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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Friday, April 27, 2018 8:04 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for Friday,
April 27, 2018


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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=001-e13&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Friday, April 27, 2018 8:00 AM EDT*
Today's Table of Contents

*Leading the News <#SECTION_1>*

• Media Analyses: Trump Distances Himself From Cohen, Boosts Prosecutors.
<#S1>

*Foreign Policy <#SECTION_2>*

• Moon, Kim Sign Agreement Vowing To End Korean War, Denuclearize Peninsula.
<#S2>

• Disagreements On Iran, Trade Expected During Merkel’s White House Visit
Today. <#S3>

• Mattis: No Decision Yet On Withdrawing From Iran Nuclear Deal. <#S4>

• Trump To Visit UK, Meet With May In July. <#S5>

• Mattis: US Would Regret Leaving Holding Force In Syria With No American
Involvement. <#S6>

• WPost: Russia Beginning To Define Role In Armenian Revolution. <#S7>

• Kudlow Has “High Hopes” For Upcoming US-China Trade Talks. <#S8>

*Domestic Policy <#SECTION_3>*

• Pompeo Confirmed 57-42, Leaves Immediately For Europe After Being Sworn
In. <#S9>

• Jackson Withdraws, Calls Allegations “Completely False And Fabricated.”
<#S10>

• Pruitt Dismisses Allegations As Attacks From Critics Of Trump’s Policies.
<#S11>

• Nielsen Says USCIS Not Accepting New DACA Applications. <#S12>

• Arizona, Colorado Teachers Walk Out Demanding Higher Pay, Increased
Funding. <#S13>

• Cummings, Warren Unveil $100 Billion Package To Fight Opioid Epidemic.
<#S14>

• Ethics Committee “Severely” Admonishes Menendez. <#S15>

*Cancer Research <#SECTION_4>*

• Two Studies Suggest 9/11 Firefighers Have Long-Term Elevated Cancer Risk.
<#S16>

• Salk Researcher Verma Accused Of Sexually Harassing Women For 40 Years.
<#S17>

*Editorials/Op-Eds <#SECTION_5>*

• New York Times. <#S18>

• Washington Post. <#S19>

*Biden in the News <#SECTION_6>*

• Daily Lewis, Others Offer Suggestions On Preventing Child Abuse. <#S20>

• Biden Presented With Caricature Of Himself From Palm Philadelphia
Restaurant. <#S21>

• New Hampshire 2020 Democratic Primary Poll: Sanders 28%; Biden 26%;
Warren 11%. <#S22>

• NYTimes’ Egan: “Build A Better Biden” And Democrats Will Defeat Trump.
<#S23>
Leading the News
Media Analyses: Trump Distances Himself From Cohen, Boosts Prosecutors.

To very unfavorable media reviews, President Trump yesterday used a phone
interview on Fox News’ Fox & Friends
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=002-489&t=c>
to comment extensively on the investigation of his attorney Michael Cohen.
Media analyses painted a picture of Trump flying off the handle as he
distanced himself from his long-time lawyer and made admissions that
boosted the prosecutors’ case.

ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=003-7fb&t=c>
(4/26, story 3, 3:40, Muir) referred to “an outburst on live TV” and to
Trump “admitting for the first time that...Cohen did represent him in the
‘crazy Stormy Daniels’ ordeal.” ABC’s Cecilia Vega said Trump sounded “like
a man who needed to vent,” and played audio of Trump saying of Cohen, “He
represents me like with this crazy Stormy Daniels deal, he represented me.
And you know, from what I see, he did absolutely nothing wrong. There were
no campaign funds going into this.” Trump also said, “I would say probably
the big thing is his business, and they’re looking [at] something having to
do with his business. I have nothing to do with his business. I can tell
you. He is a good guy.” To ABC News, Trump “distanced himself from Cohen” –
a line of analysis that permeates throughout the coverage. Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=004-0df&t=c>
(4/26, Dopp, Olorunnipa) says Trump “sought to distance himself” from
Cohen, the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=005-ebd&t=c>
(4/26, Baker, Sullivan), Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=006-b9a&t=c>
(4/26) and The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=007-a4c&t=c>
(4/26, Fabian) that he “distanced himself” from him, and the New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=008-3f7&t=c>
(4/26, Musumeci) headlined its report “Trump Begins Distancing Himself From
Cohen After FBI Raid.”

The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=009-068&t=c>
(4/26, Decker) describes the interview as “rambling” and
“grievance-filled,” and the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=00a-a23&t=c>
(4/26, Parker, Wagner) as “freewheeling and defiant.” NBC Nightly News[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=00b-1c6&t=c>
(4/26, story 4, 2:20, Alexander) said “federal prosecutors” are “arguing
anything you say on Fox and Friends can be used against you.” NBC went on
to report that Trump said Cohen handled “a tiny, tiny little fraction” of
his legal affairs, and noted that statement was “cited” in a “new filing,”
with “prosecutors...insisting if Mr. Trump’s relationship to Cohen was so
limited, they should be able to expedite the review of the documents seized
in the raid this month.”

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=00c-0b9&t=c>
(4/26, Gerstein) also says “prosecutors quickly seized on...Trump’s
remark...as an indication that paper records and electronic files taken
from Cohen...are unlikely to contain many attorney-client communications.”
Likewise, USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=00d-ab2&t=c>
(4/26, Schouten) reports “two sets of lawyers – the federal prosecutors
pursuing a criminal case against Cohen and Daniels’ lawyer Michael
Avenatti,” both “seized on Trump’s statements to bolster their legal
arguments.” Avenatti, in an email to USA Today, “said Trump’s reversal
demonstrates that Trump and Cohen have tried to mislead the public.” Wrote
Avenatti, “Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen previously represented to the American
people that Mr. Cohen acted alone and Mr. Trump knew nothing about the
situation with my client. ... As I predicted, that has now been shown to be
completely false.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=00e-e97&t=c>
(4/26, Baker, Sullivan) also points out that Avenatti, “quickly seized on
the president’s comments, suggesting they would help her lawsuit trying to
nullify the 2016 nondisclosure agreement by proving Mr. Trump’s involvement
in the effort to keep her quiet before the election.” The Times notes
Avenatti “went on MSNBC and CNN to reinforce his point,” telling CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=00f-c1d&t=c>
(4/26): “This case gets better every day, every hour, and one of the
reasons why it gets better is that they step in to every trap that we lay.
... The president’s statements this morning are very, very damaging to him
in our case.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=010-d16&t=c>
(4/26, Barrett, Helderman) similarly reports that prosecutors’ “speedy
incorporation of Trump’s Fox interview into legal documents provided a
vivid illustration of the strategic downsides of the president’s media
interviews and off-the-cuff remarks and tweets.” Jake Tapper, on [image:
Image removed by sender. Video]CNN’s The Lead
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=011-6ed&t=c>
(4/26), said the Fox News interview was an example of Trump’s “governance
by gut causing indigestion...for his own White House.”

In a story headlined, “‘Boss, I Miss You So Much’: The Awkward
Exile Of Michael Cohen,” the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=012-c6a&t=c>
(4/26, Rothfeld, Berzon, Palazzolo) reports that despite their long
relationship, Cohen has privately complained about being excluded from the
White House and about Trump’s failure to repay him for the $130,000 he
allegedly paid Daniels. Cohen declined an interview offer from the Journal
and replied to a list of emailed questions writing, “Completely
inaccurate.” The Journal cites unnamed sources who say Cohen at one point
considered turning on Trump, and describes a conversation between Trump and
Cohen in which the attorney told him, “Boss, I miss you so much. I wish I
was down there with you. ... It’s really hard for me to be here.”

*Judges Appoints Special Master To Review Materials Seized From
Cohen. *The [image: Image removed by sender. Video]CBS Evening News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=013-52f&t=c>
(4/26, story 3, 0:45, Glor) reported that “in New York, a federal judge
appointed a special master review want documents seized from...Trump’s
personal attorney,” who “says he’ll plead the Fifth.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=014-abb&t=c>
(4/26, Weiser, Feuer) the special master will be “Barbara S. Jones, a
lawyer who served as a federal judge in Manhattan.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=015-de8&t=c>
(4/26, Wheeler) reports “the quick decision came after” the judge “received
a letter Thursday morning from federal prosecutors in Manhattan withdrawing
their objection to Cohen’s request for a special master.” Prosecutors “had
initially pushed for the use of a Justice Department ‘taint team’ to
perform the review, but cited new developments in changing their position.”
The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=016-1e9&t=c>
(4/26, Barrett, Helderman), Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=017-d9a&t=c>
(4/26) and Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=018-d6b&t=c>
(4/26, Hong, O'Brien), among other news outlets, also report the story.

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=019-9ba&t=c>
(4/26, Berthelsen), meanwhile, profiles assistant US attorney Thomas McKay,
32 who is “leading the criminal investigation of” Cohen. Bloomberg says
McKay “could garner as many headlines as his famous predecessors.”
According to Bloomberg, McKay, who was “hired directly after clerkships for
federal judges in New York and on the Washington, D.C., appeals court,” is
a graduate of Princeton and Georgetown Law School.

*Davidson “Cooperating” With Investigation. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=01a-da1&t=c>
(4/26, Reinhard, Brown, Sellers) reports “the relationship between...Cohen
and Keith Davidson is drawing public scrutiny as federal authorities
investigating Cohen examine payments made to women whose stories could have
damaged...Trump’s presidential campaign.” Davidson “is cooperating with the
probe and has provided investigators with ‘certain limited electronic
information,’ according to the lawyer’s spokesman.” Cohen “and Davidson, a
Los Angeles lawyer, have crossed paths at least five times in the past two
years. In the most recent instance, Cohen collected a fee said to be
hundreds of thousands of dollars in a deal Davidson helped orchestrate,”
and “new attorneys for Davidson’s former clients, Stormy Daniels and Karen
McDougal, both of whom allege they had affairs with Trump years ago, say
the relationship between Cohen and Davidson has seemed too cozy.” Said
Avenatti, “This is supposed to be an adversarial process. ... These guys
should not be in the same bedroom, let alone the same bed.”

*Trump Threatens To Get More Involved In DOJ Decision Making.
*The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=01b-9a3&t=c>
(4/26, Parker, Wagner) reports that in his interview with the hosts of Fox
News’ Fox & Friends
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=01c-027&t=c>,
President Trump yesterday “hinted that he may get more deeply involved in
the management of his Justice Department.” Trump “said that he tries to
‘stay away from’ intervening in the Department of Justice, before adding,
‘But at some point I won’t.’” The Post says that comment “brought a sharp
rebuke from Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), who called
Trump’s interview ‘so unbecoming of a president, unbecoming of a
democracy.’” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=01d-6c5&t=c>
(4/26, Dopp, Olorunnipa) notes that when “asked if he’d sit down with
[Special Counsel Robert] Mueller’s team,” Trump said he “would be willing
to if he was able, although he said that some of the people involved are
‘conflicted.’” CNN chief political correspondent Dana Bash said on [image:
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<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=01e-98c&t=c>
(4/26) that “it’s odd he is talking about the senior leadership of the
Justice Department considering they’re his appointees and under normal
circumstances, it would be odd. In this circumstance, it’s the same kind of
venting that we have been reporting for months that he has been doing
behind closed doors to his friends and to his allies and to his aides. He
is precisely talking about not necessarily the career people but his own
very appointees, namely the top of the list there is of course...Sessions.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=01f-04a&t=c>
(4/26, Zapotosky) reports that after Trump’s warning, “department alums are
fighting back with increasing vigor – signing petitions, holding public
events and taking direct aim at a man they fear will do lasting damage.”
These “alums fear the president is laying groundwork to fire the attorney
general, deputy attorney general or special counsel Robert S. Mueller III
in an effort to end investigations that might affect him personally.” For
example, “John Bellinger, a former Justice Department official who more
recently worked as a legal adviser to the State Department and National
Security Council in the George W. Bush administration,” said Trump’s
“attacks also might have significant consequences, undermining public faith
in the Justice Department, the FBI and the force of the law.” Former FBI
Director James Comey said on [image: Image removed by sender. Video]Fox
News’ Special Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=020-c9d&t=c>
(4/26), “I hope he didn’t mean that he is going to decide by executive fiat
to direct the actions of what is supposed to be an impartial law
enforcement function. Lady Justice has a blindfold. It should stay on.”

Alan Dershowitz said on [image: Image removed by sender. Video]CNN’s
Anderson Cooper 360
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=021-117&t=c>
(4/26), “Obviously he made a vague, general statement intended to convey
different points to different people. It may have been just musing about
whether he has the power to do things with regard to the Justice Department
but he’s not going to exercise that power. I don’t know what he thinks he
gains by making statements like that. I don’t think he picks up support
among his followers with these kinds of statements. I don’t think he
increases his legal vulnerability, but he certainly doesn’t seem to help
his case when he makes statements like this.”

*In Tweet Today, Trump Says Comey “Illegally Leaked Classified
Information” *Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=022-bdf&t=c>
this morning, “Is everybody believing what is going on. James Comey can’t
define what a leak is. He illegally leaked CLASSIFIED INFORMATION but
doesn’t understand what he did or how serious it is. He lied all over the
place to cover it up. He’s either very sick or very dumb. Remember sailor!”

*Comey Says Trump “Just Wrong” That He Leaked Classified
Information. *Comey was asked on [image: Image removed by sender. Video]Fox
News’ Special Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=023-55e&t=c>
(4/26) yesterday about Trump’s claim that he leaked classified information.
Comey said, “He is just wrong. Facts really do matter, which is why I’m on
the show to answer your questions. That memo was unclassified then. It’s
still unclassified. It’s in my book. The FBI cleared that book before it
could be published. That’s a false statement.”

*Sessions: Mueller Probe “Needs To Conclude.” *The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=024-1cf&t=c>
(4/26, Dinan) reports Sessions “said Thursday that an ongoing probe into
President Trump ‘needs to conclude’ in order to let him focus on North
Korea, the US-Mexico border and other world negotiations.” Sessions also
“said he expects the Justice Department inspector general to finish his
investigation into the department’s and FBI’s handling of investigations
into Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election in a ‘few weeks,’ saying that
will provide more information for decisions on whether there was
wrongdoing.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=025-c2a&t=c>
(4/26, Zapotosky) says the comments “seemed to be a veiled swipe at Robert
S. Mueller III,” and added that they were “striking, suggesting Sessions
might privately share some of the president’s frustration with the Mueller
investigation.” The Post adds, “Asked to clarify Sessions’s exchange with
Jenkins, a Justice Department spokeswoman said, ‘I’d imagine he was saying
that it’s in the public interest to have the special counsel’s
investigation concluded as soon as possible.’”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=026-523&t=c>
(4/26, Lynch) reports that speaking to a House appropriations panel “during
a routine budget hearing, Sessions told lawmakers that the Justice
Department needed to ‘be disciplined and stay within our classical
procedure and rules’ before rushing to hire more special counsels.”
Responding to “a laundry list of frustrations aired by West Virginia
Republican Congressman Evan Jenkins” about the Clinton email probe,
Sessions said, “I do not think we need to willy-nilly appoint special
counsels.”

*Four Republicans On Senate Judiciary Panel Vote To Protect Special
Counsels. *Under the headline, “In Warning To Trump, Senators Advance Bill
To Protect Mueller,” the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=027-bef&t=c>
(4/26, Fandos) reports that on Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee
“fired a political warning shot at the White House” by “advancing on a
bipartisan vote long-stalled legislation to allow special counsels such as
Robert S. Mueller III to appeal their firing to a panel of judges and
possibly be reinstated.” However, the Times adds that Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell “has stated unequivocally that he will not bring the
bill to the Senate floor for a vote.” Nevertheless, the Times says that
“with four Republicans, including the committee’s chairman, Charles E.
Grassley of Iowa, joining Democrats to vote in favor it, the measure sent a
clear message to President Trump that senators are serious in their
warnings not to fire Mr. Mueller.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=028-4dd&t=c>
(4/26, Carney) reports that in addition to Grassley, Republican Sens. Thom
Tillis, Lindsey Graham and Jeff Flake voted to approve the legislation.
Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch, Mike Lee, John Cornyn, Mike Crapo, Ben Sasse,
John Kennedy and Ted Cruz opposed it. The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=029-819&t=c>
(4/26, Tau), Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=02a-59c&t=c>
(4/26), Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=02b-85d&t=c>
(4/26, Swoyer), CQ Roll Call (DC)
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=02c-2a5&t=c>
(4/26, Ruger), Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=02d-d2b&t=c>
(4/26, Schor), AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=02e-5ec&t=c>
(4/26, Day, Jalonick) and The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=02f-d49&t=c>
(4/26, Carney), among other news outlets, run similar reports this morning.

CNN senior political reporter Nia Malika-Henderson said on [image:
Image removed by sender. Video]CNN’s Situation Room
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=030-df5&t=c>
(4/26) that the Senate committee’s approval of the legislation “does send a
message and this is movement because before you had most of the republicans
saying essentially this would never happen. Donald Trump would never fire
Bob Mueller so there was no need for this type of legislation. So for them
to move forward knowing full well it’s not going anywhere, a, because Mitch
McConnell is not going to bring it up and, b, Donald Trump would probably
veto it if it ever got to his desk it does send quite a message to where
Republicans are. It basically says this is a red line. You can’t fire
Mueller. You probably can’t fire [Rod] Rosenstein, either.”

*Republicans Looking Over 49 Additional Pages Of Strzok-Page Texts.
*Sean Hannity said on Fox News’ Hannity[image: Image removed by sender.
Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=031-e49&t=c>
(4/26), “As we speak, the House of Representatives is pouring through 49
brand new additional pages of newly uncovered text messages between Peter
Strzok and Lisa Page. You might remember, these messages were a part of the
six months of missing texts that somehow, well, were lost because of an
alleged technical issue with the FBI-issued Samsung phones. Fox News can
confirm that many of these unearthed texts have incomplete information and
some are totally incomprehensible.”

Rep. Ron DeSantis said on [image: Image removed by sender. Video]Fox
News’ Hannity
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=032-d6b&t=c>
(4/26), “I think this is incomplete production. We know their texting
habits, of how often they were texting in other periods. This is the period
December 2016 during the trump transition all the way up to the firing of
James Comey and then the appointment of Robert Mueller as a special
counsel. If there’s only 40 some pages there, there’s gaps. Some of the
stuff is incomplete. So I don’t think this is a full production. I think
there’s more questions that this raises and we’re going to have to go back
to the Justice Department and ask them why they weren’t able to recover the
full Strzok-Page text messages.”

In his appearance on [image: Image removed by sender. Video]Fox
News’ Fox & Friends
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=033-8d0&t=c>
(4/26, 7:17 a.m. EDT, Kilmeade) Jordan was asked about Comey saying he is
“embarrassed and ashamed” of the Republican Party. Jordan said: “This is
ridiculous. The American people are so fed up with this two standards. One
standard for us regular folk and a different standard if your name is
Clinton, Comey, Loretta Lynch, Lerner. ... The American people thought the
fix was in on the Clinton investigation. But since we got a hold of the
Page-Strzok text messages, we know the fix was in. That’s what should
concern James Comey.”

*Comey Says Dossier Not At Core Of FISA Warrant Request. *Comey
said on [image: Image removed by sender. Video]Fox News’ Special Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=034-843&t=c>
(4/26) that he became aware of the Steele dossier in the fall of 2016.
Asked when he learned that the DNC and the Clinton campaign had funded
Steele’s work, Comey said, “I still don’t know that for a fact. ... I have
read that in the media but didn’t know for a fact and didn’t know while I
was at the FBI which exact opponent of the President’s funded that.” Comey
was also asked on [image: Image removed by sender. Video]Fox News’ Special
Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=035-4b5&t=c>
(4/26) why he used the dossier, which he called unverified and salacious,
in the FISA Court to obtain a warrant to surveil Carter Page. Comey said,
“That’s not my recollection. ... My recollection was it was part of a
broader mosaic of facts that were laid before the FISA judge to obtain a
FISA warrant. ... My recollection was there was a significant amount of
additional material about Page and why there was probable cause to believe
he was an agent of a foreign power. And the dossier was part of that but
was not all of it or a critical part of it.”

Rep. Trey Gowdy said on [image: Image removed by sender. Video]Fox
News Tucker Carlson Tonight
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=036-f1e&t=c>
(4/26), “The part of it not being part of the FISA application, why did you
use it at all? ... They lead with it and it occupied a disproportionately
large part of that. I go back and ask if it wasn’t important, then why did
you use it? Why did you use it and why did you lead with it?” Rep. Jim
Jordan said on [image: Image removed by sender. Video]Fox News The Ingraham
Angle
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=037-1cd&t=c>
(4/26), “They didn’t tell the court two things. They didn’t tell the court
who paid for it, namely the Democrat National Committee and the Clinton
campaign. They didn’t tell the court that the author of the document,
Christopher Steele, had his relationship with the FBI terminated. They
didn’t tell the court that. When we go to the court, we have to tell them
the whole truth, not part of the truth, the whole truth. They didn’t to
that.”

*Comey Says He Didn’t Disclose Having Hired Richman “Because It
Wasn’t Relevant.” *Comey was asked on [image: Image removed by sender.
Video]Fox News’ Special Report
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=038-c29&t=c>
(4/26) what he leaked to Dan Richman. Comey said, “I sent Mr. Richman a
copy of a two-page unclassified memo and asked him to get the substance of
it out to the media.” Asked why he did not reveal that he hired Richman at
the FBI, Comey said, “Because it wasn’t relevant.”

In an appearance on [image: Image removed by sender. Video]Fox
News’ Fox & Friends
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=039-6ed&t=c>
(4/26, 7:17 a.m. EDT, Kilmeade) prior to President Trump’s interview, Rep.
Jim Jordan was asked about revelations that Richman was an unpaid “special
government employee” of the FBI under then-director James Comey and that
Comey may have provided his memos about his interactions with Trump to
other individuals. Jordan said, “Comey never told Congress that he wasn’t
just leaking this information through a ‘friend’ to the New York Times.
This friend was a special government employee, SGE, [and] had access to the
FBI. We presume he had full clearance. So he didn’t disclose that. ...
Frankly, there is no one on Capitol Hill who thinks this was the first and
only time James Comey used Daniel Richman to leak information to the press.
My guess is, it happened lots of times.”

*Meadows: Comey Needs To Give More Information About Lynch’s
Involvement In Clinton Probe. *In an op-ed for the Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=03a-a8f&t=c>
(4/26, Meadows), Rep. Mark Meadows (R) lists five questions that he says
former FBI director James Comey “needs to answer.” The questions are: 1
“Did Comey and his FBI improperly coordinate with former Attorney General
Loretta Lynch and the Department of Justice during the height of the
Clinton email investigation?”; 2 “Why did Comey leave out pertinent facts
when he briefed then-President-elect Trump on the Russian dossier?”; 3 “Did
Comey and James Clapper coordinate to give the Russian dossier credibility
and leak its contents to the media?”; 4 “Why did Comey fail to mention he
had secretly hired his friend, law professor Daniel Richman, as a ‘special
employee’ of the FBI?”; and 5 “Did Comey give his memo to anyone else?”

Appearing on [image: Image removed by sender. Video]MSNBC’s Morning
Joe
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=03b-724&t=c>
(4/26, 8:39 a.m. EDT, Scarborough), Sen. Jeff Flake was asked to respond to
Trump’s criticism of the “corruption at the top of the FBI” and warning
that he may no longer “stay away from” the Justice Department if it
continues to focus on the “nonsense of collusion with Russia.” Flake said:
“That is not normal and should not be accepted as normal. It undermines our
institutions.” Flake went on to say, “When the President really goes out of
bounds, I think it’s our responsibility to stand-up and say so. He is going
out of bounds with regards to the FBI and his criticism of it. This is out
of bounds, it really is.”

*NYTimes, Politico: Trump Associates Often Find Themselves
Disgraced. *Citing the cases of former VA Secretary nominee Dr. Ronny
Jackson and Cohen, a New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=03c-11c&t=c>
(4/26, Baker, Haberman) analysis says a “ride on President Trump’s bullet
train can be thrilling, but it is often a brutal journey that leaves some
bloodied by the side of the tracks.” After 15 months as President, Trump
“has burned through a record number of advisers and associates who have
found themselves in legal, professional or personal trouble, or even all
three.” Many “who arrived with stellar careers and independent
reputations...ended up losing so much.” A Politico Magazine
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=03d-1f6&t=c>
(4/26, Kruse) analysis says Jackson “is only the latest to join the
ever-growing scrap heap of the Trump administration – people who
volunteered or were summoned to serve, only to find themselves discarded
and disgraced.” Politico says that while there has “always been a Trump
World scrap heap...it’s never been like the past 15 months.”
Foreign Policy
Moon, Kim Sign Agreement Vowing To End Korean War, Denuclearize Peninsula.

CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=03e-a24&t=c>
(4/27, Griffiths) is among the media outlets reporting this morning,
“Leaders of the two Koreas have agreed to end the Korean War
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=03f-d31&t=c>,
65 years after hostilities ceased, in a wide-ranging joint announcement
struck Friday, that includes working towards the complete denuclearization
of the Korean Peninsula.” South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North
Korean leader Kim Jong Un “signed the ‘Panmunjom Declaration for Peace,
Prosperity and Unification on the Korean Peninsula,’ at the demilitarized
zone (DMZ) that has divided the two countries for more than six decades.”
CNN adds, “In separate speeches they promised a new era for the Korean
Peninsula. Addressing the world’s media, Kim said the Koreas ‘will be
reunited as one country.’”

*Moon, Kim Meet For Historic Summit In South Korea. *The New York
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=040-6da&t=c>
(4/26, Sanger, Sang-Hun) reports that with the beginning if a “historic
summit meeting” in South Korea Friday, Kim Jong-un “became the first North
Korean leader to set foot in South Korean-controlled territory.” Kim’s
decision to cross the border for the summit, which will “test [his]
willingness to bargain away his nuclear weapons” was “broadcast live in
South Korea, where all eyes and ears are focused on the intentions of the
North’s 34-year-old leader.” The Times says South Korean president, Moon
Jae-in faces “a formidable task: finding a middle ground between a cunning
enemy to the North and an impulsive ally in the United States.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=041-9d9&t=c>
(4/26) reports, “The two leaders discussed denuclearization and permanent
peace on the Korean peninsula during their morning session, and are
expected to sign a joint declaration after they reconvene Friday afternoon,
a South Korean official told reporters.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=042-528&t=c>
(4/27, Sang-Hun) reports Kim and Moon “vowed to negotiate a peace treaty to
replace a truce that has kept an uneasy peace on the divided Korean
Peninsula for more than six decades, while ridding it of nuclear weapons.”
In a joint statement, they said, “South and North Korea confirmed the
common goal of realizing, through complete denuclearization, a nuclear-free
Korean Peninsula.” However, the agreement “was short on such specifics.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=043-fa0&t=c>
(4/26, Fifield) says Moon hopes the summit “will lay the groundwork for a
meeting between the North Korean leader and President Trump and that will
remove the cloud of another war from the peninsula.” Im Jong-seok, Moon’s
chief of staff, said, “I think the summit will be considered successful if
we can clearly put into words North Korea’s clear intention to
denuclearize.” However, analysts are “skeptical about securing the kind of
agreement that would lead Kim to give up his nuclear weapons program.” In a
story broadcast before the summit began, the CBS Evening News[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=044-ed1&t=c>
(4/26, story 10, 1:50, Glor) said an adviser to Moon “says a big part of
this summit with North Korea is to really figure out a road map for North
Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, but also to lay the groundwork for
that summit between Kim Jong-un and President Trump, which could happen as
early as next month.”

The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=045-938&t=c>
(4/26, Stiles) says Moon and Kim were “expected to say something about the
North’s willingness to change course on its rapid advancement as a nuclear
power” and they were “expected to try to find common ground on a potential
peace agreement, which could require the blessing of the United States and
China, whose representatives were signatories to the 1953 armistice that
ended the fighting in the Korean War.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=046-a4e&t=c>
(4/26, Fifield) calls denuclearization the “real wild card” of the summit,
and the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=047-0ec&t=c>
(4/27, Klug) says it is “not clear whether the leaders can make any
progress in closed-door talks on the nuclear issue, which has bedeviled
U.S. and South Korean officials for decades.”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=048-1c9&t=c>
(4/26, Miller) says the White House “sent a message of hope for progress in
efforts to bring peace and security to the Korean Peninsula.” Press
secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement, “On the occasion of Republic
of Korea President Moon Jae-in’s historic meeting with North Korean leader
Kim Jong Un, we wish the Korean people well. ... We are hopeful that talks
will achieve progress toward a future of peace and prosperity for the
entire Korean Peninsula. ... The United States appreciates the close
coordination with our ally, the Republic of Korea, and looks forward to
continuing robust discussions in preparation for the planned meeting
between President Donald J. Trump and Kim Jong Un in the coming weeks.”

*Trump Considering Dates, Locations For Meeting With Kim Jong-Un. *
Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=049-07a&t=c>
(4/26) reports that Trump told Fox News Thursday that “he is considering
three or four dates as well as five locations for his meeting with North
Korean leader Kim Jong Un, adding that it remains unclear whether the
meeting will occur.” Bill Neely reported on NBC Nightly News[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=04a-051&t=c>
(4/26, story 8, 1:55, Holt) that Trump on Thursday cast doubt on the
summit. Trump: “It could be that I walk out quickly with respect, but it
could be. It could be that maybe that meeting doesn’t even take place. Who
knows. I can tell you right now they want to meet.”

*White House Releases Photos Of Pompeo’s Meeting With Kim. *All
three networks briefly mentioned that ahead of Kim’s summit with South
Korean President Moon Jae-In, the White House released photos of Secretary
of State Pompeo’s visit with Kim in early April. ABC World News Tonight[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=04b-2a1&t=c>
(4/26, story 6, 0:25, Muir) reported that “hours” before the “historic”
meeting between the North and South Korean leaders, the White House
released an “image” of then-CIA Director Pompeo’s “secret meeting...with
Kim.” The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=04c-84c&t=c>
(4/26, story 9, 0:15, Glor) said that by “releasing these photos,” the
White House “pav[ed] the way for a summit” between Trump and Kim, while CNN’s
Situation Room[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=04d-98b&t=c>
(4/26) said the White House sent “another signal that...Trump’s meeting
with Kim...could actually happen.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=04e-af5&t=c>
(4/26, Gallu) says the meeting marked “the highest-ranking U.S. official to
visit the pariah nation since 2000.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=04f-03f&t=c>
(4/26) also reports that Trump “said that then Secretary of State-designate
and CIA chief Mike Pompeo’s meeting with Kim in North Korea over the Easter
weekend a few weeks ago was unplanned.” Said Trump. “He wasn’t supposed to
meet with Kim Jong Un but he did. They arranged while he was there to say
hello.” They “spoke for more than an hour in what Trump said was ‘more than
a hello.’”

*Intelligence Experts Seek To Build Profile Of Kim Ahead Of Summit.
*Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=050-3cd&t=c>
(4/26, Spetalnick) says US intelligence experts are trying to create a
profile of Kim to give the President “a competitive edge” in the summit,
but “they face a huge challenge – figuring out a secretive North Korean
ruler few people know much about.” Officials told Reuters that analysts
“are gathering every new bit of information they can glean about Kim and
making adjustments to earlier assessments of what makes him tick.” A “White
House official” would not confirm the effort, but said, “There is a robust
whole of government effort under way to prepare for the president’s
summit.”

*Former Officials Skeptical As Kim Frames Himself As Reasonable
Leader. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=051-058&t=c>
(4/26, Fifield) reports former national security officials are skeptical as
Kim presents “himself as a legitimate leader with global standing.” Gary
Samore, who served on former president Barack Obama’s NSC, said, “We’ve
almost forgotten the fact that he had his half brother killed with a
chemical weapon just last year and that he had his uncle ripped apart with
antiaircraft guns.” Many officials doubt Kim will denuclearize, and they
think that means North Korea “will want to keep up the pretense that it’s
serious about denuclearization for as long as possible.” Said Samore, “The
North Koreans have a strong incentive to drag this out. The sanctions are
going to get weaker. China and Russia are not really going to enforce them
if it looks like North Korea is playing along.” However, Samore still
thinks it’s “worth a try” for Trump to meet with Kim, adding that “it’s
certainly better than talking about giving Kim Jong Un a bloody nose.”

*Warmbier Family Sues North Korea. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=052-bad&t=c>
(4/26, Nakamura) reports that the family of Otto Warmbier, who died shortly
after being imprisoned in North Korea for 17 months, “filed an
extraordinary lawsuit against North Korea in federal court Thursday
alleging that the 22-year-old college student was ‘brutally tortured and
murdered’ by Kim Jong-un’s ‘criminal’ regime.” The Post says the suit’s
“timing...raises significant geopolitical implications, coming weeks before
an expected meeting between President Trump and the North Korean leader in
late May or early June.” According to the Post, President Trump “has raised
Warmbier’s death repeatedly in public statements and made his case a
cornerstone of his administration’s ‘maximum pressure’ campaign on
Pyongyang, which the president has credited for bringing Kim to the
negotiating table.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=053-1dd&t=c>
(4/26, Landler) says the suit, which “throws a harsh spotlight on North
Korea’s human-rights abuses” weeks ahead of the Trump-Kim summit, “comes as
the Trump administration is trying to win the release of three other
Americans currently held there.”
Disagreements On Iran, Trade Expected During Merkel’s White House Visit
Today.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=054-959&t=c>
(4/26, Bennhold) reports German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit the
White House Friday, and the contrast with French President Emmanuel
Macron’s recent visit “could not be starker.” While “the lack of chemistry
between” Merkel and President Trump is not new, “the apparent indifference
in the White House to the German chancellor, as well as the weakening of
Ms. Merkel’s once towering position” is. Meanwhile, “German officials
played down the symbolism of this week’s twin visits – though not without a
hint of frustration.” German Coordinator of Trans-Atlantic Relations Peter
Beyer said, “Let [Macron] enjoy the nice photos – she is going there to
work.” Meanwhile, “German-American relations, analysts and officials
reckon, are at rock bottom,” and “United States officials say the only
thing that would really get Mr. Trump’s attention is if Germany started
buying American military equipment.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=055-0bb&t=c>
(4/26, Witte, Gearan) reports that Merkel’s visit “is a businesslike affair
that seems more duty than pleasure for both leaders.” Meanwhile, on the
Iran nuclear deal and steel and aluminum tariffs “there is little sign
Merkel can get Trump to back down from” his current positions. Merkel
“rebuffed Trump’s suggestion of a bilateral U.S.-German free trade pact in
favor of the European Union negotiation Trump despises.” If European
countries’ exemption from the tariffs expire, “the European Union has
threatened retaliatory tariffs on American products such as bourbon,
cranberries, motorcycles and blue jeans,” and Trump “has threatened a tax
on German auto imports.” Additionally, “Germans are prepared for Trump to
push back on German defense spending and the Russian-led Nord Stream 2 gas
pipeline.”

*Senate Confirms Grenell As US Ambassador To Germany. *The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=056-805&t=c>
(4/26, Demirjian) reports the Senate voted 56-42 yesterday “to confirm
Richard Grenell...as the next ambassador to Germany, despite objections
from Democrats that his past epithets about prominent female politicians,”
including Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright and Callista
Gingrich, “made him unfit for the job.” The vote came “just in advance of a
planned Friday visit from German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the United
States.” The Post adds “Grenell worked on restrictions and sanctions
against Iran over its nuclear ambitions as the long-serving spokesman for
the US mission to the United Nations during the George W. Bush
administration,” and “since leaving the government...has been openly
critical” of the Iran deal.

On Thursday morning, Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=057-7e7&t=c>
(4/26, Boyle) touted an “exclusive” titled “Joe Manchin To Vote For Ric
Grenell, Ensuring Donald Trump Supporter Confirmation As Highest-Ranking
Openly Gay Official Ever.” According to Breitbart, Grenell is the
“highest-ranking ever openly gay person to serve the United States
government.” Breitbart adds that while “there have been other US
ambassadors who are openly gay,” none have been in “a country as important
to US diplomatic ends as Germany.”

Gregory T. Angelo, Executive Director of the Log Cabin Republicans,
in a piece for Fox News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=058-1f7&t=c>
(4/26), refers to Grenell’s confirmation as “a landmark in gay history.”
Angelo says “obstreperous Democrats finally folded Thursday when the Senate
voted 56-42” in favor of Grenell’s nomination. Angelo adds that “the vote
happened not a moment too soon, as German Chancellor Angela Merkel is set
to visit the White House Friday.” According to Angelo, “A rudderless U.S.
Embassy in Germany would have been a national embarrassment.”

*NYTimes Editorial Hopes Macron Trip Will Gain Him US, European
Partners. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=059-a11&t=c>
(4/26), in an editorial, writes that French President Macron’s visit to the
US is unlikely to have changed “Trump’s mind in any meaningful way,” but
Macron said the point of the trip “was to position himself as an ‘honest
broker’ for the aftermath” of the US dropping the Iran nuclear deal, which
the Times adds, “won’t be a bad outcome from the meeting.” The Times adds
Macron sought “to establish his credentials before the American public,”
and hopes that the trip “will help alleviate” his lack of partners in the
US and European.
Mattis: No Decision Yet On Withdrawing From Iran Nuclear Deal.

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=05a-933&t=c>
(4/26, Muñoz) reports Defense Secretary Mattis testified before the Senate
Armed Services Committee that “there has been no decision made on
withdrawal” from the Iran nuclear deal. He added that “discussions are
ongoing within the [White House] national security staff” about it. Mattis
also said, “We have to look at what degree of fix is achievable” within the
deal and balanced against the White House’s May 12 deadline for
ratification. However, President Trump, newly installed National Security
Adviser Bolton, and the Administration’s national security team “have
repeatedly called for the dissolution of the nuclear deal,” and Mattis “had
been an outspoken opponent of the deal before taking the reins at the
Pentagon.”

The Washington Free Beacon
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=05b-ae1&t=c>
(4/26, Johnson) reports Mattis said, “We’re working with our European
allies on [the deal] at this time and again, the decision has not been made
whether we can repair it enough to stay in it or if the president is going
to decide to withdraw from it.” He also “said Iran has continued to work
through its Lebanon-based proxy, Hezbollah, to expand Tehran’s influence in
the Middle East.” When asked by Sen. Jack Reid whether he believes there is
a “significant risk of escalation” between Iran and Israel, Mattis replied,
“I believe the short answer is yes.” He added, “Iran continues to do its
proxy work there through Lebanese Hezbollah [in Syria] and over into
Lebanon, so I could imagine this sparking something larger.”

*WPost: US Seeks To Counter Iran Through Indirect Means. *The
Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=05c-19a&t=c>
(4/26, Ryan) reports that Gen. Joseph Votel, who heads US Central Command,
said that instead of openly confronting Iran, the US plans to “use indirect
means to limit its expansion in Syria.” He added that “one of the ways that
we can begin to impede Iran’s malign activities” is to support Iraqi troops
and a Kurdish-dominated partner force in Syria. The Post adds, “Votel’s
comments indicate a desire across the military leadership to avoid
triggering a confrontation with Iran.” Other indirect measures the United
States might take in the Middle East that Votel named include “seeking to
deter proxy activity by positioning troops in the region, deploying naval
vessels in waters contested by Iran, and providing support to allied
nations’ defenses.”

*Zakaria Praises Macron’s Efforts To Save Iran Nuclear Deal. *Fareed
Zakaria, in his column in the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=05d-dfd&t=c>
(4/26), writes, “Thank goodness” French President Emmanuel Macron “is
trying to stop President Trump from dividing the Western alliance and
disrupting the (already turbulent) Middle East.” Zakaria compares Macron to
“a skilled dancer” as he is “flattering Trump, then politely disagreeing
with him,” and lauds Macron’s “artful proposal for a new nuclear deal,”
although Zakaria acknowledges both the US and Iran “would have to climb
down from their positions” for it to work. He concludes “Macron is trying
to forge a new path for dialogue and diplomacy,” and any failure would be
due to those in Washington and Tehran being “comfortable with the old
pattern. By mindlessly sticking to it, they seem to be leading us down a
path of tension, conflict and, perhaps, even war.”

*WSJournal Supports Revising Iran Nuclear Deal. *In an editorial,
the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=05e-ad3&t=c>
(4/26) writes that French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to
Washington is significant in that he appears to support changing the Iran
nuclear deal to strengthen inspections and address Iran’s ballistic
missiles, which the Journal casts as flaws allowed by former President
Obama and former Secretary of State John Kerry. The Journal also welcomes
what it casts as Macron following Trump strategy to contain Iran. The
Journal argues that even a revised deal is too good for Iran to refuse, and
would reinforce Western unity in the face of Russia, show that the West
doesn’t support Obama-Kerry policies, and strengthen the US’s position in
upcoming negotiations with North Korea.
Trump To Visit UK, Meet With May In July.

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=05f-2e7&t=c>
(4/26, Korte, Hjelmgaard) reports that, “ending a series of declined
invitations, scheduling conflicts and missed opportunities,” British Prime
Minister Theresa May’s office confirmed that President Trump will visit the
UK to meet with her on July 13. The announcement follows “months of drama
about the on-again, off-again visit,” with Trump declining opportunities
over “concerns over whether he would get a ‘warm welcome.’” As “Trump’s
visit will not be a state one, it means he is unlikely to meet Queen
Elizabeth II, visit Buckingham Palace or take part in other official
ceremonies.” The President is unpopular in Britain, having been “banned
from parts of London” and more than 1.8 million people signed a petition
“urging the British government to cancel any state visit.” USA Today
predicts the visit will spark “large-scale protests.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=060-df4&t=c>
(4/26, Davis) compares Trump’s visit to the UK with “an on-again, off-again
date, with a politically tricky back story to match.” White House press
secretary Sarah Sanders said it will be a working visit, “a downgrade from
the kind of ceremonial state visit that was initially offered.” The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=061-86a&t=c>
(4/26, Gearan, Adam) reports May and Trump “do not have much of a rapport.”
Meanwhile, “British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said it was ‘fantastic
news’ that Trump would ‘at last come to Britain.’” tweeting it will be “the
GREATest visit ever.”
Mattis: US Would Regret Leaving Holding Force In Syria With No American
Involvement.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=062-183&t=c>
(4/26, Sonne, Ryan) reports that in testimony to the Senate Armed Services
Committee Thursday, Defense Secretary Mattis “said...that the United States
would regret installing a holding force in Syria without American
involvement, indicating military leaders harbor reservations about a White
House effort to task Arab militaries with stabilizing areas liberated from
the Islamic State.” Mattis “offered support, too, for lasting U.S.
participation, alongside NATO allies, in the military mission in Iraq to
maintain security and prevent the Islamic State from reconstituting itself
there.”

*Macron Thinks Trump Will Commit To New Syria Strategy. *The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=063-8cb&t=c>
(4/26, Deyoung, Hudson, Dawsey) reports French President Emmanuel Macron on
Thursday told French Journalists that President Trump had agreed “in
principle” to a new Syria strategy that the Post says “would keep the
United States committed to a conflict Trump has vowed to exit.” According
to the Post, Macron said his proposal would work even if Trump decided to
leave the Iran nuclear deal. The proposal “would address chemical weapons
and humanitarian aid and, most important, it would jump-start a political
process to end the Syrian civil war and keep the Islamic State from
reemerging.”

*Russia Brings Syrians To OPCW To Disprove Poison Gas Attack. *The
AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=064-803&t=c>
(4/26, Corder) reports that in an increased effort to “disprove that a
Syrian town was hit by a poison gas attack,” Russia on Thursday brought “a
group of Syrians, including an 11-year-old boy, to the global chemical
weapons watchdog’s headquarters to denounce the reports as fake.” The
Syrians told stories to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons “and then ushered into a roomful of reporters at a nearby hotel
where they all repeated nearly identical accounts” that no chemical attack
occurred in Douma on April 7, hospital patients “suffering from
asphyxiation had inhaled only smoke and dust,” chemical traces or smells
were not present, and there was panic “when first responders entered the
hospital and began yelling that chemical weapons had been used.” The OPCW
event was boycotted by the US, Britain, France, and their allies, who
called it “nothing more than a crude propaganda exercise” and an “obscene
masquerade.”
WPost: Russia Beginning To Define Role In Armenian Revolution.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=065-64a&t=c>
(4/26, Ferris-Rotman) reports Russia “is starting to define its role” in
Armenia amid pro-democracy, anti-government protests, watching “now perhaps
with careful engagement.” Yesterday, opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan said
that during a meeting at the Russian Embassy he “got reassurance that
Russia would not intervene in Armenia’s internal affairs,” and Armenia’s
foreign minister is now in Moscow for meetings with Russian officials, the
Interfax news agency reported. “The protests have not been overtly
anti-Russian in nature,” and, in contrast to the “color revolutions” in
Georgia and Ukraine, Armenia’s uprising “has been met with a much more
measured response from the Kremlin.” However, “Moscow’s presence and
significant clout in the tiny, impoverished country are undeniable.”
Armenia “relies heavily on Russia economically,” is a member of a Russian
economic trade bloc and a Russian military alliance, and buys arms from
Russia to deal with the “simmering conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan
over breakaway region Nagorno-Karabakh.”
Kudlow Has “High Hopes” For Upcoming US-China Trade Talks.

Citing remarks made by NEC Director Larry Kudlow on CNBC
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=066-e76&t=c>,
Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=067-4bc&t=c>
(4/26, Mayeda) reports that the Trump Administration officials “will push
China to address a wide range of trade irritants when they visit the Asian
nation in coming days.” Kudlow is quoted as saying, “It’s going to cover a
broad area. All of the disputes will be discussed. ... They have barriers
and tariffs. We’d like to have some market openings. I have high hopes for
this. I’m always the optimist about this.” According to Bloomberg, “Kudlow
said the U.S. wants to discuss China’s unfair trading practices and
‘technology-related issues,’ among other things.” In addition to Kudlow,
the US delegation to China includes Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and US Trade
Representative Robert Lighthizer.

*AP: Outcome Of US Officials’ China Trip Likely “Modest.” *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=068-3fa&t=c>
(4/26, Boak, Rugaber) reports that “when Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin
leads a delegation of American officials to Beijing next week, few analysts
expect them to defuse a smoldering trade conflict with China. Rather, the
likeliest outcome is a more modest one: That the talks could produce a
delay in the series of damaging import tariffs the two nations have
threatened to impose on each other’s goods.” According to “government
officials and China experts,” the “underlying frictions that have flared
between the world’s two largest economies will take much longer to
resolve.”

*EU Officials Expect US To Impose Higher Tariffs On EU Steel,
Aluminum. *The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=069-c7e&t=c>
(4/26, Pancevski, Peker) say the meeting between President Trump and German
Chancellor Angela Merkel may be the last chance to avoid a trade war
between the US and the EU as German officials expect Trump to follow
through on his threat to increase tariffs on steel and aluminum from the
EU. Although German officials were optimistic as recently as two weeks ago
about negotiations with the US over the proposed tariffs, on Thursday they
acknowledged that a deal may not be in the offing.

*Manufacturers Facing Higher Materials Costs Due To Trump’s Steel,
Aluminum Tariffs. *Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=06a-707&t=c>
(4/26) reports that the President’s tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum
are resulting in higher costs for US manufacturers “and causing concerns at
other companies, according to executives who spoke to investors in recent
days.” An analysis of transcripts of conference calls for S&P 500 companies
reporting quarterly results found that the topic has come on “a fifth” of
the calls. Among those warning of higher materials costs as a result of the
tariffs were Harley-Davidson Inc, Ford Motor Co, and Whirlpool Corp.
Domestic Policy
Pompeo Confirmed 57-42, Leaves Immediately For Europe After Being Sworn In.

Media coverage of Mike Pompeo’s confirmation as the next US Secretary of
State highlights the 57-42 tally, a departure from past lopsided,
bipartisan endorsements. Overall, however, reports draw a mostly favorable
picture of Pompeo, pointing out his strong working relationship with
President Trump and his accomplishments during his time in the Army,
Congress and the CIA. The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=06b-7c9&t=c>
(4/26, Demirjian, Morello), for example, says “Pompeo is expected to strike
a dramatically different tone with Trump than his predecessor, Rex
Tillerson, who had a testy relationship with the president that often left
them publicly at odds.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018042701biden&r=email-c17c&l=06c-463&t=c>
(4/26, Sands) similarly indicates “the West Point grad and former Kansas
Republican congressman won high marks