ICE News Briefing for Friday, April 18, 2014

ICE NEWS BRIEFING

DATE: FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2014 8:00 AM EDT

TODAY'S TABLE OF CONTENTS

LEADING THE NEWS:
+ Obama And Cantor Disagree On Tone Of Immigration Reform Conversation.

OPERATIONAL NEWS:
+ California Man Arrested After Warrant Results In Seizure Of Weapons And Drugs.
+ SEC Files Fraud Complaint Against TelexFree.
+ Former Texas Sheriff’s Official Pleads Guilty To Taking Bribe.
+ HSI To Launch Anti-Scam Campaign In New Mexico.
+ Coverage Continues Of Immigration Arrests In Illinois, Missouri.
+ Washington State Police Officer Tipped Gun, Drug Seller On Informant And Federal Investigation.
+ HSI Arrests 34 Gang Members, Associates In New Mexico.
+ Coverage Continues Of East Texas Arrests.
+ South Dakota Man Indicted For Attempted Commercial Sex Trafficking.
+ Louisiana Man Arrested For Minor Sex Crime Charges.
+ Four Arrested In New Jersey On Child Pornography Charges.
+ Maine Man Arrested, Charged With Child Exploitation.

POLICY AND ISSUES NEWS:
+ Coverage Continues Of Oregon Federal Court Ruling Regarding Detainer Requests.
+ Coverage Continues Of Drop In Deportation Cases.
+ Slate Explains Increase In Deportations.
+ Continuing Coverage Of TRAC Report.
+ Marijuana Possession The Most Common Drug Offense Among Deportees.
+ Federal Government Sued For Alleged Lengthy Immigrant Detentions.
+ Salazar: Immigration Reform Necessary To Improve US Standing In Latin America.
+ Federal Agencies Awarded Contracts To Vigilant Before DHS.
+ Clinton: I’m A “Huge Supporter Of Immigration Reform.”
+ Bill Offering Illegal Immigrants In-State Tuition Blocked In Florida.
+ Undocumented Woman Released From Phoenix Jail To Undergo Mastectomy.
+ Indian Nationals End Hunger Strike At El Paso Processing Center.
+ Construction Of ICE Facility Begins In Santa Maria, California.
+ Coverage Continues Of Arizona County’s Cancellation Of ICE Contract.
+ Article Discusses Motivations Of Anti-Deportation Hunger Strikers.
+ Activists Mobilize In Support Of Detained Undocumented Immigrant.
+ ICE Combating Artifact Smuggling From Latin America.
+ Secretary Of State Orders Review Of Rejection Rate For Israeli Visa Applicants.
+ ICE Agent Pleads Guilty To False Statements In Immigration Bribery Scheme.

IN BRIEF:
+ Previously Deported Man Named As Person Of Interest Following Fatal Crash In Dallas.

TOP DHS NEWS:
+ Holder Decries Hate Crimes, Division At Memorial Service For Kansas Shooting Victims.
+ Search For Flight 370 Continues.
+ Additional CBP Agents Requested At Texas Border Crossings.
+ New Port Of Entry To Be Built In California.
+ Counterfeit Soccer Merchandise Seized In Georgia.
+ Carter: Obama’s Immigration Policies Creating Humanitarian Crisis.
+ Dallas, Charlotte Airports To Remove “Recomposure Areas.”
+ De Blasio Seeks To Reset Sandy Recovery Efforts In New York.
+ Montana Flooding Declared Disaster.
+ New CIS Guidelines “Raise The Bar” On Eligibility For Asylum.
+ H-1B Demand Outstrips Supply.
+ CBS Discusses BP Oil Spill Aftermath.
+ Identifying, Prosecuting Target Data Breach Suspects “Could Take Years.”
+ Luxury Car Export Kickback Investigation Nearing The Filing Of Charges.
+ Former Mets Mascot Recalls Secret Service Encounter.
+ “Brand New” Video Of West Explosion “Has Surfaced.”
+ Power Industry’s Grid Protection Regulations Criticized.
+ DHS Secretary Visits Mississippi.
+ Guantanamo Judge Orders CIA To Disclose “Black Site” Details To USS Cole Defense Attorneys.
+ FBI Probe Of Guantanamo Defense Team Delays 9/11 Trial.
+ Maryland Man Linked To “Jihad Jane” Sentenced To Five Years In Prison.
+ Prosecutor Says Muslim Cleric Was Committed To War.
+ Rice Says Bush Administration “Kept The Nation Safe.”
+ Judge Denies Tsarnaev’s Bid For Evidence On Brother.
+ WSJournal Blasts NYPD’s Dismantling Of Muslim Surveillance Unit.
+ GAO Report Claims SEC Cybersecurity Measures Lax.
+ Report Says Commerce Department Cyber Framework May Undermine Cybersecurity.
+ Michaels Stores Confirms Data Breach.
+ Northrop Grumman CEO Urges Passage Of Cybersecurity Legislation.

NETWORK TV NEWS COVERAGE:
+ ABC: South Korea-Ferry Boat Incident.
+ ABC: Ukraine Crisis.
+ ABC: Obamacare Enrollment.
+ ABC: Severe Weather.
+ ABC: Texas-Fertilizer Plant Explosion Video.
+ ABC: Kansas City Highway Shootings.
+ ABC: Missing Malaysia Flight.
+ ABC: Pope Francis-Holy Thursday.
+ ABC: Chelsea Clinton Announcement.
+ ABC: Travel Tips.
+ ABC: NASA-New Planet Discovered.
+ CBS: South Korea-Ferry Boat Disaster.
+ CBS: Ukraine Crisis-Diplomatic Agreement.
+ CBS: Obama-Diplomatic Agreement.
+ CBS: Ukraine Crisis-Deadly Confrontation.
+ CBS: Ukraine Crisis-Russia Sanctions.
+ CBS: Obamacare Enrollment.
+ CBS: California-Charter Bus Accident Investigation.
+ CBS: BP Oil Spill Aftermath.
+ CBS: Chelsea Clinton’s Announcement.
+ CBS: NASA-New Planet Discovered.
+ NBC: South Korea-Ferry Boat Disaster.
+ NBC: Ukraine Crisis.
+ NBC: Missing Malaysia Flight.
+ NBC: Oregon-Portland Reservoir Incident.
+ NBC: Chelsea Clinton’s Announcement.
+ NBC: Severe Weather.
+ NBC: Health-Allergies.
+ NBC: NASA-New Planet Discovered.

Leading the News:

OBAMA AND CANTOR DISAGREE ON TONE OF IMMIGRATION REFORM CONVERSATION. USA Today (4/18, Jackson, 5.82M) reports House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Virginia) issued a statement after a call with President Obama Wednesday saying he was called “hours after he issued a partisan statement which attacked... House Republicans and which indicated no sincere desire to work together.” Obama said in a statement earlier that day that despite the Senate passing an immigration reform bill, the House has “unfortunately... failed to take action, seemingly preferring the status quo of a broken immigration system.” Cantor added that “Obama still has not learned how to effectively work with Congress to get things done.”

The AP (4/18) reports Obama said yesterday at a press conference that his conversation with Cantor was “very pleasant” and that he is surprised the House Majority Leader is accusing him of failing to work with Congress on reform. The President said the main purpose of his call was to wish the Representative a happy Passover.

Politico (4/18, Brown, 73K) reports Cantor told the President during their phone call that “the Senate legislation is dead on arrival in the GOP-led House,” but there are other issues where the two sides can find common ground. He added that he hopes “the president can stop his partisan messaging.”

The Huffington Post (4/17, Foley, 11.54M) reports Obama “laughed off” Cantor’s statement, saying “you’re always kind of surprised by the mismatch between press releases and the conversation.”

The Washington Times (4/18, Wolfgang, 455K) and The Hill (4/18, Kasperowicz, 237K) also report the story.

Obama: Washington Needs “Political Courage” On Immigration Reform. The Hill (4/18, Sink, 237K) reports in its “Blog Briefing Room” blog that President Obama said he is hopeful an agreement can be reached on immigration reform with Republicans once primary season is over, warning that the issues will be one “that haunts” Congress “until it gets solved.” Obama, speaking during an interview with CBS News that aired yesterday, asserted that while he thinks Speaker Boehner is sincere about wanting to pass reform, the leader has so far been unwilling to “spend the political capital” to progress any immigration legislation. The President said that Washington needs “some political courage and political will” to pass reform.

President Calls On GOP To Pass Reform. Reuters (4/18, Trott) reports President Obama called on GOP leaders in the House yesterday to pass immigration reform. The President said despite the economic, security, and humanitarian benefits of reform, House Republicans continue to hold the process back. He acknowledged that the action would be difficult for the GOP politically, due to hard-liners against any reform, but said he knows there are some in the party that know passing a measure is the right thing to do.

Boehner Says He Is “Hellbent” On Passing Immigration Reform This Year. The Wall Street Journal (4/18, Meckler, Subscription Publication, 5.51M) reports that at an unspecified Las Vegas fundraiser in March, House Speaker Boehner said that in regards to comprehensive immigration reform, he is “hellbent on getting this done this year.” Boehner attended Sheldon Adelson’s Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas last month. The Journal also reports that House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte has told donors that the House might approve immigration reform legislation this year. The Journal’s article was linked to from near the top of the Drudge Report Thursday night via a red headline reading “Boehner, GOP Leaders Pledge Business Execs The Will Move On Immigration THIS YEAR...”

Operational News:

CALIFORNIA MAN ARRESTED AFTER WARRANT RESULTS IN SEIZURE OF WEAPONS AND DRUGS. KION-TV Monterey, CA (4/17, Toborg) reports on its website that Leopold Cortes was arrested after the Peninsula Regional Violence and Narcotics Team (PRVNT) searched two properties in Monterey and Seaside, California where they seized two stolen vehicles, two assault rifles, two shotguns, two pistols, one revolver, two rifles, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, more than one pound of methamphetamine, marijuana, hashish, evidence of drug sales, and approximately $71,000. Cortes had been under investigation for two months following allegations that he was involved in “high volume methamphetamine sales.” The California Highway Patrol, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and Homeland Security Investigations assisted PRVNT in carrying out the search warrants. Cortes is in the Monterey County Jail on $400,000 bail.

SEC FILES FRAUD COMPLAINT AGAINST TELEXFREE. The Boston Globe (4/18, Healy, 1.62M) continues coverage of the investigation into TelexFree Inc. The article cites court records as saying that during a raid by HSI and FBI agents, the company’s chief financial officer “tried to flee with a laptop and a bag holding cashier’s checks worth nearly $38 million.” The SEC has filed a civil fraud complaint against the company, its owners, and several of its promoters, and froze the company’s assets on Wednesday.

FORMER TEXAS SHERIFF’S OFFICIAL PLEADS GUILTY TO TAKING BRIBE. KVEO-TV Harlingen, TX (4/17, 227) reports on its website that Jose A. Padilla, former deputy commander at the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office, “has entered a plea of guilty for one count of receipt of a bribe.” Padilla admitted to receiving “cash from alleged drug trafficker Tomas ‘El Gallo’ Gonzalez” in 2011 and 2012. In exchange, Padilla “performed various tasks for Gonzalez and provided information to Gonzalez related to ongoing law enforcement activities.” HSI was listed among the Federal and state law enforcement agencies that conducted the investigation.

HSI TO LAUNCH ANTI-SCAM CAMPAIGN IN NEW MEXICO. The AP (4/17) reports that HSI will launch a campaign in Albuquerque, New Mexico “aimed at warning the elderly on various scams.” Kevin Abar, assistant special agent in charge in New Mexico, advised that “scam artists are using such tools as voice altering apps to fool the elderly into giving out credit card and bank information” and also deceive residents “into believing a loved one is in jail and needs money over the phone for bail.”

COVERAGE CONTINUES OF IMMIGRATION ARRESTS IN ILLINOIS, MISSOURI. WICS-TV Springfield, IL (4/18, 1K) continues coverage of the arrest of 24 men in Illinois and Missouri for immigration violations. The article cites officials saying that “15 of those arrested were criminals with convictions that include sexual misconduct, felonious restraint, and other charges,” while others were “fugitives with outstanding deportation orders.”

WASHINGTON STATE POLICE OFFICER TIPPED GUN, DRUG SELLER ON INFORMANT AND FEDERAL INVESTIGATION. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer (4/18, 857K) reports that a Kent police officer tipped Mark Bryant in January 2013 that a relative of his was informing Federal agents of his gun and drug sales. Bryant was arrested in May 2013 has pleaded guilty to selling a gun to a known drug user. He is to be sentenced on Friday in US District Court at Seattle. The officer is currently under investigation. A Tacoma-based Homeland Security Investigations special agent said in court papers that the informant told the DEA that Bryant had received a shipment of morphine. The DEA then arranged for the informant to wear a wire while purchasing drugs and a pistol from Bryant.

HSI ARRESTS 34 GANG MEMBERS, ASSOCIATES IN NEW MEXICO. The AP (4/17) reports that HSI has arrested “nearly three dozen ‘violent’ Sureno gang members and associates” in a New Mexico operation. 34 individuals were taken into custody as part of “Project Southbound,” according to an agency announcement. Kevin Abar, assistant special agent in charge in New Mexico, said that Albuquerque and Santa Fe police and the sheriff’s offices of Valencia and Bernalillo counties assisted with the sting.

COVERAGE CONTINUES OF EAST TEXAS ARRESTS. LatinosPost (4/17, Calvillo, 14K) continues coverage of the arrest of 40 immigrants in a three-day operation in East Texas. ICE announced that 37 men and three women “all of them with a criminal record,” were arrested “in at least three cities in the state.” Thomas P. Giles, director of the ICE field office in Dallas, is quoted saying that “these ICE operations are directed against foreign criminals who threaten our local communities...These operations contribute to improve public safety due to the removal of these criminals from our streets and country,”

SOUTH DAKOTA MAN INDICTED FOR ATTEMPTED COMMERCIAL SEX TRAFFICKING. KELO-AM Sioux Falls, SD (4/17) reports on its website that James Anthony Murphy of Sioux Falls, South Dakota has been indicted for “attempted commercial sex trafficking” by a Federal grand jury. Murphy “attempted to recruit, entice and obtain a person who had not attained the age of 14 years” for commercial sex acts. HSI was among the Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies that conducted the investigation.

LOUISIANA MAN ARRESTED FOR MINOR SEX CRIME CHARGES. The Baton Rouge (LA) Advocate (4/17, 22K) reports that Giles Frederick Thibodeaux Jr. of Denham Springs, Louisiana, “has been arrested and accused of multiple sex crimes against children.” John Bosco, director of the state Attorney General’s Investigations Division, said that “as this investigation unfolds, it is possible that we may identify additional victims,” and additional counts may be filed. HSI, the FBI, and other Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies collaborated in the investigation.

The Creole (LA) (4/17) and the KTBS-TV Shreveport, LA (4/17, 14K) website also report this story.

FOUR ARRESTED IN NEW JERSEY ON CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES. The Asbury Park (NJ) Press (4/17, Higgs, 372K) reports that Anthony Racanelli of Toms River, New Jersey and Dennis R. Hubert of Brick, New Jersey “have been arrested and charged with possession of child pornography,” among other charges. Hubert was also charged with marijuana possession. The arrests were part of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s High Tech Crime Unit and HSI’s “Cyber Child Pornography Drag Net.”

WNBC-TV New York (4/18, 97K) reports on its website that two other men were arrested on child pornography charges as part of the “drag net.”

The WKXW-FM Trenton, NJ (4/17, Mongelli, 75K) website reports that one of the four was Antonio Hidrogo, a Peruvian national and legal permanent resident of the US who “must surrender his passport under terms meted out in Ocean County Superior Court.”

The Brick Patch (NJ) (4/17, 5K) also reports this story.

MAINE MAN ARRESTED, CHARGED WITH CHILD EXPLOITATION. The Portland (ME) Press Herald (4/17, Dolan, 352K) reports that Paul Henry of Portland, Maine has been arrested after being “under investigation for months as a suspected drug dealer and pimp in a prostitution operation in Maine and New York.” Henry was arrested for suspected child exploitation stemming from “three videos he took of himself having sex with a 15-year-old Portland girl earlier this year.” HSI agent David Pawson said in an affidavit that Portland police visited hotel and motels in the city until locating a Henry and a woman “who is mildly developmentally disabled” and “being held against her will at a Portland hotel and was being pimped out in the Portland area.” The woman informed police that Henry also “forced her to smuggle crack cocaine inside her body.”

Policy and Issues News:

COVERAGE CONTINUES OF OREGON FEDERAL COURT RULING REGARDING DETAINER REQUESTS. The AP (4/17, Wozniacka) continues coverage of a Federal judge’s finding in Oregon that “an immigrant woman’s constitutional rights were violated when she was held in jail without probable cause at the request of immigration authorities,” one of several recent rulings along these lines. The ruling stresses that local law enforcement “are not required to honor immigration authorities’ requests” and that “local jurisdictions may be held liable.” The rulings have moved some jurisdictions to “announce they will no longer honor requests.” ACLU attorney Kate Desormeau claims that the requests are done “in a dragnet manner without first doing the investigation upfront, sometimes before a local district attorney has even signed off on the charges.” A statement by Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts says that “the fact that the detainers contain both language of request and command has led to conflicting interpretations as to whether the immigration detainers provide legal authority for the continued custody of the people named in the detainers.”

The Oregonian (4/17, House, 992K) reports that Multnomah County, Oregon has “lifted immigration holds on 50 jail inmates since Wednesday.” The inmates have not been released as “they first must finish serving time on the criminal charges that brought them into the jail;” the inmates will be able to “go free once their charges are cleared” rather than being turned over to ICE.

Another article in The Oregonian (4/17, Castillo, 992K) reports that sheriff’s offices in Deschutes, Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam and Hood River counties in Oregon “have joined the Portland metro area” in reversing their stance on complying with ICE detainer requests. Gary Bettencourt, sheriff of Gilliam County and president of the Oregon state Sheriffs’ Association, indicated that he “believes all Oregon counties will have to follow the precedent set by Washington, Clackamas and Multnomah County sheriff’s agencies.”

The Salem-News (OR) (4/17, 1K) reprints a summary of US District Court Judge Stewart’s opinion and order, as well as a statement from Marion County (Oregon) Sheriff Jason Myers indicating that his office “will no longer hold inmates pursuant to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer alone.”

Also reporting this story were another AP (4/17) article, a third article in The Oregonian (4/17, Castillo, 992K), Oregon Public Broadcasting (4/17, Templeton, 4K), the KOIN-TV Portland, OR (4/17, 19K) website, the KGW-TV Portland, OR (4/17, Gordon, 130K) website, and the KTVL-TV Medford, OR (4/17, Conrad, 845) website.

COVERAGE CONTINUES OF DROP IN DEPORTATION CASES. On its website, MSNBC (4/18, Sakuma, 45.1M) continues coverage of the New York Times’ finding, based on Justice Department statistics, that “the number of deportation cases working through immigration courts dropped by 45%.” The article says that the findings “provide a snapshot of [the Obama Administration’s] shift toward a more compassionate approach on deportations,” even as the President “still holds the record for” deportations. Regarding immigration reform, “Republicans didn’t take kindly to” the President’s claim in a statement that “simply put, it would boost our economy, strengthen our security, and live up to our most closely-held values as a society.” Reuters (4/18) and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (4/18, Redmon, 1.36M) also report this story.

SLATE EXPLAINS INCREASE IN DEPORTATIONS. In its “Weigel” blog, Slate Magazine (4/17, Boer Deng, 14.77M) says that “two factors” have made the “ninefold increase” in deportations from 20 years ago: the “staggering 762 percent” increase in Congressional appropriations for immigration enforcement since 1990, and changes in immigration law that have reduced immigration judges’ discretion in deportation decisions as well as Congress’ mandate that ICE “must maintain 34,000 beds at the 255 detention centers around the country where it holds people awaiting possible deportation.” Despite advocates’ calls for executive action to reduce deportations, “the White House announced Tuesday that it thinks that the burden to reform immigration should be left to Congress after all.”

CONTINUING COVERAGE OF TRAC REPORT. AllGov (4/18, 1K) continues coverage of findings of the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse report. The article says that, according to the report, “almost nine out of ten of all deportees last year were accused of only minor crimes or no crime at all,” and that “only 12% of deportations in 2013 committed a serious or ‘Level 1’ offense.” The Global Post (4/17, 149K) also discusses TRAC report findings.

MARIJUANA POSSESSION THE MOST COMMON DRUG OFFENSE AMONG DEPORTEES. The Huffington Post (4/18, Scheller, 11.54M) reports that “marijuana possession has been the most common charge” among drug offenses cited as the basis for deportations. The article cites the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse report as saying that between fiscal years 2008 and 2013, “an average of about 41,000 people with drug offenses on their records were deported,” of which 6,770 had marijuana possession as “the most serious violation on their record.” The article also notes that the Supreme Court has ruled that “minor marijuana offenses should not result in automatic deportation” without ruling out entirely the chance of deportation for such cases.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SUED FOR ALLEGED LENGTHY IMMIGRANT DETENTIONS. The AP (4/18) reports two California affiliates of the ACLU and the National Immigrant Justice Center filed a lawsuit against the Federal government yesterday alleging authorities have been violating illegal immigrants’ rights granted under the Administrative Procedure Act. The Act mandates that asylum-seeking individuals who face deportation orders or have been previously been deported be given a speedy interview to determine “if they have a reasonable fear that they would be persecuted in their home country.” The plaintiffs in the suit accuse the government of detaining some immigrants for months while they wait for interviews and asylum hearings.

The Los Angeles Times (4/18, Linthicum, 3.46M) reports under the law, immigrants seeking asylum should receive a determination from authorities within 10 days of being detained. The lawsuit, filed in a US District Court in San Francisco, also claims that “tens of millions of taxpayer dollars have been needlessly spent on detention” and that CIS “has forgone any attempt to comply” with Federal regulations, instead choosing to adopt longer timelines. CIS spokeswoman Claire Nicholson said the agency does not comment on pending litigation.

The San Francisco Chronicle (4/18, Egelko, 3.33M) reports the suit states CIS merely “encourages” asylum officers “to conduct interviews within 45 days, and to decide 85 percent of the cases within 90 days.” It added that decisions took an average of 111 days last year. DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson is listed as the lead defendant in the lawsuit.

SALAZAR: IMMIGRATION REFORM NECESSARY TO IMPROVE US STANDING IN LATIN AMERICA. Rafael Salazar writes in the Huffington Post (4/18, Salazar, 11.54M) that the US’ deportations, which are “often in violation of immigrants’ human rights,” are “significantly harming” its standing in international organizations such as the Organization of American States and its Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Salazar claims that the Administration has been accused by the National Council of La Raza and Amnesty International “of denying immigrants the right to family unity.” Salazar also says that “300 individuals a day are held in the brutal circumstance of solitary confinement,” half of these for over 15 days, which “increases the risk for mental damage of an inmate.” Salazar notes that UN rapporteur on torture Juan Mendez described the US use of solitary confinement “in breach of its obligations under the torture convention.” Salazar asserts that the US should make immigration reform a “key priority” in order to “remain respectful within the” IACHR.

FEDERAL AGENCIES AWARDED CONTRACTS TO VIGILANT BEFORE DHS. Bloomberg BusinessWeek (4/17, Miller, 4.91M) reports that US agencies, including the IRS, “awarded about $415,000 in contracts to” Vigilant Solutions “to provide access to license plate databases or tools used to collect plate information” before Secretary Johnson canceled a plan for similar work for ICE due to privacy complaints. ICE press secretary Barbara Gonzalez is cited as saying that ICE’s contracts with Vigilant “are separate from the February solicitation” which was cancelled. The article notes that civil liberties groups contend “the mass collection of data infringes the privacy of innocent people.” Gonzalez is quoted saying that the contracts provide “limited access to an already-existing database for a defined amount of time and only in conjunction with ongoing criminal investigations and to locate wanted individuals.” The article says that most of the government contracts “were awarded years before former contractor Edward Snowden” disclosed the existence of US surveillance programs that intercept American phone records.

CLINTON: I’M A “HUGE SUPPORTER OF IMMIGRATION REFORM.” Politico (4/17, Kopan, 73K) reports Hillary Clinton said yesterday she is “a huge supporter of immigration reform and a path to citizenship.” Responding to a question from an undocumented teen about her stance on the issue, Clinton said the US is “missing a great opportunity by not welcoming” undocumented immigrants, noting the economic and cultural benefits that immigrants have provided, and pledged to continue advocating for reform. The former Secretary of State said she strongly supports immigration legislation passed by the Senate, adding that the House is causing the country to miss a big opportunity.

The Washington Post (4/17, Rucker, 4.22M) reports in its “Post Politics” blog that Clinton made the comments at a Clinton Foundation girls’ empowerment forum in New York City.

CNN (4/18, Merica, 77.95M) reports Clinton thanked the girl, who was publicly admitting she was an illegal immigrant for the first time, for being “incredibly brave.”

BILL OFFERING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN-STATE TUITION BLOCKED IN FLORIDA. The AP (4/18, Fineout) reports Florida Sen. Joe Negron (R) “used a procedural move to block” a bill that would offer in-state tuition to undocumented students yesterday. The legislation “appears doomed... this year” as it won’t be heard in a Senate committee, making it unlikely to be considered by the full Senate since the annual session ends in May. Negron said he believes the tuition break should be reserved for legal Florida residents and that the need for the assistance “has not been established.” He also expressed concerns about such a move’s potential costs. The measure has enjoyed support from Gov. Rick Scott (R) and passed the Florida House by an 81-33 vote.

The Miami Herald (4/18, McGrory, 822K) reports fellow Republican Sen. Jack Latvala, who is “considered one of the Senate’s top strategists,” called Negron’s concern about potential costs a “red herring,” saying the Budget Chairman simply does not like the bill. Latvala noted that the legislation has 20 co-sponsors in the Senate, enough the pass the bill if it came to the floor, but that such a move would be unlikely as Senate President Don Gaetz (R) is opposed to the measure.

UNDOCUMENTED WOMAN RELEASED FROM PHOENIX JAIL TO UNDERGO MASTECTOMY. The AP (4/17, Tang) reports that Ruth Alvarez, an undocumented alien who was arrested on April for allegedly using someone else’s identity to obtain work, was released from Lower Buckeye Jail in Phoenix after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor so that she could undergo a mastectomy on April 23. Her lawyer, Jose Penalosa said that ICE has agreed not to “detain her or pursue criminal action for now.” He added that, “she could also be eligible for relief through ‘cancellation of removal.’”

The Arizona Republic (4/17, Zazueta-Castro, 1.45M) reports that Penalosa said that “Homeland Security officials can opt to have Alvarez appear before them and start paperwork for the removal process or they can exercise prosecutorial discretion and not decide to prosecute her case because of her medical condition.” Alvarez has reportedly “developed a legion of supporters.”

KTVK-TV Phoenix (4/18, Holland, 88K) reports on its website that “the plea deal Alvarez received is rare.” Alvarez will be on unsupervised probation for a year.

INDIAN NATIONALS END HUNGER STRIKE AT EL PASO PROCESSING CENTER. The Hindu (IND) (4/17, Lakshman, 77K) reports that six of the 37 Indian national men held at the El Paso Processing Center have been hospitalized after a weeklong hunger strike. A statement by the North American Punjabi Association said that “most of the remaining hunger strikers had ended their protest on Monday April 14” but that a Harmandeep Singh had been “admitted in the hospital outside the jail for treatment” and five others “admitted in the hospital inside the prison.” ICE spokesperson Leticia Zamarripa indicated that she would provide an update on the detainees’ status, though an update was not provided by the article’s publication. The El Paso (TX) Times (4/17, Lorena Figueroa, 251K) reports that ICE officials “confirmed on Thursday that all of the protesters were eating as of Wednesday afternoon.” The article cited officials as saying that “none of them had to be hospitalized.”

CONSTRUCTION OF ICE FACILITY BEGINS IN SANTA MARIA, CALIFORNIA. The Santa Maria (CA) Times (4/16, 40K) reports that “construction began Tuesday on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office” in Santa Maria, California. The League of United Latin American Citizens “is currently seeking legal recourse to prevent the building from opening.” Construction is expected to be completed in mid-February 2015.

The Santa Maria (CA) Times (4/17, 40K) reports that the city of Santa Maria “rejected a petition from Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy” for changing city council elections; an organization representing CAUSE indicated that “if the city doesn’t accept the petition and begin verifying the signatures, it will seek a writ of mandate from a judge ordering them to do so.” According to an immigration rights advocate, the change is due to “concerns among community members that their leaders weren’t listening to them” stemming in part from the council’s vote to approve the construction of the ICE facility.

COVERAGE CONTINUES OF ARIZONA COUNTY’S CANCELLATION OF ICE CONTRACT. The AP (4/17) continues coverage of Pinal County, Arizona, which “is giving the federal government notice that the county intends to cancel its money-losing contract” for housing immigration detainees in its jail. County Board of Supervisors Chairman Antony Smith is quoted saying, “every week that goes by without an agreement costs the county another $55,000...To continue to run this clock costing the taxpayers is something that I find unacceptable.” The maricopa monitor (4/17, Wright) also reports this story.

ARTICLE DISCUSSES MOTIVATIONS OF ANTI-DEPORTATION HUNGER STRIKERS. The Nation (4/17, Carpenter, 585K) discusses activists’ attempts to sway the President “to use his executive authority to change the country’s deportation procedures,” in particular an “ongoing hunger strike in front of the White House” organized by the National Day Laborer Organizing Network as part of is Not1More campaign. The article delved into the motivations for some of the hunger strikers, who have had relatives deported and then murdered in their home countries.

ACTIVISTS MOBILIZE IN SUPPORT OF DETAINED UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT. The OC (CA) Weekly (4/17, San Roman, 260K) reports that Kareli Barrera, an undocumented woman arrested on suspicion of shoplifting, was transferred to ICE on Monday after pleading no contest to petty theft. Immigration activists were “angered” as they claim that Barrera “should’ve been protected by California’s TRUST Act.” Activists groups mobilized to address the matter and flooded Acting Deputy Field Office Director Robert Naranjo with telephone calls in Barrera’s favor. ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice is quoted saying, “Ms. Barrera was remanded to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody April 14 after a fingerprint screening revealed she had been previously deported in December 2008 following her conviction in Utah related to credit card fraud...Ms. Barrera remains in ICE custody pending further review of her case.” ICE confirmed that Barrera’s representatives filed a review petition in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and that “the removal will remain stayed until the court renders its decision on the petition,” according to Kice.

ICE COMBATING ARTIFACT SMUGGLING FROM LATIN AMERICA. FOX News Latino (4/17, 140K) reports that several Latin American countries are “seeing an increase in the number of archeological relics being pilfered.” The article says that ICE, UNESCO, and Interpol have “joined in the fight,” as many artifacts “end up in U.S. auction houses and private collections.” Special agent Thomas Mulhall is quoted saying that smuggling networks “are very organized...There is an understanding that the item is relatively easily obtained. It’s difficult to excavate and to uncover, but you’ll see networks that will piggyback or follow an academic excavation that’s going on….And they’ll trade them through a network, knowing that the United States is the strongest market, one of the strongest markets.”

SECRETARY OF STATE ORDERS REVIEW OF REJECTION RATE FOR ISRAELI VISA APPLICANTS. The Al Monitor (4/17, Pecquet, 1K) reports that Secretary of State John Kerry has ordered a review of the visa rejection rate for young Israeli applicants. The article notes that Senator Charles Schumer wrote to Kerry and acting ICE director Daniel Ragsdale to demand and end to what he termed a “policy of presumptively denying visas.”

ICE AGENT PLEADS GUILTY TO FALSE STATEMENTS IN IMMIGRATION BRIBERY SCHEME. The OC (CA) Weekly (4/17, Moxley, 260K) reports that ICE agent James Dominguez “admitted guilt for his role in a bribery scheme” that involved funneling DHS records “to a Los Angeles immigration lawyer,” falsifying information in databases, and sanctioning “sham marriages involving foreign nationals.” Dominguez changed his original not guilty plea, “a move that will likely win him a reduction in punishment.” The plea was described as a “bargain” for Dominguez, “who only admitted to making false statements.”

In Brief:

PREVIOUSLY DEPORTED MAN NAMED AS PERSON OF INTEREST FOLLOWING FATAL CRASH IN DALLAS. WFAA-TV Dallas (4/17, EISERER, 280K) reports on its website that Dallas Police named Dagoberto Castanon a person of interest in a crash in Dallas, Texas on Tuesday that killed a 13-year-old boy and critically injured his mother. Police found a cell phone in a minivan that was involved in the crash. The cell phone led them to a woman who said that Castanon had cuts on his face and was on the run. According to an ICE spokesman, Castanon was deported in October 2012. He has a “history of fleeing from police, stealing cars, and theft.”

Top DHS News:

HOLDER DECRIES HATE CRIMES, DIVISION AT MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR KANSAS SHOOTING VICTIMS. McClatchy (4/18, Adler, Subscription Publication, 23K) reports from Overland Park, KS that Attorney General Holder joined clergy “of different faiths” to deliver “messages of hope and unity Thursday before more than 1,300 people gathered at the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park. ‘A pall has been cast over our great nation,’ Holder said. ‘We gather today not in joy, but in solemn reflection.’” The “overall message, however, was focused on the power of love and unity to combat hatred and evil” at the service at the Lewis and Shirley White Theatre that came “only four days after three innocent people were gunned down, allegedly by a man who authorities say is an avowed racist and anti-Semite guided by his hatred of Jews.”

The AP (4/18, Sudekum, Zagier) reports from Overland Park that Holder said on Thursday that all Americans “stand with the mourners of three people killed at Jewish community sites in suburban Kansas City,” and that “hate crimes are ‘an affront’ to the nation.” Holder joined Kansas Governor Sam Brownback and “several religious and political leaders” before “an overflow crowd of about 1,300” at the interfaith memorial service. The AP notes that Frazier Glenn Cross, 73, is charged “with the killings Sunday of Dr. William Lewis Corporon and his 14-year-old grandson, Reat Griffin Underwood, outside the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City.”

The Los Angeles Times (4/18, Phelps, 3.46M) reports that Holder, “playing a role often filled by President Obama after such tragedies, attempted to comfort the community of Overland Park,” saying, “Every alleged hate crime, no matter the intended target, is an affront to who we are – and who we have always been – both as a country and as a people. These acts cannot be ignored. And their impact is not limited to particular communities or individuals.” Holder “went through the roll of the dead from the latest in a series of mass shootings that have plagued the country, leading Holder and Obama to call on Congress to pass tighter gun laws, but in vain.”

The Hill (4/18, Trujillo, 237K) reports [n its “Blog Briefing Room” blog that Holder “pledged support to the families and victims of the shooting, which the Justice Department said constitutes a hate crime. ‘We are united in our condemnation of this heinous attack and our commitment to see that justice is served,’ Holder said.” The Hill notes that Holder had earlier in the week “urged Congress to approve an additional $15 million in active-shooter training for police around the country after two mass shootings in the past month.”

WDAF-TV Kansas City, MO (4/17, 61K) reports that Holder “noted that this was supposed to be a time when the Jewish people in the Kansas City community were celebrating the Passover. ‘We gather today not in joy but in solemn reflection and in remembrance of those whose lives have been cut too short. We mourn the untimely losses of Terri, William and Reat and all their futures should have held,’ Holder said,” adding that “the country is inspired by the resilience of our community, the strength of those who lost loved ones and the stories of heroism ,” and he “mentioned passersby and the staff members who helped warn others about the danger of the gunman,” as well as “the brave law enforcement officials who raced to apprehend the suspect.”

PBS (4/18, Barajas, 1.22M) , Reuters (4/18) , the Kansas City (MO) Star (4/17, Sleezer, 1.48M) and KMBZ-AM Kansas City, MO (4/18) also report on the memorial service.

FBI, Federal And Local Officials Continue To Investigate Kansas City Shootings After New Incident. ABC World News (4/17, story 6, 1:35, Muir) broadcast that Kansas City is “on edge” as investigators, including the FBI, look into a shooting that targeted a minivan on an area highway. There is “still no suspect and few if any leads” in the 20 highway shootings that have occurred in the past month. Brad Garrett, a former FBI agent said, “Highway shooters tend to get caught because they keep doing it and someone gets a good car description and a complete or partial tag number.”

The CNN (4/18, Payne, 77.95M) reports however that Kansas City Police took a male suspect into custody but had not charged him according to Chief Darryl Forte. The latest apparent shooting occurred on Wednesday at a stoplight in south Kansas City. Four people reported that they believed they heard two gunshots before their rear window shattered. Police inspected the vehicle after the glass had been cleaned up, but found no bullets or holes. An anonymous US law enforcement official who has been briefed on the case said that “investigators are still trying to figure out if any of the shootings are related and, if so, how many might be connected.” The official added that “federal agents used dogs on Interstate 435 last week to search for shell casings that might tie the cases together” but did not share any findings.

SEARCH FOR FLIGHT 370 CONTINUES. On ABC World News (4/17, story 7, 1:40, Muir), it was reported that an “oil slick investigators hoped was from Flight 370 has turned out to be another false lead.” NBC Nightly News (4/17, story 3, 1:25, Williams, 7.86M) also covered the continuing search.

ADDITIONAL CBP AGENTS REQUESTED AT TEXAS BORDER CROSSINGS. The AP (4/18) reports authorities at the Hidalgo-Reynosa and Anzalduas border crossings in Texas took advantage of a recent initiative Wednesday that allows “public and private partnerships to pay for additional” CBP personnel when needed. The officials made the request to help reduce up to four hour wait times at the ports for travelers seeking to enter the US. The request will cost about $25,000 and be covered by local governments and organizations.

NEW PORT OF ENTRY TO BE BUILT IN CALIFORNIA. U-T San Diego (4/17, Dibble, 648K) reports CBP Commissioner Kerlikowske confirmed yesterday that an agreement has been reached that will allow Tijuana’s A.L. Rodriguez airport to be linked across the border with an agency inspection facility in Otay Mesa, California. The Commissioner said it is his “understanding is that the Department of State notified the government of Mexico about the construction that will occur beginning in May.” Construction and operating costs of the new port of entry will be funded by South County Economic Development Council. U-T says the port will also “be limited to toll-paying ticketed airline passengers.”

COUNTERFEIT SOCCER MERCHANDISE SEIZED IN GEORGIA. The AP (4/18) reports CBP agents seized 390 cartons on counterfeit soccer merchandise, worth over $1 million, in Savannah, Georgia, according to an agency statement yesterday. CBP said that the illicit merchandise, en route to Chamblee, had been shipped from China and had been in the state since mid-March. CBP officials detained the shipment and “asked the importer for trademark verification documents, which it couldn’t provide.” The fake goods included t-shirts, socks, shorts, and other merchandise.

The Savannah (GA) Morning News (4/17, Dickstein, 226K) reports Sapp said agents know what to look for and when, noting that illicit sports apparel is often made due to a high price tag and high demand just prior to major sporting events. He added that people who import counterfeit goods can face criminal charges. Reginald Manning, CBP director of field operations in Atlanta, said that the agency “continues to guard the nation’s borders against counterfeit products” that threaten “America’s innovation economy, the competitiveness of our businesses, the livelihoods of US. workers, the economic security of our country, and in some cases, the health and safety of consumers.”

CARTER: OBAMA’S IMMIGRATION POLICIES CREATING HUMANITARIAN CRISIS. In a piece for The Hill’s (4/18, Carter, 237K) “Congress Blog,” US Rep. John Carter (R-Texas), chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee on Homeland Security, decries that President Obama’s immigration policies have “created an invitational posture for illegal immigrants” that has resulted in “Tens of thousands of children... being smuggled, trafficked, exploited, and even abused by vast criminal networks.” Carter asserts that actions such as the politicization of ICE and CIS’ DACA program has created resulted in a crisis that has CBP stations being overwhelmed with the volume of children entering the country and ICE agents having to forgo “critical investigative work” to escort children to their parents. He calls on Obama to “recognize the humanitarian costs his policies are inflicting” and begin to enforce the nation’s immigration laws.

DALLAS, CHARLOTTE AIRPORTS TO REMOVE “RECOMPOSURE AREAS.” Mary Forgione writes in the Los Angeles Times (4/18, Forgione, 3.46M) that Dallas Fort-Worth International Airport has removed a “recomposure area” that was credited with helping security lines move “25% faster.” Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, which also had a recomposure area, plans to remove it as well. The article notes that the TSA, SecurityPoint Media, and SpringHill Suites by Marriott collaborated on the program; the airports “hope to find another sponsor.” The article detailed the amenities included in the areas, which “we feel results in an overall enhanced passenger experience,” according to a Charlotte airport representative.

DE BLASIO SEEKS TO RESET SANDY RECOVERY EFFORTS IN NEW YORK. The Wall Street Journal (4/18, Saul, Subscription Publication, 5.51M) reports New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio released a new Superstorm Sandy recovery plan yesterday aimed at overhauling existing programs. The Mayor’s Administration sees the initiative as a way to restart efforts that it says were flawed from the start and have resulted in immense frustration from those in need. The city has been granted $3.22 billion in Federal assistance to date and the city is seeking another $1 billion for other Sandy-related needs. Aides to the Mayor say all of the projects in the new plan would be covered by current funding.

The New York Times (4/17, Grynbaum, Subscription Publication, 9.65M) reports under de Blasio’s “modest goals,” “about 4,000 more residents than initially planned will be eligible to receive compensation from the government for repairs they have already performed on damaged homes” and “Hundreds more will be eligible to receive the full value of their property if they decide to vacate.” During the announcement of the plan, the Mayor cautioned that there will likely still be challenges ahead, as applications for Federal assistance often comes with a good deal of red tape.

NYTimes: Recovery One Of Mayor’s Largest Challenges. In an editorial, the New York Times (4/17, Subscription Publication, 9.65M) reports that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s most difficult challenges could be the recovery from Hurricane Sandy and preparing the city for “the inevitable and potentially disastrous storms to come.” While the Mayor has been “fighting big battles and winning a few,” the paper criticizes him for not moving forward on hurricane recovery. The paper notes de Blasio’s promises for rebuilding, then concludes that preparing for future storms as bad as or worse then Sandy “is no less important than cleaning up the current mess.”

MTA Pulls Ad Thanking Officials For Sandy Aid. The New York Daily News (4/18, O'Connor, 4.36M) reports that an advertisement by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority thanking state and Federal authorities for securing Hurricane Sandy relief funds has been removed from New York City’s subway system. The ad, one of a series of roughly 13, thanked FEMA, the FTA, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-New York) for helping MTA obtain $4 billion for subway repairs that will also be used “to make the system less vulnerable to future storms.” MTA said the posted was pulled because it was “prepped and displayed without consultation with or approval by the governor’s office.”

MONTANA FLOODING DECLARED DISASTER. The AP (4/18) reports President Obama signed a declaration yesterday making “federal funding available on a cost-sharing basis to state and eligible local governments and some private, nonprofit organizations for repair or replacement of facilities damaged” by flooding in Montana last month. The move will also allow Federal assistance to be given on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation projects in the state and FEMA said that “additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.”

NEW CIS GUIDELINES “RAISE THE BAR” ON ELIGIBILITY FOR ASYLUM. The Los Angeles Times (4/18, Linthicum, 3.46M) reports that since 2009, the number of foreign nationals who are in the US illegally but are allowed to stay because they claimed they face persecution in their own countries has “increased sevenfold, from just under 5,000” in 2009 to “more than 36,000” last year. The Times says that as a result of the spike, “Department of Homeland Security officials have set new guidelines that raise the bar on who can enter the United States and formally file for protection.” According to the piece, internal CIS documents show that officers are instructed under the guideline “to approve only those immigrants who demonstrate a ‘significant possibility’ of winning asylum from a judge.”

The AP (4/18, Caldwell) reports DHS “reissued [the] asylum rules to immigration officials amid concerns that they are misinterpreting how to decide which immigrants get to see a judge for asylum claims.” CIS spokesman Jeff Carter said in a statement yesterday that the updated guidelines, based on a February 28 memo from the chief of CIS’ asylum division John Lafferty, are not that different from how the agency has been handling cases.

H-1B DEMAND OUTSTRIPS SUPPLY. The Deseret (UT) News (4/18, Cortez, 610K) reports that even as H-1B visa caps have remained the same, demand for the visas “grew 39 percent from more than a year ago.” USCIS indicated that “some 172,500 petitions were filed by April 10,” an increase “from 124,000 petitions a year ago.” According to officials, this was “the second year in a row that the statutory cap was reached within the first week” of the filing period for applications. Jeremy Robbins, executive director of Partnership for a New American Economy, is quoted saying, “the worst are the people that come out of our universities. If we are paying to train someone...it is so backwards to think we can pay to train them to be the next great innovator in the world and then we’re going to send them to our competitors to compete against us.”

CBS DISCUSSES BP OIL SPILL AFTERMATH. The CBS Evening News (4/17, story 8, 3:00, Pelley, 5.08M) reported from the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, as University of Georgia researcher Mandy Joye dove to the seabed and found that marine life had rebounded from a “gut-wrenching” absence in 2010. However, the expedition also found an oil layer from the spill on the seabed, which Joye says is “widespread...sitting there, and nothing’s happening to it.” According to Joye, it may take a decade “before the full impact of the oil spill is known.”

Coast Guard, BP In “Semantic Squabble.” Houston Chronicle (4/18, Eaton, 2.23M) reports that the Coast Guard “is crying foul” at BP’s statement “announcing the end of active cleanup efforts” in the Gulf of Mexico. Capt. Thomas Sparks indicated that he was “shocked with the tone and theme of BP’s press release...BP does not speak for the Coast Guard, and we are a long way from the response being complete or for business as usual.” Petty Officer First Class Michael Anderson advised that “from the Coast Guard’s point of view, we’re still doing active cleanup operations.” The “semantic squabble” began after the Coast Guard “changed the way it is handling three miles of Louisiana coastline where oil consistently turns up.” BP spokesman Geoff Morrell claimed that “we have never suggested the work of the US Coast Guard or BP is over...Our announcement Tuesday merely highlighted the end of active cleanup of the Gulf shoreline. We believe that is a very significant achievement that resulted from four years of sustained work.”

IDENTIFYING, PROSECUTING TARGET DATA BREACH SUSPECTS “COULD TAKE YEARS.” The AP (4/18, Fowler) reports Secret Service is “close to gaining a full understanding of” the methods used in the Target data breach, but that “it could take years to identify the criminals” responsible, and “even longer to bring the offenders to justice.” Ari Baranoff, assistant special agent in charge of the agency’s criminal investigative division, indicated that the Secret Service is monitoring their suspects’ online activities so that “they’ll be able to arrest them at an opportune moment.” Baranoff is quoted as saying, “we take a lot of pride in having a lot of patience...There are individuals we’ve apprehended that we’ve known about for 10 years and we’re very comfortable indicting these individuals, sitting back and waiting patiently until the opportunity arrives that we can apprehend them.” Another source said that the Secret Service’s “ability to coordinate with law enforcement agencies around the world” enable it to be “effective in fighting cybercrime and help speed things up.”

LUXURY CAR EXPORT KICKBACK INVESTIGATION NEARING THE FILING OF CHARGES. The New York Times (4/18, Goldstein, Subscription Publication, 9.65M) reports that an investigation by New York State attorney general Eric Schneiderman, the Secret Service, and DHS into alleged “kickbacks being paid to salesmen at high-end car dealerships” by businesses that export cars to China appears to have progressed closer to the filing of charges. Prestige Motors, one of the largest such dealerships in the New York area, “fired or suspended a half-dozen executives after an internal inquiry.” The article says that “it is not clear what laws...the export businesses are violating,” though “using deception to purchase cars” and “falsified shipping documents” are suspected in some cases. Authorities also suspect that the funds used by export activities are being laundered by foreign buyers of cars. The Federal agencies met with Schneiderman’s attorneys to discuss “whether to pursue the matter in a criminal or civil court,” the article says.

FORMER METS MASCOT RECALLS SECRET SERVICE ENCOUNTER. The New York Daily News (4/18, McShane, 4.36M) reports that former New York Mets mascot A.J. Mass claimed in a new book that “he was threatened with sniper fire if he got too close to President Clinton” during the President’s visit to Shea Stadium in 1997. According to Mass, an agent said, “We have snipers all around the stadium, just in case something were to happen...Like I said, do whatever it is you normally do. But approach the President, and we go for the kill shot. Are we clear?” The article says that Mass’ account of the exchange has made him “a star among mascots.” Mass recalled that he hoped to get a picture with Clinton, but that the Secret Service agent “started eyeballing him after Mr. Met’s head failed to fit through an on-field metal detector.” Also reporting this story were the New York Post (4/18, 2.77M), the Washington Times (4/18, Chasmar, 455K), The Hill (4/18, Kurtz, 237K) “In The Know” blog, and Politico (4/18, Mccalmont, 73K).

“BRAND NEW” VIDEO OF WEST EXPLOSION “HAS SURFACED.” ABC World News (4/17, story 5, 0:30, Muir) reported that a “brand new video” of the West Fertilizer Co. explosion in Texas has surfaced, “capturing the horrific moment a year ago like you’ve never seen before.” The report notes that “safety rules...for storing fertilizers remain unchanged across much of the country one year later.”

Regulatory Action “Scant” After West Explosion. The Austin (TX) American Statesman (4/18, Schwartz, 495K) reports that “just one of the nearly 100 facilities in Texas that store large amounts of...ammonium nitrate is equipped with a fire-dampening sprinkler system.” Furthermore, half of such facilities “are made of combustible wood, which remains the norm...across the nation.” The article says that despite hearings, working groups, “listening sessions,” and “reams of reports,” “concrete action so far has been scant.” Alex Winslow, executive director of the nonpartisan consumer advocacy group Texas Watch, is quoted saying that “from a state level, I would say the response has been unapologetically inadequate...It’s sort of been lacking in any urgency.” A report by a working group comprising several Federal agencies “makes no mention of adopting a 12-year-old recommendation to include ammonium nitrate...in the EPA’s risk management plan program.”

POWER INDUSTRY’S GRID PROTECTION REGULATIONS CRITICIZED. The Wall Street Journal (4/17, Smith, Subscription Publication, 5.51M) reports that, a year after the attack on the Metcalf substation in California, the power industry’s draft regulations regarding the protection of critical electrical grid equipment are too loose, according to experts. The rules do not include specific suggestions made by Federal regulators last year; experts also say that the rules exempt all but a small percentage of transmission substations from new requirements. Kimberly Mielcarek, director of communications for the North American Electric Reliability Corp., drafter of the proposed rules, said that they grant companies flexibility to respond to different situations in different environments.

DHS SECRETARY VISITS MISSISSIPPI. The Pascagoula Mississippi Press (4/18, Clary, 62K) reports that Congress member Steven Palazzo “entertained Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson on a tour of Ingalls Shipbuilding” in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The Secretary and Palazzo reportedly discussed flood insurance and mitigation, among other issues. Palazzo is quoted saying, “when I invited Secretary Johnson to South Mississippi earlier this year, I wanted him to see firsthand what Mississippi’s world-class workforce could do...I am thankful for Secretary Johnson’s visit, and I will continue to work with him and my colleagues on the Homeland Security Committee and in Congress to ensure funding for the eighth National Security Cutter.” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias is quoted saying, “today was a great opportunity to show Secretary Johnson the quality craftsmanship of our shipbuilders.”

The Hattiesburg (MS) American (4/18, Gates, 42K) reports on the Secretary’s visit to Mississippi. Johnson is quoted saying, “I feel like I have a lot of business here on a lot of fronts.” Johnson added, “from the time I was sworn into office in December, I recognized the importance of the state of Mississippi to the Department of Homeland Security and the importance of Homeland Security to the state.” In addition to touring Ingalls and inspecting new Coast Guard Cutters under construction there, Johnson also visited CBP and Coast Guard personnel in Gulfport, saying, “the city of Gulfport is a tremendous testament to the resiliency of the people after Katrina.” Johnson also met with first responders and leaders of the community at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi. Johnson noted, “we need to be vigilant...I will be in Boston next week for the Boston Marathon. Despite the tragedy of last year, we as American people should not be afraid to participate in marathons and high-attended events. That is one of my public messages wherever I go.”

GUANTANAMO JUDGE ORDERS CIA TO DISCLOSE “BLACK SITE” DETAILS TO USS COLE DEFENSE ATTORNEYS. The Miami Herald (4/18, Rosenberg, 822K) reports that the military judge in the USS Cole bombing case “has ordered the U.S. government to give defense lawyers details – names, dates and places – of the CIA’s secret overseas detention and interrogation of the man accused of planning the bombing, two people who have read the still-secret order said Thursday.” Army Col. James L. Pohl issued the sealed five-page order on Monday that, “according to those who’ve read it, orders the agency to provide a chronology of the overseas odyssey of Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, 49, from his capture in Dubai in 2002 to his arrival at Guantánamo four years later.” Pohl’s order “sets the stage for a showdown between the CIA and a military judge, if the agency refuses to turn over the information to the prosecution for the defense teams.”

FBI PROBE OF GUANTANAMO DEFENSE TEAM DELAYS 9/11 TRIAL. The Huffington Post (4/17, Reilly, 11.54M) reported from Fort Meade, Maryland that an FBI investigation “into the legal team representing Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed further delayed the military trial of him and his co-defendants in Guantanamo Bay on Thursday.” The Post notes that the nature and scope of the FBI probe is unclear, but a security contractor working for the defense team “did reportedly talk to FBI agents about Mohammed’s manifesto, which was published by The Huffington Post in collaboration with Britain’s Channel 4 News.” The contractor “signed an agreement with the FBI after two agents visited his home nearly two weeks ago, which one defense attorney described as an attempt to ‘introduce a Trojan Horse behind the wall of attorney-client privilege.’”

MARYLAND MAN LINKED TO “JIHAD JANE” SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS IN PRISON. Bloomberg News (4/18, Bathon, Pearson, 2.76M) reports that Mohammad Hassan Khalid, a 20-year-old Maryland resident linked to the “Jihad Jane” plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist was sentenced to five years in Federal prison on Thursday for conspiring to support and train terrorists. US District Judge Petrese B. Tucker sentenced Khalid at a hearing in Philadelphia. The sentence “includes three years of supervised release and credits almost three years he has already spent in jail toward his prison term.” Khalid’s attorney, Jeffrey M. Lindy, called the sentence “reasonable and fair,” and noted that Khalid “was a teenager at the time of the crime who was manipulated by his co-conspirators and not a terrorist mastermind.” Khalid, a Pakistani citizen, was charged in 2011 with “helping Colleen LaRose, a Pennsylvania woman who used the alias ‘Jihad Jane,’ plan terrorist attacks in Europe, including a plot to kill Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks.”

PROSECUTOR SAYS MUSLIM CLERIC WAS COMMITTED TO WAR. The New York Times (4/18, Weiser, Subscription Publication, 9.65M) reports that Mostafa Kamel Mostafa, “an Egyptian-born cleric who became prominent for his fiery sermons at a British mosque, was more than just a preacher,” a Federal prosecutor told jurors on Thursday, saying that Mostafa “was a trainer of terrorists, and he used the cover of religion so he could hide in plain sight in London.” Federal prosecutor Edward Y. Kim “made that assertion before a Federal District Court jury in Manhattan in the government’s opening statement in the trial of” Mostafa, “who was extradited from Britain in 2012 to face terrorism charges in New York.” Mostafa, 56, also known as Abu Hamza al-Masri, “faces charges of helping to orchestrate the 1998 hostage-taking of a group of tourists” in Yemen. He is also charged with planning to create a terrorist training camp in Oregon in 1999, and with providing assistance to al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

RICE SAYS BUSH ADMINISTRATION “KEPT THE NATION SAFE.” The Minneapolis Star Tribune (4/18, Lerner, 1.48M) reports that in a speech at the University of Minnesota Thursday, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice “offered no apologies for her role in the Bush Administration’s War on Terror, saying simply: ‘We kept the nation safe.’” Rice “was invited to talk about the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act as part of the Distinguished Carlson Lecture Series.” Her appearance sparked “a campuswide debate after faculty and student activists started a campaign to get her speaking invitation revoked, saying she shared the blame for the torture of detainees and other wartime abuses.”

JUDGE DENIES TSARNAEV’S BID FOR EVIDENCE ON BROTHER. Bloomberg News (4/18, Larson, Lawrence, 2.76M) reports that US District Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. in Boston on Thursday denied Boston Marathon bombing defendant Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s bid to force Federal prosecutors “to turn over evidence that may show his older brother radicalized him and led the attack.” The request for information about Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was killed in a police shootout after the bombing, was an effort to spare Dzhokhar Tsarnaev from the death penalty, Bloomberg notes. Judge O’Toole did not “elaborate on the decision handed down just days after the one-year anniversary of the terror attack.” Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 20, “is scheduled to go on trial in November,” and Federal prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty.

WSJOURNAL BLASTS NYPD’S DISMANTLING OF MUSLIM SURVEILLANCE UNIT. The Wall Street Journal (4/18, Subscription Publication, 5.51M) editorializes in opposition to a decision by New York Police Department officials to dismantle a unit designed to conduct surveillance on Muslim groups. The Journal calls the move a capitulation to political correctness that removes an important anti-terrorism defense.

GAO REPORT CLAIMS SEC CYBERSECURITY MEASURES LAX. The Wall Street Journal (4/18, Ackerman, Subscription Publication, 5.51M) reports that a report by the Government Accountability Office accused the Securities and Exchange Commission of failing to consistently protect a undisclosed financial system from possible cyberattack, or to encrypt data on the system, among other weaknesses in information security. The article quotes the report as saying that these weaknesses reduced confidence in the reliability of the data and increased the risk of unauthorized persons gaining access to critical software or hardware. Weaknesses described in the report pertain in part to lax oversight of a contractor that migrated an SEC system to a new data center. SEC Chief Information Officer Thomas Bayer acknowledged the lack of oversight over the contractor, and advised that that system was shut down. The article notes that the SEC recently announced an initiative to examine how brokerage firms handle cybersecurity threats, and has released a document detailing the types of questions firms may be asked.

Reuters (4/18) reports that, according to the GAO, physical security measures to protect SEC data and equipment are also lax.

REPORT SAYS COMMERCE DEPARTMENT CYBER FRAMEWORK MAY UNDERMINE CYBERSECURITY. The Hill (4/17, Hattem, 237K) “Hillicon Valley” blog reports that a report from George Mason University’s Mercatus Center says that the Department of Commerce’s “voluntary cybersecurity framework could end up undermining the online protections it seeks.” According to the report, the plan “amounts to ‘opaque control’ of the Internet” and may diminish the “spontaneous, creative sources of experimentation and feedback that drive Internet innovation.” The report also claimed that companies’ cybersecurity solutions are incentivized by norms and the market and “are more robust, effective, and affordable than state-directed alternatives.” Researchers instead want the government to “kick-start a cybersecurity insurance market by purchasing coverage for federal agencies” and “make it easier for companies to learn about new threats and share the information.”

MICHAELS STORES CONFIRMS DATA BREACH. Reuters (4/18) reports that Michaels Stores Inc. has confirmed a breach of certain of its payment card processing systems at US stores and those of its Aaron Brothers unit. The company indicated that cybersecurity firms it hired to analyze the breach reported that the malware used had not been previously encountered. The malware is no longer a threat, and the company said that it is working with law enforcement and banks to resolve the matter.

NORTHROP GRUMMAN CEO URGES PASSAGE OF CYBERSECURITY LEGISLATION. Reuters (4/17, Shalal) reports that Northrop Grumman Corp. recommended that US legislators enact cybersecurity legislation to limit the liability of US companies and spurs companies to move beyond a risk-averse approach to protecting their networks. Northrop Chief Executive Wes Bush said that legislation should also enable better sharing of cybersecurity threat information between the government and industry. Legislators have reportedly been considering legislation to clarify how companies should disclose security breaches and threats, but liability and other issues have hampered the passage of any cybersecurity legislation so far.

Network TV News Coverage:

ABC: SOUTH KOREA-FERRY BOAT INCIDENT. ABC World News (4/17, lead story, 3:20, Muir) reported, “Good evening on this Thursday night. Diane is with family as the holiday weekend approaches and we have a lot to get to tonight, beginning with the urgent search for the missing in that terrifying ferry disaster off South Korea. Hundreds on board. Among them, so many school children. Tonight the US Navy is there and the haunting images now streaming in. Rescuers in the water today where just part of that ship would be seen above water. There were no more rescues. And at night fall the ship barely piercing the water, right there. The families gathering on blankets, waiting for word, and, this evening, the reality of it all just now settling in. Also new tonight, the captain. What he’s now saying after we learned he was one of the first off of that ferry. ABC’s Gloria Riviera leads us off tonight with new pictures taken onboard just as the horror began to unfold.” ABC (Riviera) added, “New images tonight of a world turned on its side. The critical moments after the ferry boat shifted violently. Watch as survivors cling to anything they can. In this passage way, the floor now the side of the boat. Other passengers huddled inside wearing life jackets. Today we learned the captain abandoned ship a half hour after sending out a distress call. This morning, hiding his face from reporters, he apologized, saying, ‘I am sorry and deeply ashamed.’ Tonight he is under criminal investigation, questioned by police amid growing outrage. Families of the 276 missing are holding out hope that perhaps their loved ones are still alive, trapped in air pockets in the sunken ship. Rescuers have even tried to pipe oxygen. So far those efforts have been unsuccessful. The death toll has now climbed to 25. The doomed ferry was carrying almost 500 passengers, most high school students on a class trip, when the boat began to tilt. At 8:58 the distress call went out. Passengers were told to put on life jackets and stay inside. In this video an overhead announcement saying, ‘It is safer in the passenger quarters.’ Because of those announcements so many people became trapped inside. At 9:27 one worried student texted his mother unsure if he will see her again. ‘I love you,’ he writes. Three minutes later the captain makes his escape in a lifeboat. One of the first off the ship. Aboard, the frantic battle for survival and real-life heroes. And extraordinary act of sacrifice from this young man who didn’t make it off that ship. His mother hearing of his final act of generosity. ‘His friend was crying,’ she says, ‘so I heard my son gave him his life jacket.’ David, it is just past first light on day three. The US Navy is involved here but there are some key elements affecting everyone. The bad weather making it so tough to see above and below the water. Rescue divers have had to be rescued themselves, with every moment so critical. David?”

ABC: UKRAINE CRISIS. ABC World News (4/17, story 2, 1:50, Marquardt) reported, “Now to the other breaking story this evening. The dramatic pictures coming in from Ukraine. The gunfire, explosions, all on camera and it comes just as we learned, late today, from President Obama of a new agreement with Russia. The question now, will it work? Meantime, President Putin holding a call-in show and who called in? It made global headlines. ABC’s Alex Marquardt on it all from Ukraine tonight.” ABC (Marquardt) added, “Molotov cocktails and bursts of gunfire as armed, pro-Russia protesters attacked the Ukrainian base, three were killed. Today the aftermath. A destroyed police car, blood stains on the pavement. We’re told the gun fight lasted several hours between the two sides. Here on one of these police vehicles you could see several bullet holes from the weapons of the protesters. But today that hoped to end the violence with a deal with Russia, Ukraine, and Europe that all sides refrain from violence, that illegal armed groups disarm, and that Ukraine give amnesty to the pro-Russian protesters.” Barack Obama, President of the United States: “I don’t think we can be sure of anything at this point. I think there is the possibility, the prospect that diplomacy may deescalate the situation.” Marquardt: “President Putin’s annual call-in show was today, lasting four hours, with questions from across Russia, even from Edward Snowden. Putin saying that Russia has historic claims to Eastern Ukraine and said he reserves the right to send in Russian troops. This, as the already violent crisis has taken on a darker dimension. Accusations that anti-Semitic fliers were being handed out in one city calling on Jews to register.” John Kerry, US Secretary of State: “This is not just intolerable, it’s grotesque. It is beyond unacceptable.” Marquardt: “It’s unclear who’s responsible and if this message is a hoax, tonight the big question is: Will this deal ease these tensions?”

ABC: OBAMACARE ENROLLMENT. ABC World News (4/17, story 3, 0:25) reported, “The White House revealing that pack with Russia late today, of course also revealing, though, something else. The President saying his healthcare plan has now passed another milestone. Eight million Americans have signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. And, for the first time, we’re learning 35 percent are under the age of 35. Of course, a group heavily targeted by the White House during those final weeks of open enrollment.”

ABC: SEVERE WEATHER. ABC World News (4/17, story 4, 1:45, Muir) reported, “Now to the weather headline tonight. Is it really spring? Not in a huge part of this country. These postcards from the Midwest telling the story this evening. This car in Minnesota – look at that – buried in snow. A school bus, no match for the snow. I don’t even know if they have snow days left over. Spring is trying out there, but close to two feet of snow in some places and tonight here the long range forecast is now out. What are we in for through July? Here’s ABC’s Bazi Kanani now.” ABC (Kanani) added, “It seems someone forgot to tell the upper Midwest that it’s spring.” Unidentified Speaker: “It’s freezing. My feet are freezing.” Kanani: “Cars in ditches, all over Minnesota, more than a foot in places in Duluth. Hardy folks breaking out the snowshoes, again.” Unidentified Speaker: “Winter lasted a little longer than expected, but it’s been fun.” Kanani: “If you think digging your car out is a pain, this poor guy had to shovel a whole dealership. Meanwhile in the northeast, the big melt is bringing flooding, and check out this ice jam in Maine. A new report from NOAA looks back at what a wild month March was and tells us what’s to come. Ice on Lake Michigan reached 93.3 percent, a new March record. In the last four months, the number of people living in extreme drought in Texas and Oklahoma alone has doubled to nearly two million people. In California the above average warmth will continue through summer and the shivering Northeast will warm up, too. They’re predicting a hotter than normal summer through July. And here in Denver, in the southern Rockies, some good news. More rain than normal as predicted over the next few months. There’s a drought south of here and that will be some welcome relief. David?”

ABC: TEXAS-FERTILIZER PLANT EXPLOSION VIDEO. ABC World News (4/17, story 5, 0:30, Muir) reported, “Now to Texas tonight and to a brand new video that surfaced capturing the horrific moment a year ago like you’ve never seen before. You’ll remember that deadly explosion at a fertilizer plant. Fifteen people died. So many first responders. Just unreal there. That new look of the moment of crisis released one year later. Someone capturing all of it as they were driving through West Texas. Safety rules, by the way, for storing fertilizers remain unchanged across much of the country one year later.”

ABC: KANSAS CITY HIGHWAY SHOOTINGS. ABC World News (4/17, story 6, 1:35, Muir) reported, “And to a real scare in the heartland tonight near Kansas City. Tonight new worries about that serial shooter in Kansas. Authorities are now investigating if that shooter has struck again. Here tonight ABC’s Gio Benitez.” ABC (Benitez) added, “An investigation is underway into whether the Kansas City serial shooter has stuck again. A woman telling police her minivan was shot at on the highway yesterday. It’s a city on edge. Twenty highway shootings in the past month, authorities linking 12. Still no suspect and few if any leads.” Unidentified Speaker: “They’ve got to stop these people.” Benitez: “So far, at least three people have been hurt in the string of shootings, two shot in the legs, another in the arm. How do you find a shooter like this?” Brad Garrett, Former FBI Agent: “Highway shooters tend to get caught because they keep doing it and someone gets a good car description and a complete or partial tag number.” Benitez: “The FBI is also on the case. Police say they are investigating the latest shooting report. So far, they haven’t turned up any evidence. They are hoping to nab the shooter before it’s too late. Gio Benitez ABC News, New York.”

ABC: MISSING MALAYSIA FLIGHT. ABC World News (4/17, story 7, 1:40, Muir) reported, “Now to the search for the passenger jet that vanished with 239 people on board. There is news tonight that the oil slick investigators hope was from Flight 370 has turned out to be another false lead. Meantime, here’s the map again tonight. This is the search zone. More than 40 square miles wide, three miles down. All in the areas of those underwater signals picked up now several days ago. And tonight ABC News has learned that the unmanned submarine, that Bluefin-21, might have detected a clue so compelling, it is back combing the ocean floor again tonight. So I want to bring in ABC’s Aviation Consultant John Nance, a retired airline pilot himself. And John, when you hear how quickly that they’ve this underwater drone back down to the same area, what does it tell you?” John Nance, ABC Aviation Consultant: “Well it tells me that it was significant whatever they saw in that, in order to be able to break the search pattern and put it back in the same place. They saw something compelling. You’re absolutely right.” Muir: “And this unmanned submarine, getting it down there is not super-quick.” Nance: “No. As a matter of fact, it’s really agonizing, if you will, in terms of time. Two hours to get down, three miles, 16 hours on station, two hours back up. Then they’ve got to pull it out and take the instrument package out.” Muir: “We’re talking about depths of what, 12 Empire State Buildings we’ve said that this drone is traveling down to the ocean floor?” Nance: “Sixteen thousand some odd feet. That’s about right. About 12 Empire State Buildings plus a little bit and tremendous pressure down there. I mean, this is really a very hostile environment and zero light.” Muir: “And John you eluded to it here a moment ago. The waiting game here. No real-time information coming back from that underwater drone.” Nance: “That’s right. We tend to think of everything being instant transmission these days. But that’s not the case with this drone. It isn’t communicating with the ship. They have to pull it out of the water. Take the instrument package out and laboriously debrief everything before we know what it was that it might have seen down there.”

ABC: POPE FRANCIS-HOLY THURSDAY. ABC World News (4/17, story 8, 0:15, Muir) reported, “And on this Holy Thursday, images of ancient ritual out of Rome where today Pope Francis washed the feet of 12 disabled people, among them women and non-believers. A break with tradition. Pope Francis calling it a reminder to serve others, he says, just as Jesus did.”

ABC: CHELSEA CLINTON ANNOUNCEMENT. ABC World News (4/17, story 9, 2:05, Sawyer) reported, “And back here at home tonight. Big news this evening from the former first daughter. Chelsea Clinton announcing she is expecting her first child. Her mother and father already tweeting and members of the Bush family sending their congratulations. This from Jenna Bush Hager tonight tweeting, ‘Welcome to the best club in the world. Mama-hood is wonderful,’ she tweets. ABC’s Cecilia Vega now.” ABC (Vega) added, “The next generation of the Clinton dynasty is on the way. Chelsea Clinton announcing today that she and investment banker husband Marc Mezvinsky are expecting their first child.” Chelsea Clinton: “Marc and I are very excited that we have our first child arriving later this year.” Vega: “But perhaps no one more overjoyed than Hillary Clinton whose desire to add grandma to her resume has not been secret. Just last month she and Jimmy Kimmel talked about it at the Clinton Global Initiative.” Jimmy Kimmel: “Do you think you and the President will have another child? Anymore children?” Hillary Clinton: “Well, no, but I wouldn’t mind one of those grandchildren that I hear so much about. But you know…” Vega: “Former President Bill Clinton on the putting the pressure on, too, at the World Economic Forum in Davos three years ago.” Bill Clinton: “I would like to have a happy wife and she won’t be unless she’s a grandmother. Something she wants more than she wanted to be president.” Vega: “Thirty-four-year-old Chelsea married four years ago in a private ceremony. She and Mezvinsky were childhood friends who attended Stanford University together. Today’s announcement not a total surprise. Chelsea saying in a magazine interview last year that she hoped 2014 would be the year of the baby.” C. Clinton: “And I certainly feel all the better whether it’s a girl or boy, that she or he will grow up in a world full of so many strong young female leaders.” Vega: “One child who grew up before our eyes in the White House. Could there soon be another? And the entire Clinton family joining the congratulations on Twitter. Hillary saying grandmother-to-be is her most excited title yet. Bill saying he is excited to add grandfather-to-be to his Twitter bio. And, David, Chelsea tweeting this evening that their baby is due this fall.” Muir: “Politics aside for at least one night. Great news for the Clinton family. Cecilia, thank you. And how time flies. You heard Hillary Clinton say there she was ready to be a grandmother and here she is holding her infant daughter, Chelsea, there, just one-year-old, with dad, too. That was back in 1980.”

ABC: TRAVEL TIPS. ABC World News (4/17, story 10, 1:55, Muir) reported, “Next tonight here, Easter weekend approaching, families on spring break and perhaps already planning their summer trips. ABC’s Chief Business Correspondent Rebecca Jarvis tonight with the expert who got to Florida for free. Are you on board?” ABC (Jarvis) added, “It’s that time of year again. Time to hit the road. But launching with you, prices. Air fares about to jump 10, even 20 percent. Enter Bryce Conway. He hasn’t paid for a flight in three years proving it, lying to Fort Lauderdale and back for free. First to the airport. So how much would this ride normally cost?” Bryce Conway: “To rent a car to take three people to the airport – 60 bucks, 70 bucks maybe.” Jarvis: “But Conway paid nothing. He does it by building up credits for free rides by recommending of all his friends and family to car service provider, Uber. In this first class cabin we found passengers paying $500, $600, even $1,000 for tickets. My ticket was $550.” Conway: “My ticket was literally free. So is my breakfast.” Jarvis: “He did it using airline miles, which he did simply by signing up for the right credit cards. Credit cards offering upwards of 40,000 free miles.” Conway: “I currently have 23 credit cards.” Jarvis: “23?” Conway: “Twenty-three, yeah and I know that a lot of the financial advice columns that you read or the financial advisers that you talk to say, whoa, whoa, that’s crazy.” Jarvis: “Once in sunny Florida he even helped us save big on our car rental.” Conway: “So there’s this great website service. It’s called AutoSlash.com.” Jarvis: “AutoSlash?” Conway: “AutoSlash, like slash the price. And basically what you do is you can rent a car anywhere and you go to AutoSlash.com, just put in your name and confirmation number, and they will constantly be checking for a better rate on that exact same car.” Jarvis: “It is that simple and if you are in the market for a new credit card, be selective, look for the special promotions. David, some of them, they literally will cover the entire cost of a trip.”

ABC: NASA-NEW PLANET DISCOVERED. ABC World News (4/17, story 11, 0:20, Muir) reported, “Our ‘Instant Index.’ News of a sort of intergalactic neighbor. What astronomers are calling Earth’s twin. Five hundred light-years away, a little bigger, a little colder, orbiting its own sun at just the right distance making the planet not too hot, not too cold, meaning there could be water and, of course, that means there could be life. I have a feeling we’ll have more to come on that.”

CBS: SOUTH KOREA-FERRY BOAT DISASTER. The CBS Evening News (4/17, lead story, 2:45, Pelley, 5.08M) reported, “Good evening. More bodies were recovered today from the scene of the ferry disaster off South Korea, but hundreds of people, most of them teenagers from the same school, are presumed to be still aboard the sunken vessel. One anguished parent said, ‘If I could teach myself to dive I would jump in the water and try to find my daughter.’ Nearly two days after the ferry capsized, the confirmed death toll stands at 25. Seth Doane is following the search.” CBS (Doane) added, “Rescuers hammered on the hull of the capsized ferry, hoping for a response. None came. Divers tried to pump in oxygen to help anyone still alive below deck, but strong waves and heavy winds made it impossible. ‘We made five to eight attempts,’ this coast guard chief said. ‘But in the end we have failed to enter the sunken ship.’ One of the only bright spots was when a six-year-old was plucked from the ferry. Her parents and brother remain missing. Over 200 passengers are still unaccounted for. Most are high school students. For families, the agonizing wait continued. ‘Come back alive,’ pleaded this grandmother. This mother had to identify her teenaged son at the local morgue. The 69-year-old captain faces a criminal investigation. He may have been among the first off the sinking ship. ‘I am so sorry and ashamed,’ he said. ‘I am at a loss for words.’ No one knows why the ferry sank. The state broadcaster said it was possible the cargo, about 1,000 tons, was not tied down properly. It may have shifted suddenly, causing the ship to tilt dangerously. But when the ferry started listing, some survivors say they were told to stay where they were. The evacuation order was not given for another 30 minutes and many said they never heard it.” Pelley: “Seth Doane is with us from Incheon. Seth, the stern of the ferry is resting on the seabed. Are they going to try to lift the entire boat?” Doane: “They are, Scott. The government is actually bringing in three ships with giant cranes on them, and they’re going to try to turn over the ship and then lift it up as part of the salvage operation. We did just get off the phone with the coast guard, and they reminded us that still it is being termed a rescue.”

CBS: UKRAINE CRISIS-DIPLOMATIC AGREEMENT. The CBS Evening News (4/17, story 2, 2:10, Brennan, 5.08M) reported, “There’s a surprise agreement tonight that may head off a Russian invasion of Eastern Ukraine. The US and Russia, along with Ukraine and the European Union, negotiated a deal in Geneva today where we find our State Department Correspondent Margaret Brennan. Margaret, what happened?” CBS (Brennan) added, “Well, Scott, expectations were low for today’s meeting here in Geneva, so when the diplomats actually came to an agreement, Secretary Kerry called it a good day’s work. The deal was reached after nearly seven hours of negotiations. It lays out concrete steps that are meant to help restore security in Ukraine. The agreement requires all illegal armed groups to disarm and hand over seized buildings. In exchange, they’ll be granted amnesty. All sides must refrain from violence, extremism, and anti-Semitism. International monitors will help Ukraine’s government restore order. And the new Ukrainian government promised to allow greater autonomy to parts of the country, a gesture to the pro-Russian separatists. Kerry said the US and European Union would hold off on any additional sanctions until they see if Russia and the armed separatists comply with the deal. What is a specific time frame and specific consequence if these steps are not followed through on?” John Kerry, US Secretary of State: “We expect in the next few days, over the course of this weekend and the earliest part of next week, some of these steps need to begin to be seen and be evident. But if there’s a clear indication that this is moving in the right direction, then the President will – our president – will make his decision, and the leaders in Europe will make their decisions.” Brennan: “Russia has not agreed to withdraw the nearly 40,000 troops that it has stationed along Ukraine’s border. But today, the Pentagon said it would send aid to strengthen Ukraine’s military. That, though, is only going to be non-lethal gear. Items like helmets and sleeping bags.”

CBS: OBAMA-DIPLOMATIC AGREEMENT. The CBS Evening News (4/17, story 3, 0:25, Pelley, 5.08M) reported, “Later today, President Obama said this about the deal.” Barack Obama, President of the United States: “I don’t think we can be sure of anything at this point. I think there is the possibility, the prospect, diplomacy may deescalate the situation and we may be able to move towards what has always been our goal, which is let the Ukrainians make their own decisions about their own lives.”

CBS: UKRAINE CRISIS-DEADLY CONFRONTATION. The CBS Evening News (4/17, story 4, 2:00, Pelley, 5.08M) reported, “But, of course, it is the Ukrainians themselves who are divided about their own lives. In the east, more than a third call themselves ethnic Russians. There was a deadly confrontation last night in a base along the Black Sea, and Holly Williams is there.” CBS (Williams) added, “Eastern Ukraine’s simmering tensions exploded last night as pro-Russian separatists fought with the country’s national guard outside their base in Mariupol. Ukraine’s government said three militants were killed and another 13 injured. In the aftermath, the two sides blamed each other for the bloodshed. This is the worst violence Eastern Ukraine has seen since the insurgency began, and it’s only going to add to the anger and mistrust felt on both sides. The commander on the base told us today his men fired warning shots first and only fired at the militants after they broke into the compound, throwing Molotov cocktails. But in the local hospital, guarded by police, we found Sergey Shevchenko, a pro-Russian separatist who said he was hit by shrapnel from a grenade thrown by a soldier. He told us the protesters did nothing to provoke the shooting. Do you think it’s possible for both sides to calm down now and stop the violence? ‘Yes,’ he told us. ‘If we have a referendum. We want a separate state here in Eastern Ukraine.’ Despite today’s diplomatic deal in Geneva, there’s a deepening divide here between those who support Ukraine’s western-backed government in Kiev and those in the east of the country who lean towards Russia. And, Scott, last night’s violence won’t bring them any closer together.”

CBS: UKRAINE CRISIS-RUSSIA SANCTIONS. The CBS Evening News (4/17, story 5, 1:50, Pelley, 5.08M) reported, “Now, the West has already imposed economic sanctions against Russia for its seizure earlier of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula. We asked Senior Business Correspondent Anthony Mason to find out whether those sanctions have any bite.” CBS (Mason) added, “Even before Russia massed troops on the Ukrainian border, its economy was faltering. Would you say sanctions are working?” Alex Kliment, Eurasia Group: “The existing sanctions are starting to chip away at the economic welfare of Russian elites and Russian companies.” Mason: “Alex Kliment, head of Russian research at the Eurasia Group, says the turmoil over Ukraine is scaring away international investors.” Kliment: “Attracting fresh money is becoming more difficult for Russian companies and Russian banks.” Mason: “Russia’s economy actually shrank in the first three months of the year by half a percent. This week, Russia’s economic minister, Alexei Ulyukayev, called it a very worrying situation. Foreign and Russian companies are sending cash out of the country to safe havens. Sixty-four billion dollars fled in the first three months of this year. That’s more than left Russia in all of 2013. Could broader sanctions tilt Russia into recession?” Kliment: “Broader sanctions could absolutely tilt Russia into recession. I think at the moment, the prospect of broader sanctions against the Russian economy is one of the things that is restraining the Kremlin’s willingness to actually invade eastern Ukraine.” Mason: “For now, Kliment says, Putin’s popularity at home is soaring on a wave of nationalistic fervor.” Kliment: “Underneath that is a real risk that this economic weakness can start to hollow out that support very quickly.” Mason: “The West hoped that a first wave of sanctions would serve as a warning shot, forcing Putin to consider that the price for taking control of Ukraine may be an economic crisis in Russia. Anthony Mason, CBS News, New York.”

CBS: OBAMACARE ENROLLMENT. The CBS Evening News (4/17, story 6, 0:20, 5.08M) reported, “Today, President Obama talked up the recent success in getting Americans to enroll in insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act. Eight million have now signed up, and 35 percent are under the age of 35. The President said, quote, ‘This thing is working.’”

CBS: CALIFORNIA-CHARTER BUS ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION. The CBS Evening News (4/17, story 7, 2:15, Pelley, 5.08M) reported, “In California today, accident investigators staged a partial recreation of last week’s deadly collision of a FedEx truck and a bus filled with teenagers. They’re trying to determine how it happened. Also today, 911 calls from the fiery tragedy were released. Ben Tracy is following the investigation.” Unidentified Speaker: “What are you reporting?” Unidentified Speaker: “I was in a car accident. I was in a travel bus and we crashed into a FedEx truck.” CBS (Tracy) added, “The 911 calls described the horrific scene – a FedEx truck and a bus full of high school student on fire.” Unidentified Speaker: “The bus is on fire.” Unidentified Speaker: “I understand that. Are you away from it or are you still on it?” Unidentified Speaker: “Yeah, we’re getting away from the bus, actually.” Tracy: “Of the 10 people who died in the crash, five of them were students. Today, the California Highway Patrol conducted tests on the same stretch of freeway with a FedEx bus and a tour bus. Captain Todd Morrison explained why.” Capt. Todd Morrison, California Highway Patrol: “So that we can, hopefully, identify as closely as we can the pre-impact speeds of both of these vehicles. We’re hoping to learn how it happened, so that we can identify what to do to prevent it from happening again.” Tracy: “Investigators did recover black box-like devices from both vehicles, which would have recorded speed, acceleration, and breaking, but they were heavily damaged in the fire. Both state and Federal investigators plan to example cell phone records of the FedEx driver, cell phone video of the accident, and are looking into what kind of cargo was inside the FedEx truck. The crash occurred about 100 miles north of Sacramento. The bus was carrying 44 students from southern California to Humboldt State University for a tour.” Miles Hill: “I watched a person burn alive. I can never forget that.” Tracy: “Eighteen-year-old Miles Hill kicked open a window on the bus. That allowed 20 people to escape.” Hill: “I have really bad nightmares about it. Every time I close my eyes I hear screaming, I hear boom, I see fire.” Tracy: “All of the injured students are now out of the hospital and the accident investigation is expected to take months. Ben Tracy, CBS News, Los Angeles.”

CBS: BP OIL SPILL AFTERMATH. The CBS Evening News (4/17, story 8, 3:00, Pelley, 5.08M) reported, “It happened four years ago this coming Sunday – a well drilled by the BP oil company blew out, killing 11 workers on the ‘Deepwater Horizon’ rig and unleashing a gusher into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days. Now, for the first time since 2010, scientists got a close look at the seabed not far from the capped well, and Chip Reid went along.” CBS (Reid) added, “Fifty miles off the coast of Louisiana, we climbed aboard the research vessel ‘Atlantis.’ This is where we found Mandy Joye, a University of Georgia oceanographer and the leader of this expedition. She’s been studying the Gulf of Mexico for 20 years.” Mandy Joye: “People have never seen the bottom of the ocean, can’t appreciate how just phenomenal it is.” Reid: “Joye and her team of 22 scientists are spending this month diving to the gulf floor in the Navy research submarine named ‘Alvin.’ They want to know how the bottom is doing four years after the BP oil spill.” Unidentified Speaker: “Okay, ‘Alvin’ diving.” Reid: “The answer is a mile down, a two-hour descent into darkness.” Unidentified Speaker: “We are on the bottom at 1,607 meters.” Reid: “‘Alvin’ landed just two miles from the well that spewed 210 million gallons of into the Gulf. This is the first time Joye, or any human, has been down here since 2010. What kind of marine life did you find down there four years ago?” Joye: “Four years ago there was nothing. I saw one crab in an eight-hour dive. It was gut-wrenching to go down and there and see just nothing on the sea floor.” Reid: “How about now?” Joye: “It’s very different. Now, we saw eels and skates and a vampire squid, which I’ve never seen before.” Reid: “What does it mean to find a vampire squid in an area that had been dead?” Joye: “It means there’s a lot of food.” Reid: “That was the good news.” Unidentified Speaker: “That’s good, perfect.” Reid: “But there was potential bad news in sediment samples collected from the sea floor. This is mud.” Joye: “Yeah and this is the oil layer.” Reid: “That’s from the spill four years ago.” Joye: “Yup.” Reid: “Oily residue that she worries could adversely affect marine life in the longer term.” Joye: “This material that’s on the sea floor, there’s a lot of it. It’s widespread, and it’s just sort of sitting there, and nothing’s happening to it.” Reid: “What does it mean to see that life at least is beginning to come back after that devastating oil spill?” Joye: “I was prepared to see little recovery and I was so relieved.” Reid: “But there’s still a long way to go.” Joye: “I think there’s a long way to go, because, again, this is one spot, and you can’t apply what you see at one spot to the entire system.” Reid: “Joye and her team plan to keep a close watch on the Gulf with four or five research cruises a year. She says it could be a decade before the full impact of the oil spill is known. Chip Reid, CBS News, aboard the ‘Atlantis.’”

CBS: CHELSEA CLINTON’S ANNOUNCEMENT. The CBS Evening News (4/17, story 9, 0:35, Pelley, 5.08M) reported, “We’ve been anticipating an announcement about Hillary Clinton’s future, and today we got one. She’s going to be a grandmother. Daughter Chelsea made the announcement.” Chelsea Clinton: “Marc and I are very excited that we have our first child arriving later this year.” Pelley: “Marc is Chelsea Clinton’s husband of nearly four years – Marc Mezvinsky. This will be the first grandchild for Bill and Hillary Clinton. The former First Lady, Senator, and Secretary of State tweeted, ‘My most exciting title yet, grandmother-to-be.’”

CBS: NASA-NEW PLANET DISCOVERED. The CBS Evening News (4/17, story 10, 0:20, Pelley, 5.08M) reported, “NASA scientists said today they’ve discovered a planet that could be Earth’s cousin. This is an artist’s depiction of Kepler 186-F, 500 light-years away. It’s just a little bit larger than Earth, and it’s in the so-called ‘goldilocks zone’ – not too hot, not too cold, making it hospitable for life.”

NBC: SOUTH KOREA-FERRY BOAT DISASTER. NBC Nightly News (4/17, lead story, 3:10, Williams, 7.86M) reported, “Good evening. At this point rescuers and families have to hope and pray that survivors have found enough air to live in what was once the bottom of the hull of that ferry boat that’s gone down off the coast of South Korea. It’s urgent enough that South Korea’s president today told rescuers to hurry. It appears there will be plenty of blame to go around and there will be time for that, like how and why the captain got off the vessel so soon and why so many lifeboats went down with the ship. The passengers including over 300 high school students were headed to a popular vacation island. Tonight, 271 people are still missing, 179 survived, 25 are confirmed dead. It’s where we begin again tonight with NBC’s Keir Simmons.” NBC (Simmons) added, “They are searching for a miracle, working in cold, choppy seas still hoping to find someone, anyone alive. They have hammered on the hull but heard nothing back. Six-year-old little girl survived but her parents and older brother are still missing. She was rescuers from the stricken ship without them. Two days ago passengers boarded the ferry at Incheon, many of them women and children. Twelve hours later, sheer terror captured on cell phone video as the ship lurched and began to sink. Text messages during those final movements, many from the hundreds of high school classmates on board. ‘I think we’re going to die.’ ‘I really love you all.’ And a message of hope, ‘Let’s all see each other alive.’ Today, outrage at the news that almost none of the ship’s lifeboats were deployed, even though one apparently carried the ship’s captain to safety. Today, he covered his face in shame. ‘I’m so sorry,’ he said. The ship’s owner in tears said I’ve committed an unforgivable sin. Korean television reports that the ship made a sudden sharp turn just before it began to sink, perhaps causing the 180 vehicles and thousand tons of cargo on board to shift. On the scene today, giant cranes to lift the ferry from the seabed and scores ships, an international flotilla, including the US Navy. In the cold, murky waters below, divers do what they can. It’s difficult, painstaking and, experts say, dangerous.” Bruce Reid, International Maritime Rescue: “You’re talking low visibility. You’re talking unstable vessel. Even in the best of times, diving into something like that will be a challenge.” Simmons: “Today relatives of the missing made a pilgrimage to the wreck. South Korea’s president made the trip and shouted at by furious families. They know they may never see their loved ones again while [this] little [girl] waits, not knowing what’s become of her family. Keir Simmons, NBC News, London.”

NBC: UKRAINE CRISIS. NBC Nightly News (4/17, story 2, 3:05, Mitchell, 7.86M) reported, “Also overseas today, a possible breakthrough in the Ukraine crisis that could ease the standoff that’s been underway for weeks now. Tamping down fears that Russia will invade Ukraine full out and trigger an all-out war but there is also unsettling news coming out of Ukraine, specifically leaflets that have showed up in one town where Russian militants took over asking Jews to register. Our Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell watching it from the newsroom tonight. Andrea, good evening.” NBC (Mitchell) added, “Good evening, Brian. There was more violence in Eastern Ukraine, the hint of a diplomatic solution in Geneva, but starkly different approaches from President Obama and Vladimir Putin. Overnight in Eastern Ukraine, government troops repelled a pro-Russian attack on a national guard base in Mariupol. Three Russian militants were killed. At least a dozen injured. But in Donetsk, despite Russian influence, a peaceful pro-government rally. Presidents Obama and Putin on stage today with very different visions. In Geneva, as diplomats from Russia and Ukraine met for the first time, agreeing to disarm illegal forces and find a diplomatic way out. Putin was belligerent. In his annual call-in news conference denying the uniformed militia in Eastern Ukraine are Russian, even as he claimed the right to control Ukraine. He also called it ‘New Russia,’ leaving Obama skeptical Russia will use its influence to restore order.” Barack Obama, President of the United States: “My hope is that we actually do see follow through over the next several days, but I don’t think given past performance that we can count on that.” Mitchell: “If Russia did invade Ukraine, it’s no match. Russia out numbers Ukraine eight to one in active forces, 20 to one in reserves, has 40,000 tanks to Ukraine’s 3,000 and far more rocket launchers, ships and combat aircraft. Another ominous note today, reports of pamphlets in Donetsk telling Jews to register.” John Kerry, US Secretary of State: “In the year of 2014, after all of the miles traveled and journey of history, this is not just intolerable, it’s grotesque. It is beyond unacceptable.” Mitchell: “And Putin enjoyed sticking his thumb in Obama’s eye today, giving Edward Snowden, under asylum in Moscow, a chance to ask a question.” Edward Snowden: “Does Russia intercept, store or analyze in any way the communications of millions of individuals?” Vladimir Putin (Translator), President of Russia: “You are a former agent. I used to be part of secret services, so let us speak professionally. We do not allow ourselves to do that and I hope we’ll never do. We do not as much money and as many devices as the US to do that.” Mitchell: “President Obama said the US and Europe will impose more sanctions on Russia if the situation in Ukraine doesn’t improve in the next few days. Critics say the White House has already been too slow to react, letting Putin think he can destabilize Ukraine and get away with it. Brian?”

NBC: MISSING MALAYSIA FLIGHT. NBC Nightly News (4/17, story 3, 1:25, Williams, 7.86M) reported, “At this hour, investigators trying to find the wreckage of the missing Malaysian Airlines 777 are analyzing images of the sea floor, in the southern Indian Ocean. This after the first full successfully completed mission by that unmanned sub three miles down beneath the surface. Katy Tur is at search headquarters in Perth, Australia with the latest again tonight. Good evening.” NBC (Tur) added, “Good evening, Brian. It is Friday morning here in Perth, Australia and it turns out third time was a charm for Bluefin-21, finally able to complete its first full pass of the ocean floor after two aborted missions. Officials say they were able to greatly reduce the search zone but so far they haven’t found anything of note. Good news for the reduction, though, because it’s unclear how much longer the governments involved will be able to keep footing the bill on this effort. In fact, earlier this week, the Australian prime minister hinted at stopping the aerial search. In total this has cost about $234 million so far. Now as for that oil slick we told you a few days ago that ‘Ocean Shield’ detected, it was analyzed back on land and, Brian, they found that it had nothing to do with MH-370.”

NBC: OREGON-PORTLAND RESERVOIR INCIDENT. NBC Nightly News (4/17, story 4, 1:50, Williams, 7.86M) reported, “A big municipal water system in this country is in the middle of big fracas tonight over something got into the water. It was captured on video. City officials in Portland, Oregon are taking drastic measures. In response, you’ll see in just a moment why it’s getting so much talk there tonight. Our report from NBC’s Anne Thompson.” NBC (Thompson) added, “What a waste. The city of Portland is flushing 38 million gallons of water from this reservoir after a 19-year-old man did the number one, thing you don’t do here.” Unidentified Speaker: “The one guy urinated in the reservoir.” Thompson: “Early Wednesday morning, a surveillance camera caught the man relieving himself through the iron gate. A couple minutes later, his two companions climbed the fence and one went in the water and yes, that light you see is the men capturing the moment on a cell phone. Water bureau officials say they shut down the pipes from this reservoir immediately. Today water samples came back clean but Portland officials are taking no chances.” David Shaff, Portland Water Bureau Administrator: “Our customers don’t expect us to send them water with human urine in it. So were going to dump the reservoir.” Thompson: “Portland’s drinking water is source of pride, touted on the Water Bureau’s website as the best in the world. The head of one water group doesn’t think this incident will taint that reputation.” Floy Jones, Friends of the Reservoirs: “Obviously, we have animals up at our…watershed that urinate in the water every day and so it’s really inconsequential in terms of urine getting in there.” Thompson: “Before it gets here to the reservoir, Portland’s drinking water is treated but there is no treatment between the reservoir and tap. A precious resource temporarily put at risk.” Tim Silva, Portland resident: “I think the act itself is just kind of stupid.” Thompson: “The reservoir will take a week to empty, clean and refill. The three men are cited for trespassing and the whiz kid for doing in public what should be done in a bathroom. Ann Thompson, NBC News, New York.”

NBC: CHELSEA CLINTON’S ANNOUNCEMENT. NBC Nightly News (4/17, story 5, 2:25, Williams, 7.86M) reported, “Now to the surprise announcement coming out of an event today featuring Chelsea Clinton and her mother, the former First Lady and Secretary of State. We learned Hillary Clinton is going to be a grandmother as the first daughter broke family news of her own. Our report tonight from NBC’s Kate Snow.” NBC (Snow) added, “It was the very end of an event in New York, a new joint initiative for women and girls led by daughter and mother.” Chelsea Clinton: “I have one more thing to say. Marc and I are very excited that we have our first child arriving later this year and…” Snow: “Hillary Clinton was beaming.” Hillary Clinton: “Obviously, we are very excited about what is happening in our family, but we’re also very excited because of what we’re doing.” Snow: “‘Excited to add a new line to my Twitter bio, grandfather-to-be,’ Bill Clinton wrote late today. The news isn’t that unexpected. Last fall Chelsea told Glamour magazine she and her husband ‘decided to make 2014 the Year of the Baby. And please,’ she continued, ‘call my mother and tell her that. She asks us about it every single day.’ At a Clinton Foundation event, Jimmy Kimmel teased the family.” Jimmy Kimmel: “…You and the President will have another child? Any more children?” H. Clinton: “No but I wouldn’t mind one of those grandchildren that I hear so much about.” Unidentified Speaker: “Shameless.” Snow: “After growing up in the public eye, she quietly earned degrees at Stanford, Oxford and Colombia, worked a series of jobs and married Marc almost four years ago. She’s a special correspondent for NBC News.” C. Clinton:” For most of my life, I did deliberately lead a private life and inadvertently led a public life.” Snow: “But now she joined the family business. The Bill, Hilary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation. For years she’s been saying she herself might one day run for office but first, she may have another role, campaigning and advising her mother if she runs for president in 2016.” Dana Milbank, “The Washington Post”: “Nobody assumes this was done for political reasons, of course, but if it had been done for political reasons it could not have been at a better time. Hillary Clinton will have this bouncing toddler in her arms to campaign with in 2016.” Snow: “Chelsea said today her mother is her role model.” C. Clinton: “I just hope I will be as good a mom to my child and hopefully children, as my mom was to me.” Snow: “The next generation for a family always in the spotlight. Kate Snow, NBC News, New York.”

NBC: SEVERE WEATHER. NBC Nightly News (4/17, story 6, 0:25, Williams, 7.86M) reported, “We’ve talked about it endlessly here. This has been for millions of Americans the winter of our discontent and despite what it may say on the calendar, it’s not over. Just try telling folks in the upper Midwest that spring is somehow here. Today in Minnesota they’re digging out after several inches of fresh snow. While yesterday in New York the problem was ice falling from tall buildings.”

NBC: HEALTH-ALLERGIES. NBC Nightly News (4/17, story 7, 2:30, Williams, 7.86M) reported, “For those places that have warmed up, the bill for this winter is now coming due in the form of allergies and, of course, allergy sufferers. Our report on all of it tonight from our Chief Correspondent Dr. Nancy Snyderman.” NBC (Snyderman) added, “We’re barely out of one of the worst winters in recent memory and when it finally warms up, those spring flowers will burst with pollen making this an especially brutal season for allergies.” Dr. Rachel Szekely, Cleveland Clinic: “I’ve been seeing more patients. When everything thaws, you have a lot of moisture in the ground, causes increased plant growth and then that will lead to more plants pollinating, so more pollen in the air.” Snyderman: “In Cleveland, Alisha…and her kids Caitlyn and Patrick couldn’t wait to get back outdoors. But now.” Unidentified Speaker: “I’m very nervous about this year with our allergies. The grass is starting to come back to life from the long winter, so it’s not looking good right now.” Snyderman: “The worst cities right now, all are in the south. Louisville, Kentucky is number one and it’s a problem even in bigger cities like New York and Los Angeles.” Unidentified Speaker: “I’m having a hard time breathing due to allergies here in Los Angeles.” Unidentified Speaker: “My nose gets really stuffy, so it’s sort of like I’ve had a cold for a few weeks now.” Snyderman: “The most severe cases can be relieved with shots personalized for each patient. Alisha and her daughter Caitlyn get them regularly.” Unidentified Speaker: “If I didn’t have the allergy shots, I probably wouldn’t be able to do as much as I do now.” Snyderman: “Now there are alternatives to injections. Two new prescription pills just approved by the FDA treat certain grass pollen allergies, both melt under the tongue. Grastek is for ages five years to 65 years old. Oralair for ages 10 to 65. Another, Ragwitek is approved for ragweed pollen. And if you would rather avoid any medication, here’s what you can do at home – exercise in the morning before pollen kicks up, shower before bed, and clean your eyeglasses, even wipe off your pets. So for those of you who are normally hit by allergy symptoms this time of year, you think you’re home free, well think again. The severe winter may mean a delayed symptom season for you and the next couple weeks may be brutal. Adding on to this Brian, a lot of people planted things around the country that weren’t normally there and all it takes is a couple spring breezes and kaboom.”

NBC: NASA-NEW PLANET DISCOVERED. NBC Nightly News (4/17, story 8, 0:25, Williams, 7.86M) reported, “It is a planet circling a star 500 light-years away from us. It’s been given the unromantic name of Kepler 186F. See it’s difficult. And yet, astronomers say it’s notable because it’s the closest match to Earth they’ve ever seen in the heavens. It’s ten percent larger than Earth, but not too hot, not too cold. That could allow liquid on the surface. That could mean life forms.”


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