Subject: FW: Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for Tuesday, August 28, 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: Tue, 28 Aug 2018 09:22:43 -0400

Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing

*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <[email-masked]>
*Sent:* Tuesday, August 28, 2018 7:50 AM
*To:* [email-masked]
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Tuesday, August 28, 2018

*Click to access
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=000-fa6&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=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=001-0a5&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Tuesday, August 28, 2018 8:00 AM EDT*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News <#SECTION_1>*

• Biden To Eulogize McCain On Thursday At Arizona Funeral Service. <#S1>

*Leading the News <#SECTION_2>*

• Media Analyses: Under Pressure, Trump Orders White House Flags Back To
Half-Staff. <#S2>

*Foreign Policy <#SECTION_3>*

• Trump Announces US-Mexico Trade Deal, Warns Canada It Could Be Left Out.
<#S3>

• Macron Criticizes Trump’s “Aggressive” Isolationism. <#S4>

• Iran Seeks Suspension Of US Sanctions In International Court Filing. <#S5>

• Iran Says It Has Signed Deal To Help Rebuild Syria’s Military. <#S6>

• US Imposes New Sanctions On Russia Over Nerve Agent Attack In UK. <#S7>

• US, Japan, South Korea Recommit To North Korea’s Denuclearization. <#S8>

• Afghan President Says Peace Talks With Taliban Delayed. <#S9>

*Domestic Policy <#SECTION_4>*

• GSA IG Confirms Trump Role In FBI Headquarters Project Meetings. <#S10>

• Citing Opposition To White House Policies, Top CFPB Student Loan Official
Resigns. <#S11>

• Ivanka Tweet On Florida Shooting Spurs Criticism Of Trump’s Gun Control
Position. <#S12>

• Cohen’s Lawyer Walks Back Claim Trump Knew Of Russia Meeting. <#S13>

• Trump: Google Searches For “Trump News” Dominated By “National Left-Wing
Media.” <#S14>

• Sanders Backers Take Issue With Mercatus Study Of Medicare-For-All Plan.
<#S15>

• Federal Judges Rule North Carolina Congressional Map Unconstitutional.
<#S16>

*Cancer Research <#SECTION_5>*

• NIH Funds Trial Of Experimental Glioblastoma Treatment. <#S17>

• FDA Approves Combination Drug To Treat Rare Blood Cancer. <#S18>

*Editorials/Op-Eds <#SECTION_6>*

• New York Times. <#S19>

• Washington Post. <#S20>
Biden in the News
Biden To Eulogize McCain On Thursday At Arizona Funeral Service.

The Arizona Republic
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=002-cdd&t=c>
(8/27, Ryman) reports that former Vice President Joe Biden “will deliver a
eulogy to his long-time friend John McCain at the senator’s funeral in
Arizona on Thursday. Last year, when the National Constitution Center
awarded its Liberty Medal to McCain, a former prisoner of war during the
Vietnam War, Biden bestowed the medal on McCain. And McCain’s wife, Cindy,
tweeted that her husband enjoyed a enjoyed a visit from Biden in late
April.” Rick Davis, who served as McCain’s presidential campaign manager in
2000, is quoted as saying at a Monday news conference, “Joe Biden has been
an incredible comfort to the family.” On its website, KTAR-FM
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=003-91d&t=c>
Glendale, AZ (8/27) reported that Biden is slated “to speak at the Phoenix
memorial service for...McCain” on “Thursday at 10 a.m. at North Phoenix
Baptist Church.” McCain passed away “Aug. 25, after a yearlong battle with
brain cancer – glioblastoma – the same type that led to the death of
Biden’s son Beau in 2015.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=004-434&t=c>
(8/27, Samuels) offered a similar report.

        *Arizona Republic Recalls 2013 Eulogy Biden Delivered At
Firefighters’ Memorial Service. *With Biden slated to deliver a eulogy at
McCain’s funeral service in Phoenix, the Arizona Republic
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=005-73d&t=c>
(8/27, McKinnon), under the headline “How Joe Biden’s Last Eulogy In
Arizona Helped 19 Families Grieve,” recounted the eulogy Biden delivered in
July of 2013 for the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots who perished fighting the
Yarnell Hill fire.

        *Biden Among Pallbearers For McCain’s DC Memorial Service. *The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=006-2b9&t=c>
(8/27, Birnbaum) reported, “The pallbearers, who will help carry” McCain’s
“coffin at the Washington National Cathedral memorial service on Saturday
afternoon, include actor Warren Beatty, former Vice President Biden, former
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former Secretary of Defense William
Cohen, former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.), former Sen. Gary Hart
(D-Colo.), former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge (R), McCain’s former chief of
staff Mark Salter, founder and president of FedEx Fred Smith, Sen. Sheldon
Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Vice Chairman of Open Russia Vladimir Kara-Murza,
longtime fundraiser Carla Eudy, businessman Stephen Dart and former McCain
presidential campaign manager Richard Davis.”
Leading the News
Media Analyses: Under Pressure, Trump Orders White House Flags Back To
Half-Staff.

Media reports are casting President Trump’s decision to lower White House
flags at half-staff as a result of political pressure. The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=007-0b4&t=c>
(8/27, Wagner) reports White House officials “again lowered the American
flag atop the building to half-staff Monday afternoon after intense
criticism of the administration’s response to Sen. John McCain’s death, and
bipartisan calls from Congress to lower the flag.” While the White House
had lowered the flag on Sunday in tribute to McCain, it was returned to
full staff in the early hours of this morning. In a statement, Trump wrote,
“Despite our differences on policy and politics, I respect Senator John
McCain’s service to our country and, in his honor, have signed a
proclamation to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff until the
day of his interment.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=008-4d0&t=c>
(8/27, Sullivan, Rogers) says the “delay over the flag was the clearest
indication yet that Mr. Trump had little inclination to participate in a
national mourning period over Mr. McCain.”

        All three major network newscasts led with the story. ABC World
News Tonight
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=009-43f&t=c>
(8/27, lead story, 5:15, Muir) referred to “shifting signals...from the
President and the White House when it comes to honoring an American
patriot,” and added (Karl) that Trump was “conspicuously absent among those
praising McCain’s legacy,” and that he “infamously suggested McCain was not
a war hero because he was captured.” Trump was shown saying, “I like people
that weren’t captured.” ABC also reported that “after McCain died, the
President nixed the idea of putting out a statement of praise, instead
issuing a short tweet.”

        The CBS Evening News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=00a-bc2&t=c>
(8/27, lead story, 3:35, Cordes) said that “as tributes poured in from
around the world, there was one person who appeared unmoved,” Trump, who
“ignored questions about McCain.” NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=00b-96d&t=c>
(8/27, lead story, 3:00, Guthrie) also described Trump as “ignoring
questions,” and “his actions” as “speaking volumes.” Later in its
broadcast, the CBS Evening News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=00c-cdc&t=c>
(8/27, story 3, 2:15, O'Donnell) showed Bob Schieffer objecting to the
White House’s handling of McCain’s death, saying, “To me, this was making a
mockery of one of our most solemn tributes to our finest people. I have
never seen in all my years in Washington this kind of thing where the
American Legion has to write the President and demand they lower the flag
to half-staff.”

        The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=00d-95d&t=c>
(8/27, Kellman) reports the move to raise the flag to full staff “brought
complaints from both right and left,” and “aides to Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell and Democratic Leader Charles Schumer requested that the
Department of Defense keep flags at government buildings lowered until the
sunset after McCain is buried in Annapolis” on Sunday, which the AP calls
“standard procedure when a member of the Senate passes away.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=00e-f69&t=c>
(8/27, Epstein) says the White House faced “a barrage of criticism” and USA
Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=00f-df2&t=c>
(8/27, Estepa, Fritze) likewise notes the “outcry over the decision to
raise it just two days after” McCain’s death, Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=010-3ed&t=c>
(8/27, Ahmann) says Trump made the announcement “under political pressure.”

        Asked on CNN’s The Lead
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=011-45d&t=c>
(8/27) what made Trump change his mind about lowering the White House flag
to half staff, CNN chief political correspondent Dana Bash said, “Pressure.
Unrelenting pressure. ... It’s about time. It’s a pity this was even a
discussion, that this was, frankly, a distraction from what should have
been a united front from every single person who is an American citizen,
never mind the President of the United States.” CNN chief White House
correspondent Jim Acosta said on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=012-bcd&t=c>
(8/27), “Make no mistake, the President and his team had every opportunity
to get this right. It took 48 hours for the White House to do what could
have been done Saturday. That is, issue a full, respectful statement
honoring McCain along with a proclamation that ordered flags to be flown at
half staff. It just felt all day long over here at the White House that
this was not what John McCain deserved. He deserved better than this.”

        The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=013-e90&t=c>
(8/27, Kasperowicz) reports that “members of the press on Monday
criticized...Trump for raising the American flag over the White House to
full staff.” NBC’s Andrea Mitchell tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=014-0b3&t=c>,
“White House flag back at full staff today says it all. #NoRespect.”
Bloomberg News’ Jennifer Epstein said by raising the flag, Trump has “made
this about himself,” and New York Times reporter Mark Landler “noted the
White House flag in a tweet that included a link to a story about how Trump
is absent as the nation mourns McCain’s death.” The Arizona Republic
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=015-dfb&t=c>
(8/27, Murray), Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=016-6a1&t=c>
(8/27, Murray), Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=017-42e&t=c>
(8/27, Athey), The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=018-798&t=c>
(8/27, Samuels), Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=019-779&t=c>
(8/27, Treene) and the New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=01a-2b6&t=c>
(8/27, Schwab, Brown), among other news outlets, run similar reports.

        Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=01b-be3&t=c>
(8/27, Spiering), meanwhile, notes that Trump “is no stranger to flag
lowering controversies. In 2015, Trump ordered flags lowered at his
properties after President Obama failed to do so in respect of five service
members killed at a shooting in Tennessee. Days later, Obama also ordered
the White House flags lowered.”

        Under the headline “Republicans’ Anger At McCain Speaks Volumes
About America’s Tribal Politics,” the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=01c-d53&t=c>
(8/27, Johnson) reports that “over the past few decades, Americans have
fled to the political poles, leaving fewer in the once vibrant and decisive
middle.” The Post adds that “increasingly, those partisan voters are being
driven more by fear and loathing for the opposition party than admiration
for their own party’s leaders – a phenomenon that political consultants
call ‘negative partisanship.’”

        Dana Milbank writes in the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=01d-e9e&t=c>
(8/27) that “Trump displayed his innate grace and decency Saturday by
spiking a White House statement honoring the late...McCain’s life,” and
“even for Trump, this seemed churlish.” Charles Lane, also in the Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=01e-a8c&t=c>
(8/27), says “history may remember McCain as one of the last Republican
leaders to believe that the party should stake its future on a humane and
realistic approach to immigration, rather than on the restrictionist
demagoguery peddled by...Trump.” Lane said on Fox News’ Special Report[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=01f-5bb&t=c>
(8/27), “Whatever the kerfuffle may be about the flag and so forth today,
it is nevertheless the fact that the bad blood between President Trump and
John McCain has outlived the latter and that is to say that the
relationship between the two of them was very chilly.” Lane added, “The
President is really trying to remake this Republican Party ideologically
away from many of the things that John McCain represented.”

        Eugene Robinson writes in his Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=020-31c&t=c>
(8/27) column that “much of the nation will spend the coming days
honoring...McCain. The Republican Party, however, will only pretend to do
so,” because “Trump’s GOP could not care less about the ideals McCain stood
for, such as honor, service and community. The party is shamefully molded
in Trump’s image now, with his enormous corruption, monumental selfishness
and grasping little hands.”

        The CBS Evening News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=021-579&t=c>
(8/27, story 2, 0:45, Dickerson) showed former President Jimmy Carter
saying, “John McCain’s service in the Navy made me proud. His personal
heroism has been proven. And I think his basic integrity, his commitment to
the truth no matter if it was politically unpopular was accepted by him as
something that had to be done. So I think that John McCain was admirable as
a naval officer, as a human being, and as a member of the US Senate.”

        Sen. Jeff Flake said on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=022-b28&t=c>
(8/27), “I’m just grateful that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle
and people across the country are speaking the way they are. I’ve had
issues, as you know, as everyone knows, with the President and his
statements with regard to John McCain for the past couple of years. One of
the things I addressed the first time I met the President during his
campaign was the comments with regard to John McCain. But, I’m glad the
flag is flying half staff now. I think that’s a great honor for the
Senator.”

        In a piece titled “Death In The Age Of Narcissism,” Frank Bruni
writes in the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=023-a02&t=c>
(8/27), “But enough about...McCain. Here’s some more about me. ... The rest
of us have neither the megaphones nor megalomania of Trump and Madonna, but
we have some of the same impulses when weighing in on famous people’s
deaths. We find the one point where we intersected with them. We wedge in
our own biographies. We flaunt our own résumés.”

        *McCain Family: Trump Won’t Attend Funeral, But Pence Will. *The New
York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=024-4c1&t=c>
(8/27, Brown) reports “Trump won’t be attending...McCain’s funerals or
memorials – but Vice President Pence will, a spokesman for the McCain
family confirmed Monday.” Said Rick Davis, “The president will not be, as
far as we know, attending the funeral. That’s just a fact.” Under the
headline, “White House Returns Flag To Half-Staff For John McCain, As The
Senator Gets A Last Word,” the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=025-a5a&t=c>
(8/27, Sullivan, Rogers) notes that “in his final months, Mr. McCain had
requested that the president not attend his funeral,” and “Trump responded
by painting Mr. McCain, widely hailed by his colleagues as one of the last
giants of the Senate, as a political foe who voted against his own party’s
interests.”

        Mollie Hemingway of The Federalist said on Fox News’ Special
Report[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=026-8d5&t=c>
(8/27), “I think it is worth noting that the McCain family had, or Sen.
McCain had, requested President Trump not be at the funeral. That is a very
reasonable request for him to make. I think that what you see from the
White House is an attempt partially to not be involved too much in the very
appropriate ceremonies that are going to be taking place here. For once, it
is very good to see President Trump not try to make this be about him. I
think he is trying to show some respect and distance from the family during
this time.”

        The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=027-723&t=c>
(8/27, Bierman) reports “McCain’s decision to exclude...Trump from his
funeral is an extraordinary moment on its own, a posthumous rebuke from an
American icon who regarded the presidency as sacred, and believed its
current occupant defiles that office.” However, “Trump’s exclusion from
such high-profile events of mourning and celebration...is emerging as a
pattern over his 19 months in office” after he “rode the politics of
grievance, resentment and insults to election, and into the Oval Office, is
becoming for many a pariah president.” The Times adds that “to be unwelcome
at funerals, cultural celebrations and victory parties is another
unprecedented aspect of his presidency.”

        *Media Analyses: McCain Issues “Veiled Rebuke” Of Trump In Farewell
Letter. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=028-afd&t=c>
(8/27, Sonmez) reports that “in his final words to the nation before his
passing,” McCain “delivered a veiled rebuke of...Trump, calling on
Americans to rally behind the country’s founding ideals rather than hiding
behind walls and succumbing to political tribalism.” Rick Davis, a McCain
family spokesman and longtime adviser, read the letter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=029-670&t=c>
“at an emotional news conference” today. Wrote McCain, “We weaken our
greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have
sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe. We
weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down, when we
doubt the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force
for change they have always been.”

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=02a-644&t=c>
(8/27, Sullivan, Rogers) notes that “in his statement, Mr. McCain, one of a
few Republicans in Congress who pushed back against Mr. Trump and publicly
criticized his style of leadership, alluded to ‘blood and soil,’ a German
nationalist slogan dating to the 19th Century that has been resurrected by
the alt-right and white nationalist movement in the United States.” Wrote
McCain, “We are citizens of the world’s greatest republic, a nation of
ideals, not blood and soil.” The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=02b-5e2&t=c>
(8/27, Donachie) titles its report “John McCain Takes A Shot At Trump In
His Farewell Statement To The Nation,” and USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=02c-931&t=c>
(8/27, Gardiner, Polletta) says that ultimately, “McCain ended his letter
on an optimistic note, saying Americans will get through the challenges
facing the country by working together.”

        *CBS, NBC Hail McCain’s Defense Of Obama In 2008. *The CBS Evening
News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=02d-19e&t=c>
(8/27, story 8, 2:00, Cowan) reported that “it’s hard to imagine a
politician praising an opponent, but...McCain did it when the stakes were
at their highest.” CBS went on to show an unidentified supporter telling
McCain in 2008, “I’m concerned about, you know, someone that cohorts with
domestic terrorists.” McCain was shown responding, “I have to tell you, he
is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared of as
president of the United States.” Asked whether Obama is an “Arab,” he was
shown saying, “No man, no ma’am, he’s a decent, family man, citizen that I
just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues. And that is
what this campaign is all about.”

        NBC Nightly News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=02e-644&t=c>
(8/27, story 2, 2:40, Guthrie) showed McCain saying on Election Night 2008,
“I urge all Americans that supported me to join me in not just
congratulating him but offering our next President our goodwill and earnest
effort to find ways to come together.” NBC added that “last year in the
midst of his brain cancer treatment, he returned to the Senate,
upending...Trump’s attempt to repeal healthcare.”

        *Politico: Ducey To Appoint Trump-Friendly McCain Replacement. *
Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=02f-10a&t=c>
(8/27, Cadelago, Strauss, Meyer) reported that Gov. Doug Ducey’s (R-AZ)
“decision to replace...McCain is as much about his own political future as
it is about filling the seat of the six-term senator and decorated war
hero,” and “Republicans with knowledge of the governor’s thinking say he’ll
have to remain deferential to Trump and the White House while also taking
care not to alienate a statewide electorate ahead of a tough reelection
fight in November.” Politico added that “not only does Ducey risk angering
the president’s base if he picks someone viewed as antagonistic to his
agenda, but he could throw into doubt a vote for Trump’s Supreme Court
nominee Brett Kavanaugh.”
Foreign Policy
Trump Announces US-Mexico Trade Deal, Warns Canada It Could Be Left Out.

President Trump’s announcement that the US and Mexico have reached a trade
agreement is being cast by media outlets as fulfilling a key Trump campaign
promise, but also as putting prospects for a new trilateral NAFTA deal in
some doubt. The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=030-70d&t=c>
(8/27, Lee) reports “the preliminary agreement...includes a tightening of
auto rules to increase production in North America,” and Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=031-25b&t=c>
(8/27, Basu) that it “requires 75% of an automobile’s value to be
manufactured in North America, up from NAFTA’s current level of 62.5%.” It
would also “require 40% to 45% of the car to be made by workers earning at
least $16 an hour.” Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=032-6a1&t=c>
yesterday, “A big deal looking good with Mexico!”

        All three major network newscasts covered the story, albeit
briefly. In a 15-second segment, ABC World News Tonight[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=033-e54&t=c>
(8/27, story 5, 0:15, Muir) reported on Trump’s announcement “revising key
parts of NAFTA, which he has long criticized.” Trump, added ABC, is
“calling the deal the United States-Mexico Trade Agreement, and says trade
talks with Canada are still ongoing.” In a slightly longer, 20-second
story, the CBS Evening News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=034-1d3&t=c>
(8/27, story 4, 0:20, O'Donnell) reported “the new deal is aimed at
encouraging more auto production in the US and higher salaries for
autoworkers. Canada is not included and won’t be, according to Mr. Trump,
unless it makes new concessions.”

        On NBC Nightly News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=035-89b&t=c>
(8/27, story 4, 1:35, Jackson), which devoted a minute and a half to the
deal, Phil Lebeau of Auto And Airline Industry Reporter was shown saying,
“This trade deal could be good news for consumers in that it adds certainty
to the pricing of vehicles built in Mexico.” However, added NBC, Mexico is
“signaling it may not move forward unless Canada is on board,” and the
White House “hopes for that by the end of the week. The sooner it happens,
the better for this cheese company in Wisconsin, whose biggest foreign
customers are our neighbors to the north and south.” Jeff Schwager, Sartori
Cheese President, was shown saying, “Mexico, this is a big step forward. We
really appreciate it. You know, having the opportunity there. But Canada is
just as important to us. We don’t want to talk our foot off the
accelerator. Let’s get a deal done with Canada.”

        National Economic Council Director Kudlow said on CNBC’s Closing
Bell
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=036-90a&t=c>
(8/27), “I think this is big victory. It’s a big victory for growth and
prosperity. It’s a big victory for cooperation. It’s a big victory for free
and fair trade. I think all these things work together. One of things he’s
argued for quite some time is bilateral negotiations are really more
efficient than all these multilateral negotiations whether it’s three
countries or 23 countries and I think that paid off with Mexico.” Kudlow
also told CNBC’s Closing Bell
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=037-1ab&t=c>
(8/27), “The message to Canada is look carefully. We would like to
coordinate with you. We would like to make a good deal with you. You’ve
seen a lot of the issues. We also know there are stumbling blocks with
regard to Canada. But for now we’re going to celebrate the Mexican deal,
which by the way most folks or many folks didn’t think we’d ever reach, and
we hope Canada is watching carefully at how successful negotiations can
go.”

        Mollie Hemingway of The Federalist said on Fox News’ Special
Report[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=038-a02&t=c>
(8/27), “This is a profoundly vindicating day for the Trump Administration
which has put forth a strategy that a lot of people thought was risky and
they were very worried about it, putting the squeeze on tariffs, trying to
renegotiate a bunch of trade agreements. President Trump obviously prefers
bilateral trade agreements over these multinational things that were quite
popular for a few decades. But, this is a good agreement.” CNN contributor
Bianna Golodryga, however, said on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=039-8af&t=c>
(8/27), “Once again, we see a norm that’s broken with the President
announcing a partial deal. Nothing is finished, nothing is written in
stone. Nothing has been signed. In fact, with regard to NAFTA, we need to
have Canada as a signatory. This could very well be the President’s attempt
to put more pressure on Canada to come to the table.”

        Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=03a-184&t=c>
(8/27, Rodriguez, Behsudi, Cassella) reports that the announcement moves
Trump “one step closer to fulfilling a core campaign promise to revamp”
NAFTA, and Business Insider
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=03b-cb9&t=c>
(8/27, Bryan) that it was “a significant step toward reshaping” the treaty.
The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=03c-487&t=c>
(8/27, Miller) indicates, meanwhile, that the agreement “puts other
countries on notice that Mr. Trump isn’t backing down from his
America-first trade policies and his use of tariffs to force concessions
from major trading partners such as China and the European Union.” John
Roberts also said on Fox News’ Special Report[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=03d-6d5&t=c>
(8/27), “White House officials tell Fox News this is just the first shoe to
drop in a plan to revamp some of America’s biggest trade deals.” The
President also “wants to cut ones with Canada, with Japan, the European
Union and then take on China, the biggest of all.”

        To the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=03e-35f&t=c>
(8/27, Swanson, Rogers), however, Trump “suggest[ed] he was ready to
jettison Canada from the trilateral trade pact if the country did not get
on board quickly,” and “touted the preliminary agreement with Mexico as a
new trade pact that could replace NAFTA.” The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=03f-631&t=c>
(8/27, Schwab, Fredericks) quotes Trump as saying, “They used to call it
NAFTA. We’re going to call it the United States-Mexico trade agreement.
We’ll get rid of the name NAFTA. ... I think its an elegant name.” The Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=040-9b2&t=c>
(8/27, Zumbrun, Pérez), however, says its unclear if Mexico – and Canada –
would agree to renaming the trade pact. Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=041-607&t=c>
(8/27, Rampton, Mason) says, moreover, that “Trump threatened he could put
tariffs on Canadian-made cars if a three-way deal could not be reached.”
Said Trump, “I think with Canada, frankly, the easiest we can do is to
tariff their cars coming in. It’s a tremendous amount of money and it’s a
very simple negotiation. It could end in one day and we take in a lot of
money the following day.” Fox News’ Special Report[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=042-651&t=c>
(8/27) described Trump as “really putting the squeeze” on Canada.

        The next phase of negotiations, says the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=043-763&t=c>
(8/27, Werner), “will pose a major test for Trump’s unique style of
diplomacy” as “top White House officials appeared split on whether they
would proceed at all if Canada didn’t sign on to the deal with Mexico.”
While Trump “left open the possibility of cutting Canada out of the final
deal,” USTR Lighthizer “told reporters later that every effort would be
made to include Canada as part of the deal, even if it took weeks or longer
for them to sign on to changes.” The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=044-e33&t=c>
(8/27, Enjeti) notes Lighthizer “explained Trump’s comments that NAFTA as
it is currently known is being ‘terminated’ saying that the US cannot be a
party to two agreements at one time.” Lighthizer also said “the national
security 232 tariffs currently leveled on Mexico will not be lifted under
the new agreement.”

        Lighthizer said on Fox News’ Special Report[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=045-567&t=c>
(8/27) that the “agreement in principle” with Mexico is “thousands of pages
long – this is not just some idea,” and “the way it works, you have to
announce and wait 90 days and then Congress has a chance to review.” When
asked if NAFTA is “technically” still in place, Lighthizer replied, “Yes,
NAFTA is in place, but what we have renegotiated is the Mexico part of it.
A lot of the provisions are the same.” He added that “it is our hope” that
the negotiations with Mexico open the door with Canada.

        CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=046-931&t=c>
(8/27, Bennett) likewise reports that while Trump “indicated his
administration and Mexican officials will try to sell their Canadian
counterparts on the details,” he “left open the door to one-on-one deals
with both countries.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=047-991&t=c>
(8/27, Fabian, Needham), however, says that “if Canada is excluded, it
would mark a major shift in US trade policy,” and Trump “would need
Congress to approve the break-up of the three-nation agreement, a move that
most on Capitol Hill would likely oppose.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=048-b86&t=c>
(8/27, Wiseman, Lugo, Gillies) similarly says that while the US and Mexico
have reached “a preliminary accord...any new agreement is far from final.
The administration still needs to negotiate with the third partner in
NAFTA, Canada, to become part of any new trade accord. Without Canada,
America’s No. 2 trading partner, it’s unclear whether any new US trade
agreement with Mexico would be possible.” Trump told reporters that he will
be calling Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

        CNBC
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=049-4a9&t=c>
(8/27, Tausche, Imbert) reports Trump “said negotiations with Canada had
not started, adding that if Canada wanted to negotiate fairly, the US would
do that,” and Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=04a-392&t=c>
(8/27, Martin, Jacobs, Wingrove, Mayeda) reports that according to a
Canadian government spokesman, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland “is
leaving a trip in Europe early to travel to Washington for NAFTA talks on
Tuesday.” Canada, the Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=04b-a41&t=c>
(8/27, Higgins) says, “sought to downplay any impression that it had been
left out,” and Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=04c-7b6&t=c>
(8/27, Hopkins) quotes a Freeland spokesman as saying, “Given the
encouraging announcement today of further bilateral progress between the US
and Mexico,” Freeland “will travel to Washington, DC, tomorrow to continue
negotiations. We will only sign a new NAFTA that is good for Canada and
good for the middle class. Canada’s signature is required.”

        Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=04d-0bf&t=c>
(8/27, Martin, Jacobs, Wingrove, Mayeda) also says Mexican President
Enrique Peña Nieto, who joined the press conference by phone, said he is
“quite hopeful” Canada would soon be incorporated in the deal. Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=04e-afb&t=c>
(8/27, Moons) reports that through a translator, Peña Nieto “thanked” Trump
and remarked that this is “very positive for the United States and Mexico.”
Townhall
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=04f-5fa&t=c>
(8/27, Pavlich) reports that joining Trump and US officials in the Oval
Office for the announcement were Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray
and Mexican Economic Minister Ildefonso Guajardo.

        Catherine Rampell asks in her Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=050-134&t=c>
(8/27, Rampell) column whether “the recent round of discussions between
Mexico and the United States” produced “any results,” and responded, “Sort
of. But it’s hard to call it progress,” because “nothing announced thus far
suggests that the stuff we got Mexico to agree to would help the United
States increase car exports to Mexico at all.”

        *Cornyn, Brown Both Call Deal A Positive Step. *USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=051-1ac&t=c>
(8/27, Collins), meanwhile, reports that “in Congress, which must approve
any new deal, some lawmakers took a wait-and-see attitude toward the
agreement.” Sen. John Cornyn called the deal “a positive step,” but
“stressed that the final deal should include Canada and have bipartisan
support.” Sen. Sherrod Brown, “one of the most ardent critics of NAFTA,
said that although he needed to review the text of the agreement, ‘this is
an important step forward.’”

        *Washington Examiner: Kushner Was Key To Deal With Mexico. *Under
the headline “NAFTA Another Win For Jared Kushner,” the Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=052-4d6&t=c>
(8/27, Bedard) reports that “Trump’s secret weapon and son-in-law has
struck again,” as “insiders say that Jared Kushner was key to nailing down
the revision to the North American Free Trade Agreement announced Monday,
working with...Lighthizer, the Canadians and especially
Mexico’s...Videgaray.”

        *WPost: Peña Nieto Call Exemplifies Trump Effort To Run Presidency
Like “Reality Show.” *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=053-af8&t=c>
(8/27, Nakamura) reports that “amid breaking news of a US-Mexico trade
deal...Trump invited reporters into the Oval Office on Monday to punctuate
the moment in an unusual way: allowing them to sit in on a celebratory
phone chat with...Peña Nieto,” but “when he punched a button on a phone on
the Resolute Desk, the line was dead.” With cameras rolling, Trump asked,
“Enrique?” When there was no response, Trump called out to aides, “You can
hook him up. ... You tell me when. This is a big deal. A lot of people are
waiting.” The Post adds that “the awkward, real-time sequence in the Oval
Office offered another example of Trump’s willingness to discard protocol
and conduct his presidency like a reality show playing out in real time,
conscripting those around him in service of the spectacle.”

        *US To Pay Farmers $4.7 Billion To Offset Tariff Losses. *USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=054-7fc&t=c>
(8/27, Collins) reports the Agriculture Department said Monday it will
begin “paying $4.7 billion to farmers whose harvests have been hurt by
‘unjustified retaliation’ from foreign governments in trade wars with the
United States.” The compensation, USA Today says, is “the initial payment
of some $12 billion in aid” that President Trump promised in July to
farmers slammed by tariffs. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said, “Our
farmers work hard and are the most productive in the world, and we aim to
protect them.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=055-c37&t=c>
(8/27, Newman, Haddon) quotes Perdue as saying, “Problems caused by
unjustified tariffs could not have come at a worse time.” He added the aid
will give the Administration time to strike trade deals that benefit the US
economy, including agriculture.

        Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=056-3e8&t=c>
(8/27, Evich, Crampton) reports that “the vast majority of the direct
payments” will go to soybean growers. Soybeans “now fetch $2 less per
bushel than they did in March,” when Trump “began to slap new tariffs on
Chinese exports, setting off a tit-for-tat trade battle that has resulted
in billions of dollars of lost value for a crop that earlier this year
surpassed corn as America’s most widely grown commodity.” However, growers
of corn and wheat, and dairy producers, expressed frustration with the
preference given to soybean producers.

        Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=057-a80&t=c>,
“More proof that #TrumpTariffs are disastrous for American farmers:
@realDonaldTrump giving $4,700,000,000 to offset trade losses.” Rep.
Gregory Meeks (D-NY) tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=058-c6d&t=c>,
“Nursing self-inflicted wounds to our economy doesn’t negate that those
wounds are self-inflicted, & unnecessary.”

        *Trump: China Wants Trade Talks, But It’s “Not The Right Time.” *The
Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=059-97d&t=c>
(8/27, Nelson) reports Trump said Monday that it was “not the right time”
for a trade deal with China after striking a new deal with Mexico. Speaking
to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said, “We’re working very much with
other countries. China is one. They want to talk. It’s just not the right
time to talk right now, to be honest, with China.” He added, “It’s too
one-sided for too many years for too many decades, and so it’s not the
right time to talk. But eventually, I’m sure that we will be able to work
out a deal with China. In the meantime we’re doing very well with China.” USA
Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=05a-ffe&t=c>
(8/27, Davidson) has a brief explainer on “Trump’s Trade War” and “how
tariffs work.”

        *Lighthizer: US Trade Relationship With China “Very, Very
Unbalanced Situation.” *USTR Lighthizer said on Fox News’ Special Report[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=05b-c10&t=c>
(8/27) that in regards to trade, “the fundamental problem for the United
States is China. We have a very, very unbalanced situation. We have $375
billion worth of trade that we have lost. We lost millions of jobs because
of Chinese practices which I believe are unfair, uneconomic. So, we have to
figure out a way to change the relationship with China. ... The President
is very, very focused on that.”

        *China Disputes Latest US Tariffs At WTO. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=05c-8d5&t=c>
(8/27) reports that China on Monday challenged the latest round of US
tariffs against Chinese goods at the WTO. The Chinese government formally
requested “dispute consultations” with the US over the Administration’s
imposition of $16 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods last week.

        *Private-Equity Firm Sought Canadian Import Tariffs On Behalf Of
Paper Firm. *The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=05d-c1a&t=c>
(8/27, Mauldin) reports that according to government records, the Commerce
Department set tariffs on Canadian imports after private-equity firm One
Rock Capital Partners pressed for them on behalf of North Pacific Paper, in
which it has an investment. Commerce Secretary Ross defended the tariffs,
saying earlier this month, “This was a complicated and unique case. The
department worked hard to address the arguments raised, and I am satisfied
that the final determination appropriately targets bad actors.”
Macron Criticizes Trump’s “Aggressive” Isolationism.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=05e-29b&t=c>
(8/27, Rose, Lough) reports French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday
“said preserving European Union unity was more important than forging a
close relationship with post-Brexit Britain, and hit out” at what he called
President Trump’s “aggressive” isolationism. Macron “did not announce any
major shifts in foreign policy” in an annual address to his ambassadors,
“but spoke forcefully about what he labeled the ‘crisis of multilateralism’
and the need to make Europe more ‘sovereign.’” Said the French president,
“Multilateralism is going through a major crisis which collides with all
our diplomatic activity, above all because of US policy.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=05f-427&t=c>
(8/27, Fouquet) reports Macron also “called on Europe to build its
financial and defense autonomy in response to the shifting balance of power
as partners like the US ‘turn their back’ on the current world order.” Said
Macron, “Europe can no longer rely solely on the United States for its
security. We must guarantee our own security and sovereignty.”
Iran Seeks Suspension Of US Sanctions In International Court Filing.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=060-310&t=c>
(8/27, Corder) reports that in a written statement to the International
Court of Justice, Iran warned “that re-imposed US sanctions would cripple
its economy and plunge the volatile Middle East deeper into crisis as it
urged the United Nations’ highest court to suspend the Trump
administration’s economic pressure on Tehran.” In the US response,
Secretary of State Pompeo called Iran’s “claims ‘meritless’ and defended
the sanctions as a way of keeping Americans safe.” Iran filed the case in
July alleging the snap-back of US sanctions violated the 1955 Treaty of
Amity between the US and Iran.

        The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=061-013&t=c>
(8/27, Corder) reports that Iran for its part warned “that re-imposed US
sanctions would cripple its economy and plunge the volatile Middle East
deeper into crisis” as Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=062-c2e&t=c>
(8/27, Berg) reports Iranian lawyers are asking the court “to order the
United States to lift sanctions ordered by the Trump administration against
Tehran.” US lawyers, however, are “expected to argue that the United
Nations court should not have jurisdiction in the dispute, that the
friendship treaty is no longer valid and that the sanctions Washington has
levied against Tehran do not violate it anyway.”

        Benjamin Hall reported on Fox
News’ Special Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=063-32a&t=c>
(8/27) that as Iran was quoting the friendship treaty, “the head of its
Navy was issuing military threats, saying it now has full control of the
Persian Gulf and Straits of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the oil
goes.” According to Hall, the Navy leader added that Iran “could take
military action to block oil exports.” Meanwhile, “inside Iran, cracks are
showing.” On Sunday, Iranian Finance Minister Masoud Karbasian, a “key
ally” of President Hassan Rouhani, was voted out “due to the country’s
economic woes, which he also blamed on the US.”

        *Rouhani Calls On Other Signatories To Preserve Nuclear Deal. *
Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=064-b4c&t=c>
(8/27, Dehghanpisheh, Lough) reports Iranian President Hassan Rouhani
“urged the remaining signatories to its 2015 nuclear agreement to act to
save the pact, though France’s leader called again for broader talks on
Tehran’s missile program and its role in the Middle East region.” In a
phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Rouhani said Iran “wanted
the Europeans to give guarantees on banking channels and oil sales as well
as in the field of insurance and transportation, according to the state-run
Iranian news agency IRNA.” In response, Macron “reiterated France’s
commitment to maintaining the accord,” but he “repeated his earlier calls
for broader discussions with all relevant parties.”

        The Washington Free Beacon
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=065-ee0&t=c>
(8/27, Kredo) says during the phone call, “Rouhani issued a veiled warning”
that if European nations “fail to uphold the nuclear agreement, Iran will
adopt other measures, though it remains unclear what options Iran has.” The
Free Beacon says Rouhani’s efforts “to convince European nations to uphold
the agreement and continue working with Tehran” have “paid off as countries
such as France and Germany continue efforts to skirt the new U.S. sanctions
and keep the Iranian regime financially buoyant.” US lawmakers are “keeping
a close eye on the latest developments with senior officials telling the
Free Beacon that continued European outreach to Iran is ‘poisoning’ ties
with the United States.”
Iran Says It Has Signed Deal To Help Rebuild Syria’s Military.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=066-2d5&t=c>
(8/27) reports Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami said Monday that Tehran
has signed a deal with Syria to rebuild the nation’s armed forces after
years of war. Hatami, “who is on a two-day visit to Syria, told the
Beirut-based al-Mayadeen TV station in an interview aired Monday that the
agreement is to also develop Syria’s military industry.” The Wall Street
Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=067-1a5&t=c>
(8/27, Fitch, Rasmussen) says the deal indicates Iran intends to remain in
Syria despite the efforts by the US and its allies to contain Tehran. On
Monday, “Hatami said Iran was in Syria at the invitation of the
government,” reports the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=068-928&t=c>
(8/27, Press), which adds that the deals comes as the US “shifts is
toughening its stance on Iran’s support for Syrian President Bashar Assad’s
government, which has weathered a calamitous civil war.”

        *Russia Warns US Preparing For Possible Strike On Syria. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=069-d0e&t=c>
(8/27, Ivanova) reports the Russian Ministry of Defense said Monday that
“it had noticed Washington was building up its military forces in the
Middle East in preparation for what Moscow feared was a possible strike on
Syrian government forces.” Major-General Igor Konashenkov was quoted by
Russian news agencies “as saying that the USS Ross, a guided-missile
destroyer, had entered the Mediterranean on Aug. 25 armed with 28 Tomahawk
cruise missiles capable of hitting any target in Syria.”
US Imposes New Sanctions On Russia Over Nerve Agent Attack In UK.

The CBS Evening News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=06a-2cd&t=c>
(8/27, story 7, 2:10, O'Donnell) reported, “New US sanctions against Russia
kicked in today in retaliation for the nerve agent attack on a former
Russian spy and his daughter in England. That attack raise alarms there and
here.” CBS (D’Agata) added, “The use of the Russian nerve agent Novichok in
the assassination attempt of double agent Sergei Skripal was a violation of
international law banning the use of chemical weapons. Chemical weapons
specialist Hamish DeBreton Gordon calls it a turning point.” Gordon: “The
hundred year taboo on the use of chemical weapons has broken. ... If it can
happen in Salisbury, it can happen Baltimore or Philadelphia.” D’Agata:
“Amin Dean, a former Al Qaeda member turned British spy, says the Salisbury
attack will inspire terrorists.” Dean: “The Novichok attack was a big neon
sign advertisement, basically for al Qaeda and ISIS who already tried
three, four times in the last several years, and they will try again.”

        *Putin Opponent Jailed Over Unsanctioned Protest. *Fox News’
Special Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=06b-d28&t=c>
(8/27) reported Russia has sentenced opposition leader Alexei Navalny,
“Vladimir Putin’s most prominent rival,” to a month in jail for an
unsanctioned rally in Moscow “to protest government plans to raise the
retirement age.”

        *Ukrainian Bid To Free From Russian Orthodox Church’s Authority
Rankles Moscow. *“Anticipation is building” in Ukraine over the prospect
that “Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, seen by many as the first among
equals of Eastern Orthodox leaders,” will “grant Ukrainian clerics full
ecclesiastical independence from the Russian Orthodox Church to which they
have been tied for hundreds of years,” the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=06c-508&t=c>
(8/27, Satter) reports. Earlier this year, Ukrainian President Petro
Poroshenko “launched a campaign to persuade” Bartholomew to issue “such a
declaration, known as a ‘Tomos of Autocephaly.’” Ukrainian politicians view
the declaration “as a key step in consolidating their country’s national
identity,” but “Russian religious leaders see it as an attack on Christian
Orthodox unity and are fighting to stop it.” The AP even “discovered a
Russian digital espionage campaign targeting Bartholomew’s top aides.”
While it is “not clear whether the AP’s spying revelations will have any
impact on the debate over autocephaly,” independent researcher Katja
Richters “said it could heighten emotions that are already running high on
both sides.”
US, Japan, South Korea Recommit To North Korea’s Denuclearization.

Fox News’ Special Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=06d-ec7&t=c>
(8/27) reported Secretary Pompeo spoke with his counterparts form Japan and
South Korea on Friday, and they are all “recommitting to the
denuclearization process with North Korea.” The development comes after
President Trump canceled Pompeo’s trip to Pyongyang “over what he called
insufficient progress” on denuclearization. Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=06e-9f4&t=c>
(8/27, Lee) reports South Korea said Monday that the “abrupt cancellation”
of Secretary of State Pompeo’s trip to North Korea is “having an ‘effect’
on a controversial inter-Korean liaison office it planned to open by this
month.” Presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said “that the canceled visit
‘cannot be said to have zero effect’ on the plan for the liaison office.”
Said Kim, “We were thinking of the opening of the liaison office as part of
a smooth series of schedules including Secretary of State Pompeo’s North
Korea visit then the inter-Korean summit. Now that a new situation has
arisen, there is a need to inspect it again accordingly.”

        Meanwhile, Wolf Blitzer reported on CNN’s Situation Room[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=06f-942&t=c>
(8/27) that North Korea is “reverting to hostile rhetoric against the Trump
Administration.” According to CNN’s Barbara Starr, the North’s state
newspaper is accusing the US of “secretly cranking up a criminal plot...to
launch an invasion of North Korea.” However, Starr said that the “official
word from the US military” is that an invasion “is not happening.” Starr
said the North is “reverting back to this rhetoric” at a time when “the US
feels the North Koreans are not making the commitments to denuclearization.
In fact, there’s no evidence they’re doing it.”

        In an editorial, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=070-db2&t=c>
(8/27) attributes the stalled US-North Korea negotiations to “President
Trump’s hasty and slipshod diplomacy with dictator Kim Jong Un this year.”
The Post says the President attempted “to regain some leverage” by
canceling Pompeo’s trip by blaming the impasse on China’s refusal to make
trade concessions, but the entanglement of the two issues is “a senseless
and dangerous mix-up of unrelated objectives.” The Post argues that that
the Administration’s “best hope of rescuing the situation is to return to
talking with North Korea about an equitable tradeoff,” because it does not
make sense for “Trump to suppose that he can disarm North Korea through
trade talks with China – or by canceling meetings on Twitter.”
Afghan President Says Peace Talks With Taliban Delayed.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=071-b89&t=c>
(8/27, Sediqi, Jain) reports Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s office said
Monday that Russia “has agreed to postpone multilateral peace talks with
the Taliban, a week after the insurgents accepted an invitation to go to
Moscow for a Sept. 4 summit.” Russia invited 12 countries and the Taliban
to Moscow for peace talks next month, but “though the Taliban had accepted
the invitation, Kabul turned it down on the grounds that peace talks...must
be led by Afghanistan.” A senior Afghan official told Reuters that Ghani
spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov “to iron out the
differences and ensure talks with the Taliban happen in presence of the
Afghan government.” Lavrov assured Ghani that the summit dates “will be
changed to ensure Afghanistan’s participation,” the official said. Bloomberg
News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=072-b85&t=c>
(8/27, Najafizada) reports Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed “said they
would attend the meeting but would not hold face-to-face talks with Afghan
government officials if they attended.”

        *WPost: Afghan Government In Turmoil. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=073-2db&t=c>
(8/27, Constable) reports on “reports of turmoil” in the Afghan government
following “the abrupt resignation” of Ghani’s national security adviser, as
the government seeks to “protect the country and deal with an insurgency
that might be seeking to end the 17-year conflict.” Meanwhile, “the Russian
government had agreed to postpone a Sept. 4 meeting in Moscow on the Afghan
conflict,” planned “to include China, Pakistan, Iran and India.” The Post
says that “two recent attacks deeply embarrassed the Ghani government,”
first, “a deadly four-day siege of Ghazni,” and second “a barrage of
mortars” interrupting a television address by the president, and one result
was increasing divisions in the government.
Domestic Policy
GSA IG Confirms Trump Role In FBI Headquarters Project Meetings.

CQ Roll Call (DC)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=074-1ff&t=c>
(8/27, Lesniewski) said that a new report from the General Services
Administration IG found that President Trump “was more intimately involved
in the debate over relocating the FBI headquarters than Congress was told.”
Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-VA), who requested the report, said it confirmed
his suspicion that Trump was involved in the decision to abandon plans to
move the agency from the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building on Pennsylvania
Avenue to a campus location in the Maryland or Virginia suburbs. The IG
report “criticized as incomplete and potentially misleading congressional
testimony to a House Appropriations subcommittee by GSA Administrator Emily
Murphy regarding the change of direction.” While the IG said Murphy’s
responses were true, she failed to mention conversations with
Administration officials, including Trump.

        The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=075-866&t=c>
(8/27, Tau, Gurman) reports that in her testimony, Murphy twice said that
the FBI made the decision to cancel the move to the suburbs, and the IG
report backed that up. The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=076-e33&t=c>
(8/27) reports that the first meeting “in which Trump’s participation was
documented, according to the IG report, came in January 2018. That was
before the GSA proposed a plan to raze the Hoover building and build a new
headquarters in its place, but after the GSA announced in 2017 that it was
scrapping its plans for a move to the suburbs.” The Washington Business
Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=077-d79&t=c>
(8/27, Sernovitz) reports that Trump, Chief of Staff John Kelly and Deputy
Attorney General Rod Rosenstein were among those “in on an Oval Office
meeting Jan. 24 when” Murphy and FBI Director Christopher Wray “briefed the
president on plans for a new FBI headquarters.”

        The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=078-21e&t=c>
(8/27, O'Connell) reports that GSA officials “also misrepresented the costs
of their replacement plan – to build a new downtown headquarters – making
it seem as though it would cost less than the original plan when it would
actually cost more,” the report found. The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=079-bcf&t=c>
(8/27) reports that in particular, “the report concludes that GSA is not
taking into account the money that could be realized by selling the land
under the Hoover building to private developers.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=07a-af4&t=c>
(8/27, Jansen) reports that the FBI “projected for the inspector general
that it would cost $516 million more than estimated to build on the
existing site because of non-construction costs, according to the 36-page
report. The costs include relocating 2,300 of 10,600 workers to other
offices in Huntsville, Alabama; Pocatello, Idaho; Quantico, Virginia; and
Clarksburg, Virginia.”

        The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=07b-4b6&t=c>
(8/27, Birnbaum) reported that the GSA “responded to the report with a
rejection of its core assertions, saying it misrepresents Murphy’s
testimony, fails to mention several key meetings and miscalculates the cost
of razing the FBI headquarters.” The GSA statement said, “The FBI made the
decision to keep its headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue. GSA is unaware of
any White House involvement in the FBI’s decision. Further, GSA stands by
the cost analysis in its revised plan, as those numbers are accurate,
transparent, and more representative of the full costs of the project than
the analysis put forth in the IG review.”

        WTOP-FM
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=07c-567&t=c>
Washington (8/27, Uliano) reports that in the wake of the report, “area
lawmakers are demanding that the” GSA “reverse its decision to keep FBI
headquarters in Washington by demolishing the J. Edgar Hoover building and
constructing a new building at the site on Pennsylvania Avenue at 9th
Street.” The Baltimore Sun
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=07d-d20&t=c>
(8/27, Barker) reports that the conclusions “alarmed Maryland officials,
who once hoped the” FBI “might relocate to Greenbelt or Landover.”
Citing Opposition To White House Policies, Top CFPB Student Loan Official
Resigns.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=07e-0bc&t=c>
(8/27, Sweet) reports that the “government’s top official overseeing the
$1.5 trillion student loan market resigned in protest on Monday, citing
what he says is the White House’s open hostility toward protecting the
nation’s millions of student loan borrowers.” Seth Frotman “will be
stepping down from his position as student loan ombudsman at the end of the
week, according to his resignation letter which was obtained by The
Associated Press.” Frotman is “the latest high-level departure from the
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau since Mick Mulvaney” took over as
acting director of the agency in late November. Frotman’s departure, the AP
says, “is specifically notable, since his office is one of the few parts of
the US government that specifically was tasked with handling student loan
issues.”

        The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=07f-f6b&t=c>
(8/27, Meckler) says Frotman “wrote in a scathing letter” to Mulvaney,
“Unfortunately, under your leadership, the Bureau has abandoned the very
consumers it is tasked by Congress with protecting. Instead, you have used
the Bureau to serve the wishes of the most powerful financial companies in
America.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=080-20e&t=c>
(8/27, Stratford) quotes Frotman as saying in his letter to Mulvaney, “It
is clear that current leadership of the Bureau has abandoned its duty to
fairly and robustly enforce the law. The Bureau’s new political leadership
has repeatedly undercut and undermined career CFPB staff working to secure
relief for consumers.” Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=081-f69&t=c>
(8/27, Kight), the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=082-731&t=c>
(8/27, Cowley) and the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=083-7a2&t=c>
(8/27, Hayashi), among other news outlets, also report the story.

        *Falwell Says Evangelical Community Wants Sessions Fired. *Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=084-48f&t=c>
(8/27, Woellert) reports “Jerry Falwell Jr., a top conservative religious
leader, said Monday he urged President Donald Trump to fire Jeff Sessions
over his handling of investigations into Russian election meddling, saying
the attorney general has lost evangelicals’ support.” Said Falwell, “He
really is not on the president’s team, never was. ... He’s wanted to be
attorney general for many, many years. I have a feeling he took a gamble
and supported the president because he knew he would reward loyalty.”
Falwell “said he has urged the president to fire Sessions and told POLITICO
he planned to bring up the subject again Monday evening at a small
gathering with Trump and the first lady.” Falwell also said Sessions lost
evangelicals’ “loyalty ‘a long time ago’ and has not stopped the Justice
Department from going after Trump’s allies.”
Ivanka Tweet On Florida Shooting Spurs Criticism Of Trump’s Gun Control
Position.

The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=085-7d1&t=c>
(8/27, Steinbuch) reports that, in the wake of the mass shooting in
Jacksonville, Florida, Ivanka Trump’s tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=086-aac&t=c>,
“As we await further details, our hearts are with Jacksonville and all
those affected by today’s tragic mass shooting,” ignited “a barrage of
criticism by Twitter users who took President Trump to task for his lack of
gun reform.”

        *Authorities Investigating Shooting. *All three networks covered
the shooting at a Florida video game competition. ABC World News Tonight[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=087-253&t=c>
(8/27, story 2, 2:30, Muir) reported, “Authorities say David Katz was armed
with two handguns when he opened fire, killing two, as many were watching
the competition unfold right in front of their eyes online.” Hundreds of
people had gathered to play in the “Madden NFL 19” video game tournament.
ABC (Oquendo) added, “Before taking his own life, police say Katz killed
two gamers, 28-year-old Taylor Robertson and 22-year-old Elijah Clayton.”
Meanwhile, the FBI is “swarming” Katz’s Baltimore home. Manual Bojorquez
reported on the CBS Evening News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=088-ed5&t=c>
(8/27, story 5, 2:00, O'Donnell), “Through his parent’s divorce records,
CBS News has learned that as a teenager, Katz was diagnosed with chronic
low grade depression. With hospitalized twice for mental illness and was
prescribed antipsychotics and antidepressants.”

        NBC Nightly News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=089-330&t=c>
(8/27, story 3, 2:40, Guthrie) reported that police “believe the gunman set
his sights on specific victims.” NBC (Sanders) added, “Today investigators
said under federal law, Katz legally purchased his two guns in Maryland two
weeks ago. He fired in the room before turning the gun on himself.” While
“police are not commenting on any motive...gamers fear Katz opened fire
simply because he lost a video game.” The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=08a-1cf&t=c>
(8/27, Pierson) reports the attack took place at “a regional qualifier for
a tournament on the ‘Madden NFL 19’ Championship Series circuit that
offered a $165,000 pot.” “Madden NFL 19” “has been heavily promoted by
stakeholders such as the NFL, ESPN and Electronic Arts, the publisher of
the game,” in an effort “to engage a new crop of young fans to football.”

        *WPost Editorial Calls For Voters To Remember Congressional
Inaction On Guns. *In an editorial, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=08b-aed&t=c>
(8/27) writes that the Florida shooting, once again, illustrates that in
the US “the routines of everyday life carry the risk of tragedy from gun
violence.” This year “there had been 234 other mass shootings in the United
States,” according to the Gun Violence Archive. While “there are
common-sense steps that can and should be taken, such as muscular
background checks, banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and
keeping guns away from domestic abusers,” Congress, “much to its
discredit,” has not addressed the issue. The Post calls for voters “to
remember that when they go to the polls in November.”

        *Federal Judge Blocks Publication Of 3-D Printed Gun Blueprints. *The
Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=08c-96a&t=c>
(8/21, Paul) reports that a federal judge yesterday “blocked a Texas-based
company from making digital blueprints for 3-D printed firearms publicly
available online,” effectively criminalizing publication of the 3-D designs
for guns. The decision, “in favor of attorneys general from 19 states and
the District of Columbia, stems from a lawsuit filed July 30 against the
State Department, which had agreed to allow Defense Distributed to publish
an arsenal of firearms blueprints online in a planned settlement.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=08d-6bf&t=c>
(8/27, Bellisle) reports US District Judge Robert Lasnik “extended a
temporary restraining order, and his new decision will last until the case
is resolved.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=08e-578&t=c>
(8/27, Elinson), New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=08f-da5&t=c>
(8/27, Hsu) and Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=090-f88&t=c>
(8/27, Atkinson), among other news outlets, run similar stories.
Cohen’s Lawyer Walks Back Claim Trump Knew Of Russia Meeting.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=091-6bc&t=c>
(8/27, Sisak) reports that Lanny Davis, the attorney for former Trump
lawyer Michael Cohen, “walking back his assertions that his client...could
tell a special prosecutor that Trump had prior knowledge of a meeting with
a Russian lawyer to get damaging information on Hillary Clinton.” Davis
said Monday, “I should have been much clearer that I could not confirm the
story. I take responsibility for not communicating more clearly my
uncertainty. I regret the error.” Davis, according to the AP, “is also
hedging suggestions he made on television last week that Cohen could tell
special prosecutor Robert Mueller about whether Trump was aware of and
encouraged Russian hacking during the 2016 campaign before it became
publicly known.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=092-e5c&t=c>
(8/27, Morton) reports that Davis told Buzzfeed News on Monday evening that
he was the “anonymous source for the disputed CNN Trump Tower story and
also admitted lying on TV about his involvement.” Davis told Buzzfeed News
“that he was a source for the story claiming that President Trump had
personal prior knowledge of a controversial Trump Tower meeting with
Russians – a story the Cohen camp has since repudiated.”

        The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=093-d4a&t=c>
(8/27, Scarborough) reports that on Sept. 19, 2017, Cohen “emphatically
stated” to the Senate Intelligence Committee “that he saw no evidence that
the president colluded with Russia during the campaign.” Cohen told the
panel, “Given my own proximity to the President of the United States as a
candidate, let me also say that I never saw anything —not a hint of
anything — that demonstrated his involvement in Russian interference in our
election or any form of Russian collusion. I emphatically state that I had
nothing to do with any Russian involvement in our electoral process.” Sean
Hannity said on Fox News’ Hannity
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=094-095&t=c>
(8/27) that Davis’ “back-pedaling” is “yet another setback for anyone
breathlessly hoping and praying for Mueller to find the Trump-Russia
collusion that we have not heard to this point.”

        *In April, Davis Told Interviewer Steele Dossier Was “Substantially
Verified.” *The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=095-fbe&t=c>
(8/27, Athey) says that Davis is now “undercutting key claims made in the
Steele dossier despite saying in April that the dossier is ‘substantially
verified.’” In an April interview with WMAL’s “Mornings on the Mall,” Davis
said, “If the dossier was funded by the Democrats that should have been
disclosed but, on your side, the facts of the dossier, so far, have been
substantially verified. ... All of the contacts in Europe seen by
intelligence agents, reported by Christopher Steele, between people
associated with the Trump campaign have been verified.” “Mornings on the
Mall” cohost and Daily Caller editorial director Vince Coglianese said,
“The only thing that’s actually been verified is Carter Page went to
Moscow,” and Davis “insisted that the dossier claim that Cohen was in
Prague was also verified,” saying, “Actually, your memory may be just
short-lived. We now have Michael Cohen seen in Prague — that was in the
dossier.”

        *NYTimes Details Cohen, Pecker Efforts To “Catch And Kill” Daniels’
Story. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=096-228&t=c>
(8/27, Feuer) reports on “everything that we now know — and don’t — about
Mr. Trump’s deal with” Stormy Daniels. The Times provides a timeline of
Trump’s association with Daniels and the efforts by Cohen and National
Enquirer owner David J. Pecker “catch-and-kill” her story. Cohen agreed to
pay Daniels “$130,000 through Essential Consultants LLC, a shell company he
created,” and she “agreed to sign a nondisclosure contract with Mr. Trump.”
Last week, Cohen “pleaded guilty to, among other things, working with Mr.
Pecker to pay” Daniels “at Mr. Trump’s behest, to influence the election.”
In an interview with Fox News last week, Trump “acknowledged that, yes, he
knew about the payoff — but only after Mr. Cohen had made it.” The Times
says that “contrary to established law, he went on to insist that, even
though he had paid the $130,000 back to Mr. Cohen, none of it amounted to a
crime.”

        However, Harvard Law School professor Allan Dershowitz took a
different view, arguing on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=097-aa8&t=c>
(8/27), “I completely understand why people are so anxious to try to find
crimes against Trump, but you just can’t make it up. You have to look at
the rule of law and if you look at the statute, the statute says that a
candidate can contribute any amount of money he wants into his own campaign
and President Trump has said the money came from him personally. Also,
there’s an obligation to report. The reporting obligation is on the
treasurer of the campaign, not the candidate himself. So unless new
evidence develops, I see no indication of any criminal violation of any of
the campaign finance statutes. If there are any, let’s hear, where’s the
beef, where’s the statute?”

        *Cohen, Kushner’s Father Accused Of Falsifying Records To Force Out
Tenants. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=098-1df&t=c>
(8/27, Bagli) reports that Jared Kushner’s father, Charles Kushner, and
Cohen “face scrutiny in New York for claims that they falsified
construction permits in an attempt to remove rent-regulated tenants from
buildings scattered across the city.” New York City’s Department of
Buildings n Monday “fined Kushner Companies $210,000 for 42 instances in
which it says the company falsified construction permits at 17 residential
buildings, where many of the tenants were protected by rent regulations
from steep rent increases and eviction.” Also Monday, tenant activists
issued a report “based on city and state records that suggested that an
investment group led by Mr. Cohen had also falsified construction permits
by claiming that three buildings in Manhattan were vacant or without
rent-regulated tenants, when they were occupied and many tenants had rental
protections.”

        *Pending Court Case Could Keep Mueller From Publishing Grand Jury
Information. *Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=099-eb4&t=c>
(8/27, Gerstein) reports that a court case “stemming from the apparent
murder of a Columbia University professor six decades ago could keep
special counsel Robert Mueller from publishing any information about the
Trump campaign and Russia that he obtains through a Washington grand jury.”
If “a Washington appeals court set to hear the murder-related case next
month sides with the Justice Department and rules that judges don’t have
the freedom to release grand jury information that is usually kept secret,
it could throw a monkey wrench into any plans Mueller has to issue a public
report on his probe’s findings, lawyers following the issue said.” The
case, which is “entirely unrelated to Mueller’s investigation into whether
any of President Donald Trump’s associates aided Russia’s efforts to
intervene in the 2016 election,” might “keep the special counsel from
sending a report to Congress, shaking Democrats’ hopes that such a document
could provide the impetus for impeachment proceedings against the
president.”

        The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=09a-10b&t=c>
(8/27, Daley) says the case “relates to the disappearance of the Basque
activist-academic Jesus de Galindez. Researchers are seeking access to
sealed testimony an accused foreign agent named John Joseph Frank gave to a
Washington grand jury relating to Galindez’s disappearance.” The Justice
Department is opposing the release of the testimony, arguing that “federal
rules prohibit the release of secret grand jury information” and that the
Galindez case does not “rise to the level of exceptional historic
significance,” to warrant their release. A ruling in DOJ’s favor “could
mean that Mueller would lose a mechanism for releasing evidence and
findings he shared with the grand jury to the public, meaning that some
elements of his probe could remain secret for years.”

        *Despite Trump Attacks, Ohr Described As “Far From Corrupt.” *The New
York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=09b-f7c&t=c>
(8/27, Goldman, Benner) reports that while Trump has described Justice
Department official Bruce Ohr as a “creep,” and accused him of profiting
off “disgraced” information, Ohr “is far from corrupt,” according to
“friends and former colleagues” who say he is “an experienced law
enforcement official who spent years battling Russian organized crime.” Ohr
met Steele as part of that work “and the two men developed a bond.” Steele
“went on to investigate ties between Mr. Trump and Russia for the same
research firm, Fusion GPS, where Mr. Ohr’s wife, Nellie, worked as a
contractor.” The connections “have upended Mr. Ohr’s once relatively
anonymous life,” and “prompted the president and his allies, armed with
little evidence, to cast Mr. Ohr and his wife as villains, part of a
pro-Clinton cabal out to destroy the president.”

        *Giuliani: Trump’s “Jury Is The Public.” *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=09c-3eb&t=c>
(8/27, Barry, Weiser, Feuer) reports that in a phone interview from
Scotland last week, Rudy Giuliani “offered the first detailed look at his
strategy for representing the president, in blunt and divisively political
terms.” Giuliani “said he believes that since Mr. Trump is essentially
having his day in court, in real time,” as his “jury is the public.”
Giuliani said the defense “starts with his base, then it stretches out to
independents — then to Democrats.” The Times cites some who are close to
him who say “Giuliani’s calculated and cutthroat approach channels his
client, and serves as a tactical attack” on special counsel Robert
Mueller’s investigation. Others “are much less charitable, with several of
the former mayor’s old associates expressing concern and collectively
asking: Who is this man pretending to be Rudy Giuliani?”

        *Trump, McGahn Reportedly At Odds On Manafort Pardon. *The Washington
Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=09d-e1d&t=c>
(8/27, Correll) cites a Vanity Fair
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=09e-c3c&t=c>
report which says Trump is “at odds with White House counsel Don McGahn”
about the possibility of granting Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul
Manafort a pardon. Trump “has publicly said that Manafort has not been
treated fairly in Mueller’s probe and privately has been weighing a pardon
for Manafort,” but “McGahn adamantly opposes issuing a pardon for Manafort,
Vanity Fair reports. As a result, Trump indicated that he is open to taking
on a new lawyer to draft a pardon for Manafort.”

        *Manafort Plea Talks Broke Down After Mueller Objected. *The Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=09f-c07&t=c>
(8/27, Viswanatha) reports that Manafort’s legal team was in talks with
prosecutors to reach a deal ahead of Manafort’s Washington, D.C. trial, but
the discussions broke down after Mueller raised objections. The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0a0-c52&t=c>
(8/27, Mordock) also reports on the plea discussions, citing the Journal
report.

        *Stone Raising Money To Fight Mueller. *The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0a1-360&t=c>
(8/27, Li) reports that Roger Stone “claimed on Monday that he’s in the
crosshairs of special counsel Robert Mueller — and he needs money.” A
statement on a fundraising site for Stone said, “Mueller seeks to
criminalize normal political activities by Roger Stone. ... His legal fees
in this epic fight could top $2 million… Please help us.” The site seeks
“donations of between $25 to $5,000, one-time or monthly.”

        *Harvard/Harris Poll: Majority Believe Brennan, Comey Should Lose
Security Clearances. *The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0a2-b19&t=c>
(8/27, Bogorowski) reports that a Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll released Monday
found that a “majority of respondents” believe “former CIA Director John
Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey should in fact lose their
security clearances.” According to the poll, “59 percent of registered
voters agree that Brennan’s security clearance should have been revoked,”
and “64 percent say Comey’s should also be revoked, along with any other
FBI official who has been fired for his or her actions or has been demoted
in any way.” Moreover, “the majority of respondents, 60 percent, say they
believe any former national security official who chooses to become a
consultant or TV contributor after his or her time in government, should
have his or her clearance revoked.”
Trump: Google Searches For “Trump News” Dominated By “National Left-Wing
Media.”

President Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0a3-59d&t=c>
this morning, “Google search results for ‘Trump News’ shows only the
viewing/reporting of Fake New Media. In other words, they have it RIGGED,
for me & others, so that almost all stories & news is BAD. Fake CNN is
prominent. Republican/Conservative & Fair Media is shut out. Illegal? 96%
of...[continuing tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0a4-795&t=c>]....results
on ‘Trump News’ are from National Left-Wing Media, very dangerous. Google &
others are suppressing voices of Conservatives and hiding information and
news that is good. They are controlling what we can & cannot see. This is a
very serious situation-will be addressed!”

        *Trump Criticizes “Fake News Media” Over Questioning Of “Very
Smart” Tiger Woods. *USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0a5-251&t=c>
(8/27, Brioso) reports Trump “appreciates what Tiger Woods had to say about
him over the weekend.” A day after Woods was asked by reporters about his
relationship with the President, “Trump praised Woods in a tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0a6-4b2&t=c>
on Monday,” writing, “The Fake News Media worked hard to get Tiger Woods to
say something that he didn’t want to say. Tiger wouldn’t play the game – he
is very smart.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0a7-5e1&t=c>
(8/27, Bonesteel) says “reporters have long tried to pin down Woods about
his politics, a topic the 14-time major championship winner does not spend
much time discussing,” and the Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0a8-0dc&t=c>
(8/27, Yilek) reports Trump “lauded Tiger Woods for not speaking negatively
about him during a news conference after the final round of the Northern
Trust tournament Sunday.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0a9-931&t=c>
(8/27, Fabian) quotes Woods as saying, “He’s the president of the United
States. You have to respect the office. No matter who is in the office, you
may like, dislike personality or the politics, but we all must respect the
office.” According to Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0aa-404&t=c>
(8/27, Spiering), the “leading question” came from a New York Times
reporter.

        Fox News’ Fox & Friends
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0ab-ece&t=c>
(8/27) aired comments made Sunday by Woods to reporters. Host Steve Doocy
said, “Tiger has a good answer. They were asking him some questions. He
said, ‘Look, I just played a lot of golf. I’m starving.’” Host Brian
Kilmeade added, “He did. He answered the question four times. He told them,
‘You gotta respect the office. I have known Donald for years.’ They played
golf together just a few months ago. They kept asking the same thing.
LeBron James said this. LeBron James said that. How do you feel? Listen,
what do you want me to do? I’m hungry and I respect the office.”

        *NBC News/WSJournal Poll: 54% Say NFL Players Kneeling During
Anthem Inappropriate. *The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0ac-696&t=c>
(8/27, Jashinsky) reports that an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll asked
900 registered voters, “When it comes to professional football players
kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial inequality in the
United States, do you consider this to be an appropriate way or not an
appropriate way to bring attention to these concerns?” By an 11-point
margin, 54-43, “respondents agreed the protests were not appropriate.”
Sanders Backers Take Issue With Mercatus Study Of Medicare-For-All Plan.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0ad-346&t=c>
(8/27, Stein) reports a study of Sen. Bernie Sanders’s Medicare-for-All
plan by the libertarian think-tank the Mercatus Center “said that Sanders’s
plan would cut payments to providers such as hospitals and doctors by 40
percent,” a number that “suggested Sanders’s plan was wildly unrealistic,
and that his plan for achieving universal health care relied on either
massive cuts to doctors and hospitals or would prove far more expensive
than he was otherwise saying.” Sanders’ supporters take issue with the
study and argue “that doctors and hospitals could absorb cuts to their
payments under the plan.” Meanwhile Republicans “have seized on the
Mercatus study to discredit single-payer, citing its high estimates of
government costs.”
Federal Judges Rule North Carolina Congressional Map Unconstitutional.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0ae-40f&t=c>
(8/27, Barnes) reports that “North Carolina’s congressional districts were
unconstitutionally gerrymandered to aide Republicans over Democrats,” a
panel of three federal judges ruled Monday. The panel “said it may require
new districts before the November elections, possibly impacting control of
the House.” While the judges “acknowledged that primary elections have
already produced candidates for the 2018 elections,” they “said they were
reluctant to let elections take place in congressional districts that it
has twice found violate constitutional standards.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0af-b5e&t=c>
(8/27, Wines, Fausset) says the ruling, “which may have significant
implications for control of Congress after the midterm elections, is likely
to be appealed to the United States Supreme Court, which for the moment is
evenly split on ideological lines without a ninth justice to tip the
balance.”

        Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0b0-657&t=c>
(8/27, Bland) reported, “The court will appoint a ‘special master’ to draw
a remedial map – but it may also give the North Carolina legislature
another chance to draw a ‘constitutionally compliant’ plan, pending further
submissions later this week. If so, the court gave the legislature a
September 17 deadline to enact that plan” Politico adds, “The judges also
floated the possibility that the state could instead hold primaries on Nov.
6, Election Day, and then hold special general election contests at a later
date to be determined.”
Cancer Research
NIH Funds Trial Of Experimental Glioblastoma Treatment.

On its website, CBS News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0b1-d4e&t=c>
(8/27) reports a new clinical trial led by researchers at the
Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech will
examine the impact of an experimental drug on glioblastoma in dogs in hopes
of achieving applications for humans. The treatment “is injected directly
into the tumor, specifically attacking the cancer while leaving the healthy
brain tissue undamaged,” the piece says, adding that “researchers say the
results are so promising that the National Institutes of Health is now
helping fund the trial, hoping it could eventually lead to a breakthrough
in humans.”

        Meanwhile, Dr. Duane Mitchell, Professor of Neurosurgery at the
University of Florida, writes a contributor piece for The Conversation (US)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0b2-52d&t=c>
(8/27) saying the death of Sen. John McCain due to glioblastoma has
prompted questions about why the form of cancer is so lethal. According to
Dr. Mitchell, “It kills about 15,000 people in the U.S. each year,” and
most people diagnosed with it “survive less than two years.” Dr. Mitchell
adds that progress is being made: The passage of the National Cancer Act
“broadened the authority of the director of the National Cancer Institute
(NCI) to implement research programs and cooperate with other agencies to
direct educational efforts focused on reducing cancer mortality in the U.
S.” Furthermore, the NCI’s “investment in cancer research...[has]
undoubtedly had a profound positive impact.” He adds that GBM “was the
first cancer to undergo comprehensive genetic analysis as part of the
multibillion-dollar NCI-led project called ‘The Cancer Genome Atlas.’”

        Fortune
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0b3-eaa&t=c>
(8/27, Mukherjee) reports that according to the NCI, “about one in three of
the approximately 24,000 Americans diagnosed with” brain and nervous system
cancers “in 2018 are likely to still be alive five years later.” The
article references Dr. Mitchell’s piece, quoting him as saying that GBM by
nature is “invasive,” which complicates treatment. Fortune adds that new
treatment methods and technologies have given scientists cause for
“optimism.”
FDA Approves Combination Drug To Treat Rare Blood Cancer.

Fierce Pharma
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0b4-ec2&t=c>
(8/27, Sagonowsky) reports the FDA approved Imbruvica (ibrutinib) plus
Rituxan (rituximab) for the treatment of adults with Waldenström’s
macroglobulinemia, a rare blood cancer. The FDA “signed off on the combo
based on phase 3 data showing that it could significantly stave off cancer
progression.” The approval came around two months ahead of the FDA’s
decision date.
Editorials/Op-Eds
New York Times.

*“Let’s Get New York To The Polls.”* The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0b5-370&t=c>
(8/27) editorializes on the September 13 primary elections to be held in
New York, adding that they are on Thursday, and stating that they may “help
determine the fate of the city’s subways, schools and housing and maybe
even Donald Trump’s presidency.” The elections are not being held on
Tuesday, September 11, because it “coincided with the Jewish holiday of
Rosh Hashana and the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.” The Times
fears that the change “is likely to confuse voters and to lower turnout
further.” The Times urges New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New
York City Campaign Finance Board, as well as the schools and the parks
department, all to remind people of the election.

        *“‘The Gravest Crimes Under International Law.’” *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0b6-ed6&t=c>
(8/27) editorializes that a new UN “report should put an end to any
hesitation about holding” Burrma’s “generals, and their civilian enablers,
to account for what they have done: genocide and crimes against humanity.”
The Times stresses that the accusations detailed in the report “cannot be
neglected by the international community.” The Times says that the
“fact-finding mission lacks the power to bring charges before the
International Criminal Court or to set up an international tribunal, and
any such action by the Security Council would most likely be blocked by
China,” but “there are other remedies available” to the US and European
Union. The Times concludes in writing that regardless of the avenue, the
Burmese “generals and their civilian enablers must be held to account and
the terrible persecution of the Rohingya brought to an end.”
Washington Post.

*“ICE Is Sending Mauritanians Back To Modern-Day Slavery.”* The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0b7-24e&t=c>
(8/27) says in an editorial that the “pervasive practice of modern
slaveholding” in the West African nation of Mauritania “explains why
undocumented Mauritanians living in the United States have seldom been
deported in the past — because doing so would mean enslavement and even
torture for many of them.” However, the Post says the Administration’s
deportation agents, “in a stark departure from past practice, have sent
back dozens of Mauritanians to a likely future in bondage.” The Post says
the Administration should “use its discretion and spare unauthorized
Mauritanians who have lived productive lives in the United States from the
possibility of a horrific fate. But discretion and common sense have not
been the hallmarks of this administration’s immigration policy. The result,
in this and other cases, is tragedy and suffering.”

        *“There May Be A Way To Negotiate With North Korea. This Isn’t It.”
*In an editorial, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0b8-d41&t=c>
(8/27) attributes the stalled US-North Korea negotiations to “President
Trump’s hasty and slipshod diplomacy with dictator Kim Jong Un this year.”
The Post says the President attempted “to regain some leverage” by
canceling Pompeo’s trip by blaming the impasse on China’s refusal to make
trade concessions, but the entanglement of the two issues is “a senseless
and dangerous mix-up of unrelated objectives.” The Post argues that that
the Administration’s “best hope of rescuing the situation is to return to
talking with North Korea about an equitable tradeoff,” because it does not
make sense for “Trump to suppose that he can disarm North Korea through
trade talks with China – or by canceling meetings on Twitter.”

        *“No One Deserves To Die Over A Video Game. Or At Church. Or
School. Or... “ *In an editorial, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018082801biden&r=email-8e7d&l=0b9-c87&t=c>
(8/27) writes that the mass shooting in Jacksonville, FL, once again,
illustrates that in the US “the routines of everyday life carry the risk of
tragedy from gun violence.” This year “there had been 234 other mass
shootings in the United States,” according to the Gun Violence Archive.
While “there are common-sense steps that can and should be taken, such as
muscular background checks, banning assault weapons and high-capacity
magazines, and keeping guns away from domestic abusers,” Congress, “much to
its discredit,” has not addressed the issue. The Post calls for voters “to
remember that when they go to the polls in November.”

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