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Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 06/15/2021 8:00:44 AM

06/14/21 Monday

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‘Summer of Winston Smith’: Car Attack Kills One, Wounds Three at Minneapolis Police Killing Vigil by Morgan Artvukhina

At a Sunday protest on behalf of a black man killed by federal police in Minneapolis earlier this month, a car plowed into the crowd, killing one woman and wounding two others. The incident comes more than a year after George Floyd’s murder in the same city and just days after the city tried to dismantle a monument to his memory. Protesters had blocked off an intersection in Minneapolis, Minnesota’s Uptown district on Sunday to draw attention to the police killing of 32-year-old Winston Smith when a speeding SUV slammed into a parked car, sending it flying into a group of demonstrators. One woman, 31-year-old Deona Erickson, died at the hospital after being slammed into a light post by the impact; three others were also hospitalized with less serious injuries, according to local media. The driver of the car was taken to the hospital as well, having reportedly attempted to flee the scene, but was held until police arrived by other protesters, who detained him. Deona Marie. She positioned her vehicle in a way that would protect other protestors in case anyone would attempt to ram into them. Unfortunately, she was struck by her vehicle when someone did that very thing. She saved lives in Uptown.

Photos from the scene showed two mangled cars, one with a frontal impact and another struck on its right side. According to Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), the struck car had been parked across the traffic lane as a barrier to protect the crowd against just such an incident occurring. One has been pronounced dead after a vehicle drove through protesters and their barricades sending 3 to the hospital. The protesters, who've been gathering in Uptown Minneapolis since the Winston Smith killing, apprehended the driver who was then arrested by police. Minneapolis Police Department spokesperson John Elder was quoted by local media as saying the department was investigating the incident and at the time had no clear motive, but noted that "the use of drugs or alcohol ... may be a contributing factor in this crash.” DJ Hooker, an organizer with Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar, told MPR that the driver’s actions seemed deliberate. “A car came at us going like 70 or 80 miles an hour,” he said. “There was one line of barriers and then a second barrier, and he sped up. He sped up. He went even faster as he approached us. You could hear it... start going even faster as he got close to us.” One protester who posted on Twitter said numerous police in riot gear responded to the scene before an ambulance did, but did not help the wounded Erickson. Street medics performed CPR and resuscitated her. Community apprehended the driver. Cops just showed up and threatened everyone with mace, arrests, and rubber bullets.

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The intersection where the protesters were gathered was adjacent to a parking garage where Winston Smith had been killed on the afternoon of June 3 by US Marshals who were part of the “North Star Fugitive Task Force.” According to a statement by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, police had a warrant for Winston on a felony firearms violation, and when they confronted him in the parking garage, they shot Winston dead. “Evidence at the scene indicates that the man fired his weapon from inside the vehicle. BCA crime scene personnel recovered a handgun as well as spent cartridge cases from inside the driver’s compartment,” the BCA statement says. Winston Boogie Smith. That's the name of the Black man murdered by Hennepin County sheriffs deputies yesterday around 2:00 PM in Uptown, Minneapolis. They murdered him and then attempted to use the media & local orgs to push their narrative; it didn't work. However, at a Thursday press conference, the woman who was with Winston at the time of the incident said not only did Winston not fire a gun at the officers - he doesn’t even have one. “She never saw a gun on Winston Smith, and she never saw a gun inside the vehicle at any time,” Racey Rodne, an attorney for the woman, said at a press conference. She was not identified, but it was noted that she had been injured during the incident by broken glass as a result of the officers’ gunshots. While body camera footage has been increasingly relied upon to verify or disprove officers’ claims about the sequence of events during violent incidents, that evidence won’t be available for this case because, according to the BCA, “the US Marshal Service currently does not allow the use of body cameras for officers serving on its North Star Fugitive Task Force. There is no squad camera footage of the incident.” In other words, it’s the Marshals’ word against hers. “We no longer have faith in just believing the narratives that the police give us. They have forfeited their right to just tell us a story,” Toshira Garraway, a Minneapolis community activist and founder of Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence, said at a June 5 press conference. “We need facts, and the fact is any video footage. And we refuse to believe that no one has any video footage after all those departments showed up yesterday.” Legacy of George Floyd Protest Continues The incident happened just hours after the city moved to clear the memorial to George Floyd, the 46-year-old black man whose May 2020 murder by MPD set off nationwide protests against racism and police brutality, about two miles from where Winston was killed. The city removed large concrete barricades protecting a memorial shrine to Floyd early on June 3, but activists had replaced the shrine before the day was out. Another fist has been placed at the south Barricade near 39th and Chicago. The city made a second attempt on June 8, but protesters rallied to haltthe demolition and the city called off their efforts. Protests have rocked Minneapolis since Smith’s death, with the occupation of the intersection outside the Uptown parking garage being just one of several protest sites. At one point, they painted the garage access road red and wrote “the blood is on your hands,” with red handprints on the pavement. When the city power-washed the mural off and the property owner painted over the mural with an LGBTQ pride rainbow akin to those commonly seen on crosswalks during the month of June, protesters then painted over the rainbow with a larger version of their original mural that said “stop the coverup.”

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@XRufio What level of rainbow-washing does this @CitvMinneapolis paint-over of the protest of Winston Smith’s murder reach? Has it been measured before? At the Sunday rally prior to the car attack, activist Toussaint Morrison said the protests would continue until Smith is exonerated. "We’re here with candles, we’re here with cameras, we’re here with the truth, we’re here with our voices, we’re here with our tears, we're here with our hearts - because this is going to be the summer of Winston Smith," Morrison said, as quoted by MPR.

UN Condemns ‘Repeated Violations’ by Tunisian Police After Week of Anti-Brutality Protests by Morgan Artvukhina

Protests in Tunis have entered their sixth day after a young man died in police custody on Tuesday following a severe beating by police that was filmed and posted on social media. The Interior Ministry has denied responsibility, but the UN and human rights groups say the police have yet to fully reform following the 2011 revolution. On Monday, the United Nations human rights office in Tunisia criticized the conduct of Tunisian police after nearly a week of protests set off by a video posted on social media of Tunis police beating a young man to death. A second video of police brutality, in which police are seen beating a naked minor, emerged soon after the first, further fanning flames of anger. Both incidents took place in the neighborhood of Sidi Hassine. The UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) said that “serious and repeated violations since the beginning of the year reveal continuing dysfunctions within the internal security services,” according to Reuters. The last week of demonstrations erupted from the capital city’s working class districts, especially Sidi Hassine and Sijoumi, two neighborhoods in the southwestern suburbs subjected to redevelopment projects that appear to amplify existing inequality. Protesters have thrown sticks, water bottles, fireworks, and other objects at police, who have responded with tear gas and the arrests of several dozen people. According to AFP, a prominent part of the demonstrations have been the mothers of other victims of police violence. The Tunisian League of Human Rights (LTDH) has also denounced violence against demonstrators, saying that Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi, who is also the country’s interior minister, is trying to “silence the voices of protest.” Mechichi denied the allegations. Tunisia’s independent High Human Rights Commission on Thursday said that incidents like those in Sidi Hassine risk undermining “confidence in the state and its institutions.” These protests follow demonstrations earlier this month sparked by an announcement that the prices of basic goods would rise. In January, larger protests erupted over similar causes - corruption, poverty, and police brutality - and more than 2,000 protesters were arrested and at least one person was killed. Mechichi

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maintained that security forces acted “professionally,” but acknowledged that inequality lay at the heart of the demonstrators’ anger. A 2018 report by a DC-based think tank found that while police reform was a major demand behind the 2011 protests that brought down President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s regime and sparked the Arab Spring protests, there have been no serious attempts at reform and “torture and other police abuse have continued with impunity.” Tunisia has also suffered the highest death rate of any African country from the COVID-19 pandemic. While it escaped the earliest phase of the pandemic, the relaxation of lockdown restrictions caused a rise in casesand now the country has seen more than 368,000 cases and 13,500 deaths, out of a population of 12 million. Health experts predict the death toll could hit 50,000 by September if the spread remains unchecked. Neoliberal economic reforms weakened Tunisia’s economy and the COVID-19 pandemic sent it into a tailspin, with gross domestic product shrinking by 8.9% in 2020 and unemployment reaching as high as 18%. In the first quarter of 2021, the economy shrank a further 3%, according to the Tunisian State Statistics Institute, while foreign debt is now 100% of the GDP, or 100 billion dinars (€30 billion). The International Monetary Fund has demanded substantial reductions in the Tunisian state budget, particularly the slashing of civil service payrolls and state subsidies on essential goods, before it will extend Tunis another budget-saving loan - its fourth in the 10 years following the regime change. The state Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), with more than a million members, is strongly resisting these cuts.

Rep. Greene Apologizes, Tours Holocaust Museum After Comparing COVID Safety Rules to Nazi Genocide by Morgan Artvukhina

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, comparisons to the Holocaust have increased, including references to both the mass death of the pandemic and the genocide, as well as between yellow Star of David badges and various safety requirements made by health authorities, driving some Jewish figures to ask that the offensive comparisons stop. Georgia Republican congresswoman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Monday apologized for comments she made last month comparing COVID-19 health safety rules and the Holocaust, claiming that she had educated herself on the Nazi genocide of the Jewish people in Europe and of other minority groups by visiting Washington DC’s Holocaust Memorial Museum. “I have made a mistake and it’s really bothered me for a couple of weeks now, and so I definitely want to own it,” Greene said Monday outside the US Capitol building. “The horrors of the Holocaust are something that some people don’t even believe happened, and some people deny but there is no comparison to the Holocaust,” she said,” and there are words that I have said remarks that I’ve made, that I know are offensive, and for that I want to apologize: antisemitism is true hate, and I saw that today at the Holocaust Museum.”

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“And I think it’s something that we should all remember and never forget. So I just wanted to come here today and say that I’m truly sorry for offending people with remarks about the Holocaust, there’s no comparison. There never ever will be.” Located next to the Smithsonian Institution museums in Washington DC, the Holocaust Museum is a separate facility, opened in 1993. It contains a trove of archival documents and artifacts, and contains replicas of various aspects of the genocide, including a boxcar used to ship Jews to concentration camps, that visitors explore as part of a narrative history of Jews in 1930s and 1940s Europe. In late May, Greene made a series of comments comparing various COVID-19 health safety rules to the Holocaust, in particular the yellow Star of David badges that Jews were required to wear in Nazi Germany and across Nazi-occupied parts of Europe beginning in 1941 in order to humiliate and socially ostracize them prior to their deportation to ghettos or concentration camps. On May 21, Greene told David Brody, the Christian Broadcasting Network’s chief political analyst, on his podcast, that US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was “mentally ill” after establishing a rule that House members must wear masks on the chamber floor if they cannot provide proof of having been vaccinated against COVID-19. “You know, we can look back at a time in history where people were told to wear a gold star. And they were definitely treated like second-class citizens, so much so that they were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany. And this is exactly the type of abuse that Nancy Pelosi is talking about,” Greene told Brody. After the American Jewish Congress lobbyist group demanded she retract her comments and apologize, Greene doubled down, telling NBC that “Any rational Jewish person didn’t like what happened in Nazi Germany, and any rational Jewish person doesn’t like what’s happening with overbearing mask mandates and overbearing vaccine policies.” That same day, May 25, Greene tweeted another comparison in which she said that a grocery store adding badges to its name tags for employees who have been fully vaccinated was like the infamous yellow “Jew” badges. “Vaccinated employees get a vaccination logo just like the Nazi’s forced Jewish people to wear a gold star,” she tweeted. “Vaccine passports & mask mandates create discrimination against unvaxxed people who trust their immune systems to a virus that is 99% survivable.” Greene’s comments aroused fury across the political spectrum. House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) called it “appalling” and “deeply troubling,” while Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) called it “evil lunacy.” Democrats prepared a formal censure for her comments. Greene isn’t the only politician to make the comparison, however, as Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) in March said that vaccine passports “smack of 1940s Nazi Germany. We must make every effort to keep America from becoming a 'show your papers society.’” In the same month, Richard Grenell, a US ambassador to Germany under the former US president, Donald Trump, tweeted a meme from the 2009 film ‘Inglourious Basterds” that compared unvaccinated people to Jews hiding from Nazis. An estimated six million Jews were murdered in the Nazi genocide, alongside another 5.5 million victims from various minorities, including Roma, Slavs, LGBTQ people, and communists.

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NSA Whistleblower Reality Winner Released From Prison Early for 'Exemplary Behavior' by Morgan Artvukhina

US National Security Agency whistleblower Reality Winner has been released from prison after serving just 2.5 years of a five-year sentence for leaking a classified report about the Russiagate investigation. "I am thrilled to announce that Reality Winner has been released from prison. She is still in custody in the residential reentry process, but we are relieved and hopeful," Winner's attorney, Alison Grinter Allen, said in a Monday statement. "Reality and her family have asked for privacy during the transition process as they work to heal the trauma of incarceration and build back the years lost. Her release is not a product of the pardon or compassionate release process, but rather the time earned from exemplary behavior while incarcerated," the statement continues. "Reality is still barred from any public statements or appearances, and any inquires can be handled through my office." In July 2020, Winner contracted the COVID-19 novel coronavirus while incarcerated at a Texas federal prison, she was judged to be "medically vulnerable" but survived the illness. Winner was sentenced to five years in a federal prison, the longest sentence ever given to someone for leaking classified documents to the press, but she served just two-and-a-half years. She was the first person charged under the Espionage Act by the Trump administration, predating its use of the 1917 law against WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange in 2019 for publishing other leaked US government files. Winner was sentenced in August 2018 after it was discovered that she was responsible for sending a classified report about an alleged Russian email phishing operation to The Intercept. When the outlet printed the documents in their original form, creases on the paper in the image revealed they had been scanned by someone with physical access the report, of whom Winner was just one of six, according to federal prosecutors. The Intercept said it did not know the identity of the documents' source, but in 2020, Intercept co-founder Glenn Greenwald acknowledged the "speed and recklessness with which that document from Winner was handled" because, according to him, the story's reporters were "eager to prove to mainstream media outlets and prominent liberals that The Intercept was willing to get on board the Russiagate train." Since Winner's sentencing, two other whistleblowers have also been imprisoned after leaking information to the Intercept: former US diplomat David Hale and former FBI officer Terry Albury.

McConnell Vows to Intervene in 2022 GOP Primaries, 'If Necessary' to Win Seats by Evan Craighead

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As the 2022 primary season draws near, the divide between establishment Republicans, such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and pro-Trump Republicans has become more clear. Despite the divide, members of the GOP will have to unite during the 2022 midterm season if they hope to retake the House of Representatives and Senate. During a Monday interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, the Senate Minority Leader stated that, "if necessary," he and his GOP allies are prepared to intervene in the upcoming Republican primaries. "There's no question that in order to win ... you have to appeal to the general election audience," McConnell proclaimed. "HI be keeping an eye on that," he added. "Hopefully we won't have to intervene, but if we do, we will." Despite voting to acquit former US President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial back in February, McConnell has maintained that he believes Trump was "practically and morally responsible" for the events that lead up to the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol. McConnell's comments were immediately panned by Trump, who was ultimately acquitted by the Senate. "The Republican Party can never again be respected or strong with political ‘leaders’ like Sen. Mitch McConnell at its helm," 45 said in a lengthy statement. "McConnell’s dedication to business as usual, status quo policies, together with his lack of political insight, wisdom, skill, and personality, has rapidly driven him from Majority Leader to Minority Leader, and it will only get worse." More recently, Trump has thrown his support behind candidates outside of the GOP establishment, such as Rep. Ted Burr (R-NC). Trump's endorsement of this US Senate candidate from North Carolina presents the risk of furthering the GOP divide, according to David Bergstein, communications director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "In North Carolina — and across the Senate map — Trump is escalating GOP primaries and making the Republican infighting even worse," Bergstein told Axios. Former NC Governor Pat McCrory, a Republican, and former Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC) are also vying for the US Senate seat in North Carolina. Amid the growing divide, other groups have pledged to step in, such as the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) - a super political action committee (PAC) aligned with McConnell and other establishment Republicans. "As has long been SLF’s policy, we reserve the right to intervene in cases where a candidate is a clear threat to lose a seat in a general election and to protect our Republican incumbents," Jack Pandol, communications director for the super PAC, said to Axios. Overall, Republicans are seeking to regain a majority in the US Senate, which would also allow McConnell to potentially reassume his position as Majority Leader. Republicans are looking to unseat Democrats in a number of states, such as New Hampshire, Georgia and Arizona.

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US House Judiciary Committee Launches Probe Into DoJ's Surveillance of Congress, Journalists by Evan Craighead

Earlier on Monday, Senate Judiciary Committee chair Dick Durbin (D-IL) and 10 Democratic senators penned a joint letter to US Attorney General Merrick Garland, demanding answers regarding recent US media reports that the US Department of Justice issued secret subpoenas for metadata on members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), chairman of the US House Judiciary Committee, announced on Monday that the congressional committee would launch a formal investigation into allegations that the US Department of Justice abused its authority and conducted illegal surveillance on members of Congress, journalists and other individuals. "Recent reports suggest that, during the Trump Administration, the Department of Justice used criminal investigations as a pretext to spy on [former US President Donald] Trump's perceived political enemies," Nadler said in a quoted statement. The House Judiciary Committee chairman asserted that even if these reports of illegal surveillance are isolated incidents, the so-called secret subpoenas "raise serious constitutional and separation of power concerns." "Congress must make it extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible, for the Department to spy on the Congress or the news media," Nadler said. "We should make it hard for prosecutors to hide behind secret gag orders for years at a time." The House Judiciary Committee's probe comes hours after Durbin, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and 10 other Democratic senators, called on AG Garland - the head of the DoJ - to provide lawmakers with documents related to the DoJ decision to acquire the communication records of several lawmakers. The joint letter cites reporting from the New York Times, which alleges that the Trump-era DoJ targeted members of Congress during a leak investigation in 2017. The DoJ reportedly subpoenaed metadata of House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) - both vocal critics of Trump. "Although prosecutors reportedly discussed ending the investigation after the metadata showed no proof of leaks, then-Attorney General William Barr apparently renewed it, including by assigning a handpicked prosecutor to oversee the investigation in February 2020," the senators said. Like the House Judiciary Committee, Democratic lawmakers in the Senate Judiciary Committee have pledged to "vigorously investigate this apparent effort to weaponize DOJ against Trump’s perceived political enemies."

FBI Agent Admits to Falsely Accusing Nanotech Research Professor of Being a Chinese Military Spy

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by Evan Craighead

Since 2018, the US Department of Justice has been pursuing a 'China Initiative' - a Trump-era program created in response to allegations of national security threats by Chinese state-affiliated entities and agents. According to DoJ data, some 80% of economic espionage prosecutions and 60% of trade secret theft cases are allegedly linked to Beijing. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent Kujtim Sadiku admitted under oath to a court in Knoxville, Tennessee, that he falsely accused Dr. Anming Hu, a former associate professor at the University of Tennessee (UT) at Knoxville, of being a spy for the Chinese military. Sadiku also admitted to falsely implicating Hu, who was born in China, as an operative for the country's military, during talks with UT officials. "It was predicated on information Anming Hu was part of another government’s talent plan," Sadiku told jurors in court last week, as reported by the Knoxville News Sentinel. The FBI agent testified in court that he began his flawed investigation into Hu - dubbed 'Operation Chelsea Dagger' - via a simple Google search, and a "rough translation" of a Chinese-language flier featuring the well-known tech professor. Per Sadiku's translation, the flier allegedly detailed that, in 2012, China's Thousand Talents Program awarded Hu a short-term contract to teach students at the Beijing University of Technology. It also allegedly said Hu had an upcoming speaking engagement in China. Hu, who began teaching in the US in 2013, recounted his first meeting with Sadiku during his testimony, calling the April 2018 experience "startling". The FBI agent was allegedly accompanied by an agent from the US Department of Energy. "They say, ‘We FBI, we need to talk to you.’ They show me a lot of documents. They ask me if I know anyone else at [UT] who is a member of the talent program," he told the court. "They said, ‘You are so smart. You should be in the Thousand Talents Program. I say, I’m not that smart." While the DoJ has been pursuing a 'China Initiative' to prosecute crimes relating to "economic espionage" by Beijing, Sadiku told the court that he had been unaware of the program prior to his Google search on Hu. Hu's trial nonetheless became part of the initiative, and reportedly comes as the first associated case to make it to court. "You wanted to find a Chinese spy in Knoxville," Phil Lomonaco, Hu's defense attorney, asked the FBI agent during cross-examination. "My job is to find spies, yes," Sadiku replied. The FBI agent later admitted that, during Operation Chelsea Dagger, he showed UT officials - Hu's bosses - a PowerPoint slide that claimed Hu was an operative for the Chinese military. "This is a false statement you put on the [PowerPoint slide], isn’t it?" asked Lomonaco. "Can you repeat the question?" Sadiku asked. "If you’re talking about the power points, I prepared those, yes." "Based on my summary translations, my reports and my outline, no, Hu wasn’t involved in the Chinese military," the FBI agent later testified. Sadiku failed to follow up with Hu's employers, however, to tell them that the information was false. Hu was subsequently stripped of his professorship at UT, where he had also been conducting nanotechnology research. Hu Accused of Three Counts of Wire Fraud and Making False Statements

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Prosecutors have accused Hu of "intentionally" attempting to defraud NASA, which sought the expert out, by failing to list his past work at the Beijing University of Technology. While Hu did leave information off the UT form in question, UT officials testified that the annual form does not require professors to disclose their ties with China, or with any country. "The argument we’ll make is ... he was involved with this Chinese university for years, and it was obvious he would have to disclose that," said federal prosecutor Matthew McKenzie. Hu argued that while he didn't list his ties to the Beijing University of Technology on the form, he did disclose his history with the school on two other UT forms, as well as during email exchanges with both UT and NASA officials. US District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee Thomas Varlan is expected to announce this week whether the prosecution has presented enough evidence to support fraud charges against Hu. It also remains possible that the assembled 12-person jury will be left to make the decision.

US to Halt Imports of Dogs From 113 Countries Amid Influx of Falsified Rabies Vaccination Forms by Evan Craighead

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 6% of all dogs imported into the US come from countries labeled "high risk" for the canine rabies virus variant, or 'dog rabies'. Those in contact with even one rabid dog are capable of spreading rabies, which is fatal to humans, pets and wildlife. The CDC announced on Monday that, beginning July 14, the US will halt imports of dogs from more than 100 countries deemed to be high risk for dog rabies. The temporary ban also applies to dogs from any country that have been in a high-risk country within the past six months. "This suspension will protect the health and safety of imported dogs by preventing importations of dogs inadequately vaccinated against rabies and will protect the public’s health against the reintroduction of dog rabies," the CDC stated on June 14. The listed countries include: Nigeria, Colombia, Brazil, Russia and China (except Hong Kong and Taiwan). Some 1.06 million dogs are imported into the US each year, according to CDC data. Exceptions for dog imports from high-risk countries will be made for those who receive the federal health agency's "advance written approval." Such approvals will be granted on a limited, case-by-case basis, and no appeals are allowed. Emily Pieracci, a veterinary medical officer at the CDC, explained to Reuters that, within the past year, "there has been a significant increase in the number of dogs that are being imported and presenting fraudulent or falsified rabies vaccination certificates." Pieracci highlighted that many of the rejected documents falsified the dog's age, as dogs under four months cannot receive the full effects of a rabies vaccine.

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"Given the impact that COVID has had on these vaccination programs around the world, we're not really sure what our rabies landscape is going to look like in the future," she added. The CDC's temporary ban on canine imports will reportedly last approximately one year.

Mexican Authorities Unearth Remains of 17 Victims Underneath Home of Suspected Serial Killer by Gaby Arancibia

Suspected serial killer Andres N. was taken into custody by law enforcement officials in Mexico in late May, after a search for a missing woman revealed that the individual had entered the suspect’s home and never left. A subsequent search of the house led to the discovery of the woman’s dismembered remains. Authorities involved in the suspected serial killer case in Mexico’s Atizapan de Zaragoza municipality have revealed that their ongoing search has unearthed the remains of some 17 individuals, many of whom are suspected to be those of missing women. Excavations have been ongoing at the Las Lomas de San Miguel home since May 17, days after the suspected killer was taken in custody and confessed to having killed multiple women over the years. To date, officials uncovered approximately 3,787 bone fragments after having dug up the home’s concrete flooring. However, investigators have stated that new findings are likely to emerge as they are currently planning to extend their search to several additional rooms that the suspect rented out on the property. Preliminary findings suggest that the discovered fragments are likely to have belonged to at least 17 individuals. Although initial reports revealed that the 72-year-old suspect admitted to having killed some 15 women, officials believe the figure could be much closer to 30 as investigators have found various items, including voter ID cards that belonged to missing women.

Aside from the identification cards, officials also found jewelry, nail polish, shoes, purses, makeup, cellphones, photographs, as well as multiple audio and video cassette tapes that were reportedly marked with names. At present, officials are carrying out additional tests on the bone fragments in order to identify the victims. The Attorney General’s Office for the State of Mexico has indicatedthat excavations would be indefinite. News of the suspect’s arrest and alleged crimes came to a shock for many locals, who once saw the individual elected years ago to serve as a representative for the neighborhood. He had also previously worked as a butcher. The alleged serial killer is currently standing trial for the death of 34-year-old Reyna Gonzalez Amador, who had been reported missing by her husband, Bruno Angel Portillo, after he failed to

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get in touch with her after she went shopping with the suspect. The trio had been known acquaintances for some time. Local media outlet e-Consulta reported in late May that the husband eventually went to the suspect’s home to question him about his wife’s whereabouts, but ultimately discovered her dead after gaining entry into the home. Citing the attorney general’s office, Sputnik Mundo previously reported that human remains had been discovered on a table inside the home. The suspect is said to be held in the Barrientos prison in Mexico’s Tlalnepantla de Baz city. Mexico, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019. Only some of the monsters’ victims, including a 12-year-old girl who was their neighbor, have been identified. The rest remain nameless. A similar case emerged in 2018 after a couple from the municipality of Ecatepec in Mexico City confessed to killing nearly two dozen women after they were discovered with a baby carriage that held human remains. The pair are currently serving life sentences for their crimes. Details of the latest findings have placed the spotlight once again on the ever-increasing high rate of femicide within Mexico. Figures provided by Statista note that some 939 femicide cases were reported. For the month of January, some 67 cases were reported in Mexico.

‘Can’t Handle Heat Either’: Netizens Mock Texas Power Grid After Public Told to Conserve Electricity by Gabv Arancibia

Texas underwent severe power outages in early February that saw over 4.5 million homes and businesses go without electricity for multiple days after three back-to-back winter storms overwhelmed the state’s power grid. The crisis prompted the death of over 100 Texans and brought to the forefront the state's lack of preparedness for severe weather. Netizens ridiculed the Texas power operator, Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), on Monday after the oversight body called on residents to reduce electricity use for the upcoming week over concerns that power supplies may fall short of demand amid scorching temperatures. A rare conservation release issued by ERCOT admitted that the state’s electrical grid is undergoing “tight grid conditions” due to a combination of forced outages for repairs and a “record” use of electricity. The operators urged Texans to set their thermostat to 78 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, turn off lights and pool pumps, as well as calling on the state's residents to avoid using large appliances, such as ovens, washing machines and dryers. Woody Rickerson, who serves as vice president of ERCOT’s grid planning and operations, remarked in a statement accompanying the release that officials would be looking into the grid setbacks. “This is unusual for this early in the summer season,” he acknowledged. ERCOT’s call came as Jason Dunn, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, Texas, announced that the state would soon experience high temperatures of 96 degrees Fahrenheit and above before undergoing a spike in August. The Lone Star state is no

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stranger to heat, as, on average, temperatures during the month of July typically stay well above 85 degrees in most of the state. Although it was noted that the number of outages were likely to decrease throughout the week as repairs to the grid are resolved, netizens were quick to offer their own take on the latest development surrounding Texas’ troubled power grid. Many took to comparing the conservation call to the power grid’s disastrous inability to function after three winter storms struck the state and left millions without heat amid below-freezing temperatures in February. In the wake of grid failures, officials resigned and lawsuits were filed after utility bills skyrocketed. Netizens quickly piled on US Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), who infamously took a trip down to the tourist hub of Cancun, Mexico, while millions were still without power and at least 30 Texans had died as a result of the frigid weather. Others shed light on the state leadership's constant focus on funds for a US-Mexico border wall and pro-life legislation, while pinpointing Texas’ need to join the national power grid. The state has for years refused to join interstate electrical grids in an effort to avoid federal energy regulation. Energy shortfalls in the state come after Republican Governor Greg Abbott declared that “everything that needed to be done was done to fix the power grid.” The latest also follows a report by the nonprofit North American Electric Reliability Corporation warning that Texas is at an “elevated risk” of energy shortfalls during the summer.

Video: Massive Sinkhole in Mexico’s Puebla State Devours Majority of Nearby Home by Gaby Arancibia

A massive sinkhole measuring several hundred feet across first appeared in the town of Zacatepec, in Mexico’s Puebla state, in late May, prompting authorities to create a barrier to ensure a safe distance is kept from the site. To date, the sinkhole has not caused any fatalities. The Zacatepec sinkhole has officially consumed the majority of a home located a few dozen feet away from its perimeter, photos and video recently taken at the site has confirmed. Footage taken by local outlets shows that the sinkhole has continued to grow over the last several weeks, and has swallowed nearly all of a home that was initially situated along the crater's edge. The Mexico Daily News reported that only one bedroom and part of the home’s outer wall remained after the Friday night collapse took place. Heriberto Sanchez, whose family formerly lived in the home, told the outlet that the sinkhole has left the family with “nothing”, and in a tough situation, as they’re originally from Mexico’s port city of Veracruz. “We’re not from here,” he said. “We have no relatives. We’re alone.”

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There is light at the end of the tunnel for the family, however, as Puebla Governor Miguel Barbosa indicated that local officials would donate land and build the family a new home. It’s unclear where they have been temporarily relocated. The latest development came a day after rescuers were able to successfully remove two dogs that became trapped on a ledge some 50 feet inside the massive water-filled sinkhole. The dogs, named Spike and Spay, had been on the ledge for about three days. Estimates put the sinkhole at over 400 feet across, at some parts, and nearly 150 deep. Officials are unsure what prompted the sinkhole to emerge, but speculation has suggested that it was probably caused by a combination of the cultivation of farmlands and the extraction of groundwater. In related news, officials recently detected the emergence of a sinkhole some 40 feet in diameter near the popular Australian town of Robe. Local officials have indicated that the sinkhole is the result of coastal erosion brought on by rough seas and heavy rain.

US House Panel to Probe Reports Justice Dept. Spied on Trump's Political Enemies

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - The US House Judiciary Committee will investigate the Trump administration's alleged efforts to spy on political enemies in the media and in Congress while investigating leaks of classified information to the press, Chairman Jerry Nadler said in a press release. "The House Judiciary Committee will investigate the Trump Administration’s surveillance of Members of Congress, the news media, and others," Nadler said on Monday. "I have instructed my staff to begin that work without delay." Nadler said the Trump Justice Department used criminal investigations as a pretext to spy on the former president's perceived political enemies. The US Congress must make it extraordinarily difficult for the Justice Department to spy on lawmakers or the news media, Nadler said. Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that the Justice Department under the administrations of former President Donald Trump and his successor, Joe Biden, tried to obtain logs of its reporters as part of such probes to find out their sources, while also imposing a gag order on the newspaper in order to prevent it from reporting on the investigation. The Justice Department reportedly managed to obtain three-and-a-half months' worth of phone records from NYT journalists Matt Apuzzo, Adam Goldman, Eric Lichtblau and Michael S. Schmidt. Last month, Biden's Department of Justice revealed government seizures of phone records from The Washington Post's journalists and a CNN reporter during the Trump presidency.

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Paul Whelan Asks Biden to Bring Him Home in US - Audio Recording

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - Former US marine Paul Whelan, who is serving a 16-year prison sentence in Russia for espionage, issued an audio message released by the Whelan family in which he asks President Joe Biden to intervene and get him back to the United States. "President Biden, after 30 months of being wrongly detained by the Russian government, which is twice as long as American citizens were held hostage in Tehran, I implore you to bring this appalling case of hostage diplomacy to an end... Please bring me home to my family, and my dog Flora, where I belong," Whelan said in the audio message on Monday. Whelan said he is innocent and claimed that no crime of espionage occurred. His brother, David, said their parents recorded the statement on May 30. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with NBC on Monday that he would consider a prisoner exchange with the United States as there are more Russians in US prisons than Americans in Russian prisons. Whelan is also a citizen of Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom, has insisted that he came to Russia for a friend's wedding. Court papers have revealed that he has frequented Russia since 2007.

Texas Electric Grid Operator Sees High Number of Outages, Residents Urged to Save Power

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is experiencing unusually high power outages at several of its plants early in the summer season, ERCOT Vice President of Grid Planning and Operations Wtoody Rickerson said in a press release. "\Ne will be conducting a thorough analysis with generation owners to determine why so many units are out of service,” Rickerson said on Monday. “This is unusual for this early in the summer season.” The release said about 11,000 megawatts of power that is offline is due to forced outage for repairs and about 8,000 megawatts of power that is out comes from thermal power sources. The number of outages in Texas is expected to decrease throughout the week, the release said. The state power regulator is asking Texans to reduce as much electric use as possible until Friday, the release said. ERCOT faced backlash in February when the state's electric grid went down for multiple days during a severe winter storm.

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Paul Whelan Asks Biden to Bring Him Home in US - Audio Recording

Palestinian-lsraeli Tensions Rising Again in Jerusalem - UN Special Envoy

NEW YORK, June 14 (Sputnik) - Tensions are rising again in Jerusalem threatening a new round of sectarian clashes between Israeli Jews and Palestinians, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wsnnesland said. "Tensions rising again in Jerusalem at a very fragile and sensitive security and political time, when the United Nations and Egypt are actively engaged in solidifying the ceasefire,” Wbnnesland said via Twitter on Monday. Wennesland called for all sides to act in a responsible manner and to avoid any activities that might be seen as provocative. “[I] urge all relevant parties to act responsibly and avoid any provocations that could lead to another round of confrontation," he added in his message. Right wing nationalist Israelis opposed to the creation of the new center-right collation government under Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid have announced a march in and around the historic Old City of Jerusalem on Tuesday and Palestinian groups have called for a "Day of Rage" in Gaza and the West Bank to counter it. The Islamic Resistance Movement that runs Gaza - also known as Hamas - and was engaged in an 11-day conflict with Israel last month has also threatened to renew violence if the march goes ahead.

Canada to Allow Indigenous Names on Government-Issued Documents - Statement

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - Ottawa will soon allow indigenous Canadians to use their traditional names on official government-issued documents, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said.

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The announcement comes as the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau engages in damage control following the discovery of the remains of 215 children on the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. "Traditional names are deeply connected to Indigenous languages and cultures, and an individuals’ identity and dignity. This change means that Indigenous peoples can proudly reclaim their name, dismantling the legacy of colonialism and reflecting their true identity to the world,” Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marco Mendicino said in the statement on Monday. The push to have traditional names included on passports was one of the recommendations of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission report released in 2015.

Bout’s Defense Hopes Biden Accepts Judge’s Opinion on Swap in Talks With Putin

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - Russian citizen Viktor Bout’s defense team hopes President Joe Biden considers the opinion of a US federal judge who believes their client should be included in a prisoner swap. "We are grateful to Judge [Shira] Scheindlin for her willingness to make it clear to the world that Viktor Bout has been in jail for far too long," Steve Zissou, who leads the attorney group representing Bout’s interests in the US, told Sputnik. "She presided at Viktor’s trial and heard all the evidence in the case. We are hopeful that her belief that the 13 years he has been in jail, thousands of miles away from his family, is more than enough punishment and will be heard by President Biden and considered when he meets with President Putin." Earlier, Scheindlin, who sentenced Bout to 25 years in prison, said she supported the idea of exchanging him for Paul Whelan, Zissou's firm said in a release quoted by CNN. The US and Russian leaders will hold their first meeting since Biden took office on June 16 in Geneva. In an interview with NBC aired on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that he is open to making a deal on exchanging prisoners. Whelan, arrested in December 2018, is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence for espionage per a Moscow court's verdict delivered last June.

US Judge Who Sentenced Bout Says It Would Make Sense to Swap Him for Whelan - CNN

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - The US judge who sentenced Russian national Victor Bout to 25 years said it would make sense to exchange him for someone like American Paul Whelan, CNN reported.

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The judge, who sentenced Bout back in 2012, has intervened into the matter and pointed out that the Russian national has been in prison for a long time already and hence it would make sense to exchange him, the report said on Monday. Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview to NBC said he was ready to consider an exchange of prisoners with the United States.

SPUTNIK TOP STORIES OF THE DAY WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) -

PUTIN INTERVIEW WITH NBC NEWS * Russia was not behind the recent cyberattacks on US companies and the United States’ intelligence is capable enough to find out who stood behind the hacks, Putin said in an interview with NBC. * Putin said that he did not see any threats coming from Russia’s neighbor China. * Russia always welcomes an offer to meet for a discussion, even if it follows harsh rhetoric, as it shows a desire to work together on issues of common importance, and reiterated Moscow’s commitment to work jointly with Washington on the New START treaty, Putin said. * Putin denied that Russia was planning to sell Iran advanced satellite systems, calling it "fake news" and "nonsense" aimed at hindering military cooperation with Tehran. * Putin said he would consider a prisoner exchange with the United States as there are more Russians in US prisons than Americans in Russian prisons. * Russia supports the African Americans' fight for their rights, but opposes the extreme forms of this struggle, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with NBC. * Putin said that it was the Ryanair pilot's decision to land the airplane in Belarus, adding that the United States grounded the Bolivian president's airplane in 2013believing whistleblower Edward Snowden was onboard.

BIDEN-ERDOGAN MEETING * US President Joe Biden told reporters on Monday that he had a very good bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels.

NEW GOVERNMENT IN ISRAEL * The United Nations is hopeful Israel under the new administration will deal with the Palestinians in good faith, UN spokesman Farhan Haq said in a press briefing on Monday. * Mohammad Shtayyeh, the Palestinian Authority's prime minister, said on Monday that he did not view the new Israeli government sworn in on Sunday as any better than the previous one. * Iran does not expect Israel to change its policy under the new administration, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said.

NATO SUMMIT IN BRUSSELS

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* The leaders of the NATO member states are urging China to act in line with its international pledges in the fields of space, cyber, and the maritime sphere, according to a joint communique issued on Monday after the alliance’s summit in Brussels. * NATO is open to a political dialogue with Russia but remains "clear-eyed” about the challenges Moscow allegedly poses, the communique said. * Russia’s proposal for a moratorium on the deployment of new intermediate-range missiles in Europe was "not credible and not acceptable,” the communique said. * NATO adopted a new strategic concept for the next decade, which was developed under the leadership of Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the communique said. * The NATO countries have to address the challenge of China's growing influence in spite of their trade and economic connections with Beijing, Stoltenberg said. * The NATO’s leaders have appreciated consultations with US President Joe Biden before his upcoming meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Stoltenberg said.

RYNAIR INCIDENT IN BELARUS * Belarus is interested in finding those who send the message about a bomb that caused the Ryanair flight to land in Minsk in May and is ready to cooperate with other countries, the chairman of the Belarusian Investigative committee, Dmitry Gora, said on Monday. * Minsk has yet to receive any response from Poland and Ireland regarding its requests for objective control data related to the Ryanair aircraft emergency landing, Belarusian Transport Ministry Aviation Department head Artem Sikorsky said.

Biden Calls Putin Bright, Tough, Worthy Adversary

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden said on Monday that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is a bright, tough and worthy adversary. "He's bright, he's tough and I have found that he is... a worthy adversary," Biden said during a press conference in Brussels when asked about his upcoming meeting with Putin on Wednesday. Biden said he will convey to Putin during the June 16 bilateral summit in Geneva that there are areas the United States and Russia can cooperate "if he chooses" to do so. The two leaders are expected to discuss a range of issues related to arms control and strategic security. The US president said he will also convey to Putin that V\feshington is not seeking a conflict with Moscow, but will respond to harmful activities. Overall, Biden said the NATO summit in Brussels was productive.

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Canadian Military's Second-in-Command Steps Down After Golf Outing with Disgraced General

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - The Canadian military’s number two officer Mike Rouleau resigned on Monday after media reported of a golf outing with disgraced former Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance. The Canadian military sex scandal was reignited over the weekend after multiple outlets reported that Vice Chief of the Defence Staff It. Gen. Mike Rouleau and Royal Canadian Navy’s Commander Vice-Admiral Craig Baines partook in a game of golf with Vance, who is under investigation after misconduct allegations were leveled against them. "As a result of the incident, I am stepping aside immediately as [Vice Chief of the Defence Staff],” Rouleau said in a statement, adding that he is entering the Canadian military's civilian transition program. Maj. Gen. Blaise Frawley, the Royal Canadian Air Force’s deputy commander will replace Rouleau on an interim basis, with Lt. Gen. Frances Allen expected to become the country’s first female Vice Chief of the Defence Staff in the near future. Rouleau explained that the outing served as a way to check on the former top soldier’s “wellness” and asked to take sole responsibility for the transgression, noting that Baines’ attendance was conditional on his. The now-former second-in-command’s outing touched off a political storm as Rouleau holds oversight authority over the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service, which is investigating Vance. Rouleau emphasized that the two did not discuss the ongoing investigation, however, this explanation has not quelled the criticism. Former service members called the incident is another instance of the ‘old boys’ club’ in action and a member of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet called the revelation “appalling.” Rouleau becomes the latest senior military to step down from his post in relation to the ongoing military sexual misconduct scandal, after Vance’s replacement, Adm. Art McDonald, was forced to temporarily step aside in February and the government's vaccine distribution czar, Maj. Gen. Dany Fortin resigned from his role in May. The political firestorm forced the government to launch an independent review of sexual misconduct in the Canadian military, the second such probe in five years. Trudeau and members of his cabinet, most notably Minister of National Defense Harjit Sajjan, have faced intense backlash for not responding to the allegations earlier and failing to combat, what has been described as a toxic culture within the Canadian Armed Forces.

RPT - Biden Says Ukraine Must Clean Up Corruption, Meet Other Criteria to Join NATO

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - Ukraine must resolve the problem of corruption and meet other criteria before it can be considered for the membership in NATO and the United States will not exclusively decide whether to admit the country to the alliance, US President Joe Biden said on Monday.

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"They [Ukraine] still have to clean up corruption. The fact is they have to meet other criteria to get into the action plan [to enter NATO]," Biden told reporters after the first day of the NATO summit. "In the meantime, we will do all that we can to put Ukraine in a position to be able to continue to resist Russian physical aggression, and it will not just depend on me whether or not we conclude that, that Ukraine can become part of NATO. It will depend on the alliance and how they vote."

Successful Biden-Putin Summit May Lead to Whelan's Release - Brother

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - Asuccessful summit between Russian and US Presidents later this week may lead to the release of former US marine Paul Whelan from Russian prison, where he jailed on espionage charges, his brother David Whelan told Sputnik on Monday. Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with NBC on Monday said he would consider a prisoner exchange with the United States as there are more Russians in US prisons than Americans in Russian prisons. “If the summit is successful, it could lay the groundwork for Paul to eventually be freed,” David Whelan said. He added he would be surprised if US and Russian leaders specifically discuss his brother’s case during their summit in Geneva. "But the White House has said President [Joe] Biden will discuss humanitarian concerns and perhaps arbitrary detentions,” he added. Paul Whelan, who was arrested in December 2018, is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence for espionage per a Moscow court's verdict delivered last June. The convict, who is also a citizen of Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom, has maintained he is innocent and insisted that he came to Russia for a friend’s wedding. Court papers have revealed that he has frequented Russia since 2007.

Biden Says Navalny’s Death Wsuld Hurt Russia’s Relationship With World, Him Personally

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden warned on Monday that Russia risks hurting its relations with the rest of the world and with him personally if opposition activist Alexey Navalny dies in prison. "Navalny’s death would be another indication that Russia has little or no intention of abiding by basic fundamental human rights. It would be a tragedy. It would do nothing but hurt... the relationship with the rest of the world in my view and with me," Biden said at a press conference after the NATO summit in Brussels.

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Navalny was arrested in January upon his arrival in Russia from Germany, where he received medical treatment for an alleged poisoning. A Moscow court rescinded Navalny's suspended sentence in the 2014 Yves Rocher fraud case over multiple probation breaches and sentenced him to two-and-a-half years in prison. Biden will with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva on Wednesday and, according to the White House, has every intention to raise the issue of human rights in Russia.

Biden Vows to Ensure Ukraine's Ability to 'Maintain Physical Security'

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden vowed on Monday to ensure Ukraine’s ability to keep its "physical security" irrespective of the country’s prospects to join NATO. "We are going to put Ukraine in a position to be able to maintain their physical security," Biden said at a press conference following the NATO summit in Brussels. He was asked by a reporter if an alleged Russian presence in "parts of Ukraine" effectively rules out the country ever entering NATO. "The answer is no," Biden replied. He added that the prospects depend on Ukraine’s ability to meet NATO membership criteria. Ukraine seeks to reclaim Crimea which rejoined Russia following the referendum in 2014 and accuses Russia of deploying its troops in Donbas. Russia denies any military involvement in the conflict in Ukraine’s eastern regions.

Biden Says Ukraine Must Clean Up Corruption, Meet Other Criteria to Join NATO

WASHINGTON, June 16 (Sputnik) - Ukraine must resolve the problem of corruption and meet other criteria before it can be considered for the membership in NATO and the United States will not exclusively decide whether to admit the country to the alliance, US President Joe Biden said on Monday. "They [Ukraine] still have to clean up corruption. The fact is they have to meet other criteria to get into the action plan [to enter NATO]," Biden told reporters after the first day of the NATO summit. "In the meantime, we will do all that we can to put Ukraine in a position to be able to continue to resist Russian physical aggression, and it will not just depend on me whether or not we conclude that, that Ukraine can become part of NATO. It will depend on the alliance and how they vote."

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Lawyers for Huawei CFO Meng, Canadian Government Spar Over Publication of HSBC Documents

TORONTO, June 14 (Sputnik) ~ Lawyers for Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou and the Attorney General of Canada (AGC), which represents the United States in its bid to extradite the executive, sparred in court on Monday over the publication of HSBC documents from Hong Kong. In April, the High Court of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ordered HSBC, which Meng is alleged by the US Justice Department to have defrauded, to release additional documents to the executive’s defense team and to Canadian government prosecutors representing the AGC and the US. Meng’s legal team, which applied for a publication ban on the documents last week, maintains the gag order is necessary to protect commercial secrets and encourage HSBC to participate in the legal process. In a live transmission of court proceedings for accredited reported on Monday, defense attorney Tony Paisana argued before British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Heather Holmes that the Hong Kong court authorized the release of the documents into the possession of the parties involved and that they were not intended for publication. However, government prosecutor John Gibb-Carsley told Holmes that the court in Hong Kong instructed the sides to keep the details out of the public eye if it met the legal threshold in the jurisdiction where the proceedings are being held. The attorney argued that the legal threshold has not been met. "There is no evidence of any positive benefit to banning publication that could outweigh the negative impact on freedom of expression and the administration of justice,” the prosecutors also said in the written response to Meng’s application. The public, through the media, has the right to know the facts of the case, Gibb-Carsley emphasized. The next hearing is scheduled for June 29. Meng, the daughter of Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei, was arrested on December 1, 2018, at the Vancouver International Airport during a layover stop at the request of the US government. She is wanted by US authorities for her alleged role in violating sanctions against Iran. The Justice Department alleges that Meng committed financial transgressions by misleading multinational financial conglomerate, HSBC, into approving more than $100 million in transactions that contravened US sanctions on Iran from 2010 to 2014. Meng remains under house arrest in Vancouver, although is free to traverse the region in the company of state-imposed guards outside of her 11:00 p.m to 6:00 a.m. curfew.

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Biden Calls Putin Bright, Tough, Worthy Adversary

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden said on Monday that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is a bright and tough as well as is a worthy adversary. "He's bright, he's tough and I have found that he is... a worthy adversary," Biden said during a press conference in Brussels when asked about his upcoming meeting with Putin on Wednesday.

ANALYSIS - Any Putin-Biden Thaw Unlikely to Impact Russia’s Partnership With China

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - President Joe Biden will fail to parlay any progress made with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva toward dampening Moscow’s cooperation with Beijing, analysts told Sputnik. In a wide ranging interview with NBC aired on Monday, Putin accused Washington of trying to "destroy" Russia’s partnership with China. He also said Moscow’s relationship with Beijing is "unprecedentedly high" and one both sides cherish. The interview comes ahead of Wednesday’s high-profile summit in Geneva, where the US and Russian leaders are expected to have frank conversations on a slew of contentious issues ranging from Ukraine to cybersecurity. However, at the same time, both sides have recently signaled a desire to normalize relations. Not to mention, the summit setting - an 18th-century villa where the First Geneva Convention (1864) was held - is one many believe could foster an atmosphere of compromise. SEEKING NEUTRALITY IN SWITZERLAND Rapprochement between the two superpowers will be a daunting task given the bilateral relationship has hit an all-time low, a reality underscored by Putin during the same interview with NBC. And there is plenty of skepticism around Biden's ability to negotiate reasonably given the anti-Russian sentiment among his inner circle and the political establishment in V\feshington. That said, some experts believe because Washington’s number one priority is to contain China at all costs, trying to mend relations with Moscow may be a necessity. "Biden is beginning to understand that containing China without Russia’s neutrality is impossible and that both history and domestic politics won’t be kind to him if he fails to accomplish it," San Francisco State University Professor Andrei Tsygankov told Sputnik. Tsygankov said China’s increasingly alliance-like relations with Moscow is one of two power-based incentives behind the Biden administration’s bid to improve relations with Russia. The other incentive, Tsygankov added, is recognition that Russia possesses sufficient capabilities to inflict major harm on the United States and that the Kremlin has the will to act on its power if Russia’s core interests are not respected. According to University of Pittsburgh Professor of International Affairs Michael Brenner, Biden clearly sees Geneva as a crucial step for tempering the hostility that has marked the

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relationship. The US is calculating that recent gestures - like lifting Nord Stream 2-related sanctions - can "mollify" Russian antagonism toward the West, he added. "That, in turn, \Afeshington hopes, could cool its [Moscow's] enthusiasm for the strategic partnership with Beijing - making it easier for the US to concentrate on its struggle for global supremacy with China while weakening the latter’s hand," Brenner told Sputnik. "However, this ploy is doomed to failure." The United States, Brenner warned, cannot undue the cumulative effects of nearly 30 years of disparagement and ten years of punitive actions accompanied by batteries of insults in a single meeting. "Russia's intensifying partnership with China is now a fait accompli," Brenner said. "That historic development creates a whole new constellation of global forces that alters the balance in the contest between the US and China." DIPLOMATIC THAW The growing tensions have significantly disrupted diplomatic operations in both Russia and the United States. In March - after a barrage of US sanctions, insults and allegations - Moscow invited Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov back home just weeks before Biden’s ambassador to Russia returned to \Afeshington. However, in the run up to the Putin-Biden talks small positive steps have been taken and overtures exchanged. The State Department confirmed last week that it expects US ambassador to Russia John Sullivan to return in the coming weeks. Tsygankov said that while progress on the diplomatic front is indeed possible no one should expect major breakthroughs like returning properties that have been seized over the years. "Some steps to normalization will be if both sides’ ambassadors return to their duties, some visa restrictions are removed, and staffing levels are increased," Tsygankov said. However, Los Alamos Working Group Executive Director Greg Meilo warned that even loosening visa restrictions will not come easily. The main problem is that Biden is badly confined by the rhetoric of his own Democratic Party, Mello told Sputnik, which wants to see the US president take a confrontational approach with Putin. CYBERSECURITY, ARMS CONTROL Both the US and Russia have pointed to strategic stability and arms control as areas for possible constructive dialogue. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov specifically said they hope to hear Biden’s reaction to Putin’s proposal on cybersecurity cooperation. Tsygankov, however, thinks significant progress on cybersecurity is unlikely because the sides’ positions are too different, with Russia wanting a pact on non-interference in domestic affairs, which the United States still views as interference with a free Internet. "In terms of relative power, neither side is ready for concessions," Tsygankov said. "There is an approximation of mutual deterrence with respect to potential attacks on critically important infrastructure." Tsygankov did suggest that a working group could be established to look for ways to address what both sides view as cyber-crimes and violations of their political space. On the arms control front, Tsygankov said some progress could be made but expectations should be limited. "Assuming the summit goes well from both sides’ perspective, one can expect the establishment of working groups on various dimensions of strategic stability - middle- and long-range nukes,

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non-nuclear strategic weapons, limits on the militarization of the outer space and Arctic, and others," Tsygankov said. However, mulling a broad treaty is at best premature, he added, because neither side is ready, not to mention the looming question of China’s participation. "It’s not even clear if such a treaty is possible or necessary given that the international political environment is so different from the Cold \Afer," Tsygankov said. "Instead of a new Cold \Nar as an ideological and largely symmetrical global confrontation, we have a series of overlapping and asymmetric great power rivalries with multiple actors involved."

Biden Says Will Make Clear to Putin That There Are Areas of Cooperation 'If He Chooses’ WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden said on Monday he will convey to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting this week that there are areas the United States and Russia can cooperate "if he chooses" to do so. "I'm going to make clear to President Putin that there are areas that we can cooperate if he chooses," Biden said during a press conference in Brussels. Putin and Biden will hold a bilateral meeting in Geneva on Wednesday to discuss a range of issues related to arms control and strategic security.

UN Rights Experts 'Extremely Alarmed' by Alleged Organ Harvesting in China - OHCHR

UNITED NATIONS, June 14 (Sputnik) - UN human rights experts on Monday expressed alarm at alleged forced organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners and other detained minorities, such as the ethnic Uighurs, in China, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a statement. "UN human rights experts said today they were extremely alarmed by reports of alleged 'organ harvesting' targeting minorities, including Falun Gong practitioners, Uyghurs, Tibetans, Muslims and Christians, in detention in China," the statement said. The experts, the release said, had credible information that minority groups in detention are forced to undergo organ x-rays and blood tests, while other prisoners are not subjected to such examinations. The results are reportedly registered in a database with information on alive organs donors. "The most common organs removed from the prisoners are reportedly hearts, kidneys, livers, corneas and, less commonly, parts of livers," the experts said in the statement. According to them, procedures of organ removal are facilitated by health professionals, such as surgeons, anesthetists, and other experts.

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When in 2006 and 2007 the United Nations requested China to provide information on organ donations, the responses lacked data on the sources of organs and waiting time for allocation. To this date, this information still remains inaccessible, while families of the deceased prisoners are prevented from claiming their bodies, the experts said. In 2006, China was first accused of systematic organ harvesting, including from the persecuted Falun Gong religious movement's members. The same year, two Canadian lawyers, David Kilgour and David Matas, issued a report based on their investigation into allegations of organ harvesting for Falun Gong practitioners in the People’s Republic. Although the authors were denied Chinese visas, they compiled information estimating that the sources for 41,000 organ transplants from 2000 to 2005 were unexplained and that Falun Gong prisoners of conscience were the most probable source.

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden said on Monday that NATO leaders agreed to endorse a new cyber defense strategy. "\Ne also endorsed a new cyberdefense policy, NATO’s first in the past seven years, to improve the collective ability to defend against counter threats from state and non-state actors against our networks and critical infrastructure," Biden said during a press conference in Brussels.

Biden Plans to Tell Putin US Not Looking for Conflict, But Will Respond to Harmful Acts

* WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden told reporters on Monday that he will tell Russian President Vladimir Putin that Washington is not seeking a conflict with Moscow, however, will respond to harmful activities. "I shared with our allies what i will convey to Putin - that I am not looking for conflict with Russia but we will respond if Russia continues its harmful activities and that we will not fail to defend the transatlantic alliance. \Ne stand up for democratic values," Biden said.

Biden Says Russia, China Seeking to Drive Wedge in Transatlantic Solidarity

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden told reporters in Brussels on Monday that Moscow and Beijing are trying to break up transatlantic solidarity.

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"Russia and China are both seeking to drive a wedge in our transatlantic solidarity," Biden said.

Biden After Meeting With Erdogan Says He's Confident US Will Make Progress With Turkey

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden after a bilateral meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Monday stressed that he is sure that Washington and Ankara will make real progress. "I am confident we'll make real progress with Turkey and the United States," Biden said.

Chemical Plant in US State of Illinois on Fire, Mandatory Evacuation Ordered

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - A mandatory evacuation from the area near the Lubrizol Corporation’s Chemtool Facility in Rockton, Illinois has been ordered on Monday after a major fire broke out at around early on Monday, the company said in a statement. "At approximately 7 a.m. today, local emergency personnel responded to a fire at the Lubrizol Corporation’s Chemtool Facility in Rockton, III.," the statement said on Monday. "As a precaution, authorities have evacuated residents in a one-mile radius of the site." The company is working with authorities to determine the cause of the incident while local broadcaster WREX reported it will take several days before the fire is completely extinguished. Rockton Fire Chief Kirk Wilson, cited by WREX, said the fire does not pose an immediate danger to the community around the plant. All 70 employees were able to safely evacuate before the fire consumed the building, Wilson also said. According to the company’s website, Chemtool Incorporated is one of the largest manufacturers of grease and functional fluids in the world with its headquarters in Rockton.

US National Security Official Who Leaked Russia Report Released from Prison - Lawyer

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - Reality Winner, an Air Force veteran and former US government contractor who pleaded guilty to sending National Security Agency material to a news outlet, has been released from prison, her lawyer, Alison Grinter Allen, announced on Monday.

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"I am thrilled to announce that Reality Winner has been released from prison. She is still in custody in the residential reentry process, but we are relieved and hopeful,” Allen said. Winner, who held a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented (SCI) security clearance, worked for an NSA contractor after her time in the Air Force. She was sentenced to more than five years in prison in 2018 for leaking an intelligence report about Russian interference in the 2016 US election to The Intercept news organization. Allen noted that Winner’s early release was for exemplary behavior while incarcerated.

Seven in 10 Canadians Oppose Sharing Vaccines Until National Program Complete - Poll

TORONTO, June 14 (Sputnik) - More than two-thirds of Canadians oppose Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s promise at the Group of Seven (G7) summit to donate 13 million doses of surplus coronavirus vaccines to other nations until everyone in Canada is inoculated, a poll said on Monday. "Nearly three-quarters of Canadians (72 percent) are of the opinion that until all willing residents 12 years of age and older have received their jabs, the country should focus its efforts at home rather than abroad," the poll conducted by the Angus Reid Institute (ARI) found. Just over half of Canadians, or 54 percent, have some level of concern about becoming sick with COVID-19 which is the lowest mark since June 2020 and less than one-in-five, 18 percent remained very concerned, the poll found. "Fifty one percent say that the [Canadian] federal government has done a good job of securing COVID-19 doses. But politics deeply colors opinion: seven-in-ten past CPC [Conservative Party of Canada] voters disagree, while at least 62 per cent of all other federal party voters agree," ARI said. Younger Canadians between the ages of 18 and 34 are slightly more likely to say the time has come to start sharing vaccines with the developing world, but that figure was still Only 25 percent within the age group, the poll said.

Biden Says Had 'Very Good Meeting' Wth Turkey's Erdogan

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden told reporters on Monday that he had a very good bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels. "We had a very good meeting," Biden said as quoted in a press pool report. Earlier in the day, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden was expected to raise US concerns over Turkey's acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defense system.

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UN Releases $135Mln to Fight Hunger Across Africa, Middle East - Spokesman

UNITED NATIONS, June 14 (Sputnik) - The United Nations on Monday released $135 million from its humanitarian fund to help 12 countries in Africa, the Middle East and the Americas battle hunger, UN spokesman Farhan Haq said in a press briefing. "Today, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, released $135 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund to boost humanitarian operations in 12 countries in Africa, the Americas and the Middle East,” Haq said. The decision to release the funding was prompted by the data that found last week more than 350,000 people in Ethiopia’s war-ravaged Tigray region face famine-like conditions, Haq said. The largest portions of the funding will be given to Syria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with $20 million going to each. Some $13 million will be spent to avert famine in Tigray. Afghanistan, Nigeria, South Sudan will each receive $11 million, while some $8 million will aid Madagascar. Venezuela, Chad, Burkina Faso will each be given $7 million. In addition, Cameroon and Mozambique will receive their shares of $5 million, and the remaining $10 million will be directed to support programs for people with disabilities.

Top US Human Rights Diplomat Flies to DRC to Launch New Dialogue - State Department

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) ~ The most senior Biden administration official dealing with human rights is flying out to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to launch a new bilateral dialogue with the country’s government, the State Department said on Monday. "Acting Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Lisa Peterson will travel to Kinshasa, June 14-18, to represent the United States in the first ever US-DRC bilateral human rights dialogue,” the department said in a media note. Under the US-DRC Privileged Partnership for Peace and Prosperity, Peterson will meet in Kinshasa with government and civil society leaders to discuss protection of human rights, the note explained. Peterson and her DRC counterparts will also discuss “ending impunity and ensuring accountability for those who commit abuses, ensuring freedom of press and expression, as well as ongoing efforts to combat trafficking in persons,” the State Department explained. The dialogue will also focus on ongoing cooperation to strengthen democratic institutions, including DRC preparations for an on-time, free, and fair election in 2023, the note added.

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UN Hopes Incoming Israeli Government Deals With Palestinians in Good Faith - Spokesperson

UNITED NATIONS, June 14 (Sputnik) - The United Nations is hopeful Israel under the new administration will deal with the Palestinians in good faith, UN spokesman Farhan Haq said in a press briefing on Monday. "We are always hopeful for any developments that encourage progress between the parties,’’ Haq said. “We are hoping that as this new government takes office and starts its functions, it will move forward in good faith in terms of dealing with the Palestinians on the core concerns that the parties have.” Haq also said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres congratulated the incoming government of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and looked forward to cooperating with them.

GOP Congressmen Probe Kerry Role on Climate Change Policy in Biden Administration - Letter

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - Republican US Congressmen James Comer and Jim Jordan have sent a letter to former Secretary of State John Kerry asking him to clarify his Cabinet-level role as Special Envoy on Climate Change in the Biden Administration, the representatives announced on Monday. "Today, [Comer and Jordan] sent a letter to Secretary John Kerry ...requesting all documents and communications regarding the role of his cabinet-level position and ability to unilaterally negotiate on behalf of the United States with foreign governments,” the two House members said in a press release. Kerry’s position, which includes a place on the National Security Council, appears to have an outsized role within the Biden administration, giving him some ability to set foreign policy and bind the United States to international agreements, despite not being confirmed by the Senate, the congressmen said in their letter. “Despite not being confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Secretary Kerry appears to be negotiating with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to commit the United States to further reducing greenhouse gas emissions without regard to economic repercussions and a reciprocal agreement from the PRC,’’ the letter said. The Biden Administration had already failed to provide Republicans on the House Oversight Committee with information requested on May 4 about Kerry’s security clearance and his possible disclosure of classified information to Iran, raising concerns about a pattern of avoiding Congressional oversight, the letter said.

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Afghans Have to Be Willing to ‘Fight for Themselves’ After US Pullout - Senator

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - Afghanistan's armed forces and government have to be able to fight for themselves after the US military withdrawal is completed by September 11, Senator Mark \Aferner said on Monday. "At some point the Afghans have to be willing to fight for themselves," Wbrner, a Democratic from Virginia, said in an interview. "I’d like to be more optimistic than I am... If we kept 4,000 to 6,000 American troops there, we could have had more stability." Warner noted that the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan had been proceeding smoothly without any interference from the Taliban forces seeking to topple the US-supported Kabul government. But he expressed caution about new possible Taliban attacks once the withdrawal was completed. "I am hoping for the best but I don't want to be naive about the long term prospects. ...I worry that the Taliban have been playing the long game," Warner said. The senator added that he still believed the Kabul government and the US-financed, trained and equipped military forces loyal to it would at least be able to hold on to the country’s capital and other major cities in the country once the US troop pullout was finished.

Canada Court Adds Terror Charges Against Suspect in Car Attack on Muslim Family - Reports

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - ACanadian court has laid terror charges against the suspect alleged to have deliberately mowed down a Muslim family in the city of London, Ontario, The Canadian Press reported on Monday. Last week, the perpetrator, Nathaniel Veltman, 20, was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder after he plowed into a family out for an evening walk. Canadian federal prosecutor, Sarah Shaikh, made the announcement during a virtual court hearing. Reacting to the news, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said during a press briefing that it is important to label the incident an act of terrorism and that it is important to note the threat to Canada from “white supremacism." Salman Afzaal, 46, his wife Madiha Salman, 44, their teenage daughter Yumna and Afzaal’s 74-year-old mother, Talat were killed, while the lone survivor, the couple's nine-year-old son, Fayez, was critically injured in the car-ramming attack but is expected to recover.

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Minnesota Appeals Court Upholds Key Approvals for $9Bin Line 3 Pipeline Replacement

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled on Monday that Enbridge's Energy's $9 billion Line 3 oil pipeline replacement project received key approvals from state regulators. "While reasonable minds may differ on the central question of need for replacement Line 3, substantial evidence supports the commission’s decision to issue a certificate of need," Judge Lucinda Jesson wrote in the court opinion. "Finally, the commission reasonably selected a route for the replacement pipeline based upon respect for tribal sovereignty, while minimizing environmental impacts. Accordingly, we affirm." Then new 340-mile pipeline will carry 760,000 barrels of oil per day from Alberta, Canada, to the US state of Wisconsin. Environmental and tribe groups oppose the pipeline claiming it will be a threat to water resources, which could infringe on several tribes' treaty rights to hunt, fish and gather wild rice in the region. Thousands of protesters last week gathered at the construction site of the new pipeline near Park Rapids in northern Minnesota and police arrested about 100 protesters. Police used a sonic device known as a long-range acoustic device (LRAD) and a low-flying helicopter to cause dust and debris in order to disperse protesters at the site.

Biden Must ‘Talk Tough’ to Putin at Geneva Summit - US Senator

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden needs to talk tough to Russian President Vladimir Putin when the two leaders meet in Geneva later this week and tell him to end Russia’s “threatening behavior” toward Ukraine and the three Baltic states, Senator Mark Warner said on Monday. “It is great to see an American president that will stand up to Vladimir Putin in a few days,” \Aferner, a Democrat from Virginia, said in a podcast interview. "You need to cut out your threatening behavior toward Ukraine and Baltic states.” Warner also claimed Moscow used “Russian and Ukrainian agents" to manipulate prominent US political leaders during the 2020 presidential elections - a charge Russia has always dismissed. "We want a president who says, 'You may not mess in our elections. ... In 2020 you used Russian and Ukrainian agents manipulating major American political figures. We want you to cut it out,'” he said.

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\Aferner also said he was doubtful whether Putin would turn over any of the alleged cyber criminals whom the United States claimed had operated from within Russia and speculated that many of them had “a day job” working for the Russian intelligence service.

US Supreme Court Rules Against Sentence Reduction for Low-Level Crack Cocaine Offenders WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - The US Supreme Court on Monday ruled in the case of Tarahrick Terry, a crack cocaine offender who was seeking a sentence reduction under the First Step Act, saying he is ineligible for relief because he was not sentenced under mandatory minimum sentencing laws. "The First Step Act of 2018... gives certain crack offenders an opportunity to receive a reduced sentence. The question here is whether crack offenders who did not trigger a mandatory minimum qualify. They do not," Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in the court’s decision. Terry pleaded guilty in 2008 to possession with intent to distribute an unspecified amount of crack cocaine. During sentencing, the District Court determined that his offense involved about four grams of cocaine. However, the court labeled Terry a career offender and sentenced him to 188 moths in prison - more than the drug-quantity guidelines recommended. The 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act includes a five-year mandatory minimum sentence triggered by possessing 5 grams of crack cocaine or a ten-year mandatory minimum triggered by possessing 50 grams of crack cocaine. The legislation also created a third penalty for intent to distribute an unspecified amount that did not depend on drug quantity and did not include a mandatory minimum. According to the Supreme Court ruling, Terry is ineligible for sentence reduction because he was sentenced under the third category. The First Step Act only grants sentence reduction to those sentenced under mandatory minimums even though the amount that Terry was intending to distribute was less than that which would trigger one.

US Justice Dept, to Evaluate Policies on Obtaining Lawmaker Records - Attorney General

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - The US Justice Department’s Deputy Attorney General, Lisa Monaco, will be evaluating the department’s policies on obtaining lawmakers’ records, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement on Monday. "I have instructed the Deputy Attorney General, who is already working on surfacing potentially problematic matters deserving high level review, to evaluate and strengthen the department's existing policies and procedures for obtaining records of the Legislative branch,” Garland said. The announcement comes following news of an investigation led by the DOJ under the Trump administration that involved the seizure of records from members of Congress. In an attempt to

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find a leak, the records of at least a dozen people tied to the House Intelligence Committee were seized in 2017 and early 2018. DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz announced last Friday that his office will be reviewing the Trump-era leak investigation. Garland added that he will not hesitate to "move swiftly” should it be warranted.

Trudeau, Latvian President Discuss Coordinated, Strong Approach to Russia

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Latvian President Egils Levits discussed the need for a strong and coordinated approach to dealing with Russia at a bilateral meeting at the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Monday. “The two leaders discussed the need for a coordinated and strong approach to Russia, including with regard to cyber,” the PMO said in a readout of the conversation. The two leaders also discussed the ongoing unrest in Ukraine, with Trudeau and Levits agreeing on the importance of holding Moscow “accountable" for what the PMO called Russia's "occupation" of Crimea and the Donbas Region. Additionally, Trudeau and Levits spoke about relations with China, including efforts to free two Canadians - former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor - who have been detained in China on espionage charges for over 900 days. Both leaders are currently in Brussels where the NATO summit is taking place, with this year’s edition being the first in-person conference since 2019, after last year's meeting was held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden Discusses Plans for Putin Summit With Polish President - White House

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden met with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda on the sidelines of the NATO summit and discussed the alliance's defense and deterrence agenda as well as plans for an upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the White House said on Monday. “The President reiterated his support for NATO’s strengthened defense and deterrence agenda and his resolute commitment to the defense of allies on NATO’s eastern flank, including Poland. He discussed his plans for the upcoming summit with President Putin,” the White House said.

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David Whelan Doubts His Brother Will Be Included in Potential US-Russia Prisoner Swap WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - David Whelan told Sputnik on Monday that he doubts his brother Paul Whelan, US citizen and ex-marine jailed in Russia on espionage charges, will be a part of a potential prisoner swap between the two countries. In an interview with NBC ahead of his meeting with the US counterpart Joe Biden, Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that he is open to such a deal. "President Putin was still not referring to Paul... But I think the Russian government has been clear that they plan to keep Paul locked up. Perhaps the concession the government hopes to extract has not yet been proffered,” David Whelan said. Paul Whelan, who was arrested in December 2018, is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence for espionage per a Moscow court's verdict delivered last June. The convict, who is also a citizen of Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom, has maintained he is innocent and insisted that he came to Russia for a friend's wedding. Court papers have revealed that he has frequented Russia since 2007.

US Sacrificed Russia Ties to Domestic Political Competition in Recent Years - Putin

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published on Monday that the United States had sacrificed its relationship with Russia to acute domestic political competition in recent years. "Of course, one can present this for domestic political consumption, which I believe is what has been done in the US in the last two years, where the US-Russia relationship was sacrificed for the sake of a fierce political strife inside the US, ” Putin told NBC. Putin noted that Russia has been accused of all kinds of things, including election interference, cyberattacks and other issues. “Just unfounded accusations. I'm surprised that we have not yet been accused of provoking the Black Lives Matter movement. That would have been a good line of attack. But we didn’t do that,” he said.

Putin Denies Advance Knowledge of Journalists' Detention in Belarus - NBC

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WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - Russia’s President Vladimir Putin denied any advance knowledge of grounding an international airplane in Belarus and said that he has no reason not to believe the country's leader Alexander Lukashenko who rejects accusations of plotting the event to capture a fugitive opposition journalist. "No, I did not know about this. I didn't know about any airliner. I didn't know about the people who were detained there subsequently. I found out about it from the media. I didn't know, I didn't have a clue about any detainees. I don't know. It is of no interest to us,” Putin said in a interview to NBC released on Monday. In May, a Ryanair airpplane traveling from Greece to Lithuania made an emergency landing in Minsk over a bomb threat, which turned out to be fake. Two of its passengers, Roman Protasevich, the founder of a Telegram channel that Belarus has designated as extremist, and his girlfriend, Russian national Sofia Sapega, were detained during the stopover. “Not that I approve of it. Not that I condemn it. But, well, it happened. I said recently in one of the conversations with a European colleague, the version of Mr Lukashenko who told me about it was that information had been given to them that there was an explosive device on board the plane,” Putin said. “What President Lukashenko told me, I don't have any reason not to believe him,” he said. Putin suggested asking the plane’s pilot to reveal the truth, in the incident “It's the simplest thing. Ask the chief pilot. Ask the commander of the aircraft. Did you ask him if was he forced to land? Because I have not heard or seen an interview with the commander of the aircraft that landed in Minsk,” he said. Putin noted that a similar incident involving Bolivia’s President Evo Morales’s airplane took place in 2013. The aircraft was grounded and searched in Vienna after Morales appeared to suggest offering asylum to US whistleblower Edward Snowden. "Air Force One, a presidential plane, was forced to land. The President was taken out of the aircraft. They searched the plane. And you don't even recall that. Do you think it was normal, that was good, but what Lukashenko did was bad?” he said. Denouncing the double standard, Putin called on “speaking the same language and using the same concepts” in both cases.

Russia Not Behind Cyberattacks on US Companies - Putin

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - Russia was not behind the recent cyberattacks on the US companies and the American intelligence is capable enough to find out who stood behind the hacks, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview to NBC published on Monday. "As far as I know, the shareholders of this company [Colonial pipeline] even made a decision to pay the ransom. They paid off the cyber gangsters. If you have listed an entire set of US special services (powerful, global, respectable), after all they can find whoever the ransom was paid. And once they do that, they will realize that Russia has nothing to do with it,” Putin said.

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Russia’s Defense Capacity Currently at Very High Level' - Putin WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - Russia’s Defense capabilities are presently at a very high level, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published Monday. "China has been developing. And I understand that what's beginning is a certain kind of confrontation with China. Everybody understands it. We can see it. Why hide from and be scared of these issues?,” Putin said in an interview with NBC. “However, we’re not alarmed by it, including, among other things, by the fact that our defence sufficiency, which is how we describe it, is at a very high level, including because of this. But the most important thing is the nature and level of our relationship with China.”

Putin Says Ban on Medical Supplies to Syria ‘Inhumane’

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - The existing ban on medical supplies to Syrian people imposed by the \Afest countries, including the United States, is inhumane and cannot be justified, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview to NBC published on Monday. "What needs to be set up now is just humanitarian assistance to people [in Syria], irrespective of any kind of political context. But our partners in the West, in the West in general, both the US and Europeans have been saying that they're not going to give help to Assad. What does Assad have to do with it? Help out people who need that assistance. Just the most basic things. They won't even lift restrictions on supplies of medications and medical equipment even in the context of the coronavirus infection. But that is just inhumane. And this kind of cruel attitude to people cannot be explained in any way,” Putin said.

Putin Says Russia and Iran Have Plans for Cooperation, Including in Military Sphere

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview on Monday that Moscow and Tehran have plans for collaboration including in the military-technical area. "We have cooperation plans with Iran, including military and technical cooperation,” Putin said in an interview with NBC. "And all of this fits the framework of the decisions that were agreed upon in our program, in regard to Iran’s nuclear program in the context of UN decisions together with

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our partners in the preparation of the JCPOA whereby some point sanctions, including in the area of military and technical cooperation, should be lifted from Iran.”

Putin Says Navalny Could Be Using Political Activities to Get Commercial Gains

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) ~ People in Russia who use politics as a cover to get commercial gains of any sort need to be kept accountable for it, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview to NBC published on Monday when asked about Alexey Navalny’s case. “Thousands and thousands of people ignore requirements of the law ~ and they have nothing to do with political activities - in Russia every year and they go to jail. If somebody is actually using political activities as a shield to deal with their issues, including achieve their commercial goals, then it's something that they have to be held responsible for,” Putin said.

Russia Open to Space Cooperation with US, China - Putin

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview to NBC released on Monday that Russia is open for cooperation in space both with the United States and China, seeing no mutual exclusivity there. “\Ne are interested in continuing to work with the US in this direction, and we will continue to do so if our US partners don't refuse to do that. It doesn't mean that we need to work exclusively with the US. Wfe have been working and will continue to work with China, which applies to all kinds of programmes, including exploring deep space," Putin said. "And I think there is nothing but positive information here. Frankly, I don't see any contradictions here. I don't think any mutual exclusivity here,” he added.

Putin in NBC Interview Calls NATO Relic of Cold War

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an interview published Monday, dubbed NATO as a relic of the Cold War era. "As far as NATO, I have said on many occasions, this is a Cold Vsfar relic. It's something that was born in the Cold War era,” Putin said in an interview with NBC. "I'm not sure why it still continues to exist.”

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Reed’s Parents Welcome Russia’s Openness to Prisoner Swap with US WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - The parents of a former US Marine jailed in Russia for an attack on police officers said on Monday they are happy that Moscow was open to a prisoner swap and hopeful that the deal can materialize soon. In an interview to NBC aired earlier on Monday, Putin said that he would be ready to consider an exchange of prisoners with the United States as there are more Russians in US prisons than Americans held in Russia. “We are very happy to hear that President [of Russia Vladimir] Putin is open to a prisoner exchange. And we hope that is something that happens very soon because Trevor and Paul Whelan both have been there long enough considering they are innocent of the files of the charges against them,” Paula Reed told NBC ahead of a meeting in Switzerland between Putin and US President Joe Biden. Former US Marine Trevor Reed was sentenced to nine years in prison in July 2020 for assaulting police officers who were called for during Reed’s drunken row with two women in a Moscow street. Prosecutors said he assaulted the officers in the police car while they were taking him in for questioning, nearly causing a crash. Whelan, who is also a citizen of Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom, was arrested in Moscow in December 2018. A Moscow court sentenced him to a 16-year prison term for espionage last June. Whelan, however, has denied the charges and insisted that he came to Russia for a friend's wedding. Court papers have revealed that he had frequented Russia since 2007.

Putin Denies Advance Knowledge of Journalists' Detention in Belarus - NBC

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - NBC said on Monday that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, in an interview, denied advance knowledge that Belarusian authorities would detain an opposition journalist after an emergency landing of an international flight. The publication on the broadcaster’s website offers no quotes. In May, an Irish airline Ryanair traveling from Greece to Lithuania made an emergency landing in Minsk over a bomb threat, which turned out to be fake. Two of its passengers, Roman Protasevich, the founder of a Telegram channel that Belarus has designated as extremist, and his girlfriend, Russian national Sofia Sapega, were detained during the stopover at the airport

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Putin Says Russia Sees Attempts to Destroy Its Relations with China WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin told NBC he sees attempts to destroy the relationship between Russia and China that are bonded by what he described as “strategic partnership.” "I will tell you completely honestly ... We can see attempts at destroying the relationship between Russia and China. We can see that those attempts are being made in practical policies,” Putin said in an interview aired on Monday. "We are pleased with the level of our relationship which as I said is unprecedentedly high as it has developed over the last few decades. And we cherish it. Just like our Chinese friends cherish it,” he added.

Biden, 4 Baltic Leaders Vow to Address ‘Challenges Posed by Russia, China’ - White House

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden and four Baltic leaders have vowed to enhance collaboration aimed at dealing with what they consider challenges posed by Russia and China, the White House announced in a release on Monday. "President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. met today with Prime Minister Kaja Kallas of Estonia, President Egils Levits of Latvia, and President Gitanas Nauseda of Lithuania on the margins of the NATO Summit in Brussels,” the release said. “The four leaders committed to further strengthening our political, military, and economic partnerships, including working together through NATO to address challenges posed by Russia and China.”

Putin Says Russia-US Space Cooperation Still On, No Plans To End Pact

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with NBC on Monday denied that Russia was planning to end its cooperation with the United States in space, insisting that one of the last remaining areas of common interest between the two countries was still on despite threats to the contract from his space agency chief. "I think you just misunderstood," Putin said when asked about reports that Moscow planned to withdraw from the International Space Station project. "V\fe are interested in continuing work with the US in this direction, and we will continue to do so if our US partners don't refuse to do that."

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Putin Repeats Call For US, Russia To Join Forces To Fight Cybercrime - NBC News

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladmir Putin in an interview with NBC on Monday repeated his call for his country and the United States to join forces in fighting cybercrime. "It is our great hope that we will be able to set up this process with our US partners," Putin said, referring to the plan he first proposed with Washington when former President Donald Trump was still in office last year.

Putin Says Russia Open to Prisoner Swap with US

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with NBC on Monday said he would consider a prisoner exchange with the United States as there are more Russians in US prisons than Americans in Russian prisons. "Yes, of course,” Putin replied during an interview when asked if a prisoner swap was something he would consider. "I know we have certain US citizens who are in prison after convicted. But if one considers the number of Russian Federation citizens who are in US prisons than these numbers don’t even compare,” he said.

Putin Says Concerned US Is High-Tech Country, It Means They’re Planning Something

WASHINGTON, June 14 (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putting in an interview on Monday said he was concerned that the United States is a high-tech country that has the capability and intent to target Russia. “The US is a high-tech country, NATO has declared cyberspace an area of combat, it means they are planning something, they are preparing something. So, obviously, this cannot but worry us,” Putin told NBC. "I'm not afraid, but I bear in mind that it is a possibility."

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 06/15/2021 8:00:44 AM