EFTA00160826 Back to Top # CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS ## Ghislaine Maxwell Defense Seeks To Undermine Key Accuser’s Allegation The Associated Press (12/01, Hays) reported that Ghislaine Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to charges that prosecutors say show that she and Epstein were “partners in crime.” The defense has countered by claiming she’s being made a scapegoat for Jeffery Epstein. According to the article, the trial witness, using the alias name “Jane”, testified in graphic detail on Tuesday about the alleged encounters in the 1990s, portraying Maxwell as an active participant. The article noted that defense attorney Laura Menninger confronted the woman with FBI documents from 2019 and 2020, saying she had told the government her memory was foggy on whether Maxwell was present when Epstein molested her and on whether she ever touched her. ## More Than 30 Years Later, a Tantalizing Clue in the Gardner Museum Art Heist Surfaces The Boston Globe (12/01, Murphy) reported that three decades later, the largest art theft in US history remains unsolved, despite a $10 million reward. No one has been charged and none of the artwork has been recovered. According to the article, Boston jeweler Paul Calantropo says he was shown a recently stolen eagle final from Napoleon’s Imperial Guard by his friend Bobby Donati. It was one of 13 artworks recently stolen in a robbery of Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. FBI spokeswoman Kristen Setera declined to comment on Calantropo’s account or whether Donati is believed to have been involved in the heist, citing the ongoing investigation. She said the FBI is “focused on recovering the art and returning it to its rightful place at the museum,” and “we’d be remiss if we didn’t take this opportunity to remind everyone that the museum is still offering a $10 million reward for information leading to the return of the artwork in good condition.” WBTS (NBC-10) (12/01, Chiappa) also reported on the story. ## Cuomo Nemesis Is Charged With Campaign Fraud The New York Times (12/01, Ferre-Sadurni) reported that Steven McLaughlin, a former New York assemblyman known for his outspoken criticism of former Governor Andrew Cuomo, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with stealing thousands of dollars in campaign contributions to settle a personal debt. According to the article, McLaughlin was accused of withdrawing $5,000 from his campaign fund in November 2017 and steered the money to a political consulting firm with which he had close ties, Hudson Valley Strategies, which then cut a check of $3,500 to Mr. McLaughlin’s staff member. The article noted the charges against McLaughlin marked the culmination of a yearslong investigation conducted by the state attorney general’s office and the F.B.I. ## Suspect Extradited to Colorado From Ecuador to Face 126 Sexual Assault Charges Fox News (12/01, Stimson) reported that Peter Dettmer is facing 126 sexual assault charges from an incident in Colorado. Dettmer was accused of sexually assaulting an incapacitated woman in 2016 and was arrested by the Golden Police Department. Dettmer posted a $2,000 bond and then disappeared. Dettmer was arrested in Ecuador, on April 27, by the FBI who returned him to Jefferson County on November 24. The article noted that former FBI Special Agent Bob Pence said, "outside the United States, the FBI has no authority to conduct those investigations, no authority to carry weapons normally, and no authority to make arrests. So it’s a liaison-type responsibility, and we work with the host countries, and do it very successfully around the world." Latin Times (12/01, Garcia) also reported on the story. ## Movie Set Armorer's Father Provides New Theory on How Live Ammo Got on Set in Accidental Murder Case New York Daily News (12/01, Wilkinson) reported that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the woman in charge of the gun fatally fired by Alec Baldwin on the set of "Rust", spoke to investigators as they probed how live rounds ended up on the film set which led to the death of Halyna Hutchins. According to the article, prop master Sarah Zachry told police that ammunition on set came from three sources: fellow armorer Seth Kenney, Gutierrez-Reed’s supply from a previous production, and another man identified only as “Billy EFTA00160827 Ray.” Gutierrez-Reed said Kenney provided most of the ammo which was suspected to be live ammo from a previous film. The article noted that Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys, Bowles Law Firm, said, “The Sheriff’s Office has taken a huge step forward today to unearth the full truth of who put the live rounds on the Rust set, by executing a search warrant on PDQ Arm & Prop, owned by Armorer-Mentor, Seth Kenney. We trust that the FBI will now compare and analyze the ‘live rounds’ seized from the set to evidence seized in the search warrant to conclusively determine where the live rounds came from.” Los Angeles Times (12/01, James, Lee) and KOTA (ABC-3) also reported on the story. ## No Trace Of Missing 5-Year-Old Idaho Boy Who Vanished More Than 125 Days Ago Oxygen (12/01, Geiger) reported that the family of Michael Vaughn, a missing 5-year-old boy who vanished without a trace more than four months ago, is pleading for his safe return as investigators gather clues as to his whereabouts. According to the article, Vaughn vanished on July 27 near his home in Idaho, and in the months since investigators have searched surrounding neighborhoods. In October, investigators were seeking assistance in identifying the driver of a white Honda Pilot that was spotted in the vicinity of where Vaughn disappeared from and the identity of a man with dark hair, wearing a white t-shirt and black shorts, who was seen walking nearby at the time. The article noted that the FBI and other agencies are assisting with the investigation. ## Disbarred Attorney Sentenced for Fraud, Tax Evasion Bitterroot Star (12/01, Howell) reported that former attorney Ronald Lords, who last July admitted to defrauding investors and to evading income taxes in a real estate investment scheme, was sentenced to three years in prison and followed by three years of supervised release. According to the article, Lords was a lawyer who operated Eagles Landing Legal Services as well as a licensed realtor and general contractor who operated Eagles Landing Construction, Inc. The construction company purported to develop property and build homes. From June 2011 to September 2018, Lords defrauded several victims by convincing them to invest money in his construction company. The article noted that the case was investigated by the FBI and the IRS. ## Ex-Sheriff, Facing Life for Rapes, Pleads Guilty to Bribery The Associated Press (12/01, Staff Writer) reported that a former sheriff, Rodney Strain, pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge on Wednesday, weeks after a state jury convicted him of sexually abusing boys. According to the article, the corruption scheme involved an inmate work-release program that Strain made private. Strain then arranged to have two of his top deputies profit from it, hiding their involvement by having an adult child of each sign on as owners. The article noted that Strain is to be sentenced on January 18 on sex charges and four counts of aggravated rape, which carries a mandatory life sentence. WWL (CBS-4) (12/01, Moore) also reported on the story. ## Double Murder Trial Continues in Connecticut The Day. (12/01, Hartz) reported that red, blue, black, and purple circles dotted a map on display in New London Superior Court on Tuesday. According to the article, each color represented the whereabouts of a different cell phone on the night of Dec. 19, 2017, and early the next morning: blue for Kenneth Lindquist’s phone, purple for Janet Lindquist’s, black for Matthew Lindquist’s, and red for a phone linked to Sergio Correa, the man accused of killing them. During testimony Tuesday, FBI Special Agent James J. Wines walked the jury through the location of each phone as their color-coordinated markers traveled across the map, their approximate locations lining up with the chain of events mapped out by state prosecutors in the case against Correa. The article noted that the trial for Correa, who faces 14 charges in the slayings of the Lindquists during a brutal home invasion, entered its 11th day on Tuesday and is scheduled to continue Wednesday. ## FBI Offers $25K Reward For Capture Of Philly Man Wanted For Murder Of Pregnant Girlfriend The Daily Voice (12/01, Aclosta) reported that the FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest of a Philadelphia man wanted in the murder of his 21-year-old pregnant girlfriend from Delaware County. The article noted that according to the FBI, investigators have been looking for Justin Smith since an arrest warrant was issued in April following the death of 21-year-old EFTA00160828 Dianna Brice and her unborn child. Authorities believe Smith shot Brice in the head multiple times inside a 2018 black Ford Fusion, which was found engulfed in flames. ## 14 Indicted in Ohio Opioid Ring Operated by Two Brothers The Cincinnati Enquirer (12/01, Knight) reported that in a federal indictment unsealed Wednesday, two brothers are accused, along with 12 others, of participating in a multi-million dollar opioid trafficking ring. According to the article, the Cincinnati brothers, Steffen Roberson, 40, known as "Worm," and Anthony Roberson, 44, known as "Chemist," are charged with conspiring to distribute fentanyl, the U.S. Attorney Office for the Southern District of Ohio said. Investigators said the younger Roberson was "running one of the largest heroin/fentanyl drug trafficking organizations in the greater Cincinnati area" for at least the past four years. The elder Roberson "manufactured heroin and fentanyl mixtures, cut the drugs and looked "for ways to make the drug mixtures more potent," authorities said. The article noted that federal agents reported that more than 30 search warrants have been executed since 2018 in connection with the group. ## Trinitarios Gang Member from Massachusetts Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Multiple Guns, Ammunition, Cocaine & Crack Cocaine The Valley Patriot (12/02, Staff Writer) reported that Jose Hernandez-Aragones pleaded guilty to four counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm; one count of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine; and one count of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of cocaine base, commonly known as crack cocaine. According to the article, Hernandez-Aragones was indicted and arrested in November 2019 as part of a federal sweep targeting federal and state offenders, including members and associates of the Trinitarios street gang, in Massachusetts. The article noted that the FBI and other agencies assisted in this investigation. ## Michigan Man Sentenced to Jail in Child Pornography Production and Distribution Case Livingston Daily (12/01, Daugherty) reported that Austin Lash, a man originally charged in Livingston County with child pornography, was sentenced in federal court last week to six years in prison for related charges. According to the article, Lash "knowingly employed a nine-year-old minor female to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing any visual depiction of such conduct." The article noted that approximately 4,000 images of child sexually abusive material were found on his electronic devices. The local charges were dismissed by Livingston County District Court Judge Daniel Bain on July 15, 2020, in coordination with the FBI and state police. ## Former Reality TV Star Allegedly Downloaded Videos and Images of Children Being "Violated" Buzzfeed News (12/01, Fallert) reported that former 19 Kids and Counting reality star Josh Duggar downloaded images and video on a work computer of children as young as 7 years old being “abused,” “violated,” and “exploited,” federal prosecutors said in opening statements on Wednesday. According to the article, Duggar used a device that virtually “split” his HP desktop work computer into “two independent sides,” allowing him to use the computer at the used car dealership’s “shed-like” office for usual business purposes on one side while browsing illegal content on the other. The article noted that federal officials seized Duggar’s iPhone, MacBook, and HP desktop computer at the dealership, among other devices, via search warrant in November 2019. The devices were sent to Washington, DC, for review, prosecutors said, and investigators found that Duggar used what is known as a peer-to-peer network on his desktop computer at his business, Wholesale Motorcars. ## Police, FBI Search for Suspect in Alabama Bank Robbery WHNT (CBS-19) (12/01, Newsum, Tamijani) reported that on Wednesday the Huntsville Police Department responded to an armed bank robbery. Several units responded to the scene, with no suspect in sight. Bank employees provided a description of the person. Shortly after, another call of a possible robbery came through with a person matching the description at another Regions Bank location. Police determined there was no robbery at that location. The article noted that the HPD is working with the FBI to investigate the situation. WAFF (NBC-48) (12/01, Staff Writer) also reported on the story. EFTA00160829 ## FBI Seeks Public's Help in Identifying a California Bank Robber KSWB (Fox-5) (12/01, Staff Writer) reported that a man clad in clothing akin to that of an on-duty highway worker robbed a northern San Diego County bank Wednesday. According to the article, the thief, who was wearing a dark-colored jumpsuit, gloves, safety goggles, and an orange vest, approached a teller at the Union Bank branch office and demanded cash. After the clerk handed over an undisclosed amount of money, the man left the bank and drove off in a stolen car. Investigators later found the vehicle abandoned. The article noted that according to the FBI, the robber, described as heavyset, appeared to be about 6 feet tall and in his early 50s. KGTV (ABC-10) (12/01, Taylor) also reported on the story. Back to Top ## CYBER DIVISION ## Hacker Steals Medical Records of 400,000 People From Planned Parenthood The Washington Post (12/01, Schaffer, Marks, Knowles) reported that a hacker gained access to the personal information of hundreds of thousands of Planned Parenthood patients in October, the reproductive health-care group’s Los Angeles branch said Wednesday. According to the article, an investigation is ongoing and information was compromised for about 400,000 patients of the organization at the center of the country’s fierce debates over abortion rights. The article noted that Erickson said the attack involved a specific type of malware called ransomware that was behind this year’s Colonial Pipeline shutdown. That hack on the U.S. energy infrastructure drew new public attention to a growing problem for private organizations and governments alike. Across the country in 2020, 113 federal, state, and local governments and agencies reported ransomware attacks costing about $915 million, according to one estimate by Emsisoft, a company that sells cybersecurity services. The Hill (12/01, Miller) also reported on the story. ## FBI, Secret Service Agents Flock to Missouri to Address Cybersecurity Threats FBI, Secret Service Agents Flock to Missouri to Address Cybersecurity KTVI (Fox-2) (12/01, Colombo) reported that the Secret Service, Homeland Security, and FBI gathered for a conference in downtown St. Louis to address some of the most pressing cybersecurity issues in the world. “The State of Cyber 2021 is a great opportunity for the Secret Service to meet with corporations and security directors to talk about the trends and tactics we’re seeing imposed on the civilian population and also corporations themselves,” said Thomas Landry, the special agent in charge of the Secret Service field office in St. Louis. Back to Top ## LABORATORY ## 40 Years Later: Police Solve Baltimore County Teen’s Cold Case Murder WJZ (CBS-13) (12/01, Staff Writer) reported that cold case detectives have determined John Anthony Petrecca, Jr., who died in 2000, was responsible for the 1981 murder of 13-year-old Heather Porter. “As a result of advances in forensic technology, Heather Porter’s family members now know the identity of the person who took their loved ones' life,” the agency said. “The Baltimore County Police Department would like to thank Bode Technology, the Hackerman Foundation, and the FBI for their expert analysis, assistance, and support in solving this cold case.” According to the article, in February, police zeroed in on Petrecca as a possible suspect. A search of his criminal background found he had multiple rape arrests over the years, and police determined that he lived near the area where Porter was last seen alive. The article noted that after getting permission to exhume Petrecca’s remains from a local cemetery, police sent his DNA off for lab testing. The suspect’s DNA was sent off for lab testing and positive results were provided to the FBI. Back to Top EFTA00160830 # LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES ## Hate Crime Trial of Former NJ Police Chief Ends in Mistrial The Associated Press (12/01, Staff Writer) reported that a retrial in the hate-crime case against a former New Jersey police chief ended without a verdict Wednesday. According to the article, a federal judge declared a mistrial after jurors couldn’t reach a verdict in the trial of Frank Nucera, the former police chief of Bordentown, near Trenton. Nucera faced one count each of hate crime assault and deprivation of civil rights, for allegedly slamming a handcuffed Black man’s head into a doorjamb in 2016 while two officers were escorting the man from a hotel. Nucera had pleaded not guilty. The article noted that in 2019, a separate jury deadlocked on the same charges, but convicted Nucera of lying to the FBI, and he was sentenced to 28 months in prison on that count. The article also noted that Nucera has remained free on bail as the case has progressed. He retired in 2017 during the FBI investigation. ## Police Group Asks Public for Help as Assaults on Cops Surge NewsNation Now (12/01, Palmer) reported that fatal attacks on U.S. police officers have dramatically increased in 2021 and the National Police Association has released a public service announcement seeking the public’s help. According to the article, a total of 59 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in the first nine months of 2021, according to statistics compiled by the FBI. “That basically translates to every five days, more often than every five days in this country, an officer is murdered in the line of duty,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said of the increase. “And that’s totally unacceptable, and it’s a tragedy and it needs attention.” ## Fort Myers Police Fire Officer Who Had Been Included in FBI Probe Fort Myers News-Press (12/01, Braun) reported that the Fort Myers Police Department fired Officer Jason Jackson on charges including interfering with an internal affairs investigation and associating with felons. According to the article, FMPD said the case against Jackson started with a recommendation from the Freeh Report in 2016 then led to a four-year FBI investigation which ended in April. The article noted that the news release said that when FMPD received documents from the FBI, the department launched a five-month internal affairs investigation. That included interviews with 27 community members, many of them Dunbar residents, who had concerns about Jackson’s actions on and off duty. Back to Top ## OTHER FBI NEWS ## CIA Publishes New Account Describing “Challenges” of Briefing Trump CBS News (12/01, Gazis) reported that the U.S. intelligence community faced "greater challenges" in briefing former President Trump than it had confronted in almost five decades, when President-elect Nixon was taking office, according to a new account published by the CIA's internal research center. According to the article, the briefings during the transition were led by a group of 14 intelligence officials hand-picked by Ted Gistaro, a veteran CIA analyst who later served as former President Trump's briefer. They hailed from the CIA, FBI, State Department, and other agencies, and were the "largest and most organizationally diverse group of experts ever deployed for transition briefings," according to the document. The article noted that while the earliest sessions were substantive, they could also be meandering, according to former Director of National Intelligence Jim Clapper, who said Mr. Trump "was prone to fly off on tangents; there might be eight or nine minutes of real intelligence in an hour's discussion." ## CIA Files Say Staffers Committed Sex Crimes Involving Children. They Weren’t Prosecuted. BuzzFeed News (12/01, Leopold, Cormier) reported that over the past 14 years, the Central Intelligence Agency has secretly amassed credible evidence that at least 10 of its employees and contractors committed sexual crimes involving children. According to the article, though most of these cases were referred to US attorneys for prosecution, only one of the individuals was ever charged with a crime. Prosecutors sent the EFTA00160831 rest of the cases back to the CIA to handle internally, meaning few faced any consequences beyond the possible loss of their jobs and security clearances. That marks a striking deviation from how sex crimes involving children have been handled at other federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and the Drug Enforcement Administration. CIA insiders say the agency resists prosecution of its staff for fear the cases will reveal state secrets. The article noted that in one instance in January 2010, a CIA contractor logged into a chatroom using an agency IP address and solicited sex from an FBI agent posing as a child. The contractor acknowledged an obsession with child sexual abuse images, but by the time the inspector general obtained a search warrant and seized the man’s computer, someone had “removed the hard drives and thrown them away,” according to the reports. ## Philip B. Heymann, 89, Dies; Prosecuted Watergate and Abscam The New York Times (12/01, Seelye) reported that Philip B. Heymann, who served four Democratic presidents over six decades, mostly in the Justice Department, and who helped prosecute major investigations, including Watergate and the Abscam bribery sting operation, died on Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles. According to the article, in the 1960s, Mr. Heymann, then in his mid-30s and at the State Department, was outraged to learn that J. Edgar Hoover, the all-powerful director of the F.B.I., had ordered the surveillance of Americans abroad if he was suspicious of their leftist politics. Mr. Heymann called attention to the practice as a violation of civil liberties, which helped end it. The article noted that Mr. Heymann’s high-profile investigations included Abscam, the F.B.I. sting operation in the late 1970s that caught public officials on tape accepting bribes from agents posing as Arab sheikhs in return for political favors. The operation, which inspired the 2013 movie “American Hustle,” led to the convictions of a United States senator, Harrison A. Williams Jr., Democrat of New Jersey, as well as six members of Congress and more than a dozen other criminals. ## Dark-Money Group Paid Former Trump AG to Ask for Pardons; He Never Registered as a Lobbyist The Daily Beast (12/01, Sollenberg) reported that former Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker left the Trump administration and almost immediately started asking for presidential pardons, without registering as a lobbyist, even though he was being paid $400,000 by a conservative “dark money” group that had tapped him to lead its efforts to secure pardons and commutations. According to the article, Whitaker’s former employer, World Patent Marketing, paid to settle a federal fraud suit in 2018. The Federal Trade Commission shuttered the business for scamming clients hoping to secure patents for their inventions, many of which were outrageous and stood little chance of success. The article noted that Whitaker acted as an attack-dog attorney for the company, and had invoked his status as a former assistant U.S. attorney to lend the operation credibility. The FTC subpoenaed Whitaker’s records in October 2017, weeks after his DOJ appointment under AG Sessions, but he reportedly did not respond. A court official handling the case said he had “no reason to believe” Whitaker was aware of the scam. The article noted that the FBI and the U.S. Postal Service later reportedly opened investigations into the company, and they have not been reported to have closed. ## Law Enforcement Officer From ‘Outside Agency’ Accidently Fires Gun in Downtown High-Rise NJ (12/01, Zeitlinger) reported that a law enforcement agent accidentally fired a gun inside their Jersey City high-rise home that went through a wall and into a residence next door Tuesday afternoon. According to the article, Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione described the person who discharged their weapon as an “outside agency officer.” Police said in radio transmission it was an FBI agent who worked out of the agency’s New York office. The article noted that no charges were filed and no injuries were reported in the incident. ## State Department is Prioritizing Return of Missionaries from Ohio Group Kidnapped in Haiti Cleveland.com (12/01, Eaton) reported that Brian Nichols, the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, told U.S. Sen. Rob Portman earlier this week that he’s been personally involved in trying to recover 15 Christian missionaries from an Ohio organization who were kidnapped in Haiti six EFTA00160832 weeks ago. “The embassy country team, including U.S. law enforcement agencies, are cooperating with Haitian police authorities to support a resolution of this case,” Nichols said Tuesday. “It is one of deep concern. We saw the release of two U.S. citizens who had been kidnapped in connection with that case, and we hope that there will be a rapid resolution and favorable resolution for the remainder of those who have been kidnapped.” The article noted that Portman said he discussed the kidnapping with FBI Director Christopher Wray “and made sure that we’re doing everything we can, from the law enforcement point of view, to resolve this issue." ## Fortenberry's Lawyers Ask For Dismissal of Statements to FBI York News-Times (12/01, Hammel) reported that attorneys for indicted U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry continued on the offensive, filing a new pre-trial motion late Tuesday claiming that a lead prosecutor misled the veteran congressman into making incriminating statements. The article noted that in their motion to suppress, defense attorneys claim that Fortenberry would not have talked to FBI agents if it were not for the lead prosecutor's assurance that the congressman was not a "target" of their investigation, but merely a "subject," trending toward becoming only a "witness" concerning the illegal contributions. ## Back to Top ## INTERNATIONAL NEWS ## Blinken, Russian FM to Meet Amid Ukraine Tensions • Associated Press: Blinken, Russian FM to Meet Amid Ukraine Tensions • Reuters: Blinken Set to Meet Russia's Lavrov as Ukraine Tensions Flare U.S. Tells Russia to Pull Back from Ukraine or Face Painful Sanctions • Reuters: U.S. Tells Russia to Pull Back from Ukraine or Face Painful Sanctions ## Russia Warns Some U.S. Diplomats Will Have to Leave by Jan 31 • Associated Press: Russia Warns Some U.S. Diplomats Will Have to Leave by Jan 31 • Wall Street Journal: Russia Expels Some U.S. Diplomats in Latest Tit-for-Tat Action
Putin Demands NATO Guarantees Not to Expand Eastward
• Associated Press: Putin Demands NATO Guarantees Not to Expand Eastward
NATO Chief Says Mission Creep, Corruption Hurt Afghan Effort • Associated Press: NATO Chief Says Mission Creep, Corruption Hurt Afghan Effort US, South Korea Defense Chiefs Discuss Boosting Alliance • Associated Press: US, South Korea Defense Chiefs Discuss Boosting Alliance Iran Makes Nuclear Advance Despite Talks to Salvage 2015 Deal • Reuters: Iran Makes Nuclear Advance Despite Talks to Salvage 2015 Deal
Iceland Police Say Homemade Bomb Found in Reykjavik Dumpster
• Associated Press: Iceland Police Say Homemade Bomb Found in Reykjavik Dumpster
UN Rights Chief: Burkina Faso is Facing a Security Crisis • Associated Press: UN Rights Chief: Burkina Faso is Facing a Security Crisis Brexit Fears Hold Back US-UK Trade Deal • Financial Times: Brexit Fears Hold Back US-UK Trade Deal Back to Top ## OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS EFTA00160833 ## Trump Tested Positive for Virus Days Before Debate, Two Ex-Officials Say - New York Times: Trump Tested Positive for Virus Days Before Debate. 2 Ex-Officials Sav - Washington Post: Trump tested positive for coronavirus before first debate with Biden, three former aides say - Associated Press: Trump tested COVID-positive pre-debate, ex-aide says in book ## Peter DeFazio, House Transportation Committee Chairman, Will Retire - New York Times: Peter DeFazio, House Transportation Committee Chairman, Will Retire - Washington Post: Oregon Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio, chairman of transportation panel, to retire at end of his term ## Senate Republicans Threaten Shutdown Over Vaccine Mandate - New York Times: Senate Republicans Threaten Shutdown Over Vaccine Mandate - Wall Street Journal: Government Shutdown Deadline Approaches as Deal Eludes Lawmakers - Associated Press: GOP risks government shutdown to fight Biden vaccine mandate - Reuters: U.S. Congress scrambles to avert government shutdown, as some Republicans balk ## The U.S. Tells Airlines to Identify Travelers from Southern Africa - New York Times: The U.S. tells airlines to identify travelers from southern Africa ## Symone Sanders, Senior Adviser to Vice President Harris, Will Leave Post - Washington Post: Symone Sanders, senior adviser to Vice President Harris, will leave post - Wall Street Journal: Symone Sanders, Top Aide to Vice President Kamala Harris, to Leave Team - Reuters: U.S. VP Harris' top aide Sanders to leave office in latest departure ## ICE Holds Growing Numbers of Immigrants at Private Facilities Despite Biden ## Campaign Promise to End Practice - Washington Post: ICE holds growing numbers of immigrants at private facilities despite Biden campaign promise to end practice ## Biden Marks World AIDS Day by Renewing Support for Worldwide Goal of Ending ## the Epidemic by 2030 • Washington Post: Biden marks World AIDS Day by renewing support for worldwide goal of ending the epidemic by 2030 ## Yellen Defends Spending Plans Amid Growing Angst Over Higher Inflation - Wall Street Journal: Yellen Defends Spending Plans Amid Growing Angst Over Higher Inflation ## House Passes Bipartisan Bill to Speed Judges’ Financial Disclosures - Wall Street Journal: House Passes Bipartisan Bill to Speed Judges’ Financial Disclosures ## US Military Explosives Vanish, Emerge in Civilian World - Associated Press: US military explosives vanish, emerge in civilian world ## US Defense Chief Slams China’s Drive for Hypersonic Weapons - Associated Press: US defense chief slams China's drive for hypersonic weapons ## U.S. to Extend Transit Mask Mandate Through Mid-March - Reuters: U.S. to extend transit mask mandate through mid-March - NBC News: Biden administration expected to extend public transit mask mandate through mid-March - The Hill: Mask mandates on transit expected to be extended into March ## In Israel, the New U.S. Ambassador's Home Lacks a Certain View - New York Times: In Israel, the New U.S. Ambassador’s Home Lacks a Certain View EFTA00160834 Back to Top ## BIG PICTURE ## Wall Street Journal Justices Question Abortion Rights Precedent - First Case of Omicron in U.S. Is Detected in San Francisco - Bicycle Makers Offer Clues On the Persistence of Inflation ## New York Times - Justices Indicate They Will Uphold Curb on Abortion - First U.S. Case Of the Variant Is in California - Omicron Erases Experts’ Doubts on Third Shot ## Washington Post - Parents may be charged in shooting - Potential reversal of Roe rattles political landscape - Omicron variant surfaces in California ## Financial Times US Supreme Court justices appear willing to put curbs on abortion rights - Omicron variant detected in the US for first time • US examines stricter testing rules for international travel ## ABC News - 1st omicron COVID-19 case identified in US; Authorities confirm 4th student dies from Michigan school shooting: SCOTUS hears arguments on landmark abortion case ## CBS News - First reported U.S. Omicron case detected in California; Operation Warm gives coats to kids in need. ## NBC News - First case of omicron variant detected in U.S., Supreme Court hears Mississippi abortion case that challenges Roe v. Wade, and teen suspect in Michigan high school shooting charged as adult. ## Fox News - Biden expected to impose further travel rules as first omicron case detected in US, Supreme Court debates abortion rights case challenging Roe v. Wade, and Chris Cuomo addresses CNN suspension. ## Back to Top ## WASHINGTON SCHEDULE ## Washington Schedule President Biden ## White House - 10:00 AM: The President receives the President's Daily Brief - 11:00 AM: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki - 12:45 PM: The President departs the South Lawn en route Walter Reed National Military Medical Center EFTA00160835 - 12:55 PM: The President arrives at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center - 1:15 PM: The President visits the National Institutes of Health - 1:40 PM: The President delivers remarks on his Administration’s plan to continue the fight against COVID-19 as we enter the winter months and face the Omicron variant - 2:25 PM: The President departs Walter Reed National Military Medical Center en route to the White House - 2:45 PM: The President arrives at the White House - 5:30 PM: The First Family and The Second Family attend the National Christmas Tree Lighting; The President and the Secretary of the Interior deliver remarks Vice President Harris - No events are scheduled. ## US Senate - Business meeting to consider S.2340, to improve the safety and security of the Federal judiciary, S.2614, to provide for the modernization of electronic case management systems, and the nominations of Holly A. Thomas, of California, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit, Mary Katherine Dimke, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Washington, Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California, Charlotte N. Sweeney, to be United States District Judge for the District of Colorado, Jennifer L. Thurston, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of California, Hernan D. Vera, to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California, Gabriel P. Sanchez, of California, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit, Samantha D. Elliott, to be United States District Judge for the District of New Hampshire, Linda Lopez, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of California, and other business. – 9:00 AM – Host: Judiciary Committee - Hearings to examine S.1229, to modify the procedures for issuing special recreation permits for certain public land units, S.1269, to require the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to complete an interagency report on the effects of special recreation permits on environmental justice communities, S.1616, to provide exceptions from permitting and fee requirements for content creation, regardless of distribution platform, including digital or analog video and digital or analog audio recording activities, conducted on land under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior, S.1874, to promote innovative approaches to outdoor recreation on Federal land and to increase opportunities for collaboration with non-Federal partners, S.2258, to direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a Parks, Jobs, and Equity Program to support job creation, economic revitalization and park development for communities impacted by COVID-19, S.2886, to amend title 54, United States Code, to authorize the donation and distribution of capes, horns, and antlers from wildlife management activities carried out on National Park System land, and other business. – 10:00 AM – Host: Energy and Natural Resources Committee - Hearings to examine the nominations of Loren L. AliKhan, and John P. Howard III, both to be an Associate Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, and Adrienne Jennings Noti, to be an Associate Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. – 10:15 AM – Host: Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee EFTA00160836 ## US House of Representatives - Business Meeting: H. Res. ___ H. Rept. 117-200Resolution Recommending That The House Of Representatives Find Jeffrey Bossert Clark In Contempt Of Congress For Refusal To Comply With A Subpoena Duly Issued By The Select Committee To Investigate The January 6th Attack On The United States Capitol - 9:30 AM - Host: Committee on Rules - Hearing: Innovative Municipal Leadership in Central Europe: Founding Members of the Pact of Free Cities - 10:00 AM - Host: Committee on Foreign Affairs | Subcommittee on Europe, Energy, the Environment and Cyber - - Hearing: "What More Public Lands Leasing Means for Achieving U.S. Climate Targets" - 10:00 AM | 1324 Longworth HOB - Host: Committee on Natural Resources | Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources - Hearing: Supporting U.S. Workers Businesses and the Environment in the Face of Unfair Chinese Trade Practices - 10:00 AM - Host: Committee on Ways and Means | Subcommittee on Trade - Hearing: Ensuring American Leadership in Microelectronics - 10:00 AM - Host: Committee on Science, Space, and Technology - Hearing: The Evolving Cybersecurity Landscape: Federal Perspectives on Securing the Nation's Infrastructure" - 10:00 AM | 2167 Rayburn HOB - Host: Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure - Hearing: The Overdose Crisis: Interagency Proposal to Combat Illicit Fentanyl-Related Substances - 10:30 AM | 2123 Rayburn HOB - Host: Committee on Energy and Commerce | Subcommittee on Health - Hearing: Strengthening the Safety Net for Injured Workers - 2:00 PM - Host: Committee on Education Labor | Subcommittee on Workforce Protections ## Cabinet Members - Secretary Blinken is on travel to Latvia and Sweden from November 29-December 2, 2021. He has the following on his schedule for today: - 9:00 AM LOCAL: Secretary Blinken meets with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, in Stockholm, Sweden. - 10:00 AM LOCAL: Secretary Blinken participates in OSCE Opening Session, in Stockholm, Sweden. - 10:45 AM LOCAL: Secretary Blinken participates in OSCE Session I, in Stockholm, Sweden. - 11:15 AM LOCAL: Secretary Blinken meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in Stockholm, Sweden. - 1:15 PM LOCAL: Secretary Blinken participates in OSCE Family Photo, in Stockholm, Sweden. EFTA00160837 - 1:30 PM LOCAL: Secretary Blinken participates in a Working Lunch with OSCE Ministers, in Stockholm, Sweden. - 3:35 PM LOCAL: Secretary Blinken holds a Press Availability, in Stockholm, Sweden. - 4:45 PM LOCAL: Secretary Blinken meets with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, in Stockholm, Sweden. - 5:50 PM LOCAL: Secretary Blinken holds a Meet and Greet with U.S. Embassy Sweden, in Stockholm, Sweden. - Secretary of Education Cardona will give remarks at the LGBTQ Victory Institute’s 2021 International LGBTQ Leaders Conference at 7:00 PM. The conference – which includes plenaries, workshops, and networking events – is the largest gathering of LGBTQ elected officials in the world. - Secretary of the Interior Haaland will deliver remarks at the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony at the White House at 5:30 PM. ## Visitors - No events are scheduled. ## General Events - Brookings Institution: North Korea in a new era of US-South Korea partnership– Thursday, December 2, 2021. Location: Virtual Event, 8:30 AM. In May 2021, the United States and South Korea issued a joint statement that articulated an expansion of their alliance relationship to address various regional security concerns. Under a new era of expanded U.S.-South Korea partnership, how will the two countries navigate their strategic interests on the Korean Peninsula? On December 2, the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution and the East Asia Institute (EAI) will co-host a distinguished panel of experts from the U.S. and South Korea to discuss the North Korea variable in U.S.-South Korea cooperation, U.S.-China strategic competition and its impact on the Korean Peninsula, and the future role of the U.S.-South Korea alliance. - Heritage Foundation: The Greatest Humanitarian Mission in History: America’s 1921 Famine Relief Expedition to Soviet Russia– Thursday, December 2, 2021. Location: Virtual Event, 2:00 PM. In 1921, thanks to the communist policies of collectivization, the Soviet Union was in the throes of a famine that threatened the lives of millions of its citizens. In desperation, the Kremlin turned to the United States for help. Led by Herbert Hoover, the American Relief Administration went into action, supplying millions of tons of food, clothing, and medicine. At its peak, the program fed 10.5 million Russians a day. It is estimated that the US effort rescued about 10 million Soviet citizens from certain death by starvation and disease. Why did the United States decide to help its ideological enemy, the Soviet Union, at its moment of crisis, and what can we learn from this remarkable story in US diplomatic history? Join us for a lively discussion. - Center for Strategic and International Studies: Launch of the UN Global Humanitarian Overview 2022– Thursday, December 2, 2021. Location: Virtual Event, 10:30 AM. On December 2, 2021, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) will co-host the Washington DC launch of the Global Humanitarian Overview 2022—one of six sequential global launches centered around climate change and humanitarian action. The opening session will include keynote remarks by Ms. Samantha Power, Administrator, USAID; a video message by UN Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres and remarks by Mr. Martin Griffiths, EFTA00160838 the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator who will present the latest trends, analysis, challenges and opportunities in humanitarian action, as well as an overview of the coordinated plans for humanitarian response in 2022. - Center for Strategic and International Studies: The EU's New Strategic Compass– Thursday, December 2, 2021. Location: Virtual Event, 3:30 PM. Please join CSIS for a conversation with Vice Admiral Hervé Bléjean, Director General of the EU Military Staff. As the European Union prepares to release a new Strategic Compass outlining the bloc’s future strategy on security and defense, Vice Admiral Bléjean will discuss the EU’s current military operations and missions under the banner of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), from the Mediterranean to the Indo-Pacific, and how the Strategic Compass could reinforce the EU’s ability to act. He will also reflect on the state of EU-NATO cooperation and expectations for the future of the relationship. Please join the Vice-Admiral in a conversation with Rachel Ellehuus, Deputy Director and Senior Fellow with Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at CSIS. - Cato Institute: New Technology and Old Rules: Constructing a Crypto Regulatory Framework– Thursday, December 2, 2021. Location: Virtual Event, 1:00 PM. Cryptocurrency regulation sits at the intersection of multiple regulatory regimes: financial markets regulators and banking regulators, among many others, have asserted authority over certain aspects of crypto regulation, which has resulted in an overlapping and incomplete regulatory framework that has drawn criticism from both proponents and skeptics of crypto innovation. So, how is cryptocurrency regulated? How should it be regulated? Who should regulate it? Cato’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives is looking at these questions with a series that examines the roles of different regulators and considers what type of regulatory framework should be adopted to balance the risks and innovative potential of cryptocurrencies. - American Enterprise Institute: Federal Reserve Governor Randal K. Quarles discusses the Fed’s supervision and regulation– Thursday, December 2, 2021. Location: Virtual Event, 11:00 AM. Please join us for Federal Reserve Governor Randal K. Quarles’ final speech while at the Fed. He will discuss the Fed’s supervision and regulation, among other topics, and then take questions from AEI’s Michael R. Strain and the audience. - Peterson Institute for International Economics: Discussion with regional Federal Reserve Bank Presidents Tom Barkin and Mary C. Dalya– Thursday, December 2, 2021. Location: Virtual Event, 11:30 AM. In a conversation on PIIE’s virtual stage, Tom Barkin, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond president and CEO, and Mary C. Daly, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco president and CEO, will discuss the unprecedented factors influencing the US labor market and share how their personal backgrounds shape their economic policy perspectives. They will also delve into inflation, economic growth, and other dynamics of the current economic environment. - Atlantic Council: Will Russia invade Ukraine again?– Thursday, December 2, 2021. Location: Virtual Event, 9:00 AM. Moscow’s menacing military maneuvers in recent weeks have sparked concern that Russia may be preparing to invade Ukraine again. Tens of thousands of Russian troops are now stationed near the Ukrainian border, including some battalions that have moved thousands of miles from their usual training bases. In recent months, the Russian navy has ramped up its presence in the Black Sea and the eastern Sea of Azov. President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly made jingoistic remarks about Ukrainian sovereignty. Meanwhile, leaders in Kyiv have been working to shore up diplomatic support from their Western allies, should the Kremlin attempt to invade again. Washington has made clear that Russian escalation would lead to major new sanctions and more US military assistance to Ukraine. EFTA00160839 - Atlantic Council: The Hydrogen Revolution: Clean hydrogen’s role in the energy transition– Thursday, December 2, 2021. Location: Virtual Event, 11:00 AM. Please join the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center virtually on Thursday, December 2, from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm EST for a discussion on the growing momentum behind clean hydrogen as a decarbonization solution in the United States and beyond. This event will also launch the new book from Marco Alverà, chief executive officer of Snam, The Hydrogen Revolution. Join us to hear from key policymakers and industry leaders about the potential for hydrogen to play a key role in the energy transition and how that potential can be unlocked through policy and investment. Clean hydrogen will play a critical role in the global energy transition, with opportunities for deployment across many industries, including into the hard-to-abate sectors of heavy industry, transportation, and buildings. Unlocking that potential, however, will require rapid scaling of clean hydrogen production across several regions and the rapid deployment of hydrogen-compatible technologies in these industries, in addition to massive investment into hydrogen transportation and storage infrastructure. - Wilson Center: Preventing Unintended Pregnancies in the Context of COVID-19– Thursday, December 2, 2021. Location: Virtual Event, 9:00 AM. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to weaken health systems and cause major disruptions to health services, including sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services. Research suggests that even a minimal 10% reduction of services will have a devastating impact on SRH outcomes, including 49 million additional women with unmet need for modern contraception and 15 million unintended pregnancies in low- and middle-income countries annually. The pandemic is posing challenges on human resources, supply-chains, service delivery, and service seeking among women and girls in countries across the globe, however, it is disproportionately affecting women and girls in low- and middle-income countries. School closures, limited access to comprehensive sexuality education and contraception, and risk of violence against young women and girls put them at higher risk for unintended pregnancies. - INSA: Coffee & Conversation with NCTC Director Christine Abizaid– Thursday, December 2, 2021. Location: Virtual Event, 9:00 AM. Join us online on Thursday, December 2 from 9:00-9:45 am ET for Coffee & Conversation with The Honorable Christine "Christy" Abizaid, Director, National Counterterrorism Center. With the drawdown in Afghanistan and intelligence resources shifting to focus on China and Russia, what is the impact on the nation’s counterterrorism posture? What do we need to do to right-size the CT effort across government? How are we addressing the challenge of domestic violent extremism? Moderated by INSA Executive Vice President John Doyon, the conversation with Director Abizaid will cover these questions and more as we examine current NCTC missions, priorities, and the Center’s outlook for the year ahead. Mobile version and searchable archives available at https://fbi.barbaricumanalytics.com EFTA00160840