From:	Bulletin Intelligence
Subject:	[EXTERNAL EMAIL] - FBI Public Affairs News Briefing Wednesday, July 22, 2020
To:	FBI@BulletinIntelligence.com
Sent:	July 22, 2020 6:31 AM(UTC-04:00)

Mobile version and searchable archives available at fbi.bulletinintelligence.com. TO: THE DIRECTOR AND SENIOR STAFF DATE: WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2020 6:30 AM EDT TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS LEADING THE NEWS - FBI Arrests Ohio House Speaker In Corruption Probe. PROTESTS EFTA00135626 - ABC News/Washington Post Poll: Most Oppose Defunding Police, Removing Statues. - White House Calls Prosecution Of McCloskeys "Extreme Abuse Of Power." - Trump: "The Game Is Over For Me" If Players Kneel During National Anthem. - Minneapolis Police See Surge Of Departures In Wake Of Floyd Protests. - Portland Protests Continue As Trump Considers Sending Federal Officers To Chicago. - Police Officers Attacked As Seattle Protests Continue. - Teens Charged With Terrorism Following Oklahoma City Protests. - Senate Blocks Push To Limit Military Gear For Police. - Atlantic Updates Essay On Police Shooting Written By Activist. - Trader Joe’s Pledges To Change Packaging After Accusations Of Racism. - Liberal Virginia Prosecutors, Democratic Legislators Show United Front On Police Over - Poll: Most Voters Agree Black, Hispanic Americans Face Discrimination. - Facebook Creates Teams To Study Racial Bias On Its Platforms. - Planned Parenthood In New York Disavows Margaret Sanger Over Eugenics. ## COUNTER-TERRORISM - Tsarnaev Awaits Appeals Court Ruling On Execution. - House Passes Three-Year Extension Of Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Program. - Former NCTC Chief Travers Says Cutbacks Raise Risk Of New Terrorist Attacks. ## COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE - DOJ Prepared For More Mueller Declassifications. - Graham Says Yates, Comey, McCabe Will Be Called To Testify Before Election. - Op-Ed: Mainstream Media Fails To Provide Complete Story On Russia Probe. - Steele Text Messages Introduced At Dossier Defamation Trial In UK. - Senators Seek Answers On Expired FISA Programs. - Biden Says Intelligence Community Is Providing Him Information On Election Interference. - DNI Offers August Worldwide Threats Briefing To SSCI. - Report: UK Government Did Not Take Russia’s Election Interference Seriously. - Senate Report Accuses China Of "Digital Authoritarianism." - Army Official Says Classified Intelligence Telework Environment Coming Soon. - QinetiQ Signs Deal With Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. - Army’s New Directorate Eyes Multidomain Integration. *Op-Ed: The US Needs To Respond To EU’s Schrems II Decision.* ## CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS - FBI Probing Links Between Attacks On New Jersey Federal Judge, California Attorney. - Federal Judge Mulls Releasing Ghislaine Maxwell’s Testimony About Her Sex Life. - Body Exhumed In Kansas Cold Case As FBI Probes Possible Hate Crime. - FBI Seeks Public Tips, Offers Reward In Effort To Solve 2016 Florida Mass Shooting. - FBI Investigating Ohio Bank Robbery. - Atomwaffen Division Member Pleads Guilty To Making Interstate Threats. - Missouri Man Charged With Child Pornography Possession. - Georgia Man Sentenced Over Child Pornography Production. - Former Maryland Police Officer Pleads Guilty To Child Pornography Possession. - FBI Investigating Idaho Shooting. - Report: FBI Investigating California Voter Fraud In Illinois. - New York Man Sentenced Over Sexual Abuse Of Minors. - Colorado Man Receives New Charges Over Hate Crime. EFTA00135627 - FBI Among Agencies Involved In Search For Missing Iowa Girl. - Former Virginia Gang Member Sentenced For Murder. - DEA, FBI Involved With Cannabis-Related Operation In Maine. - First Person Arrested As Result Of DOJ Operation Facing Drug Charge. ## FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS - Nevada COVID-19 Fraud Task Force Probing Unemployment Claims. - Illinois Republicans Seek Special Legislative Session To Act On Corruption Probe. - Massachusetts Transit Authority To Pay $300,000 To Settle Fraud Allegations. - FBI Raids Michigan Office In Vitamin C Probe. - Cohen Suit Says He Was Returned To Prison To Stop Book About Trump. ## CYBER DIVISION - US Indicts Hackers Working With China To Steal COVID-19 Vaccines, Treatments. - WPost Urges Twitter To Improve Security; Warns Officials Against Relying On Social Media. - TikTok Says It Plans To Add 10,000 Jobs In US. - McCarthy Introduces Legislation To Sanction Foreign Hackers Targeting COVID-19 Research. - White House Threatens To Veto NDAA Over Intelligence Sharing Proposals. - Ignatius: US Has Stronger Hand In Its Tech Battle With China. - House-Approved Defense Bill Would Ban TikTok From Government Devices. *Op-Ed: Russian Cyberthreat Extends To Coronavirus Vaccine Research.* ## LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES - DOJ Planning To Expand Anti-Crime Operation To More Cities. - Carroll: Site Connects Local Leaders With Funding, Information To Fight Drug Addiction. ## INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - US Offers $5M Reward For Information Leading To The Arrest Of Venezuela Chief Justice. ## OTHER FBI NEWS - Delaware Beer Distributor Says He Wore A Wire In FBI Probe Of Biden’s Fundraising. - Federal Prosecutors Oppose Early Release For Missouri Businessman. - FBI Intel Analyst Admitted To Viewing Child Pornography. ## OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS - Trump Advocates Use Of Masks, Warns Pandemic Will "Get Worse Before It Gets Better." - Fauci Says Reopening And Public Health Measures Should Not Be In Opposition. - Azar Envisions “Hundreds Of Millions” Of Vaccines By Early Next Year. - Adams To Take More Prominent Role In Administration’s Pandemic Response. - CDC Data Show Coronavirus Infections Higher Than Reported In Some Areas Of US. - WPost Analysis Compares New Mexico, Arizona Approaches To Reopening. - Pence Says He "Wouldn’t Hesitate” To Send His Children Back To School. - Florida Teachers Union Sues To Stop Schools From Reopening. - More Infants Being Infected With COVID-19. - Air Conditioning May Increase Risk Of COVID-19. - WSJournal: Democrats’ Demands On Remdesivir Show Their Plan To Control Pricing, Manufacturing. - WPost Argues For More Testing. - NYTimes Report: Trump Asked US Ambassador To Get Britain To Hold British Open At His Resort. - White House Threatens To Veto Defense Bill Over Confederate Names, Afghan Policy. - Trump Directs That Undocumented Not Be Counted In Congressional Reapportionment. - White House Considering Executive Orders To Lower Drug Prices. - Meteorologists Say Climbing Ocean Temperatures Could Result In Powerful Storms In Coming Weeks. EFTA00135628 - Lincoln Project Founders Have Ties To Russia, Tax Problems. - Trump, McEnany Denounce Problems With Mail-In Voting. - After Yoho-AOC Exchange, Hoyer Says Yoho Should Be Sanctioned For Calling Her A Name. - Freedom Caucus Members Criticize Cheney At House Republican Conference Meeting. - Twitter Removes Thousands Of Accounts With QAnon Messages. ## INTERNATIONAL NEWS - WHO Official Tweets Report From Conspiracy Theory Website. - Swedish Doctors, Scientists Say Sweden’s Approach To COVID-19 Has Not Worked. - US Service Member Dies In Syria. - German Arts Advocate Kidnapped In Baghdad. - Pompeo: US Wants To Build Coalition To Counter China’s “Disgraceful” Menace. - Esper Says Pentagon Considering "Adjustments" To US Military Presence In South Korea. ## THE BIG PICTURE - Headlines From Today's Front Pages. ## WASHINGTON'S SCHEDULE - Today's Events In Washington. LEADING THE NEWS ## FBI Arrests Ohio House Speaker In Corruption Probe. The New York Times (7/21, Rio, 18.61M) reports, “Federal agents on Tuesday arrested one of the most powerful officials in Ohio state government, the Republican House speaker, along with a former state Republican Party chairman and three other people in what law enforcement officials described as a $60 million scheme to bail out a foundering energy company.” According to the Times, “In a criminal complaint, the F.B.I. described a wide-ranging conspiracy in which the energy company helped finance the election of the House speaker, Larry Householder, in 2018. It then allegedly bankrolled an effort led by Mr. Householder to pass a $1.3 billion bill subsidizing two troubled nuclear power plants and a campaign to defeat a 2019 referendum to repeal that bill. Along the way, the company also put $500,000 into Mr. Householder’s personal accounts, including more than $100,000 to pay for costs related to a home he owned in Florida, according to the complaint.” Politico (7/21, Wolff, 4.29M) reports, “Householder used some of the money to help elect 21 candidates for the Ohio House in the 2018 elections, David DeVillers, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, said at a press conference. Those candidates subsequently backed Householder’s successful bid to become Speaker of the House last year. All but one of those lawmakers voted for House Bill 6, which provided the $1.3 billion to prevent the shutdown of FirstEnergy Solutions’ two nuclear power plants and a coal plant. But even with that support, Householder and the others indicted had to spend millions on advertising to ensure passage of the bill.” CNN International (7/21, Cole, Ure, LeBlanc) reports, “A criminal complaint filed on Thursday and unsealed on Tuesday specifically alleges that Householder and four others orchestrated an operation to accept over $60 million dollars from `Company A’ in return for a public bailout for the company worth more than $1 billion.” CNN adds, “The charges against Householder were laid out in an extensive complaint that detailed a broad criminal operation involving wire fraud, receipt of millions of dollars in bribes and money laundering. Householder – along with four associates- took in millions of dollars from FirstEnergy Corp. in exchange for help in passing House Bill 6, a billion-dollar bailout that saved two nuclear power plants operated by the company.” Reuters (7/21, O'Brien, Gardner) reports, "While DeVillers did not identify the company involved, Akron-based FirstEnergy operates the state’s two nuclear plants. The company, he said, gave $60 million to Generation Now, a political nonprofit operated by the five men, funds used for EFTA00135629 lobbying that secured passage of a controversial $1.5 billion bill that bailed out the plants, he said. ‘These allegations were bribery pure and simple,’ DeVillers said. FirstEnergy said in a release it had received subpoenas in connection with the investigation, was reviewing details and intends to fully cooperate with the probe.” Fox News (7/21, O'Reilly, 27.59M) reports, “Along with Householder, former Ohio GOP chairman Matt Borges, lobbyist Neil Clark, lobbyist and Ohio Civil Rights Commission member Juan Cespedes and political consultant Jeff Longstreth were also arrested in connection to the investigation.” WCBE-FM Columbus, OH (7/21, Holm, 1K) reports, "Just hours after Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder was arrested by federal officials in a $60 million dollar bribery case, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is calling on his fellow Republican to resign. 'I am deeply concerned about the allegations of wrongdoing in the criminal complaint issued today by the U.S. Attorney’s oOffice. Every American has the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. Because of the nature of these charges, it will be impossible for Speaker Householder to effectively lead the Ohio House of Representatives; therefore, I am calling on Speaker Householder to resign immediately." Among other news outlets reporting on the charges are the Cleveland Plain Dealer (7/21, 895K), the Cincinnati Enquirer (7/21, 223K), the Columbus (OH) Dispatch (7/21, Rouan, 367K), the Springfield (OH) News Sun (7/21, Spicker, 76K), The Hill (7/21, Neidig, 2.98M), NBC News (7/21, 6.14M), the Akron (OH) Beacon Journal (7/21, Livingston, Garrett, 198K), USA Today (7/21, Balmert, Coolidge, Horn, Balmert, 10.31M), the Daily Beast (7/21, Melendez, 1.39M), ABC News (7/21, 2.97M), the Cincinnati Enquirer (7/21, Balmert, 223K), the Wall Street Journal (7/21, Wernau, Subscription Publication, 7.57M), and Bloomberg (7/21, 4.73M). ## PROTESTS ## ABC News/Washington Post Poll: Most Oppose Defunding Police, Removing Statues. The Washington Post (7/21, Guskin, Clement, Balz, 14.2M) reports an ABC News/Washington Post poll of 1,006 US adults released Tuesday conducted July 12-15 shows “a majority of Americans support the Black Lives Matter movement and a record 69 percent say black people and other minorities are not treated as equal to white people in the criminal justice system.” The poll also shows “the public generally opposes calls to shift some police funding to social services or remove statues of Confederate generals or presidents who enslaved people.” The Washington Times (7/21, Sherfinski, 492K) reports poll data shows 55% opposed "reducing funding for police departments and spending that money on social services instead," while 40% support such efforts; and 52% opposed "removing statues honoring Confederate generals from public places" while 43% support that. The poll also shows 50% oppose "renaming military bases named after Confederate generals" while 42% favor the change. In other results, "69% of Americans said Black people and other minorities are denied equal treatment in the criminal justice system and that 63% of Americans support the Black Lives Matter movement." The Washington Examiner (7/21, Doyle, 448K) says the poll shows "most people in the United States" are "siding with President Trump on an issue over which he has been repeatedly slapped down." ## White House Calls Prosecution Of McCloskeys "Extreme Abuse Of Power." The Washington Times (7/21, Boyer, 492K) reports the White House said Tuesday that President Trump believes the prosecution of a St. Louis couple “for defending their home with firearms against a group of protesters” is an “extreme abuse of power.” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said, “They were completely within their rights,” adding that the President observed that there have been “many cases brought to [the local prosecutor’s] attention of violent rioters that she’s failed to charge, but instead she’s charging the individuals who were defending themselves from violent protesters.” A Wall Street Journal (7/21, Board, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) editorial rejects the charges against the McCloskeys as politically motivated. EFTA00135630 ## Trump: "The Game Is Over For Me" If Players Kneel During National Anthem. President Trump on Tuesday tweeted, “Looking forward to live sports, but any time I witness a player kneeling during the National Anthem, a sign of great disrespect for our Country and our Flag, the game is over for me!” ## Minneapolis Police See Surge Of Departures In Wake Of Floyd Protests. The New York Times (7/21, Eligon, 18.61M) reports that nearly two months after “four of its officers were charged with killing George Floyd, the Minneapolis Police Department is reeling, with police officers leaving the job in large numbers, crime surging and politicians planning a top-to-bottom overhaul of the force.” According to veteran officers, “morale within the department is lower than they have ever experienced,” and “some officers are scaling back their policing efforts, concerned that any contentious interactions on the street could land them in trouble.” Others, meanwhile, “are calling it quits altogether.” Minnesota Lawmakers Pass Police Accountability Measures. The Minneapolis Star Tribune (7/20, Bierschbach, 1.04M) reports the Minnesota state legislature passed “a sweeping package of police accountability measures early Tuesday morning following two months of touch-and-go negotiations after the killing of George Floyd.” Calling the bill “one of the most substantial changes to the state’s criminal justice system in years,” the Star Tribune notes it “includes a statewide ban on chokeholds and neck restraints…and a prohibition on warrior-style training for officers.” It also “enhances data collection around deadly force encounters, requires officers to intervene and creates a new state unit to investigate such cases.” The Wall Street Journal (7/21, Barrett, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports Gov. Tim Walz (DFL) has not said whether he will sign the bill. Minneapolis Residents Propose Citywide Vote To End Police Department. The Minneapolis Star Tribune (7/20, Navratil, 1.04M) reports that a “public hearing Tuesday night was dominated by demands to allow Minneapolis residents to vote on a proposal that could end the city’s Police Department.” Dozens of residents “urged the city’s Charter Commission to allow them to vote in November on a divisive proposal that would dramatically reshape public safety in the city.” Charred Body Found Inside Minneapolis Pawn Shop Burned During Protests. The Washington Times (7/21, Ernst, 492K) reports that the “charred remains of a Minneapolis man have been found inside a pawn shop razed during the May riots.” A “recent tip” to the Minneapolis Police Department, ATF and the state fire marshal’s division “led authorities to the grim discovery Monday inside Max It Pawn, which was destroyed in an arson fire May 28.” ## Portland Protests Continue As Trump Considers Sending Federal Officers To Chicago. The AP (7/21, Long, Fox, Colvin), in a piece titled “Trump’s Show Of Federal Force Sparking Alarm In Cities,” reports that President Trump’s “plan to deploy federal agents to Chicago and perhaps other Democratic-run cities where violence is spiking represents Trump’s latest effort to use an agency that was created after the Sept. 11 attacks to thwart terrorists to instead supplement local law enforcement in ways that bolster his reelection chances.” Trump has “already deployed Homeland Security agents to Portland,” and under Trump’s “latest plan, yet to be publicly announced, about 150 Homeland Security Investigations agents would go to Chicago.” According to the Wall Street Journal (7/21, Gurman, Ailworth, Subscription Publication, 7.57M), sources familiar with the plans said more than 100 federal agents will be deployed to Chicago to focus on illegal gun sales, aiding federal gun prosecutions and arrests.

USA Today(7/21,Hauck,10.31M) reports Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Tuesday the Administration “would not be deploying unnamed federal officers to the city,as seen in Portland in recent days.” Said the Mayor,“What I understand at this point,and I caveat that,is that the Trump administration is not going to foolishly deploy unnamed agents to the streets of Chicago. We have information that allows us to say,at least at this point,that we don't see a Portland-style deployment coming to Chicago.” Instead,she said the Administration is instead sending agents from the FBI,DEA and ATF.TheChicago Tribune(7/21,Pratt,Gorner,Munks,2.65M),among

EFTA00135631 other news outlets, also reports Lightfoot's comments. All three networks, meanwhile, reported Tuesday night on the ongoing protests in Portland and the deployment of federal agents to the city. ABC World News Tonight (7/21, story 4, 1:40, Muir, 7.14M) reported there were “new clashes” with “protesters facing off against federal agents there, despite the objections of the mayor and the governor.” ABC (Whitworth) added, “In a ‘Nightline’ interview, the acting DHS Deputy Secretary saying tonight those agents in Portland are within their rights to protect the courthouse.” Acting DHS Deputy Secretary Cuccinelli: “This is a long established federal practice. It’s well within the authority of the federal government.” Cuccinelli said on Mornings on the Mall (7/21) (interview begins at 2:08:04) that Portland has “had 54 straight says of violence which is just extraordinary, longer than any place in the country. ... And part of that violence has been directed at federal facilities and federal officers. The law gives DHS the responsibility of protecting those facilities like the Hatfield Courthouse. ... This is not a new mission for us and the idea that we would suspend that mission...is really quite silly.” Cuccinelli said on Fox News’ Your World, “We certainly are well within the boundaries of the law and the Constitution.” Cuccinelli was also interviewed on the Rush Limbaugh Show (7/21, 165K), the Lars Larson Show (7/21), The Washington Post (7/21, Miroff, Zapotosky, 14.2M) reports “legal analysts say that while the department has broad authority to enforce federal laws, officers’ actions — especially in Portland, Ore. — seemed to be pushing the boundaries and pulling DHS into a domestic policing role.” DHS officials, however, “defended their tactics in Portland again Tuesday, saying the department has an obligation to protect government buildings in the city that have been targeted” by protesters. The New York Times (7/21, A1, Baker, 18.61M) reports Acting DHS Secretary Wolf “said at a news conference on Tuesday that he had tried to collaborate with Mayor Wheeler and Gov. Kate Brown, asking them this month whether they were overwhelmed and wanted resources, including personnel.” Wolf “said that when he asked what they needed to ‘bring the violence to a close and still allow the peaceful protesters to protest each and every night,’ they told him to stay out of the city.” The Washington Times (7/21, Richardson, 492K), among other news outlets, also reports Wolf’s comments. Wolf, on The Hugh Hewitt Show (7/21) Tuesday, said DHS is “taking a proactive approach in Portland where we are in the midst of making sure that we have federal properties, including the courthouse there, safe and secure overnight. What we have seen in Portland is that the Mayor has abdicated his responsibility there in letting these violent crowds form night after night, targeting that courthouse and our law enforcement officers. So, that is of concern to us and we will continue to protect that building.” On Fox News The Story (7/21), Wolf said, “We have clear authority. We outlined that on several occasions. The Federal Protective Service, part of the Department of Homeland Security protects almost 9,000 federal facilities across the country. They do that in Portland. Portland is the only city that we have this radical violence night after night. We are on our 52nd night of violence against that courthouse against other federal facilities and other law enforcement officers. I would say we don’t have this issue and rails because we have local officials and local law enforcement working with us to protect our facilities.” Wolf was also interviewed on The Brian Kilmeade Show (Radio) (7/21). NBC Nightly News (7/21, story 6, 2:10, Holt, 6.23M) reported, “The Trump Administration says it sent federal agents to Portland, Oregon, to defend federal buildings against violent attacks. But the mayor there says that escalated the conflict. Now, mayors from six major cities are sending this letter to the Attorney General, blasting that deployment.” In the letter, the CBS Evening News (7/21, story 6, 1:50, O'Donnell, 4.49M) reported, “mayors from six cities...demand[ed] the President take immediate action to withdraw” federal agents. Elsewhere on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Esper “raised concerns about the officers’ military-style fatigues.” Esper, Politico (7/21, Seligman, 4.29M) reports, “has raised concerns within the administration about federal agents patrolling the streets of U.S. cities in camouflage uniforms similar to those worn by troops in war zones, his spokesperson said Tuesday.” EFTA00135632 In a report headlined “Facing Federal Agents, Portland Protests Find New Momentum,” the AP (7/21, Flaccus) reports that “crowds in Portland had recently numbered fewer than 100 people but swelled to more than 1,000 over the weekend — and they’re once again attracting a broader base in a city that’s increasingly outraged” of the deployment of federal agents. The Washington Post (7/21, Shepherd, 14.2M) reports that “experts and local activists say Trump’s claims are the latest in a sustained efforts by conservative commentators and politicians to marry the myth of Antifa terrorists to a city where discontent has grown for years over increasingly harsh police responses at protests.” The Washington Times (7/21, Sherfinski, 492K) reports that Trump’s deployment of federal agents to Portland, “and possibly elsewhere is seeing pushback not only from Democrats but also from conservatives and libertarians who say the federal government can’t indiscriminately throw its weight around and trample on constitutional rights.” Elizabeth Vaughn, however, writes for The Federalist (7/21, 126K) that “President Trump has every right to send in ‘the feds’ when federal laws are being broken, especially when city and state officials fail to act.” Former FBI director James Comey writes in the Washington Post (7/21, 14.2M) that while “it is not clear that federal officers in Portland are acting unlawfully,” what “is clear is that they are acting stupidly, a mistake they may be about to repeat in other places, with lasting consequences for federal law enforcement.” For DHS, Comey says, “it will now be a long road back to trust and partnerships.” Comey argues that, “yet again, the craving of our president for reelection seems to override everything.” Oregon State Lawmakers, Groups File Suit Against Federal Law Enforcement Agencies. The Oregonian (7/21, Bernstein, 1M) reports that “two Oregon state lawmakers, the Western States Center Inc., a Portland church and a Portland attorney have joined to sue four federal law enforcement agencies that are providing tactical officers to defend the downtown federal courthouse.” State Reps. Janelle S. Bynum (D-Clackamas) and Karin A. Power (D-Milwaukee), “along with Portland lawyer and legal observer Sara D. Eddie, the First Unitarian Church of Portland and Western States Center, which tracks extremist groups and provides support to social movements, filed suit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customers and Border Protection, Federal Protective Service and U.S. Marshals Service.” The suit contends the federal agents “have encroached on state powers and violated the First Unitarian Church of Portland’s right to protest and practice social activism” that are “protected under the First Amendment’s free exercise of religion clause, according to attorney Clifford S. Davidson.” De Blasio Threatens Legal Action If Trump Sends Federal Officers. The AP (7/21) reports New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that President Trump’s “threat to send federal law enforcers to patrol the city is likely not serious but if he did follow through, New York City would take legal action.” Said de Blasio, “I have to start by saying this president blusters and bluffs and says he’s going to do things and they never materialize on a regular basis.” He added that if Trump did send federal officers to New York City, “it would only create more problems. It would backfire, it wouldn’t make us safer, and we would immediately take action in court to stop it.” Trump Campaign Ads Warn Of Anarchy In Democratic-Led Cities. The New York Times (7/21, A1, Haberman, Corasaniti, Karni, 18.61M) reports that as President Trump deploys federal agents to Portland and “threatens to dispatch more to other cities, his re-election campaign is spending millions of dollars on several ominous television ads that promote fear and dovetail with his political message of ‘law and order.’” The Trump campaign is “driving home that message with a new ad that tries to tie its dark portrayal of Democratic-led cities” to Joe Biden “with exaggerated images intended to persuade viewers that lawless anarchy would prevail if Mr. Biden won the presidency.” To date, the campaign has spent “almost $20 million over the last 20 days” on the ads. Fourteen Shot Outside Chicago Funeral Home. The Chicago Sun-Times (7/21, Main, Behm, Charles, Camarillo, 875K) reports that 14 people were shot Tuesday night outside a funeral home in Chicago’s South Side — “the largest number of victims in a single Chicago shooting in EFTA00135633 recent memory.” The shooting happened “about 6:30 p.m. as people left a funeral.” The Chicago Tribune (7/22, Nickeas, Fry, Greene, Gorner, 2.65M) reports police said the “funeral attendees exchanged gunfire with those” inside a passing vehicle. ## Police Officers Attacked As Seattle Protests Continue. The Washington Examiner (7/21, Mastrangelo, 448K) reports that a “dozen police officers were injured in Seattle when they were attacked by violent demonstrators while monitoring a separate peaceful demonstration against police brutality and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.” Police, “clad in riot gear, used pepper spray to clear the area and ‘stop the assault on officers,’ the department said in a news release.” Two protesters were arrested. Mother Of Seattle Protester Killed By Police Sues City. Breitbart (7/21, Caplan, 673K) reports Donnitta Sinclair, “mother of 19-year-old Lorenzo Anderson — who was shot dead in Seattle’s now-dismantled Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) zone — has hit the Democrat-controlled city with a wrongful death claim, according to local reports.” The Seattle Times says the suit alleges “city officials created a dangerous environment by allowing protesters to occupy six city blocks and that police and fire officials failed to protect or medically assist her son.” ## Teens Charged With Terrorism Following Oklahoma City Protests. The Fox News (7/21, Wallace, 27.59M) website reports that “two teenagers are the latest to face terrorism charges after allegedly helping to break in the windows of an Oklahoma City bail bonds business in late May during the civil unrest that swept the nation in the wake of the death of George Floyd.” On Monday, “several dozen protesters conducted a sit-in at the office of Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater,” demanding that he drop the terrorism charges and resign. ## Senate Blocks Push To Limit Military Gear For Police. The New York Times (7/21, Edmondson, 18.61M) reports the Senate on Tuesday “rejected a bipartisan bid to bar the Pentagon from transferring a wide range of military-grade weaponry to local police departments, effectively killing the last remaining initiative before Congress this year to address the excessive use of force in law enforcement.” The measure, which lawmakers “sought to attach to the must-pass annual defense bill, was a last-ditch attempt to begin to demilitarize law enforcement after a nationwide uproar to address racial discrimination and distrust between the police and the communities they serve.” To the Times, the “51 to 44” vote, “which failed to reach the required 60-vote threshold to pass, underscored how fraught and often fruitless attempts to rein in the program have become.” ## Atlantic Updates Essay On Police Shooting Written By Activist. The Federalist (7/21, Bedford, 126K) reports that an Atlantic essay titled “How I Became a Police Abolitionist” by social justice activist and lawyer Derecka Purnell, first published July 6, “tells of her childhood in a polluted neighborhood surrounded by violence and beset by fear, using one particularly disturbing memory of a police officer shooting their cousin...in the arm.” An investigation by The Federalist “encompassing newspaper archives, police department records, questions to The Atlantic, the police union, and the office of the mayor, however, called the story — including facts about the neighborhood, the timeline of the incident, and if the incident described even happened at all — into question.” On Monday afternoon, The Atlantic “updated” the article to read that Purnell’s cousin was shot by “a uniformed security guard.” ## Liberal Virginia Prosecutors, Democratic Legislators Show United Front On Police Overhaul. The Washington Post (7/20, Jouvenal, Schneider, 14.2M) reports that a “group of Virginia’s liberal prosecutors appeared alongside state Senate Democrats on Monday to provide a unified front in support of a slate of measures to overhaul policing and criminal justice ahead of a special session of the legislature in August.” The prosecutors were joined by “nearly a dozen commonwealth’s attorneys representing some of Virginia’s largest jurisdictions are endorsing the push for change.” EFTA00135634 To the Post, their news conference "demonstrated Democrats' hopes for implementing substantial measures after winning both houses of the legislature last year and expanding the cohort of liberals in prosecutors' offices across the state." ## Trader Joe’s Pledges To Change Packaging After Accusations Of Racism. The Los Angeles Times (7/21, Lai, 4.64M) reports that Trader Joe’s “has come under attack for its branding of ethnic foods” with “the names Trader Ming’s, Arabian Joe’s, Trader Jose’s, Trader Giotto’s and Trader Joe San.” An online petition accused the store of “racist” labeling. In response, a spokeswoman for Trader Joe’s “said the company is changing the packaging and expects to complete the process ‘very soon.’” The Times also reports that “inside the Trader Joe’s in Temecula, shoppers crowded the aisles on Monday,” and “were either unconcerned or hadn’t paid attention to the controversy caused by the product labeling.” Intern Jonah Gottschalk writes at the Federalist (7/21, Gottschalk, 126K) that the “phony outrage at Trader Joe’s proves how outlets like the New York Times use ‘public pressure’ to make companies and politicians do what they want.” Gottschalk explains that a petition at change.org had been up for weeks with few signers, but the New York Times put it on its front page on Sunday, and “the story was then swiftly written up by numerous outlets,” then “Trader Joe’s panicked,” and “apologized and claimed it will remove the ‘light-hearted attempt at inclusiveness.’” Gottschalk writes, “The incident serves as an excellent case study for a new form of journalistic malpractice.” ## Poll: Most Voters Agree Black, Hispanic Americans Face Discrimination. The Wall Street Journal (7/21, Siddiqui, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found that a growing number of voters believe Black and Hispanic Americans are discriminated against, and a majority of 56% believe American society is racist. New PSA Targets Rising Anti-Asian Harassment. The New York Times (7/21, Hsu, 18.61M) reports that “with more than 2,000 incidents and little action from the federal government, efforts to curtail pandemic-related racism have fallen to P.S.A.s and social media campaigns.” The new public service announcement by the nonprofit Advertising Council that debuted Tuesday “makes a point that federal leaders have largely overlooked: Asian-Americans are facing a surge of harassment linked to fears about the coronavirus pandemic.” ## Facebook Creates Teams To Study Racial Bias On Its Platforms. The Wall Street Journal (7/21, Seetharaman, Horwitz, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports Facebook is creating new teams dedicated to studying potential racial bias on its platforms. ## Planned Parenthood In New York Disavows Margaret Sanger Over Eugenics. The New York Times (7/21, Stewart, 18.61M) reports Planned Parenthood of Greater New York “will remove the name of Margaret Sanger, a founder of the national organization, from its Manhattan health clinic” because of her “harmful connections to the eugenics movement,” the group said Tuesday. Sanger, a nurse who opened the first birth control clinic in the US, supported eugenics, “a discredited belief in improving the human race through selective breeding.” The Washington Times (7/21, Blake, 492K) reports the group explained the move “is both a necessary and overdue step to reckon with our legacy and acknowledge Planned Parenthood’s contributions to historical reproductive harm within communities of color.” ## COUNTER-TERRORISM ## Tsarnaev Awaits Appeals Court Ruling On Execution. The MetroWest (MA) Daily News (7/21, Miller, 71K) reports, “Since the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way last month for federal executions, three federal prisoners have been put to death for the crimes they were convicted of committing,” but “despite that, there is still no time frame for convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to face the death penalty, even though EFTA00135635 he was sentenced to death in 2015 after being found guilty of 30 counts connected to the fatal April 2013 bombing.” According to the Daily News, “Tsarnaev’s lawyers in December 2019, argued in front of the First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, that the death penalty ruling should be thrown out. They argue that Tsarnaev did not receive a fair trial. They argued the trial should have been moved out of Boston, rather than it being held in the midst of where the bombing occurred. The three-judge panel has yet to issue a ruling in the appeal.” ## House Passes Three-Year Extension Of Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Program. Politico (7/21, Tamborrino, 4.29M) reports in the Morning Energy column that the House passed "a three-year extension, S. 4148(116), of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program on Monday by unanimous consent." The current authorization of the program, "which aims to protect more than 3,300 facilities around the country from terrorist attacks, is slated to lapse on Thursday." ## Former NCTC Chief Travers Says Cutbacks Raise Risk Of New Terrorist Attacks. NPR (7/21, Myre, 3.12M) reports former counterterrorism chief Russell Tavers “says the country is risking the gains made against terrorist threats by cutting back resources with little or no public debate.” In an interview with NPR, Travers also “expressed frustration at the poor state of relations between the intelligence community and the Trump Administration.” Russ Travers, who served as acting director of the National Counterterrorism Center, told NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly, co-host of ‘All Things Considered,’ in his first broadcast interview since leaving his government post, “If people believe that conditions have so changed and the threat is so diminished that we can go back to the way things were [before the 9/11 attacks], so be it. I just personally don’t believe that’s the right answer. And I don’t like the quality of the discussion that has gotten us to this point.” Travers “said he’s never seen such bad relations between intelligence professionals and a presidential administration.” ## COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE ## DOJ Prepared For More Mueller Declassifications. The Washington Examiner (7/21, Dunleavy, 448K) reports that the DOJ “has determined more of” Robert Mueller’s report “can be declassified.” DOJ Civil Division attorneys “filed a four-page submission to a Washington, D.C., federal court on Tuesday, providing sealed responses to the judge’s questions about the redactions in Mueller’s 448-page report and noting willingness to reveal more after a judge’s ruling.” ## Graham Says Yates, Comey, McCabe Will Be Called To Testify Before Election. The Washington Times (7/21, Swoyer, 492K) reports Senate Judiciary Chairman Graham “said Tuesday that Obama administration officials will be called to testify before the November election.” Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates has agreed “voluntarily to come in August.” She will testify on Aug. 5. Graham told the Times, “I think she will have some interesting testimony and [former FBI Director James] Comey and [former Deputy FBI Director Andrew] McCabe. We are looking at September to call them.” Graham also “noted that it’s possible former special counsel Robert Mueller’s testimony could come later.” ## Op-Ed: Mainstream Media Fails To Provide Complete Story On Russia Probe. In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal (7/21, Subscription Publication, 7.57M), Holman Jenkins, Jr. asks why the FBI relied on information it knew to be baseless in the Russia probe. He reviews recently declassified reports from the FBI, including the memo by former FBI official Peter Strzok. He criticizes mainstream media for not being more aggressive in uncovering the false information, including its failure to identify the classified annex in IG Horowtiz’s report describing Comey’s actions in linked to the hidden Russian intelligence. EFTA00135636 ## Steele Text Messages Introduced At Dossier Defamation Trial In UK. The Daily Caller (7/21, 716K) reports a defamation trial against Christopher Steele “began in London on Monday, with revelations of the ex-spy’s efforts to disseminate his infamous dossier through the late Sen. John McCain and a longtime ally of the Clintons.” A lawyer for a Russian businessman suing Steele “read his text messages with Strobe Talbott, the former president of Brookings Institution, and with David Kramer, a former State Department official who worked with McCain.” In another text, Steele “told Sir Andrew Wood, a former British diplomat, that McCain was ‘compromised’ because he was provided a copy of the dossier.” Text messages “read out during the first day of a defamation trial against Christopher Steele in London on Monday revealed new details about how the former British spy strategized with associates on how to disseminate the infamous anti-Trump dossier.” ## Senators Seek Answers On Expired FISA Programs. The Hill (7/21, Rodrigo, 2.98M) reports Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Mike Lee (R-UT) on Thursday “pressed the Trump Administration on whether and how mass surveillance programs authorized by FISA have been halted since the act’s expiration.” The letter to Attorney General Barr and DNI Ratcliffe “raises concerns that the Administration may be continuing to conduct surveillance operations by relying on Executive Order 12333.” Sens. Leahy and Lee wrote, “Congress and the American people have a right to know if this or any other administration is spying on people in the US outside of express congressional approval, with no or diminished guardrails. The rights of all Americans depend on their government exercising its power responsibly, adhering to the rule of law, and upholding its duty to act transparently. Any surveillance conducted in the absence of statutory authorities and congressional oversight would be extraordinarily concerning and illegal.” ## Biden Says Intelligence Community Is Providing Him Information On Election Interference. CBS News (7/21, 3.68M) 2020 campaign reporter Bo Erickson reports that presidential candidate Joe Biden is receiving information about election interference from the intelligence community. Joe Biden “says Russia, Iran, and China may be trying to meddle in the upcoming US presidential election.” He’s been “briefed on the subject by the intelligence community.” Democrats Concerned Russia Targeting Biden. CNN (7/21, Herb, Raju, Cohen, 83.16M) reports that a request by Democratic leaders for “the FBI to brief lawmakers on foreign election interference included concerns about a Russian-linked ‘disinformation’ campaign to target former Vice President Joe Biden in the 2020 election, according to a source familiar with the matter.” A classified addendum attached to the letter to Director Wray “included concerns about a potential Russian campaign targeting Biden, the source said,” and the material referenced “was included in warnings that the FBI has been offering for months now about election interference, another source said.” Meanwhile, Politico (7/21, Matishak, 4.29M) reports that top Senate Republicans are “rejecting” Biden’s “amped-up public warnings about Russian interference in this year’s presidential election, saying foreign adversaries’ efforts to meddle in U.S. democracy are nothing new after the Kremlin’s hacking operation four years ago.” ## DNI Offers August Worldwide Threats Briefing To SSCI. CBS News (7/21, Gazis, 3.68M) reports that DNI Ratcliffe "has proposed appearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee for a partially open hearing on worldwide threats in early August. But he suggested that the majority of the hearing, including a traditional question and answer session, take place behind closed doors." Fox News (7/21, Singman, 27.59M) reports that Ratcliffe said in a letter to the SSCI leadership that "after `consultation with other Intelligence Community element heads and with consideration for the collective concern about the exchange of information that is inherently classified,' he would appear before the committee in both an open and closed setting – with EFTA00135637 intelligence community heads like CIA Director Gina Haspel, FBI Director Christopher Wray, NSA Director Paul Nakasone and NGA Director Robert Sharp.” Ratcliffe added that “a closed session with a thorough exchange of classified questions and answers between the panel and Committee members could be conducted to ensure members receive the threat information they need.” The Wall Street Journal (7/21, Strobel, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports that a spokesman for SSCI Acting Chair Marco Rubio said he and Vice Chair Mark Warner had discussed the issue on Tuesday. The spokesman said, "They will continue to work with DNI Ratcliffe and are hopeful that the committee will hold a hearing on this important topic soon." CNN (7/21, Cohen, Leblanc, 83.16M) reports that the House and Senate intelligence committees “have been pushing for the top US intelligence officials to appear for a public hearing on the annual World Wide Threats Assessment for months but have been unable to reach an agreement with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on scheduling, in part, because of the recent turnover at the director position.” Meanwhile, the Washington Examiner (7/21, Dunleavy, 448K) reports that the terms laid out by Ratcliffe “will likely rankle Democrats not only because of the format but also since the House Intelligence Committee, led by Rep. Adam Schiff, has yet to receive such an opportunity.” ## NSA Chief Says US Will Hit Back At Foreign Meddlers In 2020 Election. The New York Post (7/21, Jacobs, 4.57M) reports one of the top US spy chiefs “has vowed that the US would retaliate when foreign nations attempted to interfere in the 2020 presidential election, amid rising concerns about Russian hacking.” Gen. Paul Nakasone, NSA director and US Cyber Command head, pledged, “We’re going to act when we see adversaries attempting to interfere in our elections.” The remarks come “amid accusations from the US, UK and Canada of Russian-backed hackers trying to steal coronavirus vaccine research from pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions.” Nakasone “said that the 2018 US midterm elections had left the NSA’s capabilities ‘battle-tested’ to protect against foreign interference in the 2020 presidential election.” He added, “We are going to know our adversaries better than they know themselves.” ## Report: UK Government Did Not Take Russia’s Election Interference Seriously. The Washington Post (7/21, Booth, Adam, 14.2M) reports the British Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee released a report finding that the UK government “failed to conduct serious assessments of Russian attempts to interfere with British elections, including the 2016 Brexit referendum.” The report also found that the UK “welcomed the [Russian] oligarchs and their money with open arms, providing them with a means of recycling illicit finance through the London ‘laundromat’, and connections at the highest levels with access to UK companies and political figures.” The report said, “This situation is in stark contrast to the US handling of allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, where an intelligence community assessment was produced within two months of the vote, with an unclassified summary being made public.” The Post adds that the “report did not provide any striking evidence of Russian interference,” but rather “found that the British government did not really seem to take the issue seriously.” The New York Times (7/21, Landler, Castle, 18.61M) says the report, which is “in many ways harder on British officials than the Russians, did not answer the question of whether Russia swayed one of the most consequential votes in modern British history: the 2016 referendum on leaving the EU. But it was unforgiving about who is protecting British democracy.” The authors said, “No one is.” The AP (7/21) reports Stewart Hosie, a committee member and member of Parliament for the opposition Scottish National Party, “accused the government of ‘actively avoiding’ allegations of Russian meddling, which he said was unforgivable after evidence emerged that Moscow had interfered with the Scottish independence referendum in 2014 and the US presidential election two years later.” CNN (7/21, Dewan, McGee, Greene, 83.16M) reports that, “in one key section of the report, dealing with the Brexit referendum, the British government is accused of failing to conduct a thorough inquiry into allegations of a Kremlin-sponsored influence campaign.” The report says, EFTA00135638 "We have not been provided with any post-referendum assessment of Russian attempts at interference." The Telegraph (UK) (7/21, Hope, Rayner, 956K) reports the committee’s 55-page published report, titled simply ‘Russia,’ “was heavily redacted.” A separate annex “was not withheld because it contains classified information.” TIME (7/21, 18.47M) reports the intelligence committee report “covered the full range of the Russian threat to the UK, including election interference, espionage and targeted assassinations such as the attempt to kill former spy Sergei Skripal in the English city of Salisbury two years ago.” Reuters (7/21) reports that the report “said Russia sought to meddle in the 2014 Scottish referendum and intelligence agencies should produce an assessment of potential interference in the Brexit referendum.” The Independent (UK) (7/21, Sengupta, 1.36M) reports the security and intelligence services “were particularly wary of being accused of interfering in the political process.” As a result, “the task of ‘defending the UK’s democratic processes,’ a fundamental safeguard for the nation, became ‘something of a hot potato:’ Russian influence was established as the ‘new normal’ for the UK.” The ISC “stressed that urgent measures now have to be taken, with MI5 taking the lead in combating the threat.” NBC News (7/21, Smith, 6.14M) reports Lisa Nandy, the opposition Labour Party’s shadow foreign secretary “said it was ‘extraordinary’ that Boris Johnson chose to ‘block the publication of this important report that systematically goes through the threat Russia poses to the UK’s national security.” Also providing similar coverage on the story are NPR (7/21, Dwyer, 3.12M), The Hill (7/21, Bowden, 2.98M), Independent (UK) (7/21, Merrick, 1.36M), and The Guardian (UK) (7/21, Murphy, 4.19M). Op-Ed: Responding Effectively Is Key Point Of The UK Parliament’s Report. In his column in the Washington Examiner (7/21, 448K), Tom Rogan writes, “There are opportunities even where the committee only sees difficulties. On Syria, for example, the report notes that `Russia views its intervention in support of the Assad regime as a success, and it is clear that its presence in Syria presents the West with difficulty in supporting peace in the region. Russia’s increased links with Iran, and trade initiatives with a range of countries in the Gulf area, complicate the situation further.’” He contends, “While this is all true, the UK could offset Russian influence-building with the Sunni monarchies by consolidating US support for these admittedly imperfect alliances. Britain could also introduce legislation to increase Russian President Vladimir Putin’s now-escalating difficulties in his Syrian adventure. Such efforts would have significant humanitarian and strategic import. As a parliamentary report, however, the first priority here is to generate and maintain public attention upon Putin’s threat and associated legislation.” ## Senate Report Accuses China Of "Digital Authoritarianism." Reuters (7/21, Zengerle) says a US Senate report released Tuesday accused China of “using its technological rise to develop ‘digital authoritarianism’ to conduct surveillance and censor information not just within its borders, but around the world.” The report, led by Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and “conducted by Democratic staff, says China uses technologies such as artificial intelligence and biometrics to keep track of its citizens and control information.” The report, says the Washington Post (7/21, Mahtani, 14.2M), details how China has sought to “create a new model of governance for the digital domain,” through mass surveillance technology and controlling access to information and content. ## Army Official Says Classified Intelligence Telework Environment Coming Soon. MeriTalk (7/21, Malone) reports Jennifer Zbozny, director of the Software Engineering Center at the Army’s Communications-Electronic Command, “confirmed at an event today a Federal network environment that supports classified telework is coming soon to agencies within the IC.” Zbozny “said that her agency struggled with virtual private network (VPN) capacity at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.” She said, “Everybody trying to VPN into the network at the same time, every day was killing us.” While the Army is “now in a ‘good place’ when it comes to VPN capacity, she stipulated that not everybody has been able to do their jobs from home.” Zbozny explained, EFTA00135639 "The biggest thing that we’ve learned that we’re still really working to fix are there are some jobs that we do here that we can’t really easily just transition to doing at home. For example, anything on a classified network." ## QinetiQ Signs Deal With Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. The Washington Exec (7/21, Degges) reports QinetiQ has “signed an agreement with the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency to operate all of its US defense and security operations under a new special security agreement.” This agreement “replaces the previous proxy agreement and covers all operations undertaken through the 2019 acquisition of MTEQ, a provider of advanced sensing solutions.” The agreement will “bring together the company’s US defense and security operations under QinetiQ Inc. as a single brand”. QinetiQ “said this is a major growth milestone for the company and will fundamentally improve how it operates in the US defense market.” Steve Wadey, CEO of QinetiQ Group, “said that he agreement ‘enables us to fundamentally reset the way we go to market as an integrated global defense and security company.” ## Army’s New Directorate Eyes Multidomain Integration. C4ISR & Networks (7/21, Pomerleau) reports the Army has created “a new entity within its operations and plans directorate, G-3/5/7, to focus on non-physical capabilities and better ready the service for multidomain operations.” The new directorate, Department of the Army’s Management Office-Strategic Operations (DAMO-SO), was “created about six months ago and replaces DAMO-CY, which focused primarily on cyberspace operations.” The organization now “encompasses cyber, electronic warfare, information operations, space, enterprise IT networks, tactical communications networks, data architectures and artificial intelligence.” Brig. Gen. Martin Klein, director of DAMO-SO, told C4ISRNET in a July 20 interview, “We’re an organization that pulls together a lot of the multidomain operating capabilities. Things like cyber, electronic warfare, information operations, space. We’re also bringing into the directorate the capabilities of really underwriting the Army’s ability to digitally transform into this new era … Part of what we’ve been asked to do is underwrite multidomain operations and then to digitally enable our warfighting systems.” ## Op-Ed: The US Needs To Respond To EU’s Schrems II Decision. In a commentary in Lawfare (7/21), Stewart Baker writes, "The decision of the European Court of Justice (CJEU) in Schrems II is gobsmacking in its mix of judicial imperialism and Eurocentric hypocrisy. The decision invalidates the Privacy Shield agreement between the US and the EU on the ground that US protections for individual rights are not ‘adequate.’ It manages to do this while acknowledging that the court and the EU have no authority to elaborate or enforce these rights against any of the EU’s member states. … The judges of the CJEU declare that large chunks of US intelligence law – such as Section 702 of FISA – are beyond the pale.” He concludes, “The US should ask for the concessions it should have gotten last time: a binding assurance that US protections for individual rights are not in need of European editing and that data flows will never be threatened again over this issue.” ## CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS ## FBI Probing Links Between Attacks On New Jersey Federal Judge, California Attorney. The CBS Evening News (7/21, story 5, 2:15, O'Donnell, 4.49M) reported, "Tonight, investigators say the man who allegedly targeted a federal judge in New Jersey is the prime suspect in a California murder eight days ago, and officials say the gun used in the suspect’s suicide was the same gun in the attack that killed Judge Esther Salas’s son and injured her husband." CBS (Oliver) added, "Tonight, authorities believe the killer was Roy Den Hollander. Sources say he posed as a FedEx delivery man and opened fire in broad daylight at the door of New Jersey federal judge Esther Salas. Den Hollander was found dead in a car from a self-inflicted gunshot wound a day EFTA00135640 later. Investigators believe the gun recovered where he died matches not only the one used in the New Jersey murder, but is now being tested to see if it was used in the California shooting." ABC World News Tonight (7/21, story 5, 1:40, Muir, 7.14M) reported, “Tonight, authorities uncovering disturbing twists as they investigate the attack on New Jersey federal judge Esther Salas’s family that left her only son dead and husband in the hospital. Law enforcement sources revealing suspect Roy Den Hollander is also being investigated in the killing of Marc Angelucci this month in California.” ABC (Ramos) added, “Sources say the gunman in Angelucci’s killing was dressed similarly to Den Hollander, wearing a FedEx uniform, when police say he opened fire on Salas’s 20-year-old son Daniel and husband Mark Anderl on Sunday. A 2015 case in which Den Hollander, a lawyer and self-described anti-feminist, represented the plaintiff was presided over by Judge Salas before another lawyer took over in June 2019. The names of a dozen others were found in his car, including New York state chief judge Janet DiFiore.” Fox News (7/21, Gearty, 27.59M) reports, “The San Bernardino Sheriff’s office was investigating Angelucci’s murder without identifying a suspect, but the investigation is now in the hands of the FBI, sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Mauricio Hurtado told Fox News Monday. ‘The FBI asked to see certain things in our case to see if it’s linked to their case,’ he said.” The AP (7/21, Balsamo, Dazio) reports, “Angelucci, like Den Hollander, was involved in lawsuits alleging gender discrimination against men. He was shot to death July 11 at his home in San Bernardino County, California. The official cautioned the investigation was in its early stages and federal officials were working with local homicide detectives. In both cases, the suspect appeared to pose as a delivery driver, the official said.” Investigators “are also examining Den Hollander’s financial and travel records, as well as misogynistic screeds he posted online, said the official, who could not discuss an ongoing investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.” The Los Angeles Times (7/21, 4.64M) reports, "FBI investigators are examining Den Hollander’s travel records and finances in the weeks before the deadly incident Sunday. His body was found in Sullivan County, N.Y., late Sunday. A package addressed to Salas was recovered with Den Hollander, along with another for a New York judge." NJ News (7/21, Attrino, 1.72M) reports, "Salas was the judge in a 2015 lawsuit Den Hollander filed in federal court claiming the Selective Service System, which requires men to register for military draft, `discriminates against both sexes in violation of Equal Protection as incorporated into the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.'" ABC News (7/21, Haworth, Katersky, 2.97M) reports, "Hollander’s body was discovered in a car by a municipal employee in the town of Rockland, New York. He died of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, the sources said. New York State Police were on scene and the FBI was called." CBS News (7/21, 3.68M) also reports on its website. ## Federal Judge Mulls Releasing Ghislaine Maxwell’s Testimony About Her Sex Life. Bloomberg (7/21, Hurtado, 4.73M) reports, “A federal judge is considering making public a trove of previously sealed records from a 2015 lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell, who is now facing charges that she trafficked girls as young as 14 for her former boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein.” US District Judge Loretta Preska in New York “scheduled a Thursday conference to discuss the possible unsealing of five different sets of documents relating to a defamation lawsuit against Maxwell by Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, whom Maxwell had said was lying.” Bloomberg adds, “The possible release is coming as Maxwell’s lawyer are trying to tamp down statements about her criminal case, in which she has pleaded not guilty. On Tuesday, they asked the judge in that case, U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan, to issue a gag order on prosecutors, FBI agents and lawyers for Maxwell and Epstein’s alleged victims.” The AP (7/21, Neumeister) reports from New York, "A lawyer for financier Jeffrey Epstein’s ex-girlfriend on Tuesday asked a judge presiding over her sex crimes case to impose a gag order on lawyers and others to reduce prejudicial pretrial publicity and protect her chances of a fair trial." Jeffrey Pagliuca “filed a letter in Manhattan federal court citing public comments made by Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss, the head of New York’s FBI office and lawyers for accusers of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell after her July 2 arrest in Bradford, New Hampshire. He said the EFTA00135641 comments show that an order is necessary to prevent ‘prejudicial pretrial publicity by the government, its agents, and lawyers for alleged witnesses.’ In particular, he cited comments at a news conference by William Sweeney, head of New York’s FBI office, that referenced Maxwell as ‘one of the villains in this investigation’ and compared her to a snake that ‘slithered away to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire.” Trump Comments On Ghislaine Maxwell Case. ABC World News Tonight (7/21, story 7, 0:20, Muir, 7.14M) reported, “President Trump was asked late today about Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell. She pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges last week. One of her alleged victims describing her as a predator and monster. The President today saying he hasn’t followed her case, that they met numerous times, and that he wishes her well.” ## Body Exhumed In Kansas Cold Case As FBI Probes Possible Hate Crime. The Kansas City (MO) Star (7/21, Koop, 549K) reports, “The body of Alonzo Brooks, the Black man whose death was featured by ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ on Netflix, has been exhumed in Kansas, media outlets report. The grave was dug up at a Topeka cemetery Tuesday as the FBI investigates the cold case as a possible hate crime, KSNT reported.” The Star adds, “The U.S. Department of Justice and FBI have recently said they got a credible tip in the investigation of Brooks’ death, WIBW reported.” In 2004, Brooks, “who lived in Gardner, went with friends to a party at a farmhouse in La Cygne, a small east-central Kansas town. He went missing for nearly a month despite search efforts by the sheriff’s office and other law enforcement.” KSNT-TV Topeka, KS (7/21, Brandt) reports, “The FBI recently reopened his 16-year-old cold case and listed it as a hate crime. The family says tips have come in since a recent Netflix documentary aired a special about his case. Brooks was 23 years old in 2004 when he went to a party in LaCygne, which is on the eastern edge of Kansas. He never came home and family members found his body in a creek weeks after he went missing. Last month the FBI announced a $100,000 reward for answers about Brooks murder.” ## FBI Seeks Public Tips, Offers Reward In Effort To Solve 2016 Florida Mass Shooting. The Naples (FL) Daily News (7/21, Braun, 185K) reports, "Federal, state and local law enforcement announced Tuesday a joint effort to solve the 2016 Club Blu shooting in Fort Myers that killed two and injured 14 others. Called `Operation Club Blu,’ the Fort Myers Police Department, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, FBI and the State Attorney’s office are hoping to collect additional tips and are offering a $20,000 reward as incentive for information in the mass shooting. ‘We can’t let violence get the upper hand and we can’t let the night of July 25, 2016 ever happen again,’ said Michael McPherson, special-agent-in-charge of the Tampa FBI office.” WINK-TV Fort Myers, FL (7/21, 34K) reports that the FBI, Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Fort Myers Police Department “announced ‘Operation Club Blu’ and a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of suspects in the 2016 Club Blu shooting.” The agencies said that they are “dedicating detectives and investigators to focus on the case again and upping the ante with a $20,000 reward, pleading for people to come forward.” ## FBI Investigating Attack On Mississippi Police Deputy. The Hattiesburg (MS) American (7/21, 32K) reports that the FBI is “investigating an assault of a federal law enforcement officer after shots were fired at a hotel in Gautier Tuesday.” An unidentified Harrison County Sheriff’s deputy “was shot in the neck Tuesday morning while serving a warrant for a kidnapping at the Siegel Select Hotel.” The Biloxi (MS) Sun Herald (7/21, 116K) reports Joseph Dale Sonnier, who “was wanted in Hancock County for two counts of kidnapping, two counts of aggravated assault, armed robbery and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon,” was the target of the warrant. WALA-TV Mobile, AL (7/21, 39K) reports that the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation “is investigating the shooting and processing the scene.” Also reporting are Fox News (7/21, Ruiz, 27.59M), WLOX-TV Biloxi, MS (7/21, 24K), and Jackson (MS) Clarion Ledger (7/21, 275K). EFTA00135642 ## FBI Investigating Ohio Bank Robbery. WNWO-TV Toledo, OH (7/21) reports that the FBI “is looking to identify a man who robbed a credit union in Maumee Tuesday afternoon.” The suspect robbed the Directions Credit Union while holding a young child. WTVG-TV Toledo, OH (7/21, 64K) reports that the suspect “entered the building carrying a young child and passed a note to a teller demanding money and threatening to detonate an explosive device.” WTOL-TV Toledo, OH (7/21, 76K) reports that the FBI “says the suspect appeared to have left in a silver Cadillac.” ## Atomwaffen Division Member Pleads Guilty To Making Interstate Threats. The Washington Post (7/21, Weiner, 14.2M) reports Atomwaffen Division member John William Kirby Kelley has pleaded guilty to making interstate threats after a federal investigation identified him as the source of “swatting” calls made against journalists, activists and politicians. He “face[s] up to five years in prison,” and he “[has] agreed to pay restitution to the police departments involved.” The AP (7/21) reports Kelley “suggested [Old Dominion] university as a target for the swatting calls ‘because he did not want to attend class.’” Authorities “began investigating Kelley in November 2018, when Old Dominion received a call that someone armed with an AR-15 had hidden pipe bombs on campus,” after police “received a call hours later from someone with a similar voice who said he had dialed accidentally.” The FBI “compared the voices on both calls and investigators matched email accounts and phone numbers connecting Kelley to the calls.” ## Missouri Man Charged With Child Pornography Possession. The Columbia (MO) Daily Tribune (7/21, Pratt, 63K) reports Andrew Paul Capps “was arrested Friday on a warrant for receiving or distributing child pornography” after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alerted the authorities about two images “uploaded to Facebook messenger from a user later determined to be Capps.” The affidavit adds Capps “told authorities he had urges to assault children as young as 8 years old and viewing child pornography controlled his urges.” ## Georgia Man Sentenced Over Child Pornography Production. WIGS-TV Savannah, GA (7/21, Brock) reports Richard Hunt Moore Jr, who “pled guilty to one count of production of child pornography,” was “sentenced Tuesday to 22 years in prison for producing child pornography.” The investigation “began when Moore was found with a minor at a motel in Augusta,” where FBI agents “discovered child pornography on electronic devices in Moore’s possession.” ## Former Maryland Police Officer Pleads Guilty To Child Pornography Possession. The AP (7/21) reports former Baltimore police officer James Robert Wissmann IV “pleaded guilty on Tuesday to possessing child pornography.” He will “be sentenced to at least four years in prison if a judge accepts his plea agreement with federal prosecutors.” The investigation began in October 2018, when an unidentified messaging application “reported Wissmann’s activity to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.” ## FBI Investigating Idaho Shooting. The AP (7/21) reports that the FBI is investigating Sean L. Anderson, who “was identified Monday following a pursuit and shootout Saturday that followed an attempted traffic stop for an apparent equipment violation.” The pursuit “ended when the vehicle stopped in a residential area and shots were fired,” and he “was hospitalized.” Anderson “was one of the last four holdouts during the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge protest, along with Ammon Bundy of Emmett, Idaho.” ## Report: FBI Investigating California Voter Fraud In Illinois. EFTA00135643 The Chicago Sun-Times (7/21, 875K) reports that the FBI is investigating identity theft and voter fraud within the California online voter registration system, and the investigation brought FBI agents to Chicago, where they “collected `election mail,’ county recorder documents and ‘California voter registrations’ during a search in May 2018.” The investigation has not yet resulted in charges, and the FBI “declined to comment” on an ongoing investigation. ## New York Man Sentenced Over Sexual Abuse Of Minors. The Appleton (WI) Post-Crescent (7/21, 246K) reports registered sex offender Cort W. Davis, who “initiated online relationships with teenagers by pretending to be a 19-year-old named Caleb,” was “sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for sexually abusing two children in Appleton and California.” He “traveled to southern California in April 2018 where he rented a hotel room and violently sexually abused a 14-year-old over several days,” and later “traveled to Appleton where he sexually abused a 13-year-old outside the Fox River Mall.” He was interdicted by police, who “found videos on his cellphone of Davis abusing the children.” ## Colorado Man Receives New Charges Over Hate Crime. KMGH-TV Denver (7/21, 168K) reports Eric Breemen, who “allegedly ran over a Sikh store owner in Lakewood In late April,” now “faces 17 counts, including a felony bias-motivated crime charge and attempted murder.” Breeman “is being held on a $50,000 bond at the Jefferson County jail and is next due in court July 24 for a preliminary hearing.” ## Former Virginia Gang Member Sentenced For Murder. WVEC-TV Hampton Roads, VA (7/21, 49K) reports former Nine Trey Gangsters leader Rashaun Antonio Taylor will “spend 45 years behind bars for his role in the murder of a 23-year-old man as well as a racketeering conspiracy.” A jury “convicted Taylor of racketeering conspiracy that included murder, the use of a firearm resulting in death, distribution of heroin, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.” ## FBI Among Agencies Involved In Search For Missing Iowa Girl. KWQC-TV Davenport, IA (7/22, Spinelli, 79K) reports from Davenport, Iowa, “Missing 10-year-old Breasia Terrell has not been seen since the early morning hours on Friday, July 10. As the investigation into her disappearance continues, Davenport police are being assisted by a handful of agencies, including the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.” According to KWQC-TV, “Davenport police addressed the public Monday about the ongoing investigation,” and “on Tuesday, TV6 spoke with Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Omaha Division, Kristi Johnson, who remains in Davenport working on Terrell’s case. Johnson said, ‘Every day in the FBI we maintain excellent relationships with our local police departments and our police chiefs. In this investigation, on July 10 we were in contact with the Chief and offered our assistance with respect to everything that we can offer in a case like this, and of course, immediately we all started working together.’” ## DEA, FBI Involved With Cannabis-Related Operation In Maine. An online WCSH-TV Portland, ME (7/21) report says FBI and DEA employees were in Maine on Tuesday, when law enforcement workers “swarmed the area” in which two cannabis businesses are located in the town of Farmington. Kristen Setera, an FBI spokesperson, said those law enforcement workers were conducting court-authorized activity. The Lewiston (ME) Sun Journal (7/21, Perry, 25K) reports, “Marijuana plants were being tossed Tuesday morning from the back of the Narrow Gauge Distributors” in Farmington, “after many law enforcement officers converged on the cannabis distribution business.” The DEA and the FBI were involved with Tuesday’s operation, which “also focused on other businesses in the area, including The Homegrown Connection.” The Sun Journal article is also posted to the Central Maine (7/21, 21K) website. The Bangor (ME) Daily News (7/21, 198K) and the WMTW-TV Portland, ME (7/21, 105K) website also cover this story. ## First Person Arrested As Result Of DOJ Operation Facing Drug Charge. EFTA00135644 The Kansas City (MO) Star (7/21, Spoerre, 549K) reports that when the Department of Justice (DOJ) “announced the creation of a federal operation that would bring more than 200 agents to the Kansas City area, officials emphasized the focus would be on solving more shootings.” Monty W. Ray, the first person arrested as a result of the operation, “was charged Monday in federal court with being an unlawful drug user in possession of firearms.” The Star highlights that agents with the DEA and the FBI are being deployed to Kansas City, Missouri, as part of the operation that apprehended Ray. ## FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS ## Nevada COVID-19 Fraud Task Force Probing Unemployment Claims. KVVU-TV Las Vegas (7/21, Emerson, 124K) reports from Las Vegas, “Nevada’s COVID-19 Fraud Task Force released guidance on what to do if you’re the victim of unemployment benefit fraud.” Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford and US Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich “said the task force has received reports that personal information of current and past Nevadans is being used to file fraudulent applications for unemployment benefits. ‘This Task Force was formed to fight fraud and prosecute those using COVID-19 for their own financial gain,’ Ford said in a statement. ‘Thousands of Nevadans have lost their jobs and are facing extreme financial hardship. I urge Nevadans affected by or with information about fraudulent unemployment applications to file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center and DETR.’” ## Illinois Republicans Seek Special Legislative Session To Act On Corruption Probe. The Chicago Daily Herald (7/21, Pyke, 358K) reports, “Republican lawmakers pressured Democrats and Gov. J.B. Pritzker to reconvene the General Assembly to address the corruption scandal engulfing ComEd and implicating Speaker Michael Madigan Tuesday. ‘The governor needs to step in and lead on this issue,’ Republican Rep. Grant Wehrli of Naperville said during an online press conference with the House Republican Caucus. ‘Call a special session.’” The Daily Herald adds, “Republican state representatives also said they want the speaker to resign. Madigan contends he has committed no wrong-doing.” ComEd “has admitted to conspiring with a public official identified as Madigan to hire his allies and award contracts to cronies in exchange for favorable legislation that enabled rate hikes between 2011 and 2019. The utility was charged with bribery, and agreed to a $200 million fine that will not be paid through surcharges or fees on customers, the FBI and federal prosecutors announced Friday.” ## Massachusetts Transit Authority To Pay $300,000 To Settle Fraud Allegations. The Worcester (MA) Telegram & Gazette (7/21, Petrishen, 124K) reports, “The Montachusett Regional Transportation authority has agreed to pay $300,000 to resolve accusations it failed to prevent contractors from fraudulently submitting reimbursement claims for rides that were never provided to MassHealth patients, prosecutors announced Tuesday.” MART, “one of more than a dozen public, nonprofit transportation authorities in the state,” “failed to ensure subcontractors providing rides covered by MassHealth performed the work, said U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling in a news release. According to Lelling, MART, which also receives management fees for its brokerage from state coffers, was required through its state contract to have procedures in place to ensure the scheduled trips were performed as billed. Lelling alleged MART had insufficient oversight procedures from 2011 to 2015, which resulted in transportation companies submitting ‘thousands’ of false invoices to MART that the authority then charged to MassHealth.” ## FBI Raids Michigan Office In Vitamin C Probe. USA Today (7/21, Schrotenboer, 10.31M) reports, “Wearing face masks and protective Tyvek suits with yellow boots, FBI investigators recently raided a medical building in metro Detroit to gather evidence about an alleged fake treatment being sold for COVID-19.” The agents “were investigating a suspected scheme involving...Vitamin C,” a “powerful antioxidant” that “has become the subject of faith, controversy and even frequent government crackdowns during the EFTA00135645 pandemic.” USA Today adds, “In the federal case near Detroit, Dr. Charles Mok has been charged with health care fraud and is accused of using the pandemic as an opportunity to bill insurers, including Medicare, for high-dose vitamin C intravenous infusions that authorities say were ‘fraudulently represented as COVID-19 treatments and preventative measures.’ His case drew investigators from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the FBI, who wore protective gear during the raid in April to guard against exposure to COVID-19.” ## Cohen Suit Says He Was Returned To Prison To Stop Book About Trump. The New York Times (7/21, Feuer, Weiser, 18.61M) reports President Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen “says it was no secret” that he was writing a book about President Trump. Earlier this month, “federal officials abruptly sent Mr. Cohen back to prison because he balked at signing an agreement that would have let him stay at home with a key restriction: He would not have been allowed to publish his book before the November elections.” Cohen “has responded with a lawsuit claiming that the government has violated his First Amendment rights by returning him to custody and interrupting his writing.” The suit “accuses Attorney General William P. Barr and federal prison officials of using his return to prison as a way to stop the publication of the book, which, court papers say, paints the president as a racist.” The Washington Post (7/21, Jacobs, 14.2M) reports Cohen said in court documents filed Monday night that his book will contain “my firsthand experiences and observations based on my decade-long employment and relationship with Mr. Trump and his family, both before and after he was elected. … In particular, my book will provide graphic and unflattering details about the President’s behavior behind closed doors.” It “describes the President’s pointedly anti-Semitic remarks and virulently racist remarks against such Black leaders as President Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela, neither of whom he viewed as real leaders or as worthy of respect by virtue of their race.” Reuters (7/21, Lynch, Freifeld) says the “surprise move against Cohen...has some legal experts and congressional Democrats asking whether Trump and U.S. Attorney General William Barr are manipulating the justice system to reward Trump’s allies and punish his enemies.” Trump’s decision to commute Roger Stone’s prison sentence and “the Department of Justice dropping its case against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn despite his guilty plea have commanded more national attention. But outspoken critics, including Cohen and celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti, may be getting worse treatment, some legal observers said.” ## CYBER DIVISION ## US Indicts Hackers Working With China To Steal COVID-19 Vaccines, Treatments. The AP (7/21, Tucker) reports on Tuesday, the Justice Department unveiled an indictment charging "hackers working with the Chinese government" with having "targeted firms developing vaccines for the coronavirus and stole[n] hundreds of millions of dollars worth of intellectual property and trade secrets from companies across the world." The two defendants "are not in custody, and federal officials conceded Tuesday that they were not likely to step foot in an American courtroom." The indictment also did not say whether the hackers succeeded in obtaining "any COVID-19 research." Similarly, the Washington Times (7/21, Taylor, 492K) reports that there was "no immediate indication from the indictment that the hackers had successfully obtained any COVID-19 research, despite efforts to snoop on the companies." The CBS Evening News (7/21, story 4, 1:35, O'Donnell, 4.49M), however, said the "breaches could potentially slow down critical research." NBC Nightly News (7/21, story 5, 1:30, Holt, 6.23M) reported that "less than a week after Novavax, a Maryland biotech firm, announced that it was researching a potential COVID vaccine, the FBI says, a computer hacker in China, Li Xiaoyu, searched for ways to hack into its computers. Now he and a former college classmate are wanted men, charged by federal prosecutors with trying to hack into three other US companies working on COVID treatments and testing." The Wall Street Journal (7/21, A1, Viswanatha, Volz, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports that the EFTA00135646 indictment says that Li and Dong Jiazhi has stolen secrets from companies, research institutions and defense contractors both in the US and other nations for more than a decade. The Hill (7/21, Miller, Rodrigo, 2.98M) reports that the defendants “currently work for the Guangdong Province International Affairs Research Center in China.” NPR (7/21, Lucas, 3.12M) reports that the indictment “includes a list 25 unnamed companies that were alleged victims, including a Texas engineering and technology firm, a Massachusetts software company and a Virginia defense contractor.” The Spokane (WA) Spokesman-Review (7/21, 183K) reports that the officials are “believed to have hacked computer systems at the Hanford nuclear site and pursuing coronavirus treatment data in the United States.” The Washington Post (7/21, Nakashima, Barrett, 14.2M) reports the DOJ “accused China…of sponsoring criminal hackers who are targeting biotech firms around the world working on coronavirus vaccines and treatments.” FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich said, “This type of economic coercion is not what we expect from a trusted world leader. It is what we expect from an organized criminal syndicate.” USA Today (7/21, Johnson, 10.31M) adds that Bowdich also said, “We are bringing these charges to put Chinese authorities on notice.” Reuters (7/21, Satter, Bing) reports that Li and Dong were “one of the most prolific group of hackers we’ve investigated,” said FBI Special Agent Raymond Duda, of the Seattle field office. BBC World News (UK) (7/21, 3.28M) reports that John Demers, assistant AG for national security, said, “China has now taken its place, alongside Russia, Iran and North Korea, in that shameful club of nations that provide a safe haven for cybercriminals in exchange for those criminals being ‘on-call’ to work for the benefit of the state, here to feed the Chinese Communist party’s insatiable hunger for American and other non-Chinese companies’ hard-earned intellectual property, including Covid-19 research.” The New York Times (7/21, Barnes, 18.61M) says the indictment "suggests that China did far less to curb its spying than it had vowed to as part of a nonaggression pact signed with the United States in late 2015 that was aimed at curbing China’s efforts to steal American technological know-how." The deal "was thought to have slowed China's hacking for about 18 months, reducing the industrial espionage work done by the Chinese military. But Mr. Li and Mr. Dong, guided by the Chinese intelligence agency, tried to steal secrets in 2016 and 2017, even as the agreement was purportedly being honored." Reuters (7/21, Satter, Bing) reports, “Beijing has repeatedly denied hacking the United States and other rival powers.” CNN (7/21, Shortell, 83.16M), NextGov (7/21, Jasper), AFP (7/21), MeriTalk (7/21, Weingarten), CBS News (7/21, Hymes, 3.68M), and TechCrunch (7/21, Whittaker, 605K), among others, also report on the indictments. McCarthy Introduces Legislation To Sanction Foreign Hackers Targeting COVID-19 Research. The Hill (7/21, Miller, 2.98M) reports House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Tuesday “introduced legislation to sanction foreign hackers involved in attempts to target and steal research on COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.” The Defend COVID Research from Hackers Act “would allow the president to impose sanctions on foreign individuals engaging in hacking activity that compromises economic and national security or public health, and freeze any American assets of these individuals.” The bill also “requires the Secretary of State, in consultation with the DNI, to submit a report to Congress within 180 days of the bill’s passage on ‘the extent of known cyber-enabled activities or attempted cyber-enabled activities’ around COVID-19.” ## WPost Urges Twitter To Improve Security; Warns Officials Against Relying On Social Media. The Washington Post (7/21, 14.2M), in an editorial, said that the recent “security breach” at Twitter “was alarming not only for what happened but also for what could have happened” suggesting that “trusted accounts” might be “hijacked to share false news of a massive terror attack and unleash financial meltdown” or “on Election Day to give voters false information about polling places.” The Post says that the risks “should teach elected officials not to rely exclusively on Twitter or Facebook or anything else to communicate with constituents,” and should “teach platforms to adopt smarter cybersecurity practices.” EFTA00135647 ## TikTok Says It Plans To Add 10,000 Jobs In US. CNN International (7/21, Fung) reports TikTok “said Tuesday that it plans to create 10,000 jobs in the US during the next three years, a substantial increase from the roughly 1,400 employees it currently has in the country.” The announcement comes “as the company faces mounting criticism over its handling of user data and its ties to China through its parent company, ByteDance.” A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement, “These are good-paying jobs that will help us continue to build a fun and safe experience and protect our community’s privacy.” TikTok “said it has already tripled its US workforce this year, and the new jobs will be based in California, Texas, Florida and New York – focusing on areas including sales, content moderation, engineering and customer support.” ## McCarthy Introduces Legislation To Sanction Foreign Hackers Targeting COVID-19 Research. The Hill (7/21, Miller, 2.98M) reports House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Tuesday “introduced legislation to sanction foreign hackers involved in attempts to target and steal research on COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.” The Defend COVID Research from Hackers Act “would allow the president to impose sanctions on foreign individuals engaging in hacking activity that compromises economic and national security or public health, and freeze any American assets of these individuals.” The bill also “requires the Secretary of State, in consultation with the DNI, to submit a report to Congress within 180 days of the bill’s passage on ‘the extent of known cyber-enabled activities or attempted cyber-enabled activities’ around COVID-19.” McCarthy “said in a statement that Congress should take steps to protect American researchers working on a ‘Victory Vaccine’ to combat COVID-19, vowing that the US would share any vaccine it developed with the world.” ## White House Threatens To Veto NDAA Over Intelligence Sharing Proposals. NextGov (7/21, Baksh) reports the White House is threatening “to veto the National Defense Authorization Act if it contains a number of provisions from the House, including those for public-private cyber threat intelligence sharing activities recommended by the Cyberspace Solarium Commission.” A statement of Administration policy released Tuesday “says that sections of the House bill ‘calling for a cyber threat information collaboration environment (Sec. 1631) and defense industrial base participation in a threat intelligence sharing program (Sec. 1632)‘do not adequately reflect the DNI’s statutory responsibility to protect intelligence sources and methods with regard to cybersecurity threat intelligence related to information systems operated by agencies within the Intelligence Community.’” The proposals are based “on recommendations from the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, and their inclusion was celebrated by commission members such as Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI).” ## Ignatius: US Has Stronger Hand In Its Tech Battle With China. In his column in the Washington Post (7/21, 14.2M), David Ignatius writes, “New US sanctions against the Chinese telecom giant Huawei are beginning to bite hard, with a British assessment predicting that the firm may begin running out of complex, US-designed semiconductors and other gear during the next year. The shortage could cripple parts of its business. … US and Chinese analysts have both warned in interviews that this technology conflict is leading to a decoupling of the global tech market that might leave both nations worse off.” He adds, “America and its allies also have vulnerabilities.” Beijing signaled Monday that it might retaliate by imposing sanctions on Nokia and Ericsson, which depend on some Chinese components.” A Chinese diplomat in Europe recently offered a menacing warning: ‘We treat our friends with fine wine, but for our enemies we have shotguns.’ Tough talk. But in the Huawei fight, it turns out, the heavy weapons seem to be on the American side.” ## House-Approved Defense Bill Would Ban TikTok From Government Devices. The Hill (7/21, Rodrigo, 2.98M) reports an amendment "banning the use of TikTok on government EFTA00135648 devices was successfully attached to the annual defense policy approved by the House Tuesday." The proposal, brought by Rep. Ken Buck (D-CO), "would bar federal employees from downloading the short-form video app onto government-issued devices." A spokesperson for TikTok "said in a statement to The Hill that the company’s app is for ‘for entertainment and creative expression, which we recognize is not what federal government devices are for.'" ## Op-Ed: Russian Cyberthreat Extends To Coronavirus Vaccine Research. In a commentary in The Conversation (7/21, 62K), Dorothy Denning of the Naval Postgraduate School writes, “A Russian cyberespionage group that hacked into election networks before the 2016 US presidential election is now attempting to steal coronavirus vaccine information from researchers in the US, UK, and Canada.” She contends, “This latest incident illustrates yet again how, beyond carrying all of our phone, text and Internet communications, cyberspace is an active battleground, with cybercriminals, government agents and even military personnel probing weaknesses in corporate, national and even personal online defenses. Some of the most talented and dangerous cybercrooks and cyberwarriors come from Russia, which is a longtime meddler in other countries’ affairs.” She concludes, “Although Russia poses a major cyberthreat, it is not the only country that threatens the US in cyberspace. … The good news is that actions to protect an organization’s cybersecurity…that work against Russia also work against other threat actors.” ## LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES ## DOJ Planning To Expand Anti-Crime Operation To More Cities. Politico (7/21, Swan, Bertrand, Lippman, 4.29M) reports some federal law enforcement organizations “are gearing up to expand their footprint nationwide in the coming weeks, despite concerns about...recent scenes of violence and chaos” related to a Department of Homeland Security deployment in Portland, Oregon. An unidentified Department of Justice (DOJ) official told Politico that the DOJ plans to expand an anti-crime operation involving DEA and FBI agents to other cities. The official said DOJ is “seeing success” with the operation in Kansas City, Missouri. Anti-Crime Operation In Missouri Highlighted. The Wall Street Journal (7/21, Gurman, Ailworth, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports the Administration plans to deploy federal law enforcement workers to help reduce violent crime in Chicago. Meanwhile, agents from the DEA, the FBI and other federal organizations are being deployed to help reduce violent crime in Kansas City, Missouri. ## Carroll: Site Connects Local Leaders With Funding, Information To Fight Drug Addiction. ONDCP Director Carroll was asked on RFD-TV (7/21, 5K) about the Administration’s new website which enables local leaders to access funding and resources to combat drug addiction. Carroll said, “We worked with 16 federal agencies and departments. But, more importantly, we worked with the people out in rural America to find out their needs. And once we did that, we came together and produced this website: ruralcommunitytoolbox.org. It allows community members to go to one stop, one place to look for funding which of course is so critical. But it also allows them to do assessments, to sort of look at the data that is as recent as possible for their community, get an understanding of the problems there and finding out some best practices, best ways to get people into treatment and also prevent drug use from ever happening in the first place.” ## INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ## US Offers $5M Reward For Information Leading To The Arrest Of Venezuela Chief Justice. The Washington Examiner (7/21, Halaschak, 448K) reports the US is “offering $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Maikel Moreno, president of Venezuela’s highest court.” The large reward was “announced in a Tuesday press release along with new sanctions barring travel to the US for Moreno and his wife.” Alysa Erichs, acting executive associate director EFTA00135649 for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, “touted the move as a positive step in the fight against corruption.” Erichs said, “HSI remains committed to investigating corrupt officials like Moreno Perez, who exploited the Venezuelan court system for his personal benefit and laundered ill-gained proceeds in the United States. HSI welcomes the announcement by the Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program and sees this as an important step to ensuring that Moreno Perez faces justice for the crimes he allegedly committed.” ## OTHER FBI NEWS ## Delaware Beer Distributor Says He Wore A Wire In FBI Probe Of Biden’s Fundraising. In a more than 6,600-word story, Politico Magazine (7/21, Schreckinger, 4.24M) reports that Delaware beer distributor Christopher Tigani, who served as a bundler for Joe Biden’s 2008 presidential campaign and was caught reimbursing his employees for contributions made in their name, agreed in 2010 to “wear a wire for the FBI and record people close to the then-vice president, seeking, he said, to confirm his belief that they knew of his reimbursements and investigate whether they, or others close to Biden, engaged in any quid pro quo deals with donors.” In the end, “only Tigani himself faced federal charges.” The information he “provided to federal investigators was ‘not actionable’ according to a confidential 2012 letter sent from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Delaware to the United States Probation Office detailing his attempted FBI cooperation.” In 2011, a Biden spokeswoman “denied he had any knowledge of Tigani’s crimes. Biden’s 2020 campaign repeated the denial.” ## Federal Prosecutors Oppose Early Release For Missouri Businessman. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (7/21, Patrick, 685K) reports, "Federal prosecutors are opposing businessman John G. Rallo’s request for early release from prison, saying he’d failed to provide any ‘extraordinary and compelling reasons.’” According to the Post-Dispatch, “Earlier this month, Rallo, 55, cited his thyroid cancer and the coronavirus pandemic in a request for early release. In a court filing Tuesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith said the cancer can be successfully treated in prison. Goldsmith also said the Bureau of Prison was making efforts to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. Rallo would be an ‘economic danger’ to a community more susceptible to fraud due to the pandemic if released, Goldsmith continued, adding that some courts have found that defendants are unlikely to follow the orders of health authorities if released.” ## FBI Intel Analyst Admitted To Viewing Child Pornography. The Daily Caller (7/21, Ross, 716K) reports, “A senior FBI intelligence analyst admitted during a polygraph test that he viewed child pornography of girls as young as nine years old, according to a report of the investigation obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation.” The Daily Caller adds, “The analyst, who is not identified in the report, was fired from the FBI, but the Justice Department and its child exploitation unit declined to file criminal charges against him.” According to the Daily Caller, “The report goes into greater detail about the investigation into the analyst than did a summary of the probe released by the Justice Department’s inspector general in April. That summary said that the supervisory intelligence analyst (SIA) admitted to viewing and downloading child pornography several years earlier, but did not give any other details about the nature of the content.” ## OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS ## Trump Advocates Use Of Masks, Warns Pandemic Will “Get Worse Before It Gets Better.” News reports on the President’s briefing on the state of the coronavirus pandemic cast him as changing his tone on the gravity of the situation – a development a number of stories attributed to his deteriorating poll numbers, and for which he received little credit across most of the coverage. EFTA00135650 To the Washington Post (7/21, Olorunnipa, 14.2M), for example, Trump’s “low-key reappearance before reporters seemed to be a tacit admission that his previous strategy had not worked” and “the virus he once said would soon disappear continues to pose a grave threat to the country, as well as to his reelection.” Yet he “continued to showcase his trademark boosterism with repeated praise of his administration.” Politico (7/21, Forgey, 4.29M) similarly casts him as “seeking to repair a damaging media narrative as coronavirus infections spiral back out of control just over 100 days before the presidential election.” The CBS Evening News (7/21, story 3, 2:50, O'Donnell, 4.49M) reported that Trump “acknowledged voters will judge him on his leadership in the handling of the pandemic,” adding “that may explain why the President changed his tone.” CBS (Jiang) showed him saying, “It will, probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better.” USA Today (7/21, Subramanian, Fritze, 10.31M) notes the President added, “Something I don’t like saying about things, but that’s the way it is.” ABC World News Tonight (7/21, story 3, 3:00, Bruce, 7.14M), meanwhile, showed Trump saying, “We’re asking everybody that, when you are not able to socially distance, wear a mask, get a mask, whether you like the mask or not. They have an impact. They’ll have an effect, and we need everything we can get.” NBC Nightly News (7/21, lead story, 3:00, Holt, 6.23M) similarly spoke of “a remarkable change of tune for...Trump,” who “made an unqualified call for mask-wearing, as well as voicing support for more testing.” NBC (Welker) added that “under pressure,” Trump held “his first briefing on the coronavirus since April, touting progress fighting COVID-19.” Said the President, “The vaccines are coming, and they’re coming a lot sooner than anyone thought possible, by years.” The AP (7/21, Miller, Lemire) recounts that “besides declaring support for masks as a way to fight the pandemic, he admonished young people against crowding bars and spreading the disease.” Along those lines, Reuters (7/21, Alper, Mason) referred to “a shift in rhetoric” on Trump’s part, the Washington Examiner (7/21, Smith, 448K) says his “comments marked a shift in tone for the president who has, for some time, had a more positive perspective on the state of the pandemic,” Fox News (7/21, O'Reilly, 27.59M) that he “admitted that the public health crisis is likely to worsen” and Politico (7/21, Oprysko, 4.29M) that he “diverged from his upbeat and dismissive rhetoric about the threat of coronavirus” and exercised “discipline as he read largely from a script and acknowledging the real scope of the virus as cases and fatalities climb to record levels across the country.” The AP (7/21, Miller, Lemire) reports “there were no guarantees how long Trump’s more measured tone, delivered with an eye to halting a campaign-season erosion of support, would last,” as “along the way Tuesday, the president still worked in jabs at the news media and Democrats for focusing on disease-fighting shortcomings in the US.” To the Washington Times (7/21, Howell, 492K), meanwhile, Trump “tried to seize control of the coronavirus narrative Tuesday,” and “said Americans are far less likely to die from the disease than they had been in March and April, citing the younger age of new infections and pioneering drugs, but he admitted there was work to do as cases and hospitalizations surge in the South and West.” The Los Angeles Times (7/21, Stokols, 4.64M) recounts, however, that “moments later…Trump responded to a question without notes and delivered his familiar refrain: eventually ‘the virus will disappear.’” Along those lines, the New York Times (7/21, Baker, 18.61M) reports “the president’s shift had its limits,” as “he again congratulated himself on his handling of the pandemic, admitted no missteps and made a number of specious claims.” The Hill (7/21, Chalfant, 2.98M), CNBC (7/21, Lovelace, 3.62M), Breitbart (7/21, Spiering, 673K), Townhall (7/21, Pavlich, 177K) and Wall Street Journal (7/21, Lucey, Restuccia, Subscription Publication, 7.57M), among other news outlets, also cover the briefing. After the briefing, the President retweeted a White House post that quoted him as saying, “As one family, we mourn every precious life that’s been lost. I pledge in their honor that we will develop a vaccine, and we will defeat the virus.” Earlier Tuesday, Trump had tweeted, “You will never hear this on the Fake News concerning the China Virus, but by comparison to most other countries, who are suffering greatly, we are doing very well – and we have done things that few other countries could have done!” Trump also wrote on Twitter, “Tremendous progress being made on Vaccines and Therapeutics!!!” HHS Secretary Azar said on WLW-AM Cincinnati (7/21, 19K), "The President [Tuesday] EFTA00135651 night said that wearing face coverings is patriotic. We have said that from the outset with the President’s guidelines on reopening. If we wear face coverings, if we close our bars, we see a real impact. Phoenix is turning around their infection rate to actually move into negative territory on the spread of disease by having people wear face covering and closing our bars. If we all do that….we have it in our hands to actually turn this around.” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Fox News’ Hannity (7/21, 535K), “On March 31, this President was asked about masks. On March 31, he said if you want to wear a face covering, wear one. It does no harm. By all means, wear one. Three days later, the CDC came out with guidelines and instead of opposing face coverings and masks, they said it’s recommended but not required. The President was ahead of the game, but guess who as behind the game? The White House press corps because a full month later when I did my first briefing – this is after the CDC recommendations – I looked around the room, no one was wearing masks. So it’s very interesting to see the politically convenient White House press corps saying the President was against masks when that was never the case. He has always been open to it. It is the White House press corps that ignored CDC recommendations an entire month after they were issued.” Reuters (7/21, Mason) reports, “Differences over how to fight the coronavirus pandemic have sparked infighting and tension within the White House, hampering its response as the death toll mounts and…Trump’s approval ratings fall.” According to “officials,” there are “physicians on the White House Coronavirus Task Force, particularly its coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx,” who “are frustrated that warnings about rising cases are being ignored, and dismayed that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the renowned US infectious disease expert, has been demeaned and disparaged.” Reuters also reports that “the decision to restart briefings came after tension between Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows, whose team took over leadership of the West Wing in March, and others in the White House, especially Vice President Mike Pence’s team, about the right strategy for talking to the country about the pandemic.” Politico (7/21, Orr, 4.29M) reports “a senior administration official said Trump’s relatively disciplined performance was likely to neutralize objections that some aides had raised in recent days over allowing him to participate in televised coronavirus updates.” Meadows, “along with senior adviser Jared Kushner and top officials on the president’s reelection campaign, had previously urged him to tether his reelection message to the economy and other issues instead of constantly dwelling on the deadly virus.” Axios (7/21, Knutson, 521K) reports “Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN around 4 p.m. Tuesday that he” had “not been invited to President Trump’s 5 p.m. coronavirus press briefing, and that he most recently spoke to the president last week.” Cartoonist Says Trump Downplaying Dangers Of COVID-19 Is Part Of Election Strategy. Political cartoonist Ted Rall writes in the Wall Street Journal (7/21, Rall, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) that allegedly downplaying the dangers of COVID-19 may be a re-election strategy for Trump, because if there is a second wave during the fall elections, Republicans will be more likely to vote than Democrats. He also contends that there is greater enthusiasm among Trump supporters than among Biden supporters. He concludes that Democrats by emphasizing the danger from the virus may suppress their own vote while Trump by downplaying it may be encouraging his voters to turn out. ## Fauci Says Reopening And Public Health Measures Should Not Be In Opposition. NIAID Director Fauci was asked in an interview with the New York Times (7/21, Senior, 18.61M) if it is possible to get the coronavirus pandemic under control without a federal response. Fauci said, "It would be better if things were a little more uniform. It just seems that unfortunately, in some sectors, there’s this feeling that there’s opening the country on one end of the spectrum, and public health measures that suppress things and lock them down on the other. They should not be opposing forces." Asked what he would do if he were "an executive for the day," Fauci said, "Would you want me to say something that’s directly contrary to what the president is doing? That’s not helpful. Then all of a sudden you don’t hear from me for a while. I definitely don’t want anyone EFTA00135652 weaponizing anything you’re saying." ## Azar Envisions "Hundreds Of Millions" Of Vaccines By Early Next Year. HHS Secretary Azar said on WLW-AM Cincinnati (7/21, 19K), “We hope to have tens of millions of vaccines this fall and hundreds of millions by early next year.” Azar added that “vaccines and therapeutics have to meet the FDA’s gold standards of safety and efficacy for the American people but President Trump’s leadership has meant every day we are in a better position than we were the day before.” Pharma Execs Say Political Pressure Will Not Compromise Vaccine Safety. USA Today (7/21, Weise, 10.31M) reports in testimony to a US House subcommittee on Tuesday, “executives from AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Moderna and Pfizer said their goal is to have effective vaccines available as soon as possible while following all safety and regulatory guidelines.” NBC Nightly News (7/21, story 2, 3:05, Holt, 6.23M) reported that “the nation’s top vaccine makers offered some credence to the President’s sense of optimism.” But NBC (Costello) added that some lawmakers “are concerned the White House could try to fast-track a vaccine.” Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ): “I want to make sure that you will guard against any pressure that comes from the FDA to lower its standards or to approve something that you know doesn’t meet the standards.” Dr. Macaya Douoguih, Janssen Vaccines Clinical Development & Medical Affairs: “We are working around the clock to accelerate our development, but we’re not cutting corners on safety.” Politico (7/21, Owermohle, 4.29M) reports that while President Trump “has repeatedly promised a vaccine by the end of the year, raising concerns that his administration will rush to approve one without adequate proof that it works,” the drug makers said “they’re not worried that political pressure will lower standards for approval of any eventual shot.” The New York Times (7/21, Wu, 18.61M) reports that AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna “are getting federal funds for their vaccine development efforts.” AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson “pledged to the lawmakers that they would produce hundreds of millions of doses of their vaccines at no profit to themselves,” but Moderna, “which has been granted $483 million from the government to develop its product, made no such promise.” Pfizer has not taken government funds, which sparked concern from some House members, who suggested “it could lead to price-gouging and a lack of transparency.” ## Adams To Take More Prominent Role In Administration’s Pandemic Response. The New York Times (7/21, Stolberg, Weiland, 18.61M) reports Surgeon General Adams “is poised to take on a more prominent role” in the Administration’s pandemic response. Dr. Adams “will be the central figure in a public service campaign aimed at getting Americans to take the pandemic seriously.” In April, Dr. Adams was criticized for the colloquialisms he used to urge “people of color to practice social distancing and wear masks,” leading NIAID Director Fauci to leap to his defense. Fauci said in a recent interview, “He’s an African-American kid who grew up in an African-American family, so he knows exactly what he’s talking about.” NIH Director Francis Collins said, “His own community is not exactly a fan of this administration, and then they see Jerome up there representing the White House, and he gets a lot of blowback. … At one point he did tell me he was having a pretty rough time.” ## CDC Data Show Coronavirus Infections Higher Than Reported In Some Areas Of US. NBC Nightly News (7/21, story 3, 2:30, Holt, 6.23M) reported that coronavirus infections “continue to soar in hot spots like California, Texas, and Florida.” ABC World News Tonight (7/21, lead story, 5:20, Muir, 7.14M) reported in its lead story that “in Florida, more than 9,000 new cases [on Tuesday and] 136 more deaths.” Texas is “also reporting more than 9,000 new cases. And in one Texas county alone, 85 babies have tested positive since March and at least one instant has died.” The CBS Evening News (7/21, lead story, 4:05, Villarreal, 4.49M) reported that nationwide, “just nine states are seeing a decline in cases or holding steady. Three of those – New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut – are now asking visitors from 31 states to self-quarantine.” EFTA00135653 Meanwhile, the New York Times (7/21, Mandavilli, 18.61M) reports that according to CDC data released Tuesday, “the number of people infected with the coronavirus in different parts of the United States is anywhere from two to 13 times higher than the reported rates for those regions.” The findings indicate that “even the hardest-hit area in the study – New York City, where nearly one in four people has been exposed to the virus – is nowhere near achieving herd immunity.” Report Says States Not Releasing Some Key Data. The Washington Post (7/21, Sun, 14.2M) reports that Resolve to Save Lives, headed by former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Tom Frieden, released a report on Tuesday finding that “most states are failing to report critical information needed to track and control the resurgence of COVID-19.” Among the missing data are: “the turnaround time of diagnostic tests” and “how quickly contact tracers were able to interview people who test positive to learn about their potential contacts.” COVID-19 Fatality Rate Is Likely Between 0.5% And 1%. The Wall Street Journal (7/21, A1, Abbott, Douglas, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports on efforts to determine the fatality rate for COVID-19, saying that research indicates that the rate is probably somewhere between 0.5% and 1%, higher than that of the flu. ## WPost Analysis Compares New Mexico, Arizona Approaches To Reopening. The Washington Post (7/21, Van Dam, Romm, 14.2M) reports that Arizona “reopened rapidly in defiance of a novel coronavirus” and it has “quickly become a canonical example of how not to respond to a pandemic.” Meanwhile, New Mexico “taken a more deliberate approach. The two states start in a similar place, seen through early virus exposure. They end in a similar place, seen through levels of economic activity.” But, “Arizona has seen almost three times as many coronavirus cases as New Mexico, after adjusting for its much larger population.” ## Pence Says He "Wouldn't Hesitate" To Send His Children Back To School. USA Today (7/21, Groppe, 10.31M) reports Vice President Pence said during a discussion with state leaders in South Carolina Tuesday that if his own children were still school-aged he “wouldn’t hesitate” to send them back to school. Pence “said the risk to children of getting COVID-19 is low while there are ‘real costs’ to students not being in the classroom.” McClatchy (7/21, Schechter, 19K) says Pence described the raise in COVID-19 cases in South Carolina as “serious” but he “sided with Gov. Henry McMaster [R] on his plan to reopen schools to students after Labor Day amid growing protests from many school districts, teachers and parents.” McClatchy adds that the Vice President “defended the Trump administration’s handling of the virus, saying the federal government is in a much better place to respond to the outbreak than two or three months ago.” Pence said, “When I say that we’re in a better place, it’s a better place to respond. … All of that is what we mean when we say we’re in a better place. But make no mistake about the spread of the coronavirus across the Sun Belt has been serious. We’re going to continue to focus great energy and attention on it and partner very closely with your governor.” Trump’s Push To Reopen Schools Draws Pushback From Areas Where He Is Popular. The Washington Post (7/21, Balingit, 14.2M) reports President Trump has “launched an aggressive campaign to return children to school full time, threatening to withhold federal funding from schools that do not comply – which he does not have the power to do – and lashing out against his own public health agency’s school guidelines.” But he is getting “pushback even in places like Greenville County, [South Carolina], where Trump won by 25 points in 2016, by school officials who worry that reopening schools could accelerate the spread of the virus.” While Trump “has successfully drawn some Republican allies into his fight, including the governors of South Carolina, Florida and Texas,” the Post says “many allies are resisting him. Shortly after the president began his campaign, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R), a longtime supporter of the president, broke rank and postponed the start of the school year.” Educators See Summer Camps As A “Test Run” For Reopening Schools. NBC Nightly News (7/21, story 7, 2:15, Holt, 6.23M) reported that in advance of the school year, “summer camps have been viewed as a test run of sorts for getting kids back together in groups. But after an outbreak in one major US city, camps there are shutting down.” NBC (Gosk) added that while EFTA00135654 "any educators see summer camp as the canary in the coal mine for reopening schools," there have been "mixed results." Park-run day camps in Miami "shut down early after four cases of COVID were discovered among campers and staffer[s]." Earlier this month in Missouri, "82 kids and staff got sick at an overnight camp...even with extra safety measures in place." Meanwhile, one day camp in Pennsylvania saw success this summer. ## Florida Teachers Union Sues To Stop Schools From Reopening. The CBS Evening News (7/21, story 2, 1:35, O'Donnell, 4.49M) reported that in Florida “the debate over reopening schools continues.” CBS (Bojorquez) added that the Florida Education Association “is suing to stop the governor’s order for schools to reopen five days a week next month.” ## Florida Nursing Homes Report Big Increases In COVID-19 Cases. The CBS Evening News (7/21, story 2, 1:35, O'Donnell, 4.49M) reported, “cases keep rising in” Florida’s “nursing homes: up 153% among residents and 126% for staff since June,” and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) “touted the state’s COVID-only adult care centers, intended to keep seniors from infecting each other.” NBC Nightly News (7/21, story 4, 1:55, Holt, 6.23M) reported, “There’s a new warning tonight about the growing impact on older Americans.” NBC (Sanders) added, “The Villages in central Florida, home to an estimated 51,000 retirees. Hospital admissions of Village residents with COVID have increased nearly 40 percent in just three days.” NBC continued, “Health officials say it’s been difficult to get a handle on the problem among the elderly in large part because nursing homes continue to be overlooked.” NBC also reported that in Florida, “The number of infected residents and staff at elder care facilities has more than doubled in just the past three weeks.” ## More Infants Being Infected With COVID-19. ABC World News Tonight (7/21, story 2, 2:15, Muir, 7.14M) reported “alarming news on the youngest to be infected. In fact, in” Nueces County, Texas “alone, more than 85 babies under the age of one testing positive since March. And at least one baby has died.” ABC (Moore) added that there has been “an alarming number of children who’ve apparently been infected across the country.” ABC also reports, “COVID-19 symptoms are generally milder in children than adults.” ABC concluded, “Doctors have told us that infants are more vulnerable than older kids, and that makes it all the more important to practice social distancing measures. It is also true that infants require closer care, making for a very difficult balance for doctors and parents.” ## Air Conditioning May Increase Risk Of COVID-19. The CBS Evening News (7/21, story 7, 1:30, O'Donnell, 4.49M) reported, "Cases have skyrocketed in the hottest parts of the country. Now mounting evidence suggests that air conditioning may be partly to blame." CBS (Diaz) added, "Sweltering temperatures may be contributing to the virus’ spread. Data shows that states with higher air conditioning use also tend to have higher COVID rates.” The reason given is that people are staying indoors because of the heat and so are unable to keep as much distance between themselves and are also “rebreathing the same air that was just exhaled by someone else.” ## WSJournal: Democrats’ Demands On Remdesivir Show Their Plan To Control Pricing, Manufacturing. Citing a letter from six Senate democrats to HHS Secretary Azar, a Wall Street Journal (7/21, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) editorial accuses progressive Democrats of wanting the government to set prices and take control of the production of the anti-viral drug remdesivir. The Journal argues that the Democrats' argument lays bare the left's plan for government control of drug prices and manufacturing. EFTA00135655 ## WPost Argues For More Testing. In an editorial, the Washington Post (7/21, Board, 14.2M) takes issue with President Trump’s contention that the increase is coronavirus cases is a result of increased testing. The Post argues, “Mr. President, we have more cases because we have more sickness.” While diagnostic testing “has risen in frequency to about 800,000 tests a day,” the Post says this is “still way below what’s really needed.” While Trump said Tuesday “that if medical experts want more testing,” he is “okay with it,” the Post says “a leader would make it happen, not be ‘okay with it.’ Congress should try again to spur a national strategy, enabling and encouraging governors to pick up the slack. All roads out of this pandemic require more testing. It is time to think big.” ## NYTimes Report: Trump Asked US Ambassador To Get Britain To Hold British Open At His Resort. The New York Times (7/21, Landler, Jakes, Haberman, 18.61M) cites “three people with knowledge of the episode” who say the US Ambassador to Britain, Robert Wood Johnson IV, “told multiple colleagues in February 2018 that President Trump had asked him to see if the British government could help steer the world-famous and lucrative British Open golf tournament to the Trump Turnberry resort in Scotland.” Johnson’s deputy, Lewis A. Lukens, “advised him not to do it, warning that it would be an unethical use of the presidency for private gain, these people said. But Mr. Johnson apparently felt pressured to try,” and “he raised the idea of Turnberry playing host to the Open with the secretary of state for Scotland, David Mundell.” The Times says “the episode left Mr. Lukens and other diplomats deeply unsettled.” ## White House Threatens To Veto Defense Bill Over Confederate Names, Afghan Policy.

Reuters(7/21, Zengerle) reports President Trump "threatened on Tuesday to veto this year's National Defense Authorization Act, objecting to plans to strip Confederate names from military bases, limit spending on Afghanistan and other provisions he sees as curbing his authority." Politico(7/21, O'Brien, 4.29M) indicates that OMB said in a statement, "If [the House NDAA] were presented to the President in its current form, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto it." The Hill(7/21, Chalfant, 2.98M) notes OMB added, "President Trump has been clear in his opposition to politically motivated attempts like this to rewrite history and to displace the enduring legacy of the American Revolution with a new left-wing cultural revolution." The Washington Post(7/21, Demirjian, 14.2M), among other news outlets, also reports the story.

## Trump Directs That Undocumented Not Be Counted In Congressional Reapportionment. The AP (7/21, Colvin, Freking) reports that on Tuesday, President Trump “signed a memorandum…to bar people in the US illegally from being counted in congressional reapportionment,” which “drew immediate criticism from Democratic officials.” The memo stated that “respect for the law and protection of the integrity of the democratic process warrant the exclusion of illegal aliens from the apportionment base, to the extent feasible and to the maximum extent of the President’s discretion under the law.” Reuters (7/21, Alper, Brown) points out Trump’s memorandum “would prevent migrants who are in the United States illegally from being counted when U.S. congressional voting districts are redrawn in the next round of redistricting.” Reuters adds that “experts…say the action is legally dubious.” The Washington Times (7/21, Boyer, 492K) quotes the President as saying in the memorandum, “My administration will not support giving congressional representation to aliens who enter or remain in the country unlawfully, because doing so would create perverse incentives and undermine our system of government. … This is all part of a broader left-wing effort to erode the rights of American citizens, and I will not stand for it.” The Washington Post (7/21, Bahrampour, 14.2M) reports that it would be a change from “the way apportionment has been implemented for over two centuries.” The Post also says that Democrats “blasted it, and civil rights organizations...said they will sue over it.” The Wall Street Journal (7/21, Restuccia, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) also focuses on critics of the memo promising to sue and alleging that it is unconstitutional. EFTA00135656

USA Today(7/21, Jackson, 10.31M) reports "the memo does not say how the US Census Bureau can distinguish citizens from non-citizens for the purposes of apportionment since counters are prohibited from asking a citizenship question." Likewise,the Daily Caller(7/21, Datoc, 716K) also says that"questions remained as to how exactly Trump is recommending Congress exclude illegal immigrants from the new district maps."

Politico (7/21, Kumar, 4.29M) reports that "for Trump, the move builds on a series of actions he has taken against immigrants, even those who are in the country legally, as he ramps up his reelection campaign." Yesterday’s “move is the latest signal that Trump will make immigration a central theme of his campaign, just like in 2016, when Trump promised to build a wall on the southern border and deport millions of migrants who arrived in the countrv illegally.” The New York Times (7/21, Rogers, Baker, 18.61M) indicates that “critics said the administration’s efforts first to include a citizenship question and now to disregard undocumented immigrants from apportionment would lead to undercounts of even legal noncitizens and minority residents, resulting in less representation and federal funding in areas where they live, which tend to vote Democratic.” The Los Angeles Times (7/21, Wire, 4.64M) points out that “if successfully carried out,” Trump’s directive “could have far-reaching effects by reducing the political clout of states with significant numbers of immigrants, including California and Texas. It could also shift power toward whiter, more rural areas of states at the expense of more diverse cities.” The New York Post (7/21, Bowden, 4.57M), Axios (7/21, Allassan, 521K), Bloomberg (7/21, Korte, 4.73M), The Hill (7/21, Samuels, Bernal, 2.98M) and Breitbart (7/21, Binder, 673K), among other news outlets, also cover the story. ## White House Considering Executive Orders To Lower Drug Prices. The Hill (7/21, Sullivan, 2.98M) reports the White House is considering issuing executive orders to lower drug prices “that could come as soon as this week, prompting pushback from some GOP lawmakers and the powerful pharmaceutical industry.” The Hill adds that “one idea under discussion, sources say, is to link some US drug prices to the lower prices paid overseas, an idea that is opposed by many Republicans, who see it as a price control that violates free-market principles.” ## Meteorologists Say Climbing Ocean Temperatures Could Result In Powerful Storms In Coming Weeks. The Washington Post (7/21, Cappucci, 14.2M) reports that as the end of July approaches, "the Atlantic Ocean is waking up...with at least two storm systems to watch and a third area of tropical moisture soaking the city of Houston." Meteorologists say "the Atlantic may not be far from cranking out its seventh named storm of the 2020 season, a feat more typical of mid-September than late July. It comes as scientists note that toasty ocean temperatures could help breed multiple powerful storms in the coming weeks to months." ## Lincoln Project Founders Have Ties To Russia, Tax Problems. The New York Post (7/21, Bowden, 4.57M) reports it has obtained documents which reveal that the founders of the anti-Trump PAC the Lincoln Project “have their own checkered dealings with Russia and the tax man.” Since its creation, “the brainchild of George Conway, Steve Schmidt, Rick Wilson and John Weaver has raked in more than $19.4 million dollars, according to FEC filings, and needled President Trump repeatedly with provocative TV ads.” But they “don’t exactly practice what they preach.” Co-founder John Weaver “registered as a Russian foreign agent for uranium conglomerate TENEX in a six-figure deal last year, filings with the Department of Justice show.” Another Lincoln Project founder, Rick Wilson, “also has a checkered financial past. According to IRS documents, the GOP strategist has an outstanding $389,420 federal tax lien against his Tallahassee, Florida home and his bank moved to foreclose on the property in 2016.” ## Trump, McEnany Denounce Problems With Mail-In Voting. President Trump today tweeted (7/21, 16.75M), “Mail-In Voting, unless changed by the courts, will lead to the most CORRUPT ELECTION in our Nation’s History! #RIGGEDELECTION” EFTA00135657 The New York Post (7/21, Nelson, 4.57M) reports White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Tuesday said “that New York’s ‘absolute catastrophe’ with mail-in ballots is a ‘dark omen’ for November.” McEnany said, “we are a month into the election after the voting, and we still don’t know the winners [in] of those races.” McEnany added, “19 percent of ballots have been rejected in Queens, 28 percent rejected in Brooklyn. There are questions about mass mail-in voting. And I know you don’t want to hear them, which is why you talk over me.” NYTimes Urges Legislature To Adopt Bills To Make Voting Easier. The New York Times (7/21, Board, 18.61M) writes in an editorial urging the New York state legislature to adopt “key reforms ahead of the November elections.” The Times supports “a package of reforms to make it easier for New Yorkers to vote” by adopting “automatic voter registration,” easing rules for absentee ballots, and requiring “election boards to notify voters of clerical errors that could otherwise invalidate their ballot.” ## After Yoho-AOC Exchange, Hoyer Says Yoho Should Be Sanctioned For Calling Her A Name. The Hill (7/21, Lillis, 2.98M) reports that Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL) “challenged” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) “in an unusual – and decidedly personal – confrontation on the Capitol steps.” Yoho reportedly “told Ocasio-Cortez she was ‘disgusting’ for recently suggesting that poverty and unemployment are driving a spike in crime in New York City during the coronavirus pandemic.” Yoho said, “You are out of your freaking mind,” to which Ocasio-Cortez said he was “rude.” Yoho then walking away “offered a parting thought to no one in particular,” saying, “f---ing b----.” Ocasio-Cortez said afterwards, “That kind of confrontation hasn’t ever happened to me – ever.” She added, “I’ve never had that kind of abrupt, disgusting kind of disrespect levied at me.” Asked about it afterwards, Yoho said, “No comment.” The New York Post (7/21, Jacobs, 4.57M) reports on the incident based on the report from The Hill, adding that Ocasio-Cortez, asked about it later, “confirmed” that it had happened. Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX) was also present but said he was thinking about something else and not paying attention. About that, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, “Gotta love Republican courage from Rep @RogerWilliamsTX: when he undeniably sees another man engaged in virulent harassment of a young woman, just pretend you never saw it in the most cartoonish manner possible and keep pushing.” The AP (7/21, Fram) also reports on the event based on the account in The Hill, adding that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) “demanded an apology” from Yoho. A Yoho spokesperson “denied that he had used a sexist slur and instead contended that Yoho had said ‘bull ——.’” Hoyer said that Yoho’s language was “despicable conduct and it needs to be sanctioned.” The New York Times (7/21, Broadwater, 18.61M) reports that Ocasio-Cortez “said on Tuesday that she had been the victim of ‘virulent harassment’ by a Republican congressman,” and then “sought to turn the insult to her advantage.” Politico (7/21, Ferris, 4.29M) reports that Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said “that he’ll meet with Yoho to discuss the exchange.” Also reporting on the incident from The Hill’s coverage are the Washington Post (7/21, Sonmez, 14.2M), the Washington Times (7/21, McLaughlin, 492K), the Daily Caller (7/21, Rodgers, 716K), and CQ Roll Call (7/21, Marquette, 154K). ## Freedom Caucus Members Criticize Cheney At House Republican Conference Meeting.

Politico(7/21, Zanona, 4.29M) reports,“Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus tore into”House Republican Conference Chairwoman Rep. Liz Cheney(R-WY) at“a heated GOP conference meeting on Tuesday...for breaking with President Donald Trump, supporting Dr. Anthony Fauci and backing a primary opponent to one of their colleagues.”Rep. Jim Jordan(R-OH)“called out Cheney...for all the times she has opposed Trump and began ticking off some recent high-profile examples.”Cheney replied to Jordan，“I look forward to hearing your comments about being a team player when we’re back in the majority.”It was the conference's“first in-person meeting in months.”

The Washington Examiner (7/21, Picket, 448K) reports Cheney “came under fire” at the EFTA00135658 meeting "for backing a primary opponent of a sitting lawmaker and voicing support for Dr. Anthony Fauci.” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) “questioned why Cheney backed his recent primary opponent.” The Washington Times (7/21, Muñoz, 492K) reports Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) “on Tuesday accused House GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney of trying to undermine President Trump and called for her to step down from GOP leadership.” Gaetz tweeted, “Liz Cheney has worked behind the scenes (and now in public) against” President Trump, and added “Liz Cheney should step down or be removed.” The Washington Post (7/21, Kane, Bade, 14.2M) says Cheney “came under fire...from the far-right flank of the House Republican caucus,” but Cheney “stood her ground and fired back.” The New York Times (7/21, Fandos, 18.61M) calls it "an extraordinary intraparty airing of grievances," in which "House Republicans lashed out at their third-ranking leader." The Times also says she "punched back and departed with the apparent support of her fellow Republican leaders." ## Twitter Removes Thousands Of Accounts With QAnon Messages. The New York Times (7/21, Conger, 18.61M) reports on Tuesday, Twitter announced “that it had removed thousands of accounts that spread messages about the conspiracy theories known as QAnon, saying their messages could lead to harm and violated Twitter policy.” The Times adds that it was “the first time that a social media service took sweeping action to remove content affiliated with QAnon.” ## INTERNATIONAL NEWS ## WHO Official Tweets Report From Conspiracy Theory Website. The Washington Free Beacon (7/21, Kredo, 78K) reports that a “top World Health Organization official promoted a report from a website that traffics in conspiracy theories to bolster China’s false claim that the communist regime was the first to report the existence of the coronavirus.” WHO Communications Director Gabby Stern tweeted on Monday false claims that “Taiwan never provided any warning” to the organization “about the novel coronavirus or its transmissibility.” Her tweet linked to “an article published by the fringe website The Grayzone,” which is “run by Max Blumenthal, the son of Hillary Clinton confidante Sidney Blumenthal.” Japan Helps 87 Companies To “Exit China” To End Overreliance. The Washington Post (7/21, Denyer, 14.2M) reports Japan is “paying 87 companies to shift production back home or into Southeast Asia after the coronavirus pandemic disrupted supply chains and exposed an overreliance on Chinese manufacturing.” In March, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe “said the government wanted to bring production back home and diversify into Southeast Asia,” and “has now announced a list of companies that will benefit from the first round of subsidies, with 57 companies receiving a total of $535 million to open factories inside Japan and another 30 paid to expand production in Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries.” ## Swedish Doctors, Scientists Say Sweden’s Approach To COVID-19 Has Not Worked. In an op-ed for USA Today (7/21, 10.31M), 25 Swedish doctors and scientists write that Sweden’s “soft” approach to COVID-19 – “not locking down, introducing mostly voluntary restrictions and spurning the use of masks” – has led its citizens “to death, grief and suffering.” While some statements by the Swedish Public Health Agency have suggested that gaining herd immunity is its unofficial goal, “the proportion of Swedes carrying antibodies is estimated to be under 10%” and “Sweden has a death toll greater than the United States.” In addition, they write that “there are no indications that the Swedish economy has fared better than in many other countries.” ## US Service Member Dies In Syria. Axios (7/21, Axios, 521K) reports “a US service member died in Syria on Tuesday, the United States military confirmed in a statement. The incident is under investigation.” EFTA00135659 ## German Arts Advocate Kidnapped In Baghdad. Iraqi security officials say “kidnappers in two vehicles seized German arts advocate Hella Mewis” Monday “as she was leaving her office near one of Baghdad’s busiest thoroughfares,” the New York Times (7/21, Rubin, Hassan, 18.61M) reports. Mewis “was a well-known figure in the neighborhood, home to the Beit Tarkib Arts Center, which she had established with Iraqi artists to encourage and showcase their work.” She “was also active last fall in supporting anti-government protesters, whose ranks included many intellectuals and artists.” The Times says a recent report from the UN human rights division documented the kidnapping of “scores of anti-government protesters…during the demonstrations last fall and winter…suggesting that armed groups operating outside of government control were responsible.” ## Pompeo: US Wants To Build Coalition To Counter China’s “Disgraceful” Menace. Reuters (//21, Fauiconbridge, Sandle) reports Secretary of State Pompeo said Tuesday the US “wants to build a global coalition to counter China as he accused Beijing of exploiting the coronavirus pandemic to further its own interests.” Pompeo, during a visit to London, “lauded Prime Minister Boris Johnson for ordering a purge of Huawei gear from its 5G mobile phone network, saying it was the right decision as data could have ended up in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party.” Speaking to reporters alongside Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Pompeo said, “We hope we can build out a coalition that understands the threat and will work collectively to convince the Chinese Communist Party that it is not in their best interest to engage in this kind of behaviour.” To the Washington Post (7/21, Hudson, Taylor, 14.2M), Pompeo “showered Britain with praise Tuesday for taking a harder line on a ‘disgraceful’ China, a notably warmer tone toward his hosts than he struck during a visit in January.” The New York Times (7/21, Mueller, 18.61M) likewise says Pompeo “heaped praise” Britain. The Washington Examiner (7/21, Gehrke, 448K) reports that “despite seeking a coalition to counter Chinese threats,” Pompeo “rejected the idea that he wants allies to help ‘confront China,’ not making clear what the distinction was.” The Washington Times (7/21, Gertz, 492K), meanwhile, reports that Pompeo “will deliver a major speech” this week on “the shortcomings of American foreign policy toward China, arguing that the record clearly supports President Trump’s new and tougher approach to Beijing.” The speech, set for Thursday at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum near Los Angeles, will be “the fourth in a series of addresses” by senior national security officials that, “taken together…mark the most systematic and comprehensive response by a U.S. administration to address the challenges posed” by China. US, China To Launch Mars Missions Within Days Of Each Other. The Wall Street Journal (7/21, Moss, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports that later this month, the US and China plan to launch missions to Mars within days of each other. China’s first mission to the planet is expected this week, but the exact day has yet to be announced. The US mission, meanwhile, is due to launch July 30. ## Esper Says Pentagon Considering “Adjustments” To US Military Presence In South Korea. The AP (7/21, Burns) reports Defense Secretary Esper said Tuesday the Pentagon is considering “adjustments” to the US military presence on South Korea and around the world. Esper “said he favors more emphasis on rotational deployments, as opposed to permanent stationing, of American troops,” because, he said, “it gives us, the United States, greater strategic flexibility in terms of responding to challenges around the globe.” The AP adds that Esper “said he has issued no order to withdraw from South Korea.” Currently, the US “has about 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea” but “the U.S.-South Korea treaty alliance is under great strain, mainly because of the Trump administration’s demand that Seoul vastly increase the amount it pays for the U.S. presence.” The Pentagon “said Esper spoke by phone Monday with his South Korean counterpart to discuss the payment issue and other matters, including the stalemated U.S. effort to rid North Korea of its nuclear weapons.” EFTA00135660 ## THE BIG PICTURE ## Headlines From Today’s Front Pages. ## Wall Street Journal:

How Deadly Is Covid-19? Researchers Are Getting Closer To An Answer

How Angela Merkel's Change Of Heart Drove Historic EU Rescue Plan

Trump Fed Nominees Shelton, Waller Confirmed By Senate Committee

Over-The-Top Outfits Make Social Distancing Easier, And Everything Else More Complicated

US Accuses Two Hackers Of Stealing Secrets From American Firms For China

## New York Times: As Trump Pushes Into Portland, His Campaign Ads Turn Darker Chaotic Scenes In Portland As Backlash To Federal Deployment Grows EU Adopts Groundbreaking Stimulus To Fight Coronavirus Recession ‘No One’ Protected British Democracy From Russia, UK Report Concludes Trump’s Request Of An Ambassador: Get The British Open For Me End Of $600 Unemployment Bonus Could Push Millions Past The Brink ## Washington Post:

Chicago Joins Challenge To Use Of Federal Agents

President Turns To DHS To “Dominate” US Cities

Trump Seeks To Bar Illegal Immigrants In Part Of Census At Colleges, A New Rite: Coronavirus Tests

Virus Briefing Returns With New Approach

White House, GOP Split Over Virus Spending Plan

## Financial Times:

Pompeo Urges UK Action As China Tensions Rise

US Lab Giant Warns Of New Covid-19 Testing Crunch In Autumn

Alibaba Bets On European Influencers To Spur Global Reach

UK Ministers Accused Of Turning Blind Eye To Any Russian Interference

## Washington Times: ‘Violence, Chaos And Anarchy’: Feds Reject ‘Invasion’ Claims As Riots Rage Conservatives, Libertarians Push Back On Portland Crackdown: ‘Cannot Give Up Liberty For Security’

Chinese Hackers Targeted COVID-19 Research Firms, Justice Department Alleges Pompeo Defends Trump's Hawkish Line Against China

Trump Admits Coronavirus Crisis 'May Get Worse Before It Gets Better'

Trump Signs Order Barring Illegal Immigrants From Census Count

## Story Lineup From Last Night’s Network News: ABC: Coronavirus-Rising US Cases; Coronavirus-Children; Trump-Pandemic; Portland-Protests; New Jersey-Federal Judge Attacked; Severe Weather; Trump-Ghislaine Maxwell; Pennsylvania-Military Mom Forms Sneakers For Soldiers. CBS: Coronavirus-Rising US Cases; Coronavirus-Florida; Trump-Pandemic; China-Vaccine Hackers; New Jersey-Federal Judge Attacked; Portland-Protests; Coronavirus-AC Systems; MLB-First Woman to Coach on Field. NBC: Trump-Pandemic; Coronavirus-Vaccine; Coronavirus-Rising US Cases; Coronavirus-Transmission; China-Vaccine Hackers; Portland-Protests; Coronavirus-Schools; Coronavirus-Pro Sports; Nightly News Kids Edition. Network TV At A Glance: EFTA00135661 Coronavirus – 26 minutes, 10 seconds Trump-Pandemic – 8 minutes, 50 seconds Portland-Protests – 5 minutes, 40 seconds ## Story Lineup From This Morning’s Radio News Broadcasts: ABC: Congress-Relief Bill; Trump-Pandemic; Coronavirus-Rising US Cases; Chicago-Funeral Home Shooting; Ghislaine Maxwell Case. CBS: Coronavirus-Florida; Trump-Pandemic; Trump-Redrawing House Districts; Trump-Ghislaine Maxwell; New Jersey-Federal Judge Attacked; Trump-Federal Agents to Chicago; Stocks. FOX: Trump-Pandemic; Coronavirus-Masks; Trump-Redrawing House Districts. NPR: Congress-Relief Bill; Atlanta-Mask Mandate Suit; GOP National Convention; Stocks. ## WASHINGTON'S SCHEDULE ## Today's Events In Washington. ## White House: - President Trump — Participates in a ceremonial swearing-in of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget; has lunch with Vice President Mike Pence; receives his intelligence briefing; delivers remarks on Operation Legend: Combatting Violent Crime in American Cities - Vice President Pence — Has lunch with THE PRESIDENT ## US Senate: • Senate Banking subcommittee remote hearing on economic competition with China – Economic Policy Subcommittee remote hearing on ‘US-China: Winning the Economic Competition’, with testimony from professor Walter Russell Mead; former Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Chris Giancarlo; Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Tim Morrison; Michigan State University Professor of Economics and International Relations Dr Lisa Cook; and Center for a New American Security (CNAS) Technology and National Security Program Senior Fellow Martijn Rasser * In-person visitors not accommodated; 9:30 AM - Senate Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee Executive Session – Executive Session, with agenda including `S. 933, Bolstering Long-Term Understanding and Exploration of the Great Lakes, Oceans, Bays, and Estuaries Act (BLUE GLOBE) Act’, `S. 1730, Living Shorelines Act of 2019’, `S. 3152, Data Mapping to Save Moms’ Lives Act’, `S. 3771, Fundamentally Understanding the Usability and Realistic Evolution (FUTURE) of Artificial Intelligence Act of 2020’, `S. 3891, Advancing Artificial Intelligence Research Act of 2020’, `S. 3958, Expedited Delivery of Airport Infrastructure Act of 2020’, `S. 4144, Sport Fish Restoration and Recreational Boating Safety Act of 2020’, and `S. 4162, Airport Infrastructure Readiness (AIR) Act of 2020’, and the nominations of Joel Szabat to be Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, Michael O’Rielly to be a Federal Communications Commission member, Michael Walsh Jr. to be Department of Commerce General Counsel, and Mary Toman to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs Location: Rm G50, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC; 9:45 AM - Senate Environment Committee hearing on increased risk of zoonotic disease from illegal wildlife trafficking – Hearing on ‘Stopping the Spread: Examining the Increased Risk of Zoonotic Disease from Illegal Wildlife Trafficking’, with testimony from Property and Environment Research Center Research Fellow Catherine Semcer; EcoHealth Alliance Vice President for Science and Outreach Dr Jonathan Epstein; and Association of Zoos and Aquariums President and CEO Daniel Ashe * Committee follows guidelines developed to protect the health of senators, staff, and the public, including maintaining six-foot social distance spacing in the hearing room and not accommodating in-person visitors Location: Rm 106, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC; 10:00 AM - Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Business Meeting – Business Meeting, with agenda including legislation including `S. 4204, Federal Emergency Pandemic EFTA00135662 Response Act'', `S. 4210, Securing Healthcare and Response Equipment Act of 2020'`, `S. 4153, National Response Framework Improvement Act of 2020'`, `S. 4157, National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center Pandemic Modeling Act of 2020'`, `S. 4158, PPE Supply Chain Transparency Act of 2020'`, `S. 4133, REAL ID Act Modernization Act'`, `S. 4165, a bill to repeal section 692 of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006'`, `S. 3997, Safeguarding American Innovation Act'`, `S. 4200, Information Technology Modernization Centers of Excellence Program Act'`, and `S. 4077, Unfunded Mandates Accountability and Transparency Act'`, and four U.S. Postal Service facility naming bills, plus the nominations of Derek Kan to be Office of Management and Budget Deputy Director, and Mark Robbins, Carl Ross, and Elizabeth Shapiro to be Superior Court of the District of Columbia Associate Judges Location: Rm 215, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC; 10:00 AM - Senate Intelligence Committee nominations hearing – Nominations hearing considers Christopher Miller to be National Counterterrorism Center Director; and Peter Hovakimian to be Office of the Director of National Intelligence General Counsel Location: Rm 325, Russell Senate Office Bldg, Washington, DC; 10:00 AM - Senate Democrats’ Special Committee on the Climate Crisis convenes latest hearing – Senate Democrats’ Special Committee on the Climate Crisis convenes latest hearing, ‘Safely, Efficiently and Equitably: Transportation Solutions to Move People and Goods in a Decarbonized Economy’, led by Sen. Jeff Merkley, held via WebEx, and with testimony from Verde Director of Strategic Partnerships Vivian Satterfield, Forth Executive Director Jeff Allen, World Wildlife Fund Director of Carbon Market Governance and Aviation Brad Schallert, and International Council on Clean Transportation Deputy Director Rachel Muncrief * Special committee is affiliated with the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC), and is chaired by Sen. Brian Schatz; 10:00 AM

• Senate Administration Committee hearing on general election preparations – Hearing on `2020 General Election Preparations’, with testimony from National Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law President and Executive Director Kristen Clarke; St. Louis County, MO, Republican Director of Elections Rick Stream; West Virginia Secretary of State Mac Warner; and Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett

Location: Rm 301, Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC; 10:30 AM - Deputy Secretary of State Biegun testifies to Senate Foreign Relations Committee on competition with China – Hearing on `Advancing Effective U.S. Competition With China: Objectives, Priorities, and Next Steps’, with testimony from Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun * Committee follows guidelines developed to protect the health of members, nominees, staff, and the public, including maintaining six-foot social distance spacing in the hearing room and not accommodating in-person visitors Location: Rm 325, Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC: 2:00 PM - Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on `protecting the integrity of college athletics’ – Hearing on `Protecting the Integrity of College Athletics’, with testimony from Clemson University Athletic Director Dan Radakovich; Marquette University Law School National Sports Law Institute Executive Director Matt Mitten; former National Football League Players Association Board of Representatives member George Wrighster III; National Collegiate Athletic Association President Dr Mark Emmert; National College Players Association Executive Director Ramogi Huma; American Gaming Association President and CEO Bill Miller; and University of Pittsburgh Director of Athletics Heather Lyke Location: Rm G50, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC; 2:30 PM - Senate Energy and Natural Resources subcommittee legislative hearing – Water and Power Subcommittee legislative hearing on `S. 2718 – Western Water Security Act’, `S. 3811 – Restoration of Essential Conveyance Act’, `S. 4188 – Water for Tomorrow Act’, `S. 4189 – Water for Conservation and Farming Act’, and `S. XXXX – Water-Energy Technology Demonstration and Deployment Act’, with testimony from Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science Aubrey Bettencourt; Family Farm Alliance Executive Director EFTA00135663 Dan Keppen; and The Freshwater Trust President Joe Whitworth * Members may participate in person or online. Committee follows guidelines developed to protect the health of members, staff, and the public, including maintaining six-foot social distance spacing in the hearing room and not accommodating in-person visitors Location: Rm 366, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC; 2:30 PM - Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Jerry Moran hosts roundtable discussion with minority vets ## US House: - FEMA Administrator Gaynor testifies to House committee on the national response to the coronavirus pandemic – Hearing on `Examining the National Response to the Worsening Coronavirus Pandemic: Part II’, with testimony from Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Peter Gaynor Location: Rm 2118, Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC: 9:00 AM - House meets for legislative business – House of Representatives meets for legislative business, with agenda including House Amendment to Senate Amendment to ‘H.R. 2486 – NO BAN Act’, House Amendment to Senate Amendment to ‘H.R. 2486 – Access to Counsel Act of 2020’, and Senate Amendment to ‘H.R. 1957 – Great American Outdoors Act’, plus consideration of ‘H.R. 7573 – To direct the Architect of the Capitol to replace the bust of Roger Brooke Taney in the Old Supreme Court Chamber of the United States Capitol with a bust of Thurgood Marshall to be obtained by the Joint Committee on the Library and to remove certain statues from areas of the United States Capitol which are accessible to the public, to remove all statues of individuals who voluntarily served the Confederate States of America from display in the United States Capitol, and for other purposes’ under suspension of the rules Location: U.S. Capitol, Washington, DC; 10:00 AM - House Oversight Committee hybrid hearing on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter – Hybrid hearing on ‘F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: Ensuring Safety and Accountability in the Government’s Trillion Dollar Investment’, with testimony from Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisitions and Sustainment Ellen Lord; Department of Defense Assistant Inspector General Theresa Hull, and F-35 Joint Program Office Program Executive Officer Lt. Gen. Eric Fick; Government Accountability Office Director of Defense Capabilities and Management Diana Maurer; and Lockheed Martin Corporation F-35 Lightning II Program General Manager Gregory Ulmer: 10:00 AM

• House Foreign Affairs and Oversight Committees hold joint deposition in probe of firing of State Department IG – House Committee on Foreign Affairs and House Committee on Oversight and Reform conduct joint deposition of former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs Marik String, as part of their investigation into President Donald Trump’s 15 May firing of State Department Inspector General Steve Linick, and whether President Trump removed Linick in order to stop his office’s work looking into Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s conduct; 10:00 AM

• House Small Business Committee hybrid hearing on SBA technology systems – Hybrid hearing on `21st Century SBA: An Analysis of SBA’s Technology Systems’, with testimony from Small Business Administration Deputy CIO Guy Cavallo * Held virtually via Cisco WebEx, and in Rm 2360, Rayburn House Office Building; 1:00 PM - House Rules Committee hearing – Hearing on `H.R. 7608 – State, Foreign Operations, Agriculture, Rural Development, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2021' , held via Cisco Webex; 2:00 PM - House Veterans Affairs subcommittee / task force joint oversight hearing on ending sexual harassment at VA – Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee and Women Veterans Task Force joint oversight hearing on ‘Safety for All: Ending Sexual Harassment in the Department of Veterans Affairs’, with testimony from Acting Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Pamela Powers, and Assistant Secretary of Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness Dan Sitterly; Veterans Health Administration Office of Patient Care Services Chief Consultant for Women’s Health Services Dr Patricia Hayes, and Office of the Chief of Staff EFTA00135664 Senior Strategist Lelia Jackson; Government Accountability Office Education, Workforce, and Income Security Team Director Cindy Brown Barnes; and Disabled American Veterans National Legislative Director Joy Ilem + written statements from Military Women’s Coalition; Paralyzed Veterans of America; Veterans of Foreign Wars; Vietnam Veterans of America; Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America; The American Legion; and American Federation of Government Employees Location: HVC-210, U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, Washington, DC; 2:00 PM - House Natural Resources subcommittee hybrid legislative hearing – Indigenous Peoples of the United States Subcommittee legislative hearing on `H.R. 958, Native Youth and Tribal Officer Protection Act’, `H.R. 6237, PRC for Native Veterans Act’, `H.R. 6535, Coverage for Urban Indian Health Providers Act’, and `H.R. 7119, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Land Transfer Act of 2020’, with testimony from Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services Assistant Director Jason O’Neal; Indian Health Service Director Rear Adm. Michael Weahkee; San Carlos Apache Tribe Police Chief Alejandro Benally; National Indian Health Board Acting Chairman William Smith; National Council of Urban Indian Health Vice President Robyn Sunday-Allen; and Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Chairman and President Andy Teuber; 2:00 PM ## Cabinet Officers: - Secretary of State Pompeo visits Denmark – Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visits Denmark, with agenda including meeting Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to discuss matters including coronavirus (COVID-19) and China, plus meeting Danish Foreign Affairs Minister Jeppe Kofod, Faroese Foreign Affairs and Education Minister Jenis av Rana, and Greenlandic Foreign Affairs and Energy Minister Steen Lynge to discuss `opportunities for closer cooperation between the U.S. and Denmark in key areas of mutual concern’ * Last year, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. was interested in buying the autonomous Danish territory of Greenland, but, when PM Frederiksen called the suggestion ‘absurd’, he canceled a planned state visit to Denmark Location: Copenhagen ## Visitors: - No visitors scheduled This Town: - Bipartisan Reps. Ed Case and Ted Yoho speak on USIP event on U.S.-Pacific Islands engagement – 'The Next Era of U.S.-Pacific Islands Engagement' U.S. Institute of Peace bipartisan congressional dialogue with Democratic Rep. Ed Case and Republican Rep. Ted Yoho, who discuss the challenges and opportunities regarding regional peace and security, sovereignty, trade and freedom of navigation, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, and their proposals to coordinate the next era of U.S. engagement in the Pacific; 9:00 AM - USCIRF virtual hearing on technological surveillance of religion in China – U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom holds virtual hearing on ‘the Chinese Govt’s use of surveillance and data analytic technology to oppress religious groups and how the U.S. Govt should respond’, via Webex, with witnesses Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Cordell Hull, Center for Strategic and International Studies Human Rights Initiative Director Amy Lehr, Brookings Institution Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative Deputy Director Chris Meserole, University of Texas at Austin Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs Associate Professor Sheena Greitens, and Tibet Action Institute Digital Security Programs Director Lobsang Gyatso Sither; 10:00 AM - FP virtual dialogue on `5G Global Power Plays’ – `5G Global Power Plays’ Foreign Policy virtual dialogue, to explore the physical underpinnings of 5G infrastructure and key barriers to investment and further rollout; the global competitive landscape around the technology and its business impacts; and the national security implications of 5G. Speakers include Democratic Rep. Suzan DelBene; Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel; Nokia Americas Vice President of Public Policy and Public Affairs Brian Hendricks; Nokia North and South America CTO Michael Murphy; 5G Americas President Chris Pearson; EFTA00135665 Center for a New American Security Technology and National Security Program Adjunct Senior Fellow Elsa Kania; FP Analytics Managing Director Allison Carlson; and Foreign Policy Managing Editor Ravi Agrawal; 11:00 AM - Axios virtual event on ‘The State of Chronic Pain’ – ‘The State of Chronic Pain: COVID-19’ Axios live, virtual event on how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is changing health care access for those dealing with chronic pain, with Bipartisan Opioid Task Force founder Democratic Rep. Ann Kuster, Boston University School of Medicine Chief of Rheumatology Dr Tuhina Neogi, and American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association CEO and President Randall Rutta; 12:30 PM - President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice hearing – Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice holds hearing on ‘Rule of Law’, via teleconference, featuring Pinellas County, FL, Sheriff Robert Gualtieri, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, Stafford County, VA, Commonwealth’s Attorney Eric Olsen, Essex County, MA, District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett, former Prince George’s County, MD, Police Chief Hank Stawinski, Santa Barbara County, CA, Sheriff Bill Brown, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association National President Larry Cosme, Detroit Police Department Lieutenant Mark Young, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, and former Attorney General Edwin Meese; 1:00 PM - GOP Sen. Rob Portman keynotes Brookings event on the opioid crisis – ‘The opioid crisis in America: Vulnerable groups, law enforcement, and international supply’ Brookings Institution online event, to explore the project’s findings on vulnerable groups, domestic law enforcement of the opioid crisis and international supply control measures. Includes keynote from Republican Sen. Rob Portman, and panelists Brookings Institution Foreign Policy Senior Fellow Vanda Felbab-Brown, Brookings Institution Center for Effective Public Management Senior Fellow and Deputy Director John Hudak, and University of Maryland School of Public Policy and Department of Criminology Professor Peter Reuter; 2:30 PM

• CSIS online discussion on how the U.S. can act to stem the global spread of coronavirus – 'Covid-19’s Next Cascade of Crises’ Center for Strategic and International Studies Global Health Policy Center discussion with Under-Secretary-General Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock, Republican Rep. Susan Brooks and Democratic Rep. Ami Bera discussing how the U.S., and particularly the U.S. Congress, can act to stem the global spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), avert catastrophic outcomes for the world’s most vulnerable, and mitigate heightened disorder across multiple regions; 3:30 PM

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