EFTA00164129.pdf

From: To: Cc: Subject: RE: [EXTERNAL EMAIL] - [EXTERNAL] DOJ News Briefing for June 1, 2023 Date: Thu, 01 Jun 2023 15:14:18 +0000 Importance: Normal Hi, I have reached out to my team to see if an update to the bombing calls has been produced. I should have an answer shortly. It is great that your brother came to visit, and you were able to spend time with him and your parents! I will send you a quick note on FBlnet about the discussions. From: Sent: Thursday, June 1, 2023 9:35 AM To: Cc: Subject: FW: [EXTERNAL EMAIL] - [EXTERNAL] DOJ News Briefing for June 1, 2023 — thank you for covering for me over at DOJ this morning — it was nice to get my little brother off to the airport and spend a short amount of time w/ my parents t: Your team did a great roll up a couple of months ago (believe cases were across WMDD/CID/ CTD along w/ working with OPE on a partner call on these bomb threats — do we have a current list/updated list /disposition on all the HBCU bomb related cases ? Not sure if the Oregon one is related Texas Southern Among HBCUs to Receive Mental Health Services Grants After Last Year's Bomb Threats The Houston Chronicle (05/31, Nickerson) reported that the U.S. Department of Education has awarded grants to four Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that were targeted by bomb threats in 2022. According to the article, Texas Southern University (TSU) is among the colleges receiving a grant, totaling $191,962, provided by Project SERV, a program that funds education-related services for schools following traumatic events. The article noted that TSU's former police chief, Mary Young, along with the Joint Terrorism Task Forces and FBI field offices, participated in the investigation into the bomb threat incidents, which involved at least 57 HBCUs across the country. Local Oregon Police Identify Two Students Involved in Bomb Threats The Register-Guard (05/31, Cyr) reported that two South Eugene High School students involved in the recent threats that prompted evacuations and lockdowns have been identified by the Eugene police. According to the article, the students and their families are cooperating with the investigation conducted by the police and the FBI, although they have not been charged or taken into custody. The article noted that the police believe the students used the internet to pay someone to make the threats, and the identity of the person paid is still under investigation. EFTA00164129 From: DOJ News Briefing Sent: Thursday, June 1, 2023 6:40 AM To: DOLNews.Clips2 (JMD) itt > Subject: [EXTERNAL EMAIL] - [EXTERNAL] D0J News Briefing for June 1, 2023 View in Browse ,Department of Justice June 01, 2023 Department of Justice Daily News Briefing IN THE NEWS • U.S. Files Civil Action Lawsuit On Jim Justice's Son Over Unpaid Civil Penalties JANUARY 6 INVESTIGATION • Trump White House Aides Subpoenaed in Firing of Election Security Expert MAR-A-LAGO SEARCH • Prosecutors Have Recording Of Trump Discussing Sensitive Iran Document • Continued Reporting: Prosecutors Scrutinize Handling of Security Footage by Trump Aides in Documents Case NATIONAL SECURITY • 'Fox Hunt' Trial Starts, Targeting China Program To Repatriate Dissidents • Fewer U.S. Companies Applied to Export Sensitive Technology to China Last Year • Iran Steps Up IAEA Cooperation Even as Uranium Stockpile Surges • Suspected Chinese Spies, Disguised As Tourists, Tried To Infiltrate Alaskan Military Bases • North Korean IT Workers Help Spy From UAE and Russia, UN Says CIVIL RIGHTS • Justice Department Should Investigate Beatings at Georgia Jail, Attorney Says • ESSA Bank Paying $3M to Settle Redlining Accusations in Philadelphia Area • Former Texas Sheriff's Deputy Sentenced for Using Excessive Force • Oklahoma High Court Strikes Down 2 Abortion Bans; Procedure Remains Illegal in Most Cases • Limits on Politics, Race Discussion in North Carolina Gov't Worker Hiring, Training Advance • Louisiana Lawmakers Reject Resolution That Opponents Say Target Diversity, Equity Efforts in Schools • Biden Proclaims June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Denounces Oppression • Continued Reporting: Education, Justice Depts Say Discrimination in School Discipline Remains 'Significant Concern' CIVIL LAW • FTC Charges Amazon With Privacy Violations Over Alexa and Ring Cameras • DMC, Former And Current Owners To Pay $29.7M Settlement In Alleged Medicare Kickback Scheme EFTA00164130  • Judge Rejects Boeing Request To Block Pain And Suffering Damages For Crash Victims Who Died Upon Impact • PG&E Reaches $50M Settlement In Fatal 2020 Fire As Charges Dismissed • Continued Reporting: Manson Follower Leslie Van Houten Should Be FreedAppeals Court Says CRIMINAL • Sen. Bob Menendez Met Businessman Under Scrutiny in Federal Probe • Grand Jury Charges Ex-GOP Candidate With Election Interference In Shootings At Lawmakers' Homes • 'Felt Like A Year': Worshipper Describes Fear During Gunman's Deadly Attack On Pittsburgh Synagogue • Alex Murdaugh Pleads Not Guilty — For Now — To Federal Wire Fraud And Money Laundering Charges • Former 'Family Feud' Contestant Timothy Bliefnick Guilty In Wife's Slaying • Texas Girl's Killer Faces New Murder Charges, With More Possible, Police Say • Jury Selection Begins As Parkland School Resource Officer Scot Peterson Faces A Rare Trial Over Police Conduct In A Mass Shooting On Campus • Federal Judge Halts Missouri Execution Of Man Convicted In Jail Break Killings • Danny Masterson Convicted Of 2 Counts Of Rape, 'That '70s Show' Actor Faces 30 Years To Life • Trump Asks Judge in Hush-Money Case to Step Aside • Tim Martin And Joanna Smith Indicted for National Gallery Art Attack With Declare Emergency • Three Drug Traffickers Found Possessing Methamphetamine Sentenced to Federal Prison • 2 Sentenced In Texas For $2.5M Container Homes Fraud ANTITRUST • American Airlines Says It Will Appeal a Ruling That Would Break up a Partnership With JetBlue ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES • A Poisonous Cold War Legacy That Defies a Solution • Continued Reporting: Sackett Decision Shrinks Federal Regulation of Wetlands TAX • Continued Reporting: California Construction Company Owner Guilty of Employment Tax Crimes IMMIGRATION • Revised DACA Program to Be Debated Before Texas Judge Who Previously Ruled Against It • 3 More GOP Governors Sending National Guard Troops to US-Mexico Border • U.S. Plans to Admit Nearly 40,000 Asylum-Seekers per Month Through Mobile App • Conservative Judge Offers Defense of 'Alien' in Immigration Case • Tucson Man Convicted After Lying to U.S. Immigration Officials OFFICE OF TRIBAL JUSTICE • U.S. DOJ Sues Northern Wisconsin Town Over Road Dispute With Lac du Flambeau Tribe • Bipartisan Bill Would Allow Tribes In Maine To Benefit From Federal Law, Stops Short Of Sovereignty • Arizona Governor Urging Biden To Designate Tribally Proposed Monument At Grand Canyon OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL • Trump Attacks Democratic 'Persecutors' as Massachusetts Attorney Rachael Rollins Resigns Over Leaks EFTA00164131 BANKRUPTCY COURTS • Continued Reporting: An Appeals Court Gave the Sacklers Legal Immunity. Here's What the Ruling Means. FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION (FBI) • Seventeen Friends, a Limo Crash and an FBI Informant: The Case That Rocked Upstate New York • Republicans Probing Bidens Step Up Threats Against FBI Chief Christopher Wray • FBI's Investigation Into a Cybercrime Gang Called "The Comm" DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION (DEA) • California Advances Fentanyl Bills Focused on Prevention, Increased Penalties • Kanawha County Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Drug Trafficking Organization Busted Through Operation Smoke and Mirrors BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS AND EXPLOSIVES (ATF) • ATF Seizes 165 Firearms, Including 82 Ghost Guns, During San Diego Operation • ATF: Marijuana Users in Minnesota Can't Own Firearms Despite New Law • U.S. Attorney Joins ATF Officials In Targeting Gun Violence • As Short-Barreled Rifle Rule Takes Effect, Texas Is Fighting Feds Over Silencer Regs, Too • Utah Woman Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Insurance Company Following House Fire U.S. MARSHALS SERVICES (USMS) • 14 Endangered Missing Children From Virginia Recovered in U.S. Marshals Operation • US Marshals Find Man Accused in Shooting of 3 KCK Officers Who Was Accidentally Released BOP/CORRECTIONS • Ghislaine Maxwell Fears Retaliation in Prison After Snitching on Two Violent Inmates: Report INTERNATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT / INTERPOL • South Africa Mulls Options On ICC Arrest Warrant For Potential Visitor Putin • Two Journalists Stand Trial in Iran for Stories That Sparked Protests • How a High-Value Russian Wanted by the U.S. Escaped From Italy • The Notorious Russian Jail Holding U.S. Journalist Evan Gershkovich ADMINISTRATION, CONGRESS, AND SUPREME COURT • Aide Fired By George Santos Says He Got His Job After Sending Money To Republican's Deputy NATIONAL NEWS • House Oks Debt Ceiling Bill to Avoid Default Sends Biden-McCarthy Deal to Senate FRONT PAGE NEWS • New York Times • Wall Street Journal • Washington Post LAST NIGHT'S NETWORK NEWS • ABC News • CBS News EFTA00164132  • NBC News PRIMETIME EDITORIALS • Fox News: Jesse Walters Primetime • CNN: Anderson Cooper 360 • MSNBC: All In With Chris Hayes WASHINGTON SCHEDULE IN THE NEWS U.S. Files Civil Action Lawsuit On Jim Justice's Son Over Unpaid Civil Penalties Politico reported that the Justice Department is suing the coal empire of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice for failing to pay more than $5 million in civil penalties assessed by the Department of the Interior. According to the article, the 128-page civil action, filed Tuesday against 13 of the Justice family businesses and Justice's adult son, comes as the governor, a Republican, launches a Senate bid against Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). The article indicated that the suit alleges that the businesses failed to pay fines for more than 100 violations of federal mining regulations that created "health and safety risks" or threatened "environmental harm." Justice Department attorneys, the article added, are seeking a court order to force the Justice companies to repay the fines, with interest. The Wall Street Journal reported that the violations included problems such as failing to maintain the face of a dam; allowing surface-water flows to erode haul roads; failing to take sediment-control measures; plugged culverts; and failure to properly dispose of non-coal waste. The article detailed that Christopher Kavanaugh, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia, stressed the fact that the businesses were ordered more than 50 times to stop mining until the violations were fixed. Coverage by the Daily Caller added a quote from Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the DOJ's Environment and Natural Resources Division, "Our environmental laws serve to protect communities against adverse effects of industrial activities including surface coal mining operations, through this suit, the Justice Department seeks to deliver accountability for defendants' repeated violations of the law and to recover the penalties they owe as a result of those violations." The Associated Press highlighted that West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, who was not named in the lawsuit, accused the Biden administration of retaliation. A Republican two-term governor, the article explained, Justice announced in April that he is running for Democrat Joe Manchin's U.S. Senate seat in 2024. This story was also reported on by CNBC, CNN, Fox News, Reuters, Bloomberg Law, The Daily. Beast, The Hill, The Daily Mail, the Washington Examiner, a second Washington Examiner article, Axios, The Guardian, The Washington Times, Newsweek, the HuffPost, Forbes, WVNS-CBS, the Charleston Gazette, the Center Square Broadcast coverage: Forbes, Fox News The Associated Press article was reprinted by the Washington Post, ABC News, CBS News, US News & World Report, The Hill, the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Times Union, the Seattle Times, Federal News Network, WV News, and the New Haven Register. Back to Top JANUARY 6 INVESTIGATION Trump White House Aides Subpoenaed in Firing of Election Security Expert EFTA00164133 The New York Times reported that the special counsel investigating former President Donald J. Trump's efforts to cling to power after he lost the 2020 election has subpoenaed staff members from the Trump White House who may have been involved in firing the government cybersecurity official whose agency judged the election "the most secure in American history." According to the article, the team led by the special counsel, Jack Smith, has been asking witnesses about the events surrounding the firing of Christopher Krebs, who was the Trump administration's top cybersecurity official during the 2020 election. The article indicated that Mr. Krebs's assessment that the election was secure was at odds with Mr. Trump's baseless assertions that it was a "fraud on the American public." Mr. Smith's team, the article continued, is also seeking information about how White House officials, including in the Presidential Personnel Office, approached the Justice Department, which Mr. Trump turned to after his election loss as a way to try to stay in power. The article noted that the investigators appear focused on Mr. Trump's state of mind around the firing of Mr. Krebs, as well as on establishing a timeline of events leading up to the attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob on Jan. 6, 2021. The latest subpoenas, issued roughly two weeks ago, the article added, went to officials in the personnel office. The story was also reported on by MSNBC, Reuters, the Rolling Stone, The Hill, The Guardian, Salon, Newsmax, Esquire, Truthout Broadcast coverage: MSNBC's Deadline White House The Reuters article was reprinted by The Guardian Back to Top MAR-A-LAGO SEARCH Prosecutors Have Recording Of Trump Discussing Sensitive Iran Document The Washington Post reported that special counsel Jack Smith has obtained a 2021 recording in which Donald Trump appears to brag about having a classified document related to Iran, suggesting the former president understood both the legal and security concerns around his possession of such restricted information. According to the article, the recording was made at a meeting at Trump's golf course in Bedminster, N.J., and features Trump describing a multi-page document that he claims is about possibly attacking Iran, expressing a desire to share that information with others but also making some kind of acknowledgment that he shouldn't do so. For the Justice Department, the article highlighted, evidence that Trump knew he had classified material, and understood the restrictions on sharing it, would be an important part of any charging decision. The New York Times detailed that on the recording, Mr. Trump began railing about his handpicked chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark A. Milley, who was described in media accounts at the time as having guarded against Mr. Trump's striking Iran in the final days of the presidency. Mr. Trump, the article continued, then began referencing a document that he had with him, saying that it had been compiled by General Milley and was related to attacking Iran. The article added that among other comments, he mentioned his classification abilities during the discussion, and can be heard handling paper on the tape, though it is not clear whether it was the document in question. CNN reported that the July 2021 meeting was held at Trump's golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, with two people working on the autobiography of Trump's former chief of staff Mark Meadows as well as aides employed by the former president, including communications specialist Margo Martin. The article highlighted that the attendees did not have security clearances that would allow them access to classified information. Meadows, the article noted, didn't attend the meeting. The article explained that Meadows' autobiography includes an account of what appears to be the same meeting, during which Trump "recalls a four-page report typed up by (Trump's former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) Mark Milley himself. The article specified that it contained the general's own plan to attack Iran, deploying massive numbers of troops, something he urged President Trump to do more than once during his presidency. The story was also reported on by the Associated Press, the Rolling Stone, Forbes, the Daily Beast, a second Daily Beast article, Business Insider, ABC News, CBS News, MSNBC, Newsweek, HuffPost, The EFTA00164134 Guardian, the Washington Examiner, Reuters, the New York Post, USA Today, The Hill, the Independent, HuffPost Broadcast coverage: CNN The Associated Press article was reprinted by the Washington Post, ABC News, the Chicago Tribune, US News & World Report, the Independent, the Miami Herald, the Seattle Times, WV News, the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Baltimore Sun, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Kansas City Star, The Columbian, Federal News Network, the Modesto Bee Continued Reporting: Prosecutors Scrutinize Handling of Security Footage by Trump Aides in Documents Case The New York limes provided continued reporting on prosecutors working for the special counsel Jack Smith, who in the past six months have sought to determine whether former President Donald J. Trump obstructed the government's efforts to retrieve a trove of classified documents he took from the White House. More recently, the article noted, investigators also appear to be pursuing a related question: whether Mr. Trump and some of his aides sought to interfere with the government's attempt to obtain security camera footage from Mar-a-Lago that could shed light on how those documents were stored and who had access to them. The article indicated that the search for answers on this second issue has taken investigators deep into the bowels of Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump's private club and residence in Florida, as they pose questions to an expanding cast of low-level workers at the compound. Some of the workers, the article continued, played a role in either securing boxes of material in a storage room at Mar-a-Lago or maintaining video footage from a security camera that was mounted outside the room. The article detailed that two weeks ago, the latest of these employees, an information technology worker named Yuscil Taveras, appeared before a grand jury in Washington, and was asked questions about his dealings with two other Trump employees: Walt Nauta, a longtime aide to Mr. Trump who served as one of his valets in the White House, and Carlos Deoliveira, described by one person familiar with the events as the head of maintenance at Mar-a-Lago. Phone records, the article elaborated, show that Mr. Deoliveira called Mr. Taveras last summer, and prosecutors wanted to know why. The article explained that the call caught the government's attention because it was placed shortly after prosecutors issued a subpoena to Mr. Trump's company, the Trump Organization, demanding the footage from the surveillance camera near the storage room. The call, the article pointed out, also occurred just weeks after Mr. Deoliveira helped Mr. Nauta move boxes of documents into the storage room — the same room that Mr. Deoliveira at one point fitted with a lock. The article underscored that the movement of the boxes into the room took place at another key moment: on the day before prosecutors descended on Mar-a-Lago for a meeting with Mr. Trump's lawyers intended to get him to comply with a demand to return all classified documents. Back to Top NATIONAL SECURITY `Fox Hunt' Trial Starts, Targeting China Program To Repatriate Dissidents The Washington Post reported that a retired New York police sergeant and two other men illegally participated in a Chinese government program to threaten and harass a New Jersey couple to try to force them to return to China. According to the article, the proceeding in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn is expected to shed light on the Chinese government's extrajudicial efforts to force Chinese nationals that Beijing officials view as criminals or threats to the country to return against their will. The article indicated that authorities said the case is the first in a campaign known as "Operation Fox Hunt" to go to trial in a U.S. courtroom. Justice Department officials, the article continued, said the initiative has involved threats against family members of its targets, spying and harassment. The article detailed that in 2020, the Brooklyn U.S. attorney's office charged former police officer Michael McMahon, who allegedly participated in illegal conduct involving China's government by investigating and tracking a pair of its targets in New Jersey while working as a private investigator. Two Chinese men living in New York — Yong Zhu and Congying Zhen, the article elaborated, — are also on trial and accused of participating in EFTA00164135 the effort. The defendants, the article specified, face charges related to acting as illegal foreign agents and interstate stalking. The article noted that each man faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. Assistant U.S. Attorney Irisa Chen, the article added, said in her opening statement Wednesday that McMahon was hired to conduct surveillance and background checks for the Chinese government. Reuters reported that McMahon, charged with acting as an illegal Chinese agent for allegedly intimidating a U.S.-based fugitive from China, went on trial on Wednesday and argued he did not know that country's government was behind a private surveillance job he took. The article detailed that in his opening statement before a federal jury, McMahon's lawyer, Lawrence Lustberg, said his client was told he was working for a Chinese construction company trying to recover assets, and alerted local law enforcement to his activities. However, the article pointed out, Irisa Chen, a prosecutor, said McMahon searched the target's name on the intemet and even met a Chinese official during the course of his work, suggesting he saw through the "vague" cover story. Chen, the article added, said "McMahon knew this was not the true reason," but "He looked the other way." The story was also reported on by ABC News, the New York Times, the Associated Press The Associated Press article was reprinted by the Washington Post, ABC News, US News & World Report, the Seattle Times, the San Diego Union-Tribune, Spectrum News, Federal News Network, The Hill Fewer U.S. Companies Applied to Export Sensitive Technology to China Last Year The Wall Street Journal reported that fewer U.S. companies are applying to export sensitive technologies to China amid growing government scrutiny of the flow of goods to the country, especially those with potential military applications. According to the article, Thea Rozman Kendler, assistant secretary of commerce for export administration at the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security, said in prepared remarks delivered before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee on Wednesday that applications to export sensitive technology and goods to China dropped by 26.2% between 2021 and 2022. The article indicated that Kendler attributed the decline to the scrutiny the Commerce Department gives to know-your-customer checks and to its guidance on export red flags. Iran Steps Up IAEA Cooperation Even as Uranium Stockpile Surges Bloomberg reported that Iran has re-installed monitoring equipment and boosted its cooperation with international inspectors even as its engineers added to stockpiles of uranium enriched closer to weapons grade. According to the article, the findings published in the International Atomic Energy Agency's quarterly report on Iran reduces the likelihood that the Islamic Republic will face censure when diplomats convene June 6 to discuss its nuclear program. The article indicated that IAEA inspectors had raised concerns in March over the presence of uranium particles enriched to 84% levels of purity and chided Iran's slow response to separate investigations, raising the prospect of worsening tensions in the Middle East. On Wednesday, the article added, agency inspectors wrote they "had no further questions" about the presence of those highly-enriched particles and accepted Iran's explanation. Suspected Chinese Spies, Disguised As Tourists, Tried To Infiltrate Alaskan Military Bases USA Today reported that Chinese citizens posing as tourists but suspected of being spies have made several attempts in recent years to gain access to military facilities in this vast state studded with sensitive bases. The article detailed that in one incident, a vehicle with Chinese citizens blew past a security checkpoint at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, several soldiers told USA TODAY. According to the article, the vehicle was eventually stopped, and a search found a drone inside the vehicle. The occupants, the article continued, claimed they were tourists who had gotten lost. The article noted that many of the encounters have been chalked up to innocent mistakes by foreign visitors intent on viewing the northern lights and other attractions in Alaska, but other attempts to enter U.S. military bases, however, seem to be probes to learn about U.S. military capabilities in Alaska. The story was also reported on by The Daily Caller North Korean IT Workers Help Spy From UAE and Russia, UN Says EFTA00164136 Bloomberg reported that Oh Chung Song and Kim Sang Man, two North Korean nationals, reportedly lived abroad while working for Kim Jong Un's government, with Kim receiving over $2 million in cryptocurrency payments from tech workers in Russia and China, which were funneled to the North Korean government. According to the article, this strategy, part of an effort to skirt international sanctions, highlights how North Korea leverages its overseas workers and cyber capabilities, as evidenced by the estimated $1.7 billion in cryptocurrency stolen by suspected North Korean hackers. Back to Top CIVIL RIGHTS Justice Department Should Investigate Beatings at Georgia Jail, Attorney Says The Associated Press reported that an attorney for two men whose beatings by guards were recorded by security cameras at a county jail in Georgia called Wednesday for the U.S. Justice Department to investigate what he called a systemic pattern of sheriff's officers abusing detainees. The article mentioned civil rights attorney Harry Daniels, who told reporters at a news conference outside the Camden County, GA Sheriff's Office that "they are beating people indiscriminately inside this jail." The article highlighted that the three white deputies accused of punching Jarrett Hobbs were arrested and fired last fall. The article added that on May 18, a grand jury indicted them on misdemeanor charges of battery and felony charges of violating their oaths of office. The article stated that Daniels and Timothy Bessent, president of the Camden County NAACP, said more needs to be done because those two cases weren't isolated. The story was also reported on by WSB-ABC and WJAX-CBS. The Associated Press' article was reprinted by the Washington Post, Daily Mail, Fox News, The Independent, U.S. News & World Report, ABC News, SFGate, Houston Chronicle, Star Tribune, San Diego Union Tribune Washington Times and the New Haven Register. ESSA Bank Paying $3M to Settle Redlining Accusations in Philadelphia Area Reuters reported that the Dal said on Wednesday that ESSA Bank & Trust has agreed to pay over $3 million to resolve allegations it engaged in lending discrimination by redlining majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in and around Philadelphia. The article noted that a complaint filed in federal court alleges the bank engaged in the discriminatory behavior from at least 2017 to 2021. The Philadelphia Business Journal highlighted that the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) prohibit financial institutions from such discrimination when providing mortgage lending services. The article noted that federal prosecutors said the Justice Department began investigating ESSA's lending practices after receiving a Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. referral. The article added that iin a statement Wednesday afternoon, ESSA said the settlement includes no civil penalties. Former Texas Sheriff's Deputy Sentenced for Using Excessive Force WMBD-CBS reported that a former Van Zandt County Sheriff's Office deputy was sentenced for using excessive force Wednesday. The article stated that according to the DOJ, 62-year-old Steven Shelton was sentenced to 44 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to violating an arrestee's civil rights. The article highlighted that while acting as the Chief Deputy of the Van Zandt County Sheriff's Office on Sept. 21, 2021, Shelton repeatedly struck a handcuffed and compliant arrestee in the face in the Rolling Oaks area of Wills Point, Texas. The article quoted Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who said that the "defendant abused his authority as a law enforcement officer by violently assaulting and injuring a handcuffed arrestee, violating the victim's civil rights and the public's trust." The article added that according to Assistant AG Clarke, the DOJ "will continue to hold accountable those officers who abuse their authority, wherever such abuses occur." Oklahoma High Court Strikes Down 2 Abortion Bans; Procedure Remains Illegal in Most Cases EFTA00164137 The Associated Press reported that the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that two state laws banning abortion are unconstitutional, but the procedure remains illegal in the state in nearly all cases except life-threatening situations. The article stated that in a 6-3 ruling, the high court said the two bans are unconstitutional because they require a "medical emergency" before a doctor can perform an abortion. The article noted that the court said this language conflicts with a previous ruling it issued in March that determined the Oklahoma Constitution provides an "inherent right of a pregnant woman to terminate a pregnancy when necessary to preserve her life." According to the article, the court's decision was welcomed by doctors who said uncertainty about the state's abortion laws often forced them to make women facing severe medical complications and nonviable pregnancies to wait for their condition to worsen before they could perform an abortion. The story was also reported on by the New York Times, Washington Post, The Independent, Bloomberg, The Hill, Axios, and the Washington Examiner. The Associated Press' article was reprinted by the Washington Post, Fox News, NBC News, CBS News, ABC News, Los Angeles Times, Politico, HuffPost, Daily Mail, MSN, Yahoo News, U.S. News & World Report, SFGate, Houston Chronicle, Seattle Times, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Star Tribune, San Diego Union Tribune, and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Limits on Politics, Race Discussion in North Carolina Gov't Worker Hiring, Training Advance The Associated Press reported that North Carolina government personnel laws would prohibit job applicants from being forced to opine about politics and culture to get hired and forbid employee trainers from promoting certain concepts in Republican legislation getting close to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's desk. The article noted that the full House voted 72-46 on Wednesday for a measure that also would block the promotion of beliefs related to race and sex that some lawmakers have likened to "critical race theory." According to the article, the Senate approved a narrower version of the bill in early May. The article stated that senators now must decide whether to accept the House version, which would also spread the proposed hiring and training limits beyond state agencies and departments to the University of North Carolina and community college systems. The Associated Press' article was reprinted by the Miami Herald, Kansas City Star, Fort Worth Star- Telegram, and the Charlotte Observer. Louisiana Lawmakers Reject Resolution That Opponents Say Target Diversity, Equity Efforts in Schools The Associated Press reported that Republicans in Louisiana rejected a resolution Wednesday that sought to request K-12 schools and institutions of higher education submit a report of all programs and activities related to critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion. The article noted that the resolution, authored by Republican Rep. Valarie Hodges, came before the House Committee of Education for consideration and stemmed from "concerns" about how much money is being spent specifically on the programs and because "activities offered by the state's education institutions merit further examination." According to the article, proponents argued that the measure was simply being proposed to further look into the cost of the programs. The article noted that opponents of the resolution, which included Louisiana's Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, said that the legislation was unnecessary and worried about how it defined DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion — and critical race theory. The Associated Press' article was reprinted by the Washington Post, Daily Mail, U.S. News & World Report, Yahoo News, SFGate, Houston Chronicle, Star Tribune, San Diego Union Tribune, New Haven Register, and the Killeen Daily Herald. Biden Proclaims June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Denounces Oppression Advocate reported that on the last day of May, President Biden issued a proclamation Wednesday from the White House declaring June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month. According to the article, it comes amid a wave of conservative attacks on the LGBTQ+ community. The article noted that Biden EFTA00164138 referenced the laws Republican-led legislatures have introduced in states nationwide, calling it an "inflection point." The article pointed out that according to the President, the "[DOJJ is combating laws that target transgender children, and the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services have proposed new rules to protect LGBTQJ+ Americans from discrimination in health care, at school, and in sports." Continued Reporting: Education, Justice Depts Say Discrimination in School Discipline Remains `Significant Concern' K-12 Dive provided continued reporting on a joint Dear Colleague letter issued Friday from the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, who advised schools to ensure their discipline policies and practices don't discriminate against students based on race, color or national origin. The article stated that the departments' investigations into districts' compliance with Title VI — the federal civil rights law that protects against such discrimination — "have demonstrated that discrimination based on race, color, and national origin in student discipline was, and continues to be, a significant concern." Back to Top CIVIL LAW FTC Charges Amazon With Privacy Violations Over Alexa and Ring Cameras The Associated Press reported that Amazon agreed Wednesday to pay a $25 million civil penalty to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations it violated a child privacy law and deceived parents by keeping for years kids' voice and location data recorded by its popular Alexa voice assistant, and that separately, the company agreed to pay $5.8 million in customer refunds for alleged privacy violations involving its doorbell camera Ring. The article noted that the Alexa-related action orders Amazon to overhaul its data deletion practices and impose stricter, more transparent privacy measures. It also obliges the tech giant to delete certain data collected by its intemet-connected digital assistant. The article then quoted Samuel Levine, the FCT consumer protection chief, saying in a statement that, "Amazon's history of misleading parents, keeping children's recordings indefinitely, and flouting parents' deletion requests violated COPPA (the Child Online Privacy Protection Act) and sacrificed privacy for profits." Coverage by the Washington Post focused on the fact that a lawsuit by the Department of Justice filed on behalf of the FTC claimed more than 800,000 children under the age of 13 have their own Alexa profiles. The article also added that the $25 million fine is significantly smaller than penalties other tech companies have paid federal regulators for privacy transgressions against children, but it is representative of the FTC's broad scrutiny of Amazon's sprawling businesses. The article highlighted that the FTC for years has also been investigating Amazon for potential violations of U.S. antitrust laws, in a wide-ranging case that opened under the Trump administration in 2019. This story was also reported on by The Guardian, Reuters, CNBC News, ayc News, CNN, Tech Crunch, Fortune, CBS News, The Verge, Axios, the Wall Street Journal, The Hill, USA Today and the New York Times The Associated Press' article was reprinted by ABC News, Le Monde, the Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, The San Diego Union Tribune, Detroit News, Spectrum News, Federal News Network, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, The Durango Herald, The Morganton News Herald, the Enterprise Journal, the Idaho State Journal and the Union Bulletin DMC, Former And Current Owners To Pay $29.7M Settlement In Alleged Medicare Kickback Scheme The Detroit News reported the Detroit Medical Center and its current and previous owners agreed to pay a $29.7 million settlement to resolve allegations the companies operated a kickback scheme and falsified Medicare claims for roughly three years, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday. The article noted that Federal prosecutors alleged that DMC's Sinai-Grace and Harper University hospitals set up an arrangement to encourage physicians to refer Medicare patients to DMC facilities and the DMC selected EFTA00164139 13 physicians who had referred large numbers of patients to its hospitals and provided the services of DMC-employed practitioners to those physicians at no cost or below fair market value between 2014 and 2017. The article commented that the Justice Department said DMC "provided kickbacks" to those referring physicians, and that U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan said in a statement that, "This outcome makes clear that when doctors refer patients for care at hospitals, they must do so based on their own professional judgment and the medical needs of their patients, not personal financial benefit, our office stands ready to scrutinize even the most complicated financial arrangements and to pursue justice wherever appropriate." The article continued stating that Tenet and Vanguard agreed to pay the $29.7 million settlement along with DMC. The article concluded with a statement from Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michael Granston saying that "The Justice Department will pursue improper arrangements that have the potential to compromise physicians' medical judgment, physicians should evaluate where to send patients for medical services based on the quality of care the patients will receive, not the financial benefits that the physicians will reap." This story was also reported on by GetAbout Columbia Judge Rejects Boeing Request To Block Pain And Suffering Damages For Crash Victims Who Died Upon Impact CNN reported that Federal Judge Jorge Alonso rejected arguments from attorneys for Boeing that it should not have to pay for the pain and suffering of 157 victims of a March 2019 Boeing 737 Max crash because they all died on impact. The article explained that Alonso, who will preside over the trial due to start in federal court in Chicago next month, said that Boeing's attorney had argued that under the law "evidence of pre-impact fright and terror is not relevant," because "the evidence tends to show that the passengers had no time to experience conscious pain and suffering after injury because they died immediately upon impact." The article added that Alonso rejected that argument and opened the way for pain and suffering to be considered when determining compensation for the victims' family members saying that, "A jury could reasonably infer from the evidence that will be presented at trial that the passengers on... [the flight] perceived that they were going to crash, horrifically, to their certain death." The article noted that the flight was an Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed on March 10, 2019 and that it was the second such crash involving a 737 Max in less than six months and it led to a 20-month grounding of the jet worldwide, during which time investigators found a design flaw by Boeing was the major cause of the crashes. This story was also reported on by The Washington Post and The Seattle Times PG&E Reaches $SOM Settlement In Fatal 2020 Fire As Charges Dismissed Axios reported that a California judge on Wednesday dismissed all criminal charges against Pacific Gas & Electric in the deadly Zogg Fire and PG&E agreed to a $50 million civil settlement with Shasta County officials over the matter. The article explained that the utility was charged with manslaughter and other crimes in connection with the Northern California wildfire that killed four people, including an 8-year-old girl, and burned hundreds of homes in 2020 after investigators found the blaze was sparked by a tree that fell onto a PG&E transmission line. The article then cited that Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett said in a statement Wednesday that due to the ruling, she moved to secure an agreement with PG&E that protects the community and as part of the resolution, PG&E has agreed to pay $45 million to support organizations that dedicated to rebuilding and assisting communities affected by the fire. The article added that it has also agreed to a $5 million penalty to Shasta County. This story was also reported on by the Sacramento Bee, The Guardian, Market Screener, CBS News, El Paso Inc. the Record Spotlight Reuters and the Los Angeles Times Continued Reporting: Manson Follower Leslie Van Houten Should Be Freed, Appeals Court Says The Washington Post continued reporting on Leslie Van Houten, a former Charles Manson follower who was sentenced to life in prison for a gruesome 1969 double murder, claiming that she could soon walk out of a correction facility in Corona, Calif., after a court ruled she should be released on parole. The article explained that EFTA00164140 the ruling overturns Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D) decision in 2020 denying Van Houten's release, which the California Board of Parole Hearings recommended. The article cited that on Tuesday, the Second District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles said in a 2-1opinion that there is no "evidence to support the Governor's conclusions" that Van Houten didn't meet the parole requirements. The outlet featured an interview with Van Houten's attorney Nancy Tetreault, in which she said that Van Houten has undergone years of therapy and rehabilitation at the California Institute for Women correctional facility, where she has come to terms with the crimes and Manson's influence over her, "The crimes were what they were. They were terrible, but she really is a wonderful person now." Back to Top CRIMINAL Sen. Bob Menendez Met Businessman Under Scrutiny in Federal Probe The Wall Street Journal reported that Sen. Bob Menendez hosted a 2018 meeting in his Washington, D.C., office with a New Jersey businessman who is a focus of a federal public-corruption probe of the Democratic lawmaker that has broadened in recent weeks, and that the meeting, which hasn't been previously reported, came months before the businessman, Wael Hana, secured a contract with Egyptian officials for certifying halal meat exports. The article explained that the contract is a key part of the probe examining whether Menendez, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, or his wife received gifts in exchange for political favors. The article detailed that Nadine Arslanian, who married Menendez in 2020, attended the 2018 meeting along with Egyptian diplomats and a New Jersey lawyer who is an associate of Hana. The article contextualized that year, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi decided they wanted one company to control all imports of halal meat, and that in May 2019 Hana's company became the sole certifier of halal meat exported from the U.S. to Egypt. The article highlighted that the current investigation, run out of the U.S. attorney's office for the Southern District of New York, is separate from one which led to earlier federal corruption charges against Menendez that ended in mistrial. The article further explained that prosecutors investigating Menendez recently began broadening the probe by examining a real estate deal involving New Jersey developer Fred Daibes, an associate of Hana and Menendez who has donated to the lawmaker's campaigns. Grand Jury Charges Ex-GOP Candidate With Election Interference In Shootings At Lawmakers' Homes The Associated Press reported that a failed political candidate, Solomon Pena, has been indicted on federal charges including election interference in connection with a series of drive-by shootings at the homes of state and local lawmakers in Albuquerque, according to a grand jury indictment that was unsealed Wednesday. The article claimed that the indictment aimed at Pena and two alleged accomplices with additional conspiracy and weapons-related charges in connection with the shootings in December 2022 and January of this year on the homes of four Democratic officials, including the current state House speaker. The article noted that the attacks came amid a surge of threats and acts of intimidation against election workers and public officials across the country after former President Donald Trump and his allies spread false claims about the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. The article quoted U.S. Attorney Alexander Uballez who highlighted that the shootings targeted the homes of two county commissioners shortly after their certification of the 2022 election, saying that, "Pena targeted several of these public officials because, in their official capacity, they certified the election, which he lost. In America, voters pick their leaders and would-be leaders don't get to pick which voters they heed, which rules apply to them, or which laws to follow." The article specified that Elizabeth Honce, a defense attorney for Pena, said her client maintains his innocence, and that Pena has been held without bail since his January arrest on charges in state district court related to the shootings. The article claimed that those charges will be dismissed in deference to the federal indictment as Pena is transferred to federal custody, and that federal charges were also filed against 22-year-old Jose Louise Trujillo and 41-year-old Demetrio Trujillo on allegations that they assisted Pena in obtaining vehicles and firearms. This story was also reported on by CNN, Axios, Source New Mexico, the Albuquerque Journal, Reuters, Politico, the New York Times, The Washington Times, St. Joseph News-Press, KRQ EFTA00164141 CBS and KCBD-FOX The Associated Press' article was reprinted by the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Houston Chronicle, U.S. News & World Report, The Hour, the Morgantown News Herald, The San Diego Union- Tribune, the Toronto Star The Hill the Federal News Network Midland Daily News and the Billings Gazette 'Felt Like A Year': Worshipper Describes Fear During Gunman's Deadly Attack On Pittsburgh Synagogue The Associated Press reported on the second day of the trial of the man who carried out the deadliest antisemitic attack