EFTA00136656 US Consulting Firm With Ties Chinese Communist Party Received PPP Loan. The Daily Caller (9/2, Ross, 716K) reports, “An American consulting firm that serves as a propagandist for Beijing received loans of up to $350,000 each under the coronavirus relief program, government documents show.” An analysis of a federal database shows that BLJ Worldwide received a loan worth between $150,000 and $350,000 through the Paycheck Protection Program. The firm “received $144,000 from the Chinese embassy and $313,200 from the China-U.S. Exchange Foundation (CUSEF) from Jan. 1 through June 30, according to a disclosure BLJ Worldwide filed with the Justice Department this week under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which was enacted in 1938 to counter Nazi propaganda.” South Korea Struggling With Second Wave Of Coronavirus Infections. The New York Times (9/2, Sang-Hun, 18.61M) reports “South Korea is struggling with a second wave of [coronavirus] infections, and its strategy seems as precarious as ever.” A new wave of the virus “is spreading from the populous Seoul metropolitan area and through people deeply suspicious of President Moon Jae-in’s epidemiological efforts.” Further complicating the situation, “some of the government’s strongest allies in the fight against COVID-19, young doctors, have turned against Mr. Moon...unhappy with his medical reform program.” Moon said recently, “Our quarantine strategy, once considered a model to follow in the rest of the world, is suddenly faced with a crisis. ... The whole nation is in a difficult situation. The people’s lives are crumbling.” Soldier To Receive Medal Of Honor For Rescuing Hostages From ISIS. The AP (9/2, Laporta) reports, “An American soldier who helped rescue about 70 hostages set to be executed by Islamic State militants in Iraq has been approved to receive the Medal of Honor for actions during a daring 2015 raid ... Sgt. Maj. Thomas ‘Patrick’ Payne, a Ranger assigned to the US Army’s Special Operations Command, will receive the US military’s highest honor for valor in combat in a White House ceremony set to be held on the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.” US Sanctions International Criminal Court Officials. Reuters (9/2, Psaledakis, Nichols) reports the US on Wednesday imposed sanctions “on International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, over her investigation into whether American forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan.” Pompeo also “said Phakiso Mochochoko, the head of the ICC’s Jurisdiction, Complementarity and Cooperation Division, had also been blacklisted under sanctions authorized by President Donald Trump in June that allow for asset freezes and travel bans.” Pompeo also “said that individuals and entities that continue to materially support Bensouda and Mochochoko would risk exposure to sanctions as well.” The ICC has dismissed the measures as “another attempt to interfere with the court’s judicial and prosecutorial independence” and said in a statement that it stands by the work of its staff. CNN (9/2, Hansler, 83.16M) reports the sanctions are the Trump Administration’s “most aggressive move yet to try to deter an ICC investigation into possible war crimes by US military and intelligence officials.” Pompeo said, “Additionally, the State Department has restricted the issuance of visas for certain individuals involved in the ICC’s efforts to investigate US EFTA00136657 personnel." The Wall Street Journal (9/2, Talley, McBride, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports the Treasury Department added the two ICC officials to its blacklist under a June executive order saying the ICC’s work threatens US officials and national security. Afghanistan To Include Mother’s Names On National ID Cards. The New York Times (9/2, Mashal, Rahim, 18.61M) reports, “Afghan citizens will soon have their mothers’ names printed along with their fathers’ on their national identification cards, the government said on Tuesday, after years of campaigning by activists to do away with the shame associated with female names in public.” The move is “seen as a small boost for women’s rights at a time when the future of women’s role in Afghan society hangs in the balance amid imminent government negotiations over a power-sharing deal with the Taliban.” However, “while Afghan social media has been full of celebration since Tuesday over the announced change, many also feared that its introduction would deter people in conservative rural areas from registering for the national identity cards.” Biegun Warns Putin Against Deploying Troops To Belarus. The Washington Examiner (9/2, Gehrke, 448K) reports, “Russian President Vladimir Putin will face ‘substantial consequences’ if he deploys forces into Belarus to help beleaguered autocrat Alexander Lukashenko control the mass protests against his rule, a top American diplomat warned.” Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said, “There would be substantial consequences for the relationship between Russia and the United States, between Russia and Europe. The last four years has been very challenging for US-Russian relations, but it is possible that it could be worse.” State Department Imposes New Restrictions On Chinese Diplomats In US. Reuters (9/2, Pamuk, Brunnstrom) reports that on Wednesday, the State Department announced that the US “would now require senior Chinese diplomats to get State Department approval before visiting U.S. university campuses and holding cultural events with more than 50 people outside mission grounds.” According to Reuters, the Trump Administration “cast the move as a response to what it said was Beijing’s restrictions on American diplomats based in China.” Reuters adds that it also “comes as part of a Trump administration campaign against alleged Chinese influence operations and espionage activity.” Secretary of State Pompeo is quoted as saying, “We’re simply demanding reciprocity. Access for our diplomats in China should be reflective of the access that Chinese diplomats in the United States have, and today’s steps will move us substantially in that direction.”
Politico<https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/02/state-restrictions-chinese-diplomats-407728>(9/2, Oprysko, 4.29M) says Pompeo told reporters at the State Department that China utilizes“a system of opaque approval processes designed to prevent American diplomats from conducting regular business, attending events, securing meetings and connecting with the Chinese people.”The AP
<https://apnews.com/c336fb7d027e69808c45666a0eafb310>(9/2, Lee) reports that Pompeo also indicated that the State Department “would act to ensure that the social media accounts of Chinese officials be identified as belonging to the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party.”
EFTA00136658 ## Pompeo said on Fox News’ Hannity (9/2, 535K) that “we took the simple action of telling Chinese diplomats working here in the United States that the free ride is over, their ability to conduct espionage here in the United States has, the time has passed, and so we’ve put restrictions on them. ... These are the kinds of restrictions they’ve had on us, our diplomats in China, and now we’ve got a reciprocal arrangement.” He said, “For 40 years...the United States took a knee, it bent a knee to the Chinese Communist Party and President Trump has said enough, whether it’s on trade, or on their stealing of intellectual property and trade secrets, destroying jobs here in the United States. We’re simply not going to take it anymore.” ## Chinese FM Pressed On A Host Of Issues While Touring Europe. The Washington Post (9/2, Shih, 14.2M) says that on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi “headed home...from a five-stop European tour that had been designed to mend fences with European governments – or at least wage a charm offensive” after Pompeo called for a “Cold War-style alliance of Western democracies to counter China.” However, according to the Post, “the reception in Europe was decidedly chilly.” The Post reports that in Rome, Wang “was pressed on the question of autonomy and freedoms in Hong Kong,” in Paris, he was “asked about Beijing’s treatment of the Muslim minority Uighurs,” and “in Berlin, he was chastised by the German foreign minister for making threatening remarks toward European officials.” The Post says the EU “has been viewed by Beijing as a more pragmatic and potentially pliable partner than overtly hostile Washington.” Kushner To Meet With British Foreign Minister In London On Thursday. Politico (9/2, Wickham, Toosi, 4.29M) reports that White House senior adviser Jared Kushner will hold talks with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in London on Thursday. According to Politico, “On the agenda will be Kushner’s attempts over the last few days to broker a show of peace between Israel and other Middle East leaders before the U.S. election, and create a coalition of nations aimed at countering Iranian influence in the region.” Politico says Raab “previously welcomed President Donald Trump’s ‘peace plan’ for the Middle East conflict, describing the proposals in January as ‘serious, reflecting extensive time and effort.’” Issue Of West Bank Annexation Looms Over Israel-UAE Deal. Reuters (9/2, Al-Mughrabi, Williams) reports, “A difference between English and Arabic versions of a trilateral statement after an historic flight from Israel to the UAE has been seized upon by Palestinians to suggest the Gulf state has overstated Israeli readiness to drop West Bank annexation plans.” The English version of the statement by the United Arab Emirates, Israel and the United States in Abu Dhabi “on Monday said the accord had ‘led to the suspension of Israel’s plans to extend its sovereignty’. In contrast, “the Arabic version, carried by the UAE state news agency WAM, said ‘the agreement ... has led to Israel’s plans to annex Palestinian lands being stopped.’” Jamal Al-Musharakh, “chief of policy planning and international cooperation at the UAE foreign ministry, said the difference in wording was merely a translation issue.” However, “Hanan Ashrawi, a senior PLO official, said it was a ‘forked tongue’ attempt to influence public opinion in the Arab world.” Pompeo: Israel-UAE Deal Shows Trump’s “Vision For Peace Beginning To Come To Fruition.” Secretary of State Pompeo was asked on Fox News’ Hannity (9/2, 535K) about the UAE-Israel agreement. Pompeo said, “A historic peace agreement where we’ve had this long history of the Arab states not recognizing Israel as the EFTA00136659 Jewish homeland and, as it ought to be, a nation has a right to exist. President Trump, his vision for peace is beginning to come to fruition." Saudis Allow Israeli Flights To Access Their Airspace For First Time. The New York Times (9/2, Specia, 18.61M) reports that on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia announced that it “would allow any flights going to and from the United Arab Emirates to fly over its territory, a move that would give Israel access to some of the kingdom’s airspace for the first time.” The Times says the Saudis’ announcement, “made at the request of the United Arab Emirates, came days after the first direct flight from Israel to the emirates – a symbolic move as the two nations begin normalizing relations.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “in a video statement delivered while standing in front of a map of the region, called the announcement a ‘tremendous breakthrough.’” The AP (9/2, Debre) reports that Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud posted on Twitter “that the kingdom’s ‘firm and established position toward the Palestinian cause and people will not change.’” However, “he did not name Israel in his tweet.” US Suspends Aid To Ethiopia Due To Dispute Over Nile Dam With Egypt. The AP (9/2, Anna) reports, “On the guidance of President Donald Trump, the State Department said Wednesday the US is suspending some aid to Ethiopia over the ‘lack of progress’ in the country’s talks with Egypt and Sudan over a massive, disputed dam project it is completing on the Nile River.” A State Department spokesperson said the measures are temporary, and that the decision “reflects our concern about Ethiopia’s unilateral decision to begin to fill the dam before an agreement and all necessary dam safety measures were in place.” Analysts: US Pullback Creates Power Vacuum In Mediterranean. The Washington Times (9/2, Taylor, 492K) reports that the Mediterranean “is emerging anew as a sea of division and instability, with powers including Russia, China, Turkey and Israel jostling aggressively for influence, natural resources and military advantage ... Analysts generally agree that NATO is failing to ease regional tensions. The US, despite multiple interests, lacks leverage in many of the disputes, with President Trump accelerating a US pullback begun under President Obama that opened a power vacuum that others are now scrambling to fill.” WSJournal, NYTimes Give Analyses Of Abe's Legacy. In an analysis, the Wall Street Journal (9/2, Ip, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports that despite outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s nationalist intentions when he assumed the position, he has proven to be a greater force for Japanese globalization than could have been expected. NYTimes: Shinzo Abe’s Successor Has A Legacy Of Change To Build On. A New York Times (9/2, 18.61M) editorial argues that Japan’s next prime minister “will lack Mr. Abe’s greatest asset – the political power he amassed by simply EFTA00136660 staying in office longer than any of his immediate predecessors. ... Mr. Abe has left a legacy of change to build on. The Liberal Democrats’ choice of the next leader ought to be an unambiguous signal that this is exactly what it intends to do.” ## The Big Picture Headlines From Today's Front Pages. ## Wall Street Journal: Saudi Aramco Slows Diversification Plans Amid Industry Downturn US Debt Is Set To Exceed Size Of The Economy Next Year, A First Since World War II Blackstone, GIP Make Takeover Bid For Kansas City Southern This Year’s Big Online Scam – Puppies A Texas School Reopens And Everyone Holds Their Breath Covid-19 Deaths Significantly Reduced By Use Of Steroids, Analysis Says ## New York Times: CDC Tells States How To Prepare For Covid-19 Vaccine By Early November A New Coronavirus Adviser Roils The White House With Unorthodox Ideas This Is Democrats' Doomsday Scenario For Election Night Tom Seaver, Pitcher Who Led ‘Miracle Mets’ To Glory, Dies At 75 Aleksei Navalny Was Poisoned With Novichok, Germany Says Federal Borrowing Amid Pandemic Puts US Debt On Path To Exceed World War II ## Washington Post: 'Why Were You Attacking Me?' Biden Blames School Closures On Trump’s Management Harris Ramps Up Efforts To Connect With Black Voters DC Monuments Report Has Some Questioning Bowser's Timing politics/bowser-trump-renamings/2020/09/02/3a4253c8-ed24-11ea-ab4e-581edb849379_story.html

Politics Cloud Potential Early Vaccine Approval

## Financial Times:
Charlie Hebdo Accused Go On Trial In Paris<https://www.ft.com/content/b34876cf-d4e0-4c71-a743-44980a844e06?FTCamp=engage/CAPI/email/Channel_Bulletin//B2B>
Alexei Navalny Poisoned With Nerve Agent Novichok, Says Germany<https://www.ft.com/content/5d9aeac2-3ff4-4e91-ba2f-ec43fde2a794?FTCamp=engage/CAPI/email/Channel_Bulletin//B2B>
Battle Lines Drawn As Australia Takes On Big Tech Over Paying For News<https://www.ft.com/content/0834d986-eece-4e66-ac55-f62e1331f7f7>
FTCamp=engage/CAPI/email/Channel_Bulletin//B2B>
FBI Investigates Deaths Of Mining Executives In UK Corruption Probe<https://www.ft.com/content/b457c294-fd09-40e1-ab40-96679188ab0f?FTCamp=engage/CAPI/email/Channel_Bulletin//B2B>
## Washington Times:
‘Cities On Fire’: Chaos Takes Toll On Biden, Democrats As Race Tightens
<https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/sep/2/joe-biden-undercut-protests-violence-race-tightens/>
Trump Now Favored To Win As ‘Law And Order’ Message Resonates, Draws Biden From Basement
<https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/sep/2/donald-trump-favored-beat-joe-biden-bookies-say-la/>
Sea Of Troubles: Tensions Flare Across Mediterranean As World Powers Jockey For Power
<https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/sep/2/russia-turkey-israel-vie-mediterranean-resources/>
Blue States Rebel Against Trump's Bid To Teach ‘American Exceptionalism’
<https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/sep/2/trump-american-exceptionalism-history-plan-knocked/>
‘Outside Agitators’? Rioters Are Often A Homegrown Problem, Review Finds
<https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/sep/2/outside-agitators-rioters-are-often-homegrown-prob/>
‘Not On My Watch’: DC Backs Off Talk Of Removing US Monuments
<https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/sep/2/muriel-bowser-reverses-bid-remove-dc-monuments/>
## Story Lineup From Last Night's Network News:
ABC: Coronavirus-Vaccine; Coronavirus-Schools; Coronavirus-Holiday Weekend; Coronavirus-Vaccine Details; Biden-WI; DHS-Russian Election Interference; New York-Black Man Asphyxiated By Police; Texas-Black Man Jogging Confused For Suspect; Alexei Navalny-Poisoned; Severe Weather; Wall Street; Ohio-Children Rescued From Car Crash; Pelosi-Hair Salon; Indianapolis-4th Grader Raises Money For Local Hospital.
CBS: Coronavirus-Vaccine; Coronavirus-Schools; Coronavirus-Holiday Weekend; Biden-WI; DHS-Russian Election Interference; Facebook-Election Precautions; Alexei Navalny-Poisoned; New Jersey-Program Combats Food Insecurity; Prince Harry & Meghan-House Hunting; Arizona-David Blaine Floats With Helium Balloons; NYC-Woman Saved From Burning Apt.
NBC: Coronavirus-Holiday Weekend; Coronavirus-Vaccine; Biden-WI; DHS-Russian Election Interference; Alexei Navalny-Poisoned; Pelosi-Hair Salon; Cyber Attacks on School Systems; Police Tactics in America; Ice Bucket Challenge; Chicago-Teens Set Up Farmers Market For Community.
Network TV At A Glance:
Biden-WI-7 minutes, 10 seconds
Coronavirus-6 minutes,35 seconds
DHS-Russian Election Interference-6 minutes,25 seconds
Coronavirus-Vaccine-5 minutes,0 seconds
Alexei Navalny-Poisoned-4 minutes,50 seconds
Story Lineup From This Morning’s Radio News Broadcasts: Story Lineup From This Morning's Radio News Broadcasts: ABC: Trump-Defunding Cities; Rochester, NY-Protests Over Death of Daniel Prude; Biden-WI; Alexei Navalny-Poisoned; Cyber Attacks on School Systems. CBS: Trump-Defunding Cities; NY-Protests Over Death of Daniel Prude; Fmr. NY Mets Tom Seaver Dies of COVID; Eviction Moratorium; FEMA-PPE; Weather Report; Wall Street. EFTA00136662 FOX: Trump-Defunding Cities; Biden-WI; Coronavirus-Vaccine; Fmr. NY Mets Tom Seaver Dies of COVID. NPR: Coronavirus-Vaccine; Coronavirus-Cases; San Francisco-Police Use of Deadly Force; Biden-Fundraising; CBO-Deficit. Washington's Schedule Today's Events In Washington. White House: - President Trump — Receives his intelligence briefing; has lunch with the Secretary of State; delivers remarks live from Pennsylvania - Vice President Pence — Visits North Carolina, with agenda including visit to the Gateway Women’s Care, where he participates in a roundtable discussion; remarks at Christ Baptist Church highlighting ‘the administration’s steadfast support for the Right to Life’; and accepting the endorsement of the Southern States Police Benevolent Association and speaking on ‘the administration’s commitment to never defund the police and always support the men and women serving in law enforcement’ - US Senate: - Senate on recess from 7 Aug – 8 Sep - US House: - House of Representatives on recess from 31 Jul – 7 Sep - Cabinet Officers: - No public schedules released - Visitors: - No visitors scheduled This Town: * Arms Control Association webinar on the Trinity Explosion – ‘75 Years After the Trinity Explosion: The Taboo Against Nuclear Testing and the Legacy of Past Nuclear Tests’ Arms Control Association and Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Center for Policy Research at the University at Albany, SUNY, online discussion, on discuss current threats to the global test ban, strategies to resolve accusations of cheating, and how nuclear testing by the Soviet Union and the United States has affected downwind populations. Speakers include Kazakh Ambassador to the U.S. Amb. Erzhan Kazykhanov, Nur-Sultan Center for International Security and Policy Director Alimzhan Akhmetov, Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium co-founders Tina Cordova, Republic of the Marshall Islands National Nuclear Commission Researcher Desmond Doulatram, Arms Control Association Executive Director Daryl Kimball, and Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation International EFTA00136663 Organizations and Non-Proliferation Program Director Gaukhar Mukhatzhanova; 9:30 AM - Competitive Enterprise Institute online discussion on ‘streamlining regulations and clearing regulatory sludge’ – ‘Repeal for Resilience: #NeverNeeded and the Digital Divide’ Competitive Enterprise Institute online discussion, on ‘how streamlining regulations and clearing regulatory sludge at the federal, state, and local levels can address broadband access inequities and better prepare Americans for the new normal’, with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai and Competitive Enterprise Institute President Kent Lassman; 12:00 PM - Dem Sen. Chris Murphy discusses his new book with Brookings – Brookings Institution holds a book event on ‘The Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy’ with author Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy; 2:00 PM Copyright 2020 by Bulletin Intelligence LLC Reproduction or redistribution without permission prohibited. Content is drawn from thousands of newspapers, national magazines, national and local television programs, radio broadcasts, social-media platforms and additional forms of open-source data. Sources for Bulletin Intelligence audience-size estimates include Scarborough, GfK MRI, comScore, Nielsen, and the Audit Bureau of Circulation. Data from and access to third party social media platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others, is subject to the respective platform’s terms of use. Services that include Factiva content are governed by Factiva’s terms of use . Services including embedded Tweets are also subject to Twitter for Website's information and privacy policies . The FBI News Briefing is published five days a week by Bulletin Intelligence, which creates custom briefings for government and corporate leaders. We can be found on the Web at BulletinIntelligence.com, or called at (703) 483-6100. EFTA00136664