EFTA01658113.pdf

From: To: Subject: FW: [EXTERNAL EMAIL] - FBI Public Affairs News Briefing Friday, July 24, 2020 Date: Fri, 24 Jul 2020 10:27:12 +0000 Importanc Normal e: From: Bulletin Intelligence Sent: Friday, July 24, 2020 6:26:19 AM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada) To: [email protected] Subject: [EXTERNAL EMAIL] - FBI Public Affairs News Briefing Friday, July 24, 2020 Mobile version and searchable archives available at fbi.bulletinintelligence.com. ; t2IFBI News Briefing TO: THE DIRECTOR AND SENIOR STAFF DATE: FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2020 6:30 AM EDT TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS LEADING THE NEWS • Judge Grants Restraining Order Against Federal Agents In Portland. PROTESTS • Trump, Lightfoot Discussed Plans To Deploy Federal Agents In Chicago. • Detroit Officials Would Welcome Federal Help To Combat Gun Crimes. • Trump To Send Federal Agents To Milwaukee To Combat Violence. • Cleveland Officials To Address Federal Intervention. • FBI Announces Arrest In Burning Of Salt Lake City Police Car. • Wolf: Federal Agents Are Needed In Portland Due To Local Officials' Failures. • Albuquerque Mayor Rejects Deployment Of Federal Agents. • Administration Sending Tactical Team To Seattle. • Minnesota Lawmakers Reach Deal On Police Reform. • Cuomo: Trump's "Concerns About New York City Were Well-Founded." • As Cuts Begin, LAPD Chief Tells Troops To "Show Your Relevance." • Charlamagne Tha God Criticizes Biden For Labeling Trump First Racist President. • PolitiFact Silent After Planned Parenthood Repudiates Founder's Racism. • DC's NFL Team To Temporarily Rebrand As "Washington Football Team." • WSJournal: Leaked Letter By Employees Will Not Diminish Editorial Page's Independence. EFTA01658113 COUNTER-TERRORISM • Georgia Man Sentenced For Planning White House Attack. • 9/11 Families Ask Barr For Access To Saudi Lawsuit Records. • ISIS Group Claims Responsibility For Killing Five Aid Workers In Nigeria. • In Interview, British ISIS Members Admit To Holding Americans Captive. • UN Report Warns ISIS Exploiting Coronavirus Security Gaps To Relaunch Insurgency. • IS Prisoner Issue A Ticking Time Bomb For The West. COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE • DNI Declassifies Document Showing FBI Used Trump's Candidate Briefing To Advance Russia Probe. • CNN, BuzzFeed Call Government's Withholding Of Information From Mueller Report "Misconduct." • Democrats Denounce Packets On Biden Sent To Trump Allies By Ukrainian Lawmaker. • Ex-Flynn Deputy KT McFarland Says Durham Will Issue Indictments In Coming Months. • DO): FBI Interviewing Chinese Visa Holders About Possible Military Ties. • Lawfare Files Lawsuit Against ODNI For Internal Studies To Assess If IC Is Being Compromised. • ODNI Releases Ethics Guide For AI Technologies. • IC Juggling Telework, Workforce Flexibilities To Accomplish Classified Work. • Pentagon's UFO Unit Will Make Some Findings Public. • BLM Review Fast Tracked For Nevada Vanadium Mine. • Reality Winner Alleges "Dire" Conditions At Prison Facility Where Leaker Contracted Coronavirus. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS • Federal Judges Rule Against Maxwell's Gag-Order, Documents Requests. • Former Pennsylvania Congressman Indicted For Voting Fraud. • Continuing Coverage: FBI Increases Reward For Information On Missing Iowa Girl. • California Men Indicted For Illegal Possession Of Firearms. • Montana Police Investigating Fires At Glacier National Park. • Missouri Man Sentenced For Sending Digital Threats. • Florida Man Arrested For Solicitation Of Minor. • Montana Man Pleads Guilty To Child Pornography Production. • Louisiana Man Accused Of Child Pornography Production. • FBI Investigating 2019 Murders In New Mexico. • Federal Agent Facing Charges In Illegal Prescription Painkiller Distribution Case. • Defendant Gets Five Years In Prison For Participating In Cocaine Trafficking Conspiracy. • Washington State Man Indicted For Murders. • Michigan Man Sentenced Over Lying To The FBI. • FBI Takes Over Michigan Murder Investigation. • Former Army Scout Indicted For Creating IED In Texas. • Michigan Man Charged With Robbing Casino Patrons. • Continuing Coverage: Colorado Man Charged With Hate Crime Over Attack On Sikh Man. • Continuing Coverage: California Police Searching For Missing Toddler. • FBI Arrests 10 Texans Following Undercover Sting Operation. • Continuing Coverage: FBI Investigating Colorado Bank Robberies. FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS • Cohen Released From Prison, Judge Says He Was Retaliated Against. • Key Source In Ohio Corruption Probe Identified. • Former SCANA Executive Pleads Guilty In Utility Fraud. • Arkansas Highway Agency Recoups Most Of Money In $2.4M Fraud Case. • Indiana Man Sentenced For Check Fraud. EFTA01658114 • Former Maryland Delegate To Be Sentenced For Bribery. • Former Louisiana Public Officials Charged With Credit Card, Identity Fraud. • Utah Man Pleads Guilty To $10M Day-Trading Fraud Scheme. • Cotton Urges Barr To Launch Google Antitrust Probe. • Startups Say Amazon Used Information From Talks To Launch Competing Products. • Taro Pharmaceuticals To Pay $205.7M Criminal Penalty To Settle Price-Fixing Allegations. CYBER DIVISION • Twitter Says Hackers Likely Accessed Direct Messages Of 36 Users. • FBI Bulletin: ELDs Did Not Follow Cybersecurity Guidelines. • NSA, DHS Warn Foreign Hackers Are Targeting Critical Infrastructure. • Instacart Denies Data Breach Involving Customer Information. • UK Universities Lose Data To Ransomware Attack. • 5G Spectrum Issues On Senate Agenda. • A TikTok Ban In The US May Depend On Who Owns It. LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES • FBI Data Show Increase In Blocked Gun Sales. LAWFUL ACCESS • DO) Official Explains Law Enforcement's Worries About 5G. • Ninth Circuit Rules Against Bid For Access To Judge's Encryption Opinion. OTHER FBI NEWS • FBI Kept Documents Related To Former Kentucky Governor's Pardons. • Connecticut Supreme Court Upholds Alex Jones Sanctions In Sandy Hook Case. • Houston Police Officer Relieved Of Duty Amid Probe. • Bulger's Girlfriend Completes Prison Sentence. OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS • Trump Cancels GOP Convention Events In Jacksonville: "Just Not The Right Time." • US COVID Case Count Surpasses 4M. • Politico Analysis: Trump Hopes COVID Vaccine Can Improve Reelection Odds. • Trump Now Says All Schools May Not Be Able To Reopen In Fall. • NIH's Collins Optimistic About Upcoming Phase 3 Vaccine Trial. • Verma: White House Task Force Is Focused On Protecting Nursing Homes. • Giroir Discusses Efforts To Reduce COVID-19 Testing Turnaround Times. • Giroir Issues Warning About Adolescents, Virus Transmission. • Gaynor: Administration Working To Establish Domestic PPE Production. • FDA Issues Warning About Contaminated Hand Sanitizer. • Shortage Of Pipette Tips, Other Lab Supplies Hampering Efforts To Track, Curb Coronavirus Spread. • Some Health Authorities Throughout US Narrowing COVID Testing Recommendations. • Study Concludes Lockdowns, Testing Do Not Reduce Death Rates. • Poll Finds 75% Of Americans Favor Face Mask Requirements. • California Now Leads US In Confirmed Coronavirus Cases. • Mask Regulations Exacerbate GOP Intraparty Rift In Texas. • Thirteen Nuns At Michigan Convent Have Died Of COVID. • Marine Assigned To Trump Helicopter Squadron Tested Positive For COVID. • White House, Senate GOP Fail To Reach Agreement On COVID Stimulus Package. • Meatpacking Workers Sue OSHA For Allegedly Failing To Keep Them Safe. • Officials Acknowledge DHS Made False Statements In Fight With New York. EFTA01658115 • DACA Recipient Accused Of Killing Three In DUI. • Delay Sought In Release Of Documentary Film Examining Trump's Immigration Crackdown. • Senate Passes Defense Bill With Veto-Proof Majority. • Trump Expected To Sign Executive Order On Drug Prices Friday. • White House Task Force Recommends Reforms To Indian Health Service. • State Department IG To Probe Allegations Against US Ambassador To UK. • Politico Profile: Pompeo's Wife Often Uses Her "Unofficial Authority." • Fauci Throws First Pitch At Nationals Opener. • US Unveils Plans To Build Quantum Internet. • Lewis To Lie In State At US Capitol. INTERNATIONAL NEWS • Director-General Rejects Pompeo's Claim That China "Bought" WHO. • Brazil Continues To Report Record Numbers Of Increases In Coronavirus. • Dubious COVID Remedies Promoted By Latin American Governments. • Virus Cases Rise Among Young People In Spain. • Iranian Civilian Jet In Near-Miss With American Warplane Over Syria. • WSJournal: Biden Will Have Leverage With Iran If Elected. • NYTimes Analysis: Civilian Toll In Afghanistan Unclear As Fighting Increases. • Pompeo Urges Chinese People To Change Communist Party. • Trump And Putin Discuss Coronavirus, Arms Control. • US Accuses Russia Of Testing Anti-Satellite Weapon In Space. • US, Baltic States Oppose Russian "Rewriting Of History." • Greece Vows To Do "Whatever Necessary" In Dispute With Turkey. • South Sudanese Dissent Claims Kiir Ordered His Death. THE BIG PICTURE • Headlines From Today's Front Pages. WASHINGTON'S SCHEDULE • Today's Events In Washington. LEADING THE NEWS Judge Grants Restraining Order Against Federal Agents In Portland. The Washington Times (7/23, Boyer, 492K) reports a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order Thursday night "against federal agents from arresting or using force against legal observers and journalists in Portland, Oregon." District Judge Michael Simon granted the restraining order "in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon." Axios (7/23, Knutson, 521K) says the order "restricts law enforcement officers from the departments of Homeland Security and of Justice operating in Portland" for 14 days. DOJ Probing Use Of Force By Federal Agents In Portland. Reuters (7/23, Lynch) reports the Justice Department's inspector general on Thursday launched probes into alleged use of force by federal agents in Portland and the District of Columbia during recent protests. Inspector General Michael Horowitz "said he would be coordinating with the internal watchdog for the Department of Homeland Security in his investigation into excessive force in Portland, a probe which was requested by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon in addition to House Democrats." The AP (7/23, Tucker, Long) reports that "local authorities in both cities have complained that the presence of federal agents have exacerbated tensions on the streets, while residents have accused the government of violating their constitutional rights." On Wednesday, Politico EFTA01658116 (7/23, Cohen, 4.29M) reports Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), "requested that the DOJ and DHS OIGs investigate" what they called "the unrequested presence and violent actions of recently deployed federal forces in Portland." USA Today (7/23, Cummings, 10.31M) and the Washington Times (7/23, Dinan, 492K), among other news outlets, also report the announcement. Trump Defends Deployment Of Agents To Portland. President Trump said on Fox News' Hannity (7/23, 535K), "In Portland, we had to do it because they are anarchists. That is a level people haven't seen. But they are anarchists. They were going wild for 51 days. And we went in and they've done a great job. They were going to rip down the courthouse, a gorgeous federal courthouse. So we went in and we have been very, very strong. ... Mayor Wheeler...made a fool out of himself. He wanted to be among the people, so we went into the crowd and they knock the hell out of him. That was the end of him. So it was pretty pathetic." Wolf: "We Do Not Need An Invitation" To Deploy Federal Agents. During an appearance on Fox News (7/23, 1:02 p.m. ET, Kaplan, 1.4M), Acting DHS Secretary Wolf said, "We have the authority to protect the federal courthouse there in Portland. We have the authority to make arrests on individuals that are targeting that courthouse, committing criminal acts against that courthouse, and our law enforcement officers. The law is very clear about this. We do not need an invitation from the governor or the mayor to do that. Just as any other federal law-enforcement agency, such as the FBI, does not need an invitation to go in to investigate a criminal act and make arrests." Cuccinelli: Federal Officers Protecting Federal Building Not New. Acting DHS Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli appeared on the Glenn BeckVi (7/23, 9:10 a.m. ET, 42K) radio program, where he was asked about criticism of federal law enforcement agents in American cities. Cuccinelli said, "There is a little-known agency called the Federal Protective Service that protects thousands of federal properties across the country. They've been protecting me this courthouse at issue in Portland since it was built in 1997. So this is not a new mission, it's a 24/7/365 mission." Morgan: "Ridiculous" To Say Federal Agents Inciting Violence. Appearing on Fox Business' Evening Edit (7/23, 6:01 p.m. ET, 148K), CBP Commissioner Morgan was asked about a statement from Joe Biden that the Administration is attacking peaceful protesters and fueling division. Morgan said, "Every single night these criminals have taken over the protests. They meet, organize, plan with the willful intent to destroy federal property and seriously injure federal agents. That is the truth. The federal agents are there under Title 40, USC 13.15, which dictates that the Secretary, not has a choice, he must protect federal buildings. That is what our presence is there for. To say the presence of federal agents doing their statutory responsibility is inciting violence is ridiculous." PROTESTS Trump, Lightfoot Discussed Plans To Deploy Federal Agents In Chicago. The New York Post (7/23, Woods, 4.57M) reports President Trump called Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Wednesday evening "to confirm his plans to send 200 federal agents to the city to combat" what he called "a rampage of violence." In a statement obtained by the Chicago Sun- Times (7/23, Sweet, 875K), the Mayor's office said Trump "reached out to Mayor Lightfoot this evening to confirm that he plans to send federal resources to Chicago to supplement ongoing federal investigations pertaining to violent crime." The statement said the call was "brief and straightforward." Lightfoot, the Washington Free Beacon (7/23, Nester, 78K) reports, "suggested at a press conference on Wednesday that...Trump is deploying federal officers to cities because their mayors are Democratic women." Said the Mayor, "The president has been on a campaign now for some time against Democratic mayors across the country. Whether it's me, whether it's EFTA01658117 Keisha Lance Bottoms in Atlanta, whether it's Muriel Bowser in Washington, D.C., whether it's Jenny Durkan in Seattle. You see a common theme here?" The Washington Examiner (7/23, Mastrangelo, 448K) also reports her comments. The Chicago Tribune (7/23, Sturm, 2.65M), meanwhile, details the Justice Department's Operation Legend under which federal agents are "surged" into select cities, including Chicago. A Washington Post (7/23, Zapotosky, Gowen, 14.2M) analysis of the operation, which it says "in any other administration, might have been largely seen as inoffensive for a city that has experienced a massive spike in homicides from the prior year. But the timing...could hardly be worse" in "no small part because of Trump's politically charged rhetoric." Asked on Fox News' America's Newsroom (7/23, 10:02 a.m. ET, 1.59M) about resistance by local leaders, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said, "The responsibility that Mayor Lightfoot is not doing in patrolling her streets and securing her city and she should admit she needs the help of the federal government." When asked if this is an attempt to deflect attention from COVID-19, McEnany said: "That's absolutely not the case. This President has been very clear for four years that violent crime is a priority. We saw it going up at the end of the Obama Administration. As the Attorney General said yesterday, finally it started to come down under President Trump's Administration and now with the defund the police movement we're seeing it creep back up. This is about protecting the American citizenry. The top priority of this President." Activist Groups Sue To Block Federal Agents From Making Arrests In Chicago. The AP (7/23, Foody) reports that "a collection of Chicago activist groups want a judge to block federal agents sent to the city to combat violent crime from interfering in or policing protests, arguing in a lawsuit filed Thursday that the surge ordered by President Donald Trump will inhibit residents' ability to hold demonstrations." The suit names Attorney General Barr "along with the heads of other federal agencies whose agents are part of the surge plan announced at the White House on Wednesday." The lawsuit "also asks a judge to prevent agents in Chicago from making arrests or detaining people without probable cause, along with requiring agents to identify themselves and their agency and explain why someone is being arrested." The Chicago Sun-Times (7/23, Schuba, Dudek, 875K) reports the suit was filed by "Black Lives Matter Chicago and other social justice groups." The Hill (7/23, Wise, 2.98M) reports that the complaint, "filed in Illinois federal court, calls for a judge to issue an injunction blocking the federal government from directing officers to take part in the policing of peaceful demonstrations. It also asks that the court mandate that officers refrain from arresting individuals in the city without probable cause and to require that agents identify themselves before detaining anyone." Lightfoot To Remove Christopher Columbus Statue From Grant Park. The Chicago Tribune (7/23, Pratt, Nickeas, 2.65M) reports Mayor Lightfoot is "planning to remove the controversial statue of Christopher Columbus from Chicago's Grant Park as soon as Thursday night, in part to avoid another high-profile confrontation between police and protesters like the one that happened last week, sources told the Tribune." MSNBC's Heilemann: Troop Deployment "Trial Run" For Trump To Steal Election. Matt Vespa writes for Townhall (7/23, 177K) that "given the Trump derangement syndrome that has infected the liberal media, it's no shocker that some think this is a preview of the military takeover...that's never going to happen. MSNBC's John Heilemann said that the deployment of federal agents into crime-ridden, Democratic-run cities was a 'trial run' for Trump to steal the 2020 election." Fox's Faulkner Challenges Commentator To Name GOP-Led City Hit By Protests. The Daily Caller (7/23, Kruta, 716K) reports Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner "challenged" commentator Marie Hail "to name one Republican-led city where widespread violence was as bad as in a number of Democrat-led cities" on Thursday's "Outnumbered." Hail "responded by saying that it was 'unfair' to say that those mayors did not care about their citizens and claiming that President Donald Trump was targeting Democrat-led cities for political reasons." EFTA01658118  WPost: Deployment Of Federal Agents Politically Motivated. The Washington Post (7/23, 14.2M) editorializes that the announcement this week of the deployment of federal agents to additional US cities is an attempt by the President "to reframe the election as about anything but his abject failure to contain the most catastrophic public health crisis in a century." The Post argues that "by justifying the move in inflammatory partisan terms...he makes clear his real agenda" and "it has nothing to do with violent crime, and everything to do with his reelection." Op-Ed: Trump Right To Send Federal Law Enforcement Workers To Chicago, Other Cities. Former Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director and current Fox News contributor Tom Homan argues in an online Fox News (7/23, 27.59M) (7/23, 27.59M) op-ed that President Trump's decision to try and reduce violent crime by sending federal law enforcement workers to Chicago and some other US cities "will save lives." Homan stresses that Trump, who "is sending in highly trained" individuals from the DEA, the FBI and some other federal law enforcement organizations, "does not want to prevent lawful peaceful protests, which are protected by our Constitution." Detroit Officials Would Welcome Federal Help To Combat Gun Crimes. The AP (7/23) reports, "The federal government wants to help Detroit fight violent crime, not patrol streets in search of protesters, city officials said Thursday." Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan "said Detroit hasn't experienced the protest-related violence seen in other cities. He said he and police Chief James Craig 'are comfortable' that any agents coming to the city will not be under the Department of Homeland Security. 'We haven't had the looting. We haven't had the fires, which you've seen in other cities,' the mayor said. 'I've never seen as many illegal guns on the streets as we have today. If they want to have more ATF officers dealing with the illegal trafficking of guns, that would be a welcome contribution." The Detroit Free Press (7/23, Baldas, 1.52M) reports, "The White House says federal agents are coming to Detroit in the next few weeks as part of a broader effort to help crime- ridden cities fight escalating violence," but "it's not about the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests, Chief James Craig stressed. It's about a plan that was coordinated months ago to fight violent crime. 'There are no Homeland Security agents coming here to man protests,' Craig said to the Free Press Thursday. 'They are not here to do anything with protesters. This is not Portland. This is not Seattle." Craig "sought to quell rumors that federal agents are coming to Detroit to take on anti-police brutality protests in the wake of George Floyd's death in Minneapolis. His comments also clarify remarks that the White House posted on its website late Wednesday about President Trump's initiative to fight inner city violence." Trump To Send Federal Agents To Milwaukee To Combat Violence. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (7/23, Spicuzza, 632K) reports Milwaukee is "one of five cities that will see a surge in federal resources to address violent crime in coming weeks, President Donald Trump announced this week." The deployment "will coincide with Milwaukee hosting a scaled-back, mostly virtual Democratic National Convention and ongoing protests against police brutality and racism." Cleveland Officials To Address Federal Intervention. The Cleveland Plain Dealer (7/23, Astolfi, 895K) reports, "Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson will hold a Friday press conference to address a decision by President Donald Trump to send federal law enforcement agents into the city of Cleveland to combat crime." Jackson "will hold the conference at 11:30 a.m., along with Cleveland Police Chief Calvin Williams, and Safety Director Karrie Howard. The mayor made the announcement one day after the Trump administration said Cleveland would be among a handful of U.S. cities that will see a surge in federal agents as part of an expansion of 'Operation LeGend,' a program the White House said is intended to 'restore safety and peace in U.S. cities.' Other cities include Detroit, Milwaukee, Chicago, EFTA01658119 Albuquerque and Kansas City. The Trump administration is sending agents with the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Department of Homeland Security to various cities." FBI Announces Arrest In Burning Of Salt Lake City Police Car. KTVX-TV Salt Lake City (7/23, Verdadeiro) reports from Salt Lake City, Utah, "FBI Special Agent in Charge Paul Haertel and U.S. Attorney for Utah John Huber announced an arrest of one of the suspects in the arson of a police car during the May 30th protests in Salt Lake City." KTVX- TV adds, "Agent Haertel said that on May 30th they saw people hijack what was a peaceful and lawful protest to `incite violence and damage property.' He stated that rather than join in the pursuit of equality and justice they sought to undermine the greater message." Haertel "said that on Friday, July 17th members of the JTTF located one of those suspects. Christopher Rojas as he left his apartment and got into an Uber. They were able to take Rojas into custody following a traffic stop. He said the investigation is not over and the FBI is still looking for the other individual who set fire to the police car." KTVX-TV Salt Lake City (7/23, Francis) reports, "A police brutality protest suddenly turned violent that Saturday afternoon when several people surrounded an SLCPD cruiser at the intersection of 400 South and 200 East and after the officer fled, overturned it, and set it on fire. `May 30th of 2020 was a dark day in Utah,' United States Attorney John Huber said during a news conference. `It's a day that opportunists and extremists hijacked a peaceful protest and overran the typically safe streets of Salt Lake City." KTVX-TV adds, "In the days since five people were arrested for overturning the patrol car and FBI agents sought two other men for lighting a piece of cloth and putting it inside. Agents poured over videos to capture still photos of the masked suspects and offered a reward for information on them. `It was a responsible civilian who tipped police and the FBI as to Rojas' identity,' Attorney Huber said." Wolf: Federal Agents Are Needed In Portland Due To Local Officials' Failures. The Washington Post (7/23, Barrett, 14.2M) reports Acting DI-IS Secretary Wolf indicated Thursday that the agency is "not sending more federal agents to other cities to secure federal courthouses." Wolf is quoted as saying, "We are not sending any other DHS law enforcement officers to guard federal courthouses like we are in Portland. Why? Because every other city in America knows if you work with the federal government, you can secure your city." Wolf "also accused Portland's mayor, Ted Wheeler (D), of aligning himself with violent criminals" after Wheeler "went to speak to protesters outside the Portland federal courthouse Wednesday night." Wolf said, "The mayor chose to go to that violent activity. He has legitimized criminal behavior by doing that." Asked on CBS This MorningVI (7/23, 2.33M) if agents in Portland are "inflaming the situation," Wolf said, "No, absolutely not. What we know is before DHS law enforcement, civil law enforcement officers arrived in Portland, the mayor is on record as saying that the city...had a certain level of violence. It was ongoing for a month before we arrived. The mayor's been outspoken on that. So just as it was before DHS arrived, it was very violent. And it continues to be violent. ... There are both peaceful protesting going on in Portland and then very violent, criminal activity going on in Portland." USA Today (7/23, Hughes, 10.31M) reports Wheeler warned, "President Trump needs to focus on coronavirus and get his troops out of the city. My biggest fear is that somebody's going to die. I want them to leave. This is going to come to a city near you if we don't stop it." The AP (7/23, Flaccus) reports that on Wednesday night, Wheeler was "tear-gassed by U.S. government agents as he stood outside [the] federal courthouse during another night of protests." ABC World News TonightVi (7/23, story 6, 0:30, Muir, 6.89M) reported Wheeler called the tactics "flat-out urban warfare, telling the New York limes he saw nothing to provoke that response." NBC Nightly NewsVi (7/23, story 6, 1:30, Holt, 5.52M) reported Wheeler, "who is also Portland's police commissioner, was booed by protesters." EFTA01658120  The New York Times (7/23, Baker, 18.61M) reports that as "Wheeler went through the crowds on Wednesday, some threw objects in his direction, and others called for his resignation, chanting, 'Tear Gas Teddy." The Washington Post (7/23, Lang, 14.2M) reports that "for hours before Wheeler's brush with chemical irritants, the mayor made a contentious and, at times, tense attempt to talk with protesters." The Daily Caller (7/23, Lancaster, 716K), among other news outlets, also reports on Wheeler's appearance Wednesday night at the protests. President Trump tweeted, "Recently watched failed RINO Tom Ridge, former head of Homeland Security, trying to justify his sudden love of the Radical Left Mayor of Portland, who last night was booed & shouted out of existence by the agitators & anarchists. Love watching pathetic Never Trumpers squirm!" Portland Suburb Criticized For Raising Black Lives Matter Flag Over City Hall. The Washington Times (7/23, Richardson, 492K) reports the Portland suburb of Gresham, Oregon, "has sent ripples through the community by flying a Black Lives Matter flag over city hall." The flag was raised July 15 "on a flagpole below the Oregon state flag following a unanimous vote of the city council." Portland NAACP President: Protests Have Turned Into "Spectacle." E.D. Mondaine, President of the Portland branch of the NAACP, argues in the Washington Post (7/23, 14.2M) that the protests in Portland "and around the country had a very specific origin" - the killing of George Floyd. Unfortunately, Mondaine writes, "spectacle" is "now the best way to describe Portland's protests." Albuquerque Mayor Rejects Deployment Of Federal Agents. Reuters (7/23, Hay, Layne) reports that "even as Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she would accept...Trump's plan to send a 'surge' of federal agents to fight violent crime in Democratic-led cities," Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller "has rejected the deployment outright." In a statement, Keller said, "We won't sell out our city for a bait and switch excuse to send secret police to Albuquerque. Operation Legend is not real crime fighting; it's politics standing in the way of police work and makes us less safe." APOA President: Expansion Of Anti-Crime Operation Will Help Albuquerque. An online Fox News (7/23, 27.59M) (7/23, 27.59M) report says President Trump has announced that a federal anti-crime operation will be expanded to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Fox News interviewed Albuquerque Police Officers' Association (APOA) President Shaun Willoughby, who welcomed the announcement because it means federal law enforcement will be working in partnership with local law enforcement "to really combat violent crime. The irony behind what's going on is we're already working with these folks. We already have partnerships with the DEA and the Secret Service and the FBI." A video clip of the Willoughby interview segment accompanies the online Fox News story. Administration Sending Tactical Team To Seattle. The New York Times (7/23, Kanno-Youngs, Goldman, Baker, 18.61M) reports that amid "outrage over the presence of federal agents in Portland," the Administration is sending a team to Seattle. The Special Response Team being deployed "is similar to the tactical teams currently operating in Portland," where "local officials have vehemently objected to their efforts." Seattle officials have "also said they do not want federal agents sent to target protesters." Minnesota Lawmakers Reach Deal On Police Reform. The Minneapolis Star Tribune (7/23, Van Oot, Bierschbach, 1.04M) reports, "Twenty-five days after George Floyd's death by Minneapolis police, top lawmakers in Minnesota's divided Legislature came together...for their first substantive talks on police reform." On Thursday, Gov. Tim Walz (D) signed "a bill ushering in some of the most substantial changes to law enforcement and police accountability in a generation, sweeping legislation that cleared both chambers with broad bipartisan support." The new law, which takes effect Aug. 1, includes EFTA01658121 "bans on chokeholds and warrior-style trainings, a duty for officers to intervene in misconduct, and changes to provide more data and independent oversight on police matters." Cuomo: Trump's "Concerns About New York City Were Well-Founded." The Washington Times (7/23, Chasmar, 492K) reports New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) "acknowledged Wednesday that President Trump's concerns about skyrocketing violence in New York City were 'well-founded,' though he rejected the president's proposal to send federal law enforcement officers into the city." Cuomo told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell he told Trump during a call Tuesday, "I said to the President that I understand the issues in New York City. And there are issues in New York City, as there are in many cities across the country. And if there was a need, the state would step in, which is the normal protocol, governmental protocol. And I was ready, willing and able to step in. But I think the federal involvement — there's no justification for it, and it would be counter-productive." NYPD Chief Tells Officers: "We Can't Be Afraid." The New York Post (7/23, Moore, Golding, 4.57M) reports NYPD Chief Terence Monahan "exploded in anger during a CompStat meeting Thursday," telling police brass: "We can't be afraid of doing what we do!" in video obtained by The Post shows. Monahan "erupted when a deputy told him that cops were worried about a controversial new city law that in part makes it a crime to kneel on a suspect's chest or back while making an arrest." Monahan is quoted as saying, "We can't be afraid." NY16 Candidate Bowman: "The Police Literally Beat The Crap Out Of Me." CQ Roll Call (7/23, McGrady, 154K) reports that when Jamaal Bowman, the Democratic nominee in NY16, "says he wants to end police brutality and overhaul law enforcement procedures in America, it's not just an abstract policy position." Bowman "has a long history with police officers treating him roughly," which he says began when he was just 11 years old. Bowman recalls, "The police literally beat the crap out of me just because I was playing with my friends, loud and boisterous, and didn't acquiesce to what they were asking us to do." As Cuts Begin, LAPD Chief Tells Troops To "Show Your Relevance." The Los Angeles Times (7/23, Chang, 4.64M) reports that "during a recent meeting with officers from the elite but troubled Metropolitan Division, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore offered support for their crime-fighting mission, but also a warning he'd previously shared with command staff." With "significant reductions in the force looming, every unit is under a microscope - and must prove its worth." Moore told staff, "Show your relevance." In an interview with the Times, Moore said, "We need to look at how we police the city with the scant resources that we have, and determine how we can find alternatives if our current practices aren't going to continue to work." Charlamagne Tha God Criticizes Biden For Labeling Trump First Racist President. Fox News (7/23, Wulfsohn, 27.59M) reports on its website that radio host Charlamagne Tha God "blasted" Joe Biden on Thursday for calling President Trump the "first" racist president to be elected. Said Charlamgne, "Old white male leadership has failed America and there is nothing worse than an old white male [who) can't recognize the faults and flaws of other old white males. Racism is the American way. Donald Trump is not the first. And sadly, he won't be the last, right? He's just more overt with his racism than most presidents in recent times." PolitiFact Silent After Planned Parenthood Repudiates Founder's Racism. The Washington Free Beacon (7/23, Piro, 78K) reports, "PolitiFact is not saying whether its 'fact-check' claiming Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger was not racist still holds up in light of the organization's largest affiliate admitting Sanger had racist views." The fact-check, published on Oct. 5, 2015, stated, "While Sanger indeed supported the eugenics movement, substantial evidence shows that she was not racist and in fact worked closely with black leaders EFTA01658122 and health care professionals." PolitiFact "did not respond to requests for comment on updating the fact-check." Kristan Hawkins, President of Students for Life of America, argues in a USA Today (7/23, 10.31M) op-ed that "for those identifying historical figures with racist roots who should be removed from public view because of their evil histories...Sanger must join that list." Noting that Sanger "is honored in the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery," at Margaret Sanger Square in Manhattan, and "a Margaret Sanger statue stands in the Old South Meeting House in Boston," Hawkins calls for them to be taken down. DC's NFL Team To Temporarily Rebrand As "Washington Football Team." Axios (7/23, Rummler, 521K) reports Washington's NFL team will temporarily rebrand as the "Washington Football Team" for the 2020 season until a new name is agreed upon. WSlournal: Leaked Letter By Employees Will Not Diminish Editorial Page's Independence. On its editorial page, the Wall Street Journal (7/23, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) thanks readers who expressed their support after a letter signed by 280 Wall Street Journal employees to its publisher criticizing the opinion pages was leaked. The Journal also reassures its readers that the editorial page writers' independence will not be impacted. COUNTER-TERRORISM Georgia Man Sentenced For Planning White House Attack. The Gainesville (GA) Times (7/23, 81K) reports Hasher Jallal Taheb, who "pleaded guilty to attempted destruction of government property by fire or explosive," was "sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court" to 15 years in prison. He was "arrested on Jan. 16, 2019, during a meeting with undercover FBI special agents at a store in Buford where he expected to obtain semi-automatic assault rifles, explosive devices and an anti-tank weapon." The AP (7/23) reports that, according to federal prosecutors, Taheb "had made clear that his 'goal in acquiring numerous weapons and explosives to attack the White House was to 'do as much damage as possible,' to become a 'martyr,' to fight to the end and make a big bang, to enter the White House and take down as many people as possible." The Forsyth (GA) News (7/23, 40K) reports that the FBI investigation "found that Taheb had applied for a U.S. passport three months later, in June 2018, and that he wanted to participate in 'jihad' by attacking prominent U.S. monuments, first the White House and Statue of Liberty and later others in the Washington area, including the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and a synagogue." 9/11 Families Ask Barr For Access To Saudi Lawsuit Records. Florida Bulldog (7/23, Christensen) reports, "Thousands of 9/11 family members sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr on Tuesday demanding access to up to 25,000 pages of government documents kept from them in their lawsuit against Saudi Arabia but turned over to attorneys defending accused 9/11 terrorists being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba." The letter "contends those documents identify 'multiple witnesses who transported two of the hijackers to Los Angeles International Airport, information about the terrorist support cell in California during the time of the plot and pictures identifying members of this support cell." Also on Tuesday, "Florida Bulldog and The New Yorker reporter Dexter Filkins sent a letter to presiding Judge George B. Daniels asking that he unseal court records filed this month by lawyers for the plaintiffs." ISIS Group Claims Responsibility For Killing Five Aid Workers In Nigeria. EFTA01658123 The AP (7/23, Larson) reports "militants from an Islamic State affiliate claimed responsibility Thursday for killing five aid workers who were kidnapped last month in northeastern Nigeria." The Islamic State West Africa Province, "which broke away from Boko Haram several years ago, warned in June that it would target Nigerians working for international aid agencies along with those who helped the military. Nigeria's president already had blamed the extremists for the slayings." In Interview, British ISIS Members Admit To Holding Americans Captive. On NBC Nightly NewsVi (7/23, story 10, 2:30, Holt, 5.52M), Richard Engel reported, "It's been nearly six years since the kidnapping and savage murders by ISIS of American aid workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kosik, and journalists Stephen Sotoloff and James Foley." In an exclusive interview, "new details about their captivity from two of the ISIS members who held them and other hostages." The two men, "now in US custody in Iraq, were part of the ISIS terror cell nicknamed the Beatles for their British accents. They claim they didn't participate in torture and executions, but do admit abuse." Engel said the case against the two "has been held up with a British court ruling the US won't get crucial evidence from British investigators unless the death penalty is off the table. ... American officials tell NBC News, the US is determined to arrange for the two men to face charges in an American courtroom." NBC News (7/23, 6.14M) reports the two men "for the first time admitted their involvement in the captivity of Kayla, an aid worker who was tortured and sexually abused before her death in 2015." Elsheikh "got into more detail, saying, `I took an email from her myself,' meaning he got an email address the Islamic State militant group could use to demand ransom from the family. `She was in a large room, it was dark, and she was alone, and ... she was very scared." In one email reviewed by NBC News, ISIS "demanded the Muellers pay 5 million euros and threatened that if the demands weren't met, they would send the family `a picture of Kayla's dead body." UN Report Warns ISIS Exploiting Coronavirus Security Gaps To Relaunch Insurgency. CNN (7/23, Cruickshank, Analyst, 83.16M) reports that, according to a report submitted to the UN Security Council that was made public on Thursday, there has been "a significant rise in ISIS attacks in Iraq and Syria, with the group exploiting security gaps in Iraq caused by the coronavirus pandemic to relaunch and invigorate its rural insurgency in the country." The wide- ranging report, "put together by the UN monitoring team that tracks the global jihadi terror threat, states that the group is consolidating in Iraq and Syria and `showing confidence in its ability to increasingly operate in a brazen manner in its former core area." It states that the "number of ISIS attacks in Iraq and Syria `increased significantly in early 2020 as compared with the same period in 2019." IS Prisoner Issue A Ticking Time Bomb For The West. BBC News Online (QS} (7/24, 1.02M) reports the latent danger "posed by thousands of defeated and captured fighters who joined the Islamic State (IS) group is festering and growing in the squalid, overcrowded prison camps of north-east Syria, where riots and attempted breakouts are becoming commonplace." IS has "vowed to liberate them, along with their wives and dependents, while a people-smuggling network is reportedly being put together using bribery to secure covert releases." When IS lost the "last of its self-declared caliphate at Baghuz in Syria in March 2019 thousands of its surviving members were rounded up and interned indefinitely in camps run by the Syrian Kurds who had fought them." COUNTrn-TNTriL li-nrrkIrE DNI Declassifies Document Showing FBI Used Trump's Candidate Briefing To Advance Russia Probe. EFTA01658124 Politico (7/23, Cheney, Desiderio, 4.29M) reports that, according to a newly declassified document obtained by POLITICO, President Trump's first intelligence briefing "as a candidate in August 2016 was led by FBI agents who had just opened an investigation into his team's ties to Russia." The document, "a seven-page summary of Trump's intelligence briefing by the agent who helped lead it, was filed as part of the so-called Crossfire Hurricane probe, the codename for the bureau's broader Russia investigation." DNI Ratcliffe "declassified the document, along with two others, on Thursday and sent them to Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who have been investigating the origins of the probe." The documents are the "latest in a series of disclosures by Ratcliffe to congressional Republicans seeking to support claims by Trump and his allies that the FBI investigation of Trump was politically motivated and corrupt." The Washington Times (7/23, Scarborough, 492K) reports a Republican congressional source said, "Every part of this FBI investigation stunk to high heaven, and it turns out even the defensive briefing of Trump was part of that investigation." President Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity, "They spied on the campaign ... never been done before. They spied on the other campaign using intelligence." Fox News (7/23, Singman, 27.59M) reports the document "reflects type-written notes by FBI agent Joe Pientka after an August 17, 2016 briefing to then-candidate Donald Trump, Michael Flynn and Chris Christie, 'in support of ODNI briefings provided to US Presidential candidates and two of their advisors." The Daily Caller (7/23, Ross, 716K) reports Joseph Pientka, an FBI supervisory special agent, "conducted the briefing." The Justice Department's inspector general "criticized the FBI for sending an agent into the briefing, saying that it could erode trust that presidential candidates have in future dealings with the FBI." Pientka, "who was one of the top agents on Crossfire Hurricane, developed the briefing materials in coordination with Peter Strzok, the lead investigator on the Trump-Russia probe." Kevin Clinesmith, an FBI lawyer "found to have altered an email related to Carter Page, also worked on the plan to use Pientka in the briefing," according to the memo. The Washington Examiner (7/23, Dunleavy, 448K) reports Pientka quotes himself as telling Trump, Flynn, and Christie, "I will provide you with a counterintelligence and security brief that will give you a baseline on the methodology used by Foreign Intelligence Services to the detriment of U.S. National Security. In addition, this brief will advise you that if you are not already a target of a Foreign Intelligence Service, due to the fact that you are receiving this classified briefing, you will be." DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz "previously testified that this briefing was a 'pretext' to gather evidence on the candidate and his foreign policy adviser to help in their counterintelligence investigation." Pientka's notes "were categorized under 'Foreign Agents Registration Act - Russia, Sensitive Investigative Matter." CNN, BuzzFeed Call Government's Withholding Of Information From Mueller Report "Misconduct." Law360 (7/23, Subscription Publication, 8K) reports an attorney for CNN and BuzzFeed "claimed during a DC federal court hearing Thursday the federal government's withholding of certain details in witness interview memos produced by special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election was part of its effort to 'paint a one- sided picture' that would discredit the investigation." Charles D. Tobin of Ballard Spahr LLP, counsel for BuzzFeed Inc. and Cable News Network "in their FOIA lawsuits against the US Department of Justice and the FBI, claimed the government redacted certain information from the memos." Democrats Denounce Packets On Biden Sent To Trump Allies By Ukrainian Lawmaker. Politico (7/23, Bertrand, Desiderio, Cheney, 4.29M) reports "top congressional Democrats are sounding the alarm about a series of packets mailed to prominent allies of President Donald Trump - material they say is part of a foreign disinformation plot to damage" Joe Biden, according to "new details from a letter the lawmakers delivered to the FBI last week." These EFTA01658125 "packets, described to Politico by two people who have seen the classified portion of the Democrats' letter, were sent late last year" to Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Charles Grassley (R-IA), Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), and then-White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney. Adds Politico, "The packets, the sources said, were sent by Andrii Derkach, a Ukrainian lawmaker who met with Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani in Kyiv last December to discuss investigating the Biden family." Trump's Peru Ambassador Nominee Calls Giuliani's Outreach To Pompeo "Deeply Disturbing." Politico (7/23, Cheney, 4.29M) reports that on Thursday, Lisa Kenna, Secretary of State Pompeo's executive secre