Subject: FW: Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for Wednesday, April 18, 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: Wed, 18 Apr 2018 09:39:55 -0400

Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing

*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <[email-masked]>
*Sent:* Wednesday, April 18, 2018 7:56 AM
*To:* [email-masked]
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Wednesday, April 18, 2018

*Click to access
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=000-faf&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=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=001-04c&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Wednesday, April 18, 2018 8:00 AM EDT*
Today's Table of Contents

*Leading the News <#SECTION_1>*

• McConnell Will Not Bring Bill To Protect Mueller To Senate Floor. <#S1>

*Foreign Policy <#SECTION_2>*

• Pompeo Met With Kim; Trump Says US, North Korea Talking At “Extremely
High Levels.” <#S2>

• Kudlow Apologizes For Saying Haley Got “Ahead Of The Curve” On Russian
Sanctions. <#S3>

• Mattis Urged Trump To Seek Congressional Approval For Syria Airstrikes.
<#S4>

• Senate Panel Asks “Tough Questions” On US Support For Conflict In Yemen.
<#S5>

• US Wants To Transfer US-Born ISIS Suspect From Iraq To Another Country.
<#S6>

• Kudlow Downplays Possibility Of US Rejoining TPP. <#S7>

• Nielsen Warns Of “Unintended Consequences” Of New European Data Privacy
Law. <#S8>

*Domestic Policy <#SECTION_3>*

• Gorsuch Joins Supreme Court Liberals To Strike Down Part Of Immigration
Law. <#S9>

• Trump Blasts Brown Over National Guard Troops On California-Mexico Border.
<#S10>

• McConnell Considering Vote To Make Tax Cuts Permanent. <#S11>

• Mnuchin: Tax Filers Affected By IRS Website Malfunction Will Get Extra
Time. <#S12>

• Homebuilders Group Paid For Pruitt’s Hotel Stay In Colorado. <#S13>

• Sessions Proposes Stricter Opioid Regulations. <#S14>

• Starbucks To Close More Than 8,000 Stores On One Day For Racial Bias
Training. <#S15>

*Cancer Research <#SECTION_4>*

• Biotech Firm’s Blood Test Could Offer New Method For Detecting Early
Cancers. <#S16>

• Study: Certain Blood Pressure Medications May Increase Pancreatic Cancer
Risk. <#S17>

*Editorials/Op-Eds <#SECTION_5>*

• New York Times. <#S18>

• Washington Post. <#S19>

*Biden in the News <#SECTION_6>*

• Gasparino: Biden “Continues” To Talk With Wall Street Executives About
Possible Run. <#S20>

• Sharpton: Biden “Would Be A Formidable Candidate” In 2020. <#S21>

• Dailey Lewis Touts Beau Biden Foundation Efforts To Prevent Child Abuse.
<#S22>

• Reviewer Hails Biden’s New Book As “Fascinating And Truly Moving.” <#S23>

• The Hill Highlights New Additions To Biden Foundation Board Of Directors.
<#S24>

• Boston Globe Highlights 2018 Common Wealth Award Winners. <#S25>

• Biden Lauds Barbara Bush. <#S26>

• Biden Featured On Episode Of “Poetry In America.” <#S27>
Leading the News
McConnell Will Not Bring Bill To Protect Mueller To Senate Floor.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=002-440&t=c>
(4/17) reports in a brief item that Senate Majority Leader McConnell said
that he “won’t be holding a vote on legislation to protect special counsel
Robert Mueller from being fired by President Donald Trump, essentially
killing the bipartisan bill.” McConnell said on Fox News’ Your World[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=003-4cb&t=c>
that the legislation is “not necessary. There is no indication that Mueller
is going to be fired. I don’t think the President is going to do that. And
just as a practical matter, even if we passed it, why would he sign it?” The
Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=004-300&t=c>
(4/17, Carney) also covers McConnell’s comments.

        Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=005-ae3&t=c>
(4/17, Cheney) reported that “a handful of House Republicans have endorsed”
a House version of legislation to protect “from any attempt by [Trump] to
remove him, even as GOP leaders insist that such legislation is
unnecessary.” So far, Reps. Ryan Costello (R), Charlie Dent (R), Brian
Fitzpatrick (R), Walter Jones (R), and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R) have signed
on. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D) said on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=006-d72&t=c>
(4/17), “We have bipartisan legislation in both chambers, the House and
Senate, where we could protect Mueller and make sure he and [Deputy
Attorney General Rod] Rosenstein are not fired unless there was cause.”
Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D) tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=007-439&t=c>,
“[McConnell] refuses to take up legislation to limit the President’s
ability to fire the Special Counsel, continuing to put party over
protecting the rule of law.” Rep. Jared Huffman (D) tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=008-5d7&t=c>,
“I’d be hard pressed to think of anyone in recent history who has sucked
out more of the soul of American democracy than Mitch McConnell.”

        *Trump Reportedly Less Interested In Meeting With Mueller After
Cohen Raids. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=009-1d3&t=c>
(4/17, Leonnig, Parker, Dawsey) reports that the FBI raids on Michael
Cohen’s office, home, and hotel room last week “deeply rattled the
president – souring him on his long-stated preference to sit down for an
interview” with Mueller “and prompting him to renew efforts to hire more
legal firepower, people familiar with the discussions said.” According to
“two people familiar with the president’s frustration,” Trump “was
infuriated by the seizure of possibly sensitive correspondence involving
work that Cohen...was doing on his behalf and believed Mueller’s team was
operating in bad faith.”

        Ex-FBI Director James Comey, asked on ABC’s Good Morning America[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=00a-a36&t=c>
(4/17) about Trump’s claim that the FBI “broke into” Cohen’s office, said,
“It shows me he either doesn’t know or doesn’t care what the rule of law
looks like. Nobody broke into anybody’s office. It doesn’t happen. The FBI
gets a search warrant from a federal judge and conducts itself
professionally, completely and politely by the accounts of the people
involved. So it’s a total distortion of the way things work.”

        *Marist Poll: Unfavorable Views Of Mueller Increasing. *The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=00b-a47&t=c>
(4/17, Persons) reports that a Marist poll shows attitudes towards Mueller
“changing in a negative direction.” Thirty percent of respondents “now say
they have an unfavorable view of Mr. Mueller, up 10 points from 20 percent
at the end of March. Little has changed on the favorable side, with 32
percent saying they have a positive view of him compared to 33 percent in
March.”

        *ACLU Attorney Says Neutral Party Should Review Cohen Documents. *The
Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=00c-c80&t=c>
(4/17, Cohen) reports that ACLU lawyer Brett Max Kaufman “sided with” Cohen
on Tuesday, writing in a blog post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=00d-702&t=c>
that US District Judge Kimba Wood “should allow a neutral party to review
the documents the FBI seized from Cohen’s office.”

        Meanwhile, legal analyst Dan Abrams said on ABC World News
Tonight[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=00e-4c8&t=c>
(4/17, story 4, 1:10, Muir), “The President and Michael Cohen lost in their
effort to be the initial ones to go in and determine what’s privileged and
what’s not. But now prosecutors go in, they do some administrative work,
they put it on a searchable database. Both sides are going to have access
to it. And the only remaining question is, who should make the first
decisions? Should it be federal prosecutors or an independent individual?
But regardless, the defense is going to have a continuing say in this
battle.”

        *Cohen’s Father-In-Law Has Loaned Millions To Chicago Taxi Magnate
Named In Warrant. *The Chicago Sun-Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=00f-1eb&t=c>
(4/17, Novak) reports that the ties between Cohen “and Chicago’s taxicab
industry go deeper than previously known. Over the past eight months,
Cohen’s father-in-law has given at least $20 million in loans to Yasya
Shtayner,” whose family “owns Chicago Medallion Management Corp., which
manages 368 taxicabs, including 22 owned by Cohen.” Shtayner and her
husband Semyon Shtayner “were identified in a warrant the FBI used to raid
Cohen’s law office and home.”

        *Dershowitz: Trump “Has Much More To Worry About” In Cohen Probe
Than In Mueller Inquiry. *Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=010-048&t=c>
(4/17, Kraychik) reports that in an interview with Breitbart News Tonight,
Alan Dershowitz told Breitbart News Tonight, “About two months ago, I said
and wrote that Trump doesn’t have anything to worry about, particularly on
the Mueller investigation. ... I always thought that the...investigation of
his business and his private life would be raising more questions, much
like it did with President Clinton: Whitewater and then Paula Jones and
then, ultimately, to the blue dress. I do think he has much more to worry
about [with] his private lawyer.”

        Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey writes in the Wall Street
Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=011-2a5&t=c>
(4/17) that while attorney-client privilege does have limits, it is not
clear that they have been met in the Cohen case.

        *Fox News Says Hannity “Continues To Have Our Full Support.” *The Los
Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=012-745&t=c>
(4/17, Battaglio) reports that Fox News offered support for Sean Hannity on
Tuesday after it was revealed “that he is a client of President Trump’s
personal attorney Michael Cohen, a relationship never made known to viewers
of his nightly program or his bosses.” In a statement, Fox News said,
“While Fox News was unaware of Sean Hannity’s informal relationship with
Michael Cohen and was surprised by the announcement in court yesterday, we
have reviewed the matter and spoken to Sean and he continues to have our
full support.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=013-d33&t=c>
(4/17, Lima) reports that the “is testing the Fox News host’s track record
of skating through controversies, though the network is so far publicly
supporting him.”

        Hannity said on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=014-b7e&t=c>
(4/17) that the “fake news media” has “a new obsession, and a new target to
feign their moral outrage at, and they have decided to hyperventilate and
go wall-to-wall with hysterical coverage about me. Now the media in this
country has zero credibility. ... They are frauds. They are partisan hacks
and frankly, nothing more than extension of the Democratic Party.” ABC
World News Tonight
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=015-c0b&t=c>
(4/17, story 3, 1:55, Muir) and the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=016-193&t=c>
(4/17, story 6, 0:40, Glor) both covered comments Hannity made on his
Monday night show, as well as Fox’s statement of support.

        *Daniels Says She Is “Done Being Bullied.” *ABC World News
Tonight[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=017-02f&t=c>
(4/17, story 2, 2:00, Muir) reported that Stormy Daniels appeared on ABC’s
The View on Tuesday, where she said, “I’m tired of being threatened and
intimidating me and trying to say that you’ll ruin my life and take my, you
know, all my money and my house and whatever, I’m sorry, I’m done. I’m done
being bullied.” ABC’s Kyra Phillips: “Daniels has said she would give all
the money back, and that President Trump never even signed the agreement to
silence her.” The CBS Evening News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=018-c11&t=c>
(4/17, story 5, 1:10, Glor) reported that Daniels and her attorney are also
offering a $100,000 “reward for a mystery man she says warned her to keep
quiet.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=019-af2&t=c>
(4/17, Schouten) reports that Daniels “has said the unidentified man
threatened her in 2011, a few weeks after she agreed to tell the story of
her alleged tryst to In Touch Weekly magazine.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=01a-332&t=c>
(4/17, Morton) reports that Daniels said in another interview that if she
wins her defamation lawsuit against Cohen, she will donate $130,000 to
Planned Parenthood “in Mr. Cohen’s and President Trump’s names.”

        *In Tweet Today, Trump Calls Daniels Sketch “Total Con Job,” Slams
“Fake News Media.” *Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=01b-161&t=c>
this morning, “A sketch years later about a nonexistent man. A total con
job, playing the Fake News Media for Fools (but they know it)!” The tweet
included a retweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=01c-1bc&t=c>
comparing the sketch Daniels presented with a photo of Daniels’ purported
former partner.

        *Cohen Case Judge Officiated Soros’ Wedding. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=01d-121&t=c>
(4/17, Mordock) reports that Wood, who is overseeing the case against
Cohen, “officiated the 2013 wedding of George Soros, a billionaire
supporter of liberal political causes.”

        *Comey Says It Is “Not Okay” For Trump To Call For Imprisonment Of
Critics. *Ex-FBI Director James Comey, asked on ABC’s Good Morning
America[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=01e-9f9&t=c>
(4/17) about President Trump’s claim that he should be jailed for leaking
classified information and lying to Congress, said, “That is not normal.
That is not okay. First of all, he’s just making stuff up, but most
importantly the President of the United States is calling for the
imprisonment of a private citizen as he’s done for a whole lot of people
who criticize him. That is not acceptable in this country.” Comey similarly
said on CBS’ Late Show
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=01f-812&t=c>
(4/17, Colbert), “It’s not okay for the President of the United States to
say a private citizen should be in jail. It’s not normal. It’s not
acceptable. It’s not okay. But it’s happened so much, there’s a danger
we’re now numb to it, and the norm has been destroyed.” Comey was also
asked on ABC’s Good Morning America
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=020-3cc&t=c>
(4/17) if he has any regrets about his book given the criticism of his
discussion of personal details about Trump – “his hair, his hand size,
speculation about the tanning goggles.” Comey said, “No. ... I’m trying to
be an author and bring the readers with me into a room, and so I describe
all kinds of people in great detail. ... I’m not trying to make fun of
President Trump.”

        *Comey: Trump’s Leadership Style “Strikingly Similar” To That Of
Mob Boss. *Comey, asked on CBS’ Late Show[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=021-e97&t=c>
(4/17, Colbert) about his comparison of Trump to a mob boss, said, “The
leadership style is actually strikingly similar. ... And I don’t mean it in
the sense that Donald Trump is out breaking legs or shaking down
shopkeepers. I mean it in the sense when he leads, it’s all about the boss
– What will serve the boss best? How are you helping the boss? It is all
about that person and nothing external to that, and that reminds me very
much of the Cosa Nostra leadership.”

        *Nunes Says Russians “Could Have Information On Comey” Or “All
Kinds Of People.” *The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=022-a6c&t=c>
(4/17, Chaitin) reports that House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes “took
a rhetorical jab at James Comey on Tuesday, responding to the former FBI
director’s open-ended suggestion that it was ‘possible’ that the Russians
have dirt on President Trump.” Nunes told Fox News, “Well, it’s certainly
possible that the Russians could have information on Comey. It’s certainly
possible that the Russians could have information on Hillary Clinton. It is
certainly possible that they have information on all kinds of people.”

        Comey said on CBS’ Late Show
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=023-956&t=c>
(4/17, Colbert) that there are things he knows about the Russia
investigation that have not been made public. Comey added, “They’re not in
the book. I had to have my book reviewed by the FBI to make sure it didn’t
include classified information or any sensitive investigative information,
so it’s not in the book and I can’t talk about it.”

        *Many Clinton Supporters Have Not Forgiven Comey. *The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=024-736&t=c>
(4/17, Weigel) reports that many Hillary Clinton supporters “have not
forgiven Comey for how he conducted the investigation of her use of a
private email server during her tenure as secretary of state, which they
say cost her the 2016 presidential election.” Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D) said,
“I think Comey is an honest man who’s extremely self-righteous and thought
he could, in his own judgment, violate Justice Department guidelines, with
very unfortunate results.”

        Comey said on CBS’ Late Show
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=025-bc2&t=c>
(4/17, Colbert) that his action “was the least-worst way to close the
[Clinton] investigation and maintain public confidence that it was done in
a competent, honest, and independent way. ... There were a number of things
that had happened leading up to the end of the investigation.”

        *Pro-Trump Group Fundraising Off Comey Book. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=026-fe0&t=c>
(4/17, Persons) reports that the Trump Make America Great Again Committee
used the release of Comey’s book “as an opportunity for a fundraising
tactic.” Supporters “received an email blast...slamming Mr. Comey as being
a member of ‘the swamp’ and urging people to donate to Mr. Trump’s
re-election efforts to avoid keeping men like Mr. Comey in power.”
Foreign Policy
Pompeo Met With Kim; Trump Says US, North Korea Talking At “Extremely High
Levels.”

Media coverage of President Trump’s remarks Tuesday on North Korea is
rather straightforward, with reports focusing on his disclosure that the US
and North Korea have been holding talks, and that the North and Seoul are
working on a negotiated end to hostilities. Trump’s remarks came as it was
revealed that CIA Director Pompeo recently visited Pyongyang. NBC Nightly
News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=027-263&t=c>
(4/17, story 3, 1:55, Holt) – the only network to report the story – said
that at a “critical meeting” with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at
Mar-a-Lago, Trump revealed that talks have been held with North Korea at
“extremely high levels.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=028-54d&t=c>
(4/17, Harris, Leonnig, Jaffe, Nakamura) suggests Trump was alluding to an
“extraordinary face-to-face meeting” between Kim and Pompeo “over Easter
weekend.” According to “two people with direct knowledge of the trip,” the
meeting was “part of an effort to lay the groundwork for direct talks
between Trump and Kim.” The CIA and the White House both declined to
comment.

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=029-975&t=c>
(4/17, Landler, Rosenberg) too says Trump “alluded to Mr. Pompeo’s mission”
when he said the US was in direct talks with North Korea at “extremely high
levels.” According to unnamed officials, Pompeo “has been dealing with
North Korean representatives through a channel that runs between the CIA
and its North Korean counterpart, the Reconnaissance General Bureau.” On CNN’s
Anderson Cooper 360
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=02a-824&t=c>
(4/17), Jim Acosta said, “My colleagues Jeff Zeleny and Elise Labott
confirmed that...Pompeo...flew to North Korea, [and] met with Kim Jong-un
with other intelligence officials.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=02b-621&t=c>
(4/18, Lee, Miller) likewise reports that two officials confirmed Pompeo’s
trip. According to a front-page story in the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=02c-109&t=c>
(4/17, A1, Ballhaus, Nicholas, Cheng), a US official said the direct talks
with Kim are ongoing. The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=02d-2ab&t=c>
(4/17, Boyer) and Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=02e-9eb&t=c>
(4/17, Morrongiello) also report on the meeting.

        Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=02f-ab7&t=c>
(4/17, Olorunnipa, Talev) says Trump also revealed Tuesday that five
locations are under consideration for his meeting with Kim, and “suggested
he was responsible not only for the negotiations on a formal peace treaty
ending the war, but also the success of this year’s winter Olympics in
South Korea.” Said Trump, “They’ve been very generous that without us and
without me in particular, I guess, they wouldn’t be discussing anything and
the Olympics would have been a failure.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=030-486&t=c>
(4/17, Harris, Leonnig, Jaffe, Nakamura) likewise said in an early online
report that “Trump took some credit for the rapid developments related to
North Korea.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=031-a0d&t=c>
(4/17, Ballhaus, Nicholas) reported online that Abe said he had “observed
major change in terms of North Korea’s behavior” since the Olympics, and
credited Trump for the shift, saying, “Your stance made it possible to
achieve this major change.”

        USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=032-4ee&t=c>
(4/17, Jackson) says that while Trump “repeated that he plans to meet with
Kim,” he also “raised the possibility the summit might be called off
because of a lack of agreement over an agenda.” Said Trump, “It’s possible
things won’t go well and we won’t have the meetings, and we’ll just
continue to go on this very strong path we have taken.” The Washington
Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=033-84f&t=c>
(4/17, Correll) similarly reports that he “left the door open that the
meetings might not happen,” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=034-bb4&t=c>
(4/17, Holland) that he indicated that “it was possible that diplomatic
efforts to arrange a summit will fall short,” and the Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=035-b18&t=c>
(4/17, Morrongiello) says Trump “cautioned that his meeting with Kim is not
yet set in stone.” To Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=036-941&t=c>
(4/17, Forgey), the President “continued to play coy about the potentially
historic meeting,” saying, “We’ll either have a very good meeting, or we
won’t have a good meeting, and maybe we won’t even have a meeting at all,
depending on what’s going in.”

        The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=037-3a4&t=c>
(4/17, Colvin, Miller) reports that Trump “also confirmed that North and
South Korea are negotiating an end to hostilities before next week’s
meeting between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in,” saying they
“have my blessing to discuss the end of the war.” According to the Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=038-eb7&t=c>
(4/17, Boyer), “some analysts expressed surprise at Mr. Trump’s comments,”
and former National Security Council official Victor Cha called it “big
news.” Cha told MSNBC
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=039-411&t=c>
(4/17), “He said the North and the South are talking about a peace treaty,
which is something that’s never been said before by president about North
and South Korea negotiating these things.”

        *In Tweet Today, Trump Says “Good Relationship Was Formed” At
Pompeo-Kim Meeting. *Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=03a-8b8&t=c>
this morning, “Mike Pompeo met with Kim Jong Un in North Korea last week.
Meeting went very smoothly and a good relationship was formed. Details of
Summit are being worked out now. Denuclearization will be a great thing for
World, but also for North Korea!”

        *Seoul: Kim To Formally Announce Denuclearization Plans. *The New
York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=03b-80d&t=c>
(4/17, Choe) reports a South Korean official said Tuesday that Kim “plans
to formally announce his willingness to denuclearize his country when he
meets with President Moon Jae-in” later this month. The statement is
expected to be “part of a joint declaration that the two leaders will adopt
when they meet on April 27,” said Moon’s chief of staff, Im Jong-seok.
Negotiators, however, are “still discussing other aspects of the joint
statement, such as whether the two Koreas would commit to holding summit
meetings on a regular basis.” Im said South Korea is “also trying to
convince North Korea that Mr. Moon and Mr. Kim should hold a joint news
conference at the end of their meeting.” The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=03c-7b1&t=c>
(4/17, Steinbuch) quotes Im as telling reporters, “Even though our special
envoys confirmed his denuclearization will, it is entirely different if the
two leaders confirm it directly among themselves and put that into text.”

        Jonah Goldberg of National Review said on Fox News Special
Report[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=03d-c11&t=c>
(4/17) that Trump “definitely gets considerable credit for forcing, at the
very minimum, these rhetorical concessions, which means something. For
North Korea to talk about ending the war, that means something. That’s
significant. To talk about denuclearization, that is significant. I’m still
deeply skeptical, not as a criticism of Donald Trump, but as an observation
about the North Koreans. They have considered being a nuclear power the
central focus of their foreign policy and they have lied their way to get
to it for two decades. The idea they are going to give that up suddenly
without some assurances that...I don’t think we could give? I’m just very
skeptical.”
Kudlow Apologizes For Saying Haley Got “Ahead Of The Curve” On Russian
Sanctions.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=03e-27c&t=c>
(4/17, Landler) reports the White House “put further daylight” between
President Trump and Ambassador Haley on Tuesday, as chief economic adviser
Larry Kudlow said she had gotten “ahead of the curve” in announcing new
sanctions against Russia on Sunday. On Monday, White House officials said
the President “had not yet decided whether to impose sanctions on Russian
companies found to be assisting Syria’s chemical weapons program,” which
“contradicted” Haley’s comments that new sanctions would be announced
Monday. Speaking to reporters in Florida, Kudlow said, “She got ahead of
the curve. She’s done a great job. She’s a very effective ambassador, but
there might have been some momentary confusion about that.”

        The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=03f-4b6&t=c>
(4/17, Colvin, Miller) says the White House “has been struggling to explain
Haley’s comments, amid reports that Trump put the brakes on the new
sanctions,” and to The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=040-7d9&t=c>
(4/17, Fabian), the “mixed signals over sanctions created a headache for
the White House, which has long battled accusations that Trump has treated
Russian President Vladimir Putin with kid gloves.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=041-224&t=c>
(4/17, Gearan) reports Haley “rejected” Kudlow’s suggestion “that she had
bungled an announcement of new Russia sanctions out of ‘confusion.’” In a
statement to Dana Perino of Fox News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=042-67a&t=c>
(4/17), Haley said, “With all due respect, I don’t get confused.” Haley,
whose office “confirmed the quote but did not elaborate,” has been
“otherwise silent about the unusual dust-up over her remarks Sunday.”

        John Roberts reported on Fox News Special Report[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=043-de8&t=c>
(4/17) that according to Perino, Haley “has been trying to get in touch
with...Kudlow all day. He hasn’t been taking her calls because he is
wrapped up” in talks with Japanese officials at Mar-a-Lago, “but [Haley] is
going to try to get him tonight and I don’t want to be him when she does.”
John Acosta said on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=044-c94&t=c>
(4/17), “I was able to confirm that Larry Kudlow...called Nikki Haley to
apologize and said during the course of that phone call that the policy had
changed and that nobody had kept her in the loop.” Kudlow confirmed the
apology, telling the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=045-b70&t=c>
(4/17, Landler) by phone, “She was certainly not confused. I was wrong to
say that – totally wrong.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=046-ab3&t=c>
(4/17, Boyer) also reports Kudlow’s apology.

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=047-485&t=c>
(4/17, Landler) reports an “official informed about the moment” said
President Trump “was watching television on Sunday when he
saw...Haley...announce that he would impose fresh sanctions on Russia. The
president grew angry,” because “as far as he was concerned, he had decided
no such thing.” The Times says the “divergence has spilled into public in a
remarkable display of discord that stems not just from competing views of
Russia but from larger questions of political ambition, jealousy,
resentment and loyalty.” According to “several officials, the White House
did not inform Ms. Haley that it had changed course on sanctions, leaving
her to hang out alone.”

        Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=048-2c3&t=c>
(4/17, Johnson) reports Trump “gave approval last week for rolling out
airstrikes in Syria as well as new sanctions on Russia, according to three
senior administration officials – but...Haley wasn’t briefed on changes to
the sanctions plan.” Politico says the “episode marks the latest instance
of members of Trump’s team appearing out of sync with one another or with
the president on foreign affairs.”

        *State Department In Talks With US Airlines About Expiring Russia
Overflight Deal. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=049-4e2&t=c>
(4/17, Wroughton, Shepardson, Alexander, Stolyarov) reports the State
Department “met with US carriers ahead of a deadline later on Tuesday to
extend an agreement with Russia that would allow for continued overflights
by US airlines and said it was working to prevent any disruptions.”
Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said, “We don’t want that kind of aviation
disruption, so we’re trying to facilitate a working arrangement,” adding
the Russian government had canceled a meeting in Washington earlier this
week to discuss renewing the agreement. “Russia has not yet indicated
whether it will extend the approvals by the Russian government, but we are
expecting a Russian response hopefully later today,” she added.

        *US, UK Issue Joint Alert About Russian Cyber Attacks. *The CBS
Evening News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=04a-7e5&t=c>
(4/17, story 7, 0:50, Glor) reported, “In a rare joint alert, US and
British intelligence officials are warning that Russian hackers are trying
to take control of computers in America to lay the groundwork for future
cyber attacks.” DHS Secretary Nielsen: “They were exploiting and scanning
vulnerabilities in networked devices, including routers, which we all have
in our homes. ... The gist of it is, anything that’s connected to the
Internet could be attacked through the Internet. I think we’ll see more and
more instances where there are causes of concern for everyday devices.”

        *British Scientists: Skripal Poisoned With Small Amount Of Nerve
Agent. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=04b-209&t=c>
(4/17, Barry) reports British environmental scientists said that former
Russian spy Sergei V. Skripal and his daughter were poisoned by a “very
small amount” of liquid nerve agent that, in the Times’ words, “did not
release gases or vapors.” However, authorities said that the
decontamination process could last “a number of months.”
Mattis Urged Trump To Seek Congressional Approval For Syria Airstrikes.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=04c-3e6&t=c>
(4/17, Cooper) reports Defense Secretary Mattis “urged President Trump to
get congressional approval before the United States launched airstrikes
against Syria last week,” but the President overruled him, seeking “a rapid
and dramatic response, military and administration officials said.”
However, “Mattis prevailed in limiting the strikes to three targets that
did not risk endangering Russian troops.” The limited strikes on three
target were a “compromise” between those warning “that an overly aggressive
response risked igniting a wider war with Russia” and Trump’s desire “to be
seen as backing up a series of bellicose tweets with action.” Meanwhile,
“Mattis publicly disputed suggestions on Tuesday that the limited strikes
amounted to little more than a public relations punch,” saying at the
Pentagon, “We did what we believe was right under international law, under
our nation’s laws. And I hope that this time, the Assad regime got the
message.”

        *Saudi Arabia In Talks With US On Sending Troops To Syria.
*The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=04d-b71&t=c>
(4/17, Morris, Deyoung) reports that, as the Administration “seeks ways to
stabilize” northeast Syria “while winding down its own military presence,”
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said his country is in discussions
with the United States on sending troops to Syria. He said, “We are in
discussions with the US and have been since the beginning of the Syrian
crisis about sending forces into Syria.” While the Administration is
seeking “to persuade countries in the Persian Gulf to pick up the financial
and military burden of stabilization as it draws down US forces,” creating
“a pan-Arab force is likely to be a challenge.” Recent comments from Jubeir
and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman indicate “an acceptance” that Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad will remain in power, and Egypt “has tacitly
expressed support for Assad.”

        *Susan Rice Offers Plan For US Involvement In Syria. *Former
National Security Adviser Susan E. Rice, in an op-ed in the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=04e-f25&t=c>
(4/17, Rice), writes that with the conflict in Syria “growing increasingly
complex and dangerous,” there is an increased need for the US “to clarify
its strategic objectives in Syria and pursue them with ruthless
discipline.” The current “standoffs risk escalating into sustained
conflict,” and “the United States’ policy options, ever bad, are more
limited and less effectual than ever.” Rice, saying that sticking to
narrowly defined objectives remain the least bad approach, warns, “the path
forward will continue to be perilous and deeply unsatisfying.” She calls
for the US to maintain current force levels, not move to depose Syrian
leader Bashar al-Assad, “sustain its generous humanitarian assistance,” and
push for a negotiated settlement to the conflict. Rice concludes that by
doing so the US will remain “focused on clear and achievable objectives,
avoid strategic overreach and wisely tend to our core national interests.”

        *US, Syria Offer Conflicting Accounts Of Whether Chemical Weapons
Inspectors Reached Douma. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=04f-966&t=c>
(4/17, Wroughton) reports the US and Syria offered “conflicting accounts on
Tuesday of whether global chemical weapons inspectors had reached the
Syrian town of Douma where a suspected poison gas attack took place.” While
Syrian state television reported that Organization for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons experts entered the town, State Department spokeswoman
Heather Nauert said, “Our understanding is that the team has not entered
Douma.” Similarly, “a diplomatic source in The Hague said the experts did
not enter Douma.”

        *Destruction Of Syrian Medical Infrastructure Causing Public-Health
Crisis. *The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=050-106&t=c>
(4/17, A1, Abdulrahim) reports that Syrian civil war has produced a serious
public-health crisis, as the breakdown of its health system has left
chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease untreated. The
Journal adds that President Bashar al-Assad targeted the country’s medical
infrastructure, and as result Syrian life expectancy has dropped below 65
as people die for lack of medical treatment. The Syrian regime denies
purposely attacking healthcare facilities.

        *In Warning, Israel Releases Details On Iranian Planes Deployed In
Syria. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=051-879&t=c>
(4/17, Williams) reports that, in “a signal that these could be attacked
should tensions with Tehran escalate,” Israel released details on what it
called an Iranian “air force” deployed in Syria. The data include
“satellite images and a map of five Syrian air bases allegedly used to
field Iranian drones or cargo aircraft, as well as the names of three
senior IRGC officers suspected of commanding related projects.”

        *Israel Strike On Iranian Air Defense In Syria Came After
Consultation With US. *The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=052-cd9&t=c>
(4/17, Nissenbaum, Jones) reports that, in the latest indication that the
Administration is seeking to counter expanding Iranian influence in the
Middle East, intelligence officials and others briefed on the matter say
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conferred with President Trump
prior to ordering an Israeli military strike on a new Iranian antiaircraft
battery at a Syrian base last week. The Journal cast the attack as a
serious escalation in Israel’s fight against Iran’s military presence in
Syria, and some US officials are concerned that an Israel-Iran fight in
Syria could cause new conflicts involving Lebanon and Israel.
Senate Panel Asks “Tough Questions” On US Support For Conflict In Yemen.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=053-7ae&t=c>
(4/17, Ryan) reports that as “congressional pressure grows to reconsider
the American role in” the conflict in Yemen, Administration officials from
the Pentagon, the State Department, and USAID “faced tough questions” from
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on US military support for the
Persian Gulf nations involved in the conflict. The Post casts the
questioning as an indication of “growing discomfort with US support for the
campaign.” State Department acting assistant secretary for the Middle East
David Satterfield said the governments in the conflict have been warned
“against taking action that could bring more deprivation and suffering to
Yemenis.” He said, “We would not view such an action consistent with our
own policy upon which our support is based.” The Post adds, “the officials’
defense of current policy reflects the Trump administration’s emphasis on
loyalty to Saudi Arabia, its chief Arab ally, and its desire to push back
against Iran.”
US Wants To Transfer US-Born ISIS Suspect From Iraq To Another Country.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=054-c31&t=c>
(4/17, Savage) reports that the US military “intends to transfer an
American citizen who has been detained in Iraq for more than seven months
to the custody of another country in several days,” the Justice Department
told a federal judge on Tuesday. The man’s attorney said that his client,
“whose name has not been made public, does not want to go to that country
and intends to fight the proposed transfer in court.” The man was born in
the US to visiting Saudi parents and was raised in Saudi Arabia. He was
captured by a Syrian militia last fall “and turned over to American forces
as a suspected low-level Islamic State member.”
Kudlow Downplays Possibility Of US Rejoining TPP.

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=055-1a9&t=c>
(4/17, Boyer) reports White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow on Tuesday
“downplayed” the likelihood of the US rejoining the Trans-Pacific
Partnership trade agreement, saying the request by President Trump is more
of a “thought than a policy” right now. As the President prepared to meet
with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Kudlow told reporters that the US
is “in the pre-preliminary stages of any discussions” on rejoining the
trade agreement, including Japan. He said the Administration would still
prefer to reach a separate free-trade pact with Japan. The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=056-c5c&t=c>
(4/17, Fabian) too says Kudlow “downplayed the possibility” that the US
would rejoin the TPP, saying there “are discussions and considerations”
about reentering the pact, but cautioned “there is nothing at all
concrete.”

        Asked earlier on Fox News’ Fox & Friends[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=057-8b3&t=c>
(4/17) about the possibility of the US getting back into the TPP, Kudlow
said, “It’s possible if and only if there are major improvements to the
existing TPP. That is the President’s key point. He is not a big fan of
these multilateral agreements. He would rather go country to country,
so-called bilateral, like we are going to talk with Japan today and
tomorrow. We’ll see about this, He wants to take another look at it. ...
We’ll see. We’re going to go slow.”

        *Trump: “Bilateral Deals Are Far More Efficient.” *President Trump
tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=058-555&t=c>
Tuesday evening, “While Japan and South Korea would like us to go back into
TPP, I don’t like the deal for the United States. Too many contingencies
and no way to get out if it doesn’t work. Bilateral deals are far more
efficient, profitable and better for OUR workers. Look how bad WTO is to
U.S.”

        *Poll: Support For Trump Trade Policies Weaker Among Independents,
Moderate Republicans. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=059-6c8&t=c>
(4/17, Casselman, Tankersley) reports President Trump’s trade policies
“enjoy the strong backing of his supporters but are less popular among
independents, moderate Republicans and others whose votes could decide
control of Congress in the midterm election this fall.” Americans are
“about evenly split on the steel and aluminum tariffs that Mr. Trump
announced early last month, according to a survey conducted in early April”
for the New York Times by SurveyMonkey. According to the survey, “support
split mostly along predictable partisan lines, with 78 percent of
Republicans supporting Mr. Trump’s tariffs and 74 percent of Democrats
opposing them.” Support for the measure was “also softer among
better-educated and wealthier Americans of both political parties, echoing
other evidence that backing for Mr. Trump’s agenda is weaker in the
affluent suburbs that were once a Republican stronghold.”

        *China To Ease Rules On Foreign Auto Makers. *In what the Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=05a-a9d&t=c>
(4/17, Moss, Colias) calls a concession to the US, China announced Tuesday
it will ease joint-venture rules on foreign auto companies. General Motors,
however, has no plans to withdraw from its 10 Chinese joint ventures even
if restrictions are lifted, according to sources.

        *FCC Votes To Block Sales By Chinese Telecom Equipment Makers. *The New
York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=05b-325&t=c>
(4/17, Zhong, Mozur, Nicas) reports the US “undercut China’s technology
ambitions on Tuesday, advancing a new rule that would limit the ability of
Chinese telecommunications companies to sell their products in this
country.” The Federal Communications Commission “voted unanimously to move
forward with a plan that would prevent federally subsidized
telecommunications carriers from using suppliers deemed to pose a risk to
American national security.” The Times says the FCC’s decision “takes
direct aim at Huawei...and its main Chinese rival, ZTE, sending a message
that the government doesn’t trust them.”

        *Lawmakers Urge USDA To Limit Use Of Chinese Telecommunications. *The
Washington Free Beacon
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=05c-309&t=c>
(4/17, Johnson) reports that a bipartisan group of lawmakers is calling on
the Department of Agriculture “to tighten restrictions on Chinese
telecommunications providers and manufacturers accused of spying on behalf”
of Beijing. In a letter sent Monday to Secretary Perdue, “19 lawmakers
urged the department to prohibit carriers from using money from the
department’s Rural Utility Service (RUS) program to purchase equipment from
Chinese companies deemed to pose a national security threat, including
Huawei and ZTE.”

        *Trump’s “Buy American” Initiative Would Ease Export Rules For US
Weapons. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=05d-7d3&t=c>
(4/17, Spetalnick) reports that President Trump in “private phone calls and
public appearances with world leaders” has “gone further than any of his
predecessors to act as a salesman for the US defense industry, analysts
said.” His “efforts will be bolstered by the full weight of the US
government when Trump’s administration rolls out a new ‘Buy American’
initiative as soon as this week aimed at allowing more countries to buy
more and even bigger weapons.” According to “US officials,” the initiative
“will loosen US export rules on equipment ranging from fighter jets and
drones to warships and artillery.” Reuters added that it “will provide
guidelines that could allow more countries to be granted faster deal
approvals, possibly trimming back to months what has often taken years to
finalize.” Members of Trump’s cabinet will “sometimes act as ‘closers’ to
help seal major arms deals, according to people familiar with the matter.”

        McClatchy
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=05e-ab1&t=c>
(4/17, Hall) reports that while Smith & Wesson “and other iconic American
brands like Sturm Ruger and the eventual owners of privately held Remington
Outdoor are expected to benefit from a new policy,” opponents of the policy
“argue that decision could come back to haunt the United States if the
weapons end up in the wrong hands.”

        *IMF: Trade War Could Undermine Strong Global Economy. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=05f-93a&t=c>
(4/17, Wiseman) reports that while the IMF “has kept its forecast for
worldwide growth this year at 3.9 percent,” the agency warned Tuesday “that
rising trade tensions between the United States and China risk undermining
a global economy.” IMF chief economist Maurice Obstfeld told a news
conference that the IMF “had run economic simulations about the impact of a
far-reaching trade war that would include across-the-board tariffs of 10
percent.” Obstfeld said the computer simulations showed a “fairly
substantial” impact from such tariffs.
Nielsen Warns Of “Unintended Consequences” Of New European Data Privacy Law.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=060-6f8&t=c>
(4/17, Volz) reports that DHS Secretary Nielsen warned Tuesday “that a
European data privacy law taking effect next month may have ‘unintended
consequences’ that harm the United States’ ability to protect itself from
cyber attacks.” Speaking at the RSA cyber security conference in San
Francisco, Nielsen said online data privacy “is important and contextual
across borders and different cultures...but ‘what we don’t want are the
unintended consequences of preventing the research community to be able to
give us a heads up on (cyber) threats that are coming our way.’”
Domestic Policy
Gorsuch Joins Supreme Court Liberals To Strike Down Part Of Immigration Law.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a portion of federal immigration
law that subjected immigrants convicted of serious crimes to deportation.
The decision prompted President Trump to issue a pair of tweets urging
Congress to take action on immigration. Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=061-36e&t=c>,
“Today’s Court decision means that Congress must close loopholes that block
the removal of dangerous criminal aliens, including aggravated felons. This
is a public safety crisis that can only be fixed by ...
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=062-e47&t=c>
Congress – House and Senate must quickly pass a legislative fix to ensure
violent criminal aliens can be removed from our society. Keep America
Safe!” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=063-ee3&t=c>
(4/17, Gresko) calls the decision “a loss” for the Administration, “which
has emphasized stricter enforcement of immigration law,” while the Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=064-c2f&t=c>
(4/17, Barnes) says it “could limit the government’s ability to deport
those with criminal records, something that President Trump has identified
as a priority,” and Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=065-c02&t=c>
(4/17, Gerstein) says it is “likely to irritate the White House.”

        The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=066-e22&t=c>
(4/17, Quinn) reports that in its 5-4 decision, the Court sided with James
Garcia Dimaya, a native of the Philippines, who “was convicted of
residential burglary conviction in 2007 and 2009, though neither involved
violence.” The Obama Administration sought Dimaya’s deportation and the
Justice Department’s Board of Immigration Appeals agreed, arguing that “one
of the convictions constituted an ‘aggravated felony’ under the Immigration
and National Act and therefore made him subject to deportation.” In 2015,
the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled “that the definition of
‘aggravated felony,’ which includes the definition of ‘crimes of violence,’
was unconstitutionally vague.” The Supreme Court affirmed the ruling.

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=067-915&t=c>
(4/17, Liptak) says Justice Neil Gorsuch joined “the court’s four more
liberal members to form a bare majority,” in the decision which will “limit
the Trump administration’s efforts to deport people convicted of some kinds
of crimes.” Gorsuch wrote in a concurring opinion, “Vague laws...invite
arbitrary power.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=068-f58&t=c>
(4/17, Dinan) reports that it was one of Gorsuch’s “first major breaks with
fellow conservatives.” Gorsuch “and the liberal bloc said that if Congress
wants to make legal immigrants deportable for lower-level felonies they can
write those offenses into the law – but they can’t use a ‘vague’ catch-all
definition to cover any serious crimes they didn’t list.” The Wall Street
Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=069-069&t=c>
(4/17, Kendall) says Gorsuch’s stance was not surprising, noting that like
his predecessor Justice Antonin Scalia, Gorsuch has supported procedural
protections against wide-ranging government power for defendants.
Trump Blasts Brown Over National Guard Troops On California-Mexico Border.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=06a-58b&t=c>
(4/17, Wagner) reports that after praising California Gov. Jerry Brown last
week “for agreeing to send National Guard troops to the border,” Trump on
Tuesday “was back on Twitter, taking aim at Brown,” in the wake of “word
that California’s National Guard has told Homeland Security officials the
state will not allow its soldiers to do the types of things others are
doing elsewhere on the border: monitoring surveillance cameras, performing
maintenance and transporting US border agents.” Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=06b-6d2&t=c>,
“Looks like Jerry Brown and California are not looking for safety and
security along their very porous Border. He cannot come to terms for the
National Guard to patrol and protect the Border. The high crime rate will
only get higher. Much wanted Wall in San Diego already started!” The Washington
Free Beacon
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=06c-332&t=c>
(4/17, Crabtree) says the Administration and Brown have been “negotiating
exactly what role the troops would serve” and the “exact disputes between
Brown and the Trump administration remain unclear.”

        The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=06d-738&t=c>
(4/17, Wire) reports that in remarks at the National Press Club on Tuesday,
Brown “downplayed the confrontation with Trump.” Brown “said he didn’t see
the president’s tweet,” and “said he still expects the California National
Guard to reach a compromise with the federal government that also adheres
to the limitations outlined in his letter.” However, he “didn’t back away
from his restrictions on what the Guard would be allowed to do.” Brown
said, “Trying to stop drug smuggling, human tracking and guns going to
Mexico to the cartels, that sounds to me like fighting crime. ... Trying to
catch some desperate mothers and children, unaccompanied minors coming from
Central America? That sounds like something else.”

        The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=06e-fbd&t=c>
(4/17, Miroff) reports Brown “said he wants to be ‘cooperative’ with the
Trump administration, and he appreciated the president’s April 12 tweet
applauding him for agreeing to join the troop deployment.” Said Brown,
“There’s been a little bit of back and forth, as you always get with
bureaucrats. ... But I think we can find common understanding here. There’s
enough problems at the border and the interface between our countries that
California will have plenty to do – and we’re willing to do it.”

        *In Tweet Today, Trump Says “Revolution” In California Over Border
Security. *Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=06f-346&t=c>
this morning, “There is a Revolution going on in California. Soooo many
Sanctuary areas want OUT of this ridiculous, crime infested & breeding
concept. Jerry Brown is trying to back out of the National Guard at the
Border, but the people of the State are not happy. Want Security & Safety
NOW!”

        *San Diego County To Join Administration Challenge To California’s
Sanctuary Law. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=070-4ea&t=c>
(4/17, McEntee) reports that San Diego County leaders have voted “to join
the Trump administration’s court challenge to a California law limiting
cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.” In a 3-1 vote, the
GOP-controlled Board of Supervisors “voted to direct the county attorney to
file a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the administration’s lawsuit at
the first available opportunity.”

        *Los Alamitos Votes To Exempt Itself From Sanctuary Law. *The Los
Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=071-f51&t=c>
(4/17, Carcamo) reports that the Los Alamitos City Council voted Monday “to
give final approval to an ordinance to exempt the city from the state’s
laws designed to protect immigrants in the country illegally.”

        *Brown: “Low-Life Politicians” To Blame For Backlash Against
Sanctuary Policies. *Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=072-706&t=c>
(4/17, Pollak) reports that in an appearance at the National Press Club on
Tuesday, Gov. Brown blamed “low-life politicians” for the “growing
backlash” against California’s “sanctuary state” policies. Brown said of
the backlash, “It’s an inflammatory football that very low-life politicians
are trying to exploit.”

        *ICE Arrested 225 Peopl In, Around New York City Last Week.
*The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=073-f36&t=c>
(4/17, Dinan) reports on Tuesday, Thomas R. Decker, director of ICE’s
deportation office in New York, announced that “officers arrested 225
immigrants in a targeted sweep in New York City and the surrounding area.”
Decker also said that 60 or more of those arrested “had been released by
local police despite being sought by ICE officers.” Decker said, “ICE
continues to face significant obstacles with policies created by local
officials which hinder cooperation between ICE and local law enforcement.”
Among those arrested were some who had “rape, manslaughter, firearms and
drunken-driving convictions.”

        *Survey Finds 80% Of Hondurans Traveling North Seeking Better
Opportunities. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=074-f37&t=c>
(4/17, Dinan) reports on a survey of about 1,600 Hondurans by the
Reflection, Research and Communication Team, affiliated with the Roman
Catholic order the Society of Jesus. The survey found that most Hondurans
who travel to the US “are actually regular economic migrants.” According to
the study, “more than 80 percent told pollsters it’s all about better
opportunities elsewhere.” The survey also found that “a stunning 44.3
percent of Hondurans said they are looking to emigrate.”

        *Cato Institute Study Says US Immigrant Screening Is Effective. *The
New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=075-acd&t=c>
(4/17, Nixon) reports the Cato Institute issued a study on Tuesday, finding
that the US “already had a robust vetting system” for immigration,
developed after September 11, 2001. The study found that “just 13 of 531
people convicted of or killed in carrying out terrorism-related crimes”
since then had made it past the screening, and “only one...participated in
a deadly attack in the United States.” The Times describes that as “a rate
of one for every 379 million visa or status approvals from 2002 through
2016.”

        *DOJ Announces Two Individuals Had Naturalized Citizenship Revoked
Last Week. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=076-883&t=c>
(4/17, Mordock) reports on Tuesday, the Justice Department announced that
two people “had their naturalized citizenship revoked” last week, one
“after he was convicted of engaging in sexual contact with a minor,” and a
second for having “fraudulently represented herself as mother to secure
citizenship.”

        *DACA Supporters Expected To Announce They Have Backing Of 218
House Members. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=077-62f&t=c>
(4/17, Cowan, Becker) reports, “A coalition of Republican and Democratic
lawmakers was expected to announce on Wednesday” that a measure calling for
a debate in the House on DACA, has the support of more than 218 House
members. The members are seeking to pressure House Speaker Paul Ryan to
bring a measure to the floor “or to intensify high-level negotiations on
crafting a new compromise bill,” according to Reuters.
McConnell Considering Vote To Make Tax Cuts Permanent.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=078-5c6&t=c>
(4/17, Everett) reports that Senate Majority Leader McConnell told
reporters Tuesday that he is considering forcing a vote on making the GOP
Tax cuts for individuals permanent. McConnell said, “If they are interested
in making the individual rates permanent that’s something we ought to take
a look at. I don’t know why we wouldn’t want to do that. ... I’m skeptical
there’s a desire here but of course we’d like to make the individual tax
cuts permanent.”

        *Brady: Phase Two Of Tax Bill Should Make Cuts Permanent. *House
Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, asked on Fox News’ Special
Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=079-dc6&t=c>
(4/17) about making the tax cuts permanent, said, “We made them long term
for families and for small businesses but because the Senate rules, weren’t
able to make them permanent. We think one of the provisions in phase two
should be to make them permanent. But, more than that, we are really trying
to change the culture in Washington. Instead of waiting 30 years, and
falling far behind our competitors worldwide, we think we ought to move
aggressively each year to make America more competitive, to make businesses
more productive, to encourage more innovation and we are always looking for
ways to make our tax code more family friendly. You know, just helping
families stretch their budgets farther. Our goal is every year to make our
tax code and our country stronger.”

        *McConnell: 2018 Election Will Be “Referendum” On Tax Cuts. *McConnell
said on Fox News Your World
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=07a-892&t=c>
(4/17) that Democrats “did not like” the tax cut bill and “they would undo
it if they could. They have already come out for repealing most of it. So I
think we’re going to have a referendum this fall...on whether or not people
think they’re better able to make decisions about their own hard earned
money as opposed to Washington politicians redistributing it.”

        *NRCC Chair Urges Republicans To Keep Talking About Tax Cuts. *CQ
Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=07b-5cc&t=c>
(4/17, Bowman) reports that NRCC Chairman Steve Stivers on Tuesday urged
Republicans to “keep talking about the tax overhaul.” According to “a
source with knowledge of the discussion,” Stivers “presented attendees at a
GOP conference meeting with polling that showed voters have not heard from
them lately about the tax overhaul,” and he “implored them to continue to
sell it.” Stivers comments show that “Republicans still believe the tax law
is something that could help them in the midterms.”

        *Kudlow Says CBO Is “Always Wrong” About Tax Cuts. *National
Economic Council Director Kudlow was asked on Fox News’ Fox & Friends[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=07c-0d2&t=c>
(4/17) about the CBO’s finding that the tax cuts will lead to trillion
dollar deficits, Kudlow said, “Never believe the CBO, very important. Never
believe them. They’re always wrong especially with regard to tax cuts,
which they never score properly because they don’t understand the growth,
the incentives and the encouragements to reward success.”

        *McConnell Opposes White House Effort To Rescind 2018
Appropriations. *McConnell told Fox News Your World[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=07d-78d&t=c>
Tuesday that he opposes a White House effort to rescind billions of dollars
in spending from the 2018 appropriations bill, “likely dooming the
effort,” Bloomberg
News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=07e-17b&t=c>
(4/17, Wasson) reports. McConnell, who argued that the effort would
undermine trust between the parties, said Trump “agreed to it. He was
involved in the negotiation and signed the bill. ... We had an agreement
with the Democrats. ... You can’t make an agreement one month and say OK,
we really didn’t mean it.”

        *Four Major US Banks’ Combined Earnings Up $2.3B In First Quarter
Under New Tax Law. *The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=07f-aef&t=c>
(4/17, Rapoport) reports that the four major national banks – JPMorgan
Chase & Co., Wells Fargo, Citigroup Inc., and Bank of America Corp. – saw a
combined earnings increase of $2.3 billion as a result of the lower
corporate rates in the new tax law.

        *Supreme Court Hears Arguments On Taxing Internet Sales. *NBC
Nightly News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=080-a30&t=c>
(4/17, story 4, 1:55, Holt) reported on the case before the US Supreme
Court on sales tax and online sales. NBC (Williams) added, “Millions of
people now save by shopping online tax free,” and South Dakota is asking
the court “to require taxes on nearly all Internet purchases.” NBC added,
“A majority of the justices seemed concerned that taxing all Internet sales
would be a huge burden on small sellers, and they worried states might try
to collect taxes on past sales, too.”

        The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=081-eaa&t=c>
(4/17, Gresko) also reports the court “sounded concerned” about arguments
to overturn an earlier ruling requiring a physical presence in a state
before the state could require the online store to collect sales tax. The
AP adds that “three justices — Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas and Anthony
Kennedy — have expressed a willingness in past writings to rethink” the
rule, and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg “seemed willing them to join them.”
Meanwhile, other justices expressed concerns about changing the rule
including Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who suggested a change would lead to “a
massive amount of lawsuits,” and Chief Justice John Roberts who suggested
that the problem may be “diminishing rather than expanding.” Justice Elena
Kagan suggested that Congress should act as it is “capable of crafting
compromises.” Justice Stephen Breyer raised the question of how much cost a
change in the rule would impose on small sellers. The case is South Dakota
v. Wayfair.
Mnuchin: Tax Filers Affected By IRS Website Malfunction Will Get Extra Time.

Treasury Secretary Mnuchin told reporters that taxpayers who have been
unable to file their returns electronically due to a computer malfunction
that disrupted the IRS website will be granted extra time, Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=082-b0f&t=c>
(4/17, Browning, Lee) reports. Speaking to reporters after a Tax Day event
in New Hampshire, Mnuchin said, “We’ll make sure taxpayers have extensions
once the system comes up to make sure they can use it and it in no way
impacts people paying their taxes.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=083-077&t=c>
(4/17, Stein, Debonis) reports that acting IRS Commissioner David Kautter
told an oversight hearing Tuesday, “On my way over here this morning, I was
told a number of systems are down at the moment. ... We are working to
resolve the issue and taxpayers should continue to file as they normally
would.” Kautter added, “If we can’t solve it today, we’ll figure out a
solution. ... Taxpayers would not be penalized because of a technical
problem the IRS is having.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=084-d29&t=c>
(4/17, Rappeport) says the outage “began on Tuesday morning and was
unresolved by midday.”

        Jan Crawford reported on the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=085-041&t=c>
(4/17, story 3, 1:40, Glor) Congress “is considering legislation that would
require the IRS to modernize its systems. The House will actually vote on
that [Wednesday].” ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=086-d35&t=c>
(4/17, story 8, 0:30, Muir) also reported briefly on the website problems,
as did NBC Nightly News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=087-503&t=c>
(4/17, story 8, 0:25, Holt). National Economic Council Director Kudlow
“feigned nonchalance” about the outage during a press gaggle at the White
House, the Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=088-a55&t=c>
(4/17, Enjeti) reports, Kudlow said, “The IRS is crashing. ... Sounds
horrible. Really bad. I hope it gets fixed.” He then “clarified” that he
was sure the IRS would “straighten out” the issue.

        *Trump Files Extension For His 2017 Tax Return. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=089-3c3&t=c>
(4/17, Rappeport) reports that the White House says President Trump “filed
an extension for his 2017 tax return and that he will submit his complete
return by mid-October.” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a
statement, “The president filed an extension for his 2017 tax return, as do
many Americans with complex returns. He will file his tax return by the
extension deadline of October 15, 2018.” Trump also “filed for an extension
of his 2016 taxes.” The Times highlights Trump’s “decision to break with
presidential norms and not publicly release his returns while running for
office,” and adds that “Presidents routinely release their tax returns
while running for office and once they assume the presidency, in part to
show how much they earned and how much they donated to charity.”
Homebuilders Group Paid For Pruitt’s Hotel Stay In Colorado.

Eight months after the Administration started work on a “major priority”
for the home building industry “be unwinding an Obama-era wetlands
regulation,” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=08a-854&t=c>
(4/17, Woellert) reports the Housing and Building Association of Colorado
Springs “paid for a luxury hotel stay...for EPA chief Scott Pruitt.” While
in Colorado Springs, Pruitt “gave a speech to the builders and invited them
to EPA headquarters in Washington, where he later told his staff to regard
them as the agency’s ‘customers,’ the head of the group told POLITICO.”
While the “$409.12 hotel stay may have met federal legal requirements if
EPA’s ethics officers had approved it ahead of time,” it is “likely to add
to the storm of ethics controversies surrounding Pruitt.”

        *Barrasso Seeks Information On Pruitt’s Multiple EPA Email
Accounts. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=08b-bc8&t=c>
(4/17, Biesecker) reports that Senate Environment and Public Works
Committee Chairman John Barrasso it pressing Pruitt “to provide details
about his use of multiple government email addresses.” Pruitt has written a
letter to Pruitt asking that he “disclose all his email addresses and
affirm that all were being searched in response to Freedom of Information
Act requests.” Barrasso’s letter “followed one sent last week by Democratic
Sens. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Tom Carper of Delaware asking EPA’s
inspector general to review the issue.”

        A New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=08c-c1d&t=c>
(4/17) editorial says Pruitt “is by common consensus the worst of the
ideologues and mediocrities President Trump chose to populate his cabinet.”
His “self-aggrandizing and borderline thuggish behavior has disgraced his
office and demoralized his employees.”

        *CNN: Manchin “Very Open” To Supporting Pompeo’s Nomination. *Manu
Raju reported on CNN’s Situation Room
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=08d-589&t=c>
(4/17) that “we expect a vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee”
next week on CIA Director Pompeo’s nomination to become secretary of State.
Raju said that while “Republicans do not have the votes yet for a favorable
recommendation” from the committee, they “have been taking unprecedented
moves” to get the nomination to the Senate floor “to get him approved that
way by getting support from red state Democrats.” Raju noted that
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin met with Pompeo on Tuesday and “told me he is,
quote, ‘very open’ to supporting Pompeo,” though he “wants answers to some
questions first.”

        *Wyden: CIA Engaged In “Cover Up” Of Haspel’s Covert Actions. *USA
Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=08e-581&t=c>
(4/17, Kelly) reports Sen. Ron Wyden alleged Tuesday that the CIA is
engaged in a “cover up” of CIA director nominee Gina Haspel’s covert
actions. It has been reported that Haspel “was involved in the CIA’s use of
torture while interrogating suspected terrorists during the George W. Bush
administration.” In addition, she “reportedly carried out orders to destroy
videotapes showing prisoners being waterboarded.” Wyden said his concerns
“are significantly broader than what has been alleged in the press. ...
They’re (the CIA) doing everything they can to keep the facts from getting
out. ... I believe there is a cover-up of her background.”
Sessions Proposes Stricter Opioid Regulations.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=08f-e1c&t=c>
(4/17, Watkins) reports that Attorney General Sessions has proposed new
regulations “that could severely limit the amount of highly addictive
opioid pain medication that drug companies can produce and force them to
account for scores of illegitimate prescriptions across the country.” The
proposed rules would change how the DEA “sets production quotas for drug
companies.” Sessions, speaking in Raleigh, North Carolina, said, “Under
this proposed new rule, if DEA believes that a company’s opioids are being
diverted for misuse, then they will reduce the amount of opioids that
company can make”

        In related news, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=090-70a&t=c>
(4/17, Horwitz) reports that Sessions announced Tuesday “that nearly 100
people have been targeted for arrest” in an operation that took down a
network distributing heroin and fentanyl in multiple states. Sessions said,
“Under President Trump’s strong leadership, the Department of Justice has
taken historic new actions to put drug traffickers in jail and keep
dangerous drugs out of the wrong hands.”
Starbucks To Close More Than 8,000 Stores On One Day For Racial Bias
Training.

ABC World News Tonight
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=091-757&t=c>
(4/17, story 5, 1:55, Muir) reported on “a sweeping decision revealed by
Starbucks,” which is “planning to close more than 8,000 stores for a time,
all on one day, they say for training after accusations of racial bias.”
The move “comes after those arrests in Philadelphia” of two black men who
were “led away in handcuffs by police after asking to use the bathroom.”
ABC (Davis) added that “on Monday, the CEO of Starbucks apologized to both
men in person,” and on Tuesday, “the company announced it will close all
locations the afternoon of May 29 to train all 175,000 employees in
‘racial-bias education geared toward preventing discrimination’ and to
‘ensure everyone inside a Starbucks store feels safe and welcome.’”

        NBC Nightly News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=092-e3a&t=c>
(4/17, story 2, 1:55, Holt) reported that Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson said,
“Think of it as a teachable moment, an opportunity to take something and
learn from it. And fix it.” NBC (Gosk) added, “According to Philadelphia
police, the two men, who were waiting for a friend, wanted to use a
Starbucks bathroom without buying anything,” which is “against store
policy. The manager called 911.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=093-3b7&t=c>
(4/17, Abrams) reports that “the prosecutor’s office in Philadelphia
reviewed the case and declined to pursue charges against the men because of
‘a lack of evidence that a crime was committed,’ according to a spokesman.”

        The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=094-0cd&t=c>
(4/17, Hufford) reports that Starbucks said in a statement that Johnson and
the men “have engaged in constructive discussions about this issue as well
as what is happening in communities across the country.” The CBS Evening
News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=095-b79&t=c>
(4/17, story 4, 2:40, Glor) interviewed Mellody Hobson, a member of the
Starbucks board of directors and a CBS News financial contributor, who said
of the incident, “I was sick about it, I have to tell you. Because I knew
that was not the company where I’ve been on the board for all of these
years, and I knew the integrity of the people and what the company stands
for and aspires to be. And I was very, very, very disappointed, and
expressed that right away and said, ‘We’ve got to make this right,’ but
everyone agreed.”
Cancer Research
Biotech Firm’s Blood Test Could Offer New Method For Detecting Early
Cancers.

Science Magazine
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=096-a01&t=c>
(4/17, Kaiser) reports scientists at biotechnology company GRAIL announced
at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research that
they have made progress toward the development of a blood test that could
detect cancerous tumors. Researchers used “full-genome sequencing to
analyze DNA shed into the blood by dying tumor cells,” yielding “evidence
of cancer in 65% of about 200 patients already known to have the disease.”
GRAIL researchers were able to determine a 95 percent detection rate for
metastatic cancers, and the tests had a “very low” false positive rate.
Study: Certain Blood Pressure Medications May Increase Pancreatic Cancer
Risk.

The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=097-c2a&t=c>
(4/17, Healy) reports new research suggests that middle-aged and older
women who treated their high blood pressure with short-acting calcium
channel blockers “had a 66% increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer
compared with women who took a beta blocker, diuretic or
angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor to reduce their blood
pressure.” The findings were presented at the annual conference of the
American Association of Cancer Researchers in Chicago on Tuesday.
Editorials/Op-Eds
New York Times.

*“How New Yorkers Could Put Albany To Work Again.”* The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=098-ae9&t=c>
(4/17) in an editorial urges New York voters to hand over the state senate
to Democrats this fall in order to adopt “a backlog of humane, necessary
legislation.” The Times identifies “early voting”; “comprehensive public
financing of campaigns”; “gun safety laws”; and ending “cash bail” as the
chief measures the state senate should take up.

        *“Scott Pruitt Has Become Ridiculous.” *A New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=099-817&t=c>
(4/17) editorial says EPA Administrator Pruitt “is by common consensus the
worst of the ideologues and mediocrities President Trump chose to populate
his cabinet.” His “self-aggrandizing and borderline thuggish behavior has
disgraced his office and demoralized his employees.”
Washington Post.

*“The GOP Wallows Again In Wedge Issues And Fear.”* The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=09a-91c&t=c>
(4/17) in an editorial against Maryland Republicans’ criticism of
Democratic legislators for supporting a measure to “bar state and local
authorities from asking individuals about their immigration status” says
that Republicans watched “Donald Trump exploit fear and hatred of
immigrants during the presidential campaign,” and now their “playbook is
all about fear.” It also accuses Republicans of “wallowing in wedge issues
and demonizing The Other.”

        *“Trump Postal Service Audit Is Actually Welcome For A Change.” *The
Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=09b-e68&t=c>
(4/17) editorializes in favor of President Trump’s calling a task force to
examine “the operations and finances” of the US Postal Service, commenting
that it is “preferable to more Twitter battles.” The Post also says Trump’s
interest in “a study of package delivery pricing for the Postal Service’s
various clients,” is “perfectly legitimate.” The Post says the task force
will find that the USPS “has a basic structural problem” because of the
“permanent loss of...first-class mail,” due to technology, as well as “high
and rising legacy costs for retiree and employee health care and pensions.”
The Post suggests that the President support the “modest reform plan”
proposed in the House that would allow for an increase in first-class
postage, and shift “some retiree health-care costs to Medicare.”

        *“Justice Undercut By A Claim Of Sexual Harassment.” *The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=09c-36f&t=c>
(4/17) editorializes about the case of Prince George’s County Circuit Court
Judge Hassan El-Amin, who recently announced plans to retire in June. Judge
El-Amin had been the subject of sexual harassment complaints by an
employee, Denise Lowe-Williams. Williams “said she had been subject to
harassment by Mr. El-Amin for about four years when in September 2016 she
decided to take a stand, filing a complaint with local administrative court
officials.” When that complaint went nowhere, Williams “filed a subsequent
complaint with the Maryland Commission on Judicial Disabilities and on Jan.
22 was notified that investigators had filed charges finding the judge
committed ‘sanctionable conduct.’” The Post notes that “the judge has
announced that he plans to retire in June, apparently ending the state
investigation.” The Post argues, “the lack of transparency is troubling,”
and “so is the absence of any finding or, dare we suggest, apology to Ms.
Williams.”
Biden in the News
Gasparino: Biden “Continues” To Talk With Wall Street Executives About
Possible Run.

Appearing on Fox Business Cavuto: Coast to Coast[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=09d-856&t=c>
(4/17), Charlie Gasparino reported, “Behind the scenes, Joe Biden is making
a lot of noise that he’s likely to run” for president in 2020. Gasparino
said, “We reported this a couple of weeks ago,” and “we hear there’s
additional conversations that” Biden “continues to meet with Wall Street
executives. And why do you meet with Wall Street executives right now? To
establish a fundraising network, to do a fundraising blitz, if and when he”
enters the race. Gasparino added, “In these private meetings, he is still
non-committal. He does say if he runs, the only person he will oppose is
Donald Trump. And that is because of the age: Donald Trump would be 74
in...2020,” while Biden “will be 78. He believes that’s not a big age
difference and it takes age out of the equation.”

        Appearing earlier on Fox Business’ Countdown to the Closing Bell[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=09e-843&t=c>
(4/17), Gasparino said that Biden and other potential 2020 Democratic
presidential candidates have been talking with Wall Street executives about
support for their possible bids. Gasparino said that in his own
conversations with Democratic Wall Street executives, they “are telling me
in unison that” the prospective candidates “don’t have a message – that
their only message is we need to defeat Donald Trump in 2020.” Gasparino
added, “The closest thing you’ve got to a message is Joe Biden saying,
‘Well, you know I’ll handle trade differently. I’ll be different on foreign
affairs. ... I’m not going to be Donald Trump’s nationalism portrayed by
Steve Bannon, isolationism portrayed by Steve Bannon.’ That’s the closest
thing to a message they’re getting.”
Sharpton: Biden “Would Be A Formidable Candidate” In 2020.

Appearing on MSNBC’s Morning Joe
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=09f-7ca&t=c>
(4/17), Rev. Al Sharpton – who recently interviewed former Vice President
Joe Biden – said, “I think he’s really seriously considering” a 2020 run
for president, “but he’s really concerned about his family. I think he’s
torn. I think he would be a formidable candidate, if he came in, but if
not, we’re going to see this weekend [at the annual convention of the]
National Action Network, who’s got the right stuff.”
Dailey Lewis Touts Beau Biden Foundation Efforts To Prevent Child Abuse.

In a Wilmington (DE) News Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=0a0-eed&t=c>
(4/17) op-ed, Beau Biden Foundation Director Patty Dailey Lewis wrote about
efforts to combat child abuse, saying, “At the Beau Biden Foundation, we
work with child-serving organizations to review their policies and ensure
they meet standard practice as required by law, while helping them improve
and implement best or innovative practices.” Lewis said her group “delivers
an evidence-informed child sexual abuse prevention program called Stewards
of Children, which goes into much more depth about child sexual abuse
prevention. 30,000 adults in Delaware have been trained in this program.
All child-serving organizations should require one or both of these
trainings.” Lewis added, “Beau Biden often said, ‘As adults, we have a
legal and moral obligation to stand up and speak out for children who are
being abused – they cannot speak for themselves.’ A regular review of
policies and a robust prevention training will dramatically improve the
safety of our children.”
Reviewer Hails Biden’s New Book As “Fascinating And Truly Moving.”

Writing for IOL (ZAF)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=0a1-a9b&t=c>
(4/18), John Harvey offers a positive review of former Vice President Joe
Biden’s new book, “Promise Me, Dad,” saying that Biden “recounts the raw
emotion of the most difficult year in office, centred on his son Beau’s
fight against a malignant brain tumour,” explaining “in detail the endless
worries he has over his son’s prospects for survival, but also the need for
secrecy over his condition.” Biden, says Harvey, “draws inspiration from
his son’s indefatigable spirit to throw himself into his work, not only
exceeding [then-President] Obama’s expectations, but cementing their
friendship in the process.” Harvey says the book “is the perfect marriage
between Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie and the real-life tribulations
of a global statesman. A fascinating and truly moving account.”
The Hill Highlights New Additions To Biden Foundation Board Of Directors.

In a “Lobbying World” feature, The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=0a2-ca1&t=c>
(4/17, Staff) reported, “The Biden Foundation has chosen new additions to
its board of directors: Micaela Fernandez Allen, the director of global
public policy at Walmart; Nicole Isaac, director of U.S. public policy and
government affairs at LinkedIn, and Darla Pomeroy, the manager of Pomeroy
Investments. Other members on the board include former Sen. Ted Kaufman
(D-Del.); former U.S. Ambassador to Romania Mark Gitenstein; Valerie Biden
Owens; Jeff Peck and Mark Angelson.”
Boston Globe Highlights 2018 Common Wealth Award Winners.

The Boston Globe
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=0a3-487&t=c>
(4/17, Shanahan) reports that Harvard University professor Henry Louis
Gates Jr. “was among the honorees at the 2018 Common Wealth Awards at the
Hotel du Pont in Wilmington, Del.,” sharing “the spotlight with fellow
honorees Ron Chernow, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of ‘Washington: A
Life,’ and former VP Joe Biden, each of whom will receive a $50,000 check.
(Biden said he’ll donate the money to Delaware’s Beau Biden Foundation,
which combats child abuse.) The annual awards, created in the will of
businessman Ralph Hayes, recognize the achievements of scientists and
inventors, explorers, authors, performing artists, activists, and heads of
state.”
Biden Lauds Barbara Bush.

In a dispatch that appears on the websites of numerous news outlets across
the US, the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=0a4-c27&t=c>
(4/17) highlights “some reaction to the death of former first lady Barbara
Bush,” including a statement from former Vice President Joe Biden, who is
quoted as saying, “There were two things no one ever doubted about Barbara
Bush: how much she loved her family and how much she loved her country.”
Biden added, “Her tireless work as a champion for global literacy will be
just one legacy she leaves behind. The others will be her unshakeable
faith, her devotion to service and her beloved family, in which she
instilled that same great love of country and public service.”

        Bush’s death at 92 is being widely reported. The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=0a5-f45&t=c>
(4/17, Graczyk) says that her “plainspoken manner and utter lack of
pretense made her more popular at times than her husband, President George
H.W. Bush,” with whom she had “the longest marriage of any presidential
couple in American history.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=0a6-61c&t=c>
(4/17, Page, Today) reports that she wrote in the Smith College alumni
magazine last month, “I am still old and still in love with the man I
married 72 years ago.” The Houston Chronicle
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=0a7-4a8&t=c>
(4/17, Diaz, Foxhall, Hines) reports that the “fiercely loyal, yet
independently strong” Bush was born Barbara Pierce in 1925, and married the
future president in 1945.

        Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=0a8-21c&t=c>
(4/17, Morin) reports that in a statement, President Trump said, “As a
wife, mother, grandmother, military spouse, and former First Lady, Mrs.
Bush was an advocate of the American Family. Amongst her greatest
achievements was recognizing the importance of literacy as a fundamental
family value that requires nurturing and protection. She will be long
remembered for her strong devotion to country and family, both of which she
served unfailingly well.” Many legislators offered condolences on Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=0a9-202&t=c>.

        Presidential biographer Jon Meacham writes in the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=0aa-4e1&t=c>
(4/17, Meacham), “She knew who she was, and she saw no need to apologize
for it. ... Barbara Bush was the first lady of the Greatest Generation – a
woman who came of age at midcentury, endured a world war, built a life in
Texas, raised her family, lost a daughter to leukemia, and promoted first
her husband’s rise in politics, and then that of her sons. As the wife of
one president and the mother of another, she holds a distinction that
belongs to only one other American in the history of the Republic, Abigail
Adams.”
Biden Featured On Episode Of “Poetry In America.”

PBS
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018041801biden&r=email-13ef&l=0ab-b74&t=c>
(4/18) broadcast an episode of “Poetry in America” featuring former Vice
President Joe Biden.

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