Document text
1From:
Sent: Tuesday, June 8, 2021 12:35 PM
To:
Subject: New Daszak video going around
Classification:
Classified By:
Derived From:
Declassify On:
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Hey guys,
Just saw this video online. It’s from a 2016 NY Academy of Medicine meeting where Daszak talks about his colleagues in
China manipulating the spike protein on coronavirus to make them more virulent.
Sorry I can’t glide the video over. I have a contact in OSE but we don’t have access to a common shared drive location to
drop the video. You’ll have to retype the link into your browser on the low side.
https://rumble.com/vi8qwj-fauci-funded-daszak-describes-colleagues-in-china-manipulating-viruses-into.html
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Classification:
DECLASSIFIED BY DNI GABBARD ON 18 JUNE 2026
1From:
Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2021 5:37 AM
To:
Subject: Office of the Director of National Intelligence News Summary for Thursday, May 27,
2021 - [Link to Attachment(s)]
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
======================================================
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE NEWS SUMMARY
TO: THE DIRECTOR AND SENIOR ODNI STAFF
DATE: THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2021 5:30 AM EDT
TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS
LEADING THE NEWS:
+ Biden Directs Intelligence Community To Investigate Origins Of Coronavirus.
<>
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE:
+ NCSC Acting Director Takes Part In “CNBC Evolve.” <>
+ Three GOP Senators Oppose Fonzone’s Nomination Over Huawei Work. <>
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY:
CIA:
+ Trump Sent CIA To Obtain PPE Ahead Of Other Countries During COVID-19
Pandemic, Former Top UK Aide Says. <>
NSA:
+ NSA Shifts Focus To “New Physical, Virtual Hubs” For Unclassified Work. <>
Army:
+ Senate Reverses Wormuth’s Confirmation As First Woman Army Secretary. <>
+ US ARL Launches $68M AI, Robotics Partnership With Maryland Universities. <>
Air Force:
+ Air Force Secretary Says No Further MQ-9 Reaper Procurement Needed. <>
+ Air Force Develops Strategies For Data Sharing. <>
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE:
+ Gen. Milley Cites “Fraying” Relations With China, Russia. <>
+ DCSA’s Trusted Workforce 2.0 Initiative To Include All Agencies,
DECLASSIFIED BY DNI GABBARD ON 18 JUNE 2026
2Contractors By End Of 2023. <>
+ US Lawmakers Seek Funding For Defense Industrial Facilities. <>
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT:
+ DOJ Reportedly Mulling Further Charges Over 2016 Election Misinformation. <>
+ Sources: DOJ Prepared To Sue Developer If He Does Not Register As Lobbyist
Under FARA. <>
U.S. NEWS:
+ New Research Indicates COVID Immunity Could Last Over A Year. <>
+ GOP Expected To Filibuster January 6 Panel Thursday. <>
+ Biden Calls For Congressional Action In Wake Of San Jose Mass Shooting. <>
+ Amid Rising Crime, Cities Restore Police Funding. <>
+ Biden Expected To Tap Burns As Ambassador To China, Garcetti As Ambassador
To India. <>
+ ATF Nominee Faces Pushback From GOP, But Likely To Be Confirmed. <>
+ Jean-Pierre Presides Over Historic First Televised White House Briefing. <>
+ Biden Under Pressure To Confront Anti-Semitism After Attacks. <>
+ Sen. Tim Scott: “June Or Bust” For Reaching Deal On Police Reform. <>
+ ExxonMobil Dealt “Major Blow” In Board Shake Up. <>
+ Diplomats Ask State Department To Provide More Support For “Havana
Syndrome” Victims. <>
+ Execs Say Biden Plan To Import Metals For EVs Could Keep Us From Meeting
Climate Goals. <>
+ Mayorkas Defends Title 42. <>
+ Democrats Unable To Move Forward With Plan To Lower Prescription Drug
Prices. <>
+ Columnist Highlights GAO Report About Making Government More Efficient,
With Savings Of $1B Or More. <>
+ Michigan Secretary Of State “Deeply Concerned About The Future Of Our
Democracy.” <>
INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
Africa:
+ After Military Takeover, Interim President, PM Of Mali Resign. <>
+ Suspected Islamist Attack Kills 22 In The Democratic Republic Of Congo. <>
+ UN Official Warns That Ethiopia’s Tigray Region Is On The Brink Of Famine.
<>
+ NBC: US “Quietly Returning” To Libya. <>
+ Report On Italian Ambassador’s Death In Congo Indicates “Poorly Planned,
Clumsily Executed Act.” <>
Near East:
+ Blinken Departs Middle East With Cease-Fire Intact, Pledges To Aid With
Rebuilding. <>
+ Assad Votes In Former Rebel Stronghold, Touts Election As Evidence Of
Syrian Unity. <>
3 + Iraqi Forces Arrest Militia Commander Over Alleged Involvement In Attacks
On Air Base Used By US. <>
+ Hamas Leader Says 80 Fighters Killed. <>
Iran:
+ IAEA Head: Iran Enriching Uranium At Weapons-Grade Level. <>
Europe:
+ WHO COVAX Program Falls Short Despite Intentions Of Developed Nations,
Vaccine Manufacturers. <>
+ EU Tells Brussels Court AstraZeneca Failed To Fulfill Its Vaccine
Commitments. <>
+ Slovakia Authorizes Use Of Russia’s Sputnik V Vaccine. <>
+ France Praises YouTube Users Who Resisted Vaccine Misinformation Campaign.
<>
Russia & Eurasia:
+ Lukashenko Accuses West Of Engaging In “Hybrid War” Against Belarus. <>
+ Sasse Among Those Critical Of Biden’s Decision To Meet With Putin. <>
China:
+ NSC’s Kurt Campbell: Broad Engagement With China “Has Come To An End.” <>
+ CRS: China Supplying Nuclear, Missile Technology To North Korea, Iran. <>
+ Senate GOP Could Block Bipartisan Plan To Confront China. <>
+ Senate Legislation Would Add National Security Reviews Of Chinese Donations
To US Universities. <>
+ Tesla To Establish Data Center In China For Local Data Storage. <>
+ Closed Chinese Consulate In Houston Was “Major Hub” For Espionage, Study
Indicates. <>
East Asia:
+ Japan Facing New COVID Surge Ahead Of Summer Olympics. <>
+ Espionage Trial Of Australian Blogger To Open In China On Thursday. <>
+ Campbell: US Hoping For Fall Quad Meeting On Infrastructure. <>
+ Kim Vows “Uncompromising Struggle” To Build Socialism In North Korea. <>
+ McConnell Praised Administration For Burma Coup Response. <>
+ US Envoy Confident Taiwan Can Deal With Spike On Covid Cases. <>
South Asia:
+ Taliban Warns Afghanistan’s Neighbors Against Hosting US Troops. <>
+ Pakistani Journalist Alleges Intelligence Agents Attacked Him In His
Apartment. <>
+ WhatsApp Sues Indian Government Over Message Traceability Rules. <>
+ NYTimes: Official Figures “Grossly Understate” Pandemic Impact In India. <>
Western Hemisphere:
+ AMLO’s Party Expected To Maintain Control Of Lower House. <>
+ Mayoral Candidate Killed In Mexico, 34th Of This Election Cycle. <>
4 + Former Bolivian Interior Minister Arrested In US For Money Laundering. <>
CYBERSECURITY:
+ Colonial Pipeline Rebuffed TSA Security Review Before Hack. <>
+ Biden Budget Request To Grow Cyber Command. <>
+ Russia’s FSB Reports “Unprecedented” Hacking Campaign. <>
+ Facebook: Russia Top Producer Of Disinformation. <>
+ Hackers Release New Zealand Patient Data. <>
+ Canada Post Notifies Business Customers Of “Data Breach Affecting 950K
Customers.” <>
+ Bipartisan Encryption Bill Introduced In House. <>
EDITORIAL ROUNDUP:
+ Washington Post. <>
+ Wall Street Journal. <>
THE BIG PICTURE:
+ Headlines From Today’s Front Pages. <>
Leading The News:
BIDEN DIRECTS INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY TO INVESTIGATE ORIGINS OF CORONAVIRUS. <>
CNN
(5/26,Judd, 89.21M) reports on its website that on Wednesday, President Biden
“said...he has directed the US intelligence community to redouble their efforts
in investigating the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic and report back to him in
90 days.” According to CNN, “The announcement comes after a US intelligence
report found several researchers at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology fell
ill in November 2019 and had to be hospitalized – a new detail that fueled
further debate about the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.”
USA Today
(5/26,Groppe, 12.7M) reports that Biden “also said he wants to know what
further areas of inquiry are needed, including specific questions for China.”
But USA Today says “it’s not clear how the administration will get cooperation
from China, which has accused the United States of hyping ‘the lab leak
theory.’” On Wednesday, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine
Jean-Pierre said, “We’re just going to continue to work with (the World Health
Organization) and WHO is going to continue to work with China on this.” USA
Today reports that Jean-Pierre “declined to say whether the 90-day report’s
conclusions will be made public.”
Reuters
(5/26) reports that Biden “said that U.S. intelligence are looking into two
different scenarios, that they do not have high confidence in their current
5conclusions and that they are divided on which is most likely.”Politico
(5/26, Leonard, 6.73M) says that in his statement, Biden “notably did not
detail the two theories between which the intelligence community is split,” but
“did note that he had ordered a review of the pandemic’s origins, ‘including
whether it emerged from human contact with an infected animal or from a
laboratory accident.’” According to Politico, Biden “said two elements of the
intelligence community lean toward one scenario while another element of the
community leans toward another, ‘each with low or moderate confidence.’”
However, “the remainder of the intelligence community, which Biden said
constituted its majority, ‘do not believe there is sufficient information to
assess one to be more likely than the other.’”
The New York Times
(5/26, Gamio, Glanz, 20.6M) reports that “in the past several days, the White
House had downplayed the need for an investigation led by the United States and
insisted that the World Health Organization was the proper place for an
international inquiry.” According to the Times, “Biden’s statement was an
abrupt shift, though officials declined to be specific about the shift.”
The Washington Post
(5/26, 10.52M) reports that on Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary
Becerra “told an annual ministerial meeting of the World Health Organization
that international experts should be given ‘the independence to fully assess
the source of the virus and the early days of the outbreak.’” According to the
Post, “Becerra’s remarks...signaled that the Biden administration would
continue to press the WHO to expand its investigation to determine the virus’s
origins.” TheWall Street Journal
(5/26, A1, Leary,Gordon, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) reports that China
responded to Secretary Becerra, arguing that the WHO completed its
investigation earlier this year. The Chinese representative added that the WHO
should begin investigating other nations instead.
The Washington Post
(5/26, 10.52M) says, “The new message from the White House reflects the
rapidly changing views about the origins of the virus.” According to the Post,
“In recent weeks, a theory has gained more support that the source of the
coronavirus...may have emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China,
though that is far from proved.” The Post adds, “Some Republicans had pushed
the idea early on, including former president Donald Trump, who at times used
inflammatory language to describe the virus and its origins in China. But the
idea was dismissed by many influential scientists and Democrats, who viewed the
GOP focus on the lab as part of a larger attack on China that fueled an
increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans.”
6
CNN
(5/26,Judd, 89.21M) notes that it “reported on Tuesday
that Biden’s team shut down a closely held State Department effort launched
late in the Trump administration to prove that Covid-19 originated in a Chinese
lab over concerns about the quality of its work.” However,The Hill
(5/26, Schnell, 5.69M) reports that “individuals in the Trump administration
who worked on the project...rebuffed criticisms of their work...contending that
their intention was to analyze scientific research and information from the
U.S. intelligence community that bolstered the Wuhan lab leak theory, and
reveal more information on how the virus could have leaked from a lab.”
Politico
(5/26,Desiderio, Banco, 6.73M) reports that at the same time, “support is
growing in Congress for a probe of the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, an
effort that could pit Democratic lawmakers against the Biden administration as
China hawks draw new attention to the theory that the virus leaked from a Wuhan
lab.” According to Politico, “The ongoing discussions on Capitol Hill represent
a remarkable bipartisan agreement” after Democrats “previously dismissed the
lab leak theory as a GOP talking point. ... ‘As we analyze what went wrong and
what we can do in the future, we have to have answers to these questions, too,’
said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a member of the Senate’s health committee.”
Lauren Frias writes for Insider
(5/26, 2.74M) that “Rep. Adam Schiff said Wednesday it is ‘critical’ for the
US to finish its investigation into the origins of COVID-19 to ‘avoid any
premature or politically-motivated conclusions.’”
CNBC
(5/26,Wilkie, Mendez, 7.34M) reports on its website that “the hypothesis that
the virus may have escaped from a Chinese laboratory, while initially dismissed
by some as a conspiracy theory, has in recent months gained more mainstream
traction.” CNBC points out that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Director Rochelle Walensky “recently said in Senate testimony that a lab-leak
origin ‘certainly’ was ‘one possibility.’” CNBC adds that “the scrutiny on that
lab ramped up this week when The Wall Street Journal reported that three
researchers there had been sick with Covid-like symptoms in November 2019,
shortly before the first cases of the virus were reported.”
Primetime media coverage of Biden’s announcement includes NBC Nightly News
(5/26, story 2, 1:50, Holt, 4.76M),CBS Evening News
7
(5/26, story 2, 2:20,O'Donnell, 3.75M), and ABC World News Tonight
(5/26, story 2, 3:20,Muir, 6.02M).
Fox News
(5/26,Singman, 23.99M), Bloomberg
(5/26,Wingrove, 3.57M), and The Hill
(5/26,Chalfant, Weixel, 5.69M) provide additional coverage of Biden’s
announcement.
Senate Unanimously Passes Bill Ordering ODNI To Declassify Documents On
COVID-19’s Origin. Newsweek
(5/26,Villarreal, 2.67M) reports The Senate has unanimously passed “a bill
declassifying federal information on the origins of COVID-19 as President Joe
Biden ordered a deep investigation into the cause of the global pandemic.” The
Senate bill “orders the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to declassify
documents detailing any of the WIV’s connections to COVID-19.”
Fox News
(5/26, Ruiz, 23.99M) also reports.
Chinese Embassy In US Warns About Politicizing Origins Of COVID-19. Reuters
(5/27,Stanway) reports politicizing the origins of COVID-19 “would hamper
further investigations and undermine global efforts to curb the pandemic,
China’s U.S. embassy said after President Joe Biden ordered a review of
intelligence about where the virus emerged.” In a statement on its website
Wednesday evening, the embassy in Washington said “some political forces have
been fixated on political manipulation and (the) blame game.” The Chinese
embassy said it supports “a comprehensive study of all early cases of COVID-19
found worldwide and a thorough investigation into some secretive bases and
biological laboratories all over the world.”
Fauci Defends US Funding To Chinese Research Organizations. Fox News
(5/26,McFall, 23.99M) reports that during an appearance at the Senate on
Wednesday, NIAID Director Dr. Fauci “told lawmakers that he trusted Chinese
scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, saying he did not believe they
attempted to modify viruses to make them more contagious.” Sen. John Kennedy
(R-LA) asked Fauci, “How do you know they didn’t lie to you and use the money
for gain of function research anyway?” Fauci, in his response, “explained that
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) had seen the results of the experiments
8conducted using U.S. government funds, adding that the viruses studied could
also be found in public databases.” Fauci said, “In our experience with
grantees, including Chinese grantees…they’re very competent, trustworthy
scientists.”
Facebook Reverses Policy, Allowing Posts Claiming COVID-19 Man-Made. Politico
(5/26,Lima, 6.73M) reports Facebook will no longer “take down posts claiming
that Covid-19 was man-made or manufactured, a company spokesperson told
POLITICO on Wednesday, a move that acknowledges the renewed debate about the
virus’ origins.” Facebook’s “policy tweak” arrives as support “surges in
Washington for a fuller investigation into the origins of Covid-19 after the
Wall Street Journal reported that three scientists at the Wuhan Institute of
Virology were hospitalized in late 2019 with symptoms consistent with the
virus.” A Facebook spokesperson said Wednesday, “In light of ongoing
investigations into the origin of COVID-19 and in consultation with public
health experts, we will no longer remove the claim that COVID-19 is man-made
from our apps.”
The Hill
(5/26, Polus, 5.69M),Axios
(5/26,Falconer, 1.26M), and ABC News
(5/26,Pezenik, Gallagher, 2.44M) also report.
WPost: China Must Increase Transparency To Support International COVID
Research. The Washington Post
(5/26, 10.52M) argues that the ongoing international investigation into
COVID’s origins is critical, and China “should help solve this mystery, but it
so far has thrown a cloak over it.” While China “steadfastly denies there was
an inadvertent leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology,” the only way to
resolve the question of China’s potential culpability is to support the WHO’s
ongoing investigation.
WSJournal: The Lab-Leak Theory Deserves True Scrutiny. The Wall Street Journal
(5/26, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) examines the efforts made by
scientists, media personalities, and government officials to disregard the
lab-leak COVID origin theory last year, and it criticizes the slow reversal of
opinion over the past few months. The Journal calls on scientists and other
experts to conduct a thorough investigation in order to better protect the US
from future pandemic threats.
Office of the Director of National Intelligence:
9NCSC ACTING DIRECTOR TAKES PART IN “CNBC EVOLVE.” <> CNBC
(5/26,Javers, 7.34M) reports its “CNBC Evolve: Cybersecurity” livestream event
on May 26 explored “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.” Eamon
Javers led the “conversation with John Demers, Department of Justice’s National
Security Division Assistant Attorney General and Michael Orlando, National
Counterintelligence and Security Center Acting Director.”
CNBC
(5/26,Rosenbaum, 7.34M) reports separately that Orlando said, “We do know that
countries like Russia and China, Iran and others certainly create safe havens
for criminal hackers as long as they don’t conduct attacks against them. But
that’s a challenge for us that we’re going to have to work through as we figure
out how to counter ransomware attacks.” Orlando also “said it would be a
mistake to focus only on ransomware, but it is true that the nation state
actors are most interested in inserting malware into those systems.”
THREE GOP SENATORS OPPOSE FONZONE’S NOMINATION OVER HUAWEI WORK. <> CNBC
(5/27,Ng, 7.34M) reports three Republican senators have “jointly voiced
opposition to a Biden administration nominee for legal counsel at the Office of
the Director of National Intelligence because of his past work for Chinese tech
giant Huawei.” Of the members of the “Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,
four voted against Christopher Fonzone’s nomination, including senators Ben
Sasse of Nebraska, Marco Rubio of Florida and Tom Cotton of Arkansas.”
Intelligence Community:
CIA:
TRUMP SENT CIA TO OBTAIN PPE AHEAD OF OTHER COUNTRIES DURING COVID-19
PANDEMIC, FORMER TOP UK AIDE SAYS. <> Newsweek
(5/26,Cole, 2.67M) reports Dominic Cummings “said that ex-President Donald
Trump sent the CIA in order to obtain Protective Personal Equipment ahead of
other countries during the coronavirus pandemic.” The article adds that
“Cummings, who left Downing Street in November 2020 after a bitter split with
Johnson, said the U.K. had been lagging in its efforts to get essential
equipment and that the British Department of Health’s PPE procurement process
was ‘completely hopeless.’” Cummings added, “At this point we had Trump sending
the CIA round trying to gazump everybody on PPE.”
NSA:
NSA SHIFTS FOCUS TO “NEW PHYSICAL, VIRTUAL HUBS” FOR UNCLASSIFIED WORK. <>
10FedScoop
(5/26,Mitchell) reports the NSA has developed “new physical and virtual
workspaces to support collaboration around its unclassified work.” The
coronavirus forced the NSA “to accelerate the launch of the hubs where NSA
personnel and contractors can securely work together in-person and online on
unclassified workloads, said Rebecca Guzman, who leads the rollout of the
Unclassified Work Environment program.” Speaking to Riverbed’s Network
Transformation Summit, Guzman cited an effort to “establish a more agile, more
efficient way to sustain our workforce, regardless of where they were coming
from. And so as a result, we’ve created new unclassified options, both
virtually and physically.” Guzman also “said it forced NSA to bring greater
focus to using non-customized commercial technologies both for the speed of
delivery and the collaborative utility inherent in off-the-shelf software.” In
its physical collaboration spaces, NSA provides “modernized technology and
smart devices to allow folks to have a space to be able to do some of that
collaboration with partnership outside the agency,” Guzman said.
Army:
SENATE REVERSES WORMUTH’S CONFIRMATION AS FIRST WOMAN ARMY SECRETARY. <> Army
Times
(5/26, Winkie, 395K) reports Christine Wormuth nearly became “the first woman
in US history to ascend to the Army’s top civilian post when the Senate
confirmed her Wednesday evening – until the body reversed her confirmation just
hours later in an unusual development.” CSPAN footage of the proceedings “shows
Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, announcing the reversal,” and
Schumer’s staff did not “immediately respond to a request for clarification
from Army Times, and the senator deleted a previous tweet hailing Wormuth’s
confirmation.” In a tweet Wednesday, Roll Call reporter Andrew Clevenger called
the move as “more like a procedural hiccup than a threat to her historic
confirmation.”
US ARL LAUNCHES $68M AI, ROBOTICS PARTNERSHIP WITH MARYLAND UNIVERSITIES. <>
TheBaltimore Business Journal
(5/26,Eichensehr, Subscription Publication, 858K) reports the US Army Research
Laboratory is “partnering with the University of Maryland, College Park and
University of Maryland, Baltimore County to develop new artificial
intelligence, robotics and autonomous technologies that can help soldiers and
first responders operate more safely and efficiently in dangerous situations.”
Air Force:
AIR FORCE SECRETARY SAYS NO FURTHER MQ-9 REAPER PROCUREMENT NEEDED. <> Defense
News
11 (5/26,Insinna, 73K) reports a “battle is brewing” over the fate of “the MQ-9
Reaper, with a letter from the U.S. Air Force’s top civilian signaling that the
service will again seek to curtail procurement of the General Atomics-made
drone in the upcoming fiscal 2022 budget.”
AIR FORCE DEVELOPS STRATEGIES FOR DATA SHARING. <> ExecutiveGov
(5/26, Martin) reports the Department of the Air Force has developed “four
options to guide the data-sharing activities of both the U.S. Air Force and
U.S. Space Force, Breaking Defense reported Tuesday.” The department developed
“these options based on the results of the Data and Infrastructure Architecture
Summit, which commenced in March and ran for two weeks.” Air Force leaders will
“assess the options and decide in June 2021 on which to execute. The
department’s Chief Architect Integration Office will then develop a minimum
viable product based on what Air Force leadership decides on.”
Department of Defense:
GEN. MILLEY CITES “FRAYING” RELATIONS WITH CHINA, RUSSIA. <> Fox News
(5/26,McFall, 23.99M) reports in a commencement address to “Air Force Academy
graduates, General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the
US is toeing a dangerous line in maintaining an appropriate level of
competition with China and Russia.” Milley told the graduates “We are now in
the 76th year of the great power peace following WWII. And it is under stress,
we can see it fraying at the edge,” adding, “Right now we are in a great power
competition with China and Russia. And we need to keep it at competition and
avoid great power conflict.”
DCSA’S TRUSTED WORKFORCE 2.0 INITIATIVE TO INCLUDE ALL AGENCIES, CONTRACTORS
BY END OF 2023. <> Defense News
(5/26,Bur, 73K) reports the DCSA’s new program for “continuously monitoring
individuals with security clearances, Trusted Workforce 2.0, should have all
agencies and contractors onboarded by the end of 2023, the agency’s director,
William Lietzau, said at a May 26 roundtable with the House Oversight and
Reform Committee.” Trusted Workforce 2.0 aims to “have clearance-holders
undergo continuous vetting, meaning that investigation systems are continuously
collecting data about individuals to evaluate their security risk.”
DOD Making Progress On Security Clearance Progress, “But Reciprocity, IT
Issues Remain.” NextGov
(5/26,Jasper) reports as the DCSA makes progress “on an issue the National
Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence pinpointed as in need of
‘substantial reform,’ problems around the status of both the legacy and new IT
systems that deal with background investigations as well as with reciprocity,
or the ability of one agency to accept an individual’s security clearance
12granted by another agency, remain.” DCSA Director William Lietzau reported
Wednesday to a House Committee on Oversight and Reform “government operations
subcommittee roundtable hosted by Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., chairman of the
subcommittee.” Within the last year, “the agency established a building block
for its Trusted Workforce 2.0 continuous vetting program called Trusted
Workforce 1.25, which has allowed for continuous vetting of some 3 million
security clearances.” Lietzau “acknowledged that there’s still work left to be
done.”
US LAWMAKERS SEEK FUNDING FOR DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL FACILITIES. <> Politico
(5/26,Bender, 6.73M) reports bipartisan advocates of “military depots and
arsenals are now pressing House leaders to incorporate funding for a host of
defense industrial facilities into a potential multitrillion-dollar package.”
Reps. Cheri Bustos of Illinois “and Blake Moore of Utah, who co-chair the House
Military Depot, Arsenal, Ammunition Plant and Industrial Facilities Caucus, are
gathering support for a planned letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging money for
long-deferred upgrades for military industrial facilities as well as defense
labs and test facilities and ranges be incorporated into an infrastructure
proposal.” However, Rep. John Garamendi, “who chairs the HASC panel that
oversees shipyards, depots and arsenals, said he’ll “seriously oppose” funding
defense projects through the infrastructure plan instead of the normal defense
budgeting process.”
Justice Department:
DOJ REPORTEDLY MULLING FURTHER CHARGES OVER 2016 ELECTION MISINFORMATION. <>
According toReuters
(5/26,Menn), “The indictment of a far-right internet activist on charges of
interfering with the 2016 U.S. election reflects a strategic shift by the
Department of Justice and sets the stage for new cases against more prominent
right-wing actors.” Reuters says “federal prosecutors debated for years whether
and how to pursue criminal cases against Americans suspected of disseminating
false voting instructions,” but “after former...Attorney General William Barr
resigned in December, a compromise emerged: One charge to start, against a
demonstrably influential person,” Douglass Mackey, “where evidence pointed to a
real impact.” The DOJ is expected to follow up with charges against others.
SOURCES: DOJ PREPARED TO SUE DEVELOPER IF HE DOES NOT REGISTER AS LOBBYIST
UNDER FARA. <> Citing a Wall Street Journal
(5/26,Viswanatha, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) article, The Hill
(5/26,Castronuovo, 5.69M) reports unidentified individuals who are familiar
with the matter said US Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors are prepared to
sue Steve Wynn if the Las Vegas casino developer does not register as a
lobbyist under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). The Hill specifies
13that this matter is related to Wynn’s alleged 2017 effort to have Guo Wengui,
“who fled China in 2014 to seek asylum in” the US, sent back to China.
U.S. News:
NEW RESEARCH INDICATES COVID IMMUNITY COULD LAST OVER A YEAR. <> The New York
Times
(5/26, Mandavilli, 20.6M) reports that, according to two new studies, COVID
immunity “lasts at least a year, possibly a lifetime, improving over time
especially after vaccination.” The studies also “suggest that most people who
have recovered from Covid-19 and who were later immunized will not need
boosters,” but vaccinated individuals “likely will need the shots.” University
of Pennsylvania Immunologist Dr. Scott Hensley said of the research, “The
papers are consistent with the growing body of literature that suggests that
immunity elicited by infection and vaccination for SARS-CoV-2 appears to be
long-lived.”
Vir Biotechnology Inc, GlaxoSmithKline PLC Announce FDA Approval Of COVID
Antibody Drug. The Wall Street Journal
(5/26, Walker, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) reports Vir Biotechnology Inc
and GlaxoSmithKline PLC announced that the FDA authorized their monoclonal
antibody COVID drug, which is called sotrovimab. Sotrovimab is the third
antibody medicine approved to treat patients at risk of severe infections, and
a study of the drug found it reduced hospitalizatios or death by 85 percent.
CDC Warns Immunocompromised Americans To Continue Wearing Masks Following
Vaccinations. The CBS Evening News
(5/26, story 7, 1:55,O'Donnell, 3.75M) reported that the CDC “is warning that
10 million Americans are compromised immune systems that they will need to
continue wearing face masks, even after being vaccinated against COVID.” Johns
Hopkins transplant surgeon Dr. Dorry Segev said of the risks, “I’m hearing of
transplant and other immunosuppressed people who got vaccinated and relaxed
their safety behaviors, and are now being admitted to hospitals, and some are
dying because they get COVID-19.”
Health Officials Call For Continued Vigilance Ahead Of Holiday Weekend. NBC
Nightly News
(5/26, story 3, 2:25, Holt, 4.76M) reported that while a growing share of
Americans “have received at least one COVID vaccine dose,” health officials
continue to “warn, despite positive trends, [that] we have to remain on alert
going into the holiday weekend.” Domestic travel is “expected to be up 60% from
last year with tens of millions planning to hit the roads, rails, and skies
this weekend.”
14ABC World News Tonight
(5/26, story 3, 3:15,Muir, 6.02M) reported CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky
said of the holiday weekend, “If you are vaccinated, you are protected, and you
can enjoy your Memorial Day. If you are not vaccinated, our guidance has not
changed for you. You remain at risk of infection. You still need to mask and
make other precautions.”
Law Firm Supporting Growing Movement To Challenge COVID Vaccine Mandates. The
Washington Post
(5/26, A1,Stanley-Becker, 10.52M) reports that Siri & Glimstad, which “has
done millions of dollars of legal work for one of the nation’s foremost
anti-vaccination groups,” are supporting a new set of legal campaigns
challenging state COVID vaccine mandates across the country. The lawsuits “show
that a groundswell against compulsory immunization is being coordinated, at
least in part, from a law office on Park Avenue in midtown Manhattan,” and the
filings “offer a window into a wide-ranging and well-resourced effort to
contest vaccine requirements in workplaces and other settings critical to the
country’s reopening — a dispute with sweeping implications for public health,
state authority and individual rights.”
Ohio To Announce First Vaccine Lottery Winners. The AP
(5/26,Welsh-Huggins) reports that two Ohioans will “be announced Wednesday
night as the first winners of the state’s Vax-a-Million incentive prizes which
include $1 million for those 18 and older and a full-ride college scholarship
for teens.” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) “announced the program May 12 to boost
lagging vaccination rates,” and it led to an additional 2.7 million adult
vaccinations as well as 100,000 children between the ages of 12 and 17. TheNew
York Times
(5/26,Mervosh, 20.6M) reports Athens County Health Department Administrator
Jack Pepper said of the program’s impact, “I think we did close to 400 people
in four hours.” He added, “Anywhere I go, people are joking with me, ‘Hey, when
am I going to win my million dollars?’”
The CBS Evening News
(5/26, story 4, 1:50,O'Donnell, 3.75M) reported that other states “are rolling
out incentives to get residents to roll up their sleeves,” and five states,
including Colorado, are “offering $1 million to five vaccinated state
residents.” The segment adds that Maryland “had its first $40,000 vaccine
lottery winner” on Tuesday.
In an op-ed for the New York Times
(5/26, 20.6M), Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) defends his decision to create a
15lottery to encourage Ohioans to get the COVD vaccine. DeWine writes, “The
decision to create Vax-a-Million...came about like those other pandemic
decisions: out of necessity.” DeWine argues while some “have called it ‘a
gimmick,’ an ‘insane $5 million bribe,’ a ‘misuse of money’ and ‘a waste of
taxpayer dollars,’” the “real waste – when the vaccine is readily available to
anyone who wants it – is not doing enough to save people’s lives.”
GOP EXPECTED TO FILIBUSTER JANUARY 6 PANEL THURSDAY. <> The AP
(5/27, Jalonick,Mascaro) reports that Senate Republicans are “ready to deploy”
the filibuster to block legislation to create a commission to investigate the
Jan. 6 insurrection, “shattering hopes for a bipartisan probe of the deadly
assault on the U.S. Capitol and reviving pressure on Democrats to do away with
the procedural tactic that critics say has lost its purpose.” The “vote
expected Thursday would be the first successful use of a filibuster this year
to halt Senate legislative action.”
Romney Warns Republicans Opposing Jan. 6 Commission Will Be Blamed For Hiding
The Truth. CNN
(5/26,Raju, Barrett, 89.21M) reports on its website that Sen. Mitt Romney
(R-UT) “warned Republicans they would be blamed for hiding the truth if they
block a bill to investigate the January 6 Capitol attack.” Romney told CNN on
Wednesday, “I think the perception is on the part of the public that the
January 6 Commission just trying to get to the truth of what happened, and that
Republicans would be seen as not wanting to let the truth come out. ... I don’t
believe that’s what’s the motivation but I think that’s the perception.”
Collins Will Vote For Bill To Create Commission. Romney’s comments came the
same day Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) announced she “will vote for a House-passed
bill to create a commission to probe the Jan. 6 Capitol attack during a key
test vote that will take place as soon as Thursday,”The Hill
(5/26,Carney, 5.69M) reports. Collins “will support the bill during an initial
hurdle so that she can offer an amendment making changes to the legislation, an
aide confirmed to The Hill.” Collins told reporters, “I want to see a
commission. ... There are a lot of unanswered questions, and I’m working very
hard to secure Republican votes for a commission.” Collins is “the third GOP
senator to say they will support the bill during an initial vote, where it will
need 60 votes to move forward.”
A New York Times
(5/26,Hulse, 20.6M) analysis that with the vote on creating the commission,
Democrats “are finally bumping up against the limits of what they can
accomplish in the evenly divided Senate without changes to the filibuster
rules.” Republicans “are poised to employ the procedural weapon to block the
formation of the inquiry as early as Thursday, potentially dooming it while
16underscoring the power of a determined Senate minority to kill legislation even
if it is popular and has bipartisan support.”
Sicknick’s Mother, Partner Request Meetings With All GOP Senators. The
Washington Post
(5/26, 10.52M) reports Gladys Sicknick and Sandra Garza, the “mother and
partner of the late Capitol Police officer Brian D. Sicknick are requesting
meetings with all Republican senators to urge them to establish an independent
commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.”
Milbank Condemns McConnell’s Handling Of Issue. Dana Milbank writes in the
Washington Post
(5/26, 10.52M) Senate Minority Leader McConnell this week “actually admitted”
he puts “party before country” when he “told Republican colleagues that they
should oppose the creation of a Jan. 6 commission, no matter how it is
structured, because” it “could hurt the party’s midterm election message.”
Earlier this month, Milbank writes, McConnell said, “One hundred percent of my
focus is on stopping this new Administration,” and, “true to his word,
McConnell has blocked everything – even if it means undercutting Republican
negotiators.”
Washington Man Arrested In Capitol Siege Probe. The AP
(5/26) reports from Battle Ground, Washington, “A southwest Washington man who
federal investigators say was seen on video saying, ‘Our house,’ while inside
the U.S. Capitol with his father on Jan. 6 made his first appearance in federal
court in Portland, Oregon, on Wednesday.” Jeremy Grace, of Battle Ground, “is
accused of illegal entering, disorderly conduct and demonstrating inside the
restricted building, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Grace, 37, was arrested
in Molalla, Oregon, on Wednesday, according to federal officials. His father,
Jeffrey Grace, 62, was arrested in February and charged with unauthorized
entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds. Although the
senior Grace told FBI agents he didn’t think his son had entered the Capitol, a
search of the father’s phone turned up video in a ‘trash’ folder that showed
both men in the building, according to a federal complaint.”
Florida Woman Charged In Capitol Siege Probe. The Palm Beach (FL) Post
(5/26,Musgrave, 223K) reports, “Using Facebook photos and video captured
during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, the FBI this week accused a
one-time Palm Beach County commission candidate and former GOP heavyweight of
joining the deadly rampage.” Jody Tagaris, 67, “who lives near Jupiter, is
charged with four federal misdemeanors, accusing her of illegally entering a
restricted building and being disruptive and disorderly once inside. She faces
a maximum year-long prison sentence on each count. After a brief video hearing
before a U.S. magistrate in West Palm Beach on Tuesday, she was released after
17posting a $50,000 bond. She is to appear in federal court in Washington at an
unspecified date to enter a plea to the charges, court records show.” The Post
adds, “In court papers, FBI agents say Tagaris’ undoing began when they were
alerted that she had posted a photo of herself on Facebook, sitting in a broken
window of the Capitol.”
Texas Man Arrested In Capitol Siege Probe. HuffPost
(5/26,Reilly, 363K) reports, “Adam Weibling, a 38-year-old Texas man, made no
secret in recent months of his contempt for the FBI, likening its agents to
Nazis and ‘terrorists’ in a series of conspiracy-laden tweets. His dislike for
them surely grew on Tuesday when they arrested him for storming the U.S.
Capitol on Jan. 6.” HuffPost adds, “FBI agents arrested Weibling in Katy,
Texas, on charges of unlawfully entering restricted grounds and engaging in
disorderly conduct inside the Capitol, according to court records. His first
virtual appearance in D.C. court is scheduled for June 3. According to an
affidavit filed May 19 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
and signed by an FBI task force officer, Weibling can be seen in video recorded
by a reporter pushing his way past police in riot gear to get inside the
Capitol around 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 6.”
Man Arrested In Connection With US Capitol Breach Allegedly Claimed To Be DEA
Agent. The Houston Chronicle
(5/26, 982K) reports Dallas resident Troy Smocks has been arrested in
connection with a US Capitol breach incident that occurred early this year. The
Chronicle adds, “Smocks previously falsely presented himself as a DEA agent
during the execution of a search warrant, a Secret Service agent, an FBI agent,
an Army colonel and more,” according to charging documents.
Oath Keepers Seek Dismissal Of Capitol Siege Lawsuit. The Washington Post
(5/26, Hsu, 10.52M) reports, “Lawyers for the Oath Keepers urged a federal
judge Wednesday to toss out a lawsuit accusing the group, former president
Donald Trump, lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani and another far-right organization of
inciting the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, calling its actions a form of
peaceful political protest protected by the First Amendment.” The Post adds,
“The Oath Keepers said it was ‘conclusory and speculative’ to assert that its
members planned anything other than to attend a speech of the president at the
Ellipse near the White House that day, march to the Capitol and make known to
Congress their views opposing the presidential election certification. The
group added that 11 House lawmakers led by Homeland Security Committee Chairman
Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) had no right to file suit in their personal
capacities or as individuals under the Ku Klux Klan Act...as opposed to a case
brought by the whole House.”
Alabama Man In Capitol Siege Probe Had Militia Ties, Reached Out To Cruz. The
Decatur (AL) Daily
18 (5/26,
Fleischauer, 53K) reports that a Falkville, Alabama man “tied to the Jan. 6
Capitol riot had Molotov cocktails not only in D.C. but at his Alabama home,
has ties to Texas militia dating back to 2014 and tried to speak with U.S. Sen.
Ted Cruz about ‘election fraud’ weeks before the Capitol attack, according to
court records.” Lonnie Leroy Coffman, 71, “on Monday was denied his second
request to be released from a Washington, D.C., jail in a 24-page opinion by”
US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. The Daily adds, “While much of the
evidence relied upon by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in denying
pretrial release is under seal, her opinion adds new information about evidence
collected during the FBI investigation surrounding a 17-count indictment that
includes possession of unregistered destructive devices and numerous gun
violations.”
The Montgomery (AL) Advertiser
(5/24,Brown, 72K) reports that Judge Kollar-Kotelly “denied Lonnie Coffman’s
bid for pre-trial release, writing the evidence against Coffman demonstrates he
could present ‘a concrete and prospective threat to the community.’ New
evidence against Coffman was revealed in Kollar-Kotelly’s order, including
Coffman’s 2014 militia ties and that Coffman made a trip to Washington D.C.
just weeks before his arrest. His truck, where police would find
gasoline-filled mason jars and weapons on Jan. 6, was tracked circling the U.S.
Capitol and attempting to drive to Sen. Ted Cruz’ home on Dec. 11.” Coffman,
71, “was not charged with illegally entering a federal building or civil
disorder, though prosecutors allege they have evidence that places him at the
Capitol, but faces a slate of weapons charges.”
BIDEN CALLS FOR CONGRESSIONAL ACTION IN WAKE OF SAN JOSE MASS SHOOTING. <> The
Washington Post
(5/26,Wagner, 10.52M) reports that on Wednesday, President Biden “released a
statement on the latest mass shooting, in which at least eight people were
killed in a San Jose, Calif., rail yard, and urged Congress ‘to help end this
epidemic of gun violence in America.’” TheSan Jose Mercury News
(5/26, 432K) carries the President’s full statement on the shooting, which
reads, “There are at least eight families who will never be whole again. There
are children, parents, and spouses who are waiting to hear whether someone they
love is ever going to come home. There are union brothers and sisters – good,
honest, hardworking people – who are mourning their own. ... Once again, I urge
Congress to take immediate action” against gun violence
Asked on MSNBC
(5/26, 799K) about gun control legislation in the wake of a mass shooting in
San Jose, California, White House Office of Public Engagement Director Cedric
Richmond said, “There are bills right now...that the Senate could take up and
19pass to protect people, protect families. There are eight families that have
lost a loved one today. ... We should not only offer our prayers and
condolences and our thoughts, but we ought to offer some action and do things
to prevent this.”
Gunman Kills Eight, Himself. The New York Times
(5/26, Fuller,
Hauser, 20.6M) reports that “a transit worker opened fire at a rail yard in San
Jose, Calif., early Wednesday, killing eight people, many of them fellow
employees, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, which reported
that the gunman was also dead.” TheWashington Post
(5/26,
10.52M) reports that “the suspect is also dead, Santa Clara County Sheriff’s
Office spokesman Russell Davis said during a news conference.” TheAP
(5/26,Gecker, Chea) reports that the employee launched his assault during a
union meeting “in two buildings that are part of a light rail facility for the
Valley Transportation Authority, which provides bus, light rail and other
transit services throughout Santa Clara County, the most populated county in
the San Francisco Bay Area.”NBC Nightly News
(5/26, lead story, 3:15, Holt, 4.76M) reported the “massacre” is “the 61st
mass shooting in the US in the month of May alone.”
The CBS Evening News
(5/26, lead story, 3:35,O'Donnell, 3.75M) reported investigators “are still
pouring over the scene” of the rampage and are “worried about possible
explosives.” CBS added that it was necessary to suspend “rail service for
thousands of commuters” to allow investigators, including a bomb-sniffing dog,
to “search for explosives they believe may have been left by” the shooter.
ABC World News Tonight
(5/26, lead story, 4:10,Muir, 6.02M) reported the “suspect” in the shooting is
57-year-old Samuel Cassidy. ABC added that “bomb squads” were “moving in on”
Cassidy’s home, which “authorities say he set fire to it just before driving to
the rail yard.”Reuters
(5/26) reports that Cassidy, “the eight victims shot dead, and a survivor who
was hospitalized in critical condition were all employees of the transit
agency.” Reuters says Cassidy “had worked for the transit authority since at
least 2012, when he was listed as an ‘electro-mechanic,’ and was promoted to
‘substation maintainer’ in 2015, according to records posted by the nonprofit
website Transportation California.”
The San Jose Mercury News
20 (5/26, 432K) reports that “the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s
Office identified the eight victims as 42-year-old Paul Delacruz Megia,
36-year-old Taptejdeep Singh, 29-year-old Adrian Balleza, 35-year-old Jose
Dejesus Hernandez III, 49-year-old Timothy Michael Romo, 40-year-old Michael
Joseph Rudometkin, 63-year-old Abdolvahab Alaghmandan and 63-year-old Lars
Kepler Lane.”
USA Today
(5/26,Groppe, 12.7M) highlights President Biden’s “plea” for Congress to act
on gun control legislation and notes the Administration’s prior efforts to
address the issue in April through “half a dozen executive actions aimed at
curbing the proliferation of so-called ghost guns, or untraceable weapons that
can be constructed from parts purchased online, as well as tightening
regulations on...stabilizing braces for pistols.”The Hill
(5/26,Rahman, 5.69M) reports that “while speaking to reporters at an event on
broadband infrastructure,” Vice President Harris “called the shooting
‘absolutely tragic.’”
In another article, USA Today
(5/26,Bacon, Ortiz, Hauck, 12.7M) reports on California Gov. Newsom’s reaction
to the shooting, writing that at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon,
Newsom was “visibly emotional” and “expressed frustration.” Newsom “said he
felt a ‘sameness’ and ‘numbness’ in the wake of yet another mass shooting.” USA
Today also quotes the governor as saying, “‘It begs the damn question: What the
hell is going on in the United States of America?’ ... ‘We rinse and repeat
someplace else in this country.’”Politico
(5/26,Marinucci, 6.73M) adds, “the Democratic governor has long railed against
gun violence and has criticized Republicans and the National Rifle Association
in the past for opposing restrictions on weapons.”
The Wall Street Journal
(5/26,Carlton, Lazo, Mai-Duc, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) also reports on
the shooting, among many others.
AMID RISING CRIME, CITIES RESTORE POLICE FUNDING. <> The Wall Street Journal
(5/26,Elinson, Frosch, Jamerson, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) reports that
amid rising crime rates, some cities which pursued policies to defund the
police in the wake of the George Floyd protests are reversing course and
reinstating funds for police departments. The Journal cites actions by
officials in New York City, Oakland, Baltimore, and Los Angeles as examples.
BIDEN EXPECTED TO TAP BURNS AS AMBASSADOR TO CHINA, GARCETTI AS AMBASSADOR TO
21INDIA. <> The AP
(5/27,Balsamo, Blood) reports that President Biden “is expected to announce he
is nominating former senior State Department official Nicholas Burns to serve
as his ambassador to China and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to be his
ambassador to India, according to a person familiar with the matter.” With the
picks, the AP says, Biden “is turning to a seasoned diplomat and a longtime
political ally to serve in two of the country’s highest-profile diplomatic
postings.” It is not clear when the announcement will come.
Biden Expected To Nominate Wall Street Executive To Be His Ambassador To
Israel. Reuters
(5/26) reports that President Biden is “expected to nominate Thomas Nides, an
experienced diplomat and Wall Street executive, to serve as U.S. ambassador to
Israel.” Reuters adds, “It was not immediately known when Biden planned to
announce Nides’ nomination but a person familiar with the matter said it would
happen soon.”
ATF NOMINEE FACES PUSHBACK FROM GOP, BUT LIKELY TO BE CONFIRMED. <> The New
York Times
(5/26,Thrush, 20.6M) reports that during a confirmation hearing on Wednesday,
David Chipman, President Biden’s nominee to head the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, “faced withering criticism...from Republican
senators over his history of scathing comments about gun ownership.” The Times
says Chipman, “a two-decade veteran of the A.T.F. who has served as an adviser
to gun control groups, was chosen in part because of his willingness to bluntly
confront” the gun industry.Roll Call
(5/26,Ruger, 130K) reports that Chipman “told senators that he took one
position as an advocate on potential gun control laws, but would only enforce
the current laws as director.”
The Washington Post
(5/26,Kane, 10.52M) reports that in “an emotional moment to which gun critics
point to illustrate ATF’s importance, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) informed
Chipman that while he was testifying, an employee at a San Jose light-rail
facility had opened fire, killing at least eight.”
The Wall Street Journal
(5/26, Levy, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) reports that while Senate
Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin said Chipman’s “knowledge of the agency and its
purview is unparalleled,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, the panel’s minority leader,
likened Chapman’s nomination to “putting a tobacco executive in charge of the
Department of Health and Human Services.”
22
The Hill
(5/26,Gangitano, 5.69M) reports that Chipman “said... he supports banning the
AR-15.” Chipman said, “I support a ban as has been presented in a Senate bill
and supported by the president. The AR-15 is a gun I was issued on ATF’s swat
team and it’s a particularly lethal weapon and regulating it as other
particularly lethal weapons, I have advocated for.” Chipman “was also
questioned by Republicans on his support for Congress to ban assault weapons
and for universal background checks during the hearing, two actions Biden also
supports.”
In a second piece, the New York Times
(5/26,
Russonello, 20.6M) reports that while the ATF has been without a director for
13 of the last 15 years, President Biden “is trying to become the second
president since 2006 to fill the position.” Chipman “stands a good chance: The
Democrats’ two most consistently centrist senators, Kyrsten Sinema and Joe
Manchin, have signaled they’re likely to support his nomination — and that may
well be enough to get him confirmed,” even if the GOP is united in its
opposition.
JEAN-PIERRE PRESIDES OVER HISTORIC FIRST TELEVISED WHITE HOUSE BRIEFING. <> The
New York Times
(5/26,Rogers, 20.6M) that on Wednesday, White House Principal Deputy Press
Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre “held a televised briefing for the first time...a
baptism-by-fire moment” following as it did a mass shooting in California and
the President’s request for an intelligence community investigation into the
origins of the coronavirus. The Times adds that Jean-Pierre “showed little
interest in getting ahead of the president or the Administration, a tactic that
is frustrating to reporters, but one that drew praise from members of the
Administration, including Ron Klain.”
Politico
(5/26, Niedzwiadek, 6.73M) reports that Wednesday’s briefing was “widely
viewed as an audition to take over for White House press secretary Jen Psaki
when she eventually steps down.” According to Politico, “In addition to
Jean-Pierre, some observers have pegged White House communications director
Kate Bedingfield, Vice President Kamala Harris spokesperson Symone Sanders, and
State Department spokesperson Ned Price as potential successors.”
USA Today
(5/26,Gilbert, 12.7M) notes the historic nature of the appearance, reporting
that Jean-Pierre “became the first Black woman in decades to lead a press
briefing at the White House on Wednesday.” She also “made history” by “being
23the first openly gay spokeswoman as she stood behind the podium and answered
journalists’ questions.”
The Hill
(5/26,Samuels, 5.69M) reports that when “asked about the rarity of a Black
woman standing behind the podium,” Jean-Pierre said, “I appreciate the historic
nature. I really do. But I believe that being behind this podium, being in this
room, being in this building isn’t about one person. It’s about what we do on
behalf of the American people. Clearly the president believes representation
matters, and I appreciate him giving me this opportunity.”
BIDEN UNDER PRESSURE TO CONFRONT ANTI-SEMITISM AFTER ATTACKS. <> The New York
Times
(5/26,Graham, Stack, 20.6M) (5/26, Graham, Stack, 20.6M) reports that “the past
several weeks have seen an outbreak of anti-Semitic threats and violence across
the United States, stoking fear among Jews in small towns and major cities.
During the two weeks of clashes in Israel and Gaza this month, the
Anti-Defamation League collected 222 reports of anti-Semitic harassment,
vandalism and violence in the United States, compared with 127 over the
previous two weeks.”
The Hill
(5/26,Gangitano, 5.69M) says that “Democratic lawmakers and outside groups are
pushing” President Biden to take additional action “to stop antisemitism” amid
the rise “in violent attacks targeting the U.S. Jewish community.” The Hills
says “five prominent Jewish advocacy groups – the Anti-Defamation League...the
American Jewish Committee, the Orthodox Union, the Jewish Federations of North
America, and Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. – in a
Friday letter to Biden expressed concern about a surge in attacks.”
Additionally, Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Elaine Luria (D-Va.) and Kathy
Manning (D-N.C.) wrote to Biden on Tuesday and asked him to “nominate a United
States ambassador-at-large to monitor and combat antisemitism.”
Americans Believe Anti-Asian Discrimination Has Worsened. The AP
(5/26,Fingerhut) reports that a poll by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs
Research shows “a majority of Americans across racial and ethnic groups believe
discrimination has worsened in the last year against Asian Americans, who
became the target of attacks after being unfairly blamed for the coronavirus
pandemic.” The poll “also finds about 6 in 10 Americans say racism in the US in
general is a ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ serious problem. And a majority of Asian
Americans say they feel unsafe in public because of their race.”
Eighth Noose Found At Amazon Work Site In Connecticut. ABC World News Tonight
24 (5/26, story 7, 0:15,Muir, 6.02M) reported, “Tonight yet another disturbing
discovery at the same construction site of a new Amazon facility in Windsor,
Connecticut. The NAACP says an eighth noose was found at the work site.
Construction shut down yet again days after restarting. The investigation under
way.”
SEN. TIM SCOTT: “JUNE OR BUST” FOR REACHING DEAL ON POLICE REFORM. <> The Hill
(5/26,Carney, 5.69M) reports that the lead Republican negotiator Sen. Tim
Scott (R-SC) told reporters on Wednesday that a deal on police reform is
expected in June. Referring to the timeline, Tim Scott said, “I think it’s June
or bust. ... I think we have three weeks in June to get this done.”
Richmond: Everybody Negotiating In “Good Faith.” Asked on MSNBC
(5/26, 799K) about the status of police reform proposals in Congress, White
House Office of Public Engagement Director Cedric Richmond said, “I think
everybody is negotiating in good faith trying to get to a substantive bill that
one would honor the memory of George Floyd but more importantly would stop the
carnage that we see on the streets in terms of the interactions between police
and the communities they police.”
DOJ Official Says Civil Rights Probes Of Local Police Help Fight Crime. The
Wall Street Journal
(5/26,Gurman, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) reports that Associate Attorney
General Vanita Gupta said federal civil rights probes of local police
departments help fight violent crime. The Journal says Gupta’s comments rebut
criticism that the DOJ’s civil rights investigations are hurting officer morale
at a time when violent crime is increasing.
EXXONMOBIL DEALT “MAJOR BLOW” IN BOARD SHAKE UP. <> Reuters
(5/26,Hiller, Herbst-Bayliss) reports that ExxonMobil suffered a “major blow”
on Wednesday during a shareholder vote as at least two board members were
unseated by a small hedge fund, Engine No. 1, in a move to “force the company’s
leadership to reckon with the risk of failing to adjust its business strategy
to match global efforts to combat climate change.” Reuters says the counting
“is not finished, so Engine No. 1 could potentially see three of its four
nominees join the Exxon board.” The group’s successful nominations so far are
Gregory Goff, a former executive from Marathon Petroleum and Andeavor, and
Kaisa Hietala, a former Neste Oyj executive.
The New York Times
(5/26,Krauss, 20.6M) reports the two Engine No. 1 candidates were “nominated by
activist investors who pledged to steer the company toward cleaner energy and
away from oil and gas.” The Times calls the result a “sharp rebuke” ExxonMobil
25CEO Darren Woods, who opposed the board challenge. TheWall Street Journal
(5/26,Matthews, McFarlane, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) reports that the
setback for ExxonMobil highlights the dramatic shift in landscape for oil and
gas companies as pressure from environmental groups continues to mount.
The Wall Street Journal
(5/26,
Subscription Publication, 8.41M) editorializes that the upset to ExxonMobil is
due to political pressure on its shareholders to appeal to progressives in
power. The Journal warns that Exxon will not do well if it abandons fossil
fuels to focus on renewables.
Dutch Court Orders Shell To Reduce Emissions By 45%. The AP
(5/26,Bussewitz) reports that Royal Dutch Shell was ordered by a district
court in The Hague on Wednesday to reduce its net carbon emissions by 45% by
2030 compared to 2019 levels, following a case brought by climate change
activists. The AP says the court “ruled that the energy giant had a duty to
reduce emissions and that its current reduction plans were insufficient.”
Protections For Lesser Prairie Chicken May Curb New Oil And Gas Development.
The Hill
(5/26,Guzman, 5.69M) reports that on Wednesday the US Fish and Wildlife
Service proposed categorizing the lesser prairie chicken as “endangered” in
parts of New Mexico and Texas and “threatened” in more northern parts where the
species is found. The Hill says that the “move by the Biden Administration
could have big consequences for the fossil fuel industry as the range of the
species that could be federally protected overlaps with the oil and gas-rich
Permian Basin,” adding that such “federal protections would likely impose
restrictions on new oil and gas developments in the region where the birds
roam.”
Senators Introduce Bill Extending Tax Credits To Nuclear Power Plants. Reuters
(5/26,Gardner) reports three Democratic senators “introduced a measure on
Wednesday to boost existing nuclear plants to a wide energy tax reform bill,
after the Biden administration pushed for such a change to help curb carbon
emissions.”
DIPLOMATS ASK STATE DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE MORE SUPPORT FOR “HAVANA SYNDROME”
VICTIMS. <> The Hill
(5/26,Castronuovo, 5.69M) reports American diplomats and other “government
officials who say they are victims of ‘Havana Syndrome’ attacks are calling on
the State Department to do more to provide proper medical care and support.” In
a letter dated Tuesday and “obtained byNBC News
26
, a group of 21 government workers and their spouses demanded Deputy Secretary
of State Brian McKeon adopt a series of recommendations to ‘ensure injured
employees and families’ are ‘fully supported’ and that the US government is
‘fully prepared to respond to future incidents.’” The 11 recommendations
include “benefits assistance for victims of the attacks, care plans and
responses for newly injured employees and their families, long-term monitoring
of affected individuals and the establishment of an accountability review board
for China and other countries that have had suspected Havana Syndrome cases.”
The signatories also argued that “counterparts in the defense and intelligence
community have had a different level and frequency of engagement.”
Pentagon Drafting “Havana Syndrome” Reporting Memo. CNN
(5/26,Starr, Williams, Herb, 89.21M) reports the Pentagon is drafting a “memo
to the entire military and civilian workforce asking personnel to report any
so-called anomalous health symptoms that might indicate they have been victims
of a mysterious illness that has struck US diplomats, spies and military
personnel around the world, according to two defense officials.” No final
decision has “been made on whether to issue the memo, but the fact it’s being
considered underscores the growing concern at the Pentagon’s senior levels that
they need to gather more information on what” has become known as “Havana
Syndrome.”
EXECS SAY BIDEN PLAN TO IMPORT METALS FOR EVS COULD KEEP US FROM MEETING
CLIMATE GOALS. <> Reuters
(5/26, Scheyder) reports “industry executives” say the Biden Administration’s
“plan to rely on ally nations for most of the metals needed to build electric
vehicles ignores the complexity of modern mining and could keep the United
States from meeting aggressive climate goals.” James Calaway, chairman of
ioneer Ltd, said, “The approach is deeply naive and very dangerous to the
United States supply chain for electric vehicles,” and Jon Evans, chief
executive of Lithium Americas Corp, said, “Given the administration’s timeline,
they have no choice but to allow more domestic mines.” Although the
Administration “may want to rely on mineral deposits in ally nations, it will
have competition from China, which is willing to pay top dollar, industry
leaders said.”
MAYORKAS DEFENDS TITLE 42. <> The Hill
(5/26,Beitsch, 5.69M) reports that before a House Appropriations subcommittee
on Wednesday, DHS Secretary Mayorkas “defended the Administration’s retention
of” Title 42, “a Trump-era policy that allows the swift removal of migrants due
to COVID-19 as well as a narrowing in those sought for deportations by law
enforcement officials.” While there is “increasing pressure” to scrap Title 42,
Mayorkas “reiterated [the] Administration’s position that the policy is
necessary as a public health measure.” He added, “We will not restrict travel
27one day more than the public health imperative requires. That is the assurance
I can give.”
DEMOCRATS UNABLE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH PLAN TO LOWER PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES.
<> The Los Angeles Times
(5/26,Haberkorn, Stokols, 3.37M) reports, “Despite widespread support among
Democrats, the idea” of implementing a plan to lower prescription drug prices
“has sputtered.” President Biden did not include such a plan in his
infrastructure proposal and his budget is not expected to include one.
Democrats in Congress, meanwhile, “remain noncommittal about how they might
enact” a plan to lower prescription drug prices.
COLUMNIST HIGHLIGHTS GAO REPORT ABOUT MAKING GOVERNMENT MORE EFFICIENT, WITH
SAVINGS OF $1B OR MORE. <> In an opinion piece for the Washington Post
(5/25, 10.52M), columnist Joe Davidson says that “as President Biden pushes
big spending plans to spur the country’s economic recovery, he might welcome
suggestions for saving a few bucks – or much more.” A new GAO “report
about how to make the government
more efficient includes 14 areas to target, each with possible savings of $1
billion or more.” The “report said” another “potential efficiency” action is
“improving coordination of infectious-disease work by the Department of Health
and Human Services to better identify duplication and overlap among agencies.”
These include “extending cost-reduction and efficiency programs at two of the
Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration sites to other
locations” for a savings of $515 million over five years.
MICHIGAN SECRETARY OF STATE “DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE FUTURE OF OUR
DEMOCRACY.” <> In an interview with the AP
(5/26, Cassidy,Eggert), Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) was
asked about “GOP-controlled legislatures seeking to exert more control over
election officials.” Benson said, “I’m deeply concerned about the future of our
democracy and about all of the things that we’re seeing and have seen on a near
weekly basis emerge throughout our country, but particularly in states that
were high profile in 2020 – Michigan, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada – to
consistently propagate the ‘big lie,’ propagate this idea, this falsehood that
the election was anything but safe and secure, to codify legislation in
furtherance of that and really undo a lot of the policies that led to such
enormous turnout and security in 2020.”
International News:
Africa:
AFTER MILITARY TAKEOVER, INTERIM PRESIDENT, PM OF MALI RESIGN. <> Reuters
28 (5/26) reports that the interim president and prime minister of Mail resigned
on Wednesday, “two days after they were arrested by the military, an aide to
the vice president said.” Miliary forces “led by interim Vice President Assimi
Goita, arrested President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane and took
them to a military base on Monday after a cabinet reshuffle in which two
officers lost their posts.” The actions by the military have jeopardized the
nation’s return to democracy after a coup last year.
SUSPECTED ISLAMIST ATTACK KILLS 22 IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO. <>
Reuters
(5/26) reports that at least 22 civilians were killed with knives and machetes
in a night-time raid by suspected Islamist militants in the eastern part of the
Democratic Republic Of Congo. The attack “comes more than three weeks after the
government declared martial law in North Kivu and Ituri, two provinces
bordering Uganda, in an attempt to stem worsening bloodshed.”
UN OFFICIAL WARNS THAT ETHIOPIA’S TIGRAY REGION IS ON THE BRINK OF FAMINE. <>
TheNew York Times
(5/26,Gladstone, 20.6M) reports that Mark Lowcock, the UN’s under secretary
general for humanitarian affairs, is warning that “famine is now knocking on
the door of Ethiopia’s Tigray region, where a civil war that erupted last year
has drastically cut the food supply and prevented relief workers from helping
the hungry.” The Times says that “in a confidential note to the United Nations
Security Council,” Lowcock “said sections of Tigray, a region of more than 5
million people, are now one step from famine – in part because the government
has obstructed aid shipments.”
NBC: US “QUIETLY RETURNING” TO LIBYA. <> NBC News
(5/27, 4.91M) reports the US is “wading back into Libya, with the Biden
administration launching a fresh diplomatic bid to pull the country out of a
violent spiral and making plans to reopen the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli seven
years after it was closed.” Last week, the highest-ranking “US diplomat to
visit the country since 2014 arrived in Tripoli, and the administration has
deployed a team there to work out the daunting logistics of reopening the
embassy, two sources familiar with the matter said.” A State Department
spokesperson said, “Our intent is to begin to resume operations in Libya as
soon as the security situation permits and we have the necessary security
measures in place. The process for that to occur, however, entails careful
logistical and security planning, plus interagency coordination to meet
security and legal requirements. “
REPORT ON ITALIAN AMBASSADOR’S DEATH IN CONGO INDICATES “POORLY PLANNED,
CLUMSILY EXECUTED ACT.” <> Reuters
(5/26, Holland, Katanty) reports from Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo that
29a new incident report from the Virunga National Park Rangers regarding the
“botched kidnapping” of Italian Ambassador Luca Attanasio “paints a picture of
a poorly planned, clumsily executed act, and runs counter to the assumption
among some officials and media at the time that Attanasio was the target of a
carefully orchestrated operation.” The report was “corroborated by three UN
officials and an Italian judicial source – all with knowledge of probes into
the attack.” The attackers “never displayed awareness of ambassador Attanasio’s
identity or diplomatic status, two of the UN sources close to the
investigations said.”
Near East:
BLINKEN DEPARTS MIDDLE EAST WITH CEASE-FIRE INTACT, PLEDGES TO AID WITH
REBUILDING. <> The New York Times
(5/26,Jakes, 20.6M) reports that as Secretary of State Antony Blinken left the
Middle East on Wednesday, he “said he was returning to Washington from the
brief but urgent visit with new promises to help fund a massive humanitarian
and reconstruction effort in the Gaza Strip.” Speaking to reporters in Amman
after meeting with King Abdullah, Blinken said, “We see the cease-fire not as
an end, but as a beginning – something to build on.” Blinken “said Egypt had
offered to contribute $500 million to rebuild Gaza, and noted Jordan’s ‘vital
role’ in working with the Palestinian Authority” in the West Bank.
Reuters
(5/26) reports that on Wednesday in Amman, Jordan, Blinken “said...he had a
lengthy discussion with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi about Cairo’s
human rights record.” Reuters adds that Blinken “also said he raised with Sisi
the issue of Americans who have been detained in Egypt.”
According to the AP
(5/26, Magdy,Federman), Blinken’s “mission made little headway in resolving
the deeper issues at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” The AP
adds, “After two days of talks with Israeli, Palestinian and Arab allies,
Blinken acknowledged that any resumption of peace talks remained far off. In
the meantime, he said he had made progress toward the more modest goals of
cementing the cease-fire and rebuilding hard-hit Gaza.”
Eviction Issue Continues To Test Cease-Fire. NBC Nightly News
(5/26, story 5, 1:40, Holt, 4.76M) reported, “That fragile cease-fire between
Israel and Hamas is facing new pressure tonight over an Israeli plan to evict
some Palestinians from their homes.” NBC (Mitchell) added, “Protests today in
East Jerusalem, where 700 more Palestinians are fighting evictions to make room
for Jewish settlers. The first question I was asked when I got here is, ‘What
did Blinken say?’” about the situation. NBC (Mitchell) adds, “Today, they have
30new hope after Blinken said Israel should stop demolishing their homes, trying
to avoid a spark that could ignite another round of violence.”
Boot: Preserving Status Quo With Iran Doesn’t Boost Hamas. Max Boot writes in
theWashington Post
(5/26, 10.52M) that “the right wing in Israel and the United States” believe
“the recent 11-day Gaza war makes a compelling case against concluding a
nuclear deal with Iran.” However, Boot argues, the “negotiations to revive the
nuclear deal are continuing. The Biden administration has not actually lifted
sanctions on Iran.” But that has not “hampered Hamas’s ability to rocket
Israel. ... It’s hard to see how the U.S. exit from the JCPOA has hurt Hamas in
any way. ... So I am struggling to figure out how preserving the status quo is
enhancing Israel’s security. Spoiler alert: It’s not.”
ASSAD VOTES IN FORMER REBEL STRONGHOLD, TOUTS ELECTION AS EVIDENCE OF SYRIAN
UNITY. <> Reuters
(5/26) reports that on Wednesday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “voted...in
an election certain to extend his rule...casting his ballot in the former rebel
stronghold of Douma where a suspected chemical weapons attack in 2018 prompted
Western air strikes.” Assad said after voting, “Syria is not what they were
trying to market, one city against the other and sect against the other or
civil war. Today we are proving from Douma that the Syrian people are one.”
According to the AP
(5/26,Aji), “The vote is the second presidential election since the country’s
conflict began 10 years ago and has been dismissed as a sham by the opposition
and Western countries, including the United States. ... ‘The Assad regime’s
so-called presidential election is neither free nor fair,’ U.S. Secretary of
State Anthony Blinken said in a Twitter post Wednesday.” The AP says Assad
“blasted countries that have dismissed the vote as illegitimate, saying most of
those nations ‘have colonial history’ and ‘we as a state are not concerned
about such statements.’”
The Washington Post
(5/26, 10.52M) says the election “delivers a rebuke to a decade of Syria
diplomacy by the United States and its allies aimed at securing a transition to
democracy. By the time Assad’s new term ends in 2028, he will have been in
power for 28 years, topping the 27 years his father, Hafez, served as
president.”
CNN
(5/26, Karadsheh, 89.21M) reports on its website that in 2014, Assad “received
88.7% of the vote in an election that took place in government-controlled parts
31of the country. At the time, opposition groups ran large swathes of Syria –
Assad’s forces have since wrested control over most of that territory.” On its
website,CBS News
(5/26, 5.39M) says, “Thanks to support from Russia that helped turn the tide
in the war, Assad’s rule is no longer seriously threatened by ISIS or the
rebels who’ve enjoyed varying degrees of support from the West.”
IRAQI FORCES ARREST MILITIA COMMANDER OVER ALLEGED INVOLVEMENT IN ATTACKS ON
AIR BASE USED BY US. <> Reuters
(5/26) reports that the Iraqi military said that security forces on Wednesday
arrested militia commander Qasim Muslih in a “move security sources said was
linked to attacks on a base that hosts U.S. forces.” A pair of security sources
told the news outlet that Muslih “was arrested in Baghdad for involvement in
several attacks including recent assaults on Ain al-Asad air base, where U.S.
and other international forces are housed.”
The AP
(5/26) reports “tensions mounted in Iraq’s capital” on Wednesday after the
arrest. Shortly after, forces “affiliated with the PMF, which maintains offices
inside the heavily fortified Green Zone, were deployed surrounding Prime
Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s headquarters.” Tensions reached a “fever pitch
when Iraqi security forces and the elite Counter-Terrorism Service were
deployed to protect the government and diplomatic missions, sparking fears of
violence. Some armed PMF factions gathered around the Green Zone’s entrance
gates.”
HAMAS LEADER SAYS 80 FIGHTERS KILLED. <> The AP
(5/26,Akram, Akram) reports Hamas’ leader in the Gaza Strip “on Wednesday said
80 militants were killed during the 11-day war with Israel that ended last
week, providing the group’s first official tally for losses sustained in the
fighting.” Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry has “put the number of Palestinians
killed in the Israeli offensive this month at 254, including 66 children, 39
women, and 17 people above the age of 60” but did not provide “a breakdown
between civilians and combatants.” Speaking to The Associated Press, “Hamas
leader Yehiyeh Sinwar said those killed last week included 57 members of his
group’s armed wing, 22 members of the smaller Islamic Jihad group and one
member of a small group called the Popular Resistance Committees.”
Iran:
IAEA HEAD: IRAN ENRICHING URANIUM AT WEAPONS-GRADE LEVEL. <> Insider
(5/26,Haltiwanger, 2.74M) reports Iran is enriching uranium “up to purity
levels that ‘only countries making bombs are reaching,’ the head of the UN’s
32nuclear watchdog warned in an interview with the Financial Times.” Rafael
Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told
the Times, “A country enriching at 60% is a very serious thing – only countries
making bombs are reaching this level.” Grossi added, “You cannot put the genie
back into the bottle – once you know how to do stuff, you know, and the only
way to check this is through verification. The Iranian programme has grown,
become more sophisticated so the linear return to 2015 is no longer possible.
What you can do is keep their activities below the parameters of 2015.”
Europe:
WHO COVAX PROGRAM FALLS SHORT DESPITE INTENTIONS OF DEVELOPED NATIONS, VACCINE
MANUFACTURERS. <> The Wall Street Journal
(5/26, A1,Steinhauser, Hinshaw, McKay, Subscription Publication, 8.41M)
reports about why the WHO’s COVAX program has struggled to provide shots to
developing countries despite its good intentions. By December 2020, “Moderna,
Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm and Sputnik V had all announced promising
efficacy results from clinical trials.” However, concerns about coronavirus
variants and material shortages caused agreements between the WHO, developed
nations, and vaccine manufacturers to follow through.
WHO Needs More Information To Authorize Sinovac’s COVID-19 Vaccine. The Wall
Street Journal
(5/26, Deng,Hinshaw, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) reports the WHO is
requesting more data from Sinovac as it considers approving the Chinese
company’s COVID-19 vaccine, Coronavac. While it is not clear what information
is missing, the agency cleared another Chinese vaccine from rival Sinopharm
around the same time it met to discuss Coronavac.
EU TELLS BRUSSELS COURT ASTRAZENECA FAILED TO FULFILL ITS VACCINE COMMITMENTS.
<> The AP
(5/26,Petrequin) reports that on Wednesday, the European Union “took on
vaccine producer AstraZeneca in a Brussels court...and accused the drugmaker of
acting in bad faith by providing shots to other nations when it had promised
them for urgent delivery to the EU’s 27 member countries.” According to the AP,
“During an emergency hearing, the EU asked for the delivery of missing doses
and accused AstraZeneca of postponing deliveries so the Anglo-Swedish company
could service Britain, among others.” The AP adds that AstraZeneca “denies any
wrongdoing and said it has always done its best to fulfill delivery
commitments.”
The New York Times
(5/26, Pronczuk,Stevis-Gridneff, 20.6M) reports that “lawyers representing the
bloc told the judges in a Brussels courtroom that they would seek €10 (about
33$12) a dose for each day that delivery is delayed, along with €10 million a day
for each of four alleged breaches of contract.” According to the Times, “The
bloc is demanding 90 million doses from the company by the end of June, and
another 180 million by the end of September. The proposed penalties, if
accepted by the judge, would begin on July 1 and could quickly balloon into
billions of euros.”
SLOVAKIA AUTHORIZES USE OF RUSSIA’S SPUTNIK V VACCINE. <> The AP
(5/26) reports that on Wednesday, Slovakia “became the second European Union
country to authorize use of the Russian-made Sputnik V vaccine, which has not
yet been approved by the bloc’s drug regulator.” According to the AP, “The
Slovak government asked Health Minister Vladimir Lengvarsky – who has expressed
reservations about the Russian COVID-19 vaccine – to make it available by June
7.” The AP says Slovakia “has 200,000 doses of Sputnik V in stock but had not
allowed its use until now.”
FRANCE PRAISES YOUTUBE USERS WHO RESISTED VACCINE MISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN. <>
TheAP
(5/26,Leicester) reports France’s government offered “strong praise Wednesday
to YouTubers and other social media influencers who resisted a mysterious
effort to recruit them for a smear campaign to spread disinformation to their
millions of young followers about the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.” Multiple
France-based influencers “with sizable audiences on Twitter, Instagram and
other platforms said they were contacted with offers of hush-hush payments to
make bogus claims about supposed deadly Pfizer vaccine risks.”
Russia & Eurasia:
LUKASHENKO ACCUSES WEST OF ENGAGING IN “HYBRID WAR” AGAINST BELARUS. <> Axios
(5/26,Allassan, 1.26M) reports that on Wednesday, Belarus President Aleksandr
Lukashenko, “who diverted a passenger airplane carrying a journalist and
government dissident on board this week, defended his actions Wednesday as
necessary to quell a bomb threat.” Axios adds, “EU nations have banned
Belarusian airlines, told European airlines not to fly over the country, and
promised more economic sanctions. Lukashenko described the retaliation as a
‘hybrid war’ to ‘strangle’ Belarus.”
Reuters
(5/26) reports that Lukashenko also alleged that Raman Pratasevich, the
journalist “pulled off a plane that was forced to land in Minsk, had been
plotting a rebellion.” According to Reuters, “In his speech to parliament,
Lukashenko gave no details of the ‘bloody rebellion’ he accused...Protasevich
of planning.” TheAP
34 (5/26, Karmanau) reports that Lukashenko “also warned his other foes abroad
that the authorities will go after them,” saying, “We know your faces, and it’s
just a matter of time for you to be brought to account before the Belarusian
people.”
The Washington Post
(5/26, 10.52M) reports that Lukashenko, who is “known for often outlandish
remarks, suggested that by diverting the plane, he also prevented a potential
nuclear catastrophe, as the airliner could have triggered the defense systems
on the country’s Astravec power plant.” The Post reports that Lukashenko “said
the decision to intercept the plane filled with Lithuanian tourists coming back
from Greece was prompted by a bomb threat, which he now claims originated from
Switzerland.” The Post says Belarusian officials “previously said the threat
came via email from Hamas.”
Politico Europe
(5/26, 15K) reports that Lukashenko “also downplayed reports that the plane
was forced to turn for Minsk by a fighter jet, putting the blame for the
decision to land in the Belarusian capital on the crew, and saying that the
fighter had been scrambled ‘according to all the rules.’” Politico adds, “Those
justifications are unlikely to lessen the outrage over the Ryanair incident,
and its impact on European aviation.”
The New York Times
(5/26,Troianovski, 20.6M) says that with his decision to divert the flight,
Lukashenko has “ushered in a new and even more brittle phase in one of the
post-Soviet region’s most convoluted and consequential relationships: the one
between” Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to the
Times, “The two are increasingly leaning on each other in the face of conflict
with the West, but they have sharply diverging interests.”
SASSE AMONG THOSE CRITICAL OF BIDEN’S DECISION TO MEET WITH PUTIN. <> CNBC
(5/26,Ellyatt, 7.34M) reports on its website that ahead of President Biden and
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s summit in Geneva next month, “there are
doubts whether the summit can achieve much, given the poor state of relations.”
And CNBC adds that “not everyone is happy about the summit even going ahead.”
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence,
“was among those voicing disapproval of the Biden-Putin summit.” Sasse released
a statement reading: “We’re rewarding Putin with a summit? ... Instead of
treating Putin like a gangster who fears his own people, we’re giving him his
treasured Nord Stream 2 pipeline and legitimizing his actions with a summit.
This is weak.” Andrius Tursa, Central and Eastern Europe advisor at Teneo
Intelligence, is quoted a saying, “The Russian state-owned media will spin the
Putin-Biden summit in a way that emphasizes Russia’s great power status and its
35indispensable role in addressing various global challenges.”
Rubin: Putin Summit “Doesn’t Make The US Look ‘Weak.’” The Washington Post
’s (5/26, 10.52M) Jennifer Rubin writes that good behavior “has never been the
precondition for US presidents meeting with adversarial powers,” and that a
“meeting in which Biden signals the free pass from the United States has
expired may prompt Putin to more carefully assess the costs and benefits of
future conduct. If that is the outcome, it will have been worth the trip.”
China:
NSC’S KURT CAMPBELL: BROAD ENGAGEMENT WITH CHINA “HAS COME TO AN END.” <>
Bloomberg
(5/26, 3.57M) reports the US is entering a “period of intense competition with
China as the government running the world’s second-biggest economy becomes ever
more tightly controlled by President Xi Jinping, the White House’s top official
for Asia said Wednesday.” Speaking at a Stanford University event, Kurt
Campbell, the US coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs on the National Security
Council, said, “The period that was broadly described as engagement has come to
an end.” Campbell predicts US policy toward China will now operate under a “new
set of strategic parameters,” adding that “the dominant paradigm is going to be
competition.” Chinese policies under Xi “are in large part responsible for the
shift in U.S. policy, Campbell said, citing military clashes on China’s border
with India, an ‘economic campaign’ against Australia and the rise of China’s
‘wolf warrior’ diplomacy.” Beijing’s behavior was “emblematic of a shift toward
‘harsh power, or hard power’ which ‘signals that China is determined to play a
more assertive role,’ he said.”
CRS: CHINA SUPPLYING NUCLEAR, MISSILE TECHNOLOGY TO NORTH KOREA, IRAN. <> The
Washington Times
(5/26,Gertz, 626K) reports China is continuing to “sell dangerous nuclear
technology and missiles around the world, mainly to North Korea and Iran,
according to the Congressional Research Service.” A CRS report published
“earlier this month reveals that the Chinese government seems to have ceased
direct involvement in nuclear arms proliferation and sales of complete missile
systems in favor of hiding behind cutout entities.” In specific, the report
states the Chinese government “has apparently ended its direct involvement in
the transfer of nuclear- and missile-related items, but Chinese-based companies
and individuals continue to export goods relevant to those items, particularly
to Iran and North Korea.”
SENATE GOP COULD BLOCK BIPARTISAN PLAN TO CONFRONT CHINA. <> Politico
(5/26,
Desiderio, Bade, 6.73M) reports Senate Republicans “are indicating that they
may derail debate on” a bipartisan measure “confronting China’s growing
36economic and geopolitical influence before the Senate leaves town for a recess
later this week. Some in the GOP are pressing for more votes on their
amendments to the China legislation, a top priority of Majority Leader Chuck
Schumer.” Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) “said he was particularly frustrated by what
he described as Democratic leadership’s refusal to consider a trade amendment”
he has offered with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR). Politico says the “latest Republican
resistance imperils Schumer’s plans for a final vote on the bill, which
allocates billions in new funding for scientific research and technology to
counter China’s economic rise.”
The Hill
(5/26,Bolton, 5.69M) reports, “Some Republicans now say Schumer won’t get the
60 votes he needs to advance the bill unless he relents and allows a vote on”
the Crapo-Wyden measure. After Wednesday’s lunch, a GOP senator said “‘it would
be hard to imagine’ the China bill getting 10 Republican votes to advance until
Schumer backs down and allows a vote on the Wyden-Crapo deal to update and
reauthorize expired trade programs.”
SENATE LEGISLATION WOULD ADD NATIONAL SECURITY REVIEWS OF CHINESE DONATIONS TO
US UNIVERSITIES. <> Reuters
(5/26,Zengerle) reports US senators introduced legislation “on Wednesday that
would require national security reviews of major Chinese gifts and contracts to
US universities.” They hope that limiting “such reviews to China alone would
ease concerns in academia that reviews of foreign funding could threaten
research.” The measure, an “amendment to a broad bill seeking to boost U.S.
competitiveness with China, would require the federal government’s Committee on
Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to review grants and contracts
from China whose value exceeds $1 million.” TheWashington Times
(5/26,Taylor, 626K) also reports.
TESLA TO ESTABLISH DATA CENTER IN CHINA FOR LOCAL DATA STORAGE. <> TechCrunch
(5/26, Liao,
502K) reports, Tesla “said it has established a data center in China to carry
out the ‘localization of data storage,’ with plans to add more data facilities
in the future, the company announced through its account on microblogging
platform Weibo.” All data generated “by Tesla vehicles sold in mainland China
will be kept domestically.” Tesla is acting in “response to new requirements
drafted by the Chinese government to regulate how cameras- and sensors-enabled
carmakers collect and utilize data.”
CLOSED CHINESE CONSULATE IN HOUSTON WAS “MAJOR HUB” FOR ESPIONAGE, STUDY
INDICATES. <> The Washington Times
(5/26,Lovelace, 626K) reports, “The Chinese consulate in Houston, ordered
closed by the Trump administration last year, was a ‘major hub’ for Beijing’s
37global science and technology collection efforts, according to a newstudy
.” Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology
“examined 642 ‘international technological cooperation opportunities’ between
2015 and 2020 identified by Chinese diplomats and found the Houston post was
the key hub for science and technology (S&T) collection globally.” US critics
“say intellectual property theft and piracy have been key to China’s drive to
close the technology gap with the U.S. and the West.”
East Asia:
JAPAN FACING NEW COVID SURGE AHEAD OF SUMMER OLYMPICS. <> NBC Nightly News
(5/26, story 6, 1:30, Holt, 4.76M) reported that the Summer Olympics will open
in eight weeks, but Japan is “reporting roughly 5,000 new COVID cases a day”
and Tokyo OIC organizers “say they’re not considering cancelling the Olympics.”
Japanese apprehension to cancel the Olympics is leading to new pressure both
domestic and international, and US scientist “say ‘calling off the games may be
the safest option.’”
Henry Olsen writes in the Washington Post
(5/26, 10.52M) while there is growing pressure on Japanese Prime Minister
Yoshihide Suga “to again postpone this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo,” the
games “should go on as scheduled, and the world should chip in to help ensure
the Japanese people stay safe as they do.” Olsen argues the world “needs an
example that life can be normal again.”
ESPIONAGE TRIAL OF AUSTRALIAN BLOGGER TO OPEN IN CHINA ON THURSDAY. <> Reuters
(5/26) reports that a Chinese court “will hear an espionage case on Thursday
against Australian blogger Yang Hengjun, detained by Chinese authorities two
years ago as he arrived from New York, against a backdrop of worsening ties
between the two nations.” Details of the case “have been shrouded in secrecy,”
and Australia has “complained that Chinese authorities have not provided ‘any
explanation or evidence for the charges.’”
CAMPBELL: US HOPING FOR FALL QUAD MEETING ON INFRASTRUCTURE. <> Reuters
(5/26,Brunnstrom, Martina) reports that the US is “looking to convene an
in-person meeting of its partners the Quad group of countries – Australia,
India and Japan – in the fall with a focus on infrastructure in the face of the
challenge from China,” Kurt Campbell, President Biden’s policy coordinator for
the Indo-Pacific, said Wednesday. Speaking during an online event, Campbell
said, “We want to look this fall to convene an in-person Quad and the hope will
be to make a similar kind of engagement on infrastructure more generally,”
adding that if “there are other countries that believe that they’d like to
engage and work with us, the door will be open as we go forward.”
38
KIM VOWS “UNCOMPROMISING STRUGGLE” TO BUILD SOCIALISM IN NORTH KOREA. <> The AP
(5/27,Kim) reports North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has “vowed an
‘uncompromising struggle’ against anti-socialist elements at home, state media
reported Thursday, as he tries to fortify his power amid pandemic-related
difficulties and US-led economic sanctions.” Kim’s comments come “as doubts
increase about both North Korea’s economy and whether it will engage in serious
disarmament talks with Washington.”
MCCONNELL PRAISED ADMINISTRATION FOR BURMA COUP RESPONSE. <> The Hill
(5/26,Axelrod, 5.69M) reports that Senate Minority Leader McConnell “offered
rare praise Wednesday for the Biden Administration over its response to the
military coup in Myanmar.” McConnell said, “I have been in close touch with the
Biden Administration on Burma, discussing how to best support opposition to the
junta while standing up new targeted sanctions and export licensing bans to hit
the leaders of the military coup where it hurts: in the wallet. And I’ve been
encouraged by the Administration’s swift response.”
US ENVOY CONFIDENT TAIWAN CAN DEAL WITH SPIKE ON COVID CASES. <> Reuters
(5/26) reports that on Wednesday, Brent Christensen, “the outgoing de facto
U.S. ambassador in Taipei,” maintained that he is “confident Taiwan could
control a spike in COVID-19 cases, noting its infection numbers remained quite
low, and that they were in talks on vaccines though did not say shots were on
the way.” According to Reuters, “After months of relative safety, Taiwan is
battling a surge in domestic COVID-19 cases, but has only vaccinated around 1%
of its more than 23 million people.” Last week, Taiwan’s health minister “spoke
to his U.S. counterpart to ask for help after President Joe Biden said he would
send at least 20 million more COVID-19 vaccine doses abroad by the end of June.”
South Asia:
TALIBAN WARNS AFGHANISTAN’S NEIGHBORS AGAINST HOSTING US TROOPS. <> Reuters
(5/26) reports that on Wednesday, the Taliban “warned nearby nations against
allowing the United States to use their territory for operations in the country
after they withdraw from Afghanistan.” According to Reuters, “Experts and
diplomats have speculated that Washington’s future role in the region could
include bases in nearby countries, especially Pakistan.” Reuters adds that “in
recent days, there has been a spate of talks between senior Pakistani and U.S.
officials, including a meeting between Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake
Sullivan and his Pakistani counterpart.”
US Carrier To Move To Support Afghan Withdrawal. In an “exclusive,” the Wall
Street Journal
39
(5/26,Youssef, Lubold, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) reports that the
Pentagon is expected to move the USS Ronald Reagan, the only carrier in the
Asia-Pacific region, toward the Middle East to support the withdrawal of US
forces. The warship is expected to depart its home port of Yokosuka, Japan and
head for the region this summer, and operate there for three to four months.CNN
(5/27, 89.21M) reports analysts “say the move could leave a gap in US carrier
coverage in East Asia at a time when Beijing is turning up the heat over the
South China Sea and Taiwan.”
In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal
(5/26,
Subscription Publication, 8.41M) says that the move will leave the US without a
carrier in the Western Pacific, which sends a clear message that the US needs
to boost its naval assets and adjust its strategies to current realities.
PAKISTANI JOURNALIST ALLEGES INTELLIGENCE AGENTS ATTACKED HIM IN HIS APARTMENT.
<> The AP
(5/26) reports a journalist critical of “Pakistan’s powerful military and
intelligence agencies was severely beaten by three unidentified men in an
attack at his apartment in Islamabad, the journalist and colleagues said
Wednesday.” Asad Ali Toor, who works “for the Aaj News Pakistani TV channel,
told police in a statement the attackers claimed they were intelligence agents.”
WHATSAPP SUES INDIAN GOVERNMENT OVER MESSAGE TRACEABILITY RULES. <> The AP
(5/26, Saaliq,Soo) reports new regulations for technology companies that
operate in India prompted WhatsApp to file a lawsuit “in the Delhi High Court.”
The suit, which was filed against India’s government, alleges that “rules
regarding the traceability of messages are unconstitutional and undermine the
fundamental right to privacy.” WhatsApp “uses end-to-end encryption for its
messaging service, which encrypts messages in such a way that no one apart from
the sender and receiver are able to read the messages sent between them.”Reuters
(5/26,Menn) reports that when it was asked to comment on its suit, WhatsApp
stated, “Requiring messaging apps to ‘trace’ chats is the equivalent of asking
us to keep a fingerprint of every single message sent on WhatsApp, which would
break end-to-end encryption.”
NYTIMES: OFFICIAL FIGURES “GROSSLY UNDERSTATE” PANDEMIC IMPACT IN INDIA. <> The
New York Times
(5/25, Gamio, Glanz, 20.6M) examines the ongoing COVID surge in India, and,
while India “recorded the largest daily death toll for any country during the
pandemic,” the official figures “grossly understate the true scale of the
40pandemic.” The Times interviewed a variety of public health experts to better
understand the scope of the tragedy facing India, and their assessment found
that estimated infections and death “far exceed official figures.” The “most
pessimistic” conclusions “show a toll on the order of millions of deaths — the
most catastrophic loss anywhere in the world.”
Western Hemisphere:
AMLO’S PARTY EXPECTED TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF LOWER HOUSE. <> Reuters
(5/26) reports Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s “National
Regeneration Movement (MORENA) and its allies are expected to maintain control
of the lower house of Congress in elections on June 6, but with fewer seats, an
opinion poll showed Wednesday.” The May 15-18 survey “of 1,500 registered
voters by polling firm GEA-ISA showed the leftist MORENA winning 209 seats in
the 500-seat lower house, compared to the 253 it currently holds.” MORENA’s
allies the “Green Party and the Labor Party were seen picking up 50 seats
between them to ensure a majority, giving their alliance 259 in total, the poll
said.”
MAYORAL CANDIDATE KILLED IN MEXICO, 34TH OF THIS ELECTION CYCLE. <> The AP
(5/26,Arredondo) reports Mexican mayoral candidate Alma Barragán was killed
Tuesday “while campaigning for the mayorship of the city of Moroleón in
violence-plagued Guanajuato state.” Barragán’s death brings “to 34 the number
of candidates murdered nationwide ahead of the June 6 elections.” President
Andrés Manuel López Obrador “said Wednesday the killing was ‘without doubt’ the
work of organized crime gangs.”
FORMER BOLIVIAN INTERIOR MINISTER ARRESTED IN US FOR MONEY LAUNDERING. <> The
AP
(5/26,Goodman) reports Bolivia’s former interior minister “has been arrested
in the US for allegedly taking part of $602,000 in kickbacks from Florida-based
businessmen accused of selling tear gas at inflated prices to the conservative
government of former interim President Jeanine Áñez.” Arturo Murillo was
charged “with a single count of conspiring to commit money laundering,
according to a Department of Justice statement on Wednesday.”
Cybersecurity:
COLONIAL PIPELINE REBUFFED TSA SECURITY REVIEW BEFORE HACK. <> The Wall Street
Journal
(5/26,Uberti, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) reports that Colonial Pipeline
Co. last year did not submit to a requested federal security review of its
facilities and was in the process of arranging a separate audit of its computer
networks when it was hacked earlier this month. The Journal adds that it is
41unclear if the TSA security assessment would have uncovered network
vulnerabilities that were exploited by the hacking group DarkSide, authorities
said.
TSA, CISA Working With Private Companies On Cybersecurity. The AP
(5/25) reports TSA and CISA “are working with private companies to address
cyber threats,” according to statements by DHS.. “The Biden Administration is
taking further action to better secure our nation’s critical infrastructure,”
it said. The American Petroleum Institute “said in a statement that its members
are working with the administration to develop reporting policies and that any
new regulations” should include “reciprocal information sharing and liability
protections.”
The Washington Post
(5/26,Schaffer, 10.52M) reports DHS plans to go “even further in coming weeks,
releasing mandatory cybersecurity protections that pipeline companies must
implement and steps they must take if they’re hacked.” The companies would face
“financial penalties if they fall short on those cyber protections.” Federal
agencies are themselves “still far behind in protecting against cyberattacks
that tunnel in through their web of IT contractors, a government auditor
yesterday told lawmakers on the House Committee on Science Space and
Technology.”
NPR
(5/26,Schneider, 3.69M) also reports.
GAO: Federal Agencies “Struggling” With Supply Chain Security. Gov Info
Security
(5/26,McGee) reports more than five months “after the SolarWinds supply chain
attack came to light, federal agencies continue to struggle with supply chain
security, according to a Government Accountability Office official who
testified at a congressional hearing Tuesday.” Since the attack, “only a
handful of executive branch departments have made updates to their security
protocols, and none are fully protected against these types of intrusions,
Vijay D’Souza, GAO’s director of information technology and cybersecurity,
testified.” The GAO released an “audit in December 2020 that found 14 of 23
large federal agencies had not implemented any of seven supply chain risk
management practices that the agency had previously recommended.” Since that
report was “released, only six of the 23 agencies have provided the GAO with
updates about plans to implement more of the supply chain risk management
protections, D’Souza told members of Congress.”
BIDEN BUDGET REQUEST TO GROW CYBER COMMAND. <> Politico
42 (5/26,Matishak, Seligman, 6.73M) reports President Biden’s upcoming “budget
request will propose growing US Cyber Command’s main digital warfighting force
over the next two years, according to two people familiar with the request, as
the new administration reels from a series of cyberattacks.” Biden wants to
“increase the size of the Cyber Mission Force – a cadre of roughly 6,200
personnel culled from the military branches and divided into 133 teams – by
about 600 people, or 10 percent.” The exact “composition of the proposed teams
remains unclear, one of the people said.” Such a move “would mark the first
expansion of the Cyber Mission Force since its structure was set in 2012.”
RUSSIA’S FSB REPORTS “UNPRECEDENTED” HACKING CAMPAIGN. <> Reuters
(5/26) reports foreign hackers compromised “Russian federal agencies in a
digital espionage campaign that Russian officials described as unprecedented in
scope and sophistication.” The “little-noticed report” published this month by
the FSB and Rostelecom-Solar provides an “unusually detailed look at a
purportedly state-backed cyber spying operation aimed at the Russian state.”
Citing the hackers’ “‘thorough preparation’ and their intimate knowledge of
Russian antivirus firm Kaspersky Lab’s software,” the report said, “Assessing
the attackers’ level of preparedness and qualification...we are inclined to
refer to this group as cyber mercenaries, pursuing the interests of a foreign
state.” Kaspersky told Reuters it “was aware of the report, but had no
information to suggest that the hackers had exploited any vulnerabilities in
its products.”
FACEBOOK: RUSSIA TOP PRODUCER OF DISINFORMATION. <> The Washington Post
(5/26, 10.52M) says “a Facebook report released Wednesday says that Russia is
still the largest producer of disinformation.” According to the Post, Facebook
“says it has uncovered disinformation campaigns in more than 50 countries since
2017,” and the report “highlights how such coordinated efforts have become more
sophisticated and costly to run in recent years – even as these operators
struggle to influence large numbers of people as they once did.”
CNN
(5/26,Fung, 89.21M) reports that in addition to Russia, Iran was also tagged
as a major producer of disinformation. However, during the 2020 elections, “it
was US domestic actors, not foreign operatives, who were increasingly
responsible for sowing disinformation.”
The AP
(5/26,Lardieri) reports that according to the “report, of the 150 networks
Facebook has dismantled since 2017, 45% were targeting domestic audiences, with
38% targeting countries abroad. Of the countries most frequently targeted by
foreign disinformation networks, the US was the top target, followed by Ukraine
and the United Kingdom.”
43
NBC News
(5/26, 4.91M) reports Facebook “says it shut down 150 networks of fake
accounts between 2017 and the end of 2020.” Facebook doesn’t attribute “the
campaigns to governments, but many of the Russian and Iranian campaigns had all
the hallmarks of intelligence influence operations, private researchers said.”
The report does not cover “the post-election misinformation campaign that paved
the way for the Jan. 6 capital riots, which did not involve fake accounts.”
Sex Trafficking Survivor Asks Facebook To Delay End-To-End Encryption
Messaging Plan. The Daily Dot
(5/26, Goforth, 353K) reports “sex trafficking survivor Sarah Cooper” asked
Facebook to study sex trafficking on its site “before it adds additional
end-to-end encryption to its messaging services.” Cooper made that request on
Wednesday, during “Facebook’s annual shareholders meeting.” Copper’s request
comes after a US Department of Justice push to gain access to encrypted
messages prompted some, including a Tufts University computer security
professor named Susan Landau, to express concern. In 2019, Landau stated, “It
is very easy to listen in on communications. Securing data is a clear national
security interest.” But on Wednesday, Cooper said a failure to delay
implementing Facebook’s end-to-end encryption messaging plan would make
Facebook “one of the world’s most dangerous platforms for children.” Cooper
said Facebook “should absolutely delay expanding encryption on its platform
until it can protect children.”
HACKERS RELEASE NEW ZEALAND PATIENT DATA. <> The Hill
(5/26,Miller, 5.69M) reports hackers sent patient data “stolen during an
attack on New Zealand’s Waikato District health system to local media outlets
on Wednesday, with the outlets declining to publish the sensitive information.”
The Waikato District Health Board (DHB) “confirmed the attack” in a statement
Wednesday, saying that it is “aware that the media have received what appears
to be personal and patient information from Waikato DHB information systems.”
CANADA POST NOTIFIES BUSINESS CUSTOMERS OF “DATA BREACH AFFECTING 950K
CUSTOMERS.” <> CTV News (CAN)
(5/26, 278K) reports the Canada Post has informed “44 of its large business
customers that information relating to more than 950,000 customers was
compromised after one of its suppliers fell victim to a malware attack late
last week.” On Wednesday, the postal agency “announced that Commport
Communications, an electronic data interchange solution supplier, had notified
them that manifest data held in their systems, which are associated with Canada
Post customers, had been ‘compromised’ in an attack on May 19.”
BIPARTISAN ENCRYPTION BILL INTRODUCED IN HOUSE. <> MeriTalk
44
(5/26, Polit) reports Reps. Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Nancy Mace (R-SC) led a
“bipartisan group of legislators in reintroducing the Ensuring National
Constitutional Rights for Your Private Telecommunications (ENCRYPT) Act.” The
legislation, which was “first introduced in 2016, would supersede state and
local government encryption laws to ensure a uniform, national policy for the
interstate issue of encryption technology.”
Editorial Roundup:
WASHINGTON POST. <> “Who Were The First Coronavirus Cases? China Should Help
Solve The Mystery.” The Washington Post
(5/26, 10.52M) argues that the ongoing international investigation into
COVID’s origins is critical, and China “should help solve this mystery, but it
so far has thrown a cloak over it.” While China “steadfastly denies there was
an inadvertent leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology,” the only way to
resolve the question of China’s potential culpability is to support the WHO’s
ongoing investigation.
“John Warner Was The Kind Of Republican The Country Needs Now.” The Washington
Post
(5/26, 10.52M) said that while former Sen. John W. Warner (R-VA) was a
“rock-ribbed Republican,” his “brand of Republicanism — suspicious of populism,
repelled by extremists, prizing principle over partisanship — is all but
unrecognizable today.” The Post notes that he endorsed by Hillary Clinton in
2016 and Joe Biden in 2020. Today, the Post concludes, “in an era of lockstep
party loyalty, Mr. Warner may look like a throwback. In fact, he was the
embodiment of patriotic public service.”
WALL STREET JOURNAL. <> “The Virus Lab Theory’s New Credibility.” The Wall
Street Journal
(5/26, Subscription Publication, 8.41M) examines the efforts made by
scientists, media personalities, and government officials to disregard the
lab-leak COVID origin theory last year, and it criticizes the slow reversal of
opinion over the past few months. The Journal calls on scientists and other
experts to conduct a thorough investigation in order to better protect the US
from future pandemic threats.
“The Proxy Coup At Exxon.”
“Illinois’s Big Labor Bill Of Rights.”
“The Missing Aircraft Carrier.” The Wall Street Journal
(5/26,
Subscription Publication, 8.41M) says in an editorial that on Wednesday, the
45Pentagon will dispatch the USS Ronald Reagan to the Middle East to cover the
U.S. and NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan, thus leaving the U.S. without a
carrier in the Western Pacific for several months. The Journal refers to this
move by President Biden as a misuse of naval resources, commenting that it
would have made more sense for the U.S. to remain in Afghanistan with reduced
forces.
The Big Picture:
HEADLINES FROM TODAY’S FRONT PAGES. <>
Wall Street Journal:
Oil Giants Are Dealt Major Defeats On Climate-Change As Pressures Intensify
Biden Calls For Intelligence Report On Origins Of Covid-19
Why A Grand Plan To Vaccinate The World Against Covid Unraveled
Cities Reverse Defunding The Police Amid Rising Crime
Google Strikes Deal With Hospital Chain To Develop Healthcare Algorithms
Americans Are On The Move. Their Stuff Doesn’t Always Follow.
Washington Post:
Biden Asks For Report On Virus’s Origins
Group’s Legal Blitz Deters Vaccine Mandates
Worker Fatally Shoots 8 At Calif. Rail Yard
Stockholders, Court Deliver Reckoning To Big Oil
5-Term Senator From Va. Often Went His Own Way
Amazon Expands Its Hollywood Ambitions
Financial Times:
Cummings Launches Stinging Attack On Johnson And Handling Of Covid Crisis
Climate Activists Hail Breakthrough Victories Over Exxon And Shell
Labour Shortages Hit Advanced Economies Despite Many Out Of Work
Amazon Agrees Deal To Buy MGM For $8.45BN
46
Story Lineup From Last Night’s Network News:
ABC: San Jose Shooting; COVID Origins; COVID Update; Severe Weather;
California-BB Gun Shootings; Idaho-Daybell Case; Amazon-Noose At Work Site;
Sen. John Warner Death; Chadwick Boseman Tribute; Man With Down Syndrome Hired
Full Time At UPS.
CBS: San Jose Shooting; COVID Origins; Memorial Day Travel; COVID Update;
Severe Weather; Idaho-Daybell Case; COVID-Immunocompromised Folks; Sen. John
Warner Death; Amazon-MGM; Boston-Apartment Fire; Lunar Eclipse; Remembering
Samuel E. Wright.
NBC: San Jose Shooting; COVID Origins; COVID Update; Marjorie Taylor Greene
Comments; Israel/Gaza; Tokyo Olympics; Sen. John Warner Death; Amazon-MGM; Los
Angeles-Criminal Justice System; 10-Year-Old Chess Master.
Network TV At A Glance:
San Jose Shooting – 11 minutes, 0 seconds
COVID Origins – 7 minutes, 30 seconds
COVID Update – 7 minutes, 30 seconds
Sen. John Warner Death – 0 minutes, 55 seconds
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Office of the Director of National Intelligence
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Genomic Study Points to Natural Origin of COVID-19 – NIH Director's Blog https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2020/03/26/genomic-resear ch-points-to-natural-origin-of-covid-19 /
1 of 9 3/27/2020, 9:48 AM
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2 of 9 3/27/2020, 9:48 AM
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3 of 9 3/27/2020, 9:48 AM
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5 of 9 3/27/2020, 9:48 AM
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9 of 9 3/27/2020, 9:48 AM
DECLASSIFIED BY DNI GABBARD ON 18 JUNE 2026
1From: Christopher C. Fonzone-DNI-
Sent: Monday, August 16, 2021 9:08 PM
To: Avril D. Haines-DNI-
Cc: Matthew C. Rhoades-DNI-;
Subject: Talking Points and Letter on Whistleblower Issue
Attachments: Letter to DNI re COVID origin urgent concern with enclosures
Signed.pdf; HPSCI SSCI WB Transmittal Letter v.3.docx
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged
Classification:
Classified By:
Derived From:
Declassify On:
======================================================
Avril –
Given everything that’s going on, I’m sure this is the last thing that you want to deal with. But, as we discussed late last
week, we’ve pulled together: (1) some draft points that you could use to call S/HHS or DS/HHS (or I could use, with
slight adaptations, to call GC/HHS) concerning the whistleblower complaint; and (2) a letter that you (or potentially you
and S/HHS) could send to accompany the transmission of the complaint to Congress. (I’ve also attached the relevant
letter so you have it all in one place.)
I know your schedule is probably a mess tomorrow (and in coming days), but, if you have a minute after tomorrow
morning’s stand-up, perhaps we can touch base quickly on next steps. Of course, if that doesn’t work or isn’t a good
time, I am happy to try to make work any time that is good for you.
Many thanks,
Chris
DRAFT TALKING POINTS
I wanted to call to tell you about a whistleblower complaint the Acting Inspector General
of the Intelligence Community (“IC IG”) recently brought to my attention.
The complaint alleges that there is intelligence reporting contradicting Dr. Fauci’s
testimony to the Congress that no “gain-of- function research” occurred (or at least wasn’t
“paid for” by NIH) at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
DECLASSIFIED BY DNI GABBARD ON 18 JUNE 2026
2 The Acting IC IG could not conclude that the intelligence reporting cited by the
complaint contradicted the relevant testimony, and my understanding, based on a
conversation my team had with our expert on the topic, is that there is substantial
disagreement within the scientific community as to what even constitutes “gain-of-
function research.”
Nonetheless, given the nature of the complaint – which is classified – I believe we should
provide it to the congressional intelligence committees.
Before we did so, however, I wanted to reach out to you to make sure you were aware of
the situation and to discuss what steps it would be appropriate to take – and inform
Congress we were taking – in light of the complaint.
To that end, one idea would be for the Acting IC IG to transmit the complaint to HHS’s
Inspector General, so that official can also take a look. If we go that route, I would
commit to ensuring that the HHS IG has access to the intelligence necessary to review the
complaint.
We could also then simultaneously inform Congress of the complaint and our plans for
addressing it.
======================================================
Classification:
1From: Christopher C. Fonzone-DNI-
Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2021 9:13 PM
To: Avril D. Haines-DNI-
Cc: Stacey A. Dixon-DNI-; Morgan Muir-DNI-;
; Matthew C. Rhoades-DNI-;
Subject: Whistleblower Issue -- Revised Letter after Discussion and Transcript Review
Attachments: HPSCI SSCI WB Transmittal Letter v.4 -- clean.docx; HPSCI SSCI WB Transmittal Letter
v.4.docx; Letter to DNI re COVID origin urgent concern with
enclosures Signed.pdf
Follow Up Flag: Follow up
Flag Status: Flagged
Classification:
Classified By:
Derived From:
Declassify On:
======================================================
Avril –
Following up on our conversation this morning, we have reviewed
transcripts from some of Dr. Fauci’s appearances on the Hill.
Based on that review, it seems likely that the whistleblower complaint was
referring to exchanges Dr. Fauci had with Senator Paul on May 11 and July
20. During the May 11 hearing, Dr. Fauci stated that “the NIH has not
ever and does not now fund gain of function research in the Wuhan
Institute.” During the July 20 hearing, Senator Paul confronted Dr. Fauci
on the prior statement, asking him if he wanted to retract it; Dr. Fauci
of course stood behind it.
Thus, while it is possible that Dr. Fauci has spoken to Congress about
gain-of-function research at some other point (he’s testified a number of
times!), I think the key thing is that what we’ve seen is consistent with
the point that Secretary Becerra made to you – that this is something
they’ve considered and that Dr. Fauci has point he’s repeated about the
NIH not funding gain-of-function at the WIV.
We’ve thus updated the draft letter to note this point and to refer the
complaint to Secretary Becerra, rather than the HHS IG; tracked changes
and clean versions are attached. We’ve also attached the original letter
from the IC IG, so you have everything in one place.
Many thanks, and happy to discuss, if it would be helpful to do so,
Chris
DECLASSIFIED BY DNI GABBARD ON 18 JUNE 2026
2
======================================================
Classification:
http://2013.igem.org/Team:WHU -China/noteProtocal
http://2013.igem.org/Team:WHU -China/teammember#our team
Hello world, we are 2013 iGEM WHU- China.
We are the third team of Wuhan University attending iGEM jamboree. Of course, it is great to have a good tradition here, the senior team member lead us to this amazing field of synthetic biology and give us tremendous help either in experiment or other parts of this match.
What is more important is that we combine those with our novel ideas, passion and efforts. Every time when we carry out a brain storm, when we debate for a better solution or when we do experiment throughout the whole night, fire are burning in our heart, because we know the world will be a little different, a little better by what we are doing.
From December 2012, we have passed 8 months. And steps never stop, even in the Spring Festival, meeting online kept
our minds together. Although we have experienced the pains of member changing, everyone who loves this team
devotes what he or she can.
Now it is the time for WHU -China to give you all a surprise.
And it is time for us to give a answer to ourselves!
Here we come.
Yang LIU | Senior in Biological Sciences
Yang is our funny and optimistic buddy, the “laughs producer”. He has participated in a molecular virology lab for more
than two years. His skill in experiment is indispensable. He is also the lab manager and diplomatist, who tackles with
issues with our funder and keeps the experiment run. He never let us down.
Yu CHEN
Our instructor, Dr. Chen joined the virology department of college of life science in Wuhan University as associate
professor in July, 2009, having moved from biotechnology research institute, the University of Helsinki, where he held the project of the mechanism of RNA virus’ RN A capping. His degree is BA in Biotechnology in Wuhan University (2003),
followed by PhD in modern molecular virology in Wuhan University (2008). Doctor Chen’s research interests extends
from SARS Coronavirus Nonstructural Protein nsp16, siRNA to the mechanism of RNA virus replication and transcription.
Doctor Chen is a responsible and approachable teacher and he offered us a lot of constructive suggestions based on his rich experience in molecule cloning.
http://2013.igem.org/Team:WHU -China/noteProtocal
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http://2013.igem.org/Team:WHU -China/introduction
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4I've been detailed down to OSD to manage the science portfolio for DoD's COVID-19 TF. I've been focused mostly on
modeling coordination so far (since Thursday...) but this definitely fits with my current mission also.
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Chief Intelligence Officer
Joint Program Executive Office for CBRN Defense
Department of Defense
From:
Sent: Monday, March 23, 2020 3:02 PM
To:
Cc:
Subject: RE: (U) Interest in a discussion about COV SARS2 and gain of function research
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Nothing further from me. I have not responded to any of emails yet because I haven't had time today and have
higher priorities.
5From:
Sent: Monday, March 23, 2020 2:54 PM
To:
Cc:
Subject: RE: (U) Interest in a discussion about COV SARS2 and gain of function research --- UNCLASSIFIED
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Does anyone have more info on the "colleague who has put together an analysis that may be wise to discuss at some
point."?? Some of our policymakers have heard from a specific person at MITRE claiming the virus is genetically
engineered - but we haven't seen any specific analysis supporting the claim. Would love to learn more if someone has
seen this sort of analysis.
Bureau of Intelligence and Research
U.S. Department of State
From:
Sent: Monday, March 23, 2020 11:32 AM
To:
Subject: RE: (U) Interest in a discussion about COV SARS2 and gain of function research
6
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Nothing to add; just letting everyone know is out this week, so you're stuck with me in NIO S&T. My molecular
biology and genetics are pretty thin, but my BS meter is strong. Please keep me in the loop and let me know if there's
anything I can do to assist.
-
From:
Sent: Friday, March 20, 2020 6:54 PM
To:
Cc:
Subject: RE: (U) Interest in a discussion about COV SARS2 and gain of function research
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
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Hi
When I saw in the cc line- "COV SAR2 and gain of function research", it got my attention.
7
I've been tracking this pretty closely in the literature, and would advise to set a very high threshold for any GOF
interpretation as an origin of SAR COV-2.
Not saying it is impossible, but I think Occam's razor is the best guidance here.
While clearly the S protein furin cleavage site appears consistent with a GOF modification, there is precedent for co-
circulating COV strains recombining.
Different coronaviruses do co-circulate in hosts, and this amino acid sequence is present in COVs circulating in other bat
hosts that are regionally co-located with the host from which RaTG13 was isolated.
Also, phylogenic analysis identifies this site as undergoing a high degree of homoplasy - so it's an adaptation hot spot.
So- lots of room for a natural explanations-many that I've captured and highlighted in my attached notes.
To be honest - I cannot imagine the Chinese NOT doing this type of research, but an escaped P3+/P4 LAI would be
extraordinary.
is on the fence with this, and maybe leaning toward the GOF explanation, but as an actual trained
coronavirus virologist, he would be the first person I'd ask ( and I have).
If he goes all in on the GOF assessment, I'd bring ii.
I think the IC needs to be very thorough with this analysis.
Hopefully you will find my notes helpful, but feel free to ignore them... they are really just for my own use as you will
see.
I'm out next week, unless or are unable to come in.
Good luck, and stay healthy!
8
National Intelligence Council / Office of the Director of National Intelligence
From:
Sent: Friday, March 20, 2020 2:03 PM
To:
Cc:
Subject: RE: (U) Interest in a discussion about COV SARS2 and gain of function research
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
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From:
Sent: Friday, March 20, 2020 2:02 PM
To:
Cc:
Subject: (U) Interest in a discussion about COV SARS2 and gain of function research
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
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(U ) Hi - provided me your name when I called him a few minutes ago. We are colleagues from
DOE-IN. I recently took a three year appointment as a at hence the different email.
9
(U ) I was hoping we could discuss the various information and analysis that is churning around regarding S
protein manipulation in the virology community and how the NIC is interpreting the information. I have a colleague who
has put together an analysis that may be wise to discuss at some point.
(U ) If there is a good time and number to reach you on Monday, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Support to ODNI
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Statement of Work
Rapid Response for Assessment of Data Needs for 2019-nCoV
February 3, 2020
Statement of Task:
In response to a request from OSTP , the NASEM will examine information and identify data requirements that
would help determine the origins of 2019-nCoV, specifically from an evolutionary/structural biology standpoint.
NASEM will also consider whether this should include more temporally and geographically diverse clinical
isolates, sequences, etc. Although a widely-disputed paper posted on a pre-print server last week has since been
withdrawn, the response to that paper highlights the need to determine these information needs as quickly as
possible. As part of a broader deliberative process, this review will help prepare for future events by establishing
a process for quickly assembling subject matter experts for evaluation of other potentially threatening
organisms.
Workplan:
NASEM will hold a meeting of experts to assess what data, information and samples are needed to address the
unknowns, in order to understand the evolutionary origins of NCoV and more effectively respond to both the
outbreak and any resulting misinformation. A statement from the National Academies will be prepared and
published on the Web as a “Based on Science” article that summarizes the status and needs for more and what
types of data. A more in-depth examination of the issues will be established as a follow up as needed.
500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
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Synthetic recombinant bat SARS-like coronavirus
is infectious in cultured cells and in mice
Michelle M. Beckera,1, Rachel L. Grahamb,1, Eric F. Donaldsonb, Barry Rockxb, Amy C. Simsb,c, Timothy Sheahanb,
Raymond J. Picklesd,e, Davide Cortif, Robert E. Johnstonc, Ralph S. Baricb,c,d,2, and Mark R. Denisona,g,2
Departments ofaPediatrics andgMicrobiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232; Departments ofbEpidemiology and
dMicrobiology and Immunology,eCystic Fibrosis/Pulmonary Research and Treatment Center and Department of Medicine, andcCarolina Vaccine
Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599; andfInstitute for Research in Biomedicine, CH-6500 Bellinzona, Switzerland
Edited by Peter Palese, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, and approved October 14, 2008 (received for review August 18, 2008)
Defining prospective pathways by which zoonoses evolve and
emerge as human pathogens is critical for anticipating and controllingboth natural and deliberate pandemics. However, predicting tenablepathways of animal-to-human movement has been hindered bychallenges in identifying reservoir species, cultivating zoonotic or-ganisms in culture, and isolating full-length genomes for cloning andgenetic studies. The ability to design and recover pathogens recon-stituted from synthesized cDNAs has the potential to overcome theseobstacles by allowing studies of replication and pathogenesis with-out identification of reservoir species or cultivation of primary iso-lates. Here, we report the design, synthesis, and recovery of thelargest synthetic replicating life form, a 29.7-kb bat severe acuterespiratory syndrome (SARS)-like coronavirus (Bat-SCoV), a likelyprogenitor to the SARS-CoV epidemic. To test a possible route ofemergence from the noncultivable Bat-SCoV to human SARS-CoV, wedesigned a consensus Bat-SCoV genome and replaced the Bat-SCoVSpike receptor-binding domain (RBD) with the SARS-CoV RBD (Bat-SRBD). Bat-SRBD was infectious in cell culture and in mice and wasefficiently neutralized by antibodies specific for both bat and humanCoV Spike proteins. Rational design, synthesis, and recovery of hy-pothetical recombinant viruses can be used to investigate mecha-nisms of transspecies movement of zoonoses and has great potentialto aid in rapid public health responses to known or predicted emerg-ing microbial threats.
emerging pathogens /H20841synthetic biology /H20841vaccine development /H20841zoonoses
Emergence of zoonotic-human pathogens is increasingly recog-
nized as a threat to public health (1). Human population growth
and environmental changes have created new opportunities forcontact between humans and zoonotic organisms that may result incross-species transmission and human disease (1, 2). Recent exam-ples include RNA viruses such as severe acute respiratory syndromecoronavirus (SARS-CoV), Ebola, Hanta, Nipah, and Chikungunyaviruses (2). However, the determinants regulating successful trans-species movement remain poorly understood due to challenges inidentifying viral precursors and animal reservoirs, thereby compli-cating vaccine and therapeutic design (3). SARS-CoV, whichexemplifies the challenges inherent in studying emerging patho-gens, was the first 21st century emerging virus to exhibit efficienthuman-to-human transmission and rapid global spread (4–6).Although zoonotic SARS-CoV strains were isolated from civetsand raccoon dogs (7–9), the epidemic likely originated from strainscirculating in bats (Bat-SCoVs) (10–12). Bat CoVs cluster in bothmajor mammalian CoV taxonomic groups, raising the possibilitythat Bat CoVs may be progenitors to all 4 known pathogenic humanCoVs (11, 13). Bats are also predicted to function as reservoirs forother important emerging human and animal viruses (14, 15).Although several complete Bat CoV genome sequences are avail-able, no Bat CoV has been successfully cultivated in cell culture orin animals (11, 13), severely limiting the identification of determi-
nants of zoonotic CoV transspecies movement.
The SARS-CoV Spike is a 180-kDa type I membrane glycopro-
tein that contains a well-defined receptor-binding domain (RBD).The SARS-CoV genome is likely a mosaic of sequences derived
from multiple recombination events, although this hypothesis issomewhat controversial (16). However, recombination within Spikehas been described often (17), suggesting that the RBDs may beinterchangeable between strains (18–20). During the SARS-CoVoutbreak, evolution in the Spike RBD allowed for more efficientuse of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) as areceptor for entry (21, 22). Because future zoonoses are likely, it iscritical to identify strategies used by viruses to adapt in humanpopulations. In this study, we have combined phylogenetic andbioinformatics analyses, large-scale cDNA synthesis, chimeric genedesign, and reverse genetics to generate a consensus Bat-SCoV.Successful recovery of the infectious chimeric virus, Bat-SRBD,which includes the RBD within Spike from human SARS-CoV,demonstrates the plasticity of the CoV type I glycoprotein. Thesynthetic reconstruction and recovery of this novel chimeric virusidentifies a necessary genetic element for CoV cross-species trans-mission, establishes a model system for testing experimental evo-lution of zoonotic CoVs, and allows for testing of vaccine andtherapeutics against possible future zoonotic strains.
Results
Consensus Bat-SCoV Sequence Design and Construction. When this
study was initiated, 4 Bat-SCoVs had been identified (HKU3–1,
HKU3–2, HKU3–3, and RP3) as the virus reservoir populationsfrom which SARS-CoV emerged (10–12). Because none had beenrecovered in culture, the infectivity of the reported viral genomicRNA sequences was hypothetical, having been derived from RT-PCR sequencing of bat fecal or rectal swab samples. Sequencedatabases have error frequencies from 1/500 to 1/10,000, makingviable genome reconstruction problematic with increasing size (23).Therefore, we used the 4 reported Bat-SCoV sequences to establisha putative consensus Bat-SCoV sequence (GenBank accession no.FJ211859) and designed cDNA fragments with junctions preciselyaligned to the existing SARS-CoV reverse genetics system [Fig. 1 A;
supporting information (SI) Fig. S1 ] (24). The defined and func-
tional SARS-CoV 5/H11032 UTR and transcriptional regulatory sequences
Author contributions: M.M.B., R.L.G., E.F.D., R.S.B., and M.R.D. designed research; M.M.B.,
R.L.G., E.F.D., B.R., and A.C.S. performed research; R.L.G., E.F.D., T.S., R.J.P., D.C., and R.E.J.contributed new reagents/analytic tools; M.M.B., R.L.G., E.F.D., B.R., A.C.S., R.J.P., and R.S.B.analyzed data; and M.M.B., R.L.G., R.S.B., and M.R.D. wrote the paper.
Conflict of interest statement: R.E.J. is a coinventor of the Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis
(VEE) expression vector technology and holds an equity interest in AlphaVax, Inc., thecompany that has licensed this technology from the University of North Carolina.
This article is a PNAS Direct Submission.Freely available online through the PNAS open access option.Data deposition: The sequences reported in this paper have been deposited in the GenBank
database (accession nos. FJ211859 and FJ211860).
1M.M.B and R.L.G. contributed equally to this work.
2To whom correspondence may be addressed. E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected].
This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/
0808116105/DCSupplemental .
© 2008 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA
19944–19949 /H20841PNAS /H20841December 16, 2008 /H20841vol. 105 /H20841no. 50 www.pnas.org/H20862cgi/H20862doi/H2086210.1073/H20862pnas.0808116105
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Thus, new methodologies to rapidly recover and test emerging
zoonotic pathogens are critical. Recent studies have providedcrucial steps toward the goal of synthetic reconstruction of largemicrobial genomes. The 7.5- and 5.6-kb genomes of poliovirus and
/H9278X174, respectively, were reconstructed from known sequences by
using commercially synthesized cDNA fragments and PCR assem-bly (37, 38). Similarly, the segmented genome of the 1918 strain ofinfluenza was reconstructed, in part, by using synthetic design (39).Human endogenous retroviruses were assembled by PCR-directedassembly of synthetic oligonucleotides into a consensus provirus(40), and recombinant SARS-CoVs bearing synthetic zoonoticSpike sequences were derived by our group (22, 32). Last, thecloning of the 580-kb microbial genome of Mycoplasma genitalium
was reported, although this work has not yet yielded a replicatingorganism (41). To our knowledge, no studies to date have used asynthetic approach to assess potential mechanisms of zoonoticemergence of a noncultivable virus.
Because it is possible that even minor events of recombination
and mutation-driven evolution can alter CoV population structureand promote emergence (22, 32, 42), CoVs may select for alter-ations in discrete regions of Spike to achieve host-range expansion.The CoV Spike, a type I fusion protein, contains 2 discrete regions,a carboxyl-terminal S2 region that encodes fusion and heptadrepeat domains in an arrangement shared by other viral attachmentproteins possessing type I architecture (43), whereas the S1 regionencodes the RBD. Studies in our and other laboratories haveidentified mutations in both S1 and S2 regions associated with CoVhost-range expansion (42, 44). These 2 regions may also indepen-dently or cooperatively mediate transspecies expansion and neu-tralization escape, in that some mAbs that target the SARS-CoV S1RBD select for escape mutants in the RBD, but also in the S2 region(45). These data suggest that coordinated interactions between theS1 RBD and select S2 domains may be important in epitopepresentation and Spike function.
We have identified several hmAbs that bind distinct, conserved
locations in the SARS-CoV RBD and neutralize strains thatoriginate from animal and human hosts (31). These hmAbs didefficiently neutralize Bat-SRBD, an important finding as it was notpreviously clear that mAbs targeting the SARS-CoV RBD wouldneutralize virus in the context of a different Spike backbone. It isalso informative that antibodies specific for the Bat-SCoV Spikeprotein neutralize Bat-SBRD, which expresses a chimeric Spikeprotein, but not SARS-CoV, indicating the existence of neutralizingantibodies that target portions of Spike outside the RBD. Impor-tantly, these results suggest that hmAbs specific for SARS-CoV, andby inference the current panel of SARS-CoV vaccines, may providesignificant protection against other SARS-like CoVs that emergefrom zoonotic pools by natural recombination or are deliberatelydesigned to cross species. Second, both SARS-CoV RBD-specifichmAbs and Bat-SCoV mpAbs specific for Spike epitopes outside ofthe RBD are able to recognize and neutralize virus even in thesetting of a chimeric Spike, providing important safety features forstudies of emerging zoonotic CoVs.
It has been shown that the 5 /H11032UTRs of CoVs can influence the
capacity of the virus to replicate in cells (46). Although the 5 /H11032UTR
in the synthetic Bat-SCoV originated from SARS-CoV, the soledifference between Bat-SCoV, which was not capable of amplifi-cation in cell culture, and Bat-SRBD, which could be recovered, wasthe RBD derived from SARS-CoV. Our results also confirm andextend a previous report predicting that deletions and mutationswithin the Bat-SCoV RBM ablate interaction with hACE2 andcACE2 molecules (47). Thus, in this report, we show that the CoVSpike RBD is interchangeable, is sufficient to confer efficientgrowth and infectivity in cells from multiple species, and likelyrepresents a critical determinant of transspecies movement ofzoonotic CoVs.
To protect against future emerging zoonotic pathogens, it is
crucial to develop cell culture and animal models to test vaccinesand therapeutics, ideally against entire families of organisms, suchas CoVs. Both SARS-CoV and Bat-SRBD replicated efficiently inHAE cultures, providing a direct human airway model for com-parison of existing and new antivirals. However, Bat-SRBD repli-cated poorly in vivo, calling for additional modifications to facilitatestudies in mouse models. Robust structural information exists onthe RBD-ACE2 interaction (29), mutations affecting this interac-tion have been identified (22, 31), and Rosetta-modeling of shortrange RBD-mACE2 receptor interfaces can identify key residuesessential for retargeting the host specificity of Bat-SRBD ( Fig. S3)
(48). Previous studies had identified a mutation in the RBD of theMA15 strain, Y436H, but its exact role in vivo was not clear (36).By using structural modeling algorithms, we predicted that theY436H substitution would enhance the interaction of Bat-SRBDwith mACE2. Bat-SRBD-MA did exhibit increased growth effi-ciency in aged mice. However, this did not result in clinical disease,suggesting the requirement for additional adaptive changes. Forexample, SARS-CoV encodes at least 5 IFN antagonists, predictedto function in virulence (49–52). Our model system will allowmapping of the domains in the Bat-SCoV and SARS-CoV geneticbackgrounds involved in regulation of virulence in aged animals.
In this report, sequence and structural information was inte-
grated with synthetic genomics, reverse genetics, and protein designto recover a zoonotic precursor virus from a hypothetical infectioussequence. The resulting chimera exhibited cross-reactivity withpreviously identified therapeutics and highlighted possible previ-ously undescribed mechanisms for host-range expansion. Here, wearticulate a model to predict and directly test tenable emergencepathways. Paired with a greater availability of reagents and thera-peutics, our studies represent an approach for rapid recovery andtesting of newly identified pathogens, and which may improvepublic health preparedness and intervention strategies againstnatural or intentional zoonotic-human epidemics.
Materials and Methods
Cells and Viruses. VeroE6 cells (Vero) were maintained in MEM (Invitrogen), and
delayed brain tumor (DBT, murine astrocytoma) cells were maintained in Dul-
becco’s MEM (Invitrogen) containing 10% FBS. DBT-hACE2 and DBT-cACE2 cellswere cultured as described (22). HAE cells were plated and differentiated asdescribed (33). SARS-CoV Urbani strain (hereafter, SARS-CoV) and Bat-SCoV wildtype and chimeric viruses were propagated and assessed by plaque assay on Verocells. All studies with viable SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-like viruses were performedin certified BSL3 laboratories in biological safety cabinets, by using safety proto-cols that were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Biosafety Committeesof Vanderbilt University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Determining the Consensus Sequence for Synthetic Bat-SCoV and Conceptual
Design of the Bat-SCoV Clone. HKU3–1 (DQ022305), HKU3–2 (DQ084200),
HKU3–3 (DQ084199), and RP3 (DQ071615) genomes were aligned by usingClustalXv1.83 to determine a consensus sequence ( Fig. S1 and Figs. S4–S6) (Gen-
Bank accession no. FJ211859). The consensus Bat-SCoV sequence was designed toligate interchangeably with the SARS-CoV infectious clone (24). Notably, therewas no consensus at the 5/H11032 end of the Bat-SCoV genomes, so we used the 5/H11032 most
region of SARS-CoV to append the T7 promoter site to the 5 /H11032end of the Bat-A
fragment.
Construction of Chimeric Spike Variants. Insertions of SARS-CoV sequence in
place of Bat-SCoV sequence were engineered by using PCR and the primers
shown in Table S3. PCR amplicons for Bat-SRBD (GenBank accession no. FJ211860)
and Bat-SRBM were generated by using fragments Bat-E2, and SARS-E. PCRamplicons for Bat-Hinge (Bat-SRBM plus 6 additional residues from SARS-CoVSpike) were generated by using Bat-SRBM as template. PCR-generated productswere cloned into the Bat-E2 plasmid by using unique 5 /H11032-BstBI and 3/H11032 -MscI sites.
Successful insertions of SARS-CoV sequence were confirmed by restriction diges-tion and nucleotide sequencing across the region of PCR amplification.
Generation of SARS-CoV and Bat-SCoV Mutant Viruses. Viruses containing
PCR-generated insertions within the viral coding sequence were produced by
using the SARS-CoV assembly strategy (24, 33, 53) with the following modifica-tions. Briefly, for Bat-F virus, full-length cDNA was constructed by ligating restric-tion products from SARS-CoV fragments A–E and Bat-SCoV fragment F, whichrequired a BglI-NotI digestion. For Bat-SCoV and Bat-SRBD, Bat-SRBM, and Bat-
19948 /H20841www.pnas.org/H20862cgi/H20862doi/H2086210.1073/H20862pnas.0808116105 Becker et al.
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Hinge, plasmids containing the 7 cDNA fragments of the Bat-SCoV genome were
digested by using BglI for Bat-A, Bat-B, Bat-C, and Bat-D, BglI and AflII for Bat-E1and Bat-E2, and BglI and NotI for Bat-F. Digested, gel-purified fragments weresimultaneously ligated together. Transcription was driven by using a T7 mMes-sage mMachine kit (Ambion), and RNA was electroporated into Vero cells (24, 53).Virus viability was determined by cytopathic effect and progeny viruses werepassaged at low MOI. RNA was recovered from infected cell monolayers by usingTRIzol (Invitrogen) according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and genomeorigins were verified by RT-PCR and nucleotide sequencing.
Assay for Bat-SCoV Leader-Containing Transcripts in Electroporated Cells and
Mouse Lungs. At days 2 and 5 p.e., generation of leader-containing N (ORF9) and
genome (ORF1) transcripts was determined by RT-PCR. Briefly, RT-PCR was per-formed by using random hexamers (ABI) and SuperScript III (Invitrogen) togenerate first-strand cDNA at an extension temperature of 55 °C for 1 h. Leader-containing cDNAs were amplified by PCR by using Taq with Thermopol buffer(NEB) and the following primers: 5/H11032 -CAGGAAAAGCCAACCAACCTTG (leader) and
5/H11032-CGCTACGACCGAACTGAATGCC to detect Bat-SCoV genomic RNA; and leader
and 5/H11032 -GTGAGAGCTGTGAACCAAGACG to detect mRNA 9 transcripts. Presence
or absence of PCR products was assessed by electrophoresis on 1.5% agarose gels.
Viral Growth and Plaque Assays. Vero, DBT, DBT-hACE2, or DBT-cACE2 cells were
infected at a MOI of 1 or 0.01 PFU/cell. After1ha t3 7 ° C ,t h einocula were
removed, cells were washed and samples were taken at different times p.i. Todetermine viral titer, samples were diluted, inoculated onto Vero cell monolayersin 6-well plates for 1 h, and overlaid with complete media plus 1% agar. Plaqueswere visualized between 48 and 52 h p.i. by neutral red staining (Sigma).Generation of Polyclonal Bat-SCoV Spike-Specific Sera and Neutralization Assay.
Murine pAbs specific for the Bat-SCoV Spike were generated as previously de-scribed (33). Neutralizing titers for mpAbs and hmAbs S109.8, S227.14, andS230.15 were determined by plaque reduction neutralization titer assay(PRNT50%) (31). The percentage of neutralization was calculated as follows:1-(number of plaques in the presence of antibody/number of plaques in theabsence of antibody) x 100%.
Infection of Aged BALB/c Mice. Ten each of aged (14 months) female BALB/c mice
(National Institute of Aging) were lightly anesthetized and infected intranasally
with 10
5PFU of Bat-SRBD, Bat-SRBD-MA, or SARS-CoV; 5 additional mice were
inoculated with an equivalent volume (50 /H9262L) of PBS. Mice were weighed daily
through 4 days p.i., and on days 2 and 4 p.i., 5 mice of each group were killed andlungs harvested for determination of viral titer. Lungs were weighed and ho-mogenized in 500
/H9262L of PBS at 6,000 rpm for 60 s in a MagnaLyser (Roche).
Clarified homogenates were then diluted serially, and titers were determined byplaque assay on Vero cells.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. We thank XiaoTao Lu and Sunny Lee for technical assis-
tance, Susan Burkett for maintenance of the HAE cultures, Perry Myrick for
immunofluorescence assays, and the University of North Carolina Cystic FibrosisTissue Culture Core for HAE cells. M.M.B., R.L.G., R.S.B., and M.R.D. are supportedby the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Public Health ServiceAward P01 AI59943. Additional support was provided by Public Health ServiceAward CA68485 to the Vanderbilt University DNA Sequencing Shared Resourceof the Vanderbilt–Ingram Cancer Center. The Baric laboratory is supported by theGillings Innovation Fund.
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Becker et al. PNAS /H20841December 16, 2008 /H20841vol. 105 /H20841no. 50 /H2084119949
MICROBIOLOGY
Downloaded by guest on September 17, 2020
Position paper about the possible origin of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus
The COVID-2019 coronavirus pandemic, which originated in Wuhan city, Peoples' Republic
of China (PRC) in December 2019, is rapidly expanding around the world, including to the Russian
Federation. The virus was named SARS-CoV-2 because of the proximity of the symptoms of
disease to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), an epidemic which occurred in 2002 in
China. The SARS-CoV-2 genome is most similar to the genome of the bat coronavirus, Bat-CoV-
RaTG13. Coincidence of the causative agent genomes is 96.2%. However, the difference in the
neutral sections of the genome constitutes 17%, which makes it possible to postulate a more
significant degree of divergence between these two viruses [1]. Coincidence of the SARS-CoV-2
genome with the genome of the SARS-CoV coronavirus – the causative agent of SARS, comprised
about 79%, and homology with the causative agent of MERS-CoV (Middle Eastern Respiratory
Syndrome - about 50% [2.3].
The SARS-CoV-2 genetic information is presented in the form of (+) - a chain of linear
single-chain RNA, presenting as mRNA. The transcription process in coronaviruses occurs via
synthesis with the aid of the RNA-dependent negative chain polymerase RNA, which serves
subsequently as a matrix for (+) – RNA chain accumulation. The size of the SARS-CoV-2 genome
is 29903 nucleotides. The GC-composition of genomic RNA - about 40%.
The SARS-CoV-2 genome can be recorded simply as follows - 5 ' - UTR-ORF1a/b (rep) - S-
E-M-N-UTR-3'-polyA (figure 1).
Figure 1 - Simplified diagram of the genomic organization of SARS-CoV-2
The coronavirus RNA has on the 5'-end a methylated cap and untransmitted region with an
extent of 200 to 400 nucleotides. On the 3' - molecule ends RNA also is an untransmitted region of
200- 400 nucleotides and then the poly (a) - sequence. In SARS-CoV-2, the first open reading frame
(ORF1a/b) occupies about an entire two thirds of the whole genome and codes 16 nonstructured
proteins (nsp), initially organized into two polypeptides - 1a and 1b, designated as
replicase/transcriptase 1A and 1B. Further there follows four ORFs, which code four structural
proteins – spike protein S, the small protein of the shell E (envelope), the membrane glycoprotein
M, and the nucleocapsid protein N. Additionally, in this region of the genome are present nucleotide
sequences which encode a series of auxiliary peptides with unknown functions. The determination
of the biological functions of these proteins is a purpose of further studies. Possibly just one or
several of them have an observable effect in the course of the pandemic, selectivity of the course of
the disease, and size of the lethality among the population of the different countries, determining
genetic predisposition toward the end of the disease.
DECLASSIFIED BY DNI GABBARD ON 18 JUNE 2026
A comparison of 95 full genomic sequences of SARS-CoV-2 isolates from the different
count
ries of the entire world showed their very high homology (from 99.91% to 100%) [4]. In
addition, a comparison was conducted of full genomes of the SARS-CoV-2 isolate sequenced in
Thailand with 23 other SARS-CoV-2 isolates from different countries showed that there exists from
0 to 9 single nucleotide distinctions in their genomes, which is extremely small taking into account
the length of the molecular RNA of almost 30,000 nucleotides [5]. As can be seen from given data,
the RNA sequence of SARS-CoV-2 practically does not change (figure 2). This proves the low
frequency of the appearance of mutations during the multiplication of the corona virus of SARS-
CoV-2 due to the presence of exoribonuclease (ExoN), which edits the replication of coronavirus
RNA in the eukaryotic cell. Mutations, which were discovered in the S-gene spike, lead to the
amino-acid replacements of nos. 49 and 860, occurring external to the preserved sector, responsible
for binding with the receptor of the S-protein sector (figure 2).
Figure 2. Table, summing up fundamental substitutions in RNA, found as a result of the full
genome sequencing of the isolates of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus [4]
In the course of studies, it is confirmed that for the penetration into the cells of human
alveolar tissue, the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus uses a receptor angiotensin converting enzyme of II
(ACE2) as with the SARS-CoV virus [6]. During the alignment of S-genes of SARS-CoV, Bat-
CoV-RaTG13 (bat coronavirus), SARS-CoV-2 and Pangolin-CoVMT084071.1 (mammalian
pangolin coronavirus) a unique insert of 12 nucleotides-TCCTCGGCGGGC (figure 3) in the
genome of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus was revealed.
Figure 3. result of the realignment of the S-gene of SARS-CoV, Bat-CoV-RaTG13, SARS-CoV-2 and Pangolin-
CoVМТ084071.1
A search in the BLAST NCBI computer program produced a correlation of 91.7% with the
nucl
eotide sequence of the detected insert and the six nucleotides of SARS-CoV-2
(TAATTCTCCTCGGCGGG) preceding it, the SARS-CoV-2 with the fragment of misc-RNA of the
large brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) (fig. 4). misc-RNA performs a majority of functions, including
enzyme-like catalysis and processing RNA. It is assumed that misc-RNA serves for switching -
tur
ning on or turning off, of genes.
Figure 4 – Result of the comparison of the nucleotide sequence of the 12 nucleotide insert of SARS-CoV-2 with
fragments of large brown bat genome RNA.
It should be noted that for creating the specialized cellular lines intended for the cultivation
of coronaviruses, eucaryotic cells obtained from the cells of the kidney of the large brown bat are
used [7]. Therefore, it is completely probable that the inclusion of segments of genetic material from
a eukaryotic cell into the genome of the virus SARS-CoV-2 occurred during cultivation. The
probability percentages of this type of insertion into the genome of virus increase with repeated
laboratory passages using the cultures of the designated cellular line.
It is known that the 6 amino-acid remainders appear (Y442/L455, L472/F486, N479/Q493,
D480/S494, T487/N501, Y491/Y505), which lie at the region of the SARS-CoV/SARS-CoV-2
coronavirus S-protein, coded as the S-gene [8], are the most significant for binding with the receptor
ACE2. Likely, this is associated with a change in the tertiary structure of S-the protein, which forms
"spikes" on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, and, consequently, an increase in its
affinity with the receptors of the ACE2 transmembrane protein. (figure 5).
Figure 5 – Model of the S-protein of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus (this simulation was produced on the open
resource https://swissmodel.expasy.org/). Green indicates the RBD region.
The bioinformation analysis of the amino-acid sequences of S - proteins of SARS-CoV,
BatRaTG13 (MN996532) and SARS-CoV-2 showed a difference in five of six amino acids, which
It is necessary to especially note that the three-dimensional structural analysis showed that
the
S-gene of the shaft of SARS-CoV-2 has 10-20 times higher affinity for binding with ACE2, than
did SARS-CoV [9, 10].
At the same time, analysis of the amino-acid sequences of the SARS-CoV-2 and pangolin
coronavirus MT084071.1 S-proteins showed complete congruence of all six amino acids, and the
viruses S-gene sequences practically completely coincide [11]. In this case comparison of the
genomes of the coronavirus of SARS-CoV-2 and pangolin coronavirus MT084071.1 showed
sufficiently low homology of their nucleotide sequences -79%.
There has been discussion abroad of an alternative version about the origin of the SARS-
CoV-2 coronavirus through the natural recombination of the S-genes of the bat and pangolin
coronaviruses in the pangolin. However, Xiaolu Tang and co-authors in their studies showed that
with the synonymous speed of substitution, which is 1.67 - 4.67 x 103 sites/year, this recombination
had t
o occur 19.8-55.4 years ago, but not now. Thus, this hypothesis is improbable [1]. In the
opinion of the authors, the general identity of the critical sections of SARS-CoV-2 and GT
Pangolin-CoV S-genes can be caused by random mutations in combination with natural selection
[1]. However, in the study, there is no calculation data about the period of the time which is required
for the natural appearance of the pool of such mutations in one strain of virus.
With the comparison of many full genomic sequences of SARS-CoV-2 isolated by foreign
authors, is reliably proven that the sequence RNA of corona virus is sufficiently conservative and
practically did not change during the time of the pandemic. In their genomes, there are from 0 to 9
single nucleotide replacements, which is extremely small taking into account the length of the virus
RNA molecule of approximately 30,000 nucleotides [5]. The low mutability in the coronaviruse
genome of is explained by the exoribonuklease activity of the ExoN ferment, whose gene enters into
the composition of the coronovirus genomes of this family, which edits the coronavirus replication
RNA in the eukaryotic cell. Therefore, the concrete change of four of five key nucleotides in the
Bat-CoV-RaTG13 coronavirus S-gene in the acquisition of virulence for humans, whose general
genome has greatest homology with the SARS-CoV-2 genome, in the process of evolution and
natural selection, it is extremely difficult to explain by random mutations.
One of the circumstantial confirmations of the artificial origin of SARS-CoV-2 is the
presence in Wuhan city, where the epidemic began, the virological laboratories (Laboratory of
Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences),
which have for more than 5 years conducted molecular-biological studies of coronaviruses.
It is necessary to note that up to now, the "zero patient", the first person infected by COVID -
19, has not been reliably established - The information agency, [named U.S. media organization], on
April 16, 2020, citing numerous sources, offered the theory of the artificial origin of the SARS-
CoV-2 virus. The authors of the investigation assert that the coronavirus was created in the
Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety (city of Wuhan) to demonstrate to the USA the
outstanding results achieved by Chinese scientists in the study of viruses. Following the accidental
infection of the indicated laboratory researcher, the infection spread, causing the epidemic. The
[named UK media organization] previously advanced a similar version. However, the PRC officially
refutes the indicated information. However, the authorities of China, upon the appearance of the first
cases of COVID-19 infection, when still nothing it was officially known about the disease, took
unprecidented measures for the non-admission of the propagation of infection (declaration of total
quarantine, the notification of the population regarding the danger of infection), and also the
el
imination of unnecessary witnesses and elimination via arson of the place of the assumed initial
infection, a market for sea products, which also indirectly confirms assumption about the artificial
origin of the virus of SARS-CoV-2.
Thus, in the course of the conducted primary theoretical and experimental investigations, on
the basis of the analysis of the genomes of the enumerated corona viruses, and taking into account
circumstantial confirmation, there is a high probability of a laboratory-produced genetically altered
variant - SARS-CoV-2, for example, from the corona virus of the bat of BatRaTG13, by replacing
the nucleotide sequence of the S-protein of parental strain in the sequence of the S-protein of the
MT084071.1 strain of the coronavirus of the mammalian pangolin, or by the difficultly
demonstrated target localized single nucleotide replacements with the use of laboratory technology
CRISPR-CAS9. In this case, in the stage of conducting repeated laboratory passages of the SARS-
CoV-2 virus on the culture of the specific cellular line obtained from the eukaryotic cell of Eptesicus
Fuscus (large brown bat), in the RNA-virus genome occurred random 12 nucleotide insertions of the
misc - RNA fragment.
On the basis of details outlined above, the following conclusions are made:
1. The insertion of corresponding fragment misc-RNA of large brown bat (Eptesicus
Fuscus) into the SARS-CoV-2 genome.
2. For compiling of the specialized cellular lines, intended for the cultivation of corona
viruses, eukaryotic cells obtained from the cells of the kidney of the large brown bat, are
used.
3. Five of six amino acids of the S-strain of SARS-CoV-2, which specify the effectiveness
of the penetration of coronavirus into the cells of human lung alveoli due to this the high
virulence of agent, differ from the same found in SARS-CoV and Bat-CoV-RaTG13.
4. One of the different amino acids of the S-protein of the spike of the SARS-CoV-2
coronavirus, Q493, enters into the active center of receptor-binding domains (RBD).
5. SARS-CoV-2 has 10-20 times higher affinity than SARS-CoV of binding with ACE2.
6. The natural recombination of the S-genes of the bat and pangolin coronaviruses in
pangolins is improbable.
7. Based on conclusions 1-6, it is possible to assume the high probability of a laboratory
producing the genetically changed version of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
8. During further investigations, it is advisable to define the function of unknown proteins
transmitted from the sequences of the open reading frames of the genome SARS-CoV-2
with the goal of determination of the genetic predisposition different ethnic groups to
outcome of illness
9. It is necessary to reliably define determinants of the causative agent’s immunogenicity.
Source listing
1. X
iaolu Tang, Changcheng Wu, Xiang Li, Yuhe Song, Xinmin Yao, Xinkai Wu,
YuangeDuan, Hong Zhang, Yirong Wang, Zhaohui Qian, Jie Cui, Jian Lu, On the origin and
continuing evolution of SARS-CoV-2, National Science Review, nwaa036,
https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwaa036.
2. Lu R. et al., Genomic characterization and epidemiology of 2019 novel coronavirus:
implication for virus origins and receptor binding // Lancet. 2020 doi:10.1016/S0140-
6736(20)30251-8.
3. Gralinski L.E. et al., Return of coronavirus:2019-nCoV // Viruses. 2020. 12. 2
doi:10.3390/v12020135.
4. Wang C, Liu Z, Chen Z, et al.The establishment of reference sequence for SARS ‐
CoV‐2and variation analysis// J Med Virol. 2020;1–8.
5. Okada P. et al., Early transmission patterns of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)
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n travelers from Wuhan to Thailand, January 2020 // Euro Surveill. 2020;25(8):pii=2000097.
https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.8.2000097.
6. Zhou P et al., Discovery of a novel coronavirus associated with recent pneumonia
outbreak in humans and its potential bat origin // bioRxiv. 2020.
7. Banerjee Aet al., Generation and Characterization of Eptesicusfuscus (Big brown bat)
kidney cell lines immortalized using the Myotis poliomavirus large T-antigen // J.Virol Methods.
2016. Nov 237: 166-173.
8. Vinet D Menachery et al., A SARS-like cluster of circulating bat coronaviruses
shows potential for human emergence // Nature Medicine. 2015. doi:10.1038/nm.3985.
9. Wrapp D, Wang N, Corbett KS, Goldsmith JA, Hsieh C-L, Abiona O, et al. Cryo-EM
Structure of the2019-nCoV Spike in the Prefusion Conformation. bioRxiv.
2020:2020.02.11.944462. doi:10.1101/2020.02.11.944462.
10. Hoffmann, M.; Kleine-Weber, H.; Schroeder, S.; Kruger, N.;Herrler, T.; Erichsen, S.;
Schiergens, T. S.; Herrler, G.; Wu, N.-H.; Nitsche, A.; Muller, M. A.; Drosten, C.; Pohlmann, S.
SARS-CoV-2Cell Entry Depends on ACE2 and TMPRSS2 and Is Blocked by a Clinically Proven
Protease Inhibitor. Cell 2020, DOI: 10.1016// j.cell.2020.02.052. [Epub ahead of print]
11. Wong MC, Cregeen SJJ, Ajami NJ, Petrosino JF. Evidence of recombination in
coronaviruses implicating pangolin origins of nCoV-2019. bioRxiv. 2020.
DECLASSIFIED BY DNI GABBARD ON 18 JUNE 2026
Statement of Work
Rapid Response for Assessment of Data Needs for 2019- nCoV
February 3, 2020
Statement of Task: In response to a request from OSTP, the NASEM will examine information and identify
data requirements that would help determine the origins of 2019- nCoV, specifically
from an evolutionary/structural biology standpoint. NASEM will also consider whether this should include more temporally and geographically diverse clinical
isolates, sequences, etc. Although a widely- disputed paper posted on a pre- print
server last week has since been withdrawn, the response to that paper highlights
the need to determine these information needs as quickly as possible. As part of a
broader deliberative process, this review will help prepare for future events by
establishing a process for quickly assembling subject matter experts for evaluation
of other potentially threatening organisms.
Workplan:
NASEM will hold a meeting of experts to assess what data, information and samples
are needed to address the unknowns, in order to understand the evolutionary origins
of NCoV and more effectively respond to both the outbreak and any resulting misinformation. A statement from the National Academies will be prepared and
published on the Web as a “Based on Science” article that summarizes the status and
needs for more and what types of data. A more in- depth examination of the issues
will be established as a follow up as needed.
DECLASSIFIED BY DNI GABBARD ON 18 JUNE 2026
DECLASSIFIED BY DNI GABBARD ON 18 JUNE 2026
1.(U) Table of Contents
(U// ) China Virus Institute Welcomes More U.S. Cooperation on Global Health Security
UNCLASSIFIED//
UNCLASSIFIED// 1
DECLASSIFIED BY DNI GABBARD ON 18 JUNE 2026
Identifiers
Document Number: 18 WUHAN 38
(U// ) E.O. 13526: N/A
TAGS: SHLH, PGOV, CN, PREL, TBIO, KGHI, CDC, EAID, KHIV, IN, JP, TW, TSPL, PINS, SENV
SUBJECT: China Virus Institute Welcomes More U.S. Cooperation on Global Health Security
REF: 18 BEIJING 138
17 BEIJING 2458
11 MUMBAI 630
17 TOKYO 716
13 SEOUL 790
1. ) Summary with Comment: China's Wuhan Institute of Virology, a global leader in virus
research, is a key partner for the United States in protecting global health security. Its role as
operator of the just-launched Biosafety Level 4 (or "P4") lab -- the first such lab in China -- opens
up even more opportunities for expert exchange, especially in light of the lab's shortage of trained
staff (Ref A). Given the legacy of SARS and the likelihood that the next global pandemic will
originate in China, the United States should prioritize expanding our already significant
cooperation with this institute. This should include partnering with the institute on basic science
research and the Global Virome Project (Ref B), and possibly trilateral U.S.-China-EU projects,
building on the institute's strong ties with France. End Summary with Comment.
2. (U) Wuhan Institute of Virology researchers and staff gave an overview of the lab and current
cooperation with the United States to visiting Environment, Science, Technology and Health
Counsellor Rick Switzer and Consulate Wuhan Consul General Jamie Fouss in late March. In the
last year, the institute has also hosted visits from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National
Science Foundation, and experts from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. The
institute reports to the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.
P4 Lab is Open and Transparent, Officials Emphasize
3. ( ) The Wuhan P4 lab, referring to labs with the highest level of safety precautions, became
fully operational and began working with live viruses early this year. Institute officials said they
believed it is the only operational P4 lab in Asia aside from a U.S. Centers for Disease Control
(CDC)-supported facility in Pune, India (Ref C). China plans to stand up a second P4 lab in
Harbin. Institute officials said Japan's biosafety labs are "old" and lack cutting-edge equipment, so
they consider Japan's labs to be "P3 Plus" (Note: the Japanese government says it has one P4-
level lab in the Tokyo suburbs, though its activities are limited, and Japan is building a new P4 lab
in Nagasaki, see Ref D. Taiwan operates at least HYPERLINK
"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5404250/"one P4 lab. South Korea was close toUNCLASSIFIED//
UNCLASSIFIED// 2
HYPERLINK "http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170316000902"opening a P4 lab as of
last year, see Ref E. End Note.) Wuhan's lab is located about 20 miles from the city center in
Zhengdian district, and the institute plans to gradually consolidate its other training, classroom and
lab facilities at that location.
4. (U) Officials described the lab as a "regional node" in the global biosafety system and said it
would play an emergency response role in an epidemic or pandemic. The lab's English brochure
highlighted a national security role, saying that it "is an effective measure to improve China's
availability in safeguarding national bio-safety if [a] possible biological warfare or terrorist attack
happens."
5. ( ) Institute officials said there would be "limited availability" for international and domestic
scientists who had gone through the necessary approval process to do research at the lab. They
stressed that the lab aimed to be a "worldwide, open platform" for virology. They said they
welcomed U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) experts, noting that the Chinese Academy of
Sciences was not strong on human disease expertise, having only focused on it in the last 15
years, after the SARS outbreak. A Wuhan-based French consulate official who works on science
and technology cooperation with China also emphasized that the lab, which was initiated in 2004
as a France-China joint project, was meant to be "open and transparent" to the global scientific
community. "The intent was to set up a lab to international standards, and open to international
research," he said. French experts have provided guidance and biosafety training to the lab, which
will continue, the French official said. Institute officials said that France provided the lab's design
and much of its technology, but that it is entirely China-funded and has been completely China-run
since a "handover" ceremony in 2016.
6. (U) In addition to French assistance, experts from the NIH-supported P4 lab at the University of
Texas Medical Branch in Galveston have trained Wuhan lab technicians in lab management and
maintenance, institute officials said. The Wuhan institute plans to invite scientists from the
Galveston lab to do research in Wuhan's lab. One Wuhan Institute of Virology researcher trained
for two years at the Galveston lab, and the institute also sent one scientist to U.S. CDC
headquarters in Atlanta for six months' work on influenza.
NIH-Supported Research Revises SARS Origin Story
7. (U) NIH was a major funder, along with the Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), of
SARS research by the Wuhan Institute of Virology's Shi Zhengli and Cui Jie. The researchers
spent five years of investigation and genome sequencing to show that a population of bats in a
cave in Yunnan Province harbored a virus with all the "building blocks" of SARS. This lends weight
to the theory that SARS originated in bat populations before jumping first to civet cats (likely via
bat feces) and then to humans, after people transported the civet cats from Yunnan to Guangdong
Province animal markets. The results were published late last year in HYPERLINK
"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-017-07766-9"Nature and other publications. Shi said that
U.S. scientist Peter Daszak, a leading expert on emerging diseases and president of the NewUNCLASSIFIED//
UNCLASSIFIED// 3
York-based EcoHealth Alliance, was a "strong partner." Daszak's team has provided support in
statistical modeling to assess the risk of more coronaviruses like SARS crossing over to human
populations.
Ready to Help with the Global Virome Project
8. (U) Institute officials expressed strong interest in the Global Virome Project (GVP), and said
Chinese funding for the project would likely come from Chinese Academy of Sciences funding
already earmarked for One Belt, One Road-related initiatives. The HYPERLINK
"http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6378/872.full"GVP aims to launch this year as an
international collaborative effort to identify within ten years virtually all of the planet's viruses that
have pandemic or epidemic potential and the ability to jump to humans. "We hope China will be
one of the leading countries to initiate the Global Virome Project," one Wuhan Institute of Virology
official said. China attended a GVP unveiling meeting in January in Thailand and is waiting for
more details on the initiative. The officials said that the Chinese government funds projects similar
to GVP to investigate the background of viruses and bacteria. This essentially constituted China's
own Virome Project, officials said, but they noted the program currently has no official name.
9. ( ) The Wuhan Institute of Virology's Shi Zhengli is the China Country Coordinator for the
USAID-funded PREDICT project, which is designed to show "proof of concept" and be a
forerunner to the Global Virome Project. Li Hongying, with the EcoHealth Alliance (a New York
City-based NGO that is working with the University of California, Davis to manage the PREDICT
project), recently planned to visit Wuhan to meet with Shi. Li noted that China has expressed
interest in building the GVP database, which would put China in a leadership position. Other
countries have confidence in Chinas ability to build such a database, but are skeptical on whether
China could remain transparent as a "gatekeeper" for this information, she said. Li expressed
frustration with the slow progress so far in launching GVP, noting that the effort lacked funding
sources, needed to hire a CEO, and would have to boost its profile at G7, G20 and other high-
level international meetings.
U.S.-China Workshop Explores Research Partnerships
10. (U) The Institute also has ongoing collaboration with the U.S. National Science Foundation,
including a just-concluded workshop in Shenzhen, involving about 40 scientists from the United
States and China, on the topic of the "Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases." Co-
sponsored by the Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the Chinese lead for this
workshop was the Wuhan Institute of Virology's Hu Zhihong, and the U.S. co-chair was the
University of Oklahoma's Xiao Xiangming. The workshop explored opportunities for U.S.-China
research cooperation in areas like using "big data" to predict emerging infectious diseases, climate
changes effect on vector-borne diseases, and pathogen transmission between wildlife, domestic
animals and humans.UNCLASSIFIED//
UNCLASSIFIED// 4
11. ( ) Some workshop participants also expressed skepticism about the Global Virome
Project's (GVP) approach, saying that gaining a predictive understanding of viruses with pandemic
potential would require going beyond the GVPs strategy of sample collection, to take an
"ecological" approach that considers the virome beyond vertebrate systems to identify
mechanisms driving pathogen evolution. A follow-on workshop will be held in June at the
University of Berkeley. NSF and NSFC hope to jointly announce a funding call for collaborative
projects later this year.
UNCLASSIFIED//
Click here to view/download the image file.(U/ ) NO TEXT AVAILABLE
18 BEIJING 138 17 BEIJING 2458 11 MUMBAI 630 17 TOKYO 716 13 SEOUL 790-UNCLASSIFIED//
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1.(U) Table of Contents
(U/ ) China Opens First Bio Safety Level 4 Laboratory
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED 1
DECLASSIFIED BY DNI GABBARD ON 18 JUNE 2026
1. Summary and Comment: The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has recently
established what is reportedly Chinas first Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) laboratory in Wuhan. This
state-of-the-art facility is designed for prevention and control research on diseases that require the
highest level of biosafety and biosecurity containment. Ultimately, scientists hope the lab will
contribute to the development of new antiviral drugs and vaccines, but its current productivity is
limited by a shortage of the highly trained technicians and investigators required to safely operate
a BSL-4 laboratory and a lack of clarity in related Chinese government policies and guidelines.
China must invest in the development of the technical and scientific expertise needed to safely
and efficiently operate this facility if it wishes to become a fully-engaged and collaborative global
partner in infectious disease research and control. In addition, government BSL research decision-
making processes need to be more transparent so that international partners and Chinese
scientists are confident that the government is providing informed oversight that meets the highest
global standards. To achieve full operation of this facility, China is likely to need additional
technical assistance and advice from the international community. End Summary and Comment.
China Investing in Infectious Disease Control
2. (U) Between November 2002 and July 2003, China faced an outbreak of Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which, according to the World Health Organization, resulting in
8,098 cases and leading to 774 deaths reported in 37 countries. A majority of cases occurred in
China, where the fatality rate was 9.6%. This incident convinced China to prioritize international
cooperation for infectious disease control. An aspect of this prioritization was Chinas work with the
Jean Merieux BSL-4 Laboratory in Lyon, France, to build Chinas first high containment laboratory
at Wuhans Institute of Virology (WIV), an institute under the auspices of the Chinese Academy of
Sciences (CAS). Construction took 11 years and $44 million USD, and construction on the facility
was completed on January 31, 2015. Following two years of effort, which is not unusual for such
facilities, the WIV lab was accredited in February 2017 by the China National Accreditation Service
for Conformity Assessment. It occupies four floors and consists of over 32,000 square feet. WIV
leadership now considers the lab operational and ready for research on class-four pathogens (P4),
among which are the most virulent viruses that pose a high risk of aerosolized person-to-person
transmission.
Unclear Guidelines on Virus Access and a Lack of Trained Talent Impede Research
3. In addition to accreditation, the lab must also receive permission from the National Health
and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) to initiate research on specific highly contagious
pathogens. According to some WIV scientists, it is unclear how NHFPC determines what viruses
can or cannot be studied in the new laboratory. To date, WIV has obtained permission for
research on three viruses: Ebola virus, Nipah virus, and Xinjiang hemorrhagic fever virus (a strain
of Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever found in Chinas Xinjiang Province). Despite this permission,
however, the Chinese government has not allowed the WIV to import Ebola viruses for study in the
BSL-4 lab. Therefore, WIV scientists are frustrated and have pointed out that they wont be able to
conduct research project with Ebola viruses at the new BSL-4 lab despite of the permission.UNCLASSIFIED
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1. Hu B, Zeng L-P, Yang X-L, Ge X-Y, Zhang W, Li B, et al. (2017) Discovery of a rich gene pool
of bat SARS-related coronaviruses provides new insights into the origin of SARS coronavirus.
PLoS Pathog 13(11): e1006698. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1006698
BRANSTAD
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Collection
CC
Creator
Agency Acronym: State
Office Name: BEIJING
Description
(U) None
Distribution List
ZEN/SECSTATE WASHDC
Language
eng
Precedence
R
Source
Originating System: EMS
Attributions: STATE
Subject
SHLH, ETRD, ECON, PGOV, CN, TRAD, ECON, DEPSUNCLASSIFIED
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DECLASSIFIED BY DNI GABBARD ON 18 JUNE 2026
ii
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•
(U) Scope Note
2
•
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(U/
) States Probably Weighing Costs Against
Benefits
(U/ ) Gain-of-Function (GOF) Research Prov ides Valuable Public Health Data
(U//FOUO) GOF experiments can generate strains of path ogens—including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and
toxins—suitable for laboratory research that might help scientists predict or understand how
pathogens could mutate in nature and whether those mutations will affect human health. GOF
experiments can also inform biosurveillance and countermeasure development or selection.
• (U/ ) In early 1999, Western scientists described adapting Ebolavirus zaire for guinea pigs,
providing a safer and less expensive animal model than monkeys for studying the virus, how it
affects its animal host, and how to develop treatment options, according to a scientific journal article. Such adaptation experiments a
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