North's Spies." In an op-ed for The Hill (9/2, 2.98M), former assistant director of the CIA for Korea John Finbarrr writes, who notes that South Korea "recently stripped its sprawling National Intelligence Service (NIS) of counterintelligence responsibilities," and as a result the "responsibility for the hunting of North Korean spies inside South Korea now rests with the Korean National Police (KNP)." Finbarr writes his "concern is that the KNP, bereft of close guidance and supervision from NIS counterintelligence professionals, will stumble when a South Korean MI5-like construct, under the KNP but with a degree of independence and some connective tissue back to the NIS, would better suit their needs." He concludes installing an "experienced hand from NIS, suitably divorced from his former agency, would send a message of clear intent to get the counterintelligence mission done right." Colombia Arrests Three Venezuelans "Tied To Anti-Maduro Plot." The AP (9/2, Goodman) reports police in Colombia have arrested "three Venezuelans who were part of a failed plot organized by a former U.S. Green Beret to sneak across the border and oust President Nicolas Maduro, The Associated Press has learned." All three lived "for months in rustic camps along Colombia's Caribbean coast where Jordan Goudreau, an American war veteran, was helping organize a volunteer army for a rapid cross-border strike against Maduro." It was not clear "if US officials played any role in Wednesday's arrests," but for months "the FBI has been interviewing associates of Goudreau as part of their own investigation into whether he violated U.S. laws that require any U.S. company supplying weapons or military equipment, as well as military training and advice, to foreign persons to seek State Department approval." CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS New York Town Asks FBI To Probe Racist Hate Mail Sent To Ex-School Superintendent. The Riverhead (NY) Local (9/2, Civiletti) reports, "Riverhead Supervisor Yvette Aguiar said yesterday she has referred the racist hate mail received by the former Riverhead school superintendent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation." The Local adds, "Aguiar made the announcement during the town board meeting after questions and comments about the incident from two community members. She condemned the acts as 'despicable' and said they would not be tolerated." According to the Local, "In the week before former Riverhead school superintendent Dr. Aurelia Henriquez abruptly resigned from her position June 30, she received three handwritten notes containing ethnic and racial slurs and hate speech, according to documents obtained from the Suffolk County Police Department through a Freedom of Information Law request." EFTA01658705 Four Arrested In New York Drug Bust. The Putnam (NY) Daily Voice (9/2, Coulter) reports, "Four City of Newburgh residents, one a juvenile, were arrested after area police and FBI agents connected them to numerous complaints about open-air narcotics sales; a fourth man was arrested on an active warrant from the state of New Jersey in the process of the investigation." Damaire Forrest, 18, Milton Delvalle, 48, Lamel Johnson, 41, "and a juvenile were all charged with two counts each of felony third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance on Monday, Sept. 1. DayShawn Brown, who is wanted on several violent felony warrants from Atlantic County in New Jersey, was charged as a Fugitive of Justice." The Daily Voice adds, "City of Newburgh Police were assisted in their investigation by the New York State Police, the Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force and members of the FBI." Two South Carolina Men Sentenced On Drug, Money Laundering Charges. CN2 (SC) (9/2) reports from Columbia, South Carolina, "Two Rock Hill men are facing drug and laundering charges, per the Department of Justice." US Attorney Peter M. McCoy, Jr., "announced Tuesday that Brandon Marquis Kimble, 30, and Cravelyn Squilla Davis, 25, were sentenced in federal court after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and money laundering. Kimble was sentenced to 11 years and Davis was sentenced to 12 years." CN2 adds, "Evidence presented to the court showed that this case stemmed from a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Rock Hill Police Department into individuals who were obtaining large amounts of cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana from a distributor in Southern California." Montana Woman Sentenced For Running Meth Ring. The Fairfield (MT) Sun Times (9/2) reports, "A Billings woman who admitted heading a large methamphetamine distribution ring after investigators seized six pounds of the drug at her home and another location was sentenced to eight years in prison and five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said." Jamie Juwann Ady, 42, "also known as Jamie Ady Alatorre, pleaded guilty in October to possession with intent to distribute meth. Ady admitted in an interview to being a meth distributor and said that she and another person had just returned from Las Vegas and Phoenix where they picked up four bundles of meth, each containing about 1.5 pounds, from a source." The Sun Times adds, "This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports, violent crime in Montana increased by 36% from 2013 to 2018." US Charges Pittsburgh Man With Shooting ATF Agent During Drug Raid. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (9/2, Ove, 616K) reports, "Federal authorities have charged a Pittsburgh man with shooting a federal agent during an Uptown raid in June." Dion Williams "is accused of shooting a U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent in an early-morning sweep on Marion Street on June 18 that targeted members of an alleged drug gang with ties to slain rapper Jimmy Wopo. The agent, whose name has not been released, was treated at the scene by ATF medics and taken to a hospital. ATF said he is recovering." According to the Post-Gazette, "Authorities had not previously named the alleged shooter, but said the incident happened at the address of Williams, 44, of 1 Marion Street, who was among 12 people indicted under seal on June 16. The case was unsealed two days later as agents swept in to make arrests. Williams is charged with assault on a federal employee and violations of federal gun laws." KDKA-TV Pittsburgh (9/2, 144K) reports, "Police say Williams alleged shot the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives special agent in the doorway of a home on Marion Street Uptown in the early morning hours of June 18. The ATF said the agent was tended to by on-scene ATF medics for his injuries and went to the hospital in stable condition. The agent did survive the shooting." EFTA01658706 Man Pleads Guilty To Making False Bomb Threat To "Endanger Wife's Citizenship" Application. The Minneapolis Star Tribune (9/2, Furst, 1.04M) reports a man who made a "bogus allegation that his wife was planning to bomb the Mall of America pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one count of making a false bomb threat." Vincent Togbe Konney entered his "guilty plea before US District Judge Nancy Brasel in St. Paul." In his plea and documents "filed with the court, Konney admitted that on August 13, 2018, he wrote a letter falsely accusing his wife of being part of a plot to bomb the mall in Bloomington." Konney sent the letter to USCIS "to harm his wife, who was in the naturalization process at the time, the US Attorney's Office said." Using a false name, "Konney claimed in his letter that while he was riding a bus, he overheard two women discussing a plot to blow up the Mall of America." The case was investigated "by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney John Docherty." WCCO-AM Minneapolis (9/2, 14K) reports the act was in "retaliation against his wife who was in the naturalization process at the time." Officials "say Konney enclosed a photocopy of his wife's real Permanent Resident Card and urged the government to halt a 'terroristic threat' by deporting his wife." KSTP-TV Minneapolis-St.Paul, MN (9/2, 249K) reports his sentencing date "will be set at a later time." California Man In Plea Discussions Over Alleged School Threats. The Charlottesville (VA) Daily Progress (9/2, McKenzie, 94K) reports, "Federal prosecutors are working on a possible plea agreement with the attorneys of a former Charlottesville man charged this summer with threatening to blow up city schools if teachers were forced to go back into the classroom this fall." Lucas Isaiah Newton-Grant, 27, of Rancho Mirage, California, "the son of a local school teacher, is currently free on $10,000 unsecured bond, granted by the court at an Aug. 11 hearing, according to records in the U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia. Newton-Grant was slated to be indicted by Aug. 27 on the charge of communicating interstate threats, but a federal judge granted a request from both the U.S. District Attorney's office and Newton-Grant's attorney to continue the indictment requirement until Sept. 23." Former UN Official Charged With Lying To The FBI. The AP (9/2) reports former UN telecommunications specialist Karim Elkorany "was arrested Wednesday on two counts of making false statements to federal law enforcement agents." He "resigned from the U.N. in early 2018, a few months after FBI agents questioned him outside his home about a woman who accused Elkorany of drugging and raping her in Iraq in 2016." The New York Times (9/2, Weiser, 18.61M) reports that the indictment said Elkorany "sexually assaulted or tried to sexually assault at least six women in Iraq, Egypt and the United States, among other locations." NJ News (9/2, 1.72M) reports that during a voluntary interview in November 2017, Elkorany "told the agents that the statements made by the woman to the UN were false and that he had not used drugs with the woman or provided them to her." WNBC-TV New York (9/2, 344K) reports that each charge "carries a maximum sentence of five years each in prison." Massachusetts Police Officers Charged With Overtime Fraud. The Boston Herald (9/2, 410K) reports that nine current and retired Boston police officers "have been charged with stealing $200,000 in a multi-year overtime fraud scheme, the FBI and US attorney's office announced Wednesday." US Attorney Andrew E. Lelling said in a statement, "These officers are charged with stealing taxpayer money, year after year, through fraud. Beyond the theft of funds, this kind of official misconduct also erodes trust in public institutions, at a time when that trust is most needed." EFTA01658707 The Boston Globe (9/2, 972K) reports that each officer "collected between $16,000 and $42,000 in alleged fraudulent overtime pay over the three-year scam," and they "face up to 10 years in prison on charges including conspiracy to commit theft, and embezzlement, aiding and abetting." Continuing Coverage: FBI Supporting Investigation Into Texas Bomb Threat. Reuters (9/2, Seba) reports that the FBI is supporting a Texas investigation into a device "made to look like a bomb placed at a construction site for a controversial natural gas pipeline" on Tuesday. The bomb technicians "determined the device to be a fake." Continuing Coverage: FBI Identifies Second Body Found In Washington State. The San Jose (CA) Mercury News (9/2, 456K) reports that the FBI announced the successful identification of two bodies found in Washington state last year. Jon Joseph Cleary and Josiah Michael Hilderbrand "disappeared in June 2019 as they were driving through Yakima County in southern Washington to see the newest iteration of the Grateful Dead in concert." The AP (9/2) reports that the FBI "is investigating the cause of death," which local officials "are treating...as a homicide." Colorado Man Convicted On Gun Crime Charge. The Pueblo (CO) Chieftain (9/2, 61K) reports that a jury has "found Maximillian Zeferino Esquibel, of Pueblo, guilty of a gun crime." He "was charged with being a felon in possession of a gun, a loaded AR-15 rifle." FBI Investigating Whistleblower Deaths In Missouri. The Daily Beast (9/2, 1.39M) reports that the FBI is investigating the deaths of James Bethel and Gerrit Strydom, who "were found dead in their rooms at La Quinta Inn in Springfield in 2015." Local authorities "announced at the time that the cause of death was cerebral malaria; however, the case was never formally closed." FBI Charges New Jersey Residents With Felony Drug Possession. The Middletown (NY) Times Herald-Record (9/2, 147K) reports that the FBI Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force announced Tuesday felony drug charges against Damaire Forrest, Dayshawn Brown, Milton Delvalle, and Lamel Johnson. Police "said the operation was a response to community complaints about open-air drug dealing." Continuing Coverage: FBI Sting Results In 10 Arrests For Solicitation Of Minors. The Bloomington (IL) Pantagraph (9/2, 135K) reports that a FBI online sting operation "resulted in the weekend arrests of 10 men charged with attempted enticement of a child to engage in sexual activity." The suspects "used social media to contact people they believed to be minors under age 18 with the intent of the meeting them to engage in sexual activity," but no children "were involved." Missouri Man Sentenced In Connection To Planned Parenthood Arson Incident. KRCG-TV Jefferson City, MO (9/2, Smaltz) reports Wesley Brian Kaster "was sentenced in federal court Wednesday for maliciously using explosive materials to damage a building owned by an organization that receives federal financial assistance, and one count of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act." The investigation said that he "had broken the glass front door of the clinic about 2:30 in the morning of Feb. 10, 2019, and thrown a 'Molotov cocktail-type device inside the building." Four Alabama Residents Charged In Connection To Homicide. EFTA01658708 WAFF-TV Huntsville, AL (9/2, 39K) reports that the Hartselle Police Department has "announce(d) charges against" Jaclyn Elaine Skuce, Aaron Carter Howard, Lajuhn Smart, and Logan Delp in connection to the death of Anthony Larry Sheppard. The arrests "took investigators more than five weeks and they say the investigation isn't finished." New York Charges Six In Connection To Burned Bodies. WENY-TV Elmira, NY (9/2, 1K) reports Jariel Cobb, James Reed, Jahaan McDuffie, Destenee Bell, Deandre Wilson, and Deshema Clark "have been indicted in connection to the case of a 3- year-old boy found in a box on a Buffalo porch last September." The indictments "states that Cobb, Wilson, and Reed are accused of obstruction of justice for burning the bodies of Miguel Anthony Valentin-Colon and Nicole Marie Merced-Plaud, and mutilating and burning the body of Dhamyl Roman-Audiffred." Georgia Man Sentenced For Methamphetamine Trafficking. WGXA-TV Macon, GA (9/2, Garrett, 656) reports DeMarcus Bell "was sentenced to serve twelve and a half years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court" to charges of methamphetamine trafficking. The case "was investigated by the Byron Police Department, Peach County Sheriff's Office, Perry Police Department, Monroe County Sheriff's Office, DeKalb County Sheriff's Office and the FBI." Two Men Sentenced To Federal Prison After Pleading Guilty In Drug Case. The Rock Hill (SC) Herald (9/2, Dys, 89K) reports South Carolina residents Cravelyn Squilla Davis and Brandon Marquis Kimble have been sentenced to 12 and 11 years, respectively, in federal prison. The sentences come after both men "pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess and distribute" fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine, as well as money laundering. The DEA was involved with the investigation of this case, according to the Herald article and a similar CN2 (SC) (9/2) report. After Pleading Guilty In Meth Case, Montana Resident Sentenced To Eight Years In Prison. The Fairfield (MT) Sun Times (9/2) reports Montana resident Jamie Juwann Ady, who "pleaded guilty in October to possession with intent to distribute" methamphetamine, has been "sentenced to eight years in prison." The Sun Times highlights that "the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force" was involved with the investigation that led to Ady's sentence. Man Pleads Guilty To Drug Charge In Latin Kings Case. The New Bedford (MA) Standard-Times (9/2, Standard-Times, 53K) reports FBI Special Agent in Charge Joseph R. Bonavolonta announced on Wednesday that Xavier Valentin-Soto pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to distribute cocaine charge. The article says the "FBI North Shore Gang Task Force" was involved in the investigation of the case against Valentin-Soto, who "admitted that he conspired with other Latin Kings members and leaders to distribute cocaine and cocaine base in and around New Bedford." The Boston Globe (9/2, Stoico, 972K), the Springfield (MA). Republican (9/2, Hanson, 395K), and the WBSM-AM Fairhaven, MA (9/3, 771) website also cover this story. Connecticut Man Pleads Guilty To Drug, Firearm Charges. The East Haven (CT) Patch (9/2, 1.03M) reports Connecticut resident Jesus Manual Valle "pleaded guilty in federal court" to "one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine and crack, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carries a mandatory consecutive sentenced of at least five years." The Valle "case was investigated by the DEA EFTA01658709 Bridgeport High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, the FBI Bridgeport Safe Streets Task Force and the East Haven Police Department." FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS Utah Man Pleads Guilty To PPP Fraud. The Gephardt Daily (UT) (9/2) reports, "A Salt Lake City resident pleaded guilty to charges in a five-count Felony Information in U.S. District Court Friday in connection with fraudulent representations he made to get a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program." Michael Leroi Douros, 64, "was charged with two counts of bank fraud, two counts of making a false statement to a bank, and money laundering in the Felony Information, said a news release from the FBI Salt Lake City." The Daily adds, "According to court documents filed as a part of his plea agreement, Douros made false representations to two banks in an effort to get a PPP loan for his business, Epic Rentals UT LLC." Michigan Man Facing PPP Fraud Charges. MLive (MI) (9/2, 925K) reports that Michigan man Antonio George "is facing fraud charges for allegedly stealing $3.1 million from a federal program meant to provide economic relief to small businesses during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic." A criminal complaint "filed in the Eastern District of Michigan alleges that he submitted false applications for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, which are provided by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act." Hometown Life (MI) (9/2, Vela, 67K) reports that George "was arrested Tuesday, when a criminal complaint alleging a wire fraud count against him was unsealed in U.S. District Court, federal prosecutors said in a report. The complaint alleges George successfully applied for COVID-Relief funding from financial institutions on behalf of 19 different companies." Prosecutors "allege he would present false and misleading documents about the companies' respective operations and payroll expenses." The Oakland (MI) Press (9/2, 95K) reports, "The case was investigated by the Small Business Administration's Office of Inspector General and the FBI." Sentencing Of Former Atlantic City, New Jersey Mayor Delayed For Sixth Time. The Press of Atlantic City (NJ) (9/2, Danzis, 177K) reports, "A sentencing hearing for Frank Gilliam Jr. has been delayed a sixth time, without explanation, since the former Atlantic City mayor pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud in October. Gilliam's sentencing has been rescheduled for Nov. 11, according to court documents." The Press adds, "After pleading guilty to a single count of wire fraud in federal court Oct. 3, Gilliam was originally scheduled to be sentenced in January. His sentencing date has been postponed six times since then, and no official explanation has been given as to why. His most recent sentencing date was Sept. 9." Gilliam "pleaded guilty to defrauding a youth basketball program out of more than $87,000. He resigned as mayor the same day, his position filled by former City Council President Marty Small Sr." Another Charged In College Admissions Probe. The AP (9/2) reports, "Another wealthy parent was charged Wednesday with trying to bribe his child's way into an elite university as a fake athletic recruit, a day after two former college coaches caught up in the nationwide admissions bribery scandal were hit with additional charges." Amin Khoury, 54, of Palm Beach, Florida and Mashpee, Massachusetts, "in May 2014 paid $200,000 to get former Georgetown University tennis coach Gordon Ernst to designate his daughter as a tennis recruit even though her 'tennis skills were below that of a typical Georgetown tennis recruit,' the U.S. attorney's office in Boston said in a statement." Khoury "is EFTA01658710 the 57th person charged in the nationwide investigation. He's charged with mail fraud and bribery." Reuters (9/2, Raymond) reports that Ernst "has pleaded not guilty to charges that he accepted bribes to help wealthy parents' children win admission to Georgetown as purported tennis recruits. Khoury's attorney, Eoin Beirne, said he looked forward to rebutting the government's claims. 'His child's college application was completely accurate and contained no misrepresentations about being a fake athlete or anything else,' he said." CNN (9/2, Moghe, 83.16M) reports, "Nancy Sterling, a spokeswoman for Khoury, said he had nothing to do with William 'Rick' Singer, the mastermind of the scheme who has pleaded guilty and is cooperating with the federal investigation. 'There was no test or class cheating. His child's college application was completely accurate and contained no misrepresentations about being a fake athlete or anything else. We look forward to this process to rebut the government's claims,' Sterling said." Khoury "is the son of billionaire Amin J. Khoury." Oregon Couple Who Scammed Elderly Victims Sentenced To Federal Prison. The Oregonian (9/2, Bernstein, 1M) reports, "A Happy Valley couple who scammed an elderly Tigard couple out of millions of dollars and then used the ill-gotten money to fund a lavish lifestyle of travel, gambling, custom-tailored clothes, high-end cars and expensive cigars were sentenced Wednesday to federal prison." Assistant US Attorney Donna Maddux "led the court through a photo and video display of the couple's social media postings that showed them attending the Kentucky Derby, New Year's Eve parties in Las Vegas and photos of their closets filled with designer brand shoes, suits, dresses and handbags." US District Judge Michael W. Mosman "sentenced Ronnie Stevens, 51, to five years and 11 months, and Tina Ephrem, 44, to five years in prison after they had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud." US Charges Two In $12M Scheme Targeting Investors In Puerto Rico. The AP (9/2) reports from San Juan, Puerto Rico, "Two men who founded what authorities say was a fake financial services company in Florida that raised more than $12 million from at least 150 investors in Puerto Rico and beyond have been arrested, officials said Wednesday." Gary Steven Wykle, 72, and Alejandro Cortes Lopez, 58, "face charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud as part of a 14-count federal indictment following an FBI investigation." US Attorney Stephen Muldrow "said the suspects falsely told clients their investments in promissory notes would provide loans for companies including hotels and resorts in the Dominican Republic and elsewhere. Muldrow and the Securities and Exchange Commission said more than $1.2 million of that money was used to finance Wykle's personal expenses, including shopping, travel, rent, food and entertainment." Trial Of Chicago Alderman Burke Could Be Delayed To 2020 Amid Pandemic. The Chicago Tribune (9/2, Meisner, 2.65M) reports, "The sweeping racketeering charges against Chicago Ald. Edward Burke may not go to trial until 2022 due to the ongoing pandemic and what Burke's lawyers call a 'staggering' amount of evidence yet to be turned over to the defense." Burke "was indicted in May 2019 on 14 counts including racketeering, bribery and extortion conspiracy alleging a variety of schemes where he used his powerful public office to pressure others into giving business to his private law firm. A trial for Burke and his two co- defendants - 14th Ward operative Peter J. Andrews and real estate developer Charles Cui - had tentatively been scheduled for mid-2021," but "during a status hearing Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Robert Dow as well as attorneys for both sides agreed that setting a firm date for such a large-scale trial seemed pointless with so many ongoing issues yet to resolve. 'I'd like to give you all a trial date, but I'd like to give you one we think will stick,' Dow said." Louisiana Man Sentenced For Running Ponzi Scheme. EFTA01658711 The Monroe (LA) News Star (9/2, 64K) reports, "A Youngsville man received a three-year sentence for a million-dollar Ponzi scheme orchestrated through a limited liability company." Donnie Laing, Jr., 40, was sentenced by US District Judge Terry A. Doughty "on a charge of wire fraud. Laing received 36 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $918,531 in restitution to the victims of this scheme." Laing "pled guilty in March 2020 to wire fraud in connection with a million-dollar Ponzi scheme that he orchestrated through his limited liability company, Capital Energy Investments, LLC." Investors "were led to believe that Capital would use their money to invest in oil and gas equipment, and then lease such equipment to companies engaged in oil and gas exploration activities for a profit, promising investors high rates of return on their investments. Instead, Laing used the victims' investments for his own personal use." Three Missouri Men Charged With Scamming Women Out Of WOK In Cash, Electronics. KSDK-TV St. Louis (9/2, Martinez, 493K) reports from St. Louis, "Three St. Louis men have been charged with scamming women all over the country out of thousands of dollars in cash and electronics." KSDK-TV adds, "A federal grand jury indicted 41-year-old Ovuoke Frank Ofikoro, 27-year-old Bonmene Sibe, and 27-year-old Trenice Hassel Wednesday, according to a press release from U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen's office. Ofikoro and Sibe face several charges, which include conspiracy to defraud, mail fraud, and aggravated identity theft, the release said. Sibe and Hassel face charges of making false statements to a federal agency." According to KSDK-TV, "Between May 2019 and July 2020, Ofikoro, Sibe, and other individuals ran a scam in which they pretended to be high-ranking military officials who were deployed overseas, according to court documents. They preyed on women between 45 and 82 years old." Continuing Coverage: FBI Investigating Hurricane Recovery Fraud. WMBB-TV Panama City, FL (9/2) reports about the FBI and the Bay County Sheriff's Office investigation into hurricane recovery funding fraud following Hurricane Michael. The investigation "has already resulted in five guilty pleas in connection to corruption." New Jersey Man Charged In Money Laundering Scheme. The New Jersey Herald (9/2, Comstock, 30K) reports, "A Sussex County man is facing time in state prison after authorities say he laundered more than $75,000 in criminal proceeds from unknowing victims and deposited them in multiple bank accounts in China." Robert J. Herburger, 60, of Newton, New Jersey, "was released from the Morris County Jail on Aug. 28 by Sussex County Judge Michael Carlucci on the condition he not commit any new offenses. His release came two days after detectives with the state Attorney General's Office's Division of Criminal Justice were spotted at Herburger's York Street home for several hours. He is facing charges including money laundering and receiving stolen property." Iowa Man Sentenced For Bank Fraud. KCAU-TV Sioux City, IA (9/2) reports Max Kant "was sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison and will serve a three year supervised release after his release from his initial prison term." The investigation began after he "submitted to Security National Bank a fraudulent Live Cattle Purchase Contract between MK Feedlots and what has been identified in the Indictment as Company A, wherein Company A purported to agree to purchase 4,000 head of cattle from MK Feedlots in June 2016." Texas Man Pleads Guilty To Mail Fraud. KTVT-TV Dallas (9/2) reports from Dallas, Texas, "A Honduran man who conned investors out of roughly $2 million has pleaded guilty to mail fraud following an investigation by the FBI's Dallas Field Office, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox announced EFTA01658712 Wednesday." Jose Anibal Linares, 42, "was charged in October with one count of mail fraud and two counts of wire fraud. He pleaded guilty to the mail fraud charge via video teleconference on Tuesday." KTVT-TV adds, "According to plea papers, Linares admitted to running a Ponzi-type scheme, luring investors into handing over `principal' that he later deposited in bank accounts at Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Legacy Texas, then paying them `interest' from other investors' principal payments." Florida Grand Jury Indicts Businessman Over College Admissions Investigation. The South Florida Business Journal (9/2, Subscription Publication, 855K) reports that a federal grand jury "has indicted a Palm Beach businessman as part of an ongoing college-admissions scandal." Amin C. Khoury "has been hit with conspiracy and bribery charges, with prosecutors saying he sought to designate his daughter as a tennis recruit for Georgetown University." Prosecutor "said the younger Khoury is the 57th person to be charged in the college admissions scandal, which the FBI has dubbed `Operation Varsity Blues." Robinhood Markets Faces Civil Fraud Investigation. The Wall Street Journal (9/2, Michaels, Osipovich, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports that Robinhood Markets Inc. is facing a civil fraud investigation from the Securities and Exchange Commission over not fully disclosing its system of selling clients' orders to high-speed trading firms. If it settles with the SEC probe, Robinhood could have to pay a fine over $10 million. CYBER DIVISION Experts Say Schools Are Particularly Vulnerable To Cyber Attacks. NBC Nightly NewsVI (9/2, story 7, 2:10, Jackson, 5.53M) reported that the Miami-Dade Public School system, "one of the biggest school systems in the country," was "battling a cyber attack for the third day in a row" on Wednesday. NBC (Sanders) added that these types of hacks are "a growing problem. Since August 4, EdTech Strategies has tracked 56 new cyber security incidents at schools across the country. In the last four years, more than 950 cyber attacks." According to experts, "schools are especially vulnerable because in this ramp up to virtual learning, little money was earmarked for security." NBC added that "the FBI's cyber crimes unit has launched an investigation," in to the Miami-Dade attack. They are "looking for digital fingerprints that could lead to a suspect." The AP (9/2) reports from Miami, "Florida's largest school district is still under siege by cyberattacks that began Monday as students returned to school remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic." Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho "said in a tweet on Wednesday morning that multiple attempts to disrupt online education have been made Wednesday morning, following two previous days of cyberattacks. Carvalho said they haven't managed to penetrate the district's servers. He said the district's security and safeguard measures have been successful so far and that the 200,000 students who've logged onto the system have been asked to remain logged on." The FBI and Secret Service "have been called in to probe the cyberattacks. They subpoenaed the school district's internet provider." Politico (9/2, Atterbury, 4.29M) reports, "The attacks began around 8 a.m. Monday, the first day of classes, and continued throughout Tuesday, Carvalho said. The cyberattacks were still under way as of Wednesday morning, but 200,000 students were able to log into classes." Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell on Wednesday "requested an immediate briefing on the cyberattacks. `We must secure the ability of our students to receive their education, and it is imperative that I remain continuously informed on developments on the manner,' Mucarsel- Powell wrote in a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray." WPLG-TV Miami (9/2, Vela, Solomon, 223K) reports, "More law enforcement agencies are getting involved into investigating what and how the system was breached and who is EFTA01658713 responsible. The Federal Bureau of Investigation told Local 10 they are assisting Miami-Dade Schools Police. We've also learned that the United States Secret Service is involved." FBI Has Revamped Hacking Response, Speed. Wired (9/2, Greenberg, 3.49M) reports the FBI and the "community of incident response security professionals who often work with the bureau's agents says the FBI has significantly changed how it communicates with hacking victims" since 2016. In interviews with WIRED, FBI officials "described a bureau that has revamped its practices to warn hacking targets faster, and at a higher level of the targeted organization." The improvements go "beyond warnings to state officials, says Mike Herrington, the section chief of the FBI's cyber division." Herrington said, "I see a key change in practice and emphasis, getting our special agents in charge keyed up to gain the full cooperation of potential victims." In some cases, "says special agent Tyson Fowler, the FBI has developed a so-called 'emergency lead notification' process that bypasses the bureau's usual internal consultations and immediately notifies a cybersecurity-focused agent in a field office who can warn a victim, hopefully before the hackers deliver their ransomware payload." Colorado Man Sentenced For Moderating Dark Web Marketplace. The AP (9/2) reports from Aurora, Colorado, "A Colorado man was sentenced to federal prison for serving as a moderator on a global dark web marketplace that peddled guns, drugs and stolen identities." Bryan Herrell, 26, of Aurora "was sentenced to 11 years by a U.S. District Court Judge in California Tuesday for his role in operating AlphaBay." The Justice Department "said the now-shuttered online bazaar operated on the Tor network and became the most expansive internet market for drug sales. AlphaBay launched one year after the FBI shut down the similar Silk Road network. Herrell used the online monikers Penissmith and Botah to referee arguments between sellers and buyers and watch for scams, federal officials said." Potential TikTok Bidders Consider Four Acquisition Options. Reuters (9/2, Wang, Roumeliotis, Hu) reports TikTok's prospective buyers are discussing "four ways to structure an acquisition from its Chinese owner ByteDance, which include buying the app's US operations without key software, after Beijing stalled a deal which could be worth $30 billion, sources said." Other options being considered, three sources say, "include asking for Chinese approval to pass TikTok's algorithm on to the acquirer of the short video app's U.S. assets, licensing the algorithm from ByteDance," or negotiating a "transition period of up to a year with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which is overseeing the deal talks, the sources said. It is not clear whether China's new rules would allow this in the time frame required." The fourth scenario involves "ByteDance's licensing the algorithm to the buyer of the TikTok assets, the sources said. However, this could worry CFIUS, which wants ByteDance to forego any relationship it has with TikTok in the United States." The Christian Science Monitor (9/2, Tyson, 246K) reports that the specifics on how the US government will carry out an executive order issued by President Trump banning WeChat's transactions in the US "remains to be seen." European Officials Targeted By Chinese Phishing Attacks. Bloomberg (9/2, Drozdiak, 4.73M) reports a Chinese hacker group targeted "European government officials, diplomats, non-profits and other global organizations in a phishing campaign designed to gather intelligence about global economies reeling from the pandemic, according to cybersecurity experts." In March, hackers from a "group known as APT TA413 sent phishing emails mimicking the World Health Organization's Covid-19 guidance in an attempt to lure victims into clicking on an attachment containing malicious code, the cybersecurity firm Proofpoint Inc. said in a report Wednesday." It said the malicious email was sent to "numerous entities involved with economic policy and forecasting within Europe." The same strain of EFTA01658714 malware "was discovered in a phishing campaign in July targeting Tibetan dissidents, which the TA413 hacker group is best known for targeting, Proofpoint said." The campaign's focus on "economic, diplomatic and legislative entities in Europe suggests a momentary realignment for the Chinese hackers 'to collect information on global economies cast into upheaval as a result of Covid-19,' according to the report." CISA Orders Increased Cybersecurity Vulnerability Reporting. The Hill (9/2, Miller, 2.98M) reports DHS's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on Wednesday "issued a final directive requiring all federal agencies to develop and publish cyber vulnerability disclosure policies." The directive, which is the "finalized version of a draft order published by CISA in November, is intended to make it easier for the public to disclose cybersecurity vulnerabilities to federal agencies and what types of communication to expect after reporting the issue." In a statement, CISA Assistant Director for Cybersecurity Bryan Ware said, "Cybersecurity is strongest when the public is given the ability to contribute, and a key component to receiving cybersecurity help from the public is to establish a formal policy that describes how to find and report vulnerabilities legally." Cybersecurity Talent Initiative Places "First Class Of New Feds." Federal Times (9/2, Bur, 118K) reports the Partnership for Public Service "announced Sept. 2 that its response to the cyber talent deficit in the federal government has placed its first class of cyber-trained experts in federal service." The Cybersecurity Talent Initiative has placed ten graduates "in positions across government for a two year stint, after which those employees can apply for positions at the private company and become eligible for student debt reimbursement." The program received 437 applications. The program is also "intended to promote diversity in federal ranks and cybersecurity as a whole." The cohort is 60 percent African-American and 30 percent female. The first cohort partnered with the CIA, "Departments of Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Election Commission, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Office of Naval Intelligence to place applicants in the first cohort, as well as Mastercard, Microsoft and Workday as private sector partners." ODNI Waivers For Huawei, ZTE Rule Expected To Be Rare. National Defense Magazine (9/2, Burnette, Cassidy, Clark, 163K) reports the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council recently "released an interim rule governing Section 889(a)(1)(B) of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act." The rule bans federal agencies from contracting with users of "all telecomm equipment or services produced and provided by Huawei or ZTE, and video surveillance and telecommunications equipment or services produced and provided by Hytera, Hikvision, or Dahua, or any subsidiaries or affiliates." This prohibition applies "to all U.S. government prime contractors, whether domestic or international, including those selling commercially available off-the-shelf items." The outlet says that where a contractor "sells the same products or services to multiple agencies, the contractor must initiate the waiver request with the contracting officers in each agency responsible for the potential contract." Although Section 889 allows "an entity to receive a national security waiver from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, we expect those waivers to be rare." Jewish Federation Of Greater Washington Reports Endowment Cyberattack. The Washington Post (9/2, Davies, 14.2M) reports the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington reported a "hack that drained $7.5 million from its endowment fund and funneled the money into international accounts." CEO Gil Preuss announced the hack "to employees in a virtual call Wednesday morning, saying the initial attack targeted an employee using a personal computer while working from home." The FBI is assisting "in an ongoing investigation of the incident, according to Joy Jiras, a spokeswoman for the agency's field division in Baltimore." The attack EFTA01658715 targeted an agency "fund within the federation's endowment, said Preuss, who declined to identify the agency, at its request." As of Wednesday, the federation's "internal investigation had found that other agency funds and donor information remained unscathed." LABORATORY FBI Experts Testify At Homicide Trial Of Pennsylvania Man Whose Wife Vanished In 2012. The Harrisburg (PA) Patriot-News (9/2, Miller, 427K) reports, "The DNA of a Cumberland County woman who disappeared in March 2012 was detected in blood stains on a carpet, a rug and a knife police found in the home she shared with her husband, who is accused of killing her, an FBI specialist testified Wednesday." According to the Patriot-News, "Examiner Charity Davis said male DNA also was found on the knife along with the DNA of Rabihan Seiders. However, she said there was too little male DNA present to identify the donor. Davis was among several FBI forensics specialists who testified during the sixth day of the homicide trial of Hap Seiders, 66." Chief Deputy District Attorney Courtney Hair LaRue "claims Hap Seiders killed his 53-year-old wife and burned her body in the fireplace of their Silver Spring Township home. He was charged with homicide last year." LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES Law Enforcement In Ohio Aims To Curb Gun Violence With Operation Red-Zone. The Toledo (OH) Blade (9/2, Mester, Snyder, 88K) reports, "Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies are banding together in a concerted effort to reduce gun violence through the Labor Day holiday weekend, but some residents are wary that the move could do more harm than good." The Blade adds, "The campaign announced by Justin Herdman, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Toledo police Chief George Kral on Wednesday afternoon is a move designed to bring federal charges against individuals illegally carrying guns. Anyone prohibited under federal law from possessing a firearm who is found with one will be prosecuted in federal court pursuant to that effort, Mr. Herdman said, and anyone who commits a violent crime or drug-trafficking offense while possessing a firearm will also be charged federally." WTOL-TV Toledo, OH (9/2, Strock, 76K) reports, "Toledoans can expect to see a large police presence over the holiday weekend, as the city has seen a recent uptick in gun violence. Toledo Police Chief George Kral joined U.S. Attorney Justin Herdman at a press conference Tuesday afternoon, with a stern warning for perpetrators of violent crime. 'To the criminals and those who seek to commit acts of violence in the city, if you continue to break the laws and abuse your fellow men and women for your own selfish purposes you will soon find yourself behind bars in federal prison for a very long time,' Herdman said." The city "will begin 'Project Red Zone' this weekend. The aim is to crack down on gun violence by first tackling the issue of illegal gun possession. Herdman explained that if you are prohibited from having a gun and you possess one anyway, you'll be in the 'red zone' and could face federal charges." WEWS-TV Cleveland (9/2) reports that the operation "will take place in Toledo, Youngstown and Canton over the Labor Day holiday weekend. 'It's no secret that violent crime is up,' Herdman said. ATF, U.S. Marshals, FBI, DEA agents will be out in force this weekend. 'Be aware, if you choose to use firearms to commit crimes, ATF and our law enforcement partners will be there, working to hold you accountable for those acts,' said Roland Herndon, ATF Special Agent in Charge." WTOL-TV Toledo, OH (9/2, 76K) posts a video report on its website. More Nebraska Police Departments Participating In FBI Use-Of-Force Database. EFTA01658716 KMTV-TV Omaha, NE (9/2, Van Sant) reports, "The FBI wanted to release its first ever nationwide use-of-force database last month. But participation is too low." The program "is designed to track the most serious use-of-force incidents by police: shootings and those that end in death or serious injury to a suspect. 'The opportunity to study use-of-force incidents and discuss their cause is hindered by the lack of enough data to compile nationwide statistics,' says an FBI video promoting the program." KMTV-TV adds, "The Omaha Police Department was one of the first on board, participating in the FBI's pilot program in 2018. OPD was the only Nebraska agency that participated in 2019, according to the FBI. That's changed since Jan. 1, when the Nebraska Crime Commission began collecting data that it passes along to the FBI. Since then, 109 agencies have participated in the Crime Commission program." INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Mexican Officials Say Missing Los Angeles Firefighter Likely Victim Of Kidnapping. The Los Angeles Times (9/2, 4.64M) reports, "A Los Angeles Fire Department firefighter who has been missing for nearly two weeks is likely the victim of a 'violent kidnapping,' according to the head prosecutor of Baja California, Mexico." Frank Aguilar, 48, "was last heard from on the night of Aug. 20, when he went down to check on the condo the family rents out through Airbnb, according to his two daughters." The FBI "got involved in his disappearance six days later." The Times adds, "Investigators in Baja California say there were signs of violence at the condo. 'We are working with technical personnel to establish his last instance when his freedom was taken,' Hiram Sanchez, the head prosecutor, said. 'We have found a lot of evidence that leads us to believe this was an act of violence, nevertheless we have not determined for sure this is what happened to him." OTHER FBI NEWS FBI Documents Reveal New Details Around Comey Firing. Fox News (9/2, Blitzer, 27.59M) reports, "New FBI documents from former special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation revealed details of the circumstances surrounding President Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey." The documents, "released in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit from BuzzFeed News and CNN, include redacted copies of '302' records, which detail interviews conducted by federal investigators. Among them was an interview with an unidentified supervisory special agent who recalled the events of May 9, 2017. The agent recalled that at approximately 4:51 p.m. the White House asked for Comey's email address. Events moved swiftly from that point on. 'Upon being asked whether the Director's unclassifed or classified email was needed, the White House representative advised [redacted] "it doesn't matter, just give us his email address.." In response, Comey's unclassified, secret and top-secret addresses were sent over, the agent said." OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS Trump Honors Veterans, Slams "Violent Mobs" In Visit To North Carolina. President Trump's visit to Wilmington, NC, garnered largely favorable local coverage but received scant attention from national outlets. Moreover, national coverage sidestepped Trump's message and focused narrowly - and critically - on his suggestion to the crowd that they attempt to vote twice to test the security of the state's election procedures. The Wilmington (NC) Star News (9/2, Nunn, 154K) reports "Trump said he was honored to be in the presence of heroes on Wednesday afternoon as he stood in front of the Battleship North Carolina, speaking to a group that included more than a dozen veterans of World War II." EFTA01658717 Said Trump, "We stand in awe of your service. ... In America we don't tear down the past, we celebrate our heroes," Trump said. "It is my tremendous honor to officially designate Wilmington, North Carolina as our nation's very first World War II heritage city. Congratulations to you all." The Star News adds "the group of veterans and other invited guests, including local and state elected officials, stood as they clapped," and "it was not the only time a standing ovation was given during the speech." The Raleigh (NC) News & Observer (9/2, Doran, Murphy, 425K) indicates the President "spoke for about 10 minutes, railing against 'violent mobs' of protesters during recent Black Lives Matter protests and musing that he could use the force of the federal government to put down those protests." The Washington Post (9/2, Wagner, Sonmez, 14.2M) also reports the President "briefly touched on the nationwide protests against racism and police violence." WWAY-TVVI Wilmington, NC (9/2, 8K) showed Trump saying, "American warriors did not defeat fascism and oppression overseas only to watch our freedoms be trampled by violent mobs here at home." WITN-TVVi Greenville, NC (9/2, 24K) noted Trump also said, "We're not ashamed of our country. we're proud of our country, prouder than we are of anything else. Our country is great. and we're gonna keep it that way, we're gonna keep our country great. Together we will remember America's towering victories." Along similar lines, WRAL-TVVi Raleigh, NC (9/2, 139K) indicated that the President "talked about other kinds of conflicts, the ones we're dealing with inside our country today. He referenced American veterans when taking shots at those who do not stand for the flag, the removal of statues, and recent destructive demonstrations." Trump was shown saying, "These people only know one thing, and that's strength. That's all they know, strength. And we have strength." To WGHP-TVVi Greensboro, NC (9/2, 32K), Trump "mainly talked about the role Wilmington and North Carolinians played in World War II and honored veterans in the crowd and highlighted the pride he has for our country." Said Trump, "With this designation we proudly declare that in America, we don't tear down the past, we celebrate our heroes, we cherish our heritage, we preserve our history, and we build the future. This mighty vessel and this magnificent town will forever tell that story with this designation. So, I want to just congratulate North Carolina and Wilmington." WECT-TVVI Wilmington, NC (9/2, 6K) also showed "a bit of what...Trump said to the crowd." Trump was shown saying "There's no better place to mark this profound World War II anniversary than right here in Wilmington, North Carolina. The people of this city and this state — and it's an incredible state-- and I want to thank you for being so nice to me. You've been very nice. So very, very nice. Every time we've asked for something. But I've been nice to you, also, I have to say that. But you made the extraordinary contributions to the war effort." WJZY-TVVi Charlotte, NC (9/2, 7K) reported that Trump's visit was "also an unofficial campaign stop. North Carolina a battleground state with just two months left before the election." WTVD-TVVI Raleigh-Durham, NC (9/2, 33K) reported, "North Carolina is expected to play a pivotal role in the presidential race. ... I can tell you that White House officials say...Trump will be coming here to North Carolina several more times leading up to the election." The AP (9/2, Freking) reports that in Wilmington, Trump lauded "American strength and managing to squeeze in a swipe at" Joe Biden. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany "had insisted earlier this week that there was no 'political purpose' to Trump's visit to North Carolina. But when the president landed in Wilmington, Trump lost no time in criticizing Biden." Trump Says He Is Winning North Carolina, Touts "Super-V" Economic Recovery. In an interview, WECT-TVVi Wilmington, NC (9/2, 16K) asked the President what he needs to do to win North Carolina again in 2020. Trump said, "I do believe we are winning. I think we can say that without question you had the best year you've ever had in the economy last year. We're now back. We had to close it up, we saved millions of lives. We're now back to a IV.' EFTA01658718 Everybody said it couldn't be a'\/: It's more than a IV: It is a 'super-V.' The jobs are coming back. Nine million last quarter, a record in the history of our country." Trump Appears To Suggest Biden Less "Sharp" Than 97-Year-Old WWII Vet. The New York Post (9/2, Nelson, 4.57M) reports "Trump on Wednesday said Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is less 'sharp' mentally than a nonagenarian World War II veteran." Referring to Wold War II veteran Hershel "Woody" Williams, the President said, "I promised him I would not tell that he's 97 years old, I promised. I'll tell you, he's 100% sharp. He's 100% sharp. I know a 78-year-old that's not so sharp, but he's 97, and he's 100%, because has nothing to do with that - 78 is young. Depends who's 78, that's all." NYTimes, Politico, WPost, USA Today, Axios Reports: Trump Urges North Carolinians To Vote Twice. Under the headline "Trump Encourages People In North Carolina To Vote Twice, Which Is Illegal," the New York Times (9/2, Haberman, 18.61M) focused its reporting on the fact that "Trump on Wednesday suggested that people in North Carolina stress-test the security of their elections systems by voting twice - an act that constitutes the kind of voter fraud the president has railed against." The President "encouraged people to send in an absentee ballot and then go vote in person on Election Day," saying, "Let them send it in and let them go vote, and if their system's as good as they say it is, then obviously they won't be able to vote. ... If it isn't tabulated, they'll be able to vote." Politico (9/2, Montellaro, 4.29M) headlines its story on Trump's trip to Wilmington "Trump Seemingly Encourages North Carolina Residents To Try To Vote Twice," and notes the President "was responding to a question from a reporter who noted that as many as 600,000 people could vote absentee in the state, asking whether he was confident in the system." The Washington Post (9/2, Itkowitz, 14.2M) says "intentionally voting twice is illegal, and in many states, including North Carolina, it's a felony," and USA Today (9/2, Santucci, 10.31M) that "doing so deliberately is an example of the very kind of voter fraud that Trump has spent months railing against." To Axios (9/2, Falconer, 521K), "Trump's comments have shock value not only because he is a sitting president encouraging Americans to violate the law but because Trump himself has made such a talking point out of his fears that mail-in voting could be susceptible to fraud." Star News Analysis: "Some Wondering" Why Democrats Not Sending "Big Guns" To North Carolina. In a story headlined "As Trump Crisscrosses North Carolina, Where Are The Democrats?" the Wilmington (NC) Star News (9/2, McGrath, 154K) reports that Wednesday's "was Trump's second visit to the Tar Heel State in two weeks, and third in three months. ... Vice President Mike Pence also is no stranger to North Carolina, having made several visits in recent months - and will be back on Thursday." The Star News adds "the GOP's full-court press in recent weeks has left some wondering why the Democrats aren't deploying some of their 'big guns' to galvanize their base and drum up support for...Biden." CDC Asks Governors To Prepare For Vaccine Delivery By November 1. McClatchy (9/2, Wilner, 19K) reports CDC Director Redfield "sent a letter last week to the nation's governors with an urgent request" asking "them to do everything in their power to eliminate hurdles for vaccine distribution sites to be fully operational by Nov. 1." The letter "asked governors to fast-track permits and licenses for new distribution sites." The Washington Examiner (9/2, Morrison, 448K) notes Redfield wrote, "CDC urgently requests your assistance in expediting applications for these distribution facilities...and, if necessary, asks that you consider waiving requirements that would prevent these facilities from becoming fully operational by November 1, 2020." Politico (9/2, Owermohle, 4.29M) reports "that timeline appears more optimistic than the one set by vaccine-makers," as "three pharmaceutical companies have recently entered the final stage of clinical trials, which can take months," and "definitive results about whether the shots work aren't expected until the end of the year." Axios (9/2, Fernandez, 521K) points out, however, that FDA Commissioner Hahn "said earlier this week he would be willing to fast-track EFTA01658719 the vaccine approval process with an emergency use authorization before phase 3 trials are over." The New York Times (9/2, Kaplan, Wu, Thomas, 18.61M) also reports that over the past week, both NIAID Director Fauci and Hahn "have said in interviews with news organizations that a vaccine could be available for certain groups before clinical trials have been completed, if the data is overwhelmingly positive." In its lead story last night, ABC World News TonightVi (9/2, lead story, 1:55, Llamas, 6.93M) sounded a skeptical note about the letter, saying it was "dated on the same day the President promised a vaccine at the Republican convention." ABC added that "critics worry a vaccine might be rushed, but the White House says the timing has nothing to do with the election." ABC World News TonightVi (9/2, story 4, 0:40, Victor Orquendo, 6.93M) later said "there's no evidence that a vaccine will be ready by November 1." NBC Nightly NewsVi (9/2, story 2, 0:30, Jackson, 5.53M), meanwhile, briefly mentioned the story at the tail end of a segment about the "threat" of new infections over the Labor Day weekend. Said NBC, "The threat comes as the CDC asked states like California to identify possible vaccine distribution sites, trying to get ahead of red tape like permits in case a vaccine is developed this year." The Wall Street Journal (9/2, Armour, Subscription Publication, 7.57M), New York Post (9/2, Feis, 4.57M) and The Hill (9/2, Wilson, 2.98M), among other news outlets, also report the story. Fauci Predicts "Safe And Effective" Vaccine By End Of 2020. Fox News (9/2, Phillips, 27.59M) reports on its website that Fauci "predicted the US will have a 'safe and effective' coronavirus vaccine by the end of 2020." Fox adds Fauci toldVi NBC's Today, "I believe that by the time we get to the end of this calendar year that we will feel comfortable that we do have a safe and effective vaccine." Breitbart (9/2, Key, 673K) reports, meanwhile, that Fauci also "saidVi Wednesday on MSNBC's 'Andrea Mitchell Reports' that by November or December, there could be a 'safe and effective vaccine' for coronavirus." In its lead story, the CBS Evening NewsVI (9/2, lead story, 2:35, Carter Evans, 4M) cast Fauci as "sounding optimistic," and showed him saying, "I would not be comfortable with a vaccine unless it was shown in a clinical trial clearly to be safe and effective." Democrats To Hold Hearing On "Possible Political Interference." ABC World News TonightVi (9/2, story 4, 0:40, Victor Orquendo, 6.93M) reported that upon learning of the letter to the nation's governors, "Senate Democrats are calling on the heads of the FDA and the CDC to urgently testify and answer questions about possible political interference." Along those lines, the Washington Post (9/2, McGinley, Johnson, 14.2M) says "a fierce debate has erupted over whether the Food and Drug Administration should use its emergency authority to clear a coronavirus vaccine before it is formally approved - a move opponents warn could pose safety dangers and inflame anti-vaccination sentiment but others say could save thousands of lives by speeding protection from the virus." The Post adds "Trump's repeated promise to deliver a safe and effective vaccine this year, 'or maybe even sooner,' has become central to his reelection campaign and has sparked concerns in the scientific community in particular that the White House could pressure regulators to cut corners." Fauci, Birx Dismiss Claims Administration Pursuing "Herd Immunity." Politico (9/2, Forgey, 4.29M) reports that on Wednesday, NIAID Director Fauci "argued...that the United States should not pursue herd immunity in its fight against the coronavirus - even as a top White House adviser has reportedly advocated the strategy and President Donald Trump himself invoked it this week." According to Politico, "The remarks from Fauci, who had been sidelined from most public appearances for two weeks following vocal cord surgery, come amid Trump's elevation of a new health adviser," Scott Atlas, who is described by Politico as "a physician with no expertise in infectious diseases or epidemiology." EFTA01658720 Fauci was asked on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell ReportsVI (9/2, 1.2M) about the Administration's policy toward herd immunity as a strategy to combat coronavirus. Fauci said, "That's not a fundamental strategy that we're using. The fundamental strategy that we clearly articulate and go by through the task force is to try to prevent as many infections as you possibly can prevent." Reuters (9/2, Klayman) reports that also on Wednesday, White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator Deborah Birx "dismissed the notion that the Trump administration was considering a strategy of allowing Americans to become infected with coronavirus in order to reach `herd immunity." At a briefing at a hospital in Michigan, Birx said, "Neither I, nor anybody in the Administration, is willing to sacrifice American lives for herd immunity. Well get to herd immunity through a vaccine and that's the right way to do it." Reuters says Birx was "responding to news reports that [Atlas] had advocated for the Trump administration to lift all social and business restrictions aimed at stopping infections from spreading." The New York Times (9/2, Weiland, Stolberg, Shear, Tankersley, 18.61M) profiles Atlas, who the Times says "has argued that the science of mask wearing is uncertain, that children cannot pass on the coronavirus and that the role of the government is not to stamp out the virus but to protect its most vulnerable citizens as Covid-19 takes its course." According to the Times, "Ideas like these, both ideologically freighted and scientifically disputed, have propelled the radiologist and senior fellow at Stanford University's conservative Hoover Institution into President Trump's White House, where he is pushing to reshape the administration's response to the pandemic." The Times reports that the President "has embraced" Atlas, as has Chief of Staff Meadows, "even as he upsets the balance of power within the White House coronavirus task force with ideas that top government doctors and scientists like" Fauci and Birx "find misguided - even dangerous - according to people familiar with the task force's deliberations." Azar, Slaoui: Operation Warp Speed Is "Working" And Will Likely Succeed. HHS Secretary Azar and Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific advisor to Operation Warp Speed, write in USA Today (9/2, 10.31M), that "so far" the Operation Warp Speed (OWS) "strategy is working," and "it is...increasingly" likely to succeed. The strategy is to select "a diverse portfolio of vaccine candidates," conduct clinical trials, and manufacture "the vaccine candidates while still conducting the clinical trials." Two of the vaccines, they add, "are already being manufactured at scale," while the other candidates "will soon begin manufacturing" and "three OWS-supported candidates are in Phase 3 trials in the United States, and more are expected...by the end of September." Azar and Slaoui conclude, "We are immensely encouraged by the progress so far." WPost Analysis Details Criticisms Of Navarro's Role In Pandemic Response. In a 2,900-word article titled "Tactics Of Fiery White House Trade Adviser Draw New Scrutiny As Some Of His Pandemic Moves Unravel," the Washington Post (9/2, Lynch, Leonnig, Stein, Dawsey, 14.2M) reports that "amid the Trump administration's troubled response to the coronavirus pandemic," Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Navarro has "refashioned himself as a powerful government purchasing chief, operating far beyond his original role." However, according to the Post, Navarro's "harsh manner and disregard for protocol have alienated numerous colleagues, corporate executives and prominent Republicans." The Post also reports that "in a previously undisclosed incident, the White House Counsel's Office in 2018 investigated Navarro's behavior in response to repeated complaints and found he routinely had been verbally abusive toward others." Nevertheless, the Post says Navarro "remains unbowed, scorning critics inside and outside the White House as disloyal and leaning heavily on his one true ally: Donald Trump." Another FDA Appointee Ousted Amid Fallout Over Convalescent Plasma Announcement. EFTA01658721 The AP (9/2, Perrone, Foley) reports, "A second Trump administration appointee has been ousted at the Food and Drug Administration in the wake of the agency's botched announcement about an experimental therapy for COVID-19, which medical experts said damaged the health regulator's credibility with the public." An FDA spokesperson on Wednesday confirmed "that John 'Wolf' Wagner, a political appointee installed by the White House earlier this summer, is no longer heading the agency's office of external affairs." The FDA's announcement that it had granted emergency authorization to convalescent plasma "triggered a backlash last week" after FDA Commissioner Hahn "was forced to correct misstatements that inflated the potential benefits of the therapy." Medical experts and "former FDA officials say Hahn tarnished the agency's reputation at the moment it's needed most: as agency scientists prepare to decide whether upcoming coronavirus vaccines are effective and safe to be given to millions of Americans." NIAID Director Fauci was asked on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell ReportsVI (9/2, 1.2M) about whether the Emergency Use Authorization on convalescent plasma to treat coronavirus was rushed. Fauci said, "There was a lot of concern in the press that there was conflict between the guidelines that came out from the NIH and the EUA, and as a matter of fact, if you read the EUA word for word carefully and read the guidelines, they say the same thing, that there really isn't enough evidence for or against to recommend it, that it is not considered the standard of care, and that you should be using clinical trials to ultimately get the definitive answer." Lamas: Insufficient Clinical Data For Efficacy Or Safety Of Convalescent Plasma. In an op-ed for the New York Times (9/2, 18.61M), Daniela J. Lamas, a critical care doctor, questions the Food and Drug Administration's "emergency use authorization for convalescent plasma despite inadequate evidence." Lamas writes that possible treatments must undergo clinical trials; "they are the gold standard to test a treatment's efficacy but have been scarce in the pandemic." Lamas also criticizes the FDA's announcement because it makes clinical trials unfeasible, pointing out that "if convalescent plasma is widely available and hailed as a major breakthrough, who is going to sign up for a trial where a roll of the dice might leave the patient with a placebo?" Federal Funding Helps New Virus Tests Come To Market. The New York Times (9/2, Lafraniere, Wu, 18.61M) reports, "With the pandemic still raging as fall approaches, the government's efforts to support development and deployment of a variety of testing methods are a rare if belated bright spot amid widespread failures to contain the virus." The National Institutes of Health "said on Wednesday that it was providing nine more companies with $123.3 million from a $2.5 billion pot of money allocated last spring by the stimulus bill to support testing." However, "even as the government helps rush new tests to market, the administration continues to issue conflicting - and sometimes flatly contradictory - messages about how many and what types of tests are needed, when they should be administered and to whom." More Police Officers Have Died From COVID This Year Than All Other Causes Combined. The Washington Post (9/2, Ingraham, 14.2M) reports, "As of Sept. 2, on-the-job coronavirus infections were responsible for more officer deaths than all other causes combined, including gun violence and car accidents, according to the Officer Down group, which received a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice for its work." The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund "reported a nearly identical number of covid-related law enforcement deaths." The NLEOMF "also noted that fatalities due to non-covid causes are actually down year-over- year, undermining President Trump's claims that 'law enforcement has become the target of a dangerous assault by the radical left:" Pelosi Refuses To Apologize, Says Hair Salon Owes Her An Apology. EFTA01658722 The San Francisco Chronicle (9/2, Kopan, Swan, 2.67M) reports House Speaker Pelosi "declined to apologize Wednesday for her visit to a San Francisco hair salon that was supposed to be closed under the city's coronavirus pandemic rules, and suggested the business had tricked her." Pelosi "said she took responsibility for falling for the `setup' to have her hair done inside the salon Monday. But the San Francisco Democrat said that if anyone owes an apology, it's the salon." Said Pelosi, "I think that this salon owes me an apology, for setting me up." Newsweek (9/2, Roos, 1.53M) recounts that "when a reporter asked Pelosi if she believed she owed the service industry an apology, Pelosi responded, `I don't.' Two major network newscasts covered the story last night. ABC World News TonighiVi (9/2, story 13, 0:30, Llamas, 6.93M) reported Pelosi is being "accused of a double standard" after she was "seen getting her hair down inside a salon in San Francisco, despite COVID restrictions keeping them closed. The owner releasing the video." ABC added "critics say Pelosi getting her hair done while businesses are closed is an insult to struggling owners." The AP (9/2) recounts that "footage aired by Fox News Channel shows Pelosi, her mask around her neck rather than on her face, walking through the establishment." NBC Nightly NewsVi (9/2, story 6, 1:55, Kasey Hunter, 5.53M) showed Pelosi saying, "I just had my hair washed. I don't wear a mask when I'm washing my hair. Do you wear a mask when you're washing your hair? I always have a mask. I always have a mask." The CBS Evening News did not report on the controversy last night, but on CBS This MorningVI (9/2, 2.37M), Jamie Yuccas covered it as a humorous episode, saying Pelosi had a "bad hair day." However, Gayle King said, "The optics don't look good." At any rate, the story generated significant coverage on local TV newscasts across the country. For example, WBBH-TVVi Fort Myers, FL (9/2, 32K) reported Pelosi "has some explaining to do" after Fox News "released a photo of her violation of the city's coronavirus lockdown." WGHP-TVVi Greensboro, NC (9/2, 29K) reported that Pelosi is "facing backlash after being seen not wearing a mask at a hair salon. Security footage released shows Pelosi walking from room to room at the San Francisco salon, which was supposed to be closed, while not wearing her mask. Reports say Pelosi's staff insisted she wear one while getting her hair done but not while getting her hair washed. We're told the salon owner called Pelosi not wearing a mask quote..1a slap in the face." WFMZ-TVVi Allentown, PA (9/2, 22K) said Pelosi is "taking some heat" over the incident. WFMZ added, "Under San Francisco's COVID restrictions, salons can only cut and style hair outdoors. The video phone footage is circulating of Pelosi inside the salon and she appears to have her mask pulled down not covering her nose or mouth." WJW-TVVI Cleveland (9/2, 74K) reported Pelosi "says it was all a setup." Pelosi was shown saying, "There is more to this that I am not going into as to the motivation of a salon to say to me, yes come in and then they go from there. It was clearly a set up. I take responsibility for falling for a set up by a neighborhood salon that I have gone to for years, and that's really what it is." CNN (9/2, Foran, Barrett, Zaslav, 83.16M) reports on its website, "Fox News reported that the owner of the salon, Erica Kious, was angry that Pelosi had broken the rules requiring such hair treatments to be done outdoors because of the pandemic." The New York Post (9/2, Feis, 4.57M) says that "in fact, it remains against San Francisco regulations for hair salons to allow customers indoors, though they are free to conduct business outside. ... Whether outdoors or indoors, both clients and workers must wear masks at all times - a rule Pelosi was clearly caught on video blowing off." Reuters (9/2, Zengerle) says that "under strict rules to combat the coronavirus pandemic, hair salons in San Francisco were still prohibited from admitting customers on Monday, when Pelosi had her appointment, although salons elsewhere in the state and across much of the country were already open." USA Today (9/2, Santucci, 10.31M) indicates, meanwhile, "San EFTA01658723 Francisco's coronavirus restrictions on salons and other similar businesses was amended on Tuesday, allowing for hair appointments to be conducted outdoors only, with one customer at a time who must wear a mask (ear loops rather than ties are recommended so as not to interfere with hair services)." Salons, however, "were still closed on Monday." To The Federalist (9/2, Justice, 126K), "Pelosi was exposed for attending a shut-down hair salon in San Francisco Monday without a face mask while the business remains closed to the public." Pelosi "joins a long list of Democratic politicians blowing off the very lockdown orders they've imposed on the American people." Townhall (9/2, Benson, 177K) reports that "sometimes, an image is so self-explanatory that it transcends the need for extensive commentary," and "the footage of a mid-blowout Nancy Pelosi walking maskless through an empty hair salon in San Francisco, where such salons are mandated to be closed due to the pandemic, truly speaks for itself." The Fox News (9/2, Singman, 27.59M) website, The Hill (9/2, Marcos, 2.98M), and the Washington Times (9/2, Munoz, 492K), among other news outlets also report the story. Under the headline "Gall Of Nancy Pelosi: Salon For Me, Lockdown For You," David Marcus writes in the New York Post (9/2, 4.57M), "It turns out that one of the most serious side effects of the coronavirus lockdowns is abject hypocrisy." In an editorial, meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal (9/2, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) casts the Pelosi-hair salon saga as an exemplifying wealthy liberals' elitist attitude toward the rest of the population. NBC Nightly NewsVi (9/2, story 6, 1:55, Kasey Hunter, 5.53M) reported Republicans are "accusing Pelosi of hypocrisy." Chief of Staff Meadows was shown saying, "They preach to the American people that it should be one way. Yet, in private, when the cameras are not rolling, and in this case, I guess the cameras were rolling. It shows a very different story." Under the headline "Trump And His Allies Seize On Pelosi's Salon Visit," Politico (9/2, Forgey, 4.29M) reports that President Trump "piled onto...Pelosi on Wednesday, criticizing her for appearing on video without a mask at an otherwise shuttered San Francisco salon where she got her hair done." The President took to Twitter to write, "Crazy Nancy Pelosi is being decimated for having a beauty parlor opened, when all others are closed, and for not wearing a Mask - despite constantly lecturing everyone else. We will almost certainly take back the House, and send Nancy packing!_ The Beauty Parlor owner must really dislike Crazy Nancy Pelosi. Turning her in, on tape, is a really big deal. She probably treats him like she treats everyone else...And she strongly supported a Kennedy who just lost in, of all places, Massachusetts!" White House Deputy Press Secretary Brian Morgenstern was asked on Fox News' America's Newsroom (9/2, 896K) to respond to the video of Pelosi, and he said, "It's the hypocrisy that is really offensive to people and she got caught red-handed. The people know that people who say one thing and do another probably shouldn't be trusted too much." Salon Owner Reveals She's Receiving Death Threats. The Washington Examiner (9/2, Soellner, 448K) reports that Erica Kious, owner of eSalon, said in an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson that Pelosi was not "set up," calling the charge "absolutely false." Kious also said, "This isn't even political. I mean, she's been coming in there. It's the fact that she actually came in and didn't have a mask on, and I just thought about my staff and people not being able to work and make money and provide for their families." Kious also said, "I've been in that community for 12 years. Since this happened, I have received nothing but hate text messages, death threats, they're going to burn my hair salon down. ... My Yelp page is just unbelievable with bad reviews. ... So that's hurtful, but yeah, I think I'm pretty much done now." The Daily Caller (9/2, Morefield, 716K) also reports the story. San Francisco Chronicle: Pelosi Should Have Apologized. In an editorial titled "Pelosi's Salon Visit Was Not A Good Look For The Speaker," the San Francisco Chronicle (9/2, 2.67M) writes that "of course," Pelosi "would prefer to change the subject. An apology and an acknowledgment that few if any of her constituents not named Nancy Pelosi would have been EFTA01658724 invited into the salon in violation of city rules - setup or not - might have helped calm the kerfuffle. Instead, she kept it alive for another news cycle." Ernst Backtracks After Suggesting Coronavirus Figures Are Inflated. The New York Times (9/2, Gabriel, 18.61M) reports Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) on Monday "echoed a debunked conspiracy theory that Covid-19 deaths were being greatly inflated and suggested that health care providers had a financial motive to falsify cases." Ernst "said she was 'so skeptical' of the government's national statistics about virus fatalities during a visit on Monday to Waterloo, a city in northeast Iowa." On Wednesday, Ernst backtracked on "her skepticism over the death toll." She said, "Over 180,000 Americans have died because of COVID-19. What matters is that we are getting the resources to Iowa that are needed to fight this virus and continuing to support our health care workers on the front lines, and that's what I'm focused on." Coronavirus Cases Rising In Midwest. On the CBS Evening NewsVi (9/2, story 2, 1:20, O'Donnell, 4M), Carter Evans reported that "coronavirus cases are surging out of control" in South Dakota and in Iowa. And "even states where numbers are declining are seeing a disturbing trend." First Coronavirus Death Tied To Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Reported In Minnesota. The Washington Post (9/2, Shammas, Sun, 14.2M) reports, "A Minnesota biker who attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally has died of covid-19 - the first fatality from the virus traced to the 10-day event that drew more than 400,000 to South Dakota." The victim was "in his 60s, had underlying conditions and was hospitalized in intensive care for several weeks after returning from the rally, said Kris Ehresmann, infectious-disease director at the Minnesota Department of Health." According to the Post, a little over two weeks "after the conclusion of the rally, the Midwest and the Dakotas in particular are seeing a spike in coronavirus cases even as infections decline or plateau in the rest of the country." Health Officials Urge Americans To Take Precautions Over Labor Day Weekend. ABC World News TonightVi 's (9/2, story 3, 0:35, Llamas, 6.93M) Victor Oquendo reported, "As the country heads into Labor Day weekend, doctors are warning about the risks." NBC Nightly NewsVI (9/2, lead story, 2:05, Jackson, 5.53M) reported that Labor Day presents "a possible turning point" in the battle against the coronavirus, as "experts predict if people don't follow the precautions this weekend, our progression against the pandemic might evaporate with an end-of-summer spike." NBC's Miguel Almaguer added that ahead of the holiday weekend, US health officials are "sounding the alarm." White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator Deborah Birx and NIAID Director Fauci were shown "warning Americans need to take personal responsibility before making plans for Labor Day." Fauci said on NBC's TodayVI (9/2, 1.49M) that "when you have a holiday like Labor Day, we have seen after the Fourth of July, we saw after Memorial Day, a surge in cases. Wear a mask, keep social distancing, avoid crowds. You can avoid those kind of surges. You don't want to be someone who's propagating the outbreak. You want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem." He said, "What I would really like to see is kind of a full court press to get us way down as a baseline, so that when you get these cases in the fall, they won't surge up. They'll be controllable." Fauci said on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell ReportsVi (9/2, 1.2M) that "we're right around 40,000 new cases, that's an unacceptably high baseline, we've got to get it down. I'd like to see it 10,000 or less — hopefully less." He said, "We've got to impress upon people, and I'd like to do that now, that it's not only an individual responsibility, it's a societal responsibility" and "if we do that, I think that we can get through this weekend without seeing a surge." EFTA01658725 On the CBS Evening NewsVi (9/2, story 3, 0:45, O'Donnell, 4M), Carter Evans reported that "to make matters worse, a massive heat wave is expected to hit southern California this weekend. That means even more people will head to the coast to cool off." Santa Cruz is "already closing beaches for the holiday weekend" and Los Angeles County is "also prepared to close beaches." Depression, Anxiety Rising Sharply During Pandemic, Research Indicates. The AP (9/2, Tanner) reports a new study by researchers at Boston University indicates that "half of U.S. adults surveyed reported at least some signs of depression, such as hopelessness, feeling like a failure or getting little pleasure from doing things." That response is "double the rate from a different survey two years ago." The findings "echo research from China early in the outbreak, and studies done during the Ebola and SARS crises and after major hurricanes and 9/11, said lead author Dr. Sandro Galea, a BU public health expert." The research was published in JAMA Network Open. State Education Officials Push Back On Trump Effort To Teach "American Exceptionalism." The Washington Times (9/2, Al, Vondracek, 492K) reports that while President Trump "is advocating for the teaching of 'American exceptionalism' is U.S. classrooms," education officials "in states such as Virginia and California are pushing back with curricula in high schools that examine the country's troubled past with slavery, American Indian conflicts, anti-Semitism and Latin immigration. The opposing viewpoints set the scene for a battle over what is taught in American history classes, and how - given that education has long been the province of state and local authorities, not the federal government." Fauci: College Students Should Stay On Campus. ABC World News TonightVI (9/2, story 2, 1:10, Oquendo, 6.93M) reported, "Colleges are quarantining thousands of students across the country." While some schools, "like North Carolina State and James Madison are sending students home," NIAID Director Fauci "warns it's the wrong approach." Fauci said in a taped interview shown on NBC's TodayVI (9/2, 3M), "It's the worst thing you could do. Keep them at the university in a place that's sequestered enough from the other students, but don't have them go home. Because they could be spreading it in their home state." Fauci said on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell ReportsVI (9/2, 1.2M) that "we don't want to see college students who get infected get sent home to essentially seed the infection in the community where they live." Superintendent Expresses Concern As Texas School Reopens. The Wall Street Journal (9/2, Al, Hobbs, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) cites the public charter school International Leadership of Texas-College Station, which was one of the first schools in the country to reopen to in-person learning of the difficulties of reopening during the pandemic. The Journal outlines safety steps the school has taken including temperature checks, social distancing, a mask requirement, but adds that the Superintendent Eddie Conger still says he is concerned. USPS Has Paid DeJoy's Former Company $286M Over Past Seven Years. The New York Times (9/2, Broadwater, Edmondson, 18.61M) reports, "The United States Postal Service has paid about $286 million over the past seven years to XPO Logistics, the former employer of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy." He continues to hold "at least a $30 million stake in the company, which has ramped up its business with the Postal Service since he took the helm at the agency." The numbers, "obtained by The New York Times from a public records EFTA01658726 request, shed new light on the extent to which the company where Mr. DeJoy was a top executive — and in which he still has a substantial amount of money invested - is intertwined with the agency he now runs, fueling questions about a potential conflict of interest." Wolkoff Says First Lady Used Personal Email For Official Business. The New York Times (9/2, Shear, 18.61M) reports that Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, who served as First Lady Melania Trump's senior adviser and "had previously been a close friend," alleges that the First Lady "used a personal email account and encrypted messaging apps like Signal to conduct government business." Wolkoff claims she and the First Lady "did not use official White House email accounts when they communicated frequently about official topics." Morgenstern: "No Merit" To Reports Trump Suffered Mini-Strokes. White House Deputy Press Secretary Brian Morgenstern was asked on Fox News' America's Newsroom (9/2, 896K) to respond to reports that President Trump suffered mini-strokes and received treatment at the Walter Reed Medical Center. Morgenstern said, "It's amazing what certain people will stoop to, to just make up events that didn't happen," adding "There's literally no merit to this notion that the President was suffering from any difficulties." The New York Times (9/2, Baker, 18.61M) reports in an analysis that "recent questions about [Trump's] mental and physical condition have sent him into paroxysms of pique. They have complicated his own efforts to question the health of his challenger and fellow septuagenarian, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr." The Times says that in "denying that he had `mini-strokes' last year," Trump "only raised more questions when he could not keep his explanations for that hospital visit straight." Controversial Drilling Projects Among Those Fast Tracked Following Trump Order. The Hill (9/2, Beitsch, Frazin, 2.98M) reports that "controversial oil drilling projects in Alaska's pristine reserves" benefited from President Trump's June order "waiving environmental reviews to speed construction." The Hill says oil development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA) are among "the 21 fossil fuel and mining projects the Interior Department has forwarded with reduced environmental scrutiny due to the June order." In a statement, Interior spokesperson Conner Swanson said projects have been "needlessly paralyzed by federal red tape. ... The Trump Administration has taken significant steps to improve the federal government's decision-making process, while also ensuring that the environmental consequences of proposed projects are thoughtfully analyzed." Air Force Moves Toward Creating A Supersonic Air Force One. The Washington Times (9/2, Wolfgang, 492K) reports that the Air Force has "awarded a contract to the aviation firm Exosonic to begin developing a presidential aircraft that can travel at supersonic speeds." The award, which is reportedly worth $1 million, "will fund work to `modify' Exosonic's existing plans for a supersonic commercial plane into a proposal for a presidential-grade aircraft." According to Boeing, the current version of Air Force One, a Boeing 747-200B series aircraft, "can travel at a maximum speed of .84 mach, according to Boeing. Dramatically increasing that speed could fundamentally change the nature of presidential travel and make international trips much quicker and easier." Barr: Mail-In Voting "Fraught With The Risk Of Fraud And Coercion." Attorney General Barr said on CNNVi (9/2, 2.25M) that "the fundamental problem" with mail-in voting "is the bipartisan committee chaired by Jimmy Carter and James Baker said back in 2009 that mail-in voting is fraught with the risk of fraud and coercion." Barr said, "Since that time, there have been in the newspapers, academic studies saying it is open to fraud and coercion. The only time the narrative changed is after this Administration came in." EFTA01658727 NYTimes Examines "Democrats' Doomsday Scenario." Trip Gabriel writes in the New York Times (9/2, 18.61M) about "Democrats' Doomsday Scenario for Election Night" - early results showing President Trump ahead, leading him to declare victory "before heavily Democratic mail-in votes, which he has falsely linked with fraud, are fully counted." Twelve states currently "do not allow mail-in ballots to be processed before Election Day, including the battlegrounds of Michigan, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin." The CBS Evening NewsVi (9/2, story 6, 0:40, O'Donnell, 4M) reported, "The potential for unrest around the election is a concern for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. In an exclusive interview with Gayle King, Zuckerberg warns what could happen if one candidate declares victory prematurely." Zuckerberg: "We're going to take this seriously and make sure that people aren't declaring victory and saying that any ongoing counting of votes is evidence of a rigged election or anything like that." Rich Lowry of Politico (9/2, 4.29M) writes, "Mail-in voting has, like many things in our politics, taken on the aspect of tribal warfare. ... Trump shouldn't be trying to delegitimize the process, a point that journalists have often made, rightly. Yet there hasn't been enough focus on the other side of equation: Does it make sense for Democrats to be such fervent boosters of a process that may lead to a historic number of votes cast in a presidential election not counting?" Karl Rove writes in the Wall Street Journal (9/2, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) that several days without a clear victor in the presidential race could result in extended controversy and doubts about the legitimacy of the ultimate winner. Groups Plan Campaign To Bolster Faith In Integrity Of Results. Reuters (9/2, Reid) reports, "At least a dozen groups are planning a large-scale, bipartisan public relations campaign to counter any attempt" by President Trump to "cast doubt on the integrity of the November election or dispute the result should he lose." The National Task Force on Election Crises "is contacting leading politicians from both major parties, military figures, star athletes, faith leaders and business executives, asking them to reassure voters about the integrity of the election result if chaos ensues." Audit: 68,000 Pieces Of Election Mail "Sat Untouched" At Baltimore Facility Before Primary. The Baltimore Sun (9/2, Opilo, 1.33M) reports an audit of US Postal Service performance during the Maryland primary election season "has found 68,000 pieces of political mail sat untouched at a Baltimore mail processing facility for five days ahead of the June 2 primary. The audit published Monday says the mail, sent on May 12, 'sat unprocessed' for five days before being discovered by management at the facility." INTERNATIONAL NEWS US To Contribute Funds For Some WHO Programs Despite Withdrawal. Bloomberg (9/2, Wadhams, 4.73M) reports President Trump has "agreed to contribute $108 million to the World Health Organization to fight Covid-19, polio, flu and other diseases in vulnerable countries, even as the U.S. prepares to withdraw from the institution he blames for early missteps in the coronavirus pandemic." The decision "represents a victory for administration moderates who had argued the U.S. would imperil the lives of millions of people and undercut its own national security interests if it followed through with Trump's order, made in April, to halt all funding for the WHO." The move is "a recognition that no other group has the infrastructure or government relationships to fight polio or coronavirus in the countries at risk." WPost: Trump's Refusal To Join Global Vaccine Effort Leaves America "Isolated And Weak." The Washington Post (9/2, 14.2M) editorializes that President Trump's "refusal to join a global vaccine effort organized in part by the World Health Organization is yet another example of America isolated and weak." In the past, the United States would "gladly embrace such a program as an expression of leadership and lofty ideals - why generations looked to America as a beacon of hope." But Trump's "America First" is "a prescription for retreat from the EFTA01658728 world, an approach that leaves the United States more isolated and vulnerable than ever before." US Consulting Firm With Ties Chinese Communist Party Received PPP Loan. The Daily Caller (9/2, Ross, 716K) reports, "An American consulting firm that serves as a propagandist for Beijing received loans of up to $350,000 each under the coronavirus relief program, government documents show." An analysis of a federal database shows that BLJ Worldwide received a loan worth between $150,000 and $350,000 through the Paycheck Protection Program. The firm "received $144,000 from the Chinese embassy and $313,200 from the China-U.S. Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) from Jan. 1 through June 30, according to a disclosure BLJ Worldwide filed with the Justice Department this week under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which was enacted in 1938 to counter Nazi propaganda." South Korea Struggling With Second Wave Of Coronavirus Infections. The New York Times (9/2, Sang-Hun, 18.61M) reports "South Korea is struggling with a second wave of [coronavirus) infections, and its strategy seems as precarious as ever." A new wave of the virus "is spreading from the populous Seoul metropolitan area and through people deeply suspicious of President Moon Jae-in's epidemiological efforts." Further complicating the situation, "some of the government's strongest allies in the fight against COVID-19, young doctors, have turned against Mr. Moon...unhappy with his medical reform program." Moon said recently, "Our quarantine strategy, once considered a model to follow in the rest of the world, is suddenly faced with a crisis. ... The whole nation is in a difficult situation. The people's lives are crumbling." Soldier To Receive Medal Of Honor For Rescuing Hostages From ISIS. The AP (9/2, Laporta) reports, "An American soldier who helped rescue about 70 hostages set to be executed by Islamic State militants in Iraq has been approved to receive the Medal of Honor for actions during a daring 2015 raid ... Sgt. Maj. Thomas 'Patrick' Payne, a Ranger assigned to the US Army's Special Operations Command, will receive the US military's highest honor for valor in combat in a White House ceremony set to be held on the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks." US Sanctions International Criminal Court Officials. Reuters (9/2, Psaledakis, Nichols) reports the US on Wednesday imposed sanctions "on International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, over her investigation into whether American forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan." Pompeo also "said Phakiso Mochochoko, the head of the ICC's Jurisdiction, Complementarity and Cooperation Division, had also been blacklisted under sanctions authorized by President Donald Trump in June that allow for asset freezes and travel bans." Pompeo also "said that individuals and entities that continue to materially support Bensouda and Mochochoko would risk exposure to sanctions as well." The ICC has dismissed the measures as "another attempt to interfere with the court's judicial and prosecutorial independence" and said in a statement that it stands by the work of its staff. CNN (9/2, Hansler, 83.16M) reports the sanctions are the Trump Administration's "most aggressive move yet to try to deter an ICC investigation into possible war crimes by US military and intelligence officials." Pompeo said, "Additionally, the State Department has restricted the issuance of visas for certain individuals involved in the ICC's efforts to investigate US personnel." The Wall Street Journal (9/2, Talley, McBride, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports the Treasury Department added the two ICC officials to its blacklist under a June executive order saying the ICC's work threatens US officials and national security. EFTA01658729 Afghanistan To Include Mother's Names On National ID Cards. The New York Times (9/2, Mashal, Rahim, 18.61M) reports, "Afghan citizens will soon have their mothers' names printed along with their fathers' on their national identification cards, the government said on Tuesday, after years of campaigning by activists to do away with the shame associated with female names in public." The move is "seen as a small boost for women's rights at a time when the future of women's role in Afghan society hangs in the balance amid imminent government negotiations over a power-sharing deal with the Taliban." However, "while Afghan social media has been full of celebration since Tuesday over the announced change, many also feared that its introduction would deter people in conservative rural areas from registering for the national identity cards." Biegun Warns Putin Against Deploying Troops To Belarus. The Washington Examiner (9/2, Gehrke, 448K) reports, "Russian President Vladimir Putin will face 'substantial consequences' if he deploys forces into Belarus to help beleaguered autocrat Alexander Lukashenko control the mass protests against his rule, a top American diplomat warned." Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said, "There would be substantial consequences for the relationship between Russia and the United States, between Russia and Europe. The last four years has been very challenging for US-Russian relations, but it is possible that it could be worse." State Department Imposes New Restrictions On Chinese Diplomats In US. Reuters (9/2, Pamuk, Brunnstrom) reports that on Wednesday, the State Department announced that the US "would now require senior Chinese diplomats to get State Department approval before visiting U.S. university campuses and holding cultural events with more than 50 people outside mission grounds." According to Reuters, the Trump Administration "cast the move as a response to what it said was Beijing's restrictions on American diplomats based in China." Reuters adds that it also "comes as part of a Trump administration campaign against alleged Chinese influence operations and espionage activity." Secretary of State Pompeo is quoted as saying, "We're simply demanding reciprocity. Access for our diplomats in China should be reflective of the access that Chinese diplomats in the United States have, and today's steps will move us substantially in that direction." Politico (9/2, Oprysko, 4.29M) says Pompeo told reporters at the State Department that China utilizes "a system of opaque approval processes designed to prevent American diplomats from conducting regular business, attending events, securing meetings and connecting with the Chinese people." The AP (9/2, Lee) reports that Pompeo also indicated that the State Department "would act to ensure that the social media accounts of Chinese officials be identified as belonging to the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party." Pompeo said on Fox News' Hannity (9/2, 535K) that "we took the simple action of telling Chinese diplomats working here in the United States that the free ride is over, their ability to conduct espionage here in the United States has, the time has passed, and so we've put restrictions on them. ... These are the kinds of restrictions they've had on us, our diplomats in China, and now we've got a reciprocal arrangement." He said, "For 40 years...the United States took a knee, it bent a knee to the Chinese Communist Party and President Trump has said enough, whether it's on trade, or on their stealing of intellectual property and trade secrets, destroying jobs here in the United States. We're simply not going to take it anymore." Chinese FM Pressed On A Host Of Issues While Touring Europe. The Washington Post (9/2, Shih, 14.2M) says that on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi "headed home...from a five-stop European tour that had been designed to mend fences with European governments - or at least wage a charm offensive" after Pompeo called for a "Cold War-style alliance of Western democracies to counter China." However, according to the Post, "the reception in Europe was decidedly chilly." The Post reports that in Rome, Wang "was pressed on the question of autonomy and freedoms in Hong Kong," in Paris, he was "asked about Beijing's EFTA01658730 treatment of the Muslim minority Uighurs," and "in Berlin, he was chastised by the German foreign minister for making threatening remarks toward European officials." The Post says the EU "has been viewed by Beijing as a more pragmatic and potentially pliable partner than overtly hostile Washington." Kushner To Meet With British Foreign Minister In London On Thursday. Politico (9/2, Wickham, Toosi, 4.29M) reports that White House senior adviser Jared Kushner will hold talks with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in London on Thursday. According to Politico, "On the agenda will be Kushner's attempts over the last few days to broker a show of peace between Israel and other Middle East leaders before the U.S. election, and create a coalition of nations aimed at countering Iranian influence in the region." Politico says Raab "previously welcomed President Donald Trump's 'peace plan' for the Middle East conflict, describing the proposals in January as 'serious, reflecting extensive time and effort:" Issue Of West Bank Annexation Looms Over Israel-UAE Deal. Reuters (9/2, Al-Mughrabi, Williams) reports, "A difference between English and Arabic versions of a trilateral statement after an historic flight from Israel to the UAE has been seized upon by Palestinians to suggest the Gulf state has overstated Israeli readiness to drop West Bank annexation plans." The English version of the statement by the United Arab Emirates, Israel and the United States in Abu Dhabi "on Monday said the accord had 'led to the suspension of Israel's plans to extend its sovereignty". In contrast, "the Arabic version, carried by the UAE state news agency WAM, said 'the agreement ... has led to Israel's plans to annex Palestinian lands being stopped." Jamal Al-Musharakh, "chief of policy planning and international cooperation at the UAE foreign ministry, said the difference in wording was merely a translation issue." However, "Hanan Ashrawi, a senior PLO official, said it was a 'forked tongue' attempt to influence public opinion in the Arab world." Pompeo: Israel-UAE Deal Shows Trump's "Vision For Peace Beginning To Come To Fruition." Secretary of State Pompeo was asked on Fox News' Hannity (9/2, 535K) about the UAE-Israel agreement. Pompeo said, "A historic peace agreement where we've had this long history of the Arab states not recognizing Israel as the Jewish homeland and, as it ought to be, a nation has a right to exist. President Trump, his vision for peace is beginning to come to fruition." Saudis Allow Israeli Flights To Access Their Airspace For First Time. The New York Times (9/2, Specia, 18.61M) reports that on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia announced that it "would allow any flights going to and from the United Arab Emirates to fly over its territory, a move that would give Israel access to some of the kingdom's airspace for the first time." The Times says the Saudis' announcement, "made at the request of the United Arab Emirates, came days after the first direct flight from Israel to the emirates - a symbolic move as the two nations begin normalizing relations." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "in a video statement delivered while standing in front of a map of the region, called the announcement a 'tremendous breakthrough:" The AP (9/2, Debre) reports that Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud posted on Twitter "that the kingdom's 'firm and established position toward the Palestinian cause and people will not change." However, "he did not name Israel in his tweet." US Suspends Aid To Ethiopia Due To Dispute Over Nile Dam With Egypt. The AP (9/2, Anna) reports, "On the guidance of President Donald Trump, the State Department said Wednesday the US is suspending some aid to Ethiopia over the 'lack of progress' in the country's talks with Egypt and Sudan over a massive, disputed dam project it is completing on the Nile River." A State Department spokesperson said the measures are temporary, and that EFTA01658731 the decision "reflects our concern about Ethiopia's unilateral decision to begin to fill the dam before an agreement and all necessary dam safety measures were in place." Analysts: US Pullback Creates Power Vacuum In Mediterranean. The Washington Times (9/2, Taylor, 492K) reports that the Mediterranean "is emerging anew as a sea of division and instability, with powers including Russia, China, Turkey and Israel jostling aggressively for influence, natural resources and military advantage ... Analysts generally agree that NATO is failing to ease regional tensions. The US, despite multiple interests, lacks leverage in many of the disputes, with President Trump accelerating a US pullback begun under President Obama that opened a power vacuum that others are now scrambling to fill." WS3ournal, NYTimes Give Analyses Of Abe's Legacy. In an analysis, the Wall Street Journal (9/2, Ip, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports that despite outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's nationalist intentions when he assumed the position, he has proven to be a greater force for Japanese globalization than could have been expected. NYTimes: Shinzo Abe's Successor Has A Legacy Of Change To Build On. A New York Times (9/2, 18.61M) editorial argues that Japan's next prime minister "will lack Mr. Abe's greatest asset - the political power he amassed by simply staying in office longer than any of his immediate predecessors. ... Mr. Abe has left a legacy of change to build on. The Liberal Democrats' choice of the next leader ought to be an unambiguous signal that this is exactly what it intends to do." THE BIG PICTURE Headlines From Today's Front Pages. Wall Street Journal: Saudi Aramco Slows Diversification Plans Amid Industry Downturn US Debt Is Set To Exceed Size Of The Economy Next Year, A First Since World War II Blackstone, GIP Make Takeover Bid For Kansas City Southern A Texas School Reopens And Everyone Holds Their Breath This Year's Big Online Scam - Puppies Covid-19 Deaths Significantly Reduced By Use Of Steroids, Analysis Says New York Times: CDC Tells States How To Prepare For Covid-19 Vaccine By Early November A New Coronavirus Adviser Roils The White House With Unorthodox Ideas This Is Democrats' Doomsday Scenario For Election Night Tom Seaver, Pitcher Who Led 'Miracle Mets' To Glory, Dies At 75 Aleksei Navalny Was Poisoned With Novichok, Germany Says Federal Borrowing Amid Pandemic Puts US Debt On Path To Exceed World War II Washington Post: 'Why Were You Attacking Me?' Biden Blames School Closures On Trump's Management Harris Ramps Up Efforts To Connect With Black Voters New Scrutiny For Navarro As Pandemic Deals Unravel DC Monuments Report Has Some Questioning Bowser's Timing Politics Cloud Potential Early Vaccine Approval EFTA01658732 Financial Times: Charlie Hebdo Accused Go On Trial In Paris Alexei Navalny Poisoned With Nerve Agent Novichok, Says Germany Battle Lines Drawn As Australia Takes On Big Tech Over Paying For News FBI Investigates Deaths Of Mining Executives In UK Corruption Probe Washington Times: 'Cities On Fire': Chaos Takes Toll On Biden, Democrats As Race Tightens Trump Now Favored To Win As 'Law And Order' Message Resonates, Draws Biden From Basement Sea Of Troubles: Tensions Flare Across Mediterranean As World Powers Jockey For Power Blue States Rebel Against Trump's Bid To Teach 'American Exceptionalism' 'Outside Agitators'? Rioters Are Often A Homegrown Problem, Review Finds 'Not On My Watch': DC Backs Off Talk Of Removing US Monuments Story Lineup From Last Night's Network News: ABC: Coronavirus-Vaccine; Coronavirus-Schools; Coronavirus-Holiday Weekend; Coronavirus- Vaccine Details; Biden-WI; DHS-Russian Election Interference; New York-Black Man Asphyxiated By Police; Texas-Black Man Jogging Confused For Suspect; Alexei Navalny- Poisoned; Severe Weather; Wall Street; Ohio-Children Rescued From Car Crash; Pelosi-Hair Salon; Indianapolis-4th Grader Raises Money For Local Hospital. CBS: Coronavirus-Vaccine; Coronavirus-Schools; Coronavirus-Holiday Weekend; Biden-WI; DHS-Russian Election Interference; Facebook-Election Precautions; Alexei Navalny-Poisoned; New Jersey-Program Combats Food Insecurity; Prince Harry & Meghan-House Hunting; Arizona- David Blaine Floats With Helium Balloons; NYC-Woman Saved From Burning Apt. NBC: Coronavirus-Holiday Weekend; Coronavirus-Vaccine; Biden-WI; DHS-Russian Election Interference; Alexei Navalny-Poisoned; Pelosi-Hair Salon; Cyber Attacks on School Systems; Police Tactics in America; Ice Bucket Challenge; Chicago-Teens Set Up Farmers Market For Community. Network TV At A Glance: Biden-WI - 7 minutes, 10 seconds Coronavirus - 6 minutes, 35 seconds DHS-Russian Election Interference - 6 minutes, 25 seconds Coronavirus-Vaccine - 5 minutes, 0 seconds Alexei Navalny-Poisoned - 4 minutes, 50 seconds Story Lineup From This Morning's Radio News Broadcasts: ABC: Trump-Defunding Cities; Rochester, NY-Protests Over Death of Daniel Prude; Biden-WI; Alexei Navalny-Poisoned; Cyber Attacks on School Systems. CBS: Trump-Defunding Cities; NY-Protests Over Death of Daniel Prude; Fmr. NY Mets Tom Seaver Dies of COVID; Eviction Moratorium; FEMA-PPE; Weather Report; Wall Street. FOX: Trump-Defunding Cities; Biden-WI; Coronavirus-Vaccine; Fmr. NY Mets Tom Seaver Dies of COVID. NPR: Coronavirus-Vaccine; Coronavirus-Cases; San Francisco-Police Use of Deadly Force; Biden-Fundraising; CBO-Deficit. WASHINGTON'S SCHEDULE Today's Events In Washington. White House: EFTA01658733 • President Trump — Receives his intelligence briefing; has lunch with the Secretary of State; delivers remarks live from Pennsylvania • Vice President Pence — Visits North Carolina, with agenda including visit to the Gateway Women's Care, where he participates in a roundtable discussion; remarks at Christ Baptist Church highlighting `the administration's steadfast support for the Right to Life'; and accepting the endorsement of the Southern States Police Benevolent Association and speaking on 'the administration's commitment to never defund the police and always support the men and women serving in law enforcement' US Senate: • Senate on recess from 7 Aug - 8 Sep US House: • House of Representatives on recess from 31 Jul - 7 Sep Cabinet Officers: • No public schedules released Visitors: • No visitors scheduled This Town: • Arms Control Association webinar on the Trinity Explosion - '75 Years After the Trinity Explosion: The Taboo Against Nuclear Testing and the Legacy of Past Nuclear Tests' Arms Control Association and Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Center for Policy Research at the University at Albany, SUNY, online discussion, on discuss current threats to the global test ban, strategies to resolve accusations of cheating, and how nuclear testing by the Soviet Union and the United States has affected downwind populations. Speakers include Kazakh Ambassador to the U.S. Amb. Erzhan Kazykhanov, Nur-Sultan Center for International Security and Policy Director Alimzhan Akhmetov, Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium co-founders Tina Cordova, Republic of the Marshall Islands National Nuclear Commission Researcher Desmond Doulatram, Arms Control Association Executive Director Daryl Kimball, and Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation International Organizations and Non-Proliferation Program Director Gaukhar Mukhatzhanova; 9:30 AM • Competitive Enterprise Institute online discussion on 'streamlinina regulations and clearing regulatory sludge' - 'Repeal for Resilience: #NeverNeeded and the Digital Divide' Competitive Enterprise Institute online discussion, on 'how streamlining regulations and clearing regulatory sludge at the federal, state, and local levels can address broadband access inequities and better prepare Americans for the new normal, with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai and Competitive Enterprise Institute President Kent Lassman; 12:00 PM • Dem Sen. Chris Murphy discusses his new book with Brookings - Brookings Institution holds a book event on 'The Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy' with author Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy; 2:00 PM Copyright 2020 by Bulletin Intelligence LLC Reproduction or redistribution without permission prohibited. Content is drawn from thousands of newspapers, national magazines, national and local television programs, radio broadcasts, social-media platforms and additional forms of open-source data. Sources for Bulletin Intelligence audience-size estimates include Scarborough, Gfl< MRI, comScore, Nielsen, and the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Data from and access to third party social media platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others, is subject to the respective platform's terms of use. Services that Include Factiva content are governed by Factiva's terms of use. 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