EFTA00150271

investors. At the center of the multistate web were Joseph W. LaForte, 50, and his wife, Lisa 
McElhone, 40, the agency said." 
New Jersey Woman Pleads Guilty To Prescription Fraud Ring. 
Nl News (8/2, Satullo, 1.72M) reports, "A 38-year-old Phillipsburg woman has admitted her role 
in an insurance fraud scheme that bilked public and private health plans out of at least $8.8 
million by filling fake prescriptions for compounded medicines." Christine Myers "pocketed 
almost $1.5 million in the scheme to get insurance reimbursements for phony prescriptions and 
faces up to a decade in prison, according to a news release. The former co-owner of a New 
Jersey marketing company last week pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud 
via video conference before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez. `Christine Myers treated 
health insurance plans as a vehicle to line her own pockets when she engaged in an elaborate 
scheme that resulted in defrauding insurers out of at least $8.8 million; said Joe Denahan, the 
FBI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge." 
Kentucky Man Sentenced For Running Ponzi Scheme. 
WTVQ-TV Lexington, KY (7/31, Rogers) reports from London, Kentucky, "A 58-year-old 
Somerset, Ky., man was sentenced to nine years in prison and ordered to repay more than $2.4 
million for running an Ponzi scheme and wire fraud for almost two years." US District Judge 
Claria Horn Book "ordered the sentence for Rodney Scott Phelps on charges of conspiring to 
commit wire fraud and committing wire fraud by perpetrating a complex Ponzi scheme." WTVQ-
TV adds, "From January 2012 through October 2014, Phelps and co-defendant Jason Castenir 
defrauded 13 victims out of more than $2.4 million, through three fake investment schemes. 
`Abusing the trust placed in him by dozens of investors, Rodney Phelps engaged in multiple 
fraudulent investment schemes over the course of several years,' said Special Agent in Charge 
Robert Brown, FBI Louisville Field Office." 
US Charges Florida Doctor In Fraud Probe. 
The Palm Beach (FL) Post (7/31, Isger, 223K) reports, "A Delray Beach doctor who once tried to 
distance himself from a sober home that federal investigators said preyed on young addicts and 
scammed insurers out of tens of millions of dollars is now facing charges that he was deeply 
involved in such schemes at 50 addiction treatment facilities - on a scale that reached $681 
million." The Post adds, "In what appears to be the largest such case to date, Dr. Michael J. 
Ligotti has been arrested and charged with conspiring to commit health care fraud and wire 
fraud for his alleged role in a nine-year scheme to fraudulently bill for tests and treatments of 
vulnerable patients seeking a path out of drug and alcohol addiction, the U.S. Department of 
Justice announced Friday. The case was investigated by the Palm Beach County office of the FBI 
with the assistance of the IRS, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Palm Beach County 
State Attorney's Office, as well as the Amtrak Office of the Inspector General." WPEC-TV West 
Palm Beach, FL (7/31, Lobo, 97K) also reports. 
Defendant Admits Role In Insurance Fraud Scheme. 
The Lehigh Valley (PA) Express Times (8/2, Satullo, 257K) reports Pennsylvania resident 
Christine Myers "has admitted her role in an insurance fraud scheme that bilked public and 
private health plans out of at least $8.8 million by filling fake prescriptions for compounded 
medicines." The Express-Times quotes "Joe Denahan, the FBI Newark Acting Special Agent in 
Charge," who said Myers "treated health insurance plans as a vehicle to line her own pockets 
when she engaged in an elaborate scheme that resulted in defrauding insurers out of at least 
$8.8 million." Denahan added, "The FBI, in conjunction with our law enforcement partners, will 
continue to investigate and bring to justice criminals who defraud the system and cheat" US 
taxpayers. 
EFTA00150291

CYBER DIVISION 
Florida Teenager Facing Felony Charges Over Hack Of Celebrity Twitter Accounts. 
On its front page, the New York Times (7/31, Al, Conger, Popper, 18.61M) reports 17-year-old 
Graham Ivan Clark of Florida "faces 30 felony charges in the hack" of several celebrity Twitter 
accounts, including those of former President Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Kanye West. Clark 
"was arrested in his Tampa apartment, where he lived by himself, early Friday, state officials 
said." The Times adds that he's "being charged as an adult." Moreover, "two other people, 
Mason John Sheppard, 19, of the United Kingdom, and Nima Fazeli, 22, of Orlando, Fla., were 
accused of helping Mr. Clark," with prosecutors indicating that they "appeared to have aided the 
central figure in the attack, who went by the name Kirk." While documents disclosed Friday 
don't provide Kirk's true identity, "they suggest that it was Mr. Clark." 
On ABC World News TonightVi (7/31, story 11, 1:03, Llamas, 6.66M), correspondent 
Pierre Thomas reported authorities asserted that Clark is "the mastermind" behind the attack. 
Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren said, "Make no mistake, this was not an ordinary 
17-year-old. This was a highly sophisticated attack and it could have destabilized financial 
markets both in America and across the globe." Thomas added, "More than $100,000 was 
illegally raised using those Twitter accounts to urge victims to send money to bogus charities." 
On NBC Nightly NewsVi (7/31, story 10, 1:41, Holt, 5.44M), correspondent Jo Ling Kent 
reported that Twitter "says the scam targeted a small number of employees by phone, enabling 
hackers to access [the] accounts and direct messages." Twitter on Friday said, "We appreciate 
the shift actions of law enforcement and will continue to cooperate." A front-page Wall Street 
Journal (7/31, Al, McMillan, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) story says that according the 
Warren, several law-enforcement agencies probed the attack, including the Secret Service and 
the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 
The CBS Evening NewsVi (7/31, story 11, 0:22, O'Donnell, 3.97M) provided similar 
coverage in a brief broadcast. 
CNN (7/31, O'Sullivan, 83.16M) reports, "Warren said his office was handling the 
prosecution because Florida law allows greater flexibility than federal law to charge a minor as 
an adult in a case like this. `The FBI and Department of Justice will continue to partner with the 
office throughout the prosecution; he said. 'These crimes were perpetrated using the names of 
famous people and celebrities, but they're not the primary victims here. This BitCon was 
designed to steal money from regular Americans from all over the country, including here in 
Florida. This massive fraud was orchestrated right here in our backyard, and we will not stand 
for that; Warren said." 
Reuters (7/31) reports, "Mason Sheppard, a 19-year-old British man who went by the 
alias Chaewon, was charged with carrying out the hack, as well as related wire fraud and 
money laundering crimes, according to a Justice Department statement. Orlando-based Nima 
Fazeli, 22, nicknamed Rolex, was charged with aiding and abetting those crimes." Reuters adds, 
"In a statement, Twitter said it appreciated the 'swift actions of law enforcement.' The FBI said 
that two of the accused had been taken into custody, without identifying them." 
The Tampa Bay (FL) Times (7/31, Fiallo, Talbot, 742K) reports, "Clark faces state charges 
and will be tried in Hillsborough County because he is a juvenile, federal authorities said. The 
other two men face federal charges in the Northern District of California." The Times adds, 
"Clark's scheme was to steal the identities of prominent people, then post messages in their 
names directing victims to send Bitcoin to accounts he owned. The accounts received more 
than 400 transfers and he reaped more than $100,000 in bitcoin in just one day, the state 
attorney's office said Friday." 
The AP (8/1, Fischer, Bajak) reports, "In one of the most high-profile security breaches in 
recent years, bogus tweets were sent out on July 15 from the accounts of Barack Obama, Joe 
Biden, Mike Bloomberg and a number of tech billionaires including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, 
EFTA00150292

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Celebrities Kanye West and his wife, 
Kim Kardashian West, were also hacked. The tweets offered to send $2,000 for every $1,000 
sent to an anonymous Bitcoin address. The hack alarmed security experts because of the grave 
potential of such an intrusion for creating geopolitical mayhem with disinformation." 
Politico (7/31, Matishak, 4.29M) reports, "The breach sparked a massive outcry from 
Capitol Hill, with lawmakers demanding the social media giant quickly come clean about the 
circumstances around the breach. Several Senate panels, including Intelligence, Commerce and 
Homeland Security, have been weighing if they should launch their own investigations into the 
incident." 
Among news outlets also reporting are SFGate (CA) (7/31, Chamings, 2.13M), ZDNet 
(8/1, Cimpanu, 299K), the Daily Beast (7/31, Melendez, 1.39M), Ars Technica (7/31, Cox, 
Goodin, 1.36M), Wired (8/1, Barrett, 3.49M), Bloomberg (7/31, Mehrotra, Turton, 4.73M), and 
Courthouse News (7/31, Pickett, 2K). 
Pompeo: Trump To Take Broad Action On Chinese Software. 
The AP (8/2, Bussewitz) reports Secretary of State Pompeo said Sunday that President Trump 
"plans to take action on a what he sees as a broad array of national security risks presented by 
software connected to the Chinese Communist Party." Appearing on Fox News' Sunday Morning 
Futures? , Pompeo said, "These Chinese software companies doing business in the United 
States, whether it's TikTok or WeChat - there are countless more...are feeding data directly to 
the Chinese Communist Party, their national security apparatus. Could be their facial 
recognition patterns. It could be information about their residence, their phone numbers, their 
friends, who they're connected to. Those are the issues that President Trump has made clear 
we're going to take care of." 
Reuters (8/2, Chiacu) quotes Pompeo as saying, "President Trump has said `enough' and 
we're going to fix it and so he will take action in the coming days with respect to a broad array 
of national security risks that are presented by software connected to the Chinese Communist 
Party." The Washington Times (8/2, Glenn, 492K) reports Pompeo also warned, "These are true 
national security issues. For a long time, the United States just said, `Goodness, if we're having 
fun with it - or if a company can make money off of it - we're going to permit it to happen." 
The Washington Examiner (8/2, Dunleavy, 448K) reports Treasury Secretary Mnuchin also 
signaled Sunday that Trump was close to taking action against Chinese-owned companies. 
Mnuchin, who is Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, "shed 
new light" into an investigation by the panel into TikTok on ABC's This WeekVi . Said Mnuchin, "I 
will say publicly that the entire committee agrees that TikTok cannot stay in the current format, 
because it risks sending back information on a hundred million Americans." Bloomberg (8/2, 
Czuczka, 4.73M) reports the view that "there has to be a change" is shared by lawmakers 
including House Speaker Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Schumer, Mnuchin said. 
Microsoft To Continue Pursuit Of TikTok After Trump Speaks With CEO. The Wall 
Street Journal (8/2, Al, Bender, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports President Trump spoke 
by phone Sunday with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, sources said, as the Administration weighs 
whether to support a deal that would give the company control of TikTok in the US. The New 
York Times (8/2, Swanson, Crowley, Isaac, 18.61M) reports Microsoft said Sunday it would 
"continue to pursue the purchase of TikTok in the United States after consulting with President 
Trump, clearing the way for a potential blockbuster deal between the software giant and the 
viral social media phenomenon." Sunday's call came as the President "has expressed repeated 
concerns about TikTok and concerns around national security in recent weeks." In a statement, 
Microsoft said it "fully appreciates the importance of addressing the president's concerns. It is 
committed to acquiring TikTok subject to a complete security review and providing proper 
economic benefits to the United States, including the United States Treasury." 
The Washington Post (8/2, Lerman, 14.2M) and USA Today (8/2, Tyko, 10.31M), among 
other news outlets, also report the phone call, while Reuters (8/3, Roumeliotis, Wang) reports 
EFTA00150293

exclusively that the President "has agreed to give China's ByteDance 45 days to negotiate a 
sale" of TikTok to Microsoft. 
The New York Times (7/31, Isaac, Swanson, 18.61M) says lawmakers "and the Trump 
administration have increasingly questioned whether TikTok is susceptible to influence from the 
Chinese government, including potential requests to censor material shared on the platform or 
to share American user data with Chinese officials." According to the Times, TikTok "has been 
under review since late last year by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, 
a federal panel that examines foreign acquisitions of American firms for national security 
threats." However, the Washington Post (7/31, Al, Nakashima, Lerman, 14.2M) reports on its 
front page that TikTok "has continually insisted it does not hand over information to the Chinese 
government." 
USA Today (7/31, Jackson, Subramanian, Fritze, 10.31M) reports that on Friday, the 
President "threatened" to "ban TikTok from operating in the U.S. over concerns about the social 
media platform's ties with China." The President said, "As far as TikTok is concerned, we're 
banning them from the United States." 
In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal (7/31, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) calls 
Microsoft's potential move to buy US owned operations of Chinese-owned video app TikTok a 
possible example of increasing business competition while also solving a political problem. The 
Journal concludes Microsoft has the resources to go through with the investment and would 
offer competition to social media giants. 
Pompeo Criticizes China's Treatment Of Uighurs. Pompeo, on Fox News' Sunday 
Morning FuturesVi (8/2, 1.47M), also discussed China's treatment of the Uighurs, saying, "The 
risk to the people in that region has been great. I've talked about this as the greatest human 
rights violation to this date. If you want to participate in the world stage, you can't participate 
in behavior like this. We've begun to impose sanctions by companies and individuals involved in 
this. The most recent sanctions will put businesses operating there on notice, they have to 
change their behavior, stop using slave labor, stop participating in systems that have been 
connected to forced sterilization. ... We told US businesses take a real deep look into their 
supply chains and companies, some brand names in company, don't want to be connected to 
what's taking place there." 
Canadian Attorney General Says Requirements Have Been Met To Extradite Huawei 
CFO To US. 
Reuters (7/31, Warburton) reports Canadian Minister of Justice and Attorney General David 
Lametti "says the requirements for extraditing Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou to 
the United States on charges of bank fraud have been met, documents submitted in a British 
Columbia court show." The documents "are a precursor to the formal hearing on committal, or 
whether Meng should be extradited to the United States. Those hearings will take place in April 
2021." 
House Votes To Allot $500M Toward Election Security. 
The Washington Times (7/31, Blake, 492K) reports the House of Representatives "voted Friday 
to allocate a half-billion dollars toward strengthening and securing U.S. elections as part of a 
giant spending bill unlikely to face similar success in the Senate." The "$500 million to be given 
out in grants made available by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, or EAC," is included in 
a $1.3 trillion appropriations measure approved by the House. The measure additionally "calls 
for $19.1 million to cover EAC operating expenses - an increase of $3.9 million, and $6 million 
more than the president requested." 
Coons Warns About Potential Fallout From There Being Uncertainty Surrounding 
Outcomes Of Upcoming Senate Elections. In a Washington Post (7/31, 14.2M) op-ed, Sen. 
Chris Coons (D-DE) says he's very concerned "that the alarm bells indicating risk to the 
soundness of an approaching election are ringing right here in our country." The United States 
EFTA00150294

"is cruising toward a repeat of the election process of 2000, when it took more than a month to 
determine whether George W. Bush or Al Gore would ultimately become president." Coons goes 
on to say, "This year, however, things could be worse." In addition to the presidential election's 
results being potentially "uncertain for weeks or even months; control of the Senate could be 
contested for just as long. If that uncertainty lasts until January or beyond, that could be 
destabilizing for our democracy." 
Russia Pledges Reciprocal Steps After EU Sanctions For Alleged Cyberattacks. 
Reuters (7/31) reported Russia's Foreign Ministry "said on Friday it would respond with 
reciprocal measures to EU travel and financial sanctions against a department of Russia's 
military intelligence service for alleged cyberattacks." The ministry said in a statement, "Of 
course this unfriendly action by the EU will not be left unanswered," adding that the sanctions 
"were politically-motivated." In its first ever sanctions "related to cybercrime, the EU targeted 
the department for special technologies of the Russian military intelligence service, known as 
Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation." It accused 
the Russian service of "having carried out two cyberattacks in June 2017, which hit several 
companies in Europe resulting in large financial losses." The service is also "accused of two 
cyberattacks against Ukraine's power grid in 2015 and 2016." 
China Denies US Accusations Of Hacking To Steal Coronavirus Vaccine Data. 
Fox News (7/31, McFall, 27.59M) reported a US security official tracking Chinese hacking 
"revealed in an exclusive Reuters report Friday that hackers backed by the Chinese government 
attempted to steal coronavirus vaccination data from US-based biotech company, Moderna." 
China "pushed back on this accusation and said, 'Such allegations are pure slander." Wang 
Wenbin, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, said in a press conference Friday, "Recently so-
called sources from the US government have been accusing China of hacking to steal 
technology and data of U.S. vaccine research, but there has been no evidence whatsoever." The 
spokesman "said that China in fact is worried about potential hacking from foreign actors 
attempting to steal their data in the race to find a vaccination for the coronavirus." The Justice 
Department (DOJ) indicted "two Chinese nationals working for the Chinese intelligence agency, 
the Ministry of State Security (MSS), last week for alleged hacking US and international 
systems." 
Ransomware Attacks Against Local Voting Systems Feared As Elections Approach. 
The AP (8/2, Tucker, Cassidy, Bajak) reports federal authorities "say one of the gravest threats 
to the November election is a well-timed ransomware attack that could paralyze voting 
operations. "The threat isn't "just from foreign governments, but any fortune-seeking criminal." 
Ransomware attacks targeting "state and local governments have been on the rise, with cyber 
criminals seeking quick money by seizing data and holding it hostage until they get paid." The 
fear is that such attacks "could affect voting systems directly or even indirectly, by infecting 
broader government networks that include electoral databases." Even if a ransomware attack 
"fails to disrupt elections, it could nonetheless rattle confidence in the vote." Experts and 
officials "say ransomware is a particularly realistic possibility because the attacks are already so 
pervasive and lucrative." The FBI and DHS have issued "advisories to local governments, 
including recommendations for preventing attacks." 
Data Breach At A Genealogy Site Has Privacy Experts Worried. 
The New York Times (8/1, Murphy, 18.61M) reported GEDmatch, a longstanding family history 
site "containing around 1.4 million people's genetic information, had experienced a data 
breach." Brett Williams, the chief executive of Verogen, a forensic company that has owned 
GEDmatch since December, "said that the peculiar matches were not new uploads but rather 
the result of two back-to-back hacks, which overrode existing user settings." Scientists and 
EFTA00150295

genealogists "say the GEDmatch breach - which exposed more than a million additional profiles 
to law enforcement officials - offers an important window into what can go wrong when those 
responsible for storing genetic information fail to take necessary precautions." For many, the 
presence of "fake users in GEDmatch was as alarming as the breach itself." Genealogists know 
that a "user can easily upload someone else's genetic profile." But the breach "exposed that 
behind the scenes, hidden by privacy settings, were all kinds of profiles of people who were not 
even real." 
CISA Hosts Table-Top Training Exercise To Aid In Protecting Elections. 
MeriTalk (7/31, Weingarten) reported the Federal agency primarily responsible "for protecting 
elections held a training event to test its plans in advance of November's Election Day." The 
third 'Tabletop the Vote' exercise "hosted by DHS' Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security 
Agency (CISA), took place over a three day period from July 28 to 30, featuring 37 states and 
over 2,000 total participants, the majority of which participated remotely." CISA Director Chris 
Krebs, along with Federal, state, and local election officials, said in a statement, "In less than 
three months, millions of Americans will cast their vote. But for the state and local officials who 
administer elections, and the government and private sector partners who support them, the 
work has been ongoing for more than three years. We have made significant progress during 
that time, and this week's Tabletop the Vote exercise demonstrates the unprecedented levels of 
coordination between all levels of government and the private sector." 
Travel Giant CWT Pays $4.5M Ransom To Cyber Criminals. 
Reuters (7/31, Stubbs) reported that, according to a record of the ransom negotiations seen by 
Reuters, US travel management firm CWT "paid $4.5 million this week to hackers who stole 
reams of sensitive corporate files and said they had knocked 30,000 computers offline." The 
attackers used "a strain of ransomware called Ragnar Locker, which encrypts computer files and 
renders them unusable until the victim pays for access to be restored." The ensuing 
negotiations "between the hackers and a CWT representative remained publicly accessible in an 
online chat group, providing a rare insight into the fraught relationship between cyber criminals 
and their corporate victims." CWT "confirmed the attack but declined to comment on the details 
of what it said was an ongoing investigation." It said in a statement, "We can confirm that after 
temporarily shutting down our systems as a precautionary measure, our systems are back 
online and the incident has now ceased." 
Several Solarium Commission Recommendations Successfully Included In House 
Defense Authorization Bill. 
Federal Computer Week (7/31, Johnson, 263K) reported the Cyberspace Solarium Commission 
has "successfully lobbied the House to include nearly two dozen of its recommendations in the 
latest defense authorization bill." They're now working "to convince the Senate to adopt ideas 
like a new White House Cyber Director while also pushing the federal government and its allies 
to produce quicker attribution and joint sanctions for malicious cyberattacks." During a House 
Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Emerging Threats hearing, ranking member 
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) "said at least 22 of the more than 50 legislative proposals from the 
report were included in the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act passed by 
the House." Those provisions must still "survive a conference with the Senate and a potential 
veto from the White House, which has already stated its opposition to numerous provisions in 
the House and Senate versions." 
Google Announces Steps To Counter Spread Of Hacked Materials Before Election. 
Politico (7/31, Nylen, 4.29M) reported Google announced Friday it will "penalize websites that 
distribute hacked materials and advertisers who take part in coordinated misinformation 
campaigns...in an effort to crack down on deception in the months ahead of the November US 
EFTA00150296

elections." Google "said the changes will go into effect on September 1 and will affect all 
advertising." The policy still allows "ads that mention or quote from leaked documents, but 
seeks to prevent ones that directly facilitate or advertise access to illegally obtained materials." 
King Says "Two-Pronged Approach" Needed To Deter Cyber-Based Espionage 
Operations. 
Defense News (7/31, Pomerleau, 21K) reported that, in testimony before the House Armed 
Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities, Sen. Angus King 
(I-ME) "called for a two-pronged approach to deter cyber-based espionage operations, attempts 
to disrupt US banks, and widespread online influence campaigns." His recommendation included 
"increased international cooperation to call out and punish such activities, and for the US to 
create a stronger declaratory policy." The Cyber Solarium Commission "delivered a report in 
March advocating for multiple cyber deterrence efforts." King "said the US hasn't done a good 
job imposing costs against adversaries who conduct these cyber operations. We've become a 
cheap date in cyber." 
LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES 
FBI Warns Of Faulty COVID-19 Tests In Texas. 
KTRK-TV Houston (8/2, 431K) reports from New Braunfels, Texas, "The FBI headquarters in San 
Antonio is warning members who were tested for COVID-19 at a health care facility in New 
Braunfels in the last several weeks." According to KTRK-TV, "Authorities said they have reason 
to suspect the COVID-19 tests administered at Living Holistic Healthcare should not have been 
used to diagnose or rule out an active infection. Individuals who were tested at the facility are 
asked to contact the FBI at (210) 225-6741, prompt #1, or online on the FBI website." 
KIII-TV Corpus Christi, TX (8/1) reports, "The warning applies to those who went to get 
tested at Living Health Holistic Healthcare in the Hill Country community. According to a tweet 
from local FBI authorities, law enforcement have `reason to suspect the COVID-19 tests 
administered at the facility should not have been used to diagnose or rule out an active COVID-
19 infection.'" KSAT-TV San Antonio (8/1, Rodriguez, 198K) and KXAN-TV Austin, TX (8/1, 
495K) also report on their websites. 
FBI Course Informs Attendees About Rights. 
The Arkansas Democrat Gazette (8/2, Sanders, 307K) reports, "With tables 6 feet apart 
Saturday, FBI agents from Little Rock taught a public course in Jacksonville on federal civil 
rights and 'color of law' investigations as they pertain to law enforcement. The goal was to 
inform people about their constitutional rights and what to do if they believe their rights have 
been violated, FBI Supervisory Special Agent Ryan Kennedy said. 'It's to help people to 
understand what is or is not a civil-rights violation,' Kennedy said, 'and it's also to ... start 
having these really difficult conversations that people don't necessarily want to have on their 
own.' 'We help facilitate those conversations about public policing and community engagement, 
and how the community should be behaving and how law enforcement should be behaving; he 
said." 
WSJournal Analysis: Homicides Up 240/0 This Year. 
A Wall Street Journal (8/2, Al, Hilsenrath, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) analysis of crime 
statistics among the nation's 50 largest cities found that homicides are up 24% so far this year, 
to 3,612. In total, 36 of the 50 cities studied saw homicide rise at double-digit rates. 
Along similar lines, the Washington Examiner (8/2, Dibble, 448K) reports that "crime 
statistics for the month of July painted a grim picture of Chicago as the city's murder rate more 
EFTA00150297

than doubled, with many of the victims being children." The total number of murders in July 
"climbed to 139% compared to the same month in 2019." 
In New York City, Fox News (8/2, Betz, 27.59M) reports on its website, shootings so far 
this year "have surpassed the number of shootings for all of 2019, police confirmed to Fox 
News on Sunday." There were "776 total shootings for all of 2019, according to data compiled 
by the New York Post, which first reported the numbers." 
Chicago Police: Homicides, Shootings In City Have Spiked This Year. 
The AP (8/1) reports Chicago has seen a spike in homicides and shootings over "the first seven 
months of the year." During that time frame, "there were 440 homicides in Chicago and 2,240 
people shot, including many of those who were killed, according to statistics released Saturday 
by the police department." The AP adds, "There were 290 homicides and 1,480 shootings, 
including people who were killed, in the first seven months of last year." July was particularly 
violent, with Chicago having "recorded 105 homicides and 584 shootings." 
NYTimes Analysis: First Step Act Leaves Some Prisoners With Little Recourse When 
Resentencing Applications Are Denied. 
A New York Times (8/1, Fuchs, 18.61M) analysis says the First Step Act has largely met its 
objective of lowering "federal sentences for nonviolent drug offenders, addressing a 
longstanding disparity in which crack cocaine convictions in particular led to far harsher 
penalties than other drug offenses and disproportionately increased imprisonment of Black 
men." However, "the law gives judges discretion in reducing sentences," thus resulting in some 
inmates not having a great deal of recourse when their resentencing applications are denied. 
The Times adds, "In those cases, activists and defense lawyers worry that the First Step Act 
gives too much authority to judges to determine who does and does not deserve early release." 
Democrats To Press For "Structural Court Reforms." 
The New York Times (7/31, Hulse, 18.61M) reports Democrats intend to utilize their upcoming 
"party platform to push for 'structural court reforms' to counter what they describe as a 
concerted Republican campaign to pack the judiciary with 'unqualified, partisan judges." 
However, the platform's wording does not indicate what those changes ought to be. 
Nonetheless, supporters of the plank "said the broad statement represents a significant 
advance toward beginning a conversation among Democrats about how to respond to the 
substantial imprint that President Trump and his conservative allies have made on the federal 
bench." 
Corona virus Has Courts Rethinking Jury Trial. The Washington Post (7/31, 
Marimow, Jouvenal, 14.2M) reports "many of the country's court systems are gradually 
reopening, having embraced technologies such as Zoom and YouTube to safely hold pleas, 
sentencings and even Supreme Court hearings." However, the jury trial continues to be largely 
stalled, and the Post adds that "prosecutors and the defense bar in many jurisdictions 
nationwide are racing to re-engineer" it "for the covid-19 era in the hopes of restarting the 
proceedings before the end of the year." According to the Post, "They face the tricky balancing 
act of protecting the health of jurors who are compelled by the law to serve, while also 
providing the constitutionally mandated right to a speedy and public trial to tens of thousands 
of defendants, some of whom have languished in jail for months awaiting their day in court." 
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 
Deutsche Bank Opens Probe Into Personal Banker for Trump, Kushner. 
The New York Times (8/2, Drucker, Enrich, 18.61M) reports Deutsche Bank "has opened an 
internal investigation" into Rosemary Vrablic, "the longtime personal banker" of President 
EFTA00150298

Trump and Jared Kushner, "over a 2013 real estate transaction between the banker and a 
company part-owned by Mr. Kushner." According to the Times, "Vrablic, and two of her 
Deutsche Bank colleagues purchased a Park Avenue apartment for about $1.5 million from a 
company called Bergel 715 Associates" in June 2013. The Times cites "a person familiar with 
Mr. Kushner's finances" who "said he held an ownership stake in the entity at the time of the 
transaction." At the time, Trump and Kushner were Vrablic's clients at Deutsche Bank. Banks 
typically "restrict employees from doing personal business with clients because of the potential 
for conflicts between the employees' interests and those of the bank." A bank spokesman said, 
"The bank will closely examine the information that came to light on Friday and the fact pattern 
from 2013." 
LAWFUL ACCESS 
House Members Propose Encryption Bill Backed By Barr. 
The Washington Times (7/31, Blake, 492K) reports, "Encryption legislation being considered in 
the Senate spawned a companion bill proposed Thursday by Rep. Ann Wagner, Missouri 
Republican, quickly backed by the nation's top federal law enforcement official." Attorney 
General Barr "applauded Ms. Wagner for offering the House bill, the Lawful Access to Encrypted 
Data Act, and said he believed it is needed to keep criminals from evading authorities." The 
proposal "has previously received firm pushback from cybersecurity experts and Silicon Valley, 
however, who argue it would effectively require companies to build so-called 'back doors' into 
their products. Proponents of the proposal reason that encryption allows criminals to operate 
undetected online by making it difficult to impossible for authorities to intercept and decipher 
their digital communications." 
CyberScoop (7/31, Vavra) reports, "It's just the latest series of GOP-backed bills 
introduced in the last year on Capitol Hill, including the EARN IT Act, that could degrade 
encryption's security and privacy benefits at the peril of all users, for the benefit of some law 
enforcement probes, security and privacy experts say. The EARN IT Act, which would make tech 
companies liable for content on their platforms, has already passed through the Senate 
Judiciary Committee." Security Week (7/31) also reports. 
OTHER FBI NEWS 
Justice Department Announces Dates For Two Executions. 
Reuters (7/31, Zargham) reports the Justice Department on Friday "announced September 
execution dates for two inmates, in what could be the sixth and seventh federal executions this 
summer after a 17-year hiatus." In a statement, the department indicated that the execution of 
William LeCroy, who was convicted of killing a nurse in Georgia during 2001, will occur on 
September 22. Meanwhile, the agency indicated that the execution of Christopher Vialva, who 
was found guilty of killing a pair of youth ministers in Texas during 1999, will occur on 
September 24. 
Ohio Officials Push For Relocation Of FBI HQ. 
The Youngstown (OH) Vindicator (8/1, 171K) reports, "There's little chance President Donald 
Trump's request for $1.8 billion for a new FBI headquarters will be approved by Congress in a 
COVID-19 bill and virtually no chance it would be relocated far from Washington, D.C., but U.S. 
Rep. Tim Ryan and 10 Northeast Ohio mayors are asking it come to this area." According to the 
Vindicator, "In a Friday letter to the president, Ryan, D-Howland, and the mayors - including 
Youngstown's Jamael Tito Brown, Warren's Doug Franklin and Niles' Steven Mientkiewicz -
made a request to have the building come to Northeast Ohio. 'The payroll these approximately 
8,000 FBI jobs bring with them would go much further in Northeast Ohio than they currently do 
EFTA00150299

in the Washington, D.C., region and moving the building to the Midwest would show your 
commitment to creating opportunity in a region that desperately needs the economic stimulus 
that such a move would bring,' the letter reads." WFMJ-TV Youngstown, OH (7/31, 19K) also 
reports. 
FBI Eyes Cloud Migration For Unclassified Data. 
ExecutiveGov (7/31, Rivers) reports, "The FBI is planning to integrate its confidential, top-
secret and secret networks with cloud platforms to improve intelligence sharing among 
personnel working from home, FedScoop reported Thursday." ExecutiveGov adds, "Gurvais 
Griss, assistant director of the FBI Laboratory's science and technology branch, said at an 
AFCEA event that the bureau is looking to move unclassified data from legacy systems to less-
classified cloud environments. FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services unit is also working 
on efforts to move data from social media, communications platforms, mobile devices and 
system logs to a data lake to speed up analysis and response. `At the lab ... we have systems, 
business processes, administrative actions that previously were done on the higher 
classification network - not necessarily because they require that level of protection,' he noted. 
'It's just we organically designed it where people felt comfortable.' 
Conservatives Press For Federal Investigation Into Murder Of Milwaukee Trump 
Supporter. 
The AP (7/31, Bauer) reports that "the shooting death in broad daylight of a Black man 
affectionately known in his Milwaukee neighborhood as `The Ras' appears to have mystified 
police while spurring prominent conservatives in Wisconsin to speculate that he was killed 
because of his support for President Donald Trump." Bernell Trammell, "whose sometimes 
contradictory political views included supporting Black Lives Matter and many liberals, was 
killed outside his office in the eclectic and diverse Riverwest neighborhood of Milwaukee on July 
23." According to the AP, "While police are saying little, prominent Republicans are calling for a 
federal investigation of the killing, which they say was politically motivated." The AP says the 
case "has gained attention in conservative media outlets and allegations that the case is being 
downplayed by Democrats because Trammell supported Trump." 
OTHER WASHINGTON NEWS 
Meadows Says There Is "A Long Ways To Go" On Unemployment Benefit Negotiations. 
Kate Snow said on NBC Nightly NewsVi (8/2, story 5, 1:05, 4.12M) that "25 million out-of-work 
Americans are waiting on Washington right now to reach an agreement that would restore 
federal unemployment benefits that expired this weekend. There's no deal yet, though." NBC's 
Kelly O'Donnell: "We know negotiations pick up [Monday] between the White House and 
Democratic leaders. They agreed that the extra federal unemployment money should continue, 
but the disagreement is over how much. Democrats insist it should remain $600 a week on top 
of state benefits, which vary widely. Republicans want to use a percentage of the person's lost 
salary so it won't be more than their original paycheck. Separately, many Americans could get a 
second round of direct payments, just like back in April." 
On the CBS Evening NewsVi (8/2, story 5, 1:45, Garrett, 1.32M), Nikole Killion said, "As 
President Trump hit the links Sunday, [there was] no hole-in-one for his negotiating team on a 
coronavirus rescue package. ... Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steve 
Mnuchin say talks with congressional Democrats have been productive, but they are still far 
apart on a deal." Meadows, on CBS' Face The NationVI (8/2, 2.67M), said, "We still have a long 
ways to go. I can tell you that we spent the last four days trying to get to some kind of 
consensus, at least to start negotiating. ... I'm not optimistic there will be a solution in the very 
near term, and that's why I think the effort that Sen. Martha McSally led on the Senate floor to 
EFTA00150300

extend the enhanced unemployment was the right move, and yet [Senate Minority Leader] 
Schumer and his Democratic colleagues blocked that." Mnuchin, on ABC's This WeekVi (8/2, 
2.52M), said, "The President is very concerned about the expiration of the unemployment 
insurance. We proposed a one-week extension at $600 so that while we negotiate a longer-
term solution at least all those people don't lose their money, and I'm surprised that the 
Democrats won't agree to that, they're insisting on having this as part of a larger deal." 
Two top House leaders spoke for the Democrats on Sunday. House Speaker Pelosi said on 
ABC's This WeekVi (8/2, 2.52M), "The $600 is essential for America's working families and, 
again, to condescend, to disrespect their motivation, is so amazing, how insistent the 
Republicans are about working families and their $600, and how cavalier they are about other 
money that's going out." Pelosi said on MSNBC's AM JoyVi (8/2, 866K), "We want to put money 
into the pockets of American people. ... They put $200 forth the end of last week - $200, very 
condescending to working families." House Majority Whip Clybum said on CNN's State Of The 
UnionVi (8/2, 951K), "I don't know how close we are to a deal. ... The big problem to me was 
that people trying to put food on the table, people who are unemployed, people who are having 
their unemployment compensation supplemented by the $600 and they want to cut it down to 
$200 and at the same time give 100% tax deductions to business lunches. What kind of priority 
is that?" On CBS' Face The NationVi (8/2, 2.67M), Clybum said, "Let's lay out some security in 
their lives, some stability in their lives." 
Reuters (8/2, Chiacu, Ahmann) reports Meadows said "he was not optimistic on reaching 
agreement soon," arguing that "Democrats were standing in the way of a separate agreement 
to extend some federal unemployment benefits in the short-term while negotiations continue on 
an overall relief package." USA Today (8/2, Behrmann, 10.31M) reports Pelosi "remained 
steadfast in her desire to pass a larger bill and not take the gradual approach suggested by 
Republicans and the White House, such as a short-term extension of the unemployment 
benefit." 
Politico (8/2, McCaskill, 4.29M) says the negotiators "couldn't even agree on what they 
agree on Sunday, indicating that Democrats and Republicans are still a ways away from 
clinching a deal." The Washington Post (8/2, Werner, Rosenberg, 14.2M) reports Meadows, 
Mnuchin, and Pelosi "made clear in separate interviews Sunday that they remain far apart on a 
coronavirus relief deal that would restore expired unemployment benefits for millions of 
Americans," while the New York limes (8/2, Cochrane, 18.61M) says GOP leaders have 
conceded that "at least 20 Senate Republicans are unlikely to support any additional 
spending...in part because of concerns over the level of spending and its effect on the national 
debt." The Wall Street Journal (8/2, Zumbrun, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports an 
already-passed House bill would extend the $600 federal jobless benefit through January. 
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a vice-presidential prospect, said on Fox News SundayVi 
(8/2, 1.01M), "The one-week extension is not enough. Americans across this country are 
hurting right now. There are families who don't know if they're going to be able to pay their 
rent. Today is the beginning of the month in August, and many families just missed the first 
rent payment or the first mortgage payment. Many families are not going to know if within two 
weeks their kids are going to go hungry." 
Bloomberg (8/2, Bull, 4.73M) reports Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel 
Kashkari told CBS on Sunday "that Americans are saving more because they aren't going out as 
much during the pandemic, and as a result there would be less need to borrow from abroad to 
finance additional fiscal aid." Kashkari said on CBS' Face The NationVI (8/2, 2.28M), "While 
historically we would worry about racking up too much debt, we're generating the savings 
ourselves. That means Congress has the resources to support those who are most hurting." 
Axios (8/2, Rummler, 521K) says "enhanced unemployment insurance expired for tens of 
millions of Americans on July 31, while those in talks to secure the next coronavirus stimulus 
package have made it clear that a deal is a long way off." Bloomberg (8/2, Litvan, House, 
EFTA00150301

Flatley, 4.73M), the Washington Times (8/2, Richardson, 492K), and The Hill (8/2, Chalfant, 
Elis, 2.98M) are among the other sources covering the Sunday show comments about the 
negotiations. 
Birx Says Nation Has Entered A "New Phase" Of Pandemic. 
The Washington Post (8/2, Hawkins, 14.2M) reports White House Coronavirus Task Force 
Response Coordinator Deborah Birx warned in an appearance on CNN's State Of The UnionVi 
that the country has entered a "new phase" of the pandemic. Birx said, "I want to be very clear 
what we're seeing today is different from March and April. ... It is extraordinarily widespread." 
Trevor Ault reported on ABC World News TonightVi (8/2, story 2, 4:05, Llamas, 5.23M) that "22 
states, DC, and Puerto Rico seeing their case numbers climb. ... July saw 1.9 million new cases 
of COVID-19 in this country, shattering the previous record." The CBS Weekend NewsVi (8/2, 
story 2, 2:10, Garrett, 1.32M) reported that "the CDC predicts up to 11,000 people will die 
every week this month." 
The New York limes (8/2, Carey, 18.61M) says Birx "recommended that people living in 
communities where cases are surging should consider wearing a mask at home, if they live with 
someone who is especially vulnerable because of age or underlying medical conditions." Birx 
said, "If you have an outbreak in your rural area or in your city, you need to really consider 
wearing a mask at home, assuming that you're positive if you have individuals in your home 
with comorbidities." NBC Nightly NewsVi (8/2, story 4, 2:35, Snow, 4.12M) reported that Birx 
"had a new warning about house parties." NBC's Blayne Alexander added that she "pointed to 
those images we all keep seeing of those packed house parties and different events. She says 
it's not necessarily super spreading individuals, rather super spreading events, and she said 
those need to stop." 
Pelosi Says She Has No Confidence In Birx. On ABC's This WeekVi Sunday, Reuters 
(8/2, Chiacu) reports, House Speaker Pelosi "said...she does not have confidence in" Birx, 
"linking her to disinformation about the virus spread by President Donald Trump." Pelosi said, "I 
think the President has been spreading disinformation about the virus and she is his appointee 
so, I don't have confidence there, no." Similarly, The Hill (8/2, Bowden, 2.98M) reports that 
House Speaker Pelosi "said Sunday that the U.S. needs to get better control over the 
coronavirus outbreak before a widespread reopening of schools can occur safely." Bloomberg
(8/2, Czuczka, 4.73M) says Pelosi "was asked about a Politico reports that she described Birx as 
a spreader of disinformation during a closed-door meeting Friday with Treasury Secretary 
Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows." According to Politico, Pelosi 
said at the meeting, "Deborah Birx is the worst. Wow, what horrible hands you're in." 
The Washington Post (8/2, Hawkins, 14.2M) reports that on CNN's State Of The UnionVi, 
Birx "defended her decisions in responding to the crisis." Birx said, "I have tremendous respect 
for the speaker. I have tremendous respect for her long dedication to the American people. ... I 
have never been Pollyannaish or nonscientific or non-data driven." 
Giroir: There Is No Evidence Hydroxychloroquine Is Effective Against Coronavirus. 
Politico (8/2, Warmbrodt, 4.29M) reports that Assistant HI-IS Secretary for Health Adm. Brett 
Giroir "said Sunday there is no evidence that hydroxychloroquine is an effective treatment for 
the virus, despite President Donald Trump's continued promotion of the anti-malaria drug." On 
NBC's Meet The PressVi, Giroir "said he could not recommend hydroxychloroquine" because 
trials "do not show any benefit." Giroir said, "We need to move on from that and talk about 
what is effective." Giroir "suggested that doctors would be unlikely to prescribe the drug." Giroir 
said, "There may be circumstances, I don't know what they are, where a physician may 
prescribe it for an individual, but I think most physicians and prescribers are evidence-based 
and they're not influenced by whatever is on Twitter or anything else. ... And the evidence just 
doesn't show that hydroxychloroquine is effective right now." 
EFTA00150302

Researchers Fear Political Intervention In Vaccine Development. 
The New York Times (8/2, Al, Lafraniere, Thomas, Weiland, Baker, Karni, 18.61M) reports that 
it "typically takes years to develop a vaccine," so the timetable for Operation Warp Speed, 
which envisioned "broad access to the public by October 2020," was "incredibly ambitious." The 
limes adds, "It escaped no one that the proposed deadline also intersected nicely with 
President Trump's need to curb the virus before the election in November." The Times describes 
"constant pressure from a White House anxious for good news and a public desperate for a 
silver bullet to end the crisis," that are making government researchers "fearful of political 
intervention in the coming months." They are "struggling to ensure that the government 
maintains the right balance between speed and rigorous regulation, according to interviews 
with administration officials, federal scientists and outside experts." 
Officials Struggle To Determine Who Will Get Initial Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccine. 
The AP (8/2, Neergaard) reports that US health officials "hope late next month to have some 
draft guidance on how to ration initial doses" of a COVID-19 vaccine "but it's a vexing decision." 
The AP adds that while "health workers and the people most vulnerable to a targeted infection" 
are "traditionally, first in line for a scarce vaccine," NIH Director Collins "tossed new ideas into 
the mix: Consider geography and give priority to people where an outbreak is hitting hardest. 
And don't forget volunteers in the final stage of vaccine testing who get dummy shots, the 
comparison group needed to tell if the real shots truly work." The AP points out that despite 
"promises of the U.S. stockpiling millions of doses," even if "a vaccine is declared safe and 
effective by year's end, there won't be enough for everyone who wants it right away." 
The Washington Post (8/2, Al, Johnson, 14.2M) says "public health experts are discussing 
among themselves a new worry: that hopes for a vaccine may be soaring too high. The 
confident depiction by politicians and companies that a vaccine is imminent and inevitable may 
give people unrealistic beliefs about how soon the world can return to normal - and even spark 
resistance to simple strategies that can tamp down transmission and save lives in the short 
term." The Post adds that a vaccine being "shown safe and effective will be a beginning, not the 
end. Deploying the vaccine to people in the United States and around the world will test and 
strain distribution networks, the supply chain, public trust and global cooperation. It will take 
months or, more likely, years to reach enough people to make the world safe." 
Despite Early Success Flattening Curve, San Francisco Seeing Surge In Cases. 
The Washington Post (8/2, Al, Kelly, Lerman, 14.2M) reports that the San Francisco Bay Area 
"was one of the first metro areas in the United States to fully shut down to slow the spread of 
the novel coronavirus." But, "more than four months after the region put some of the nation's 
first shelter-in-place orders in effect, the Bay Area is experiencing a surge in cases and counties 
are rolling back reopening plans." While "leaders here tried to do everything cautiously and by 
the book, cases still eventually spiked over a month and a half, to an average of 877 cases a 
day at the end of July from 217 a day in mid-June. Medical experts say a slow but steady rise in 
complacency is worsening the case count." 
Trump Challenges Fauci Over Cause Of Increase In US Coronavirus Cases. 
Politico (8/1, Semones, 4.29M) reports that President Trump "publicly rebuked Dr. Anthony 
Fauci on Saturday, forcefully rejecting the nation's top infectious disease expert's testimony on 
why the U.S. has experienced a renewed surge in coronavirus cases." The President tweeted,
"Wrong! We have more cases because we have tested far more than any other country, 
60,000,000. If we tested less, there would be less cases. How did Italy, France & Spain do? 
Now Europe sadly has flare ups. Most of our governors worked hard & smart. We will come 
back STRONG!" Politico says the President's comments came in response to a video where Fauci 
on Friday "explained to a House subcommittee that the U.S. has seen more cases than 
European countries because it only shut down a fraction of its economy amid the pandemic." 
EFTA00150303

Meanwhile, The Hill (8/1, Concha, 2.98M) reports Tucker Carlson on Friday 
"slammed...Fauci as a 'total fraud' after the top infectious disease expert's Friday testimony on 
Capitol Hill, with the Fox News host asserting that 'there is nothing' Fauci 'won't opine on as 
long as it doesn't offend the popular and fashionable left." 
Giroir: "Testing Does Not Replace Personal Responsibility." On the CBS Weekend 
NewsVI (8/1, story 4, 0:21, Bacchus, 2.37M), Danya Bacchus reported Assistant Secretary for 
Health Adm. Brett Giroir on Friday "urged Americans to take precautions for themselves and 
others." Giroir: "We cannot test our way out of this or any other pandemic. Testing does not 
replace personal responsibility. It does not substitute for avoiding crowded indoor spaces or 
washing hands or wearing a mask." 
FDA Expands Warning About Potentially Toxic Hand Sanitizers. 
ABC World News TonightVi (8/2, story 10, 0:15, Llamas, 5.23M) reported that the FDA is again 
"expanding its list of potentially toxic hand sanitizers. The agency now warning against more 
than 100 products that may contain methanol, which could be toxic when absorbed through 
skin or ingested." 
USA Today (8/1, Tyko, 10.31M) reports the Food and Drug Administration's "do-not-use 
list of dangerous hand sanitizer products" keeps growing, with the list, as of Saturday, now 
featuring 101 hand sanitizer varieties. The FDA said, "FDA continues to find issues with certain 
hand sanitizer products. FDA test results show certain hand sanitizers have concerningly low 
levels of ethyl alcohol or isopropyl alcohol, which are active ingredients in hand sanitizer 
products." It added, "The agency urges consumers not to use these subpotent products and has 
expanded its list to include subpotent hand sanitizers, in addition to hand sanitizers that are or 
may be contaminated with methanol." 
Rep. Grijalva Tests Positive For Covid-19. 
The Wall Street Journal (8/1, Peterson, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports House Natural 
Resources Chairman Raul Grijalva on Saturday announced he became the tenth lawmaker in 
the House to test positive for positive for Covid-19, although he said he was asymptomatic. The 
Journal says Grijalva self-quarantined after Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) announced his positive 
diagnosis on Wednesday, a day after they interacted at a committee hearing. 
NBC Nightly NewsVI (8/1, story 8, 0:16, Diaz-Balart, 3.57M) provided similar coverage in a 
brief broadcast. 
More Players On St. Louis Cardinals Test Positive For Coronavirus. 
The Washington Post (8/1, Sheinin, 14.2M) reports Major League Baseball's hopes of saving the 
season in the midst of the pandemic "took another ominous turn Saturday, when the St. Louis 
Cardinals received word of additional positive tests for the novel coronavirus, requiring the 
postponement of the entire Cardinals-Brewers weekend series in Milwaukee and deepening the 
level of pessimism around the sport that the season can go on." After reporting a pair of 
positive tests on Friday, the Cardinals had an additional "four positives Saturday, one of which 
was a player, using rapid tests." In addition to the Cardinal's outbreak having arisen, the past 
week also saw 18 Miami Marlins players as well as two team coaches test positive. The Wall 
Street Journal (8/1, Diamond, Radnofsky, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports that during a 
Friday call with MLB Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark, MLB Commissioner Rob 
Manfred signaled that the season could be shut down if conditions don't get better. 
On NBC Nightly NewsVi (8/1, story 10, 1:58, Diaz-Balart, 3.57M), correspondent Kathy 
Park reported the Brewers' Lorenzo Cain "says he is opting out of the season and so is the 
Marlins' second baseman Isan Diaz, who wrote, 'This has been a tough week to see so many of 
my teammates come down with this virus and see how quickly it spreads." USA Today Sports 
Columnist Dan Wolken said, "You've already seen in a little bit more than a week of Major 
EFTA00150304

League Baseball how difficult it is to operate a league where teams are traveling across the 
country. What you've seen is baseball tried to adjust on the fly." Park added, "Pandemic 
planning for the NHL includes a bubble set up in Canada as players returned to the ice today." 
ABC World News TonightVi (8/1, story 4, 0:14, Ault, 4.95M) provided similar coverage in 
a brief broadcast. 
Administration Reportedly Lacks Vaccine Distribution Plan. 
Reuters (7/31, Cowan) reports that "as scientists and pharmaceutical companies work at 
breakneck speed to develop a vaccine for the novel coronavirus, public health officials and 
senior U.S. lawmakers are sounding alarms about the Trump administration's lack of planning 
for its nationwide distribution." According to Reuters, "The federal government traditionally 
plays a principal role in funding and overseeing manufacturing and distribution of new vaccines 
during pandemics." Reuters adds, "There won't be enough vaccine for all 330 million Americans 
right away, so the government also has a role in deciding who gets it first." However, Reuters 
says "right now, it is unclear who in Washington is in charge of oversight, much less any critical 
details." 
House Panel Claims Administration Wasted $500 Million On Ventilators. 
CNBC (7/31, Higgins-Dunn, 3.62M) reports that the House Oversight Committee "accused the 
Trump administration of 'incompetent negotiating' for ventilators at the beginning of the 
coronavirus pandemic, saying it 'squandered' more than $500 million in taxpayer funds for the 
essential equipment. "The waste of taxpayer funds caused by the Trump Administration's 
incompetent procurement efforts for ventilators could be as much as $500 million or more,' 
according to a report released Friday by Chairman Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill." According to 
CNBC, the committee "said the Trump administration mismanaged an existing contract with 
Philips Respironics, agreeing to pay $15,000 apiece for Trilogy EV300 ventilators this year after 
Philips repeatedly failed to deliver 10,000 Trilogy Evo Universal ventilators ordered in 2014 for 
$3,280 apiece, the report said." 
Survey: Americans Hesitant To Return To Daily Routines Among Increases In 
Coronavirus Cases. 
USA Today (7/31, Morin, 10.31M) reports that amid an increase in coronavirus cases, "some 
Americans are losing confidence in resuming" their daily routines. USA Today adds, "Only 44% 
of Americans say they would send their child back to school if restrictions were lifted by public 
health officials, according to a survey from the Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape Project 
that was conducted the week of July 9. That is a 4 percentage point drop from June, when 48% 
of Americans said they would. In a July 16 survey, 44% of Americans who regularly engage in 
this activity said they would attend a religious service, a 5 percentage point drop from June. 
The largest drop was among those who said they would have dinner at a friend's house, with 
59% saying they would, an 8 percentage point drop from June." 
Numerous Municipalities Hardly Enforcing Mask Ordinances. 
The New York Times (7/31, Robles, 18.61M) reports that in excess of 30 states and a greater 
amount of cities have authorized "a hodgepodge of mask ordinances and executive orders, but 
many municipalities are barely enforcing them." The Times adds, "Several sheriffs in Colorado 
and New Mexico have openly defied local rules and publicly refused to carry them out." 
Meanwhile, a number of city officials in California openly warned about severe "penalties but 
now acknowledge that no one has been ticketed." The Times also reports that a Boston Police 
Department spokesman "stressed that it was not enforcing mask rules because Massachusetts 
has no law requiring masks, which is true. He did not respond when asked about the order the 
governor issued in May that provided for a $300 fine for not wearing masks in stores, on mass 
transit and in taxis." 
EFTA00150305

Union Leader: Retail Workers Being Unjustly Burdened With Having To Enforce 
Mask Policies. The Washington Post (7/30, Bellware, 14.2M) reports "the head of the largest 
union representing retail workers said businesses have unfairly burdened their employees with 
enforcing mask-wearing policies, to the detriment of workers and customers alike." It's on 
employers "to provide a safe workplace, said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, 
Wholesale and Department Store Union, who called for companies to hire security staffers to 
enforce a store's mask policies or task members of management with the role." On Thursday, 
Appelbaum told the Post, "Employees should not be expected to put their safety and their life 
on the line for the employer. That's an unreasonable expectation." 
CDC: 260 Children, Staff At Georgia Sleep-Away Camp Infected With Coronavirus. 
The Washington Post (7/31, Janes, 14.2M) says that "a new report suggests that children of all 
ages are susceptible to coronavirus infection and may also spread it to others." The report, 
which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put out on Friday, "details an outbreak at 
a sleep-away camp in Georgia last month in which 260 children and staffers - more than three-
quarters of the 344 tested - contracted the virus less than a week after spending time together 
in close quarters." The median age of the children was 12. Moreover, all campers and staff 
members had been required "to provide documentation that they had tested negative for the 
virus before coming." The Post adds, "Staff were required to wear masks, but children were 
not." 
ABC World News TonightVi (7/31, story 7, 0:27, Oquendo, 6.66M) and the CBS Evening 
NewsVi (7/31, story 4, 0:33, Begnaud, 3.97M) provided similar coverage in brief broadcasts. 
Supreme Court Signals Disinterest In Ruling On Virus-Related Election Matters. 
The Wall Street Journal (8/1, Bravin, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports that in multiple 
cases since April, the Supreme Court has rejected lower court orders to expand voting access 
during the coronavirus pandemic. 
Hogan Faces Backlash Over Effort To Expand Voting Access In Maryland. The 
Washington Post (7/31, Cox, 14.2M) said that when Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) last week 
"announced an all-of-the-above strategy to conduct 'a normal' election in November, he cast it 
as a decision to maximize voter access during the coronavirus pandemic," but "a massive 
backlash ensued." The Post described the reaction as "another example of the deadly pandemic 
weaving uncertainty though the presidential election process. As President Trump faces 
bipartisan rebuke for suggesting the election be delayed and undermining mail-in voting, Hogan 
is under withering criticism - and facing open revolt - from rank-and-file poll workers in his 
state." 
Politico Analysis: Push To Reopen Schools Is Latest Example Of Trump Reversing 
Course. 
Politico (8/2, Kumar, 4.29M) reports in an analysis that throughout the coronavirus pandemic, 
President Trump "has fought everyone else as he pushed his own contentious plans...before 
later reversing course, backing away from his initial stance or simply moving on to the next 
issue and declaring victory." Supporters and critics "say Trump wants to appear as if he is 
taking charge - even when he clearly lacks the authority to act - as he scrambles to find 
anything to latch onto while facing sinking poll numbers months before the election." Politico 
says the latest example came amid his push to reopen schools. Trump "threatened to withhold 
federal aid from districts that failed to offer in-person learning. But instead of fighting the many 
districts that defied him, he scaled back his combative rhetoric and toned down his demands." 
Some Colleges Offer Tuition Discounts After Deciding Not To Being Students Back. 
EFTA00150306

NBC Nightly NewsVI (8/2, story 7, 2:25, Snow, 4.12M) reported that with major universities 
"backing down on bringing students back to campus" in the fall, some are offering discounts on 
tuition and others "are not changing tuition fees, even as some students are suing for tuition 
refunds for spring semester." 
The New York Times (8/2, Al, Hartocollis, Hubler, 18.61M) reports that colleges that are 
planning to welcome students back this fall "face challenges unlike any other American 
institution - containing the coronavirus among a young, impulsive population that not only 
studies together, but lives together, parties together, and, if decades of history are any guide, 
sleeps together." The Times adds, "It will be a hugely complex and costly endeavor requiring far 
more than just the reconfiguring of dorm rooms and cafeterias and the construction of annexes 
and tent classrooms to increase social distancing. It also crucially involves the creation of 
testing programs capable of serving communities the size of small cities and the enforcement of 
codes of conduct among students not eager to be policed." 
Trump Installs Tata As Official "Performing The Duties" Of Pentagon Undersecretary. 
Politico (8/2, Seligman, 4.29M) reports President Trump has installed retired Army Brig. Gen. 
Anthony Tata "for a top Pentagon job in a senior Department of Defense post on a temporary 
basis after lawmakers abruptly canceled his confirmation hearing last week amid lingering 
questions about his fitness for the role." Tata "withdrew Sunday from consideration to be 
undersecretary of defense for policy, a position that requires Senate confirmation, the Pentagon 
said in a statement emailed to Politico Sunday." Tata "has been designated as the official 
'performing the duties of the deputy undersecretary of defense policy." Politico says Tata "has 
been widely criticized for tweets calling former President Barack Obama a 'terrorist leader' and 
referring to Islam as the 'most oppressive violent religion I know of,' among other controversial 
statements." 
Trump Met Yoo At White House Last Week. 
The Hill (8/2, Coleman, 2.98M) reports that UC Berkeley law professor John Yoo has confirmed 
that he and President Trump "met face-to-face at the White House for the first time on 
Thursday." Yoo "told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Saturday that he met with Trump in the 
Oval Office for about one hour." Yoo, who said White House counsel Pat Cipollone was also 
present, said, "He was upbeat and energetic," and that Trump was not "Nixonian in the bunker 
and paranoid and dark." The Hill says the meeting came in the wake of a piece Yoo wrote for 
the National Review "asserting that the Supreme Court ruling, that blocked Trump's plans to 
end the Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), could 
help the president institute future policies without congressional approval." 
NYTimes Analysis Questions What Purpose McEnany Serves Beyond "Berating" Media. 
In an analysis, the New York Times (8/2, Rogers, Haberman, 18.61M) reports that President 
Trump "is back to serving as his own primary spokesman," which has left White House Press 
Secretary Kayleigh McEnany "in a distinctly secondary role." McEnany has "encountered flagging 
interest from television networks; only Fox News regularly carries her briefings live, and at least 
one network has declined a request to have her appear on one of its shows." To the Times, "All 
of that is leaving it increasingly unclear what purpose Ms. McEnany is filling beyond berating the 
news media from the briefing room podium." The Times adds that McEnany has "struggled to 
make the briefings compelling enough - or credible enough - to refocus the attention on what 
the administration hopes to highlight instead of the pandemic." 
Undocumented Workers, Families Running Out Of Options To Survive In US. 
Bloomberg (8/1, Rockeman, Saraiva, 4.73M) reports undocumented workers and their families, 
"largely left out of federal relief programs" in the United States, "are running out of options to 
help them survive the coronavirus pandemic." They've primarily "relied on money from 
EFTA00150307

philanthropic organizations and local governments to help buy food and to pay their bills. But 
now some of those funds are drying up, exacerbating the public health crisis and further 
threatening an economic recovery that's become shakier with the recent surge in virus 
infections and a renewed wave of layoffs." 
CREW Claims Miller Violated Hatch Act By Criticizing Biden. 
The Hill (8/1, Gstalter, 2.98M) reports Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington 
(CREW) filed a complaint with the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) that "alleges that President 
Trump's senior policy adviser Stephen Miller violated federal law when he made comments on 
Friday about presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden," and "calls for an 
investigation into Miller's comments criticizing Biden on Fox News." In a statement, CREW 
Executive Director Noah Bookbinder said, "It is well past time for those like Stephen Miller, who 
show an open disdain for ethics laws like the Hatch Act and who illegally use official resources 
to promote the president's re-election bid, to be held accountable for their actions." The Hill 
quotes Miller as saying Biden "is stuck in a basement somewhere, and he just emerges every 
now and again, and somebody hands him a notecard, and he says whatever his 23-year-old 
staffer tells him to say, and then he dutifully disappears to be seen a week later." 
Politico Magazine Feature Examines How Horowitz "Cultivated" Miller. In a more 
than 3,800-word feature headlined "The Man Who Made Stephen Miller," Politico Magazine (8/1, 
Guerrero, 4.24M) recounts how Miller was "cultivated" by conservative activist David Horowitz. 
According to Politico, "The friendship between Miller and Horowitz began when Miller - who did 
not respond to interview requests for the book from which this article was adapted — was in 
high school and continued throughout his career. Tracing it reveals a source of Miller's laser 
focus on immigration restriction, which has over the past few years resulted in a ban on travel 
from mostly-Muslim countries and a policy that separated families crossing the border into the 
United States to seek asylum." Politico adds that to "understand the language Trump uses to 
talk about immigrants and his opponents, or the immigration policies he has put into place, 
often via Miller, you have to also understand David Horowitz, and the formative role he played 
in Miller's career and life." 
"Large Club" Of Administration Alums Wrote Books Critical Of President. 
In a more than 3,200-word article, the New York Times (8/1, Lyall, 18.61M) reports a "large 
club of Trump administration evictees...have turned their bracingly bad experiences into a new 
genre of political revenge literature." The Times says the books "paint a damning portrait of the 
45th president of the United States. But the sheer volume of unflattering material they contain 
can have the paradoxical danger of blunting their collective impact." According to the Times, 
reading the books "is not pleasant, you might hurt yourself, and it leaves you covered in grime. 
The picture they paint of their protagonist - Mr. Trump - is so outrageous that if they were 
fiction they would be dismissed as too broad, too much of a caricature." 
House Committee Subpoenas Pompeo Over Biden-Ukraine Investigation. 
Reuters (7/31) reports House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel on Friday issued a subpoena 
to Secretary of State Pompeo "demanding documents he provided to Republicans 
investigating...Joe Biden." According to Reuters, "A Republican-led U.S. Senate committee has 
been gathering information related to" Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, "a former board 
member of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma." Engel is quoted as saying, "I want to see 
the full record of what the department has sent to the Senate and I want the American people 
to see it too." 
Bloomberg (7/31, Wainer, 4.73M) reports Engel charged, "Secretary Pompeo has turned 
the State Department into an arm of the Trump campaign and he's not even trying to disguise 
it." Bloomberg says the subpoena "directs Pompeo to turn over the records by Aug. 7." Politico 
(7/31, Cheney, 4.29M) reports that Engel "indicated he subpoenaed the documents because the 
EFTA00150308

department had ignored his initial request to share copies of any material being provided to the 
Senate." According to Politico, "Democrats view the Senate GOP investigation, led by Sen. Ron 
Johnson's Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, as an effort to smear Biden 
on false corruption allegations related to his diplomacy in Ukraine." 
Appeals Court Upholds Ruling Throwing Out Lawsuit Filed Against Trump By Stormy 
Daniels. 
Politico (7/31, Gerstein, 4.29M) reports the President "scored a legal victory Friday as a federal 
appeals court upheld a lower court ruling tossing out a libel lawsuit filed against him by adult 
film star Stormy Daniels over a tweet Trump fired off about her in 2018." The 9th U.S. Circuit 
Court of Appeals "accepted arguments by Trump's lawyers that he was merely offering his 
opinion and not leveling any factual claims of his own when he issued the tweet casting doubt 
on her claims that she faced intimidation as she prepared to go public with allegations that she 
and Trump had a sexual encounter." It was decided unanimously by a three-judge panel that 
the tweet was tantamount "to an opinion about another Twitter user's message suggesting that 
a sketch Daniels helped prepare of a man who allegedly intimidated her in a casino parking lot 
looked much like a photo of Daniels' ex-husband." 
Legislators Call For FTC Investigation Into Practice Employed By Mobile Advertising 
Sector. 
In an exclusive, the Wall Street Journal (7/31, Tau, Haggin, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) 
reports several members of Congress are requesting the Federal Trade Commission to 
commence a probe concerning the mobile advertising sector's practice of utilizing digital display 
ads to track consumers. 
Acting ICE Director To Retire. 
Reuters (7/31, Hesson) reports US Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting Director 
Matthew Albence on Friday announced that he is retiring, Reuters says Derek Benner, 
"executive associate director for ICE's homeland security investigations division, is the next 
highest ranking official." Reuters also reports that Kathy Nuebel Kovarik, "a Trump appointee at 
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which administers the legal immigration system, is 
expected to move to ICE on Monday," and "take over as the chief of staff." 
According to Politico (7/31, Cohen, 4.29M), "Trump officials accused Albence of favoring 
humanitarian concerns about the treatment of immigrants over the chance to take more 
aggressive action," and Albence also "angered White House officials when he refused to install a 
number of political appointees at his agency." 
The Washington Post (7/31, Miroff, 14.2M) reports that Albence "had directed ICE agents 
to back off some enforcement activity during the pandemic, frustrating some at the White 
House, but there was no indication that his decision to step down was intended as a statement 
of protest." According to the Post, Albence's retirement "had been rumored for months." The 
Post says Albence is "well-liked by his workforce," and "known for his fierce defense of the 
agency and his unsentimental views on immigration enforcement." 
Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner Earned At Least $36 Million In Outside Income Last 
Year. 
The Washington Post (7/31, Lee, Narayanswamy, 14.2M) reports Ivanka Trump and Jared 
Kushner "earned at least $36.2 million as they served in the White House last year, reporting a 
boost in income from some companies they own that hold residential and commercial 
properties, new disclosures released Friday show." The Post says the pair "reported a minimum 
combined income that was at least $7 million higher than in 2018, when they reported making 
at least $29 million, according to their personal financial disclosures, which they are required to 
file annually." However, according to the Post, their minimum income "was lower last year than 
EFTA00150309

it was in 2017, the year they entered government service, when they reported earning at least 
$82 million, the disclosures show." 
Trump Releases 2019 Financial Disclosure Report. 
Bloomberg (7/31, Dennis, 4.73M) reports President Trump on Friday "released his 2019 
financial disclosure report, after getting an extension on his original due date." Bloomberg says 
the 78-page report shows "revenue dipped slightly at two iconic Trump properties - the hotel at 
the Old Post Office near the White House and his Florida golf resort Mar-a-Lago." According to 
Bloomberg, "Trump reported $40.5 million in revenue for the Washington hotel last year, down 
from $40.8 million a year earlier, while Mar-a-Lago revenue dipped to $21.4 million from $22.7 
million. A third major Trump property, Trump's Doral golf course in Florida, fared better, with 
revenue rising to $77.2 million from $76 million." 
Knight First Amendment Institute Files New Lawsuit Against Trump For Blocking 
Twitter Critics. 
The Wall Street Journal (7/31, Paul, Subscription Publication, 7.57M) reports the Knight First 
Amendment Institute at Columbia University has filed a lawsuit on behalf of five individuals 
against President Trump, who blocked them on Twitter for criticizing him. 
OCE: Rep. Bishop Allegedly Misused Campaign, Official Funds. 
Politico (7/31, Bresnahan, 4.29M) reports Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA) "allegedly improperly 
spent more than $90,000 in official funds and campaign funds on personal expenses, including 
"fuel, golf expenses, meals, travel, tuition and entertainment," according to a newly released 
report from the Office of Congressional Ethics." Politico adds OCE "recommended that the House 
Ethics Committee launch a full-scale investigation into Bishop, who was first elected to office in 
1992. The secretive panel announced on Friday that it was still reviewing the matter; there is 
no deadline for the Ethics Committee to act." 
WPost Al: Supreme Court Has Yet To Return To Normal Summer Silence. 
The Washington Post (7/31, Al, Barnes, 14.2M) reports on its front page that the Supreme 
Court had "seemed to wrap up its work July 9 with a traditional flourish of big opinions, 
including a blockbuster finale: that President Trump was not immune to demands for his 
personal financial records from a state prosecutor and congressional investigators. But the 
court's customary summer lull? It never arrived." The Post discusses some of the cases and 
says "other factors have kept the Supreme Court squarely in the public eye. Most notable was 
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's announcement in mid-July that she is again battling cancer, 
sharpening focus on how important November's presidential election will be in determining the 
court's future." 
Supreme Court: Ginsburg Has Been Released From Hospital. Bloomberg (7/31, 
Stohr, 4.73M) reports Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg "was released from a New York hospital 
Friday after undergoing a non-surgical procedure earlier in the week, the Supreme Court said." 
According to Bloomberg, "Ginsburg, 87, was hospitalized on Wednesday when doctors 
performed an endoscopic procedure to address an issue with a stent in her bile duct." 
One Marine Dead, Eight Service Members Missing After Training Accident Near San 
Diego. 
The New York Times (7/31, Hauser, Fazio, 18.61M) reports, "One Marine died, two service 
members were injured and eight others were missing after an accident involving an amphibious 
assault vehicle off the coast of Southern California on Thursday, the authorities said." Search 
and rescue efforts for those missing "-- seven marines and one sailor who were aboard the 
vehicle when it sank - continued on Friday afternoon, the First Marine Expeditionary Force 
said." The Times adds, "The service members were assigned to the 15th Marine Expeditionary 
EFTA00150310