Subject: FW: Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for Friday, April 13, 2018
From: "Kathy Chung" <[email-masked]>
To: "Ashley Blazer Biden" <[email-masked]>, "Hunter Biden" <[email-masked]>, "Jill Tracy Biden" <[email-masked]>, "Jimmy Biden" <[email-masked]>, "Valerie Biden Owens" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2018 09:18:24 -0400

Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing

*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <[email-masked]>
*Sent:* Friday, April 13, 2018 7:51 AM
*To:* [email-masked]
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for Friday,
April 13, 2018

*Click to access
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=000-49d&t=c>
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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=001-c66&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Friday, April 13, 2018 8:00 AM EDT*
Today's Table of Contents

*Leading the News <#SECTION_1>*

• Pompeo Vows To Be Tough On Russia, Reveals He’s Been Questioned By
Mueller. <#S1>

*Foreign Policy <#SECTION_2>*

• White House: No Decision Yet On Response To Chemical Weapon Attack In
Syria. <#S2>

• Trump Tells Aides To Look Into Rejoining TPP Talks “On Our Terms, Of
Course.” <#S3>

• Bolton Meets With His South Korean, Japanese Counterparts. <#S4>

• Pence To Meet With Latin American Leaders, Venezuelan Opposition At
Summit. <#S5>

• Europeans Report Progress In Talks With US On Iran Deal. <#S6>

• Hifter’s Reported Health Crisis Sparks Fears Of Violence In Libya. <#S7>

• OPCW Backs UK Findings On Agent Used To Poison Ex-Russian Spy. <#S8>

*Domestic Policy <#SECTION_3>*

• Trump Touts “Historically Cooperative” Approach To Mueller, Lauds Cobb.
<#S9>

• GOP Slams “Lyin’ Comey,” Notes Past Democratic Criticism Of Him. <#S10>

• Senate Confirms Climate Change Skeptic As EPA’s Second-In-Command. <#S11>

• Mattis: Troops On Border Will Have “No Contact With the Migrants.” <#S12>

• Mulvaney Prevails Over Treasury In Dispute Over Tax Regulations. <#S13>

• Trump Reportedly To Pardon Scooter Libby. <#S14>

• Ryan Signals Support For McCarthy To Be Speaker. <#S15>

*Cancer Research <#SECTION_4>*

• FDA Commissioner Highlights Rising Patient Costs For Cancer Drugs. <#S16>

• Researchers Find Personalized Vaccine Benefits Patients With Ovarian
Cancer. <#S17>

*Editorials/Op-Eds <#SECTION_5>*

• New York Times. <#S18>

• Washington Post. <#S19>

*Biden in the News <#SECTION_6>*

• Biden May Not Run In 2020, If He’s Sure “There Is Somebody” Who Can Beat
Trump. <#S20>

• Biden Discusses Leadership In Speech At Temple University. <#S21>

• Long Island Herald Reports On Biden Remarks At LIU Global Institute Event.
<#S22>

• Biden To Make Two Stops In North Carolina On “American Promise Tour.”
<#S23>

• CNBC Re-Airs October 2016 Episode Of “Jay Leno’s Garage” Featuring Biden.
<#S24>
Leading the News
Pompeo Vows To Be Tough On Russia, Reveals He’s Been Questioned By Mueller.

ABC World News Tonight
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=002-9ff&t=c>
(4/12, story 6, 0:40, Muir) reported briefly that Secretary of
State-designate Pompeo “was grilled” Thursday by senators during his
confirmation hearing “about Russia, about the firing of FBI Director James
Comey, and if he would be willing to stand up to the President if he
disagrees with him.” Sen. Bob Menendez was shown asking, “Will you stand up
to President Trump and say, ‘No, you’re wrong in that view, Mr. President,’
or will you be a yes man?” Pompeo: “I have no discomfort with directness or
confrontation.” The CBS Evening News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=003-ed0&t=c>
(4/12, story 4, 2:20, Glor) said Pompeo “vowed to get tough with Russia.”
Pompeo: “Vladimir Putin has not yet received the message sufficiently. We
need to continue to work at that.” CBS’s Margaret Brennan said Pompeo told
senators that as Secretary of State, “he’d take hard line toward Russia and
contradicted President Trump’s blame that the bad blood with Russia was
caused by Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election meddling.”
Pompeo: “The historic conflict between the United States and the Soviet
Union and now Russia is caused by Russian bad behavior.”

        Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=004-3f2&t=c>
(4/12) similarly says Pompeo “blamed tensions...on Russia’s ‘bad behavior’
and said he would support more US sanctions against Russia.” Said Pompeo,
“We need to push back in each place and in every vector. We need to make
sure that Vladimir Putin doesn’t succeed in what he believes his ultimate
goal is.” To USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=005-c1c&t=c>
(4/12, Dorell), Pompeo “harshly criticized...Putin and Moscow’s aggression
toward the West.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=006-9e7&t=c>
(4/12, Lee, Lederman), however, says Pompeo “ducked and dodged” when asked
whether he supports Trump’s “pounding criticism of the federal
investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election,” and “confirmed
for the first time publicly that he’s been interviewed by the team of
special counsel Mueller.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=007-5d3&t=c>
(4/12, Dinan) says he “declined to say what he was asked about,” and Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=008-89c&t=c>
(4/12, Zengerle) says Pompeo declined to discuss details of “private
conversations” with Trump when asked if the President had talked to him
about the Russia investigation.

        Calling Thursday’s hearing “a contentious showdown,” NBC Nightly
News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=009-a5e&t=c>’s
(4/12, story 4, 1:55, Holt) Andrea Mitchell said, “Facing challenges to his
hard lines, Pompeo saying he is not a hawk, does not want to overthrow Kim
Jong-Un, agrees Iran is not cheating on the nuclear deal, and says he is
not anti-Muslim despite past comments.” On North Korea, Fox News’ Special
Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=00a-ac2&t=c>
(4/12) reported that while Pompeo “would not rule out military action
against” Kim Jong-Un’s regime, “he says there’s a long diplomatic road
before then.” The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=00b-49e&t=c>
(4/12, Wilkinson) says Pompeo faced “tough questions” as he “sought to
mollify his Democratic critics in an often contentious five-hour
hearing...that did little to undermine his chances for confirmation by the
full Senate.” If confirmed, Pompeo said his “first priority” would be to
“do my part to end the vacancies” at the Department, and vowed to foster a
culture that “finds its swagger once again. We will be effective,
expeditionary, diverse and successful in fulfilling our mission.”

        Pompeo, the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=00c-e82&t=c>
(4/12, Harris, Sullivan) says, “was voluble, charming and gracious, which
meant he was the opposite of how he had presented himself during the 2015
Benghazi hearings, the last time he had the nation’s attention.” In fact,
the Times adds that his testimony “in both tone and substance was so
different from his past statements and profile as a Tea Party
congressman...that Democrats on the committee were left puzzled and, almost
despite themselves, delighted.”

        In a report less flattering to Pompeo, Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=00d-1d0&t=c>
(4/12, Toosi, Jackson) says he “clashed” with Democrats “trying to get
clear answers” and “contradicted himself on issues ranging from the Iran
nuclear deal to regime change in North Korea to President Donald Trump’s
ties to Russia.” Politico adds that the “rocky tenor” of the hearing was “a
bad sign for Pompeo...whose confirmation is not assured in a closely
divided Senate.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=00e-c61&t=c>
(4/11, Demirjian, Morello) likewise says senators “pounded Pompeo with
sharply worded questions for almost five hours,” and “when his answers came
off as vague, they pushed back.”

        *WPost Editorial Calls On Senate To Confirm Pompeo. *The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=00f-e0b&t=c>
(4/12) editorializes that Pompeo’s confirmation “arrived at a moment when
the Trump administration is grappling with a chaotic confluence of actual
and looming foreign crises – including some of its own making.” The Post
argues that “rejecting or delaying his nomination, as Mr. Trump juggles
multiple crises without adequate counsel, probably would make an already
parlous situation worse. Mr. Pompeo should be deployed to Foggy Bottom in
the hope that he will fulfill his promise to revive and reassert US
diplomacy.”

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=010-e99&t=c>
(4/12) editorial page, however, says that while “senators made clear their
interest in having Mr. Pompeo serve as a check on Mr. Trump’s worst
instincts...there are many reasons to be concerned about the policy advice
he would dispense.”
Foreign Policy
White House: No Decision Yet On Response To Chemical Weapon Attack In Syria.

Media reports describe a change in tone from President Trump and the White
House on Thursday regarding possible military action against Syria for a
suspected chemical weapons attack last weekend. Reports noted that Trump
tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=011-b11&t=c>
an attack “could be very soon or not so soon at all,” while the White House
said “no final decision has been made.”

        In the lead story for ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=012-3fe&t=c>
(4/12, lead story, 3:15, Muir), Jonathan Karl described the White House’s
statement as “a starkly different tone from the President,” who “just 24
hours earlier...made it sound like an attack on Syria was about to happen.”
Still, Karl said “there is no doubt that the national security team here is
gearing up for action on Syria,” and Hallie Jackson said on NBC
Nightly News[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=013-6de&t=c>
(4/12, story 2, 2:20, Holt) that Trump is “now trying to re-inject the
element of surprise.” To Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=014-f08&t=c>
(4/12, Mason), Trump “tempered” his remarks from earlier this week, and USA
Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=015-83d&t=c>
(4/12, Jackson) says he “sowed uncertainty about his plans Thursday by
claiming he never said ‘when’ there would be an attack.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=016-bef&t=c>
(4/12, Wagner, Gearan) says the Administration “signaled it would take a
more deliberate approach toward US action in Syria, a slowing of what had
seemed a quick drive for airstrikes.”

        The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=017-a45&t=c>
(4/12, Boyer) says that “despite Twitter posts this week from Mr. Trump
suggesting a missile strike was imminent, the White House said late
Thursday that Mr. Trump and his advisers had not made a final decision on
an attack.” David Muir too said on ABC World News Tonight[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=018-1c0&t=c>
(4/12, story 2, 2:30) “that it was Monday that President Trump announced to
the world that he would have a decision within 24 to 48 hours. That time
frame has clearly passed now. And we’ve now watched the President and his
team bringing in allies on this, who were also outraged at what they saw.”
Martha Raddatz said that while the US is “resolved to make Syria pay a
price...cooler heads slowed this down. These are big decisions, what to
target and when. Also, because Trump isn’t going this alone, instead
working with those allies, there is much more coordination.”

        John Roberts reported on Fox News’ Special Report[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=019-623&t=c>
(4/12) that Trump spoke Thursday with British Prime Minister Theresa May
and French President Emmanuel Macron “about possible ways forward.” The Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=01a-39a&t=c>
(4/12, Lubold) reports the three leaders have been working on a unified
response.

        USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=01b-5af&t=c>
(4/12, Onyanga-Omara, Stanglin) says Macron “kept up the drumbeat for
likely war with his claim of evidence that chemical weapons were used in
the attack, although he did not elaborate.” To the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=01c-002&t=c>
(4/12, McAuley), Macron “sharpened his stance” in comments that “were
widely interpreted as moving France closer to joining the United States in
a possible military strike.” Macron “said flatly, ‘We have the proof that
chemical weapons – at least chlorine gas – were used by Assad’s regime,’
although he did not say what the proof was,” the CBS Evening News[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=01d-cdd&t=c>
(4/12, story 2, 2:20, Glor) reported, adding that a spokesman for May “said
her cabinet agreed it was highly likely the regime was responsible.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=01e-c08&t=c>
(4/12) reports the British Cabinet has given May “the green light to join
the US and France in planning military strikes,” but “gave no indication of
the timing or scale of any action.”

        But testifying before Congress on Thursday, the CBS Evening News[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=01f-631&t=c>
(4/12, story 2, 2:20, Glor) reported Defense Secretary Mattis “sounded more
cautious.” Mattis: “They can only say that they found evidence or did not.
And as each day goes by, as you know, it’s a non-persistent gas, so it
becomes more and more difficult to confirm it.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=020-88c&t=c>
(4/12, Burns, Lucey) reports Mattis “said that although the United States
has no hard proof, he believes the Syrian government was responsible for
Saturday’s attack.” NBC Nightly News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=021-4e5&t=c>
(4/12, story 2, 2:20, Holt) reported that it “has learned of evidence of
chlorine gas and a nerve agent. One source tells NBC News the US government
is confident the Syrian dictator was behind the horrific attack.”
Ambassador Haley: “We definitely have enough proof, but now we just need to
be thoughtful in our reaction.” The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=022-016&t=c>
(4/12, Moore) reports that while Mattis said the US is still looking for
“actual evidence” of a chemical weapons attack, Haley said the United
States has “enough” proof. Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=023-c9d&t=c>
(4/12, Morin) also reports their apparent contracting remarks.

        The CBS Evening News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=024-3b0&t=c>
(4/12, story 2, 2:20, Glor) said Mattis “is also concerned a strike against
Syria could set off a confrontation with Russia,” and the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=025-bb1&t=c>
(4/12, Cooper, Gibbons-Neff, Sullivan) says he “took pains...to walk
back...Trump’s threats of an imminent strike on Syria, reflecting mounting
concerns at the Pentagon that a concerted bombing campaign could escalate
into a wider conflict between Russia, Iran and the West.” Richard Engel
reported on NBC Nightly News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=026-e89&t=c>
(4/12, story 3, 1:50, Holt) that a “key concern now [is] what happens if a
US strike accidentally hits Russian forces? ... A senior US military
official says Moscow and Washington have been in high-level talks through
de-confliction hotlines, with US officials making Washington’s intent,
quote, ‘very clear.’ But will that be enough once missiles start to fly?”

        Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=027-002&t=c>
(4/12, Sink, Capaccio) reports that after meeting with his national
security team, Trump told reporters, “We’re looking very, very seriously,
very closely at that whole situation, and we’ll see what happens, folks,
we’ll see what happens. It’s too bad that the world puts us in a position
like that.”

        House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry said on Fox
News’ Special Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=028-875&t=c>
(4/12) that he wants the US and the international community to “send a
clear message” that chemical weapons can’t be tolerated, “but obviously
none of us want to get into some sort of escalation with Russia and
others.”

        *Syria, Russia Prepare For Possible Strikes As US, Allies Deploy
More Weapons To Region. *Jennifer Griffin reported on Fox News’ Special
Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=029-925&t=c>
(4/12) the USS Donald Cook, already off the coast of Syria, has “about 75
Tomahawk missiles on board and more than a dozen surface-to-air missiles.”
The USS Harry S. Truman, accompanied by seven US warships, “should be in
the eastern Mediterranean within a week.” Griffin noted that “Fox News has
learned there are US warships in the Red Sea in striking range of Syria as
well.” In addition, “the French have deployed a frigate to the eastern
Mediterranean armed with 16 cruise missiles and another 16 surface-to-air
missiles.” May has ordered British submarines “to move into position as
well to help.” James Longman reported on ABC World News Tonight[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=02a-a24&t=c>
(4/12, story 3, 1:20, Muir) that there are “signs Russia and Syria are
bracing for attack.” Syria’s military is “taking defensive action,
re-positioning war planes and moving equipment to protect them from being
targeted.” Russia is also “on the move,” as satellite images “appear to
show Russian naval ships disappearing from this port in Syria.”

        The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=02b-858&t=c>
(4/12, Sly, Troianovski) reports the Kremlin “sought to tamp down fears of
a looming conflict with the United States by signaling for the first time
in days that it might not carry out threats to retaliate against any
eventual US strikes.” An AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=02c-b56&t=c>
(4/12, Isachenkov) analysis, however, says that “faced with the threat of a
US strike on Syria,” President Vladimir Putin “will be unlikely to sit
back. Inaction would threaten his hard-won gains in Syria, dent Russia’s
prestige and erode his tough-guy image.”

        Meanwhile, the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=02d-f49&t=c>
(4/12, story 3, 1:45, Glor) reported that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
“has been seen at ease and unfazed a number of times this week and said
that Western threats of military action are based on lies.” Russia also
“claimed victory today in Douma, where Saturday’s alleged chemical attack
took place.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=02e-e97&t=c>
(4/12, Loveluck, Ajroudi) reports the Russian Defense Ministry said
Thursday that Syrian forces” took full control” of Douma, “ending the
bloodiest battle of Syria’s six-year war” as rebels said last weekend’s
suspected chemical attack “forced their final withdrawal.”

        *Pompeo: Trump Can Order Strike Without Congressional Approval. *Fox
News’ Special Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=02f-b56&t=c>
(4/12) reported that during his confirmation hearing on Thursday, Secretary
of State-designate Pompeo “said the failed state of Syria poses a mounting
threat to human rights, stability, and security, and it deserves an
increasingly severe response.” Pompeo also “told the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee President Trump has the authority to strike without
seeking the approval of Congress.”

        *Pompeo Confirms US Strike Killed “Hundreds” Of Russian
Mercenaries. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=030-816&t=c>
(4/12, Dinan) reports CIA Director Pompeo confirmed Thursday that US forces
killed “a couple hundred” Russian mercenaries in Syria in a strike earlier
this year “that he said sent a distinct signal to Moscow.”

        *More Than 500,000 Syrian Children Living Refugee Camps In Lebanon.
*ABC World News Tonight
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=031-487&t=c>
(4/12, story 11, 2:40, Muir) reported that “more than 500,000 young
refugees” from Syria are living in camps in neighboring Lebanon. According
to UNICEF, “there are more than 300 schools here in Lebanon where they are
bringing those child refugees to learn.”

        *WPost Editorial: Trump’s Compassion For Syrians Doesn’t Include
Granting Them Refuge. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=032-542&t=c>
(4/12) editorializes that President Trump’s “compassion for the victims of
Syria’s brutal civil war does not extend to allowing them to enter the
United States.” Trump “expresses outrage at the violence inflicted on
civilians there and has the power to alleviate at least some suffering by
allowing Syrians to pursue new lives in the United States.” However, he had
done “just the opposite, having admitted just 44 Syrian refugees in the
first six months of the current fiscal year, a more than 99 percent
decrease from the 5,800 admitted in the same span last year.”
Trump Tells Aides To Look Into Rejoining TPP Talks “On Our Terms, Of
Course.”

After a White House meeting with farm state senators yesterday, lawmakers
indicated that President Trump had asked USTR Lighthizer and NEC chief
Larry Kudlow to explore new negotiations to get the US back into the TPP
agreement. Citing Sen. John Thune, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=033-d7c&t=c>
(4/12, Werner, Kim, Paletta) reports Trump “told Lighthizer and Kudlow to
‘take a look at getting us back into that agreement, on our terms of
course.’” As reports such as the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=034-545&t=c>
(4/12, Thomas, Freking) indicate, Trump “asked trade officials to explore
the possibility of the United States rejoining negotiations” – not to adopt
the deal as brokered during the Obama Administration.

        While media accounts are treating Trump’s comments as a major
reversal for him, the Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=035-d7f&t=c>
(4/12, Boyer) points out that as early as January, “Trump said he would be
open to revisiting TPP if the US could negotiate better terms.” Trump told
the World Economic Forum in Davos, “I would do TPP if we were able to make
a substantially better deal. ... The deal was terrible, the way it was
structured was terrible.” The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=036-630&t=c>
(4/12, Morrongiello) notes that Trump made similar comments in a January
CNBC interview. Nonetheless, several media analyses are casting Trump as
backtracking on his opposition to the agreement. The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=037-c5f&t=c>
(4/12, Swanson), for example, refers to “a surprising change in policy,” CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=038-077&t=c>
(4/12, Liptak, Diamond) to “a stunning shift,” CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=039-fb8&t=c>
(4/12, Bennett) to “another dramatic reversal” and The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=03a-d10&t=c>
(4/12, Fabian, Needham) to a potentially “remarkable about-face.” Business
Insider
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=03b-dcd&t=c>
(4/12, Bryan), along similar lines, says Trump appeared “to be reversing
course on a major multilateral trade deal.” The National Review
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=03c-882&t=c>
(4/12, Crowe), meanwhile, reports Trump “is reportedly considering
reentering” TPP “negotiations,” and the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=03d-438&t=c>
(4/12, Bender) offers a similar analysis.

        At any rate, USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=03e-5d1&t=c>
(4/12, Jackson) notes “lawmakers did not know how seriously Trump was about
seeking to re-join the” TPP. CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=03f-bbe&t=c>
(4/12, Liptak, Diamond) quotes Sen. Ben Sasse as saying, “Clearly, it’s a
deliberative process and the President is a guy who likes to...entertain a
lot of different ideas. ... But he multiple times reaffirmed the point that
TPP might be easier for us to join now once the TPP-11 is aligned and we
might be the 12th party to those negotiations, as opposed to the long
process that it took to get to TPP.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=040-e54&t=c>
(4/12, Everett) similarly indicates “Trump’s apparent flirtation with
reengaging on TPP...was reassuring to his critics on trade policy, many of
whom are from farm states that could suffer severe collateral damage from”
his “threatened trade war with China.” Along those lines, the Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=041-491&t=c>
(4/12, Boyer) quotes Sen. Pat Roberts as saying the move “would certainly
be good news throughout farm country,” and Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=042-c11&t=c>
(4/12, Spiering) as saying he was “very impressed.” The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=043-99c&t=c>
(4/12, Morrongiello), meanwhile, reports Sen. Deb Fischer said after the
meeting, “We’re very excited about seeing those trade opportunities
reaffirmed.”

        KCAU-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=044-1b9&t=c>
Sioux City, IA (4/12, 5:01 p.m. CDT) reported that Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds
and Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts “have been critical of the Administration
over proposed tariffs. But both Governors changing their tune after today’s
sit-down with the President.” Reynolds said in a statement that Trump
“understands that farmers want to be successful and that they need to grow
the markets, not contract.” In his own statement, Ricketts said Trump
“listened and expressed a commitment to growing international trade so that
we can grow opportunities for our farmers and ranchers.”

        WNCN-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=045-fc3&t=c>
Raleigh-Durham, NC (4/12, 5:39 p.m. EDT) reported that US farmers “are
demanding the White House do more to protect their interests and avoid a
trade war with China.” Since “the US and China started trading jabs with
each other about trade, there’s been a lot of frustrated farmers.” Trump
“invited some of the farming community, the lawmakers that represent them,
to talk about what can be done to not only protect the crops but their cash
as well.” Trump “says he knows US farmers are worried about a trade war
with China, but he says the US does have options.” Trump “says he’s
considering several ways to protect farmers. Among them, the US may rejoin”
the TPP, which “encourages trade between several countries but not China.”

        KMTV-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=046-a5b&t=c>
Omaha, NE (4/12, 4:37 p.m. CDT) reported that “area lawmakers are hopeful
after the President expressed interest in reentering the” TPP.

        Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=047-2e8&t=c>
(4/12, Sink, Talev) says “the news drew a rebuke from opponents of the
multilateral trade pact.” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka “said on Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=048-c87&t=c>
that TPP ‘was killed because it failed America’s workers and it should
remain dead.’”

        Eamon Javers said on CNBC’s
Closing Bell
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=049-3fb&t=c>
(4/12) that “there’s something of a scramble going on here at the White
House right now to figure out exactly what the President meant.” CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=04a-e67&t=c>
(4/12, Liptak, Diamond) similarly indicated that “the White House did not
immediately respond to requests for comment, and some members of the
administration appeared surprised by the news.” Trumpt’s “pick to be the
next secretary of state, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, was asked about the
President’s comments during” his “confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill” and
said, “That news was news to me.”

        *Trump: US, China “Really Negotiating”; Xi Will Remove “A Lot Of
Taxes And Tariffs.” *During the meeting, Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=04b-5e2&t=c>
(4/12, Sink, Talev) reports, Trump said the US and China “ultimately may
end up levying no new tariffs on each other.” Said Trump, “Now we’re really
negotiating and I think they’re going to treat us really fairly.” Bloomberg
adds that “in his remarks on Thursday, Trump cited a speech by Chinese
President Xi Jinping that the US president interprets as a signal China is
about to open its markets to more US goods.” Trump said of Xi, “He’s going
to get rid of a lot of taxes and tariffs.” [image: Image removed by sender.
Video]KMTV-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=04c-e17&t=c>
Omaha, NE (4/12, 4:37 p.m. CDT) showed Trump saying, “I don’t blame China.
I blame our representatives, our people over the past – our presidents,
negotiators and trade representatives – that they allowed this to happen.”
To the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=04d-396&t=c>
(4/12, Werner, Kim, Paletta), “engaging in talks to reenter the TPP would
be part of a broader White House strategy to respond to an escalating trade
flap between Trump and Beijing.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=04e-eee&t=c>
(4/12, Swanson) also reports the issue came up “as the White House tries to
come up with ways to protect the agriculture sector, which could be badly
hurt by the president’s trade policies.” The Times also says “the risk of
an escalating trade war with China has panicked American farmers and
ranchers.”

        *WSJournal A1: White House Believes China Strategy Working, Plans
To Boost Pressure. *The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=04f-275&t=c>
(4/12, A1, Davis, Wei) reports on its front page that the White House is
confident its trade strategy toward China is bearing fruit, and will move
in coming days to detail which products are subject to the
recently-announced $100 billion in tariffs. In addition, the White House
plans on threaten Chinese technology investment in the US. Unnamed
officials tell the Journal that China is bending to US demands. Chinese
sources deny that, but acknowledge that US pressure is forcing them to
speed up plans to reform its economic model. The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=050-78b&t=c>
(4/12, A1, Dvorak, Saito) reports in another front-page story that Silicon
Valley’s dominance in venture capital investing is being challenged by a
wave of new money from Asia, particularly China.

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=051-842&t=c>
(4/12, Bradsher, Perlez), meanwhile, reports from Beijing that “Vice
President Wang Qishan has met in recent weeks with a series of American
business leaders and former cabinet officials to question them about Mr.
Trump’s trade threats.” The Times adds that “in these meetings, the
Americans have warned that Mr. Trump’s complaints should be taken seriously
because of widespread frustration in Washington with Chinese policies,
especially a $300 billion program to dominate critical high-tech
industries, known as Made in China 2025, that has alarmed the United States
national security establishment.” It remains “unclear whether that message
is making it through to Mr. Xi – or whether he has chosen to ignore it
after concluding that Mr. Trump is bluffing and that the United States will
back off, as it has in the past.”
Bolton Meets With His South Korean, Japanese Counterparts.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=052-d98&t=c>
(4/12, Pennington) reports, “As the US gears up for an unprecedented summit
with North Korea,” National Security Adviser Bolton met Thursday with his
counterparts from South Korea and Japan. Bolton met with “Chung Eui-yong,
the South Korean official who last month announced outside the White House
Trump’s surprise decision to meet with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un.”
Bolton met separately with “Shotaro Yachi of Japan whose prime minister
will meet Trump at the White House on Tuesday.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=053-b79&t=c>
(4/12, Boyer) says the meetings “were to lay the groundwork for an upcoming
inter-Korean summit in late April, and talks between North Korean leader
Kim Jong-un and President Trump in May or early June.”

        *Pompeo: North Korea Won’t Be Rewarded Unless It Denuclearizes. *
Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=054-79a&t=c>
(4/12, Brunnstrom) reports that Secretary of State-designate Pompeo said
Thursday that unless North Korea takes irreversible steps to abandon its
nuclear weapons, it should not expect to be rewarded in talks with the US.
Asked at his Senate confirmation hearing if he believed North Korea would
agree to give up its nuclear weapons program, Pompeo said the historical
analysis was “not optimistic.” Pompeo said, “It is the intention of the
president and the administration not do that this time to make sure that …
before we provide rewards, we get the outcome permanently, irreversibly,
that it is that we hope to achieve. It is a tall order, but I am hopeful
that President Trump can achieve that through sound diplomacy.”
Pence To Meet With Latin American Leaders, Venezuelan Opposition At Summit.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=055-e8b&t=c>
(4/12, Thomas) reports Vice President Pence plans to meet with four Latin
American leaders during his weekend trip to Peru for the Summit of the
Americas where he is filling in for President Trump. At the summit, Pence
will meet Saturday with Chilean President Sebastian Piñera, Colombian
President Juan Manuel Santos, Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra and
President Mauricio Macri of Argentina. The White House said Thursday that
the vice president is also expected to hold “a multi-lateral meeting with
several Caribbean leaders” and meet with Canadian Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau.

        Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=056-0ec&t=c>
(4/12) reports White House officials said Pence will also meet with
Venezuelan opposition leaders in Lima as “part of a US push to galvanize
regional pressure against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.” According
to McClatchy
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=057-b0c&t=c>
(4/12, Ordoñez), the Administration has begun “informal talks with partner
countries in Latin America about the United States taking in some refugees
from Venezuela, a potential turnaround from its tough stance on accepting
refugees from conflict-torn countries.” A senior Administration official
“told McClatchy that while no agreements have been struck and details were
scarce, US officials have begun these talks ‘informally’ as part of a
larger strategy to address the hundreds of thousands of fleeing Venezuelans
whose numbers threaten to destabilize partner countries in Latin America
and the Caribbean.”

        *WPost: Trump’s Absence “One More Jolt” For Summit Of The Americas.
*In a nearly 3,000-word article, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=058-eb4&t=c>
(4/11, Partlow, Faiola) reports on how Trump’s “last-minute change of
plans” over attending the Summit of the Americas “may be one more jolt for
a two-day summit that was already particularly unusual.” The article
describes the context of corruption scandals in which the regional Summit
is taking place, calling it “a microcosm of the tumult sweeping the Western
Hemisphere,” and discusses the views of experts on the impact the event
will have. The article also mentions the plans of the US delegation
attending the summit, and notes the largely unfavorable views of the Trump
Administration pervading the region.

        *Lighthizer Also Cancels Plans To Attend Summit. *Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=059-3b6&t=c>
(4/12, Martin) reports USTR Lighthizer, Trump’s top NAFTA negotiator,
“canceled his participation in the Summit of the Americas that begins
Friday, following in his boss’s footsteps and casting doubt on when trade
ministers will next be able to meet to discuss the accord.” The USTR’s
office said Deputy C.J. Mahoney will go in his place. Lighthizer, Bloomberg
notes, had planned to meet with Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland
and Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo on the sidelines of the
summit to discuss NAFTA negotiations.

        *Refugee Crisis From Venezuela Strains Region. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=05a-c25&t=c>
(4/12, Puglie) reports on “the massive wave of Venezuelans turning their
backs on their homeland and its beleaguered socialist government” as the
country’s economy collapses, and how its neighbors are struggling to manage
the refugee influx. The article cites views of experts on the topic, which
it says “figures to be a prime topic of conversation when regional leaders
gather at the end of the week in Peru for the Summit of the Americas,” and
mentions that President Trump will be absent from the Summit.
Europeans Report Progress In Talks With US On Iran Deal.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=05b-3f6&t=c>
(4/12, Mohammed) reports European officials are “making headway toward an
agreement to address US concerns about the Iran nuclear deal, a European
diplomat said on Thursday, but a second diplomat said it was unclear” if
President Trump “would embrace their work.” An unnamed diplomat said, “We
came out feeling like we are making good progress towards addressing the
president’s concerns and coming (up) to an agreement.” A second European
diplomat, however, “was more pessimistic, telling Reuters that even if US,
British, French and German diplomats reach agreement it was unclear whether
Trump would embrace it.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=05c-e9f&t=c>
(4/12, Wadhams) likewise says US and European officials “said they’ve made
progress...raising optimism among American allies that...Trump can be
persuaded not to scrap the deal.” A “senior State Department official said
the US and Europeans are close to an agreement on how to handle Iran’s
ballistic missile program,” but” haven’t settled on how to handle sunset
provisions in the nuclear accord.”

        *Iran Tells France Not To Let Saudi Prince Influence Them On
Nuclear Deal. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=05d-0bb&t=c>
(4/12) reports that Iran’s “semi-official Tasnim news agency” reported
Thursday that Iran has urged France “not to be influenced by Saudi Arabia’s
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over Tehran’s nuclear deal with world
powers.” This, after the Crown Prince “appeared to chide French President
Emmanuel Macron this week for supporting the 2015 deal to lift most
economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs to Tehran’s nuclear
program.”
Hifter’s Reported Health Crisis Sparks Fears Of Violence In Libya.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=05e-77f&t=c>
(4/12, Walsh) reports that as Gen. Khalifa Hifter, “the military strongman
whose forces routed the last Islamist militias from Benghazi in December”
seeks to “consolidate and expand his power, he is looking to woo the Trump
administration.” However, his “ascent has been called into question with
news that the 75-year-old commander had been airlifted to a hospital in
Paris, where French news media reported that he was being treated for a
stroke.” Hifter’s aides initially denied the reports, but on Thursday that
“conceded...that he had undergone emergency medical treatment” but “offered
no specifics about his condition or his whereabouts.” The Times says the
situation has “plunged Libya’s chaotic politics into greater-than-usual
levels of speculation,” adding that “there were fears of a descent into
violent feuding if [Hifter] were suddenly out of the picture.”
OPCW Backs UK Findings On Agent Used To Poison Ex-Russian Spy.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=05f-43d&t=c>
(4/12, Booth) reports the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons (OPCW) said Thursday that its investigators have “confirmed
Britain’s assertions that the toxic chemical used to poison former Russian
double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter was a military-grade nerve
agent known as Novichok.” The group, which sent a team of investigators to
Britain, said in a report published Thursday that it confirmed “the
findings of the United Kingdom relating to the identity of the toxic
chemical that was used in Salisbury and severely injured three people.” The
AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=060-354&t=c>
(4/12, Lawless, Kirka) reports Britain has asked for a meeting of OPCW ‘s
executive council to discuss the findings, and is also seeking a meeting of
the UN Security Council next week.
Domestic Policy
Trump Touts “Historically Cooperative” Approach To Mueller, Lauds Cobb.

President Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=061-e65&t=c>
yesterday, “I have agreed with the historically cooperative, disciplined
approach that we have engaged in with Robert Mueller (Unlike the
Clintons!). I have full confidence in Ty Cobb, my Special Counsel, and have
been fully advised throughout each phase of this process.”

        Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=062-a02&t=c>
(4/12) says that the tweet may have been prompted by a report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=063-6c5&t=c>
in yesterday’s Washington Post in which “Steve Bannon...encouraged White
House aides to advise Trump to fire [Deputy AG] Rosenstein.” The Post also
“said Bannon wanted the White House to stop cooperating with the Mueller
investigation and fire Cobb.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=064-338&t=c>
(4/12, Olorunnipa) reports, “The tweet comes as some of Trump’s strongest
supporters urge the president to adopt a more aggressive posture toward
Mueller’s investigation after FBI agents descended on the office and home
of his lawyer Michael Cohen on Monday.” Joseph diGenova, “a former federal
prosecutor who was nearly added to Trump’s legal team last month, said
Wednesday that Attorney General Jeff Sessions should immediately fire
Rosenstein,” calling him “incompetent, compromised and conflicted.”

        Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=065-4fa&t=c>
(4/12, Nelson) reports DiGenova “joins a chorus of commentators and
analysts, a group that includes Fox Business commentator Lou Dobbs and
others, that is pushing the president to dismantle the investigation.” The New
York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=066-99c&t=c>
(4/12, Savage) says that “the clear idea behind the suggestion – which Mr.
Trump is also said to be weighing – is that ousting Mr. Rosenstein would
enable the White House to put the criminal investigations encircling the
president’s associates on a tighter leash, or even to shut them down.” The
Times adds “a longtime Justice Department official, Mr. Rosenstein was not
part of Mr. Trump’s inner circle before Attorney General Jeff Sessions
persuaded the president to designate him as deputy.”

        Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=067-852&t=c>
(4/12, Nelson, Samuelsohn) says Trump “issued a vote of confidence for his
legal team...days after the president suggested he could be open to
firing...Mueller,” while to the Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=068-a2b&t=c>
(4/12, Miller), Trump “attempted to tamp down speculation that he was
preparing to fire...Mueller.”

        Also yesterday, The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=069-25a&t=c>
(4/12, Fabian) reports, “Trump met with...Rosenstein...amid speculation his
job could be in jeopardy.” The White House, however, “said the meeting was
arranged to discuss ‘routine [Justice] Department business.’”

        *Dispute Between Grassley, Feinstein Delaying Bill To Protect
Mueller. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=06a-0f4&t=c>
(4/12, Swoyer) reports “Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E.
Grassley said Thursday Democrats are delaying a bill to protect...Mueller
in the event that...Trump moved to fire him.” Grassley “said he had wanted
to put the bill, introduced this week, on the agenda Thursday, which would
set it up for a vote next week,” but “top committee Democrat Sen. Dianne
Feinstein objected, which Mr. Grassley said will delay getting it done.”
Said Grassley, “This delay is uncalled for and unnecessary.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=06b-149&t=c>
(4/12, Everett) also reports on the “partisan infighting among leaders of
the Senate Judiciary Committee,” in particular the “confusion and distrust
between” Grassley and Feinstein that “has already delayed consideration of
the hot-button bill.” Politico adds that “Grassley and Feinstein insisted
there’s no personal animus between them,” but “other members of the
committee admitted that there is major tension between the two.”

        The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=06c-f16&t=c>
(4/12, Jalonick) also says the “path forward is difficult, as partisan
disagreements over the bill are already surfacing.” Moreover, “Grassley
indicated that some Republicans on the committee oppose” the bill and
“Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has shown little interest,
saying earlier this week that he doesn’t think Mueller will be fired.”
Democrats “have already said they are wary of an amendment that Grassley
plans to offer to the bill, even though they say they haven’t seen it.”
Feinstein “said in a statement that she was concerned the amendment ‘could
undermine the investigation.’”

        One of the bill’s GOP sponsors, Sen. Thom Tillis writes in a Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=06d-04d&t=c>
(4/12) op-ed that he has “received a good deal of criticism from some on
the right for introducing special-counsel legislation, with the common
refrain being that it is harmful to...Trump.” To Tillis, however, if the
President “removes the special counsel without good cause, it would likely
result in swift, bipartisan backlash and shake the country’s faith in the
integrity of our legal system.” Moreover, “the constant headlines and
rumors that Trump is considering or has considered removing Mueller – ‘fake
news’ or not – are a distraction from the president’s agenda and successful
policy initiatives. ... This bill becoming law would remove that narrative
from the conversation.”

        *Obama, Bush Ethics Chiefs: Firing Rosenstein Would Lead To Trump’s
“Downfall.” *Norman Eisen and Richard Painter, chief White House ethics
counsels for the Obama and Bush Administrations, respectively, write in USA
Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=06e-e46&t=c>
(4/12) that “if Trump fires Rosenstein, it will clearly be for one reason
and one reason alone: to impede the lawful investigation of the president
and those close to him. Similar actions by President Nixon in the Saturday
Night Massacre led to his downfall,” and “the firing of Rosenstein would
have the same outcome for Trump.”

        *Rasmussen Poll: Public Regard For Mueller Probe Sharply Down After
Cohen Raids. *Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=06f-cdf&t=c>
(4/12, Nolte) reports “Mueller’s raid on...Trump’s personal attorney...has
backfired in the eyes of voters, according to Rasmussen Reports.” Whereas
previously “the special counsel and former Obama official was held in high
regard by a majority of the public,” with “a full 52 percent” calling
“Mueller’s investigation...an honest attempt to determine criminal
wrongdoing” late last year, “that number is now down -6 points to just 46
percent.” In additional, “the number of voters who now see Mueller’s probe
is a ‘partisan witch hunt’ has jumped a full +8 points, from 32 percent to
40 percent,” while “overall, public opinion moved against Mueller by a full
14 points. What was a 20 point (52 – 32 percent) favorable rating is now
just a 6 point advantage.”

        *After Raid, Feds Probing Cohen’s Interactions With Bank That
Backed His Taxi Business. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=070-0ca&t=c>
(4/12, Helderman, Hamburger, Leonnig) reports the “federal investigation
into what role...Trump’s personal attorney” Michael Cohen “played in
facilitating payments to two women who alleged affairs with Trump is also
examining the lawyer’s interactions with a bank that gave him loans against
his taxi business.” During the raid, “FBI agents sought his communications
with New York-based Sterling National Bank about taxi medallions owned by
Cohen, according to a person familiar with the search warrant.” The Post
adds “the request indicates that prosecutors may have an interest in
specific financial transactions that Cohen undertook while using his taxi
business as collateral.” The Post also reports “people with knowledge of
the inquiry” have informed the paper “that Cohen is under investigation for
possible bank fraud, wire fraud and campaign finance violations.”

        *Trump “Allies” Worried Cohen Kept Tapes Of Conversations.
*The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=071-a9a&t=c>
(4/12, Parker, Leonnig, Dawsey, Hamburger) reports “Cohen sometimes taped
conversations with associates, according to three people familiar with his
practice, and allies of the president are worried that the recordings were
seized by federal investigators in a raid of Cohen’s office and residences
this week.” Cohen “was known to store the conversations using digital files
and then replay them for colleagues, according to people who have
interacted with him.”

        *Time Magazine Cover Questions Whether Trump Can Survive Cohen,
Daniels Controversies. *The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=072-642&t=c>
(4/12, Lim) reports “Time magazine debuted a splashy front cover Thursday,
with an animated graphic questioning whether...Trump can weather the legal
controversy surrounding himself, his personal lawyer Michael Cohen, and
porn star Stormy Daniels.” Time tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=073-040&t=c>
an image of its cover, with the caption “Inside Donald Trump’s White House
chaos.” The story “follows FBI agents raiding Cohen’s home, office and a
hotel room Tuesday, seizing documents relating to among other things
Cohen’s $130,000 payment to Daniels to keep quiet about her alleged
extramarital affair with Trump in 2006.”

        *Reports: National Enquirer Paid Off Man To Keep Quiet About Trump
Child With Employee. *Building on reporting by the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=074-69e&t=c>
and The New Yorker
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=075-a57&t=c>,
ABC World News Tonight
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=076-423&t=c>
(4/12, story 5, 2:10, Muir) said last night that in “the investigation
of...Trump’s personal attorney...a third secret payment to buy someone’s
silence” is “now under the spotlight after that FBI raid on lawyer Michael
Cohen’s home, office and hotel room.” This “latest case involving a former
doorman at a Trump building who was paid by the parent company of the
National Enquirer to keep quiet about salacious and unsubstantiated rumor
about...Trump’s sex life.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=077-fc8&t=c>
(4/12, Pearson, Horwitz) reports that “as it did with” an “ex-Playmate, the
Enquirer signed the ex-doorman,” Dino Sajudin, “to a contract that
effectively prevented him from going public with a juicy tale that might
hurt Trump’s campaign for president.” The AP “confirmed the details of the
Enquirer’s payment through a review of a confidential contract and
interviews with dozens of current and former employees of the Enquirer and
its parent company, American Media Inc.” Sajudin “got $30,000 in exchange
for signing over the rights, ‘in perpetuity,’ to a rumor he’d heard about
Trump’s sex life – that the president had fathered a child with an employee
at Trump World Tower.”

        The New Yorker
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=078-3a4&t=c>
(4/12, Farrow) says it “has uncovered no evidence that Trump fathered the
child.” The “alleged daughter...declined through a representative of her
employer to answer questions,” and “the father of the family...said that
Sajudin’s claim was ‘completely false and ridiculous’ and added that the
Enquirer had put the family in a difficult situation,” adding, “I don’t
understand what they had to pay this guy for.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=079-105&t=c>
(4/12, Bacon) reports “Dylan Howard, editor-in-chief of the Enquirer,
denied the company was ‘catching and killing’ stories to protect Trump,
saying the story was not published because the claims could not be proven.”
The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=07a-ae7&t=c>
(4/12) reports “the publisher of The National Enquirer faced new claims on
Thursday that it violated campaign finance laws” after the reports above,
as Common Cause “filed complaints with the Justice Department and the
Federal Election Commission on Thursday, saying the 2015 payment, for a tip
that never resulted in a published story, was intended to influence the
2016 election.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=07b-e02&t=c>
(4/12, Leonnig) reports Trump Organization said in a statement, “Mr.
Sajudin’s claims are completely false.” In an interview with the Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=07c-39d&t=c>
(4/12, Leonnig), however, Sajudin dismissed claims that he was lying, and
said, “You know I took a polygraph test.”

        *Trump Tweets Denial Of Another NYTimes Report. *For the second day
in a row, Trump used Twitter yesterday to dispute a New York Times report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=07d-664&t=c>.
This time around, Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=07e-447&t=c>
(4/12) reports, Trump denied a Tuesday report that “he had sought to fire
Mueller in December,” writing
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=07f-bcb&t=c>,
“If I wanted to fire Robert Mueller in December, as reported by the Failing
New York Times, I would have fired him.”

        *Hannity Slams Mueller Probe: “Still Noting. No Evidence. Zero.” *Sean
Hannity said on Fox News’ Hannity
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=080-c7b&t=c>
(4/12), “Here we are on day 330 of Mueller’s witch hunt into so-called
Trump-Russia collusion. Still nothing. No evidence. Zero. Show us the
evidence, Mr. Mueller, or you can disband your team of merry, Trump-hating,
big Democratic-donating sycophants that, of course, have questionable
ethics, especially Andrew Weissmann.”

        *Lawmakers: Banker Asked About Army Position Before Making Loan To
Manafort. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=081-a2a&t=c>
(4/12) reports that Reps. Elijah Cummings and Stephen Lynch on Thursday
questioned whether Stephen Calk, chief executive of Chicago-based Federal
Savings Bank “was seeking a favor from the incoming Trump administration
when he inquired about the confirmation process for a top US Army position
before extending $16 million in loans” former Trump campaign chairman Paul
Manafort. According to public records, the bank “made two loans to Manafort
in December 2016 and January 2017,” and media reports have “suggested the
loans might have been part of a quid pro quo agreement in which Manafort”
would ensure Calk “was named secretary of the Army.” In a letter, the
lawmakers “asked Calk to hand over all communications with Manafort, former
Manafort business partner Rick Gates, and others tied to the Trump
campaign, as well as any Manafort related loan documents.”
GOP Slams “Lyin’ Comey,” Notes Past Democratic Criticism Of Him.

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=082-28e&t=c>
(4/12, Jacobs) reports, “The Republican party is rallying its army of
surrogates to discredit former FBI Director James Comey as publication
nears for his book recounting his tumultuous tenure in President Donald
Trump’s administration.” The RNC The party committee also activated a
website, “Lyin’ Comey
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=083-fb1&t=c>,”
featuring quotes from prominent Democrats who have criticized the former
FBI director in the past. The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=084-993&t=c>
(4/12, Miller) refers to a “Republican preemptive strike...Comey’s
credibility,” noting the RNC publicized “video clips that highlight top
Democratic lawmakers slamming him for botching his job and lacking
credibility.” The quotes “were culled from the enormous backlash from
Democrats after Mr. Comey reopened the Hillary Clinton email investigation
just days before the 2016 presidential election.” Townhall
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=085-828&t=c>
(4/12, Pavlich) notes the site “quotes a number of Democrats like Minority
Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democrat Congresswoman Maxine Waters and failed
presidential candidate Hillary Clinton slamming the FBI and Comey himself.”

        The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=086-f3c&t=c>
(4/12, Giaritelli), meanwhile, says the RNC “worked with the White House to
draft a 1,000-word talking points memo for President Trump, his
administration, and GOP state officials across the country to use amid
coverage of...Comey’s book release and publicity tour later this month.”
This “GOP’s plan of attack leads with focusing on Comey’s ‘long history of
misstatements and misconduct,’ including how his ‘misconduct damaged the
FBI’s reputation’ and his history of being ‘strongly criticized by members
of both parties for his history of bizarre decisions, contradictory
statements.’” The talking points “reveal Comey is also painted as a
‘consummate Washington insider who knows how to work the media to protect
his flanks.’”

        USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=087-290&t=c>
(4/12, Johnson) reports “the book’s roll-out also comes as the Justice
Department’s inspector general is poised to release what promises to be a
deeply critical assessment of how the FBI – under Comey’s leadership –
handled the politically charged investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of
a private email server while secretary of State.” However, “the timing is
at once proving to be a marketing bonanza for booksellers, while Comey’s
supporters and detractors – especially those hunkered down inside an
already chaotic White House – are bracing for a likely firestorm to
follow.”

        *Media Reports: Comey Book Likens Trump To Mob Boss, Casts Him As A
Liar. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=088-ea4&t=c>
(4/12, Rucker) reports Comey book “describes Trump as a congenital liar and
unethical leader, devoid of human emotion and driven by personal ego.” ABC
World News Tonight
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=089-546&t=c>
(4/12, story 4, 2:10, Thomas) noted he “likens...Trump to a Mafia boss,”
claiming that at a dinner, Trump told him, “I need loyalty, I expect
loyalty.” Comey writes he thought to himself, “The demand was like Sammy
the bull’s Costa Nostra introduction ceremony.” Comey also writes, “This
President is unethical, and un-tethered to truth and institutional values.”
The CBS Evening News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=08a-14d&t=c>
(4/12, lead story, 2:05, Pegues) led with the story, reporting that “Comey
does not mince words when it comes to describing how he feels about the
President. In his book, ‘A Higher Loyalty,’ the former FBI director blasts
President Trump as ‘un-tethered to truth’ and goes on the say his
leadership is ‘ego driven and about persona loyalty.’”

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=08b-540&t=c>
(4/12, Shear) says “Comey’s book does not include dramatic new revelations
about the Russia investigation itself,” but he “does not pull punches as he
provides rigorous detail – pulled from his contemporaneous notes – about
his charged interactions with Mr. Trump during the transition and in the
White House.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=08c-d96&t=c>
(4/12) says “the book...includes strikingly personal jabs at Trump that
appear likely to irritate the president.” For example, “the 6-foot-8 Comey
describes Trump as shorter than he expected with a ‘too long’ tie and
‘bright white half-moons’ under his eyes that he suggests came from tanning
goggles. He also says he made a conscious effort to check the president’s
hand size, saying it was ‘smaller than mine, but did not seem unusually
so.’”

        *Comey Feared Not Restarting Clinton Probe Could Have Made Her Seem
“Illegitimate” President. *The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=08d-fa1&t=c>
(4/12, Tacopino) reports Comey said in his book he “was so sure that
Hillary Clinton would win the 2016 presidential election that he publicly
announced re-opening her email investigation because he feared not doing so
could make her appear ‘illegitimate.’” However, “in retrospect, however,
Comey said he might have handled it differently if he knew Clinton could
lose.” Writes Comey, “It is entirely possible that, because I was making
decisions in an environment where Hillary Clinton was sure to be the next
president, my concern about making her an illegitimate president by
concealing the restarted investigation bore greater weight than it would
have if the election appeared closer or if Donald Trump were ahead in all
polls.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=08e-bf4&t=c>
(4/12, Hayes) notes Comey describes former Attorney General Loretta Lynch
“as having a ‘tortured half-out, half-in approach’ to the Clinton
investigation and that she had asked him to refer to the probe as a
‘matter’ instead of an ‘investigation.’”

        Also in its lead story, NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=08f-e66&t=c>
(4/12, lead story, 2:50, Welker) also referred to Comey’s “regrets about
some of the language he used during the investigation into Hillary
Clinton.” Comey, however, says “ultimately he believes he did the right
thing” on that front.

        *Comey Claims Kelly Wanted To Resign Over His Firing, Called Trump
“Dishonorable.” *The Daily Beast
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=090-56e&t=c>
(4/12, Suebsaeng) reports that in his upcoming book, Comey recounts that
“within minutes of his firing” he “received a call from John Kelly, then
the head of the Department of Homeland Security and now the White House
chief of staff.” Comey says Kelly told him “he was ‘sick’ about the
situation and ‘intended to quit’ in protest” because “‘he didn’t want to
work for dishonorable people,’ referring specifically to...Trump.” Comey
“writes in his book that he encouraged Kelly to remain in his post.”
However, “a senior White House official disputed Comey’s characterization
of the phone call with Kelly, saying that Kelly has maintained that the
call was brief...and that the gist was, ‘I don’t know why you got fired,
[and] best of luck to you.’” This official also said “the version of this
story that Kelly has told other senior staffers clashes markedly with
Comey’s...and does not include Kelly calling...Trump ‘dishonorable.’”
The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=091-f45&t=c>
(4/12, Rucker) also mentions Comey’s version of the exchange in the final
paragraphs of a lengthy report on the memoir. The CBS Evening News[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=092-32b&t=c>
(4/12, lead story, 2:05, Pegues) also noted Comey’s allegation, and added
that “the White House denies that Kelly used that language.”

        *Comey Says Trump Fixated On Proving Dossier’s Salacious
Allegations False. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=093-405&t=c>
(4/12, Rucker) reports Comey “describes Trump as having been obsessed with
the prostitutes portion of the infamous dossier compiled by former British
intelligence officer Christopher Steele, raising it at least four times
with the FBI head.” The Post adds “the discussions about the Steele
dossier...are among a number of explosive revelations in” Comey’s memoir.
The CBS Evening News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=094-a77&t=c>
(4/12, lead story, 2:05, Pegues) also reported “Comey says the President
focused on one of the most salacious allegations in the dossier, that he
had sell a sexual encounter in a Moscow hotel room. Comey writes, ‘Trump
strongly denied the allegation, asking rhetorically, I assumed, whether he
seemed like a guy who needed the service of prostitutes.’”
Senate Confirms Climate Change Skeptic As EPA’s Second-In-Command.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=095-73e&t=c>
(4/12, Davenport) reports the Senate yesterday voted 53-45 to confirm “the
Environmental Protection Agency’s second-in-command, Andrew Wheeler, a
former coal lobbyist who not only shares the deregulatory zeal of Scott
Pruitt, the EPA chief, but also his doubtful view of climate science.” The
Post adds that “unlike Mr. Pruitt, a Washington outsider caught in a swirl
of controversy over his costly first-class travel and security spending,
Mr. Wheeler is viewed as a low-key insider with years of Washington
experience in the art of pursuing policy change while avoiding public
distraction.”

        *Sens. Merkley, Carper Say Pruitt Using Three “Secret” EPA Email
Accounts. *Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=096-d9d&t=c>
(4/12, Natter, Dlouhy) reports that Sens. Jeff Merkley and Tom Carper say
EPA Administrator Pruitt “has been using three different ‘secret’ epa.gov
email accounts in addition to his official address and have asked the
agency’s inspector general to look into the matter.” In an April 10 letter
to the EPA’s IG, the senators wrote, “With the use of multiple secret email
accounts or addresses, we are concerned that the Office of the
Administrator may be withholding information from the public in violation
of valid FOIA requests. ... Our offices have received information
indicating that the Administrator uses three different secret epa.gov email
addresses in addition to his official email address: Pruitt. [email-masked].”
The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=097-8fc&t=c>
(4/12, Eilperin, Dennis) cites an “EPA staffer” who “said that Pruitt’s use
of different emails has raised concern among agency lawyers responsible for
scouring the administrator’s official correspondence in the course of
responding to FOIA requests from journalists and outside groups.” According
to the source, if an email account was not searched in response to a FOIA
request, it “would be an enormous breach of the public trust.”

        *EPA Political Aide Says He Faced Retaliation For Questioning
Pruitt’s Spending. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=098-a41&t=c>
(4/12, Biesecker) reports that Kevin Chmielewski, a “high-ranking political
staffer” at the EPA “has told lawmakers he faced retaliation after pushing
back against outsized spending demands from...Pruitt for first-class
flights, luxury hotels and unusual security precautions.” House and Senate
Democrats on Thursday sent letters to the President and Pruitt describing a
meeting with Chmielewski, “who was recently placed on involuntary, unpaid
leave from his position as EPA’s deputy chief of staff for operations.” The
AP says that while Trump has stood by Pruitt “suggesting that Democrats and
environmentalists will do anything to stop Pruitt’s rollbacks of Obama-era
regulations,” in Chmielewski, “Pruitt is facing criticism from a long-time
Republican political operative who is known personally by both Trump and
Vice President Mike Pence.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=099-a38&t=c>
(4/12, Wolfgang) reports that “in a series of explosive accusations that
raise fresh ethical questions” about Pruitt, Chmielewski told Democrats
that “despite repeated denials,” Pruitt “knew about and approved pay raises
for two top aides.” Chmielewski also said Pruitt “tried to rent a
$100,000-per-month private jet.”

        *Gowdy Demands Pruitt Provide Records On Travel, Room Rental. *USA
Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=09a-320&t=c>
(4/11, King) reports that House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
Chairman Trey Gowdy is pushing Pruitt “for more documents relating to
travel expenses and a controversial arrangement he had with the wife of an
energy lobbyist to rent a room on Capitol Hill last year.” According to a
release from Gowdy’s office, Gowdy demanded the records in a letter
Wednesday because “the EPA has failed to produce all the documents
requested on February 20, 2018.”

        *Employees Say Pruitt’s Security Chief Egged On His Spending
Requests. *Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=09b-233&t=c>
(4/12, Holden, Guillén)cites “current and former EPA officials” who say
Pasquale “Nino” Perrotta, who heads Pruitt’s security detail was “a willing
partner in pushing for his massive spending on bodyguards and first-class
flights.” According to the sources, “rather than acting as a restraint on
Pruitt,” Perrotta “has instead egged him on – indulging his requests for a
19-person security detail, high-performance SUV, $43,000 soundproof booth
and bug-sweep of his offices, as well as first-class flights to limit his
exposure to potential threats from fellow passengers.”
Mattis: Troops On Border Will Have “No Contact With the Migrants.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=09c-a12&t=c>
(4/12, Sonne, Miroff) reports that Defense Secretary Mattis on Thursday
“sought to reassure skeptical lawmakers...that National Guard troops
deployed to the Mexico border would have a limited mission despite
indications from President Trump that military personnel would remain there
until he gets the $18 billion wall he wants built.” Mattis “deflected
questions about whether he planned to keep troops there as political
leverage to fulfill Trump’s vision,” and “described the deployment as an
effort to ‘buy time’ for the Department of Homeland Security and improve
its enforcement capabilities.” Mattis said the troops will operate under a
“no contact with the migrants” policy, and he added, “This is an
anticipatory backing-up, so that Customs and Border Patrol can put more
troops in the field.”

        *Poll: 49% Approve Of Trump Plan To Send National Guard Troops To
Border. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=09d-b99&t=c>
(4/12, Harper) reports that according to a new Morning Consult/Politico poll
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=09e-4b5&t=c>,
“49 percent of voters overall” approve of Trump’s proposal to deploy
National Guard troops on the US-Mexico border, “along with 90 percent of
voters who have a ‘very favorable’ opinion of Mr. Trump, 87 percent of
those who voted for him, 84 percent of Republicans in general, 80 percent
of conservatives and 63 percent of evangelicals.” The Times adds that “only
22 percent of Democrats like the idea” although “44 percent of independents
and even 42 percent of Hispanics give it the thumbs up.”

        *Judge Rules DOJ Can’t Tie Police Funding To Cooperation With ICE. *The
Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=09f-3c6&t=c>
(4/12, Rubin) reports that US District Judge Manuel Real in Los Angeles
ruled this week that the Justice Department “cannot favor police
departments that are willing to cooperate with immigration agents when it
doles out tens of millions of dollars in funding each year.” Real “issued a
permanent, nationwide ban against a Justice Department policy that gave an
edge to obliging police departments applying for a community policing grant
program.” The Times calls the ruling “a legal setback to the Trump
administration in its aggressive campaign to crack down on illegal
immigration and to force compliance from law enforcement officials,” while
the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0a0-e11&t=c>
(4/12, Medina) calls it “a significant victory for local governments that
have opposed the Trump administration’s stance on immigration and vowed to
stay out of enforcement efforts.”

        *Brown, Cuomo Use Pardons To Prevent Deportations. *The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0a1-527&t=c>
(4/12, Dinan) reports that governors’ power to pardon is “quickly becoming
a tool for anti-Trump governors” seeking to prevent deportations. Last
year, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo “issued pardons to 18 immigrants...in a
bid to expunge crimes that left them vulnerable to deportation.” Last
month, California Gov. Jerry Brown “issued five pardons last month to
immigrants in similar circumstances.”

        *Breitbart: Trump Has Many Options To Fix “Catch And Release.” *
Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0a2-4cd&t=c>
(4/12, Munro) reports that Trump “will have many options when agency
officials show him proposals to block the growing number of economic
migrants at the Texas border.” Trump “used an April 6 memo to demand the
agency options by the end of June,” and “a review by Breitbart News shows
that his deputies and outside reformers have already devised and are
testing many small or large fixes.” Breitbart adds that “congressional
approval is not needed for many of the fixes, and some are likely immune to
court challenges by pro-migration lobbies.” According To Breitbart, “the
reformers’ proposals include declaring Mexico a safe zone for Central
Americans who want to claim asylum in the United States, moving asylum
processing into Mexico, and pushing the Supreme Court to end the 1997
Flores courtroom settlement which requires the quick release of migrants
carrying children.”

        *US Agents Deny Entry To Muslim-Australian Activist At Minnesota
Airport. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0a3-4eb&t=c>
(4/12) reports that “Australia’s most prominent female Muslim activist, an
outspoken critic of her country’s immigration policies, was denied entry
into the United States at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on
Wednesday.” Yassmin Abdel-Magied, 27, “an award-winning author and
broadcaster, was scheduled to speak next week at the PEN World Voices
Festival in New York,” but “when she arrived in Minneapolis-St. Paul around
4 p.m., she said on Twitter, she was detained by border agents.”
Abdel-Magied wrote on Twitter that the agents “told her they had canceled
her visa and required her to return to London, where she currently lives.”
The Times adds that US authorities said Abdel-Magied was denied entry
“because she failed to disclose that she was being paid to speak at the
conference, a violation of her visitor’s visa.”

        *NYTimes Video: Trump’s Wall Has Run Into Political Realities. *A
video on the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0a4-dbd&t=c>
(4/12, Acosta) says President Trump’s effort to build a wall on the
US-Mexico border “has run into political realities. He doesn’t have the
funding and he couldn’t reach a compromise.”
Mulvaney Prevails Over Treasury In Dispute Over Tax Regulations.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0a5-e93&t=c>
(4/12, Lorenzo) reports that OMB Director Mulvaney “won his fight to grab
some regulatory power from the Treasury Department.” The two agencies on
Thursday released a joint “Memorandum of Agreement” that “gives the budget
office significant new authority to review tax regulations before they take
effect.” Treasury Secretary Mnuchin privately objected to Mulvaney’s push
“to scrap a 34-year agreement that gave Treasury a relatively free hand in
writing tax rules and regulations.” Politico adds it is not clear, “what,
if any, role [President] Trump played in resolving the dispute between two
of his favorite Cabinet members.”

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0a6-34b&t=c>
(4/12, Rappeport, Tankersley) says Thursday’s agreement “marks the end of a
monthslong turf war that some tax experts feared could delay rollout of the
law.” Both Mnuchin and Mulvaney “claimed victory on Thursday.” Mnuchin
said, “This updated review framework will increase scrutiny of regulations
most likely to impose new costs, while preserving Treasury’s ability to
ensure taxpayers receive timely, clear rules and guidance on how to comply
with our tax code. ... Under today’s agreement, Treasury will continue to
swiftly and successfully implement historic tax reform while still avoiding
needless regulatory costs and delays.” Mulvaney said the agreement is “a
reflection of tremendous coordination” between Treasury and OMB and said it
would “promote economic growth and prosperity.”

        *Kautter: IRS Off To “Good Start” Implementing New Tax Law.
*The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0a7-8a1&t=c>
(4/12, Sherfinski) reports that acting IRS Commissioner David Kautter told
the Senate Finance Committee Thursday that “tax-filing season is generally
going smoothly and that his agency has managed to answer about 80 percent
of the calls to its toll-free line during filing season.” Kautter told the
panel that the IRS has made a “good start” at implementing the new tax law,
but it “requires extensive work by the IRS this year and next.” Kautter
“estimated that they will need to amend as many as 450 tax forms,
instructions and publications to fully implement the law.”

        *White House Aims To Send Rescission Requests To Congress Next
Month. *The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0a8-b5d&t=c>
(4/12, Brufke) reports that the White House hopes to “send rescission
requests to Congress early next month that would seek to claw-back spending
from the recently passed $1.3 trillion omnibus government funding bill.” A
“White House official” said, “We have a very long list of pots of money
that are on the table but still narrowing it down for the final product. We
probably won’t send the package up to the Hill until early May at the
earliest. ... Obviously, State Department programs will be a big target
just like they were in our two previous budgets.” The Hill casts the time
line as an indication that “the idea of rescinding spending from the
omnibus negotiated by both parties is being seriously pursued by the White
House, even as Republican lawmakers in both chambers have dismissed the
approach.”

        *Jordan: Spending Bill Is The “Same Thing The Swamp Always Does.” *Rep.
Jim Jordan was asked on MSNBC’s Morning Joe[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0a9-3b2&t=c>
(4/12) about the CBO’s report that the deficit will exceed $1 trillion by
2020. Jordan said, “I’m very bothered by it as are the American people, in
particular people who voted for Republicans. They didn’t put us in power to
pass a $1.3 trillion bill three weeks ago that increased the deficit to $1
trillion coming in a couple years. ... We had a chance – after what Schumer
had done with the shutdown – we had a chance to actually achieve some
savings and not grow discretionary spending, particularly in the
non-defense area like we did and yet we did the think Washington always
does, the thing the swamp always does, we just said ‘Let’s just spend more
money on everything and push the bill off to someone else in the future.’”

        *Balanced-Budget Amendment Falls Short In House Vote. *The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0aa-19b&t=c>
(4/12, Werner, Debonis) reports that congressional Republicans on Thursday
“made a show of fiscal austerity” after “passing tax cuts and spending that
added massively to the deficit” by voting for a balanced-budget amendment
to the Constitution. The measure, “as expected” fell short “of the
two-thirds vote needed to advance.” Although even supporters of the
amendment expected it to fail, “congressional conservatives, many of whom
opposed last month’s $1.3 trillion ‘omnibus’ bill over its excessive
domestic spending, nonetheless pushed for the vote, presenting it as a
necessary tonic after Congress’s recent budget binge.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0ab-158&t=c>
(4/12, Kaplan) says that while the vote was, “in the abstract,” an
“opportunity for Republicans in the House to demonstrate their concern for
the government’s fiscal health,” the “symbolic move was derided on both
sides of the aisle.”

        *WSJournal Analysis: With Ryan’s Departure, Entitlement Reform
Unlikely. *The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0ac-909&t=c>
(4/12, Radnofsky, Timiraos) reports that with the departure of House
Speaker Ryan, advocates for reforms to Social Security, Medicare, and
Medicaid will lose their strongest voice and with no one stepping forward
to pick up the mantle, chances for major reform are slim in the immediate
future.
Trump Reportedly To Pardon Scooter Libby.

ABC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0ad-ee2&t=c>
(4/12, Karl, Santucci) reported on its website that President Trump “is
poised to pardon Scooter J. Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice
President Dick Cheney, according to sources familiar with the president’s
thinking.” Trump “has already signed off on the pardon,” in a move that
“would mark another controversial” action “for Trump and could raise
questions as an increasing number of the president’s political allies have
landed themselves in legal jeopardy.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0ae-231&t=c>
(4/12, Baker, Haberman) says “Libby’s case has long been a cause for
conservatives who argued that he was a victim of a special prosecutor run
amok, an argument that may have resonated with the president.” The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0af-402&t=c>
(4/12, Dawsey, Rucker) says “Trump has often privately expressed a
willingness to pardon Libby, who was convicted of obstruction of justice
and perjury in the disclosure of a CIA agent’s name.” Former President
George W. Bush, “whom Trump often derides in caustic terms, could not be
persuaded to pardon Libby,” though “he was lobbied aggressively by Cheney,
and his refusal was said to have caused a strain in the relationship
between the two men.”
Ryan Signals Support For McCarthy To Be Speaker.

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0b0-50f&t=c>
(4/12, Wong) reported that House Speaker Paul Ryan, who on Wednesday
announced he wouldn’t seek reelection this fall, has “signaled support for
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as his successor.” Ryan
told reporters, “I was encouraged that [Majority Whip Steve] Scalise this
morning said that he thinks after the election that Kevin McCarthy ought to
be the person to replace me after the elections. ... What it shows you is
that we have an intact leadership team that supports each other, that’s all
heading in the right direction.” While Ryan has said “he has a preference
for who should succeed him when he steps down from the speakership in
January,” he “has not made his preference public,” but “many interpreted
his remarks Thursday as a sign that he preferred McCarthy.” CQ Roll Call
(DC)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0b1-c7f&t=c>
(4/12) reported that Scalise “threw his support behind” McCarthy on
Thursday morning, telling Fox News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0b2-893&t=c>
(4/12), “I’ve never run against Kevin, and wouldn’t run against
Kevin.” The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0b3-456&t=c>
(4/12, Sherfinski) also highlights Scalise’s comments to Fox.

        Even so, the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0b4-339&t=c>
(4/12, Stolberg) reports that “Ryan’s surprise exit, and his pledge to
remain in his office until his term expires in January, set the stage for
an unpredictable – and possibly unruly – leadership battle, with the
ideological direction of the conference at stake.” McCarthy said on Fox
News’ Fox & Friends
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0b5-042&t=c>
(4/12), “In the next Congress there is an opportunity for a Republican to
be speaker and not Nancy Pelosi. We have highest number of retirements we
have ever had. We have the history against us when it comes to the party in
power that wins the White House and losing seats here. But we’ve
accomplished a lot. We have got a lot more to do on the Trump agenda. So I
am doubling down and focusing, putting this conference together as one team
and making sure we keep this majority and moving America in right
direction.”

        *Jordan Urged To Enter Speaker’s Race. *The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0b6-154&t=c>
(4/12, Donachie) reports that Rep. Jim Jordan (R) is being urged to enter
the race to replace Ryan, “but he is not yet willing to say whether or not
he intends to make a bid for the speakership in the coming months.” Jordan
told the Daily Caller, “What’s important is not who the next speaker is,
but what the next speaker does. ... It’s time to start delivering on what
we told the American people we would do.”

        *Ryan Rejects Calls To Step Down Now. *The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0b7-53c&t=c>
(4/12, Wong) reported that amid calls from “a very small band of lawmakers”
that he “relinquish the Speaker’s gavel now,” Ryan said Thursday that he is
not leaving anytime soon. Ryan “forcefully pushed back on calls within his
GOP conference to resign now to avoid a messy, protracted leadership race
that could prove distracting before the pivotal midterm elections,” telling
reporters, “I’ve said all along my plan is to stay here and run through the
tape. … I’ve talked to a lot of members who think it’s in all of our best
interest for this leadership team to stay in place and run through the
tape.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0b8-c8c&t=c>
(4/12, Debonis, Kim) reports that Ryan on Thursday rejected “growing calls
within the Republican caucus for him to step aside and allow a quicker
transition to a new leader.” The Post says “Republicans openly worried
about how a lame-duck speaker and uncertainty in leadership would affect a
party struggling to unify itself and raise money for midterm elections with
the GOP’s House majority in jeopardy. Several Republicans and even some in
the White House have raised doubts about whether Ryan” can remain “on the
job through the end of the year.”

        *Krugman Blasts Ryan As “Obvious Con Man.” *Under the headline,
“The Paul Ryan Story: From Flimflam To Fascism,” Paul Krugman writes in his New
York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0b9-991&t=c>
(4/12) column that Ryan “has always been an obvious con man.” The “single
animating principle of everything Ryan did and proposed was to comfort the
comfortable while afflicting the afflicted.” Krugman says Ryan’s “supposed
concern about the deficit” never “made him willing to impose any burden on
the wealthy,” and his “supposed compassion” never “made him willing to
improve the lives of the poor.” As to why Ryan “never took a stand against
Trumpian corruption,” and “never showed any concern about Trump’s
authoritarian tendencies,” Krugman says that “if you look at Ryan’s
actions, not the character he played to gullible audiences, he has never
shown himself willing to sacrifice anything he wants – not one dime – on
behalf of his professed principles. Why on earth would you expect him to
stick his neck out to defend the rule of law?”

        *Priebus Says He Won’t Enter Race To Succeed Ryan In WI1. *The
Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0ba-56f&t=c>
(4/12, Spicuzza) reports Reince Priebus – who was Wisconsin GOP chief
before he headed the RNC and served at White House chief of staff – “has
ruled out a” bid to succeed Ryan in the WI1. Speaking with “WISN-AM (1130)
conservative radio host Jay Weber,” Priebus said, “Being a little separated
from the daily political grind has been unbelievable, and so the answer is
no.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0bb-f59&t=c>
(4/12, Lima) reported that Priebus, “who lost a bid for a Wisconsin state
Senate seat in 2004, left the door open to running for public office down
the line. ‘Maybe one day,’ he said when asked about the possibility.”

        *CNN Profiles Democratic Hopeful Bryce. *In an online article, CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0bc-507&t=c>
(4/12, Moghe) profiled the leading Democrat in the race to succeed Ryan,
Randy Bryce (D), “a mustache-clad iron worker who is known for his nickname
‘Iron Stache.’” CNN said that Bryce “has raised $4.75 million since
launching his campaign in June 2017, according to the campaign.” He
“supports a $15 hourly minimum wage, increased staffing at the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration, which oversees job site safety, Medicare
for all, and Paid Family Medical Leave.”
Cancer Research
FDA Commissioner Highlights Rising Patient Costs For Cancer Drugs.

The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0bd-d08&t=c>
(4/12, King) reports Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott
Gottlieb spoke about rising patient costs for cancer drugs at the 2018
Community Oncology Conference. Gottlieb said, “Rising co-pays and
co-insurance are pushing far too many patients into a financial no man’s
land where sometimes they must literally choose between exhausting their
bank accounts, or going without access to potentially effective
treatments.” Medscape
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0be-87d&t=c>
(4/12, Young) reports Gottlieb also said, “If anticompetitive forces and
profit taking across the drug supply chain are pushing effective treatments
out of the reach of patients, the full benefits of innovation to improve
public health are not being realized. And although it isn’t our primary
role, Congress gives us responsibility for fostering competition in product
markets.”

        *Analysis: Price Of Cancer Drugs Quintupled In Eight Years; Patient
Value Declined. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0bf-30a&t=c>
(4/12, Harding) reports that while the cost of new cancer drugs more than
quintupled between 2006 and 2015, the value received by patients and
insurers declined, according to an analysis
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0c0-091&t=c>
published in the Journal of Oncology Practice. The researchers found that
while “monthly drug costs increased by 9 percent per year,” clinical
benefit as measured by the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Value
Framework or the European Society of Medical Oncology’s Magnitude of
Clinical Benefit Scale did not improve over the same period of time. Dr.
Richard Schilsky, the chief medical officer at ASCO, said in an interview,
“The cost is going up very steeply, and the improvements tend to be much
more incremental, that’s really the fundamental issue.”
Researchers Find Personalized Vaccine Benefits Patients With Ovarian Cancer.

The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0c1-d85&t=c>
(4/12, Healy) reports that researchers found “in early research that
extends the possibilities of immunotherapy to a killer feared by women, a
personalized vaccine helped patients with ovarian cancer mount a stronger
defense against their tumors and substantially improved their survival
rate.” This “vaccine was tested in a preliminary clinical trial and used
along with standard chemotherapy and an immune-boosting agent.” According
to the Times, “The experimental therapy...weaves together a number of
approaches that are collectively driving innovations in cancer treatment.”
The research
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0c2-72e&t=c>
was discussed in Science Translational Medicine. CNBC
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0c3-86e&t=c>
(4/12) and The Scientist
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0c4-ad4&t=c>
(4/12) also report on the research.
Editorials/Op-Eds
New York Times.

*“Mike Pompeo Works The Hill”* The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0c5-708&t=c>
(4/12) editorial page, however, says that while “senators made clear their
interest in having [Secretary of State-designate] Pompeo serve as a check
on Mr. Trump’s worst instincts...there are many reasons to be concerned
about the policy advice he would dispense.”

        *“Give Poor New Yorkers A Break On Subway And Bus Fares.” *In an
editorial, the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0c6-0a9&t=c>
(4/12) criticizes New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for “dragging his
feet” on a proposal of the City Council to offer half-price MetroCards to
New Yorkers living at or below the federal poverty line. The editors
criticize de Blasio’s “free-spending way,” and argue the program, which is
favored by antipoverty advocates, would be “a responsible addition” to the
city’s spending. The editors also praise Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who
introduced the proposal, and other city officials who support it.

        *“‘Lula’ Is In Prison, And Brazil’s Democracy Is In Peril.” *The New
York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0c7-6d9&t=c>
(4/12) editorializes that Brazilians should not give up in their battle
against corruption. The editors describe the investigations surrounding
“the highest levels of Brazil’s government and corporate elite,” including
of President da Silva. The editors praise the judges who have led the
investigations, arguing that they “have demonstrated that Brazil does have
the institutions and means to take on even the most powerful – and most
popular – of malefactors.”
Washington Post.

*“Trump’s Compassion For Syrians Stops At US Shores.”* The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0c8-bfa&t=c>
(4/12) editorializes that President Trump’s “compassion for the victims of
Syria’s brutal civil war does not extend to allowing them to enter the
United States.” Trump “expresses outrage at the violence inflicted on
civilians there and has the power to alleviate at least some suffering by
allowing Syrians to pursue new lives in the United States.” However, he had
done “just the opposite, having admitted just 44 Syrian refugees in the
first six months of the current fiscal year, a more than 99 percent
decrease from the 5,800 admitted in the same span last year.”

        *“Confirm Mike Pompeo.” *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0c9-a88&t=c>
(4/12) editorializes that Secretary of State-designate Pompeo’s
confirmation “arrived at a moment when the Trump administration is
grappling with a chaotic confluence of actual and looming foreign crises —
including some of its own making.” The Post argues that “rejecting or
delaying his nomination, as Mr. Trump juggles multiple crises without
adequate counsel, probably would make an already parlous situation worse.
Mr. Pompeo should be deployed to Foggy Bottom in the hope that he will
fulfill his promise to revive and reassert US diplomacy.”

        *“DC And Virginia Should Stop The Secrecy About Amazon’s HQ2.” *In
an editorial, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0ca-8a6&t=c>
(4/12) writes “it is disappointing that the District, Virginia, and
Maryland seem to have adopted such a cutthroat approach” in their
competition to attract Amazon to locate its second headquarters in their
state when “they should be working together as a region.” The editors argue
that an Amazon headquarters would bring great benefits and challenges to
the area, and that “the three jurisdictions should collaborate on a joint
proposal that would be transparent and thoroughly vetted,” in order to
create a stronger bid. The editors criticize the District and Virginia for
not disclosing the details of their offers.
Biden in the News
Biden May Not Run In 2020, If He’s Sure “There Is Somebody” Who Can Beat
Trump.

Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0cb-6c5&t=c>
(4/12, Key) reported on a video clip
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0cc-5a3&t=c>
previewing an interview MSNBC’s Rev. Al Sharpton conducted with former Vice
President Joe Biden. Breitbart reported Biden “said he would not run for
president...in 2020 if he knows ‘there is somebody’ who can beat President
Donald Trump. Biden said, ‘I’m really hoping some other folks step up. I
think we have some really good people.’ He added, ‘I gotta walk away
knowing that it is – there is somebody that can do it and can win because
we gotta win. We gotta win in 2020.’”
Biden Discusses Leadership In Speech At Temple University.

In a Thursday report on former Vice President Joe Biden’s Wednesday
appearance at Temple University, the Temple (PA) News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0cd-c44&t=c>
(4/12, Bowen) says Biden “spoke to students about the importance of being a
leader,” describing “the different leaders that have influenced him ‘in the
hopes that [students] can use these skills to help make this country a
better place.’” Biden also “discussed the 1994 Violence Against Women Act,
which he first proposed to Congress as a Delaware senator in 1990,” and he
spoke “about his relationship to former President Barack Obama and his
leadership skills.” Said Biden, “When he gave me authority, it was
absolute, he gave me presidential authority. When you’re
commander-in-chief, it requires you to take personal responsibility, the
president and I spent a thousand hours together in the situation room.”
Long Island Herald Reports On Biden Remarks At LIU Global Institute Event.

The Long Island (NY) Herald
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0ce-ff1&t=c>
(4/12, Seidman) reported on former Vice President Joe Biden’s appearance
“at Long Island University’s Global Institute event on March 27,” saying he
“was a perfect guest for the institute, because he spent eight years in the
Obama administration visiting foreign dignitaries and bridging gaps on
world issues.” In his speech, Biden said “the attitude of the
Kremlin...threatens the ‘liberal world order,’” and that “he feared that
the apathy of the Trump administration to confront Russia’s ‘naked
aggression’ also poses a threat to America’s relationship with its European
partners.” Said Biden, “We need to...reject this alt-right, half-baked
nationalism, which is extremely damaging. They call it putting America
first. I call it putting America alone.’” The Herald added, “Despite
political turmoil both at home and abroad, Biden said he remains
optimistic. ‘I believe we are positioned to meet the challenges of our
time,’ he said.”
Biden To Make Two Stops In North Carolina On “American Promise Tour.”

WXII-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0cf-b5e&t=c>
Winston-Salem, NC (4/13) reported that former Vice President Joe Biden will
visit “North Carolina this summer. He’s speaking in Durham and Charlotte as
part of his ‘American Promise Tour.’ He plans to talk about his political
career and personal challenges. Biden will be in Durham on June 6 and in
Charlotte one week.”
CNBC Re-Airs October 2016 Episode Of “Jay Leno’s Garage” Featuring Biden.

CNBC Jay Leno’s Garage
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041301biden&r=email-d335&l=0d0-806&t=c>
(4/13) re-aired an October 2016 episode, in which then-Vice President Joe
Biden showed off his “1967 corvette stingray” to host Jay Leno.

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