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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Tuesday, November 13, 2018 7:55 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Tuesday, November 13, 2018


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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=000-39c&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=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=001-ceb&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Tuesday, November 13, 2018 8:00 AM EST*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News <#SECTION_1>*

• Poll: At 26%, Biden Leads Potential 2020 Democratic Field. <#S1>

• Harris Tops CNN’s 2020 Democratic Rankings, Biden Third. <#S2>

• Online Gambling Website Pegs O’Rourke As 2020 Democratic Favorite. <#S3>

*Leading the News <#SECTION_2>*

• Trump Calls For End To Florida Recount, Says “Ballots Massively Infected”
With Potential Fraud. <#S4>

*Foreign Policy <#SECTION_3>*

• Report: North Korea Maintaining Hidden Missile Facilities. <#S5>

• US Considers Urging Afghanistan To Suspend Presidential Election. <#S6>

• Pakistan Releases Two Taliban Officials. <#S7>

• Treasury Official: US Is Not Concerned About EU Governments Evading Iran
Sanctions. <#S8>

• US, China Reopen Trade Talks. <#S9>

• Trump Reiterates Complains About NATO, Trade Imbalance With EU. <#S10>

• Turkey Outraged By French Foreign Minister’s Comments On Khashoggi Murder
Tapes. <#S11>

*Domestic Policy <#SECTION_4>*

• Whitaker To Consult With Ethics Officials About Potential Mueller Probe
Recusal. <#S12>

• Cohen Seen In DC As Eight Mueller Prosecutors Worked On Veterans Day.
<#S13>

• Trump Declares California Disaster Amid Reaction To His Earlier Criticism.
<#S14>

• Trump Did Not Make Traditional Veterans Day Visit To Arlington. <#S15>

• Congress To Tackle Wall Funding In Lame-Duck Session. <#S16>

• Amazon To Split “HQ2” Between Crystal City, VA And Long Island City, NY.
<#S17>

• White House: Democrats Want Gas Tax Hike As Part Of Infrastructure
Agreement. <#S18>

*Cancer Research <#SECTION_5>*

• Research Evaluates Whether Vitamin D, Fish Oil Can Reduce Rates Of
Cancer, Major Cardiovascular Events. <#S19>

• NCI Awards $4M To Brain Tumor-Sequencing Projects For Adult, Pediatric
Cancer. <#S20>

*Editorials/Op-Eds <#SECTION_6>*

• New York Times. <#S21>

• Washington Post. <#S22>
Biden in the News
Poll: At 26%, Biden Leads Potential 2020 Democratic Field.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=002-0f2&t=c>
(11/12, Shepard) reported that former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen.
Bernie Sanders (I-VT) “enter the 2020 election cycle as the leaders for the
Democratic presidential nomination” to take on President Trump, according
to a Politico/Morning Consult poll
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=003-5ea&t=c>
conducted “in the immediate aftermath of last week’s midterms.” The survey
found Biden the first choice of 26% of respondents, followed by Sanders at
19%, Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) at 8%, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) at 5%,
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) at 4%, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) at 3%, and ex-New
York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg at 2%. Thirteen other options each
received less than two percent support.

In its report on the poll, Morning Consult
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=004-9b2&t=c>
(11/12, Yokley) said, “Overall, 31 percent of Democrats listed one of 18
other potential candidates polled as their top choice, while 21 percent
said they didn’t know or had no opinion and 3 percent said ‘other,’ a sign
that the fight to be the party’s next standard bearer is wide open if
neither Biden nor Sanders run. Black Democrats were nearly twice as likely
– 28 percent to 15 percent – to say Biden is their first choice, while
Sanders held an 8-percentage-point advantage with the country’s youngest
voters (29 percent versus 21 percent). While neither held a significant
advantage with men, Biden led Sanders with women by 11 points, 28 percent
to 17 percent.”

The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=005-4e6&t=c>
(11/12, Adams) reported that “there wasn’t a huge shift in Democratic
opinion when the survey administrators amended the question slightly to:
‘[W]ho is your second choice to be the 2020 Democratic nominee for
President?’ Biden came in first place with 20 percent of the vote. Sanders
came in second place with 16 percent, Warren came in third with 9 percent,
and O’Rourke squeezed in at fourth with 8 percent.” The Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=006-6cd&t=c>
(11/12, Brest) reported, “The survey was conducted on November 7-9, and
they interviewed nearly 2,000 people. The margin of error is plus or minus
2 percentage points.”
Harris Tops CNN’s 2020 Democratic Rankings, Biden Third.

On the website of CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=007-d59&t=c>
(11/12, Cillizza, Enten), Chris Cillizza and Harry Enten discussed their
latest “monthly power rankings of Democrats most likely to get their
party’s presidential nomination in 2020,” saying, “If there’s one lesson
Democrats should learn from the 2018 election, it’s” that the “base wants
to make history. Democratic voters helped elect a historic number of women
to Congress,” including “the first Muslim-American women” and “the first
Native-American women.” Consequently, the writers put Sen. Kamala Harris
(D-CA) atop the rankings, followed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), former
Vice President Joe Biden, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). Sen. Cory Booker
(D-NJ) rounds out the top five. Saying that early polls show Biden leading
the potential Democratic field, the writers added, “So why isn’t Biden at
the top of our rankings? Because he’s in his mid-70s, is a white male and
has spent his entire adult life in politics. It’s not clear to us that
profile sells in this coming Democratic primary.”

*WPost’s Blake Ranks Warren As Top 2020 Democrat, Biden
Fourth. *Writing
on the website of the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=008-5a6&t=c>
(11/9), Aaron Blake offered his “latest list of the top 15 contenders” for
the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Topping the list is Warren,
followed by Sanders, Harris, Biden, and Booker rounds out the top five. Of
Biden, Blake wrote, “A recent CNN poll made Biden the big, early favorite
for the Democratic nomination – 33 percent to 13 percent for Bernie Sanders
– which is a bit surprising. Lots and lots of Democrats voted for Sanders
in 2016, after all. I’m not convinced that Biden jumps in, and his track
record as a presidential candidate isn’t good. But the stage is set.”
Online Gambling Website Pegs O’Rourke As 2020 Democratic Favorite.

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=009-e98&t=c>
(11/12, McLaughlin) reports that Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), who fell short
in his 2018 bid to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), “is favored to win the 2020
Democratic presidential nomination, according to an online gambling
website. BetDSI released betting lines Monday that ranked Mr. O’Rourke as
the” favorite, “giving him +500 odds of capturing his party’s nomination.
‘With the amount of publicity the Texas race received, as well as the
media’s affection with O’Rourke, there’s been a steady stream of bets on
Beto in 2020,’ said Brent Corobotuic, head linesman at BetDSI. Mr. O’Rourke
is followed by Sens. Kamala Harris of California (+550) and Elizabeth
Warren of Massachusetts (+800) as well as former Vice President Joseph R.
Biden and Sen. Bernard Senders of Vermont, both of whom come in at +1,000.”
The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=00a-209&t=c>
(11/12, Bedard) also reports on the story.
Leading the News
Trump Calls For End To Florida Recount, Says “Ballots Massively Infected”
With Potential Fraud.

President Trump took to Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=00b-d7b&t=c>
yesterday to write, “The Florida Election should be called in favor of Rick
Scott and Ron DeSantis in that large numbers of new ballots showed up out
of nowhere, and many ballots are missing or forged. An honest vote count is
no longer possible-ballots massively infected. Must go with Election
Night!” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=00c-e40&t=c>
(11/12, Burke) reports “Trump’s remarks come as recounts mandated by law
take place in both races given the tight vote counts.” Gov. Rick Scott (R)
“leads Sen. Bill Nelson (D) by roughly 12,500 votes, or around .02 percent
of the vote,” while Rep. Ron DeSantis (R) “leads Democrat Andrew Gillum by
more than 33,000 votes.” Sen. Marco Rubio (R) also weighed in, tweeting
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=00d-86d&t=c>,
“Every vote legally cast & received within timeframe required by law should
be counted. The issue in #Florida has been the repeated violations of
election law by & the incompetence & the lack of transparency of
#PalmBeachElections & #BrowardElections.”

Appearing on Fox News’ Fox & Friends[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=00e-74f&t=c>
(11/12), Gov. Rick Scott was asked, “How did they come up with 93,000 votes
after election night in Palm Beach and also in Broward County? Where did
those come from?” Scott replied, “They won’t tell us. We have no idea. ...
They didn’t let in party officials to observe. There was no transparency.
They are supposed to tell us where all of this was coming from, how many
ballots – all these things. We know mysteriously 93,000 new ballots showed
up after election day. We know that [Broward County elections supervisor]
Brenda Snipes has said that she took illegal ballots and put them in with
legal ballots.” Scott added, “But, in the end, I have 12,600 more votes
than Bill Nelson. I won the election. ... No recount has ever overturned a
lead like that.”

ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=00f-d8b&t=c>
(11/12, story 9, 1:05, Orquendo) showed Scott saying, “Sen. Nelson is
clearly trying to find – to try and commit fraud to try to win this
election.” The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=010-bf4&t=c>
(11/12, story 5, 2:10, Bojorquez) showed Scott campaign attorney Ana
Carbonell saying, “We’re concerned in terms of the shenanigans that have
taken place in these two supervisors of elections.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=011-df8&t=c>
(11/12, Jansen) also reports “Scott claimed victory on election night, and
has accused election officials in Broward and Palm Beach counties of
‘rampant fraud’” as he “asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to
investigate.”

Brad Todd, a senior advisor to Scott’s campaign, said on CNN’s
Cuomo Prime Time[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=012-72f&t=c>
(11/12), “It’s wrong for Bill Nelson to try to overturn the will of
Florida’s voters. You know what’s going to happen on Thursday? On Thursday
at 3:00, this machine recount’s going to end. Rick Scott is going to be
ahead. Still the will of the Florida voters to send him to the Senate. Bill
Nelson is going to have to decide, does he want to end his career paying
[Nelson campaign attorney] Mark Elias’ legal bills as a sore loser or does
he want to go out as someone who dignifies and respects and respects the
will of the people.”

With the exception of Fox News, most mainstream media analyses are
sounding a decidedly critical note on Republican criticism of the recount –
and particularly on Trump’s comments. Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=013-383&t=c>
(11/12, Stein, Heavey) reports, for example, that the President, “without
providing evidence, cast doubt on the recount process,” the Los Angeles
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=014-1cf&t=c>
(11/12, Stokols) that he “contradicted Florida officials who oversee
elections, who stated that they have not seen any evidence of criminal
conduct,” and Chris Cillizza, writing for CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=015-42d&t=c>
(11/12) reports, that “Trump is yelling ‘FRAUD’ despite a decided lack of
evidence to that end.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=016-4f9&t=c>
(11/12, Qiu) reports that “by ‘forged’ signatures, Mr. Trump is possibly
referring to a lawsuit filed by the campaign of Senator Bill Nelson, the
Democratic incumbent Mr. Scott is seeking to unseat. It challenges election
officials’ rejection of ballots with voters’ signatures that do not match
state records.” However, to the Times “these mismatches do not necessarily
indicate fraud, as Mr. Trump claims,” because “signatures can change over
time, with age or because of diseases like strokes or arthritis, and
election officials do not regularly update signatures in official records,
said Michael McDonald, a political-science professor at the University of
Florida.” Another New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=017-d6b&t=c>
(11/12, Peters, Haberman), report, meanwhile, sees a “concerted effort by
Republicans in Washington and Florida to discredit the state’s recount as
illegitimate and potentially rife with fraud.” That effort “reflects a cold
political calculation: Treat the recount as the next phase of a campaign to
secure the party’s majority and agenda in the Senate.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=018-eaa&t=c>
(11/12, Gardner) also reports “Republicans are sowing skepticism about the
electoral process in states with votes that are too close to call,
echoing...Trump’s unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud and suggesting
that election officials should jettison the common practice of completing
vote counts after Election Day.” Like the Times, the Post says it “appears
to be a coordinated Republican strategy to undercut post-election vote
counting.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=019-5b1&t=c>
(11/12) editorializes that “the nation needs assurances that local
elections officials, overseen by state officers, candidate representatives,
the media and the courts, will try to count votes fairly despite all the
obvious problems,” but “instead...Trump is screaming fraud” and
“encouraging Americans to distrust elections results that do not go their
way. If anyone is acting in bad faith, it is Mr. Trump.” Adds the Post,
“Maybe Florida’s governor can fill the statesmanship gap? No such luck.”
Along those lines, USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=01a-db3&t=c>
(11/12) says in its editorial Scott “has flown off the handle in the days
since the election.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=01b-782&t=c>
(11/12) editorializes, meanwhile, that the recounts are unlikely to change
the election outcome, but warns Florida officials that the longer the
process lasts the more skepticism it will trigger within the public.

Mara Liasson of NPR said of Trump on Fox News’ Special Report[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=01c-659&t=c>
(11/12), “He’s wrong. He sounds like he doesn’t want any of his military
ballots counted and this is Veterans Day. ... Florida is doing what it’s
supposed to do. It’s counting the votes. It is going to have a machine
recount. ... And probably...Scott is going to be the senator and
probably...DeSantis is going to be the governor. When they challenge their
opponents as sore losers, that’s fine. That’s within normal give-and-take
of elections. To undermine America’s faith in the most democratic
institution, the ballot box, I think is wrong.”’

Fox News’ Fox & Friends[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=01d-6c0&t=c>
(11/12), Steve Doocy said, “You were supposed to have all the votes in on
Tuesday. ... How did they find 93,000 more votes down in Broward and Palm
Beach Counties.” Ed Henry added, “We keep hearing, ‘count all the votes.’
How about you count all the legitimate votes? How do we even figure out
which votes were legitimate?”

Sean Hannity said on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=01e-704&t=c>
(11/12), “Make no mistake, when the dust settles here, Rick Scott and Ron
DeSantis will take their rightful place as Senator and Governor of Florida.
But tonight, Democratic operatives are trying to prevent that from
happening. On Friday, lawyers for the Gillum and Nelson campaigns, they
actually objected to a judge, to noncitizens votes being rightfully denied!
In other words, they want votes from noncitizens to now count. Where is
their integrity in all of this tonight? That means they only care about
power. Nothing else. Rule of law means nothing to them.”

Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett said on Fox News’ Hannity[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=01f-ebe&t=c>
(11/12), “It’s good that the Attorney General Pam Bondi is vowing an
intensive investigation. Snipes had the audacity to stand in front of
cameras...and say until now nobody ever accused her of doing anything
wrong, which is a lie. Every election she’s been presiding over since 2002
has been marred in controversy. The question is: is she capable of
corruption? Her track record suggests she is.”

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) said on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=020-dae&t=c>
(11/12), “I will be damned if the people in south Florida are going to
dilute the legal votes of my constituents who have a right to an honest,
fair, representative republic.”

Fox News political editor Chris Stirewalt said on Fox News’ Special
Report[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=021-2b7&t=c>
(11/12) that in “modern political history there have only been...two major
races where the outcomes have been changed. We all remember the Al Franken
recount in Minnesota. Then there was Dino Rossi in Washington State in
2004.” The spread in those races was “300 votes or less. That is the range
where a recount can be determinant. If we are at 12,602 for Scott, that
ain’t going to get recounted away.”

Tucker Carlson said on Fox News Tucker Carlson Tonight[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=022-318&t=c>
(11/12), “To restate the rules, in case you’ve forgotten: when a Republican
wins an election, it is fine to question the legitimacy of the process.
Democrats have been doing that since the very day Trump was elected two
years ago. That is patriotic. It’s your duty. But when the Democratic
Party’s power is at stake, raising any question about the process is wrong.
Indeed, it’s nothing less than the road to dictatorship.”

The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=023-cf8&t=c>
(11/12, Scarry) points out “some in the news media are dismissing...Trump’s
claim of fraud in Florida’s election, even after two judges have found
impropriety with the process in specific parts of the state.” The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=024-2bf&t=c>
(11/12, Muñoz) reports “the allegations focus on Palm Beach and Broward
counties, where local judges found officials violated transparency laws,”
and the Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=025-69f&t=c>
(11/12, Enjeti) that “the situation became even messier Sunday when Palm
Beach County claimed that the outdated voting infrastructure would not
allow it to complete a recount by the state mandated deadline of Thursday.”
Palm Beach County’s announcement “is compounded by chaos in the largely
Democratic Broward County where Republicans allege that county officials
are participating in a scheme to deny victory to the party.”

The Miami Herald
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=026-43d&t=c>
(11/12, Daughterty) says, however, that “there is no evidence of voter
fraud in Broward County, according to election monitors from the state’s
Division of Elections who have been stationed there since at least Election
Day.” In fact, “the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has not received
a request in writing to investigate voter fraud from Scott,” and “the
Florida Department of State said Monday their staff has ‘not seen any
evidence of criminal activity in Broward County at this time.’”

Along similar lines, the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=027-d1c&t=c>
(11/12, Robles) reports “Republicans have suggested that their candidates’
slim leads in key races had grown thinner since Election Day because county
elections supervisors had counted ballots that arrived late or were cast
illegally,” and that “although they have made these allegations publicly,
no specific accusation relating to illegal activity in the 2018 race has
been lodged in court.” The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=028-1bb&t=c>
(11/12, Scarry) reports, meanwhile, that “Broward County officials were
ordered by a local judge to turn over their voter rolls to the legal team
representing Scott,” and “in Palm Beach County, Judge Krista Marx ordered
that the county make documents on ‘over-votes,’ which occur when a person
casts more votes than legally allowed, and ‘under-votes,’ which occur when
a person mistakenly or purposely declines to cast votes on every ballot or
initiative.”

WINK-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=029-629&t=c>
Fort Myers, FL (11/12, 5:06 p.m. EST) reported Trump “is sounding off on
our election. He says it should be called in favor of Rick Scott and Ron
DeSantis because large numbers of new ballots showed up out of nowhere. He
says many ballots are missing or forged. But Florida state law gives every
county until Saturday at noon after the election to finish counting votes,
so as long as the supervisor of elections had the ballots before that
deadline they are in compliance with Florida law.”

WBBH-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=02a-696&t=c>
Fort Myers, FL (11/12, 4:39 p.m. EST) reported there are “unsubstantiated
allegations of voter fraud including from...Trump.” In its report on
Trump’s tweet, WPLG-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=02b-94b&t=c>
Miami (11/12, 4:03 p.m. EST) added, “Despite calls for an investigation
by...Scott and other GOP leaders, the FDLE has not investigated as there
are no allegations of fraud at this time.” WFTS-TV[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=02c-8ee&t=c>
Tampa, FL (11/12, 4:33 p.m. EST) and WTVJ-TV[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=02d-635&t=c>
Miami (11/12, 5:00 p.m. EST), among other stations in the state also
reported on Trump’s tweet. Spectrum News Orlando (FL)[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=02e-99b&t=c>
(11/12, 5:04 p.m. EST) that Gillum responded to Trump’s tweet, writing,
“You sound nervous.”

The South Florida Sun Sentinel
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=02f-b91&t=c>
(11/11, Fleshler, Olmeda) reports “Scott on Monday dropped his motion to
impound voting machines in Broward County, after a judge said he could find
no evidence for the improper activities that would justify such a step.”
Scott “had accused ‘unethical liberals’ of trying to ‘steal’ the Senate
seat he claimed to have won in last Tuesday’s election.” The Miami Herald
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=030-150&t=c>
(11/12, Weaver) says Broward Circuit Judge Jack Tuter “stopped short of
granting the Scott campaign’s request for an injunction to impound the
machines,” but “he agreed with Scott’s lawyers that ‘there needs to be an
additional layer of confidence’ in the vote-recount system in Broward.”
Tuter “asked the lawyers representing Scott’s campaign and attorneys
for...Snipes to come back later in the day with a security plan to assign
the three additional BSO deputies to protect the voting machines and
ballots during the recount.” They “eventually agreed that the three
additional BSO deputies will monitor the on-site surveillance cameras of
ballot machines and votes, and they will monitor the USB drives that are
uploaded at the end of each day’s recount.” The judge “ordered that the
deputies will start a 24/7 operation immediately that will run through
Thursday at 3 p.m.”

The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=031-9a8&t=c>
(11/12, story 5, 2:10, Bojorquez) also reports the judge “said he saw no
evidence of voter fraud” but “did request additional deputies be
present...and urged both sides the ramp down the rhetoric.” To the Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=032-ace&t=c>
(11/12, Wagner), meanwhile, Tuter “appeared to admonish the Scott team for
suggesting voter fraud without offering evidence of it.” Said Tuter,
“Everything the lawyers are saying out there at the elections office is
being beamed out across the country. We should be careful what we say. ...
These words mean things these days, as everybody in the room knows.”

The Florida Times-Union
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=033-175&t=c>
(11/12, Patterson) reports “Duval County election officials” said they
“could finish the ongoing recount of the more than 383,000 county ballots
cast for Florida governor, US senator and state agriculture commissioner as
early as” last night, and the Palm Beach (FL) Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=034-910&t=c>
(11/12, Seltzer) that “Palm Beach County Elections Supervisor Susan Bucher
said she is optimistic she will finish the US Senate recount by Thursday’s
deadline.” The Orlando (FL) Sentinel
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=035-5af&t=c>
(11/12, Lemongello, Gillespie) reports, meanwhile, that “the Bay County
supervisor of elections claims he accepted about 150 ballots via email in
this month’s election, despite no allowance for it under state law.”
Supervisor Mark Andersen “did not specify how he verified whether voters
were displaced, which his the standard he said he used to allow voters to
email scanned ballots to his office.”

The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=036-dae&t=c>
(11/12, Hagen, Wise) reports, meanwhile, that “Nelson called on Scott to
recuse himself from ‘any role’ in the recount process,” saying in a
statement, “[Scott] should remove himself from any role in the recount
process so the people can have confidence in the integrity of the election.
... Given his efforts to undermine the votes of Floridians, this is the
only way that we can ensure that the people’s votes are protected.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=037-f6d&t=c>
(11/12, Dixon) notes “Nelson joins the League of Women voters in calling on
Scott to no longer oversee a recount that involves his political campaign,”
since “as governor, Scott oversees the Florida Department of State, which
houses the state Division of Elections.” Ian Bassin, founding executive
director of Protect Democracy, writes in the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=038-7f1&t=c>
(11/12)that his group has “filed a lawsuit on behalf of the League of Women
Voters and Common Cause of Florida against Mr. Scott to bar him from having
any further official role in overseeing the Florida election.”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=039-386&t=c>
(11/12, Varney) reports that “in response, Mr. Scott’s team said Mr. Nelson
is ‘confused,’ because the governor has no role in the recount.” Said Scott
spokeswoman Lauren Schenone, “The recount is being managed by the
individual and independent Supervisors of Elections in all 67 counties. ...
If Bill Nelson has an issue with the way the recount is being run, he
should take it up with them.”

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) was asked on CNN’s The Lead[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=03a-73e&t=c>
(11/12) about the President’s claim that an honest vote count is no longer
possible. Wasserman Schultz said, “Let’s remember that the President said
after his own election that there were three million votes in California
that were illegally cast without any evidence whatsoever. And so here we go
again. It’s grossly irresponsible and completely inaccurate, absolutely
untrue. And the only thing that happened is actual votes that were cast
were counted and the process under Florida law was followed. Every
supervisor of elections in the state has until noon on Saturday after the
election to get their vote counts in from their canvassing process. And
that’s exactly what happened. And so, you know, it is not only unhelpful,
but it also is really undermining our democracy to suggest that anything
other than making sure that every legal vote cast should be counted.”

*Broward Hasn’t Started Recount, Says It Won’t Make Thursday
Deadline. *The Miami Herald
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=03b-401&t=c>
(11/12, Vassolo) reports, “Two days after state officials ordered a
statewide recount in three key races that ended within razor-thin margins,
Broward County elections officials said Monday they have not yet started
their recount of more than 700,000 ballots it must tally before Thursday’s
deadline.” Snipes “said she was not concerned that her office would not
meet its deadline, even if the start of the recount is delayed until
Tuesday morning.” Snipes said, “‘No, there is not’ any concern” about the
delay. The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=03c-731&t=c>
(11/11, Press) says “the Republican Party attacked...Snipes” and accused of
“incompetence and gross mismanagement.”

NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=03d-f49&t=c>
(11/12, story 3, 1:45, Sanders) reported, meanwhile, that “Nelson’s
campaign believes one machine in Broward County malfunctioned, skipping
close to 25,000 votes.” Mitchell Berger, recount special counsel for the
Florida Democratic Party, said on CNN’s Cuomo Prime Time[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=03e-700&t=c>
(11/12), “In Broward County in a particular area, 25,000 people did not
vote for the United States Senate who voted in the governors race. That’s
an anomaly that’s hard to explain. So the Governor’s people are constantly
picking on Broward County and saying, fraud, fraud, fraud, because they are
concerned at the 25,000 votes turn out to be correctly voted when the
machine recount is completed, they want to have something to say about
those votes. And the only thing they’re going to be able to say other than
if the votes are legitimate and come through Bill Nelson’s way, is that
they were created by fraud.”

*Jeb Bush Calls For Snipes To Be “Removed From Her Office” After
Recounts. *The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=03f-ee5&t=c>
(11/12, Lim) reports “former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Monday called
for...Snipes...to be axed from her job amid recounts in the races for
senator and governor.” Bush said on Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=040-794&t=c>,
“There is no question that Broward County Supervisor of Elections Brenda
Snipes failed to comply with Florida law on multiple counts, undermining
Floridians’ confidence in our electoral process. Supervisor Snipes should
be removed from her office following the recounts.”
Foreign Policy
Report: North Korea Maintaining Hidden Missile Facilities.

On Monday, Joseph Bermudez of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and
International Studies released a report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=041-34a&t=c>
identifying 13 of about 20 secret North Korean missile development sites
not declared by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s regime. Coverage
predominately focused on how the findings contradict President Trump’s
optimism about the denuclearization process, as well as Pyongyang’s
apparent deception in its talks with the Administration.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=042-fcc&t=c>
(11/12, Smith) says Bermudez “identified at least 13 of an estimated 20
undeclared missile operating bases” that “are scattered in remote,
mountainous areas across North Korea, and could be used to house ballistic
missiles of various ranges, with the largest believed to be capable of
striking anywhere in the United States.” Bermudez “said maintenance and
minor infrastructure improvements have been observed at some of the sites,
despite the ongoing negotiations.”

“North Korea’s highly publicized move to decommission a satellite
launch facility gained a flurry of positive media attention,” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=043-b88&t=c>
(11/12, Shesgreen) says, but “that move ‘obscures the military threat to
U.S. forces and South Korea from this and other undeclared ballistic
missile bases,’ the CSIS report concludes.” A State Department spokesperson
did not comment on “the new findings, but said: ‘President Trump has made
clear that should Chairman Kim follow through on his commitments –
including complete denuclearization and the elimination of ballistic
missile programs – a much brighter future lies ahead for North Korea and
its people.’”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=044-555&t=c>
(11/12, Taylor) reports the State Department “did not say whether they
viewed the base as a violation of any agreements with the United States.”
The Post calls the report “the latest evidence that while North Korea has
indeed stopped its missile testing, it is far from dismantling its weapons
facilities.” The Post adds, “Indeed, it appears to be adding to its
stockpile: U.S. intelligence reports from the summer found that North Korea
had begun producing new missiles at a factory, and Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo acknowledged during Senate testimony that Pyongyang ‘continues to
produce fissile material.’”

NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=045-a55&t=c>
(11/12, story 6, 1:20, Holt) reported that the findings “exposed” North
Korea’s “massive deception” as “US officials confirm that North Korea is
still improving its ballistic missiles at as many as 20 hidden
bases...despite President Trump’s boasts.” Trump previously claimed that
North Korea’s “missiles have stopped. The rockets have stopped.”
Correspondent Andrea Mitchell commented, “Test flights have stopped for
now, but tonight’s report reveals seven under ground tunnels hiding mobile
missiles that could be launched in less than an hour.” ABC World News
Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=046-acb&t=c>
(11/12, story 8, 0:25, Muir) said that the report’s “alarming satellite
images” also came just days after North Korea “abruptly cancel[ed] talks
with” Secretary of State Pompeo.

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=047-554&t=c>
(11/12, Muñoz) says the “revelation appears to undermine North Korea’s
claims that it is working towards denuclearization and dismantling one of
its weapons sites.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=048-9ba&t=c>
(11/12, Sanger, Broad) similarly says “the existence of the ballistic
missile bases, which North Korea has never acknowledged, contradicts Mr.
Trump’s assertion that his landmark diplomacy is leading to the elimination
of” North Korea’s “nuclear and missile program.” The network of secret
facilities has been “long known to American intelligence agencies but left
undiscussed as President Trump claims to have neutralized the North’s
nuclear threat.” According to the Times, “The satellite images suggest that
the North has been engaged in a great deception: It has offered to
dismantle a major launching site – a step it began, then halted – while
continuing to make improvements at more than a dozen others that would
bolster launches of conventional and nuclear warheads.”

Brian Todd said on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=049-a11&t=c>
(11/12) that Trump “is credited with at least temporarily ratcheting down
the overall threat from Kim, but Trump’s critics say the young North Korean
strong man has been playing the President the entire time.” Bret Baier
similarly said on Fox News’ Special Report[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=04a-1c7&t=c>
(11/12), “It appears progress towards denuclearization by North Korea may
not be all we’ve been led to believe. ... While the tension has definitely
been ratcheted down, the substance of those programs does not seem to have
been slowed.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=04b-ba5&t=c>
(11/12, Lee) says the findings underscore “the challenge the Trump
administration faces in ensuring that North Korea complies with any
eventual agreement to end its nuclear and missile programs.” In North
Korea, “analysts not involved in the report said the findings were not
surprising given Pyongyang’s past activities but were still cause for
concern.” They also “noted that Kim had not agreed to halt either nuclear
weapons or missile development in negotiations with Trump or Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo.”
US Considers Urging Afghanistan To Suspend Presidential Election.

US officials are discussing whether to push Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s
government to suspend the country’s April presidential election, according
to people briefed on the discussions who spoke to the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=04c-d96&t=c>
(11/12, Donati, Nelson, Nissenbaum), which says the fact that US officials
are considering the option reflects the urgency the Administration sees in
its effort to reach a political breakthrough in peace talks with the
Taliban to end the 17-year war. The sources said US special envoy Zalmay
Khalilzad raised the proposal in discussions with various intermediaries
and stakeholders; according to the Journal, an election suspension would
likely be opposed by Ghani, who is expected to run for a second five-year
term.

*Ghani: Afghanistan In “Total Agreement” With US On Pursuing
Taliban Peace Talks. *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=04d-bad&t=c>
(11/12, Muñoz) reports Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Monday said that
the “Taliban are not in a winning position,” despite the group’s recent
spate of battlefield victories against US-backed Afghan Forces. That said,
Ghani added, Kabul is in “total agreement” with the Administration’s
strategy to force the insurgents into peace talks. “All wars must end
politically,” Ghani stressed, “adding Afghanistan and its allies would not
take steps toward that political reconciliation with the Taliban ‘from a
position of weakness.’” He also agreed with “top U.S. national security
officials” in saying that an eventual reconciliation with the Taliban would
be brokered by the Afghan government, not the US. He clarified that the US
“engagement is to ensure that talks with the Taliban result not in
negotiations with Taliban but with talks, direct talks, between the Afghan
government and the Taliban.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=04e-47c&t=c>
(11/12, Pennington) reports Ghani also “said the new Pakistan of Prime
Minister Imran Khan had yet to demonstrate a ‘sense of urgency’ in seeking
end to the Afghan conflict.” He explained that “Afghanistan wants to engage
with Pakistan but Afghanistan has yet to see a ‘substantive and measurable
change’ in its policies.” Ghani’s remarks came amid US special envoy Zalmay
Khalilzad’s “second tour of the region in a month, seeking to kick start a
peace process.”

*More Than 30 US-Trained Afghan Commandos Killed In Battle With
Taliban. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=04f-874&t=c>
(11/12, Nordland) reports from Sang-e-Masha, Afghanistan that more than 30
of “Afghanistan’s finest troops, the Special Forces commandos trained by
the United States,” were killed this weekend, four days after “the soldiers
had been airlifted in to rescue what is widely considered Afghanistan’s
safest rural district, Jaghori, from a determined assault by Taliban
insurgents.” According to the Times, “An additional 50 police officers and
militiamen were also killed in the previous 24 hours.” The Times says that
“early on Sunday, their company of 50 soldiers was almost entirely
destroyed on the front line. And suddenly, Jaghori – a haven for an ethnic
Hazara Shiite minority that has been persecuted by extremists – appeared at
risk of being completely overrun by the Taliban.”
Pakistan Releases Two Taliban Officials.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=050-c14&t=c>
(11/12, Gannon) reports that Pakistan on Monday released “Abdul Samad Sani,
a U.S.-designated terrorist who served as the Afghan Central Bank governor
during the militants’ rule in the late 1990s, and a lower-ranking commander
named Salahuddin.” Pakistan’s release of the two Taliban officials comes
“during U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad’s latest visit to the region, in what
could be part of American efforts to revive peace talks with the insurgent
group, which now controls nearly half of Afghanistan.” During Khalilzad’s
last visit to the region, “Pakistan released another Taliban leader, Abdul
Ghani Baradar, one of the founders of the radical religious movement.”
Baradar “was arrested in 2010 in a joint U.S. and Pakistani operation,” and
his “release has been a long-standing demand of the Taliban.”
Treasury Official: US Is Not Concerned About EU Governments Evading Iran
Sanctions.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=051-222&t=c>
(11/12, Faulconbridge) reports that in London on Tuesday, Under Secretary
of the Treasury Sigal Mandelker said the US is “not too concerned by
Europe’s idea for a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to get around U.S.
sanctions with Iran as companies are already withdrawing from the country
in droves.” Mandelker is quoted as saying, “I am not concerned by the SPV
actually at all. I do believe we are going to find additional mechanisms by
which we can work together.”

*IAEA: Iran In Compliance With 2015 Nuclear Deal. *“Iran has
continued to implement the main nuclear restrictions set by its 2015 deal
with major powers even as the United States reimposed sanctions against
Tehran,” according to an International Atomic Energy Agency report to
member-states that was obtained by Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=052-632&t=c>
(11/12, Murphy). The report said that Iran’s “reserve of low-enriched
uranium remained well below the deal’s 202.8 kg limit at 149.4 kg,” and its
“stock of heavy water – a less sensitive material that can be used as a
moderator in nuclear reactors but is still restricted under the deal – was
roughly unchanged at 122.8 tonnes.” The report also showed that Iran has
“continued production but 1.7 tonnes were shipped abroad while 1.5 tonnes
were used to make medical compounds.”
US, China Reopen Trade Talks.

The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=053-caf&t=c>
(11/12, Davis, Wei) reports Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and his Chinese
counterpart Liu He have resumed talks about an agreement to cool trade
tensions. Mnuchin and Liu spoke by telephone and while the call did not
result in any breakthroughs, officials in both countries say the reopening
of discussions is a sign both sides are trying to find agreement.

*US Farmers Stockpiling Soybeans As They Try To Wait Out US-China
Trade War. *Citing Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=054-bf0&t=c>
(11/12, Singh, Almeida, Parker), Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=055-58e&t=c>
(11/12, Axios) reports that US soybean farmers are “hanging onto their
crops in an attempt to wait out President Trump’s trade war with China,
more than doubling U.S. soybean inventories.” Axios says “retaliatory
tariffs have drastically pushed down demand for American soybeans in China,
easily the crop’s largest market, with imports down by nearly 90%. And
prices have fallen, too, as a bushel of soybeans now trades for under $9 –
when it was over $2 more earlier this year.” According to Axios, “Bloomberg
pegs soybean futures at $9.27 for next July, meaning that farmers could at
least recoup some of their cash – even if it won’t be at levels like
earlier this year – as hope springs that the U.S. and China could reach a
soybean deal at the G20.”

*WSJournal Criticizes Navarro’s Words On US-China Business
Negotiators. *In an editorial, the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=056-5ad&t=c>
(11/12) criticizes White House trade adviser Peter Navarro for recently
branding bankers and businesspersons crafting private-sector deals between
US and Chinese firms – and working to decrease trade tensions between the
two nations – as “unregistered foreign agents.” The Journal says such
language does not help the US nor President Trump’s trade agenda.

*Dartmouth Leaders Warn Against Banning Chinese Students From US
Colleges. *In a Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=057-7fe&t=c>
(11/12) op-ed, Dartmouth College President Philip Hanlon and Matthew
Slaughter of Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business write that a rumored ban
on Chinese students attending US colleges would severely damage both higher
education and America’s capacity for economic innovation, as many
innovators first came to the US from abroad to study.
Trump Reiterates Complains About NATO, Trade Imbalance With EU.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=058-508&t=c>
(11/12, Sullivan, Haberman, Ewing) reports that President Trump, “fresh off
an international display of unity among global leaders to mark the end of
World War I, renewed his attacks on America’s longtime allies on Monday,
and demanded fair treatment for the United States.” In a series of tweets (1
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=059-3a9&t=c>,
2
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=05a-507&t=c>,
3
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=05b-f38&t=c>)
Monday, Trump said the US pays “for LARGE portions” of other countries’
military protection while losing on trade with those countries. Trump’s
tweets come as the EU’s chief trade negotiator, Cecilia Malmstrom, “heads
to Washington this week to meet with Robert E. Lighthizer, the United
States trade representative.”

CNN senior White House correspondent Jeff Zeleny said on CNN’s
Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=05c-f5f&t=c>
(11/12) that Trump “[took] aim at US allies” in the tweets, while Bret
Baier said on Fox News’ Special Report[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=05d-03b&t=c>
(11/12) that Trump’s tweets came after “a weekend in which the American
leader and his policies were the subject of much derision, both spoken and
unspoken.”

According to the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=05e-5eb&t=c>
(11/12, Superville, Colvin), Trump tweeted that “much was accomplished” in
his meetings, but he “voiced a familiar complaint about America’s allies.”
Trump said the US pays billions “protecting other countries, and we get
nothing but Trade Deficits and Losses.” Similarly, USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=05f-271&t=c>
(11/12, Jansen, Jackson) says Trump “reiterated his complaints about the
high cost of providing military protection for countries that sell the USA
more goods and services than they buy.” But a Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=060-f28&t=c>
(11/12, Erickson) analysis says his claim that the US loses “hundreds of
billions of dollars” to the EU in trade deficits, is “a gross
exaggeration,” and adds that the US “does not foot the bill for any
European country’s security forces.”

*Deal On Oysters Could Ease US, EU Trade Tensions. *The New York
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=061-7af&t=c>
(11/12, Ewing, Thrush) reports that when European trade commissioner
Cecilia Malmstrom meets with USTR Lighthizer in Washington Wednesday, “she
will count it as a substantial victory if she can lower the barriers
hindering one bit of trans-Atlantic commerce: oysters.” While the US and
Europe “have long banned the importing of each other’s shellfish,” a “deal
to ease trade on that front has been in the works for several years and
could be dressed up by the both sides as a success that helps smooth
relations with the White House.”
Turkey Outraged By French Foreign Minister’s Comments On Khashoggi Murder
Tapes.

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=062-1b6&t=c>
(11/12, Toksabay) reports that the Turkish government “reacted with fury on
Monday after French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said President
Tayyip Erdogan was playing a political game over sharing intelligence about
the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.” According to Reuters, Le
Drian “had questioned remarks by Erdogan at the weekend in which he said
Turkey gave tapes relating to Khashoggi’s killing to the United States,
Saudi Arabia, Germany, France and Britain.” Le Drian “said he was not aware
that France had any tapes,” and when “asked if Erdogan was lying, he said:
‘He has a political game to play in these circumstances.’” Reuters says
that remark “prompted a furious response from Ankara, which insisted it had
shared evidence with Paris and said Le Drian’s comments were unacceptable.
‘Our intelligence shared information with them on Oct 24, including the
voice recordings,’ Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.”

*Canadian PM Confirms Receipt Of Khashoggi Murder Tapes. *Reuters
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(11/12, Irish) reports that “Canadian intelligence officers have listened
to Turkish recordings of what happened to Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi,
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday, adding that he was discussing
with allies what next steps should be taken.” Trudeau told reporters,
“Canada’s intelligence agencies have been working very closely on this
issue with Turkish intelligence and Canada has been fully briefed on what
Turkey had to share.” He “added that he had also spoken to [Turkish
President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan about the issue in Paris over the weekend.”
According to Reuters, “Trudeau faces a dilemma as an election approaches
over how to clamp down credibly on Riyadh over its human rights record
while sparing a $13 billion arms deal with the kingdom.” He is also “under
pressure to freeze the contract for armored vehicles built in Canada by
U.S.-based General Dynamics (GD.N), although the deal underpins 3,000 jobs
in the small city of London, Ontario.”

*Intelligence Officials Say Recording Links MBS To Khashoggi
Killing. *The New York Times
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(11/12, Barnes, Schmitt, Kirkpatrick) says shortly after dissident
journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s assassination last month, a member of the
Saudi “kill team instructed a superior over the phone to ‘tell your boss,’
believed to be Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, that the
operatives had carried out their mission, according to three people
familiar with a recording of Mr. Khashoggi’s killing collected by Turkish
intelligence.” Turkish officials maintain “that the audio does not
conclusively implicate Prince Mohammed, and American intelligence and other
government officials have cautioned that however compelling the recording
may be, it is still not irrefutable evidence of his involvement in the
death of Mr. Khashoggi.” Still, the recording has been “seen by
intelligence officials as some of the strongest evidence linking Prince
Mohammed to the killing of Mr. Khashoggi.”

*Saudi’s Istanbul Consul General “Has Not Been Heard From In
Weeks.” *The Washington Post
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(11/12, Morris) reports that Mohammad al-Otaibi, the Saudi consul general
in Istanbul who “became the face of Saudi denials that Khashoggi had been
kidnapped or was killed inside the consulate,” and “insisted that Khashoggi
had left” the consulate, “has not been heard from for weeks.” According to
the Post, “That Otaibi appears to have escaped punishment so far has
rankled senior Turkish officials, who see him at the very least as a key
witness and accessory in the murder, as well as a liar.”
Domestic Policy
Whitaker To Consult With Ethics Officials About Potential Mueller Probe
Recusal.

In a story posted Monday night, USA Today
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(11/12, Johnson) reported that amid calls for acting Attorney General
Whitaker to recuse himself from overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s
investigation, the Justice Department said he would consult with ethics
officials. The Department said, “Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker is
fully committed to following all appropriate processes and procedures at
the Department of Justice, including consulting with senior ethics
officials on his oversight responsibilities and matters that may warrant
recusal.”

The Washington Post
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(11/12, Demirjian) reports that congressional Democrats are “demanding to
know whether the Justice Department’s ethics chief advised” Whitaker “to
recuse himself from special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s probe of the
Trump campaign’s Russia ties.” The Democrats cited “serious ethical
considerations” that “they say should keep him from overseeing the
investigation.” In a letter, seven Democrats “ask ethics chief Lee Lofthus
to tell them ‘immediately’ whether he or others advised Whitaker to recuse
himself from overseeing the Mueller probe or provided other ethical
guidance.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=068-edc&t=c>
(11/12, Dinan) says Senate Minority Leader Schumer and House Minority
Leader Pelosi “led the letter, joined by the ranking Democrats on the
Judiciary and intelligence committees in each chamber, as well as the House
oversight panel.” The letter cited “comments Mr. Whitaker made last year
suggesting an attorney general might starve the special counsel of funding,
thereby limiting its ability to follow through on its investigation.” The Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=069-579&t=c>
(11/12, Tau, Gurman) reports the Justice Department did not respond to
requests for comments about the letter.

Rep. Eric Swalwell was asked on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=06a-7ba&t=c>
(11/12) what Congress can do if Whitaker does not recuse himself. Swalwell
said, “We bring him before Congress and find out what promises he’s made
with the President. Also, as a former prosecutor, that’s just what good,
honest prosecutors do. They don’t put their own personal interests above a
case. And if he wants to uphold the integrity of the Department of Justice,
he will do that on his own without being forced to do so by Congress.”

On ABC’s Good Morning America[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=06b-efd&t=c>
(11/12), George Stephanopoulos said that on Sunday, incoming House
Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) said that in the wake of
Whitaker’s appointment, Democrats’ “top priority...is to protect the
Mueller investigation.” Jon Karl said Nadler vowed to “demand answers” from
Whitaker “about his past statements on the Mueller investigation.” But Karl
added, “At the same time, [Nadler] made it clear that talking about
impeachment is premature until we hear about Mueller’s final report, and
that if it ever comes to that, it must be bipartisan.” On CBS This
Morning[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=06c-3e8&t=c>
(11/12), Nadler was shown saying, “The President wants him to be the
hatchet man to destroy the Mueller investigation. ... We will summon, if
necessary, subpoena Mr. Whitaker.”

Nadler said on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018111301biden&r=email-a23e&l=06d-209&t=c>
(11/12), “He’s obviously not going to recuse himself. He should recuse
himself because he’s prejudged the issue. He said there’s no Russian
interference in 2016 election. He has said the investigation by the special
counsel is a witch hunt. He said it should be stifled by a lack of funding.
All of these things he has said. He’s hardly the appropriate person to
supervise a fair investigation. Remember, the President’s beef with
Attorney General Sessions was not on any policy matter. It’s that he
recused himself upon advice of the ethics people of the Justice Department.
... The President is not going to appoint someone who he thought would
recuse himself. I assume he must have gotten some indication at least that
Whitaker would not recuse himself.”

In an op-ed for the Washington Post
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(11/12), Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) writes that Trump selected Whitaker, “an
obscure and ill-qualified official never confirmed by the Senate,” to
“protect himself, his family and his close associates from the special
counsel’s investigation and other investigations within the Justice
Department.” Schiff calls on Whitaker to recuse himself and warns that if
he fails to do so and seeks to “obstruct the investigation, serve as a back
channel to the president or his legal team or interfere in the
investigations in any way, he will be called to answer. His actions will be
exposed.”

*San Francisco Threatens Legal Action Over Whitaker Appointment. *
Reuters
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(11/12, Levine) reports San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera on
Monday questioned Whitaker’s appointment, “saying in a letter to the U.S.
Department of Justice that his office may take court action if the DOJ does
not provide a legal justification for the des