EFTA00150516.pdf

From: To: Subject: [EXTERNAL EMAIL] - FBI Public Affairs News Briefing Friday, April 23, 2021 Date: Fri, 23 Apr 2021 10:26:47 +0000 Importan c Normal e: Mobile version and searchable archives available at fbi.bulletinintelligence.com. ;161News Briefing TO: THE DIRECTOR AND SENIOR STAFF DATE: FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 2021 6:30 AM EDT TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS LEADING THE NEWS • Senate Passes Asian American Hate Crimes Bill On 94-1 Vote. CAPITOL VIOLENCE NEWS • Federal Prosecutors Expect At Least 100 More Arrests In Capitol Siege Probe. • WPost Analysis: Evidence In Trump Supporter's Trial Suggests He Espoused Nazi Ideals. • New York Man Charged In Capitol Siege Probe. • New Mexico Man Charged In Capitol Siege Probe. • New York Man Arrested After Posting On Dating App Of Storming Capitol During Riot. • Kentucky Man Charged In Capitol Siege Probe After Undercover Agents Recorded Him At His Job. • Parties Divided Over Scope Of Proposed Capitol Riot Commission. PROTESTS • Alternate Juror Says She Would Have Convicted Chauvin. COUNTER-TERRORISM • New York Subway Pipe Bomber Sentenced To Life In Prison. • US Postal Service Reportedly Tracking Americans' Social Media Posts. • AFRICOM Chief: Somalia Withdrawal Made Counterterrorism Missions Riskier. COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE • Michigan Woman Convicted In Tennessee Of Stealing Trade Secrets For China. • NIH: Hundreds Of US Scientists Feared Compromised By China. • Alabama A&M Closing Confucius Institute. • MTA Pulls Security Cameras From Subway Due To Links To Chinese Facial Recognition Company. • Haines: Climate Must Be At "Center" Of Security Policy. • Republicans Offer COVID-19 Origin Act Amid Concerns About Possible Link Between Pandemic, Wuhan Lab. • Jordan Releases 16 Allegedly Involved In Sedition Plot. • UK's MIS Joins Instagram. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS • Wright Laid To Rest. EFTA00150516 • Columbus Police Face Growing Criticism Over Bryant Shooting. • Authorities Believe Remains Found Are Those Of Missing Pennsylvania Amish Teen. • Virginia Man Pleads Guilty In Cross Burning That Targeted Black Teen. • Colorado Grocery Store Gunman Charged With Another 43 Counts. • Kristin Smart's Parents Sue Father Who Is Accused Of Hiding Her Body. • Reuters Source: Gaetz's Complaints About Iran Hostage Scheme Will Not Distract FBI Probe. • FBI Probe Nets Two Arrests For Identity Theft Trafficking In Tennessee. • Reputed Mexican Drug Cartel Leader Sentenced In Washington On Drug, Money Laundering Charges. • Washington Man Sentenced For Drug Trafficking. • Father, Daughter Plead Guilty In Shoplifting Scheme. • Tennessee Man Arrested For Sexual Exploitation. • Federal Charges Dropped Against Suspected Kidnapper. • Louisiana Suspected Serial Killer's DNA Found On Shell Casings. • Texas Kidnapper May Face Federal Charges. • Surveillance Photo of Illinois Bank Robber Released. • Three New Yorkers Arrested For International Bank Robberies. • Case Of Former North Carolina Sheriff Accused Of Corruption Goes To Jury. • New Mexico Corrections Officer Said To Have Illicit Relationship With Gang Member. • Indiana Man Sentenced For Sexual Exploitation. FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS • US Charges Three In Scheme To Get $14M In COVID-Relief Loans. • North Carolina Man Charged With Fraudulently Obtaining $1.5M In PPP Loans. • Head Of Shuttered Texas Company Says He Turned Himself In. CYBER DIVISION • GCHQ Chief Says West Faces Near-Term Challenges With Cybersecurity. • CISO Chris DeRusha Discusses Zero Trust. • Taiwan Authorities Investigating Apple Supplier Hack. • Officials Welcome CISA's New Authorities To Hunt Cyber Threats. • Cyber Experts Warn Canada's Aging Critical Infrastructure Strategy A Growing Concern. LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES • FBI Warns New Englanders Of Fake Government Agent Scams. • Supreme Court Expands Life Sentencing Guidelines For Minors. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS • US Told Colombia That Florida Woman Held In Venezuela Coup Plot Had Links To Arms Ring. OTHER FBI NEWS • Sen. Paul Criticizes FBI's "Suicide By Cop" Classification Of Baseball Park Shooting. • Suspect In Governor-Related Massachusetts Case Wants Monitoring Bracelet Off. OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS • Walensky And Murthy Discuss Approach To Vaccine Hesitancy. • CDC Panel Expected To Recommend Resumption Of J&J Vaccine Use. • CDC Faces Pressure Over Outdoor Mask Guidance. • Study Suggests COVID Reinfections Are Very Rare. • Study Finds COVID Infection Can Increase Pregnancy Complications. • Fort Meade Says 800 Moderna Doses Were Improperly Stored. • Studies Find Vaccines Effective Against New York Variant. • NBC Looks At Ongoing Child Vaccine Trials. EFTA00150517 • Hospitalizations Drop 80% Among Senior Citizens. • Los Angeles County Infection Rates Now Among Lowest In US. • Women Vaccinated At Higher Rates Than Men. • Biden Opens Climate Summit With Pledge To Halve US Carbon Emissions By 2030. • Harris Hosts Meeting Of Foundation Heads To Discuss Causes Of Migration. • WPost Slams Administration's "Disingenuous Explanations" On Refugee Admissions. • Biden Will Lay Out Childcare And Education Plan In Address To Congress. • Harris Breaking Senate Ties At Faster Pace Than Any Other Vice President. • HUD Withdraws Trump-Era Rule Restricting Transgender People's Access To Homeless Shelters. • House Passes DC Statehood Measure On Party-Line Vote. • Barrett Asked To Recuse In Case Involving Nonprofit Linked To Group That Pushed Her Confirmation. • IG Report: Trump Administration Obstructed Investigation Into Delays Of Hurricane Aid For Puerto Rico. • SCOTUS Cuts FTC's Ability To Seek Monetary Awards For Consumers. • Biden To Nominate Spinrad To Head NOAA. • Ties To Epstein Slow Science Office Nominee's Confirmation Path. INTERNATIONAL NEWS • India Posts Highest Daily New Case Total. • EU Reportedly Set To Sue AstraZeneca Over Vaccine Shortfall. • South Africa To Resume Use Of Ai Vaccines. • Russian Vaccine Developer Signs Deals To Produce 40M Vaccine Doses Annually In Egypt. • US Sanctions Exacerbate Pandemic In Iran. • German Officials Set To Impose Nationwide Lockdowns. • WHO Director General Urges Wealthy Countries To Share Doses. • Rogin: China Leveraging Vaccines For Influence In Latin America. • NYTimes Analysis: Taliban Poised To Regain Control Of Afghanistan As US Exits. • US Increasingly Concerned About Taiwan's Security. • WPost Says US Must Cripple Burma's Economy To Save Its People. • Ignatius: US Recognition Of Armenian Genocide Will Force A "Reckoning." • Russian Patrol Planes Spotted Harassing Fishermen Near Alaska. • Russian Troops To Pull Back From Ukrainian Border Region. • Navalny's Own Doctors Urge Him To End Hunger Strike. • US Ambassador Leaves Russia. • Israeli Officials Will Reportedly Lobby Administration Against JCPOA Reactivation. • Israel Attacks Syrian Military Sites After Missile Fell Near Nuclear Facility. • Israeli Police Clash With Palestinians, Far-Right Israelis Outside Jerusalem. • Jordan Releases 16 Involved In Palace Controversy Involving King's Brother. • Children Of Exiled Former Top Intelligence Official Remain Jailed In Saudi Arabia. • UNSC Issues Statement Over Ethiopia's Tigray Region. • New Ruling Council Promises Democratic Elections In Chad. THE BIG PICTURE • Headlines From Today's Front Pages. WASHINGTON'S SCHEDULE • Today's Events In Washington. LEADING THE NEWS Senate Passes Asian American Hate Crimes Bill On 94-1 Vote. EFTA00150518 NBC Nightly NewsVI (4/22, story 6, 0:10, Holt, 4.83M) reported that "by a vote of 94-1, the Senate passed a bill" on Thursday "aimed at protecting Asian-Americans from hate crimes, which have soared during the pandemic." The AP (4/22, Jalonick) describes the vote as "a bipartisan denunciation of such violence during the coronavirus pandemic and a modest step toward legislating in a chamber where most of President Joe Biden's agenda has stalled." The measure will "expedite the review of hate crimes at the Justice Department and provide support for local law enforcement in response to thousands of reported violent incidents in the past year." Reuters (4/22) reports that the legislation must now pass the House, "where Democrats hold a clear majority." The Washington Post (4/22, Kane, 10.52M) reports that Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY), the bill's lead sponsor in the House, said in a statement after the vote that the chamber expects to vote on the legislation next month. The New York Times (4/22, Edmondson, 20.6M) reports that the measure "was the first legislative action either chamber of Congress has taken to bolster law enforcement's response to rising attacks on people of Asian descent." Senate Majority Leader Schumer said, "By passing this bill, the Senate makes it very clear that hate and discrimination against any group has no place in America. By passing this bill, we say to the Asian-American community that their government is paying attention to them, has heard their concerns and will respond to protect them." The Los Angeles Times (4/22, Haberkorn, 3.37M) reports that Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), "the only senator to vote against the bill, said it was 'too broad:" Hawley is quoted as saying, "As a former prosecutor, my view is it's dangerous to simply give the federal government open- ended authority to define a whole new class of federal hate crime incidents." The Times notes that "the bill originally only addressed hate crimes related to the pandemic, a link that Republicans and others viewed as potentially too onerous for law enforcement to make." CNN (4/22, Rogers, 89.21M) reports on its website that "some Republicans were initially skeptical about the legislation," but Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) "and others teamed up with" Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) "to strike an agreement broadening its support." Hirono on Thursday "said...that the bill's passage 'sends a clear and unmistakable message of solidarity' to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. Collins said it 'affirms our commitment to stand with' them against hate crimes." The New York Daily News (4/22, Sommerfeldt, 2.51M) reports that Schumer "said the rare bipartisan feat is proof the usually gridlocked chamber can 'work to solve important issues." USA Today (4/22, Behrmann, 12.7M) reports that the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act would "designate an official at DO) to oversee" the review of hate crimes and "task the department with coordinating with local law enforcement groups and community-based organizations to facilitate and raise awareness about hate crime reporting, including establishing an online hate crime reporting system in multiple languages." The legislation "underwent several bipartisan changes before its final passage," including the addition of "grants to aid local and state governments to encourage more training on hate crimes for law enforcement, establish hate crime hotlines and allow for a 'rehabilitation' effort for perpetrators of hate crimes." The Houston Chronicle (4/22, Wermund, 982K) reports that "before the final vote, Democrats rejected" a handful of amendments by Republicans, including one Sen. Ted Cruz (R- TX) "offered focused on anti-Asian bias in college admissions, which Republicans have pointed to as they oppose affirmative action policies." Roll Call (4/22, Ruger, 130K) reports that an amendment from Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) "would have required the Justice Department to report to Congress about the restrictions on religious exercise imposed by states during the COVID-19 pandemic," and another from Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) would have required "the reporting only of hate crimes and not hate crime incidents," among other things. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (4/22, Mitchell, 1.46M) reports that the vote follows the shootings in Atlanta, Georgia "that killed six women of Asian descent" in March. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) "noted that the names of those killed in the spa shootings are included in the bill's language, which he said will help ensure that what happened last month is never forgotten." EFTA00150519 CNBC (4/22, Pramuk, 7.34M) reports on its website that "Anti-Asian hate crimes jumped by about 150% last year in 16 of the largest U.S. cities, according to a study released last month by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino." Politico (4/22, Wu, 6.73M) reports that advocates, including Advancing Justice-AAJC and the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, "hailed the bill's passage," but "also urged solutions to violence outside of law enforcement." ABC World News TonightVi (4/22, story 8, 0:20, Muir, 6.07M), the Wall Street Journal (4/22, Peterson, Subscription Publication, 8.41M), and The Hill (4/22, Carney, 5.69M) provide additional coverage. CAPITOL VIOLENCE NEWS Federal Prosecutors Expect At Least 100 More Arrests In Capitol Siege Probe. Reuters (4/22, Wolfe) reports that the Justice Department "expects to charge at least 100 more people for taking part in the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol, signaling prosecutors are far from finished investigating an attack that a judge on Thursday called an act of terrorism. 'Over 400 individuals have been charged in connection with the Capitol attack,' federal prosecutors said in a court filing on Thursday. 'The investigation continues and the government expects that at least one hundred additional individuals will be charged." The Justice Department "made the disclosure in a set of similar court filings asking judges to postpone deadlines in pending prosecutions. 'The investigation and prosecution of the Capitol attack will likely be one of the largest in American history, both in terms of the number of defendants prosecuted and the nature and volume of the evidence,' the court filings stated." WPost Analysis: Evidence In Trump Supporter's Trial Suggests He Espoused Nazi Ideals. The Washington Post (4/22, Jacobs, 10.52M) reports from New York, "An impassioned supporter of former president Donald Trump, on trial for allegedly advocating the 'slaughter' of influential Democrats after the U.S. Capitol riot, also espoused Nazi ideology and suggested to his father that Trump should override the election results and declare the United States a dictatorship as Adolf Hitler did in Germany generations ago, according to evidence presented by federal authorities in a Brooklyn courtroom Thursday." The Post adds that the evidence suggests that Brendan Hunt "was fixated on extremist ideas and conspiracy theories — including that Democrats falsely portrayed covid-19 as a deadly epidemic to gain political advantage over Trump - when on Jan. 8 he posted a video titled 'KILL YOUR SENATORS: Slaughter them all." Hunt's trial "is believed to be the first related to the insurrection since the Justice Department opened its sweeping investigation into the attack." Courthouse News (4/22, Pullano, 21K) also reports. New York Man Charged In Capitol Siege Probe. The Watertown (NY) Daily Times (4/22, Muir, 58K) reports that a second Syracuse, New York man "is facing charges for his alleged role in the January assault on the U.S. Capitol, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation." Matthew Greene, 33, "faces more than a half-dozen charges for allegedly intending to stop, delay or hinder Congress' certification of the Electoral College votes, 'by force if necessary,' according to an indictment against him and his co- conspirators. 'His actions were deliberate, dangerous and illegal,' Special Agent Thomas Relford with the FBI in Albany said in a statement. 'Now he must face the consequences:" Relford "went on to say that the FBI Albany bureau will continue to work with colleagues in Washington, D.C., and partners in the U.S. Attorney's Office to pursue charges against anyone who broke the law on Jan. 6, adding that they remain grateful to the public for their assistance in this investigation." EFTA00150520 New Mexico Man Charged In Capitol Siege Probe. The Albuquerque (NM) Journal (4/22, Alves, 188K) reports from Santa Fe, "A Santa Fe man was recently arrested and charged for his alleged participation in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol in Washington." Matthew Martin, 42, "was federally charged with unlawful entry, disorderly conduct impeding the conduct of government business, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in the capitol buildings, according to court documents." Martin "has a security clearance and worked at a defense contracting company in Santa Fe, according to court documents. One of Martin's coworkers told law enforcement that Martin had asked to take Jan. 6 off from work." The Journal adds, "Court documents indicate the FBI got a hold of Martin's cellphone records and found that he used his cell service in and around the U.S. Capitol building the day of the insurrection." New York Man Arrested After Posting On Dating App Of Storming Capitol During Riot. WNBC-TV New York (4/22, 289K) reports, "Another New York man was arrested for his role in the siege at the U.S. Capitol back in January, after law enforcement learned that he talked about storming the Capitol on social media and a dating app, according to prosecutors." Robert Chapman, "from the Putnam County town of Carmel, was arrested Thursday by the FBI in connection with the events of Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C., prosecutors said. He was charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct on restricted government property. The FBI was provided information regarding Chapman's social media posts in the days following Jan. 6 in which he is pictured in Statuary Hall in the Capitol. He also told a woman he had matched with on the dating app Bumble that `I did storm the capitol' and that he `made it all the way into Statuary Hall,' court papers allege." Kentucky Man Charged In Capitol Siege Probe After Undercover Agents Recorded Him At His Job. Insider (4/22, Hall, 2.74M) reports, "A man from Kentucky who rioted at the US Capitol on January 6 was arrested a week after undercover FBI agents secretly recorded him, according to a recent Department of Justice filing." Stephen Randolph "was charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding an officer causing bodily injury, obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, and obstruction of justice/Congress. Randolph appeared in several video recordings and photographs from the Capitol riots where prosecutors allege he attacked police officers behind barricades." Investigators "were unable to determine Randolph's identity for three months before the FBI identified him using facial-recognition software to link images from the riots to photographs on his girlfriend's Instagram account. The DOJ said undercover FBI agents followed Randolph to work on March 3 where they captured photos of him wearing the same hat, jacket, and jeans he wore at the Capitol." Parties Divided Over Scope Of Proposed Capitol Riot Commission. CNN (4/22, 89.21M) reports on its website that House Speaker Pelosi "is making concessions in a bid to revive her effort for a 9/11-style commission to investigate the January 6 attack on the Capitol, but the two parties still don't appear to be resuming serious negotiations amid a dispute over the scope of what the commission would investigate." Republicans want the commission to "also investigate violence from far left groups surrounding last year's protests of police brutality, something Democrats say is an effort to distract from the role that former President Donald Trump played in the lead-up to the insurrection." Greg Sargent writes in the Washington Post (4/22, 10.52M) that in an effort to come to an agreement, Pelosi has reportedly "suggested ways Republicans might have more influence on decisions about subpoenas." Sargent says Pelosi has not offered any concessions on "the scope of what's examined," and "Democrats should not concede an inch on this. Because what Republicans are asking for in terms of scope is not only absurd, it's designed to frustrate any real accounting into the insurrection." EFTA00150521  Capitol Police Respond To Lofgren Allegation. Politico (4/22, 6.73M) reports, "The Capitol Police pushed back forcefully" Thursday against a claim by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) that a "commanding official directed officers on Jan. 6 to pursue only agitators against (Trump) and ignore potential pro-Trump troublemakers." The department said the radio communication cited by Lofgren was "misquoted" and lacked "full and necessary context." NYTimes Examines GOP's Response To Cheney. The New York Times (4/22, Draper, 20.6M) runs a 6,600-word magazine feature titled "Liz Cheney Vs. MAGA" on how Republicans "turned on" Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) in the wake of her call for her party "to turn away from Trump after Jan. 6." PROTESTS Alternate Juror Says She Would Have Convicted Chauvin. NBC Nightly NewsVI (4/22, story 4, 1:55, Holt, 4.83M) reported about its interview with Lisa Christensen, who "was one of the alternate jurors who did not get to deliberate over Derek Chauvin's fate." Christensen "listened to the 14 days of testimony and took extensive notes," and she said she would have voted to convict him on the charges. ABC World News TonightVi (4/22, lead story, 2:30, Muir, 6.07M) reported Christensen said of the trial, "It was overwhelming. And then to see it day after day or, you know, over and over again, it never got any easier." The CBS Evening NewsVi (4/22, story 2, 3:00, O'Donnell, 3.71M) reported Christensen discussed her decision-making behind her opinion of Chauvin's guilt. She said, "I just felt like the prosecution made a really good, strong argument. Dr. Tobin was the one that really did it for me. He explained everything, I understood it, down to the moment where he said this is the moment he lost his life. That really got to me. I felt like all the doctors pretty much supported each other." COUNTER-TERRORISM New York Subway Pipe Bomber Sentenced To Life In Prison. The New York Times (4/22, Weiser, 20.6M) reports that Akayed Ullah, "who detonated a pipe bomb in a crowded subway tunnel near Times Square in the name of ISIS in 2017," has been sentenced to life in prison. ABC World News TonightVi (4/22, story 9, 0:20, Muir, 6.07M) said the bomb "malfunction[ed), leaving him seriously injured." The Washington Post (4/22, Jacobs, 10.52M) reports that Ullah, "a Bangladeshi immigrant who in 2017 set off a bomb in a busy subway artery beneath Manhattan's Port Authority bus terminal was sentenced Thursday to life in prison for the attack, which authorities said was inspired by his devotion to the Islamic State terrorist group." Ullah, 31, "wanted to kill as many Americans as possible, officials said, but would-be victims were spared because his explosive device malfunctioned. One person sustained a shrapnel wound to the leg, and two other victims were left with hearing damage. Ullah also was injured in the incident." Reuters (4/22, Stempel) reports, "No one died and four people were injured in the explosion, which led to the temporary closure of the station and the adjacent Port Authority Bus Terminal during the morning rush. Ullah was burned in what prosecutors called a 'lone wolf' attack." US Circuit Judge Richard Sullivan, "who imposed the sentence, told Ullah he had committed a 'truly barbaric and heinous crime' without regard for the humanity of those in his way. 'They were just people on the way to work, or school,' Sullivan said. 'People who maybe had finished the night shift. ... To you, these people were expendable." Fox News (4/22, Norman, 23.99M) reports that Ullah "apologized before hearing the sentence." Prosecutors "earlier this month had argued that Ullah should spend the rest of his life behind bars for the 'premeditated and vicious' Dec. 11, 2017 terror attack committed on EFTA00150522 behalf of the Islamic State terrorist group." Fox News adds, "After growing angry at American foreign policy in the Middle East, Ullah grew consumed by online Islamic State propaganda 'glorifying brutally violent stabbings, shootings, and bombings targeting Americans,' prosecutors had written in papers filed in federal court in Manhattan. 'He ultimately answered ISIS's call for its supporters to carry out 'lone-wolf' terrorist attacks in the United States,' the memo added, according to the Associated Press. 'Ullah's attack was premeditated and vicious." Also reporting are WABC-AM New York (4/22, 18K) and the Rutherford (NJ) Daily Voice (4/22). US Postal Service Reportedly Tracking Americans' Social Media Posts. The New York Post (4/22, O'Neill, 7.45M) reports, "The US Postal Service is running a shadowy surveillance program that tracks Americans' social media posts - including ones about planned right-wing protests, a report revealed Thursday." The Post adds, "The so-called Internet Covert Operations Program enlists the law enforcement arm of the USPS to hunt down 'inflammatory' posts - made by groups ranging from the Proud Boys to demonstrators protesting coronavirus lockdowns, according to documents obtained by Yahoo News. Posts deemed threatening are then sent to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to be monitored, the outlet reported. 'Locations and times have been identified for these protests, which are being distributed online across multiple social media platforms, to include right-wing leaning Parler and Telegram accounts,' says a government bulletin, marked as law enforcement-sensitive on March 16. 'No intelligence is available to suggest the legitimacy of these threats:" AFRICOM Chief: Somalia Withdrawal Made Counterterrorism Missions Riskier. The Hill (4/22, Kheel, 5.69M) reports the top US general for the region "said Thursday the withdrawal of most US troops from Somalia has hindered intelligence gathering, making continued US counterterrorism operations more difficult." US Africa Command chief Gen. Stephen Townsend told the Senate Armed Services Committee, "There's no denying that the repositioning of forces out of Somalia has introduced new layers of complexity and risk. Our understanding of what's happening in Somalia is less now than it was when we were there on the ground physically located with our partners." In the final months of his tenure, former President Trump "ordered almost all of the 700 US troops that were in Somalia to withdraw. "The troops were in Somalia "to help local security forces fight al Qaeda affiliate al-Shabaab and the local ISIS affiliate." COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE Michigan Woman Convicted In Tennessee Of Stealing Trade Secrets For China. The Washington Examiner (4/22, Dunleavy, 888K) reports, "A Chinese-born, naturalized U.S. citizen was convicted Thursday of stealing trade secrets worth up to $120 million from companies that developed a safer coating for the inside of beverage cans and trying to sell the technology to the Chinese Communist Party." Xiaorong You, "who began working in the United States nearly 30 years ago, was employed by Coca-Cola and Eastman Chemical Company when she stole trade secrets related to formulations for bisphenol-A-free coatings. She was found guilty following an April jury trial of conspiracy to steal trade secrets, economic espionage, and wire fraud." The Kingsport (TN) Times-News (4/22, Lane, 103K) reports from Greenville, Tennessee that Dr. You, "also known as Shannon You, 59, of Lansing, Michigan, was convicted of conspiracy to commit economic espionage, conspiracy to steal trade secrets, possession of stolen trade secrets, economic espionage and wire fraud. You is scheduled for sentencing Nov 1." According to the Times-News, "The trade secrets stolen belonged to multiple owners and cost an estimated $119,600,000 to develop, according to a press release from the U.S. EFTA00150523 Attorney's Office. According to court records, the stolen information was related to formulations for bisphenol-A-free, or BPA-free, coatings." WATE-TV Knoxville, TN (4/22, Holder, 157K) reports, "The stolen trade secrets belonged to major chemical and coating companies including Akzo-Nobel, BASF, Dow Chemical, PPG, Toyochem, Sherwin Williams, and Eastman Chemical company, and cost nearly $120,000,000 to develop." WATE-TV adds, "You stole the trade secrets for the purpose of establishing the manufacturer in China with a Chinese chemical company called the Weihai Jinhong Group." WBIR-TV Knoxville, TN (4/22, Salvemini, 269K) reports, "Officials said that because of education and experience with BPA-free technologies, she was one of a limited number of Coca- Cola employees with access to the trade secrets around the technologies." WBIR-TV adds, "Witnesses at a 12-day trial in Greeneville said that developing the alternatives was an expensive process. Officials said that Dr. You also had access to the trade secrets from September 2017 through June 2018 as a packaging application development manager for Eastman Chemical Company in Kingsport." Also reporting are Law360 (4/22, Subscription Publication, 9K) and WJHL-TV Johnson City, TN (4/22, Teague, 158K). NIH: Hundreds Of US Scientists Feared Compromised By China. The Washington Times (4/22, Lovelace, 626K) reports, "More than 500 federally funded scientists are under investigation for being compromised by China and other foreign powers, the National Institutes of Health revealed Thursday." The Times adds, "The federal health officials told a Senate committee that they are fighting to keep up with large-scale Chinese efforts to corrupt American researchers and steal intellectual property that scientists hope will lead to biomedical advances." The NIH "has contacted more than 90 institutions about more than 200 scientists they're concerned about, said Dr. Michael S. Lauer, NIH deputy director for extramural research," but "the investigations' workload is weighing down the nation's top medical research agency, and new cases are turning up constantly across the government," the Times reports. Alabama A&M Closing Confucius Institute. Alabama Live (4/22, 497K) reports Alabama A&M University's executive committee has "voted to close the Confucius Institute at the university after notification from the federal government that it could lose eligibility for some federal funds." Congressman Mo Brooks of Huntsville "applauded the decision and urged Troy University, which also has a Confucius Institute, to do the same." Troy University "said no decision has been made." An April 6 letter from the Under Secretary of Defense to Alabama A&M President Andrew Hugine Jr., "said the Defense Department would not provide grants, contracts, or other funds to universities hosting Confucius Institutes, which are based in China." MTA Pulls Security Cameras From Subway Due To Links To Chinese Facial Recognition Company. The New York Daily News (4/22, Guse, 2.51M) reports the MTA on Thursday "abruptly halted a program to test new security cameras on subway cars - a day after the Daily News raised questions about the ties the company providing the technology has to a Chinese firm that specializes in facial recognition technology." Transit managers last week "sent a memo to subway crews alerting them of new video cameras installed on a four-car G line train." But the vendor contracted "to provide the system's technology - Suzhou Huaqi Intelligent Technology — raised major security flags that prompted officials to suddenly pull the camera-filled train from service on Thursday." Haines: Climate Must Be At "Center" Of Security Policy. In remarks delivered at the first day of the White House virtual climate summit, The Hill (4/22, Schnell, 5.69M) reports DNI Haines "said that climate change must be 'at the center' of EFTA00150524 countries' national security and foreign policy to address the issue properly." Haines said, "To address climate change properly, it must be at the center of a country's national security and foreign policy, and as such it needs to be fully integrated with every aspect of our analysis in order to allow us not only to monitor the threat but also critically think to ensure that policymakers understand the implication of climate change on seemingly unrelated policies, and then identifying opportunities to mitigate the challenge that we face." CBS News (4/22, Gazis, 5.39M) reports that Haines "noted the U.S. intelligence community's initial focus on climate change dated back several decades, when the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) first offered scientists access to classified information and asked them to review satellite images of environmental changes on the continents." She added, "Ever since, our services have been raising increasing alarms about the impact that climate change has, across every aspect of our work, as geophysical features of the earth are being reshaped — whether through the changing boundary lines of the tropics or the shrinking sea ice, centrally in the Arctic." Huffington Post (4/22, Visser) reports that Haines "added that as director of national intelligence, she intended to make climate action 'a whole of government effort, working not just to protect national security for America but to protect human security around the world." Republicans Offer COVID-19 Origin Act Amid Concerns About Possible Link Between Pandemic, Wuhan Lab. The Washington Times (4/22, Blake, 626K) reports, "Republican senators introduced legislation Thursday requiring the US government to declassify any information about potential links between the coronavirus pandemic and a Chinese laboratory." These senators "proposed the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2021 amid lingering questions involving the provenance of the pandemic more than a year since it started." The piece adds, "If successful, their bill would compel the DNI, currently Avril Haines, to declassify 'any and all information' involving potential links between the lab and virus." Fox News (4/22, Conklin, 23.99M) reports Sens. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Mike Braun (R- IN) "introduced the bill to declassify intelligence related to COVID-19 origins." Hawley said in a Thursday statement, "For over a year, anyone asking questions about the Wuhan Institute of Virology has been branded as a conspiracy theorist. The world needs to know if this pandemic was the product of negligence at the Wuhan lab but the CCP has done everything it can to block a credible investigation." He added that the "Eiden Administration must declassify what it knows about the Wuhan lab and Beijing's attempts to cover up the origin of the pandemic." Jordan Releases 16 Allegedly Involved In Sedition Plot. The Los Angeles Times (4/22, 3.37M) reports more than a dozen alleged plotters "were freed over their involvement in a royal feud between King Abdullah II and his half-brother and onetime crown prince, Prince Hamzah." The 16 detainees, "many of them members of Prince Hamzah's staff or his circle of friends from Jordan's powerful tribes, had been captured in a blitz operation involving multiple strike teams dispatched across the kingdom." The release had come "after families of the accused petitioned the palace for forgiveness." UK's MI5 Joins Instagram. Forbes (4/22, Hart, 10.33M) reports Britain's secretive domestic intelligence service, known as MI5, "joined Instagram Thursday in a bid to boost transparency, bust myths and appeal to a more diverse range of recruits, something the agency's director said will need to be balanced against the need to operate in the shadows." Ken McCallum, the agency's head, "said 'being more open' is critical to MI5's approach to the 2020s but that does not mean the organization will 'become an open book." MI5 intends to use the account to "debunk popular myths about the agency, promote career opportunities, highlight historical exhibits from its museum and EFTA00150525 host Q&As with its officers." The agency's first post, "an image of its London headquarters, said the secret to successful spying is to 'consider all angles. It'll give you a better view." CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS Wright Laid To Rest. NBC Nightly NewsVI (4/22, story 3, 1:40, Holt, 4.83M) reported that the family of Daunte Wright laid him to rest on Thursday, He was "remembered as a former high school star athlete who always made people laugh and as the doting father of toddler Daunte Jr." His mother Katie Wright said, "He was loved by so many. He's going to be so missed." The AP (4/22) reports Al Sharpton spoke at the funeral, and his eulogy "included a stinging rebuke of the possibility that Wright was pulled over for having air fresheners dangling from his mirror." Katie Wright "said her son called her after he was stopped and told her that was the reason," but the police challenge the claim. The Minneapolis Star Tribune (4/22, 855K) reports Sharpton said in his remarks, "We came to bury the prince of Brooklyn Center. We came from all over the country because you hurt one of our princes. You thought he was just some kid with an air freshener. He was a prince. All of Minneapolis has stopped today to honor the prince of Brooklyn Center." USA Today (4/22, Miller, Yancey-Bragg, Ortiz, 12.7M) reports that hundreds of mourners "were inside Shiloh International Ministries for the service, 11 days after Wright's death in nearby Brooklyn Center and two days after the police officer who killed George Floyd last May was convicted of murder in a Minneapolis courtroom." Reuters (4/22) reports Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) attended the funeral. The CBS Evening NewsVi (4/22, story 3, 2:05, O'Donnell, 3.71M) reported Wright "was stopped for an expired tag and found to have an outstanding misdemeanor warrant, when former officer Kim Potter jumped in to assist the arrest, she grabbed her gun instead of a taser, firing the fatal shot." ABC World News TonightVi (4/22, story 2, 1:15, Muir, 6.07M) reported Potter "was charged with second degree manslaughter and is scheduled to appear in court again next month." The New York Times (4/22, Bogel-Burroughs, 20.6M) and the Washington Post (4/22, Bellware, 10.52M) provide additional coverage of the funeral. Columbus Police Face Growing Criticism Over Bryant Shooting. NBC Nightly NewsVi (4/22, story 5, 2:10, Holt, 4.83M) reported that the Columbus, Ohio, Police Department is facing growing furor over the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant, who was shot and killed this week. Police Officer Nicolas Reardon "was placed on administrative leave pending this investigation," but the latest incident is fueling a groundswell of anger "felt by communities across the nation who are calling for police reform." The Washington Post (4/22, Ludlow, Firozi, Fahrenthold, Hawkins, 10.52M) reports Bryant "was fatally shot by a Columbus police officer responding to a call for help at her foster home in the city's southeast." The city has released the body camera footage, which "shows Bryant swinging what appears to be a knife at two people during an altercation outside the property before an officer arrives and fires four shots at her torso." Christy E. Lopez writes in the Washington Post (4/22, 10.52M) that to end the "cycle of traumatic police violence, we have to recognize that we have turned policing into an impossible endeavor - one that underprotects communities even as it needlessly provokes conflict. It is not realistic, and perhaps not even reasonable, to expect that police will ever be able to carry out the multiple, often conflicting tasks we've given them in a manner that is consistently lawful, ethical and effective." WSJoumal: Administration Heeds Politics Over Facts Regarding Recent Police Shootings. The Wall Street Journal (4/22, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) criticizes EFTA00150526 President Biden and his staff, such as White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, who have repeatedly taken to commenting on recent police shootings before authorities had the opportunity to confirm what has happened. The Journal refers to Psaki's decision to label the shooting of Bryant as a racist incident as well as Biden's decision to generalize the issue of systemic racism as an issue within every police department in the US. Authorities Believe Remains Found Are Those Of Missing Pennsylvania Amish Teen. The AP (4/22) reports from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, "Authorities strongly believe that remains found a day earlier in a grave along railroad tracks in southern Pennsylvania are those of a young Amish woman who disappeared last summer, a county prosecutor said Thursday." Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams "told a news conference that a coroner has not made a positive forensic identification," but, "Adams said, the remains appear to be those of a female of the same age as 18-year-old Linda Stoltzfoos, and were buried with a dress, bonnet and shoes like those Stoltzfoos wore the day she disappeared. She was last seen walking home from church in the Bird-in-Hand area on June 21, 2020." Justo Smoker, 35, of Paradise, "was charged with homicide in December and a county judge ruled in March that there was enough evidence for a homicide trial. Smoker was initially arrested in August, and also faces charges of kidnapping and false imprisonment." WGAL-TV Lancaster, PA (4/22, 177K) reports, "The remains were recovered Wednesday in Gap behind the previous place of employment of" Smoker, and "an autopsy is scheduled for Friday to help confirm the identity and determine the cause and manner of death, but a preliminary review indicates the remains are those of a female of a relevant age. Investigators also found a dress, bonnet and shoes consistent with the clothing worn by Stoltzfoos on the day she disappeared." Police "believe Smoker killed Stoltzfoos within hours of allegedly kidnapping her on June 21 and buried her behind a business on Harvest Drive in Ronks, where investigators found her stockings and bra. It's believed that Smoker then moved the body several days later." The LNP Media (PA) (4/22, Nephin, 77K) reports, "The Stoltzfoos family has not spoken publicly throughout the case and remained silent on Wednesday and Thursday as the news of the teen's recovery spread." LNP Media adds, "Stoltzfoos' body will likely be released to the family Friday, after an autopsy to determine cause and manner of death is completed, Dr. Stephen Diamantoni, the Lancaster County Coroner, said Thursday." Virginia Man Pleads Guilty In Cross Burning That Targeted Black Teen. The AP (4/22) reports from Abingdon, Virginia, "A southwest Virginia man pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal offense in connection with the burning of a cross last summer on the front lawn of a Black teenager who had recently organized a civil rights protest." James Brown, 41, of Marion, Virginia "will remain free on bond until his sentencing in August on one count of criminal interference with federally protected housing rights based upon the victim's race, according to court records. Federal prosecutors said Brown admitted to burning the cross to two witnesses and also was known to use racial epithets when referring to the African-American family, who court documents describe as his neighbors." The Washington Post (4/22, Duggan, 10.52M) reports, "The incident occurred June 14 in Marion, Va., near the Tennessee border. Authorities said James Brown, now 41, covered a wooden cross in cloth, doused it with a flame accelerant, placed it in a barrel and set it on fire. 'There is absolutely no room for racial intimidation or injustice occurring in our communities,' Stanley M. Meador, special agent in charge of the FBI's Richmond Division, said in a statement Thursday after Brown appeared in U.S. District Court in Abingdon." The Bristol (VA) Herald Courier (4/22, Sorrell) reports, "Brown admitted to burning the cross to two witnesses and also was known to use racial epithets when referring to the African- American family, prosecutors said." EFTA00150527 Colorado Grocery Store Gunman Charged With Another 43 Counts. Fox News (4/22, Conklin, 23.99M) reports, "Colorado prosecutors have charged the man who fatally shot 10 people at a Boulder grocery store on March 22 with an additional 44 counts of attempted murder, weapons and assault charges." Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 21, "was initially facing 10 counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder when he was apprehended on March 23; he now faces 54 total charges. The additional charges include 32 additional counts of attempted first-degree murder, 10 counts of unlawful use of a high-capacity magazine and one count of first-degree assault, according to a motion filed Wednesday in Boulder County District Court." Alissa "had bought a Ruger AR-556 pistol, which resembles an AR-15 rifle, six days before killing the 10 victims, including Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley. He passed a background check conducted by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation." Kristin Smart's Parents Sue Father Who Is Accused Of Hiding Her Body. The AP (4/22, Melley) reports from Los Angeles, "The parents of missing California college student Kristin Smart on Thursday sued the father of the man charged with killing their daughter nearly 25 years ago." The AP adds, "The lawsuit filed in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court said Smart's body was buried in Ruben Flores's backyard and he moved the body "under cover of darkness" to another location a few days after investigators searched his property in February 2020." Ruben Flores, 80, "pleaded not guilty to accessory after murder on Monday and his son, Paul Flores, 44, pleaded not guilty to murder. The father and son were arrested last week after investigators said they found 'biological evidence' indicating Smart had been buried under Ruben Flores' deck behind his home in nearby Arroyo Grande and was recently moved, according to a court document." Suspect In Smart Killing Was Previously Suspected In 2007 Rape Allegation. NBC News (4/22, Blankstein, 4.91M) reports, "A man charged with murder in the death of Kristin Smart, a California college student who vanished walking home from a party in 1996, was investigated in the alleged rape of a woman in Southern California a decade after Smart's disappearance." Paul R. Flores, "now 44, became the subject of the investigation in 2012 when his DNA profile matched a profile collected from the woman, who was given a forensic examination at a hospital the morning after the alleged January 2007 assault, according to a report from the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office. But the alleged incident was never prosecuted. The woman said she blacked out at a bar in Redondo Beach and later woke up naked and disoriented in a stranger's bed." Reuters Source: Gaetz's Complaints About Iran Hostage Scheme Will Not Distract FBI Probe. Reuters (4/22, Hosenball) reports, "A federal investigation into whether U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz trafficked a minor for sex will not be derailed by his assertion that a veteran asked his father for money to pay for the release of an American held by Iran, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation said." Reuters adds, "Investigators believe the purported scheme to free Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran in 2007, lacked credibility, the source said. Another U.S. official familiar with the case noted that Levinson's family in March 2020 publicly accepted U.S. government assessments that he died in Iranian custody." Federal investigators "are examining the purported attempt while separately also looking into whether Gaetz, a Florida Republican, may have violated sex trafficking laws by paying travel expenses for a 17-year-old female, the law enforcement source said. 'One has nothing to do with the other,' the source said." FBI Probe Nets Two Arrests For Identity Theft Trafficking In Tennessee. WVLT-TV Knoxville, TN (4/22) reports from Knoxville, Tennessee, "Two people were arrested in Knoxville and accused of identity theft after officers discovered numerous fraudulent debit, credit and gift cards." WVLT-TV adds, "Officers conducted a search warrant at the home of 36- EFTA00150528 year-old Jessica Sanchez who had been arrested on Tuesday for driving a vehicle that was reported stolen out of California." Police said Sanchez "was in possession of numerous debit, credit and gift cards. Five of the prepaid debit cards were verified fraudulent. Police said they swiped the cards through a card reader which showed the information from the magnetic strip was different than the information printed on the c