The Note: Worries and Warnings About ISIS
— -- NOTABLES
--POTENTIALLY 'THOUSANDS' OF ONLINE FOLLOWERS INSIDE US HOMELAND, FBI CHIEF WARNS: There may be as many as thousands of people inside the United States consuming online "poison" from ISIS alone, and, "I know there are other Elton Simpsons out there," FBI director James Comey warned yesterday, referring to one of the men who opened fire outside of an event in Texas earlier this week celebrating artists' portrayals of the Prophet Mohammad. "We have a very hard task" in trying to identify and stop anyone inspired to launch an attack inside the U.S. homeland, Comey told ABC News' Pierre Thomas and a small group of reporters. Such efforts have become particularly challenging because ISIS has reconfigured and redefined terrorist recruitment, according to Comey. In fact, while the FBI is trying to find that so-called needle in a haystack, "increasingly the needles are invisible to us," he said. More from ABC's PIERRE THOMAS, MIKE LEVINE, JACK DATE and JACK CLOHERTY: http://abcn.ws/1F8y2JR
--HOW THE TERRORISTS ARE USING VIDEO GAMES AND HIP HOP: ISIS terrorists are expertly using hip hop music, video games and even children to successfully recruit young people to their violent cause. That assessment comes today from the FBI and from top U.S. counterterrorism officials, who say the ISIS social media machine is sophisticated, prolific, and unprecedented. "They are shooting out into the ether-sphere thousands and thousands of messages a day, over 90,000 a day and it's to millions of people across the globe," John Carlin, the head of the Justice Department's National Security Division told THOMAS. "What they are trying to do is to convince young people to go slaughter civilians in a vicious war." http://abcn.ws/1cd42PJ
--THIS WEEK ON 'THIS WEEK'Sunday on "This Week," the powerhouse roundtable debates all the week's politics, with PBS "NewsHour" co-host and managing editor Gwen Ifill, National Review editor Rich Lowry, Fox News anchor Greta Van Susteren, and Slate's Jamelle Bouie. Check the "This Week" page for full guest listings. Be sure to use #ThisWeek when you tweet about the program. TUNE IN SUNDAY: http://abcnews.go.com/thisweek
--OBAMA MEETS A MILESTONE: President Obama wakes up in Portland today. This afternoon he delivers remarks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership at Nike headquarters -- a controversial venue, given the subject matter. Later, Obama travels to South Dakota, making his first visit to the state as president and marking the completion of visiting all 50 states since taking office, ABC's MARY BRUCE notes. This evening, he delivers a commencement address at a community college in Watertown.
WHAT WE'RE WATCHING
POLITICAL WORD ASSOCIATION WITH ... AMERICAN BRIDGE'S BRAD WOODHOUSE. What happens when you ask the president of a leading Democratic opposition research group to sum up some of the leading 2016 Republican contenders in just a few words? You get some good old fashioned political trash talk. ABC News did just that recently with Brad Woodhouse, president of the super PAC, American Bridge 21st Century, who summed presumptive Republican frontrunner Jeb Bush as "blase," Chris Christie as "done," and Ted Cruz as, well, not quite crazy, but... WATCH: http://bit.ly/1IV0v5v
THE BUZZ
with ABC's VERONICA STRACQUALURSI
AMID HUMAN RIGHTS CONCERNS, BILL CLINTON THANKS MOROCCAN KING. In front of a cheering audience on the final day of the Clinton Global Initiative Middle East and Africa Meeting, former President Bill Clinton publicly thanked his host King Mohammed VI of Morocco. "[He] just called me and said we could all come back anytime. He was very pleased we were all here," Clinton said closing out Thursday's final panel session. The Moroccan monarch was first on Clinton's thank you list, following up with thanks to the Moroccan government and "particularly all the ministers who were so generous with their time." The country has a rocky human rights record -- but no one mentioned that this week as the former president, his daughter Chelsea and hundreds of Clinton Foundation donors and supporters soaked in the scenery at two five-star golf resorts just outside of Marrakech. ABC's MOLLY HUNTER has more: http://abcn.ws/1crGdUU
SENATE APPROVES FOR CONGRESS TO REVIEW IRAN DEAL. The Senate passed legislation yesterday that will grant Congress the authority to review a nuclear deal with Iran. The Senate voted to 98 to 1 to approve the legislation. All of the declared 2016 presidential candidates voted in favor of the measure -- Sens. Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, and Bernie Sanders. The passage caps off months of debate over whether Congress will have a say over the nuclear deal with Iran. The White House initially opposed the bill, but eventually relented after some concessions were made. Republican senators like Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, and Marco Rubio had pushed for additional amendments to the bill, including one that would require Iran to acknowledge Israel's right to exist. Democrats called the amendments "poison pills," saying they would prompt the White House to veto the measure if included. The House of Representatives is expected to pass the legislation when it returns next week, sending the bill to the White House for President Obama's signature, according to ABC's ARLETTE SAENZ.
WHAT'S NEXT ON THE AGENDA FOR CONGRESS. The Memorial Day recess is quickly approaching, and the Senate has three major issues it must address before packing up. Sen. Chuck Schumer and other Democrats held a news conference Thursday highlighting some of these issues, ABC's ARLETTE SAENZ reports. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell filed cloture on the motion to proceed to the trade bill, setting up the first test vote on the measure for Tuesday. This is one of those rare moments where Senate Republicans are aligned with President Obama on an issue while many of his loyal Democrats oppose his free-trade deal. The Highway Trust Fund, which provides millions of dollars for infrastructure projects across the country, is set to expire at the end of May and Senate Democrats are pushing for a long term funding plan, rather than a short term patch. The PATRIOT Act expires in June, so Congress only has a few weeks to decide whether to extend or reform parts of it. McConnell is pushing for a clean extension of Section 215 while Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid wants a vote on the USA Freedom Act which would end the bulk collection of metadata program.
THE TOP 5 REJECTED IDEAS FOR BEEFING UP WHITE HOUSE SECURITY. People keep trying to jump over the White House fence -- and that's a problem. So, the United States Secret Service and National Park Service announced plans Thursday to shore up security around 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in order to keep fence jumpers off the president's lawn. "A removable anti-climb feature consisting of sharp metal points will be installed on the top of the White House fence," according to a statement issued yesterday by the two agencies. The retrofit is expected to begin in July and take about a month. The so-called "sharp metal points" are an interim measure until something more permanent sticks. But the new security enhancements weren't the only measures considered. ABC's MICHELLE MANZIONE and ERIN DOOLEY look at some of the ideas that didn't make the cut. http://abcn.ws/1bBBfUt
IN THE NOTE'S INBOX
ANNIVERSARY OF VE DAY REMINDS US: WE MUST TAKE SIDES, by Jeb Bush. "Today is the 70th Anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany.... It is also a time for solemn remembrance of one of the most painful chapters in human history." The victims of these horrors numbered in the millions: Jews were targeted viciously, but so too were Poles, Roma, Slavs, dissenting clergy, the disabled, and gays.... And yet, even today, even while the survivors are still with us, there are those who again call for the destruction of the Jewish people. These voices sometimes speak in new languages in places like Tehran to Damascus.... We must not stand silent in the face of such threats. Because as the living memorials of Auschwitz and Dachau teach us, when evil men profess their plans to destroy the Jewish people, we must believe them." http://bit.ly/1Pur69n
WHO'S TWEETING?
@blakehounshell: Jeb Bush is quietly lifting his $1 million cap on big donations http://politi.co/1F3EBeG
@rebeccagberg: Scott Walker will travel to Israel tomorrow for five days, with no public events planned. http://bigstory.ap.org/article/31479a19fe8e499fb95490617e33459b/scott-walkers-first-israel-trip-include-helicopter-tour …
@nytpolitics: Rand Paul Shores Up ‘Super PACs’ and Ad Producers http://nyti.ms/1F9EUGN
@reliablesource: The GOP majority has a little something do with why there have been so few celebs on The Hill lately http://wpo.st/z5aG0
@ron_fournier: It's past time pollsters realize their science needs radical change, because the people they're measuring have changed radically.