EFTA Document EFTA01659105

From: To: Subject: FW: [EXTERNAL EMAIL] - FBI Public Affairs News Briefing Tuesday, November 24, 2020 Date: Tue, 24 Nov 2020 11:28:19 +0000 c Importan e: Normal From: Bulletin Intelligence Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 2020 6:27:38 AM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada) To: FBI@BulletinIntelligence.com Subject: [EXTERNAL EMAIL] - FBI Public Affairs News Briefing Tuesday, November 24, 2020 Mobile version and searchable archives available at fbi.bulletinintelligence.com. ;BI News Briefing TO: THE DIRECTOR AND SENIOR STAFF DATE: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2020 6:30 AM EST TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS LEADING THE NEWS • US Charges 15 Reputed Mobsters In Pennsylvania, New Jersey. PROTESTS • Louisville Protest Leader Shot And Killed Monday. • Woman Pleads Guilty To Pointing Laser Pointer At Police Aircraft During Protest. COUNTER-TERRORISM • Judge Declares Mistrial In Massachusetts Attempted Arson Case. • Scottish Court To Hear Appeal Of Libyan Man Convicted Of 1998 Bombing. • O'Brien Says US Sending Missiles, Bombs To Philippines. COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE • Biden Names Prospective Heads Of ODNI, DHS, State, Others. • US Files New Charges Against Florida Navy Officer. • FBI Phoenix Warns Of Chinese Efforts To Steal Data. • Former DO) Official, "Anonymous" Author Miles Taylor Named As Witness In Flynn Probe. • Report: US Has Taken Kim Jong-un's Nephew Into Protective Custody. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS • Epstein Prosecutors Seek Documents Related To Dubin's Children. EFTA01659105 • Shooting At Brooklyn Party Leaves One Dead, Six Injured. • Suspect In San Jose Church Stabbing Arrested. • Witness In Mueller Probe Attacked By Knife-Wielding Suspect. • Michigan Man Charged With Kidnapping Texas Girl, Who Is Safe. • North Carolina Man Sentenced To Prison For Racial Threats. • FBI Among Agencies Still Investigating Boy's 1991 Disappearance. • Minnesota Man Arrested After Assaulting Officer, Breaking Into University. • FBI Offering Reward For Information In 1988 Abduction Case. • FBI Identifies Missouri Bank Robbery Suspect After Releasing Surveillance Photos. • Florida Man Awaits Sentencing After Pleading Guilty To Possessing Gun As Felon. • Maryland Woman Pleads Guilty To Paying Bribes To DC Police. • Five Arrested In Idaho After Child Enticement Sting Op. • Oregon Corrections Officer Charged With Conspiracy To Smuggle Drugs, Having Sex With Inmate. • "Mr. Potato Head" Pleads Guilty On Three Bank Robbery Charges. • California Man Charged With Murdering College Student Whose Remains Were Found In Mojave. FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS • Former Cincinnati City Council Member Dennard To Be Sentenced Today. • Missouri Woman Sentenced In Walmart Fraud Scheme. • Former New York Medical Firm Owner Sentenced For Healthcare Fraud Scheme. • Maryland Brothers Charged With Money Laundering In Alleged $5M Romance Scheme. • US Charges Former Virginia Attorney With Fraud. • US Charges Nine With Stealing, Selling Boats, Other Vehicles. • Apple's Head Of Global Security Charged With Bribery. • Former Chicago Alderman Faces Years In Prison For Tobacco Settlement Scheme. CYBER DIVISION • UK Said To Be Considering Huawei Installation Ban In 2021. • U Of Vermont Medical Records Back Up One Month After Cyberattack. • US Arrests Man In $1M Airplane Cyber-Scam. • Mountie Testifies He Didn't Ask Huawei CFO For Phone Passcodes. • Congress Finalizing Law On IoT Security. • Opinion: Firing Of CISA Director Reflects Vulnerability Of Cybersecurity. • NATO Experimenting With Practice That Exposes Phishing Scammer's Techniques. LABORATORY • Ohio Man Named As Suspect In Florida Cold Case Homicide. LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES • DO) Reschedules Woman's Execution For January 12. • NYPD To Increase Subway Patrols Amid Increase In Shoving Incidents. • Incoming Congresswoman Asked Capitol Police About Carrying Firearm. • DC Firefighter Shot While Aiding A Shooting Victim. • New York AG Accuses Buffalo Diocese Of Covering Up Sexual Abuse. • Transgender Woman Sues Georgia Department Of Corrections For A Second Time. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS • Mexican President Denies Deal With US To Capture Cartel Leader For Former Defense Minister. • DEA, FBI Meet With India's NCB To Discuss International Trafficking Networks. LAWFUL ACCESS • UK Officials Say Pedophile Would Not Have Been Caught Under Facebook's Encryption Plans. EFTA01659106 OTHER FBI NEWS • Sen. Paul: DC US Attorney Won't Probe RNC Protestors Who Confronted Him At Convention. OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS • Trump Says He Has Authorized GSA To Cooperate With Biden Transition. • White House To Hold Indoor Holiday Reception. • Fauci Calls On New York, Other States To Accept A COVID-19 Vaccine Once It Is Approved By FDA. • US To Begin Distributing Regeneron's SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Treatment. • Governors Tighten Restrictions In Bid To Contain Infection Spike. • US Moving Toward Holiday Season As Coronavirus Cases Increase Faster Than Ever. • Airline Travel Surges Despite Guidance Against Holiday Travel. • NFL Announces Expansion To Mask Mandate. • Gottlieb Issues Warning About Long-Term COVID Effects. • Maryland Governor Challenges WPost Reporting On Imported COVID Tests. • Study: One In 12 Early COVID Cases Linked To Outbreaks In Meatpacking Plants. • Rule Would Require Visitors To US From Two Dozen Countries To Post Bonds. • Report Says ICE Using Mobile Fingerprinting In Deportation Crackdown. • Rampell: Families Torn Apart At Border Still Not Reunited Or Secure. • Reps. Reed And Gottheimer Say COVID-19 Aid Package Can Be Done. • House Democrats' Disagreement Over Confederate Bases Could Doom Defense Bill. • Major Trump Donor Received $25M Low-Interest Government-Backed Pandemic Loan. • States Plan To File Second Antitrust Suit Against Google In December • Feinstein To Step Down As Top Democrat On Senate Judiciary Committee. • House Democrats Prepare To Govern With Tightest Majority in Two Decades. INTERNATIONAL NEWS • AstraZeneca-Oxford Coronavirus Vaccine Data Indicates Shot Is Up To 90% Effective. • European Governments Prepare To Ease Lockdowns For December Holidays. • UK's Johnson Lays Out Plans To Lift Lockdown Next Week. • Italian Virologist Says He Is Unable Even To Get A Flu Shot. • Spain's King Felipe Quarantining After Close Contact With COVID-19 Case. • Canadians Pushing To Keep Schools Open Despite Resurgence Of COVID-19 Infections. • Mexico's Roman Catholic Church Cancels Guadalupe Pilgrimage. • Shanghai Airport Employees Sealed In For COVID-19 Testing. • Hong Kong Hoping To Encourage COVID-19 Testing With Cash Payments. • South Korean Delivery Drivers' COVID-19 Deaths Prompt Calls For Worker Protections. • COVID Threatens Comeback After South Asian Countries Appear To Have Beaten First Wave. • Senior Administration Officials: White House Considering Joint Alliance Against Beijing. • EU, Canada, Other Countries Agree To Measures Eliminating Export Curbs Amid COVID-19 Battle. • Afghan Youths Escape Reality In Violent Video Game With "Cultlike Following." • G-20 Meeting Demonstrates Relief From Leaders At Prospect Of Biden Presidency. • Jordan's King Expresses To Biden "Keenness" To Continue Partnership With US. • Central European Countries Prepare For Changes Under Biden. • Corruption Trial For Former French President Sarkozy Opens. • Pope Hosts NBA Players To Discuss Social Justice Activism. • Armenian Troops In Nagorno-Karabakh Feel Loss Of Azerbaijan Territory. • Israeli PM Reportedly Met With Saudi Crown Prince. • Yemeni Rebels Fire Missile On Saudi Oil Facility Monday. • China Says It Has Eliminated Extreme Poverty. • Hong Kong Activists Plead Guilty To Unauthorized Assembly Charges. EFTA01659107 • China Launches Unmanned Spacecraft Toward Unexplored Part Of Moon. • Netflix's "A Suitable Boy" Entangles Streaming Service With Religious Tensions In India. • UN Council Rebukes Japan's Imprisonment Of Ghosn. • Tropical Cyclone Gati Hits Somalia As Nation's Strongest Storm On Record. THE BIG PICTURE • Headlines From Today's Front Pages. WASHINGTON'S SCHEDULE • Today's Events In Washington. LEADING THE NEWS US Charges 15 Reputed Mobsters In Pennsylvania, New Jersey. NJ News (11/23, Atmonavage, 1.72M) reports, "More than a dozen alleged organized crime members and associates were indicted Monday on charges of operating a criminal enterprise in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, the U.S. Attorney's office of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced. The superseding indictment alleges members of La Cosa Nostra based in Philadelphia engaged in "acts of illegal gambling, loansharking, drug trafficking, and extortion, among other crimes, for the purposes of enriching the organization and its members." In total, 15 organized crime members and associates were indicted Monday." NJ News adds, "While the indictment mostly focuses on the organization's activities in Philadelphia, it alleges that La Cosa Nostra used its reputation and influence `to exercise control over criminal rackets, like bookmaking and loansharking' in southern New Jersey, particularly Atlantic City." The Inquirer (PA) (11/23, Vella, 347K) reports, "The Philadelphia mob has limped along on life support for the past decade, its former leaders, Joseph `Uncle Joe' Ligambi and Joseph `Skinny Joey' Merlino, out of the picture after high-profile federal prosecutions," but "reports of La Cosa Nostra's demise have been greatly exaggerated, according to a federal grand jury indictment unsealed Monday by U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain. In fact, the mafia was adding new soldiers to its ranks as recently as 2015, prosecutors say, in ceremonies overseen by veterans of those former regimes." The Inquirer adds, "Fifteen mobsters have been indicted on racketeering, extortion, gambling and drug trafficking charges, according to the indictment. Chief among them is Steven `Stevie' Mazzone, 56, the reputed underboss of the organization who once served under Ligambi." The New York Post (11/23, Rosenberg, Sheehy, 4.57M) reports, "A reputed wiseguy nicknamed `Tony Meatballs' is among more than a dirty dozen alleged South Philly mobsters charged in a sweeping federal indictment unsealed Monday. The suspects are accused of everything from illegal sports betting to heroin-peddling to offering loans at 400 percent interest - not to mention plotting to kidnap and possibly murder a drug dealer to save their reputations after the guy sold them fake narcotics." The Post adds, "Anthony `Tony Meatballs" Gifoli, 72, was named in the superseding grand-jury indictment along with others including accused La Cosa Nostra underboss Steven `Stevie' Mazzone and alleged capo Domenic `Mr. Hopkins' Grande, the feds said. Underlings targeted by the indictment include Louis `Louie Sheep' Barretta, Joseph `Joey Electric' Servidio and Daniel `Harry' Castelli, the FBI said." The Garfield-Lodi (NI) Daily Voice (11/23) reports, "Over the past five years, in fact, new leadership of the Philly and Atlantic City La Cosa Nostra beefed up the ranks, commanding illegal sports gambling, extorting victims through loansharking, selling cocaine, heroin and opioids - even conspiring to kidnap a drug dealer who sold them bad dope, they said. The FBI in Philadelphia began building a new organized crime case in October 2015. That's when, the indictment says, Mazzone joined" Grande, 41, and Mazzone, 55, "in a ceremony inducting several new soldiers at a South Philly residence." EFTA01659108 The New York Daily News (11/23, Matthews, 2.52M) reports, "Prosecutors allege in the indictment that each of the men are members and associates of the Sicilian criminal outfit La Cosa Nostra, colloquially known as the mafia or mob. Prosecutors said the men operated their criminal enterprise beginning in August 2015 and focused their activities in Philadelphia and Atlantic City by allegedly working to 'reclaim territory in Atlantic City by extorting local bookmakers and loansharks' and trying to muscle in on the area's cocaine, oxycodone, heroin and fentanyl sellers. The men also allegedly threatening and assaulted numerous people who had been unable to repay extremely high-interest loans." The AP (11/23) reports from Philadelphia, "Federal prosecutors allege the crime family sought to use its 'reputation and influence to exercise control over criminal rackets, like bookmaking and loansharking, in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, particularly Atlantic City."The Philadelphia mob isn't what it used to be, and thank God for that,' said U.S. Attorney McSwain in a statement. 'But it is still a problem and is still allegedly committing serious federal crimes." The AP adds, "The announcement is part of a long-running investigation involving the FBI, Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania office of the Attorney General, and the Philadelphia Police Department." NBC News (11/23, 6.14M) reports, "Ten of the defendants were charged with allegedly conspiring to conduct and participate in activities related to the mob, according to court papers. The remaining five were charged with other offenses, including conspiracy to extort money and distribute controlled substances, the indictment said." The Washington Examiner (11/23, Smith, 448K) reports, "A statement from the Justice Department said the case was being investigated by the FBI as well as local authorities. Per court documents, all 15 men will appear before U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick on Jan. 8. 'This group should've learned by now that the FBI is as committed to eradicating organized crime as wise guys are to embracing it,' Michael Driscoll, special agent in charge of the FBI's Philadelphia Division, said in a statement." The Daily Beast (11/23, Briquelet, 1.39M) and the Daily Caller (11/23, Lancaster, 716K) also report. PROTESTS Louisville Protest Leader Shot And Killed Monday. USA Today (11/23, Loosemore, Gardner, Aulbach, 10.31M) reports Hamza "Travis" Nagdy, 21, "a young protest leader known for his energy and optimism amid Louisville's movement for racial justice became a new symbol of gun violence when he was shot and killed early Monday." Nagdy is described as "a regular at Jefferson Square Park, where protesters have gathered to demand justice for Breonna Taylor since late May," and "was frequently seen leading chants and marches." Woman Pleads Guilty To Pointing Laser Pointer At Police Aircraft During Protest. The Washington Post (11/23, 14.2M) reports Virginia woman Amanda Robinson "pleaded guilty Monday to aiming a laser pointer at a police aircraft during the protest of a Confederate memorial in Richmond in the spring, authorities said." Robinson "traveled to the Robert E. Lee Monument traffic circle in Richmond, where she directed a laser pointer at a Cessna aircraft flying above, US Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger of the Eastern District of Virginia said in a statement." She will be sentenced in March. COUNTER-TERRORISM Judge Declares Mistrial In Massachusetts Attempted Arson Case. The Springfield (MA) Republican (11/23, Barry, 395K) reports, "After roughly eight hours of deliberating, jurors in an attempted arson case reported they were hopelessly deadlocked - EFTA01659109 forcing a judge to declare a mistrial on the primary counts in the indictment." John Rathbun "faced two criminal counts related to accusations he tried to set a Jewish nursing home on fire with a half-filled gas container with a Christian church pamphlet stuck in its spout as a wick. Rathbun was charged in a third count with making two false statements to an FBI agent about where he had been for the first two weeks in April, and his familiarity with the elder care campus off Converse Street. The jury found him guilty of lying about his whereabouts over those two weeks." US District Judge Mark Mastroianni "declared a mistrial on counts one and two, the most onerous of the bunch tethered to a 20-year maximum prison sentence." Scottish Court To Hear Appeal Of Libyan Man Convicted Of 1998 Bombing. Reuters (11/23) reports, "Scotland's High Court will begin hearing an appeal on Tuesday against the conviction of a Libyan man found guilty of the 1988 Lockerbie aircraft bombing." Abdel Basset al-Megrahi was jailed for live in 2001 and "died in Libya in 2012 after being released three years earlier by Scotland's government on compassionate grounds following a diagnosis of terminal cancer." This year, "an independent Scottish review body ruled his family could launch an appeal after concluding there might have been a miscarriage of justice." O'Brien Says US Sending Missiles, Bombs To Philippines. The Hill (11/23, Choi, 2.98M) reports National Security Adviser O'Brien on Monday "announced that the US government was sending the Philippine military an arsenal of missiles and bombs in an apparent show of support to its ally as it deals with Islamic militants and territory disputes." At a ceremony, O'Brien "announced the delivery of the weapons on behalf of President Trump. According to Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., Trump pledged $18 million worth of missiles when speaking to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during a phone conversation in the spring." COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE Biden Names Prospective Heads Of ODNI, DHS, State, Others. CNN (11/23, Mucha, Krieg, 83.16M) reports that on Monday, Joe Biden "unveiled a slate of top foreign policy and national security picks." Biden's team confirmed that Antony Blinken would be tapped as Secretary of State, while Avril Haines was selected for DNI and Alejandro Mayorkas was named as Biden's selection for DHS Secretary. Former Secretary of State John Kerry, meanwhile, has been selected "to serve as Biden's climate czar." Biden said, "These individuals are equally as experienced and crisis-tested as they are innovative and imaginative. Their accomplishments in diplomacy are unmatched, but they also reflect the idea that we cannot meet the profound challenges of this new moment with old thinking and unchanged habits - or without diversity of background and perspective. It's why I've selected them." The Washington Post (11/23, 14.2M) reports that "other high-profile choices announced Monday were Jake Sullivan, a Biden adviser who will become national security adviser, and Linda Thomas-Greenfield, a longtime diplomat tapped to represent the United States at the United Nations." The team named by Biden "have longtime relationships with many Republicans. As a group, they inject a new diversity into the foreign policy leadership and signal that Biden intends to show the world a different face after the Trump years." On NBC Nightly NewsVi (11/23, story 2, 1:45, Holt, 6.28M), Geoff Bennett said that after four years of President Trump "often at odds with the foreign policy establishment," Biden "is pulling from that group for his first Cabinet picks." On the CBS Evening NewsVi (11/23, story 5, 1:45, Brennan, 4.43M), Nikole Killion said Biden's national security team is "notable for their diverse personal backgrounds, but all with something in common. They served under President 0bama." EFTA01659110 The New York Times (11/23, Al, Crowley, 18.61M) reports Haines "served as deputy director of the C.I.A. in the Obama administration before succeeding Mr. Blinken as Mr. Obama's deputy national security adviser. She, too, is a former aide to Mr. Biden, serving as deputy chief counsel to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2007 to 2008 while Mr. Biden was chairman. Ms. Haines also served as counsel to Mr. Obama's National Security Council, helping him navigate legal issues around counterterrorism operations and pressing for more restraint to reduce civilian casualties." Bloomberg (11/23, Strohm, 4.73M) reports that, if confirmed, Haines would "be the first woman to serve" as DNI. NPR (11/23, Jones, 3.12M) says that Haines "has the respect of many in the intelligence community, former director of the CIA John Brennan told NPR. Her intelligence career spans over a decade: from the White House to the CIA, the NSC to the Department of State." Brennan "said that her varied and extensive intelligence background will help the Biden administration hit the ground running in January." CNN (11/23, Mucha, Krieg, 83.16M) reports that SSCI Vice Chair Mark Warner (D-VA) "immediately leaned on his Republican colleagues to confirm Haines to lead the intelligence community." Reuters (11/23, Landay, Hosenball) reports that Republican and Democratic "Senate sources said Haines is expected to win confirmation - but not without some hard questioning about her role as deputy CIA director from August 2013 to January 2015 and her views on national security challenges, from Russia to cyber warfare." The Washington Post (11/23, Harris, Nakashima, 14.2M) reports that former PDDNI Sue Gordon, "who was also said to be under consideration for the job," said, "I have a great deal of respect for Avril. Her relationship with the president-elect and her experience with the CIA should serve her, the community and the nation well as she leads the [intelligence community] into a very dynamic future that will require not only focus but change." Still, the New York Times (11/23, Barnes, 18.61M) reports that the selection of Haines "prompted concern from some human rights groups, which questioned her role as the architect of the Obama administration's program targeting terrorists with drones, some of which killed civilians. But her defenders argue that Ms. Haines helped put in place safeguards on the use of force and greater transparency for the drone program." NBC News (11/23, Dilanian, Bennett, 6.14M) reports that since leaving the Obama administration, Haines "has been affiliated with Columbia University and the Brookings Institution, and has consulted for various companies, including the national security data contractor Palantir, according to a Brookings biography unearthed by the Intercept. A source familiar with her work for Palantir confirmed it to NBC News, saying she advised the firm on diversity and advancing roles for women in technology." US News & World Report (11/23, Shinkman, 2.4M) also reports on Haines' selection, as does CQ Roll Call (11/23, 154K), Bloomberg (11/23, Faries, Strohm, 4.73M), and the Washington Examiner (11/23, Dunleavy, 448K), among others. Politico (11/23, Forgey, 4.29M) reports that Mayorkas "will become the first Latino secretary of Homeland Security." ABC News (11/23, Nagle, Finnegan, 2.97M) reports that Mayorkas, "who was born in Cuba and came as a refugee to the United States with his family when he was a baby," tweeted in reaction to the announcement, "When I was very young, the United States provided my family and me a place of refuge. Now, I have been nominated to be the DHS Secretary and oversee the protection of all Americans and those who flee persecution in search of a better life for themselves and their loved ones." MeriTalk (11/23, Curran) reports that Mayorkas "cut his teeth as a U.S. attorney in the 1980s and 1990s, went into private law practice, then headed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the first Obama administration." The Hill (11/23, Bernal, 2.98M) reports that Mayorkas's "selection shows the incoming Biden administration is targeting President Trump's executive overhaul of the immigration system, regardless of the likelihood of congressional gridlock on the legislative end." Reuters (11/23, Hesson) reports that Biden "has pledged to undo many of Trump's restrictive EFTA01659111 immigration policies. The hundreds of planned changes could take months or years to implement. Some pro-immigrant activists favored Mayorkas for the DHS role." Still, USA Today (11/23, Jansen, 10.31M) says that immigration "didn't come up much on the campaign trail, so it's not clear how much Biden will change Trump's policies." Bloomberg (11/23, Strohm, 4.73M) adds that the Biden transition team's "announcement on Monday didn't say who his picks for other key agencies will be, including secretary of defense or CIA director. Some names floated for those jobs include former Under Secretary of Defense Michele Flournoy and former deputy CIA Director Michael Morrell." Finally, Politico (11/23, Bender, Meyer, 4.29M) reports that some of the selections come from the firm WestExec Avisors, which was founded by Blinken and at which Haines was once one of its former principals. Sources Say Yellen Is Favorite For Biden Treasury Secretary. Citing unnamed sources, the Wall Street Journal (11/23, Al, Timiraos, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports on its front page that Biden will choose former Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen as Treasury secretary. On ABC World News TonightVi (11/23, story 5, 2:15, Muir, 7.67M), Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz said that if Yellen is confirmed, she "would be the first woman ever to serve as Treasury Secretary, a remarkable first given that she would succeed 75 men who have filled the position and more important than ever during this critical period in the pandemic economy." Reuters (11/23, Lawder, Hunnicutt) says Yellen is "an experienced policymaker respected by Congress, international finance officials, progressives and business interests alike." The AP (11/23, Rugaber, Balsamo) similarly reports that Yellen is "widely admired in the financial world," and Bloomberg (11/23, Greifeld, Leach, 4.73M) says the reports of her selection "landed gently on Wall Street," as "traders intensely familiar with the former Federal Reserve chair cheered the pick in anticipation of her working well with the central bank to help the economy bounce back from the pandemic." The New York Times (11/23, Al, Smialek, 18.61M) reports on its front page that while Yellen "is not the type of firebrand nominee some progressives might have hoped for — she has warned that the United States is borrowing too much money, a fact that some liberals count against her — she has paid consistent, careful attention to inequality and labor market outcomes, even when doing so earned her backlash from lawmakers." Reuters (11/23, Shalal) reports Institute of International Finance President and CEO Tim Adam on Monday said, "Janet Yellen is an extraordinary choice for Treasury Secretary, and should be swiftly confirmed by the Senate." Adam added, "She is a world class economist and dedicated public servant, and will be a trusted, steady, and pragmatic hand on the helm as the U.S. navigates the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic." In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal (11/23, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) says that if Biden does select Yellen for Treasury Secretary, she is likely to have more extensive influence than her recent predecessors. The Journal says lawmakers should focus the confirmation hearings on her position on federal debt. US Files New Charges Against Florida Navy Officer. The Florida Times-Union (11/23, Patterson, 203K) reports, "Prosecutors have stopped trying to prove that an indicted Jacksonville Navy officer was part of a Chinese CEO's smuggling conspiracy, but have expanded firearms charges tied to his relationship with the CEO." Lt. Fan Yang "was the subject last week of a new indictment replacing one filed last year that charged him in an export conspiracy alongside his wife and two Chinese business people. The three co- defendants have already pleaded guilty, leaving only Yang, who had been assigned to Naval Air Station Jacksonville before being jailed last year, scheduled for trial in March." US Magistrate James Klindt "has scheduled an arraignment on the new set of charges, called a superseding indictment, for Dec. 3. The new indictment simplifies the case against Yang, 35," charging him "with twice buying handguns in his name that were really for the CEO's use and lying on a security review to hide the extent of his connection to the business executive." EFTA01659112 FBI Phoenix Warns Of Chinese Efforts To Steal Data. KTAR-FM Glendale, AZ (11/23, Zetino, 125K) reports from Phoenix, Arizona, "The Phoenix FBI office warns that attempts from the Chinese government to steal sensitive information happen all across the country and even right here in Arizona. The targets are usually people whose jobs give them access to sensitive U.S. government or business information. `We have seen cases where individuals are being recruited, being incentivized to return to China and take a job for more money,' Assistant Special Agent Craig Moringiello said." Moringiello "is in charge of counterintelligence and cyber for the Phoenix FBI office. Just last week, a former engineer at Raytheon Missiles and Defense in Tucson was sentenced to more than three years in prison for taking sensitive military-related technology data in his company-issued computer to China. Wei Sun had been working with the company for 10 years and had access to information directly related to defense-related technology." Former DO) Official, "Anonymous" Author Miles Taylor Named As Witness In Flynn Probe. The Washington Times (11/23, Mordock, 492K) reports that former DHS official Miles Taylor was named as a "witness in the FBI's investigation into Michael Flynn, two Senate-panel chairmen said Monday." Taylor "authored an op-ed vowing resistance to President Trump." Sens. Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) "cited a newly-declassified May 2017 Justice Department document summarizing the FBI's efforts in its Russian collusion probe." The document "names Mr. Taylor as a witness in the Flynn investigation, but doesn't explain the FBI's interest in him or his connection to Flynn, who briefly served as Mr. Trump's national security adviser." The document says, "Witness interview of Miles Taylor, mentioned in the [Foreign Agents Registration Act] documents, indicated Flynn Intel Group's involvement with a late 2016 Turkey-related briefing to the now-National Security Adviser to the Vice President." National Review (11/23, Evans, 731K) reports that Johnson and Grassley have asked DOJ to declassify notes from the Taylor interview. They wrote in a letter to AG Barr, "We request all records relating to the FBI's interview of Miles Taylor, including all 302s and notes, to better understand his role in the Flynn investigation." The Washington Examiner (11/23, Dunleavy, 448K) adds that Johnson and Grassley wrote, "We believe that further declassification is appropriate at this time because, among other factors, the Inspector General's review of Crossfire Hurricane is closed; the investigation has already been the subject of years of oversight, public hearings, and document productions; and there is a strong public interest in knowing and understanding what really transpired between and among federal government officials relating to Crossfire Hurricane." Report: US Has Taken Kim Jong-un's Nephew Into Protective Custody. War Is Boring (11/23, 695K) reports that the CIA "took the family of Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, after Kim Jong-nam was murdered in February 2017, although it is unclear where the family resides now, said a Korean American writer." Suki Kim, in a New Yorker article titled "The Underground Movement Trying to Topple the North Korean Government," discussed "the activities of Adrian Hong, the leader of Free Joseon, a group that has helped North Korean defectors reach third countries safely." According to the activist group, "Kim Jong-nam's son Han-sol called Hong for help because the Macao police who had been guarding his house disappeared after his father was killed by a nerve agent that two women smeared on his face at the Kuala Lumpur airport on Feb. 13, 2017." CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS Epstein Prosecutors Seek Documents Related To Dubin's Children. EFTA01659113 The New York Post (11/23, Vincent, 4.57M) reports, "US Virgin Islands prosecutors are demanding billionaire MoMA benefactor and board member Glenn Dubin turn over all communications that his friend Jeffrey Epstein had with Dubin's three children. A subpoena seeks 'all documents and communications related to any of your three children, Maye, Celina or Jordan, which also relate in any way to Jeffrey Epstein or any Epstein entity.' The islands' Attorney General is probing alleged racketeering by the late billionaire pedophile and has issued subpoenas to numerous Epstein associates, including lawyers, accountants and bankers." The Post adds, "Epstein, who hanged himself in a Manhattan lockup last year, had openly declared his plans to marry sources told Business Insider last year. Epstein and developed 'an especially close relationship' when was 12 and it continued into adulthood, according to the Palm Beach Post." Maxwell Placed In Quarantine After Jail Staffer Tests Positive For Corona virus. Bloomberg (11/23, Burnson, Hurtado, 4.73M) reports US prosecutors said Monday that Ghislaine Maxwell "has been placed in quarantine after a staff member of the jail where she is being held tested positive for the coronavirus." In a letter to the judge handling Maxwell's criminal case, prosecutors said a rapid test found her to be free of COVID-19. Maxwell "will remain in quarantine for 14 days - and will then be re-tested - at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York." Shooting At Brooklyn Party Leaves One Dead, Six Injured. The New York Times (11/23, Watkins, Schweber, Zaveri, 18.61M) reports one woman was killed and six others were injured when "at least two people opened fire" at a party in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. The Times adds, "The incident reflected a stark rise in shootings in the city. ... Shootings have doubled compared with last year, with at least 1,660 incidents, and murders have risen by about 37 percent, to about 400." The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) provides similar coverage. Suspect In San Jose Church Stabbing Arrested. The New York Times (11/23, Opam, Joseph, Zhuang, 18.61M) reports police in San Jose, California have "arrested a suspect in connection with a stabbing attack at a Baptist church on Sunday night in which two people died and three others were wounded." The Rev. David Robinson, pastor of Grace Baptist Church, "where the attack took place, said on Monday that the victims and the suspect were among a group of homeless people who had been sheltering there." Witness In Mueller Probe Attacked By Knife-Wielding Suspect. The Washington Times (11/23, Mordock, 492K) reports W. Samuel Patten, who was "a key witness" in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, "was brutally attacked by a knife- wielding suspect in Washington" on Thursday. Patten "was stabbed twice in the head and six times in the back during the attack." Patten, "who was convicted of steering illegal foreign money to [President) Trump's inaugural committee," was "treated at a hospital the night of the attack and later released." Michigan Man Charged With Kidnapping Texas Girl, Who Is Safe. The Traverse City (MI) Record-Eagle (11/23, Kansier, 65K) reports that a Michigan man "has been charged in the suspected kidnapping of a Texas girl authorities said they rescued in a predawn raid." The man "was charged with 'transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.' He made a first appearance in federal court Monday." The girl "disappeared from her home in Lubbock" on November 13, according to FBI Spokeswoman Mara Schneider. Discovery of the girl's phone and laptop - which "led investigators to believe she'd been talked into a rendezvous and taken out of state by someone she'd been chatting EFTA01659114 with online" - prompted "FBI involvement and a much larger-scale investigation, according to the FBI release." WXYZ-TV Detroit (11/23, 236K) reports that according to the Michigan State Police, "troopers, the FBI, U.S. Attorney's Office and Antrim County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant Sunday and located Worley inside the home with an adult man." She was "turned over to Child Protective Services and then transported to a local hospital for medical evaluation." The suspect "is currently behind held by police in Michigan." North Carolina Man Sentenced To Prison For Racial Threats. WCTI-TV Greenville, NC (11/23, Basden) reports that a North Carolina man "has been sentenced to more than two years in prison for threats of force against an African American family because of their race and because they were renting a home, officials say." DO) officials say in a hearing in the Eastern District of North Carolina, the man "pled guilty to one count of criminal interference with the Fair Housing Act back in August." The man "admitted he drove to the family's home in December 2014 and yelled racial slurs, telling them they did not belong there and threatening to shoot the family — including four minor children - as well as any other African American that entered the property." He also "brandished a metal rod in a 'threatening manner' and the family moved out of the neighborhood a few days later." FBI Among Agencies Still Investigating Boy's 1991 Disappearance. The Press of Atlantic City (NJ) (11/23, Bilinski, 177K) reports that New Jersey officials "continue search for 11-year-old Middle Township boy who disappeared almost 30 years ago." Local police are asking "anyone with information about the 1991 disappearance of a young boy to come forward." The outlet adds, "Township police, the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office and the FBI are still investigating." Minnesota Man Arrested After Assaulting Officer, Breaking Into University. The St. Cloud (MN) Times (11/23, 64K) reports that a Minnesota man "faces six felony charges and one misdemeanor charge following a daylong manhunt Thursday, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday in Stearns County District Court." The man "is accused of assaulting an officer, driving while intoxicated, fleeing police, breaking into a dorm at St. John's Preparatory School and threatening a man." After assaulting a Minnesota State Trooper, the man "entered the campus area of St. John's University, causing a lockdown." A burglary was then "reported at the St. John's Preparatory School dorms at about 11 a.m." FBI was among the 16 agencies involved in the search, along with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and Department of Corrections. FBI Offering Reward For Information In 1988 Abduction Case. KRON-TV San Francisco (11/23, Rehman, 87K) reports, "The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information that can help them arrest and convict" the person who abducted a California girl 32 years ago. In 1988, the girl "and her friends were at the market when an unknown man moved their scooter closer to his car. When Michaela tried to get the scooter, he grabbed her and drove away with her in his car." FBI Identifies Missouri Bank Robbery Suspect After Releasing Surveillance Photos. The Springfield (MO) News-Leader (11/23, Keegan, 103K) reports that after the FBI released bank surveillance photos of a bank robbery suspect, "tips started pouring in." Agents then visited the suspect's family members "who said they believed he was the man in the surveillance photos." They tracked him down later that day, and he "confessed to the bank robbery, saying he was at the end of his rope and needed some fast cash." The man is "being held in the Greene County Jail on a federal bank robbery charge." KYTV-TV Springfield, MO (11/23, 169K) also reports. EFTA01659115 Florida Man Awaits Sentencing After Pleading Guilty To Possessing Gun As Felon. The Ocala (a) Star-Banner (11/23, Miller, 81K) reports that a Florida man "is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon." The man "made the admission on Friday at the federal courthouse in Ocala, government officials said in a press release." The man, "who was indicted in August, faces a maximum sentence of 10 years behind bars." The case was investigated by the Ocala Police Department and the FBI. Maryland Woman Pleads Guilty To Paying Bribes To DC Police. The Washington Patch (11/23, O'Connell, 1.03M) reports, "A Maryland woman pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to paying more than $6,500 in bribes to an employee of the Metropolitan Police Department," according to DOJ. The woman "pleaded guilty to a criminal information charge before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia." She was "charged with one count of bribery of a public official, which carries a fine of up to $250,000 and penalties up to 15 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release." She "admitted to paying at least $6,500 in bribes to an MPD clerk, who provided her with confidential reports so that she could contact and solicit potential clients." Five Arrested In Idaho After Child Enticement Sting Op. The Idaho Press Tribune (11/23, Ileersink, 2K) reports, "Five men were arrested last week during a two-day police sting on child enticement charges in Caldwell." The men "were taken into custody Thursday and Friday, Caldwell police said in a news release issued Saturday." Three of them "were...booked in the Canyon County Jail on a charge of enticing a child through use of the internet or communication device, a felony offense." One was also "charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance, both a felony and misdemeanor, and possession of drug paraphernalia." The FBI Metro Task Force was among the agencies partnering in the investigation, along with DHS, Canyon County Prosecutor's Office, US Attorney's Office (Idaho), Canyon County Sheriff's Office (narcotics division), the US Marshal's Office, USPS, and District III Probation & Parole. Also reporting is the Idaho Statesman (11/23, Scholl, 200K). Oregon Corrections Officer Charged With Conspiracy To Smuggle Drugs, Having Sex With Inmate. The Oregonian (11/23, Bernstein, 1M) reports, "A corrections officer who worked at the Oregon women's prison admitted Monday in court that he conspired to smuggle heroin, methamphetamine and cellphones into the prison and also had sex with an inmate." The Oregon man "pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute controlled substances in U.S. District Court in Portland." He is "expected to plead guilty to first-degree custodial sexual misconduct," which "does not involve the use of force but recognizes that the guard held an `inherently coercive' role in regard to the inmate, according to the prosecutor." He worked at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. The Oregonian adds, "The FBI, Oregon State Police and Oregon Department of Corrections' Office of Inspector General handled the investigation, which is continuing." "Mr. Potato Head" Pleads Guilty On Three Bank Robbery Charges. PeopleNewspapers (TX) (11/23, Erickson, Snyder) reports that a Texas man "pleaded guilty to three counts associated" with a series of bank robberies. The man had a "penchant for wearing fake mustaches and beards when he robbed Preston Hollow and Park Cities banks last year earned him the FBI nickname `Mr. Potato Head.'" He was "accused of robbing Oakwood Bank at Preston Center on Sept. 30, 2019, Legacy Bank at Preston and Royal on Oct. 17, 2019, and Bank of America at Preston Center on Oct. 30, 2019." His arrest came "July 29 after an FBI investigation traced his alleged purchases of online child pornography to IP addresses that led to his home and to the school that were associated with social media and PayPal accounts he used to obtain and pay for videos and photos of male minors." EFTA01659116 California Man Charged With Murdering College Student Whose Remains Were Found In Mojave. The My News LA (CA) (11/23) reports that a California man "was charged Monday with murdering a 21-year-old community college student whose remains were found in a remote area of the Mojave Desert nearly two months after he went missing in South Los Angeles." The man "appeared in a downtown courtroom and pleaded not guilty in the killing of Juan 'Cookie' Carlos Hernandez, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office." Another man, "who is charged with being an accessory after the fact, also entered a not guilty plea." The primary suspect "faces a possible maximum sentence of 25 years to life in state prison," while the accessory "could be sentenced to up to three years in prison. Bail is set at $10 million for each defendant." LAPD worked with the FBI to investigate the disappearance, and "'their efforts provided detectives with a sequence of events to find Hernandez,' according to a police statement." FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS Former Cincinnati City Council Member Dennard To Be Sentenced Today. WCPO-TV Cincinnati (11/23, Murphy, 139K) reports, "A federal judge will sentence former Cincinnati City Council member Tamaya Dennard on Tuesday for her role in the first of three corruption scandals to rock City Hall this year." WCPO-TV adds, "The U.S. Probation Office recommends a sentence of 24 to 30 months in prison for Dennard, according to the pre- sentence report the office prepared in her case," but "Dennard's attorney is asking for home confinement, in part due to COVID-19 fears. Her attorney also believes Dennard, a Democrat who won a council seat in a storybook election in 2017, has suffered enough." FBI agents "arrested Dennard on Feb. 25 near a Downtown Starbucks before a council committee meeting. At the time, longtime politicians said they could not remember a corruption scandal of this magnitude in the city's history," but "they were unaware of the scope of the FBI's probe, or that two more council members would be arrested on corruption charges...months later." Pastor Suspended From Cincinnati City Council After Bribery Arrest. The Cincinnati Enquirer (11/23, Coolidge, 223K) reports, "Cincinnati City Councilman Jeff Pastor has been suspended, a process initiated by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost after Pastor was arrested on federal bribery charges. Pastor accepted the suspension without a fight. Pastor will be paid his $65,000 salary while temporarily suspended. 'While allegations of public corruption are resolved in the courtroom, a suspension is the right course of action as even the appearance of corruption has no place in government,' Yost said." Pastor "is one of three Cincinnati councilmembers arrested and accused of pay-to-play schemes this year. Councilwoman Tamaya Dennard was arrested in February and pleaded guilty to honest services wire fraud in July. Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld was arrested Nov. 21 on federal bribery charges alleging he sold a vote on a development deal in exchange for campaign contributions." WXIX-TV Cincinnati (11/23, Baker, 42K) reports that Pastor "is facing felony charges of bribery, extortion, wire fraud, money laundering and other crimes. The Republican, 36, has pleaded not guilty and remains free on his own recognizance. The arrangement would allow Pastor to keep collecting his $65,000 annual council salary and healthcare benefits for not only him but his family, including his pregnant wife and four children, according to the source." Ohio AG Asks State Supreme Court To Begin Suspension Proceedings Against Sittenfeld. WXIX-TV Cincinnati (11/23, Baker, 42K) reports, "Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has asked the Ohio Supreme Court to begin suspension proceedings against Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld. 'While allegations of public corruption are resolved in the courtroom, a suspension is the right course of action even as the appearance of corruption has no place in government,' Yost wrote in a statement Monday." Sittenfeld (D) "was considered by many to be the front-runner in Cincinnati's 2021 mayor's race with more than $700,000 EFTA01659117 amassed in his campaign war chest," but "now Sittenfeld is the third member of the nine- person council arrested by the FBI and indicted on bribery, attempted extortion and other corruption-related charges this year for allegedly taking bribes for favorable votes on development deals." WLWT-TV Cincinnati (11/23, 319K) reports, "Word of the 36-year-old Sittenfeld's arrest at his East Walnut Hills home Thursday morning sent shockwaves through City Hall, where there have been calls for him to step down. The Hamilton County Democratic Party issued a statement saying if the allegations are true, Sittenfeld should resign." Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley "called it 'a sad day' and, although he said Sittenfeld is entitled to due process, he should focus on that and resign from his elected position. According to the six-count indictment, two years ago this month at a downtown restaurant, Sittenfeld met with someone he thought was an investor and laid out his terms for approving a development project. Those terms, federal investigators said, added up to $20,000." WXIX-TV Cincinnati (11/23, Schupp, 42K) reports, "Sittenfeld posted a 'message of gratitude' after being indicted on federal corruption-related charges." Sittenfeld "was indicted on two counts of honest services wire fraud, two counts of bribery, and two counts of attempted extortion by a government official. 'I want to say thank you to the people of Cincinnati, my family, friends, to folks I've heard from all across the city, our state, the country for your incredible outpouring of love and support,' he said in a video statement on Twitter Monday morning." WLWT-TV Cincinnati (11/23, 319K) reports, "Sittenfeld released a video on Twitter Monday, saying he's not giving up and will continue to fight the charges. 'The allegations against me are simply not true,' Sittenfeld said. 'I stand strongly on my record of public service, including providing help that's in the public interest to anyone whether they've ever made a political contribution to me or not." Missouri Woman Sentenced In Walmart Fraud Scheme. The Wisconsin State Journal (11/23, Richgels, 372K) reports, "A Missouri woman was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison in a scheme that defrauded Walmart of more than $860,000, according to U.S. Attorney Scott C. Blader." Heather Bishop, 31, of Lee's Summit, Missouri, "was sentenced last week by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley for conspiring with Crystal Austin, Shelly Scott, Jason Edge, and others to commit wire fraud throughout the country." Austin, of Belton, Missouri, "was sentenced in September to 65 months in federal prison. Scott and Edge, both of Kansas City, were sentenced by Conley in November 2018 to four years in prison." The State Journal adds, "Between November 2016 and February 2018, the group conspired to defraud Walmart through use of stolen personal checks, identity fraud, and methods to bypass electronic check authorization measures, resulting in Walmart losing more than $860,000, Blader's office said." Former New York Medical Firm Owner Sentenced For Healthcare Fraud Scheme. Newsday (NY) (11/23, Kessler, 932K) reports, "The former owner of a Hicksville medical company who had been a federal fugitive for 11 years was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison Monday for his role in a multimillion-dollar health care fraud scheme." Etienne Allonce, 56, "a Haitian citizen who had been on a federal Most Wanted list before he was captured in his native Haiti in 2018, also was ordered to make $4.4 million in restitution by U.S. Circuit Court Judge Joseph Bianco at a telephonic hearing in federal court in Central Islip. In addition, Bianco said Allonce probably would be deported after he serves his sentence, but as long as he remains in the United States, he should serve two years' supervised release. Because he has been in custody for 26 months, Allonce will have at most 10 months remaining on his sentence." Maryland Brothers Charged With Money Laundering In Alleged $5M Romance Scheme. EFTA01659118 WUSA-TV Washington (11/23, Wainman, 98K) reports from Gaithersburg, Maryland, "Two brothers from Gaithersburg, Maryland have been arrested on federal charges stemming from an alleged romance scam involving 200 victims worldwide." David Annor, 27, and Lesley Annor, 22, "were arrested on Nov. 16 and charged with money laundering, according to Robert Hur, the U.S. Attorney for Maryland. The criminal complaint alleges that the Annors, along with co- conspirators, were part of a romance scheme in which they connected with their victims online, typically through social media and dating websites, and convinced them to send money based on a misrepresentation that they were in a romantic relationship with the victim. The co- conspirators would make contact with the victims, convince them they were in a romantic relationship and then request money, often reassuring the victim they would be repaid, and give details of where to send the money, which was typically an account controlled by the Annor brothers." US Charges Former Virginia Attorney With Fraud. The Augusta (VA) Free Press (11/23) reports, "A federal grand jury sitting in U.S. District Court in Roanoke has indicted Cherie Anne Washburn, a former attorney who specialized in elder law and estate planning, on federal wire fraud, mail fraud, and false statement charges. Acting United States Attorney Daniel P. Bubar and David W. Archey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Richmond Division made the announcement today following the defendant's initial court appearance." Washburn, 44, of Lynchburg, "is charged with 10 counts of wire fraud, two counts of making a false statement to a mortgage lender, and one count of mail fraud. According to court documents, from around 2015 and continuing until 2018, Washburn engaged in a scheme to defraud and obtain money or property by fraudulent pretenses, representations or promises from two elder victims." US Charges Nine With Stealing, Selling Boats, Other Vehicles. The Providence (RI) Journal (11/23, Perry, 259K) reports, "Nine people have been indicted in schemes to steal and sell nearly $700,000 worth of sport boats, excavators, personal watercraft, all-terrain vehicles and trailers." The schemes were carried out "in Rhode Island and three other states, according to the U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island." Investigating were "Johnston and North Providence police departments," which were "joined by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force." The investigation "was then merged with a parallel investigation by Rhode Island and Connecticut state police, Easton, Massachusetts, and the Hampstead, New Hampshire, police departments." The Attleboro (MA) Sun Chronicle (11/23, Linton, 15K) reports, "The defendants allegedly worked at the direction of or with Jose A. Montes, also known as Jose Rivera and ITuto,' 36, of Cranston, in order to steal excavators, sport boats, jet skis, all-terrain vehicles and trailers, the Rhode Island U.S. Attorney's office said. They allegedly cased various dealerships and marinas during the night in four states looking for equipment to steal." Apple's Head Of Global Security Charged With Bribery. The Washington Post (11/23, Albergotti, 14.2M) reports Thomas Moyer, Apple's head of global security, "was charged with bribery last week for allegedly promising to donate iPads to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office in exchange for concealed weapons permits, according to an indictment made public Monday." According to a news release on the Santa Clara County district attorney's website, Moyer "had applied for concealed weapons permits, according to the release. The sheriff's office held up the application, the news release alleges, until Moyer agreed to get Apple to donate $70,000 worth of iPads." Reuters (11/23, Nellis) reports two officers in the Sheriff's Office "were charged with soliciting bribes for issuing concealed carry permits." The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Elinson, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) provides similar coverage. Former Chicago Alderman Faces Years In Prison For Tobacco Settlement Scheme. EFTA01659119 The Chicago Tribune (11/23, Meisner, 2.65M) reports that former Chicago Alderman Edward Vrdolyak could receive a sentence of up to "31/2 years behind bars," with prosecutors "saying his decision to play games with the IRS and hide portions of the tobacco income was just the latest in a long string of ethical and legal lapses by someone who should have known better." US Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu said he "came from a privileged background. He was well educated, served as an elected official, and had a thriving legal practice." Bhachu added, "Despite all these advantages in life, he has chosen time and again to be a schemer, and to break the law." The US attorney "referenced the previous conviction in his sentencing filing Friday, noting Vrdolyak had been captured on an FBI wiretap." CYBER DIVISION UK Said To Be Considering Huawei Installation Ban In 2021. Bloomberg (11/23, Donaldson, Seal, 4.73M) reports the UK "is considering a ban on the installation of Huawei Technologies Co. 5G equipment as soon as next year to appease lawmakers pushing for tighter restrictions on the Chinese telecom equipment maker, according to people familiar with the matter." Lawmakers from Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party "are demanding stricter rules on companies using Huawei 5G gear, as part of the price for backing telecommunications security legislation due in parliament next week." Previously, "lawmakers had left it to telecom firms to replace Huawei's 5G equipment before a blanket ban is set to be enforced in 2027." U Of Vermont Medical Records Back Up One Month After Cyberattack. VTDigger (VT) (11/23, Jickling, 4K) reports, "The University of Vermont Medical Center's electronic medical records system is up and running nearly a month after the hospital fell victim to a cyberattack." VTDigger adds, "Over the weekend, the hospital tech team restored Epic health records system, giving doctors and nurses full access to patient medical history, appointments, and medications, said Al Gobeille, a vice president of operations for the UVM Health Network on Monday." According to VTDigger, UVMMC President and COO Stephen Leffler and Gobeille "have refused to say whether they were targeted by ransomware. They've referred questions about any ransom, the impact to the system and who was responsible to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 'We've been asked by the FBI not to discuss the incident,' Gobeille said. FBI spokesperson Sarah Ruane declined again to comment on Monday." US Arrests Man In $1M Airplane Cyber-Scam. Infosecurity Magazine (11/23, Coble) reports, "Police in the United States have made an arrest in connection with a million-dollar cyber-scam involving the sale of an airplane in Australia." IM adds, "An investigation was launched in 2018 after a Business Email Compromise (BEC) attack interfered with digital communications between a company in New Zealand that was buying an airplane and a company in Australia that was selling it for $1,028,000. By infiltrating the emails of the two companies, cyber-scammers managed to replace the seller's bank routing information with details of their own bank accounts in Houston, Texas. Using this ruse netted the attackers $928,000, paid in two separate transactions." According to IM, "The audacious theft sparked a two-and-a-half-year international criminal investigation that has already resulted in arrests and prosecutions. On November 18, that investigation led to the arrest of 36-year-old Cletus N. Anyanwu by Houston Police and the FBI." Mountie Testifies He Didn't Ask Huawei CFO For Phone Passcodes. Reuters (11/23, Berman) reports that Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Constable Gurvinder Dhaliwal "testified on Monday he did not plan to obtain" Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou's "mobile phone passcodes or search her electronic devices." Dhaliwal was "involved in EFTA01659120 the arrest of Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou two years ago." He "told a Canadian court that he and his partner were `discreet' about their contact with Canadian border officials on the eve of Meng's arrest on Dec. 1, 2018." A Canadian border agent, Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) superintendent Sowmith Katragadda, "had previously testified that he requested Meng's phone and laptop passcodes and she provided them voluntarily." Congress Finalizing Law On IoT Security. Forbes (11/23, 9.71M) senior contributor Enrique Dans writes that Congress is finalizing a "law on the security of the Internet of Things (IoT), a nice baseline that will help consolidate a much-needed part of an environment that promises very high growth in the near future, as billions of devices of all kinds are progressively connected to the internet." The IoT Cybersecurity Improvement Act "was conceived with the advice of companies such as Symantec, Mozilla and BSA The Software Alliance, is based on a list of considerations that IoT devices must cover: secure development, identity management, patching, and configuration management." It "establishes a series of requirements that will allow a baseline to be established in the consideration of IoT-related products." The EU "also has initiatives under development at various stages aimed at creating reference frameworks with regard to IOT security, which will certainly take note of the legislative approach proposed" by the US. Opinion: Firing Of CISA Director Reflects Vulnerability Of Cybersecurity. Philip Reitinger, the President and CEO of the Global Cyber Alliance, writes in an op-ed in the Cipher Brief (11/23) that former CISA Director Chris Krebs was fired for leading the agency "primarily responsible for securing the 2020 election effectively and with style," and for saying "'out loud' that the election was trustworthy." The ouster "was universally condemned by cybersecurity professionals," as removing him "during a presidential transition, when the threat of disinformation about the election result remains, undermines the homeland and national security of the United States." The Cyberspace Solarium Commission has shown "bipartisan consensus that significant actions must be taken, even if there are minor disagreements about what a few of those actions should be." Krebs' firing reflects the risk that "nationalism and relatively minor differences on cybersecurity and privacy will limit international action," Reitlinger writes. NATO Experimenting With Practice That Exposes Phishing Scammer's Techniques. Defense One (11/20, Tucker, 2K) discusses "honeypots, a deceptive cybersecurity practice that NATO used as part of its most recent exercise, NATO Cyber Coalition, which took place in Estonia and other locations from Nov. 16 to 20." In honeypots, a phishing email that is clicked on gives out meaningless information that may expose the techniques or tools used by a "young cyber officer in the Russian military looking to break into the defended network of a NATO government," for instance. The exercise was "coordinated through Estonia's Cyber Security Training Centre" and "brought in more than 1,000 participants." NATO Supreme Allied Transform Command technical director for Cyberspace Alberto Domingo explained, "The idea is that the adversary will find it easier to attack these machines without knowing and they will do that and we will be preserving the information for NATO and interacting with this adversary." LABORATORY Ohio Man Named As Suspect In Florida Cold Case Homicide. The Newark (OH) Advocate (11/23, Sumner, 47K) reports from Charlotte County, Florida, "A man on death row for the 2000 murder of a Newark woman was named in a Florida cold case homicide on Monday." According to the Advocate, "Via a Monday afternoon press conference, Charlotte County, Florida Sheriff Bill Prummell announced detectives with the agency's cold case EFTA01659121 unit recently received confirmation from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement that evidence submitted from the scene 'produced viable DNA connecting Roland "Rollie" Thomas Davis Sr. to the murder' of 42-year-old Sharon Gill. According to Prummell, Gill was 'brutally murdered' in her Deep Creek, Florida home in March 1990. The sheriff said the victim was stabbed 39 times and was discovered by her then 18-year-old daughter after she returned home from school." LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES DO) Reschedules Woman's Execution For January 12. The AP (11/23, Balsamo) reports the Justice Department has rescheduled the execution of Lisa Montgomery for Jan. 12, "just days before" Joe Biden, "an opponent of the death penalty, takes office." A federal judge had delayed the execution, which was set for December, because Montgomery's lawyers "tested positive for the novel coronavirus after visiting her behind bars. The delay was meant to allow her attorneys to recover from the virus and file a clemency petition on her behalf." The AP adds, "With the new execution date, Montgomery would be one of three federal inmates scheduled to die that week." NYPD To Increase Subway Patrols Amid Increase In Shoving Incidents. The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports the NYPD will step up patrols of subway lines after an increase in incidents in which people are shoved onto train tracks. In a conference call with reporters, NYPD Chief of Transit Kathleen O'Reilly said there have been 20 such incidents this year, up from 17 during the same period last year. Incoming Congresswoman Asked Capitol Police About Carrying Firearm. The AP (11/23, Fram) reports incoming congresswoman Lauren Boebert (R-CO), "who owns a gun-themed restaurant in Rifle, Colorado, has already asked Capitol Police about carrying her weapon on Capitol grounds, her office has acknowledged." The AP adds, "The practice is allowed for lawmakers, with some limitations." Capitol Police spokeswoman Eva Malecki said that Members of Congress are not required to notify them prior to carrying a firearm in the Capitol. DC Firefighter Shot While Aiding A Shooting Victim. The Washington Post (11/23, Hermann, 14.2M) reports while D.C. firefighters were loading a shooting victim into an ambulance on Sunday, "it appears the assailant returned to the area and fired another 14 rounds, wounding one of the rescuers as well as a woman standing nearby. ... Officials said the incident, which comes amid a rise in gun violence in the District, has angered and frustrated firefighters." John A. Donnelly Sr, acting chief of the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, "Our people were doing what we want them to be doing. ... They were responding to a call and they were taking care of a person who was hurt. There were no warning signs. ... We're just so lucky it wasn't worse. There were so many shots." The Post says the shooting "is indicative of a violent year in the District. Homicides are up about 20 percent over this time in 2019, and shootings are up about 35 percent." New York AG Accuses Buffalo Diocese Of Covering Up Sexual Abuse. The New York Times (11/23, Stack, 18.61M) reports New York Attorney General Letitia James "on Monday accused the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo and three bishops connected to it of engaging in a yearslong cover-up of sexual abuse by priests in violation of church policy and state law." The Times says the lawsuit "represents what prosecutors believe is a novel legal strategy" in which the state "will attempt to use civil laws, in particular those governing religious charities and their fiduciaries, to sue a Catholic diocese for failing to follow church EFTA01659122 policies enacted in 2002, after a series of investigative reports by The Boston Globe thrust the sex abuse scandal into public view." The Times adds that the suit may "raise questions about religious liberty," because it "seeks to ban two bishops from management roles in any charitable organization - a demand that may draw pushback from those who believe this encroaches into church autonomy." Transgender Woman Sues Georgia Department Of Corrections For A Second Time. The New York Times (11/23, Dewan, 18.61M) reports while Ashley Diamond, a transgender woman was "serving time in Georgia for nonviolent offenses," the Georgia Department of Corrections "[denied] her hormone therapy, hous[ed] her with male prisoners and fail[ed] to protect her from sexual assault" for years. Then, the Department "changed its treatment policy, released Ms. Diamond on parole and reached a settlement in her lawsuit." But, Diamond "was sent back to prison about a year ago for a parole violation. Once again she has been housed with men, and says she has been sexually assaulted more than 14 times since her return, according to a federal civil rights lawsuit filed on Monday by her lawyers at the Center for Constitutional Rights and the Southern Poverty Law Center." INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Mexican President Denies Deal With US To Capture Cartel Leader For Former Defense Minister. Reuters (11/23) reports "Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday denied that Mexico had agreed to capture a cartel leader for the United States in order to secure the return of ex-defense minister Salvador Cienfuegos from US custody." Reuters "reported last week that Mexico agreed with US Attorney General William Barr to seek the arrest of a high- level Mexican drug cartel leader as part of a deal to get US drug trafficking charges against Cienfuegos dropped." Lopez Obrador said at a news conference, "There is no deal in the shadows." He "said it was wrong to suggest that the United States sent Cienfuegos back so that Mexico would send Washington a leader of organized crime." DEA, FBI Meet With India's NCB To Discuss International Trafficking Networks. The Hindustan Times (IND} (11/23, Chauhan, 168K) reports that the DEA and FBI will meet virtually on Tuesday with India's Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to discuss "sharing intelligence as well as a joint mechanism to track and disrupt the money laundering associated with international drug smuggling networks," as part of the Indo-US Counter-Narcotics Working Group (CNWG). According to Sources, representatives from "the Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Department of Justice (DO3), FBI, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS)" will likely attend the meeting, while from India, "NCB, Directorate of Revenue and Intelligence (DRI), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Enforcement Directorate (ED), ministry of health, department of revenue and ministry of external affairs (MEA)" will take part. According to the Hindustan Times, the DEA will share "current trends on synthetic opioids and their precursors' production and trafficking pattern in South Asia as well as discuss avenues to increase information sharing to halt the production and trafficking of fentanyl, related analogues, and its precursors, along with other synthetic drugs." LAWFUL ACCESS UK Officials Say Pedophile Would Not Have Been Caught Under Facebook's Encryption Plans. EFTA01659123 The Telegraph (UK). (11/23, Hymas, 956K) reports, "One of Britain's most prolific paedophiles, who targeted at least 500 children, would not have been caught under Facebook's proposed end-to-end encryption plans, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA)." The Telegraph adds, "Appearing at Ipswich Crown Court on Monday, labourer David Nicholas Wilson, 36, admitted 96 sex abuse offences against 51 boys aged four to 14, whom he conned into sending him sexual images or blackmailed into abusing their younger siblings or friends." The NCA "found 250,000 messages communicating with boys in his Facebook, Snapchat, Google and Instagram accounts after obtaining access to them through an International Letter of Request to the US authorities," but "his...abuse would not have been exposed without Facebook providing 90 referrals of suspect accounts linked to Wilson - evidence that would not be available if the social media giant goes ahead with its encryption plans, said Rob Jones, the NCA director of threat leadership." OTHER FBI NEWS Sen. Paul: DC US Attorney Won't Probe RNC Protestors Who Confronted Him At Convention. Fox News (11/23, Barrabi, 27.59M) reports, "Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Monday that prosecutors in Washington informed him that they do not plan to investigate the origins of protestors who heckled him and his wife at the Republican National Convention last August. 'The DC U.S. Attorney today confirmed to me that they will not pursue an investigation of who is funding the thugs who attacked my wife and me and sent a DC police officer to the hospital,' Paul wrote on Twitter." According to Fox News, "A crowd of protestors confronted Paul and his wife as he left the White House grounds after President Trump's keynote address at the convention. The protesters demanded that Paul acknowledge the death of Breonna Taylor, a 26- year-old emergency medical technician was fatally shot during an encounter with police pursuing a no-knock warrant on March 13." OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS Trump Says He Has Authorized GSA To Cooperate With Biden Transition. President Trump on Monday tweeted, "I want to thank Emily Murphy at GSA for her steadfast dedication and loyalty to our Country. She has been harassed, threatened, and abused - and I do not want to see this happen to her, her family, or employees of GSA. Our case STRONGLY continues, we will keep up the good fight, and I believe we will prevail! Nevertheless, in the best interest of our Country, I am recommending that Emily and her team do what needs to be done with regard to initial protocols, and have told my team to do the same." Typical of the tone of the coverage, Lester Holt opened the NBC Nightly NewsVi (11/23, lead story, 1:30, Holt, 6.28M) by announcing that the General Services Administration is "for the first time acknowledging Joe Biden's win for President. Notifying the President-elect that the formal and official transfer of power can again. The decision comes more than two weeks after Biden was projected as the winner and after a series of legal and procedural defeats in President Trump's efforts to overturn the results." Hallie Jackson added that GSA Administrator Emily Murphy "says she is now making available access to the services and resources millions of dollars the incoming administration will need." In Murphy's letter, which was obtained by The Hill (11/23, Chalfant, Samuels, Miller, 2.98M), she asserted, "As the Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration, I have the ability under the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, as amended, to make certain post- election resources and services available to assist in the event of a presidential transition." Murphy added, "I take this role seriously and, because of recent developments involving legal challenges and certifications of election results, am transmitting this letter today to make those EFTA01659124 resources and services available to you." Reuters (11/23, Shalal) also reports that Murphy "said the decision allowing the start of a presidential transition to...Biden was `solely mine' despite" Trump's tweet. On ABC World News TonightVi (11/23, story 4, 1:10, Muir, 7.67M), Jonathan Karl called Murphy's announcement as "the first step towards a Biden Administration," as well as "the first acknowledgment...from anywhere in the Trump Administration of Biden's status as the President-elect." Reuters (11/23, Mason, Hunnicutt) similarly says Trump's tweet "was the closest he has come to admitting defeat," as does a front-page Washington Post (11/23, Al, Hamburger, Reinhard, Ruble, 14.2M) article, which says that while "procedural in nature," Trump's "acceptance" of the GSA's action "amounted to a dramatic capitulation and capped an extraordinary 16-day standoff since Biden was declared the winner on Nov. 7." On the CBS Evening NewsVi (11/23, story 2, 0:40, Brennan, 4.43M), Ben Tracy said that while the GSA is "officially agreeing that...Biden has won the election," the President "is not conceding" and "is still vowing to fight the election results." Similarly, USA Today (11/23, Shesgreen, 10.31M) reports Trump "refused to concede and continues to make baseless allegations of voter fraud." However, Administration officials told the Wall Street Journal (11/23, Al, Restuccia, Peterson, Ballhaus, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) that White House Chief of Staff Meadows, White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, and Jay Sekulow, the President's personal lawyer, told Trump on Monday that he does not need to formally concede but needed to begin the transition process. "Some senior White House officials" told Politico (11/23, Choi, Orr, McGraw, Cook, 4.29M) that Trump's tweet "was inevitable amid the recent spate of certification deadlines for battleground states that...Biden won," but Weijia Jiang reported on CBS This MorningVI (11/23, 2.62M) that "senior Administration officials tell CBS News that...Trump will concede if he exhausts all of his legal options and remains the loser." Breitbart (11/23, Spiering, 673K) reports Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) "celebrated the news, noting that the GSA administrator had `ascertained' that they were `the apparent winners of the election." The Washington Times (11/23, Boyer, Swoyer, Miller, 492K) reports a Biden campaign official "called it `a needed step to begin tackling the challenges facing our nation, including getting the pandemic under control and our economy back on track." The New York Times (11/23, Fandos, 18.61M) reports Biden had "tried to stay on the margins of the escalating fight" over ascertainment. The AP (11/23, Eggert, Miller, Long) says that although the "fast-moving series of events" on Monday "seemed to let much of the air out of Trump's frantic efforts to undermine the will of the people in what has amounted to a weekslong stress test for American democracy," Trump's bid "to foment a crisis of confidence in the political system and the fairness of U.S. elections haven't ended and are likely to persist well beyond his lame-duck presidency." Politico (11/23, Cheney, 4.29M) reports Biden's transition was unable to "start until Murphy ascertain[ed] his victory, according to federal law, a determination that has prevented the incoming administration from communicating with key national security and health officials despite the raging coronavirus pandemic." Bloomberg (11/23, Dlouhy, 4.73M) reports the designation "triggers a formal transition process, giving Biden and his team access to current agency officials, briefing books and other government resources, including some $6 million in funding." The Washington Post (11/23, Wagner, 14.2M) says the GSA's announcement comes "after weeks of pressure from Democrats to allow the process to go ahead." Earlier Monday, Bloomberg (11/23, Dlouhy, Flatley, 4.73M) reports Murphy "buck[ed] House Democrats' demands for an in-person briefing Monday to explain her blocking of transition resources for...Biden," although the GSA's offer for "a 30-minute briefing next week with a deputy administrator didn't satisfy committee leaders who warned that continued delays threaten national security and hamper the incoming Biden administration's pandemic response planning." EFTA01659125 Meanwhile, Reuters (11/23, Zengerle) reports Trump "gave some ground on Monday to allow...Biden's transition to the presidency after the ranks grew of prominent Republicans calling for Trump to end efforts to overturn his election defeat." Reuters says that while "intensifying pressure from some Republicans may have factored in Trump's move to allow funding for Biden's transition," what was "possibly as consequential, if not more, was Michigan's certification of Biden's victory in that state." Politico (11/23, Levine, 4.29M) reports Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) "join[ed] a small group of Republican senators calling for the transition process to begin," and he "wrote that any disputes over the election results should end by December 8." Politico adds Sens. Jim Risch (R- ID), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Ben Sasse (R-NE), and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) have also "acknowledged the need for a transition." On CNBC's Squawk BoxVI (11/23, 114K), Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) said, "I have fully supported the President's pursuing every plausible strategy - recounts, and litigating irregularities - but at some point you exhaust those possibilities. I think the President has reached that point in Pennsylvania. He appears to have reached that point in Georgia. Michigan wasn't even close, and so now the idea that a sitting President would try to, I don't know, pressure, cajole, persuade state legislators to dismiss the will of their voters and select their own group of electors and send them to the electoral college is completely inconsistent with any kind of truly democratic society so that shouldn't be going on in my view." Toomey also said, "I don't have any regrets about having supported Donald Trump for reelection." The New York Times (11/23, Edmondson, Cochrane, 18.61M) says that Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) on Monday "offered a pointed call for President Trump to begin a peaceful transfer of power, urging him to stand aside if only to preserve his legacy after Michigan's statewide electoral board approved its presidential vote tally in favor of" Biden. In a statement, Alexander said, "Since it seems apparent that...Biden will be the president-elect, my hope is that...Trump will take pride in his considerable accomplishments, put the country first and have a prompt and orderly transition to help the new administration succeed." Alexander added, "When you are in public life, people remember the last thing you do." Reuters (11/23, Cowan) reports that Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) on Monday "said while some irregularities in the Nov. 3 presidential election have been found, there is no indication they were widespread enough to call into question...Biden's victory." In a statement, Capito "said Biden and...Harris should begin receiving `all appropriate' briefings related to national security and COVID-19 and that `if states certify the results as they currently stand, Vice President Joe Biden will be our next president." The Hill (11/23, Mastrangelo, 2.98M) says Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) "reportedly said Monday that the outcome of the presidential election is `becoming increasingly clear,' and that `evidence of a systemic problem ... seem to be wanting." The Hill adds that Cornyn on Sunday "said in a tweet that Biden should be allowed to receive intelligence briefings that are being blocked by Trump's General Services Administration." Terry Moran reported on ABC's Good Morning AmericaVi (11/23, 3.1M) that "more Republicans are acknowledging the election is over," and while the New York Times (11/23, Thrush, Cochrane, Rosenberg, Fuchs, Tompkins, 18.61M) says "most congressional Republicans have refused to acknowledge Mr. Biden's victory," the AP (11/23, Bauder) reports that "former Watergate sleuth" Carl Bernstein on Sunday "took to Twitter to list the names of 21 Republican senators who he says have `repeatedly expressed contempt' for...Trump and his fitness to be president." However, the Washington Post (11/23, Hamburger, Nakashima, 14.2M) reports former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, former CIA Director Michael Hayden, and former Director of National Intelligence John D. Negroponte were among "a group of leading GOP national security experts" on Monday who called upon congressional Republicans "to demand...Trump concede the election and immediately begin the transition to the incoming EFTA01659126 Biden administration." In a statement, the group said, "Trump's refusal to permit the presidential transition poses significant risks to our national security, at a time when the U.S. confronts a global pandemic and faces serious threats from global adversaries, terrorist groups, and other forces." Reuters (11/23) reports the group "decried the failure of most congressional Republicans to condemn Trump's unwillingness to acknowledge...Biden's victory in the Nov. 3 election." USA Today (11/23, Vanden Brook, 10.31M) says the former officials "warned...Trump's refusal to allow a transition to...Biden imperils the nation." Writing at Bloomberg Opinion (11/23), former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says that with "a few notable exceptions, congressional Republicans have been complicit...either through their silence or active encouragement. Enough. Over the years I've worked with many Republicans in Washington, and we've had our differences over lots of issues, from taxes to climate change, and that's healthy. But this isn't a policy issue - it's a question of patriotism. I know them to be patriots - and now they must step up and show it." He adds, "It's past time for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to say what's been obvious for weeks: Trump lost and Biden will soon take office." In addition, the New York Times (11/23, Kelly, Hakim, 18.61M) reports that "more than 100 chief executives asked the Trump administration on Monday to immediately acknowledge [Biden] as the president-elect and begin the transition to a new administration." Per the Times, "the chief executives of Mastercard, Visa, MetLife, Accenture, the Carlyle Group, Conde Nast, McGraw-Hill, WeWork and American International Group," were among the signatories, which comprised "some of the most important players in the financial industry." The Washington Post (11/23, Denham, 14.2M) reports signatories included "several [executives] who have been major donors to the Republican Party." Bloomberg (11/23, Perlberg, Schmidt, 4.73M) says that while "few" executives "have embraced things Trump quite like the billionaire Stephen Schwarzman," on Monday he issued a statement "saying he was ready to help the Biden administration." The Washington Post (11/23, Telford, 14.2M) also reports Twitter and Facebook "said they will hand over the digital keys to @POTUS, as well as other official social media accounts, to Joe Biden on Inauguration Day, even as...Trump continues to reject his election defeat." In an email, Twitter told the Post that it "is preparing to support the changeover 'as we did for the presidential transition in 2017' and that it is doing so in consultation with the National Archives and Records Administration," while a Facebook statement said it "expects a 'seamless' transition of the relevant Facebook and Instagram accounts to the new administration." Trump Spreads More Voter Fraud Claims. The Washington Post (11/23, Elfrink, 14.2M) says that even as "more Republicans joined a chorus urging President Trump to concede the election and his legal team splintered over far-fetched conspiracy theories," the President on Sunday "just before midnight...took to Twitter to repeat more of the unfounded claims of mass voter fraud that have animated his weeks-long resistance to acknowledging defeat to...Biden." According to the Post, "Trump's tweets, which included another false claim that he 'won' the election, were quickly flagged by Twitter with disclaimers." Lara Trump said on Fox News The Ingraham Angle (11/24) that the President "knows he won this election. We are working really hard every day to prove that and to show the fraud out there and to make sure that this isn't just about right now and this election. Obviously, we want the right thing to happen here. But, this is about the future of America. People need to know that we have integrity in our election system. ... There are millions of people out there that feel like they were cheated." In his New York Times (11/23, 18.61M) column, Paul Krugman writes that it was apparent that Trump "would react badly to defeat. But his refusal to concede, the destructiveness of his temper tantrum and the willingness of almost the entire Republican Party to indulge him have surpassed even pessimists' expectations." EFTA01659127 New York Times (11/23, 18.61M) columnist Bret Stephens says Trump and his legal team are "contriving their own Dolchstosslegende," which "translates as `stab-in-the-back myth' and was a key element in the revival of German militarism in the Weimar years." To Stephens, "The point of the farce is farce. It is to make an obscene joke of the Biden administration and our constitutional system of government." Stephens adds that if "certain readers think I'm making a comparison between Trump supporters and Nazis, let me emphasize that I am not. What I am saying is that this modem-day Dolchstosslegende...abets future demagogues by eroding public confidence in democratic institutions, until, unprotected, they collapse." In his Washington Post (11/23, 14.2M) column, Max Boot expresses "hope that...Trump's outrageous attempt to overturn the results of an election that he lost by 74 electoral college votes and more than 6 million popular votes will be the last gasp of a pathetic presidency in its dying days. But I fear that it might represent only a middle chapter in the Republican Party's transformation...into an authoritarian party similar to the Fidesz party in Hungary, the Law and Justice party in Poland, the Justice and Development Party in Turkey and the Bharatiya Janata Party in India." Trump Campaign's Legal Battles Face Additional Setbacks. On NBC's TodayVi (11/23, 2.93M), Halle Jackson reported the Trump campaign's legal battles "are getting messier with one of the President's highest profile allies basically accusing his attorneys of incompetence." On ABC World News TonightVi (11/23, story 3, 3:00, Muir, 7.2M), Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl said Michigan on Monday "made it official, certifying Joe Biden as the state's winner. Slamming the door shut on President Trump's frantic efforts, including summoning Republican state legislators to the White House on Friday to reverse an election in a state that Biden won by over 150,000 votes. Georgia had already certified Biden as the winner, and Pennsylvania today moved closer to doing the same." Karl added that in the courts, "everything is going bust. The Trump team and its allies have suffered some 30 losses." In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal (11/23, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) says the President is running out of time and legal options as he fights to contest the election. On the CBS Evening NewsVi (11/23, story 3, 1:35, Brennan, 4.43M), Ben Tracy reported that in "another reality check" for Trump, Michigan certified the results of the election, which "officially makes Joe Biden the winner of the state's 16 electoral votes." The AP (11/23) says that the President and his allies had "tried and failed to delay the process" of certification in Michigan, which "comes days after certification in Georgia, another hotly contested presidential battleground." Bloomberg (11/23, Welch, 4.73M) says the vote by Michigan's Board of State Canvassers "means that only a possible Republican request for a recount stands in the way of assuring that Biden will win the Wolverine State and its 16 electoral votes," but the board "didn't ask for a recount after certifying the results." Bloomberg adds Aaron Van Langevelde, a Republican member of the board, "sided with Democrats to certify the vote 3-0, while Norm Shinkle, the other Republican member, abstained and called on the Michigan legislature to conduct a full audit." According to Bloomberg, "Van Langevelde said that he believes that any irregularities should be investigated, but added that the Board of Canvassers is not the entity to do that." The Wall Street Journal (11/23, O'Brien, Goldman, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) states that the Republican National Committee and the Senate campaign of John James have requested the board audit the Wayne County results, particularly with respect to how mail-in ballots were processed, and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) has promised to conduct an audit after certification. USA Today (11/23, Boucher, 10.31M) reports Biden "earned approximately 154,000 more votes than...Trump in the state," but the President "and supporters have argued, without evidence and relying on conspiracy theories, that Michigan's election results were stolen or are otherwise fraudulent," which The Hill (11/23, Coleman, 2.98M) reports prompted Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) to warn on Monday "that a false claim of criminal activity, including election fraud, is itself a crime." EFTA01659128 The Washington Post (11/23, Ruble, 14.2M) says that while GOP officials on Monday "cited what they described as 'significant problems and irregularities' in Wayne County, home of Detroit," state and county election data "shows that four years ago - when...Trump carried the state by a much narrower margin - twice as many Detroit precincts were out of balance." The Post adds neither Trump nor the Republican Party "questioned the validity of those election results — or demanded an audit to verify the vote tally." Meanwhile, the New York Times (11/23, Al, Shear, Fandos, Edmondson, 18.61M) says the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Monday "ruled against the Trump campaign and Republican allies, stating that roughly 8,000 ballots with signature or date issues must be counted." The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Ramey, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) calls the state Supreme Court ruling another setback to Trump's campaign, which the Washington Times (11/23, Swoyer, 492K) reports "took its election case against Pennsylvania officials to" the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals. Bloomberg (11/23, Larson, 4.73M) reports the Trump campaign told the appeals court that it "would request an emergency order blocking Pennsylvania from certifying its election result while the campaign seeks to revise a lawsuit over mail-in ballots." Bloomberg says that the filing "signals that Trump hasn't given up his effort to block Pennsylvania from certifying...Biden's victory, even though the state's 67 counties are required by law to certify their results by Monday evening." In another article, Bloomberg (11/24, Larson, 4.73M) says the filing comes as the Trump campaign's team "is increasingly focused on the notion that it can roll back certifications by taking a disastrous Pennsylvania ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court." However, a New York Times (11/23, Feuer, 18.61M) article headlined "The G.O.P. Bungles Its Final Stand To Stop Pennsylvania's Election Certification" says that while Trump's lawyers "have placed their hopes on using the law to stop the certification of Pennsylvania's election results," on Monday they "filed only a narrow appeal of a loss in a big federal case in Pennsylvania." In addition, the New York Times (11/23, Corasaniti, 18.61M) reports Philadelphia, which is "the largest county in the state and where Mr. Biden built his biggest margin, certified its results on Monday night in a 3-0 vote." According to the Times, "The city was the target of most of the Trump campaign's legal efforts in the state, which was not lost on the commissioners as they certified the results." In Wisconsin, the AP (11/23, Bauer) reports the state's "partial presidential recount entered its fourth day Monday, with very few changes in vote totals as...Trump's attorneys appeared to be focused on a legal challenge seeking to toss tens of thousands of ballots, including the one cast by an attorney for the campaign." The recount has been limited to Milwaukee and Dane counties where Biden's advantage "was about 2-to-1." Trump campaign "attorneys have objected to counting any absentee ballots where voters identified themselves as 'indefinitely confined;' where information on the certification envelope is in two different ink colors, indicating a poll worker may have helped complete it; and where there is not a separate written record for it having been requested." The AP adds that "all of those ballots were being counted during the recount, but could be targeted as part of a Trump legal challenge." The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports Georgia will begin a machine recount on Tuesday. Meanwhile, a Washington Post (11/23, Kessler, 14.2M) "Fact Checker" analysis headlined "Giuliani Keeps Peddling Debunked Falsehoods On Behalf Of Trump" says the President's personal attorney Rudolph Giuliani's tweets show Trump's legal team "is not serious." According to the Post, Giuliani continues promoting "information that has already been thoroughly debunked, even in the conservative media." In an analysis, the Washington Post (11/23, Bump, 14.2M) says that while "at least at one point, Sidney Powell was part of President Trump's legal team as he pushed to overturn the will of the voters and earn a second consecutive term as president," her removal on Sunday left unanswered questions. According to the Post, Powell "did do two things that Giuliani avoided," EFTA01659129 which were "that she implied the involvement of Republican elected officials in her...conspiracy theory," and "she was unable to give Fox News adequate cover to present her claims uncritically." In a profile of Powell, the New York Times (11/23, Peters, Feuer, 18.61M) states that she "has said she plans to file a suit in Georgia but hasn't yet," and "it is unclear whether that work will continue now that the Trump campaign has cut her loose." In his Washington Post (11/23, 14.2M) column, Dana Milbank asserts Trump "is losing so much we are sick and tired of his losing." According to Milbank, "There's no realistic possibility his attempt to overturn the election succeeds, but the clown coup still does damage by preventing the incoming Biden administration from getting up to speed on potential national security crises and vaccine distribution. And last-minute sabotage - another government shutdown, or vetoing a defense bill over Trump's insistence on keeping the names of bases named for Confederates - can't be ruled out." Milbank concludes Trump "came in promising so much winning, but he's leaving with so much whining." Research Finds Small Numbers Of Right-Wing Personalities Behind Spread Of Election Misinformation. The New York Times (11/23, Frenkel, 18.61M) reports new research from Avaaz, a global human rights group, the Elections Integrity Partnership, and the Times "shows how a small group of people - mostly right-wing personalities with outsized influence on social media - helped spread the false voter-fraud narrative that led to those rallies. That group, like the guests of a large wedding held during the pandemic, were 'superspreaders' of misinformation around voter fraud, seeding falsehoods that include the claims that dead people voted, voting machines had technical glitches, and mail-in ballots were not correctly counted." In another report on "viral misinformation," the New York Times (11/23, Frenkel, 18.61M) says Biden "did not have a maskless birthday party last week," despite posts to the contrary that attempt to portray his celebration in 2019 as taking place this weekend. Meanwhile, The Hill (11/23, Mastrangelo, 2.98M) reports, "Several prominent right-wing activists and conservative pundits have been pushing the false claim that Joe Biden invented the 'office' of the president-elect or that he is the first incoming president ever to use the title." The Hill adds that while "there is no government office for the president-elect, the term has for decades been used by the media, politicians and the general public to describe the winner of a presidential election before they take office." Hill-HarrisX Poll: 47% Of Voters Want Trump To Run In 2024. The Hill (11/23, Schulte, 2.98M) reports a new Hill-HarrisX poll of 1,873 "registered voters" (11/17-11/19) found 47% overall "said they support the idea of another presidential run by Trump in four years," including 75% of Republicans and 24% of Democrats, but 53% overall "oppose the notion," including 25% of Republicans and 76% of Democrats. In an analysis examining what Trump "liked" about the presidency, the New York Times (11/23, Flegenheimer, Haberman, 18.61M) says he "preferred the parts of the job that combined pomp, splendor and a world amenable to his decisions. In other words, he always seemed to genuinely enjoy pardoning turkeys." White House To Hold Indoor Holiday Reception. Reuters (11/23, Heavey, Shalal, Lambert, Mason) reports, "The White House plans to hold an indoor holiday reception next week just days after Thanksgiving despite ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks at the compound, and against the advice of its own advisers who are urging Americans to sacrifice their normal holiday gatherings to curb the spread of the virus." The planned event "follows a series of White House events in recent months that have been linked to a rash of outbreaks." On ABC's Good Morning AmericaVI (11/23, 3.1M), Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams was asked, "the White House is planning to hold holiday parties indoors. What kind of message is this sending?" Surgeon General Adams said, "I want the American people to know we're at a dire point in our fight with this virus by any measure," but, he added, "We're going to have EFTA01659130 vulnerable people start to be vaccinated in mere weeks. I'm asking Americans, begging you, hold on just a little longer. Keep Thanksgiving small and smart this year." Pressed on the White House plans, Adams said, "We want them to be smart and as small as possible. ... the White House, the American people, everyone." Asked about polls showing reluctance to be vaccinated, Adams said, "This vaccine was developed safely. We have not cut any safety corners." Adams added, "When they tell me I can get the vaccine, I will get it." USA Today (11/23, Puente, 10.31M) provides similar coverage, as did a brief CBS Evening NewsVi (11/23, story 4, 0:25, Brennan, 4.43M) segment. Fauci Calls On New York, Other States To Accept A COVID-19 Vaccine Once It Is Approved By FDA. Fox Business (11/23, Manfredi, 1.73M) reports NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci on Monday "called on New York and other states to accept a COVID-19 vaccine once it's approved by the" Food and Drug Administration, "noting that he `doesn't agree' that an individual review by states is necessary." Dr. Fauci "worries an individual review by states could slow the process of rolling out the vaccine to their residents." Meanwhile, on ABC World News TonighiVi (11/23, story 2, 2:45, Muir, 7.2M), Tom Llamas said the Oxford-AstraZeneca data "could [show] widespread progress in the fight against the coronavirus." Fauci: "That's good news. What that tells us now that this is the third vaccine that we have that has given a very high degree of efficacy." Meanwhile, Operation Warp Speed Chief Operating Officer Gen. Gustave Perna said vaccines will be available 24 hours after receiving FDA approval. Perna: "If Pfizer is first, I'll call Pfizer, and they'll begin distributing vaccines. It will go to 64 jurisdictions simultaneously, 50 states, eight territories and six metropolitan cities." Llamas added, "The Secretary of Health and Human Services tells our Bob Woodward both Moderna and Pfizer, 40 million doses will be from those companies, and that the AstraZeneca news is obviously very promising. He also points out it's being made right here in the US, so once it's approved...it will be ready." The Washington Post (11/23, Al, Sun, Sellers, 14.2M) says that following positive results from multiple coronavirus vaccine trials, "public health officials are preparing for the daunting task ahead of delivering those shots to tens of millions of Americans." The Post adds "the vaccines need to be distributed across 50 states, plus U.S. territories, that have different demographics and shifting needs," and "the two leading products must be stored at different temperatures and have different minimum orders, with each requiring two doses but at different intervals." In addition, "a final decision on who is eligible to get the early doses must wait for a federal advisory group's recommendations." On the CBS Evening NewsVi (11/23, story 7, 2:00, Brennan, 4.43M), Mireya Villarreal reported from within Jackson Memorial, "one of five hospitals here in Florida that will be administering the vaccine and while they have been told not to expect it until mid-December, the chief pharmacy officer here tells me they can be ready by tomorrow if they need to be." On NBC Nightly NewsVi (11/23, story 4, 1:40, Holt, 6.28M), Tom Costello reported, "With multiple vaccines potentially on the way, health experts must now convince Americans they're safe. After the White House interfered in FDA and CDC coronavirus guidance, Americans' confidence in those agencies and the vaccine process dropped. But now indications that confidence is slowly starting to return. A Gallup poll finds 58 percent are now likely to be vaccinated, up from a low of 50 percent in September, though 42 percent still say they won't get the vaccine." In a Washington Post (11/23, 14.2M) op-ed, former Rep. John Delaney (D-MD) contends that to convince Americans to get vaccinated, the "solution is simple: Pay people to take a covid vaccine. The vaccines are likely to arrive at the same moment Washington is, belatedly, taking up much-needed stimulus legislation. The timing couldn't be better: Money would go into Americans' pockets just when the U.S. economy can begin fully reopening with a vaccinated population that can go about their daily lives without fear of catching the disease or infecting EFTA01659131 others. To that end, the federal government should pay every American $1,500 to get vaccinated. Send proof of vaccination, receive a $1,500 check or money via direct deposit." Bureau Of Prisons Announces Plan To Prioritize Staff For Vaccination. The AP (11/23, Balsamo, Sisak) reports that the Bureau of Prisons has "been instructing wardens and other staff members to prepare to receive the vaccine within weeks," but the initial doses will be given to staff instead of prisoners. Qantas Airlines To Mandate Vaccination Documentation Requirements. ABC World News TonightVI (11/23, story 7, 0:15, Muir, 7.2M) reported that Qantas Airlines is the first major airliner to announces plans to mandate presentation of vaccination forms in order to board flights. The mandate will take effect once vaccines become available for individuals. NYTimes Al Highlights Bill Gates' Efforts To Help Scientists Develop, Distribute COVID-19 Vaccine. A front-page New York Times (11/23, Al, Twohey, Kulish, 18.61M) article reports that billionaire Bill Gates "is working with the W.H.O., drugmakers and nonprofits to defeat the coronavirus everywhere, including in the world's poorest nations." The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provided a $150 million guarantee so that the Serum Institute of India could move ahead with production of "doses of promising coronavirus vaccines for the world's poor." Gates "has consulted frequently with" Dr. Fauci and Senate Majority Leader McConnell, "a polio survivor who has been supportive of programs to eradicate that and other scourges." In an interview, Fauci said, "He wanted to make sure, which is the classic Bill Gates, that as we do the vaccines, that it's the kind of vaccine that could be used in the developing world." WPost Calls For Patience With Vaccines Coming. The Washington Post (11/23, 14.2M) editorializes that while vaccines will be available soon, Americans must be patient because it will "take time to overcome manufacturing and logistics hurdles, and to distribute hundreds of millions of shots equitably." The Post refers to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine's tentative vaccine distribution framework, which "envisions a phased approach, to begin with a Phase 1 'jumpstart' group: high-risk health workers and first responders." US To Begin Distributing Regeneron's SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Treatment. Reuters (11/23, Maddipatla, O'Donnell) reports the US federal government will begin distributing Regeneron Pharmaceutical's REGN-COV2, the company's SARS-CoV-2 antibody treatment which was recently granted an emergency use authorization by the FDA. US health officials said doses of the treatment will be allocated to the states based on the number of confirmed cases and hospitalizations. Governors Tighten Restrictions In Bid To Contain Infection Spike. The AP (11/23, Webber) reports that governors "are imposing new coronavirus restrictions and pleading with the public in an increasingly desperate attempt to stop the explosive spread of the disease," which continues to spike as Americans "resist calls to limit gatherings and travel heading into the holidays." Nevada Gov. Stephen Sisolak (D) "tightened restrictions on casinos, restaurants and private gatherings beginning Tuesday," while Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts "warned that he could impose tighter social-distancing restrictions before Thanksgiving if hospitalizations continue to rise." The Wall Street Journal (11/23, West, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced Monday new restrictions on Staten Island, which has seen COVID positivity rates as high as 5.89 percent. The data means that Staten Island is now labeled an orange zone, and the restrictions will limit gatherings to 10 people, close schools for in-person classes, and force nonessential businesses to close. In addition, the New York Times (11/23, Shanahan, 18.61M) reports Cuomo "said...New York would reopen an emergency hospital on Staten Island to address a new surge in coronavirus cases that is straining the capacity of the borough's hospitals." EFTA01659132 The Washington Post (11/23, Zauzmer, 14.2M) reports DC Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) "announced a ban on indoor gatherings of more than 10 people - including Thanksgiving dinners," and the new restrictions "come as caseloads have spiked across the greater Washington region, where the seven-day average number of cases Monday hit a record for the 20th consecutive day." The order will also "ban live entertainment and indoor exercise classes." The Los Angeles Times (11/23, 4.64M) reports that Los Angeles County "reported a new all-time high for daily cases on Monday: 6,124," and L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer is warning that new restrictions could be implemented soon. She "did not immediately commit to implementing a stay-at-home order," but said that she will be meeting with the County to discuss options. Under the headline "Covid's Persistence Leads GOP, Democrats To Half Measures," Bloomberg (11/23, Chess, Palmeri, 4.73M) reports that while "the gulf between Republican and Democratic governors was vast" when the pandemic first spread, as "allied with President Donald Trump, most Republicans refused to impose basic public-health restrictions such as mask-wearing, while Democrats closed huge swaths of their states' economies." However, Bloomberg adds "many" governors now "find themselves implementing similar, somewhat half- hearted, measures - a bipartisan weariness aimed less at deep change than easing the strain on medical systems and buying time until a vaccine arrives." In an analysis headlined "The Virus Cared A Lot Less About Politics Than The Politicians Did," the Washington Post (11/23, Bump, 14.2M) says that despite President Trump's prediction, "Democratic governors and mayors didn't scale back containment efforts" after the election, as "there weren't many such efforts in place," but "the more important factor was that the new surge was already underway. As of writing, the number of new cases being recorded each day on average is nearly five times the rate on Sept. 12. Since Nov. 3, three weeks ago, it has nearly doubled." The Post says the increase "has meant not only" that Trump's claim "was wrong, but that even Republican officials skeptical of imposing restrictions have decided to implement new guidelines aimed at stopping the virus's spread." SCOTUS To Decide This Week On Whether To Hear Case On New York's Corona virus Restrictions. The Wall Street Journal (11/22, Vielkind, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports the Supreme Court this week is expected to decide on whether it will hear the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn's challenge to New York's coronavirus restrictions enacted last month. Utah Relaxes COVID Restrictions. The Hill (11/23, Coleman, 2.98M) reports Utah Governor Herbet "announced on Monday that the state was removing the two week-old mandate against casual social gatherings of those from different households, instead making it a recommendation." He said, "You increase the risk when you bring people into your home that are from outside the four walls of your house. That's just the harsh reality." Michigan County Approves Resolution Supporting Impeachment Of Governor Over Corona virus Restrictions. The Hill (11/23, Choi, 2.98M) reports the Kalkaska County Board of Commissioners "voted 4-2 on a resolution backing calls for" Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's (D) impeachment. Kalkaska County David Comai "blamed what he called Whitmer's 'unconstitutional executive orders' for Kalkaska's economic crisis." However, Michigan GOP legislators "have indicated they do not support efforts to impeach Whitmer." Michigan Speaker Lee Chatfield said, "I thought it was shameful what the Democrats did to President Trump last year, and I would assume that any attempt by Republicans right now, with the current set of facts that we have to impeach the governor, would be on the same level." Virginia Man Charged After "Forcefully Exhaling" On Two Women. Politico (11/23, 4.29M) reports Raymond Deskins "was charged with misdemeanor assault" after he was "seen forcefully exhaling on two women outside President Donald Trump's Virginia golf course." Footage of the incident "shows Deskins blowing air on two unidentified women after one of them asks him to get away and points out that he's not wearing a mask." EFTA01659133 US Moving Toward Holiday Season As Coronavirus Cases Increase Faster Than Ever. The Washington Post (11/23, Fox, 14.2M) reports that the US "is heading into the holiday season as coronavirus cases rise at their fastest rate ever." Last week, "more than 150,000 new cases were reported each day...and experts worry that indoor gatherings over the Thanksgiving holiday will cause case counts to surge even higher." On NBC Nightly NewsVI (11/23, story 7, 1:40, Holt, 6.1M), Miguel Almaguer reported the US "is on pace to soon hit 200,000 daily infections." The New York Times (11/23, Smith, 18.61M) says the national daily average of new cases "is as high as it has ever been," with nine states "reporting more than twice as many new cases a day as they did two weeks ago, and none of them are in the Midwest." According to the Times, the increases in Arizona, California, Delaware, Louisiana, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Vermont "reflect a still-escalating national crisis." In addition, the Washington Post (11/23, Farzan, 14.2M) reports the number of coronavirus hospitalizations nationwide "shattered records on Monday, topping 85,700," and the Wall Street Journal (11/23, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) says Sunday was the 13th straight day of record hospitalizations Bloomberg (11/23, Querolo, 4.73M) reports according to a model from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 "is on track to claim another 30,000 lives by mid- December," with "weekly cases and deaths both rising every week for the next month." On the CBS Evening NewsVi (11/23, story 8, 1:30, Brennan, 4.43M), Margaret Brennan reported South Dakota has recorded "more COVID hospitalizations and deaths over the last week per capita than anywhere else in the country." David Begnaud added, "Here in Sioux Falls, mask wearing is now mandatory, says mayor Paul TenHaken. But there's no enforcement behind it." Begnaud added South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) "is against mask mandates, despite the fact that per capita, South Dakota leads the world in COVID deaths every day." Meanwhile, the Miami Herald (11/23, Marchante, 1.09M) reports Florida's Department of Health on Monday "confirmed 6,331 additional cases of COVID-19 as dozens of Florida counties have hit a 'tipping point' of infections just a few days before Thanksgiving, according to Harvard University data." CDC Advises Overwhelmed State, Local Health Departments To Prioritize Contact Tracing Efforts As COVID-19 Infections Surge. Politico (11/23, Ollstein, 4.29M) reports, "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising overwhelmed local health officials to triage their coronavirus contact tracing efforts, writing that the latest infection surge is making it difficult to reach every close contact of Covid-positive patients in time to help contain the disease's spread." The agency in new guidance "said state and local public health departments should prioritize contacting people who tested positive for Covid-19 within the last six days, members of their immediate household, the elderly and people with health conditions that make them more vulnerable to the virus, and people who live or work in congregate settings like nursing homes and prisons, where the virus has spread rapidly." California Governor Quarantining After Children Exposed To Infected Police Officer. Politico (11/23, Staff, 4.29M) reports California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and his family "are quarantining for 14 days after learning three of their children were exposed to a California Highway Patrol officer who has tested positive for Covid-19." Newsom and his family "tested negative Sunday for coronavirus" after he "learned of the CHP exposure during the 'late evening' Friday." Airline Travel Surges Despite Guidance Against Holiday Travel. The Washington Post (11/23, McMahon, 14.2M) reports the Transportation Security Administration "recorded its highest number of weekend passengers since the coronavirus pandemic began in March, with over 3 million people traveling in the past three days." The spike "comes despite Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance advising against Thanksgiving travel because of mounting covid-19 cases across the nation." Reuters (11/23, EFTA01659134 Trotta, Layne) reports, "Millions of Americans appear to be defying health warnings and traveling ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, likely exacerbating a surge in coronavirus infections before a series of promising new vaccines become widely available." The CBS Evening NewsVi (11/23, lead story, 4:05, Brennan, 4.43M) reported in its lead story that 50 million Americans are "ignoring warnings from the CDC not to travel" for the Thanksgiving holiday, in "a dangerous move that health experts are warning will send the deepening crisis into an even faster and deadly her tail spin." Some would-be travelers are heeding the warnings about the surge in COVID-19 infections, "causing a spike in cancellations at airlines and Amtrak." NBC Nightly NewsVi (11/23, story 6, 1:50, Holt, 6.1M) reported, "It's beginning to look a lot like typical holiday travel. Packed airports anticipating the busiest week since the start of the pandemic," with little social distancing. However, the Washington Times (11/23, Vondracek, 492K) says "many" travelers "apparently are getting tested for COVID-19 before they leave, with several states reporting an uptick in testing." The New York Times (11/23, Belluck, 18.61M) reports, "Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the country's top infectious disease specialist, and other health experts relayed a clear message on Sunday morning news shows: with coronavirus cases surging to record levels across the country, turning nearly every state into a hot zone of transmission, the risk of getting infected, whether in transit or in even small indoor gatherings, is high." According to AAA, "up to 50 million people could be traveling on roads and through airports in the United States over Thanksgiving this year...the biggest travel surge since the pandemic began," though the AP (11/23, Durbin, Koenig) reports the CDC last week "urged Americans not to travel or spend the holiday with people outside their household." According to the Washington Post (11/23, Aratani, 14.2M), the CDC "strongly recommended" people avoid holiday travel, and "most" locals "seem to be heeding that advice." Erin Sauber-Schatz, head of the CDC's Community Intervention and Critical Population Task Force, said, "It's been a long outbreak - almost 11 months now - and people are tired. We understand that." Sauber-Schatz added, "People want to see their relatives, their friends and [celebrate] the way they've always done it, but this year, particularly, we're asking people to be as safe as possible and limit their travel." A front-page Wall Street Journal (11/23, Al, Levitz, Passy, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) article looks at how Americans seeking to follow the health guidance. On the lead ABC World News TonightVi (11/23, lead story, 3:35, Muir, 7.2M) broadcast, Victor Oquendo reported officials "across the country are sounding the alarm." North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D): "Our actions now will determine the fate of many." New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D): "These are dangerous times that we're in." Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams: "I'm asking Americans, I'm begging you, hold on just a little bit longer. Keep Thanksgiving and the celebrations small and smart this year." However, the New York Times (11/23, McKinley, Ferre-Sadurni, 18.61M) reports that while Cuomo "has been preaching a message of sacrifice during the holidays," he "announced on Monday...that he had invited his 89-year-old mother, Matilda, and two of his daughters to celebrate a very Cuomo Thanksgiving with him this week in Albany," which spurred "a barrage of condemnation from his most frequent critics." According to the Times, the New York Republican Party "was particularly unsparing, saying, `Andrew Cuomo doesn't need an Emmy, he needs a reality check." Epidemiologists Question Role Of Informal Gatherings In The Spread Of SARS- CoV-2. The New York Times (11/23, Mandavilli, 18.61M) reports many health officials have said that informal gatherings are driving the spread of coronavirus. However, "many epidemiologists are far less certain, saying there is little evidence to suggest that household gatherings were the source of the majority of infections since the summer." In addition, "it has become much harder to pinpoint any source of any outbreak, now that the virus is so widespread and Americans may be exposed in so many ways." In states that collect and report detailed information about the spread of the virus, "long-term care facilities, food processing EFTA01659135 plants, prisons, health care settings, and restaurants and bars are still the leading sources of spread." However, the Washington Post (11/23, Salcedo, 14.2M) profiles a Texas family that had 15 members contract the coronavirus "after a small indoor birthday celebration earlier this month where no one wore masks." According to the Post, the family "is begging others to avoid gathering with anyone outside their immediate household." NFL Announces Expansion To Mask Mandate. The AP (11/23, Maaddi) reports that the National Football League "has expanded its mandate for mask usage on the sideline and is threatening discipline for those who violate the league's updated COVID-19 protocols." The league "told teams in a memo on Monday that players who are not substituting or preparing to enter the field of play and are not wearing their helmets will be required to wear a mask or a double-layered gaiter on the sideline." Gottlieb Issues Warning About Long-Term COVID Effects. The Hill (11/23, Weixel, 2.98M) reports former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Scott Gottlieb spoke Monday at a American Enterprise Institute panel discussion, where he warned that medical community does not have enough data to understand the long-term medical impacts of COVID-19. He "said the coronavirus is so widespread in the U.S. it's hard to tell if there are more incidences of post-viral complications than other diseases like the flu." Gottlieb also "defended the White House's slow response to the pandemic, saying the U.S.'s broad initial failure was not the fault of 'just one person." Scientists Investigating How SARS-CoV-2 Can Cause Some People To Lose Their Sense Of Smelt The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Whelan, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports scientists are trying to determine how SARS-CoV-2 infection can cause some patients to lose their sense of smell, sometimes for months, in hopes of increasing their understanding of the virus. Maryland Governor Challenges WPost Reporting On Imported COVID Tests. The Washington Times (11/23, Zantow, 492K) reports Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) "disputed a Washington Post report that his administration spent $9.46 million on 500,000 faulty coronavirus tests from South Korea earlier this year." The Washington Post reported that the first batch of tests, which Hogan reportedly paid $9.46 million to receive, "were defective," and he later "paid the [LabGenomics] $2.5 million for another 500,000 in replacement tests." Hogan "denied the allegations on the webpage and stated that the 'initial tests were successfully validated and usable' but 'a change in FDA emergency protocols' prompted LabGenomics to replace and upgrade the tests." Study: One In 12 Early COVID Cases Linked To Outbreaks In Meatpacking Plants. Bloomberg (11/23, Doming, 4.73M) reports a study by researchers at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business found that "as many as one in 12 cases of Covid-19 in the early stage of the pandemic in the U.S. can be tied to outbreaks at meatpacking plants and subsequent spread in surrounding communities." Bloomberg says the study's findings "draw attention to the role of the meatpacking industry in the pandemic and the Trump administration's controversial approach to workplace safety as outbreaks at slaughterhouses emerged. Trump issued an executive order on April 28 directing meatpackers to reopen closed facilities, and the administration eschewed mandatory Covid-19 safety regulation, opting instead for voluntary industry guidelines." Rule Would Require Visitors To US From Two Dozen Countries To Post Bonds. EFTA01659136 Reuters (11/23, Hesson) reports the Administration on Monday "issued a new temporary rule that could require tourist and business travelers from two dozen countries, most in Africa, to pay a bond of as much as $15,000 to visit the United States." The rule, "which takes effect Dec. 24 and runs through June 24, targets countries whose nationals have higher rates of overstaying B-2 visas for tourists and B-1 visas for business travelers." The rule is a "six-month pilot program...to test the feasibility of collecting such bonds." Report Says ICE Using Mobile Fingerprinting In Deportation Crackdown. The AP (11/23, Bajak) reports, "A mobile fingerprinting app US immigration agents use to run remote ID checks in the field has become a core tool in President Donald Trump's deportation crackdown, a pair of immigration rights groups say in a new report based on a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit." The "2,500 pages of documents obtained through the 2017 lawsuit show that the app, known as EDDIE, has helped Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents ramp up deportations of migrants not intentionally targeted for removal, the report states." These people "are often detained as Icollaterals' picked up in operations aimed at others, the activists say in Monday's report" by nonprofit Just Futures Law, "which produced the report with the immigrant rights group Mijente." They also "say that field use of the app exacerbates racial profiling in immigrant communities." Rampell: Families Torn Apart At Border Still Not Reunited Or Secure. In her Washington Post (11/23, 14.2M) column, Catherine Rampell recounts the story of a mother and son who were separated by US officials while asleep in a migrant detention cell after coming to the US to flee "gang threats and other violence in Guatemala." The mother, Leticia, "knows it would be more painful to still be living this experience, as hundreds of families still are. Because the US government is, even today, separating families." Rampell says, "Before the country moves on, before a new administration and the public try to put this national atrocity in the rearview mirror: Leticia wants us all to remember. She wants us to provide what is owed to hundreds of children whose deported mothers and fathers still haven't been located, because the government didn't bother to keep records; and to the thousands more families who have been found, and in some cases reunited, but still fear for their lives." Reps. Reed And Gottheimer Say COVID-19 Aid Package Can Be Done. Fox BusinessVi (11/23, 139K) featured Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY) and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D- NJ), co-chairs of the Problem Solvers caucus. Asked about a new COVID-19 aid package, Gottheimer said that we "feel deeply that it's critical that we get this done in the next weeks before obviously the holidays. ... Now is the time to get stimulus, now is the time to help folks, families who are struggling and help the food insecure. As you know, so many people are hungry right now. Now is the time to get this done." Reed said, "What we need to do is focus on what is attainable. That is a package between $500 billion and $1 trillion. ... The President will sign this if these guys get out of the way and leadership stops playing politics." Gottheimer said, "The package - it's not far. It's getting the damn politics out of the way and tell leadership stop playing games." De Blasio Says New York City Needs A Federal Bailout. The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Honan, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says the city needs a federal bail out to recover from the economic damage caused by the pandemic. The city's financial plan, which was released Monday, shows the first round of federal stimulus avoid deep cuts in tax revenue collections, but more federal help is needed. At a press conference Monday, de Blasio warned of difficult choices, including laying off 22,000 city employees, if the city dies not receive not granted borrowing authority from the state of a federal bailout. Minnesota Governor To Call Special Legislative Session To On COVID Relief For Small Businesses. Bloomberg (11/23, Joyce, 4.73M) reports Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) EFTA01659137 "plans to call a special session of the state legislature to pass spending bills that provide relief to small businesses impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic." During a press conference Monday, Walz said, "It's absolutely critical that we get something quickly to these businesses, we get something that makes a material difference to them, and bridge the gap until the federal government can do what they need to do: make a substantial impact on the economics and well being of Americans." Walz "said he'll unveil his relief package Tuesday." He said it will include "sales tax forgiveness for businesses that sell food or beverages and a tax credit for food donations available to the hospitality industry." In addition, "assistance will also be provided to long-term care facilities and the state's homeless shelters." Mayors Call For A "Marshall Plan For Middle America." In an op-ed for the Washington Post (11/22, 14.2M), Mayor William Peduto (D) of Pittsburgh, Mayor Jamael Tito Brown (D) of Youngstown, Ohio, Mayor Nan Whaley (D) of Dayton, Ohio, Mayor Andrew Ginther (D) of Columbus, Ohio, Mayor John Cranley (D) of Cincinnati, Mayor Steve Williams (D) of Huntington, West Virginia, Mayor Ron Dulaney Jr. (D) of Morgantown, West Virginia, and Mayor Greg Fischer (D) of Louisville call for "an ambitious federal response to save our industries and communities from destruction: a Marshall Plan for Middle America." They write, "Like postwar Europe, Middle America faces similar issues of decline - a shared crisis of aging infrastructure, obsolescence of business and government institutions, and the need for upskilling and reskilling the workforce." ABC Highlights Efforts To Help Those In Need During Pandemic. ABC World News TonightVi (11/23, story 10, 2:30, Muir, 7.2M) reported on the efforts of "Americans across this country who are helping" families in need during the pandemic. House Democrats' Disagreement Over Confederate Bases Could Doom Defense Bill. Politico (11/23, Caygle, O'Brien, Ferris, 4.29M) reports "an internal fight" has emerged among House Democrats "over renaming military bases that honor Confederates" and is "threatening to doom the popular bipartisan provision." The "provision in the annual defense policy bill has caused a splinter within the Democratic Caucus as lawmakers weigh what's more important - axing the language and ensuring the $740 billion bill is passed on time, or forcing the issue, all but guaranteeing a showdown with Republicans and President Donald Trump, who has threatened to veto the bill if it remains." Major Trump Donor Received $25M Low-Interest Government-Backed Pandemic Loan. The Washington Post (11/23, Frankel, 14.2M) reports, "A company owned by a major donor to President Trump that operates auto-title loan stores with names such as LoanStar and Moneymax secured a $25 million low-interest loan from a government pandemic aid program, using what consumer advocates describe as a loophole to a rule designed to prevent most lenders from getting this federal help." This "cash infusion to Wellshire Financial Services - part of a multi-state title loan empire run by Atlanta businessman Rod Aycox - came from the Federal Reserve's $600 billion Main Street Lending program for small- and medium-size businesses." States Plan To File Second Antitrust Suit Against Google In December. Citing "two people briefed on the matter," Reuters (11/23, Bartz, Dave) reports that a "bipartisan group of U.S. states plans to file an antitrust lawsuit against Google as early as next month...potentially beating a more widely anticipated lawsuit from a different group of states led by Texas." The group, which includes Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah, "is sometimes referred to as the Colorado/Nebraska group and has said it planned to combine its case with the federal government's." Reuters says the "people briefed on the matter said the Colorado/Nebraska group planned to file their lawsuit around mid- December, with one of the people saying a filing was expected in federal district court." EFTA01659138 Simington Tried To Enlist Laura Ingraham In Fight Against Social Media Companies. Politico (11/23, Hendel, 4.29M) reports President Trump's FCC nominee Nathan Simington "reached out to Fox News this summer in an attempt at 'engaging' host Laura Ingraham to support...Trump's quest to make it easier to sue social media companies like Facebook and Twitter, according to emails obtained by POLITICO. Simington, a senior adviser in a key Commerce Department tech agency, wrote that the popular Fox News host could help sway the FCC to act on Trump's proposal before Election Day." In a June 22 to a Fox News staffer, Simington wrote, "Any additional support we might be able to obtain could help to get the FCC on board more quickly and thereby ensure a freer, fairer social media landscape going into the elections this fall." Feinstein To Step Down As Top Democrat On Senate Judiciary Committee. The Washington Post (11/23, Sonmez, Kim, 14.2M) reports Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) announced Monday that she will step down from the top Democratic spot on the Senate Judiciary Committee next year. The decision comes "after criticism from liberal groups for her handling of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation hearings." The New York Times (11/23, Fandos, 18.61M) says Feinstein is "bowing to intense pressure by progressives who said she was not up to the task of leading a crucial panel at the forefront of the partisan war over the courts in a new Biden administration." Bloomberg (11/23, Litvan, 4.73M) reports a statement from Feinstein "said she instead will focus attention on issues of importance to her, including the wildfires and droughts in her home state of California. She said she will continue to serve on the Judiciary panel, as well as three other committees: Intelligence, Appropriations and Rules." The AP (11/23, Jalonick, Daly) reports Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), "the Senate's No. 2 Democrat, said he will seek to replace Feinstein as the committee's top Democrat. He is third in seniority on the panel, after Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, who is currently the top Democrat on the appropriations committee." The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Peterson, Subscription Publication, 7.57M), Politico (11/23, Levine, Everett, 4.29M), and The Hill (11/23, Bolton, 2.98M) provide similar coverage. House Democrats Prepare To Govern With Tightest Majority in Two Decades. The Washington Post (11/23, DeBonis, 14.2M) reports House Democratic leaders, who are "facing the tightest House majority in at least two decades," are "already sketching out ways to manage a legislature that will spend two years on a razor's edge." The Post adds, "Pushing any sort of partisan measure through the House will require near-unanimity inside their party, forcing careful negotiations with various factions of lawmakers and perhaps fewer aspirational 'messaging' bills meant to set out Democratic ideals but not necessarily become law." At the same time, "an emboldened Republican minority will look to wreak havoc and magnify internal disputes ahead of the 2022 midterms." House Minority Leader McCarthy "and other Republican leaders have already signaled they plan to use various procedural feints to frustrate Democrats and sow internal division." INTERNATIONAL NEWS AstraZeneca-Oxford Coronavirus Vaccine Data Indicates Shot Is Up To 90% Effective. The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Al, Strasburg, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports on its front page that AstraZeneca and Oxford University unveiled that clinical trial data showed their coronavirus vaccine is safe and up to 90% effective. AstraZeneca is working on seeking emergency use authorization from multiple countries and the World Health Organization. On the CBS Evening NewsVi (11/23, story 6, 2:10, Brennan, 4.43M), Charlie D'Agata said the vaccine "is being hailed here as a breakthrough that could stop the pandemic in its tracks. Not only EFTA01659139 effective and safe, clinical trials show the Oxford vaccine may stop people spreading the virus too. They swab tested volunteers every week and found a reduction in asymptomatic cases, people spreading the disease without knowing they have it." Reuters (11/23, Holton, Mason) reports that AstraZeneca is "the latest drugmaker to unveil positive interim data in a scientific race to curb a global pandemic" following news from Pfizer and Moderna that their vaccines are 95% and 94.5% effective, respectively. The AP (11/23) reports that AstraZeneca tested two different doses. While "a half dose of the vaccine followed by a full dose at least one month apart was 90% effective," another testing "regimen using two full doses one month apart was 62% effective." Combined, the data indicated "an average efficacy rate of 70%." Reuters (11/23, Smout, Kelland, Burger) reports AstraZeneca "said it was a minor mistake that made the team realise how they could significantly boost the shot's success rate, to as much as 90% from around 60%: by administering a half dose, followed by a full dose a month later." Bloomberg (11/23, Ring, 4.73M) reports that 131 participants in the trial contracted COVID-19 before researchers reviewed the data. "The more effective of the two trial regimes, starting with half a dose, could provide advantages, according to Oxford Professor Andrew Pollard." Pollard said in a BBC radio interview, "It means we will have a lot more doses to distribute if that way of vaccinating was approved. Those who got that regimen with higher protection, there's a suggestion that it was also able to reduce asymptomatic infection. If that's right, that means that we might be able to hold the virus in its tracks and stop it from transmitting between people." CNN (11/23, Halasz, 83.16M) reports that AZ "said in a news release that its vaccine was `highly effective in preventing COVID-19, the primary endpoint, and no hospitalisations or severe cases of the disease were reported in participants receiving the vaccine.' The Washington Post (11/23, Booth, Johnson, 14.2M) reports on its front page that scientists "and politicians alike hailed the third straight week of buoyant scientific news as a sign that, even as coronavirus cases surge to devastating levels in many countries, an end to the pandemic is in sight." On NBC Nightly NewsVi (11/23, story 3, 1:45, Holt, 6.28M), Keir Simmons reported AstraZeneca "is celebrating." AstraZeneca Executive Vice President Ruud Dobber: "The sooner we have a solution and this can be a potential solution, the better it is, so it's - the emotions, there's an enormous sense of pride." Reuters (11/23, Faulconbridge, Holden) reports British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter, "Incredibly exciting news the Oxford vaccine has proved so effective in trials. There are still further safety checks ahead, but these are fantastic results." Reuters (11/23, Faulconbridge, Kelland, Young, Holton) reports separately that UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock described the data as "fantastic news." Meanwhile, the New York Times (11/23, Al, Robbins, Mueller, 18.61M) reports AstraZeneca "said it expected to begin distributing the vaccine this year and that it would be able to make up to three billion doses next year. At two doses per person, that would be enough to inoculate nearly one in five people worldwide." AstraZeneca's COVID-19 Vaccine Data Expected To Fall Short Of High Bar Set By Pfizer, Moderna. Bloomberg (11/20, Coniam, 4.73M) reported that AstraZeneca's stock may be vulnerable if data for its COVID-19 vaccine fall short of the high bar set by Pfizer and Moderna. In fact, "AstraZeneca will struggle to come close to those other candidates, according to investors and analysts interviewed by Bloomberg News." One "health-care fund manager with Polar Capital LLP in London said he is looking for around 90% efficacy from AstraZeneca." The piece explains that in contrast to Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines, which use mRNA, AstraZeneca's vaccine uses "a viral vector technology that deploys an altered common cold virus to carry the genetic material of the coronavirus and produce an immune response." However, USA Today (11/16, Rodriguez, Weintraub, 10.31M) reports all three vaccines "are among six candidate vaccines being supported by more than $10 billion in U.S taxpayer dollars. The government is also supporting an experimental vaccine from Sanofi/GSK and one EFTA01659140 from startup Novavax, which are expected to begin large trials in the U.S. in the coming weeks. Merck, which has received far less funding, is a few months further behind." Some Countries Face "Immense" Stakes With AstraZeneca's Vaccine. Bloomberg (11/22, Paton, 4.73M) reported that "the stakes for lower- and middle-income nations are immense," given that "the shot developed with the University of Oxford accounts for more than 40% of the supplies going to those countries, based on deals tracked by London-based research firm Airfinity Ltd." Moreover, "the Astra vaccine costs a fraction of the price set by Pfizer and will be manufactured in multiple countries, from India to Brazil." In addition, the AP (11/23) reports that unlike the vaccines from Pfizer or Moderna, "the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine doesn't have to be stored at freezer temperatures, making it potentially easier to distribute, especially in developing countries." On NBC Nightly NewsVi (11/23, story 5, 0:50, Holt, 6.28M), Richard Engel said that Oxford and AstraZeneca "have a distribution plan. Two hundred million doses this year. Those three billion doses next year, of which 300 million will be allocated to the United States, another 300 million for the rest of the world to be distributed by international agencies." European Governments Prepare To Ease Lockdowns For December Holidays. The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Legorano, Douglas, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports that governments across Europe plan to ease lockdowns in December, but they are warning that this holiday season will not be typical. If officials keep tight lockdowns, they could damage hospitality and retail industries and risk noncompliance; if they loosen too much, they risk a third surge of COVID-19 infections. UK's Johnson Lays Out Plans To Lift Lockdown Next Week. The New York Times (11/23, Landler, Castle, 18.61M) reports, "Buoyed by promising results for a British-led coronavirus vaccine and signs of a slowdown in the infection rate, Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday laid out a plan to lift England's nationwide lockdown next week." However, "he warned of strict regional restrictions that would last until next spring." Johnson's "'winter plan' is designed to give his exhausted country hope for better times ahead while preparing it for several more months of mostly shuttered pubs and restaurants, and limitations on social gatherings." England "will return to a system under which the country is divided into three tiers of restrictions, though the government has yet to announce which regions will be under the different sets of curbs." Italian Virologist Says He Is Unable Even To Get A Flu Shot. The New York Times (11/23, Bubola, 18.61M) reports Italy has suffered "two big outbreaks of the coronavirus," and "many people in Italy greeted news that a vaccine could be available by early next year with some optimism." However, virologist Massimo Galli, speaking on Italian television on Sunday, "provided a reality check about the country's ability to carry out a mass vaccination drive - he says he hasn't even been able to get a simple flu shot." His remarks "renewed concerns among Italian experts about a potential lack of preparedness to procure and distribute a coronavirus vaccine when it became available." Spain's King Felipe Quarantining After Close Contact With COVID-19 Case. Reuters (11/23) reports, "Spain's King Felipe VI started 10 days of quarantine on Monday after coming into close contact with someone who later tested positive for the new coronavirus, a Royal House source said." The king "has cancelled his public appearances during the quarantine period after the person tested positive on Monday, one day after they were in close contact, the source added." Canadians Pushing To Keep Schools Open Despite Resurgence Of COVID-19 Infections. EFTA01659141 The New York Times (11/23, Porter, 18.61M) reports, "Facing a resurgence of coronavirus infections in Toronto, the fourth largest city in North America retreated back into lockdown on Monday, along with two booming suburbs." However, "in contrast to New York and other big American cities, officials are finding it more beneficial to keep schools open." In "most places there are no official thresholds for shutting schools down and there is little appetite to do so, according to Ahmed Al-Jaishi, an epidemiologist who is part of an academic team compiling school outbreaks across the country." And, "despite fears among parents that students would bring the disease home and among teachers that they would get infected in large numbers, such outcomes have been rare." Mexico's Roman Catholic Church Cancels Guadalupe Pilgrimage. The AP (11/23) reports, "Mexico's Roman Catholic Church announced the cancellation Monday of what's considered the world's largest Catholic pilgrimage, for the Virgin of Guadalupe, due to the COVID-19 pandemic." Mexico's Episcopal Conference "said in a statement that the basilica will be closed from December 10-13." The church recommended "the Guadalupe celebrations be held in churches or at home, avoiding gatherings and with the appropriate health measures." Reuters (11/23) reports, "The feast day of the Virgin of Guadalupe celebrated on Dec. 12 typically features lavish pageantry at her namesake basilica in the north of Mexico City where throngs of pilgrims arrive on their knees in prayer," but "this year the festivities will move online." Shanghai Airport Employees Sealed In For COVID-19 Testing. The Washington Post (11/23, Dou, 14.2M) reports that there are "more than 17,000 employees...sealed inside Shanghai's main airport on Sunday" after "seven cases of coronavirus linked to the cargo unit." By Monday morning, officials announced "that 17,719 airport cargo workers had been tested for coronavirus in one night. All of the 11,544 test results received so far came back negative, they said." However, "left unanswered was where the workers are now." An airport spokesman "declined to say on Monday if they were still in the airport, taken to quarantine, or allowed to go home." Hong Kong Hoping To Encourage COVID-19 Testing With Cash Payments. The New York Times (11/23, Albeck-Ripka, 18.61M) reports, "Hong Kong's government said on Sunday that it would give cash payments of about $650 to residents who tested positive for the coronavirus, a policy designed to encourage people to get tested." Sophia Chan, "Hong Kong's health secretary, said the policy was aimed at people who had avoided getting tested because they were afraid of the financial consequences of being forced to stay home from work if they tested positive." She told reporters on Sunday, "We hope they don't avoid it for income reasons, for fear of halting work and losing income." South Korean Delivery Drivers' COVID-19 Deaths Prompt Calls For Worker Protections. The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Yoon, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports 15 delivery drivers have died from COVID-19 in South Korea this year, prompting calls for more worker protections. South Korean President Moon Jae-in urged action, and this month South Korea's employment minister proposed changes such as halting deliveries at 10:00pm and implementing a workweek of five days. Fewer Korean Adoptees Returning To Birth Country Amid Pandemic. The New York Times (11/23, Pietsch, 18.61M) reports, "Around 200,000 Korean children have been sent to families overseas since the 1950s, primarily to white families in America," and this "diaspora of adoptees" see reunions with their biological parents as "a rite of passage, one they have imagined and anticipated for as long as they can remember, like a wedding or the birth of a child." Amid the global pandemic, "the pilgrimages back to South Korea dwindled" and "many EFTA01659142 adoptees canceled long-planned reunions after the government's quarantine rules for foreign visitors made the trips too costly and time-consuming." However, some went ahead with their trips; the Times describes in depth the story of Mallory Guy, who flew from the US to South Korea to meet her birth family. COVID Threatens Comeback After South Asian Countries Appear To Have Beaten First Wave. Bloomberg (11/23, Mangi, Devnath, Kay, 4.73M) reports that "concerns are growing that new waves" of COVID-19 "emerging around the world could yet devastate" parts of South Asia that have largely contained the first wave of the virus. The "contrasting impact across South Asia has been striking despite sharing common traits of young populations spread across densely packed cities and expansive hinterlands that struggle to access basic health care." India "has about triple the combined population of Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh yet it has reported more than 10 times as many cases." According to Bloomberg, this "partly reflects how the pandemic has been handled. India imposed a sudden national lockdown in March," and "millions returned to their rural villages and many took the disease with them." Pakistan "opted for localized lockdowns and drew on the health networks it has in place for an ongoing battle against polio," and "turned to its powerful army to implement track-and-trace systems aided by deep military surveillance." Senior Administration Officials: White House Considering Joint Alliance Against Beijing. The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports senior Trump Administration officials say they are pushing for an informal alliance of Western countries that would retaliate jointly if China uses trading power to influence other countries. Allied countries would agree to purchase goods that are boycotted by China or assess tariffs on China to compensate for lost trade. SEC Pressing Chinese Companies To Ensure Investors Know Of Potential Accounting Risks. Bloomberg (11/23, Bain, 4.73M) reports Securities and Exchange Commission officials "are pressing Chinese companies with stock trading in the US to make sure investors are aware of the potential risks they face because of limits on American regulators' ability to review their books." Lawyers from the SEC's Division of Corporation Finance "released staff guidance on Monday that notes the 'substantially greater risk' that disclosures by Chinese firms may be incomplete or misleading." Officials "cited concerns including inspectors being unable to review audits of China-based firms." Chinese Government Promotes Country's Openness But Adopts Aggressive Policies Dictating Terms. The New York Times (11/23, Al, Myers, Bradsher, 18.61M) reports Chinese President Xi Jinping "is pursuing a strategy to make the country's economy more self-sufficient, while making other places more dependent on it than ever." In "a flurry of speeches over the last week," Xi "laid out his vision for this new world order, while making clear his terms for global engagement." He "reiterated at the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, an important regional forum, that the country had no intention of going it alone and 'decoupling' its economy from the world." He also "said China remained committed to opening up and would 'play its part' to make the global economy 'fairer and more equitable:" Australian PM Says US, China Should Not Force Countries To Choose Sides. Bloomberg (11/23, 4.73M) reports Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison "has warned that intensifying competition between the US and China is pressuring other nations to choose sides, and urged the superpowers to give governments 'more room to move." Morrison, "who has long tried to balance Australia's close trading ties with China and enduring security alliance with the US, said the ongoing rivalry had created challenges for Indo-Pacific nations that could spread further west." In a speech to a UK think tank on Monday, Morrison said, "Like other sovereign nations in the Indo-Pacific, our preference in Australia is not to be forced into any EFTA01659143 binary choices. ... Our present challenge in the Indo-Pacific though is a foretaste for so many others around the world, including the United Kingdom and Europe." EU, Canada, Other Countries Agree To Measures Eliminating Export Curbs Amid COVID-19 Battle. Reuters (11/23, Blenkinsop) reports, "The European Union, Canada and 11 other countries agreed on Monday to measures such as eliminating export curbs they believe should form the basis of a global deal to help tackle COVID-19 and future pandemics." The "'Ottawa Group' will present its proposals to the World Trade Organization in mid-December in the hope its 164 members will sign up early in 2021." The group, "which does not include the United States or China, wants WTO members to commit to removing export restrictions on medical supplies - some 70 still have them in place, according to EU officials." Afghan Youths Escape Reality In Violent Video Game With "Cultlike Following." The New York Times (11/23, Gibbons-Neff, Faizi, 18.61M) reports on the "cultlike following" of the video game PlayerUnknown Battlegrounds (PUBG), which is "becoming widely played across Afghanistan, almost as an escape from reality as the 19-year-old war grinds on." Afghan lawmakers "are trying to ban PUBG, arguing that it promotes violence and distracts the young from their schoolwork," though players know they can easily circumvent any bans with software on their phones. Twenty-three-year-old Mohammad Ali "sees PUBG as an escape," saying, "I get so busy with the game I forget about the world. ... It distracts me from the city, the attacks, the robberies, the thieves and the crime." G-20 Meeting Demonstrates Relief From Leaders At Prospect Of Biden Presidency. Bloomberg (11/23, Follain, Nereim, Delfs, Nardelli, 4.73M) reports that the "picture that emerged from two days of international diplomacy reduced to a form of Zoom meeting" at this year's G-20 meeting "is that many leaders are relieved to have Joe Biden take over as US president, though they think four years of 'America First' cannot be easily undone, according to officials present." Even "in these anti-climatic circumstances, where officials couldn't mingle, it was clear there was a different vibe." One official "described it like a breath of fresh air," and another "noted that after years of obstructionism, the US delegation seemed more engaged, and that the final summit statement was stronger than many in recent years." Jordan's King Expresses To Biden "Keenness" To Continue Partnership With US. Reuters (11/23, Staff) reports, "Jordan's King Abdulllah expressed in a phone call on Monday with US President-elect Joe Biden 'keenness to continue bolstering the strategic partnership between the two countries to expand cooperation, in service of mutual interests and regional security and stability,' the Jordanian royal court said on Twitter." Central European Countries Prepare For Changes Under Biden. The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Trofimov, Hinshaw, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports Hungary and Poland are preparing for a change with a Biden Administration after President Trump forged a friendship with several leaders throughout Central Eastern Europe. Trump's policies were embraced by their own nationalist and populist movements. WPost: EU Facing Challenge To Democracy With Hungary, Poland Budget Block. In an editorial, the Washington Post (11/23, 14.2M) says it is "essential" that European Union leaders "not give in" to Hungary and Poland, "which under nationalist populist governments have been drifting steadily toward autocracy." This fall, the European Parliament "hit on the solution of linking funding in the bloc's new $2.1 trillion budget to respect for the rule of law," but Hungary and Poland "have responded by blocking the budget's adoption, which requires a unanimous vote - and thereby threatening critical funding not only for themselves but also for other nations hard-hit by the covid-19 pandemic." The "continued impasse could exacerbate EFTA01659144 what is already a serious economic crisis within the European Union," the Post says, "but if the blackmail by Hungary and Poland succeeds, Europe's commitment to democracy will be fatally compromised." Corruption Trial For Former French President Sarkozy Opens. The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Bisserbe, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports the trial into whether former French President Nicolas Sarkozy attempted to bribe a magistrate for confidential information regarding a police probe into his 2007 campaign's finances began on Monday. The trial was suspended immediately, however, when the court ordered Gilbert Azibert, the magistrate, to undergo a medical evaluation because he was not present in the courtroom. The New York Times (11/23, Breeden, 18.61M) reports Sarkozy "appeared in a Paris courtroom on Monday to face charges of corruption and influence-peddling, as years of drawn- out legal entanglements came to a head despite his enduring influence and popularity on the right." Nicolas Roussellier, "a political historian at Sciences Po in Paris who has studied the evolution of France's executive branch, noted that it had been historically rare for heads of state to stand trial or even face charges in France because of an `old tradition' that sees the executive branch as a `sacred' office, separate from the turmoil of the political arena and shielded from a judge's reach." However, "the French have become increasingly impatient with the financial improprieties of their political elites, and journalists and prosecutors have become increasingly assertive in poking their noses where, several decades ago, none would have dared - including the presidency." Pope Hosts NBA Players To Discuss Social Justice Activism. The Washington Post (11/23, Harlan, 14.2M) reports that, "in a meeting initiated by the Vatican, Pope Francis on Monday hosted a group of NBA players to hear about their social justice activism at a time of deep polarization in the United States." The meeting included "five players who have been vocal on such matters as White privilege and police violence" - Kyle Korver, Sterling Brown, Marco Belinelli, Anthony Tolliver, and Jonathan Isaac - and, according to the Post, "offers a glimpse into what aspects of US society the pontiff thinks are most important." The meeting "also shows the reach of sports activism in the United States, where athletes, many of them Black, have become some of the highest-profile proponents for social change." The New York Times (11/23, Abrams, 18.61M) reports the players "took turns addressing the pope and offered him a book documenting many of their community and social initiatives in the last few months as well as jerseys and a Black Lives Matter T-shirt." Korver said the Pope "said sport is such an opportunity to unify, and he compared it to a team, where you have a common goal and you're working together, but you all use your own personalities." According to the Times, "For the players, the meeting provided an opportunity to expand global awareness of the efforts to promote social justice after the deaths of several Black Americans at the hands of the police, including George Floyd in Minnesota, and the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin." Armenian Troops In Nagorno-Karabakh Feel Loss Of Azerbaijan Territory. The Washington Post (11/22, Cookman, Dixon, 14.2M) reports, "For Armenian soldiers on the losing side of the short but brutal Nagorno-Karabakh war, the loss of territory to Azerbaijan remains so bitter that some say they would have preferred to fight on." The "sting of the Moscow-brokered peace deal was acute at a military outpost in Stepanakert, the main city in the enclave governed by a pro-Armenian government but within the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan." This "also reflected the wider outrage at the cease-fire in Armenia and among ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, raising further questions about whether the pact can hold despite nearly 2,000 Russian peacekeepers deployed to enforce it." EFTA01659145 Israeli PM Reportedly Met With Saudi Crown Prince. Reuters (11/23, Williams) reports Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "travelled to Saudi Arabia and met its crown prince," according to an Israeli official on Monday. Reuters add that "Israeli media said Netanyahu had secretly flown on Sunday to Neom, on the Red Sea, for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo." But, these reports "were denied by Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud." Netanyahu, himself, "was circumspect about any clandestine travel." Asked about it, Netanyahu said, "throughout my years I have never commented on such things and I don't intend to start doing so now." In addition, "spokesmen for Pompeo declined comment." Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz reportedly condemned "the irresponsible leak of the secret flight to Saudi Arabia." The New York Times (11/23, Hubbard, Halbfinger, Bergman, 18.61M) reports "the Saudi foreign minister flatly and publicly denied that such a meeting had taken place." However, the AP (11/23, Zion) describes the reported meeting as "the latest move by the Trump Administration to promote normalized ties between Israel and the broader Arab world and reflected the shared concern of all three nations about Iran." The Washington Post (11/23, Hendrix, Rubin, Mekhennet, 14.2M) calls it "a watershed visit in the historically hostile relations between the two countries." It also quotes an unnamed "intelligence official," who said, "It was kept in a very small circle in Israel. Neither the foreign minister nor the defense minister knew about this." The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Schwartz, Lieber, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) provides similar coverage. In his column for the Washington Post (11/23, 14.2M), Henry Olsen says the meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - "a de facto anti-Iranian alliance between Israel and the Gulf Arab kingdoms - will likely dramatically alter what the incoming Biden administration's Middle East policy will look like." For Israel, "an alliance with the Arab gulf powers provides military might that could be deployed on its behalf in the event of a mutual threat." For Arabs, he says, "it ensures that a nuclear-armed power stands behind them should Iran ever obtain a weapon, and establishes a connection with Israel's vaunted intelligence agencies." A "de facto alliance would also reduce dependence on the United States and its domestic political whims, replacing US mediation with direct ties between the nations' security apparatuses." Google Planning Fiber-Optic Network Connecting Saudi Arabia, Israel. The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports Google is planning to lay down a fiber-optic network that would connect Israel and Saudi Arabia and open a new door for worldwide Internet traffic. Expanding connectivity between India and Europe could also help Google open data centers across the globe, helping it compete with Amazon and Microsoft for on-demand cloud computing. Yemeni Rebels Fire Missile On Saudi Oil Facility Monday. The Washington Post (11/23, Raghavan, 14.2M) reports, "Yemeni rebels on Monday said they fired a missile that hit a Saudi oil storage facility in the Red Sea port of Jiddah, claiming that it was in retaliation for the Saudi-led coalition's involvement in Yemen's war." The "apparent assault came hours after the kingdom finished hosting its virtual G-20 leaders' summit." There was "no immediate response from Saudi officials, even as videos and images posted on social media indicated a fire burning at a Saudi Aramco complex in Jiddah." China Says It Has Eliminated Extreme Poverty. The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Areddy, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports the Chinese Community Party on Monday claimed that it has eliminated extreme poverty across the country. Nine counties in China have recently been certified as free of poverty, they said - a cornerstone of the CCP's goal to reduce financial and social inequities. Hong Kong Activists Plead Guilty To Unauthorized Assembly Charges. EFTA01659146 The New York Times (11/23, Ramzy, May, 18.61M) reports, "Joshua Wong, the Hong Kong pro- democracy campaigner, pleaded guilty along with two other activists on Monday to unauthorized assembly charges over a 2019 protest, capping a month of arrests of activists, journalists and politicians in the city." Wong, "along with Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam, who were all members of the since-disbanded group Demosisto, was immediately jailed by a court in the West Kowloon District and will be sentenced next week." According to the Times, their cases "add to heightened concern in Hong Kong as the authorities press a widespread campaign against dissent." The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Wang, Fan, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports the defendants on Monday said they were prepared to be imprisoned immediately. Wong said, "Perhaps the authorities wish me to stay in prison one term after another" but sending activists to jail will make them want to continue their fight "so much that we are willing to sacrifice the freedom of our own." Hong Kong Polytechnic University Locked Down A Year After Protests. Bloomberg (11/23, Kwan, Tam, 4.73M) reports Hong Kong Polytechnic University, which a year ago "was in flames" as "police and student protesters faced off at the campus - one of Hong Kong's best-known - in a chaotic 16-day siege last November that became a symbol of the battle between the city's China-backed administration and anti-government protesters," is now a place where students are largely confined. Bloomberg says that "what had once been a bustling, freely accessible campus is locked down, its protest movement extinguished in a series of aggressive moves to stifle dissent in the Asian financial hub." China Launches Unmanned Spacecraft Toward Unexplored Part Of Moon. The Washington Post (11/23, O'Grady, 14.2M) reports China "launched a spacecraft without a crew aboard toward a previously unexplored part of the moon Tuesday in a bid to bring back material that could help scientists better understand the satellite and planets beyond Earth." Chang'e-5, which "is named for the Chinese goddess of the moon," launched "from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province Tuesday." The "lander is scheduled to touch down in an area called Oceanus Procellarum and stay on the moon one lunar day — the equivalent of around two weeks on Earth." Once there, it "will attempt to dig about seven feet into the ground, then transfer the collected material to the ascender." Netflix's "A Suitable Boy" Entangles Streaming Service With Religious Tensions In India. The New York Times (11/23, Schmall, 18.61M) reports, "Members of the Hindu nationalist party that controls India's central government have asked the authorities to investigate Netflix," calling a scene in which a Hindu and Muslim share a kiss "in the television series 'A Suitable Boy' offensive to their beliefs." They "have also called on Indians to boycott the streaming service." Netflix "is not likely to face serious legal trouble, experts say," but "the campaign puts pressure on the streaming service at a time when the government is increasing censorship of what Indians watch online." UN Council Rebukes Japan's Imprisonment Of Ghosn. The Wall Street Journal (11/23, Maremont, Landers, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports a November 20 report by the UN Human Rights Council's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said Japan's detention of former Nissan Motor Chairman Carlos Ghosn for four months with limited access to his lawyer was arbitrary and violated his human rights. Tropical Cyclone Gati Hits Somalia As Nation's Strongest Storm On Record. The Washington Post (11/23, Cappucci, Freedman, 14.2M) reports, "Tropical Cyclone Gati struck the arid nation of Somalia on Sunday as the equivalent of a Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph winds, making it the strongest storm on record to hit the country." The cyclone "made EFTA01659147 landfall after undergoing an extraordinary period of rapid intensification, at one point attaining the strength equivalent to a Category 3 storm, with 115 mph maximum sustained winds." At least "four people were reported dead from Gati," and "landfall occurred near Xaafuun, a small community about 900 miles northeast of Mogadishu, where the land juts east near the northern tip of the country." THE BIG PICTURE Headlines From Today's Front Pages. Wall Street Journal: Biden Picks Janet Yellen For Treasury Secretary GSA Sends Letter To Biden Making Resources Available For Transition AstraZeneca-Oxford Covid-19 Vaccine Up To 90% Effective In Late-Stage Trials DuPont's Up-And-Down History Shaped Biden's Views On Business Turkey First-Timers: Thanksgiving Rookies Face Trying To Cook The Feast Solo Amid Coronavirus Surge, Holiday Shoppers Flock To Malls New York Times: Trump Administration Approves Start Of Formal Transition To Biden Biden Will Nominate First Women To Lead Treasury And Intelligence, And First Latino To Run Homeland Security Janet Yellen, Biden's Expected Treasury Pick, Has Broken More Than Gender Barriers GM Drops Its Support For Trump Climate Rollbacks And Aligns With Biden China Says It Remains Open To The World, But Wants To Dictate Terms AstraZeneca's Coronavirus Vaccine, Easy And Cheap To Produce, Appears Effective Washington Post: Biden Picks Diverse, Tested National Security Team Nominees Pushed Policies That Fueled Trump's Rise 3rd Vaccine Announced As 'Highly Effective' In The Race To Inoculate, The Hardest Work Awaits For Interracial Couples, A 'Monumental' Symbol Trump Relents, Lets Transition Proceed Financial Times: Oxford-AstraZeneca Vaccine Results Raise Hopes For Covid Fight Biden's 'Alter Ego' Blinken Will Try To Rebuild Alliances Netanyahu Took Secret Flight To Saudi Arabia To Meet Crown Prince Washington Times: Trump Administration Opens Door To Biden Transition From Revolution To Restoration: Biden Picks Blinken, Yellen, Kerry For Plum Posts Biden Picks Architect Of DACA To Lead DHS Pandemic's 'Busiest' Weekend Sees Americans Traveling In Far Fewer Numbers For Thanksgiving US Intel Officer's Visit Shatters Another Taiwan Taboo AstraZeneca Reports Promising Results From Coronavirus Vaccine Trial Story Lineup From Last Night's Network News: ABC: COVID-Thanksgiving; AstraZeneca Vaccine; Trump-Lawsuits; Presidential Transition-GSA; Biden-Cabinet; GM-Recall; Qantas Airlines-COVID Vaccinations; Massachusetts-Search for EFTA01659148 Fishing Boat; Jeopardy-Guest Hosts; COVID-Help For Those Struggling. CBS: COVID-Thanksgiving; Presidential Transition-GSA; Trump-Lawsuits; FLOTUS-Holiday Events; Biden-Cabinet; AstraZeneca Vaccine; Pfizer Vaccine; COVID Surge; Jeopardy-Guest Hosts; Thanksgiving Tradition. NBC: Presidential Transition-GSA; Biden-Cabinet; AstraZeneca Vaccine; American Confidence in Vaccines; AstraZeneca Vaccine-Distribution; COVID-Thanksgiving; COVID Surge; COVID- Schools; GM-Recall; COVID-Grocery Store Impact; UK-Princess Di's Brother Speaks Out; Season of Gratitude. Network TV At A Glance: COVID-Thanksgiving - 9 minutes, 30 seconds AstraZeneca Vaccine - 7 minutes, 30 seconds Biden-Cabinet - 5 minutes, 45 seconds Presidential Transition-GSA - 3 minutes, 20 seconds Story Lineup From This Morning's Radio News Broadcasts: ABC: Presidential Transition-GSA; Biden-Cabinet; Los Angeles-COVID Restrictions; COVID Surge; Dianne Feinstein-Judiciary Committee. CBS: Presidential Transition-GSA; John Kerry-Climate Envoy; Kelly Loeffler-COVID Results; COVID-Thanksgiving; Pennsylvania-Alcohol Ban During Thanksgiving; Presidential Turkey Pardon. FOX: Presidential Transition-GSA; Biden-Cabinet; Los Angeles-COVID Restrictions. NPR: Presidential Transition-GSA; Biden-Cabinet; Communities of Color-Vaccines; COVID- National Nurses United. WASHINGTON'S SCHEDULE Today's Events In Washington. White House: • President Trump — and THE FIRST LADY present the National Thanksgiving Turkey. • Vice President Pence — Has no public events scheduled. US Senate: • Senates convenes for pro forma session - Senates convenes for pro forma session * Chamber on recess from 18 Nov - 30 Nov Location: U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC; 12:15 PM US House: • House meets in pro forma session - House of Representatives meets in pro forma session * Chamber on recess from 20 Nov - 30 Nov Location: U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC; 10:00 AM Cabinet Officers: • U.S.-Kuwait Strategic Dialogue culminates with meeting between Secretary of State Pompeo and visiting Kuwaiti counterpart — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohamed Al-Sabah in Washington, DC, as the culmination of the fourth U.S.-Kuwait Strategic Dialogue Location: Washington, DC Visitors: • No visitors scheduled. This Town: • Dem Rep. Gerry Connolly discusses NATO's future - 'NATO 2030: Today's Alliance Readying for Tomorrow's Challenges' German Marshall Fund of the U.S. event, with Democratic Rep. EFTA01659149 Gerry Connolly and NATO Parliamentary Assembly President Attila Mesterhazy; 9:00 AM • Annual National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation in the White House Rose Garden Location: The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC 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, GfK 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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