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From: "Bulletin Intelligence" <FBI@BulletinIntelligence.com> To: "FBI@BulletinIntelligence.com" <FBI@BulletinIntelligence.com> Subject: [EXTERNAL EMAIL] - FBI Public Affairs News Briefing Wednesday, May 26, 2021 Date: Wed, 26 May 2021 10:27:27 +0000 Importan c Normal e: Mobile version and searchable archives available at fbi.bulletinintelligence.com. ; ATBI News Briefing TO: THE DIRECTOR AND SENIOR STAFF DATE: WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 2021 6:30 AM EDT TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS LEADING THE NEWS • Biden, Harris Meet With Floyd Family As Deadline For Police Reform Bill Passes. • DO) Fights To Keep Secret Memo Clearing Trump In Russia Probe. • In Wake Of Cease-Fire, Blinken Looks To Restore Relations With Palestinian Authority, Rebuild Gaza. CAPITOL VIOLENCE NEWS • Pennsylvania Couple Charged In Capitol Siege Probe Seek Plea Deal. • Texas Man Charged In Capitol Siege Probe. • Filing: Man Charged With Bringing Bombs To Capitol Had Called Cruz Office About Election Fraud. • Senate Seeks Compromise On Jan. 6 Commission Bill. PROTESTS • North Carolina Woman Charged After Allegedly Driving Into Protestors. COUNTER-TERRORISM • FBI Probing Suspicious Package Sent To Sen Paul's Kentucky Home. • Attorneys For Three Men Charged In Whitmer Kidnap Plot Plan Entrapment Defense. • Probe Of Wyoming Bomb-Making Scheme Continues. COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE • US Prosecutors Obtained Data On Former Ukrainian Officials During Giuliani Probe. • NCSC Head To Speak To "CNBC Evolve." • Psaki: ODNI "Actively Working" On Unidentified Aircraft Report. • US Intelligence Agencies Still Looking Into Wuhan Lab Rumors. • Senate, House Intelligence Committees "Also Probing COVID-19 Origins." • Democrats And Republicans Unite Behind Senate Bill Targeting China. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS • Judge Approves Deal To Allow Epstein's Jail Guards Avoid Prison. • Roof Appeals Death Sentence In Charleston Church Mass Shooting. • Police Investigator Accused Officers Of Underplaying Risk Of Breonna Taylor Search. • Two Louisiana State Police Officers Reportedly Face Dismissal In Greene Case. EFTA00148318 • Eight Charged In Multistate Burglary Ring That Allegedly Targeted Asian-Americans. • US Charges Two Los Angeles Airport Cargo Handlers With Stealing Gold Bars. • Former Montana Police Chief Charged With Distributing Child Pornography. • FBI Assisting Ohio Bomb Squad In Raid. • FBI Leads Law Enforcement Operation In Arkansas. FINANCIAL CRIME & CORPORATE SCANDALS • New York To Convene Special Grand Jury Over Investigation Into Former President Trump. • Judge Dismisses Fraud Case Against Bannon. • Former Wisconsin Financial Adviser Sentenced For Fraud Scheme. • Connecticut Lawmaker Pleads Guilty To Campaign Fraud. CYBER DIVISION • TSA Set To Release New Pipeline Cybersecurity Rules. • CISA Official: Cryptocurrency Regulation Will Not Halt Ransomware Attacks. • Irish Health System "Struggling" Ten Days After Ransomware Attack. • Bose Suffered Ransomware Attack In March. LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES • ATF Nominee To Face Congressional Grilling Over Gun Control Lobbying. • Biden To Mark 100th Anniversary Of Tulsa Race Massacre In Oklahoma. • Jewish Groups Urge Biden To Name Special Envoy To Address Anti-Semitism. • Texas Lawmakers Remove Handgun Restrictions. • Data Shows Suicides Dropped At Height Of Pandemic. • Surge In Opioid Deaths Reportedly Not Getting Enough Attention During Pandemic. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS • DEA, FBI Involved With Operation That Led To Arrest Of Fugitive Wanted In Italy. OTHER FBI NEWS • Senate Confirms Kristen Clarke As Head Of DO) Civil Rights Division. OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS • Moderna Announces COVID Vaccine Is Effective For Teenagers. • CDC: 50% Of Adults In The US Have Been Fully Vaccinated. • Indian American Community Looks To Harris For Leadership As India Becomes COVID Epicenter. • Far Rockaway Neighborhood In Queens Has Low COVID-19 Vaccination Rate Despite High Number Of Deaths. • Trump Backers Continue Push For 2020 Election Audits. • Brooks-LaSure Confirmed As CMS Administrator. • AP: Tom Nides Is Biden's Pick For Ambassador To Israel. • White House Asks Four Trump Appointees To Resign From Arts Commission. • Republicans Promise Infrastructure Counteroffer By Thursday. • D.C. Files Antitrust Suit Against Amazon. • Roberts Tells Georgetown Law Graduates They Will Serve "Higher Purpose" As Attorneys. • CBP To Build "Central Processing" Facility In El Paso To House Migrant Families, Children. • Administration Curbs ICE Enforcement Actions. • DHS Proposes Changes To USCIS Meant To Ease Citizenship Process. • GOP Leaders Condemn Greene's Comparison Of Mask Requirements To Treatment Of Jews During Holocaust. • Coons Prioritizes Efforts To Help Administration Secure Bipartisanship. • Senate Democrats Push For DC Statehood Despite Lack Of Votes. EFTA00148319 • Military Investigators Investigating Fighter Jet Crash. INTERNATIONAL NEWS • Pan American Health Organization Announces Deaths Have Topped 1M For Latin America, Caribbean. • Canada To Airlift Critical COVID Patients Out Of Manitoba. • IOC Refuses To Suspend Japan Olympics Following Travel Advisory. • Bacon: Biden Should Accept That Progressives Are "Right" On Foreign Policy. • Maoist Terrorists Kill 16, Including Children, Ahead Of Peruvian Presidential Election. • With Terrorism Designation, Administration Signals Break With Obama Policy On Cuba. • NYTimes Analysis: US Troops Will Leave Afghanistan Ahead Of Deadline, But Security Issues Remain. • Burma Poets Face Arrest, Death For Opposing Junta. • Actor Apologizes For Referring To Taiwan As A Country. • White House Setting Expectations Low Ahead Of Meeting With Putin Next Month. • Biden: New Sanctions On Belarus "In Play." • Iran Nuclear Talks Resume In Vienna. • US Envoy For Yemen In Saudi Arabia For Talks. • Increased Chinese Ties Imperil US Arms Sales To UAE. • Top Qatari Diplomat Meets With Egypt's Foreign Minister In Cairo. • Coup Leader Again Takes Control Of Mali. • Somali Leader Say Deal Reached On Elections. THE BIG PICTURE • Headlines From Today's Front Pages. WASHINGTON'S SCHEDULE • Today's Events In Washington. LEADING THE NEWS Biden, Harris Meet With Floyd Family As Deadline For Police Reform Bill Passes. CNN (5/25, Sullivan, 89.21M) reports on its website that President Biden and Vice President Harris "met on Tuesday with the family of George Floyd exactly one year after he was killed by a Minneapolis police officer, sparking nationwide protests against racism and police brutality." Floyd's brother, Philonise Floyd, "told reporters the family had a 'great' meeting with the President and vice president and said: 'He's a genuine guy. They always speak from the heart." He continued, "We're just thankful for what's going on and we just want the George Floyd Policing Act to be passed." The New York Times (5/25, Karni, 20.6M) reports that after the meeting, Floyd's family "said the president was still committed to passing a police reform bill, even as he missed his own self-imposed deadline of getting it signed on the one-year anniversary of Mr. Floyd's death." The AP (5/25, Jaffe, Fram) reports that according to Floyd's nephew Brandon Williams, the President told them he "wants the bill to be meaningful and that it holds George's legacy intact." Williams also "said Biden showed 'genuine concern' for how the family is doing." In addition, according to the AP, "Biden took time during the meeting to play with George Floyd's young daughter Gianna, who enjoyed some ice cream and Cheetos, the president said, after she told him she was hungry." The Washington Post (5/25, Alemany, 10.52M) says that the President "joked to reporters that his wife, first lady Jill Biden, is not going to pleased (that) he gave snacks to George Floyd's 7-year-old daughter, Gianna, during her visit to the White House." ABC World News TonightVI (5/25, story 10, 0:10, Muir, 6.58M) reported Biden "revealing first thing she did when she ran in is 'she threw her arms gave up and gave me a big hug.' Like his own grandchildren. He said, 'She was hungry, we gave her ice cream." EFTA00148320  Meanwhile, Politico (5/25, Niedzwiadek, 6.73M) says Biden "told the family that `he doesn't want to sign a bill that doesn't have substance and meaning," according to their attorney Ben Crump, who added the President "is going to be patient to make sure it's the right bill, not a rushed bill." The Los Angeles Times (5/25, Stokols, 3.37M) reports that Biden "issued a statement promising to keep pushing for legislation, saying, `We face an inflection point," and Reuters (5/25) reports the President "said...he is hopeful an agreement will be reached on the George Floyd police reform legislation after the May 31 Memorial Day holiday." On MSNBC's Morning Joel (5/25, 937K), Susan Rice, the Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, said that while the legislation is "not a cure-all," it is "a very important step. And the House passed version was robust, obviously in the Senate there needs to be bipartisan compromise. We need 60 votes which is why we're encouraged to see" Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Tim Scott (R-SC) and Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) "and others negotiating seriously and in good faith to see if we could get a meaningful reform bill out of the Senate that will move the ball forward as far as we possibly can." Bloomberg (5/25, Litvan, Parker, 3.57M) reports Biden "dispatched administration officials including Rice, senior adviser Cedric Richmond and director of legislative affairs Louisa Terrell to stay in regular contact with lawmakers, according to an official familiar with the situation," and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the President "is still very much hopeful that he will be able to sign the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act into law, and we are of course very closely engaged with the negotiators while also leaving them room to work." On CBS This MorningVi (5/25, 2.2M), Booker said, "We want to get this deal right and not quick. I'm very encouraged there's been hours and hours every day of talks. And I'm really hopeful that we can get something done in the weeks ahead, not months." Axios (5/25, Knutson, 1.26M) reports the legislation is "stalled in the Senate due to Republican opposition to certain provisions, including curbing qualified immunity for police officers," which Reuters (5/25, Mason) reports Scott on Tuesday identified as "a main point of contention" while speaking with reporters. Scott added that compromise on the legislation faces "a long way to go still, but it's starting to take form." On the CBS Evening NewsVi (5/25, story 2, 1:40, O'Donnell, 3.84M), Weijia Jiang reported Bass "said she wants the final bill to address" qualified immunity. Bass: "We want the killings, we want the brutality to end. And so the only way that happens is through accountability." On ABC World News TonightVi (5/25, story 2, 2:30, Muir, 6.58M), Senior White House Correspondent Mary Bruce said there are "real hurdles, though, like that question of protections for officers, but one thing that both sides definitely do agree on, this legislation will be named in George Floyd's honor." However, the Washington Post (5/25, 10.52M) reports Floyd's younger sister Bridgett did not join her family in DC and instead attended "a memorial event in downtown Minneapolis, expressing her frustration over the lack of progress." Bridgett decided not to visit the White House, "she said, because Biden had not reached his goal of signing the legislation by the anniversary of her brother's death." She stated, "I think Biden needs to make it right." She continued that the President "broke his promise, but I'm going to give him a couple more weeks to see what he comes up with. It don't take that long to hold these police accountable for what they do. There's been a lot of names added to the list after my brother's death. And still nothing is being done." According to the Post, "The different approaches within the family reflect the broader public feelings of optimism that systemic change is possible, and dimming hopes, given it hasn't come a full year after the uprising spurred by Floyd's death." The New York Times (5/25, Shear, Fandos, 20.6M) states that despite optimism that a deal "may still be possible in the weeks ahead, the stalemate is a reminder for Mr. Biden of the limits of presidential power, and of the deepening lack of any real bipartisanship in the nation's capital, even in the face of the largest racial justice protests in generations." Despite Police Reform At State Level, More Than 1K People Died During Police Encounters Since Floyd. On ABC World News TonightVi (5/25, lead story, 4:50, Muir, EFTA00148321 6.58M), Alex Perez said that "memorials" on Tuesday "stretching from coast to coast honor[ed] the life and legacy of George Floyd, one year after his death. From Los Angeles, to right here in Minneapolis, Americans marking the somber day, remembering the 46-year-old father killed one year ago today while in Minneapolis police custody." Likewise, Gabe Gutierrez reported on NBC Nightly NewsVI (5/25, lead story, 1:40, Holt, 5.16M) that on Tuesday, "across the country, moments of silence commemorating the agonizing nine minutes and 29 seconds a police officer knelt on George Floyd's neck." Gutierrez added on NBC Nightly NewsVI (5/25, story 2, 1:40, Holt, 5.16M) that states have enacted police reforms, with "at least 3,000 policing-related bills have been introduced in legislatures." According to Gutierrez, "More than 30 states have enacted new police oversight and reform laws. But more than 1,000 people in the US have died following police encounters since Floyd's death." Gutierrez also "sat down with three women who now share an unwanted bond" of losing loved ones to police. On the CBS Evening NewsVi (5/25, lead story, 4:05, O'Donnell, 3.84M), Jeff Pegues reported Minneapolis "paused to remember the man that friends and family call a `gentle giant," but "amid the debate about police reform, crime in Minneapolis is rising. Today, just feet away from the square dedicated to George Floyd, about 30 gunshots rang out. A barrage of gunfire was captured on camera during a reporter's live shot. The shooting was apparently unrelated to the Floyd events. Police say one person was injured." On NBC Nightly NewsVi (5/25, story 14, 1:50, Holt, 5.16M), Lester Holt said Floyd's death "is still jarring and shaping this country. What happened one year ago was shocking in its brazenness: the knee, the seeming indifference both to George Floyd's suffering and the cameras and citizens who bore witness. In that roughly ten minutes of video, we saw a legacy of abuse suffered by Blacks at the hands of police officers. A shock to some who saw it. A reality to others. Hardly no one could be unaffected, and it demanded change. And we've seen it in some of those police reform and accountability bills and laws passed since then." However, Holt added, "The roots of behavioral change, how we see and treat each other, are not so easily legislated. The ignorance that has fueled a wave of anti-Asian violence and anti-Semitic attacks in the months after George Floyd's murder show just how far we must travel to act better, to be better. We've also seen more violent encounters between police and Black individuals" Politico Analysis: Garland Targeting More Police Departments Than Anticipated. Politico (5/25, Booker, Gerstein, 6.73M) reports that Attorney General Garland is "overseeing the vexing task of providing federal oversight of law enforcement agencies with troubled policing practices at a time when many Americans feel an urgent need for dramatic change." According to Politico, "In effect, the Biden administration [is] revoking a moratorium put in place by the Donald Trump-era DOJ that all but eliminated the use of consent decrees, a court- binding agreement that lays out an action plan to implement specific reforms. It's the department's main tool to help root out racist or unlawful practices within law enforcement agencies, and Trump's attorneys general had throttled back the practice, arguing they were bad for officer morale and led to spikes in crime." Politico adds, "Taken in its totality, the tempo of Garland's actions is eye-popping, even for those who expected the DOJ to return to its pre- Trump assertiveness on policing issues." WPost: Police Reform Remains Urgent. A Washington Post (5/25, 10.52M) editorial says that when it comes to the fatal shooting of Ronald Greene, the AP revealed "there is far more - horrifyingly more - to the story of how this 49-year-old Black man died. And once again, troubling questions are raised about the conduct, character and credibility of police that underscore the need for reform." The Post concludes, "The system is broken, and it is time to fix it so that the people who need protection get it." DO) Fights To Keep Secret Memo Clearing Trump In Russia Probe. The New York Times (5/25, Savage, 20.6M) reports the Administration is fighting "a legal battle to keep secret most of a Trump-era Justice Department memo related to Attorney General EFTA00148322 William P. Barr's much-disputed declaration in 2019 that cleared President Donald J. Trump of illegally obstructing justice in the Russia investigation." In a filing Monday, the Justice Department "appealed part of a scathing district court ruling that ordered it to make public the entire memo." The Times says while "the decision to keep hiding that analysis from public scrutiny puts the Biden administration in the politically awkward position of trying to cover up a record that would shed new light on an act by Mr. Barr that Democrats consider notorious," it "also enables the department to defend two institutional interests: its ability to keep internal legal analysis secret and the actions of career officials whom a judge accused of misleading the court." Judge: Barr's DOJ Got "A Jump On Public Relations" On Release Of Mueller Report. CNN (5/25, Polantz, 89.21M) reports on its website that in a "scathing analysis" revealed Tuesday, federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson "slammed the Department of Justice for 'getting a jump on public relations' when its leaders in 2019 discussed a public rollout that would blunt the Mueller investigation's damaging findings about then-President Donald Trump, according to a newly released opinion from the judge." Jackson's analysis was included "in a newly unsealed portion of a court opinion she wrote about an internal memo to former Attorney General Bill Barr at the close of the Mueller investigation, and her rejection of the department's efforts to keep almost all of the memo secret." WSJournal Lauds Garland For Appealing Decision Faulting Predecessor's Handling Of Mueller Report. In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal (5/25, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) credits Garland for the Justice Department decision to appeal Berman Jackson's order to release an internal memo critical of his predecessor's handling of the release of Mueller's investigation. The Journal concludes Garland's response shows Jackson's order as partisan judicial overreach. In Wake Of Cease-Fire, Blinken Looks To Restore Relations With Palestinian Authority, Rebuild Gaza. NBC Nightly NewsVi (5/25, story 8, 1:45, Holt, 5.16M) reported, "In the Middle East, Secretary of State Blinken met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, trying to make sure an Egyptian brokered cease-fire holds." NBC (Mitchell) added, that Blinken is "pledging $112 million in emergency aid to rebuild Gaza and meeting with Palestinian authority President Mahmoud Abbas, sidelined by the Trump Administration." The CBS Evening NewsVi (5/25, story 9, 1:45, O'Donnell, 3.84M) reported Blinken is "hoping to solidify the peace after the deadliest fighting in years left Gaza in ruins. CBS' Holly Williams is there." CBS (Holly Williams) added, "The US wants to make the cease-fire stick." Blinken was shown saying, "Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live safely and securely to enjoy equal measures of freedom, opportunity, and democracy, to be treated with dignity." The Los Angeles Times (5/25, Wilkinson, 3.37M) reports that after "receiving praise for helping broker" the cease-fire, the Biden Administration "is now looking to build toward the next phase: a deeper and more complex resolution to decades of conflict." However, Blinken "has a more modest goal: making sure the cease-fire holds and humanitarian aid can be delivered to the battered Gaza Strip." Reuters (5/25) reports Blinken "said the [US) would provide an additional $75 million in...aid to the Palestinians...$5.5 million in immediate disaster relief for Gaza and $32 million to the U.N. Palestinian aid agency based there." However, according to Reuters, Blinken "reiterated that Washington intended to ensure that Hamas, which it regards as a terrorist organisation, did not benefit...a potentially difficult task in an enclave over which it has a strong grip." The AP (5/25) reports that Blinken "announced Tuesday that the U.S. would reopen its consulate in Jerusalem — a move that restores ties with Palestinians that had been downgraded by the Trump administration." The consulate "long served as an autonomous office in charge of diplomatic relations with the Palestinians," but former President Trump "downgraded its EFTA00148323 operations," placing it under the aegis of his ambassador to Israel when he moved the embassy to Jerusalem, which "infuriated the Palestinians." The Wall Street Journal (5/25, Lieber, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) reports that Blinken said alongside Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, "We know that to prevent a return to violence, we have to use the space created to address a larger set of underlying issues and challenges" and "that begins with tackling the great humanitarian situation in Gaza." However, the New York Times (5/25, Jakes, 20.6M) reports that Netanyahu warned that his nation will launch a "very powerful" response if Hamas launches new attacks, while "thanking the United States for bolstering his country's air defenses." The Times says that "in brief but blunt comments after" meeting with Blinken, Netanyahu "said he and Mr. Blinken had discussed how to curb Hamas...and how to help rebuild and otherwise improve the lives of the two million Palestinians who live there." The Times adds, "For his part, Mr. Blinken sought to keep the conversation focused on reducing tensions and meeting what he described as `urgent, humanitarian reconstruction assistance for Gaza." Meanwhile, Charles Lane writes in the Washington Post (5/25, 10.52M), "Israeli wrongdoing" in the conflict with Hamas, "if any, occurred in the context of a generally professional military operation that was carried out in response to Hamas's rocket attacks. Hamas's campaign against Israel and its civilian population, by contrast, consisted of nothing but war crimes, from beginning to end." Sanders Drops Efforts To Block Weapons Sales To Israel. The Wall Street Journal (5/25, Collins, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) reports that according to an aide, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said that the senator will no longer attempt to force a vote aimed at stopping a $735 million sale of weapons to Israel. The aide said Sanders found out last Friday that the State Department had already approved the sale, and it was not clear that it could be blocked. Friedman: Biden Needs To Make Push For Two-State Solution. Thomas Friedman writes in his column for the New York Times (5/25, 20.6M) that the fighting between Israel and Hamas "made something crystal clear to me: Unless we preserve at least the potential of a two-state solution, the one-state reality that would emerge in its place won't just blow up Israel, the West Bank and Gaza; it could very well blow up the Democratic Party and every Jewish organization and synagogue in America." It is "vital," Friedman writes, that Biden "urgently take steps to re-energize the possibility of a two-state solution and give it at least some concrete diplomatic manifestation on the ground." Pro-Palestinian Activists Building "Broad Progressive Coalition"In US. The Los Angeles Times (5/25, Parvini, 3.37M) reports a shared purpose "and political perspective has revealed itself in larger and more diverse pro-Palestinian demonstrations across the country, mounting pressure from progressive politicians on the Biden administration, and a shift in American political discourse about Israel in Washington, the U.S. media and other institutions." As pro-Palestinian posts have "spread across social media in recent days, Black, Armenian, liberal Jewish and other social justice organizers have helped Palestinians push their message both online and in the streets." That merger of groups "and causes has reached a critical mass, its supporters say, in a way that differs from past episodes in the long-running Mideast conflict." Israel's Iron Dome Accidentally Downed Friendly Drone. Insider (5/25, Pickrell, 2.74M) reports Israel's Iron Dome accidentally "shot down an Israeli military drone during recent fighting with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces told local media." An IDF spokesperson told Haartez, "As part of the round of fighting in Gaza and as part of the defense of the country's skies, an IDF Skylark drone was hit by Iron Dome." Haaretz also "reported that the IDF is `worried' about the friendly-fire incident because it calls into question whether the IDF is able `to conduct a long period of fighting without harming its own forces." CAPITOL VIOLENCE NEWS Pennsylvania Couple Charged In Capitol Siege Probe Seek Plea Deal. EFTA00148324 The New Castle (PA) News (5/25, Sirianni, 11K) reports, "A New Castle couple charged with criminal acts during the U.S. Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6. are seeking an exclusion from the Speedy Trial Act in hopes of reaching a plea deal without a jury trial." Federal prosecutors "charged and Debra J. Maimone on March 12 with theft of property ($1,000 or less); knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. On Monday, the government and attorneys for both Vogel and Maimone jointly asked for a 90-day continuance, until Aug. 24, 'to be able to continue plea negotiations,' according to U.S. District Court documents." The FBI "identified the duo after finding a video posted to Maimone's Parler social media account that showed them inside the Capitol." Texas Man Charged In Capitol Siege Probe. The Houston Chronicle (5/25, Dellinger, 982K) reports that a Katy, Texas man "was arrested Tuesday for his alleged role in the U.S. Capitol riot, according to the FBI." Adam Weibling "was taken into custody by FBI Bryan agents. He was charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds as well as knowingly entering or remaining in restricted grounds without lawful authority. He is the seventh Houston-area resident to be arrested in connection to the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6." Filing: Man Charged With Bringing Bombs To Capitol Had Called Cruz Office About Election Fraud. CNN (5/25, Polantz, 89.21M) reports, "A Vietnam veteran who allegedly brought Mason jar bombs to Capitol Hill on January 6 had scoped out the Capitol Building in December by driving around it, and had called Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's office and tried to visit the Republican at home, a court filing revealed on Monday." The filing "provides new details about a right-wing follower's response to the election fraud myth in one of the most serious Capitol riot criminal cases." Lonnie Leroy Coffman of Alabama "had also participated in a paramilitary patrol on the southern border seven years ago, and on January 6, carried information about border enforcement paramilitary groups, the court filing said." Senate Seeks Compromise On Jan. 6 Commission Bill. The AP (5/25, Jalonick) reports Senators "labored Tuesday to find a path forward for legislation creating a commission on the Jan. 6 insurrection, debating potential changes in a long-shot attempt to overcome growing GOP opposition." Sources told the AP that Sens. Susan Collins (R- ME) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) "are leading the informal talks," which "are, for now, focused on two issues that Republican senators have cited for their opposition to the House-passed legislation to create the commission - ensuring that the panel's staff is evenly split between the parties and making sure the commission's work does not spill over into the midterm election year." Meanwhile, Reuters (5/25) reports Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) "called on Republicans to work with them to reach agreement on a bill to investigate the events leading up to and on Jan. 6, when President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the building while Congress was certifying Democrat Joe Biden's November election victory, leaving five dead," but CNN (5/25, Raju, Barrett, 89.21M) reports on its website that Manchin "bluntly said he wouldn't support any effort to gut the filibuster if Republicans succeed in blocking the measure." Although The Hill (5/25, Bolton, 5.69M) reports Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) on Tuesday followed Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) to become "the second Senate Republican to say she will support a House-passed bill to establish a bipartisan commission on the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, which could come to the floor for a vote this week," Bloomberg (5/25, Dennis, 3.57M) reports Senate Minority Leader McConnell on Tuesday "dismissed bipartisan efforts to set up an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, setting up a showdown with Democrats that could reverberate in the 2022 campaigns for Congress." Bloomberg adds EFTA00148325 McConnell "accused Democrats of trying to drag out a debate about former President Donald Trump's role in the siege staged by his supporters as they try to hold control of the House and Senate in next year's election." However, the New York Times (5/25, Feuer, Fandos, 20.6M) reports McConnell is arguing the commission is "redundant, noting that the Justice Department and congressional committees are already looking into the assault," but he "failed to mention...that the criminal investigation into the riot, despite being one of the largest in American history, was narrowly bounded by federal law and would not - indeed could not - seek the answers to several crucial questions about Jan. 6. The same can be said about the major congressional effort to investigate the assault, a tightly focused inquiry into the broad government response to the violence that day." Trump Denies Responsibility For Capitol Riot. Bloomberg (5/25, Yaffe-Bellany, 3.57M) reports Trump in a court filing on Monday "asked a judge in Washington to throw out a lawsuit that accuses him of inciting the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, arguing that he can't be held legally liable for a speech he gave to supporters shortly before they stormed the building." Bloomberg says Trump argued Rep. Eric Swalwell's (D-CA) lawsuit "unfairly seeks to hold him responsible 'for the unlawful acts of others," and he "argued his comments to the crowd that day constituted a type of official act for which presidents are immune from civil litigation, based on established legal precedent." CNN (5/25, Polantz, 89.21M) reports on its website that the argument marks "the first time Trump has formally defended his actions in court since the insurrection, and reflects his continued push to his supporters that he did nothing wrong and was robbed of a second term in office." PROTESTS North Carolina Woman Charged After Allegedly Driving Into Protestors. The AP (5/25, Finley) reports, "A white woman has been charged with striking two Black women protesters with her car during a march against last month's police shooting of an unarmed Black man in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, authorities said Tuesday." Lisa O'Quinn, 41, of Greenville, North Carolina "faces two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill by the use of a motor vehicle and related charges, the Elizabeth City Police Department said in a statement. Investigators said they're also looking into the possibility of deeming O'Quinn's actions a hate crime." The AP adds, "The women who were struck, both 42, were treated at a hospital and released, police said. They were part of a small march on Monday evening that was against the April 21 shooting by sheriff's deputies of Andrew Brown Jr., while he was in his car." The Daily Beast (5/25, Boryga, 933K) reports, "Valerie Lindsey was protesting with a small crowd in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, on Monday evening when a white sedan rolled up to an intersection partly blocked by activists enraged by the police killing of a local Black man. Lindsey, who is Black, told The Daily Beast that the driver of that vehicle, 41-year-old Lisa Michelle O'Quinn, rolled down her window and said that if members of the Elizabeth City Police Department, who were guarding the procession, were not present, the protesters 'would not be safe.' Lindsey added that, when she and two other protesters came closer to O'Quinn's car to confront her, O'Quinn, who is white, uttered racial slurs, including the n-word. Two other witnesses to the incident confirmed that slurs were uttered." Police say O'Quinn "drove her car into protesters, sending two of them - including Lindsey - to the hospital." COUNTER-TERRORISM FBI Probing Suspicious Package Sent To Sen Paul's Kentucky Home. EFTA00148326 CBS News (5/25, Siese, 5.39M) reports, "The FBI is investigating a suspicious package delivered to Senator Rand Paul's Bowling Green, Kentucky home, reports CBS Louisville affiliate WLKY. A large envelope containing what appeared to be a white powder arrived Monday. Authorities are attempting to determine whether the envelope's contents are hazardous." The AP (5/25, Schreiner) reports, "A suspicious package sent to the Kentucky home of Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul appears to contain a non-toxic substance, the local sheriff's office said." The FBI "is providing forensic and technical assistance in working with the Warren County Sheriff's Office and Capitol Police, Tim Beam, a spokesman for the FBI's Louisville office, said Tuesday. The Warren County Sheriff's Office said in a social media post that it was contacted by Capitol Police on Monday regarding a suspicious package delivered to Paul's home in Bowling Green. The package was taken to the Bowling Green Fire Department and a preliminary analysis identified the substance as non-toxic, the sheriff's office said. It did not identify the substance." The Hill (5/25, Schnell, 5.69M) reports, "Preliminary analysis, according to a Facebook post from the Warren County Sheriff's Office, identified the substance as nontoxic. Additional analysis, however, will be conducted on the substance and package, the sheriff's office said. The U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) confirmed these developments in a statement to The Hill, writing that an initial test determined that the powdery substance in the package was not dangerous. The contents were taken to an FBI lab for further testing `as a precaution,' according to USCP." Attorneys For Three Men Charged In Whitmer Kidnap Plot Plan Entrapment Defense. WDIV-TV Detroit (5/25, Ley, Clarke, 568K) reports, "Attorneys for the three men charged in the alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer laid out how they plan to present their defense." WDIV-TV adds, "Three members of the Wolverine Watchmen were back in court on Tuesday for a video hearing. Pete Musico, Joseph Morrison and Paul Bellar are all charged with supporting the plot. The defense is going to argue that the FBI entrapped the men, led the training and pushed the plot. `We will file an entrapment motion,' Nicholas Somberg, the attorney for Joseph Morrison, said." Probe Of Wyoming Bomb-Making Scheme Continues. KTWO-AM Casper, WY (5/25) reports, "An investigation into a bomb-making scheme in Rock Springs is continuing. Rock Springs Police made the announcement on Tuesday." Police said "investigators have found a total of four confirmed pipe bombs in connection to the investigation. All have been disarmed by the Sweetwater County Bomb Squad. Two suspects, Spencer Cottrell and Bryan Foster, were arrested for felony possession, manufacture and sale of explosives with intent to unlawfully endanger. An additional defendant, Gage Mercer, was indicted earlier this month. `FBI Denver is grateful for the opportunity to have assisted the Rock Springs Police Department in investigating this serious threat; FBI Denver Special Agent Michael Schneider said." COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE US Prosecutors Obtained Data On Former Ukrainian Officials During Giuliani Probe. Reuters (5/25) reports US prosecutors "investigating Rudolph Giuliani's ties to Ukraine have seized materials from that country's former chief prosecutor, who was involved in efforts to uncover dirt about current U.S. President Joe Biden, according to a Tuesday court filing," which the AP (5/25, Neumeister) reports was "accidentally revealed." According to the AP, the filing "said federal prosecutors in New York had informed defense lawyers that the seized communications included an email account believed to belong to the former prosecutor general of Ukraine, Yuriy Lutsenko," and "said prosecutors accessed Lutsenko's account around the same time that investigators also got access to Giuliani's Apple iCloud account." The AP EFTA00148327 describes Lutsenko as "a key figure in Giuliani's efforts to press Ukraine for an investigation into then-presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter." NCSC Head To Speak To "CNBC Evolve." CNBC (5/25, 7.34M) reports on May 26, the "CNBC Evolve: Innovations in Cybersecurity will dissect efforts to protect our nation's cyber infrastructure and identify threats, with actionable advice on ways the government and private enterprise can work together to anticipate threats before they happen in conversations led by CNBC's Eamon lavers." Featured speakers include: "John Demers, Department of Justice's National Security Division Assistant Attorney General, Michael Orlando, National Counterintelligence and Security Center Acting Director, Elena Kvochko, SAP Chief Trust Officer and Suresh Venkatarayalu, Honeywell Chief Technology Officer." Psaki: ODNI "Actively Working" On Unidentified Aircraft Report. The Washington Examiner (5/25, Doyle, 888K) reports ODNI is "actively working" on a report "about UFOs, an effort backed by President Joe Biden, the White House said Tuesday." White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters, "We take reports of incursions into our air base by any aircraft, identified or unidentified, very seriously," adding, "Certainly the president supports ODNI putting together a report." Asked whether the "White House would commit to disclosing the report's findings in full, Psaki pointed to the intelligence department leading the investigation." Psaki said, "In terms of disclosure, that would be up to them." Podesta Urges Biden To Create Dedicated UFO Office In OSTP. Politico Playbook (5/25, Thompson, Meyer, 6.75M) reports former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta "has been pushing the federal government to be more transparent on all things UFO...for over two decades." Podesta thinks President Biden should create "a dedicated UFO office inside the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)." Podesta said, "They're more used to dealing in an open-source environment, used to dealing with scientific information disclosed to the public, and having a conversation with the scientific community than, you know, black programs at the Pentagon." Politico says, "Biden's director of national intelligence is mandated to produce a public report to Congress documenting 'unidentified aerial phenomena' or 'anomalous aerial vehicles,' per legislation signed during the Trump administration." White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki "told reporters [Tuesday] that the White House was 'aware of the report requirement and our team at the office of the director of national intelligence (ODNI) is of course actively working on that report." US Intelligence Agencies Still Looking Into Wuhan Lab Rumors. Reuters (5/25, Hosenball) reports, US intelligence agencies are "examining reports that researchers at a Chinese virology laboratory were seriously ill in 2019 a month before the first cases of COVID-19 were reported, according to US government sources who cautioned that there is still no proof the disease originated at the lab." A "still-classified U.S. intelligence report circulated during former President Donald Trump's administration alleged that three Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) researchers became so ill in November 2019 that they sought hospital care, sources familiar with U.S. intelligence reporting and analysis said, speaking on condition of anonymity." The State Department published a fact sheet on "COVID-19 and the Wuhan lab on Jan. 15, 2021, five days before Trump left office, based in part on information in the classified report, sources said." The CIA, NSA, and "defense intelligence components contributed to both the public fact sheet and classified report, the sources said." Both were assembled by ODNI, and the "classified report is regarded as valid by current U.S. government agencies, experts investigating the origins of COVID-19 and by officials in President Joe Biden's administration." Biden Administration Concerned About Quality Of State Department Wuhan Investiation. CNN (5/25, Atwood, 89.21M) reports the Biden Administration "shut down a EFTA00148328 closely-held State Department effort launched late in the Trump administration to prove the coronavirus originated in a Chinese lab over concerns about the quality of its work, according to three sources familiar with the decision." mThe existence of the "State Department inquiry and its termination this spring by the Biden administration - neither of which has been previously reported - comes to light amid renewed interest in whether the virus could have leaked out of a Wuhan lab with links to the Chinese military." However, Biden officials "remain skeptical of Beijing's role in limiting investigators from accessing information that may be pertinent to the origins of the virus." US intelligence agencies continue "to examine the question of whether the virus emerged naturally from human contact with infected animals or if it could have been the result of a laboratory accident." Fauci Defends "Modest Collaboration" With Wuhan Institute Of Virology During House Panel Meeting. Fox News (5/25, Olson, 23.99M) reports NIAID Director Anthony Fauci "on Tuesday defended 'modest' collaboration with scientists in Wuhan, China on studying bat coronaviruses while asserting that the agency did not allocate the money to do 'gain of function' research." These "comments came during a House Appropriations Committee subcommittee hearing on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) fiscal year 2022 budget request. Fauci was pressed by Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., on a $600,000 grant from NIAID that went to a group called EcoHealth Alliance, which then paid the Wuhan Institute of Virology to study the risk that bat coronaviruses could infect humans." NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins "said earlier in the hearing that the American taxpayer money that went to the Wuhan Institute of Virology was not approved to conduct gain of function research, which is research that involves modifying a virus to make it more infectious among humans." The Washington Examiner (5/25, Dunleavy, 888K) reports Fauci told lawmakers "it would have been 'almost a dereliction of our duty' if the National Institutes of Health had not worked with China to study coronaviruses as he defended NIH money going to fund 'collaboration' with 'very respectable Chinese scientists." For his part, Collins said, "They were not approved by NIH for doing gain of function research. ... We do not - and that's the official governmental identification of that term, by the way. We are, of course, not aware of other sources of funds or other activities they might've undertaken outside of what our approved grant allowed." Secretary Becerra Calls On WHO To Investigate COVID's Origins. The Washington Post (5/25, Al, Abutaleb, Harris, Guarino, 10.52M) reports Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra "called Tuesday for a swift follow-up investigation into the coronavirus's origins amid renewed questions about whether the virus jumped from an animal host into humans in a naturally occurring event or escaped from a lab in Wuhan, China." He made the comments during the annual WHO ministerial meeting, and he said that experts "should be given 'the independence to fully assess the source of the virus and the early days of the outbreak." The Wall Street Journal (5/25, Hinshaw, McKay, Page, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) reports that during the WHO meeting, Chinese representatives challenged the new international push to investigated COVID's origins in China. The representatives said that China has already provided investigators with all relevant information, and it urged the international community to begin investigating other theories. Wolf: New Lab-Leak Focus Reflects Increased Concern About Future Pandemics. In a piece for CNN (5/25, Wolf, 89.21M), Zachary Wolf examines the growing international focus on the COVID lab-leak theory, which originated during the Trump administration. While the scientific community originally dismissed the theory, there "[is) ample evidence the Chinese government tried to cover the existence of the virus up." Furthermore, the lack of transparency from China provides a space for conspiracy theorists to create new narratives. Senate, House Intelligence Committees "Also Probing COVID-19 Origins." Reuters (5/25, Hosenball) reports the Senate and House intelligence committees are "conducting their own investigations into the origins of the COVID-19 virus and how the U.S. EFTA00148329 government responded to the crisis, two Congressional officials said." A Congressional official "told Reuters on Tuesday the Senate Intelligence Committee, led by Democrat Mark Warner, has asked the spy agencies about various issues related to the pandemic, including whether it could have been started in a laboratory accident or originated with animals." The official "said that the committee would be looking into the accuracy of the still-classified reports that researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology became so ill they sought hospital care in November 2019." Three government sources "cautioned that U.S. spy agencies had not yet reached any conclusion as to the origins of the virus, which first appeared in Wuhan and then spread worldwide." Democrats And Republicans Unite Behind Senate Bill Targeting China. CNBC (5/25, Franck, 7.34M) says on its website that "these days, it can feel like there are very few issues Democrats and Republicans agree on. That is, of course, unless someone's proposing a bill aimed at challenging Beijing's growing global influence." According to CNBC, the United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021, "a wide-ranging piece of legislation expected to cost about $200 billion, seeks to do just that." CNBC adds, "Assembled by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the bill has united senators on both sides of the political aisle behind a bundle of provisions to boost American research and technology manufacturing deemed critical to U.S. economic and national security interests." CNBC says "the scope of the bill, the end result of input from at least six Senate committees, reflects...the urgency of a global semiconductor shortage." CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION' Judge Approves Deal To Allow Epstein's Jail Guards Avoid Prison. Reuters (5/25, Stempel) reports US District Judge Analisa Torres on Tuesday approved a deferred prosecution agreement for "two jail guards who admitted to falsifying records on the night Jeffrey Epstein killed himself on their watch." The deal ends the criminal case against Tova Noel and Michael Thomas and lets them avoid prison. According to Reuters, they instead "will serve six months of supervised release and complete 100 hours of community service, preferably