EFTA00149760.pdf

From: "Bulletin Intelligence" <FBI@BulletinIntelligence.com> To: "FBI@BulletinIntelligence.com" <FBI@BulletinIntelligence.com> Subject: [EXTERNAL EMAIL] - FBI Public Affairs News Briefing Monday, April 26, 2021 Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2021 10:27:35 +0000 Importanc Normal e: Mobile version and searchable archives available at fbi.bulletinintelligence.com. L'; 1 B1 News Briefing TO: THE DIRECTOR AND SENIOR STAFF DATE: MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2021 6:30 AM EDT TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS LEADING THE NEWS • Garland Signals More Investigations Into Local Police Departments Will Be Forthcoming. CAPITOL VIOLENCE NEWS • FBI Using Facial Recognition, Undercover Operations To Arrest Capitol Rioters. • Growing Number Of Those Arrested In Capitol Siege Probe Have Military, Law Enforcement, Or Government Ties. • Two Kansas Women Charged In Capitol Riot Probe. • FBI Arrests Man Who Boasted On Dating App Of Storming Capitol. • Texas Couple Charged With Assaulting Officers During Capitol Siege. • CNN Examines "Under-The-Radar" Case In Capitol Siege Probe. • California Man Charged With Injuring Officer During Capitol Siege. • Third Proud Boys Member Is Arrested In Capitol Siege Probe. • Capitol Siege Probes Zero In On Oath Keepers. • Judge Refuses To Release New Jersey Man Charged In Capitol Siege Probe. • Defense Contractor Employee Faces Charged In Capitol Riot Probe. • Capitol Police Officer Testifies At Trial Over Alleged Threats To Lawmakers. • Democrats Seek To Keep Capitol Siege In Public Spotlight. PROTESTS • Judge Sets Chauvin Sentencing For June 16. COUNTER-TERRORISM • New York Man Pleads Guilty To Terrorism Charge. • Virginia Man Arrested For Making Bomb Threats. • DOJ, FBI Pressured To Release 9/11 Links To Saudi Arabia. • French Authorities Detain Fourth Person In Terrorism Investigation After Fatal Police Stabbing. • Afghanistan Withdrawal Raises Questions About Guantanamo's Future. COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE • Michigan Chemist Convicted Of Stealing Trade Secrets For Chinese Company. • NBC News Analysis: Trump's Beefs With US Intel Community Simmer On Among His House Allies. EFTA00149760 • New Zealand Denies Five Eyes Alliance At Risk. • Indonesian Intelligence Official Killed In Papua. • US Airstrikes, Surveillance In Afghanistan May Be Maintained After Withdrawal. • Kash Patel Pushes Back Against Ignatius Column On Leaking Classified Information. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS • Prosecutors Investigating 2018 Gaetz Trip To Bahamas. • Maxwell Pleads Not Guilty To Sex Trafficking Charges. • Decision On Releasing Body Camera Footage In North Carolina Case Could Come Monday. • Recordings Detail How Bryant Shooting Unfolded. • Judge Orders Manslaughter Case In Fatal Police Shooting Of Ghaisar Be Heard In Federal Court. • WPost Analysis: Despite Backlash Following Black Man's Death, There Have Been Calls For Greater Police Presence In DC Neighborhood. • Man Throws Acid On New York Woman Of Pakistani Descent. • Chinese American Man Attacked In NYC. • FBI Probing Hate Messages At Minnesota Mosque. • Iowa Woman Who Struck Children With Vehicle "Because She Thought They Were Of Middle Eastern, African Or Mexican Descent" Pleads Guilty. • Person Interrupts Racial Equity Group Meeting With Racist Slurs. • Whitmer Kidnap Plot Link Emerges In Threat Case Against New York Man. • Expert Testifies To Mental Health Report On Alleged Maryland Newspaper Gunman. • Massachusetts Man Found Not Guilty To Reason Of Insanity In Fatal Stabbing On Appalachian Trail In Virginia. • Federal Prosecutors Fight Bail Request Of Former NYPD Officer Charged In Murder-For-Hire Plot. • Former Arkansas Officer Sentenced For Theft Of Drug Money. • San Jose State Whistleblower Sues University Over Handling Of Sex Abuse Scandal. • FBI, NCMEC Ask For Help In Search For Texas Teen. • Florida Sheriff's Office Working With FBI On Case From 1994. • Michigan Man Sentenced For Child Sex Crimes After Two years On Run. • Pennsylvania Woman Sentenced For Sex Trafficking. • Virginia Man Pleads Guilty To Distributing Child Pornography. • North Carolina Man Sentenced For Receiving Child Pornography. FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS • FirstEnergy Reportedly In Talks On Deferred Prosecution Agreement. • Cuomo's Office Will Not Reveal What It Told DO) About Nursing Home Outbreaks. • Judge Dismisses Bid To Drop Corruption Charges Against Former Arkansas Lawmaker. • Ex-South Carolina Sheriff, Deputies Convicted Of Corruption Conspiracy. • Federal Investigators Probing Alleged Problems With New York Bridge Cable Armor. • Concerns Raised About Tennessee Prison Contract. • Retired Cleveland Police Sergeant Charged With Tax Violations Involving His Security Business. CYBER DIVISION • Bipartisan Senate Bill Aims To Protect Critical Infrastructure Against Cyberattack. • Florida Company Managing Millions Of IP Addresses Previously Owned By Military. • U Of Georgia Grad Student Charged With Cyberstalking, Extorting Massachusetts Woman. • Neuberger Says Actions Taken Unlikely To Deter Russia From New Cyberattacks. • White House Cyber Director Nominee Seeks Closer Ties To Private Sector. • Opinion: US Must Improve Defenses In Era Of Cyber Espionage. • Malware Blamed For Extended Outages At Budget Airlines. EFTA00149761 • FBI Investigating Rwandan Diplomat For Zoom "Intrusion" On Dissident St. Mary's University. • FBI Warns About Scams As People Seek New Jobs. • Sextortion, Cyber-Crimes, And Cyberstalking Increasing. • Ransomware Gang Demanding $50M For Apple Watch And MacBook Pro Blueprints. • CIO Sherman Says DOD Zero-trust Strategy Will Be Implemented In 2021. • UK Cyber Spy Chief Says Emerging Quantum Computing Poses Risks From Adversaries. LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES • FBI: New Hampshire Residents Have Been Scammed Out Of Nearly $90K. • Washington State Attempting To Reduce Police Shootings Via Training. • Harris Says Senate Must "Work Together" To Reach Police Reform Agreement. • Advocates Press Biden To End Death Penalty. • WPost Criticizes SCOTUS Ruling On Sentencing For Young Offenders. • Harris Calls For Congressional Action On Gun Control. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS • Swiss Court Convicts German Financier In Fraud Case. OTHER FBI NEWS • FBI Names New Northwest Florida SAC. • Continuing Coverage: Rep. Wenstrup Seeks FBI Review Of Decision Labeling 2017 Congressional Shooting "Suicide By Cop." OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS • US Officials Warn Vaccine Hesitancy Poses Threat To Herd Immunity. • Fauci Says CDC Likely To Update Mask Guidance Soon. • Michigan Sees Younger Patients Filling Up COVID Wards. • Scientists Detect P.1 Variant In Dallas. • CDC Updates Summer Camp Guidance. • Californians Confront Mixing Of Vaccinated And Unvaccinated. • Exacerbated By Pandemic, Ambulance Services In Rural America Running Out Of Money, Volunteers. • Academy Awards Took Place In Person Despite Pandemic. • Journalist Calls On Administration To Issue Emergency Standard To Protect Workers. • White House Set To Unveil "American Families" Plan Ahead Of Biden's Address To Congress. • Capito And Manchin Cite Progress In Infrastructure Talks. • As Companies Prepare To Bring Workers Back, Almost Half Prefer To Continue Remote Work. • Supreme Court To Hear Student First Amendment Case. • Schumer Sees August Deadline For Passing Election Reform Legislation. • WPost Analysis: FEMA "Has Grown Dramatically More Restrictive" With Aid. • SCOTUS To Hear Arguments On California Requirement That Nonprofits Disclose Donors. • Trump Organization CFO Says "Legal Side" Of Money Flow Is "Not My Thing." • Harris Says She Cannot Get To Central America "Soon Enough." • WSJournal Says Senate Democrats Ignoring Discriminative Admission Policies. INTERNATIONAL NEWS • Harris To Make Case For UN To Begin Preparing For Next Pandemic. • US Promises To Provide India With New Aid As Country Reaches New Daily COVID Case Record. • EU To Let Vaccinated Americans Visit This Summer. • "Severely Strained" Ontario Hospitals Taking "Unprecedented" Measures As COVID Cases Surge. • Venezuela's Wealthy, Poor Have Different Pandemic Experiences. • WSJournal Analysis: Climate Change Goals Will Require Economic Sacrifice. EFTA00149762 • WPost: Nicaraguan Democrats Deserve Better Support From The US. • Harris Says Biden Relied On Her When Making Afghanistan Withdrawal Decision. • Turkish Government Condemns US Recognition Of Armenian Genocide. • Report: Biden And Putin Could Meet In June. • Navalny Allies Continue To Protest Despite Threat Of New Charges. • French Authorities Claim Police Murderer Is A Radicalized Islamist. • Iraqi Hospital Fire Leaves 82 Dead. • Leaked Audio Shows Iranian Foreign Minister Criticizing Revolutionary Guard. • Israeli Police Struggle To Maintain Peace In Jerusalem As Tensions Rise. • Somali Capital Rocked By Violence Amid Political Standoff. THE BIG PICTURE • Headlines From Today's Front Pages. WASHINGTON'S SCHEDULE • Today's Events In Washington. LEADING THE NEWS Garland Signals More Investigations Into Local Police Departments Will Be Forthcoming. The Wall Street Journal (4/23, Gurman, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) reports Attorney General Garland on Friday informed leaders of the country's biggest law-enforcement organizations that a probe into the Minneapolis Police Department won't be the final extensive civil-rights investigation concerning a local department that the Justice Department means to commence. Garland's meeting with the organizations marked the first of what he indicated is going to be numerous interactions between leading Justice Department officials and law enforcement as the Justice Department embarks upon a bold civil-rights agenda. Poll: Majority Of Americans Support Increased Scrutiny Of Law Enforcement. The Washington Post (4/23, Clement, Guskin, 10.52M) reports, "Six in 10 Americans say the country should do more to hold police accountable for mistreatment of Black people, far outpacing concerns about those measures interfering with how law enforcement does its job, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll." The nationwide poll additionally discovers that worries regarding "treatment of Black Americans and other minorities by the criminal justice system - which spiked last summer amid national protests after George Floyd's killing - have eased slightly since then." However, those worries continue to be "at the highest point in previous surveys dating back to 1988." CAPITOL VIOLENCE NEWS FBI Using Facial Recognition, Undercover Operations To Arrest Capitol Rioters. The Washington Times (4/25, Scarborough, 626K) reports, "The number of U.S. Capitol invaders charged with crimes has topped 400, Justice Department records show, and in a recent case the FBI disclosed new twists in identifying and ensnaring a suspect." The Times adds, "A Washington Times review of scores of law enforcement affidavits justifying an arrest show this pattern: Agents examine thousands of videos and photos taken inside the Capitol on Jan. 6. In old-school detective work, officers pick out a target and compare Capitol images to online posts from that day or previous days based on tips from the invaders' friends, co- workers and even family. To seal the deal, FBI agents openly approach the suspect in a phone call or home visit. The targets in many cases readily admit to their actions. It is difficult to deny wronging when caught on camera." EFTA00149763  McCarthy Defends Trump's Response To Capitol Riot. The Washington Post (4/25, Wang, Sotomayor, 10.52M) reports House Minority Leader McCarthy "continued to defend former president Donald Trump's response to the Jan. 6 insurrection, claiming in an interview Sunday that Trump was unaware the U.S. Capitol was being stormed until McCarthy called and urged him to tell his supporters to stop." McCarthy told Fox News Sunday, "I was the first person to contact him when the riot was going on. ... He didn't see it, but he ended the call...telling me he'll put something out to make sure to stop this. And that's what he did. He put a video out later." McCarthy also "denied that Trump has called him since to direct him not to discuss their Jan. 6 phone call with investigators." The New York Times (4/25, Leibovich, 20.6M) says that "nearly four months after Jan. 6, Mr. McCarthy continues to defend his support for Mr. Trump's bogus assertions that the election was stolen from him. Friends say that he knows better and is as exasperated by Mr. Trump's behavior as other top Republicans, but that he has made the calculation that the former president's support is essential for his ambitions to become speaker after the 2022 elections, when Republicans have a decent chance to win back the House." Growing Number Of Those Arrested In Capitol Siege Probe Have Military, Law Enforcement, Or Government Ties. ABC News (4/23, Rubin, 2.44M) reports, "As authorities investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol continue to pore over images and video of the riot, they've encountered a distressing trend: A growing number of alleged perpetrators had previously served their country." ABC News adds, "At least 52 active or retired military, law enforcement, or government service employees are among the over 400 suspects arrested for their alleged actions at the Capitol, according to an ABC News investigation based on military records, court records, interviews, and publicly available news reports. The arrests include over half a dozen ex-police officers and multiple former elected officials - and represent some of the most significant and violent charges brought in connection with the deadly insurrection." Two Kansas Women Charged In Capitol Riot Probe. The AP (4/25) reports from Kansas City, Missouri, "Two Kansas women arrested in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol told the FBI they expected to participate in a peaceful protest supporting former President Donald Trump that day." The AP adds, "Court records show that Jennifer Ruth Parks and Esther Schwemmer were both arrested Friday. An affidavit filed in Parks' case describes how the two women entered the U.S. Capitol after protesters broke into the building and remained inside for 30 minutes to an hour. Parks is charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building without lawful authority, but the charges against Schwemmer had not been released as of Sunday. 'Parks believed she was attending a peaceful rally in support of President Donald Trump,' an FBI agent wrote." FBI Arrests Man Who Boasted On Dating App Of Storming Capitol. CNN (4/23, Cohen, 89.21M) reports, "The Justice Department has charged a Capitol rioter who was turned in by someone he matched with on the dating app Bumble, after he bragged about his exploits on January 6." CNN adds, "According to court documents, one week after the attack, Robert Chapman of New York told one of his Bumble matches that 'I did storm the Capitol' and said that he 'made it all the way into Statuary Hall.' He also claimed that he was interviewed by members of the media. The other Bumble user replied, 'we are not a match.' Prosecutors said the user then quickly reached out to the FBI and provided screenshots of the conversation." The Washington Post (4/23, Shepherd, 10.52M) reports, "Thanks to the tip, Chapman was arrested by the FBI on Thursday and charged with trespassing at the U.S. Capitol and disrupting official government operations by allegedly participating in the deadly riot. Chapman had also bragged on Facebook about being in the insurrection, the FBI said — and even changed EFTA00149764 his profile picture to a selfie in the riot." Chapman is "not the first accused of talking about his participation on a dating app. A little more than a week after the insurrection, apps including Bumble, Tinder and Match began banning users who shared images from the riot. Some online sleuths also swiped through the apps looking for people who said they had stormed the Capitol, documented the incriminating admissions and photos and then forwarding the evidence to the FBI." Texas Couple Charged With Assaulting Officers During Capitol Siege. The Dallas Morning News (4/23, Scudder, 772K) reports, "A North Texas couple who allegedly assaulted police officers with their hands during the Jan. 6 insurrection and siege of the U.S. Capitol were arrested this week and charged in federal court, authorities said." Mark and Jalise Middleton of Forestburg, Texas "were captured on video and in photographs participating in the riot, the FBI says in a federal criminal complaint. They were arrested Wednesday and released Thursday from the Collin County jail, according to jail records. The married couple are charged with assault of a law enforcement officer, interference with a law enforcement officer during civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, unlawful entry on restricted grounds, and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds." They "are the 21st and 22nd North Texans to be arrested in connection with the insurrection by the FBI's Dallas division." The Gainesville (TX) Daily Register (4/23) reports, "Mark Middleton was seen on police body cameras wearing a Trump beanie while pushing against the barricades and the police line with his body. As officers repeatedly ordered Mark Middleton and other rioters to 'get back; Mark Middleton was heard yelling `expletive you!' as he continued to push against the barricade, court records show. He also reportedly grabbed an officer's hand or wrist and pulled the officer forward. At the same time, Jalise Middleton reportedly grabbed and striked the same officer over the barricade with her hand. She, too, was wearing a Trump beanie, officials said." CNN Examines "Under-The-Radar" Case In Capitol Siege Probe. CNN (4/23, Polantz, Cohen, Rabinowitz, 89.21M) reports, "The Justice Department has built out one of its most gripping and complex investigations to date from the January 6 insurrection in a court case which has gotten far less attention than others about at least five rioters who dragged and beat police with flag poles and a crutch on the US Capitol steps. `Every time I look at these videos, it just chokes me up,' federal Judge Emmet Sullivan said at a recent court hearing." Judge Sullivan "was reacting to harrowing footage of three police officers wading into the crowd to save a proTrump rioter who was trampled - with the police only to be stripped of their protective gear by other members of the mob, dragged and attacked with crutches, flagpoles, batons and bare hands. This grisly assault is at the center of a major criminal case that has become a focal point among Capitol riot court proceedings in recent weeks." California Man Charged With Injuring Officer During Capitol Siege. The Los Angeles Times (4/23, Winton, 3.37M) reports, "A 61-year-old Westminster man was arrested at his home early Friday on charges that he was involved in a violent confrontation with a police officer who suffered head injuries during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, authorities said." Kevin Galetto, "a conservative activist and engineer, was taken into custody by FBI agents about 6 a.m. at his Orange County home and a search was conducted of the premises, said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller. Galetto is charged with assaulting a police officer, obstruction of law enforcement, obstruction of justice and knowingly entering a restricted building and committing physical violence, according to court documents." KCAL-TV Los Angeles (4/23) reports, "Galetto was arrested just after 6 a.m. while federal agents executed a search warrant at his home, according to FBI Supervisory Special Agent Jason Dalton. Officer body cams captured images of a man later identified by Customs and Border Protection as Galetto on the day of the Jan. 6 attack on the capitol. Federal prosecutors say Galetto was one of the first Trump supporters to enter the Lower West Terrace tunnel EFTA00149765 entrance to the capitol building, and was recorded pushing against officers' riot shields, losing his black Trump baseball cap in the process." Third Proud Boys Member Is Arrested In Capitol Siege Probe. The Hill (4/23, Axelrod, 5.69M) reported, "A third member of the far-right Proud Boys group was arrested" last week "on conspiracy charges related to his role in the Jan. 6 riot on Capitol Hill." The Justice Department "announced Friday that it arrested Matthew Greene, 33, of Syracuse, N.Y., and that he made his first appearance in court Wednesday. The arrest comes months after two other New York Proud Boys members, Dominic Pezzola, 43, of Rochester and William Pepe, 31, of Beacon, were arrested on conspiracy charges. In addition to other crimes, all three men are charged with conspiracy to obstruct, influence and impede an official proceeding and conspiracy to obstruct, influence, impede and interfere with law enforcement officers who were responding to the riot at the Capitol." Capitol Siege Probes Zero In On Oath Keepers. The Hill (4/25, Neidig, Beitsch, 5.69M) reports, "Federal prosecutors appear to be zeroing in on the Oath Keepers following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, making the paramilitary group a priority among the more than 400 people facing criminal charges over the rampage." The Hill adds, "A dozen co-defendants reportedly affiliated with the right-wing militia organization are facing conspiracy and other charges over their alleged roles in the storming of the Capitol. Last week, another member of the Oath Keepers, Jon Ryan Schaffer, became the first defendant following Jan. 6 to plead guilty and agree to cooperate with law enforcement." According to The Hill, "Legal experts believe that cooperation will be essential for federal prosecutors to build upon their cases against other members who are facing charges or go after bigger fish who may have played a role in instigating the mayhem." Judge Refuses To Release New Jersey Man Charged In Capitol Siege Probe. The Burlington County (NJ) Times (4/23, Comstock, 56K) reports that US District Judge Royce Lamberth in Washington, DC "refused Friday to release a Sussex County man accused of storming the U.S. Capitol and assaulting a police officer during the Jan. 6 riots that sought to keep former President Donald Trump in power." Judge Lamberth "rejected the defense's portrayal of Scott Fairlamb, the son of a deceased New Jersey state trooper and brother of a Secret Service agent, as a family man whose actions during the Capitol Hill melee had been misconstrued. Instead, the judge sided with federal prosecutors who described the 44-year-old from Hardyston as a violent conspiracy theorist and pointed to videos that captured him assaulting and screaming at cops outside the Capitol." Defense Contractor Employee Faces Charged In Capitol Riot Probe. The AP (4/23) reports from Albuquerque, New Mexico, "A Santa Fe man who works for a defense contractor faces criminal charges for his acknowledged presence inside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot." The AP adds, "Authorities say Matthew Martin, who holds a security clearance, told the FBI in an interview that he had gone to Washington after reading then- President Donald Trump's tweets about election fraud claims and acknowledged he was inside the Capitol building during the attack. The FBI said Martin claimed Capitol guards opened the doors for people to walk into the Capitol rotunda and he later realized that the events at the Capitol were worse than he initially thought." Capitol Police Officer Testifies At Trial Over Alleged Threats To Lawmakers. CBS News (4/24, McDonald, 5.39M) reports, "A U.S. Capitol Police officer testified Friday in a jury trial for a New York man accused of threatening to murder U.S. lawmakers. The officer, Special Agent Christopher Desrosiers, is believed to be the first Capitol police officer to testify in a criminal trial connected to the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6." CBS News adds, "The EFTA00149766 defendant, Brendan Hunt, did not participate in the siege in D.C. but was charged for statements he made online before and after the attacks. A video that prosecutors said he posted on" a video-sharing site "two days after the Capitol riot was titled `KILL YOUR SENATORS' and urged viewers to return to the Capitol with guns to `slaughter' members of Congress. Hunt's trial will center around issues of freedom of speech, as a jury hears arguments to decide whether his alleged online posts amounted to illegal threats against members of Congress." The AP (4/23, Hays) reports that Desrosiers "described for the jury how he was assigned to track the mob violence from nearby command center and was shocked to hear radio chatter of his colleagues `yelling for help.' He testified that his team scrambled to figure out how to evacuate Vice President Mike Pence and lawmakers. But the evacuation was called off when `a sea of backup came and we were able to re-secure the building,' he said." Hunt, 37, "an analyst for the New York court system, has pleaded not guilty to charges alleging, in part, that he called for the killings of lawmakers, including Democratic U.S. Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer." Democrats Seek To Keep Capitol Siege In Public Spotlight. The Hill (4/24, Lillis, 5.69M) reports Democrats "are scrambling to keep the Jan. 6 insurrection in the public eye, pressing Republicans to back a months-long investigation into the deadly rampage that would shine a spotlight on former President Trump's role in the attack." The Hill adds that although "House GOP leaders have endorsed the concept of a bipartisan commission," Republicans are "eager to move beyond discussions of the Capitol siege." PROTESTS Judge Sets Chauvin Sentencing For June 16. The Minneapolis Star Tribune (4/23, Walsh, 855K) reports Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill on Friday scheduled Derek Chauvin "for sentencing on June 16 for the murder of George Floyd last year," and he "ordered that the jurors' identities remain under seal for at least six more months, along with the list of prospective jurors, juror questionnaires and the unredacted verdict forms containing the foreperson's signature." The Star Tribune says Cahill "cited `ubiquitous and omnipresent' news media coverage along with intense public interest in keeping the 14 jurors' identities private," but he "added...jurors have been told they may identify themselves if they wish and speak with whomever they like about their experience." Meanwhile, the New York Times (4/23, Eligon, 20.6M) reports Lisa Christensen, one of the jurors, on Friday "visited the intersection, known as George Floyd Square, for the first time," and left "a colorful bouquet of flowers among the many items memorializing Mr. Floyd and other people killed by the police." According to the Times, "It was in many ways a bookend to a singular experience, a front-row seat to one of the country's most consequential police killing cases. Through 45 witnesses and the arguments of the lawyers, she sat anonymously on the 18th floor of a courthouse in downtown Minneapolis, referred to only as Juror 96." In his Washington Post (4/23, 10.52M) column, Colbert I. King says he was "glad...Chauvin was found guilty of murder in the death of George Floyd. But my reaction was also unsettling. Feelings of relief, thanksgiving and, yes, surprise should not have entered my mind." According to King, "That gruesome video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes was all the evidence needed for a conviction. The prosecution's case was airtight. A jury verdict of anything less than second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter would have been a gross travesty of justice." However, King adds "that in a country that elected Donald Trump as president, injustice is possible. And bad things can and do happen, especially when race is involved." EFTA00149767  Washington Post (4/23, 10.52M) columnist James Hohmann argues that while "there may have been accountability for George Floyd's murder, the criminal justice system remains incapable of solving systemic police violence on its own." However, Hohmann says the outcome of the trial "indisputably offers a template for cultural change: Citizens should speak out when they see wrongdoing and protest, peacefully, for reform. Prosecutors should pursue charges, even when they're harder to prove than in this case. And police leaders should not tolerate misconduct in their ranks." He adds, "Systemic change requires new laws." Maryland Officials To Review Cases Of Former Chief Medical Examiner Who Testified In Chauvin's Defense. The Washington Post (4/23, Davies, Wiggins, 10.52M) reports a spokeswoman for Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D) on Friday announced an investigation into "all deaths in police custody that were overseen by" David Fowler, "the state's former chief medical examiner who testified in Derek Chauvin's defense." The Post adds the spokeswoman "said the office has been in internal discussions about launching a probe for the past couple of weeks and recently reached out to Gov. Larry Hogan's office about how to proceed." WPost: Like Chauvin Case, Probe Of Columbus Police Shooting Should "Proceed Without A Rush To Judgment." In an editorial, the Washington Post (4/23, 10.52M) says that on the same day former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found "guilty of the murder of George Floyd," 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant "was shot and killed by an officer in Columbus, Ohio. She, like Floyd, was Black and both officers are White, and so an immediate connection was made between the two cases." The Post adds that "what happened in Columbus was different from the incident at that now-infamous street corner in Minneapolis - and so it is important that the investigation proceed without a rush to judgment." In his Washington Post (4/23, 10.52M) column, David Von Drehle says of the deadly police shooting of 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant in Columbis, Ohio, "It feels too soon to write because so much remains unknown. We have shards of what was shattered in Columbus, but pieces are missing, and we don't even know which, or how many." Von Drehle adds, "Of Ma'Khia, we have this shard that feels important, though we don't know exactly how or where it fits. She was in foster care. Relatives describe her as an affectionate and loving person with hopes of being restored to her mother's custody. Even so, any path to foster care is traumatic." Poll Shows 75% Say Jury Reached Right Verdict In Chauvin Case. CBS News (4/25, 5.39M) reports on its website that a CBS News/YouGov poll of 2,527 US residents (4/21- 4/24) - found that 75% say "the jury reached the right verdict in which former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder in the death of George Floyd." While the "majority view...spans across all racial, age and partisan groups," 46% of Republicans said the jury reached the wrong verdict. Minnesota AG: "I Was Never Convinced We Were Going To Win." In an interview with CBS' 60 MinutesVi (4/25, 6.38M), Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) was asked if there was a point during the Chauvin trial when he thought Chauvin would be acquitted. Ellison said, "I was never convinced we were going to win this case until we heard the verdict of guilty. I remember what happened in the Rodney King case, when I was a pretty young man, young lawyer, and I remember how devastated I felt when I heard that the jury acquitted those officers. Whenever an officer is charged with an offense, particularly when the victim is a person of color, it's just rare that there is any accountability." The Washington Post (4/25, Iati, Foster-Frau, Bellware, 10.52M) looks at how Minneapolis racial justice activists are moving forward in the wake of the verdict, while USA Today (4/25, Cava, 12.7M) reports that some legal experts are concerned about the increasing tendency - though still rare - to keep the names of jury members secret. COUNTER-TERRORISM New York Man Pleads Guilty To Terrorism Charge. EFTA00149768 Newsday (NY). (4/23, Fuller, 776K) reports that a Commack, New York man "who federal prosecutors said attempted to travel to Syria to wage 'violent jihad' and told investigators that he was 'prepared to strap a bomb on and sacrifice himself' pleaded guilty Friday to a single terrorism count." Elvis Redzepagic, 30, "pleaded guilty during a virtual proceeding in U.S. District Court in Central Islip to attempting to provide material support a foreign terrorist organization. 'I plead guilty,' Redzepagic said, adding: 'I traveled to Turkey and attempted to enter through the Syrian border with the purpose of joining [Jabhat) al-Nusra Front at around June, August 2015.' Prosecutors said Redzepagic traveled to Turkey in July 2015 and to Jordan in 2016 in unsuccessful attempts to enter Syria in order to join either ISIS...or an al-Qaida affiliate called Jabhat al-Nusra." Virginia Man Arrested For Making Bomb Threats. The Washington Post (4/23, Hedgpeth, 10.52M) reports 27-year-old Henock Seyoum Pastoor of Alexandria, Virginia "was arrested Wednesday and charged with making threats to 'bomb or damage buildings' at a Metro stop, according to a statement from Metro Transit Police." Police arrested Pastoor at his home and searched the residence after the suspect referenced a bomb. DO), FBI Pressured To Release 9/11 Links To Saudi Arabia. The Boston Herald (4/23, Dwinell, 327K) reports, "Pressure is building on the FBI and DOJ to unseal documents pinpointing the role of the Saudi government in the September 11 terror attacks as the 20th anniversary of the attacks looms." The Herald adds, "GOP lawmakers in DC — along with a few Democrats - wrote to both U.S. Attorney Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray to finally go public with the intel. It could expose how out of the 19 hijackers that day, 15 of them were citizens of Saudi Arabia. They were all affiliated with al-Qaeda and hijacked four jets killing nearly 3,000 that day. 'We call on the Department of Justice to immediately declassify and publish these reports to the American public,' wrote five House Republicans, led by U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York." French Authorities Detain Fourth Person In Terrorism Investigation After Fatal Police Stabbing. The AP (4/23, Ganley, Euler) reports, "French authorities detained a fourth person Saturday as anti-terrorism investigators questioned three others, seeking to establish a motive and uncover any possible ties to extremism after a police official was fatally stabbed at a police station outside Paris." A New York Times (4/24, Cohen, 20.6M) analysis says the recent stabbing and apparent extremist act is fueling calls among the far right in France to deport more illegal residents in France. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen told the BFM-TV news network that the country's authorities need "to expel hundreds of thousands of illegals in France." She said, "We need to return to reason. Support our police, expel the illegals, eradicate Islamism." Afghanistan Withdrawal Raises Questions About Guantanamo's Future. The Hill (4/25, Kheel, 5.69M) reports President Biden's decision to "fully withdraw from Afghanistan is raising questions about what, if any, effect that will have on the future of the Guantanamo Bay detention center." At least two prisoners who have been "challenging their detention have already updated their complaints to include Biden's withdrawal as a reason they should be released." Steve Vladeck, a University of Texas law professor, said of the withdrawal's effect on Guantanamo, said, "I think the short answer is that we just don't know. It clearly provides the remaining Guantanamo detainees with a new ground on which to challenge the legal basis for their continuing military detention, and one that is not necessarily foreclosed by existing precedent. But it's not at all clear that courts will be sympathetic to those arguments, not just because they haven't been to date, but because the Executive Branch is likely to argue that the conflict with al Qaeda isn't ending just because we're leaving Afghanistan." EFTA00149769 COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE Michigan Chemist Convicted Of Stealing Trade Secrets For Chinese Company. The Detroit Free Press (4/23, Berg, 2.16M) reports, "A Lansing chemist was convicted Thursday of conspiracy to steal trade secrets, economic espionage and wire fraud, according to the U.S. Department of Justice." The Free Press adds, "Xiaorong You, also known as Shannon You, was convicted after a 12-day trial of stealing trade secrets from Coca-Cola and Eastman Chemical Co. when she worked there, according to a DOJ press release. You stole trade secrets related to information about BPA-free coatings for the inside of beverage cans and set up her own BPA- free coating company in China, according to the DOJ news release. The stolen trade secrets cost nearly $120 million to develop." You "and her Chinese corporate partner, Weihai Jinhong Group, received millions of dollars in government grants in China to support the new company, according to the release." NBC News Analysis: Trump's Beefs With US Intel Community Simmer On Among His House Allies. NBC News (4/23, Dilanian, 4.91M) reports, "Donald Trump may be gone from Washington, but House Republicans - who hope to retake control of the lower chamber in next year's elections - continue to nurse his longstanding grievances against the American intelligence community." NBC News adds, "At last week's House hearing on the top threats to national security, Republican after Republican grilled intelligence agency leaders not about Russia, China or North Korea - but about a series of niche issues with which only ardent consumers of right-wing news sources would be conversant. The lawmakers made it clear that they had little trust in America's security agencies. 'I'm telling you, if an FBI agent came up and asked to talk to me, there's no way in the world I would talk to them without a lawyer present. I don't care what they wanted to know,' Rep. Chris Stewart of Utah told FBI Director Christopher Wray." New Zealand Denies Five Eyes Alliance At Risk. The Telegraph (UK). (4/23, Nicholls, 249K) reported New Zealand has "criticized as 'ill-informed' suggestions that the "Five Eyes" alliance is at risk amid fears over Beijing's influence." New Zealand earlier this week "said it was 'uncomfortable' with letting the so-called Five Eyes intelligence alliance - which includes New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the US and Britain - dictate its dealings with China." New Zealand has "previously been reluctant to sign joint statements from Five Eyes partners criticizing China, including on the crackdown on Hong Kong's democracy movement and the recent arrests of activists in the city." But suggestions that the intelligence sharing group is "struggling over China have now been played down by Wellington and by intelligence agencies." Neale Jones, the former Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, told The Telegraph, "New Zealand has a longstanding independent foreign policy that has continued through National and Labour administrations for many, many years." Indonesian Intelligence Official Killed In Papua. Reuters (4/25) reports that, according to a statement by the army, a senior Indonesian intelligence official "was killed by a shot to the head on Sunday during an operation in the country's easternmost province of Papua." Brigadier General Putu Dani, who headed operations in the restive region for the country's intelligence agency (Badan Intelijen Negara), "was shot while he was heading to the site of a shoutout with separatists." US Airstrikes, Surveillance In Afghanistan May Be Maintained After Withdrawal. Defense News (4/23, Cohen, 73K) reported the head of US Central Command "said this week the US military is mulling how to position its aircraft throughout the Middle East and Asia to EFTA00149770 continue airstrikes and intelligence-gathering missions in Afghanistan, as American forces prepare to leave key installations like Bagram Air Base behind." Appearing before the House Armed Services Committee Tuesday, Marine Corps Gen. Frank McKenzie "told lawmakers he is drawing up options for keeping counterterrorism forces on call in the region." McKenzie "said manned or unmanned aircraft could play a large role in any remaining presence that could peer into and respond to threats inside Afghanistan." He made similar remarks before the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday, "I didn't say we wouldn't go back in to strike. But we're not planning to go back in to reoccupy." Afghanistan Departure Creates Challenges For Counterterrorism Operations. The Washington Times (4/25, Wolfgang, 626K) reports that, "in the next phase of the war on terrorism, President Biden is making a bet on cutting-edge technology, long-range drones and intelligence assets to keep al Qaeda, the Islamic State group and other global terrorism organizations in check while cautiously banking on cooperation from unpredictable countries in historically unstable parts of the world." Top Pentagon officials "say the US will retain the ability to find and kill terrorist targets...but they readily acknowledge that the next-generation counterterrorism strategy is still a work in progress with many life-and-death questions yet to be answered." The only "certainty is that the US withdrawal from Afghanistan will make the entire enterprise much more difficult." Kash Patel Pushes Back Against Ignatius Column On Leaking Classified Information. The Daily Caller (4/23, Ross, 375K) reported on a column published last week by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius "taking aim at Kash Patel, a former Trump Administration official who uncovered the FBI's abuses of the surveillance process during the Trump-Russia probe." Patel has been "credited with coming up with the strategy while working on the House Intelligence Committee to force the FBI and Justice Department to release documents regarding the FISA warrants taken out against Carter Page." Patel "responded to allegations [of leaking classified information] in the column in an interview with the Daily Caller News Foundation." Patel "cast doubt on the veracity of the report that he is under investigation, while asserting that government officials may again have supplied Ignatius with classified information." CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS Prosecutors Investigating 2018 Gaetz Trip To Bahamas. Prosecutors with the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section "are looking into whether a 2018 trip to the Bahamas involving Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz and several young women was part of an orchestrated effort to illegally influence Gaetz in the area of medical marijuana, people briefed on the matter told" CNN (4/23, Perez, Reid, Glover, Shortell, 89.21M), which reports they are "examining whether Gaetz took gifts, including travel and paid escorts, in exchange for political favors, the sources said." The Daytona Beach (a) News-Journal (4/23, Schweers, 218K) reports, "Matt Gaetz, Halsey Beshears and Dr. Jason Pirozzolo have more in common than a plane trip to the Bahamas that led to the Department of Justice launching an investigation of Gaetz and sex trafficking allegations. Gaetz sponsored the first legislation to legalize medical marijuana in Florida, Beshears' family would profit off the law through their nursery and Pirozzolo and a partner would create a consulting firm that would lead to a stake in a major medical marijuana company." The News-Journal adds, "Through that tight bond they rose through the ranks of the GOP apparatus. Gaetz went on to Congress in 2016 where he has continued to advocate for marijuana reforms; Beshears was appointed head of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2019; Pirozzolo became a medical marijuana entrepreneur and GOP fundraiser." Maxwell Pleads Not Guilty To Sex Trafficking Charges. EFTA00149771 Bloomberg (4/23, Hurtado, Vohs, 3.57M) reports "British socialite" Ghislaine Maxwell on Friday pleaded not guilty to new sex trafficking charges, her first public comments "since her arrest last July on sex crimes charges stemming from her time with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein." According to Bloomberg, "Prosecutors last month added another accuser to the case against her, expanded the time frame for the crimes they claim and, for the first time, charged Maxwell with sex-trafficking a minor - a 14-year-old girl they say she manipulated into engaging in sex acts with Epstein and later paid. That charge carries a maximum prison term of 40 years, 20 years longer than the gravest charge in the original indictment." CNN (4/23, Scannell, 89.21M) reports, "Federal prosecutors filed conspiracy and sex trafficking charges against Maxwell in a superseding indictment last month, alleging she recruited and groomed a 14-year-old girl to engage in sex acts with Epstein as recently as 2004 and paid her hundreds of dollars in cash. The new charges alleged more recent conduct than what prosecutors initially charged. Last summer, Maxwell was charged by New York federal prosecutors with conspiracy and enticing minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, and the transportation of minors to engage in criminal sexual activity for allegedly grooming, recruiting and abusing underage girls from 1994 to 1997." The Wall Street Journal (4/23, O'Brien, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) and a brief ABC World News TonightVi (4/23, story 10, 0:17, Muir, 5.52M) segment provided similar coverage. Decision On Releasing Body Camera Footage In North Carolina Case Could Come Monday. NBC Nightly NewsVI (4/25, story 5, 2:15, Snow, 6.41M) reported, "A decision could come as soon as tomorrow over whether or not a North Carolina judge will release body camera video of Andrew Brown's deadly encounter with sheriff's deputies last week. The case [is) igniting nationwide outrage and there are increasing calls to see what really happened in Brown's final moments." USA Today (4/25, Bacon, Carless, 12.7M) reports Pasquotank County Sheriff Tommy Wooten "says his office could ask a judge as soon as Monday to release body camera footage" in the case, but said he "would first check with the State Bureau of Investigation to ensure that releasing the video would not compromise the probe of the shooting." The CBS Weekend News Vi (4/25, story 5, 0:20, Duncan, 1.24M) had a brief update. North Carolina Sheriff's Office Being Pressured To Disclose Body-Cam Footage Following Deadly Police Shooting Of Black Man. The Washington Post (4/23, Bella, 10.52M) reports, "A Black man was fatally shot by a sheriff's deputy in Elizabeth City, N.C., as police were attempting to arrest him Wednesday, authorities said, sparking more protests as a community is demanding answers on a police death with few details." Local news reports indicate that no less than "three officers involved in the shooting resigned Friday." The Pasquotank County Sheriff's Office "is being pressed to release the body-cam footage of the police encounter that killed Andrew Brown Jr., 42, after declining to share much information about the events that resulted in the shooting." NBC Nightly NewsVi (4/23, story 4, 0:28, Holt, 4.81M) provided similar coverage in a brief broadcast. The Charlotte (NC) Observer (4/23, 443K) reports, "Three Pasquotank County sheriff's deputies have resigned and another seven have been put on leave after the fatal shooting of Andrew Brown Jr. in Elizabeth City, though a sheriff's department spokesman said the resignations were not related to Brown's death." Meanwhile, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) and Elizabeth City leaders have called for the disclosure of the body camera footage of the incident. Cooper on Friday tweeted, "Initial reports of the shooting in Elizabeth City and death of Andrew Brown Jr. this week are tragic and extremely concerning," adding, "The body camera footage should be made public as quickly as possible and the SBI should investigate thoroughly to ensure accountability." EFTA00149772  Meanwhile, on ABC World News TonightVi (4/24, story 2, 2:35, Johnson, 4.69M), correspondent Mona Kosar Abdi reported that Brown's family is demanding that authorities disclose the body camera footage. Abdi added, "Pasquotank County sheriff says deputies were serving an arrest warrant this week for Brown on felony drug charges when he was kil