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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Friday, November 30, 2018 7:58 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for Friday,
November 30, 2018


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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=001-2ef&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Friday, November 30, 2018 8:00 AM EST*
Today's Table of Contents

*Biden in the News <#SECTION_1>*

• Biden Blasts Administration In New Video. <#S1>

• Poll Finds Biden Ahead Among Massachusetts Voters For 2020 Primary. <#S2>

• Biden To Talk In Missoula. <#S3>

• Profile Of Warren Includes Exchange With Biden. <#S4>

• Biden Gift Mentioned In Profile Of LGBT Network. <#S5>

• In Announce New LaGuardia Gates, Gov. Cuomo Recalls Biden Comment. <#S6>

*Leading the News <#SECTION_2>*

• Trump Accuses Cohen Of Lying In New Plea Deal To Avoid Longer Prison
Sentence. <#S7>

*Foreign Policy <#SECTION_3>*

• Citing Aggression Against Ukraine, Trump Cancels Meeting With Putin. <#S8>

• Media Analyses: Trump Sends “Mixed Signals” About Seeking Trade Deal With
China. <#S9>

• Administration Seeks To Reassure European Allies Ahead Of Expected
Withdrawal From INF Treaty. <#S10>

• Corker Urges Pence To Sanction Saudi Crown Prince Before Congress Acts.
<#S11>

• Ryan Says He Supports Continued US Support For Saudi War In Yemen. <#S12>

• US Shows Off Weapons Parts Saudis Say Iran Supplied To Yemeni, Afghan
Militants. <#S13>

• Inhofe: Turkey Cannot Have Access To F-35s If It Buys Russian Missile
System. <#S14>

*Domestic Policy <#SECTION_4>*

• Tim Scott’s Opposition Appears To Doom Farr’s Nomination To Federal Bench.
<#S15>

• Trump: GM’s Move “Counter” To Industrial Boom Across US. <#S16>

• Democrats Say Trump Threat To Release “Devastating” Documents Won’t Deter
Investigations. <#S17>

• DHS: Most Caravan Migrants Do Not Meet Asylum Requirements. <#S18>

• Acosta Out Of Running To Be Attorney General. <#S19>

• Fed Officials Say Rate Increase Likely “Fairly Soon.” <#S20>

• Administration Proposal Would Allow ACA Subsidies To Be Used For Wider
Variety Of Plans. <#S21>

*Cancer Research <#SECTION_5>*

• NCI’s Dr. Robert Kreitman Interviewed About Novel Leukemia Drug Achieving
Complete Remissions. <#S22>

• Ultrasound Cryoablation May Be Promising Treatment For Early, Low-Risk
Breast Cancer, Research Indicates. <#S23>

*Editorials/Op-Eds <#SECTION_6>*

• New York Times. <#S24>

• Washington Post. <#S25>
Biden in the News
Biden Blasts Administration In New Video.

In a new video
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=002-e45&t=c>,
former Vice President Joe Biden “bashed President Donald Trump’s
administration,” the Huffington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=003-a38&t=c>
(11/30, Moran). In the “Here’s The Deal” segment shared online by media
company ATTN:, “Biden called out the Trump White House for breaking down
international norms and rules” as well as “explained the importance of
international institutions and America’s credibility in the world.” Biden
says in the video, “This is a moment to lead boldly, not to coddle
dictators from the Philippines to Russia.”
Poll Finds Biden Ahead Among Massachusetts Voters For 2020 Primary.

The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=004-3e5&t=c>
(11/29, Correll) reports a poll of 750 Massachusetts voters conducted by
the University of Massachusetts Amherst conducted from Nov. 7-14 (+ /
-4.1%) found that in the 2020 Democratic primary 19 percent of respondents
backed former Vice President Joe Biden, 14 percent backed Sen. Bernie
Sanders, and 11 percent backed Sen. Elizabeth Warren, with 27 percent
undecided. Also mentioning Biden in the poll is the Washington Free Beacon
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=005-1a4&t=c>
(11/29, Damron).
Biden To Talk In Missoula.

In a brief, the Missoulian (MT)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=006-7f2&t=c>
(11/29, Seibold) reports that former Vice President Joe Biden will stop in
Missoula, Montana, on his “America’s Promise” tour. Biden, who “published a
book, ‘Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship and Purpose,’ that
recounts the loss of his son, Beau Biden, to brain cancer at age 45,” will
talk at the Dennison Theatre.
Profile Of Warren Includes Exchange With Biden.

An over 3,500-word profile in Politico Magazine
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=007-9a4&t=c>
(11/30, Kruse) examines how Sen. Elizabeth Warren came to politics,
starting with the publication of her book “The Two-Income Trap,” in which
“she called out Senator Joe Biden.” Politico mentions that in a Senate
hearing in February of 2005 on a bankruptcy bill, Warren was an expert
witness and “found herself jousting with” Biden. He said, “Your problem
with credit card companies is usury rates from your position. It is not
about the bankruptcy bill.” She responded, “But, senator, if you are not
going to fix that problem, you can’t take away the last shred of protection
from these families.” Biden replied, “I got it, OK,” adding, “You are very
good, professor.”
Biden Gift Mentioned In Profile Of LGBT Network.

Newsday (NY)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=008-563&t=c>
(11/29) profiles David Kilmnick’s Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth, which
in 2018 celebrated 25 years of service. LIGALY alumni James Quinn, when he
was working in the Obama Administration’s Office of Scheduling and Advance,
“arranged for Vice President Joe Biden to send a copy of ‘The White House
Cookbook,’ with a handwritten note, as a wedding gift when Kilmnick married
his life partner, Robert Vitelli.” The note, which Kilmnick has kept as a
memento, says, “I wish you the very best and I am proud to stand with both
of you.” This “vice presidential acknowledgment attests to Kilmnick as a
rising national LGBT figure.”
In Announce New LaGuardia Gates, Gov. Cuomo Recalls Biden Comment.

The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=009-726&t=c>
(11/29, Furfaro, Woods) reports LaGuardia Airport’s brand-new Terminal B
concourse will open Saturday with 11 new gates. Then-Vice President Joe
Biden once said the airport “resembled one belonging to a ‘Third World
country.’” Gov. Andrew Cuomo recalled, “I got calls from other colleagues
and they said, ‘You know, we’re going to sign a letter condemning the vice
president’” over his comments, but Cuomo replied, “Yeah, the only problem
is . . . it’s true.”

Also mention’s Cuomo’s recollection of Biden’s comments are Metro
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=00a-c1f&t=c>
(11/29), the Points Guy
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=00b-71c&t=c>
(11/29, Schagrin), and Crain’s New York Business
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=00c-4f3&t=c>
(11/29).

In broadcast coverage, WABC-TV[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=00d-0da&t=c>
New York (11/29, 5:08 p.m. EST) reported, “The governor launched a project
three years ago, when Joe Biden insulted New York, calling LaGuardia ‘like
a third world airport.’”

WNYW-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=00e-064&t=c>
New York (11/29, 5:07 p.m. EST) broadcast, “The condition of the airport
was once famously mocked by former Vice President Joe Biden in 2014.” Biden
was shown saying, “If I took him blindfolded to LaGuardia airport in New
York, you must think, ‘I must be in some third-world country.’” Also
covering this story are at least 23 segments on NY1-TV[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=00f-2be&t=c>
New York (11/30) and at least 13 segments on WCBS-AM[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=010-a14&t=c>
New York (11/29), as well as WNYW-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=011-e82&t=c>
New York (11/30), WNBC-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=012-cf9&t=c>
New York (11/30), and WPIX-TV[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=013-6e2&t=c>
New York (11/30).
Leading the News
Trump Accuses Cohen Of Lying In New Plea Deal To Avoid Longer Prison
Sentence.

Media reports are casting Michael Cohen’s new plea deal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=014-e30&t=c>
with Special Counsel Robert Mueller as a potentially significant
development in the Russia investigation. As the Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=015-6ba&t=c>
(11/29, Megerian) puts it, for example, the plea “marked the first time
Cohen faced charges...as part of” Mueller’s “investigation into whether
anyone from Trump’s team conspired with Russians to influence the
presidential election.” Yesterday, the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=016-b05&t=c>
(11/29, Neumeister) reports, Cohen “pleaded guilty to lying to Congress to
cover up that he was negotiating a real estate deal in Moscow on Trump’s
behalf during the heat of his campaign for the Republican presidential
nomination.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=017-85e&t=c>
(11/29, Fabian) points out that the lawyer had “previously told Congress
that negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow ended in January 2016.”

In their lead reports last night, ABC World News Tonight[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=018-e0a&t=c>
(11/29, lead story, 3:25, Muir) referred to a “seismic development,” the CBS
Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=019-a82&t=c>
(11/29, lead story, 3:05, Glor) to “the latest in a series of guilty pleas
and convictions of people once close to the President,” and NBC
Nightly News[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=01a-c10&t=c>
(11/29, lead story, 3:15, Holt) to a plea “putting...Trump’s business
dealings with Russia during his presidential campaign under the spotlight.”
NBC (Williams) added Cohen “revealed” that while “Trump was praising
Vladimir Putin, Cohen and others in the Trump organization were trying to
get Russia’s help to build a Trump Tower project in Moscow.” The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=01b-8cf&t=c>
(11/29, Demirjian) indicates, meanwhile, that “the stunning development has
emboldened Democrats who have long contended that others loyal to the
president...also lied to lawmakers, prompting new demands that those
witnesses be called back to Capitol Hill for further questioning.”

At any rate, the President and his legal team were quick to dismiss
Cohen’s claims as both untrue and irrelevant to the issue of collusion. USA
Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=01c-591&t=c>
(11/29, Jackson, Fritze) reports, for example, that as he left the White
House on his way to the G20 summit in Argentina, Trump “called his longtime
personal lawyer a ‘weak person’ and accused him of providing false
testimony to get a reduced sentence from...Mueller.” Trump also “said the
Russia deal was publicly known at the time – ‘it was written about in
newspapers’ – but ended in ‘the early part’ of 2016.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=01d-33d&t=c>
(11/29, Oprysko) also notes Trump “insisted that the project was public
knowledge,” saying, “It was a well-known project during the early part of
[20]16 and I guess even before that. It lasted a short period of time.”

To CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=01e-1de&t=c>
(11/29, Bennett), however, the President’s “contention the Moscow building
project was well known appears to be false” because “on January 11, 2017,
candidate Trump said he had ‘no deals with Russia.’” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=01f-7ca&t=c>
(11/29, Barrett) notes, meanwhile, that Trump tweeted “in July 2016, ‘For
the record, I have ZERO investments in Russia.’” Jeffrey Toobin said on CNN’s
Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=020-a89&t=c>
(11/29), “What the President said today was, ‘Oh, everybody knew I was
trying to do business in Russia,’ is absolutely not true. No one knew that
during the Republican primaries. It would have been a huge story if he were
negotiating, but he never said it, and that’s significant.”

ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=021-edc&t=c>
(11/29, lead story, 3:25, Muir) described Trump as “furious,” and showed
him saying of Cohen, “He’s a weak person and not a very smart person. What
he’s trying to do is end – and it’s very simple. He’s got himself a big
prison sentence and he’s trying to get a much lesser prison sentence by
making up a story. Very simply, Michael Cohen is lying.” ABC World News
Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=022-025&t=c>
(11/29, story 2, 1:05, Karl) also showed footage of the President saying,
“When I run for President, that doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to do
business. I was doing a lot of different things when I was running. After I
won, obviously, I don’t do business.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=023-6ab&t=c>
(11/29, Mason) quotes the President as saying, “That was a project that we
didn’t do, I didn’t do. That was a project that wasn’t done for a lot of
reasons. ... I was focused on running for president. I wanted that to be my
primary focus. Not running or building a building.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=024-c3e&t=c>
(11/29, Boyer) reports Trump also said, “I was running my business while I
was campaigning. ... There was a good chance that I wouldn’t have won, in
which case I would have gone back into the business. Why should I lose lots
of opportunities?” NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=025-112&t=c>
(11/29, story 2, 2:05, Welker) reported “Cohen has been a frequent target
of the President since July, when the former fixer who once said he’d take
a bullet for Mr. Trump started cooperating with the special counsel after
pleading guilty to violating campaign finance laws stemming from the hush
money payment to Stormy Daniels.” Trump was shown saying, “It turned out he
wasn’t a very good lawyer.”

On the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=026-eb3&t=c>
(11/29, story 2, 1:25, Glor), legal analyst Rikki Klieman said, “Cohen has
an obligation, once you start to cooperate, even though there’s no
cooperation agreement, but he has to cooperate fully, not partially. So
what happened here is that...Mueller has him plead guilty today to lying,
to false statements before Congress. And it all concerns the Trump project
in real estate in Moscow. So he’s accused of a number of lies, and they’re
really very, very important to Mueller’s ultimate mission, which is what?
We’re talking about Russian collusion and conspiracy with possible people
in the Trump campaign to affect the 2016 elections.”

Noah Feldman of Bloomberg Opinion
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=027-233&t=c>
(11/29) writes, “The key revelation of...Cohen’s new guilty plea is
this:...Mueller is one step closer to showing links between...Trump’s
business interests in Russia and his conduct as a candidate for president.”
Feldman notes that Cohen says he asked Vladimir Putin’s press secretary
“for a meeting with Putin in Russia as part of a deal that would have led
to a Trump Tower being built in Moscow.” Feldman adds, “But the main
takeaway is that Cohen and others in the Trump organization were actively
doing a Russia deal that linked Trump’s emerging presidential candidacy
with his business interest in a Moscow Trump Tower. And Trump knew about
it, to a degree yet to be revealed.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=028-9ba&t=c>
(11/29, Dawsey) reports Trump “has been labeled in the parlance of criminal
investigations as a major subject of interest, complete with an opaque
legal code name: ‘Individual 1.’” That means “investigators have now
publicly cast Trump as a central figure of their probe into whether Trump’s
campaign conspired with the Russian government during the 2016 campaign.”

In a featured headlined “‘We Will Be In Moscow’: The Story Of
Trump’s 30-year Quest To Expand His Brand To Russia,” the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=029-b24&t=c>
(11/29, Hamburger) reports, “It was a dream born in the 1980s: a gleaming
Trump Tower in the heart of Soviet Moscow. For...Trump, that vision never
died, even as he launched a presidential campaign and moved toward
clinching the Republican Party nomination in 2016.” The Post adds that
“Trump’s attempt that year to expand his brand into Moscow capped a
30-year-long effort by the celebrity mogul to do business in Russia,” and
that “his refusal to give up that ambition as he was campaigning for the
White House now colors his public embrace of Putin, whose help Cohen sought
for the project.” The Post quotes Trump as saying in 2007, “Russia is one
of the hottest places in the world for investment. ... We will be in Moscow
at some point.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=02a-f24&t=c>
(11/29, Weiser, Protess, Haberman, Schmidt) reports that Cohen “said he
discussed the status of the project with Mr. Trump on more than three
occasions and briefed Mr. Trump’s family members about it. He also admitted
he agreed to travel to Russia for meetings on the project,” although “the
trips never happened.” The Times notes that “shortly after Mr. Cohen’s
plea, Mr. Trump said his former fixer was once again lying in order to get
a reduced sentence for the crimes he pleaded guilty to earlier this year.”
The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=02b-0d4&t=c>
(11/29, Sanger) also ponders whether Trump’s potential business deals with
Russia affected his views on sanctions during an interview back in March of
2016, which was “also when Mr. Trump brought into his campaign Paul
Manafort, the longtime Republican lobbyist and strategist who had made
millions of dollars advising and lobbying on behalf of the pro-Russia
leader of Ukraine, Viktor F. Yanukovych.”

ABC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=02c-b2f&t=c>
(11/29) reports on its website that Cohen “has been determined to tell
Mueller’s team, other federal prosecutors and the New York State Attorney
General’s Office all that he knows – and his testimony poses a potentially
serious threat to the president.” ABC says its sources “also say Cohen’s
voluntary cooperation has been crucial to the special counsel’s case.” ABC
notes that Cohen’s crime “carries up to a 5-year prison sentence and
potential $200,000 fine, but sentencing guidelines in the plea deal ranged
from zero to six months,” and he “was released without bail.” ABC adds that
Cohen “also acknowledged making multiple false statements during that
testimony but...as part of the deal, the special counsel agreed not to
prosecute Cohen for that other conduct.” The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=02d-66c&t=c>
(11/29, Cohen) notes Cohen “concluded his statement in court Thursday
morning, saying: ‘I made these misstatements to be consistent with
Individual 1’s political messaging and out of loyalty to Individual 1.’”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=02e-27d&t=c>
(11/29, Mordock, Boyer) says Cohen “has reportedly spent more than 70 hours
with Mueller’s prosecutors answering questions about contacts between
Russia and Trump campaign officials during the election.” He has also
“spoken to Mueller’s team about Trump’s business ties to Russia and
possible pardons.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=02f-e1f&t=c>
(11/29, Dolmetsch, Berthelsen, Larson, Farrell), the Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=030-c5f&t=c>
(11/29, Ross), The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=031-d4f&t=c>
(11/29, Wise), USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=032-df0&t=c>
(11/29, Johnson, Jansen, Jackson), the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=033-556&t=c>
(11/29, A1, Hong, Ballhaus), and Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=034-118&t=c>
(11/29, Gerstein), among other news outlets, run similar accounts of
Cohen’s plea this morning. The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=035-24e&t=c>
(11/29, Schultz) reports Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the incoming chairman of
the House Intelligence Committee, said, “We will seek Cohen’s cooperation
with our committee, in order to uncover the true facts related to the Trump
Organization’s business dealings and other issues left unresolved by his
testimony.”

In an editorial, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=036-b1d&t=c>
(11/29) argues that “the collusion question is still outstanding,” and that
“there is little room for doubt that Mr. Trump wanted to conceal his
business goals in Russia . His denials, as the public can now see more
clearly than ever, are not credible.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=037-4bd&t=c>
(11/29) editorializes that it’s best not to overreact to the tenor of most
of the media coverage of the Cohen plea, citing past feeding frenzies about
the Steele Dossier or the Trump Tower meeting. To the Journal, there is
still no evidence of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=038-7e8&t=c>
(11/29) editorializes, however, that “when all is said and done, the April
raids by federal prosecutors targeting...Cohen’s office and other premises
in Manhattan may been seen as a turning point for...Trump’s presidency.”
While “the facts to which Mr. Cohen admitted on Thursday don’t establish
that Mr. Trump conspired with Russian efforts to win him the
election...they refute Mr. Trump’s frequent, vehement claim that he had
nothing to do with Russia as he sought the White House.” Writing in the New
York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=039-5e6&t=c>
(11/29), meanwhile, Michelle Goldberg says “we still don’t know for certain
if Russia has used leverage over Trump. But there should no longer be any
doubt that Russia has leverage over him.”

Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) said on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=03a-c2c&t=c>
(11/29), “The investigation is about Russia meddling, but the guilty plea
today is not about he election and meddling in the election. In fact, the
statement that Cohen made to Congress, that he pleaded guilty in having
made false statements today, included a statement by him that he was not
involved in collusion with the Russian federation with respect to hacking
anyone. That was not included in his guilty plea today.”

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), who is expected to become chairman of the
House Judiciary Committee, said on CNN’s The Lead[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=03b-962&t=c>
(11/29), “The President obviously has to be feeling very upset and angry
now that we know that...Cohen was lying to Congress on his behalf, and he
has to be upset about what...Cohen has admitted to now and presumably what
he will admit to. And what he’s admitted to is that he was negotiating a
corrupt business deal during the campaign when the President was saying
their was no negotiating, there was no business deal.”

Sen. Angus King (I-ME) said on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=03c-593&t=c>
(11/29), “I think what’s really significant is...what other information
other than the Moscow project...does...Cohen have to offer the special
counsel? You could cover that subject in an hour. There have been 70 hours
of interviews, according to published reports. So this is significant in
and of itself because it indicates a connection with Russia that, frankly,
was pretty much dismissed or denied throughout the campaign. But also, I
think the more important is what don’t we know? What is Michael Cohen
testifying to, what information is he offering on a whole range of other
subjects, and I think that’s the bombshell today.”

Crime and justice reporter Shimon Prokupecz said on CNN’s Situation
Room[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=03d-f21&t=c>
(11/29), “This is probably perhaps right now the biggest threat to the
President, to the Trump organization and to members of the President’s
inner circle and family. The fact that...Cohen has spent so much time with
the special counsel, with FBI agents, is an important point in this, is an
important development in this entire investigation. ... It’s clear that the
special counsel is taking what...Cohen is saying seriously and is going to
continue to take what he’s saying seriously because according to Michael
Cohen’s lawyer, he’s continuing to cooperate. ... I think a lot of people
should be worried about what...Cohen knows.”

*Trump Again Charges “Witch Hunt” In Early-Morning Tweet. *The
President tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=03e-412&t=c>
at 4:52 a.m., “Oh, I get it! I am a very good developer, happily living my
life, when I see our Country going in the wrong direction (to put it
mildly). Against all odds, I decide to run for President & continue to run
my business-very legal & very cool, talked about it on the campaign
trail...” adding
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=03f-225&t=c>
at 4:59 a.m., “...Lightly looked at doing a building somewhere in Russia.
Put up zero money, zero guarantees and didn’t do the project. Witch Hunt!”

*“Source” To CNN: Trump “Spooked And Completely Distracted.” *Wolf
Blitzer said on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=040-548&t=c>
(11/29) that a “well-placed source” told him that after spending 70 hours
with Cohen, “Mueller now knows everything.” Later[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=041-455&t=c>
in the show, Blitzer said, “A source now sells CNN that White House
officials preparing for the President’s G20 summit in Argentina tomorrow
and Saturday, they say the President is now, in a quote ‘terrible mood,
spooked and completely distracted,’ close quote,” after Cohen’s guilty
plea.

*“Sources” To Fox: Trump “Rather Nonplussed,” Unconcerned About
Cohen Plea. *John Roberts said on Fox News’ Special Report[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=042-c91&t=c>
(11/29), “Sources tell Fox News that the President first learned of the
Cohen deal last night,” and his “reaction was rather nonplussed. He didn’t
really seem to worry too much about it, saying it only proves what he knew
all along, that Michael Cohen is a liar.”

*Toobin Says He Now Believes Trump “Might Not Finish His Term.” *The
Week
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=043-615&t=c>
(11/29) reports that Toobin told CNN’s Anderson Cooper Thursday night,
“Today’s the first day I actually thought Donald Trump might not finish his
term in office. ... I mean, I think this thing is enormous. ... The
question becomes: When do Republicans start to turn on Trump? Because
that’s the only thing that’s going to get Trump out of office, it’s not
going to be Democrats. And it’s certainly not now, but there may be a point
where it’s too much.”

*Giuliani: Trump Disclosed Russia Project To Mueller, Who Didn’t
Question Timing Of Cohen Discussions. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=044-0b4&t=c>
(11/29, Haberman, Schmidt) reports Rudy Giuliani said yesterday that
“Trump’s recollection of discussions about building a Trump Tower in Moscow
aligned with those of...Cohen.” Moreover, said Giuliani, “Trump detailed
those conversations last week in written responses to investigators for the
special counsel investigating Russia’s 2016 election interference.”
Giuliani said, “The President said there was a proposal, it was discussed
with Cohen, there was a nonbinding letter of intent and it didn’t go beyond
that.” Of the Mueller probe, he said, “We have provided them with every
document about this from the beginning – that’s the only reason they know
about it.” The Times also reports “Giuliani said that Mr. Mueller’s office
did not ask the president about the timing of his discussions with Mr.
Cohen about the project.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=045-9b8&t=c>
(11/29, Pierson, Mason) notes that “asked whether there was anything in”
Trump’s answers to Mueller “that contradicted Cohen on the project,
Giuliani told Reuters: ‘Not that I know of.’” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=046-67e&t=c>
(11/29, Samuels) reports “the special counsel’s office declined to comment
on Giuliani’s assertions.”

ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=047-901&t=c>
(11/29, story 4, 0:45, Karl) also reported that “the President’s legal
team...said that” his “written answers were largely consistent with what
Cohen said about that Moscow Trump Tower project,” but added that “would
seem to suggest that the President’s written answers are contradictory to
what he’s said publicly over and over again over the past two years, that
he simply had no business dealings whatsoever with Moscow.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=048-fce&t=c>
(11/29, Barrett) reports, meanwhile, that Giuliani also “suggested the
timing of Mueller’s move with Cohen was politically motivated.” Said
Giuliani, “It is hardly coincidental that the special counsel once again
files a charge just as the President is leaving for a meeting with world
leaders at the G20 Summit in Argentina.” Giuliani noted “that Mueller also
unsealed charges before the president left the country for a summit in
Helsinki in July.”

*Whitaker Notified In Advance About Cohen Plea. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=049-ac6&t=c>
(11/29, Zapotosky) reports that Acting Attorney General Whitaker “was
notified in advance that” Cohen “would plead guilty Thursday to lying to
Congress,” and that “notification could strain relations between Whitaker
and Trump.” The Post adds that “as a legal commentator before he came to
the Justice Department, Whitaker was highly critical of Mueller’s work,
even suggesting an acting attorney general could stifle Mueller’s budget to
shut down his probe.” The Post also reports “it was not immediately clear
when the special counsel’s office notified Whitaker of Cohen’s plea, or how
Whitaker reacted.” The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=04a-d27&t=c>
(11/29, Cohen) says “Whitaker is a known ally of Trump,” and “has made
prior public statements critical of the special counsel.”

*Dershowitz: Mueller Forced To “Resort” To Crimes Committed As A
Result Of His Probe. *Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=04b-30c&t=c>
(11/29, Baker) reports Alan Dershowitz “called into[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=04c-794&t=c>
Fox News Channel to react to the breaking news of” Cohen’s plea. In his
comments, Dershowitz “slammed the special counsel for having to ‘resort to
false statement prosecutions,’” adding, “I think the weakness of Mueller’s
substantive findings are suggested by the fact that he has to resort to
false statement prosecutions, which really shows that he didn’t start with
very much, and that the very fact that he’s conducting an investigation has
created these crimes.” Dershowitz also said, “In the end, I don’t think
Mueller’s going to come up with very much, in terms of criminal conduct,
that existed before he was appointed, and that’s pretty shocking.”

Trump wrote on Twitter
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=04d-a30&t=c>
last night, “Alan Dershowitz: ‘These are not crimes. He (Mueller) has no
authority to be a roving Commissioner. I don’t see any evidence of crimes.’
This is an illegal Hoax that should be ended immediately. Mueller refuses
to look at the real crimes on the other side. Where is the IG REPORT?”

*Report: Trump Company Mulled Giving Putin Penthouse At Moscow
Trump Tower That Wasn’t Built. *BuzzFeed News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=04e-d2e&t=c>
(11/29, Cormier, Leopold) reports “Trump’s company planned to give a $50
million penthouse at Trump Tower Moscow to...Putin as the company
negotiated the luxury real estate development during the 2016 campaign,
according to four people, one of them the originator of the plan.” BuzzFeed
adds “US law enforcement officials told BuzzFeed News
that...Cohen...discussed the idea with a representative of Dmitry Peskov,
Putin’s press secretary.” That “revelation...raises fresh questions
about...Trump’s relationship with the Kremlin,” though “the plan never went
anywhere because the tower deal ultimately fizzled, and it is not clear
whether Trump knew of the intention to give away the penthouse.” BuzzFeed
News says it “first reported in May on the secret dealings of Cohen and his
business associate Felix Sater with political and business figures in
Moscow.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=04f-79e&t=c>
(11/29, McIntire, Twohey, Mazzetti) reports the Russian Trump Tower “effort
was led in large part by Felix Sater, a convicted felon and longtime
business associate with deep ties to Russia,” who “dug into his address
book and its more than 100 Russian contacts – including entries for
President Vladimir V. Putin and a former general in Russian military
intelligence.” Sater “tapped the general, Evgeny Shmykov, to help arrange
visas for Mr. Cohen and Mr. Trump to visit Russia, according to emails and
interviews with several people knowledgeable about the events.”

Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) said on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=050-804&t=c>
(11/29), “I don’t know the details oh of the story, because it’s just
breaking but if a very valuable penthouse, anything of value is offered to
a foreign leader in the context of you asking ask for that leader’s help on
something, I think that sure looks like an awful lot like a bribe. Now, the
story is just breaking, let’s see what happens.”

*Trump Slams “Ridiculous” Investigation By “Mueller And The Angry
Democrats.” *Ahead of the Cohen announcement, Trump had tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=051-def&t=c>,
“Did you ever see an investigation more in search of a crime? At the same
time Mueller and the Angry Democrats aren’t even looking at the atrocious,
and perhaps subversive, crimes that were committed by Crooked Hillary
Clinton and the Democrats. A total disgrace!” Trump also wrote
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=052-c6f&t=c>,
“When will this illegal Joseph McCarthy style Witch Hunt, one that has
shattered so many innocent lives, ever end-or will it just go on forever?
After wasting more than $40,000,000 (is that possible?), it has proven only
one thing-there was NO Collusion with Russia. So Ridiculous!”

*President Recommends Books About “Phony Witch Hunt.” *Trump also
tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=053-840&t=c>,
“@DBongino’s new book, ‘Spygate: The Attempted Sabotage of Donald J.
Trump,’ is terrific. He’s tough, he’s smart, and he really gets it. His
book is on sale now, I highly recommend! ...
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=054-54c&t=c>
With all of the new books coming out you can’t forget two of the great
originals written by @GreggJarrett and @JudgeJeanine Pirro. Their books
both went to #1. Go get them now, the phony Witch Hunt is well explained!”

Upon arriving in Argentina for the G20 summit, Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=055-c86&t=c>,
“‘This demonstrates the Robert Mueller and his partisans have no evidence,
not a whiff of collusion, between Trump and the Russians. Russian project
legal. Trump Tower meeting (son Don), perfectly legal. He wasn’t involved
with hacking.’ Gregg Jarrett. A total Witch Hunt!” Jarrett made those
comments on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=056-6b2&t=c>
(11/29).

*Comey Sues To Stop Congressional Subpoena. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=057-83a&t=c>
(11/29, Zapotosky) reports “former FBI director James B. Comey is asking a
federal judge to quash a subpoena demanding he testify before the House
Judiciary and Oversight committees next week and postpone the testimony
until that request can be ruled on, court filings show.” The Post adds that
“in a forceful court filing Thursday, lawyers for Comey wrote that the he
was fighting the committee’s bid to force him to testify ‘not to avoid
giving testimony but to prevent the Joint Committee from using the pretext
of a closed interview to peddle a distorted, partisan political narrative
about the Clinton and Russian investigations.’”

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=058-3be&t=c>
(11/29, Johnson) notes Comey’s lawyers also “said the former director
‘welcomed the opportunity to testify in public,’ but opposed the closed
session because of panels’ ‘history of selective leaking.’” The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=059-b67&t=c>
(11/29, Swoyer) reports that “GOP chairmen, who are about to lose power in
the new Congress in January, are trying to bring Mr. Comey to Capitol Hill
to explain his decisions related to the 2016 election, particularly
investigations into Hillary Clinton’s use of her personal email and the
probe into Russian activities during the campaign.”

The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=05a-ec1&t=c>
(11/29, Chaitin) reports “the top Republican on the House Judiciary
Committee wonders whether...Comey believes he deserves ‘special treatment’
after he filed a lawsuit in federal court fighting a subpoena to testify in
private sessions.” House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=05b-657&t=c>,
“The truth IS best served with transparency. What is Director Comey trying
to hide from the American people with his baseless motion to quash? ... It
appears Mr. Comey believes he deserves special treatment, as he is the only
witness refusing to either appear voluntarily or comply with a subpoena.
... He needs to appear before the Committees, as all other witnesses have
done. Let the facts come to light.”
Foreign Policy
Citing Aggression Against Ukraine, Trump Cancels Meeting With Putin.

ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=05c-4e5&t=c>
(11/29, story 3, 0:40, Karl) reported that just minutes before departing
for Buenos Aires for the G20 summit, President Trump “confirmed plans to
have a one-on-one meeting” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is
also attending the summit. But “less than an hour later,” Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=05d-551&t=c>
aboard Air Force One that he has canceled the meeting. The CBS Evening
News[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=05e-c9f&t=c>
(11/29, story 3, 2:00, Glor) reported that Trump “did so ‘based on the fact
that the ships and sailors have not been returned to Ukraine from Russia.’
Russia continues to hold three Ukrainian naval vessels and more than 20
sailors it seized last weekend in the Black Sea.”

NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=05f-a97&t=c>
(11/29, story 3, 1:40, Holt) reported the White House said Trump made the
decision to cancel the meeting with Putin after he spoke with Secretary of
State Pompeo, Chief of Staff Kelly, and National Security Adviser Bolton.
The Kremlin “found out when the President tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=060-711&t=c>
about it, suggesting he’s sending a signal” to Russia over its “act of
aggression” against Ukraine. Matthew Chance said on CNN’s Situation Room[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=061-cfe&t=c>
(11/29) that the Kremlin was likely “just as shocked as the rest of us when
they heard this meeting had been canceled.” Putin was in flight to Buenos
Aires when the tweet was sent “and was undoubtedly prepping for what he
thought was going to be a two-hour, face-to-face meeting” with Trump.

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=062-b8a&t=c>
(11/29, Fritze, Shesgreen) refers a “stunning decision,” and to the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=063-6da&t=c>
(11/29, Lucey, Miller), the decision is “injecting fresh drama into what
already promised to be a tense gathering of world leaders.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=064-9d9&t=c>
(11/29, Rampton) points out that Trump’s “decision...comes as a federal
investigation into his 2016 election campaign’s ties to Russia is
intensifying.” According to Reuters, “Trump’s tweet from aboard Air Force
One shortly after takeoff from Washington on the way to Buenos Aires for a
Group of 20 summit, was a sudden turnaround. Roughly an hour earlier, he
had told reporters he would probably meet with Putin at the summit and said
it was ‘a very good time to have the meeting.’”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=065-c66&t=c>
(11/29, Baker) also says Trump “abruptly canceled his planned
meeting...upending his hopes of further cementing the relationship between
the two leaders.” The Times adds, “The president’s decision, announced on
Twitter barely an hour after he told reporters he still expected to go
through with the meeting, came shortly after new revelations that Mr.
Trump’s personal lawyer was secretly negotiating to build a tower in Moscow
during the 2016 presidential election.” The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=066-d6b&t=c>
(11/29, Stokols) says “Trump has faced rising calls from lawmakers in both
parties and foreign policy experts to stand up to Putin over his latest
violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=067-2a6&t=c>
(11/29, Wagner) reports that before this morning, “other top administration
officials,” including UN Ambassador Haley, “had condemned Russia’s actions,
but Trump had equivocated in recent days.” The Post notes that White House
Press Secretary Sarah Sanders “told reporters on Air Force One that Trump
did not make a decision until talking on board” with Kelly and Pompeo, as
well as by phone with Bolton, who is in Brazil. The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=068-6d0&t=c>
(11/29, Nicholas) likewise says that earlier this week, Haley warned Russia
over the seizure of the ships, which she called “yet another reckless
Russian escalation” and said it would sour US-Russia relations.

John Roberts reported in the lead story for Fox News’ Special
Report[image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=069-4ee&t=c>
(11/29) that despite canceling the meeting at the G20 summit, Trump wrote
in his tweet that he looks “forward to a meaningful summit again as soon as
the situation” with Ukraine “is resolved.” In addition, Jim Acosta reported
on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=06a-587&t=c>
(11/29) that Trump’s move to cancel the meeting “doesn’t necessarily mean
they won’t run into one another ... on the sidelines” of the summit.

Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) said on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=06b-650&t=c>
(11/29) that Trump has “held the sanctions against Russia” for its invasion
of Ukraine and its annexation of Crimea, and “he’s increased sanctions as a
result of the chemical agent” attack in the UK. Turner continued that Trump
“has armed Ukraine, which was not done under the previous Administration,
to aid them in their defense.” Speaking of Russia’s latest “aggression”
against Ukraine, Turner said, “This is obviously an escalation, and I think
the President’s” decision to cancel the meeting with Putin “was
appropriate.”

*Meetings With Turkish, South Korean Leaders Also Canceled.
*The Washington
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=06c-526&t=c>
(11/29, Miller) reports that during the President’s flight to Argentina,
Sanders “announced that Mr. Trump’s formal meetings with Turkey and South
Korea also had been canceled.” The Times says it was “unclear whether
meetings with South Korea and Turkey were downgraded or the White House
mischaracterized the nature of those meetings when announcing them
Tuesday.”

*Ukraine Seeks NATO Assistance As Troops Prepare For Russian
Invasion. *Trey Yingst reported on Fox News’ Special Report[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=06d-811&t=c>
(11/29) that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is “calling for backup”
after Russia’s seizure of Ukrainian ships and sailors. Poroshenko has
“asked NATO to deploy warships,” while accusing Russia of wanting to take
over all of Ukraine. Yingst noted that Ukraine is not a member of NATO, but
“as a partner country, Ukraine can ask for assistance if under attack.”
Ukraine is currently under martial law and its “troops are preparing for a
ground invasion.” Tensions between the countries “continue to flare” as “a
Ukrainian Minister said today that Russia is blocking two of his major
seaports, affecting at least 35 vessels.” Russia denies the accusation.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=06e-d27&t=c>
(11/29, Karmanau, Isachenkov) reports that “in an interview published
earlier Thursday with the German daily Bild...Poroshenko laid out his hope
that NATO would ‘relocate naval ships to the Sea of Azov in order to assist
Ukraine and provide security’ against Putin’s expansionist ambitions.” The New
York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=06f-db7&t=c>
(11/29, Kramer) quotes Poroshenko as telling Bild, “Putin wants the old
Russian Empire back. Crimea, eastern Ukraine, he wants the whole country.”
He added, “Germany also has to ask itself. What will Putin do next if we do
not stop him?”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=070-8b7&t=c>
(11/29, Escritt, Osborn) says Poroshenko’s comments “were part of a
concerted push by Kiev to gain Western support for more sanctions against
Moscow, securing tangible new Western military help, and rallying
opposition to a Russian gas pipeline that threatens to deprive Ukraine of
important transit revenues.” However, Reuters says Poroshenko’s “allies
have so far not offered to provide any of these things, despite his
warnings of a possible Russian invasion after Moscow seized three Ukrainian
naval ships and their crews on Sunday near Crimea.”
Media Analyses: Trump Sends “Mixed Signals” About Seeking Trade Deal With
China.

President Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=071-48e&t=c>
Thursday morning, “Billions of Dollars are pouring into the coffers of the
U.S.A. because of the Tariffs being charged to China, and there is a long
way to go. If companies don’t want to pay Tariffs, build in the U.S.A.
Otherwise, lets just make our Country richer than ever before!” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=072-15d&t=c>
(11/29, Mason) reports that Trump “sent mixed signals on Thursday about the
prospects for a trade deal with China, saying an agreement was close but he
was not sure he wanted one, just as he left for Argentina for a meeting
with President Xi Jinping.” He told reporters, “I think we’re very close to
doing something with China but I don’t know that I want to do it.” Peter
Navarro, “Trump’s hardline trade adviser,” will attend the Trump-Xi
meeting, which an unnamed US official says is “meant to send a message to
China about the administration’s resolve on trade.”

However, Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=073-7a2&t=c>
(11/29, Jacobs, Donnan, Leonard) reports that Trump was “raising
expectations” with his comments this morning, writing that US and Chinese
officials “have been working for weeks on the contours of a possible deal
for the two leaders to be announced following their dinner on
Saturday...and a road map for talks to follow.” Bloomberg News adds, “Those
discussions, according to people familiar with them, have centered on the
possibility of a truce in which the U.S. would delay ramping up tariffs on
China in exchange for Chinese concessions.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=074-2b2&t=c>
(11/29, Davis, Wei) also suggests that the two nations are relatively close
to reaching some kind of agreement that would delay the imposition of
further US tariffs. The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=075-bd0&t=c>
(11/29, Fredericks) headlines a brief report “Trump Sends Mixed Messages On
Tariff Negotiations With China.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=076-cd8&t=c>
(11/29) says in an editorial that the US and China “find themselves at the
edge of a Cold War 2.0. This is in no one’s interest; fortunately, it’s
within the leaders’ power to avoid it.” The Post says Trump’s “bluntly
hostile approach” has gotten “Beijing’s attention,” but it is far from
clear what he intends to do with it. The Post says Trump “should understand
that he has a mandate for a smart course correction, not an aimless,
blunt-force exercise in ‘America First.’”

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=077-8c1&t=c>
(11/29) says in an editorial that Trump, who “has long seen his role as a
maker of deals,” should make one with China. While it is “widely believed
that a full-blown trade war would harm China more than the United States,
Trump’s tariffs are already having a negative impact on this side of the
Pacific. They drive up the price of goods, such as Christmas gifts at
Walmart, to American consumers,” and “are part of the reason that U.S.
automakers have been slashing jobs, as the cost of steel and aluminum
increases.” In an opposing USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=078-da2&t=c>
(11/29) op-ed, Michael Stumo of the Coalition for a Prosperous America
writes that the US “has been a victim of China’s trade war since 1994, when
Beijing pegged its currency at an artificially low rate to the dollar,” and
that there is no reason to believe China would stick by any agreement
reached now.

Fareed Zakaria writes in his Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=079-456&t=c>
(11/29) column, “China is the largest trading partner of major economies in
Latin America, Africa and Asia,” and “anywhere one goes in the world these
days, leaders talk about the United States’ retreat from the world stage.”
But “nothing animates the Trump administration more than its opposition to
multilateralism of any kind. And so, as the world gets more chaotic, the
forces that could provide order are being eroded. And as is so often the
case, China simply watches quietly and pockets the gains.”

*US Trade Restrictions Have Impacted $369B Of Chinese Exports This
Year. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=07a-257&t=c>
(11/29, Miles) reports, “US trade restrictions have hit a total of $369
billion of Chinese exports this year, much higher than the $278 billion of
goods impacted by tariffs alone,” according to the Global Trade Alert, “a
regular monitoring report of G20 trade restrictions.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=07b-54b&t=c>
(11/29, Tankersley) runs an explainer on how US tariffs work.

*NYTimes Report: China Ramping Up Corporate Cyber Espionage Amid
Trade Conflicts. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=07c-af6&t=c>
(11/29, A1, Sanger, Myers) reports that three years ago, President Obama
“struck a deal with China that few thought was possible”: Xi “agreed to end
his nation’s yearslong practice of breaking into the computer systems of
American companies, military contractors and government agencies...usually
on behalf of China’s state-owned firms.” However, soon after Trump took
office, “China’s cyberespionage picked up again and, according to
intelligence officials and analysts, accelerated in the last year as trade
conflicts and other tensions began to poison relations between the world’s
two largest economies.” The Times says that ahead of the meeting of Trump
and Xi, “China’s corporate espionage has once again emerged as a core
American grievance.”

*Kansas Soybean Farmer Awaits Results Of Trump-Xi Meeting. *The New
York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=07d-026&t=c>
(11/29, Cohen) runs a feature on Justin Knopf, a Kansas family farmer, and
how President Trump’s tariff policies have affected his soybean crop.
China, “the biggest buyer of American soybeans, all but stopped purchases
after the White House imposed tariffs this summer and set a retaliatory
spiral in motion.” Knopf “is waiting to see what happens” between Trump and
Xi this weekend “before deciding what to do with the rest of his soybean
harvest.” He said, “Some say enough already – it’s a big gamble and the
timing is horrible for us to be messing with trade. Other farmers are
incredibly excited about what the Administration is doing on trade and
truly believe they’ll come up with a better deal for us long term. I’m
probably somewhere in the middle. I’m cautiously hopeful.”

In a related report, the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=07e-41c&t=c>
(11/29, Tarabay) writes that some Australian farmers see an opportunity to
enter the Chinese market as that nation’s trade relationship with the US
falters.
Administration Seeks To Reassure European Allies Ahead Of Expected
Withdrawal From INF Treaty.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=07f-a7d&t=c>
(11/29, Sonne) reports the Administration is “stepping up efforts to
convince European allies that its looming withdrawal” from the
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty “on account of Russian
violations is the right course of action.” Among other steps, the
Administration is “assuring allies that none of the missiles the United
States would contemplate deploying after withdrawing from the Cold War-era
pact would be armed with nuclear warheads, according to a senior US
official.” DNI Coats “headed to Europe on Tuesday for consultations on the
matter, after the administration faced criticism for not coordinating
closely enough with European allies before Trump announced plans to
withdraw.”

*Kyl, Morell: Russian Aggression Boosts Need For Low-Yield Nuclear
Warheads. *Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and former acting CIA Director Michael
Morell argue in the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=080-e25&t=c>
(11/29) that “as the government’s mind-set shifts from waging
counterterrorism and counterinsurgency wars to a return of great power
competition with Russia and China, nuclear weapons must continue to
maintain their deterrent effect.” They note that “both Russia and China
have engaged in large-scale nuclear weapons modernization programs and have
kept their respective nuclear workforces up to speed on skills required for
building new nuclear warhead designs.” In order to “convince Moscow that
there are no possible benefits to limited nuclear escalation,” Kyl and
Morell say the US “needs to diversify its nuclear delivery system options
on the lower levels of the escalatory ladder,” including low-yield nuclear
warheads.
Corker Urges Pence To Sanction Saudi Crown Prince Before Congress Acts.

The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=081-290&t=c>
(11/29, Ferrechio) reports Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) on Thursday pushed Vice
President Pence “to take punitive action in a matter of days against Saudi
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the death of dissident Jamal Khashoggi
before Congress takes matters into its own hands.” The Senate is set next
week “to embark on a rare and potentially lengthy war powers debate that
could end up with the passage of legislation to limit or end US support for
the Saudi-led war in Yemen.” However, Corker and “other senators are hoping
to dodge the entire exercise by convincing the Trump administration to move
on its own, and Corker gave Pence an earful on the matter at a closed-door
Republican lunch on Thursday.”

In an editorial, the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018113001biden&r=email-39fc&l=082-bf9&t=c>
(11/29) says the Senate “delivered a sharp rebuke to President Trump and
his see-no-evil support for the rulers of Saudi Arabia on Wednesday by
advancing a measure that would cut American military support for the
Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. Bu