Subject: FW: Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for Wednesday, January 2, 2019
From: "Kathy Chung" <[email-masked]>
To: "Ashley Blazer Biden" <[email-masked]>, "Hunter Biden" <[email-masked]>, "Jill Tracy Biden" <[email-masked]>, "Jimmy Biden" <[email-masked]>, "Valerie Biden Owens" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 02 Jan 2019 09:23:36 -0500

Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing

*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <[email-masked]>
*Sent:* Wednesday, January 2, 2019 7:54 AM
*To:* [email-masked]
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Wednesday, January 2, 2019

*Click to access
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=000-5f5&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=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=001-dff&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Wednesday, January 2, 2019 8:00 AM EST*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News* <#SECTION_1>

• NYTimes: Biden “Network” Essentially “A Campaign-In-Waiting.” <#S1>

• Trump Advisor Says Biden Would Be President’s “Most Formidable Adversary.”
<#S2>

• Author: Biden “Offers Qualities That Predict A Successful Presidency.”
<#S3>

• Columnist: “Strong Case Can Be Made For” Biden As 2020 Democratic Nominee.
<#S4>

• Slate’s Voorhees Identifies “Strengths” And “Liabilities” Of Biden, Other
Potential Candidates. <#S5>

• O’Rourke Tops The Hill’s Rankings Of 2020 Democratic Contenders, Biden
Third. <#S6>

• Writer: Biden Bid Would Create “An Almost Insurmountable Obstacle” For
Booker. <#S7>

• Warren Launches Exploratory Bid For Democratic Presidential Nomination.
<#S8>

*Leading the News* <#SECTION_2>

• Trump Suggests “Deal” With Democrats, Will Host Congressional Leaders At
White House. <#S9>

*Foreign Policy* <#SECTION_3>

• Trump Welcomes Kim’s Willingness To Meet, Commitment To North Korean
Denuclearization. <#S10>

• Trump, Egypt’s Sisi Discuss Middle East Stability. <#S11>

• Pompeo Reiterates US Commitment To Israel Amid Syria Withdrawal. <#S12>

• NYTimes Analysis: Lighthizer Seeks To Keep Trump From Wavering As Talks
With China Get Underway. <#S13>

• Family Rejects Moscow’s Claim That Detained US Citizen Was Spying. <#S14>

• Three Taliban Assaults In Northern Afghanistan Result In 21 Police Deaths.
<#S15>

• Three Injured In New Year’s Eve Attack On UK Train Station. <#S16>

*Domestic Policy* <#SECTION_4>

• Trump Blasts McChrystal’s “Big, Dumb Mouth.” <#S17>

• Romney: Trump Has Not “Risen To The Mantle Of The Office.” <#S18>

• Democrats Plan “Deliberate And Dispassionate” Investigations Of Trump
Administration. <#S19>

• Dubelier Has Become Mueller’s “Most Persistent Courtroom Critic.” <#S20>

• US Fires Tear Gas Across Mexican Border To Repel Migrants. <#S21>

• Trump Highlights Falling Gas Prices In Pair Of Tweets. <#S22>

• Trump Calls Out Schumer For Delayed Senate Confirmations. <#S23>

*Cancer Research* <#SECTION_5>

• Sloan Kettering Conflict-Of-Interest Policies Draw Controversy. <#S24>

• Lung Cancer Screenings Recommended For Older Current And Former Smokers.
<#S25>

*Editorials/Op-Eds* <#SECTION_6>

• New York Times. <#S26>

• Washington Post. <#S27>
Biden in the News
NYTimes: Biden “Network” Essentially “A Campaign-In-Waiting.”

Under the headline, “How Biden Has Paved The Way For A Possible
Presidential Run,” the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=002-3b6&t=c>
(1/1, Sack, Burns) reports that since leaving office, former Vice President
Joe Biden has faced a “complicated” balancing act “between earning
substantial wealth for the first time and maintaining viability as a
potential 2020 presidential contender. He has done so while building a
network of nonprofits and academic centers that are staffed by his closest
strategists and advisers, many making six figures while working on the
issues most closely identified with him.” The network “has effectively
become a campaign-in-waiting, poised to metamorphose if” he enters the 2020
contest. Biden “has appeared mindful of the political backlash
against...Hillary Clinton...for earning millions by speaking to private
interests in the run-up to 2016, and for her family foundation’s acceptance
of huge sums from corporate and foreign donors.”

        *Salt Lake Tribune Highlights Details Of Speaker’s Contract
Obtained By NYTimes. *Drawing from the Times’ story, the Salt Lake (UT)
Tribune
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=003-750&t=c>
(1/1) reports, “The University of Utah agreed to pay...Biden $100,000 to
speak on campus last month, but when” he “heard the money would come from
state coffers he declined the check.” According to “a copy of the U.’s
contract with Biden” that was obtained by the Times, it “required the
university to fly him and his aides to Salt Lake City on a private plane at
a cost of about $10,000, buy 1,000 copies of Biden’s most recent book to
give to the audience and agree not to use the word ‘former’ before ‘vice
president’ in social media.”
Trump Advisor Says Biden Would Be President’s “Most Formidable Adversary.”

Townhall
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=004-90e&t=c>
(12/31, O'Brien) reported that during a Monday appearance on CNN, Steve
Cortes, President of President Trump’s Hispanic Advisory Council, gave his
prediction on “who’d give 45 the biggest run for his money. Former Vice
President Joe Biden has the experience, likability, and blue collar
connection that would pose the biggest problem for Trump campaign, Cortes
said,” calling “the former vice president Trump’s ‘most formidable
adversary.’”
Author: Biden “Offers Qualities That Predict A Successful Presidency.”

In a St. Louis Post-Dispatch
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=005-d16&t=c>
(1/1) guest column, St. Louis University School of Law professor Joel
Goldstein, author of, “The White House Vice Presidency: The Path to
Significance, Mondale to Biden,” writes that former Vice President Joe
Biden “offers qualities that predict a successful presidency.” Goldstein
said that “it was as vice president that” Biden “demonstrated his
presidential talents during the most successful two-term vice presidency in
history. [President] Obama and his inner circle valued Biden’s deep
understanding of, and skills at, government and diplomacy. Biden’s ability
to advise and to challenge assumptions and arguments enhanced Obama’s
decision-making.”
Columnist: “Strong Case Can Be Made For” Biden As 2020 Democratic Nominee.

In his syndicated column, which appears at Reason
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=006-b64&t=c>
(1/1), FutureOfCapitalism.com editor Ira Stoll, author of “JFK,
Conservative,” wrote of former Vice President Joe Biden “that a strong case
can be made for” him “as the Democratic nominee in 2020. He’s something
unusual in presidential politics: a candidate who can excite the party’s
base while also winning back independents and voters in swing states and
swing districts – the voters and places that supported [President] Obama in
2012 but [President] Trump in 2016.” Stoll said, “Two other factors weigh
in Biden’s favor. He hires well” and has “good interpersonal negotiating
skills.” Of Biden, Stoll added that “this isn’t an endorsement column. But
it’s not too soon at all to say we could do plenty worse.”
Slate’s Voorhees Identifies “Strengths” And “Liabilities” Of Biden, Other
Potential Candidates.

Writing at Slate
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=007-1af&t=c>
(1/2), Josh Voorhees looks at what he describes as the “strengths” and
“liabilities” of the leading contenders for the 2020 Democratic
presidential contenders. As “strengths” of former Vice President Joe Biden,
Voorhees cites experience, “a working-class brand that can appeal to the
Rust Belt” and “plenty of Obama nostalgia to appeal to the Democratic
base.” Voorhees says Biden would “begin the race as the clear
front-runner.” As to “liabilities” of Biden, Voorhees says he “has never
been the strongest campaigner,” he “admits he’s a ‘gaffe machine,’” and
“his opposition to school integration in the 1970s, his vote for the 1994
crime bill, and his mishandling of the Anita Hill hearings,” among other
things.

        *Article Offers Brief Profiles Of Biden, Other Potential 2020
Hopefuls. *The Guardian (UK)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=008-045&t=c>
(12/31, Pengelly) ran a piece listing “10 of the leading names in the
spotlight” as the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination gets
underway. Offering brief capsules of the various potential contenders, the
article said that Biden “is a Mount Rushmore-sized figure in the Democratic
party. He has openly flirted with a run and gleefully engaged [President]
Trump in rather undignified arguments about who could beat up whom, perhaps
showing in doing so the popular touch that has him leading early polls in
important places like Iowa. On the downside, such leads may simply be down
to name recognition, his status as the embodiment of the white, male party
establishment may now not be the bonus of old, and by inauguration day in
2021, Biden will be 78. He has also run twice for president before, in 1988
and 2008. Neither ended well.”
O’Rourke Tops The Hill’s Rankings Of 2020 Democratic Contenders, Biden
Third.

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=009-68c&t=c>
(1/1, Stanage) offered its “initial rankings” of the field of potential
contenders for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Topping the
list is Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT),
and former Vice President Joe Biden. The Hill said, “The case for Biden is
straightforward: He can connect with the Rust Belt voters who carried
[President] Trump to victory in 2016, he was a loyal vice president to
[President] Obama and he is generally well-liked within the party. But the
case for Biden-skepticism is just as easily made. His strong polling
numbers are a consequence of name recognition more than anything else, the
doubters say – and an establishment Democrat first elected to the Senate in
1972 is hardly what the party wants in the current, insurgent-friendly
political moment.” Fourth on the list is Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), with
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) rounding out the top five.
Writer: Biden Bid Would Create “An Almost Insurmountable Obstacle” For
Booker.

Writing at InsiderNJ
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=00a-863&t=c>
(12/31), Alan J. Steinberg, who was an official in the Administrations of
former President George W. Bush and ex-Gov. Christie Todd Whitman (R-NJ),
said that if former Vice President Joe Biden enters the 2020 Democratic
presidential race, it would create “an almost insurmountable obstacle” to
the White House hopes of Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ). Steinberg said Biden
would be “the likely winner of both the February Iowa caucuses and New
Hampshire primary, given his broad-based appeal to all sectors of the
Democratic primary electorate.” Booker “does not represent a delegate-rich
state,” so “he must win either the Iowa caucuses or the New Hampshire
primary to establish viability.” A Biden bid “makes it virtually impossible
for Booker to win in either” of those states, meaning Booker’s “2020
candidacy will be short lived.”
Warren Launches Exploratory Bid For Democratic Presidential Nomination.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) Monday announcement that she is launching a
presidential exploratory committee drew widespread media coverage. The CBS
Evening News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=00b-331&t=c>
(12/31, story 3, 2:05, Duthiers) said the “big-name Democrat chose the
final day of 2018 to announce her interest in running for president in
2020.” ABC World News Tonight
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=00c-780&t=c>
(12/31, story 7, 0:20, Llamas) reported Warren “released a video
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=00d-169&t=c>
targeting Wall Street and proclaiming America’s middle class is under
attack. The race could draw dozens of potential Democratic candidates.”

        The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=00e-aa6&t=c>
(1/1, Schor) reported that Warren “burst onto the national scene a decade
ago during the financial crisis with calls for greater consumer
protections” and “quickly became one of the party’s more prominent
liberals. ... Now, as a likely presidential contender, she is making an
appeal to the party’s base. Her video notes the economic challenges facing
people of color along with images of a women’s march and Warren’s
participation at an LGBT event.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=00f-ace&t=c>
(12/31, Chiacu) reported, “A Warren candidacy can expect opposition from
Wall Street. In the U.S. Senate, she has been a strong voice on financial
issues and a self-described defender of the ordinary American against
powerful interests.”

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=010-39b&t=c>
(12/31, Herndon, Burns) reported that Warren becomes “the first major
candidate in what is likely to be a long and crowded primary marked by
ideological and generational divisions in a Democratic Party determined to
beat President Trump.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=011-452&t=c>
(12/31, Linskey, Johnson) said the 2020 Democratic campaign “launched in
earnest” with Warren’s “long-expected announcement. ... There will be older
women, younger women, women of color. There will be men of multiple shapes
and ethnicities. The field will probably include billionaires, millionaires
and candidates who still have college debt.”

        USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=012-44d&t=c>
(12/31, Cummings) reported that Warren “has been a fierce critic” of Trump
“and he has made her one of his favorite targets.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=013-b92&t=c>
(12/31, Epstein) reported that Warren’s kickoff video included images not
just of Trump, but also of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and exiting
House Speaker Paul Ryan. However, the Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=014-03c&t=c>
(12/31, Bierman) said that the “largely biographical video steered clear of
directly taking on the president. Instead, it echoed some the complaints
that brought him to power by asserting that ‘corruption is poisoning our
democracy’ and that government has ‘become a tool for the wealthy and
well-connected.’”

        The Boston Herald
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=015-ea6&t=c>
(12/31, Cotter) reported that after the release of the video, Warren “spoke
to reporters outside of her Cambridge home, continuing to hammer at a
populist-progressive message following the video in which she described the
country’s middle class as being ‘under attack’ from elites.” She said,
“Right now, Washington works great for the wealthy and well connected –
it’s just not working for anyone else.” The Boston Globe
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=016-5e8&t=c>
(12/31) reported, “The timing of Warren’s announcement – on New Year’s Eve
– was decided weeks ago, and was intended to allow her to staff up and
build up her campaign apparatus. She will ramp up her operation right away,
with travel to early primary states expected soon, according to a source
close to the campaign.”

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=017-c23&t=c>
(1/2, Astor, Herndon) reports that “Warren’s biggest liability, at this
point, may be the DNA test she took in an effort to prove her claims of
Native American ancestry. Her decision to release the test results angered
many Native Americans, as well as progressive Democrats in her base, and
some of her own advisers believe she needs a plan to repair the damage. So
far, she has refused to apologize publicly, and she shrugged off a
reporter’s question this week about the DNA test by saying she had ‘put it
all out there’ and people could see the information for themselves.”

        Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=018-23c&t=c>
(12/31, Korecki) said that Warren “is officially in the hunt for the White
House,” and CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=019-8d6&t=c>
(12/31, Connolly) reported, “To date, Warren is the most high-profile
candidate to officially announce she is running or thinking about running.”
In an online article, CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=01a-027&t=c>
(1/1, Bradner, Lee) reported that Warren “will visit Iowa this weekend,
making her first trip to the state that begins the Democratic presidential
nominating process.” She “will hold events in Council Bluffs, Sioux City,
Storm Lake and Des Moines, a source familiar with her plans said.”

        Dan Balz of the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=01b-9ef&t=c>
(12/31) wrote, “What’s ahead for the Democrats will be unlike any
nomination battle in recent years. ... The field will be bigger than it has
been in many cycles,” with “two dozen or more names on handicapping charts
and while many of them will not enter the race, the field could number in
double digits by the time everyone makes their decisions.”

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=01c-4df&t=c>
(12/31, Martin, Burns) surveyed the emerging field, highlighting possible
candidates including, Warren; Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sherrod Brown
(D-OH), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Bernie Sanders
(I-VT); former Vice President Joe Biden; and Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX),
among others. Eugene Robinson wrote in his Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=01d-887&t=c>
(12/31) column, “On New Year’s Day 2015, no rational person thought Donald
Trump would become president. Candidate X may be offstage, waiting to
pounce.”

        The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=01e-9b5&t=c>
(12/31) said in an editorial that the Democratic presidential nominee will
have a very good chance of winning in 2020, so Warren’s positions merit
close study. The Journal said Warren will make a left-populist pitch that
will both counter and complement Trump’s right-populism, and that if
successful, she would be the most liberal Democratic nominee in memory.
James Downie wrote in the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=01f-1e4&t=c>
(12/31) that Warren, “like every potential candidate, has her flaws. But
her candidacy ensures that inequality will be a central issue in the
Democratic primary. That is good news for the country.”

        *In Warren, Some See Unfavorable Parallels To Clinton. *Under the
headline “Warren Battles The Ghosts Of Hillary,” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=020-1ce&t=c>
(12/31, Korecki) reported, “The anti-Elizabeth Warren narrative was written
before” her announcement that “she was exploring a presidential run. She’s
too divisive and too liberal, Washington Democrats have complained
privately. Her DNA rollout was a disaster – and quite possibly a White
House deal-breaker. She’s already falling in the polls, and – perhaps most
stinging – shares too many of the attributes that sank Hillary Clinton.”
The narrative “presents an unmistakable challenge: How does Warren avoid a
Clinton redux – written off as too unlikable before her campaign gets off
the ground?”

        *Trump: “You’d Have To Ask Her Psychiatrist” Whether Warren Thinks
She Can Win. *The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=021-8b3&t=c>
(12/31, Daughtery) reported that Trump “jabbed at [Warren] in an interview
Monday, saying you would have to ‘ask her psychiatrist’ if Warren thinks
she can beat him in 2020.” Asked on Fox News “whether he thinks Warren
believes she could win a presidential contest,” Trump replied, “Well, that
I don’t know. You’d have to ask her psychiatrist.” ABC World News
Tonight[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=022-a5f&t=c>
(1/1, story 9, 1:40, Llamas) showed a clip of Trump saying in the interview
with Fox News, “I’d love to run against her.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=023-e73&t=c>
(12/31, Morton) reported that Trump also said, “I wish her well, I hope she
does well, I’d love to run against her.” Trump added on Fox News[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=024-682&t=c>
(12/31) that Democrats “think I’m going to win. I think based on the record
I’m going to win also. I think we’re going to win big. They figure by
obstructing, they can do this.”
Leading the News
Trump Suggests “Deal” With Democrats, Will Host Congressional Leaders At
White House.

Coverage of President Trump’s tweet suggesting Democrats “make a deal” on
border wall funding, and on Wednesday’s White House briefing on border
security, ranges from somewhat hopeful to skeptical about the prospect for
an agreement to end the government shutdown. On ABC World News Tonight[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=025-c44&t=c>
(1/1, story 5, 2:10), Tom Llamas called it “a possible breakthrough,” with
the President inviting “congressional leaders from both parties to the
White House on Wednesday for a briefing on border security, still insisting
on funding for a wall,” and “telling incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
‘Let’s make a deal.’” ABC’s Tara Palmeri: “Eleven days into the shutdown,
800,000 federal employees are furloughed or working without pay. ...
Tonight, signs the White House may be looking for a way out. Thursday,
Democrats officially take over the House. In his new year’s message, the
President hinting at the battles to come.” Trump: “It’s going to be a great
year. Complicated, but great.”

        Chip Reid reported on the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=026-5d5&t=c>
(1/1, story 2, 2:00, Duthiers), “The White House invited congressional
leaders from both parties to a briefing...[but] provided no details, and
some Democrats are already calling the invitation a stunt. If the meeting
happens, it will be the President’s first with Democratic leaders since
December 11 when he said this about the looming shutdown...” Trump: “I will
be the one to shut it down. I’m not going to blame you for it.” Kristen
Welker said on NBC Nightly News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=027-851&t=c>
(1/1, story 3, 1:30) that Tuesday saw “a hint of compromise. ... It’s
remarkable: This is the first time these leaders have sat down together
since the stalemate started.”

        The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=028-965&t=c>
(1/2, Miller, Mascaro) reports the President “invited congressional leaders
to a White House briefing on border security as the partial government
shutdown dragged on over funding for a border wall, with Trump tweeting
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=029-85b&t=c>,
‘Let’s make a deal?’” The briefing will take place at 3:00 p.m. on “the day
before the Democrats take control of the House, but the exact agenda wasn’t
immediately clear.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=02a-8fe&t=c>
(1/1, Elis) reports a source said incoming House Speaker Pelosi, Senate
Majority Leader McConnell, Senate Majority Whip Thune, Senate Minority
Leader Schumer, Senate Minority Whip Durbin, House Majority Leader Hoyer,
House Minority Leader McCarthy, and House Minority Whip Scalise are
expected to attend. Exiting House Speaker Ryan, whose last day in Congress
is Wednesday, will not attend. The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=02b-b63&t=c>
(1/1, Siegel) reports another source said DHS officials might also attend.

        The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=02c-e1c&t=c>
(1/1, Gearan, Werner) reports, “It was unclear whether the Wednesday
session would break the budget impasse...as Trump has demanded billions of
dollars for a U.S.-Mexico border wall, and Democrats have rejected his
request.” Pelosi “responded to Trump’s ‘let’s make a deal’ invitation by
tweeting
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=02d-601&t=c>
the president had ‘given Democrats a great opportunity to show how we will
govern responsibly & quickly pass our plan to end the irresponsible
#TrumpShutdown – just the first sign of things to come in our new
Democratic Majority committed to working #ForThePeople.’”

        The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=02e-37d&t=c>
(1/1, Nicholas, Andrews) reports Trump used the invitation to increase
pressure on Democrats, and he has been using Twitter to portray them as
unwilling to negotiate. The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=02f-bf6&t=c>
(1/1, Haberkorn) reports House Democratic leaders “have promised a vote
Thursday to reopen the government; their plan does not include money for a
wall.” The President “has said he will not support legislation that doesn’t
include money for a wall. Last month, however, the administration sent
mixed signals on what the president would sign, leading the Senate to
unanimously support a bill with no wall funds.”

        David Catanese of US News & World Report said on Fox News Special
Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=030-e10&t=c>
(1/1), “The first test is going to come Thursday and the Democrats are
going to hold two votes to reopen the government. Then it’s going to go to
the Senate and then Mitch McConnell I think has a tough decision to make:
Will he put a vote on the floor to reopen the government that does not
include border wall funding?”

        Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=031-3f7&t=c>
(1/1, Wasson), the New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=032-555&t=c>
(1/1, Schwab), Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=033-9e9&t=c>
(1/1, Bade, Bresnahan), and CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=034-619&t=c>
(1/1, McPherson) are among the other sources with brief, straightforward
accounts.

        *Judge Orders DOJ Attorneys To Continue Work On Immigration
Detention Case. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=035-832&t=c>
(1/1, A1, Dinan) reports US District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras “says
the issues at stake in an immigration detention case before him are too
important to let something like a government shutdown ruin his schedule.”
He has “ordered the Justice Department this week to stay on the case,
despite the department having run out of money as of Dec. 22, forcing the
lawyers who remain on the job to do so without pay.” The Times says
Contreras “said that if the government can continue to detain illegal
immigrants during the partial shutdown, it can find a way to keep lawyers
on the job to argue over policies about who should be detained.”

        In an editorial, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=036-43f&t=c>
(1/1) says the shutdown “contravenes the president’s own long-standing
insistence on a more rational and efficient immigration system, as he
himself defines it. A president who attacks ‘catch and release’ now
embraces a policy that ensures indefinite release. A president hungry for
ever more deportations now ensures that thousands of would-be deportees get
reprieves. And a president who conjures migrant no-shows in courts manages
to close the courts entirely.”

        *AFGE Sues Trump Administration Over Requiring Work Without Pay. *The
Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=037-74e&t=c>
(1/1, Paul) reports the American Federation of Government Employees, the
largest federal employee union, “filed a lawsuit Monday against the Trump
administration, alleging that the partial government shutdown is illegally
forcing more than 400,000 federal employees to work without pay.” Attorney
Heidi Burakiewicz told the Post, “It’s outrageous the government expects
them to work without knowing when they’ll get their next paycheck.” The
suit “is the first legal action targeting effects of the closure.”

        *Some National Parks Shutting Down. *NBC Nightly News[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=038-816&t=c>
(1/1, story 4, 1:40, Welker) reported, “As this shutdown stretches on,
we’re seeing the real-life impacts all over the country. With many national
park rangers on furlough, some of America’s greatest natural wonders are
overflowing with trash and have been forced to shut down.” The Los Angeles
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=039-791&t=c>
(1/1, Blume) reports, “Officials have announced they are closing sections
of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks because of the partial shutdown
of the federal government. The announcement, made late Monday, follows a
similar closure announced for Joshua Tree National Park.” Park officials
“said the government shutdown has prevented them from maintaining
conditions that are safe for park visitors.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=03a-513&t=c>
(1/1, Cuniff, Waters, Achenbach) reports, “Some parks across the country
have remained partially operational with state funding. Contingency plans
adopted by the National Park Service last year have allowed many national
parks to remain accessible, but without staffing.”

        *Shutdown Crippling Basic Functions For Native American Tribes. *The
New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=03b-037&t=c>
(1/1, Smith, Turkewitz) reports that “for Native American tribes, which
rely heavily on federal money to operate,” a government shutdown “can
cripple their most basic functions.” Last month, Rep. Markwayne Mullin
(R-OK), a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, “introduced a bill...that would
have maintained funding for the Indian Health Service during a shutdown,”
but “his proposal did not make it to a vote.” Mullin said, “This is a true
federal obligation to treaties to Native Americans.”
Foreign Policy
Trump Welcomes Kim’s Willingness To Meet, Commitment To North Korean
Denuclearization.

President Trump on Tuesday tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=03c-cee&t=c>,
“‘Kim Jong Un says North Korea will not make or test nuclear weapons, or
give them to others – & he is ready to meet President Trump anytime.’ PBS
News Hour. I also look forward to meeting with Chairman Kim who realizes so
well that North Korea possesses great economic potential!”

        Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=03d-175&t=c>
(1/1, Shin, Kim) reports that earlier Tuesday, Kim said in a televised New
Year address, “I am always ready to sit together with the U.S. president
anytime in the future, and will work hard to produce results welcomed by
the international community without fail.” He “added that Pyongyang had
‘taken various practical measures’ and if Washington responded ‘with
trustworthy measures and corresponding practical actions...bilateral
relations will develop wonderfully at a fast pace.’” Kim warned, however,
“that North Korea might be ‘compelled to explore a new path’ to defend its
sovereignty if the United States ‘seeks to force something upon us
unilaterally...and remains unchanged in its sanctions and pressure.’”
Neither the State Department nor the White House commented on Kim’s
remarks, but South Korea’s presidential office “welcomed Kim’s speech.”
Analysts suggested that “Kim’s message sent clear signals that North Korea
was willing to stay in talks with Washington and Seoul this year – but on
its own terms.”

        The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=03e-cce&t=c>
(1/1, Jeong, Martin) reports former US officials said Kim’s speech was
noteworthy because of his pledge that North Korea would cease producing
nuclear weapons, but other experts argued that Kim’s gesture fell far short
of the steps that the Administration has demanded. Fox News Special
Report[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=03f-7bc&t=c>
(1/1) correspondent Katie Logan said North Korea “desperately” wants the US
to lift sanctions against it and relieve pressure on its economy, but the
US has refused to lift sanctions until North Korea abandons its nuclear
weapons program, even as talks have “stalled.”

        The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=040-cd6&t=c>
(1/1, Denyer) says in an analysis that Kim’s pledge to reduce “his nuclear
arsenal and detente in return for sanctions relief and diplomatic gains” is
“a compromise that appeals to many people who say it will reduce regional
tensions considerably – but not to many senior figures in Washington, who
say it would set a dangerous precedent by recognizing North Korea as a de
facto nuclear weapons state.” A New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=041-67e&t=c>
(1/1, Sanger) analysis says to “hard-liners” like National Security Advisor
Bolton, “who excoriated past administrations for making concessions ahead
of disarmament, capitulating to Mr. Kim on this issue is anathema.” Yet,
the Times says, “to those who have viewed Mr. Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ as
a strategy bound to fail, Mr. Kim’s offer of a step-by-step approach is the
only pathway to success – though maybe a success that constrains, rather
than eliminates, the North’s nuclear ambitions.” Now that Trump faces “a
North Korean state that already has 20 to 60 such weapons,” the Times adds,
he “must decide whether it is better to constrain the growth, or stick with
the position he defended so hotly as a presidential candidate and into his
first year in office.”
Trump, Egypt’s Sisi Discuss Middle East Stability.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=042-162&t=c>
(1/1) reports that President Trump and “Egyptian President Abdel Fattah
al-Sisi discussed the stability of the Middle East” in a Tuesday evening
phone call, “a spokesman for the Egyptian presidency said.” The two leaders
“discussed Egypt’s efforts in fighting terrorism, and the importance of
continuing coordination and cooperation with the United States to support
these efforts, the spokesman added.”
Pompeo Reiterates US Commitment To Israel Amid Syria Withdrawal.

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=043-ecc&t=c>
(1/1, Wadhams, Ferziger) reports that after meeting with Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Brasilia on the sidelines of the
inauguration of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Secretary of State
Pompeo on Tuesday “said the U.S. remains committed to Israel’s security and
stability in the broader Middle East after President Donald Trump provoked
concerns of new chaos when he abruptly ordered U.S. troops out of Syria.”
Pompeo told reporters that Trump’s decision “in no way changes anything
that this administration is working on alongside Israel.” Pompeo added,
“The counter-ISIS campaign continues, our efforts to counter Iranian
aggression continue and our commitment to Middle East stability and the
protection of Israel continues in the same way it did before that decision
was made.”

        Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=044-709&t=c>
(1/1, Milliken) reports Netanyahu told reporters that he and Pompeo “have a
lot to discuss,” including “the intense cooperation between Israel and the
United States which will also deal with the questions following the
decision, the American decision, on Syria and how to intensify even further
our intelligence and operational cooperation in Syria and elsewhere to
block Iranian aggression in the Middle East.” Netanyahu added that “Israel
was very appreciative of the ‘strong ... unequivocal support’ Pompeo gave
Israel’s ‘efforts at self defense against Syria’ in the past few days.”
State Department spokesman Robert Palladino similarly “said Pompeo and
Netanyahu ‘discussed the unacceptable threat that regional aggression and
provocation by Iran and its agents poses to Israeli and regional security’
and Pompeo reiterated the U.S. commitment to Israel’s security and right to
self-defense.”

        AFP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=045-c32&t=c>
(1/1) says “the fact that the issue was the prime topic of conversation
between Pompeo and Netanyahu underlined the uncertainty thrown up by
Trump’s December 19 decision – announced on Twitter – to withdraw US troops
from northeast Syria, where they had been battling IS remnants.”

        *US, Israel Formally Withdraw From UNESCO. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=046-44c&t=c>
(1/1, Adamson) reports that the US and Israel “officially quit” UNESCO “at
the stroke of midnight, the culmination of a process triggered more than a
year ago amid concerns that the organization fosters anti-Israel bias.”
After demanding “‘fundamental reform’ in the agency,” the Administration
“filed its notice to withdraw in October 2017 and Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu followed suit.” The AP says the withdrawals are “mainly
procedural” and “will not greatly impact UNESCO financially,” but the moves
nonetheless deliver “a new blow” to the United Nations agency, which “has
been denounced by its critics as a crucible for anti-Israel bias.” The
State Department did not comment on the withdrawal “because of the U.S.
government shutdown,” but it previously “told UNESCO officials the U.S.
intends to stay engaged at UNESCO as a non-member ‘observer state’ on
‘non-politicized’ issue.”
NYTimes Analysis: Lighthizer Seeks To Keep Trump From Wavering As Talks
With China Get Underway.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=047-755&t=c>
(1/1, Thrush) writes that “with talks between China and the United States
set to begin this week in Beijing, [USTR] Lighthizer, aided by [National
Trade Council Director] Navarro, faces the assignment of a lifetime:
redefining the trade relationship between the world’s two largest economies
by Mr. Trump’s March 2 deadline in a way that tilts the balance of power
toward the United States.” Lighthizer “will need to keep a mercurial
president from wavering in the face of queasy financial markets, which have
suffered their steepest annual decline since 2008.” Lighthizer “has played
down any differences with Mr. Trump and views his role as ultimately
executing the directive of his boss.” But his “skepticism of China runs
deep” and he “has told friends and associates that he is intent on
preventing the president from being talked into accepting ‘empty promises’
like temporary increases in soybean or beef purchases.”
Family Rejects Moscow’s Claim That Detained US Citizen Was Spying.

On ABC World News Tonight
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=048-e7c&t=c>
(1/1, story 6, 1:40, Llamas), James Longman reported retired US Marine Paul
Whelan, 48, has been arrested and accused of spying in Russia. Russia’s
Federal Security Service (FSB) issued a statement saying the country has
“initiated a criminal case against a US citizen under article 276
[espionage] of the criminal code of the Russian Federation.” Longman
reported that the charges Whelan faces “are serious, and if convicted, he
could face a minimum of 10 years in prison.” The CBS Evening News[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=049-bfb&t=c>
(1/1, story 9, 0:20, Duthiers) reported that Whelan’s “family says he went
to Moscow to attend a wedding,” but Fox News Special Report[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=04a-22c&t=c>
(1/1) said the Kremlin “is not backing down from its claim.”

        USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=04b-7df&t=c>
(1/1, Bacon) reports that in a statement issued Tuesday, family members
said that after Whelan failed to contact them on Friday, which was “out of
character for him even when he was traveling,” they immediately contacted
the State Department, the US Embassy in Moscow, and congressional offices.
The family members wrote, “We are deeply concerned for his safety and
well-being. His innocence is undoubted and we trust that his rights will be
respected.”

        The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=04c-5a8&t=c>
(1/1, Simmons, Strobel) reports the State Department on Monday said that it
was aware of the detention of an American in Russia, but declined to
provide details, citing privacy considerations. The State Department
indicated on Tuesday that Moscow has yet to provide US officials access to
Whelan. A “State Department spokesperson, declining to be identified, said
in a statement” to the Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=04d-a84&t=c>
(1/1, Pearce) that the Russian Foreign Ministry “had formally notified U.S.
officials of Whelan’s arrest and that they expected Russian authorities to
provide access to Whelan in detention.” According to the Times,
Administration “officials have remained relatively quiet about Whelan’s
detention, amid concerns about possible Russian retaliation for the ongoing
U.S. investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.”

        In the lead story for NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=04e-e06&t=c>
(1/1, lead story, 2:05, Welker), Pentagon correspondent Hans Nichols said
that Whelan’s “arrest threatens to complicate the fraught relationship
between the United States and Russia.” NBC national security analyst Evelyn
Farkas similarly said Whelan’s detention “has the sense of a tit for tat
action to me because they’re still holding this man in custody.”
Three Taliban Assaults In Northern Afghanistan Result In 21 Police Deaths.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=04f-c39&t=c>
(1/1, Horton, Salahuddin) reports, “At least 21 Afghan police officers were
killed in three simultaneous Taliban assaults Monday night in northern
Afghanistan” in an hours-long attack that occurred near civilian locations.
Afghan “security forces fired artillery rounds to repel the militant
advances,” which were “focused mostly on overtaking oil wells and vehicles
near the capital in Sar-e Pol province.” The latest assault “joins a stream
of near-daily Taliban strikes designed in part to exert pressure during
peace negotiations between the militants,” the US and regional powers.
Three Injured In New Year’s Eve Attack On UK Train Station.

ABC World News Tonight
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=050-559&t=c>
(1/1, story 7, 0:20, Llamas) reported “three people, including a police
officer,” were wounded in Manchester, England when an “unidentified
25-year-old suspect attacked at the city’s Victoria train station.”
According to the report, “The injuries are considered serious, but not
life-threatening.” British authorities have said the “New Year’s Eve
stabbing attack was an act of terror.”

        NBC Nightly News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=051-430&t=c>
(1/1, story 6, 0:20, Welker) reported authorities in the UK have launched a
terror investigation into the “New Year’s Eve stabbing spree,” adding that
“a witness says the suspect shouted terror related slogans during the
attack in Manchester.”

        Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=052-bde&t=c>
(1/1, Noble) reports that “Greater Manchester Police said they were
searching an address in the Cheetham Hill area of the city on Tuesday after
they detained a man on suspicion of carrying out the attack.” Police added
that “they would step up their presence in the city where a suicide bomb
attack in May 2017 killed 22 people as they left a concert by pop star
Ariana Grande.” Chief Constable Ian Hopkins “said many people would have
been affected by Monday’s attack, particularly since it happened so close
to the scene of the 2017 bombing at Manchester Arena.” According to
Reuters, “Britain is on its second-highest threat level of severe, meaning
an attack is considered highly likely.”

        *Five Injured In Germany During Ramming Attack. *ABC World News
Tonight
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=053-0e8&t=c>
(1/1, story 8, 0:20, Llamas) reported at least five people in Germany were
injured after an attack in the western cities of Bottrop and Essen, during
which an unidentified suspect “allegedly [drove] into crowds shortly after
midnight, on purpose.” According to the report, “the 50-year-old driver
began ramming pedestrians with a silver Mercedes, apparently targeting
foreigners, with Syrian and Afghan citizens among the victims.”
Domestic Policy
Trump Blasts McChrystal’s “Big, Dumb Mouth.”

The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=054-332&t=c>
(1/1, Fredericks) reports President Trump has added retired Gen. Stanley
McChrystal “to the list of perceived enemies he has insulted as ‘a dog’
over the years.” In a tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=055-fca&t=c>
Tuesday morning, Trump wrote, “‘General’ McChrystal got fired like a dog by
Obama. Last assignment a total bust. Known for big, dumb mouth. Hillary
lover!” Trump “also retweeted an article from conservative talking head
Laura Ingraham’s website Lifezette titled ‘Media Didn’t Like McChrystal
Until He Started Bashing Trump.’”

        The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=056-bca&t=c>
(1/1, Samuels) says Trump’s tweet came after McChrystal told ABC’s This
Week “that he would not work for the Trump administration if asked, citing
the president’s dishonesty.” McChrystal said, “It’s important for me to
work for people who I think are basically honest, who tell the truth as
best they know it. ... I don’t think he tells the truth.” The Washington
Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=057-99a&t=c>
(1/1, Siegel) reports McChrystal “said that he could not work for an
‘immoral’ person like Trump.”
Romney: Trump Has Not “Risen To The Mantle Of The Office.”

In an op-ed for the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=058-474&t=c>
(1/1), Sen.-elect Mitt Romney (R-UT) writes that President Trump’s “conduct
over the past two years, particularly his actions this month, is evidence
that the president has not risen to the mantle of the office.” Romney
argues that a president “should demonstrate the essential qualities of
honesty and integrity, and elevate the national discourse with comity and
mutual respect.” He adds that “presidential leadership in qualities of
character is indispensable. And it is in this province where the
incumbent’s shortfall has been most glaring.” Romney adds that in the
Senate, he will “support policies that I believe are in the best interest
of the country and my state, and oppose those that are not. I do not intend
to comment on every tweet or fault. But I will speak out against
significant statements or actions that are divisive, racist, sexist,
anti-immigrant, dishonest or destructive to democratic institutions.”

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=059-311&t=c>
(1/1, Mervosh) reports, “The timing and tone of the piece set off
widespread speculation online, with some suggesting that Mr. Romney aimed
to position himself as ‘the new Jeff Flake,’ the departing Republican
senator from Arizona who publicly tangled with Mr. Trump. Or, others asked,
was Mr. Romney” indicating “he might try to challenge” Trump “in the 2020
Republican primary election? Brad Parscale, the campaign manager for Mr.
Trump’s 2020 re-election bid, quickly fired back at Mr. Romney, saying in a
tweet Tuesday night that Mr. Trump had ‘saved’ the country while the
senator-elect could not. ‘Jealousy is a drink best served warm and Romney
just proved it,’ he said. ‘So sad.’”

        Reporting on Romney’s op-ed, Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=05a-65c&t=c>
(1/1, Moons) said that the “failed presidential candidate...acknowledged
that Trump had enacted ‘policies mainstream Republicans have promoted for
years,’” but “went on to assail Trump’s character.” Breitbart again
mentioned Romney’s unsuccessful presidential bid, saying, “The failed 2012
Republican presidential nominee...relentlessly lambasted Trump during the
2016 presidential election,” but “when time came for the 2018 midterm
elections and Romney made his way to Utah to run for the US Senate,
President Trump chose to endorse him – and Romney accepted.”

        *Trump’s “Most Prominent” GOP Critics In Congress Set To Leave
Senate. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=05b-eef&t=c>
(1/1, Freking) questions “who – if anyone – will” take the place of Sens.
Bob Corker (R-TN) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ), the President’s “most prominent
GOP critics on Capitol Hill,” as they prepare to end their Senate careers.
GOP strategist Rory Cooper, who helped lead the “Never Trump PAC” in 2016,
predicted no GOP senator will “take their place as chief agitator when the
new Congress convenes Thursday.” Cooper “said publicly criticizing the
president makes Republican voters back home unhappy and earns the ire of
the president.”
Democrats Plan “Deliberate And Dispassionate” Investigations Of Trump
Administration.

McClatchy
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=05c-731&t=c>
(1/1, Clark) reports that when Democrats take control of the House, “some
lawmakers and much of the Democratic base would like party leaders to open
impeachment proceedings against President Trump.” However, “that’s unlikely
to happen, as top Democrats are more inclined to pursue investigations that
are deliberate and dispassionate,” according to Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA).
Connolly “argued that to be successful, Democrats need to proceed
methodically and ultimately look to influence the voters who support
Trump.” McClatchy goes on to report on “how much of the Trump
administration Democrats want to put under the microscope.” According to
McClatchy, possible areas of inquiry include “the administration’s family
separation policy, its procedures for White House security clearances and
Cabinet members’ travel habits,” as well as executive branch security
clearances, seeking to obtain the President’s tax records, developments in
special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the
2016 presidential campaign, and the federal investigation into the
activities of former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=05d-59d&t=c>
(1/1, Stolberg, Davis) says the President “appears determined to keep the
focus on border security, immigration and his ‘big, beautiful’ wall,” but
House Democrats “intend to put a spotlight on the issues that worked well
for them during the campaign: diminishing the influence of the wealthy and
connected, expanding voting rights, lowering prescription drug costs and
passing a bipartisan infrastructure bill.” The Times describes the
President as “on the defensive and presiding over a federal government that
remains partially closed,” and says he is “trying to stomp on that
message.”
Dubelier Has Become Mueller’s “Most Persistent Courtroom Critic.”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=05e-b61&t=c>
(1/1, Scarborough) reports Eric Dubelier, a former Justice Department
assistant US attorney in Washington, “has emerged as special counsel Robert
Mueller’s most persistent courtroom critic.” In “months of court filings
and oral arguments,” Dubelier “has depicted Mr. Mueller as a rogue
prosecutor willfully ignoring Justice Department guidelines. He has accused
Mr. Mueller of creating a ‘make-believe crime’ against his Russian client,
Concord Management and Consulting, which is accused of funding a troll farm
that interfered in the 2016 election.” According to Dubelier, “the Mueller
team violated the confidentially of Concord’s counter evidence while hiding
documents Concord needs for its defense.”

        *Catanese Predicts Battle Over Release Of Mueller Report. *David
Catanese of US News & World Report said on Fox News Special Report[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=05f-7ef&t=c>
(1/1), “The next battle is going to be about the actual release of the
Mueller report. The White House seems to be their legal strategy is going
to be that this is going to be protected by executive privilege and
remember, the Attorney General makes the decision on whether to send the
report to Congress. So, we will have a Mueller report. The big question
that’s kind of being overlooked as will the public see it? And will parts,
major parts be redacted? Rudy Giuliani has already signaled that they will
fight it. So it could be months and months.”
US Fires Tear Gas Across Mexican Border To Repel Migrants.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=060-b8c&t=c>
(1/1) reports, “U.S. authorities fired tear gas into Mexico during the
first hours of the new year to repel about 150 migrants who tried to breach
the border fence in Tijuana.” In a statement, Customs and Border Protection
said, “No agents witnessed any of the migrants at the fence line, including
children, experiencing effects of the chemical agents, which were targeted
at the rock throwers further away.” An AP photographer “saw at least three
volleys of gas launched onto the Mexican side of the border near Tijuana’s
beach that affected the migrants, including women and children, as well as
journalists. The AP saw rocks thrown only after U.S. agents fired the tear
gas.”

        *Sheriffs In Two Conservative California Counties Criticize
Sanctuary Laws. *The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=061-141&t=c>
(1/1, Mejia) reports sheriffs in two of California’s more conservative
counties have become critics of the state’s liberal sanctuary laws. The
sheriffs of Stanislaus and Tulare counties have both said the laws have
protected immigrants in the US illegally who would later be charged with
murder. Following the killing of a police officer in Stanislaus County last
week, ICE “issued a statement expressing concern ‘that California’s
sanctuary laws continue to undermine public safety and cause preventable
crimes by restricting law enforcement cooperation and allowing public
safety threats back into the community to reoffend.’”
Trump Highlights Falling Gas Prices In Pair Of Tweets.

On January 1, President Trump took to Twitter
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to highlight low gas prices, saying, “Gas prices are low and expected to go
down this year. This would be good!” He then followed up tweeting
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=063-79d&t=c>,
“Do you think it’s just luck that gas prices are so low, and falling? Low
gas prices are like another Tax Cut!”
Trump Calls Out Schumer For Delayed Senate Confirmations.

Reiterating similar accusations he made a day earlier on Twitter, President
Trump on January 1 tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=064-49e&t=c>,
“For FAR TOO LONG Senate Democrats have been Obstructing more than 350
Nominations. These great Americans left their jobs to serve our Country,
but can’t because Dems are blocking them, some for two years-historic
record. Passed committees, but [Senate Minority Leader] Schumer putting
them on hold. Bad!”
Cancer Research
Sloan Kettering Conflict-Of-Interest Policies Draw Controversy.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=065-4b0&t=c>
(12/31, Thomas, Ornstein) reports in collaboration with ProPublica on
issues of potential conflicts-of-interest at the leadership level at
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. At a meeting in October, several
doctors expressed concern over relationships cultivated by the hospital
with for-profit companies. Shortly thereafter, “reports by The New York
Times and ProPublica” indicated “that the hospital’s chief medical officer,
Dr. José Baselga, had been paid millions by drug and health care companies
and failed to disclose those ties more than 100 times in medical journals.”
Meanwhile, “at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, officials have said they are
considering whether Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, their chief executive, and
others should continue to serve on the boards of publicly traded
companies.” Questions about conflict-of-interest policies have also sparked
concern at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. While
former NIH and NCI Director Dr. Harold Varmus led Sloan Kettering, “he and
a top deputy, Dr. Robert E. Wittes, did not consult for companies, own
their stock or serve on their boards.”
Lung Cancer Screenings Recommended For Older Current And Former Smokers.

The Tennessean
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=066-4ec&t=c>
(1/1, Wadhwani) reports, “Lung cancer screenings are now recommended for
patients between the ages of 55 and 80 who are either current smokers or
have quit within the past 15 years.” The Tennessean adds, “Insurance
companies and Medicare began to cover such screenings in 2015.”
Editorials/Op-Eds
New York Times.

The New York Times did not publish any editorials online or in its print
edition.
Washington Post.

*“Trump’s Shutdown Has Paralyzed Immigration Courts. Oh, The Irony.”* In an
editorial, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=067-1dd&t=c>
(1/1) says the government shutdown “contravenes the president’s own
long-standing insistence on a more rational and efficient immigration
system, as he himself defines it. A president who attacks ‘catch and
release’ now embraces a policy that ensures indefinite release. A president
hungry for ever more deportations now ensures that thousands of would-be
deportees get reprieves. And a president who conjures migrant no-shows in
courts manages to close the courts entirely.”

        *“Trump’s Nominee To Oversee Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac Could
Provoke A Needed Discussion.” *A Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=068-fa9&t=c>
(1/1) editorial says President Trump’s nomination of Mark Calabria to run
the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates and operates Fannie Mae
and Freddie Mac, is in keeping with his pattern of putting “certain
regulatory agencies under the control of their longtime critics.” Calabria
“has a long record of opposing not only the way Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
do business but also their very purposes.” The Post calls Calabria’s
nomination “a provocative move,” by the Administration, but adds that “if
it provokes serious discussion about the most important unfinished business
of the financial crisis, it may prove to be a positive move as well.”

        *“A Great First Step To Protect Antibiotics For The Future.” *In an
editorial, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019010201biden&r=email-b496&l=069-dfe&t=c>
(1/1) observes, “Very promising news about antibiotic use in farm animals
has come from the Food and Drug Administration,” as “new data” demonstrate
“the use of antibiotics in animal agriculture has taken a marked downward
turn.” The Post adds, “As FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb noted Dec. 18,
this is a costly public-health problem, with an estimated two million
Americans suffering from antibiotic-resistant infections every year,
leading to 23,000 deaths.” As Gottlieb “correctly pointed out...it is
impossible to outrace resistance, but efforts must be made to ‘slow its
pace and reduce its impact on both human and animal health.’” If antibiotic
resistance does not slow, “antibiotics, the ‘miracle drugs’ of the 20th
century, will become useless, and a foundation of modern medicine could
crumble.”

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