Subject: FW: Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for Thursday, January 10, 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: Thu, 10 Jan 2019 08:55:50 -0500

Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing

*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <[email-masked]>
*Sent:* Thursday, January 10, 2019 7:54 AM
*To:* [email-masked]
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Thursday, January 10, 2019

*Click to access
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=000-982&t=c>
mobile-optimized online version, including download options and an audio
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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=001-c0a&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Thursday, January 10, 2019 8:00 AM EST*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News* <#SECTION_1>

• 2020 North Carolina Poll: Biden Leads Trump 49%-44% In Hypothetical
Matchup. <#S1>

• Media Outlets Highlight Frank Biden Remarks On His PA Relatives Having
Voted For Trump. <#S2>

• Vanity Fair: Ocasio-Cortez “Already Having A Significant Impact On” 2020
Democratic Race. <#S3>

• Trump, Likely 2020 Rivals Seize On Shutdown Battle To Fundraise, Rally
Base. <#S4>

• Key 2016 Sanders Campaign Adviser Accused Of Forcibly Kissing Staff
Member. <#S5>

• Steyer Won’t Enter 2020 Presidential Race, Will Focus On Trump
Impeachment Push. <#S6>

• Warren To Visit New Hampshire This Weekend. <#S7>

• NYTimes: Billionaires, Including Bloomberg, An Early Target In 2020
Democratic Race. <#S8>

*Leading the News* <#SECTION_2>

• Trump Walks Out Of Meeting With Pelosi And Schumer Over Border Wall
Impasse. <#S9>

*Foreign Policy* <#SECTION_3>

• Pompeo Makes Unannounced Visit To Iraq. <#S10>

• Pompeo: Erdoğan’s Threats Against Kurds Will Not Stop US Withdrawal From
Syria. <#S11>

• Kim Leaves China After Talks With Xi, Reiterates Commitment To
Denuclearization. <#S12>

• Progress Reported As US-China End Three Days Of Trade Talks. <#S13>

• Report: Netanyahu, Trump May Meet Before Israeli Election. <#S14>

• Khamenei Acknowledges US Sanctions Putting Pressure On Iran’s Economy.
<#S15>

• Reports Suggest British Parliament Set To Reject May’s Brexit Deal. <#S16>

*Domestic Policy* <#SECTION_4>

• House Approves Spending Bill For IRS And Some Other Agencies. <#S17>

• Giuliani: Trump Will Not Answer Any More Questions From Mueller. <#S18>

• Rosenstein Expected To Leave DOJ After Barr’s Confirmation. <#S19>

• Mnuchin To Brief Lawmakers On Plans To Remove Sanctions Linked To Russian
Oligarch. <#S20>

• Whitaker, Nadler Disagree About Testimony Date. <#S21>

• Trump Threatens To Withhold FEMA Funds For California Wildfires. <#S22>

• Concerns Raised About Acting Defense Secretary Shanahan’s Ties To Boeing.
<#S23>

*Cancer Research* <#SECTION_5>

• Prostate Cancer Mortality Plateaus After Decades Of Decline, Report Finds.
<#S24>

• Editorial Highlights Progress In Brain Cancer Therapy. <#S25>

*Editorials/Op-Eds* <#SECTION_6>

• New York Times. <#S26>

• Washington Post. <#S27>
Biden in the News
2020 North Carolina Poll: Biden Leads Trump 49%-44% In Hypothetical Matchup.

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=002-f89&t=c>
(1/9, Gstalter) reported that a Public Policy Polling (D) survey
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=003-837&t=c>
of 750 North Carolina voters, taken Jan. 4-7, shows former Vice President
Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) leading President Trump in
hypothetical 2020 general election matchups. In the poll, Biden leads Trump
49%-44%, while Sanders bests the President 48%-45%. In other potential
matchups, Trump and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) are tied at 46%; the
President and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) are tied at 45%; and Trump leads
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) by identical
46%-45% margins.
Media Outlets Highlight Frank Biden Remarks On His PA Relatives Having
Voted For Trump.

Citing a Palm Beach Post story
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=004-33a&t=c>
that was covered in Tuesday’s briefing, Philly (PA) Voice
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=005-68b&t=c>
(1/9, Tanenbaum) reported that in an interview with that paper, former Vice
President Joe Biden’s brother, Frank Biden, “reflected on the 2016
presidential election with frustration over Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Her
approach to the political climate in the country was so flawed, Biden said,
that his own Pennsylvania relatives, on his mother’s side, wound up voting
for Trump.” Frank Biden is quoted as telling the Post, “We never would have
lost Pennsylvania, and all my relatives – the Finnegan family – who voted
for Donald Trump because they felt slighted by Hillary and her campaign.”
Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=006-9cc&t=c>
(1/9, Caplan) also highlighted that quote from Frank Biden, who “said he
‘absolutely, positively’ wants Joe to challenge President Trump, who he
predicted would be soundly beaten if his brother runs.”

        *Townhall’s Benson Highlights New York Times Story On Biden.
*Meanwhile,
under the headline “Here We Go: Biden Reportedly Telling Associates He’s
The Dems’ Best – Or Only – Shot At Beating Trump,” Guy Benson, writing at
Townhall
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=007-1df&t=c>
(1/9), highlighted a New York Times story
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=008-be3&t=c>
(1/6, Martin, Burns), which was covered in Monday’s briefing. Benson said
the article “quotes a number of Democratic officials touting Biden as the
would-be frontrunner (likely true, if only based on name recognition and
national reach), and as the party’s best chance at unifying the party and
decisively defeating” Trump.
Vanity Fair: Ocasio-Cortez “Already Having A Significant Impact On” 2020
Democratic Race.

Chris Smith writes for Vanity Fair
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=009-bc2&t=c>
(1/9) that freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) “is already having
a significant impact on the” 2020 Democratic presidential race, “setting
both a policy agenda and a charisma standard.” Smith quoted a “Democratic
strategist” as saying “that most of the senators that are running” are
“racing to endorse progressive positions, and they will be sure to stay on
the right side of the Ocasio-Cortez fan base. She’s more of a problem for
people like Terry McAuliffe or Joe Biden, if they get in. Biden would get
asked about her and probably sound a skeptical note, and much of the
reaction would immediately be, ‘Oh, [expletive] this guy, he’s out of
touch. He doesn’t get it. She’s the future of the party.’”
Trump, Likely 2020 Rivals Seize On Shutdown Battle To Fundraise, Rally Base.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=00a-110&t=c>
(1/10, Severns) reports that President Trump and potential Democratic
presidential candidates “are using the fight over reopening swaths of the
federal government to further their own” bids. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA),
for example, “is collecting supporters’ names and email addresses through
Facebook ads” criticizing Trump over his “insistence on including a wall at
the Mexico border in any legislation to fund the government.” Ex-Rep. Beto
O’Rourke (D-TX) has “released a video on social media calling for
‘realistic immigration reform.’” And the Trump camp “aired ads on” TV “this
week saying that ‘Democrats must stop playing politics and support real
border security now.’”

        *O’Rourke Walks Through His El Paso Neighborhood Rebutting Trump’s
Immigration Address. *Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=00b-423&t=c>
(1/9, Siders) reported that O’Rourke offered “a meandering rebuttal
to...Trump’s appeal for a border wall,” walking “throughout his El Paso,
Texas, neighborhood late Tuesday night” while slamming Trump “for stoking
‘anxiety and paranoia’ about immigration.” Politico said that “as he edges
closer to a presidential campaign, O’Rourke filmed himself on Facebook Live
for about 75 minutes, visiting friends’ homes and sharing scenic views of
the El Paso and Juárez, Mexico, skylines. ‘The president using fear and
anecdote to try to instill an anxiety and paranoia to build the political
will to construct this wall that would cost $30 billion and take private
property and cause death and suffering as more asylum seekers are pushed to
ever more hostile stretches of the U.S.-Mexico border – that was what we
heard from the Oval Office,’ O’Rourke said.”

        *“Draft Beto” Group Laying Groundwork For Potential O’Rourke Run. *The
Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=00c-ade&t=c>
(1/9, Hagen) reported, “A group of Democratic activists” who want O’Rourke
to run for president in 2020 “is planning an ambitious draft movement,
including raising $1 million for the former congressman, building a donor
email list and rolling out billboards and even, potentially, the first TV
ad.” Called “Draft Beto,” the organization “is also on a hiring spree,
including bringing onboard a number of veteran operatives with ties to
former President Obama’s campaigns and other Democrats who approached the
group.” Those working for the group “serve in an unpaid, volunteer
capacity. Draft Beto’s early moves can help mitigate the aggressive efforts
made by other potential White House hopefuls to lock down key support at a
time when O’Rourke himself has mostly stayed quiet about his plans for
2020.”
Key 2016 Sanders Campaign Adviser Accused Of Forcibly Kissing Staff Member.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=00d-337&t=c>
(1/10, Thompson) reports, “On the final night of the Democratic National
Convention in July of 2016,” members of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT)
presidential campaign went to an eatery in “Philadelphia to celebrate and
mourn the end of the campaign.” While there, “convention floor leader
Robert Becker,” a key Sanders campaign adviser, told “a female staffer” in
her 20s “he had always wanted to have sex with her and made a” crude sexual
remark, “according to the woman and three other people who witnessed what
happened or were told about it shortly afterward by people who did.” In
addition, “Becker...forcibly kissed her,” according to “the woman and other
sources,” though she “did not formally report the incident at the time
because the campaign was over.” However, because Becker has been making
plans to be part of Sanders’ expected 2020 campaign, the woman came
“forward to tell senior Sanders advisers, including 2016 campaign manager
Jeff Weaver, about what happened to her.”

        *Weaver Won’t Serve As Sanders’ Campaign Manager In A Second White
House Bid. *In an online article, CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=00e-ff1&t=c>
(1/9, Krieg) reported that Sanders “will have a new campaign manager if he
runs for president in 2020. Jeff Weaver, the longtime aide who led his 2016
bid, will not return to the role if Sanders enters the race,” according to
“a source.” Weaver “confirmed in an interview that his position will be
changing, most likely to senior strategic adviser to Sanders, who is being
encouraged by supporters to enter the race soon. A decision is expected in
the coming weeks or months.”

        The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=00f-917&t=c>
(1/9, Weigel) reports, “Sources said the decision was made months earlier,
long before a group of former campaign staffers asked for a meeting to
create a new sexual harassment policy ahead of any 2020 decisions, asking
in a letter for Sanders to ‘[hire] diverse leadership to preempt the
possibility of replicating the predatory culture for the first campaign.’” The
Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=010-d63&t=c>
(1/9, Bowden) also reported on the story.

        *Sanders To Speak In South Carolina At MLK Day Rally. *Meanwhile,
the Columbia (SC) State
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=011-75f&t=c>
(1/8, Marchant) reported that Sanders “is the latest presidential contender
to plan a visit to South Carolina.” In Columbia, Sanders “will speak at the
annual King Day at the Dome rally at the State House on Jan. 21, the S.C.
NAACP confirmed Tuesday.” Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), another potential White
House hopeful, “also will speak at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day event.”
Steyer Won’t Enter 2020 Presidential Race, Will Focus On Trump Impeachment
Push.

The Des Moines (IA) Register
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=012-f59&t=c>
(1/9, Pfannenstiel) reports that during a Wednesday visit to Iowa,
billionaire activist Tom Steyer (D-CA) announced that he won’t mount a 2020
White House bid, but instead will continue to focus on his push for
President Trump to be impeached. Said Steyer, “I am not running for
president at this time. Instead I’m strengthening my commitment to Need to
Impeach.” Need to Impeach is the group Steyer founded that focuses on
impeaching Trump. The Register adds that Steyer “said he would commit $40
million throughout 2019 to his impeachment effort. He said that would
include a public education initiative, town halls and an impeachment summit
in the nation’s capital.”

        The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=013-565&t=c>
(1/9, Beaumont, Summers) quotes Steyer as saying, “I said last year that
I’m willing to do whatever I can to protect our country from this reckless,
lawless and dangerous president. Therefore, I will be dedicating 100
percent of my time, effort and resources working for Mr. Trump’s
impeachment and removal from office. I am not running for president at this
time.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=014-79b&t=c>
(1/9, Burns) says Steyer’s “decision came as a surprise even to some of his
political confidants. He had made deliberate preparations in recent months
to seek the White House.” However, he started “informing aides early this
week that he would not” run, “after concluding that he could have a greater
political impact through his impeachment activism, several advisers to Mr.
Steyer said.”

        The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=015-f39&t=c>
(1/9, Barabak) reports that Steyer “declined to throw his support behind
any of the many Democrats eyeing the White House, saying an endorsement
would be premature. ‘I don’t know what the field of 2020 candidates is,’ he
said. ‘Before I would even comment I’d like to see who actually declares
for the presidency and what they have to say.’”
Warren To Visit New Hampshire This Weekend.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=016-109&t=c>
(1/9) reports that Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) will be “hosting an
organizing event in New Hampshire for her 2020 presidential exploratory
committee this weekend. The event is scheduled Saturday afternoon at
Manchester Community College.” In addition, “New Hampshire’s Democratic
Party says Warren will be the keynote speaker at its McIntyre-Shaheen 100
Club Dinner on Feb. 22 in Manchester.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=017-6e7&t=c>
(1/9, Korecki) reported that Warren is slated “to make a stop at a private
event in Concord on Friday and on Saturday will hold an organizing event in
Manchester that will be public.” Politico added, “Last weekend, Warren held
at-capacity organizing events across Iowa – complete with lengthy lines
that stretched for blocks – as Democrats in the first caucus state
expressed readiness to get the 2020 campaign underway.”
NYTimes: Billionaires, Including Bloomberg, An Early Target In 2020
Democratic Race.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=018-e96&t=c>
(1/10, Saul) reports, “With populism making a strong comeback on the
Democratic left, liberals have found an early, enticing foil in the party’s
2020 presidential primary: billionaires” such as ex-New York City Mayor
Michael Bloomberg (D-NY), “who could bankroll their own campaigns or
finance others.” The Times says Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) “fired several
shots after entering the race last week, denouncing ‘campaigns that are
funded by billionaires, whether it goes through super PACs or their own
money.’” The Times adds that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) “inveighed against
‘the billionaire class’ last week, and left-wing activists heckled Mr.
Bloomberg over his wealth when he visited Iowa last month.”
Leading the News
Trump Walks Out Of Meeting With Pelosi And Schumer Over Border Wall Impasse.

Coverage of the ongoing partial federal shutdown, which again led all three
broadcast network newscasts, focuses on President Trump’s early exit from a
meeting with congressional Democratic leaders. The President tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=019-c08&t=c>,
“Just left a meeting with Chuck and Nancy, a total waste of time. I asked
what is going to happen in 30 days if I quickly open things up, are you
going to approve Border Security which includes a Wall or Steel Barrier?
Nancy said, NO. I said bye-bye, nothing else works!” Several outlets say
the President “stormed out” of the meeting; some others say he simply
“walked out.”

        David Muir said in opening ABC World News Tonight[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=01a-ef4&t=c>
(1/9, lead story, 4:05), “The President address[ed] the nation last night
from the Oval Office, making the case for his border wall and the $5.7
billion in US taxpayer money he wants for it. He had said Mexico would pay
for it. But late today, after his trip to Capitol Hill, a meeting in the
Situation Room of the White House. When Nancy Pelosi said no money for the
wall, he said ‘bye-bye,’ got up, and left, the meeting lasting just 14
minutes. All of this with the shutdown now reaching Day 19, and 800,000
workers will not get paid this week.”

        On the CBS Evening News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=01b-7b4&t=c>
(1/9, lead story, 3:10), Jeff Glor called it “a short meeting over a long
shutdown. ... Top Democrats say the President stormed out of the White
House talk with congressional leaders. The Speaker of the House called him
‘petulant’; the President says Democrats refuse to negotiate as he pushes
for a barrier border. At this point, hundreds of thousands of workers will
not get paid this Friday.” CBS’ Nancy Cordes: “Democrats said the President
abruptly ended their talks today, and he didn’t dispute it. ‘A total waste
of time’, he tweeted. ‘I said, bye-bye.’” Senate Minority Leader Schumer:
“He sort of slammed the table and when Leader Pelosi said she didn’t agree
with the wall, he just walked out and said, ‘We have nothing to discuss.’”

        In the lead story on NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=01c-cc1&t=c>
(1/9, lead story, 2:40), Lester Holt said “the crisis rocking America” is
“not the one the President speaks of at the southern border but the crisis
of dysfunction here in Washington that has ground so much of the government
to a halt, and the crisis around kitchen tables where families try to
figure out what they’ll do come Friday when the government paycheck doesn’t
arrive.” The President’s “face-to-face meeting with Democratic leaders here
ended in disappointment, the President walking out.”

        Anderson Cooper said on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=01d-7ed&t=c>
(1/9), “According to a congressional aide, before he walked out, there was
this exchange with Minority Leader Schumer. Sen. Schumer allegedly said,
‘You are using people as leverage, why won’t you open the government and
stop hurting people?’ President Trump then responded, ‘Because then you
won’t give me what I want.’”

        The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=01e-2bf&t=c>
(1/9, Lucey, Mascaro, Kellman) says the President “walked out of his
negotiating meeting with congressional leaders Wednesday – ‘I said
bye-bye,’ he tweeted – as efforts to end the 19-day partial government
shutdown fell into deeper disarray over his demand for billions of dollars”
for a border barrier. Democrats and Republicans “had differing accounts of
the brief exchange, but the result was clear: The partial shutdown
continued with no end in sight.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=01f-18b&t=c>
(1/9, Groppe, Jackson, Collins) says “Trump walked out” of the meeting;
Schumer “called Trump’s behavior ‘unbecoming of a president.’” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=020-678&t=c>
(1/9, Everett, Caygle, Bresnahan) reports, “The government shutdown,
already on its 20th day, could drag long into January. The longest shutdown
in recent history was 21 days in the 1990s.”

        The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=021-f00&t=c>
(1/9, A1, Sullivan) says the talks “collapsed in acrimony and disarray,”
with Trump “walking out of the White House meeting and calling it ‘a total
waste of time.’ ... Furious Democrats accused Trump of slamming his hand on
the table before he exited, and they said he ignored their pleas to reopen
the federal government as they continue to negotiate over his border wall
demands. With the shutdown nearing the three-week mark, some 800,000
workers are about to miss their first paycheck.” House Speaker Pelosi, in
what the Post calls “an implicit dig at Trump’s wealthy upbringing,” later
said, “He thinks maybe they could just ask their father for more money. But
they can’t.”

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=022-c7b&t=c>
(1/9, Fandos, Tackett, Davis) reports “Trump stormed out” of the meeting
after Pelosi “said she would not fund a border wall even if he agreed to
reopen the government. ... Stunned Democrats emerged from the meeting in
the White House Situation Room declaring that the president had thrown a
‘temper tantrum’ and slammed his hands on the table before leaving with an
abrupt ‘bye-bye.’ Republicans disputed the hand slam and blamed Democratic
intransigence for prolonging the standoff.” The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=023-0b6&t=c>
(1/9, Nelson) reports Vice President Pence said, “I don’t recall him ever
raising his voice or slamming his hand.” The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=024-de8&t=c>
(1/9, Tacopino) reports Pence said the President even offered the
Democratic leaders candy. Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=025-4cb&t=c>
(1/9, Moons) reports. “Pence said talk with leaders continued afterward.”

        Steve Peoples of the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=026-2be&t=c>
(1/9) writes, “There is no easy way out. ... Political pressures on Trump
and the Democrats have left little room for compromise in the standoff over
funding for a border wall. ... Each side appeared dug in even deeper” after
the Wednesday meeting. The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=027-3b4&t=c>
(1/9, A1, Nakamura, Kim) writes, “Trump has long said that keeping
opponents off balance is the best way to win a negotiation. But nearly
three weeks into a partial government shutdown, his usual playbook doesn’t
seem to be working.” Trump “has found that his go-to arsenal of bluster,
falsehoods, threats and theatrics has laid bare his shortcomings as a
negotiator – preventing him from finding a way out of what may be the
biggest political crisis of his presidency.”

        Gloria Borger said on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=028-4d8&t=c>
(1/9), “This is typical Trump. ... When I was doing reporting on Trump
during the campaign, everybody who was in meetings with him said this is
his M.O. He would walk into a meeting, he would throw a grenade in the
meeting if it wasn’t going the way that he wanted, and then he would get up
and leave. And that was a negotiating tactic for him. Well, it may have
worked in real estate. I am not so sure it works with Nancy Pelosi and
Chuck Schumer.”

        Gail Collins writes in her New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=029-f0e&t=c>
(1/9) column, “The two sides disagreed on who caused the talks to
collapse,” but “after only about 30 minutes, he who says ‘bye-bye’ is the
culprit.” Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=02a-85b&t=c>,
“Democrat aide just now: ‘He actually said BYE BYE before he left. That’s
word for word what he said.’” Bloomberg News’ Sahil Kapur similarly tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=02b-c6a&t=c>
that a source “says the president definitely said ‘bye bye’ as he left.”

        Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=02c-f69&t=c>
(1/9, Beech), the Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=02d-558&t=c>
(1/9, Haberkorn), and the Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=02e-f77&t=c>
(1/9, A1, Boyer, Sherfinski) are among the other sources also reporting on
the brief meeting and the President’s exit.

        *Trump Again Says He Has Authority To Declare National Emergency To
Build Wall. *On NBC Nightly News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=02f-c8c&t=c>
(1/9, story 2, 1:30, Holt), Kristin Welker reported, “The President [is]
doubling down on his threat to go around Congress and declare a national
emergency.” Trump: “I have the absolute right to do a national emergency if
I want if I can’t make a deal with people that are unreasonable.” Welker:
“The National Emergencies Act gives presidents the broad authority to take
action in a crisis and to redirect money already approved by Congress. ...
Democrats are already threatening a legal challenge, and even some
Republicans are warning Mr. Trump against it.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC):
“That would be your last option, not your first. He may have the authority
to do that, but I’m hopeful that the normal process of negotiating through
the appropriations bills will get us to where we need to go.”

        The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=030-c6a&t=c>
(1/9, A1, Peterson, Ballhaus, Andrews) reports the declaration of an
emergency is increasingly likely, according to White House officials,
especially in the wake of Wednesday’s meeting. The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=031-201&t=c>
(1/9, Tackett) reports, “Trump warned on Wednesday that he reserved the
option.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=032-f5c&t=c>
(1/9, Choi) similarly reports Trump “said he would take a more extreme
action if he and Democrats fail to work out an agreement.”

        Kellyanne Conway said on Fox News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=033-77c&t=c>
(1/9), “The President said all along he’s looking at this. His legal
counsel is examining the options. The President says he is on solid ground
to actually be able to do it. ... He said that he is considering it, he is
looking at it. But I also think that that would take Congress off the hook
again. Congress failed to do its job over a series of years. Republicans
and Democrats, frankly, in the leadership have failed to do their job over
a series of years to get us the border security that we need.”

        Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) was asked about a possible emergency
declaration during an interview aired on NBC Nightly News[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=034-a61&t=c>
(1/9, story 3, 1:05, Holt). She said, “I think that would be a very dubious
move from a constitutional perspective. Without congressional
authorization, it is not what I think is intended by the National Emergency
Act.” However, the Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=035-fb7&t=c>
(1/9, Savage) writes, “Many legal experts...say they are not confident the
Constitution and the courts would stand in the way if President Trump were
to declare a national emergency to fund a wall on the southern border.”

        Dana Milbank writes in his Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=036-dfc&t=c>
(1/9) column, “The trouble with the wall isn’t that it’s evil, but that
it’s medieval. ... We could use drones, ground-penetrating radar and that
newfangled invention called ‘gunpowder.’ But this would defeat the very
purpose of building a wall in the first place: the frivolous novelty of
using a fifth-century solution to a 21st-century problem.”

        *Nielsen: “Humanitarian And Security Crisis” Is “Getting Worse.” *DHS
Secretary Nielsen writes in USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=037-a47&t=c>
(1/9), “There is a humanitarian and security crisis at our southwest
border. It is getting worse, and a ‘status quo’ response from Congress –
inadequate authorities, insufficient funds and indifference to the chaos –
will not cut it. ... The situation cannot be ignored. Despite the facts
provided by front-line DHS professionals, some public figures and
commentators claim that there is no crisis, or that it is ‘manufactured.’
There is nothing manufactured about children arriving at our borders
dehydrated and sick, migrants being abused on a lawless pathway, deadly
drugs coming across in droves, or criminals evading our defenses.”

        Nielsen said on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=038-b00&t=c>
(1/9), “This a severe humanitarian and security crisis. The President is
taking leadership. He is taking decisive action, and Congress continues to
refuse to act. He has made it very clear what the crisis is, what we need
to do. They have no alternative. They refuse to engage. It’s very, very
disappointing.”

        *Figures Show CBP Detained 60,782 Migrants In December. *The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=039-8a1&t=c>
(1/9, Miroff) reports, “A busy December set another record for the number
of migrant parents and children taken into custody,” with US border
authorities arresting 60,782 migrants, including “27,518 members of ‘family
units,’” according to CBP statistics issued Wednesday. The figures show
December was the “the third consecutive month that the figure” topped
60,000, “remaining near the highest levels of” the Trump Administration.
President Trump noted the “soaring numbers during a prime-time address
Tuesday,” when he urged Democrats to approve $5.7 billion for his border
wall plan, “calling the arrival of so many families a ‘crisis of the heart
and a crisis of the soul.’” The Post adds that US border agents in December
“struggled to cope with the family surge, as Border Patrol holding cells
filled with youngsters and became miserably crowded and unhealthy.”

        *Texas Border-Area Officials Skeptical About Wall. *The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=03a-99f&t=c>
(1/9, Viser) reports, “As President Trump heads to Texas to continue making
his case for a wall along the Mexican border, he is facing mounting
skepticism from those who would be affected the most. Nearly every state
and federal official who represents a district along the border is opposed
to his plan,” and Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX), “whose district includes 820 miles
along the border, has repeatedly spoken out and voted against it.” Though
“many in Texas, including Democrats, say that much more needs to be done
along the border,” most of those the Post spoke with said a wall is not the
solution. State Sen. Juan Hinojosa, a border-area Democrat, said, “The
immigration system is completely broken, but the wall is not the answer,”
Hinojosa said. “There’s a lack of common sense in building this wall. Some
of the barriers are needed. But you can’t just build a wall like in China
from Brownsville to San Diego.”

        Hurd said on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=03b-731&t=c>
(1/9), “I think building a concrete structure from sea to shining sea is
the most expensive and least effective way to do border security. There are
some places where a wall is indeed a physical barrier. But in many parts of
the Border Patrol, response time is measured in hours to days. If your
response time is measured in hours or days, then a wall is not a physical
barrier. It is not going to impede people.”

        Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=03c-796&t=c>
(1/9, Cook, Orr) reports White House Counsel Pat Cipollone will accompany
the President on his Thursday trip. The President “has directed Cipollone
to explore legal ways to find the money” to fund the wall without
congressional approval.

        *NYTimes Analysis: Some Democrats Distancing Themselves From
Criticism Of Border Wall. *In an article titled “Democrats Focus On
Shutdown’s Cost And Steer Away From Trump’s Wall,” the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=03d-218&t=c>
(1/9, Davis) reports that when Pelosi “pronounced President Trump’s border
wall ‘an immorality’” last week, “most Democrats cheered and nodded their
heads. But a few privately grimaced, worried that such stark terminology
could make it more difficult for Democrats and Republicans to find their
way out of an impasse over border security.” While Trump “has launched an
elaborate public-relations effort to draw Democrats into a debate over the
wall itself...Democrats are just as determined to talk instead about a more
universally resonant theme: the need to get the government open and
functioning while negotiations continue.”

        House Majority Leader Hoyer said on CNN’s Cuomo Prime Time[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=03e-51d&t=c>
(1/9), “[The President] is in effect holding hostage not only the 800,000
federal employees but also the millions and millions of people who need
housing assistance, who need food stamps, who need to go to our national
parks, who need to get their tax refunds.” Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) said
on CNN’s The Lead
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=03f-3f5&t=c>
(1/9), “This is a crisis of the President’s own making. ... It is a false
choice to suggest we will hold 800,000 federal workers and all of the
services that they provide hostage for this President’s vanity project.
Let’s have that conversation. But let’s stop this shutdown of the
government. Get the government working doing the job it is supposed to do
and those workers want to do and pay them for their work.”

        In a USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=040-902&t=c>
(1/9) op-ed, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) writes, “Think about the custodians
keeping our public spaces clean, or the cafeteria workers who serve the
public, or the security guards keeping us safe. They’re often employed by
private contracting companies – meaning they don’t receive the pay, job
security or retirement benefits that direct federal employees do. They’re
paid too little to begin with – often $12 or $15 an hour. Now thousands of
these workers can’t work and aren’t getting paid, thanks to President
Trump.”

        Schumer tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=041-f83&t=c>,
“Stop throwing a temper tantrum and re-open the government. You’re hurting
American workers and their families, @realDonaldTrump.” Rep. Adam Smith
(D-WA) tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=042-da9&t=c>,
“The President is shutting down the government over a legislative policy
dispute. To shutdown the government every time you have a disagreement over
where we spend money is a recipe for suffering & chaos. Real people are
suffering & the President just blows right through that.” Rep. Dina Titus
(D-NV) tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=043-bdc&t=c>,
“Over 3,500 workers in Nevada have been forced to stay home or work without
pay for almost 3 weeks now. The American people have had enough of this
latest Trump tantrum.”

        Helaine Olen writes in her Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=044-6ba&t=c>
(1/9) column that in his Tuesday speech, the President “did not once
mention the emergency caused by his intransigence: the financial crisis
hitting the roughly 800,000 federal workers and contractors who are going
unpaid as a result of the partial shutdown of the federal government. If
you ever wanted to know what the downsides of government by millionaires
and billionaires is, this is as good of an example as you can find. Trump
doesn’t have a clue how Americans who don’t inherit fortunes live, and he
has little desire to fix that.”

        *White House May Cancel Trump’s Trip To Davos If Shutdown
Continues. *The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=045-f3b&t=c>
(1/9, Bender) reports the White House is considering canceling President
Trump’s trip to Davos later this month if the partial government shutdown
has not been resolved, Administration officials said. If the shutdown
continues, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin will likely still attend the event,
but the size of the US delegation probably will be significantly reduced,
officials said.

        *About 35.3 Million Americans Watched Trump’s Speech. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=046-b2e&t=c>
(1/9) reports an estimated 35.3 million Americans watched the President’s
Tuesday speech, according to Nielsen data. That is “about 10 million fewer
viewers than Trump had for his 2018 State of the Union address” and “was
similar to President Barack Obama’s 2014 presidential address on fighting
the Islamic state.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=047-898&t=c>
(1/9, Grynbaum) reports, “The speech itself made little news, and critics
questioned why network executives had agreed to grant Mr. Trump such a
large platform. Executives said they believed that the shutdown, and its
adverse affects on millions of Americans, were inherently newsworthy.”

        Margaret Sullivan of the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=048-4a0&t=c>
(1/9) writes, “After Tuesday night’s debacle in the Oval Office, television
network executives should be spending the day in their spacious offices
practicing a simple word: No. No, Mr. President, you may not break into
prime-time programming to fundraise and mislead.” Sullivan adds, “Let’s be
clear: There was no – zero – news in President Trump’s address to the
nation last night.”
Foreign Policy
Pompeo Makes Unannounced Visit To Iraq.

The CBS Evening News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=049-ba5&t=c>
(1/9, story 6, 2:40, Glor) reported briefly, “While traveling in the Middle
East today, Secretary of State Pompeo insisted the US is not abandoning its
fight against ISIS, even as plans to pull troops out of Syria move
forward.” On Fox News Special Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=04a-08c&t=c>
(1/9), Bret Baier briefly reported Pompeo was in Iraq during “an
unannounced stop on his Middle East tour meant to promote the
Administration’s policy on Iran and clarify US withdrawal plans from
Syria.” During the visit, he met with Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi
to discuss “efforts to ensure the lasting defeat of ISIS.”

        The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=04b-88c&t=c>
(1/9, Issa) similarly says Pompeo visited Iraq in “an unannounced stop on
his Mideast tour meant to promote the White House’s hard-line position on
Iran.” Pompeo and Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi discussed efforts
to ensure the “lasting defeat throughout the region” of ISIS, said State
Department deputy spokesman Robert Palladino. Pompeo “also promoted the US
push to move Iraq toward energy independence, said Palladino.” Pompeo on
Wednesday also met with Iraqi President Barham Salih, Foreign Minister
Mohamed Alhakim and Parliament Speaker Mohamed al-Halbousi. He later
traveled to Irbil in Kurdistan to meet with officials. USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=04c-6de&t=c>
(1/9, Shesgreen) reports that during the stop in Erbil, “Pompeo said he and
Iraqi leaders discussed Trump’s decision to pull out of Syria, but he did
not elaborate.”

        To the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=04d-49e&t=c>
(1/9, El-Ghobashy), Pompeo’s visit was part of “a bid to demonstrate the
United States’ support for a key ally” as the Administration is “is seeking
to reassure US partners in the region after President Trump’s abrupt
decision last month to withdraw troops from Syria.” During his visit to the
region, the Post says Pompeo is “promising allies that the troops’
departure will not alter the US mission to push back against Iran and
oversee the complete defeat” of ISIS. His stop in Baghdad “came amid
speculation among Iraqi officials that the White House will also begin to
draw down the 5,200 American military personnel based in Iraq.”

        The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=04e-77d&t=c>
(1/9, Coles, McBride) reports Pompeo declined to answer a reporter’s
question about US commitment to maintaining a military presence in
Iraq. Bloomberg
News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=04f-93d&t=c>
(1/9, Wadhams) reports Salih said after talks with Pompeo that “his country
still needs US support in the fight against Islamic State militants.”
Palladino said Pompeo conveyed that the US is committed to support “the new
Iraqi government’s efforts to deliver stability, security and prosperity to
all Iraqis.”

        The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=050-c8f&t=c>
(1/9, Bulos) too says “Salih thanked Pompeo for US support over the years
but asked that it continue and that Washington not abandon the region.
Belying Trump’s claims that Islamic State was defeated, Salih said the
fight goes on,” telling reporters ISIS “is defeated militarily but the
mission is not accomplished.” CBS News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=051-267&t=c>
(1/9, Reals) reports on its website that during a meeting with al-Halbousi,
Pompeo said the US and Iraq had “worked closely together to take down
Daesh,” adding, “You should know the US stands by to make sure that the
resurgence of Daesh doesn’t take place.”

        Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=052-b49&t=c>
(1/9, Jalabi, Wroughton) says Pompeo was in Iraq seeking “to smooth over
relations after political leaders were angered when Trump visited US troops
on the day after Christmas at a remote desert air base without stopping in
Baghdad or meeting any Iraqi officials.” On its website, NPR
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=053-ac0&t=c>
(1/9, Chappell) says “Pompeo’s time in Iraq seems to have gone smoothly, as
he sat down with each of its four main leaders to discuss military and
economic relations with the US and plans for the future. The secretary did
not take any questions from the press during his trip, and he did not
appear alongside any of the Iraqi politicians for a formal news
conference.”

        *Expansion Of Iraqi Shiite Militias Fuels Concerns About ISIS
Revival. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=054-88f&t=c>
(1/9, Salim) reports Iraq’s “large and well-armed Shiite militias are now
running many of the Sunni areas they helped liberate from the Islamic
State, fostering local resentments that could fuel a resurgence of support
for the extremist group.” After winning “nearly a third of the seats in
parliamentary elections last year,” the Shiite militias are now “enjoying
unprecedented military and political power.” Their ascension, the Post
says, has “raised concerns among Iraqi politicians, Sunni residents and US
officials that the militia leaders are creating a parallel state that
undermines Iraq’s central government and revives the kind of Sunni
grievances that underpinned the Islamic State’s dramatic rise three years
ago.”
Pompeo: Erdoğan’s Threats Against Kurds Will Not Stop US Withdrawal From
Syria.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=055-b42&t=c>
(1/9, Jalabi, Wroughton) reports Secretary of State Pompeo vowed Wednesday
that plans to withdraw US troops from Syria “will not be scuppered despite
Turkish threats against Washington’s Kurdish allies there,” and promised
the Kurds would still be protected. Asked during a visit to Iraq if Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s “pushback on the protection of the Kurds
puts the withdrawal at risk,” Pompeo replied, “No. We’re having
conversations with them even as we speak about how we will effectuate this
in a way that protects our forces.” He added, “It’s important that we do
everything we can to make sure that those folks that fought with us are
protected and Erdoğan has made commitments, he understands that.”

        *Turkey, Kurds Turn To Russia Following US Decision To Withdraw
From Syria. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=056-729&t=c>
(1/9, Sly) reports that both Turkey and the Syrian Kurds are “now pinning
their hopes on Russia to resolve the problems created by President Trump’s
abrupt decision last month to withdraw US troops from Syria, which has
threatened to ignite a new war between the United States’ Kurdish and
Turkish allies.” Turkish officials said Wednesday that Erdoğan is planning
to visit Moscow this month for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin,
and the Kurds have “already reached out to Russia for help to secure a deal
with the Syrian government to fill the vacuum that will be left by the
departure of US troops.” To the Post, these developments are “set to
reinforce Russia’s position as the dominant player in Syria.”

        *US Navy Commander: Mission Has Not Let Up Since Trump’s Since
Announcement. *On the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=057-6bf&t=c>
(1/9, story 6, 2:40, Glor), Charlie D’Agata reported from aboard the
aircraft carrier John Stennis, which returned to the Persian Gulf last
month to support US troops battling ISIS in Syria. CBS reported, “Despite
President Trump’s declaration of victory and talk of a troop draw down of
all 2,000 US forces in Syria, the group commander told us there has been no
let-up from here.” US Navy Rear Adm. Michael Wettlaufer: “We are given
missions to do, and we fill those missions.” D’Agata: “It continues at
pace?” Wettlaufer: “Well, the pace for us since we arrived has been pretty
steady.”
Kim Leaves China After Talks With Xi, Reiterates Commitment To
Denuclearization.

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=058-104&t=c>
(1/9, Lee, Kang) reports North Korean leader Kim Jong-un left Beijing on
Wednesday “after talking and dining with Chinese President Xi Jinping,
according to South Korean media, in a show of unity as they engage in
delicate negotiations” with the US. Kim spent “a little more than a day in
the Chinese capital,” and was “seen off by high-ranking Chinese officials
and honor guard at a Beijing train station.” Bloomberg News says the trip
“suggests negotiations over North Korea’s nuclear arsenal are gaining
momentum after months without high-level diplomatic exchanges.”

        The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=059-234&t=c>
(1/9, Fifield) reports the visit “was billed as a four-day trip,” but Kim
“spent barely 27 hours in Beijing.” The Chinese government, “other than
confirming the visit was happening, has not released any information about
the meetings. But Kim’s itinerary could be pieced together through
motorcades and security cordons and traffic jams.” The Post says Kim’s
“relatively light schedule might be a reflection of the fact that these
visits have become somewhat common.”

        AFP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=05a-5b4&t=c>
(1/9) reports the two nations’ state media said Thursday that Xi offered
Kim “firm backing in deadlocked nuclear talks with the United States and
reasserted Beijing’s key role in the wider process.” Xi “hopes that the
DPRK and the United States will meet each other halfway” according to
China’s state news agency Xinhua. During his talks with Kim, Xi “spoke
highly of the positive measures taken by the DPRK side,” it added. For its
part, North Korea’s official KCNA news agency said Kim “raised concern
about the impasse created in the process of improving US-DPRK ties and in
denuclearisation talks.”

        USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=05b-546&t=c>
(1/9, Maresca) reports Kim “reiterated his commitment to denuclearization”
and pledged to pursue a second summit with President Trump “to achieve
results that will be welcomed by the international community,” Xinhua
reported.
Progress Reported As US-China End Three Days Of Trade Talks.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=05c-b2a&t=c>
(1/9, Bradsher) reports that “three days of trade negotiations between
midlevel American and Chinese officials ended in Beijing on Wednesday
afternoon with progress in identifying and narrowing the two sides’
differences but little sense of when they might reach a deal.” According to
the Times, the just concluded talks “could help clear the way for
higher-level talks later this month, when President Trump attends the World
Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.” Chinese Vice Premier Liu He,
“China’s economic czar,” is “expected to come to Washington sometime after
that.”

        Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=05d-b8c&t=c>
(1/9, Mayeda) reports the Administration is “pushing for a way to make sure
China delivers on its commitments in any deal the two nations reach.”
According to Bloomberg News, US officials “not[ed] a commitment by
President Xi Jinping’s government to buy more US agricultural goods, energy
and manufactured products.” However, in a statement Wednesday, USTR
Lighthizer’s office “also said it wants any deal to include ‘ongoing
verification and effective enforcement.’” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=05e-c1c&t=c>
(1/9, Lawder, Prentice) reports US and Chinese officials “also discussed
issues related to intellectual property protections and the need for any
agreement that resolves the trade dispute between the world’s two largest
economies ‘to provide for complete implementation subject to ongoing
verification and effective enforcement,’ USTR said.”

        Under the headline “US And China Make Progress On Trade, But Major
Hurdles Remain,” the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=05f-2c0&t=c>
(1/9, Wei) reports that while the two sides appeared to make some progress
during this week’s talks, the thorniest issues were not addressed.

        *Pudzer: China Vulnerable As Economy Slows. *Andy Puzder, former
CEO of CKE Restaurants, writes in the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=060-9f1&t=c>
(1/9) that as the US and China begin trade talks, Beijing is vulnerable as
its economy slows. At the same time, Puzder says the US economy is on an
upward trajectory under the Trump Administration.
Report: Netanyahu, Trump May Meet Before Israeli Election.

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=061-465&t=c>
(1/9, Odenheimer) reports Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may
meet with President Trump “at the end of...March, about two weeks before
Israeli elections, Israel Hayom newspaper reported Wednesday.” According to
the newspaper, Netanyahu is expected to travel to Washington “at that time
for the annual meeting of AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs
Committee, where he traditionally speaks.” While sources “close to the
prime minister said the meeting with Trump isn’t certain, if it does take
place, it would be held at the White House.”
Khamenei Acknowledges US Sanctions Putting Pressure On Iran’s Economy.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=062-367&t=c>
(1/9, Dehghanpisheh) reports Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
said Wednesday that US sanctions are “putting unprecedented pressure on
Iranians while ‘first class idiots’ are running Washington’s policy.” Said
the Iranian leader, “The sanctions do put pressure on the country and the
people.” He added, “The Americans happily say that these sanctions are
unprecedented in history. Yes, they’re unprecedented. And the defeat that
the Americans will face will be unprecedented, God willing.”

        *Norwegian Air 737 Stranded In Iran Due To US Sanctions. *The New
York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=063-fe5&t=c>
(1/9, Karasz) reports that “when a technical error forced a Norwegian Air
jet to land at Shiraz Airport in Iran last month, the Boeing 737 touched
down in uncharted territory.” The Times says “nearly a month after it left
Dubai, the brand-new American-made jet, delivered to Norwegian Air only in
October, was still sitting in Shiraz,” and “appeared to be caught up in
United States sanctions on Tehran’s nuclear program that prohibit civilian
aircraft sales, including services and parts.” According to the Times, “The
case has highlighted the extent of sanctions imposed on Iran’s civilian
aviation.”

        *WSJournal Welcomes New EU Sanctions. *A Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=064-7ae&t=c>
(1/9) editorial welcomes the EU’s decision earlier this week to impose new
sanctions against Iran, a move it said acknowledges that the 2015 nuclear
deal has failed to change Tehran’s behavior.

        *Iran Confirms It Has Detained US Navy Veteran. *The CBS Evening
News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=065-39b&t=c>
(1/9, story 5, 0:20, Glor) reported briefly that Iran’s Foreign Ministry
confirmed Wednesday that it is holding US Navy veteran Michael White.
Iranian officials, however, “have not explained why they arrested him. The
State Department will not provide further details, citing privacy
considerations.”

        The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=066-5d2&t=c>
(1/9, Karimi, Gambrell) says Iran’s confirmation of White’s arrest makes
him “the first American known to be detained under President Donald Trump’s
administration.” The circumstances of White’s detention, however, “remain
unclear.” According to the AP, it has been reported that White’s mother
said she “learned three weeks ago that her son is alive and being held at
an Iranian prison.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=067-d2d&t=c>
(1/9, Dehghanpisheh) reports a statement by Foreign Ministry spokesman
Bahram Qassemi “did not specify when [the arrest] had happened or what
crime he was accused of.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=068-6d2&t=c>
(1/9, Morello) quotes the statement as saying, “An American citizen was
arrested in the city of Mashhad some time ago, and his case was conveyed to
the US administration on first days.” The Post says that Secretary of State
Pompeo “declined Wednesday to discuss White’s arrest.”
Reports Suggest British Parliament Set To Reject May’s Brexit Deal.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=069-6c4&t=c>
(1/9, Lawless) reports that “Britain’s battle over Brexit turned into
political trench warfare between Parliament and the government Wednesday,
as Prime Minister Theresa May brought her little-loved EU divorce agreement
back to lawmakers who appear determined to thwart her plans.” A month after
postponing a vote on the deal “to avert near-certain defeat, May urged
Parliament to support it to prevent Britain leaving the EU on March 29 with
no agreement on exit terms and future relations, an outcome that could
cause economic and social upheaval.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=06a-2dc&t=c>
(1/9, Adam) reports that “British lawmakers didn’t appear to be any closer
to approving a deal than they were before the holidays.” Labour Leader
Jeremy Corbyn said, “Not a single dot or comma has changed,” and May is
“recklessly wasting time, holding the country to ransom with the threat of
no deal in a desperate attempt to blackmail MPs to vote for her hopelessly
unpopular deal.” May responded, “The only way to avoid no deal is to vote
for the deal.”
Domestic Policy
House Approves Spending Bill For IRS And Some Other Agencies.

In what NBC Nightly News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=06b-eba&t=c>
(1/9, story 4, 1:45, Holt) called a “new sign of Republicans getting
restless,” eight House Republicans voted with Democrats to fund the IRS and
other agencies through the end of the fiscal year. The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=06c-f2b&t=c>
(1/9, Sherfinski) reports the “$24 billion spending bill that funds the IRS
and other agencies affected by the partial government shutdown through
Sept. 30” passed 240-188
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=06d-56f&t=c>
“shortly after President Trump walked out of shutdown negotiations with
Democratic leaders.” No Democrats voted against the measure.

        However, the Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=06e-368&t=c>
(1/9, Ferrechio) says “the eight ‘yes’ votes from Republicans are in line
with votes seen last week, when just seven Republicans voted for a bill to
appropriate funds for most of the federal agencies that still need funding
this year.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=06f-662&t=c>
(1/9, Ferris, Bresnahan) reports “an 11th-hour campaign by the White House
and House GOP leaders” kept most Republicans in line.

        Pelosi tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=070-124&t=c>,
“House Democrats just voted to ensure that this irresponsible
#TrumpShutdown doesn’t block hardworking families from receiving their tax
refunds in full & on time. The @SenateGOP must pass this legislation or be
fully complicit in the cruelty of this shutdown.”

        *Neal Concerned About Tax Filings, Refunds. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=071-061&t=c>
(1/9, Morgan) reports House Democrats “are considering holding hearings on
the impact of the partial government shutdown on the Internal Revenue
Service,” particularly with respect to tax refunds. House Ways and Means
Chairman Richard Neal “told reporters he wanted to be sure that the IRS
begins to accept tax returns on Jan. 29, as scheduled, and that refunds go
out in a timely manner.” Reuters adds that the current shutdown “has
furloughed nearly 70,000 IRS employees.” Reuters also reports that Neal
wrote and spoke to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig and Treasury Secretary
Mnuchin, and said, “I’m told that the tax filing season opens still on Jan.
29. So we’re going to be raising questions about that during the course of
the next few days, to make sure that’s adhered to.”

        *Federal Employees Facing Missing Check Friday. *Major media
reported on the situation for federal employees who are facing a coming
payday in which they may not be paid. NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=072-aa0&t=c>
(1/9, story 5, 1:30, Holt) reported, “For millions of Americans, the
shutdown is far more than a political fight in Washington.” NBC (Costello)
added, “Among those working without pay: the very Secret Service agents
protecting the President, US Customs and Border Patrol, marshals, ATF, DEA,
most NASA employees, 14,000 air traffic controllers, 51,000 TSA officers.
All should receive back pay once the government reopens, though that could
be awhile.” NBC also reported “hundreds of thousands of FDA food
inspectors” are on furlough, while “a support network is recommending
garage sales for furloughed members of the Coast Guard.” NBC added that
according to the TSA union, “some officers are starting to quit as they’re
unlikely to be paid on Friday.”

        The CBS Evening News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=073-52e&t=c>
(1/9, story 2, 2:05, Glor) reported, “So many workers could be forced to
live off savings and what’s left from their last paycheck.” CBS (Werner)
featured a federal corrections officer who is “making a stream of non-stop
phone calls to try to hold the banks at bay. He hasn’t gotten a paycheck
since December 29, and he doesn’t expect to get one any day soon.”

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=074-6cd&t=c>
(1/9, Tavernise) reports that as paychecks for federal employees “begin to
stop, the negative effects threaten” the Washington area. The Times adds
that Washington “boasts one of the country’s richest, strongest economies,
powered by government spending and a large, stable federal work force.” The
Times cites George Mason University economist Stephen Fuller saying that if
it is over “before February, the economic effect on the overall region
would be minimal.” The Times adds, “for many federal workers, Friday would
be the first day without a paycheck.” It also reports, “Many federal
workers said they had savings and could manage, at least for now.”

        *Coast Guard Support Program Tipsheet Offered Ideas On Getting By
Without Pay. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=075-a5b&t=c>
(1/9, Lamothe) reports on “a five-page tip sheet published by the Coast
Guard Support Program” suggesting that Coast Guard employees “to get by
without pay, consider holding a garage sale, babysitting, dog-walking or
serving as a ‘mystery shopper.’” It added, “Bankruptcy is a last option.”
According to the Post, “about 6,400” Coast Guard employees “are on
indefinite furlough, while 2,100 are working without pay after being
identified as essential workers.”

        *TSA Spokesman Denies Union’s Assertion That TSA Officers Are
Quitting Because Of Shutdown. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=076-b64&t=c>
(1/9, Shepardson) reports that while American Federation of Government
Employees TSA Council President Hydrick Thomas said, “The loss of (TSA)
officers, while we’re already shorthanded, will create a massive security
risk for American travelers since we don’t have enough trainees in the
pipeline or the ability to process new hires,” TSA spokesman Michael
Bilello said, “There has been no degradation in security effectiveness and
average wait times are well within TSA standards.” Bilello also said that
there was no significant increase in the number of employees leaving. House
Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson said, “It is only reasonable to
expect officer call outs and resignations to increase the longer the
shutdown lasts.”

        USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=077-dbf&t=c>
(1/9, Deerwester) reports Thomas said that TSA officers “are no longer just
calling in sick,” but “some are resigning.” Thomas said, “Every day I’m
getting calls from my members about their extreme financial hardships and
need for a paycheck. Some of them have already quit and many are
considering quitting the federal workforce because of this shutdown.” TSA
spokesman Bilello “acknowledged that TSA sick calls were up slightly,” but
also “touted short wait times at major airports.”

        *Shutdown Expected To Add To Government’s Expenses, Harm Economy. *The
New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=078-859&t=c>
(1/9, Tankersley) reports on the cost of the partial shutdown, commenting,
“history shows us that closing the government actually costs more than
keeping it open.” That’s because “furloughed workers will ultimately get
paid” and “the government will wind up having to pay interest on missed
payments to some contractors.” The Times cites a report commissioned by the
Obama Administration on a shutdown in 2013 finding that “total compensation
costs” amounted to $2.5 billion for 16 days.

        Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=079-6e9&t=c>
(1/9, Guida) reports federal employees “will be forced to start slashing
their consumer spending when paychecks don’t appear this week,” and Council
of Economic Advisers Chairman Hassett has estimated “the cost to the
overall U.S. economy at about $1.2 billion for each week the shutdown
persists.”

        *Companies Delaying IPOs Due To Partial Shutdown Of SEC. *The Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=07a-ad8&t=c>
(1/9, Driebusch, Farrell, Michaels) reports the partial shutdown of the
Securities and Exchange Commission is delaying initial public offerings by
companies including Gossamer Bio Inc., Alector Inc. and Blackstone Group
LP’s Alight Solutions LLC. The Journal says that it appears there will be
no major IPO in January, which has happened only three times since 1995: in
2003, 2009, and 2016. During previous shutdowns, the Journal adds, the SEC
stayed open with surplus funds, but this year it was unable to do that.

        *Shutdown Costing SAIC Tens Of Millions Of Dollars. *The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=07b-485&t=c>
(1/9, Gregg) reports on the effects of the partial shutdown on “greater
Washington’s government-centric business community,” which the Post says
“is starting to extend beyond the smallest, most vulnerable companies to
include multibillion-dollar companies.” The only example it provides is
SAIC, which has said the partial shutdown is “costing the company tens of
millions of dollars,” while the Aerospace Industries Association “said it
could hurt U.S. exporters by holding up already-cumbersome export control
paperwork.” SAIC CEO Tony Moraco said the company’s losses are chiefly
connected to work for NASA, the FAA, and the USDA.

        *FDA Commissioner Says “High Risk Food Surveillance Inspections”
Are Continuing. *Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=07c-986&t=c>
(1/9, Shanker) reports FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb on Tuesday said
regarding the agency’s food inspections and drug testing, “The functions
that can most directly impact consumer safety will continue, to the best of
our abilities, subject to the legal and financial limitations of the
current circumstances.” On Wednesday, Gottlieb tweeted, “There’s discussion
today that we’ve ‘stopped’ high risk food surveillance inspections.” He
added, “Fact: We’re working to continue those inspections.” On January 5,
Gottlieb said the FDA would be able to review drugs and medical products
for a month or so.

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=07d-5e7&t=c>
(1/9, Kaplan) reports that Gottlieb said the FDA “has stopped routine food
safety inspections of seafood, fruits, vegetables and many other foods at
high risk of contamination.” Gottlieb, adds the Times “said he was taking
steps to restore food safety surveillance inspections and to cover more of
the high-risk sites” and “said he hoped to bring back about 150 inspectors
who had been furloughed.” The Times also reports that “food safety
advocates said they were worried that outbreaks would not be prevented
without inspections.” The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=07e-d6c&t=c>
(1/9, story 3, 0:15, Glor) reported, “Many food inspections have been
halted.”

        *Perdue Promises Funding Through End Of February For Some Programs.
*The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=07f-913&t=c>
(1/9, Jan, Wan) reports Agriculture Secretary Perdue announced the USDA
would “give states the money for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program for the month of February ahead of time – by Jan. 20” funding the
program through the end of February. Perdue also guaranteed funding through
February for “other nutrition assistance programs, including school meals”
and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and
Children (WIC). The Post adds that beneficiaries of SNAP, WIC, and “nearly
270,000 rural families who receive federal rent subsidies through the
Agriculture Department” would face the loss of funds in March as would
beneficiaries of HUD’s Section 8 voucher program, and “state and local
public housing agencies.”

        *EPA Has Furloughed Most Inspectors. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=080-f87&t=c>
(1/9, Davenport) reports on the effects of the “two-week-old shutdown” on
the Environmental Protection Agency’s “inspections of chemical factories,
power plants, oil refineries, water treatment plants, and thousands of
other industrial sites for pollution violations.” The Times says that the
EPA “has furloughed most of its roughly 600 pollution inspectors and other
workers who monitor compliance with environmental laws.” That, adds the
Times, “increases the chances that, either by design or by accident,
companies might emit illegal levels of contaminants into the air or water
without detection, for weeks on end.” The Times also reports that “about 10
to 20 percent of the E.P.A.’s pollution inspections turn up significant
violations,” according to the EPA. One inspector said, “I always find
violations,” such as “cities and towns over-chlorinate or under-chlorinate
their water – not a legal violation, but a potentially harmful situation
that is easily corrected.”

        *NTSB Delaying Inspections Due To Furloughs. *Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=081-dca&t=c>
(1/9, Snyder) reports, “Accident investigators at the NTSB have been
largely furloughed...forcing the agency to forego launching investigations
into 12 transportation incidents they would otherwise have undertaken,”
according to acting director of the Office of Safety Recommendations and
Communications Dolline Hatchett. Hatchett also said the “incidents will be
investigated once the furloughs are lifted.”

        *US Fish & Wildlife To Bring Back Employees To Reopen Some Refuges.
*The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=082-e9a&t=c>
(1/9, Knickmeyer) reports Margaret Everson, principal deputy director of
the US Fish and Wildlife Service, wrote in an email, “For the next 30 days,
using previously appropriated funds, we will bring back a limited number of
employees to resume work on high priority projects and activities that
support the Service’s mission and meet the public’s desire for access to
Refuge lands.” The AP adds that the National Park Service has “said some
parks could start using visitor fees to staff during the shutdown.” In
addition, Interior Department employees “in charge of permitting and
overseeing oil and gas development in federal waters will be kept at work
no matter how long the shutdown lasts.” According to the AP, the
Administration “has emphasized public use on public lands,” which “has
angered environmental groups.” On Wednesday, several of these groups asked
the Administration “to keep national parks, wildlife refuges and other
public lands closed to the public during the shutdown.”

        *Oklahoma Officials Delay Road And Bridge Contracts While Awaiting
Federal Funds. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=083-278&t=c>
(1/9, Murphy) reports that state officials are delaying “contracts for new
road and bridge work” due to the partial shutdown. The AP’s only example is
Oklahoma, where state officials “this week announced plans to delay bids on
45 highway projects worth about $137 million.” State officials in Montana,
New Mexico, and Rhode Island reportedly said that no projects had been
delayed so far. Meanwhile, the Missouri Highways and Transportation
Commission “is pressing forward with planned projects despite the
uncertainty over federal funding.”
Giuliani: Trump Will Not Answer Any More Questions From Mueller.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=084-137&t=c>
(1/9, Freifeld) reports President Trump’s attorney, Rudy Giuliani, said
Wednesday that the President’s legal team has informed special counsel
Robert Mueller that Trump “will not answer any more questions in the probe
of Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election.” In late November, Trump
provided written answers to questions from Mueller, and in an interview
with Reuters, “Giuliani said Mueller raised the possibility of follow-up
questions but the president’s outside legal team told the special counsel
before Christmas that Trump would not respond.” Giuliani said, “As far as
we’re concerned, everything is over. ... We weren’t convinced they had any
questions they don’t know the answer to.” Giuliani added, “They could try
to subpoena him if they want,” he said. “But they know we could fight that
like hell.”

        Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) told CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=085-797&t=c>
(1/9) that Giuliani “was a failed mayor, then a failed presidential
candidate. Now he is a failed lawyer. It’s unfortunate he decided to take
this obstructionist approach with respect to the investigation. ... You
would think that the President and his allies, if he truly is innocent of
any involvement in the mess that took place in 2016, would be willing to
fully cooperate. That does not seem to be the case.”

        *Report: Trump Campaign, Transition Team Had More Than 100 Contacts
With Russian-Linked Operatives. *USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=086-18f&t=c>
(1/9, Hayes) reports members of the President’s campaign and transition
team “had more than 100 contacts with Russian-linked operatives,” according
to a report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=087-8f4&t=c>
from the Center for American Progress and its Moscow report. Talia Dessel,
“a research analyst for the left-leaning organization,” said, “This wasn’t
just one email or call, or one this or that. ... Over 100 contacts is
really significant because you don’t just have 100 contacts with a foreign
power if there’s nothing going on there.”

        *House Democrats Plan To Subpoena Trump Jr. *The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=088-c93&t=c>
(1/9, Bedard) reports Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) said Tuesday that House
Democrats plan to subpoena Donald Trump Jr. as part of their investigation
into “allegations that the Trump presidential campaign worked with Russian
operatives to win the 2016 election.” Speier was “asked Tuesday night about
whom would be served first by the panel as it reopens the investigation.”
She said, “Donald Trump Jr.”
Rosenstein Expected To Leave DOJ After Barr’s Confirmation.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=089-e1a&t=c>
(1/9, Sullivan, Benner) cites “two administration officials” who say Deputy
Attorney General Rod Rosenstein “is expected to leave the Justice
Department” after Attorney General-designate Barr is confirmed.

        However, Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=08a-3ed&t=c>
(1/9, Samuelsohn) says differing accounts of when Rosenstein will leave
have “injected a new round of uncertainty into the high-profile Russia
investigation.” While “sources familiar with his plans telling Politico
that the Trump administration official wants to stick around until the
Senate has confirmed a new attorney general,” NBC “cited a source close to
Rosenstein who said” he “intends to stick around until Mueller submits his
final report to his department supervisors, an open-ended timeline that
could drag on for months.” The first scenario means “Rosenstein might exit
in the coming weeks, signaling confidence” that Barr “will protect the
Mueller probe.” However, the second means “Rosenstein could be sticking
around until the spring – or later,” which “would inevitably spark
speculation that Rosenstein doesn’t have faith in Barr to properly handle
the Russia probe.” On ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=08b-1cb&t=c>
(1/9, story 6, 1:30, Muir), Pierre Thomas cited “sources” who “say they do
not believe Rosenstein would leave unless he believed Mueller was in good
shape.”

        The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=08c-866&t=c>
(1/9, Tucker, Balsamo) reports that Rosenstein’s expected exit “creates
uncertainty about the oversight of [special counsel Robert] Mueller’s team
as it enters what may be its final months of work.” Similarly, the Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=08d-86e&t=c>
(1/9, Barrett) says Rosenstein’s “expected departure – whenever it occurs –
will likely spark fears about the future of the Mueller probe, though even
now Rosenstein is not technically in charge of it.” A Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=08e-793&t=c>
(1/9) editorial expresses hope that Rosenstein’s decision to resign “is a
sign of confidence” in Barr.

        Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=08f-b93&t=c>
(1/9, Strohm) reports White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said
Wednesday that Trump “isn’t trying to push out Rosenstein,” and added that
Rosenstein is probably “making room” for Barr. Likewise, Kellyanne Conway
told Fox News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=090-eca&t=c>
(1/9), “He’s not being pushed out. Nobody is asking him to leave. If he
leaves, it is on his own accord,” and the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=091-f51&t=c>
(1/9, Gurman) cites a person familiar with Rosenstein’s thinking who said
the confirmation of a new Attorney General would present a logical time for
him to leave and there are no signs he is being forced out.

        Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=092-422&t=c>
(1/9, Lynch, Sullivan) says Rosenstein’s departure “raises the stakes for
Barr, who if confirmed would take over responsibility for the Mueller.”
Barr has faced criticism for “criticizing Mueller’s work in an unsolicited
June memo sent to Rosenstein that called an obstruction of justice
investigation of Trump ‘fatally misconceived.’” Pete Williams said on NBC
Nightly News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=093-ac8&t=c>
(1/9, story 7, 1:45, Holt) that Barr is “sure to face tough questions about
his criticism of the Mueller investigation,” and Paula Reid said on the CBS
Evening News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=094-0ec&t=c>
(1/9, story 4, 1:45, Glor) that Barr’s criticisms are “expected to play a
key part in his confirmation hearings.”

        *Graham: Barr Has A “High Opinion” Of Mueller. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=095-6ed&t=c>
(1/9, Jalonick) reports incoming Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham
said Wednesday that Barr has a “high opinion” of Mueller and will allow him
to complete his investigation. After meeting with Barr, Graham said, “He
had absolutely no indication he was going to tell Bob Mueller what to do or
how to do it.”

        Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=096-bf2&t=c>
(1/9, Dennis) reports Graham told reporters, “I asked Mr. Barr directly,
‘Do you think, Bob, Mr. Mueller’s on a witch hunt?’ He said no. ‘Do you
think he would be fair to the President and the country as a whole?’ He
said yes.” Bloomberg News adds that Barr “said that when Mueller’s report
is delivered to him, he would go through a process to determine what could
be shared with the Congress and the public,” and he would err “on the side
of transparency.” Bloomberg News says that commitment “could bring Barr
into conflict with the White House.”
Mnuchin To Brief Lawmakers On Plans To Remove Sanctions Linked To Russian
Oligarch.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=097-f94&t=c>
(1/9, Rappeport, Vogel) reports House Democrats have “summoned” Treasury
Secretary Mnuchin to Congress on Thursday “to deliver a classified briefing
about the Trump administration’s plans to end sanctions on companies linked
to the billionaire Russian oligarch Oleg V. Deripaska.” To the Times, the
briefing is “an early instance of Democratic lawmakers flexing their new
oversight muscles after taking control of the House last week.” The
briefing also comes as Congress is “reviewing the administration’s decision
– announced in December by the Treasury Department – to lift sanctions
against three companies that Mr. Deripaska controls, EN+, Rusal and JSC
EuroSibEnergo.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=098-8ff&t=c>
(1/9, Rubenfeld, Talley), however, reports that the Democrats’ effort to
block the Administration’s move is likely to fail next week because of a
lack of support from Republicans.
Whitaker, Nadler Disagree About Testimony Date.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=099-5a7&t=c>
(1/9, Lynch) reports House Democrats “are locked in a dispute” with Acting
Attorney General Whitaker over “a date for him to testify to lawmakers amid
concerns about his appointment by President Donald Trump.” According to
House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, Whitaker “agreed in November that
he would appear for a hearing in January.” However, Nadler said Wednesday
that the Justice Department is “trying to cite the partial government
shutdown as a reason to delay Whitaker’s testimony until Feb. 12 or Feb.
13,” telling the panel Whitaker would need “at least two weeks removed from
a partial government shutdown” to appear. In a letter to Whitaker, Nadler
wrote, “I cannot accept your proposal. ... We are willing to work with you
to identify a mutually identifiable date for your testimony, but we will
not allow that date to slip past January 29, 2019 – the day of the
President’s scheduled address to Congress, when we know you will be in
Washington.”

        Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=09a-78c&t=c>
(1/9, Bade) says Republicans “have called Whitaker’s appearance pointless,
arguing that the Senate is soon set to confirm his permanent replacement,
William Barr.” But Nadler’s letter “shows that Democrats will not allow
Whitaker to fade away without a proper grilling. And they’re intent on
hearing from him about how and why he got the job, whether President Donald
Trump asked him to end or limit the FBI’s Russia investigation and why he
has ignored recommendations from ethics officials that he recuse himself
from the matter.”
Trump Threatens To Withhold FEMA Funds For California Wildfires.

In a tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=09b-0c4&t=c>
Wednesday, President Trump said he has ordered FEMA to stop sending
disaster relief payments to California unless “they get their act
together.” Trump wrote, “Billions of dollars are sent to the State of
California for Forest fires that, with proper Forest Management, would
never happen. Unless they get their act together, which is unlikely, I have
ordered FEMA to send no more money. It is a disgraceful situation in lives
& money!”

        The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=09c-8c2&t=c>
(1/9, Ronayne) says Trump “again suggested poor forest management is to
blame for California’s deadly wildfires.” However, according to the AP,
“[f]ire scientists say climate change, not poor forest management, is the
driving contributor to California’s increasingly destructive wildfires,
many of which have not been primarily in forests.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=09d-14d&t=c>
(1/9, Mettler) reports the President “claimed, without evidence, that the
state would not need the funds if forests were properly managed.” The Post
adds that whether Trump “even has the authority to rescind FEMA funding
that has already been approved remains unclear.”

        The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=09e-3a7&t=c>
(1/9) says it was unclear “whether Trump’s threat was bluster like other
tweets he has sent falsely criticizing California’s fire management, or if
he has actually ordered a funding cutoff to thousands of Californians
trying to rebuild after the two devastating fires that hit the state late
last year.”

        Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=09f-0eb&t=c>
(1/9, Heavey, Allen) says the tweet “targets a state that is home to some
of his biggest political rivals,” including House Speaker Pelosi. USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=0a0-956&t=c>
(1/9, Jackson) says Pelosi responded in a tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=0a1-9c7&t=c>
that the threat “insults the memory of scores of Americans who perished in
wildfires last year & thousands more who lost their homes.” Pelosi’s tweet
also called on fellow Californian, House Minority Leader McCarthy, to “join
me to condemn & call on POTUS to reassure millions in CA that our govt will
be there for them in their time of need.”

        Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=0a2-f31&t=c>
(1/9, Flavelle, Natter) says Trump’s tweet also “drew an immediate
response” from Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), who tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=0a3-160&t=c>,
“Disasters and recovery are no time for politics. I’m already taking action
to modernize and manage our forests and emergency responses. The people of
CA – folks in Paradise – should not be victims to partisan bickering.”
The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=0a4-6d4&t=c>
(1/9, Richardson) says Trump’s threat “may or may not” have been prompted
by Newsom “calling the White House incompetent, decrying the proposed
border wall, vowing ‘sanctuary to all who seek it,’ and then asking
President Trump to double spending on wildfire prevention.” In any case,
Newsom’s address “did set the tone for what could be a rocky relationship.”
Concerns Raised About Acting Defense Secretary Shanahan’s Ties To Boeing.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=0a5-0f0&t=c>
(1/9, Johnson, Brown) reports Acting Defense Secretary Shanahan’s “private
remarks during his 18 months at the Pentagon have spurred accusations that
he is boosting his former employer Boeing.” Shanahan “signed an ethics
agreement recusing him from weighing in on matters involving” Boeing, but
according to “two former government officials” he has not avoided “praising
Boeing and trashing competitors” in meetings. One “former Trump official
said Shanahan ‘kind of went off’ about the F-35 at a retreat for Republican
lawmakers last year,” and criticized Lockheed Martin for its “timing and
their inability to deliver, and from a Boeing point of view, say things
like, ‘We would never do that,’” according to the official. Another source
said, “I don’t believe that’s the case at all. I think he’s agnostic toward
Boeing at best.”
Cancer Research
Prostate Cancer Mortality Plateaus After Decades Of Decline, Report Finds.

OncLive
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=0a6-52b&t=c>
(1/9, Barberabe) reports “incidence of late-stage [prostate cancer]
increased from 2010 to 2014 after a decline in prostate-specific antigen
(PSA) use,” according to “investigators at the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, National Cancer Institute (NCI), American Cancer Society,
and other cancer registry associations.” Lead author Serban Negoita, MD,
DrPH, Branch Chief for Data Quality, Analysis, and Interpretation in the
Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences at the NCI, said,”One of
the interesting findings is that after decades of declining mortality,
starting in 2013, mortality leveled off. Between 2013 and 2016, mortality
did not decline further.” The report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=0a7-98c&t=c>
was published in Cancer.
Editorial Highlights Progress In Brain Cancer Therapy.

Nature
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=0a8-ed1&t=c>
(1/9) carries an editorial in which research into “neoantigen vaccines” for
brain cancer is highlighted. Nature describes the treatment as “injections
of a vaccine...based on the genetic composition of their specific tumour
type...intended to stimulate and boost their own immune defences.” While
patients in the trial did not survive, “the results emphasize the major
anatomical and biological challenges of treating brain tumours,” and
“should shed light on how immune responses develop in people with brain
tumours, and what can be done to boost those responses.” The research
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=0a9-1ac&t=c>
and an accompanying News & Views article
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=0aa-899&t=c>
were published in Nature.
Editorials/Op-Eds
New York Times.

*“A Shaky Start In Brazil.”* In an editorial, the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=0ab-8b1&t=c>
(1/9) condemns the “sad but not unexpected performance by” Brazil’s new
president, Jair Bolsonaro, with his “fountain of far-right decrees,
undermining protections for the environment, indigenous land rights and the
L.G.B.T. community, putting nongovernmental organizations under government
monitoring and purging government contractors who do not share his
ideology.” He has been “mobilizing anger, hatred and fear” in “the familiar
strategy of would-be authoritarians,” but “bashing minorities and making
grandiose promises go only so far to compensate for the lack of governing
competence or a coherent program.” In the coming year, “much will depend on
the ability of Brazilian institutions to withstand his autocratic assault”
as well as “on Mr. Bolsonaro’s ability to deliver on sorely needed economic
reforms.”
Washington Post.

*“Latin America Has Never Seen A Crisis Like Venezuela Before.”* In an
editorial, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=0ac-66e&t=c>
(1/9) writes that Latin America “has never seen a crisis like” that in
Venezuela: “a steadily escalating catastrophe with no solution – either
from inside or outside – in sight.” Currently, “Venezuela’s neighbors are
edging toward more assertive action to stem a crisis that, with the massive
flow of refugees, threatens to destabilize several other countries.”
However, President Nicolás Maduro has managed to hold on to power through
“crude repression,” the people focusing on survival due to “critical
shortages of food, water, medicine and power,” and the “escape valve” of
“refuge in neighboring countries.” The Post warns that if dissidents or a
popular uprising don’t oust Maduro, “the pressure Venezuela is putting on
its neighbors will escalate.”

        *“Congress Should Make It Harder For Cell Phone Carriers To Sell
Your Location Data.” *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=0ad-999&t=c>
(1/9) argues in an editorial that federal privacy legislation rules “must
cover not only the tech companies at the center of the conversation but
also all actors in the information ecosystem.” Telecom companies have
claimed “they are in the process of restricting sharing and that they
require their third-party clients to ask users’ permission before
tracking.” However, the Washington Post says, “A carrier, for example, may
mandate that its clients acquire consent from users, inform users that
their data will reach third parties only with that consent in hand, and
then decide its duty to provide notice is done.” Legislation “similar to
what Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and other Democratic senators have proposed
for online entities, would help.” The Washington Post argues that “unless
the rules Congress comes up with also address the carriers themselves, the
problem will remain unsolved.”

        *“Rod Rosenstein Protected The Justice Department’s Integrity.
William Barr Must Do The Same.” *A Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011001biden&r=email-7e29&l=0ae-559&t=c>
(1/9) editorial expresses hope that Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein’s
decision to resign “is a sign of confidence in attorney general nominee
William P. Barr.”

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