BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A federal judge today sentenced a Tuscaloosa man for sexually exploiting two young children, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr.
Chief U.S. District Judge L. Scott Coogler sentenced MATTHEW MILLER, 32, to 7,200 months in prison for producing child pornography. Miller was charged in a 20-count indictment for enticing two children under the age of 5 to engage in sexual explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual production of such conduct. A search warrant was obtained for the defendant’s electronic devices. The forensic examination of those devices revealed 102 pornographic images that the defendant had produced of the children. Miller pled guilty to these charges in October 2019.
“Child predators seek out and victimize those that are the most innocent and vulnerable - children,” Escalona said. “The sentences imposed today and yesterday in local child exploitation cases reflect the commitment of law enforcement in this district to prosecuting to the fullest extent of the law those who commit crimes against children.”
“The crimes for which Miller has admitted guilt are not only disturbing, they are sickening, and his actions robbed these children of their childhood,” Sharp said. “I am proud of the work of the FBI on this case, and I applaud the sentence handed down today, as Miller will spend the rest of his natural life behind prison bars.”
FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case, along with the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Violent Crime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Leann White prosecuted the case.
You can access, virtually, the same information human databases from the Secretaries of State for voting and real properties grifting purposes.
San Diego – A Russian-based cyber platform known as DEER.IO was shut down by the FBI today, and its suspected administrator – alleged Russian hacker Kirill Victorovich Firsov - was arrested and charged with crimes related to the hacking of U.S. companies for customers’ personal information.
DEER.IO was a Russian-based cyber platform that allowed criminals to purchase access to cyber storefronts on the platform and sell their criminal products or services. DEER.IO started operations as of at least October 2013, and claimed to have over 24,000 active shops with sales exceeding $17 million. The platform was shut down pursuant to a seizure order issued by the Southern District of California Court.
FBI agents arrested Firsov, a Russian cyber hacker, on March 7 in New York City. Firsov not only managed the DEER.IO platform, he also advertised it on other cyber forums, which catered to hackers. Firsov is next scheduled to appear on April 16, 2020, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Allison H. Goddard.
According to a federal complaint, DEER.IO virtual stores offered for sale a variety of hacked and/or compromised U.S. and international financial and corporate data, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), and compromised user accounts from many U.S. companies. Individuals could also buy computer files, financial information, PII, and usernames and passwords taken from computers infected with malicious software (malware) located both in the U.S. and abroad. Law enforcement found no legitimate business advertising its services and/or products through a DEER.IO storefront. Store operators and customers accessed the storefront via the Internet. Specifically, in this case, the FBI made purchases from DEER.IO storefronts hosted on Russian servers.
The DEER.IO platform offered a turnkey online storefront design and hosting platform, from which cybercriminals could advertise and sell their products (such as harvested credentials and hacked servers) and services (such as assistance performing a panoply of cyber hacking activities). The DEER.IO online stores were maintained on Russian-controlled infrastructure. The DEER.IO platform provided shop owners with an easy-to-use interface that allowed for the automated purchase and delivery of criminal goods and services.
Once shop access was purchased via the DEER.IO platform, the site then guided the newly-minted shop owner through an automated set-up to upload the products and services offered through the shop and configure crypto-currency wallets to collect payments for the purchased products and/or services.
As of 2019, a cybercriminal who wanted to sell contraband or offer criminal services through DEER.IO could purchase a storefront directly from the DEER.IO website for 800 Rubles (approximately $12.50) per month. The monthly fee was payable by Bitcoin or a variety of online payment methods such as WebMoney, a Russian based money transfer system similar to PayPal.
A cybercriminal who wanted to purchase from storefronts on the DEER.IO platform could use a web browser to navigate to the DEER.IO domain, which resolved to DEER.IO storefronts. DEER.IO contained a search function, so individuals could search for hacked accounts from specific companies or PII from specific countries, or the user could navigate through the platform, scanning stores advertising a wide array of hacked accounts or cyber criminal services for sale. Purchases were also conducted using cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, or through the Russian-based money transfer systems.
On or about March 4, 2020, the FBI purchased approximately 1,100 gamer accounts from the DEER.IO store ACCOUNTS-MARKET.DEER.IS for under $20 in Bitcoin. Once payment was complete, the FBI obtained the gamer accounts, including the user name and password for each account. Out of the 1,100 gamer accounts, 249 accounts were hacked Company A accounts. Company A confirmed that if a hacker gained access to the user name and password of a user account, that hacker could use that account. A gamer account provides access to the user’s entire media library. The accounts often have linked payment methods, so the hacker could use the linked payment method to make additional purchases on the account. Some users also have subscription-based services attached to their gamer accounts.
On or about March 5, 2020, the FBI purchased approximately 999 individual PII accounts from the DEER.IO store SHIKISHOP.DEER.IS for approximately $170 in Bitcoin. On that same date, the FBI purchased approximately 2,650 individual PII accounts from the DEER.IO store SHIKISHOP.DEER.IS for approximately $522 in Bitcoin. From those identities, the FBI identified names, dates of birth and U.S. Social Security numbers for multiple individuals who reside in San Diego County, including G.V. and L.Y.
“There is a robust underground market for hacked stolen information, and this was a novel way to try to market it to criminals hoping not to get caught,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer. “Hackers are a threat to our economy, and our privacy and national security, and cannot be tolerated.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Omer Meisel stated, “Deer.io was the largest centralized platform, which promoted and facilitated the sale of compromised social media and financial accounts, personally identifiable information (PII) and hacked computers on the internet. The seizure of this criminal website represents a significant step in reducing stolen data used to victimize individuals and businesses in the United States and abroad. The FBI will continue to be at the forefront of protecting Americans from foreign and domestic cyber criminals.”
The office extends its appreciation to the New York Division of U.S. Customs and Border Protection operating at John F. Kennedy International Airport and to private sector cyber-security company Black Echo LLC, which provided assistance throughout the investigation.
Report cyber crimes by filing a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, by calling your local FBI office or 1800 CALL FBI.
DEFENDANTCase Number: 20MJ1029
Kirill Victorovich Firsov Age: 28
SUMMARY OF CHARGE
Unauthorized Solicitation of Access Devices, 18 USC Sec. 1029(a)(6)(A)
Maximum Penalty: Ten years in prison, $250,000 fine, restitution.
The following comments are reaction to the article, below.
When you are unable to eat, there exists a strong probability that someone is going to do something they are not supposed to be doing, particularly when you are dealing with children.
When you can not eat, let alone properly eat, you become sick, where you can get others sick, but hey, what do I know?
I know there is a national, neigh, international emergency where the world is starting to learn about life as one of "The Poors" (always said with clinched teeth).
I am just providing food for thought for these moments of enlightenment of the Quantum Renaissance.
A federal judge in Washington, DC, issued an injunction on Friday blocking a Trump administration rule change that would have forced some 700,000 Americans off of food stamps.
The rule change would have required able-bodied adults without children to work at least 20 hours a week in order to qualify for “SNAP,” or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, benefits beyond the initial three months.
The rule would also have limited states’ ability to issue waivers to the work requirement based on economic conditions — for example, based on a coronavirus-fueled economic slowdown.
In his decision, US District Court Judge Beryl Howell noted the country’s virus outbreak as a reason to keep food support widely available.
“Especially now, as a global pandemic poses widespread health risks, guaranteeing that government officials at both the federal and state levels have the flexibility to address the nutritional needs of residents and ensure their well-being through programs like SNAP, is essential,” Howell wrote.
This is just another application of Parental Rights, where Emergency Manager Emperor Pence & HIS Procurement Consortia Task Force are trying to squash in the public square, just because they are trying to slide, behind the curtain, and tweek the laws of the land, to enshrine their modern day trafficking of tiny humans, to prop up the residuals of the peculiar institution.
For example, using China as our nation of citizenship:
If a Chinese citizen is impregnated by a Mexican citizen, where the Chinese citizen gives birth in the U.S., where Michigan Child Protective Services snatches the baby by cutting the umbilical cord, places the baby in the legal custody and guardianship of an Isreali private Foster Care corporation, where the Parental Rights of the Chinese citizen are terminated and the child is adopted by a citizen of Canada, what is the citizenship of the baby?
I just thought I would celebrate the blarney of St. Patrick's Day and give everyone a mental exercise in Parental Rights during the dawning of the Quantum Renaissance.
So, the moral of the story is, stop throwing arcane stereotyped labels because you look stupid and piss people off at the detriment of national security.
SBA will provide low interests loans and deferment of certain business taxes.
Banks are strong where Emergency Manager Emperor Pence and the Secret Procurement Consortia Task Force worked really hard on this speech given from the Oval Office.
The banking industry was very helpful advising Trump on fighting for the health of individuals with recommendations of the great opportunity to refinance mortgages with suggestions of another bailout, like TARP.
We are behind South Korea in testing.
Still no datasets.
Fauci is NIH, just remember that in dealing with tiny human lab rats.
Office of Global Health was shuttered in the National Security Council which is why there is chaos.
College basketball games are being shutdown. "Why not the NBA?" Asked by the committee.
White House called for a meeting of all panelists in committee but never notified committee.
Emergency Manager Emperor Pence is hot mess.
It seems the health care industry, along with many, many others in congress, including Procurement Consortia Task Force still wants to put profits over people.
WASHINGTON – Mariam Taha Thompson, 61, formerly of Rochester, Minnesota, was charged today in the District of Columbia with transmitting highly sensitive classified national defense information to a foreign national with apparent connections to Hizballah, a foreign terrorist organization that has been so designated by the Secretary of State. According to the affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint, the information Thompson gathered and transmitted included classified national defense information regarding active human assets, including their true names. By compromising the identities of these human assets, Thompson placed the lives of the human assets and U.S. military personnel in grave danger.
The announcement was made by John C. Demers, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Timothy J. Shea, the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia; Robert Wells, Acting Assistant Director of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division; and Timothy R. Slater, the Assistant Director in Charge of the Washington Field Office.
“While in a war zone, the defendant allegedly gave sensitive national defense information, including the names of individuals helping the United States, to a Lebanese national located overseas,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. “If true, this conduct is a disgrace, especially for someone serving as a contractor with the United States military. This betrayal of country and colleagues will be punished.”
“The conduct alleged in this complaint is a grave threat to national security, placed lives at risk, and represents a betrayal of our armed forces. The charges we’ve filed today should serve as a warning to anyone who would consider disclosing classified national defense information to a terrorist organization,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea for the District of Columbia.
"This case shows the value of cooperation across the U.S. Government. Working closely with the Department of Defense, the FBI was able to investigate this willful disregard for keeping national defense information safe and partnered to bring the defendant to the United States from Iraq to face justice," said Acting Assistant Director of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division Robert Wells.
“Today's announcement is a testament to the U.S. government's commitment to protecting the U.S. from the unauthorized disclosure of classified information that can put our country at serious risk of damage - damage to people and damage to our country's capabilities,” said Timothy R. Slater, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “Human assets are the core of the U.S. government's intelligence, and they have our assurance that we will go above and beyond to protect them. I want to thank the men and women at the FBI and our partners here and abroad who answered the call to assist on this fast-moving investigation. The FBI is charged with protecting our nation's security and information for a safe and secure tomorrow for all Americans - we take this duty seriously and will not stand by while supposedly trusted individuals violate that trust in such an egregious way.”
Thompson was arrested by FBI Special Agents on February 27, 2020, at an overseas U.S. military facility, where she worked as a contract linguist and held a Top Secret government security clearance.
The investigation leading to this arrest revealed that starting on or about December 30, 2019, a day after U.S. airstrikes against Iranian-backed forces in Iraq, and the same day protesters stormed the U.S. embassy in Iraq to protest those strikes, audit logs show a notable shift in Thompson’s network activity on United States Department of Defense classified systems, including repeated access to classified information she had no need to access. Specifically, during a six-week period between December 30, 2019, and February 10, 2020, Thompson accessed dozens of files concerning human intelligence sources, including true names, personal identification data, background information, and photographs of the human assets, as well as operational cables detailing information the assets provided to the United States government.
A court-authorized search of Thompson’s living quarters on February 19, 2020, led to the discovery of a handwritten note in Arabic concealed under Thompson’s mattress. The note contained classified information from Department of Defense computer systems, identifying human assets by name, and warning a Department of Defense target who is affiliated with a designated foreign terrorist organization with ties to Hizballah. The note also instructed that the human assets’ phones should be monitored.
Thompson transmitted the classified information in the handwritten note to a co-conspirator, in whom she had a romantic interest. The FBI’s investigation revealed that Thompson knew the co-conspirator was a foreign national whose relative worked for the Lebanese government. The investigation also revealed that the co-conspirator has apparent connections to Hizballah. Further investigation revealed that, in a separate communication, Thompson also provided information to her co-conspirator identifying another human asset and the information the asset had provided to the United States, as well as providing information regarding the techniques the human assets were using to gather information on behalf of the United States.
In today’s Criminal Complaint, Thompson was charged with Delivering Defense Information to Aid a Foreign Government in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 794(a) and conspiring to do so in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 794(c).
Thompson is scheduled to make her initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Robin M. Meriweather later this afternoon. A Criminal Complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct for purposes of establishing probable cause, not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. If convicted, Thompson faces a maximum sentence of life in prison for violating § 794. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only. If convicted of any offense, the sentencing of a defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Trial Attorneys Jennifer Kennedy Gellie of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, Jennifer Levy of the Counterterrorism Section, and Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia John Cummings are prosecuting the case.
A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned a 16-count indictment against a former Acting Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and a former subordinate for their alleged theft of proprietary software and confidential databases from the U.S. government as part of a scheme to defraud the U.S. government.
Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea for the District of Columbia, DHS Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari and Inspector General Tammy L. Whitcomb for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) made the announcement.
The indictment charges Charles K. Edwards, 59, of Sandy Spring, Maryland, and Murali Yamazula Venkata, 54, of Aldie, Virginia, with conspiracy to commit theft of government property and to defraud the United States, theft of government property, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The indictment also charges Venkata with destruction of records.
According to the allegations in the indictment, from October 2014 to April 2017, Edwards, Venkata, and others executed a scheme to defraud the U.S. government by stealing confidential and proprietary software from DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG), along with sensitive government databases containing personal identifying information (PII) of DHS and USPS employees, so that Edwards’s company, Delta Business Solutions, could later sell an enhanced version of DHS-OIG’s software to the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Agriculture at a profit. Although Edwards had left DHS-OIG in December 2013, he continued to leverage his relationship with Venkata and other DHS-OIG employees to steal the software and the sensitive government databases.
The indictment further alleges that, in addition to stealing DHS-OIG’s software and the sensitive government databases, Venkata and others also assisted Edwards by reconfiguring his laptop so that he could properly upload the stolen software and databases, provided troubleshooting support whenever Edwards required it, and helped him build a testing server at his residence with the stolen software and databases, which contained PII. As further part of the alleged scheme, Edwards retained software developers in India for the purpose of developing his commercial alternative of DHS-OIG’s software.
The indictment is the result of an ongoing investigation by DHS-OIG and USPS-OIG and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Victor R. Salgado of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David B. Kent of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
To cancel, then reschedule in federal government, you go through the scheduler, who is under direction of the Chief of Staff, which means there exists intraoffice communication and interoffice communication policy, along with handy dandy desk manuels.
So, for Emergency Manager Emperor Pence to claim he was unaware of the complete and utter chaos reshuffling an executive schedule, as POTUS is marked to the minutes and seconds, is nothing but a public shaming by Trump to show the Procurement Consortia Task Force is a hot mess.
What, Staff are not texting between offices, anymore?
Trump will visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta on Friday as the coronavirus outbreak escalates.
President Donald Trump abruptly canceled and then re-scheduled a Friday visit to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta as the coronavirus outbreak escalates.
Trump told reporters early Friday morning that the trip was initially scrapped because of a suspected coronavirus case at the CDC itself. After the case turned out to be negative, the trip was re-scheduled.
The last-minute change sent Trump's aides scrambling to rearrange his schedule and respond to questions about the trip. Even Vice President Mike Pence, who Trump tapped with leading the administration's response to the outbreak, appeared to be unaware of the change late Thursday.
Trump’s schedule Friday, which had been released publicly at nearly midnight, no longer listed the trip to Atlanta. It showed the president flying to the Nashville area following a series of deadly tornadoes there, and then onto Florida, where he is scheduled to spend three nights at his south Florida retreat, Mar-a-Lago.
Trump says CDC visit may happen after official said it was canceled
"They thought there was a problem at CDC with somebody that had the virus," Trump told reporters Friday morning. "It turned out negative so we are seeing if we can do it. They've tested the person fully and it was a negative test. So I may be going. We're going to see if they can turn it around with Secret Service. We may be going."
The reveal surprised CDC staffers, including those preparing for Trump’s visit. They had not been previously informed about the suspected case of coronavirus at the agency, said three individuals with knowledge of the situation.
Asked about the potential coronavirus case and whether staff was briefed, the health department declined to comment.
“CDC has many employees who have deployed in support of the nation’s response to COVID-19, some of whom are returning from areas where COVID-19 may present,” a spokesperson said, using the formal name for the coronavirus, adding that CDC staff are undergoing appropriate self-quarantine and testing measures. “No CDC employees have tested positive.”
Earlier on Friday, a White House official confirmed the president's visit had been scrapped but for a different reason. “The CDC has been proactive and prepared since the very beginning and the president does not want to interfere with the CDC’s mission to protect the health and welfare of their people and the agency,” the official said.
As of Thursday evening, the White House was communicating that the president's trip to Atlanta was still on. At around 9 p.m. Eastern time, on a trip to Washington state, where coronavirus deaths reached double digits this week, Pence announced that Trump would sign an $8 billion coronavirus funding bill during his CDC trip.
Pence did not mention a potential case at CDC headquarters, even though Trump later said the administration had learned about it on Thursday afternoon.
“We are making progress,” Pence said at his news conference in Tacoma, Washington. “As I mentioned, federal assistance was approved by the United States Senate. President Trump is expected to sign the legislation tomorrow as he visits the CDC in Atlanta.”
Ultimately, Trump signed the $8.3 billion emergency funding package at the White House just before 9 a.m. in a hastily arranged ceremony. Journalists had already gathered outside on the South Lawn awaiting the president’s departure from the White House to Nashville when Trump aides moved some of them inside for the bill signing. “We’ve signed the 8.3 billion," he said. "I asked for two and a half and I got 8.3 and I’ll take it.”
Trump has made a point to talk about coronavirus regularly but he has largely continued with his normal schedule. He spoke at a campaign rally Monday in Charlotte and a Fox New town hall in Scranton, Pa. on Thursday, where he defended his handling of the outbreak.
Trump specifically praised Pence and CDC and bragged about the praise he said the administration has received for its response. "We've done a great job," he said. "Again, we've gotten the highest poll numbers of anybody for this kind of a thing."
The CDC has been under fire in recent days for delays in testing due to earlier problems with its diagnostic tests and initial criteria limiting who should be tested. The agency says it has since fixed the problem with its test and broadened who can be tested, though experts worry the delays have already hindered the ability to detect community spread.
Trump officials have assured states that the CDC is sending enough test kits to test 75,000 people. Private companies are also expected to dramatically boost the amount of test kits on the market, though there are still questions about whether there are enough laboratories and staff to test a large surge of samples. Experts say the U.S. won’t likely be able to meet testing demands for several weeks.
More than 200 cases have been confirmed across 20 states so far and at least 12 people have died. Public health officials say they expect more cases as more people are tested in the coming days.
Today, President Donald J. Trump announced the formation of the President’s Coronavirus Task Force. Members of the Task Force have been meeting on a daily basis since Monday. At today’s meeting, which the President chaired, he charged the Task Force with leading the United States Government response to the novel 2019 coronavirus and with keeping him apprised of developments.
The Task Force is led by Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, and is coordinated through the National Security Council. It is composed of subject matter experts from the White House and several United States Government agencies, and it includes some of the Nation’s foremost experts on infectious diseases.
The Task Force will lead the Administration’s efforts to monitor, contain, and mitigate the spread of the virus, while ensuring that the American people have the most accurate and up-to-date health and travel information.
The President’s top priority is the health and welfare of the American people. That is why, in 2018, President Trump signed the National Biodefense Strategy, which improves speed of action in situations such as this. The Administration, led by the President’s Task Force, will continue to work to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
The risk of infection for Americans remains low, and all agencies are working aggressively to monitor this continuously evolving situation and to keep the public informed. For more information, please visit CDC.gov.
Members of the President’s Coronavirus Task Force:
Secretary Alex Azar, Department of Health and Human Services
Robert O’Brien, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health
Deputy Secretary Stephen Biegun, Department of State
Ken Cuccinelli, Acting Deputy Secretary, Department of Homeland Security
Joel Szabat, Acting Under Secretary for Policy, Department of Transportation
Matthew Pottinger, Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor
Rob Blair, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the Chief of Staff
Joseph Grogan, Assistant to the President and Director of the Domestic Policy Council
Christopher Liddell, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Coordination
Derek Kan, Executive Associate Director, Office of Management and Budget
(FOX 2) - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has created multiple task forces to help fight the potential spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 in Michigan.
Right now there are no confirmed coronavirus cases in Michigan, but cases are starting to spread in the United States and multiple people have already died.
Gov. Whitmer's four task forces include one on state operations, one on health and human services, one on education, and the final on the economy and workforce. The task forces will include key state government agencies, who will work closely with the appropriate community and non-governmental stakeholders.
The task force on state operations will cover all aspects of state operations, including employment and facilities.
The task force on health and human services will cover the provision of medical and human services, including protecting the healthcare workforce.
The task force on education will cover K-12 public schools and universities and colleges.
And the task force on economy and workforce will cover general economic impact, workforce, supply chain, business continuity, and related issues.
“While there have been no confirmed cases in Michigan yet, we must recognize that this virus has the potential to impact nearly every aspect of our lives,” said Governor Whitmer. “From our public schools, colleges, and universities to our businesses and hospitals, we must harness all of the resources we have to ensure we can prevent the spread of coronavirus and keep Michiganders safe. This is a strong, smart team that will make protecting our public health their number one priority and work closely with me to protect the people of our state.”
RELATED: Don't panic, but be prepared: Coronavirus 101 for Michiganders
On Friday, February 28, Whitmer activated the State Emergency Operations Center to maximize coordination with state, local and federal agencies, as well as private partners, and to help prevent the spread of the disease. Since then, the administration has been working with schools, businesses, medical providers, and local health departments to make sure they have the information they need to prepare for potential cases.
COVID-19 has been identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan City in the Hubei Province of China. As of March 3, there were over 91,313 cases globally with over 3,000 deaths.
Person-to-person spread of the virus has occurred in the U.S., with some of those occurring in people with no travel history and no known source of exposure.
For the general American public, who are unlikely to be exposed to this virus at this time, the immediate health risk from COVID-19 is considered low. People in communities where ongoing community spread with the virus that causes COVID-19 has been reported are at elevated though still relatively low risk of exposure.
Patients with confirmed infection have reportedly had mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath.
The best prevention for viruses, such as influenza, the common cold or COVID-19 is to wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds. If not available, use hand sanitizer.
Also avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or upper sleeve when coughing or sneezing.
Avoid contact with people who are sick - and if you are sick, stay home and avoid contact with others.
Information around this outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.
The Honorable Joseph Maguire assumed the role of Acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) on Aug. 16, 2019.
Prior to serving as Acting DNI, Maguire served as the sixth director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC). In this role, Maguire bolstered NCTC’s relationship with the White House and Congress. He also spearheaded a reorganization to merge three main areas of focus for the CT mission to better align the end-to-end management of CT operations against the most pressing threat of terrorists gaining and using WMD. As NCTC Director, he also served as the National Intelligence Manager for Counterterrorism, responsible for integrating and coordinating all intelligence collection and analysis on CT targets.
Prior to his confirmation as NCTC Director, Maguire served as president and CEO of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, a non-profit organization whose philanthropic mission is to support combat-wounded and hospitalized special operations personnel, as well as the families and dependents of fallen special operators.
He took this position after leaving his role as Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton, which was his first job upon retirement from active duty in 2010, after a 36-year career as a Naval Special Warfare Officer (SEAL). He commanded at every level, including the Naval Special Warfare Command.
While on active duty, Vice Admiral Maguire served as NCTC’s Deputy Director for Strategic Operational Planning from 2007 to 2010 and represented the Center as a part of the National Security Council’s Counterterrorism Security Group. In this role, he led the development of the government’s most senior-level strategies and operational plans for CT, as well as the unbiased, objective evaluation of the progress in achieving the goals and objectives of those strategies.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from Manhattan College and a master’s degree in National Security Affairs with a major in Scientific and Technical Intelligence from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. While in the Navy, Maguire was a national security fellow at the John F. Kennedy School at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. He was born in Brooklyn, NY, and remains an avid fan of the New York Yankees.
How come no one, not even the psychosexuals, made a single peep about the people involved in the shooting were involved in child porn operations, leading to a question of child trafficking out Saudi Arabia, operating on an U.S. military base on U.S. soil? Boo Boo Barr is talking smack because there is not only case precedent, but we have the ability because we did it before.
The question was always "how will they have access", not "if". And the current answer is "boxes full of 0-day in every precinct with no technical controls or legal review by third-parties before use that cost you a bunch of a taxes". https://t.co/VYIUZliTx7
SACRAMENTO — A federal judge ordered a temporary injunction Thursday against California’s first-in-the-nation law requiring candidates to disclose their tax returns for a spot on the presidential primary ballot, an early victory for President Trump but a decision that will undoubtedly be appealed by state officials.
U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. said he would issue a final ruling by the end of the month but took the unusual step of issuing the tentative order from the bench. He said there would be “irreparable harm without temporary relief” for Trump and other candidates from the law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in July.
England spent much of the court proceeding on the question of whether a long-standing federal financial disclosure law preempts any additional rules that a state could impose. The federal law, known as the Ethics in Government Act, or EIGA, was originally passed in 1978 and applies to a range of top federal officials. Trump has filed the required annual report, which provides an overview of his finances, most recently in May.
“Do we even need to get here if EIGA preempts” the new California law? England asked attorneys for the state. “Is that it?”
The hearing in a Sacramento courtroom consolidated arguments made in five separate lawsuits filed since Senate Bill 27 was signed into law. Attorneys on both sides noted that timing is tight on the legal challenge: Under provisions of SB 27, candidates must submit tax returns no later than Nov. 26 to be eligible for the March 3 primary.
Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente, who filed one of the lawsuits and was a minor-party presidential candidate in 2016 after failing to win support in the Democratic Party, said he supports some limited, voluntary tax return disclosure.
“I don’t think it should be mandated by the state,” De La Fuente told reporters outside the courtroom.
California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, who as chief elections officer was named a defendant in the lawsuits, said he would wait to see the written ruling before deciding whether to appeal.
“We remain firm in our belief that SB 27 is constitutional and provides invaluable transparency for voters as they decide who will hold the most powerful office in the United States,” Padilla said in a statement.
Jesse Melgar, a spokesman for the governor, said Newsom believes the California law seeks to ensure full transparency.
“These are extraordinary times,” Melgar said. “States have a legal and moral duty to restore public confidence in government and ensure leaders seeking the highest offices meet minimal standards.”
Trump sued in August to block implementation of SB 27. His attorneys told the judge that the California law would unfairlyforce the president to give up his right of privacy to keep his tax returns confidential in order to participate in the March 2 statewide primary.
California Deputy Atty. Gen. Peter Chang told the court that states already have their own unique primary election rules and that SB 27 affects not only the chief executive of the nation but also that of California. “This is what the voters need to elect their executives,” he said.
But Thomas McCarthy, an attorney representing the president, told the judge the U.S. Constitution sets out rules for running for the nation’s highest office that are “fixed and unalterable” by individual states. He said California voters may have an interest in a presidential candidate’s tax returns, but the state “cannot try to inform” voters beyond the basic information.
England seemed to suggest there could be reasons to rein in electoral rules that leave presidential candidates scrambling to provide different information in different states.
“Wouldn’t that create a hodgepodge of laws around the country?” he asked.
The California law requires any candidate for president or governor who seeks a spot on the statewide primary ballot to give state officials copies of Internal Revenue Service tax forms from the last five years of filings. After personal financial information is redacted, copies of those documentswould be made available for public inspection.
The law does not apply to any candidates seeking office other than president or governor, including those vying for seats in the California Legislature or Congress, and itwould have no effect on the November general election. In practical terms, should Trump be kept off the primary ballot, he would still have the opportunity to receive votes for president in the fall as the Republican Party nominee.
State Sen. Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg), the author of SB 27, said Thursday that his bill was nothing more than a ballot access requirement similar to those already in existence.
“I think the judge got this one wrong,” he said. “Transparency is the foundation of accountability. This issue of releasing tax returns is bigger than any one candidate or any one president.”
California elections officials confirmed Thursday that no presidential candidates have submitted tax returns yet to comply with the new law. Though some Democratic presidential candidates have made portions of their tax returns public, the five-year standard under SB 27 would require additional disclosure for many of those who hope to have their name on the California ballot.
Thursday’s face-off in federal court capped a tumultuous week for the relationship between Trump and California. The president’s two-day visit to the state focused on private campaign fundraisers but included a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border and a threat to sanction San Francisco over what he called “tremendous pollution” brought on from the city’s homelessness problems.
Trump is only the second president since 1976 to refuse requests for public review of his tax returns. Though the practice became routine in most elections, it has also been voluntary. The new law also applies to candidates for governor, elections in which tax disclosure has been far less consistent. Newsom, however, allowed reporters to inspect five years of his tax returns in 2017.
California’s new election law is justone fight being waged by the president to keep his tax returns out of the public eye. On Thursday, his attorneys also sued to block an effort by the Manhattan district attorney to obtain his tax returns by subpoena.
But only the California battle has direct consequences for the 2020 presidential campaign. In a court filing last week, Trump’s attorneys said the state law goes far beyond the “procedural” election requirements that states can impose. They also insisted the law treats candidates differently, in that it applies only to those who belong to one of the six political parties that have qualified under California law for official recognition.
Those parties are the only ones that will participate in the primary because the election is designed to allow the selection of national party nominees. Any candidate wishing to mount an independent or write-in presidential campaign wouldn’t appear on the ballot until November.
Attorneys representing Newsom and Padilla said the state law doesn’t create an insurmountable hurdle to keep a candidate off California’s ballot, arguing that the only reason a candidate can’t meet the standard is because he or she simply doesn’t want to.
Chang argued in court that privacy was not an issue for a national candidate.
“When they choose to run for president, they insert themselves into the public discourse,” he said.
In addition to the five lawsuits considered Thursday, there arethree other legal challenges to the California election law. Two additional lawsuits have been filed in Los Angeles and San Diego. A third challenge was filed by the California Republican Party in the state Supreme Court, asserting that the new statute conflicts with existing election law.
But the effort by Trump is the highest-profile of the group.
Beyond the specter of a sitting president being left off the primary ballot in the most populous state, Republicans have said there would be significant harm to the partyif the new law is allowed to take effect. They believe that without Trump on the ballot, millions of GOP voters would have less incentive to participate in the March primary and party candidates could come up short in down-ticket races. Under California’s unique primary election rules, only the top two vote-getters in legislative and congressional races move on to the November general election — even if they are from the same party. Democrats, GOP officials have argued, could easily take both of those spots in key races if Republican enthusiasm is diminished by a primary in which Trump must sit on the sidelines.
But England, appointed to the federal bench by President George W. Bush in 2002, pushed back several times Thursday against attorneys representing California Republicans who citedpotential harm to their candidates, insisting the issues raised cut across party lines.
“I don’t think this is just a Republican argument,” he said.
Trump received almost 1.7 million votes in the June 2016 statewide presidential primary, far outpacing his GOP rivals.
Supporters of the California law have said mandatory tax document disclosure is long overdue, but few believe it would have gained traction without the election of Trump. De La Fuente, who said he intends to run as a Republican in the upcoming presidential election, said the president made a mistake in dodging the issue in 2016.
“I thought he made a mistake by not disclosing, but I would assume that he’s got something to hide,” he said.
President Trump on Wednesday named the State Department's hostage envoy Robert C. O’Brien as his fourth national security adviser, replacing John Bolton, who was ousted from the administration last week.
I am pleased to announce that I will name Robert C. O’Brien, currently serving as the very successful Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs at the State Department, as our new National Security Advisor. I have worked long & hard with Robert. He will do a great job!
O’Brien joined the administration in May 2018 and serves as the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs at the State Department. O’Brien, who served under Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, led the U.S. government’s diplomatic efforts on overseas hostage-related matters, working closely with families of American hostages, as well as working with the administration on developing and implementing hostage recovery policy and strategy.
Most recently, O’Brien was involved in the high-profile arrest of American rapper A$AP Rocky. Over the summer, O’Brien traveled to Sweden to monitor court proceedings after the rapper pleaded not guilty to assault after a street fight that landed him in jail in Stockholm. He was released in August.
O’Brien also served during the Obama administration as co-chairman of the State Department’s public-private partnership for Justice Reform in Afghanistan.
O'Brien will be the president's fourth national security adviser.
O’Brien’s appointment comes just days after Trump announced that he had fired Bolton—whom O’Brien worked with in 2005 when he served as U.S. Representative at the United Nations during former President George W. Bush’s administration.
“I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House,” Trump tweeted last Tuesday. “I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration and therefore I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning. I thank John very much for his service. I will be naming a new National Security Adviser next week.”
Bolton swiftly challenged Trump’s version of events, saying he offered to resign. The two had well-known disagreements on a range of hot-button national security issues, perhaps most significantly on plans for a troop drawdown in Afghanistan.
While Trump announced a 4,000-troop increase in 2017 as part of an effort to break the stalemate in the country, he has been moving toward agreeing to a phased withdrawal of troops. Some 14,000 U.S. troops have remained in Afghanistan, advising and assisting Afghan forces and conducting counterterrorism operations.
Inside the administration, Bolton also advocated caution on Trump's strategy with North Korea and was against Trump's decision last year to pull U.S. troops out of Syria. Bolton also led a quiet effort inside the administration and with allies abroad to convince the president to keep U.S. forces in Syria to counter ISIS and Iranian influence in the region.
Bolton later told Fox News that his "priority has always been policies that make America secure. Nothing more, nothing less."
Bolton, who previously served as a Fox News contributor, worked in the administrations of former Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush and served as George W. Bush's lawyer during the 2000 Florida recount. Bolton also served as a U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations from 2005 to 2006, and as an undersecretary of state for arms control and international security from 2001 to 2005.
Bolton replaced former National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster in 2018. McMaster replaced former National Security Adviser Gen. Michael Flynn.
O'Brien's selection was praised by the family of Robert Levinson, who was allegedly taken hostage by Iranian authorities while visiting Kish Island, Iran in March 2007.
"Our family is very glad to hear of Robert O'Brien's appointment," the statement said. "He has been a strong advocate within the U.S. government for our father, Robert Levinson. This is further evidence of President Trump's commitment to bringing home Americans held abroad. We look forward to continuing to work with Ambassador O'Brien and the NSC to bring Bob Levinson home to those who love him."
The current situation at the southern border presents a border security and humanitarian crisis that threatens core national security interests and constitutes a national emergency. The southern border is a major entry point for criminals, gang members, and illicit narcotics. The problem of large-scale unlawful migration through the southern border is long-standing, and despite the executive branch’s exercise of existing statutory authorities, the situation has worsened in certain respects in recent years. In particular, recent years have seen sharp increases in the number of family units entering and seeking entry to the United States and an inability to provide detention space for many of these aliens while their removal proceedings are pending. If not detained, such aliens are often released into the country and are often difficult to remove from the United States because they fail to appear for hearings, do not comply with orders of removal, or are otherwise difficult to locate. In response to the directive in my April 4, 2018, memorandum and subsequent requests for support by the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense has provided support and resources to the Department of Homeland Security at the southern border. Because of the gravity of the current emergency situation, it is necessary for the Armed Forces to provide additional support to address the crisis.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including sections 201 and 301 of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), hereby declare that a national emergency exists at the southern border of the United States, and that section 12302 of title 10, United States Code, is invoked and made available, according to its terms, to the Secretaries of the military departments concerned, subject to the direction of the Secretary of Defense in the case of the Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. To provide additional authority to the Department of Defense to support the Federal Government’s response to the emergency at the southern border, I hereby declare that this emergency requires use of the Armed Forces and, in accordance with section 301 of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1631), that the construction authority provided in section 2808 of title 10, United States Code, is invoked and made available, according to its terms, to the Secretary of Defense and, at the discretion of the Secretary of Defense, to the Secretaries of the military departments. I hereby direct as follows:
Section1. The Secretary of Defense, or the Secretary of each relevant military department, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, shall order as many units or members of the Ready Reserve to active duty as the Secretary concerned, in the Secretary’s discretion, determines to be appropriate to assist and support the activities of the Secretary of Homeland Security at the southern border.
Sec. 2. The Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and, subject to the discretion of the Secretary of Defense, the Secretaries of the military departments, shall take all appropriate actions, consistent with applicable law, to use or support the use of the authorities herein invoked, including, if necessary, the transfer and acceptance of jurisdiction over border lands.
Sec. 3. This proclamation is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-third.
They are doing live color commentary like a sporting event and I absolutely love it.
They are even doing live commercials for the corporations involved in the launch, claimed as the largest Arab satellite network in the world.
The tech companies are now the new NFL in technology promoting corporate team spirit in open sourced advancement.
I can see the armoralities in colorful heraldry where individuals rally, through their votes, not limited to a thumbs up or down marginalized decision-making process.
No more war because stock market is nothing but a rigged gambling theifdom that is to be dismantled and rebuilt and we can do it blockchain and stop the stealin'.
