Subject: FW: Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for Monday, January 14, 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: Mon, 14 Jan 2019 11:47:00 -0500

Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing

*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <[email-masked]>
*Sent:* Monday, January 14, 2019 8:04 AM
*To:* [email-masked]
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for Monday,
January 14, 2019

*Click to access
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=000-c86&t=c>
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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=001-f0e&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Monday, January 14, 2019 8:00 AM EST*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News* <#SECTION_1>

• Trump Blasts Potential 2020 Rival Biden As “Weak.” <#S1>

• The Hill: Obama’s “New Blood” Comment “A Blow” To Biden. <#S2>

• Axios’ Allen: Biden Appears Likely To Run For President. <#S3>

• NYTimes’ Leonhardt Urge Biden To Enter 2020 Race. <#S4>

• Ex-Sen. Nelson: Among 2020 Democrats, Biden “Would Have The Best Chance
In Florida.” <#S5>

• Democratic Strategist Talks Up 2020 Chances Of Biden, O’Rourke. <#S6>

• Columnist: In Democratic Race, Brown Would Pose “Most Direct Threat” To
Biden. <#S7>

• Firefighters Union Chief Schaitberger Lauds Biden. <#S8>

• Silver Assesses 2020 Democrats’ Odds Of Building Coalitions. <#S9>

• LATimes: Crowded 2020 Race Could Feature Generational Divide. <#S10>

• Vanity Fair Examines Democratic Wall Street Executives’ Take On 2020 Race.
<#S11>

• Rutenberg: Biden Spokesperson Declined Comment On Use Of “Disinformation”
Campaigns. <#S12>

• Biden Slams GOP Rep. King Over “White Supremacist” Remarks. <#S13>

• NYTimes: Unclear Whether 2020 Democratic Race Will Hinge On Policy Or
Electability. <#S14>

• Trump Mocks Warren Video. <#S15>

• Castro Announces 2020 Presidential Bid. <#S16>

• Democratic Rep. Gabbard Announces White House Bid. <#S17>

• Gillibrand Makes Moves Toward Potential Presidential Campaign. <#S18>

• O’Rourke Courts Attention While Mum On Presidential Plans. <#S19>

• Sanders Bolstering Digital Operations Ahead Of Likely 2020 Bid. <#S20>

*Leading the News* <#SECTION_2>

• As Trump Calls For Wall, Graham Urges Him To Reopen Government Before
Declaring Emergency. <#S21>

*Foreign Policy* <#SECTION_3>

• Sources: White House Sought Options To Strike Iran. <#S22>

• Trump: US Will “Devastate Turkey Economically” If It Attacks Kurds In
Syria. <#S23>

• Pompeo: Qatar Diplomatic Crisis “Has Dragged On Too Long.” <#S24>

• Venezuelan Opposition Leader Briefly Detained. <#S25>

• Ahead Of Parliament Vote, PM May Warns Halting Brexit Would Be
“Catastrophic.” <#S26>

• Pompeo: US Will Hold Those Responsible For Khashoggi Murder “Accountable.”
<#S27>

• Pompeo: US Counter-Terrorism Mission Will Not Be Compromised By Syria
Withdrawal. <#S28>

*Domestic Policy* <#SECTION_4>

• Trump Slams FBI’s “Corrupt Former Leaders” Over “Insulting” NYTimes
Report. <#S29>

• Democrats To Question Barr About Criticism Of Robert Mueller Inquiry.
<#S30>

• Democrats Warn Trump Not To Meddle In Their Investigations. <#S31>

• Axios Analysis: Trump May Pull US Out Of Existing NAFTA Ahead Of USMCA
Debate. <#S32>

• S&P 500 Companies Lower Earnings Estimate In New Sign Of Faltering
Economic Momentum. <#S33>

• Trump Mocks “Jeff Bozo” On Twitter. <#S34>

• Jordan Touts Trump’s “Amazing Record.” <#S35>

*Cancer Research* <#SECTION_5>

• Opinion: Payors Should Not Be Required To Cover Unproven Medical
Treatments. <#S36>

• Memorial Sloan Kettering Works To Limit Executives’ Ties To Drug,
Healthcare Companies After Conflict-Of-Interest Scandals. <#S37>

*Editorials/Op-Eds* <#SECTION_6>

• Washington Post. <#S38>

• Wall Street Journal. <#S39>
Biden in the News
Trump Blasts Potential 2020 Rival Biden As “Weak.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=002-a77&t=c>
(1/13, Phillips) reported that President Trump called former vice president
Joe Biden “a ‘weak’ man when asked Saturday night about a growing list of
Democrats seeking to topple him in 2020.” Speaking with Fox News’ Jeanne
Pirro, Trump “resurrected previous insults against Biden.” mocking his “two
unsuccessful attempts for the White House and [saying] former president
Barack Obama ‘took him off the trash heap’ when he” chose Biden as his
running mate. Said Trump, “He’s weak. So we’ll see what happens with him.
... Whoever it is, I think we’re going to do just fine.”

        In an online article, CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=003-09a&t=c>
(1/13, Behrmann, Gallagher) reported that Trump “mocked Biden as a
‘1-percenter,’ in the interview with Pirro. ‘He ran two or three times, he
never got above 1%,’ Trump said. ‘And then, Obama came along and took him
off the trash heap, and he became the vice president.’” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=004-7ec&t=c>
(1/13, Balluck) reported that Trump “also said he is ‘not worried’ about
the competition. ‘So far, I love the competition, I love what I see.’” The
Hill added that Biden “late last year said he believes he is the ‘most
qualified’ person to challenge Trump, fueling speculation he might mount a
2020 presidential bid.” The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=005-925&t=c>
(1/13, Italiano), Newsweek
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=006-136&t=c>
(1/13, Murdock), Salon
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=007-4bb&t=c>
(1/13, Rozsa), and Slate
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=008-737&t=c>
(1/13, Politi) are among the media outlets that also report on Trump’s
remarks.
The Hill: Obama’s “New Blood” Comment “A Blow” To Biden.

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=009-c6d&t=c>
(1/13, Parnes) reported that former President Obama’s comments on “how
politics need ‘new blood’ is being seen as a blow to Joe Biden,” who “Obama
did not back to succeed him in 2016. Sources close to” the pair
“acknowledge recent remarks like the one Obama made [last] week in Hawaii
represent a sort of threat to Biden,” though the former President “was
speaking broadly about the need for new blood in politics, not specifically
the need for new blood in the Democratic Party. But coming on the heels of
Obama’s meeting with” ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), “who most political
observers see as competing with Biden for a slice of the primary
electorate, it also sent a signal to the wider political world.” The Hill
quoted an Obama “ally” as saying, “The president loves this guy, loves Joe,
thinks the world of him. ... And I’m sure he’ll do everything he can to
make Joe feel good, but he won’t come out and make Joe his candidate. And I
think that hurts Joe.” The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=00a-3df&t=c>
(1/13, Lim) highlighted The Hill story.
Axios’ Allen: Biden Appears Likely To Run For President.

Writing for Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=00b-548&t=c>
(1/12), Mike Allen said that former Vice President Joe Biden “has told some
top Democrats he’s definitely running for president, and even threw out
Jan. 15 – next Tuesday – as a target announcement date. ‘If I’m walking,
I’m running,’ he has told friends winkingly.” Allen said that Biden “is
‘closer than he ever was in 2016’ and ‘serious in his discussions with
potential supporters,’ one confidant tells me. Yes, but: Jan. 15 will come
and go with no Joe-mentum – I’m told no chance of an announcement by then.
No staff has signed up for a campaign, or been given a commitment of a job.
We’re told authoritatively that Biden hasn’t decided.”

        The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=00c-141&t=c>
(1/14, Peoples, Beaumont) reports on the expected coming surge in
candidates joining the 2020 race. In the piece, the AP says, “A more
seasoned political star, Biden remains silent about his plans.” He “has
done little to build teams on the ground in key states, instead sticking to
the schedule of huddling with aides while he moves closer to a decision.”
Former Obama strategist Stephanie Cutter is quoted as saying, “At this
point the cycle, it’s a race for money and talent, and unless your name is
Joe Biden or Beto O’Rourke, you’ve gotta get in soon if you want attract
either one of those things.”
NYTimes’ Leonhardt Urge Biden To Enter 2020 Race.

In his New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=00d-871&t=c>
(1/13) column, David Leonhardt urges former Vice President Joe Biden to
enter the 2020 race for president, saying, “Run because you have strengths
that no other Democratic candidate does, including your depth of experience
and connection to the Obama presidency. Run because your populist image
fits the Democrats’ most successful political strategy of the past
generation. Run because you will never have another chance – and because
you are not afraid of losing.”
Ex-Sen. Nelson: Among 2020 Democrats, Biden “Would Have The Best Chance In
Florida.”

Under the headline “Stung By Florida Midterm Losses, Democrats See A Swing
State Drifting Away,” the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=00e-ae8&t=c>
(1/13, Mazzei, Martin) reports on the losses of progressive gubernatorial
nominee Andrew Gillum (D-FL) and moderate Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) in
November’s midterm elections, saying those outcomes demonstrated that the
“crucial swing state” of Florida is “drifting away from” Democrats. While
not the focus of the story, the Times reports that Nelson “says he has a
preferred 2020 candidate, who he thinks might turn things around: former
Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. ‘I would say of the whole crowd, I think
Biden would have the best chance in Florida,’ Mr. Nelson said of the 2020
field, allowing that he has encouraged his former colleague to run and
believes he would be perceived ‘as moderate enough.’” The Times adds,
however, “these sorts of assessments make progressives want to pull their
hair out.”
Democratic Strategist Talks Up 2020 Chances Of Biden, O’Rourke.

The Boston Herald
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=00f-71e&t=c>
(1/13, Cotter) reports that in an interview, Democratic strategist Steve
McMahon discussed the nascent 2020 Democratic presidential race. Speaking
with the Herald, McMahon “said the inevitably large field would most likely
help [former Vice President Joe] Biden, who he expects to have a solid
establishment base as the progressive vote ends up split between many
candidates.” However, McMahon “warned not to sleep on former U.S. Rep. Beto
O’Rourke of Texas, who recently lost a high-profile senate race but enjoyed
a meteoric rise in national prominence in the process. ‘It’s either ‘We
know Joe and Joe can win,’ or it’s ‘We want to fall in love and maybe have
the next Barack Obama’ in Beto,’ McMahon said.”
Columnist: In Democratic Race, Brown Would Pose “Most Direct Threat” To
Biden.

In his Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=010-969&t=c>
(1/11) column, Philip Klein argued that if Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) enters
the 2020 race for president, “he would present the most direct threat to
Joe Biden’s potential presidential candidacy than any other candidate.
Aside from name recognition and experience, the biggest argument Biden can
make to a Democratic electorate is that he can recapture working class
voters.” However, Brown has “not only been one of the most liberal members
of the Senate for the past 12 years, but he has done it while winning three
statewide elections in Ohio, which has trended red over his time in the
Senate. And needless to say, it’s hard to see any path to victory for Trump
that does not involve winning Ohio.”
Firefighters Union Chief Schaitberger Lauds Biden.

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=011-a45&t=c>
(1/11) reported that former Vice President Joe Biden “is exactly the kind
of presidential candidate that members of a prominent firefighters union
would support in 2020, according to the head of the International
Association of Fire Fighters. ‘We have a lot of faith and we’ve had a great
relationship over several decades with the former vice president, Joe
Biden,’ Harold Schaitberger told Hill. TV” in a Thursday interview. Said
Schaitberger, “While he is making that decision [on the 2020 presidential
race], we are watching that very carefully because I will say that he does
fit the philosophy, the ideology, the pragmatic approach to our political
arena and our members are drawn to that kind of candidate.” Schaitberger
“added that most members are looking for middle-of-the-road candidates, and
that Biden fits the bill.”
Silver Assesses 2020 Democrats’ Odds Of Building Coalitions.

Writing at FiveThirtyEight
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=012-d04&t=c>
(1/14), Nate Silver says, “Last week, we introduced a method for evaluating
Democratic presidential contenders” that focuses “on their ability to build
a coalition among key constituencies within the party.” Silver says those
constituencies are: 1) “Party Loyalists, who are mostly older, lifelong
Democrats who care about experience and electability.” 2) “The Left.” 3)
“Millennials.” 4) “Black voters.” 5) “Hispanic voters.” Silver said “the
coalition-building model has made me more skeptical about the chances for
Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden and Amy Klobuchar” and “more bullish about Kamala
Harris, Beto O’Rourke and Cory Booker.” Silver said that in polls, Biden
“performs worse among those voters who are paying the most attention to the
primary, suggesting that his high name recognition compared to most other
candidates is a significant factor in his lead. And I’m not sure it’s going
to be very easy for Biden to expand his coalition beyond the 25 percent or
so that he’s getting in polls now.”
LATimes: Crowded 2020 Race Could Feature Generational Divide.

Under the headline “Old, Young, Liberal, Centrist: Democrats Will Have No
End Of Choices For President In 2020,” the Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=013-a69&t=c>
(1/13, Hook) reported on what’s expected to be a very crowded race for the
2020 Democratic presidential nomination, saying, “The result could be a
divisive, messy set of primaries, but many Democrats are exhilarated by the
prospect of a wide range of choices.” In considering “their choices between
young and old, liberal and more centrist, white men and women and people of
color, Democrats will be deciding not only who they want as a nominee, but
what kind of party they want to be.” The Times adds that former Vice
President Joe Biden would be a “front-runner on the strength of his
experience and vast political network. His entry would also guarantee that
a central question of the primary will be a generational one, as younger
rivals will argue that it is time for the older guard to pass the baton.”
Vanity Fair Examines Democratic Wall Street Executives’ Take On 2020 Race.

Writing for Vanity Fair
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=014-14b&t=c>
(1/13), William D. Cohan discussed Democratic Wall Street heavyweights’
takes on the 2020 presidential field, saying, “There...seems to be support,
including from [ex-UBS CEO Robert] Wolf, on Wall Street for Biden, a
youthful 75, if only because he has had a long political career and was
Obama’s loyal vice-president.” A “Wall Street executive” is quoted as
saying, “Joe Biden probably is the best person for the time which we’re
facing. We’re facing a complicated candidate to beat in a general election.
We’re facing the need to reach out to blue-collar workers. We need to get
back to some sort of semblance of normalcy. I know Joe Biden will surround
himself with really smart people. I know he’ll do, quote, the right thing.
He’s liberal enough, but he’s not crazy.”
Rutenberg: Biden Spokesperson Declined Comment On Use Of “Disinformation”
Campaigns.

In his New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=015-1ce&t=c>
(1/13) column, Jim Rutenberg discusses the Democrats’ “disinformation”
campaign that took place during the 2017 Senate special election in Alabama
– an effort that was aimed at hurting candidate Roy Moore (R-AL) and aiding
now-Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL). Rutenberg says he “reached out to various
expected 2020 players to see if they would eschew such tactics,” and in
response, Sen Cory Booker (D-NJ) and officials speaking for Sen. Elizabeth
Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) condemned the “disinformation”
campaigns. However, Rutenberg says he “never heard back from...Bernie
Sanders, Kamala Harris, Beto O’Rourke, Julián Castro, the Democratic Party
itself and [President] Trump’s re-election team. The real surprise was
former Vice President Joe Biden. ‘Not going to have any comment on that for
you,’ a spokesman said. Maybe Mr. Biden wants to keep his options open.”
Biden Slams GOP Rep. King Over “White Supremacist” Remarks.

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=016-8e1&t=c>
(1/11, Daugherty) reported that former Vice President Joe Biden on Friday
blasted Rep. Steve King (R-IA) “for his comments questioning how the terms
‘white nationalist’ and ‘white supremacist’ became offensive.” In a tweet,
Biden said, “White supremacists and their shameful ideology should have no
place in this country in 2019, let alone a voice of sympathy in the United
States Congress.” The Hill added that during a recent interview with the
New York Times, King asked, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western
civilization – how did that language become offensive? Why did I sit in
classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?”
NYTimes: Unclear Whether 2020 Democratic Race Will Hinge On Policy Or
Electability.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=017-2e6&t=c>
(1/14, Martin) reports, “After a 2018 midterm election that energized the
left, perhaps the most consequential political question facing the
Democratic Party is whether liberals will insist on imposing policy litmus
tests on 2020 presidential hopefuls, or whether voters will rally behind
the candidate most capable of” beating President Trump “even if that
Democrat is imperfect on some issues.” The Times says, “The two paths may
help determine the electoral fortunes of potential left-wing candidates
like Senator Bernie Sanders and more moderate ones like former Vice
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., as well as Democrats like Senator Kamala
Harris and Beto O’Rourke who have a history of appealing to both liberals
and moderates and drawing ire from some leftists for not being aggressive
enough on policy.”
Trump Mocks Warren Video.

President Trump on Sunday took aim at an Instagram video recorded by Sen.
Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), tweeting
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=018-cd7&t=c>
that it “would have been a smash” if it had been recorded at “Bighorn or
Wounded Knee” and “with her husband dressed in full Indian garb.” In a
second tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=019-292&t=c>,
Trump said the “best line in the Elizabeth Warren beer catastrophe” is when
she thanked her husband for being there, when “it’s their house, he’s
supposed to be there!” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=01a-476&t=c>
(1/13, Lam) reports that Trump “mocked...Warren’s nearly two-week-old
Instagram Live video” from the day she announced that she was forming an
exploratory committee for a presidential run.

        *Visiting New Hampshire, Warren Calls For “Systemic Change.” *
Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=01b-22b&t=c>
(1/12, Murray) reported that Warren on Saturday “called for ‘systemic
change’ ranging from eliminating for-profit prisons and legalizing
marijuana to establishing more equitable housing programs during her first
New Hampshire swing of the 2020 presidential campaign.” According to
Politico, Warren “is seen as a strong contender in the neighboring Granite
State’s early 2020 primary, where her closest competition could be Vermont
Sen. Bernie Sanders, who won the state’s 2016 Democratic primary and is
weighing another run.” The Boston Globe
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=01c-332&t=c>
(1/12, Pindell) said that “politically speaking, the one day trip to New
Hampshire will serve as something of a marker for other candidates planning
for their trips to the state.”
Castro Announces 2020 Presidential Bid.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=01d-1d4&t=c>
(1/12, Astor) reported that ex-HUD Secretary Julián Castro (D-TX) on
Saturday announced “that he would run for president, one of the most
high-profile Latino Democrats ever to seek the party’s nomination.”
Castro’s first campaign appearance “will be in Puerto Rico, where he will
speak on Monday at the Latino Victory Fund’s annual summit and meet with
residents still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria. Later in the
week, his campaign said, he will go to New Hampshire.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=01e-ad3&t=c>
(1/12, Hayes) reported that Castro, “who made remarks in both English and
Spanish, also rolled out his campaign slogan: One Nation. One Destiny.”

        The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=01f-8c9&t=c>
(1/12) reported that Castro, “who could end up being the only Latino in
what is shaping up to be a crowded Democratic field,” on Saturday “made
immigration a centerpiece of his announcement in his hometown of San
Antonio, less than 200 miles from the US-Mexico border. Two days after
[President Trump] visited the border to promote his promised wall, Castro
mocked Trump for claiming that the US faces an ‘invasion’ from its ally to
the south.” Said Castro, “He called it a national security crisis. Well,
there is a crisis today. It’s a crisis of leadership. Donald Trump has
failed to uphold the values of our great nation.”

        The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=020-e03&t=c>
(1/13, Zakrzewski) reports that during a Sunday appearance on CBS’ “Face
the Nation,” Castro blasted Trump “for ‘playing games’ with people’s right
to seek asylum and said the nation needs to get serious about recognizing
this right.” Said Castro, “I don’t believe that we should have family
detention for people that are seeking asylum or refugee status solely. We
should develop other ways to ensure that people are processed and we’re
able to keep track of them in the country.” Castro also “said he would
‘look at things like ankle monitors’ to track where individuals are in the
United States as an alternative to deportation.”

        Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=021-c16&t=c>
(1/12, McCaskill) reported that Castro becomes “one of the youngest
candidates in the 2020 Democratic field — and the first major Latino
candidate. That could give Castro an edge in a key early presidential state
– Nevada has the highest percentage of Hispanic voters of the four early
voting states. And it’s likewise an asset in California, which stands to
cast a long shadow over the Democratic presidential nomination battle now
that its primary has been moved forward to early March. Together,” Castro’s
“youth and background offer a profile built to appeal to the Democratic
Party’s diverse and ascendant Obama coalition.”

        The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=022-071&t=c>
(1/12, Johnson) said that “Castro’s campaign promises fall within the
current Democratic mainstream. He said he wants to make the first two years
of college, a certification program or apprenticeship ‘accessible and
affordable,’ though he stopped short of calling for free college, as some
Democrats have done.” He has also “called for ‘Medicare-for-all, universal
health care for every American,’ but did not get into the details of how he
would pay for such a program. He promised to reinstate the Paris agreement
on climate change in collaboration with other nations, and work to pass the
Green New Deal that would invest in environmentally friendly jobs.”
Democratic Rep. Gabbard Announces White House Bid.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=023-5af&t=c>
(1/11, Weigel) reported that Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) on Friday on
announced “that she will seek the 2020 Democratic nomination for
president.” In an interview with CNN, Gabbard “listed criminal justice
reform, climate change and health care as issues that she was interested in
solving.” The Post said, “Gabbard, 37, arrived in Congress six years ago
after an underdog campaign for Hawaii’s mostly rural 2nd District. She had
been a force in Hawaii politics for years, making news by becoming the
youngest person – just 21 at the time – ever elected to the state
legislature. She made news again when she left the seat to serve in Iraq
with the Army National Guard.”

        The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=024-578&t=c>
(1/11) reported that Gabbard’s bid “would not be without controversy. In
2016, she alarmed fellow Democrats when she met with Donald Trump during
his transition to president and later when she took a secret trip to Syria
and met with President Bashar Assad, who has been accused of war crimes and
genocide. She questioned whether he was responsible for a chemical attack
on civilians that killed dozens and led the US to attack a Syrian air
base.”

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=025-b16&t=c>
(1/11, Astor) reported that Gabbard in 2015 “startled the Democratic
National Committee by calling for more presidential debates than the party
wanted to hold. And just this week, she wrote an op-ed accusing fellow
Democrats of ‘religious bigotry’ for sharply questioning a judicial
nominee, Brian Buescher, on his membership in the Knights of Columbus.
(Though she did not name names, her targets were clear: Senator Kamala
Harris of California, another likely presidential candidate, and Senator
Mazie Hirono, who also represents Hawaii.).” And she backed Sen. Bernie
Sanders (I-VT) “in the 2016 primaries – resigning as vice chairwoman of the
DNC to do so – when most party officials were circling the wagons around
Hillary Clinton.”
Gillibrand Makes Moves Toward Potential Presidential Campaign.

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=026-15b&t=c>
(1/11, Thomas) reported Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) is moving towards
running for president in 2020, hiring staff and planning a visit to Iowa.
The campaign is expected to be headed by her chief of staff, Jess Fassler,
and Dan McNally, who formerly worked on the campaign of Sen. Michael Bennet
(D-CO). Gillibrand, said the Journal, has over $10.6 million in her Senate
campaign, fund which can be used for a presidential campaign. Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=027-b53&t=c>
(1/11, Schneider) reported that the hires are “the latest sign of movement
toward a 2020 campaign” from Gillibrand. The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=028-164&t=c>
(1/11, Burns) described the hirings as “part of a flurry of activity by Ms.
Gillibrand in recent weeks as the 2020 campaign gets underway.” CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=029-204&t=c>
(1/11, Connolly) said that “virtually all she has left to do now is
announce she’s jumping into the race.”

        *BuzzFeed: “Source” Says Gillibrand Indicated She Will Mount 2020
Bid. *BuzzFeed News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=02a-354&t=c>
(1/12, Sands) reported that Gillibrand “on Saturday signaled to a group of
about 20 influential women that she will run for president, according to a
person familiar with the meeting. Gillibrand made her intentions clear,
said the source, who asked not to be identified to speak about the event.
Gillibrand said that she needed their help if they would offer it to her.
The closed-door gathering was attended by feminist Gloria Steinem, the
source said. A second source...confirmed the meeting took place but would
not elaborate on what was said.”
O’Rourke Courts Attention While Mum On Presidential Plans.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=02b-63d&t=c>
(1/13, Weissert) reports that ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) is “doing almost
anything to keep people paying attention to him without formally starting a
presidential campaign for 2020,” even as “influential activists in Iowa and
elsewhere are clamoring for him to get in the race while some potential
rivals move their timelines earlier.” The AP adds that Democratic “anger
over President Donald Trump,” Democrats seeking “to go on the political
attack,” and with impeachment “unlikely, fast-forwarding 2020 campaigns may
become necessary.” Meanwhile, “a string of announcements from top Democrats
could come this month,” and as more contenders formally launch their
candidacies, the pressure on O’Rourke increases.

        *O’Rourke To Be Featured In Conversation With Oprah. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=02c-509&t=c>
(1/11) reported that O’Rourke will be Oprah Winfrey’s guest for an
interview on “Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations from Times Square” February
5. Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=02d-aa4&t=c>
(1/11, Siders) reported that the interview “comes as O’Rourke edges closer
to a presidential campaign.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=02e-cbc&t=c>
(1/11, Siders) also reported “Democratic activists working to lay campaign
groundwork for...O’Rourke if he decides to run for president are ratcheting
up their efforts in Iowa,” according to organizers who are planning “Draft
Beto” meetings for this week.
Sanders Bolstering Digital Operations Ahead Of Likely 2020 Bid.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=02f-094&t=c>
(1/14, Otterbein) reports that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) “is adding
firepower to his political team ahead of a potential 2020 campaign, locking
down digital alumni who were key to his surprise performance in 2016 and
recruiting the media production company that helped launch Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez to prominence. The flurry of activity, detailed by four
people familiar with the campaign’s thinking, is the latest sign” Sanders
“is closing in on a decision on a second run for the White House. Means of
Production, the filmmaking cooperative that created the viral campaign
video that propelled Ocasio-Cortez’s House campaign, is in talks with the
Sanders team about a major role in 2020. And two people who powered
Sanders’ record-breaking small-dollar fundraising operation in 2016 have
agreed to join a subsequent presidential bid if it materializes, according
to a Sanders campaign aide: Tim Tagaris and Robin Curran, his digital
fundraising director and digital production director in 2016,
respectively.”
Leading the News
As Trump Calls For Wall, Graham Urges Him To Reopen Government Before
Declaring Emergency.

As the President stood firm on his demand for a border wall over weekend,
Sen. Lindsey Graham argued on Fox News Sunday[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=030-585&t=c>
(1/13) that Trump should agree to reopen the government then declare a
national emergency if talks with Congress about the wall do not prove
successful. Graham was among several lawmakers to discuss the ongoing
government shutdown on the Sunday talk shows. While comments concerning who
is to blame for the continuing impasse largely broke along partisan lines,
members of both parties stressed the need to return to the negotiating
table.

        In an interview on Fox News Justice[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=031-97e&t=c>
(1/12) Saturday, President Trump reiterated his call for a wall on the
southern border and highlighted that another migrant caravan is now forming
in Honduras. Trump said, “We have a humanitarian crisis, to put it mildly.
People are trying to get in by the tens of thousands. They’re rushing the
border. There’s right now in Honduras – a country we pay a lot of money to,
I think foolishly because they don’t help us, but right now you have
another caravan forming, and it’s going to be the biggest one yet. ... We
need a wall, very simple. Whether you call it a steel barrier, wall,
doesn’t matter, but we need a very strong structure.”

        Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=032-920&t=c>
(1/13, Chiacu) says the President “continued to blame Democrats for the
impasse.” In a tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=033-df4&t=c>
Sunday morning, he wrote, “I’m in the White House, waiting. The Democrats
are everywhere but Washington as people await their pay. They are having
fun and not even talking!” Meg Oliver said on the CBS Weekend News[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=034-7c3&t=c>
(1/13, story 3, 1:35, Begnaud) the President “now says he doesn’t know if
he can strike a deal with Democrats to get the government open again.”

        In a pair of tweets Sunday night, Trump referred to a column
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=035-c77&t=c>
by Pat Buchanan which highlighted the arrest of 266,000 illegal aliens by
ICE officers in the last two years. Trump wrote
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=036-be4&t=c>,
“The Trump portrait of an unsustainable Border Crisis is dead on. ‘In the
last two years, ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of aliens with Criminal
Records, including those charged or convicted of 100,000 assaults, 30,000
sex crimes & 4000 violent killings.’ America’s Southern ...
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=037-ab8&t=c>
Border is eventually going to be militarized and defended or the United
States, as we have known it, is going to cease to exist...And Americans
will not go gentle into that good night. Patrick Buchanan. The great people
of our Country demand proper Border Security NOW!”

        Stephanie Ramos said on ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=038-62d&t=c>
(1/13, story 4, 2:30, Llamas) while Trump is “lashing out at Democrats as
he renews his threats to build the wall without Congress,” Graham is
“pressuring the President to end the shut down before taking drastic
measures.” The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=039-791&t=c>
(1/13, Sonmez) says Graham “argued that reopening the government and
attempting to find a legislative solution, then declaring a national
emergency if those talks don’t bear fruit, is the best way forward.” Said
Graham, “I would urge him to open up the government for a short period of
time, like three weeks, before he pulls the plug. See if we can get a deal.
If we can’t at the end of three weeks, all bets are off. See if he can do
it by himself through the emergency powers.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=03a-3c1&t=c>
(1/13, Swoyer) reports Graham “said Democrats thus far have not been
willing to budge.” Said Graham, “Nancy Pelosi says even if you open up the
government we won’t fund a wall. ... That’s why I’m depressed.” Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=03b-55a&t=c>
(1/13, Key) reports Graham said, “It really does perplex me how you expect
this to end when you tell the President of the United States, you can’t get
$1 for a wall when in the past Democrats have appropriated billions for the
wall. What’s he supposed to do, just give in? He’s not going to give in.”

        The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=03c-4ae&t=c>
(1/13, Schwab) says Graham “apologized to the federal workers – who are
either working without pay or furloughed,” but he said the shutdown caused
“less damage than if we don’t fix our broken immigration system.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=03d-f0a&t=c>
(1/13, Samuels) says Graham “said he believes the president may be willing
to reach a deal that would include border wall funding and protections for
beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program,
as well as those receiving temporary protected status.” Graham told NBC, “I
don’t want to speak for the president ... but I’m confident what I just
described with a few other things would be a deal acceptable to the White
House and a lot of Democrats, and I’m just so frustrated we can’t get in a
room and hammer it out.” The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=03e-189&t=c>
(1/13, Lim) reports Graham “said he had spoken to Trump earlier Sunday
morning and the president told him he considered the emergency route to be
his last option.” Said Graham, “I think there is a crisis at the border, I
think it fits the definition of a national emergency. It’s the last option,
not the first option, but we’re pretty close to that being the only
option.” Washington Post conservative blogger Jennifer Rubin was critical
of Graham’s idea, arguing in a tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=03f-563&t=c>,
“When you use it as a last resort It. Is. Not. An. Emergency.”

        The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=040-19a&t=c>
(1/13, Armour, Nicholas, Peterson) says Graham is among many Senate
Republicans who have been working to break the stalemate, but so far, none
have seen success. Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=041-b14&t=c>
(1/13, Litvan, Brody, Shields) reports Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said on NBC’s
Meet the Press
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=042-743&t=c>
(1/13) that the President is “willing to meet in the middle” to end the
shutdown.

        The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=043-52a&t=c>
(1/13, Superville) reports Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) told Fox News Sunday[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=044-7ff&t=c>
(1/13) Graham’s idea to reopen the government is a “great place to start.”
Coons said, “I do think if we reopen the government, if the president ends
this shutdown crisis, we have folks who can negotiate a responsible, modern
investment in technology that will actually make us safer.”

        House Minority Whip Scalise said on ABC’s This Week[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=045-538&t=c>
(1/13), “Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, in every meeting I’ve been in –
we’ve had three meetings in the situation with all of the principal
negotiators. Many times I’ve seen the President willing to negotiate on the
definition of a wall. He even said he would be willing to let them ban
cement wall structures. He would be willing to negotiate on how much it
would cost. He’s got, from our security experts, a detailed breakdown of
what it will take to secure America’s border. Not one single time has Nancy
Pelosi or Chuck Schumer put a counteroffer on the table except a dollar.
Nancy Pelosi said a dollar. That’s not serious. We all know that. It’s time
for them to come to the table.”

        House Minority Leader McCarthy said on CBS’ Face The Nation[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=046-1a5&t=c>
(1/13), “The President has made reasonable offers. ... There is not one
offer from the Democrats. It’s unacceptable that 800,000 US employees are
not being paid. You know what we’re arguing over. One tenth of one percent
of the federal budget. We’re not asking the Democrats to do something they
haven’t done before. They have voted for boarder wall and fencing.”

        Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) said on Fox News The Journal Editorial
Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=047-e51&t=c>
(1/12), “The President’s asking for one-tent of one percent, not just the
wall and barriers but for technology, agents and to deal with the
humanitarian challenges we’ve got because we do on the border right now.
And to his credit, he has shown flexibility in how we achieve that. I
really think it really is time to find common ground here. This can’t be
that hard. And reopen the government as we do it.”

        On Fox News Sunday Morning Futures[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=048-8ea&t=c>
(1/13), Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said, “My hope is that the Democrats
will come to the table and we’ll be able to resolve this, Congress should
be the ones to take the lead. ... I hear it from Tennessee every single
day. Look, stop the drug traffickers, the human traffickers, the gangs from
coming in this country, because until that southern border is secure, you
are going to have every state a border state and every town a border town,
and they want to get this issue resolved, securing that border. And it’s
important to realize walls work. Ask Israel. Walls work. Look at the border
patrol, they say they need three things, and they tell us this regularly,
they need a barrier, they need technology, and they need more border agents
and officers that are there on the ground to help with this situation.”

        Democrats were unified in their calls to reopen the
government. On ABC’s
This Week
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=049-1b0&t=c>
(1/13), Senate Minority Whip Durbin said it is “time for the centrists to
speak up in their own Republican senate caucus and tell Mitch McConnell the
party’s over. We want this to end. There’s no excuse for this shutdown. The
Republican-controlled Senate and handful of senators will make that
decision.” Durbin added, “Open up the government tomorrow. The President
can do it. One phone call from Mitch McConnell can get it started.”

        The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=04a-905&t=c>
(1/13, Zakrzewski) reports Sen. Joe Manchin issued a statement Sunday
saying that the President has indicated that he does not plan to
immediately issue an emergency declaration, “it’s time for Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell to bring up the House passed appropriations bills
that would finally reopen government. ... As an equal branch of government
we have the authority to override the President’s veto, if that’s what he
chooses to do.” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) “also called for the president to
reopen the government before debating the issue of border security.” Kaine
said on NBC’s Meet the Press
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=04b-f46&t=c>
(1/13), “What we don’t want to do is waste taxpayer money on a vanity
project that’s ineffective, that the president said Mexico would pay for.”

        Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) discussed, on CNN’s State Of The Union[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=04c-e78&t=c>
(1/13), the continuing government shutdown. Warner said, “There is already
700 miles-plus of wall that’s been built, some for more than a decade. That
was decided by border security experts. I’m for additional border security.
But that border security ought to be driven by the experts, not by the
political whims of a campaign promise where Trump said the wall was going
to be built and paid for by Mexico. This guy doesn’t tell the truth. So
more border security, let’s have at it. While we’re having that debate,
let’s reopen the government.”

        *Trump Targets Democrats For Not Wanting To Include DACA In Wall
Talks. *On Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=04d-2a3&t=c>
Sunday morning, Trump wrote, “Democrats are saying that DACA is not worth
it and don’t want to include in talks. Many Hispanics will be coming over
to the Republican side, watch!”

        *Trump: Border Wall Will Reduce Crime Nationally. *The President
also wrote on Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=04e-ddc&t=c>
Sunday, “The building of the Wall on the Southern Border will bring down
the crime rate throughout the entire Country!”

        *Trump, White House: Democrats “Not Even Talking” As They Vacation
In Puerto Rico. *President Trump took to Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=04f-233&t=c>
Sunday morning to write, “I’m in the White House, waiting. The Democrats
are everywhere but Washington as people await their pay. They are having
fun and not even talking!” Elsewhere on Sunday, the Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=050-5d4&t=c>
(1/13, Enjeti) reports White House press secretary Sarah Sanders “harshly
criticized Democratic lawmakers for flying to Puerto Rico for a political
event and vacationing during a partial government shutdown.” Democratic
lawmakers “were spotted on the beaches of Puerto Rico during a meeting for
a political action committee which supports the Congressional Hispanic
Caucus.”

        The lead story on Drudge.com Sunday evening was a Washington
Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=051-3e2&t=c>
(1/11, Bedard) report from Friday that said “some 30 Democratic lawmakers
left the government shutdown behind Friday on a chartered flight to Puerto
Rico for a winter retreat with 109 lobbyists and corporate executives
during which they planned to see the hit Broadway show ‘Hamilton’ and
attend three parties including one with the show’s cast.”

        Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=052-ca5&t=c>
(1/13, Pollak), meanwhile, reports that the “mainstream media have largely
ignored a Democratic Party trip to Puerto Rico this weekend, in the midst
of a partial government shutdown that journalists are doing their best to
describe as a tragedy for federal workers.” To Breitbart, the “only
significant coverage or commentary has been in conservative media.”

        *Border Patrol Agents Say Number Of Illegal Border Crossings
Unsustainable. *On the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=053-9b2&t=c>
(1/13, story 4, 2:10, Begnaud), Mireya Villarreal reported, “Border patrol
agents say the number of daily illegal crossings is unsustainable.” In
December, DHS “says they apprehended more than 50,000 people trying to
enter the US illegally along the southern border. But thousands more are
waiting to make a legal claim for asylum.”

        *A New Migrant Caravan Forming In Honduras. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=054-8b2&t=c>
(1/13, Ernst, Malkin, Villegas) reports that a “new caravan of migrants is
forming in Honduras, and even ahead of its scheduled departure at dawn on
Tuesday, battle lines were being drawn to the north, with some vowing to
help them on their journey north, and others to block them.” For President
Trump, the Times says the “timing of the caravan offered fresh ammunition
in his fight with Congress over the $5.7 billion he wants for an enhanced
border wall between Mexico and the United States.”

        *Pompeo: Border Security A Component Of National Security. *Secretary
of State Pompeo said on CBS’ Face The Nation[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=055-cdd&t=c>
(1/13, Brennan), “Make no mistake about it, keeping the southern borders
secure is a national security component. There is a risk to the United
States of America. We need to take this seriously, secure our border and
make sure those who want to do us harm don’t have a way to access us in
that way. One of the reasons I’m in the Middle East is to work against
terror. Border security is a important component.”

        *Pompeo Hopes For Quick Resolution To Government Shutdown. *Asked
about the government shutdown on CBS’ Face the Nation[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=056-106&t=c>
(1/13, Brennan), Secretary of State Pompeo said, “It’s unfortunate we’re in
the shutdown. I wish we weren’t too. I hope it’s resolved quickly. I told
our teams that. You have to know the great Americans in our embassies
across the world, they understand the mission, they understand it’s
importance. They understand whether the government is open or closed they
have a task to do. They are hard at it. ... Make no mistake about it,
keeping the southern borders secure is a national security component. There
is a risk to the United States of America. We need to take this seriously,
secure our border and make sure those who want to do us harm don’t have a
way to access us in that way. One of the reasons I’m in the Middle East is
to work against terror. Border security is a important component.”

        The Washington Free Beacon
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=057-18c&t=c>
(1/13, Kredo) reports that “US diplomats and personnel stationed abroad are
being hit hard by the ongoing shutdown of the federal government in
Washington, DC, and are expressing frustration to their boss.” During a
“meet and greet session with US staff in Doha on Sunday, Pompeo sought to
allay concerns while acknowledging that the longest government shutdown in
history has impacted foreign staff.” Said Pompeo, “I know it’s especially
difficult at this time when not everybody is at work. We want to get
everybody back so we have everyone working hard” to advance the
Administration’s agenda.

        *Sources: Trump Dressed Down Mulvaney During Meeting With
Congressional Leaders. *Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=058-031&t=c>
(1/13, Swan) reports President Trump “chastised” Chief of Staff Mulvaney
“over his handling of shutdown talks, creating an awkward scene in front of
congressional leaders of both parties, according to two sources who were
present.” Sources said the encounter came “near the end of a meeting in the
White House Situation Room on Jan. 4” when Mulvaney “inserted himself into
the conversation and tried to negotiate a compromise sum of money,
according to the sources in the room.” A “White House official, who was in
the room,” told Axios, “This is an exaggerated account of the exchange that
doesn’t reflect the good relationship Mulvaney has built over the last two
years with the president.”

        *Some House Democrats Frustrated Over Perceived Lack Of Strategy To
End Stalemate. *The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=059-5b8&t=c>
(1/13, Andrews, Peterson) reports some House Democrats are concerned by
what they see as the absence of a clear strategy from party leaders over
how to end the government shutdown. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) said,
“There’s a number of us on the Democratic side who are quite concerned that
we’re not working on negotiated positions and taking the bull by the horns
and trying to think about what it would look like.”

        *WTimes Analysis: Democrats Favor “Virtual Fence” They Once
Opposed. *In an analysis, the Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=05a-f80&t=c>
(1/13, Miller) says that while DHS “spent seven years and more than $1
billion trying to create” President George W. Bush’s so-called “virtual
fence” at the border, it “was a bust.” However, the idea has now “returned
as the main ante for congressional Democrats in the border security
spending fight.” Democrats oppose the physical barrier the President
supports. Instead, they favor “drones, sensors and other electronics...a
‘technological wall,’ in the words of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
California Democrat.” This despite the fact that Democrats “cheered” former
President Obama’s 2011 decision to pull the plug “on the Bush-era Secure
Border Initiative Network, or SBINet, which was envisioned as an integrated
system of radar, sensors and video cameras along the entire U.S.-Mexico
border.”

        *Castro: Trump Has Created A Tragedy At The Border. *2020
Democratic presidential hopeful Julian Castro, on CBS’ Face The Nation[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=05b-de6&t=c>
(1/13), said, “What I believe is he [Trump] has created a tragedy at the
border. This policy of separating children from their parents and the
terrible way that customs and border protection has managed it’s
responsibility including the deaths two of children in the last few weeks,
it’s a tragedy. ... I don’t believe we should have family detention for
people seeking asylum or refugee status. We should develop other ways to
insure people are processed and we’re able to keep track of them in the
country.”

        *Gingrich: Trump Should Pay Pelosi, Schumer To Go On TV More.
*The Washington
Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=05c-755&t=c>
(1/13, Lim) reports former House Speaker Newt Gingrich joked Sunday that
the President should urge Pelosi and Schumer “to do more joint TV
appearances.” Gingrich’s comments followed Pelosi and Schumer’s response to
the President’s Oval Office address on border security. Their response was
“mocked online” for its “awkward[ness].” Gingrich told John Catsimatidis on
AM 970’s “Cats Roundtable” radio program, “[Schumer] and Pelosi were so bad
the other night that the president ought to sort of pay them to go on TV
once a week.”

        *GOP Lawmakers: Shutdown Won’t End With Border Wall Resolution. *The
Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=05d-c00&t=c>
(1/13, Sherfinski) reports that “even if the wall debate is resolved, it’s
not necessarily the end of the shutdown that has gone well into its fourth
week.” Lawmakers said “plenty of other lingering questions are tucked
inside the spending bills, including abortion policy, immigration detention
— even horse slaughter inspections — all of which will complicate the
fight.” Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) said border security is the big hurdle,
but those other issues are still “major concerns.” Rep. Bradley Byrne
(R-AL) likewise said, “Even if we had a deal on the border wall, we don’t
agree to the Senate appropriations bills.”

        *TSA: Eight Percent Of Agents Calling In Sick Amid Shutdown. *NBC
Nightly News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=05e-6a5&t=c>
(1/13, story 2, 1:55, Snow) reported, “The Transportation Security
Administration said today that nearly eight percent of airport security
screeners are calling in sick. That is more than double the rate from one
year ago. In fact, one checkpoint at Houston’s main airport is closed
tonight due to a shortage of TSA workers.” NBC (Leitner) added that Miami’s
airport was “forced to close one terminal because of a shortage of TSA
agents.”

        *NYTimes Analysis: Sharpest Effects Of Shutdown Only Beginning To
Emerge. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=05f-259&t=c>
(1/13, Blinder) reports that “in many parts of the United States, the
shutdown has underscored how deeply the federal government is connected to
everyday life.” But the Times says the “sharpest effects of the longest
shutdown in the nation’s 242-year history are only beginning to emerge
across the country.”

        *Polls Show Americans Blame Trump, Republicans For Shutdown. *
Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=060-07a&t=c>
(1/13, Levine, Bresnahan) reports President Trump and Republicans are
“losing the messaging war on the government shutdown” as two new polls show
“the majority of Americans think Trump and Republicans are at fault.” A
Washington Post-ABC News poll
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=061-df0&t=c>
“found that 53 percent of respondents blamed Trump and Republicans in
Congress for the shutdown, while 29 percent blamed Democrats. Thirteen
percent of respondents said both sides were equally to blame.” Another poll
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=062-4a3&t=c>
from CNN “found that 55 percent of respondents blamed Trump, while 32
percent blamed Democrats. Nine percent blamed both sides.”

        Reporting the Washington Post-ABC News poll, USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=063-9f3&t=c>
(1/13, Cummings) says, “Unsurprisingly, there was a wide partisan divide in
opinion. While 85 percent of Democrats blamed Trump and congressional
Republicans, 68 percent of Republican voters blamed congressional
Democrats. Among Republicans, 15 percent blamed Trump and their own party
and another 15 percent blamed both sides equally.” Independents, however,
“blamed Trump and Republicans over Democrats by a 30-point margin.” ABC
World News Tonight
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=064-360&t=c>
(1/13, story 4, 2:30, Llamas) said that “while the majority don’t believe
there is a crisis at the border, and most reject calls for the wall, 42
percent support it.”

        Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=065-792&t=c>
(1/13) columnist James Downie writes, “President Trump has been in a
petulant mood this weekend. ... But the president’s crankiness is no
surprise: As a new Washington Post-ABC poll shows, Trump is losing the
argument over the government shutdown and building a wall at the southern
border. And he’s losing it badly.” Downie says the “usual fallback here for
those determined to find good news in bad polls for the president is ‘at
least his base is holding.’ And yes, Republican support for the border wall
has ‘jumped 16 points in the past year, from 71 percent to 87 percent’ in
the Post-ABC poll. But Trump’s digging in on the border wall hasn’t
actually improved his support among Republicans, just their support for the
wall itself.”
Foreign Policy
Sources: White House Sought Options To Strike Iran.

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=066-893&t=c>
(1/13, Nissenbaum), citing both current and former US officials, reports
that the National Security Council asked the Pentagon to provide the White
House with military options to strike Iran last year. The request
reportedly came after militants fired three mortars into Baghdad’s
diplomatic quarter, home to the US Embassy, in early September. While they
caused no damage, the rocket attacks triggered alarm at the White House,
where National Security Adviser Bolton conducted a series of meetings about
a possible US response, including options to strike Iran.

        Citing the Journal, Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=067-04c&t=c>
(1/13, Lynch, Chiacu) reports the request “sparked deep concern among
Pentagon and State Department officials,” and Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=068-7d9&t=c>
(1/13, Motevalli) reports Secretary of State Pompeo “declined to comment
when asked by reporters in Qatar if he could confirm the report.”

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=069-ace&t=c>
(1/13, Schmitt, Landler) reports “senior Pentagon officials are voicing
deepening fears that...Bolton could precipitate a conflict with Iran at a
time when Mr. Trump is losing leverage in the Middle East by pulling out
American troops.” Bolton’s request “alarmed then-Defense Secretary Jim
Mattis and other Pentagon officials.” In response to the request, the
Pentagon “offered some general options, including a cross-border airstrike
on an Iranian military facility that would have been mostly symbolic.”

        Asked about the Journal’s report on Fox News Sunday Morning
Futures[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=06a-50a&t=c>
(1/13), Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said, “I think that what you are
seeing with the national security team, and those that are working to make
certain that we are increasing our strength in the Middle East, viewing all
options.”

        *Iranian Nuclear Chief Says Tehran Exploring New Uranium
Enrichment. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=06b-612&t=c>
(1/13, Karimi) reports that the head of Iran’s nuclear program said Sunday
that Tehran has begun “preliminary activities for designing” a modern
process for 20-percent uranium enrichment, “signaling new danger” for the
2015 nuclear deal. Restarting enrichment at that level would mean Iran had
withdrawn the nuclear deal, but the AP says Ali Akbar Salehi’s comments to
state television “appeared aimed at telling the world Iran would slowly
restart its program.” Said Salehi, “We are at the verge” of being ready,
without elaborating. Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=06c-372&t=c>
(1/13) notes the 2015 deal “caps the level to which it is able to enrich
uranium to 3.67 percent purity,” but “Iran is, however, allowed to produce
nuclear fuel under strict conditions that need to be approved by a working
group set up by the signatories to the deal.”

        *Pompeo: US Working To Free Americans Detained In Iran. *Asked
about Americans detained in Iran, Secretary of State Pompeo told CBS’ Face
the Nation
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=06d-c9d&t=c>
(1/13, Brennan), “This Administration is proud of the work we have done to
get Americans released from across the world. With respect to the Michael
White case particularly, I can’t say much. It’s a ongoing matter. The
American people should know we take the security of every American
traveling in the world as a foremost priority. We will work to get each
back.” With regards to Iran, Pompeo said, “These are among the worst
terrorists in the world with the least respect for human rights in the
world. It’s why the Administration has taken this hard line...against
Iran.”

        *Iran Summons Polish Envoy In Protest Against Upcoming Summit. *The
AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=06e-c3e&t=c>
(1/13, Karimi) reports, “Angered by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s
announcement that Poland will host an international conference on Iran in
mid-February, Iranian authorities on Sunday summoned Warsaw’s top diplomat
in the country.” The move follows tweet by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad
Zarif, who denounced the summit as a “circus.” Speaking Sunday to reporters
in Qatar, Pompeo said he hoped the meeting in Poland will allow the world
to see “the enormous coalition that is prepared to assist in creating
stability and peace here in the Middle East.” He added, “We’ll work on many
issues including how it is we can get the Islamic Republic of Iran to
behave more like a normal nation.”

        Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=06f-38a&t=c>
(1/13) reports that an Iranian foreign ministry official told Poland’s
charge d’affaires in Tehran “that Iran saw the decision to host the meeting
as a “hostile act against Iran” and warned that Tehran could reciprocate,”
state-run media said.

        *Israel Confirms Strike On Iranian Targets In Syria. *The New York
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=070-9b3&t=c>
(1/13, Kershner) reports Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
“acknowledged on Sunday that Israeli forces had attacked Iranian weapons
warehouses in Syria, after years of ambiguity over involvement in specific
attacks on the country.” Speaking at the start of his weekly cabinet
meeting, Netanyahu said, “We worked with impressive success to block Iran’s
military entrenchment in Syria,” adding that the Israeli military had
struck Iranian and Hezbollah targets “hundreds of times.” The Times says
that “by lifting the veil on its campaign to curb Iranian influence in the
region, as well as Tehran’s efforts to upgrade the capabilities of
Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Israeli government appeared to be trying to
convey confidence that the threats from across its northern frontiers were
under control.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=071-18d&t=c>
(1/13, Schwartz) likewise calls it a rare admission from Israel, which
typically declines to discuss military operations.

        *Two California Men Charged With Spying For Iran. *The Los Angeles
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=072-f84&t=c>
(1/13, Etehad) reports that two California men — Majid Ghorbani, 59, and
Ahmadreza Mohammadi Doostdar, 38, who holds dual US-Iranian citizenship —
have been charged with” operating in Orange County as agents of the Islamic
Republic of Iran — an accusation that has alarmed many in the local Persian
community because it suggests tensions between the US and Iran have spilled
over into Southern California.” The men’s goal, authorities say, “was to
conduct surveillance on Israeli and Jewish facilities in the US, and to
collect information on members of the Mujahedin Khalq, MEK, an Iranian
exile group.” From the summer of 2017 to the spring of 2018, “authorities
say the men crisscrossed Orange County and the United States, videotaping
participants at MEK rallies in New York and Washington, D.C., and
photographing Jewish centers in Chicago.” During that time, they also “flew
back and forth between Iran and Los Angeles International Airport.”
Trump: US Will “Devastate Turkey Economically” If It Attacks Kurds In Syria.

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=073-0cb&t=c>
(1/13, Salama) reports that in a pair of tweets Sunday, President Trump
warned Turkey not to attack US-allied Kurds in Syria. Trump wrote
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=074-265&t=c>,
“Starting the long overdue pullout from Syria while hitting the little
remaining ISIS territorial caliphate hard, and from many directions. Will
attack again from existing nearby base if it reforms. Will devastate Turkey
economically if they hit Kurds. Create 20 mile safe zone…
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=075-7d5&t=c>Likewise,
do not want the Kurds to provoke Turkey.”

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=076-caf&t=c>
(1/13, Gibbons-Neff) says Trump’s tweets “marked the first public threat
toward Turkey...over the Kurds and seemed to offer a blanket of protection
for the group.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=077-4bb&t=c>
(1/13, Riechmann), among other outlets, similarly reports the President’s
tweet.
Pompeo: Qatar Diplomatic Crisis “Has Dragged On Too Long.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=078-a0e&t=c>
(1/13, Lee) reports Secretary of State Pompeo said Sunday an ongoing
boycott of Qatar by its neighbors “has dragged on too long,” though he
“gave no sign of any coming breakthrough in the dispute.” Speaking to
reporters in Doha, Pompeo “made a repeated point to say that ‘great things’
were happening between Qatar and the United States.” Said Pompeo, “We’re
all more powerful when we’re working together. Disputes between countries
that have a shared objective are never helpful.” While Pompeo said he
signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the expansion and renovation
of al-Udeid Air Base, the AP says the comments by Pompeo and Qatari Foreign
Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani “gave no sense of any
movement in the ongoing diplomatic crisis with Doha.”

        Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=079-5b7&t=c>
(1/13, MacDonald) reports Pompeo told reporters, “We hope the parties will
see the benefits of cooperation. I made clear we are all more powerful when
working together and when disputes are limited.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=07a-4f8&t=c>
(1/13, Knecht, Wroughton) reports Pompeo told reporters he had also raised
the rift with officials in Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE, but lamented,
“It’s...not at all clear that the rift is any closer to being resolved
today than it was yesterday and I regret that.”

        The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=07b-247&t=c>
(1/13, Malsin, McBride) says repairing the breach between Qatar and its
neighbors is key to the Administration’s Middle East strategy as it seeks
to unite the region to put pressure on Iran. To the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=07c-5b7&t=c>
(1/13, Wong), Pompeo’s comments “underscored the challenges faced by the
Trump administration as it tries to maintain its relationship with Saudi
Arabia and build a coalition against Iran, while mitigating the fallout
from a range of actions undertaken by the kingdom and Prince Mohammed.”
Venezuelan Opposition Leader Briefly Detained.

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=07d-3bd&t=c>
(1/13, Lombrana, Rosati) reports Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido
“was detained by secret police officers and released shortly afterward” on
Sunday morning. Guaido was “en route to a rally outside Caracas when his
vehicle was intercepted, according to a video disseminated by members of
his party and other opposition leaders.” The head of Venezuela’s National
Assembly “was released a few minutes later.” Guaido later tweeted, “The
regime tried to stop me, but nothing and no one will stop us.” To the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=07e-6fc&t=c>
(1/13, Sanchez, Goodman), the “confusing incident, which drew swift
international condemnation, is bound to ramp up tensions between the
opposition and government following President Nicolas Maduro’s swearing in
for a controversial second term this month.”
Ahead Of Parliament Vote, PM May Warns Halting Brexit Would Be
“Catastrophic.”

NBC Nightly News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=07f-ce9&t=c>
(1/13, story 8, 1:20, Snow) reported the British government faces “a key
test of its plan to exit the European Union when Parliament votes on the
Brexit deal backed by British Prime Minister Theresa May.” NBC (Harmon)
added that “few expect it to pass” during Tuesday’s vote. Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=080-b0a&t=c>
(1/13, Maclellan) reports Prime Minister Theresa May warned lawmakers
Sunday that failing to deliver Brexit “would be catastrophic for
democracy.” May “said lawmakers must not let down the people who backed
Brexit in a June 2016 referendum.” Doing so, she wrote in the Sunday Express
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=081-6ab&t=c>,
“would be a catastrophic and unforgivable breach of trust in our democracy.
So my message to Parliament this weekend is simple: it is time to forget
the games and do what is right for our country.”

        The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=082-ecb&t=c>
(1/13, Booth, Adam) reports that “members of her own Conservative
government acknowledge that May’s deal...might fail to win support. Many in
the political press are predicting a devastating, career-defining defeat.”
Pompeo: US Will Hold Those Responsible For Khashoggi Murder “Accountable.”

Asked on CBS’ Face the Nation
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=083-088&t=c>
(1/13, Brennan) about the US response to the murder of Saudi journalist
Jamal Khashoggi, Secretary of State Pompeo said, “I will say what we have
said consistently. America’s position publicly and privately are the same.
This was an outrageous act, an unacceptable murder. Those responsible will
be held accountable by the United States of America. We are determined to
do that and get to the facts as quickly as we can. We have a policy
consistent with this. We, like the rest of the world, value human rights
all across the globe. The murder of Jamal Khashoggi was outrageous and we
will hold those responsible accountable.”

        Meanwhile, Andrea Mitchell said on NBC Nightly News[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=084-dfe&t=c>
(1/13, story 3, 2:05, Snow) that “Pompeo is in Saudi Arabia tonight, his
first trip here since the CIA concluded that the country’s powerful crown
prince was responsible for the brutal murder of...Khashoggi, an assessment
that President Trump has not accepted.” Pompeo is expected to meet Monday
with the crown prince. The CBS Weekend News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=085-3e8&t=c>
(1/13, story 5, 1:25, Begnaud) said Pompeo’s “politically sensitive visit
to Saudi Arabia today comes as the Kingdom continues to face scrutiny over
the brutal murder of...Khashoggi.”

        USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=086-ed2&t=c>
(1/13, Shesgreen) reports Pompeo arrived in Riyadh Sunday, “promising to
press the Saudi royal family for greater accountability” on Khashoggi’s
murder, but “critics do not expect a truly forceful reprimand” and “some
experts said the real audience for Pompeo’s message on Khashoggi may be”
House Democrats, who are “preparing to grill the administration on its
handling of the journalist’s murder.” Speaking to reporters traveling with
him, Pompeo said, “We will continue to have a conversation with the crown
prince and the Saudis about ensuring that the accountability is full and
complete with respect to the unacceptable murder of Jamal Khashoggi. So
we’ll continue to talk about that and make sure we have all the facts so
that they are held accountable, certainly by the Saudis but by the United
States as well where appropriate.” A “senior State Department official”
told reporters that Pompeo would press Saudi Arabia to provide “a credible
narrative for what happened in the consulate and subsequent events.”

        *Sister Of Jailed Female Activist Appeals To Pompeo. *NBC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=087-e40&t=c>
(1/13, Smith) reports on its website that the sister of a female activist
imprisoned in Saudi Arabia “issued a rare and emotional appeal” to Pompeo
ahead of his arrival in Riyadh, “pressing him to raise the detention of
women’s rights activists” during his visit. Alia al-Hathloul — “whose
sister Loujain al-Hathloul is in jail after campaigning to earn women the
right to drive” — wrote in a New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=088-b4e&t=c>
op-ed Sunday that she was “struck” by the fact that the imprisonment and
alleged torture of women activists “would most probably not feature on
Pompeo’s agenda.” NBC says Al-Hathloul “is not alone in her belief that
Pompeo will fail to address the issue of imprisoned women’s rights
activists when he meets with Saudi leaders.” Adam Coogle of Human Rights
Watch said, “The Trump administration has made it very clear from day one
that human rights is not part of their foreign policy agenda — they only
care about making money.”

        Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=089-c58&t=c>
(1/13, Nereim), meanwhile, reports “Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor is
investigating allegations that several prominent women’s rights activists
have been tortured in jail, according to three people familiar with the
matter.” The torture, “including electric shocks and floggings, allegedly
occurred over the summer at a secret detention facility in an unknown
location, according to four people.”

        *Saudi Teen Arrives In Canada After Being Granted Asylum. *The CBS
Weekend News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=08a-1d9&t=c>
(1/13, story 10, 0:20, Begnaud) reported briefly that “a Saudi Arabian
teenager who ran away from home saying she was abused and feared death if
she got deported back home has been granted asylum in Canada. Rahaf
al-Qunun arrived in Toronto yesterday.”
Pompeo: US Counter-Terrorism Mission Will Not Be Compromised By Syria
Withdrawal.

Asked about US plans to withdrawal from Syria on CBS’ Face the Nation[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=08b-de3&t=c>
(1/13, Brennan), Secretary of State Pompeo said, “The roughly 2,000
uniformed soldiers in Syria today are going to be withdrawn. That activity
is under way. We will do so in an orderly and deliberate way, a way that
protects America’s national security. A way that allows us to continue the
important mission they were on, the counter-terrorism mission. The effort
to make sure the destruction of ISIS is not only complete, but the
resurgence is not possible. Our efforts to counter the threat from
terrorism, stemming from the Islamic Republic of Iran, those are all real
missions. The tactical change we’ve made in the withdrawal of those 2,000
troops is just that, a tactical change. The mission remains the same.”

        *Advisers, Allies Sought To Convince Trump To Reconsider Syria
Withdrawal. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=08c-7d3&t=c>
(1/13, Hudson) reports President Trump sent National Security Adviser
Bolton “on a cleanup mission” to Israel “to reassure a close ally that
Trump’s impulsive decision to immediately withdraw troops from Syria would
be carried out more slowly and with important caveats.” To the Post, the
“plan seemed to work at first,” but “by the end of the week, attempts to
dissuade Trump or place conditions on the withdrawal faded as the US
military announced” the withdrawal had begun. The announcement, says the
Post, ended “a multipronged effort by alarmed US national security
officials, foreign allies and Republican hawks in Congress to significantly
alter or reverse Trump’s decision.” Secretary Pompeo also “sought to
reassure allies in a lengthy tour of Arab capitals last week, promising
that the US withdrawal will not alter the Trump administration’s commitment
to fully defeat the Islamic State and drive Iranian forces out of Syria,”
but “the message did little to reassure jittery allies.”

        *Himes Voice Support For Withdrawal. *Asked on Fox News Sunday
Morning Futures
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=08d-af2&t=c>
(1/13) if he supports the President’s decision to withdraw from Syria, Rep.
Jim Himes (D-CT) said, “I’m not a fan of this President, but I have always
liked the fact that he is instinctively skeptical of having our troops on
the ground in the Middle East. I don’t think anybody wants a repeat of what
happened in Iraq. I would not have done it the way that President Trump
did. I think we’ve got to protect our Kurdish allies and I think we’ve got
to be in a position to push back against the Iranians and the Russians. But
over time, we should be trying to reduce the number of Americans on the
ground in places like Syria and Iraq and Afghanistan, rather than increase
those numbers.”

        *USS Stennis Continues Operations Amid Withdrawal. *Charlie D’Agata
reported for the CBS Evening News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=08e-e18&t=c>
(1/13, story 8, 2:40, Begnaud) from aboard the USS John C. Stennis, where
F-18 fighters continued to launch airstrikes on Taliban targets in
Afghanistan as well as ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria, despite President
Trump’s recent “declaration of victory” in the fight against ISIL. D’Agata
reported, “The group commander told us there has been no letup from here. …
This is what the fight against ISIS looks like now. And as long as there
are American boots on the ground, there will be US air support overhead.”
Additionally, D’Agata reported, “The return of a US carrier to the Persian
Gulf is also seen as a show of force to nearby Iran, which deployed vessels
in December to shadow the Stennis.”
Domestic Policy
Trump Slams FBI’s “Corrupt Former Leaders” Over “Insulting” NYTimes Report.

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=08f-393&t=c>
(1/13, Cummings) reports the President, in an interview with Fox News
Justice
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=090-978&t=c>,
described as “insulting” a New York Times report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=091-bf5&t=c>
which said that after he fired FBI Director Comey, the bureau launched an
investigation into whether Trump was “knowingly working for Russia or had
unwittingly fallen under Moscow’s influence.” USA Today says Fox News Host
“and vocal Trump supporter,” Jeanine Pirro asked the President asked Trump
if he is now or has ever worked for Russia, to which Trump replied, “I
think it’s the most insulting thing I’ve ever been asked. ... I think it’s
the most insulting article I’ve ever had written. And if you read the
article, you’d see that they found absolutely nothing.” The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=092-432&t=c>
(1/13, Kruta) says Trump attacked the “failing” New York Times, calling it
“a disaster of a newspaper,” and adding, “And if you read the article,
you’d see that they found absolutely nothing. But the headline of that
article – it’s called ‘the failing New York Times’ for a reason – they’ve
gotten me wrong for three years. They’ve actually gotten me wrong for many
years before that.” On ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=093-5c7&t=c>
(1/13, story 3, 2:45, Llamas), Tara Palmeri said “the President denies he
did anything wrong.”

        The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=094-c7a&t=c>
(1/12, Boyer) reports the President “blasted former FBI leaders” over the
report on Saturday. Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=095-5d9&t=c>,
“Wow, just learned in the Failing New York Times that the corrupt former
leaders of the FBI, almost all fired or forced to leave the agency for some
very bad reasons, opened up an investigation on me, for no reason & with no
proof, after I fired Lyin’ James Comey, a total sleaze!” In another tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=096-ff3&t=c>,
Trump said he has been “FAR tougher on Russia than Obama, Bush or Clinton.
Maybe tougher than any other President. At the same time, & as I have often
said, getting along with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing. I fully
expect that someday we will have good relations with Russia again!” In
another
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=097-8a4&t=c>,
Trump said “everybody” wanted Comey fired. Wrote Trump, “After the rigged &
botched Crooked Hillary investigation, where she was interviewed on July
4th Weekend, not recorded or sworn in, and where she said she didn’t know
anything (a lie) …the FBI was in complete turmoil (see N.Y. Post) because
of Comey’s poor leadership and the way he handled the Clinton mess (not to
mention his usurpation of powers from the Justice Department).”

        An AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=098-140&t=c>
(1/13, Superville) says the President “avoided directly answering when
asked whether he currently is or has ever worked for Russia.” Similarly,
Philadelphia Inquirer political writer Chris Brennan tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=099-fe7&t=c>,
“Asked if he works/worked for Russia, Trump says that’s the most insulting
question he’s ever been asked and then lists a litany of complaints while
never directly providing an answer.”

        Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=09a-fe3&t=c>
(1/13, Lynch) reports Senate Judiciary Chairman Graham told Fox News
Sunday[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=09b-da7&t=c>
that “he plans to ask the FBI about a report it launched a probe into
whether President Donald Trump has been working on Russia’s behalf,
suggesting the agency may have gone too far.” Graham said, “I am going to
ask the FBI director – was there a counterintelligence investigation opened
up regarding the president as being a potential agent of the Russians? I
find it astonishing. ... If this really did happen, Congress needs to know
about it. ... How could the FBI do that? What kinds of checks and balances
are there?”

        The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=09c-29a&t=c>
(1/13, Chaitin) reports House Intelligence Committee ranking member Rep.
Devin Nunes (R-CA) “said the New York Times’ bombshell report on a
counterintelligence investigation into President Trump’s ties to Russia
only strengthens the argument that the FBI has no evidence of collusion
against the Trump team.” In a statement obtained by the Examiner, Nunes
said, “This is yet more evidence that FBI leaders actually had no real
evidence against the Trump team. ... Instead, they were simply trying to
undermine a president they didn’t like and avenge Comey’s firing. By
relying on the Steele dossier – a fraudulent document funded by Democrats
and based on Russia sources – FBI leaders were either complicit or too
oblivious to notice they were being used in a disinformation operation by
the Democratic Party and Russian operatives.”

        A number of Republicans echoed Trump’s argument that he has been
tougher on Russia than his predecessors. House Minority Whip Scalise, on ABC’s
This Week
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=09d-64c&t=c>
(1/13), said, “Well, look at the facts. It seems like the Democrats have a
massive infatuation with Russia and Putin now. They didn’t seem to be
concerned about Russia when Barack Obama was President and letting Russia
run roughshod over Eastern Europe. President Trump has taken more steps to
stand up against Russia than anybody we’ve seen in a long time.” On NBC’s
Meet the Press
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=09e-a93&t=c>
(1/13), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said, “Listen, I will say if you compare
objectively President Trump’s policies to Russia compared to President
Obama’s policies to Russia, by any measure President Obama was much easier,
was much more gentle on Russia.”

        Democrats were much more critical. For example, Sen. Mark Warner
(D-VA) said on CNN’s State Of The Union[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=09f-41b&t=c>
(1/13), “That’s the defining question of our investigation and the Mueller
investigation. Was there collusion? I’m not going to talk about what we may
have been briefed in the Gang of Eight when these investigations opened.
But I do think it’s curious that throughout that whole summer when these
investigations started, you had Vladimir Putin’s policies almost being
parroted by Donald Trump. You had Trump say only nice things about Putin.
He never spoke ill about Russia. The Republican campaign doctrines softened
on Russia and decreased their willingness to defend Ukraine. There was a
series of outside actions. We all remember when Trump and his bluster
basically said to the Russians, if you’ve got more emails, bring them on.
These are not actions of a traditional President for the United States.”

        On ABC’s This Week
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0a0-3d1&t=c>
(1/13), Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) said, “There’s so many questions raised.
Why is he so chummy with Vladimir Putin? This man, who is a former KGB
agent, never been a friend of the United States, invaded our allies,
threatens us around the world and tries his damnedest to undermine our
elections. Why is this President Trump’s best buddy? I don’t get it.”

        The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0a1-81f&t=c>
(1/13, King) says “several leading congressional Democrats” appeared on the
Sunday shows to express “deepening concerns over Trump and Russia” in the
wake of the Times report “and a Washington Post story
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0a2-b06&t=c>
about Trump’s strenuous efforts to conceal what was said in face-to-face
talks with Putin over the past two years.” Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) said on Fox
News Sunday
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0a3-cc5&t=c>
(1/13) that the report of a counterintelligence investigation “alarming,”
and “said it underscored the need for the wide-ranging Russia investigation
by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III to proceed unimpeded.” Sen. Tim
Kaine (D-VA) said on NBC’s Meet the Press[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0a4-dd0&t=c>
(1/13) that to open a counterintelligence probe of a sitting president, the
FBI must have had a “very deep level of concern.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0a5-bb6&t=c>
(1/13, Duehren, Anderson) reports House Democrats said they will look into
allegations that the President has moved to limit documentation of his
meetings with Putin. House Foreign Affairs Chairman Engel said his panel
will hold hearings into the matter.

        Trump was also asked about the Post story on Fox News Justice[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0a6-58b&t=c>
(1/12), He said, “I had a conversation like every President does. You sit
with the president of various countries I do it with all countries. We had
a great conversation. We were talking about Israel and securing Israel and
lots of other things. And it was a great conversation. I’m not keeping
anything under wraps, I couldn’t care less. I mean, it’s so ridiculous.
These people make it up. Washington Post, that’s basically the lobbyist for
Amazon. You know, he uses that – Bezos has got bigger problems than anybody
right now. But Bezos uses that as his lobbyist, okay, as far as I’m
concerned. And the Washington Post almost as bad or probably as bad as The
New York Times.”

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0a7-5cb&t=c>
(1/13, Barnes, Rosenberg) reports House Intelligence Chairman Schiff
“implored his Republican colleagues Sunday to support his effort to obtain
notes or testimony from the interpreter in one of the private meetings
between Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin.” Schiff wrote
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0a8-2ba&t=c>,
“Will they join us now? Shouldn’t we find out whether our president is
really putting ‘America first?’” However, the Times says the Administration
“appears unlikely to acquiesce to such a demand without a fight.” Citing
“current and former American officials,” the Times says Trump “has
repeatedly withheld details of his conversations with Mr. Putin.”

        Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0a9-144&t=c>
(1/13, King) says the President’s “Republican allies...said the acts of
concealment described by the Post, including Trump’s demand that an
interpreter hand over the U.S. side’s only notes of a private meeting with
Putin in Hamburg, Germany, were well within his authority.” Sen. Ron
Johnson (R-WI) told CNN’s State Of The Union[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0aa-57c&t=c>
(1/13) that “this is not a traditional president. ... He has unorthodox
means. ... But he is president of the United States. It’s pretty much up to
him in terms of who he wants to read in to his conversations with world
leaders.” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) “played down the latest Russia revelations
as of little interest to anyone outside the nation’s capital.” Cruz
said on NBC’s
Meet the Press
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0ab-60b&t=c>
(1/13), “Washington is obsessed with this,” but outside the Beltway, “I
don’t find anybody concerned with this at all.”

        Senate Homeland Security Chairman Johnson said, on CNN’s State Of
The Union
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0ac-5fc&t=c>
(1/13), “He has unorthodox means but he is President of the United States.
It’s up to him in terms of who he wants to read into his conversations with
world leaders. That’s just the basic fact. ... In the end I’m going to
judge this President based on his actions. We have increased sanctions. We
have begun providing lethal defensive weaponry to as well as training
Ukrainians to defend their territorial integrity. The jury will be out on
other actions this President will or will not take. In the end you just
have to basically judge him on his actions.”

        House Minority Leader McCarthy said on CBS’ Face The Nation[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0ad-ecb&t=c>
(1/13), “What I do know is what this Administration has and this Congress
has done. We have been very tough on Russia. Look at the sanctions we have
taken.” McCarthy added, “I know what the President likes to do. He likes to
create a personal relationship, build the relationship and rebuild the
relationship with other world leaders.”

        Julie Pace of the AP said on CNN’s Inside Politics[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0ae-ce6&t=c>
(1/13), “There is no detailed account of his face-to-face meetings with
Putin. The question around Russia and Trump always comes down to this. If
there is no reason to really be concerned, if there is nothing untoward, if
Putin doesn’t have anything on him, why are his interactions with Russia so
clouded. Why are there always these actions he takes that raise more
questions? If you know that people are interested in whether you have a
relationship with Russia, why don’t you take steps to make your
interactions with Putin more transparent?”

        Beverly Hallberg of District Media Group said on Fox News
MediaBuzz[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0af-f1a&t=c>
(1/13), “When Trump says that there has been no collusion and that, of
course is what mainstream media would like to attach him to, he doesn’t
help himself out by having notes not recorded at these meetings. ... I
think for his own credibility and these stories that continue to come out –
they want to damage him based on some supposed collusion and connection
with Russia – he should realize that and be above bar and realize, ‘I’ve
got to be careful with these.’”

        *Pompeo: “Ludicrous” To Say Trump Is A Threat To National Security.
*NBC Nightly News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0b0-79d&t=c>
(1/13, lead story, 2:45, O'Donnell) said Secretary of State Pompeo told CBS’
Face the Nation
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0b1-164&t=c>,
“The notion that President Trump is a threat to American national security
is absolutely ludicrous.” The Washington Free Beacon
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0b2-8cd&t=c>
(1/13, Cimmino) quotes Pompeo as telling CBS, “I have answered this
question repeatedly, indeed on your show. The idea that’s contained in the
New York Times story that President Trump was a threat to national security
is silly on its face and not worthy of a response.” Errol Barnett reported
for the CBS Evening News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0b3-9c0&t=c>
(1/13, story 2, 1:40, Begnaud) that White House Press Secretary Sarah
Sanders similarly said, “The story is so outrageously inaccurate it doesn’t
even warrant a response.”

        *WPost Analysis: Manafort Revelations Show Mueller’s Interest In
Russia Interactions. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0b4-f8a&t=c>
(1/13, Hamburger) reports that recent “revelations about Paul Manafort’s
interactions with a Russian associate while he was leading President
Trump’s campaign provide a window into how extensively the special counsel
has mapped interactions between Trump associates and Russians.” Details
“inadvertently revealed in a court filing last week...indicate that special
counsel Robert S. Mueller III has also been scrutinizing interactions
between Russians and Manafort while he led Trump’s presidential bid.” The
information “indicates Mueller has been exploring what he may have
communicated to Russians while working for Trump. And it serves as a stark
reminder that as Trump was offering Russia-friendly rhetoric on the
campaign trail, his White House bid was led for a time by a man with
long-standing ties to powerful Russian figures.”

        *Cummings: Mueller Report Should Be Made Public. *House Oversight
Chairman Cummings said on CBS’ 60 Minutes[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0b5-135&t=c>
(1/13), “Now, there’s one big elephant that’s sitting around here that we
don’t know what it’s going to yield, and that is Mueller’s report. I don’t
know what that report is going to have in it. One thing I do know, though,
is whatever it is, even if it exonerates the President, fine. But this I do
know: I want whatever it is, for the Congress to have it, and I want the
public to have it, so that everybody can make a judgment.” Asked if he
thinks Republicans will try to suppress the report, Cummings said, “I hope
not, but that’s a possibility. But I hope not. I hope they don’t.”

        The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0b6-06e&t=c>
(1/13, Jaffe) says Cummings “brushed off talk of impeachment as premature”
in the interview, but “said House Democrats would aggressively probe the
Trump White House.” Cummings said, “The fact that we can look at anything
is part of the problem. ... There’s so much . . . And all I’m saying is
that we’ve got to hit the ground, not running, but flying.”

        *Karl: Sources Say Mueller Report Will Be “Anti-Climactic.” *
Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0b7-531&t=c>
(1/13, Key) reports ABC chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl said
Sunday that his sources say Mueller’s report is “almost certain to be
anti-climactic.” Karl said on ABC’s This Week[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0b8-6b7&t=c>
(1/13) that “people who are closest to what Mueller has been doing,
interacting with the special counsel caution me that this report is almost
certain to be anti-climactic. If you look at what the FBI was investigating
in that New York Times report, you look at what they were investigating,
Mueller did not go anywhere with that investigation. ... What we’ve
certainly seen over and over again is the people around the president,
first of all, have been willing to lie to investigators, and had their own
dealings with Russians, had their own agendas with Russians. ... But it is
not added up to anything of the central question, again, was there anybody
– was the Trump campaign aware of or coordinating with the Russians in
their effort to meddle with the election. So far there’s been nothing on
that and I’m led to believe don’t expect there’s going to be any.”

        However, the Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0b9-627&t=c>
(1/13, Chaitin) reports journalist Carl Bernstein “indicat[ed]” on CNN’s
Reliable Sources
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0ba-f46&t=c>
(1/13) that “he knows where the Mueller investigation is going to end up,
and it’s not looking good for Trump.” Bernstein said, “Part of what I know
comes from lawyers of some of the other defendants in this matter who have
appeared before Mueller, including members of the joint defense team which
collaborates with the White House, and those lawyers believe the president
has been lying at every turn about his relationship with Russia. ... Look,
let us look at all of the lies, follow the money, follow the lies. They are
all mostly and most vehemently about Russia. Whether we are talking about
[Michael] Flynn, Trump, his son, [Jared] Kushner, back to lying about
questions having to do with Russia, about what happened at the Trump Tower
meeting. The president of the United States drafts a totally false
statement about what happened at that meeting that his son was at.”
Bernstein added that Trump “has helped Putin destabilize the United States
and interfere in the election, no matter whether it was purposeful or not,
and that is part of what the draft of Mueller’s report, I’m told, is to be
about.”

        *Himes Casts Doubt On GOP Claims About Steele Dossier. *Rep. Jim
Himes (D-CT) was asked on Fox News Sunday Morning Futures[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0bb-e15&t=c>
(1/13) about the Republican investigation into the use of the Steele
dossier for FISA warrants. Asked if Democrats would continue the
investigation, Himes said, “That’s not accurate” that “the Justice
Department in any way misled the judge. I understand that’s a Republican
talking point. ... They noted that this dossier had been done for political
purposes to find adverse information on Donald Trump, so again, that’s just
not accurate. They complied with their own procedures and an Inspector
General report determined that there had been no misbehavior there.” Himes
added that “nothing in the dossier has been disproven. Not a single thing
in that dossier has been disproven.”

        *Jordan: FBI Was Not Clear With FISA Court About Steele Dossier. *Rep.
Jim Jordan (R-OH) said on Fox News Sunday Morning Futures[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0bc-404&t=c>
(1/13), “When the dossier was taken to the court they did not tell the
court that the Clinton campaign and the Democrat National Committee paid
for it. They had some footnote with some convoluted candidate A, campaign
B. ... They were not clear with the FISA court that one party’s campaign
had paid for this dossier, put this dossier together, opposition research
they dressed it up to make it look like legitimate intelligence, took it to
a secret court to get a warrant to spy on the other campaign.”
Democrats To Question Barr About Criticism Of Robert Mueller Inquiry.

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0bd-12a&t=c>
(1/13, Johnson, Jansen) reports that when attorney general nominee William
Barr is before the Senate Judiciary Committee. His “unsolicited memorandum”
offering a “stinging critique of Russia special counsel Robert Mueller’s
inquiry into possible obstruction by Trump” will “be among the most
incendiary flashpoints” of the hearing. “Former Republican attorneys
general said Barr has some explaining to do” about the memo, and “some
Democrats, concerned that the nominee’s memo represented a threat to
Mueller, called on Barr to recuse himself from the Russia inquiry as a
condition of his confirmation.” Should he be confirmed, Barr is expected to
face “a host of challenges, any one of which would probably define an
entire term in any other administration,” including whether the President
can use a national emergency declaration to bypass Congress on building a
border wall, whether a sitting president can be subject to indictment, and
whether to publicly release “any final accounting of the investigative work
by Mueller’s team.”

        On Fox News Sunday
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0be-ba6&t=c>
(1/13), Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) said, “I would need a firm commitment that
he would not allow any interference in the Mueller investigation, he will
allow it to reach its conclusion and he will release the report to the
public.” When Coons asked Barr “about seeking an ethics opinion from the
Department of Justice about whether he should recuse himself given some of
the its opinions he’s expressed both in a memo that he sent unsolicited
challenging the obstruction of justice basis for some of Robert Mueller’s
investigation” he didn’t make such a commitment, and “I will re-ask that
question this coming week. I have some other concerns about his views on
criminal justice and civil rights but the Mueller investigation, the rule
of law, his willingness to defend the appropriate independence of the
Department of Justice will be critical to my vote.”

        Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), on Fox News Sunday Morning Futures[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0bf-502&t=c>
(1/13), described her expectations for the attorney general nomination
hearings for William Barr. She said, “He’s been in retirement for 10 years,
basically, he is coming out of retirement to serve President Trump and I
was thinking back through some of the previous attorney generals and I’ve
got to tell you. When you look at William Barr, I think you see somebody
whose going to be a 180 or an exact opposite of what Eric Holder was.” She
added, “We expect that the Democrats are going to oppose Mr. Barr and his
confirmation” because “they are on this obstruct tangent. Everything that
they can do to get in the President’s way.”

        *NYSun Editor: Any Deal To Not Let Trump Fire Mueller Unacceptable.
*Seth Lipsky, the editor of The New York Sun, writes in an op-ed in the Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0c0-1c4&t=c>
(1/13) that President Trump should withdraw Barr’s nomination if he
promises to not fire special counsel Robert Mueller, as Barr needs to
provide real oversight of Mueller and fire him if President Trump calls for
it. Anything else would “undermine the president’s constitutional
prerogatives.”
Democrats Warn Trump Not To Meddle In Their Investigations.

The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0c1-dbc&t=c>
(1/13, Williams) reports House Oversight Chairman Cummings, House
Intelligence Chairman Schiff, and House Judiciary Chairman Nadler “are
warning President Trump against any attempts to meddle in the chamber’s
ongoing investigation into the White House ahead of a highly anticipated
and public testimony from former Trump attorney Michael Cohen.” The three
lawmakers issued a joint statement Sunday warning the President against any
“efforts to discourage, intimidate, or otherwise pressure a witness not to
provide testimony to Congress.” The statement came after the President
suggested in an interview Saturday “that Democrats should examine Cohen’s
father-in-law, Fima Shusterman, alluding to possible nefarious activity.”
Trump told Fox News Justice
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0c2-a11&t=c>
(1/12), “Where does that money – that’s the money in the family. And I
guess he didn’t want to talk about his father – he’s trying to get his
sentence reduced.”

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0c3-fb2&t=c>
(1/13, Fandos, Haberman) calls the Democrats’ statement “a stark and
unusual message from some of Congress’s most influential Democrats,” which
“underscores the increasing legal and political peril facing Mr. Trump.” In
a separate analysis, the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0c4-fea&t=c>
(1/13, Baker) says that with Democrats “in charge of the House, the special
counsel believed to be wrapping up his investigation, news media outlets
competing for scoops and the first articles of impeachment already filed,
Mr. Trump faces the prospect of an all-out political war for survival that
may make the still-unresolved partial government shutdown pale by
comparison.”
Axios Analysis: Trump May Pull US Out Of Existing NAFTA Ahead Of USMCA
Debate.

Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0c5-153&t=c>
(1/13, Salmon) reports, “The head of state wants to renegotiate a major
free-trade agreement, and there is a deal on the table that has been agreed
to by all parties. Now all that’s needed is for domestic lawmakers to
approve the deal. There are signs they might not be willing to do so. In
order to concentrate the legislators’ minds, the leader exits the old
agreement, leaving a stark choice: Either accept the new one, or embrace
the chaos of a no-deal exit.” Axios says British Prime Minister Theresa May
“pulled this move when she triggered Article 50 in March 2017, raising the
specter of a catastrophic no-deal Brexit should Parliament not agree to a
deal by March 29, 2019.” Now, Axios says President Trump is “thinking along
similar lines for NAFTA” as he seeks approval for its replacement, USMCA.

        *AP, Star Tribune Analyses: Tariffs Causing Difficulties For Small,
Industrial Companies. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0c6-5c2&t=c>
(1/13, Wiseman) reports on small, industrial businesses facing difficulties
caused by the Trump Administration’s tariffs, which “tend to swell the cost
of these companies’ materials and leave them at a competitive disadvantage
to foreign rivals unburdened by import taxes.” While “higher costs
resulting from Trump’s tariffs have yet to inflict much overall damage to a
still-robust American economy, which is less reliant on international trade
than most other countries are,” the tariffs “are escalating costs, creating
hardships and magnifying uncertainty” for many US businesses.

        The Minneapolis Star Tribune
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0c7-dc1&t=c>
(1/12, DePass) reports that US manufacturers “are scrambling to change the
way they do business – from finding new suppliers to shifting more
finishing work overseas – as the sting of tariffs begins to take a bigger
toll on their bottom lines.” The Star Tribune adds that trade concerns have
been the primary cause of waning economic optimism and a tightening labor
market.
S&P 500 Companies Lower Earnings Estimate In New Sign Of Faltering Economic
Momentum.

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0c8-66a&t=c>
(1/13, Otani) reports that S&P 500 firms have lowered their collective
fourth-quarter earnings growth estimate from 17 percent to 11 percent,
following lower-than-expected holidays sales and dimming expectations for
global economic growth. The new estimate is the latest signal that US
businesses are struggling to keep their momentum after several quarters of
high growth, pressuring the bull market, and putting stock indexes on a
weak foot for the coming week.
Trump Mocks “Jeff Bozo” On Twitter.

On Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0c9-e66&t=c>
Sunday evening, President Trump wrote, “So sorry to hear the news about
Jeff Bozo being taken down by a competitor whose reporting, I understand,
is far more accurate than the reporting in his lobbyist newspaper, the
Amazon Washington Post. Hopefully the paper will soon be placed in better &
more responsible hands!”
Jordan Touts Trump’s “Amazing Record.”

In an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0ca-30d&t=c>
(1/13), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) offered a strong defense of President
Trump’s record. Jordan said, “Taxes have been cut, regulations reduced, the
economy growing at an unbelievable rate, lowest unemployment in 50 years.
Three hundred and twelve thousand jobs added last month alone. Gorsuch and
Kavanaugh on the court. We’re out of the Iran deal. The embassy’s in
Jerusalem. Hostages are home from North Korea. And oh, by the way, there’s
a new NAFTA agreement. So it’s an amazing record and that’s what I know
about the two years that we’ve had Donald Trump as President of the United
States.” Jordan added, “This President’s probably been attacked more than
any President in my lifetime. And here’s what I know: Over the last two
years, in spite of the unprecedented attacks that have come against
President trump, the last two years have been amazing.”
Cancer Research
Opinion: Payors Should Not Be Required To Cover Unproven Medical Treatments.

Opinion contributors Ezekiel Emanuel, MD, an onocologist, author, and Chair
of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of
Pennsylvania, and Justin Bekelman, MD, a radiation oncologist and proton
beam oncologist at the University of Pennsylvania Health System, argue in USA
Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0cb-b36&t=c>
(1/11) for research to serve as the basis for recommending, using, and
paying for medical treatments. They cite the use of proton therapy, robotic
surgery, and bone marrow transplants as examples of treatments that cost
millions overall but didn’t improve on standard treatment or were even
detrimental for patients. The two point out that the National Cancer
Institute and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute “are funding
seven randomized trials comparing proton therapy to standard radiation for
treating cancers of the lung, breast, prostate, liver, esophagus and brain
to answer the question” of effectiveness. Emanuel and Bekelman says that
“we should stop demanding – and legally requiring – [that] commercial
insurers, Medicare, and Medicaid pay for proton beam and other expensive
treatments before research shows them to be more effective than the
alternative.”
Memorial Sloan Kettering Works To Limit Executives’ Ties To Drug,
Healthcare Companies After Conflict-Of-Interest Scandals.

An article by the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0cc-05c&t=c>
(1/11, A1, Thomas, Ornstein) and ProPublica
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0cd-9e7&t=c>
(1/11, Thomas, Ornstein) appearing on the front page of the Times reported
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center “announced on Friday that it would
bar its top executives from serving on corporate boards of drug and health
care companies that, in some cases, had paid them hundreds of thousands of
dollars a year.” Officials also informed “the center’s staff that the
executive board had made permanent a series of reforms designed to limit
the ways in which its top executives and leading researchers could profit
from work developed at Memorial Sloan Kettering.” The article said the
conflicts which the Times and ProPublica “unearthed” at Sloan Kettering
“have had a rippling effect on other leading cancer institutions across the
country.”
Editorials/Op-Eds
Washington Post.

        *“Cardinal Wuerl Knew About Theodore McCarrick. And He Lied About
It.” *A Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0ce-2a8&t=c>
(1/13) editorial says that amid “the ongoing tsunami of revelations about
the Catholic Church’s willful blindness, conspiracy of silence, and moral
bankruptcy on clergy sex abuse,” a new revelation about a past abuse case
in the Washington archdiocese “may count as little more than a droplet –
although it does involve two of the highest-ranking and most prominent
American prelates.” The Post calls for Pope Francis and the Catholic Church
to take a more active role in responding to abuse rather than merely making
“ringing declarations.”

        *“Good News In Higher Education. More Colleges Are Reaching Out To
Lower Income Students.” *In an editorial, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0cf-274&t=c>
(1/13) welcomes “news that some of the nation’s top colleges and
universities launched” the American Talent Initiative (ATI), “an effort to
increase enrollment of” lower-income high school and community college
students with strong academic credentials, a program that “is showing
promising signs of early success.” The Post adds, “Of key importance is the
establishment of socioeconomic diversity as a priority of university
leadership,” and one of the “effective” strategies is moving “from
merit-based to need-based financial aid and outreach to community college
graduates and military veterans.” The Post calls for additional work “to
bridge the economic chasm that keeps higher education out of reach for too
many Americans,” denying opportunities to those students and denying their
talents to the country.
Wall Street Journal.

        *“Two Tacos And A B.A., Please.” *In an editorial, the Wall Street
Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0d0-300&t=c>
(1/13) reports that a new paper indicates that during the recession, the
gap between employers’ requirements and many applicants’ skills was a
product of the poor labor market and such requirements are reduced in
better economic times. The Journal argues this indicates the importance of
a good economy for the unemployed, as it forces employers to cast wider
nets and offer training.

        *“Julian Castro Joins The Pack.” *In an editorial, the Wall Street
Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019011401biden&r=email-f79e&l=0d1-0c8&t=c>
(1/13) reports that presidential candidate and former San Antonio Mayor
Julián Castro is light on experience. He appears to be emphasizing his
Mexican heritage and taking a more hopeful, Obama-like tone than other
Democrats. The Journal warns that behind his tone and appeal to identify
politics, Castro seeks Democrats’ usual progressive policies, including
universal pre-K, higher education, and health insurance.

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