Subject: FW: Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for Tuesday, February 19, 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: Tue, 19 Feb 2019 09:13:59 -0500

Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing

*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <[email-masked]>
*Sent:* Tuesday, February 19, 2019 8:02 AM
*To:* [email-masked]
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Tuesday, February 19, 2019

*Click to access
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=000-e47&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=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=001-5a6&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Tuesday, February 19, 2019 8:00 AM EST*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News* <#SECTION_1>

• Biden Rips Trump’s Policies In Speech At Munich Security Conference. <#S1>

• Biden To Decide Soon About White House Run. <#S2>

• PPP Poll: Trump Leads Biden 49%-46% In Texas. <#S3>

• Democratic Donor Chanos Says He’d Back Biden In 2020 Democratic Race.
<#S4>

• Princeton’s Zelizer Argues Democrats Shouldn’t Back Biden. <#S5>

• WPost’s Rubin Floats “Senior Statesman” Role For Biden In Democratic Race.
<#S6>

• BuzzFeed: Eulogizing Of Thurmond May Be An Albatross For Biden In 2020
Primary. <#S7>

• Trent Lott: Biden Would Give Democrats Best Chance Of Defeating Trump.
<#S8>

• Sanders Launches 2020 Bid For President. <#S9>

• Politico Mag: Straight, White Male Candidates Slow To Enter 2020
Democratic Race. <#S10>

• In Wake Of Biden Comment, DNC Chief Defends Debate Schedule. <#S11>

• NYTimes Analysis: Obama Likely To Remain Neutral In 2020 Democratic
Primary. <#S12>

• Biden Presses Congress To Reauthorize Violence Against Women Act. <#S13>

• Biden To Speak At University Of Pennsylvania Today. <#S14>

• Brown Touts His Corporate Tax Plan. <#S15>

• Harris In New Hampshire: “I Am Not A Democratic Socialist.” <#S16>

• O’Rourke Reportedly In Talks With Strategists About Presidential Run.
<#S17>

• Klobuchar Spends Busy Weekend On Campaign Trail In Key States. <#S18>

• NYTimes: Some Democrats Dismiss Controversy Over Warren’s Claims Of
Native American Ancestry. <#S19>

• AP Analysis: Trump Keeping Close Eye On 2020 Democratic Field. <#S20>

*Leading the News* <#SECTION_2>

• Trump Denounces “Treasonous” Plot By McCabe And Rosenstein. <#S21>

*Foreign Policy* <#SECTION_3>

• Trump Calls On Venezuelan Military To Oust Maduro, Makes Case Against
Socialism. <#S22>

• CENTCOM Head: US Should Continue Arming Syrian Militias After ISIS Defeat.
<#S23>

• Kim’s Envoy Arrives In Vietnam To Prepare For Trump Summit. <#S24>

• Taliban Postpones Pakistan-Hosted Peace Talks Over Travel Restrictions.
<#S25>

• Juncker: Trump Promised Not To Impose Additional Tariffs On European
Autos. <#S26>

• As China Talks Resume, Trump Seeks Deal With Long-Term Reforms. <#S27>

• Ukrainian Navy Conducting Drills Amid Fears Russia Could Attack At Sea.
<#S28>

*Domestic Policy* <#SECTION_4>

• Sixteen States Sue In California’s Northern District To Stop Emergency
Declaration. <#S29>

• Ruddy: Trump May Fire Coats Over North Korea Contradiction. <#S30>

• Rosenstein Will Reportedly Leave DOJ Next Month. <#S31>

• Bloomberg: Potential UN Nominees Include Powell, Grenell, Craft And James.
<#S32>

• CDC Head: Measles Outbreak An Opportunity To Re-Engage Vaccination
Opponents. <#S33>

• Supreme Court To Hear Case On Peremptory Challenges Of Jurors. <#S34>

• Trump Shares Praise From Families Of School Shooting Victims. <#S35>

*Cancer Research* <#SECTION_5>

• Proposal Would Extend Medicare Coverage For CAR-T Treatments For Cancer
Patients. <#S36>

• University Of Minnesota Testing New Form Of Brachytherapy For Brain
Tumors. <#S37>

*Editorials/Op-Eds* <#SECTION_6>

• New York Times. <#S38>

• Washington Post. <#S39>
Biden in the News
Biden Rips Trump’s Policies In Speech At Munich Security Conference.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=002-733&t=c>
(2/17, Emmott, Irish) reports, “In 2009, then US Vice President Joe Biden
came to Munich to ‘press the reset button’ with Russia.” On Saturday, Biden
returned “to offer the world better relations, this time with his own
country. Promising that ‘America will be back’ once Donald Trump leaves
office, Biden won a standing ovation at the Munich Security Conference from
delegates who find the president’s brusque foreign policy stance hard to
like.”

        The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=003-319&t=c>
(2/17, Witte, Birnbaum) reported, “Amid the gloom of a security conference
focused on the breakdown in transatlantic relations” with Trump in the
White House, Biden “offered beleaguered Europeans a ray of hope this
weekend. ‘This too shall pass,’ the former vice president promised. ‘We
will be back.’ The comment earned Biden, a possible candidate for president
in 2020, sustained applause from a crowd that clearly wanted to believe the
United States will return to a more familiar role as trusted friend after
two years of Trump turning on allies and cozying up to adversaries.”

        In an online article, CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=004-04d&t=c>
(2/16, Saenz) reported that Biden assured “political leaders and security
experts gathered in Germany that the US should remain committed to its
allies despite a perception that the country is ‘pulling away from the
world and our leadership responsibilities.’ ‘The America I see is not in
wholesale retreat from the interest and values that have guided us time and
again, to be willing to shoulder our responsibility of leadership in the
20th century, and we can do that again. We must do that again,’ Biden
said.”

        Newsweek
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=005-6b1&t=c>
(2/17, Hignett) reported that in an apparent swipe at “Trump in particular,
Biden criticized the separation of migrant families. ‘The America I see
values basic human decency, not snatching children from their parents or
turning our back on refugees at our border,’ he said. ‘The American people
understand…because it makes us an embarrassment. The American people know,
overwhelmingly that it is not right. That it is not who we are.’” Fox News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=006-ec9&t=c>
(2/17, O'Reilly), The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=007-61b&t=c>
(2/17, Burke) also reported on Biden’s remarks, drawing from dispatches
from other media outlets.

        *Biden More Warmly Received At Conference Than Pence. *Newsweek
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=008-ec2&t=c>
(2/17, Lemon) reported that while Biden “received loud applause from” those
attending the conference, Vice President Mike Pence “received the silent
treatment instead of applause.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=009-923&t=c>
(2/18, Donati, Pancevski) reports that Biden, who criticized Trump’s
policies, was much more warmly received than Pence, who defended the
Administration.

        *Conservative Media Outlets Critically Highlight Biden’s
“Embarrassment” Comment. *The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=00a-f86&t=c>
(2/16, Gehrke) reported that Biden described America as “an embarrassment”
and its trade policies “self-defeating” during his speech. Said Biden, “The
America I see values basic human decency, not snatching children from their
parents or turning our back on refugees at our border. Americans know
that’s not right. The American people understand plainly that this makes us
an embarrassment. The American people know, overwhelmingly, that it is not
right. That it is not who we are.”

        The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=00b-877&t=c>
(2/18, Ernst) highlighted the Examiner story. Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=00c-6ee&t=c>
(2/18, Moons) reported that Biden “trashed Trump administration policies on
an international stage in Munich.” In her Boston Herald
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=00d-cf6&t=c>
(2/18) column, Jaclyn Cashman writes, “Taking a page from Barack Obama’s
playbook, Joe Biden” travels “to Europe and apologizes for America,”
calling “our country an ‘embarrassment’ for separating families at the
border crossing. Never mind that the Obama administration” sent “millions
of illegal immigrants back where they came from. Biden is actively trying
to rewrite his legacy on immigration.”
Biden To Decide Soon About White House Run.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=00e-32a&t=c>
(2/16, Carrel) reported that former Vice President Joe Biden, speaking on
Saturday with reporters at the annual Munich Security Conference in
Germany, said that he has not yet decided whether to run for president in
2020, but would do so “in the near term.” NBC Nightly News[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=00f-631&t=c>
(2/16, story 5, 1:05, Diaz-Balart) showed Biden saying, “No, I haven’t
reached a decision. I’m in the process of doing that and I will in the near
term let everyone know what that decision is. I think there is a very
sufficient amount of time to do that. I think that we have a tendency,
particularly in the states, to start the whole election process much too
early.”
PPP Poll: Trump Leads Biden 49%-46% In Texas.

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=010-9c7&t=c>
(2/15, Folley) reported that a Public Policy Polling (D) survey of 743
Texas voters, taken Feb. 13-14, shows President Trump leading former Vice
President Joe Biden 49%-46% in a hypothetical 2020 general election
matchup, “falling within the poll’s margin of error.” The tight “matchup is
notable for deep-red Texas, which has not favored a Democratic presidential
candidate since Jimmy Carter in 1976.”

        *Harris Atop WPost’s “Ranking Committee” Rankings; Biden Third. *“The
Ranking Committee” blog on the website of the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=011-780&t=c>
(2/15) offered the third installment of its rankings of the contenders for
the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. The top three in the rankings
remained the same, with Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) atop the field, followed
by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and former Vice President Joe Biden. Sen.
Elizabeth Warren climbed two slots, moving into fourth, while Sen. Sherrod
Brown (D-OH) dropped one spot, to round out the top five.

        *The Hill’s 2020 Democratic Rankings: 1) Harris, 2) Biden, 3)
Sanders. *Under the headline “The 10 Dems Most Likely To Win The 2020
Presidential Nomination,” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=012-a43&t=c>
(2/19, Stanage) offers its “rankings of where the” 2020 Democratic hopefuls
“stand right now” in their quest for the presidential; nomination. Topping
the list is Harris, up three spots from the beginning of January, followed
by Biden, up one spot since then, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), down one spot
since early January, ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), down three spots since
then, and Warren holds steady to round out the top five.

        *Politico Analysis: Biden’s “Big Lead” In Polls May Be Overstated. *
Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=013-467&t=c>
(2/18, Shepard) reported that Biden’s “big lead in early Democratic 2020
polling might be” overstated. Though “most polls show” him “hovering around
30 percent of the Democratic primary vote, well ahead of second-place Sen.
Bernie Sanders, two recent surveys” raise “the question of whether Biden is
a real front-runner or just has big name-recognition. Those polls show far
more Democratic voters undecided about which candidate to support, and they
pegged Biden’s backing at a much less intimidating 9 to 12 percent.”
Politico said that the polls showing Biden with less support, unlike most
surveys, either asked respondents to name a preferred candidate without
providing a list, or offered “undecided” as an option.

        Under the heading “Would Kamala Crush Biden In A 2020 Cage Match?”,
Tina Nguyen wrote at Vanity Fair
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=014-7b3&t=c>
(2/18) about the Politico story, saying its report highlighted that “polls
can be deceiving, especially this early in the race. When polling firm Bold
Blue gave respondents the option to remain undecided, 48 percent took it.
As a result, Biden ended up with only 12 percent support,” followed by
“Kamala Harris, with 11 percent. When an ABC News/Washington Post survey
asked respondents to volunteer a name for the primary, Biden led the field
with just 9 percent. Harris came in second again, with 8 percent.”

        *GOP Consultant: Biden’s Poll Lead Evidence Of Moderate Voters In
Democratic Party. *In a piece for Spectator USA
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=015-870&t=c>
(2/16), GOP consultant Dylan Gallimore wrote that while the left is
ascendant in the Democratic politics and it would appear there aren’t any
centrists in the party, “there is one curious statistic standing athwart
that conclusion, and it’s held steady just long enough to be taken
seriously: Joe Biden’s significant lead in the 2020 Democratic primary
polls.” Gallimore added that although Biden “is by no means a moderate
moderate,” when “compared to his left-wing primary opponents-in-waiting, he
looks more and more like one. ... If there are any non-radical voters left
in the Democratic party, it’s increasingly clear that the 2020 primary will
be their last, best opportunity to stuff the raging progressive genie
unleashed by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 loss back into the bottle.”
Democratic Donor Chanos Says He’d Back Biden In 2020 Democratic Race.

In an online article, CNBC
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=016-f86&t=c>
(2/15, Orrell) reported, “Famed short-seller and Democratic donor Jim
Chanos plans to support former Vice President Joe Biden if he runs for
president in 2020.” Chanos is quoted as saying in a statement, “Like many
other Americans, I certainly hope Vice President Biden decides to run in
2020. If he does run, I fully expect to support him any way I can.” CNBC
added, “Chanos, a longtime friend of Biden’s, planned to” back him the
“last time he was mulling a run for president ahead of the 2016 election.
Chanos did not give to Hillary Clinton’s campaign, according to Federal
Election Commission records.”

        *Fox Business: “Many” Wall Street Executives Urging Biden To Run. *In
an online article, Fox Business
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=017-6d6&t=c>
(2/17, Gasparino, O'Halloran) reported, “If Joe Biden does run for
president, it will be the culmination of two years of weighing the issue
while meeting with donors, many of them Wall Street executives.” Biden “has
been consulting the financial class about various economic issues, sources
told FOX Business, while many Wall Streeters have encouraged him to run as
an alternative to left-wing Democrats who dominate the party. Wall Street
executives believe Biden might be the only Democrat who can beat President
Trump.”
Princeton’s Zelizer Argues Democrats Shouldn’t Back Biden.

In an online op-ed for CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=018-62d&t=c>
(2/17), Princeton University history professor Julian Zelizer argues
against Democrats backing former Vice President Joe Biden in the 2020 race,
saying that he “has run for the presidency several times, and each time he
has struggled.” Zelizer said that Biden “has never been able to generate
the level of support that is necessary to win. His tendency to make gaffes
has also hurt him. And, in our frenzied news cycle with endless outlets and
few filters on information, Biden’s style will cause problems again.”
Zelizer also said that Biden “represents the past,” while many of the
already announced candidates represent “the future.”
WPost’s Rubin Floats “Senior Statesman” Role For Biden In Democratic Race.

In a blog post on the website of the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=019-3b3&t=c>
(2/15), Jennifer Rubin wrote, “Maybe there is a better role for Biden than
candidate. There are plenty of the latter. Instead, why not have Biden be
the reality check at debates?” Rubin suggested that at debates, Biden could
serve “as a kind of Greek chorus,” perhaps “interject[ing] at key moments
questions no moderator is likely to ask: Do you think people in Ohio and
Michigan are going to cheer the Green New Deal?” Rubin added, “Biden can
also talk frankly to primary voters. If not endorsing a candidate, he
surely can defend fellow pragmatic moderates from attack from the left. ...
In sum, Biden’s age and longevity are detriments as a candidate, but as a
senior statesman and respected voice, he might help to keep the debates –
and the primaries – from going off the rails.”
BuzzFeed: Eulogizing Of Thurmond May Be An Albatross For Biden In 2020
Primary.

BuzzFeed News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=01a-2ec&t=c>
(2/17, Gomez, Sands) reported, “When Strom Thurmond died in 2003, Joe Biden
remembered his Senate colleague – one of the most notorious segregationists
in history – the way he wanted to be remembered,” eulogizing him as “a
product of his time,” who “had ‘moved to the good side.’” BuzzFeed added,
“For years the Thurmond eulogy has been framed as a virtue of Biden’s own
political career – proof of his bipartisanship and of his relatability in
South Carolina.” However, Biden now “faces a much different time and
Democratic Party as he considers another run in 2020. His generous,
benefit-of-the-doubt tribute to Thurmond stands as one of several instances
from his past that may be difficult to reconcile with a new generation of
voters.”
Trent Lott: Biden Would Give Democrats Best Chance Of Defeating Trump.

Yahoo! News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=01b-6ad&t=c>
(2/19, Ward) reports that ex-Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) says
former Vice President Joe Biden “is the only Democrat he thinks would be
competitive in the 2020 election against President Trump. ‘Joe will be able
to perpetuate the image of Uncle Joe, and he is pleasant. He is qualified,’
Lott...said in an interview for the Yahoo News podcast ‘The Long Game.’”
Referring to the field of announced 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls,
Lott said, “Half this bunch in there right now is not qualified.” Lott also
“said he thinks Trump’s chances of being reelected are ‘surprisingly
strong.’ Even Biden, he said, would be ‘pulverized...in many respects’ by
Trump.”
Sanders Launches 2020 Bid For President.

Bloomberg
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=01c-23d&t=c>
(2/19, Hunter, Wallbank) reports that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), “who
finished runner up to Hillary Clinton for the 2016 Democratic presidential
nomination, on Tuesday announced a second White House bid.” He begins “his
2020 campaign with a long list of potential advantages, not least of which
include a massive email list of supporters, a proven track record of
small-dollar fundraising, and veteran aides who three years ago helped
chart a path to victory in key states like New Hampshire.”

        On its website, NPR
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=01d-36d&t=c>
(2/19, Detrow, Taylor) quotes Sanders as telling Vermont Public Radio in an
interview airing this morning, “We began the political revolution in the
2016 campaign, and now it’s time to move that revolution forward.” NPR
added that Sanders’ “2020 bid will undoubtedly be a very different
presidential campaign than his quest for the Democratic nomination as an
underdog in 2016. Sanders enters the race as a top contender who, along
with former Vice President Joe Biden, tops most early polls, far outpacing
other Democratic candidates in support and name identification.”

        USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=01e-5de&t=c>
(2/19, Soga) reports that Sanders this morning “also sent a campaign email
announcing that he will once again seek the Democratic nomination, jumping
into an already crowded field of nearly a dozen candidates, with many more
expected to join. ‘I’m running for president because, now more than ever,
we need leadership that brings us together – not divides us up,’ he wrote
in an email that went out to supporters.” In the missive, Sanders “called
out President Donald Trump as ‘the most dangerous president in modern
American history,’ as well as a ‘pathological liar, a fraud, a racist, a
sexist, a xenophobe and someone who is undermining American democracy as he
leads us in an authoritarian direction.’”

        Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=01f-e04&t=c>
(2/19, Otterbein) reports that Sanders “starts as a frontrunner in the
polls, armed with near-universal name ID, a massive email donor list, and a
digital media empire that is currently unparalleled among other 2020
candidates. His left-wing policies, dismissed as fringe in 2016, have been
embraced by much of the Democratic Party.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=020-230&t=c>
(2/19, Summers) reports, “The question now for Sanders is whether he can
stand out in a crowded field of Democratic presidential candidates who also
embrace many of his policy ideas and are newer to the national political
stage.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=021-094&t=c>
(2/19, Ember) reports that Sanders’ campaign bid “will test whether he can
retain the anti-establishment appeal he enjoyed with many liberal voters
three years ago.”

        In an online article, CBS News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=022-79c&t=c>
(2/19, Montoya-Galvez) reports that Sanders hopes “to reignite the ardent
progressive support of his insurgent 2016 campaign. ‘We’re gonna win,’
Sanders told ‘CBS This Morning’ co-host John Dickerson. In his second run,
Sanders is vowing to launch a grassroots movement that will ‘lay the
groundwork for transforming the economic and political life of this
country.’” On its website, NBC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=023-9c5&t=c>
(2/19, Seitz-Wald) reports that in his second bid for the White House,
Sanders “will come under more scrutiny than ever before from both the press
and political rivals, including from sexual harassment allegations against
2016 campaign staffers that have roiled his campaign-in-waiting in recent
months.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=024-d82&t=c>
(2/19, Thomas) and The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=025-1e1&t=c>
(2/19, Greenwood) also report on Sanders’ announcement.

        *NYTimes Analysis: Sanders’ Problems With Black, Women Voters Could
Hurt Campaign. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=026-2ad&t=c>
(2/17, Ember) reported that Sanders performed poorly with African-American
voters in 2016 and as he “prepares to announce another” presidential bid
“as early as this week, his weak track record with black voters – a vital
base in the Democratic Party – could be a potential threat to his
candidacy.” The Times said that “his campaign’s experience in 2016, as
described in interviews with nearly two dozen current and former advisers
and staff members, reveals a strikingly uneven commitment on the part of
Mr. Sanders and his top advisers to organize and communicate effectively
with black voters and leaders.” Meanwhile, Sanders “is already dealing with
another thorny problem involving his 2016 staff: allegations from women who
say they were mistreated or harassed during the campaign.” The Times said
these “issues could make Mr. Sanders vulnerable in a crowded and diverse
Democratic primary field that includes several female and minority
candidates.”
Politico Mag: Straight, White Male Candidates Slow To Enter 2020 Democratic
Race.

Contributing editor Bill Scher wrote for Politico Magazine
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=027-b30&t=c>
(2/17) that “of the nine candidates officially running in the Democratic
presidential primary, only one is a heterosexual white man. ... But of the
17 Democrats reportedly still pondering a presidential bid, all but one is
a straight white man.” Scher said that “women and minority candidates
sensed that the water is warm for them, and the straight white men appear
to be worried that this is just not their year.” Scher said demographics
suggest a trend toward “candidates who embody a diverse America,” but the
party isn’t shutting out straight white men, as former Vice President Joe
Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) are at the top of nearly every primary
poll. Scher added that straight, white, male candidates need to make the
case that “they can unite the party,” but “if they can’t figure out how to
do that, then they should stay on the sidelines.”
In Wake Of Biden Comment, DNC Chief Defends Debate Schedule.

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=028-cfc&t=c>
(2/17, Burke) reported that DNC chief Tom Perez “defended the party’s
debate schedule on Sunday after former Democratic Vice President Joe Biden
said the US elections process begins ‘too early.’” On NBC’s “Meet the
Press,” host Chuck Todd “pressed Perez on the schedule of debates, which
will begin in June, and referenced comments made Saturday by Biden, who is
considering a 2020 bid. ‘I think we have a tendency, particularly in the
states, to start the whole election process much too early,’ Biden said
while in Munich.” However, Perez said, “Actually, it started earlier in the
past. When we were figuring out how many debates and when to start, we
looked back 30, 40 years. And there have been debates that have started in
February of the year before the election. So we’re kind of in the middle of
the pack.”

        *DNC Working To Ensure Every Candidate Gets “Fair Shake.” *Perez,
during his appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=029-793&t=c>
(2/17), also said of the 2020 race for the Democratic presidential
nomination, “Our role is to make sure that every candidate who runs gets a
fair shake. ... That’s why we’ve spent so much time focusing on rebuilding
data infrastructure and this debate process” He continued, “All of our
candidates understand that we have to defeat Donald Trump. It’s not about
them. It’s about something bigger than them. ... I am confident that every
single candidate understands that we have to focus on the task at hand and
building a positive vision of inclusion and talking about how we’ll tackle
health care and talking about how we’ll build a good middle class wage and
that’s why we have a lot of confidence that we will talk with the primary
process with the wind at our back.”
NYTimes Analysis: Obama Likely To Remain Neutral In 2020 Democratic Primary.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=02a-5c4&t=c>
(2/18, Burns) reports, “A secret meeting of former President Barack Obama’s
financial backers convened in Washington early this month,” interviewing
several “2020 presidential candidates and” discussing whether to back “one
or two of them.” And “as presidential hopefuls like Senators Kamala Harris,
Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar and Sherrod Brown auditioned before them, the
donors wondered aloud whether Mr. Obama might signal a preference in the
race.” However, former Obama adviser David Axelrod “told the group they
should expect no such directive.” The Times says Axelrod’s “forecast
matches what Mr. Obama has told friends and likely presidential candidates
in private: that he does not see it as his role to settle the 2020
nomination, and prefers to let the primary unfold as a contest of ideas.
... Even former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. does not expect to
secure Mr. Obama’s backing if he runs, according to allies of Mr. Biden’s.”

        The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=02b-5a1&t=c>
(2/16, Hook) reported that Obama “is unlikely to weigh in with a public
endorsement. But the competition to ignite an Obama-like spark and to
reassemble the coalition of young voters, women and people of color that
carried him twice into the White House testifies to his lasting impact on
his party.”
Biden Presses Congress To Reauthorize Violence Against Women Act.

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=02c-3a5&t=c>
(2/15, Bowden) reported that former Vice President Joe Biden on Friday
“called for Congress to officially reauthorize the Violence Against Women
Act (VAWA) after the measure’s funding was left out of a compromise
spending bill to avert a second government shutdown. In a series of tweets,
Biden called on Congress to reauthorize the act rather than play ‘political
football’ with funding for the National Domestic Violence Hotline and other
provisions.” Biden tweeted, in part, “When I wrote the Violence Against
Women Act in 1994, I believed it would be a lifeline. But this Congress has
turned it into a political football. It’s time to pass a strong
reauthorization to the Violence Against Women Act. No more stalling. Lives
are on the line.”
Biden To Speak At University Of Pennsylvania Today.

The University of Pennsylvania’s Daily Pennsylvanian
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=02d-35f&t=c>
(2/18, Cohen) reported, “Former Vice President and Penn Presidential
Professor of Practice Joe Biden will speak on campus on Tuesday in a
discussion with Penn President Amy Gutmann. The discussion, which starts on
3:00 p.m. on Feb. 19, takes place in Irvine Auditorium and will run until
4:30 p.m.” Biden’s “conversation with Gutmann will mark his first public
appearance of 2019 at Penn, coming amid speculation” he “will soon decide
whether he is running for president in 2020.”
Brown Touts His Corporate Tax Plan.

Appearing Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=02e-dde&t=c>
(2/17), Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), exploring a 2020 White House run, said,
“I think there’s local communities that resent giving huge tax breaks to
billionaires as those of us in Congress fight against giving big tax breaks
to billionaires. Whether you look at Foxconn in Wisconsin or Amazon in
various places, what we need to do is look at it more broadly. My Patriot
Corporation Act is simply you throw out the Trump tax bill, which is mostly
a giveaway to the richest people in this country and huge corporations.
Seventy percent of the benefits went to the top one percent. You then
implement my Patriot Implementation Act, which says if you play by the
rules, you do your production in the United States, you get a lower tax
rate.”

        *Brown Wants To Expand Medicare To Those 50 And Older. *Brown said
Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=02f-d7c&t=c>
(2/17), “I want to expand Medicare to 50. Now, if we get enough people, we
will see a lot of people get in – in that plan, 58-year-olds and
62-year-olds that have lost their insurance, lost their jobs. We will see
the success of that, and that will end up continuing to broaden and expand
coverage for so many Americans.” He added, “I think ‘Medicare for All’ will
take a while. It’s difficult. And it’s selling it to people who now have
insurance that would have to have their insurance plans canceled, and move
into a government plan. I think that’s difficult.”
Harris In New Hampshire: “I Am Not A Democratic Socialist.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=030-bb3&t=c>
(2/18, Summers) reports that Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), a White House
hopeful, on Monday said “she’s not a democratic socialist, a not-so-veiled
distinction setting her apart from New Hampshire voters’ favorite 2016
primary candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders,” who “has described himself as a
democratic socialist.” Making “her inaugural trip to New Hampshire as a
presidential candidate, Harris was asked by a reporter whether she would
have to tilt her politics leftward — in the direction of democratic
socialism — to win [the] state’s first-in-the-nation primary.” Sanders
replied, “The people of New Hampshire will tell me what’s required to
compete in New Hampshire, but I will tell you I am not a democratic
socialist.”

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=031-166&t=c>
(2/18, Seelye) reports that Harris on Monday “faced questions from national
reporters about her political ideology and her description of the alleged
assault on the actor Jussie Smollett as ‘an attempted modern day lynching,’
followed by a town-hall-style forum with a big crowd of more than 1,000
voters.” The Times highlights Harris’ statement that she’s “not a
democratic socialist,” and adds that of the Smollett controversy, Harris
“said ‘there should be an investigation’ and declined to comment further
until it was complete.”

        *Politico: Harris Moving To Lock Down Support In Critical
California. *Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=032-9f2&t=c>
(2/16, Cadelago) reported that Harris “is building a wall around
California.” She “has been activating her forces on the home front since
launching her White House bid last month – cornering some of the state’s
most prolific donors, locking down big endorsements and homing in on a
statewide blueprint to rack up early delegates. California’s Super Tuesday
primary is foundational to Harris’ plans to win the nomination. Her
home-state advantage is an enormous asset,” but “a poor performance there
could end her bid.”

        *Newsom, UFW Co-Founder Huerta Endorse Harris. *Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=033-0b4&t=c>
(2/15, Cadelago) reported Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) on Friday endorsed
Harris’ bid for president, saying during an appearance on MSNBC, “I’m very
enthusiastic about Kamala Harris. I’ve known her for decades, not only as
district attorney where she did an extraordinary job with a very
progressive record, but I watched her up close as lieutenant governor, when
she served as attorney general, and I have the privilege of working with
her as a US senator. I think the American people could not do better.”

        Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=034-5db&t=c>
(2/15, Cadelago) reported that United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores
Huerta also endorsed Harris and will become a California co-chair of her
campaign. Politico called Huerta’s backing “a significant development in
the early stages of the 2020 campaign and gives the California senator a
leading voice in the labor movement and among Latinos nationally.”
O’Rourke Reportedly In Talks With Strategists About Presidential Run.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=035-638&t=c>
(2/15, Siders) reported that ex-Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) “is in talks with
Democratic strategists about a likely 2020 presidential run,” according to
two “Democratic campaign strategists.” One of them described the
“conversations as moving to ‘an operational level’ after weeks of
discussing 2020 in more theoretical terms.”
Klobuchar Spends Busy Weekend On Campaign Trail In Key States.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=036-fe8&t=c>
(2/18, Condon) reports that Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) “brought her message
of grit and electability to New Hampshire on Monday, where she has a year
to make an impression with the state’s Democratic voters if her
presidential campaign is to gain traction outside the Midwest.” The visit
“was Klobuchar’s first stop in New Hampshire as a presidential candidate.”
The article adds, “Later Monday, Klobuchar was guest of honor on a CNN town
hall in Manchester. She struck a moderate tone, declining to endorse
proposals popular with progressive Democrats like Medicare for all and the
‘Green New Deal’ that she called aspirational but not immediately
achievable. She also said she didn’t support making college free.”

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=037-5d7&t=c>
(2/16, Chira) reported that Klobuchar on Friday “cast herself as the
candidate from the heartland in her first campaign stop” since announcing
her presidential bid, “visiting a state Hillary Clinton narrowly lost in
2016,” Wisconsin, and stressing “her deep Midwestern roots, her knowledge
of rural America and her record of bipartisanship.” The Times said
Klobuchar “pointedly chose Wisconsin – the state that Mrs. Clinton did not
visit during the general election campaign in 2016 and lost to [President]
Trump by less than one percentage point.” In “an already crowded Democratic
primary field,” the Times said, Klobuchar “was eager to highlight what her
campaign hopes can set her apart: her Midwestern base and her electoral
dominance in many rural, red counties in Minnesota populated by voters who
have largely deserted the Democratic party.”

        The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=038-61e&t=c>
(2/16, Glauber) reported that Klobuchar, appearing at “SHIFT Cyclery &
Coffee Bar in downtown Eau Claire,” told those gathered there, “I came here
because I am the ‘senator next door’ and I will be traveling to every
single state in the Midwest.” The article added, “Wisconsin is an important
target for Klobuchar and other Democrats seeking to reclaim the state after
President Donald Trump won here in 2016.”

        The Des Moines (IA) Register
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=039-05d&t=c>
(2/16, Opsahl, Fleig) reported that Klobuchar “in her first Iowa visits
said her political track record, Midwest values and ‘grit’ make her the
best 2020 Democratic presidential candidate. Klobuchar’s Iowa debut kicked
off Saturday at a Mason City bar, and continued Sunday at a Knoxville
brewery and an Albia church.” Addressing “packed rooms of mostly undecided
Iowa voters,” Klobuchar “emphasized her willingness to work with both
sides.” Said Klobuchar, “In my three elections for the US Senate, I didn’t
just win in the urban areas, I didn’t just win in the suburbs. I won in the
rural areas, and I won every single congressional district – including
Michelle Bachmann’s. And it’s because I believe in meeting people where
they are.”
NYTimes: Some Democrats Dismiss Controversy Over Warren’s Claims Of Native
American Ancestry.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=03a-cea&t=c>
(2/18, Herndon) reports, “In interviews over the last month with about
three dozen Democratic voters, many in early primary states, almost all of
them expressed far more interest in” the “policy ideas” of Sen/ Elizabeth
Warren (D-MA) than the controversy over her having claimed Native American
“ancestry and said that they were exhausted or uninterested by the story
line.” The Times says, “Among these voters, who were mostly white and black
Democrats who acknowledged their own misunderstandings about Native
American communities and history, Ms. Warren is not a perpetrator of harm,
but a victim of a Washington culture that delights in any scandal among
politicians — and particularly elected officials who are women.”

        *Warren’s Universal Child Care Proposal Would Be Paid For By
“Wealth Tax.” *Bloomberg
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=03b-c99&t=c>
(2/19, Kapur) reports that Warren “will unveil a universal child care plan
Tuesday aimed at limiting American families’ expenses to 7 percent of
income regardless of how many children they have in care.” Warren’s
proposal “would make child care free for families under 200 percent of the
poverty level, according to a” source. Bloomberg says, “Other families
would pay between nothing and 7 percent of income, depending on how much
they earn.” The source “didn’t offer a price tag but said it would be paid
for with some of the revenues from the annual wealth tax Warren has
proposed on assets above $50 million.” In an online article, CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=03c-3c5&t=c>
(2/18, Lee, Luhby) reported that the fact that her “child care plan would
be paid by a part of the revenue from her proposed wealth tax” signals
“that the tax proposal – in addition to fueling the broad public support
for raising taxes on the rich – is already emerging as a major component of
Warren’s overall platform.”
AP Analysis: Trump Keeping Close Eye On 2020 Democratic Field.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=03d-81c&t=c>
(2/18, Miller) reports that “in tweets, public remarks and private
conversations,” President Trump has made “clear he is closely following the
campaign to challenge him on the ballot.” The AP says that in Trump’s
judgment: “Kamala Harris had the best campaign roll-out. Amy Klobuchar’s
snowy debut showed grit. Elizabeth Warren’s opening campaign video was a
bit odd.” The AP adds, “Presidents traditionally ignore their potential
opponents as long as possible to maintain their status as an incumbent
floating above the contenders who are auditioning for a job they already
inhabit. Not Trump. He’s eager to shape the debate, sow discord and help
position himself for the general election.”
Leading the News
Trump Denounces “Treasonous” Plot By McCabe And Rosenstein.

President Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=03e-3dd&t=c>
Monday morning, “Wow, so many lies by now disgraced acting FBI Director
Andrew McCabe. He was fired for lying, and now his story gets even more
deranged. He and Rod Rosenstein, who was hired by Jeff Sessions (another
beauty), look like they were planning a very illegal act, and got caught.
...
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=03f-b54&t=c>
There is a lot of explaining to do to the millions of people who had just
elected a president who they really like and who has done a great job for
them with the Military, Vets, Economy and so much more. This was the
illegal and treasonous ‘insurance policy’ in full action!” Fox News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=040-345&t=c>
(2/18, Berger) points out “‘insurance policy’ is a reference to texts
between former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page discussing such a
policy,” which “was widely suspected of referring to aspects of the Russia
collusion probe.” Trump also took to Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=041-182&t=c>
to relay a comment by Dan Borgino on Fox & Friends, where he said, “This
was an illegal coup attempt on the President of the United States.” Trump
remarked, “True!” Trump later tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=042-647&t=c>,
“Great analysis by @foxandfriends!”

        Former Deputy Attorney General John Malcolm said on Fox News’ Fox
and Friends First
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=043-65a&t=c>
(2/18), “I have a hard time believing that the conversation [between McCabe
and Rosenstein] actually took place, but if it did take place and if it was
serious, it was an attempted coup to overturn results of an election.”

        At any rate, number of media accounts appeared to downplay Trump’s
grave accusations against McCabe and Rosenstein. ABC World News Tonight[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=044-559&t=c>
(2/18, story 4, 2:20, Muir) reported, for example, that while McCabe told
“60 Minutes” about “top Justice Department officials and their discussion
about a wire to record the President, it never happened,” yet Trump is
“calling the discussion treasonous.” ABC (Vega) added that the President
was reacting to “McCabe’s jaw-dropping description of the chaos surrounding
the firing of James Comey.” On ABC’s Good Morning America[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=045-963&t=c>
(2/18), Cecilia Vega said that, “ultimately, it was questions about the
President’s ties to Russia that led the FBI to investigate,” with “McCabe
claiming that in a meeting, the President seemed to trust Vladimir Putin
over his own team.” In a story last night, the CBS Evening News[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=046-8ae&t=c>
(2/18, story 2, 2:20, Glor) said “the President fired back at...McCabe,”
but added (Garrett) that “at this point,” he “has not specifically denied
the accusation he accepted Putin’s word over that of US intelligence.”

        After reporting on protests over Trump’s recent border emergency
declaration, meanwhile, NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=047-7e5&t=c>
(2/18, story 3, 1:45, Holt) said “the President carried out his own
protest...via Twitter accusing Justice Department officials...of treason,”
and went on to report (Jackson) that “McCabe is defending his side of the
story.” NBC also reported that “as for all those notes McCabe says he took
about conversations he’s had, McCabe says they’re now in the hands of the
special counsel.”

        The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=048-4d3&t=c>
(2/18) casts the President as “lashing out at key officials involved in the
Russia probe,” and Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=049-f12&t=c>
(2/18, Dobrin) reports he “had previously targeted McCabe on Twitter,
calling him a ‘disgrace’ after the former FBI deputy director confirmed he
had opened an investigation into the president.” Fox News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=04a-76a&t=c>
(2/18, Berger) says, moreover, that “Trump fumed at McCabe,” but “the
former FBI deputy director claimed he ‘never actually considered taking
[Rosenstein] up on the offer.’” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=04b-01f&t=c>
(2/18, Thebault) quotes McCabe as saying, “To be fair, it was an
unbelievably stressful time. ... I can’t even describe for you how many
things must have been coursing through the deputy attorney general’s mind
at that point.” The Post adds “Rosenstein has disputed this allegation,”
and that DOJ “issued a carefully parsed response to the ‘60 Minutes’
interview, writing that Rosenstein ‘never authorized’ any recording of the
president and he wasn’t ‘in a position to consider invoking the 25th
Amendment.’” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=04c-2ac&t=c>
(2/18, Wise) notes that in the statement, Rosenstein called McCabe’s claims
“inaccurate and factually incorrect.”

        Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=04d-9e5&t=c>
(2/18, McKay) reports that in an interview with NPR, McCabe “denied news
reports that anyone in the Justice Department had made a serious effort to
remove the president.” McCabe is quoted as saying, “At no time did I ever
perceive that there was a legitimate effort underway by [Rosenstein] or
anybody else to remove the president under the 25th Amendment or in any
other way.” Reuters reports that n the same NPR interview, McCabe “said he
believes the report by the FBI’s Office of Inspector General used as the
basis of his dismissal was biased against him,” and “said of the OIG, ‘I
don’t believe they were independent or fair.’”

        The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=04e-331&t=c>
(2/18, Tucker) also reports that McCabe has “revealed that when Trump told
Rosenstein to put in writing his concerns with Comey – a document the White
House initially held up as justification for his firing – the president
explicitly asked the Justice Department official to reference Russia in the
memo.” However, McCabe says Rosenstein “did not want to...and the memo that
was made public upon Comey’s dismissal did not mention Russia and focused
instead on Comey’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email server
investigation.” The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=04f-2cd&t=c>
(2/18, Giaritelli) says “McCabe’s forthcoming book, The Threat: How the FBI
Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump, claims Rosenstein was
furious after Trump made the request of him.”

        CNN Political Commentator Scott Jennings said of McCabe on CNN’s
The Lead
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=050-5d4&t=c>
(2/18), “I don’t put a lot of stock into what he says. Remember, this guy
was fired from the FBI after an investigation done by the inspector
general. He was found to have leaked information. When he talks I think of
a guy that has that in his past and think of a guy trying to sell books and
fix his own reputation.”

        Washington Post columnist Charles Lane said on Fox News’ Special
Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=051-56f&t=c>
(2/18), “A guy who leaves essentially in disgrace, a guy who is not
esteemed by either party. You have a guy who an Inspector General’s report
found him to have lied to his colleagues at the FBI about leaking, then he
says, ‘Comey says I could leak’ and Comey says, ‘I never said that.’ There
are so many contradictions. There is so much wrong here. What he is pretty
obviously trying to do, as Comey did before him, is audition as a
resistance figure. He wants to be embraced by Democrats and liberals and
say, ‘I am part of this, I am with you now.’ It’s not going to wash.”

        Jeffery Toobin said on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=052-af8&t=c>
(2/18), “I think the – the correct term is not treasonous, but patriotic. I
mean, they thinking about the national security of the United States. These
are all career officials. These are not Democratic political appointees.
These are people whose job it is to care about the national security about
the United States and, remember, all this evidence has only gotten stronger
over the past two years. You know, Adam Schiff is now conducting an
investigation to determine, in effect, if the President is a Russian asset.
This remains a serious concern and there is much more evidence to support
this idea.”

        The Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway said on Fox News’ Special
Report[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=053-0d7&t=c>
(2/18), “We had two alternative stories going on for the last couple of
years. Either the President is a traitor who was compromised by Russia or
our DOJ and FBI acted horrifically, poorly. The entire special counsel was
set up under false pretenses. You see just repeated pattern of really bad
behavior for people who were trusted to handle law enforcement and
intelligence.” She added, “At what point are we going to move away from his
conspiracy theory that has no support for it, of treasonous collusion with
Russia to steal an election, and were never going to deal with the major
problems at the FBI and DOJ and the fact of the special counsel was set up
by these people who were behaving and absolutely reprehensible fashion?”

        In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=054-979&t=c>
(2/18) expresses dismay at the FBI’s behavior during the 2016 campaign,
disputing Comey’s decision to open an investigation intro Trump based on
what it sees as flimsy evidence and to orchestrate a media leak after his
dismissal to force the appointment of a special counsel. The Journal also
accuses Comey of violating DOJ rules when he exonerated Hillary Clinton in
the email probe, and urges Barr to tell the nation in a speech how the FBI
become so politicized and how he proposes to remedy the situation.

        *Graham: “If True,” One Of “Most Significant Moments” In US
History. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=055-529&t=c>
(2/18, Muñoz) reports, however, that “Sen. Lindsey Graham, chairman of the
Senate Judiciary Committee, threatened to subpoena Mr. McCabe and vowed to
investigate his claims.” Voice of America
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=056-828&t=c>
(2/18, Bredemeier) quotes Graham as saying Sunday, “The deputy attorney
general denies it. ... We will have a hearing about who’s telling the
truth, what actually happened. ... We’re a democracy. People enforce the
law – can’t take it into their own hands. And was this an attempted
bureaucratic coup? I don’t know.” Townhall
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=057-bf6&t=c>
(2/18, Brown) also remarks on Graham’s “vow to ‘get to the bottom’ of what
he believes could have been a ‘bureaucratic coup.’”

        Graham said on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=058-0aa&t=c>
(2/18), “It’s one of the most significant moments in American history if
it’s true. You had the acting head of the FBI talking to the Deputy
Attorney General about replacing the President. So what I’ll do, oversight
is part of my job. We have checks and balances, so that Congress will watch
those who watch us. I will try find out who was in these meetings and talk
to all of them and figure out who is lying, because somebody is lying.”

        Asked on Fox News’ Hannity
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=059-1c5&t=c>
(2/18) if he agreed that “Hillary Clinton committed felonies, top secret
classified information, a violation of the espionage act,” Graham replied,
“I believe the reason she was not charged as much as anything else is that
the people investigating her wanted Trump to lose. I don’t know if that’s
true or not. That’s what we will look at. It sounds that way.”

        *Trump: McCabe “Didn’t Go To The Bathroom Without The Approval Of
Leakin James Comey.” *The President took to Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=05a-3a6&t=c>
last night to write, “Remember this, Andrew McCabe didn’t go to the
bathroom without the approval of Leakin’ James Comey!”

        *Hannity: McCabe Admitted To “Coup.” *In a statement the President
highlighted on Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=05b-d25&t=c>,
Sean Hannity said in his opening monologue on Fox News’ Hannity[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=05c-4f6&t=c>
(2/18), “As we report in our ‘Hannity Watch’ on the biggest abuse of power,
corruption scandal in history. It’s much worse than we thought.” McCabe
“over the weekend admitting to plotting a bureaucratic coup when he was
serving in the FBI before he was fired for lying and leaking.” Hannity
later added
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=05d-612&t=c>,
“McCabe said Rod Rosenstein was absolutely serious about recording the
President. I want to be clear. It doesn’t matter if you are a democrat or
Republican or liberal or conservative. This abuse of power should scare is
everybody. ... Now they are turning on each other. Now they are panicking.
They know they got caught. ... Comey, Rosenstein, Andrew McCabe, Sally
Yates all signed off on Hillary Clinton’s FISA warrant application using
Hillary Clinton’s bought and paid for uncorroborated phony Russian
research. ... Then to spy on the trump campaign before and after the
election. And launched this phony witch hunt Mueller probe to cover their
own misdeeds after the President rightly fired Comey. ... The Attorney
General, Mr. Barr, it’s up to you stand on the Constitution, to stop this
type of corruption. To reform this great agency that we all love. That’s
the FBI. Not these guys.”

        *Rosenstein To Leave DOJ By Mid-March; Rosen To Take His Place. *Fox
News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=05e-76b&t=c>
(2/18, Darrah) reported last night, “Rosenstein is expected to leave his
role at the Justice Department by mid-March, a senior DOJ official told Fox
News on Monday.” Fox News added “an official announcement of who has been
selected to replace Rosenstein could come as early as this week,” though “a
Trump administration official added that Attorney General William Barr has
picked Jeffrey Rosen, who currently serves as Deputy Secretary of the US
Department of Transportation, to take over for Rosenstein.” The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=05f-4df&t=c>
(2/18, Zapotosky) also reports that “people familiar with the matter said
the administration also has decided to nominate...Rosen...to take over the
job.”

        *Warren: Cabinet Must Invoke 25th Amendment If Trump “Cannot
Fulfill Obligations” Of Presidency. *The Nevada Independent
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=060-3b6&t=c>
(2/18, Solis) reported that “Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said
Sunday in Las Vegas that Trump administration officials have an obligation
to invoke the 25th Amendment if they believe the president cannot fulfill
his duties.” Said Warren, “My point here is that if they believe that
Donald Trump cannot fulfill the obligations of his office, then they have a
constitutional responsibility to invoke the 25th amendment. ... Their
loyalty under law is not to him personally. It is to the Constitution of
the United States and to the people of United States.”

        *Democrats Suspect “Complex Web” Of Ties Between Russia And The
NRA. *ABC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=061-a6e&t=c>
(2/18, Madden, Mosk) reported “a pair of House Democrats are launching a
new probe of what they called the ‘complex web of relationships’ between
members of the National Rifle Association and Russian individuals with
close ties to the Kremlin.” ABC added that “in a letter sent to NRA CEO
Wayne LaPierre, a copy of which was shared with ABC News, Rep. Ted Lieu of
California and Rep. Kathleen Rice of New York expressed concern about the
NRA’s attempts to distance itself from any formal involvement in a now
infamous trip to Moscow undertaken by a group of its high-ranking members.”
The two suspect there may be “evidence of a broader deception and requested
a full accounting of any communications, meetings and monetary transactions
between NRA officials and Russia-linked individuals.” The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=062-25c&t=c>
(2/18, Fredericks) notes the lawmakers asked in their letter, “How much
money did the NRA receive from Russia or Russia-linked individuals or
entities during the 2016 election cycle? ... Did the NRA use any of that
money in their 2016 election campaign contributions?”

        *Senate Intel Panel Wants Dossier Author Steele To Testify In
Person. *The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=063-222&t=c>
(2/18, Ross) reports that Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee
“are not satisfied that dossier author Christopher Steele has provided only
written responses to the committee.” A spokesperson for the committee is
quoted as saying, “There is no substitute for a face-to-face interview when
it comes to answering some of the Committee’s most pressing questions. We
wouldn’t be satisfied with written responses from any other key witness,
and we are not here, either.” The spokesperson says Sen. Richard Burr
(R-NC), the chairman of the Senate panel, as well as “other committee
members, have ‘sought an in-person interview with Mr. Steele for 25
months.’” According to the Daily Caller, Steele “submitted written
responses to questions from the Senate committee in August 2018,” and “his
attorneys claim the committee agreed that written responses would be
sufficient.”

        *Stone Apologizes For Posting Picture Of Judge With Crosshairs In
Background. *Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=064-d17&t=c>
(2/18, Vasquez) reports that “days after a federal judge gagged Roger Stone
from talking about the special counsel’s Russia investigation around US
District Court in Washington, the Republican strategist and provocateur on
Monday posted a photo of the judge with crosshairs in the background.” In
an Instagram post he has since deleted, Stone wrote, “Through legal
trickery Deep State hitman Robert Mueller has guaranteed that my upcoming
show trial is before Judge Amy Berman Jackson , an Obama appointed Judge
who dismissed the Benghazi charges again Hillary Clinton and incarcerated
Paul Manafort prior to his conviction for any crime. #fixisin. Help me
fight for my life at @StoneDefenseFund.com.” Stone “later submitted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=065-784&t=c>
a formal apology to Jackson.”

        *Politico Analysis: Trump “Can’t Run The Mueller Playbook” On New
York Probe. *Under the headline “Trump Can’t Run The Mueller Playbook On
New York Feds,” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=066-822&t=c>
(2/18, Samuelsohn) reports that “even as speculation mounts that special
counsel Robert Mueller might be winding down his investigation, a parallel
threat to...Trump only seems to be growing within his own Justice
Department: the Southern District of New York,” whose “prosecutors can
challenge Trump in ways Mueller can’t.” Politico adds “SDNY stands poised
to carry on Mueller’s efforts whenever the special counsel’s office closes
shop, and it’s likely to draw even more attention if freshly confirmed
Attorney General William Barr — who now oversees the Russia probe as DOJ
head – clamps down on the public release of Mueller’s findings.”
Foreign Policy
Trump Calls On Venezuelan Military To Oust Maduro, Makes Case Against
Socialism.

On Twitter and in a speech Monday in Florida, President Trump appealed to
Venezuela’s military to abandon its support for leader Nicolas Maduro and,
according to media reports, blamed socialism for the nation’s economic
troubles. None of the networks last night reported on the President’s
speech, but the lead story on Fox News’ Special Report[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=067-250&t=c>
(2/18, 6:01 p.m. EST) said Trump “used the bully pulpit of the presidency
to put more pressure on...Maduro to step down.” WFLX-TV[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=068-8b6&t=c>
West Palm Beach (FL)'s Fox 29 Ten O'Clock News (2/18, 10:05 p.m. EST) said
Trump “railed against...Maduro,” and WESH-TV[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=069-20d&t=c>
Orlando, FL (2/18, 6:07 p.m. EST) said the President stressed that the US
“seeks a peaceful transition of power in Venezuela but all options are
open.” WPEC-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=06a-be0&t=c>
West Palm Beach, FL (2/18, 6:01 p.m. EST), WFOR-TV[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=06b-6c8&t=c>
Miami (2/18, 7:01 p.m. EST) and WSVN-TV[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=06c-ecd&t=c>
Miami-Dade (FL)'s News at 6:30PM (2/18, 6:32 p.m. EST) also had similar
reports.

        In a series of tweets
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=06d-fc9&t=c>
yesterday afternoon, Trump wrote, “The people of Venezuela are standing for
FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY – and the United States of America is standing right
by their side! .....
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=06e-32a&t=c>
I ask every member of the Maduro regime: End this nightmare of poverty,
hunger and death. LET YOUR PEOPLE GO. Set your country free! Now is the
time for all Venezuelan Patriots to act together, as one united people.
Nothing could be better for the future of Venezuela! .....
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=06f-c38&t=c>
We are here to proclaim that a new day is coming in Latin America. In
Venezuela and across the Western Hemisphere, Socialism is DYING – and
liberty, prosperity, and democracy are being REBORN...”

        Hours later, Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=070-d2b&t=c>,
“Today more than 50 countries around the world now recognize the rightful
government of Venezuela. The Venezuelan people have spoken and the world
has heard their voice. They are turning the page on Socialism and
Dictatorship; and there will be NO GOING BACK!”

        During his speech at Florida International University in Miami, the
AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=071-a1d&t=c>
(2/18) reports, the President sought “to rally support in the largest
Venezuelan community in the US” for interim President Juan Guaidó.
According to The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=072-6c5&t=c>
(2/18, Rodrigo), “a major focal point of his argument was that socialism is
at the root of the humanitarian crisis in the Latin-American nation.” Said
Trump, “Years of socialist rule have brought this once thriving nation to
the brink of ruin.” Trump, the Miami Herald
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=073-e54&t=c>
(2/18, Smiley, Vassolo) reports, declared 2019 as the “twilight of
socialism” in the western hemisphere in a speech that “cast impending
regime change in Venezuela as a harbinger of things to come in Cuba and
Nicaragua.”

        The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=074-d22&t=c>
(2/18, Howell) says Trump cast “the struggle in the troubled South American
nation as a major test of whether the world can rid itself of a socialist
stumbling block,” and “more than once...cross-referenced Venezuelans,
Cubans and Nicaraguans as people who fled oppression in pursuit of American
liberty and cheered the resistance movement in Venezuela.”

        The South Florida Sun Sentinel
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=075-306&t=c>
(2/18, Bryan) says the President “condemned what he called the “dangers of
socialism,” and “fired up the crowd...when he said socialism is on the way
out.” Trump also “warned” that Venezuela’s military leaders are “risking
their future and their lives for a man controlled by the Cuban military and
protected by a private army of Cuban soldiers. He is a Cuban puppet, that’s
what he is.” In what USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=076-1db&t=c>
(2/18, Collins) calls “unusually harsh language, Trump cast Maduro as “not
a Venezuelan patriot” but as “a Cuban puppet” and “sought to tie
Venezuela’s problems to what he called ‘the discredited ideology’ of
socialism.”

        Trump, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=077-e1a&t=c>
(2/18, Gearan) reports, speaking to senior members of the Venezuelan
military, said, “The eyes of the entire world are upon you, today, every
day, and every day in the future. You cannot hide from the choice that now
confronts you.”

        Fox News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=078-959&t=c>
(2/18, Re) calls Trump’s address “a wide-ranging rebuke of socialism,”
while the Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=079-a50&t=c>
(2/18, Enjeti) refers to “a forceful message.” Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=07a-5af&t=c>
(2/18, Spiering) reports he “urged all Americans to reject socialism and
continue supporting democracy and freedom in Latin America,” saying,
“Socialism by it’s very nature does not respect borders. ... It’s always
seeking to expand to encroach and to subjugate others to its will.”

        Several media outlets cast the President’s remarks as political in
nature. To Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=07b-394&t=c>
(2/18, Caputo, Orr), for example, Trump’s speech “had a triple purpose: It
reinforced his administration’s support for...Guaidó; it took aim at a
longtime...enemy, Cuba...; and it doubled as campaign speech in the most
important swing state in the nation, Florida, where Trump is counting on
the outsize support of Venezuelan- and Cuban-Americans to help him win
reelection next year.”

        WFOR-TV
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=07c-5bc&t=c>
Miami (2/18, 7:01 p.m. EST) said the speech was “designed specifically for
these folks and they ate it up. [Trump] hit all the right buttons for the
Venezuelans, Cubans and Nicaraguans in the crowd. And we have to remember
here that this crowd here that he spoke to today plays a very important
role in the state of Florida when election time comes around when Donald
Trump runs again.”

        The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=07d-b87&t=c>
(2/18, Karni, Mazzei) similarly says Trump “put an overtly political gloss”
on his speech, while Bloomberg
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=07e-2ef&t=c>
(2/18, Talev) says it was “directed at two audiences: the generals keeping
Venezuela’s authoritarian leader in office, and the tens of thousands of
Venezuelan expatriates who may be key to the president winning Florida in
2020.” Bloomberg says Democrats “have also eyed the Hispanic vote in
Florida, especially the state’s growing Puerto Rican population.” The
Venezuelan-American vote, it adds, “may provide Republicans a
counterweight.”

        The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=07f-ebf&t=c>
(2/18, Giaritelli) likewise says the speech was “aimed at
Venezuelan-Americans in Miami,” and the Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=080-7a6&t=c>
(2/18, Haberkorn) says Trump “was keen to blame Venezuela’s problems on
socialism, pinpointing a target not just for US policy in Latin America but
for his 2020 presidential campaign.”

        Fox News politics editor Chris Stirewalt said on Fox News’ Special
Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=081-28a&t=c>
(2/18), “At the moment where Democrats and a lot of younger voters are
reconsidering how they feel about socialism...this is very good for the
President to be able to say, ‘This is what socialism looks like. This is if
you go to another country and see it in practice, what is being described,
this is what it is.’ It’s very much on brand and very useful and a good
thing to talk about in a swing state.”

        Washington Post columnist Charles Lane said on Fox News’ Special
Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=082-c68&t=c>
(2/18), “Let’s not forget, this Venezuelan community, which interacts very
closely with Cuban-American community down there, it’s going to influence a
2020 elections in Florida. This is not just a question of making a negative
statement about socialism. It’s also, in terms of domestic politics,
rallying the Latino community of South Florida on Donald Trump’s side.”

        *Maduro Rejects Trump’s “Almost Nazi-Style.” *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=083-83d&t=c>
(2/18, Holland) reports Maduro “retaliated late on Monday that Trump’s
speech was ‘nazi-style’ and said he acted as if he were the owner of
Venezuela and its citizens his slaves.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=084-789&t=c>
(2/18) reports Maduro responded to Trump in comments broadcast on state
television, saying, “Who is the commander of the armed forces, Donald Trump
from Miami? They think they’re the owners of the country.”

        *Administration Reportedly Mulling Granting TPS To Venezuelans. *The
Daily Beast
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=085-10e&t=c>
(2/18, Woodroof), in a report tiled, “Trump Admin Weighs A Move Immigration
Hawks Will Hate,” says State Department officials “have been seriously
weighing whether to push to protect Venezuelans in the US from
deportation.” The Daily Beast says “extending the policy to Venezuelans
would be an atypical step for the Trump administration, which has taken
steps to end TPS for people from half a dozen other countries.” According
to the Daily Beast, US special envoy Elliott Abrams “has participated in
the discussions, as has Sec. Mike Pompeo.”

        The South Florida Sun Sentinel
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=086-5b5&t=c>
(2/18, Valdez) reports that “just hours before...Trump” spoke in Monday on
Monday, “four local Democratic Congressional representatives said he
shouldn’t visit the region without a plan to grant protected status to
Venezuelans.” Rep. Donna Shalala said, “The president should have nothing
to do in South Florida if he does not plan to extend a TPS for
Venezuelans.” Similarly, Rep. Darren Soto said, “There is an exile of three
million Venezuelans outside that country and 147,000 Venezuelans living in
Florida.”

        *NYTimes Analysis: Saturday’s Aid Deadline Pivotal Moment In
Crisis. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=087-e4e&t=c>
(2/18, A1, Casey, Kurmanaev) reports the Administration and the Venezuelan
opposition “have staked their plans to weaken” Nicolás Maduro “on a
climactic moment only days away: On Saturday, they will try to break his
blockade of the border with a delivery of food and medication.” To the
Times, it is “a risky gamble for Mr. Maduro’s adversaries, who say they are
unclear as to how they will break the blockade at the border on Saturday.”

        CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=088-d4c&t=c>
(2/18, Diamond, Klein) reports National Security Adviser Bolton said Monday
that “while...the US is keeping all options on the table...there would be
‘no effort to use military force to deliver the humanitarian assistance’
that the Venezuelan government has refused to allow into the country.”
Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=089-8a8&t=c>
(2/18, Holland) reports interim President Juan Guaidó “has said he will
announce details...of how he plans to get the aid into the country from
Colombia, Brazil and Curacao, despite Maduro’s opposition.”

        The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=08a-81f&t=c>
(2/17, Faiola) reports that the Colombian border town of Cúcuta is “already
grappling with a mounting migration crisis,” and now is also “bracing for a
tense showdown” as “US military planes continue a buildup of humanitarian
aid.”

        *Venezuela Expels Visiting European Lawmakers. *AFP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=08b-76b&t=c>
(2/18, Sanchez) reports Venezuela has “expelled five visiting European
lawmakers” without explanation, according to Spanish MEP Esteban Gonzalez
Pons, who led the group. Said Pons, “We are being expelled from Venezuela.
Our passports have been seized. They have not informed us of the reason for
the expulsion.” Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, however, said
the Europeans had “conspiratorial aims.” To AFP, the incident “is the
latest point of tension between the international community and Maduro.”

        *First Lady Says She Appreciates Freedom After Living In Socialist
Country. *The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=08c-948&t=c>
(2/18, Giaritelli) reports First Lady Melania Trump “took the stage at a
Miami rally Monday to introduce her husband and told Venezuelan-Americans
that she, too, knows what it is like to have lived without freedom.” Said
Mrs. Trump, “Many of you in the room know what it feels like to be blessed
with freedom after living under the oppression of socialism and communism.”

        *Hannity: Left “Eager For Socialism” At “State And Federal
Level.” *Sean
Hannity said in his opening monologue on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=08d-15f&t=c>
(2/18) that the Left is “now eager for socialism. We see it at the state
and federal level.” However, “States with higher taxes are driving people
and businesses away leaving few taxpayers to deal with a big and bigger tax
bill as costs for government entitled programs are exploding. This is a
death spiral not unlike every government socialist fantasy.” Hannity adds,
“Socialism about power for those in charge. A lot of promises will be
broken. Nationalizing every industry in America. If this green new deal
passes, the American dream dies at the same time.”

        Meanwhile Fred Barnes, founder and executive editor of the Weekly
Standard, writes in the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=08e-d27&t=c>
(2/18) that while Senate Majority Leader McConnell and other Republicans
believe socialism should be a tough sell today, it is likely to be around
for a while.
CENTCOM Head: US Should Continue Arming Syrian Militias After ISIS Defeat.

Barbara Starr reported on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=08f-0df&t=c>
(2/18, 6:44 p.m. EST) that CENTCOM Commander Gen. Joseph Votel is warning
of the continued danger posed by ISIS even as he visited Syria to lay the
groundwork for the withdrawal of US troops. Starr reported Votel “made
clear in an exclusive interview with CNN that he still believes ISIS is a
threat and a threat directly to the United States.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=090-e9a&t=c>
(2/18, Muñoz) similarly reports Votel “is recommending Washington stay the
course in its military support of the predominantly Kurdish outfits known
as the Syrian Democratic Forces or SDF, which have battled Islamic State
fighters on the ground.” Votel on Sunday stressed, “As long as they are
fighting against ISIS and continue to keep pressure on them, I think it
would seem to me to be in our interest to continue to provide the means for
them to do that.” According to the Times, Votel’s remarks “come as the
Trump administration continues to press ahead with plans to pull out the
roughly 2,000 American service members in Syria over the next few months.”

        *Kurdish Commander Asks That 1,000-1,500 Coalition Troops Remain In
Syria. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=091-76d&t=c>
(2/18, Stewart) reports that Mazloum Kobani, identified as “the
commander-in-chief of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces,” has
requested that “about 1,000 to 1,500 international forces to remain in
Syria to help fight Islamic State and expressed hope that the United
States, in particular, would halt plans for a total pullout.” According to
Reuters, Kobani spoke “follow[ing] talks with senior U.S. generals in
Syria,” and “shows that Kobani is still holding out hope that” President
Trump “may soften his withdrawal order.”
Kim’s Envoy Arrives In Vietnam To Prepare For Trump Summit.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=092-ff9&t=c>
(2/18, Sang-Hun) reports that Kim Chang-son, described as “a senior North
Korean official known as Kim Jong-un’s ‘butler’ has begun scouting hotels,
factory sites and resorts in Vietnam ahead of the North Korean leader’s
highly anticipated summit meeting with President Trump in Hanoi next week.”
The Times says Kim Chang-son “serves as Mr. Kim’s de facto chief of staff.”
According to the Times, Kim Jong Un “plans to arrive in Hanoi next Monday
to meet with President Nguyen Phu Trong of Vietnam before a second summit
meeting with Mr. Trump, slated for Wednesday and Thursday next week.”

        *Bloomberg Analysis: Vietnam Could Be Model For Reform In North
Korea. *Bloomberg
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=093-ad7&t=c>
(2/18, Lee, Boudreau, Uyen, Jamrisko) says Kim is “reported to have
discussed Vietnam-style reform during a meeting with his South Korean
counterpart.” According to Bloomberg, Vietnam “offers a road map not just
for upgrading an economy but also recuperating after years of isolation
and, crucially, keeping a grip on power.” Bloomberg says Vietnam “now has
more than a dozen free trade agreements and an economy that’s expanded at
an average clip of 6.6 percent since 2000 – boosting annual incomes to
almost $2,600 from about $400.” Bloomberg adds, “While the Vietnamese
government brooks no dissent, it has toned down aspects of an authoritarian
regime.”

        *US Considers Opening Liaison Office In North Korea. *The Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=094-f4c&t=c>
(2/18, Gordon, Jeong) reports the US has proposed opening a liaison office
in North Korea, marking another potential step toward normalized relations
ahead of President Trump’s meeting later this month with North Korean
leader Kim Jong Un. According to an Administration official, the plan also
would allow North Korea to open a liaison office in the US; however, the
Journal says, it was not immediately clear how strongly Pyongyang supported
the idea.

        *“Boom” In Private Markets Linked To Increased Scarcity Of Labor In
North Korea. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=095-916&t=c>
(2/18, Shin) reports that in North Korea, “as private markets boom and more
people cherish financial stability above political standing, the regime has
been struggling to recruit the young laborers in recent years.” Reuters
adds that “in late 2017, the U.S. State Department described the mass
mobilization of forced labor as one of the human rights abuses underwriting
North Korea’s weapons program.” According to Reuters, “The rise of markets
and growing public resentment toward forced labor have eroded the quality
of labor at most brigades nationwide.”
Taliban Postpones Pakistan-Hosted Peace Talks Over Travel Restrictions.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=096-7bc&t=c>
(2/18, Mashal) reports a Taliban spokesman on Sunday said “that
representatives of the group had been forced to postpone a trip to
Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, to meet with Prime Minister Imran Khan
and to continue peace talks with American diplomats because” of travel
restrictions under international sanctions. In a Friday letter to the
United Nations Security Council, “Nazifullah Salarzai, Afghanistan’s deputy
representative to the body, said the Taliban’s trip to Pakistan – and
particularly the meeting with Mr. Khan – would amount to ‘the official
recognition and legitimization of an armed group that poses a serious
threat to the security and stability of Afghanistan and whose members are
sanctioned by provisions of the UN Security Council.’” Taliban and Afghan
officials “said the Afghan government complaint was most likely only part
of the reason for cancellation,” but “it has renewed a debate around the
ability of insurgent leaders to travel freely in recent years.”
Juncker: Trump Promised Not To Impose Additional Tariffs On European Autos.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=097-0af&t=c>
(2/18, Nienaber) reports that European Commission President Jean-Claude
Juncker says President Trump has “promised” him that he “will not impose
additional import tariffs on European cars for the time being.” Said
Juncker, “Trump gave me his word that there won’t be any car tariffs for
the time being. I view this commitment as something you can rely on.”
However, Reuters says “a confidential US Commerce Department report sent to
Trump over the weekend is widely expected to clear the way for him to
threaten tariffs of up to 25 percent on imported autos and auto parts by
designating the imports a national security threat.” The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=098-892&t=c>
(2/18, Mayeda) also reports that Trump on Sunday “received the findings of
a probe into whether imported vehicles pose a national security threat,”
and now has “90 days to decide whether to act on the findings.”

        The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=099-440&t=c>
(2/18, Boyer) reports that the EU “warned Monday it would react swiftly
if...Trump hits EU car imports with tariffs.” European Commission spokesman
Margaritis Schinas told reporters, “The European Union will stick to its
word as long as the US does the same.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=09a-8c8&t=c>
(2/18, Casert) reports that over the weekend, German Chancellor Angela
Merkel “said US authorities appeared to have already concluded that
European cars were a national security threat.”

        Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=09b-2c7&t=c>
(2/18, Lynch) reports that the US auto industry also urged the
Administration on Monday “not to saddle imported cars and auto parts with
steep tariffs.” In a statement, the Motor and Equipment said, “Secrecy
around the report only increases the uncertainty and concern across the
industry created by the threat of tariffs,” adding that it is “critical
that our industry have the opportunity to review the recommendations and
advise the White House.”
As China Talks Resume, Trump Seeks Deal With Long-Term Reforms.

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=09c-1d4&t=c>
(2/18, Schlesinger) reports that with trade talks set to resume this week
with China, the Administration is looking to reach a deal that will result
in long-term reforms, as well as prove that tariffs are an effective
measure to open up foreign markets.

        *China Denounces Administration’s Campaign Against Huawei. *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=09d-48d&t=c>
(2/18, McDonald) reports China has accused the US of “trying to block its
industrial development by alleging that Chinese mobile network gear poses a
cybersecurity threat to countries rolling out new internet systems.” A
spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry accused the Administration of
“trying to ‘fabricate an excuse for suppressing the legitimate development’
of Chinese enterprises,” and “of using ‘political means’ to interfere in
economic activity.” The AP says the Administration “has been putting
pressure on allies to shun networks supplied by Huawei Technologies,
threatening the company’s access to markets for next-generation wireless
gear.”
Ukrainian Navy Conducting Drills Amid Fears Russia Could Attack At Sea.

Bill Neely reported on NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=09e-c92&t=c>
(2/18, story 8, 1:25, Holt) that the Ukrainian Navy is now conducting
drills amid concerns that “Russia will attack at sea, as it did last year,
ramming and seizing Ukrainian ships.” According to Neely, two dozen
Ukrainian sailors remain in a Russian jail. Meanwhile, the conflict also
continues on land, where trench warfare has “claimed 13,000 lives.” Neely
added that the US is preparing new sanctions on Russia over the conflict,
which is “the main flash point between Russia and the West.”
Domestic Policy
Sixteen States Sue In California’s Northern District To Stop Emergency
Declaration.

The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=09f-d2d&t=c>
(2/18, Gerber) reports “California and 15 other states filed a lawsuit
Monday against the Trump administration, decrying the declaration of a
national emergency along the US-Mexico border as unnecessary and
unconstitutional.” California AG Xavier Becerra said in a statement, “On
Presidents Day, we take President Trump to court to block his misuse of
presidential power.” The Times adds that “along with Becerra, attorneys
general from Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine,
Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York,
Oregon and Virginia joined in the lawsuit.”

        USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0a0-f1d&t=c>
(2/18, Fritze) points out “California filed the lawsuit in the Northern
District of California, where appeals are heard by the 9th Circuit Court of
Appeals.” Trump “has repeatedly claimed that his opponents would file
litigation there, and he predicted on Friday that the appeals court would
rule against him.” Trump said Friday, “They will sue us in the 9th Circuit.
... We will possibly get a bad ruling, and then we’ll get another bad
ruling and then we’ll end up in the Supreme Court.” NBC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0a1-d20&t=c>
(2/18, Timm) also noted Trump “signaled in remarks last week that he
anticipated lawsuit,” and the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0a2-f20&t=c>
(2/18, Goldstein) that judges in the “San Francisco-based court...have
ruled against an array of other Trump administration policies, including on
immigration and the environment.”

        At any rate, Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0a3-c42&t=c>
(2/19, Lynch, Mason) reports, “the legal challenges could slow down Trump’s
efforts to build the wall, which he says is needed to check illegal
immigration and drug trafficking, but will likely end up at the
conservative-leaning US Supreme Court.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0a4-361&t=c>
(2/18, A1, Savage, Pear) reports that “as the debate over Mr. Trump’s
action shifts to courtrooms, legal experts warned that its fate may turn
less on such high constitutional principle and more on complex legal issues
– from whether plaintiffs can establish that the case is properly before
the courts, to how to interpret several statutes.”

        Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0a5-aec&t=c>
(2/18, White) reports “the complaint alleges that Trump ‘has veered the
country toward a constitutional crisis of his own making’ despite Congress
refusing to allocate the funds needed to start construction.” It “cites his
remarks in a Friday press conference that he ‘didn’t need to do this’ as
evidence his emergency declaration is without merit.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0a6-4ae&t=c>
(2/19), Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0a7-c1c&t=c>
(2/18, Dinan), Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0a8-467&t=c>
(2/18, Giaritelli) and Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0a9-875&t=c>
(2/18, O'Brien, Gurman), among other news outlets, run similar stories on
the suit.

        Becerra said on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0aa-107&t=c>
(2/18), “It’s pretty clear that the President is trying to usurp Congress’
authority. The President doesn’t have the power of the purse. The President
can’t decide to shuffle money around once Congress has allocated. ...
Simply because Donald Trump fabricated a crisis and called it a national
emergency doesn’t mean he can violate the separation of powers under the
Constitution.” He added, “I think everyone is concerned, when you hear that
$8 billion of money that you were expecting to come for other important
programs is now going to be raided by the President to pay for a border
wall, which congress specifically decided not to fund at the level the
President wants, I think every state should be worried.”

        Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) said on CNN’s Situation Room[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0ab-47a&t=c>
(2/18), “Certainly, the Attorney General in California and I think 12 other
attorney generals are going to file a lawsuit. They should. ... We have to
fight back here. This is a fundamental constitutional crisis at hand. ...
Now the President is going around congress, he’s usurping the power of
Congress, using a national emergency declaration, to do so, creating an
imperial presidency. One in which he is usurping the power of Congress,
overriding article one, section nine, of the Constitution. Using some old
emergency law that was established years ago and was never, never used to
override the will of Congress, but rather to further the will of Congress.”

        CNN Political Commentator Karen Finney said on CNN’s The Lead[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0ac-ae5&t=c>
(2/18), “I think what Democrats need to focus on: let’s not forget that
lawsuits are part of the Trump playbook. If we’re going to go down this
road, just know this is handing him a 2020 issue that I think he is
relishing this fight. ... It will give him the opportunity to run on
building a wall like he did in 2016. The second piece is Democrats need to
reframe this issue. They voted for border security. They gave the President
money to do the things that the experts have told us will keep us safe.
Now, he’s spending your tax dollars on a vanity project that’s actually
going to take money out of your communities. I think they need to be
careful how they talk about this.”

        *Network Analyses: Courts, Congress Unlikely To Block Trump’s
Border Emergency Declaration. *A series of analyses on the major network
newscasts cast doubt on the ability of opponents to stop the President’s
border emergency declaration. On ABC’s Good Morning America[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0ad-a6e&t=c>
(2/18), Terry Moran reported that the declaration “has sparked a bipartisan
backlash.” Nevertheless, Moran said, “The problem is that Congress over the
years gave presidents these emergency powers really with almost no
boundaries,” which may mean that “courts are going to be very reluctant to
second-guess a President on a national emergency.”

        On NBC’s Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0ae-4d2&t=c>
(2/18), Kristen Welker said that Democrats “can try to block the emergency
declaration by passing what’s called a ‘joint resolution of termination,’
but even if that passed, the President is prepared to veto such a
move...and it appears unlikely at this point there are enough votes to
override that veto.” Last night, on the NBC Nightly News[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0af-7f9&t=c>
(2/18, story 2, 2:00, Holt), Welker reiterated that “the White House has
signaled the President will likely issue his first veto if Congress tries
to block him, and says he’ll eventually win any legal challenge.”

        On CBS This Morning
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0b0-d27&t=c>
(2/18), Nancy Cordes also said that “a resolution of disapproval is likely
to pass the House and Senate, but it would take a two-thirds vote in both
chambers to override a presidential veto.” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) was shown
saying, “I don’t think there’s any chance that the veto will be overridden.
I think there are plenty of votes in the House to make sure that there’s no
overriding the President’s veto. So it’s going to be settled in court.” On
the CBS Evening News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0b1-4cf&t=c>
(2/18, lead story, 2:20, Glor), Cordes also said that “even if the House
and Senate pass that joint resolution aimed at repealing the President’s
emergency declaration, it’s unlikely to do more than send a message. That
is because the President’s aides say he will veto the resolution – his
first official veto...of his presidency.”

        Sean Hannity said in his opening monologue on Fox News’ Hannity[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0b2-4f8&t=c>
(2/18), “We need to secure the border. That’s why the President’s emergency
action will win in court. Even legal scholar truly believes it will be
upheld.”

        *Graham: Students Whose School Funds May Be Shifted To Wall Better
Off With Secure Border. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0b3-e4e&t=c>
(2/18, Thebault) reports that among the projects that might have funding
redirected to a border wall is a $62 million building project at Fort
Campbell Mahaffey Middle School. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said on CBS
News’ “Face the Nation,” “I would say it’s better for the middle school
kids in Kentucky to have a secure border.” Graham added, “We’ll get them
the school they need, but right now we’ve got a national emergency on our
hands.” Stephanie Winkler, president of the Kentucky Education Association,
said, “KEA supports any funding that goes toward providing a quality public
education to America’s students no matter their ZIP code.” Winkler added,
“Any actions that take those funds away do a disservice to students, no
matter the rationale or reason given.” Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell’s spokesman said the shift is “a hypothetical,” and that
acting defense secretary Patrick M. Shanahan will make the decision.

        *Texas Landowners Concerned About Use Of Eminent Domain In Building
Border Wall. *Bloomberg
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0b4-b8d&t=c>
(2/18, Adams-Heard) reports, “After Trump declared a national emergency
Friday to access billions of dollars in funding, some landowners along the
US-Mexico line say they see a government land grab in their future.” They
are concerned about the use of eminent domain to take land for the wall.

        *Mexican Drug Traffickers Tied To Corruption Among US Officials And
Law Enforcement. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0b5-816&t=c>
(2/18, Fernandez, Ferman) says the “the much-watched trial of the Mexican
drug lord known as El Chapo...shed light on the hold that drug traffickers
and their money have on the police and politicians in Mexico.” However, the
Times says “corruption and drug money flow on the United States side of the
border as well.” According to the Times, “More than 100 local, state and
federal law enforcement officials have been indicted on drug-related
corruption charges on America’s southwest border since the 1990s. In just
one agency, the Border Patrol, officials said 77 employees were arrested or
indicted on corruption charges in the fiscal years from 2005 to 2017.”
Ruddy: Trump May Fire Coats Over North Korea Contradiction.

On CNN’s Situation Room
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0b6-f71&t=c>
(2/18, 5:51 p.m. EST), Brian Todd reported Trump ally Chris Ruddy told CNN
earlier that the President “is thinking about firing his top intelligence
official, Dan Coats,” after the DNI allegedly “implied the President’s
efforts with North Korea are going to fail.”

        Abby Phillip reported for CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0b7-e8f&t=c>
(2/18, 6:02 p.m. EST) that Ruddy’s comments come “just weeks after Dan
Coats testified on Capitol Hill...essentially contradicting President Trump
on North Korea.” According to Phillip, Coats testified “that North Korea is
unlikely to give up their nuclear weapons.” The news also comes “just days
before President Trump is expected to head to Hanoi, Vietnam for a second
summit with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un.”
Rosenstein Will Reportedly Leave DOJ Next Month.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0b8-acd&t=c>
(2/18, Tucker) reports that a DOJ official says that DAG Rod Rosenstein “is
expected to leave his position in the middle of next month.” The White
house “is expected to name a replacement for Rosenstein this week.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0b9-bb8&t=c>
(2/19, Lynch) reports that Rosenstein “had been expected to depart shortly
after new Attorney General William Barr assumed office.” A DOJ official
“said Rosenstein’s departure was not related to renewed allegations that he
considered wearing a wire in meetings with Trump and using the 25th
amendment of the U.S. Constitution to remove the president from office.”
Bloomberg: Potential UN Nominees Include Powell, Grenell, Craft And James.

Bloomberg
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0ba-fa9&t=c>
(2/18, Jacobs) reports that President Trump is “considering four people to
be his next UN ambassador: Goldman Sachs Group Inc. partner Dina Powell,
the current ambassadors to Canada and Germany, Kelly Craft and Richard
Grenell, and John James, a former Republican US Senate candidate from
Michigan.” According to Bloomberg, “Top White House aides have also
discussed nominating Trump’s daughter and senior adviser Ivanka Trump if no
front-runner emerges.”

        Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0bb-349&t=c>
(2/18, Boyle) reports that the “appeal of...Grenell being potentially
selected...is broadening beyond his core base supporters, with a key
endorsement from Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) president Mort
Klein.” Klein, the president of the “Sheldon Adelson-backed pro-Israel
group ZOA, wholeheartedly endorsed the idea of President Trump nominating
Grenell to the UN post in a Breitbart News Daily exclusive interview” on
Monday, “saying there is simply no other candidate as qualified.”
CDC Head: Measles Outbreak An Opportunity To Re-Engage Vaccination
Opponents.

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0bc-844&t=c>
(2/18, Howell) reports that the issue of unvaccinated children “has taken
on new urgency in the face of an alarming measles outbreak that has hit 10
states and resulted in at least 101 cases so far this year,” and Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert R. Redfield said, “I
would like to use the measles outbreak in the United States as sort of an
opportunity to try and re-engage those individuals who have chosen not to
get vaccinated.” He added, “We are going to be looking at alternative ways
to see vaccines delivered in a way that may be more accessible,” such as
offering shot to students and their families at school and considering
whether drugstores can have a greater role in routine vaccinations.
However, Redfield said, “No one’s taking away parental consent. It’s always
going to be in the context of parent consent and within the context of the
vaccination requirements of the different states.”
Supreme Court To Hear Case On Peremptory Challenges Of Jurors.

In his “Sidebar” column for the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0bd-2ee&t=c>
(2/18, Liptak), Adam Liptak writes, “Doug Evans, a white state prosecutor
in Mississippi, has worked hard to keep black people off the juries that
have heard his case against Curtis Flowers, who has been tried six
times...for the 1996 murders of four people inside a furniture store in
Winona, Miss.” Liptak notes that next month, the Supreme Court “will
consider whether” Evans’ “use of dozens of peremptory challenges” to
“exclude black prospective jurors violated the Constitution.” According to
Liptak, “the justices could also use the case to put some teeth into Batson
v. Kentucky, a 1986 decision that made an exception to the centuries-old
rule that peremptory challenges are completely discretionary.” In the
Batson case, the court “required lawyers accused of” racial discrimination
“to provide a nondiscriminatory explanation,” but Batson “is easily evaded,
as even barely competent lawyers are usually capable of offering reasons
for striking jurors unrelated to race.”
Trump Shares Praise From Families Of School Shooting Victims.

In a pair of tweets Monday evening, President Trump touted praise from
family members of school shooting victims for the Administration’s efforts
to increase school safety. Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0be-c7a&t=c>,
“Thank you JT!” sharing a tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0bf-8be&t=c>
from JT Lewis, whose brother was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary, “With the
utmost respect, I thank President @realDonaldTrump for his leadership on
the Federal School Safety Report, and for including my ideas. This is the
most progress we, as a Country, have ever made toward School Safety!”

        In a second tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0c0-c15&t=c>,
Trump wrote, “Thank you Andrew – We all miss beautiful Meadow!” sharing a
tweet
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0c1-af0&t=c>
from Andrew Pollack, whose daughter Meadow was killed in school shooting in
Parkland, FL, “You’ll never get the full story from the media, but since
the moment I lost my beautiful princess last year in Parkland, President
@realDonaldTrump has been gracious & 110% supportive of my family. Anytime
I’ve asked for help, he has delivered. GREAT President! #FixIt”
Cancer Research
Proposal Would Extend Medicare Coverage For CAR-T Treatments For Cancer
Patients.

STAT
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0c2-84c&t=c>
(2/15, Swetlitz) reported a new proposal would allow the Medicare program
to pay for CAR-T therapies for cancer patients across the country. The
proposal “specifies that Medicare will cover all FDA-approved CAR-T
therapies as long as data is collected about how the patients fare, which
could inform the government’s policies about paying for the therapy in the
future.” CMS Administrator Seema Verma stated in a press release, “Today’s
proposed coverage decision would improve access to this therapy while
deepening CMS’s understanding of how patients in Medicare respond to it, so
the agency can ensure that it is paying for CAR T-cell therapy for cases in
which the benefits outweigh the risks.”

        MedCity News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0c3-c26&t=c>
(2/18, Truong) reports that the treatment “has been hailed as revolutionary
new treatment protocol for adult large B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and
recurrent childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.” The two treatments that
have FDA approval are Novartis’ Kymria and Gilead Sciences’ Yescarta, which
run for $475,000 and $373,000 respectively, though the figures “don’t
include potential costs incurred in the case of common and intense side
effects like cytokine storms.”

        BioCentury
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0c4-23d&t=c>
(2/15, McCallister) quoted Novartis spokesman Eric Althoff, who said the
company “is pleased to work with stakeholders across the healthcare
spectrum to ensure patients have access to innovative therapies like
Kymriah.”

        Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0c5-0e4&t=c>
(2/15, Beasley), The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0c6-d7d&t=c>
(2/15, Hellmann), Fierce Healthcare
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0c7-3ae&t=c>
(2/15, Minemyer), and Congressional Quarterly
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0c8-2be&t=c>
(2/15) also covered the story.
University Of Minnesota Testing New Form Of Brachytherapy For Brain Tumors.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0c9-3dc&t=c>
(2/17, Olson) reported University of Minnesota cancer specialists “are the
first to try a new form of brachytherapy – radiation-releasing implants –
to target hard-to-kill brain tumors and prevent them from returning.” So
far, one patient has received the GammaTile Therapy, which the FDA approved
last year. Dr. Clark Chen, head of the university’s neurosurgery
department, said the development is “about how to give better radiation
therapy, and how to give radiation more safely,” adding that the GammaTile
can improve patients’ quality of life.
Editorials/Op-Eds
New York Times.

New York Times editorials were not available as of publication time.
Washington Post.

*“Virginia Inexplicably Killed A Bill That Could’ve Helped Thousand With
Suspended Licenses.”* In an editorial, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0ca-670&t=c>
(2/18) criticizes Virginia’s legislature for “inexplicably” killing “a
much-needed bill that would have stopped” the “cruel and foolish practice”
of revoking the driving privileges of those unable to pay court-ordered
fines and fees. The current policy is “widely recognized as unfairly
punishing poor people and doing nothing to improve traffic safety” and the
“compassionate and forward-thinking” change enjoyed bipartisan support, but
“the shortsighted Republican members of the House Courts of Justice
subcommittee” killed the bill, which “is believed...would have passed if it
had made it to the House floor.”

        *“The Vatican Finally Needs To Offer More Than Thoughts And Prayers
On Sexual Abuse.” *In an editorial, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0cb-6d7&t=c>
(2/18) laments the Vatican’s decision to meet this weekend in Rome for “an
occasion for deep ‘discernment,’” rather than debating a “no-nonsense new
approach” to the scandal of clerical sex abuse. The Post argues that the
Catholic church must take a new stand against any priest or lay individual
that previously covered up sexual abuse crimes because “the wall of
impunity that has long protected bishops is only gradually starting to
crack.” The primary warning is that any effort to “defuse any sense of
urgency” over the Vatican’s crisis will only undermine current and future
efforts “to stanch the hemorrhage of credibility and trust it has
suffered.”

        *“The Trump Administration Sounds An Alarm Bell As China Forges
Ahead On AI.” *In an editorial, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2019021901biden&r=email-352b&l=0cc-80e&t=c>
(2/18) praises the Trump Administration’s decision to direct government
agencies to “reprioritize existing funds toward artificial intelligence and
consider that priority in their upcoming budget proposals” because Chinese
advances in the field of artificial intelligence threaten to topple the US’
comparative advantage. The Post warns that renewed US investment in AI is
necessary, and it likens machine learning’s expected influence in the 21st
century to that of electricity in the 20th century. The Administration’s
annual $1 billion investment in AI research is not enough, and the Post
suggests that the Administration must attract the private sector’s best
practitioners to support renewed research efforts.

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