Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

09/2/21 Thursday

This material is distributed by Ghebi LLC on behalf of Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, and additional information is on file with the Department of Justice, Washington, District of Columbia.

Syrian Air Defenses Engage 'Hostile Missiles' Over Damascus, State Media Reveals by Morgan Artvukhina

During a recent Israeli air raid against Damascus and Homs Governorate last month, the Russian military claimed Syria had shot down 22 of 24 projectiles using Russian-supplied air defense equipment, including Pantsir-S and Buk-M2 surface-to-air missile systems. Syrian state media reported early Friday morning that air defenses had engaged targets over the capital city of Damascus. Online observers also reported jet aircraft heard over Lebanon a few minutes before the air defenses began firing, heavily suggesting the projectiles were fired by Israeli aircraft. However, increased fighting, including rocket attacks, have also been reported in nearby Daraa Governorate. Video posted online shows surface-to-air missiles streaking up and toward their targets. Israel has regularly attacked targets in Syria during Syria's civil war, which began in 2011, claiming that Iranian forces in the country in support of the Syrian government's fight against foreign-backed rebels are actually preparing to attack Israel. On Monday, open source researcher INTELSkv noted that an Israeli strike on Syria was "highly likely" in the coming days as two of the Israeli Air Force's new Nachshon intelligence aircraft had been flying extensively over the last day as well as drone flights over Lebanon, and that several Israeli pilots had been suddenly called up. There were also reports on social media of several large explosions heard over central Israel, which some speculated might have been Syrian anti-air missiles tracking Israeli aircraft as they returned to base.

Democrats Rush to Consolidate $3.5 Trillion ‘Megabill’ as Corporate Lobbyists Rally Against It by Morgan Artvukhina

Senate Democrats and US President Joe Biden have come under increasing pressure to abolish the filibuster, a rule allowing senators to hold up legislation by talking nonstop on the floor, because of the de facto requirement for a 60-person majority to pass bills. So far, he’s said he prefers bipartisanship, even as it imperils his economic agenda. Congressional Democrats are rushing to agree on the contents of a massive spending bill they are attempting to pass through unorthodox means before their self-imposed deadline later this

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

month. Meanwhile, corporate lobbyists representing the country’s biggest companies are organizing their counteroffensive. Congress may be on a seven-week recess, but Democratic Party leaders are still hard at work trying to sort out which programs their $3.5 trillion spending package will include. The party controls both houses of Congress, but between a wavering centrist faction of the party and the threat of a Republican filibuster blocking progress through the Senate, Democrats have been wont to force through anything remotely controversial. That’s why this massive agglomeration of programs, which could potentially include Medicare expansion, an extension of the child tax credit, incentives for clean energy investments, and tax increases on corporations’ foreign profits, are heaped into a single spending bill: the Democrats intend to force it through under budget reconciliation, which allows them to fast-track it protects it from a Republican filibuster. However, even that strategy requires all 50 Democratic senators to vote as a bloc, and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ1 has said her mind is firmly set against the bill. House lawmakers have attempted to pressure her to fall in line by holding up the infrastructure bill favored by her. Their go-it-alone strategy narrowly succeeded last week when the House passed a framework for the bill in a close party-line vote of 220-212. However, just nine centrist Democrats were able to gum up the works - an enduring problem when it comes to figuring out what to actually put in the bill. According to Politico. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has directed the heads of relevant House committees to resolve all major disputes about content with their Senate counterparts before the week is out. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) told Politico on Thursday that Pelosi was so “anxious” to get the bill passed she was yielding control to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). “The fact that we did a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill with essentially very little input from the House - it was an institutional surrender to the Senate," he said of the parallel bill that has worked its way through the Senate for months. The Senate finally passed that bill in mid-August. Progressive House Democrats have promised they’ll only support the $3.5 trillion bill if it’s voted on at the same time as the infrastructure bill, which is scheduled for September 27 - one week after lawmakers return to Washington. Meanwhile, another force is seeking to undermine the entire bill: corporate lobbyists. According to a report by the Washington Post, the sweeping progressive measures in the $3.5 trillion bill have aroused the fury of a host of American industrial giants, including the US Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, PhRMA, and the Business Roundtable. In addition to “traditional lobbying,” the report says the trade groups are rolling out what Business Roundtable told the paper would be “a significant, multifaceted campaign” to stop tax hikes and would “continue to ramp up our efforts in the coming weeks.” In a statement following the House’s approval of the framework last week, the US Chamber of Commerce pledged to “do everything we can to prevent this tax raising, job-killing reconciliation bill from becoming law.” Ironically, in the same statement, it hailed the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill as something every member of Congress should support. Other industries are levying their own seven-figure ad campaigns aimed at swaying public opinion against the bill, including comparing drug pricing proposals to socialism, claiming

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

increased taxation would make the US more like China and hurt its global competitiveness, and that various parts of the bill would have made the COVID-19 pandemic worse. “A lot of Americans live in districts represented by more moderate candidates, and those members don’t necessarily know whether they’re going to be in office in a couple of years,” Sarah Bryner, director of research and strategy at the Center for Responsive Politics, told the Post. “By targeting people in districts of what we might say are vulnerable members, which tend to be more centrist, companies hope to exert pressure essentially.”

US Supreme Court Allows Texas Anti-Abortion Law to Stand, Sparking Fears Roe Decision in Peril by Morgan Artyukhina

After the US Supreme Court declined to block a controversial anti-abortion law in Texas on Wednesday, reproductive health advocates are fearful that the legal right to an abortion will itself be under threat when the court hears another similar case later this year. In a late-night ruling made using the shadow docket, the nation’s top court declined to block the law from taking effect until its legality is battled out in court. The 5-4 ruling saw Chief Justice John Roberts, who typically joins his conservative colleagues, instead side with the three liberal justices in a dissent in which he noted that the law’s “not only unusual, but unprecedented” enforcement plan demanded more exacting scrutiny before being allowed to take effect. Signed into law in May by Texas Governor Greg Abbott but tangled up in legal fights since then, the so-called “heartbeat” law bans pregnant people from getting abortions if a series of electrical impulses where the fetus’ heart would form is detectable, which can occur as little as five weeks after pregnancy - before many would know they were even pregnant. However, the law is enforced by third-party lawsuits, allowing anyone to sue anyone who “aids and abets” such an abortion, even if the plaintiff is totally unconnected to the person getting the abortion. The only exception is that the father of the child cannot be the plaintiff. To aid enforcement of the bill, anti-abortion groups began establishing websites at which “whistleblowers” could submit anonymous tips about people they suspected of getting an abortion or helping someone to get one. However, activists on Tiktok and other social media sites have organized mass spamming of the sites to clog up their system. According to the emergency application for an injunction by a group of abortion providers and women’s health advocates, the law would ban 85% of all abortions. The law is not the first to ban abortions at such an incredibly early time, but it’s the first to employ such a novel method of enforcement, which defies normal methods of appeal. “The Court’s order is stunning,” Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her dissent. “Presented with an application to enjoin a flagrantly unconstitutional law engineered to prohibit women from exercising their constitutional rights and evade judicial scrutiny, a majority of Justices have opted to bury their heads in the sand.”

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

“We are devastated that the Supreme Court has refused to block a law that blatantly violates Roe v. Wade,” Nancy Northup, president and chief executive of the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), one of the groups that brought the case to the Supreme Court, said in a Thursday statement. The 1973 Roe decision made abortion a legal right across the United States, creating a structure ostensibly preventing abortion from being regulated to such an extent as to create an undue burden. “Right now, people seeking abortion across Texas are panicking. They have no idea where or when they will be able to get an abortion, if ever. Texas politicians have succeeded for the moment in making a mockery of the rule of law,” she added. Women’s health advocates also fear the court decision sets the tone for another upcoming case brought by Mississippi to be heard by the court later this year, Jackson Women’s Health Organization v. Dobbs, in which the Magnolia State explicitly asks for Roe v. Wade to be overturned. In the wake of the decision, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CAI oledaedthat when lawmakers return from their summer recess on September 20, “the House will bring up Congresswoman Judy Chu’s Women’s Health Protection Act to enshrine into law reproductive health care for all women across America.” Ana Santoyo, a writer at Breaking the Chains magazine, told Radio Sputnik’s Bv Anv Means Necessary on Thursday that the law won’t and can’t ban abortions - it will just ban safe abortions. “This would make it impossible for people to access abortion in Texas and will inevitably force people to travel great distances to receive the necessary care or access less safe underground services. So, abortions will happen regardless of this law,” Santoyo told hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman. “What they are doing is actually taking away the legality and safety of it, which will kill women and all those seeking abortion care.” “It points to the chipping away of women’s rights or anyone seeking an abortion and other reproductive justice that people are organizing and fighting for,” she said, noting that the court is capable of acting quickly when it wants to, such as when it recently struck down the federal eviction moratorium in a similar overnight shadow docket ruling. “That points to [the fact that] we really need a new system that is in the interests of the working class and poor people that are fighting back for their rights.”

Two-Seater Version of Russia’s New Checkmate Fighter Will be Offered to Woo Foreign Buyers by Morgan Artvukhina

Why Russia would choose to build its first single-engine fighter in 50 years has been hotly debated, since they are often considered less reliable than two-engine jets, but one fact is agreed upon: its English-language name makes clear who the game-winning nickname is directed at.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

Denis Manturov, the head of Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, said on Friday that while Sukhoi’s new Checkmate fighter is intended for export, Russia won’t depend on foreign investment to finance the jet’s construction. A prototype of the fifth-generation fighter jet was unveiled this past July at the MAKS-2021 air show. While it’s based on the same advanced technology used in making Russia’s first fifth-generation fighter, the Su-57, it has a number of unique features, including a single jet engine instead of two, as Sputnik reported at the time. Only a handful of fifth-generation fighters are in use around the world, including the Su-57 as well as China’s J-20 Weilong and the United States’ F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II fighters. Of them, just the F-35 has been sold to other nations, and the Checkmate is widely seen as a direct competitor, especially since it is projected to be substantially cheaper. Likely buyers include nations from the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia, Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Director Dmitry Shuqayev told Sputnik during the debut air show. Manturov noted Friday that foreign buyers often ask for two-seat versions of aircraft, such as the Su-30 variant of Sukhoi’s Su-27 fighter, so he anticipates a two-seat version of Checkmate will also be sought, in which case it will be built. However, he noted the Russian Air Force will likely have use for such an aircraft, as well. Two-seat versions of aircraft can serve a variety of purposes, including facilitating training of pilots or allowing a second pilot to be a dedicated weapons officer. In the forthcoming two-seat version of the Su-57, the second pilot’s concern will be directing a swarm of Okhotnik combat drones that can accompany the stealthy jet on missions. Sukhoi expects to begin deliveries within the next six years.

White House Warns of Increased Cyberattack Threat Over Long Labor Day Weekend

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US critical infrastructure operators should be aware of an increased cyber threat that typically occurs over the long Labor Day holiday weekend, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger said on Thursday. Neuberger clarified during a Thursday briefing that while officials have not pinpointed an exact cyberthreat, investigators are sounding the alarm based on past developments over long holiday weekends in the US. “To be clear, we have no specific threat information or information regarding attacks this weekend,” Neuberger stated during the briefing, "but what we do have is history, and in the past, over holiday weekends, attackers have sometimes focused on security operations centers that may be understaffed or a sense that there are fewer key personnel on duty as they may be on vacation." A long weekend can make attackers feel as though they have extra time to navigate in a network before they are detected, the official underscored.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

Neuberger further explained that as the three-day weekend holiday looms, the Biden administration wants to raise awareness about the issue for owners and operators of America’s critical infrastructure. US President Joe Biden has dealt with multiple cyberattacks since the start of his administration, with his office ultimately issuing new orders on reporting procedures for industries after the Colonial Pipeline attack caused widespread gas shortages for much of the US East Coast.

Minnesota AG Adds First-Degree Manslaughter Charge Against Cop Who Killed Daunte Wright by Gabv Arancibia

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison added a first-degree manslaughter charge to the complaint against former police officer Kimberly Potter who shot and killed Daunte Wright in April, it was announced Thursday. "Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison today filed an amended complaint in the case of State v. Kimberly Potter. The amended complaint adds an additional charge of manslaughter in the first degree, while retaining the original charge of manslaughter in the second degree," Ellison’s office said in a statement. The complaint alleges that Potter committed manslaughter in the first degree when she fatally shot and killed Wright, a 20-year old black man, while recklessly handling a firearm that she mistook for a taser during a traffic stop. After conducting a review of the case, Ellison determined that an upgraded first-degree manslaughter charge is warranted in addition to the initial second-degree manslaughter charge Potter faces. The maximum sentence for first-degree manslaughter amounts to 15 years behind bars and a $30,000 fine. A second-degree charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. The latest developments came months after Ellison took over the case in May, and had announced that he would be conducting a more thorough review to determine whether more charges were warranted. The review included consultations with experts on police use of force. Body camera footage of the April interaction between Potter and Wright showed the officer yelling out the word "taser" before ultimately firing her department-issued firearm. Since the shooting, Potter has maintained that she intended to grab her stun gun. The incident prompted widespread outrage in the US, with many critics pointing out that department-issued stun guns and firearms have entirely different bodies in order to help officers immediately tell the weapons apart. In fact, stun guns have a bright yellow covering. Both Potter and Brooklyn Center Police Department Chief Tim Gannon resigned shortly after the fatal traffic stop. At the time, Gannon had defended Potter's fatal misstep.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

Ex-UK National Kotey Pleads Guilty to Helping Islamic State Murder Hostages - Reports

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Former UK national Alexanda Kotey, who was part of the Daesh* terror group duo known as the Beatles, pleaded guilty in US court to charges of engaging in torture and murder of hostages in Syria, NBC News reported. The report said on Thursday that Kotey pleaded guilty in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to hostage-taking resulting in death, conspiracy to commit murder against US citizens abroad and conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. The report said Kotey and his associate El Shafee Elsheikh could face a sentence of life in prison as US prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty as a precondition for cooperation with their colleagues in the United Kingdom, who extradited them to the United States. The indictment alleges that Kotey, Elsheikh, as well as the now-deceased accomplice Mohamed Emwazi and another UK citizen currently incarcerated in Turkey, became Islamic State fighters participated in the abduction of American and other hostages in Syria from 2012 until 2015. The men allegedly tortured hostages, including US citizens James Wright Foley, Kayla Jean Mueller, Steven Joel Sotloff and Peter Edward Kassig. The Syrian Democratic Forces captured Kotey and Elsheikh in January of 2018 as they attempted to escape to Turkey. Emwazi was killed in a US airstrike conducted in November of 2015 in Syria.

New Texas Law Raises Concerns After Allowing Guns to Be Carried in Public Without Permit or Training by Gabv Arancibia . Nevin Brown

Texas has passed new legislation which will allow all Texans aged 21 or older, who can legally own a firearm, the right to openly carry a handgun in public without obtaining a permit or training. The new law, signed by Gov. Greg Abbott, has sparked outrage from gun control advocates and has been hailed as a triumph by gun rights advocates. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent signing of the House Bill 1927 has sparked national outrage from gun control advocates. The law grants Texans aged 21 or older, who can legally own a firearm, the right to openly carry a handgun in public without obtaining a permit or training. The law has sparked divisiveness across the country. Gun rights advocates hail the law as an expansion of the basic freedoms provided by the Second Amendment, whereas some in law enforcement, as well as gun control advocates, see it as a dangerous step towards an increase in gun violence.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

However, it's worth noting that the measure does include some exemptions, one of which bars individuals with a felony or a violent conviction. It also requires the Department of Public Safety to offer gun safety courses that are not necessarily mandatory for individuals. The legislation is one of the first of its kind since the Lone Star State underwent several mass shooting, such as the 2019 shooting at an El Paso Walmart at the hands of a 21-year-old white man who had driven more than 10 hours to the location. Prior to the latest development, Texas already allowed for the open carry of rifles without a permit. However, House Bill 1927 is more controversial because of the dangers a concealed handgun are believed to present. Police in urban centers worry that the bill will cause yet another increase in gun violence. Year over year, Texas has seen an increase in non-suicide related gun deaths since 2019. Those that favor the legislation believe the bill has expanded individual’s access to instruments that can protect themselves and their families. Texas who wanted to carry a firearm openly or concealed within the stated were previously required to obtain a license, submit their fingerprints, take a training course and ace both a written test and shooting proficiency exam. The measure, which went into effect on Wednesday, sees Texas following in the steps of 19 other US states that have implemented similar loosened gun requirements. Some of those states include Iowa, Utah and nearby Tennessee.

Russia's Vladivostok Has All Capabilities to Host Olympic Games - Sports Minister

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (Sputnik) - The Russian Far Eastern Primorsky Territory and its administrative center, Vladivostok, have all the capabilities to host major sports events, such as the Universiade and the Olympic Games, Minister of Sports Oleg Matytsin said on Friday. On Thursday, Vladivostok Mayor Konstantin Shestakov said that the regional authorities were going to submit a bid for hosting the 2036 Summer Olympics. "Universiade or Olympics in Vladivostok? This is real, why not? ... No one have doubts that the region and the city has capabilities to organize [major sports events]," the minister said on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. The sixth edition of the EEF, taking place from September 2-4 at the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, is aimed at developing business ties and attracting national and international investors to Russia's Far East. The Sputnik news agency is a general media partner of the forum.

Putin Addresses Sixth Eastern Economic Forum in Russia's Vladivostok

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

by Max Gorbachev

Since 2015, businessmen, entrepreneurs, politicians, and diplomats have gathered annually in the Russian city of Vladivostok to discuss the most pressing economic and geopolitical issues. In 2019, participants signed 270 agreements worth $46.6 billion. The second day of the 2021 Eastern Economic Forum has kicked off in the Russian Far East. The main event will be the speech of Vladimir Putin. The Russian president is expected to touch on global issues, including the situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban* seized power last month. The second day will also feature addresses from other world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha and Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh. Also on the program are the following plenary sessions: The Sanitary Shield: How to Prevent New Pandemics, Russian-Japan Business Dialogue, Far East IT Hub 2030: Targeting Asia-Pacific Markets, Science and Innovation: Risks in the Name of Development. The sixth Eastern Economic Forum will be held from 2-4 September. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s forum will be held in a hybrid format, with participants attending in-person and online. *The Taliban is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia and many other nations.

Biden Reaffirms US’ Half-Century of Support of Israel's Alleged Nuclear Arsenal - Report

For the past 50 years, the US has agreed not to pressure Israel to join the Non-Proliferation Treaty, with the "tradition" going back to President Nixon. President Joe Biden has reaffirmed the United States’ long-held agreement with Israel that Washington will not pressure the Jewish State on its alleged nuclear arsenal, in exchange for which, the latter will not use, test, or threaten the use of their nuclear arsenal, Israeli media reported Wednesday, citing an unnamed official. The long-held agreement between the two nations was reportedly discussed during the meeting between Biden and Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett over the past weekend. The arrangement dates back to a 1969 oral agreement between US President Richard Nixon and Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. While subsequent US presidents and Israeli prime ministers have continued to uphold this informal commitment, following the Gulf War in 1991, the Israeli government made a push to formalize the agreement. Bill Clinton signed the first official letter that allowed Israel, free of US pressure, to maintain its strategic deterrence of nuclear weapons. Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and President Biden also discussed how to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Prime Minister Bennett opposed the Iran nuclear deal that President Biden, as vice president in the Obama administration, helped secure. After the Trump administration

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

pulled the US out of the agreement, the Biden administration has aimed to restore the deal. On the subject of Iran, US and Israeli policy are at odds. As Israel has been sounding an alarm about the potential dangers of Iran's nuclear program, claiming the Islamic Republic is secretly working to develop nuke. Tehran has slammed Western countries for their hypocrisy, as they have ignored reports of the Jewish State having obtained nuclear weapons long ago. The 50-year agreement between the US and Israel has helped shape US foreign policy in the Middle East throughout the Cold War and into the present. Even if the two nations don’t see eye to eye on how to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Biden reaffirming the US’ support for Israel’s nuclear program is an affirmation of the two nations' long-standing alliance.

Final US Troops in Afghanistan Find Silver Lining Amidst ‘Apocalyptic’ Scenes by Nevin Brown

When the US entered Afghanistan in 2001, the Taliban* had control of the government. While US forces were able to quickly oust the Islamist group, they were unable to quash their hold over the Afghan countryside. Now, as the US leaves, the Taliban are set to reclaim Afghanistan once again. The last remaining US forces in Afghanistan could only describe the scenes surrounding their departure as “apocalyptic.” The final US Air Force crew in Afghanistan contended with a rapidly approaching Taliban and a lack of the technological and logistical support that usually defines the American military. As the US executed evacuations out of Kabul, pilots had the support of air traffic control and a network of lookouts tasked with preventing attacks. By their final night in Kabul, US forces had dwindled to the point that civilians were able to breach the perimeter in an attempt to board the aircraft. However, the approach of the Taliban and lack of support hardly fazed the Air Force’s 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron as they went through their checklists and took off without suffering any injuries or casualties. Air Force Lt. Col. Braden Coleman, the same man who described the departure as “apocalyptic,” was able to take pride in what he had accomplished in his final weeks in Afghanistan. "To see everybody step up to make this happen in the amount of time that it took to happen, to move 124,000 people out in less than three weeks. I mean, I couldn’t be prouder to be a C-17 pilot today," he said. After 20 years of trying to thwart the Taliban, they once again control Afghani politics. For Lt. Col. Braden Coleman and the US armed forces, it seems silver linings are all that remain of their time in Afghanistan. Death Toll From Hurricane Ida Rises to 22. New York Recovers From Rains. Floods - Reports

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

The US exit and subsequent evacuation from Afghanistan has divided the nation and seen President Joe Biden's popularity suffer tremendously. While the 124,000 people evacuated have been a point of pride for those on the ground, between 200 and 100 Americans, according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. remain in the country along with countless Afghans who aided the US during their occupation. Now, those who wish to leave the country are at the mercy of the Taliban. The Biden administration is hoping that international pressure will protect those looking to leave the country from Taliban retribution. *The Taliban is a terrorist organisation banned by Russia and many other states.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Premier League Return Has Sent Ticket Prices Soaring by Nevin Brown

Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United has caused a frenzy in the secondary ticket market. Tickets are going for as much as £2,500 for United's September 11th showdown with Newcastle United. Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to the Premier League has sent ticket prices soaring. In anticipation of the Manchester United legend’s season debut in next weekend’s showdown against Newcastle United at Old Trafford tickets on the secondary market have exploded. According to the Times. Stubhub is listing tickets for £2,514 ($3,479). Manchester United froze ticket prices in 2017-18 for seven years, with tickets ranging from £53 to £31. Due to the ticket price boom, the club has come out and told supporters not to seek tickets out on the secondary market, as it has become rife with fraudulent tickets. While Manchester United fans seem willing to pay anything to see Ronaldo’s second United debut, it may be wise to temper expectations. Ronaldo’s signing only became official on August 31st and he has spent the international break with Portugal, setting the all-time men’s international goal scoring record along the way. Portugal is scheduled to play a World Cup Qualifier against Azerbaijan on Tuesday, September 7th, which means the earliest Ronaldo can be in Manchester to train would be September 8th, only three days ahead of United’s game against Newcastle. If Ronaldo does play against Newcastle, expect him to come on as a second-half substitute. Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United is not only costing the fans a ton of money but the club, as well. In order to prv Ronaldo from Juventus. United had to pony up £12.87 million, paid across five years, and pay Ronaldo’s weekly wage of £385,000. If the surge in ticket prices is any indication, Ronaldo will be well worth the money.

Liz Cheney Selected as Vice Chair for January 6th Insurrection Panel

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

by Nevin Brown

Rep. Bennie Thompson’s (D-MS) selection of Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) to the House committee investigating the January 6th Capitol insurrection has sparked outrage from Republicans. Cheney, already disavowed by House Republicans for her stance against President Trump, now walks a political tightrope. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) has been selected as the vice chair of the House committeeinvestiaatinq the January 6th insurrection at the US Capitol and President Trump and his allies' role in it. The move has already sparked outrage among House Republicans. In May, they stripped Cheney of her role as the third-ranking Republican in the House for her criticisms of President Donald Trump and her vote for his impeachment due to his role in the January 6th insurrection. Committee head Rep. Bennie Thompson’s (D-MS) addition of Rep. Cheney adds another Republican to the almost all Democrat committee. Prior to Cheney’s selection, the only Republican on the committee was Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), who also voted for President Trump’s impeachment in the wake of the January 6th insurrection. Due to Republican support for President Trump and Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) rejection of strong Trump allies to the committee. House Republicans have boycotted the committee altogether, leaving Democrats in a political bind. Either they have an all-Democrat-led committee, allow strong Trump allies onto the committee, or the Republicans that accept their selection to the committee will be branded, anti-Trump Republicans. This reality makes it difficult for Democrats to overcome calls that the committee’s investigation is simply a partisan witch hunt. Rep. Cheney, in the wake of the January 6th insurrection, has been one of the lone Republican voices critical of President Trump. With her new role as vice-chair on the January 6th committee, her stance on the former President will once again be front and center.

Virgin Galactic Grounded as FAA Investigates Spacecraft Flight Issues by Nevin Brown

The FAA has grounded all future Virgin Galactic flights until it finishes an investigation in a mishap on the company's much-publicized July 11th flight. The spacecraft went off trajectory and out of its designated airspace for nearly two minutes as pilots ignored warnings. The Federal Aviation Administration has grounded Virgin Galactic from any future flights as the agency investigates the company’s historic July 11th flight. The FAA is investigating a mishap from the flight to determine if there is any threat to public safety. The much-publicized flight saw Virgin Galactic owner Richard Branson become the first billionaire in space and saw him beat Blue Origin and Jeff Bezos to space. According to reports, a warning light came on due to the spacecraft going off trajectory. The spacecraft was outside its designated airspace for 1 minute and 41 seconds as pilots corrected

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

the trajectory problem. Virgin Galactic has maintained that, despite the error, they 'remained within mission parameters.' However, a former test pilot with the company, Mark Stucky, has been vehemently critical of the operation, stating in a Twitter post. "The most misleading statement today was Virgin Galactic's. The facts are the pilots failed to trim to achieve the proper pitch rate, the winds were well within limits, they did nothing of substance to address the trajectory error, and entered Class A airspace without authorization." Virgin Galactic’s assertion that being outside of their designated airspace for 1 minute and 41 seconds provided no danger is a hollow statement without context. Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo vehicle has reached speeds of 2.300 MPH. At that speed, in 1 minute and 41 seconds, the vehicle would have traveled 64.5 miles. When it comes to space travel, the microscopic is of the utmost importance. One second or degree can be the difference between life or death, and Virgin Galactic's July 11th flight never needed to risk the public’s safety. When the alarm was raised that the spacecraft was off its trajectory, the pilots could have simply killed the engines and waited for a safer day to get to space. One must wonder, if Richard Branson and all the publicity hadn’t been on that flight, would the pilots have risked disaster?

Death Toll from Storm Ida in 8 US States Rises to 61 - Reports

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - The death toll across eight US states hit by the Ida storm system rises to 61 as a score of towns and cities in the northeast remain flooded, media reported on Friday. At least 13 deaths in New York City, 25 in the state of New Jersey, five in Pennsylvania, and one in Maryland were reported dead following the devastating flooding caused by Ida, according to ABC News. In Connecticut, a state trooper died after his car was swept by floodwaters in Woodbury, according to the report. As many as 9 confirmed tornadoes slammed through the states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, the report said. On Wednesday night, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency followed by a travel ban issued overnight urging all non-emergency vehicles to stay off-roads on Thursday. The hurricane came ashore in south Louisiana on Sunday as a Category 4 storm, with sustained winds of up to 150 miles per hour and caused what Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards called a catastrophic collapse of the state’s electric power grid. Ida weakened into a tropical storm as it made its way northeast.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

US Adds 235,000 Jobs in August, Unemployment at 5.2% - Labor Dept.

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - US employers added 235,000 jobs in August, the Labor Department announced on Friday, well below forecasts, while the unemployment rate improved slightly to 5.2 percent in a job market still struggling from the coronavirus pandemic. "Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 235,000 in August, and the unemployment rate declined by 0.2 percentage point to 5.2 percent,” the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a unit within the Labor Department, said in a statement. The department announced 943,000 job additions for July, and an unemployment rate of 5.4 percent. Economists polled by US media had forecast an average jobs growth of 733,000 for August.

Louisiana Residents Launch Hurricane Aid Project Amid Slow Government Response - Organizer

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik), Barrington M. Salmon - Residents of New Orleans and other parts of the state of Louisiana hit hard by Hurricane Ida have been forced to launch their own aid initiatives in light of the lack of support from the local and federal governments, an organizer told Sputnik. Exactly 16 years after Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans, Hurricane Ida switched from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane before making landfall on August 29 and tearing through the state of Louisiana with ferocious winds clocking 150 miles per hour. Floodwaters engulfed homes and businesses while 1 million customers were left without electricity and suffered through shortages of food, water and gasoline. Even though New Orleans resident Abdul Aziz evacuated to the neighboring state of Alabama, he said he knew he needed to get involved. So on Monday, August 30, he began pulling together a campaign on Instagram joining with other organizations on the ground to take care of people’s immediate needs largely because the government was slow to respond. "There has been no help from city, state or federal government officials. They have been absolutely absent in providing for residents’ immediate needs," Aziz told Sputnik. "We can’t wait on government. This is 100% grassroots, regular people coming together... [and] infinitely better than the response of the federal government." Aziz said they are meeting the immediate needs of residents, unlike the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the American Red Cross. "We’ve been hearing about people 3-4 hours on the phone with FEMAonly to be told that they can’t help. It’s hot in New Orleans, there are no lights and people are frustrated. We have to pull together," he said.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

Aziz said they delivered about $500,000 of direct aid including cash, food and supplies which was "not blocked by bureaucratic red tape." Organizationally, they are pushing and sending out via CashApps and Venmo. "I started fielding a lot of requests from people trapped in their homes," Aziz said. "We posted updates and then had thousands of people who started to follow us. We created a separate Instagram account to get volunteers and we compiled resources such as finding gasoline and charging stations." He said residents understand that they have to depend on each other and take care of each other until government entities are activated. "\Ne realize that we’re in this s**t together, whether you’re a rich uptown resident or other residents," Aziz said. "At the end of the day they [government officials] don’t care about us, but moments like this serve to make a powerful statement." Rather than wait on the government, residents far removed from the levers of power have taken a firm hold of their circumstances, said Aziz. "Mutual aid organizations immediately began spending cash. They’re actually there doing the work," he said. "It’s exciting to see people band together so quickly and dispense the money. \Afe don’t know and don’t care what people’s political affiliations are. And people who wouldn’t normally talk to me are working with me." Aziz gave New Orleans city officials some credit, saying they had been moving quicker than state and federal government officials. Although not quick enough. "It’s hot, 105 degrees with the heat index and the city is just getting around to erecting cooling stations," he said. Aziz, like other activists and residents, said he expects there to be changes brought about in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. "Someone said yesterday that we’re setting up an emergency response government," he said. "We don't want to see a repeat of this. We're trying to ensure that after the next hurricane, there’s not such a high level of need. We’re in the midst of setting up a phone bank; we’re trying to streamline that process." The city of New Orleans, he added, should already have that in place. He said they have to pressure, move, and become a part of institutions and agencies. He said a group of individuals, as well as inter-parish networks of organizations including the Cajun Navy, House of Tulip and Imagine Waterworks, have been working closely on this project. Aziz also said restaurant owners have banded together to "rescue" food and distribute it to those in need. Meanwhile, mental health experts from across the country have offered themselves as resources. He said areas surrounding New Orleans, St. Charles Parish, the city of La Place, La Fouche and St. John the Baptist parishes and Grand Isle have been "absolutely devastated," with residents trapped on roofs and in their attics and stuck there until they could be rescued. "We’ve been doing it all. We’ve been helping everyone including trans people, non-binary and elders in the community," he said. Aziz said he surprised himself by becoming involved in this project. "A lot of this comes from the trauma of Katrina. I was stuck, caught in the hurricane, unable to move, unable to do anything and dealing with the mental anguish. I don’t want anybody else to

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

go through what I went through," said Aziz. "This is the first time I’ve ever done this... never in my life have I run something like this." Aziz describes himself as someone who is a "prepper," focused on preparedness in general. "I had no intention of doing this. I never thought I’d be here. I take no credit for doing this. It’s a passion I have for my community," he said. "I’m honored that the community trusts me to do this." Aziz - who said he has freelanced for the New York Times and Die Spiegel for the past 13 years and covered and photographed conflicts in Gaza, the Middle East, Africa and the white supremacist "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville - said he is proud of how people have come together.

Biden Visits Hospital With US Troops Injured in Kabul Suicide Bombing - White House

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - The White House said President Joe Biden and the First Lady visited Whiter Reed Medical Center, the same hospital where fifteen US service members are recovering who were injured in a suicide bombing at Kabul international airport during the evacuation mission last week. "Tonight, the President and First Lady are visiting wounded warriors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center," the White House said in a statement on Thursday. Earlier, a US Marines spokesperson said the fifteen troops wounded in last week's blast were staying at the medical center based in Maryland outside the nation's capital. Thirteen US service members were also killed in the bombing - their remains arrived at Dover Air Force Base on Sunday. The Islamic State-Khorasan terrorist group (banned in Russia) claimed responsibility for the attack. Biden authorized airstrikes against several IS-K targets and vowed that the United States will continue the attacks.

China Willing to Cooperate in Some Areas, But US Makes Beliefs Clear - Sherman

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said in remarks at the University of Southern California that there are some areas in which the United States and China can work together even while Washington makes its opposition to some of Beijing's policies and practices clear. "There are some areas in which [China] will work with us, and we will try to build on those, but we’ve made very clear - and I certainly made it very clear in the meetings I held - in what we

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

believe. We believe, for instance, that what is happening in Xinjiang is horrendous, that what is happening to the Uighurs is abhorrent," Sherman said on Thursday. Sherman traveled to China from July 25-26 for meetings with Foreign Minister and State Councilor Wang Yi as well as other officials. During her meetings, Sherman expressed the United States' concern over China's alleged human rights abuses against the Uighur ethnic minority in Xinjiang province. On Monday, China abstained from a UN Security Council vote on a resolution drafted by the United States, United Kingdom and France that expressed an expectation for the Taliban (banned in Russia) to allow Afghans and foreigners alike to safely leave Afghanistan. The Chinese and Russian representatives, who abstained from the vote, said that their proposals regarding the resolution were not considered, including a proposal to include the Islamic State terror group (banned in Russia) into the paragraph on combating terrorism.

Ex-UK National Kotey Pleads Guilty to Helping Islamic State Murder Hostages - Reports

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - Former UK national Alexanda Kotey, who was part of the Islamic State terror group (outlawed in Russia) duo known as the Beatles, pleaded guilty in US court to charges of engaging in torture and murder of hostages in Syria, NBC News reported. The report said on Thursday that Kotey pleaded guilty in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to hostage-taking resulting in death, conspiracy to commit murder against US citizens abroad and conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists. The report said Kotey and his associate El Shafee Elsheikh could face a sentence of life in prison as US prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty as a precondition for cooperation with their colleagues in the United Kingdom, who extradited them to the United States. The indictment alleges that Kotey, Elsheikh as well as the now-deceased accomplice Mohamed Emwazi and another UK citizen currently incarcerated in Turkey, became Islamic State fighters participated in the abduction of American and other hostages in Syria from 2012 until 2015. The men allegedly tortured hostages, including US citizens James Wright Foley, Kayla Jean Mueller, Steven Joel Sotloff and Peter Edward Kassig. The Syrian Democratic Forces captured Kotey and Elsheikh in January of 2018 as they attempted to escape to Turkey. Emwazi was killed in a US airstrike conducted in November of 2015 in Syria.

US Trade Chief Welcomes WTO Rejection of China Challenge to US Tariffs on Solar Panels

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - AWbrld Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement panel rejected a Chinese challenge to US tariffs on solar panels and related equipment - a decision that aids Biden administration efforts to promote sources of clean energy, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said. "I welcome the WTO panel’s findings rejecting China’s challenges to the US solar safeguard as baseless," Tai said in a press release on Thursday. "The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring America’s role in resilient clean energy supply chains... that unlock the full potential of solar power." The United States imposed "safeguard tariffs’ on Chinese solar products 2018, to help the US producers adjust to excessive Chinese solar sell and solar module exports made possible by Beijing's policy of subsidizing domestic producers, the release said. The US tariffs were imposed after the independent US International Trade Commission (USITC) found that Chinese policies promoting exports had seriously injured American producers. A Chinese protest prompted the WTO to establish a dispute settlement panel, which rejected Beijing’s claim that the US tariffs violated global trade rules, the release added. The US tariff-rate quota on imports of solar cells and a tariff on solar modules is currently set to expire on February 6, 2022, although American producers have asked the USITC to review a proposed extension, according to the release.

Pentagon Refutes Reports That US Troops Left Bases in Syria, Says Mission Not Changing

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - A Defense Department spokesperson told Sputnik that the reports about US troops leaving military posts in Syria are not true, adding that the military's mission in that country has not changed. Iran's Al-Alam news outlet reported, citing a military source, that US forces left three bases inside Syria, including a post near al-Omar oilfield in the Deir Ez-Zor province. "It's not true, our mission in Syria remains the same," the Defense Department spokesperson said on Thursday. "We checked on it this morning to confirm."

Virgin Galactic Says Marking With Aviation Agency to Address Cause of Spaceship Grounding

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - Virgin Galactic is working with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to investigate what caused its spacecraft to deviate from its trajectory path during the launch in July, the company said in a press release. "We are working in partnership with the FAA to address the short time that the spaceship dropped below its permitted altitude during the Unity 22 flight," the release said on Thursday.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

"\Afe take this seriously and are currently addressing the causes of the issue and determining how to prevent this from occurring on future missions." Earlier on Thursday, the FAAordered all Virgin Galactic space operations suspended while it investigates a mishap to the company’s SpaceshipTwo on a reentry procedure over the state of New Mexico on July 11.

Federal Reserve Officials Continue Mixed Messaging on Taper as US Jobs Report Looms

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - Federal Reserve regional chiefs Raphael Bostic and Mary Daly issued mixed messages over when the central bank should taper the stimulus it is providing to the US economy as markets awaited Friday’s US jobs report that could shed better light on the debate. Bostic, who heads the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, said the central bank’s program should continue until there were signs that inflation was overheating. Daly, who heads the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, maintained that there should be a quick taper. "The Fed[eral Reserve] should let the economy run until inflation is shown," Bostic told a live-streamed event on Thursday. Inflation, as officially measured by the central bank’s Personal Consumption Expenditures Index, is already on a runaway path, rising 3.6 percent through July, its most since 1991. The Federal Reserve’s own guide discourages inflation of more than 2 percent a year. Bostic said last week that the Federal Reserve was "very close" to meeting conditions necessary for reducing $120 billion of its monthly bond and other asset buying to support US economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Bostic also said that he "did not expect the taper to upset markets in any way." But in a separate event on Wednesday, Bostic cautioned that ending protections against evictions - another COVI D-19-related relief provided by the Biden administration - could create problems for the US economy's recovery. Daly said the US economy was on better footing than thought, with the labor market consistently beating market expectations on jobs gain. This, she said, proved that the taper should not be delayed. Daly’s reference to the labor market is particularly important, as it comes ahead of the August jobs report. Economists have predicted that some 725,000 new jobs were created last month, after 943,00 in July. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell gave no clear indication during a speech last week on when the taper should begin, saying the US economy was on good footing but still vulnerable from risks posed by the Delta variant of COVID-19.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

Ex-Obama Interior Secretary Salazar Sworn In as New US Ambassador to Mexico

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - US Vice President Kama la Harris on Thursday swore in Ken Salazar, Interior Secretary under former President Barack Obama, to the post of Ambassador to Mexico. Salazar served as US Secretary of the Department of the Interior in the Obama administration from 2009 to 2013. Prior to his work for the Obama administration, Salazar served as the Attorney General in the state of Colorado from 1999 to 2013 and as a US senator from 2005 to 2009. In the private sector, Salazar worked at a law firm called WilmerHale, where he represented clients on energy, environment, natural resources and Native American matters.

SPUTNIKTOP STORIES OF THE DAY WASHINGTON September 2 (Sputnik) -

AFGHANISTAN DEVELOPMENTS * The Biden administration is not considering easing sanctions on the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) after it took over Afghanistan, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday. * The United States is aware that the Islamic State-Khorasan terror group (outlawed in Russia) has a keen interest in attacking US aviation targets and personnel at military bases, Psaki said. * The United Nations is resuming humanitarian flights to Afghanistan to provide assistance to the vulnerable population after the Taliban takeover, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said. * Germany is ready to return its diplomats to Kabul subject to security and compliance with human rights and other conditions by the Taliban, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said. * The US financial services company Western Union said that it is resuming money transfers to Afghanistan.

US-RUSSIA RELATIONS * The US-Russian discussions on cybersecurity continue while President Joe Biden looks for an action to address cyber activity, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger said on Thursday.

BELARUS * Belarus sees no point in sending an ambassador to the United States amid Washington's sanctions, Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei said on Thursday. * Since April, Belarus has been offering the EU consultations on the issue of illegal migration, but its proposals were rejected, Makei said.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

* The upcoming meeting between presidents of Belarus and Russia, Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin, will focus on 28 integration programs, Makei said.

US-UKRAINE MILITARY COOPERATION * The United States is providing Ukraine with more than $45 million in additional humanitarian assistance for about 3.4 million people in need, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday. * Using Ukraine as a weapon against Russia by the United States may lead to dire consequences for Kiev, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

COVID-19 * US public health officials are carefully monitoring the emergence of a new coronavirus strain - the Mu variant, National Institutes for Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) Director Anthony Fauci on Thursday. * The Italian vaccination campaign will begin to administer third doses of coronavirus vaccines to citizens with poor immune response in late September, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said. * The European Commission will report on the validity of the European Digital COVID Certificate (DCC) to the European Council and Parliament three months before it expires and may propose extending it, a Commission spokesperson told Sputnik. * Bulgaria will introduce new restrictive measures for a period of two months starting September 7 due to low progress of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign and a surge in cases, Health Minister Stoycho Katsarov said.

Blinken Speaks With Italian, Spanish, German Foreign Ministers - State Department

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held telephone conversations with the foreign ministers of Germany, Spain and Italy and thanked them for their support in the evacuation of US and allied forces from Afghanistan, Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price said on Thursday. “Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio... [and] extended the United States’ deep appreciation for Italy’s support for evacuation and relocation operations from Afghanistan,” Price said in a readout. They also discussed plans for diplomatic, security, and humanitarian engagement in Afghanistan, he added. Blinken then held similar telephone talks with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares and with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, the readout continued. Blinken thanked Maas for Germany’s support in facilitating the transit of thousands of people out of Afghanistan through US military installations in Germany and the two men then discussed ways to promote the safety and security of Afghan and international citizens after the NATO withdrawal, Price said.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

Minnesota AG Adds First-Degree Manslaughter Charge Against Cop Who Killed Daunte Wright

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison added a first-degree manslaughter charge to the complaint against former police officer Kimberly Potter who shot and killed Daunte Wright in April, Ellison’s office said on Thursday. "Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison today filed an amended complaint in the case of State v. Kimberly Potter. The amended complaint adds an additional charge of manslaughter in the first degree, while retaining the original charge of manslaughter in the second degree," Ellison’s office said in a statement. The complaint alleges that Potter committed manslaughter in the first degree when she fatally shot and killed Wright, a 20-year old black man, while recklessly handling a firearm that she mistook for a taser during a traffic stop. After conducting a review of the case, Ellison determined that an upgraded first-degree manslaughter charge is warranted in addition to the initial second-degree manslaughter charge Potter faces.

US CENTCOM Continues to Assess Drone Strike in Kabul That Killed 12 - Pentagon

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - The US Central Command (CENTCOM) continues to assess the results of the drone airstrike in Kabul that reportedly killed 12 Afghan civilians on Sunday, Defense Department spokesperson John Kirby said on Thursday. "I know that Central Command continues to assess the results of that airstrike," Kirby said at a press briefing. On Sunday, the US military reported carrying out a drone strikes against the Islamic State-Khorasan terror group (banned in Russia) in Kabul and in other areas of Afghanistan, allegedly killing high-ranking members of the group. The Taliban movement (banned in Russia) condemned the US strike in Kabul and claimed it resulted in scores of civilian casualties. On Monday, media reported that the death toll of the attack reached 12 after initial reports claimed the number of victims was nine. UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Afghanistan, Herve De Lys, said on Monday that at least seven children were killed in Kabul during the US drone strike.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

White House COVID Task Force Says Carefully Monitoring Mu Variant

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - US public health officials are carefully monitoring the emergence of a new coronavirus strain, termed by scientists as the Mu variant, National Institutes for Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) Director Anthony Fauci on Thursday. "Ws’re keeping a close eye on it,” Fauci, a member of the White House COVID-19 Response Team, told a press briefing. The Mu variant is already present in the United States, Fauci confirmed. Fauci and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky, however, emphasized that the Delta variant remains the dominant COVID-19 strain in the United States, accounting for more than 99 percent of infections. The Mu variant, also known as B.1.621, has been flagged by the World Health Organization as a Variant of Concern (VOI) and has some at unease because of its reported ability to bypass formed immunity.

One Evacuated Afghan Refugee in US Custody After Failing Background Check - EUROCOM Chief

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - An Afghan refugee evacuated from Kabul is in custody of US authorities after failing a security background check, European Command (EUROCOM) Commander Gen. Tod Wo Iters said on Thursday. "We've had one individual, since the operation started in Europe on 20 of September, who actually popped red and that individual is currently in the appropriate custody of US interagency officials...and we are still working his background investigation," Walters said during a press briefing. Wd Iters added that as of Thursday afternoon, there are 58 individuals requiring additional vetting, but he expects them to be cleared soon. The US European Command has processed some 16,000 Afghan refugees who have been taken to the United States and there are currently 21,300 others temporarily housed at US military bases through out Europe while they wait to be screened. The Taliban terror group (banned in Russia) entered Kabul in mid-August, declaring an end to the years-long war in Afghanistan and prompting Afghans who worked with foreign countries to try to leave the country.

Death Toll Rises to 29 as New York Area Recovers From Ida’s Rains, Floods - Reports

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - The number of victims of the devastating effects of Ida hitting the US states of New York and New Jersey on Thursday has reached 29, media reported on Thursday. New York City has reported at least 12 deaths, including a 2-year-old boy, and another 14 people were found dead in the state of New Jersey. The Philadelphia suburb of Montgomery County also confirmed at least three deaths, NBC News reported. In Passaic, New Jersey, one body was recovered from a vehicle that went underwater near the Passaic River, according to the town's mayor cited by the report. New York City Mayor Bill de Biasio declared a state of emergency on Wednesday night followed by a travel ban issued overnight urging all non-emergency vehicles to stay off-roads on Thursday. Ida, now reduced to cyclone level, hit New York City on Wednesday and inundated some areas with rain, including the subway, causing suspension of train services on some lines. The hurricane came ashore in south Louisiana on Sunday as a Category 4 storm, with sustained winds of up to 150 miles per hour and caused what Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards called a catastrophic collapse of the state’s electric power grid. Ida weakened into a tropical storm as it made its way northeast.

US Petroleum Reserve to Release 1.5Mln Barrels From Supply After Hurricane Ida - Granholm

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said on Thursday that she authorized the country’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to release 1.5 million barrels from its stockpile to help alleviate supply issues for crude oil in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. Granholm said she has authorized the SPR to conduct an exchange with ExxonMobil Baton Rouge, which is located in the US state of Louisiana where the hurricane struck, to resolve any logistical issues of moving crude oil within areas affected by the storm. "The exchange involves a release of 1,500,000 barrels of crude oil to ExxonMobil," Granholm said in a statement. Granholm explained the move was undertaken to ensure the Baton Rouge region has access to fuel as quickly as possible as the region continues its recovery. Ida pummeled Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane on Sunday before turning into a tropical storm. Prior to its landfall, some 95 percent of the crude and natural gas facilities on the Gulf of Mexico had been shuttered as a precaution. About 80 percent of the oil production and 83 percent of the gas facilities remained shut mid-day Wednesday, the US Energy Department said. It also said that some 1.2 million power outages persisted in the United States as of 7:00 a.m. on Thursday in the aftermath of the storm.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

Public Approval of Labor Unions in US Surges to Highest Level Since 1965 - Poll

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - More than two thirds of US adults approve of labor unions, the highest level in more than 50 years, a new Gallup poll revealed on Thursday. "Sixty-eight percent of Americans approve of labor unions. Though statistically similar to last year’s 65%, the current reading is the highest Gallup has measured since 71 percent in 1965,” a press release explaining the poll said. Gallup has measured the public's rating of labor unions periodically beginning in 1936 and then annually since 2001, and more Americans have expressed approval than disapproval in every reading, the release said. With President Joe Biden saying he expects his administration to be the most pro-union in history, approval among Democrats has risen to 90 percent, the highest in two decades and up 7 points since last year, the release said. At the same time, both Republicans' (47 percent) and independents' (66 percent) approval is more than 20 points higher than its lowest 2001-2020 rating, the release addded. At 9 percent, US adults' self-reported membership in a labor union falls within the 7-to-12 percent range it has occupied for the past 20 years. Another 8 percent live in a household with a union member, meaning 17 percent of Americans reside in a union household, according to the release.

White House Warns of Increased Cyberattack Threat Over Long Labor Day Weekend WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - US critical infrastructure operators should be aware of an increased cyber threat that typically occurs over the long Labor Day holiday weekend, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger said on Thursday. “To be clear, we have no specific threat information or information regarding attacks this weekend, but what we do have is history, and in the past, over holiday weekends, attackers have sometimes focused on security operations centers that may be understaffed or a sense that there are fewer key personnel on duty as they may be on vacation,” Neuberger said during a press briefing. A long weekend can make attackers feel as though they have extra time to navigate in a network before they are detected, she added. Neuberger said that as the long weekend comes, the Biden administration wants to raise awareness about the issue for owners and operators of America’s critical infrastructure.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

US Attempt to Evacuate Government Media Staff Halted by Airport Terror Attack - State Dept

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - The US’ attempts to evacuate members of their government media organizations from Afghanistan before the August 31 deadline were interrupted by the terror attack on Kabul airport, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said on Thursday. "The men and women of USAGM (US Agency for Global Media), Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, we have a commitment to them. We did everything we could to prioritize their departure,” Price said during a press briefing. “The fact is that we were working on their safe evacuation just as the attack struck the airport perimeter. The operational environment changed markedly, unfortunately, it stood in the way of our ability to bring these individuals to safety before August 31 The attack, carried about by the Islamic State Khorasan Province terror group (IS-K, banned in Russia), took the lives of 13 American service members, as well as the lives of dozens of Afghan civilians. Price said that the media members, like other individuals seeking to leave Afghanistan, will be provided with tailored guidance about how to proceed from the State Department, but that they will not be sharing that info publicly for their safety.

US Invests $30M!n in to Ensure Critical Supplies For Clean Power - Energy Dept. WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) ~ US laboratories and university-led researchers will receive grants totaling $30 million to develop technologies needed to supply critical materials for electric vehicles and clean electricity, the Energy Department (DOE) said on Thursday. "The selected research projects aim to diversify the supply of, develop substitutes for, and improve the reuse and recycling of rare earth and platinum group elements that are critical for many clean energy and high-tech applications,” DOE said in a press release. The materials include cobalt for electric vehicle batteries, neodymium for windmills and electronics, and platinum for emissions control and fuel production technologies, the release said. The research projects range from single Principal Investigator (PI) to multi-PI, multi-institution efforts and are led by 10 universities and 3 National Laboratories, the release added. Total funding is $30 million from DOE's Office of Science for projects lasting up to three years in duration, with $10 million in the Fiscal Year 2021, according to the release.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

Biden Vows US Will Continue to Confront Scourge of Antisemitism

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - The United States will continue to confront the scourge of anti-Semitism wherever it arises, President Joe Biden said in a White House podcast to the US Jewish community for their coming High Holidays. "\Ne will continue to confront the scourge of anti-Semitism: It remains all too prevalent," Biden said in his message for the Jewish New Year and Day of Atonement. Biden said any upsurge of ant-Semitism was also a blow against the unity and survival of the United States as a nation. "These anti-Semitic attacks aren't just against the Jewish community, they are a strike against the soul of our nation," he said. Racial hatred and prejudice had gained ground across the United States in recent years, the president said.

US Aviation Agency Grounds Virgin Galactic in ’Mishap’ Probe - Statement

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered all Virgin Galactic space operations suspended while it investigates a mishap to the company's SpaceshipTwo on a reentry procedure over New Mexico on July 11, the agency said on Thursday. "The FAA is overseeing the Virgin Galactic investigation of its July 11 SpaceShipTwo mishap that occurred over Spaceport America, New Mexico. SpaceShipTwo deviated from its Air Traffic Control clearance as it returned to Spaceport America,” FAA public relations specialist Steve Kulm said in a statement shared with Sputnik. Virgin Galactic’s Unity 22 space mission diverted from its approved flight plan for one minute and forty-one seconds before the pilots were able to correct course, according to published reports. “Virgin Galactic may not return the SpaceShipTwo vehicle to flight until the FAA approves the final mishap investigation report or determines the issues related to the mishap do not affect public safety," Kulm said. The FAA is responsible for protecting the US public during commercial space transportation launch and reentry operations, Kulm said.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

US Knows IS-K Has Keen Interest in Attacks Against Aviation Targets, Bases - White House

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - The Islamic State-Khorasan terrorist group (outlawed in Russia) has a keen interest in attacking US aviation targets and personnel at military bases, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday. "We know ISIS-K has a keen interest in attacks against aviation targets and our personnel on the ground in our military bases, and these are among the risks we take into account," Psaki said during a press briefing when discussing concerns about possible charter flights scheduled to get Americans out of Afghanistan.

US Has Noticed Decrease in Ransomware Attacks, Hopes Trend Continues - White House

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - The Biden administration has noticed a decrease in ransomware attacks and hopes to see this trend to continue, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger said on Thursday. "We have noted the decrease in ransomware and we think it's an important step in reducing the risk to Americans. There could be a host of reasons for it. So we are noting that trend and we hope that that trend continues," Neuberger said during a press briefing.

Biden Administration Not Considering Easing Sanctions on Taliban - White House WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - The Biden administration is not considering easing sanctions on the Taliban (banned in Russia as a terrorist group) after it took over Afghanistan, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday. "No one should assess that we are currently considering easing of sanctions on the Taliban, that is not actively being discussed or pursued," Psaki said during a press briefing.

US-Russian Discussions on Cybersecurity Continue - White House

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - The US-Russian discussions on cybersecurity continue while President Joe Biden looks for an action to address cyber activity, Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger said on Thursday.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

"The discussions with the Russians continue as President [Joe] Biden noted. He is looking for action with regard to addressing cyber activity,” Neuberger said at a press briefing.

Biinken Discusses With Indian Foreign Secretary Situation in Afghanistan - US State Dept.

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - US Secretary of State Antony Biinken and Deputy Secretary of State \Afendy Sherman spoke discussed with Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringia the situation in Afghanistan as well as the state of bilateral relations, Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday. "Foreign Secretary [Harsh Shringia] called on US Secretary of State [Antony Biinken]. Discussions touched on bilateral ties and the situation in Afghanistan," Bagchi said via Twitter. On Tuesday, India’s Ambassador to Qatar, Deepak Mittal, met with the head of the Taliban's (banned in Russia) political office in Doha, Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, at the Indian Embassy in the city. A government source told Sputnik on Tuesday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi established a high-level group to tackle issues related to Afghanistan. "Foreign Secretary [Shringia] met Wendy Sherman for substantive discussions on advancing the India-US Strategic Partnership across sectors including healthcare, defense and security, trade and investment, climate change, clean energy and people to people ties," Bagchi said in another message via Twitter. Sherman is scheduled to speak on the United States' Indo-Pacific policy at the University of Southern California later on Thursday This material is distributed by Ghebi LLC on behalf of Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, and additional information is on file with the Department of Justice, Washington, District of Columbia.

Biinken Discusses Afghanistan Wth Saudi Foreign Minister - State Department

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - US Secretary of State Antony Biinken discussed Afghanistan developments in a telephone conversation with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said on Thursday “Secretary of State Antony Biinken spoke today with the Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud,” Price said in a readout. “The secretary and foreign minister discussed Afghanistan and other regional issues.” Biinken and bin Farhin also shared their concern over the Houthis’ latest attack on the Saudi city of Abha, which wounded at least eight civilians, the spokesperson said. "The Secretary expressed the United States' strong commitment to its longstanding strategic partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to helping Saudi Arabia defend its people and territory,” the readout said.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

On Tuesday, Blinklen announced that the US government strongly condemned the Houthi drone attack on the international airport in Abha.

Lawyer Blasts Cape Verde Court for Delaying Move of Sick Venezuela Envoy

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab’s defense team on Thursday welcomed a West African court's decision to move his site of detention due to deteriorating health from cancer, but questioned why it took almost a year to do so. Last July, authorities on Cape Verde - an island-nation off West Africa - arrested Saab during a fuel stop based on a US extradition warrant over alleged sanctions violations. Saab was on a humanitarian mission to Iran as special envoy for the Venezuelan government. "The Court itself notes that the deterioration of Alex Saab’s health is a matter of concern and needs attention. We have highlighted this from the very outset and question why it has taken the Court nearly a year to recognize this," defense counsel Jose Manuel Pinto Monteiro said in a statement. On Wednesday, a court of appeal granted a request to move the site of Saab's detention to Praia from the Island of Sal, the defense team said. In June, he added, the UN Human Rights Committee called for halting Saab's extradition proceedings and ordered that he be granted unrestricted access to specialist medical attention. This came some six months after the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice ruled similarly, the lawyer said. Cape Verde’s constitutional court is soon due to announce its decision on whether to extradite Saab to the United States. Last month, the Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Information and Press Department, NT. Lakhonin, condemned the US effort to extradite Saab, warning that it could have a "boomerang effect" and negatively impact international relations.

US Approves Initial Production of Upgraded Missile for Fighter Jets - Northrop Grumman

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - An upgraded version of the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) that was developed for the US Navy received approval for low rate initial production, the prime contractor Northrop Grumman said on Thursday. "This decision enables the start of the production to support future deployment of the AARGM-ER to the fleet and achievement of initial operating capability," Northrop Grumman said in a press release.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

The ER or extended range version of the missile is a major upgrade to the existing AARGM missile, currently in production and fielded with the US Navy today, the release said. The AARGM-ER is currently being integrated on the Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircraft as well as the Air Force F-35A, Marine Corps F-35B and Navy F-35C aircraft, the release added. The AARGM is a supersonic, air-launched guided missile compatible with US and allied strike aircraft. It is used to suppress or destroy enemy air defenses, according to the US Navy.

Some 1.2Mln Power Outages Persist in US After Hurricane Ida

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - Some 1.2 million power outages persist in the United States in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, which brought floods and other carnage to the US east coast after a weekend strike on the southeastern state of Louisiana, the US Energy Department said on Thursday. "As of 7:00 a.m. EOT on September 2, there are approximately 1.2 million storm-related outages," the Energy Department said in an update. "Approximately 920,000 customer outages remain in Louisiana due to Ida, with an additional 230,000 outages in the Northeast after remnants of Ida passed over the region." The Energy Department said the utilities have been conducting damage assessments and restoration efforts as much as the current conditions permit. "Estimated restoration times will be established once damage assessments are complete," the Energy Department said, adding that most were expected to be completed later on Thursday. Ida pummeled Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane on Sunday before turning into a tropical storm. Prior to landfall, some 95 percent of the crude oil and natural gas production on the Gulf of Mexico had been shuttered as a precaution. About 80 percent of those oil production facilities and 83 percent of the gas output fields remained shut as of 12:30 p.m. ET (16:30 GMT) on Wednesday, the Energy Department said. Among oil refineries, seven remained closed in Louisiana, accounting for about 1.7 million barrels per day of refinery capacity, or approximately 9 percent of the total US operable refining capacity. While two in Louisiana’s Baton Rouge area initiated restart on Monday, they were still operating below optimum levels. "Damage assessments are underway, but operations cannot restart until feedstock supply, power, and other essential third-party utilities are restored," the Energy Department said.

Record High 64% of Americans Say Lives Permanently Changed By 9/11 Terror Attacks - Poll

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - Nearly two-thirds of US adults say September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks permanently changed life in the United States, the highest level recorded in two decades since terrorists attacked New York and Washington, a new Gallup poll revealed on Thursday. "Twenty years after the 9/11 terror attacks, a record-high 64 percent of US adults say Americans have permanently changed the way they live because of those attacks,” a press release explaining the poll said. The results are from an August 2-17 Gallup poll, which included a series of questions relating to terrorism that were asked in the days and months following the 9/11 terror attacks and repeated in 2011 at the 10-year anniversary of the event, the release said. The data, largely collected prior to the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan and before the subsequent terror attack on US troops and civilians in at the Kabul airport, nevertheless found significantly fewer Americans than in the past believing the US is winning the war on terror, the release also said. At the 10th anniversary of 9/11,58 percent said life in the United States had permanently changed as a result of the attack. In the first few years after the attacks, percentages hovered near 50 percent, the release added. Americans also became significantly less likely to say the United States is winning the war against terror in the past decade - a new low of 28 percent in the August survey compared with 42 percent in 2011, according to the release.

Biden Says 11 People in New York, New Jersey Died in Storm Caused by Ida WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - The storm caused by weakened Hurricane Ida has resulted in at least 11 persons dead in the US states of New York and New Jersey, President Joe Biden said on Thursday. "For now, 11 people in New York, New Jersey died because of the storm,” Biden said during remarks at the White House. At the same time, according to earlier reports by NBC channel, at least 22 individuals, 8 in New York City, and 14 in the state of New Jersey were found dead following the rains and floods caused by Ida. The weakened Cyclone Ida reached New York on Wednesday and inundated some parts of the city with rain, including the subway, causing suspension of train services on some lines. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency on Wednesday night followed by a travel ban issued overnight urging all non-emergency vehicles to stay off-roads on Thursday. Hurricane Ida came ashore in south Louisiana on Sunday as a Category 4 storm, with sustained winds of up to 150 miles per hour. It weakened into a tropical storm as it made its way northeast across the US mainland.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

US Treasury Removes 3 Yugoslav \Nars Figures from Sanctions List - Notice

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - The United States removed three former Bosnian Serb military and political officials from its sanctions list, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said in a notice on Thursday. "The following deletions have been made to OFAC’s SDN [Specially Designated Nationals] List: DJOGO, Jovan,...KRAJISNIK, Momcilo,...NIKOLIC, Dragan," the notice said. Krajisnik was a former Bosnian Serb political leader who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2006 by the UN Criminal Tribunal in The Hague after he was found guilty of crimes against humanity during the Bosnian conflict. He died in September 2020. Nikolic was a former Bosnian Serb army commander who managed a detention camp of Bosniak prisoners in 1992. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison by the UN Criminal Tribunal in The Hague in 2005 after he pled guilty to engaging in murders, rape, and torture of Bosniak prisoners. He died in 2018. Djogo is a former Bosnian Serb army colonel who was associated with former Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic, who was convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity during the Bosnian war. The UN Criminal Tribunal in The Hague sentenced him to life in prison

Biden Says Admin Moving Quickly to Increase Gas Supply in Areas Hit by Hurricane Ida WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he and his administration are moving quickly to try and increase the supply and lower the cost of gasoline in parts of the US affected by Hurricane Ida over the weekend. "We’re moving already, quickly, to increase the availability of gas and easing the pressure on gas prices around the country. I’ve directed the Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granhoim, to use all of the tools at her disposal ~ including using the strategic petroleum reserve - to keep gas flowing to the pumps,” Biden said during remarks at the White House. The Department of Transportation has also been directed to renew an energy declaration that provides flexibility on the number of hours a truck driver can drive to move gasoline, food, and medical supplies, Biden added. He also said that the Environmental Protection Agency approved emergency waivers for Louisiana and Mississippi that will expand the supply of gasoline that can be sold in the two states.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

UN Concerned by Fighting in Panjshir Valley, Calls to Avoid Civilian Casualties -Spokesman

UNITED NATIONS, September 2 (Sputnik) - The United Nations is gravely concerned about the ongoing fighting in Panjshir valley in Afghanistan and calls to avoid civilian casualties, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing on Thursday. "Any continued fighting is of great concern to us, making humanitarian situation that's difficult even worse... it increases the issues of access for us,” Dujarric said. “I think the message is that it's very important... for the parties to avoid targeting civilians, avoiding civilian casualties, as well as the destruction of civilian infrastructure.” Panjshir, located northeast of Kabul, remains the only Afghan province that has not fallen to the Taliban.

Biden Authorizes Surveillance Drone Use to Assess Infrastructure Damage By Hurricane Ida

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he has authorized the use of surveillance drones to assess the magnitude of damage to energy infrastructure in the US states affected by Hurricane Ida. "To minimize the amount of time it will take to get the power back to everyone. I've directed the Federal Aviation Commission to authorize the use of surveillance drones to assess Ida’s damage to energy infrastructure, while ensuring those slides did not disrupt aerial search and rescue missions,” Biden said during a speech on post-hurricane recovery efforts. Biden said he also asked the departments of Defense Homeland Security and Energy to provide satellite imagery to help assess the damage. Hurricane Ida made landfall on Sunday as a Category 4 storm with winds of 150 miles per hour that pummeled the states of Louisiana and Mississippi and ended up dumping torrents of rain on the US east coast. At least six people have been reported dead while more than 1 million residents of Louisiana and Mississippi still remain without power.

UN Air Service Resumes Humanitarian Flights in Afghanistan - Spokesman

UNITED NATIONS, September 2 (Sputnik) - The United Nations is resuming humanitarian flights to Afghanistan to provide assistance to the vulnerable population after the Taliban movement’s (banned in Russia) takeover, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

"In Afghanistan, the UN humanitarian air service, operated by the \Aforld Food Program, is resuming flights to enable 160 humanitarian organizations to continue their life-saving activities in Afghanistan's provinces,” Dujarric said during a press briefing. However, the UN spokesperson pointed out that the Kabul airport remains not operational for the United Nations at this time.

US Coast Guard Searches for Sunken Boats to Re-Open Mississippi River After Hurricane

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - The Coast Guard on Thursday enlisted mariners to help locate sunken boats and other obstacles on the Mississippi River in efforts to resume commercial traffic on the key US waterway. “Some key areas along the river remain closed as recovery operations continue,” the Coast Guard said in a press release. “Mariners are requested to immediately report any hazards to navigation, discrepant aids-to-navigation, or any other hazardous conditions." The appeal comes as the Coast Guard works with local officials to remove grounded and submerged vessels that pose threats to commercial traffic on the lower Mississippi. "This is a massive recovery effort and we are doing our part to ensure that the commerce that sustains our Nation can continue to flow freely and safely over our critical waterways,” Coast Guard captain-of-the-port for the Port of New Orleans said in the release. The recovery effort began with Coast Guard post-storm assessments of the Mississippi and intra-coastal waterways along the Gulf of Mexico after hurricane Ida passed through the area. Ida made landfall on Sunday as a dangerous Category 4 hurricane with winds of 150 miles per home that pummeled the states of Louisiana and Mississippi and ended up dumping torrents of rain on the US east coast. The reported death toll from the weather system has gone into the dozens.

Airplane Crashes Into Building in US State of Connecticut - Police

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - An airplane crashed into a building in Farmington, Connecticut, in the northeastern United States, local police said on Thursday. "\Ne are responding to a plane crash into a building at 111 Hyde Rd. Media can stage at the intersection of New Britain Ave and Hyde Rd for now," the Farmington Police Department said via Twitter. A video published by the NBC Connecticut news channel shows extensive fire coming from one section of the building. The police have not said whether the airplane crash caused any casualties.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

Farmington Police Department officer Tim McKenzie said the aircraft a small private airplane made by Learjet. McKenzie pointed out that the aircraft appeared to have crashed due to mechanical issues as per witnesses reports. McKenzie also said the authorities do not have an official count of the number of passengers in the airplane and would not disclose whether anyone in the aircraft died. However, he noted there has been no need to take anyone to the hospital.

Biden Asks US Government Will Ensure Texas Wbmen Have Access to Legal Abortions

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - President Joe Biden said on Thursday that he asked the federal government to take steps to ensure women in the state of Texas have access to legal abortions protected under US law. On Wednesday night, the US Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision not to block Texas' six-week abortion ban. "I am directing that Council and the Office of the White House Counsel to launch a whole-of-government effort to respond to this decision, looking specifically to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice to see what steps the Federal Government can take to ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions as protected by Roe [v. Wade]," Biden said in a press release. Roe v. Wade refers to a 1973 decision by the US Supreme Court that effectively legalized abortion throughout the United States. Biden also asked the federal government to look into what legal tools exist to protect women and providers from the impact of Texas' new law. Biden characterized the US Supreme Court’s ruling as an unprecedented assault on a woman’s constitutional rights.

US Orders 300 CT Scanners For Airport Checkpoints With $198Mln Contract - Transport Dept.

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - The US will deploy 300 CT (computed tomography) scanners purchased with a $198 million contract at airports to inspect carry-on bags, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said on Thursday. "[The equipment] provides our dedicated frontline officers with one of the best tools available to screen passenger carry-on items and also improves the passenger experience by allowing passengers to keep more items in their carry-on bags during the screening process,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a press release.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

ACT scan, also known as a CAT scan, uses X-rays and computers to create multiple cross-sectional images as opposed to the single image from conventional X-ray machines. The airport scanners apply sophisticated algorithms to detect explosives, which officers can analyze by rotating a 3-D image on three axes to identify items that pose a threat. Similar equipment is currently used to scan checked baggage, the release said. The $198 million contract will purchase more than 300 mid-size units for deployment at airports beginning in 2022, according to the release.

Death Toll Rises to 22 as New York Area Recovers From Ida’s Rains, Floods - Reports

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - The number of victims of the devastating effects of Ida hitting the US states of New York and New Jersey on Thursday has reached 22, media reported on Thursday. At least 8 people died in floodwaters in New York City, including a 2-year-old boy, while another 14 people were found dead in the state of New Jersey, the report said. In Passaic, New Jersey, one body was recovered from a vehicle that went underwater near the Passaic River, according to the town’s mayor cited by the report. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency on Wednesday night followed by a travel ban issued overnight urging all non-emergency vehicles to stay off-roads on Thursday. Ida, now reduced to cyclone level, hit New York City on Wednesday and inundated some areas with rain, including the subway, causing suspension of train services on some lines. The hurricane came ashore in south Louisiana on Sunday as a Category 4 storm, with sustained winds of up to 150 miles per hour and caused what Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards called a catastrophic collapse of the state’s electric power grid. Ida weakened into a tropical storm as it made its way northeast.

Italian Air Force to Crew 1st Manned Commercial Space Mission - Virgin Galactic

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - Billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic Corporation has teamed up with the Italian Air Force to launch its first manned, commercial research flight, it announced on Thursday. "Virgin Galactic Holdings, a vertically integrated aerospace and space travel company, today announced the manifest for the next rocket-powered test flight of SpaceShipTwo Unity from Spaceport America, which will be the first commercial, human-tended research mission for the company,” the firm said in a press release.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

The Unity 23 mission will be the 23rd flight for the VSS Unity and will carry three paying crew members from the Italian Air Force and the National Research Council. The goal of the mission is to evaluate and measure the effects of the transition from gravity to microgravity on the human body, the release said. Other payloads onboard will study the effect of the microgravity environment on a range of chemical and physical properties by testing and evaluating physiological and technological responses in sub-orbital flight, Virgin Galactic said. The crew will be commanded by Italian Air Force Colonel Walter Viliadei, a space engineer and cosmonaut and include Lieutenant Colonel Angelo Landolfi, a physician, the company said. The flight is scheduled for later this month or early October, pending technical checks and weather, it said.

At Least 14 People Dead in New York, New Jersey Flooding - Reports

NEW YORK, September 2 (Sputnik) - At least 14 people are reported dead in the US states of New York and New Jersey after the remains of Hurricane Ida hit the region as it moved north along the East Coast of the United States, media reports said on Thursday. The fatalities occurred after the remains of the hurricane, which had previously devastated the southern Gulf States of Mississippi and Louisiana, hit the northeastern region of the country with severe flooding, tornadoes and damage. NMSBC reported. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency on Wednesday night followed by a travel ban issued overnight urging all non-emergency vehicles to stay off-roads on Thursday. Ida, now reduced to cyclone level, hit New York City on Wednesday and inundated some areas with rain, including the subway, causing suspension of train services on some lines. The hurricane came ashore in south Louisiana on Sunday as a Category 4 storm, with sustained winds of up to 150 miles per hour and caused what Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards called a catastrophic collapse of the state’s electric power grid. Ida weakened into a tropical storm as it made its way northeast.

Plane Crashes Into Building in US State of Connecticut - Police

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - A plane crashed into a building in Farmington, Connecticut in the northeastern United States, local police said on Thursday. "We are responding to a plane crash into a building at 111 Hyde Rd. Media can stage at the intersection of New Britain Ave and Hyde Rd for now,” the Police said in a tweet.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

A video, published by NBC Connecticut news channel, shows extensive fire coming from one section of the structure. The police have not said whether the plane crash resulted in any victims.

Western Union Says Resuming Money Transfer Services to Afghanistan

WASHINGTON, August 2 (Sputnik) - The US financial services company Western Union is resuming money transfers to Afghanistan after suspending it on the back of the Taliban (banned in Russia) takeover of Kabul, the company said on Thursday. "Starting September 2, 2021, Western Union is pleased to announce that it is resuming its money transfer services into Afghanistan, enabling our customers from 200 countries and territories to once again send money to their loved ones in the country," Western Union said in a statement via Twitter. Western Union said that they will also offer a two-week period starting on September 3, during which there will be no transfer fee to send money to Afghanistan. However, the service to send money out of Afghanistan to another country remains suspended, it added. Money will be paid out in either US dollars or the Afghan national currency at locations mostly in the Kabul area for now, but more payout locations are reopening by the day, according to Western Union.

Western Union Says Resuming Money Transfer Services to Afghanistan

WASHINGTON, August 2 (Sputnik) - US financial services company Western Union is resuming money transfers to Afghanistan after suspending it on the back of the Taliban (banned in Russia) incursion into Kabul, the company said on Thursday. “Starting September 2, 2021, Western Union is pleased to announce that it is resuming its money transfer services into Afghanistan, enabling our customers from 200 countries and territories to once again send money to their loved ones in the country,” Western Union said in a statement posted to the official company Twitter account.

US to Provide Over $45Mln in Additional Humanitarian Assistance for Ukraine - Blinken

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - The United States is providing Ukraine with more than $45 million in additional humanitarian assistance for about 3.4 million people in need, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday. "The United States is providing more than $45 million in additional humanitarian assistance for the people of Ukraine,” Blinken said in a statement. “This assistance from the United States enables our international humanitarian partners to further support many of the estimated 3.4 million people in need in Ukraine, including those displaced by the Russia-led conflict in eastern Ukraine." The new assistance will provide for food and water, shelter, essential health care and facilitate reunification of family members separated in the ongoing conflict in the East of Ukraine, the statement said. Given this humanitarian aid package, the United States have provided Ukraine with more than $351 million in humanitarian assistance since 2014, the statement added. Relations between Russia and Ukraine as well as the West deteriorated in 2014 after the forced ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych, the launch by Kiev of a military operation in its Russian-speaking Donbas region and the Crimea referendum to rejoin Russia. Moscow has repeatedly denied its involvement in the Donbas conflict.

US to Provide Over $45Mln in Additional Humanitarian Assistance for Ukraine - Blinken WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - The United States is providing Ukraine with more than $45 million in additional humanitarian assistance for about 3.4 million people in need, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday. "The United States is providing more than $45 million in additional humanitarian assistance for the people of Ukraine,” Blinken said in a statement. “This assistance from the United States enables our international humanitarian partners to further support many of the estimated 3.4 million people in need in Ukraine, including those displaced by the Russia-led conflict in eastern Ukraine.”

US Consumer Sentiment Hits 6-Month Low as Resurgent Pandemic Undermines Recovery - Report

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - The COVID-19 delta variant interrupted the US economic recovery in August, depressing consumer spending and driving consumer confidence to the lowest level since February, Morning Consult said in a report on Thursday.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

"Morning Consult’s Index of Consumer Sentiment has fallen sharply since the beginning of July and is now at its lowest level since February 2021the report said. “Retail sales likely contracted in August for the second consecutive month. In August, the delta variant drove cases and hospitalizations up to levels not seen since January. The report cited “emerging trends” in data indicating that spending could rebound in September. Positive developments included increased COVID-19 vaccination rates, record highs in stock markets and indications that sentiment in high-income households - those earning at least $100,000 a year - began recovering in late August, the report said. Rosy forecasts for economic growth in the second half of the year typically anticipate a switch from consumer goods to spending on services in the fall, according to the report.

US Weekly Jobless Claims Stay Below Key 400,000 Mark for Fifth Week Running - Labor Dept

WASHINGTON, September 2 (Sputnik) - US jobless claims reached new lows since the start of the pandemic, coming in at 340,000 for the final week of August, the Labor Department said on Thursday. "In the week ending August 28, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 340,000, a decrease of 14,000 from the previous week's revised level,” the department said in a statement attesting to the continued labor market recovery from the pandemic. “This is the lowest level for this average since March 14, 2020 when it was 225,500.” Economists polled by US media forecast 345,000 unemployment claims for the latest week on file, putting what the department reported at just above target. Continuing claims for the week ended August 21 — reported with a one-week lag — were at 2.75 million, versus the 2.78 million reading for the week to August 14. The change brought the weekly unemployment rate down by 0.1 percent to 2.0 percent. More than a year into the COVID-19 crisis, restoring job growth remains one of the main concerns of US policymakers. The United States lost more than 21 million jobs between March and April 2020, at the height of business lockdowns forced by the coronavirus. More than 7 million of those jobs have yet to return, officials say. The US economy itself shrank 3.5 percent in 2020. This year though, growth has been quite dynamic, with a 6.5 percent rebound for the second quarter though that was still below the 8.5 percent expected by economists. The Federal Reserve thinks growth will average at 6.5 percent for all of 2021. But Chairman Jerome Powell also says it may take a while for "full employment” — defined by a monthly unemployment rate of 4.0 percent or lower — to occur. The monthly unemployment rate stood at 5.4 percent in July.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 09/03/2021 9:28:27 AM