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Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing


*From:* Bulletin Intelligence <Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com>
*Sent:* Thursday, May 10, 2018 7:56 AM
*To:* Biden@BulletinIntelligence.com
*Subject:* Office of Vice President Biden Intelligence Briefing for
Thursday, May 10, 2018


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[image: Image removed by sender. Office of Vice President Biden
Intelligence Briefing]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=001-5c7&t=c>

*To: Vice President Joe Biden*

*Thursday, May 10, 2018 8:00 AM EDT*
Today's Table of Contents

*Leading the News <#SECTION_1>*

• Media Analyses: Detainees’ Release A Win For Trump, Bodes Well For Summit
With Kim. <#S1>

*Foreign Policy <#SECTION_2>*

• Trump Warns Iran Of “Severe Consequence” For Resuming Nuclear Program.
<#S2>

• US-Iraqi Sting Catches Top ISIS Officials. <#S3>

• Court: US Must Show American ISIS Suspect Is Enemy Combatant To Transfer
Him. <#S4>

• Lawsuit: Bannon Was Target Of Qatari Bribery Plot. <#S5>

• Mahathir Leads Malaysian Opposition To Electoral Win. <#S6>

• WPost: NAFTA Negations Bogged Down. <#S7>

• Fox News: China Seeking To Replace US As World’s Dominant Power. <#S8>

*Domestic Policy <#SECTION_3>*

• Treasury IG Investigating Possible Leak Of Cohen’s Banking Information.
<#S9>

• Media Analyses: Haspel Likely To Win Confirmation. <#S10>

• Seven House Republicans Move To Force Immigration Votes. <#S11>

• DeVos Moves To Loosen Regulations On Religious Colleges. <#S12>

• Kushner-Backed Prison Reform Bill Heads To House Floor. <#S13>

• Trump Wants To Lower US Drug Prices By Raising Them Abroad. <#S14>

• NBC Clears Itself In Handling Of Lauer Firing. <#S15>

*Cancer Research <#SECTION_4>*

• Study: Thirdhand Smoke Widespread, Potentially Dangerous. <#S16>

• Failed Incyte Immunotherapy Trial Prompts Questions About Novel Drug
Combinations. <#S17>

*Editorials/Op-Eds <#SECTION_5>*

• New York Times. <#S18>

• Washington Post. <#S19>

*Biden in the News <#SECTION_6>*

• Brookings’ Dews Highlights Biden’s “Five Ideas” For Aiding Middle Class.
<#S20>

• Cillizza: Establishment-Backed Cordray’s Win Bodes Well For Possible
Biden Run. <#S21>

• Jill Biden To Give Bishop State Community College Commencement Address
Today. <#S22>
Leading the News
Media Analyses: Detainees’ Release A Win For Trump, Bodes Well For Summit
With Kim.

To very positive media coverage, President Trump announced Wednesday that
Secretary of State Pompeo secured the release of three Americans held
hostage in North Korea – Kim Dong-chul, Tony Kim and Kim Hak-song – and was
bringing them home. The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=002-a88&t=c>
(5/9, Wilkinson), for example, says Trump “scored a diplomatic victory”
with their release, Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=003-b16&t=c>
(5/9, Sharp, Tweed, Wadhams) says the release “gives...Trump the first real
win from his decision to break with decades of diplomatic orthodoxy and
grant the summit” with Kim Jong-un, and the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=004-238&t=c>
(5/9, Choe) describes the trio’s release as “a diplomatic victory for Mr.
Trump.”

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=005-845&t=c>
(5/10, Lee, Colvin, Miller) reports that Trump welcomed home the three
Americans in “a flag-waving, still-of-the-night arrival ceremony” at
Andrews Air Force Base. Trump “declared their release a sign of promise
toward his goal of de-nuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.” Trump thanked Kim
“for releasing the Americans, and said he believes Kim wants to reach an
agreement on denuclearizing the Korean peninsula.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=006-9f5&t=c>
(5/10, Sink) reports that Trump said, “This is a special night for these
three really great people and congratulations on being in this country.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=007-f6d&t=c>
(5/10, Nakamura, Morello) reports that Trump and the First Lady “arrived at
Andrews aboard Marine One shortly before 2:30 a.m.,” joining Vice President
Pence and Karen Pence, “who had arrived about 30 minutes earlier, in the
airport hangar to await the arrival” of Secretary of State Pompeo and the
three Americans. USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=008-611&t=c>
(5/10, Dorell) reports that the Trumps “boarded the plane...and shortly
after appeared at the top of the airplane stairway with the three
detainees. He waived at the press, as a cheer rose from a crowd of airmen
and White House staffers standing nearby as the former detainees raised
their arms in the air in a gesture of triumph.”

CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=009-9c2&t=c>
(5/10) reports on its website that Trump “was in peak form” during the
welcoming “and joked that the coverage would have some of the highest
ratings ever for 3 a.m.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=00a-d26&t=c>
(5/10, Bender) says the release was a high point of Trump’s presidency so
far, while the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=00b-b7a&t=c>
(5/10, Rogers) writes that Trump, “frustrated by news reports about a
continuing investigation into his presidential campaign’s ties to Russia
and faced with criticism from key European allies for withdrawing from the
Iran nuclear deal, was eager to celebrate a foreign policy triumph.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=00c-803&t=c>
(5/10, Rampton), The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=00d-d61&t=c>
(5/10, March), and the ABC News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=00e-fbc&t=c>
(5/10, Doom), Fox News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=00f-d3d&t=c>
(5/10, DeMarche), and MSNBC
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=010-4ef&t=c>
(5/10) websites also had updates.

Earlier, news of the release led all three broadcast network
newscasts, and reports universally cast the move by North Korea as a
“goodwill gesture” ahead of Kim’s anticipated meeting with Trump. ABC World
News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=011-87b&t=c>
(5/9, lead story, 3:20, Muir) said Trump “first tweeting
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=012-d2a&t=c>
that they were on their way” home, “flying out with...Pompeo. President
Trump says
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=013-d2e&t=c>
he plans to be there when they arrive at Andrews Air Force Base at 2:00 in
the morning.” Trump later told reporters at the White House: “I appreciate
Kim Jong-un doing this and allowing them to go.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=014-a10&t=c>
(5/9, Dorell) reports the White House also “commended North Korea for the
move,” saying in a statement, “President Trump appreciates leader Kim Jong
Un’s action to release these American citizens, and views this as a
positive gesture of goodwill.” CQ Roll Call
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=015-ea3&t=c>
(5/9, Connolly) reports Trump also tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=016-2fb&t=c>
that the three men “seem to be in good health,” and NBC Nightly News[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=017-28e&t=c>
(5/9, lead story, 2:35, Holt) said “the family of Tony Kim [is] thanking
the President for engaging directly with North Korea.”

The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=018-168&t=c>
(5/9, lead story, 2:40, Glor) called the move “a goodwill gesture” before
the planned summit between Trump and Kim. Margaret Brennan said Pompeo also
called their release “a positive gesture by Kim...who is trying to set some
good conditions for that upcoming summit with President Trump. But in many
ways, this was the easiest part of the diplomacy because Kim’s real
leverage is how advanced his nuclear and ballistic missile program now is.”
Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=019-f6a&t=c>
(5/9, Nelson) says the Americans’ release “could further smooth relations
ahead of” the planned summit, and to the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=01a-51e&t=c>
(5/9, Baker, Choe) the move “was North Korea’s most tangible gesture aimed
at improving relations with the United States since Mr. Trump took office.”
While it “hardly guaranteed success” at upcoming talks, US officials “said
it sent another signal that North Korea may be serious about ending its
long confrontation with the United States.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=01b-5ce&t=c>
(5/9, Morello, Fifield) reports the move “capped a 13-hour visit by Pompeo
to the North Korean capital, during which he met with several top
officials, including Kim for 90 minutes, and finalized a time and location
for the leaders’ summit, which is expected in late June.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=01c-71a&t=c>
(5/9, Sharp, Tweed, Wadhams) says that while the US “has said its so-called
‘maximum pressure campaign’...was crucial in the North Korean turnaround,”
during Pompeo’s visit “North Korean officials were quick to counter that
notion, telling the top US diplomat that the rapprochement was the result
of a plan to focus on economic growth now that the country had obtained
nuclear weapons.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=01d-180&t=c>
(5/9, Spetalnick), however, says there was “no sign that Pompeo’s visit had
cleared up the question of whether North Korea would be willing to bargain
away nuclear missiles that might threaten the United States.”

Jonathan Karl said on ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed
by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=01e-95f&t=c>
(5/9, lead story, 3:20, Muir) that Trump “is now focused on meeting Kim
himself.” The President told reporters that the location of the summit will
be announced “within three days,” but said it will not be held in the DMZ.
The CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=01f-531&t=c>
(5/9, lead story, 2:40, Glor) reported that it “has confirmed the likely
location is in Singapore,” and Peter Alexander likewise said on NBC Nightly
News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=020-701&t=c>
(5/9, lead story, 2:35, Holt) that the talks will likely take place in
Singapore.

Kaitlin Collins reported on CNN’s Situation Room[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=021-df0&t=c>
(5/9), “We are told by sources that Administration officials have been
instructed to move forward with plans to hold the historic summit...in
Singapore after the President today...ruled out the Demilitarized Zone.”
The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=022-ef2&t=c>
(5/9, Boyer) and USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=023-772&t=c>
(5/9, Jackson) too say Trump ruled out the DMZ, but the Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=024-bbb&t=c>
(5/9, Cheng) says he wouldn’t give a reason for doing so. John Roberts
reported on Fox News’ Special Report[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=025-4ae&t=c>
(5/9) that the “planning is being made right now by the White House for
Singapore in early June.”

During the upcoming summit, National Security Adviser Bolton told Fox
News’ Fox & Friends[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=026-989&t=c>
(5/9, Earhardt), “We’re going to ask that they do what they agreed to do
over 25 years ago, which is not only not pursue nuclear weapons but give up
uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing – the back end and the front
end of the nuclear fuel cycle.”

Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=027-f0b&t=c>
(5/9, Key) reports Sen. Cory Gardner told Fox News on Wednesday the
President deserves credit for his “maximum-pressure doctrine” bringing
North Korea to the negotiating table. Said Gardner, “The only reason this
is happening is because President Trump believes in the maximum-pressure
doctrine. This wouldn’t have happened under the strategic patience
doctrine.” On MSNBC’s Morning Joe[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=028-0d6&t=c>
(5/9, Geist), Sen. Jeff Flake said the news about the Americans released
from North Korea “has to be a good sign” that the North Koreans “seem
serious about moving ahead.” Flake added, “I hope that we’re doing the
necessary prep work before the meeting happens, but it’s only good news, I
think, to see Americans freed. ... I applaud the Administration for being
able to organize that.”

*Freed Detainees Thank Trump, Pompeo For Securing Release. *According
to the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=029-745&t=c>
(5/9, Baker, Choe), the three freed prisoners issued a statement as they
traveled home, “We would like to express our deep appreciation to the
United States government, President Trump, Secretary Pompeo and the people
of the United States for bringing us home.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=02a-eed&t=c>
(5/9, Dorell) reports the three men also thanked “God, and all our families
and friends who prayed for us and for our return.” Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=02b-235&t=c>
(5/9, Moons) and the Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=02c-3d7&t=c>
(5/9, Lim) similarly report on their statement.

*Trump Dismisses Nobel Peace Prize Speculation. *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=02d-717&t=c>
(5/9, Wagner) reports Trump said “‘everyone’ thinks he deserves a Nobel
Peace Prize for his efforts to rid North Korea of nuclear weapons – but
added that it’s not something he would say out loud.” According to the
Post, Trump “was asked by a reporter at the White House if he’s deserving
of the prize after news broke” that the three Americans who had been
released. Trump replied, “Everyone thinks so, but I would never say it. ...
You know what I want to do? I want to get it finished. The prize I want is
victory for the world – not for even here – I want victory for the world.
Because that’s what we’re talking about, so that’s the only prize I want.”
The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=02e-a79&t=c>
(5/9, Cochrane) reports “supporters are pushing for bestowing the
often-controversial award on Mr. Trump...for the role he has played in the
talks,” but in a telephone interview Berit Reiss-Andersen, the chairwoman
of the Norwegian Nobel Committee which awards the prize, “declined to
comment on Mr. Trump’s nomination, citing the intense protocol of secrecy
that prohibits the five committee members from discussing nominations.”

*WPost, NYTimes: Trump More Confident About His Approach To Foreign
Policy. *Citing this week’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal
and the release of three Americans in North Korea, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=02f-b88&t=c>
(5/9, Gearan) says Trump “has become increasingly confident in his
gut-driven, out-of-the-box approach to international relations and
dismissive of the warnings from ‘establishment’ critics who told him he
should stay inside the Iran nuclear deal, keep the US Embassy in Israel in
Tel Aviv and tone down his bellicose language toward North Korea.” The
result, says the Post, is a foreign policy approach “marked by Trump’s
tough rhetoric and break with conventions that his supporters are hailing
as a refreshing change and his detractors warn could have dire consequences
for the United States and its allies.”

According to the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=030-906&t=c>
(5/9, Baker), “Having shed or sidelined some of the top advisers who held
him back in the past,” Trump “gives the appearance of a leader liberated at
last to follow the china-breaking instincts that have long animated his
approach to the world even as they troubled diplomats and national security
veterans of both parties.” The Times says, “Until recently, Mr. Trump had
talked loudly about some of these goals while allowing himself to be talked
out of following through on them by a coterie of advisers that included”
former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary Mattis, former
National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, former NEC director Gary Cohn, and
Chief of Staff Kelly. The Times says they have either been ousted or cast
aside in favor of Bolton and Pompeo, “both of whom take a harder-line
approach to Iran and some other issues than their predecessors.”

*WPost’s Rucker: Trump Hoping Foreign Policy Victories “Erase
Damage Of Scandals At Home.” *Philip Rucker writes in a Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=031-220&t=c>
(5/9) analysis that when the three Americans touch down at Joint Base
Andrews, Trump “intends to be on the moonlit tarmac to greet them, with the
full White House press corps in tow. It will be a cinematic homecoming
produced by a president impatient to trumpet a foreign policy triumph.”
Rucker says that “by making brash and risky moves on the world stage,”
Trump is “trying to convince Americans that they have good reasons – not
only foreign policy advances, but also a growing economy – to protect his
presidency from the threats posed by the Russia investigation, not to
mention impeachment charges that Democrats might file next year should they
retake control of the House in the midterm elections.”

E.J. Dionne Jr. writes in his Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=032-721&t=c>
(5/9) column that “on the same day that President Trump recklessly pulled
the United States out of the nuclear deal with Iran, the lawyer for
adult-film star Stormy Daniels fired the informational equivalent of a
heat-seeking missile at the Trump presidency. Taken together, these events
clarify the nature of what Trump has inflicted on our country.”

*Trump Criticizes NYTimes Report On Pompeo’s Absence At Iran
Announcement. *Trump tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=033-2f6&t=c>
Wednesday, “The Failing New York Times criticized Secretary of State Pompeo
for being AWOL (missing), when in fact he was flying to North Korea. Fake
News, so bad!”
Foreign Policy
Trump Warns Iran Of “Severe Consequence” For Resuming Nuclear Program.

A day after he announced the US is withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear
agreement, the AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=034-3d0&t=c>
(5/9, Lucey, Lederman) reports, President Trump “warned Iran on Wednesday
against resuming its nuclear weapons program, a day after announcing that
he was withdrawing the US from the landmark Iran nuclear deal.” Trump told
a Cabinet meeting, “I would advise Iran not to start their nuclear program.
I would advise them very strongly. If they do there will be very severe
consequence.” Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=035-3c4&t=c>
(5/9, Lima) reports Trump added that “Iran will find out” his course of
action if they restart their nuclear program. The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=036-977&t=c>
(5/9, Boyer) reports Trump “also said some Democrats were privately happy
with his decision to pull out of the agreement because they were ‘against
the deal’ when President Obama negotiated it in 2015.” Said Trump, “Chuck
Schumer was totally against the deal. He voted against the deal. He was
fighting with Obama. He knows this deal is very bad for Israel and very bad
for the Middle East.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=037-cf4&t=c>
(5/9, Sanger) reports that “beyond betting that Iran’s leaders will return
to the negotiating table, and seek a better deal, once they feel the
sanctions’ bite, the president appeared to acknowledge that he has no Plan
B for dealing with Tehran.” Trump told reporters, “Iran will come back and
say, ‘We don’t want to negotiate.’ And of course, they’re going to say
that. And if I were in their position, I’d say that, too. ... But they’ll
negotiate, or something will happen. And hopefully that won’t be the case.”

Also on Monday, Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=038-2cb&t=c>
(5/9, Mason) reports the White House said the Administration is preparing
to impose new sanctions on Iran, “perhaps as early as next week, to ensure
it does not develop nuclear weapons.” Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told
reporters, “We are 100 percent committed to making sure that Iran does not
have nuclear weapons. We’re going to continue to put maximum pressure,
enormous sanctions on them. All of the sanctions that were in place before
the deal are back in place and we are preparing to add additional sanctions
that may come as early as next week.”

Appearing on Fox News’ Fox & Friends[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=039-7fa&t=c>
(5/9, Earhardt), National Security Adviser Bolton said, “It’s no surprise
Iran doesn’t want to change anything in the existing Iran nuclear deal. Why
should they? They got a wonderful deal from their perspective. In fact,
their only regret is they didn’t ask Obama and [former Secretary of State]
Kerry for more because they probably would have gotten it.” Responding to
concerns that Trump’s decision makes it more likely that the US will go to
war with Iran, Bolton said on CBS This Morning[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=03a-9ad&t=c>
(5/9, Dickerson), “I don’t think it will bring us closer. I think Iran is
bringing us closer to war with its belligerent activity in Iraq and Syria.
They’ve been moving missiles...into Syria that can hit any target inside
Israel. That’s why we’ve seen recent Israeli strikes. It’s that aggressive,
militaristic behavior by Iran on the ground in the region that’s the real
threat.”

Bolton also writes in a Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=03b-2cd&t=c>
(5/9) op-ed that Trump “acted prudently,” spending “more than a year
studying the deal, soliciting information and assessments from within his
administration, and consulting with our allies. He decided that this deal
actually undermines the security of the American people he swore to protect
and, accordingly, ended US participation in it.” Bolton says that “while
the future remains uncertain and challenging, one thing we know for sure is
that the president will always put America First.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=03c-326&t=c>
(5/9, Sonne), meanwhile, reports Defense Secretary Mattis on Wednesday
“held out hope that renewed efforts to curtail Iran’s nuclear program in
consultation with European nations could still work.” Mattis, who advocated
staying in the agreement, said the US now had an opportunity to address the
deal’s shortcomings and “make it more compelling” in consultation with
allies.

*Anti-American Protests In Tehran As Khamenei Denounces Trump Move.
*ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=03d-426&t=c>
(5/9, lead story, 3:20, Muir) reported that Trump is “facing global
blow-back” after withdrawing from the deal. In Iran, there were
“anti-American protests, including the burning of American flags and photos
of President Trump. Lawmakers there questioning the President’s ‘mental
capacity,’ and threatening to restate its nuclear program.” On the CBS
Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=03e-853&t=c>
(5/9, story 2, 1:55, Glor), Elizabeth Palmer reported from in front of the
old American Embassy in Tehran, where young Iranians “started shouting,
‘Death to America.’” She continued: “These students are cheerleaders for
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, who don’t want Iran opening up to the world.
They never liked the nuclear agreement that shut down Iran’s nuclear
program, and, in fact, they’d like to see it up and running again. But from
a distance, you can see this is a pretty small group staging what’s really
a media circus.”

The Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=03f-491&t=c>
(5/9, Mostaghim) reports Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also “lashed
out” at Trump’s decision, and the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=040-062&t=c>
(5/9, Erdbrink) reports he “hinted that his country might step up its
nuclear program.” The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=041-7f5&t=c>
(5/9, Taylor) reports Khamenei also “took aim at America’s Persian Gulf
allies on Twitter,” telling them that “the US wants to own humiliated
slaves.” The Post says the comments “appeared to be directed at countries
such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=042-478&t=c>
(5/9, Cunningham, Sabbagh) reports Trump’s decision has also “intensified a
heated debate among Iranians over relations with the West, pitting
proponents of the landmark accord and of diplomacy more generally against
staunch conservatives who urge a harsh response to the move.” The Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=043-a12&t=c>
(5/9, Fitch, Eqbali) reports that Rouhani is likely to lose support in the
wake of the US withdrawal as his hard-line opponents claim that they were
right to warn against entering into a deal with the US in the first place.

The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=044-e6d&t=c>
(5/9, Karimi, Vahdat) reports that while there is “broad public anger in
Iran over Trump’s decision,” and “Iranian officials...say they hope Europe
will work with them to preserve the deal.” President Hassan Rouhani “said
he’d be sending Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to the
countries still in the deal – China, France, Germany, Russia and the United
Kingdom.” According to the AP, Iran “hopes the European Union will pass
laws to protect European firms from any potential US sanctions.”

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=045-84a&t=c>
(5/9, McAuley) also reports that “European leaders now plan to engage
directly with Iran in hopes of keeping alive the deal, which placed limits
on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting international sanctions.”
French President Emmanuel Macron “planned to speak later Wednesday with
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani,” according to the Post. Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=046-181&t=c>
(5/9) reports that Macron “urged” Rouhani “to keep respecting the deal, and
consider broader negotiations.” The French leader “said he wanted a broader
discussion with all relevant parties on the development of Iran’s nuclear
program after 2025, when key elements of the current deal expire, as well
as Iran’s ballistic missile program and wider Middle East issues.”

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=047-040&t=c>
(5/9, Erlanger) reports that “after their statement on Tuesday regretting
Mr. Trump’s response and promising to work with Iran to preserve the deal,
the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany are to meet on Monday
with Iranian officials ‘to consider the entire situation,’ said the French
foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian.” The Times adds that Britain, France
and Germany “have already said that they will uphold the terms and will
work to keep Iran in the agreement, while trying to protect their
companies. That is likely to include euro-based financing for some
companies and efforts at legislation to block secondary sanctions from the
United States.”

*Israel: Iran Fires Rockets Into Golan Heights From Syria. *The New
York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=048-ef0&t=c>
(5/9, Kershner) reports Iranian forces in Syria fired “about 20 rockets
into the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights early Thursday, targeting forward
positions of the Israeli military, according to a military spokesman.” Lt.
Col. Jonathan Conricus said Israel responded to the attack, but did not
provide details. According to the Times, “if confirmed, this would be the
first rocket attack carried out directly by Iran, rather than by one of its
proxies, against Israel.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=049-e1d&t=c>
(5/9, A1, Lieber) reports the strikes heightened tensions in the region,
and highlighted the risk of confrontation between Iran and Israel following
the US exit from the nuclear agreement.

*Saudi Foreign Minister: Country Will Seek Nuclear Weapon If Iran
Does. *AFP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=04a-c58&t=c>
(5/9) reports Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told[image: Image
removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=04b-2ca&t=c>
CNN on Wednesday that his nation will seek to develop its own nuclear
weapons if Iran does. Asked whether Riyadh would “build a bomb itself” if
Tehran resumes its nuclear weapons program, Jubeir said, “If Iran acquires
nuclear capability we will do everything we can to do the same.”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=04c-fb5&t=c>
(5/9, Sands), meanwhile, reports that Kuwait, “the one Persian Gulf Arab
nation that has tried to maintain relations with Iran, is continuing its
diplomatic straddle a day after President Trump announced the US was
pulling out of the 2015 nuclear accord.” The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry in a
statement said only it followed Trump’s announcement Tuesday “with great
interest.”

*Boeing, Airbus Stand To Lose $39 Billion In Contracts. *The Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=04d-0c6&t=c>
(5/8, Mufson, Paletta) reports that Boeing and Airbus “will lose contracts
worth roughly $39 billion to replenish Iran’s aging fleet of commercial
planes as part of the Trump administration’s reimposition of sanctions.”
The Post notes that on Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin said, “The
Boeing and Airbus licenses will be revoked. The existing licenses will be
revoked.” The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=04e-eb5&t=c>
(5/9, Koenig, Charlton) reports that “aircraft manufacturers stand to be
big losers, with the pain shared between...Boeing and Europe’s
Airbus.” The Wall
Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=04f-a50&t=c>
(5/9, Wall, Parasie) also reports the impact on Boeing and Airbus, while
the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=050-4f0&t=c>
(5/9, Tankersley, Kitroeff) reports Boeing CEO Dennis A. Muilenburg
“downplayed the fallout from the president’s decision to withdraw from the
Iran nuclear pact, saying on Wednesday that the company would abide by the
Trump administration’s decision to cancel Boeing’s licenses to sell $20
billion of aircraft to Iran.” The Times, however, says Trump’s decision
“means Boeing will lose out on a lucrative new market for jetliners, but
the move will likely cost the company less than it will Airbus.”

*Gasoline Prices May Rise In Wake Of US Withdrawal. *The New York
Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=051-994&t=c>
(5/9, Krauss) reports Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear
deal “has so far had no more than a muted effect on oil and gasoline
prices. But that could easily change.” According to the Times, the “full
impact on global oil markets may not be seen for weeks or months,” and
“will depend on how tightly the administration enforces new sanctions on
Iran.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=052-cc7&t=c>
(5/9, Alessi, Sider) reports Bjarne Schieldrop, chief commodities analyst
at SEB Markets, said that for global oil prices, the US decision means “the
path to $80 a barrel now seems more or less a given.”

*Tweet From New US Ambassador To Germany Sparks Backlash. *The
Washington
Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=053-4f9&t=c>
(5/9, Noack) reports that “within hours of assuming his new post on
Tuesday,” US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell “triggered harsh
criticism in this Trump-weary country after appearing to threaten one of
the American president’s frequent targets: German businesses.” The Post
notes that “in a tweet following President Trump’s announcement to leave
the Iran nuclear deal, Grenell wrote that ‘German companies doing business
in Iran should wind down operations immediately.’” The Post says that
“while Grenell’s post may not deviate from the official White House stance
on future European business dealings with Iran, the timing and tone struck
some German politicians, journalists and business executives as offensive
and inappropriate.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=054-a5e&t=c>
(5/9, Donahue, Rogers) reports Peter Beyer, the German government’s
coordinator for trans-Atlantic relations, said by phone from Washington
that Grenell’s comment “wasn’t necessary. Maybe it’s the new style.”

*NYTimes: Iranian Market Has Been “Disappointment” For Europeans
Firms. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=055-669&t=c>
(5/9, Ewing, Reed) reports that “European companies moved quickly to invest
in Iran after it agreed in 2015 to mothball its nuclear weapons program.”
However, according to the Times, “even before President Trump pulled out of
the agreement with Iran, many companies had already tempered their
expectations and limited their investment.” The Times goes on to say that,
“despite its potential, however, Iran has largely been a disappointment for
European investors,” and “in a dysfunctional economy, many failed to gain
traction in a huge bureaucracy rife with political power struggles.”

*Flake: Exit From Iran Deal Will Make Korea Negotiations More
Difficult. *Appearing on MSNBC’s Morning Joe[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=056-160&t=c>
(5/9, Geist), Sen. Jeff Flake (R) said, “I wasn’t a fan of the [Iran
nuclear] accord. I thought that the agreement in 2015 should have included
some prohibitions and some addressing of Iran’s activity in the region and
ballistic missiles.” Flake added, “I’m very worried, particularly going
forward now with negotiations with North Korea, how does that make the
situation better or is it more likely that North Korea will enter into
agreements with us knowing that, at the drop of a hat, we could get out of
those agreements?”

*Relatives Of American Prisoners In Iran Call On Trump Not To
Forget Them. *The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=057-33c&t=c>
(5/9, Gladstone) reports that relatives of Americans imprisoned in Iran
“implored the Trump administration on Wednesday not to forget their loved
ones, whose fates may have just become murkier now that the United States
has quit the nuclear accord.” Some are “worried that President Trump’s
decision to abandon the nuclear agreement would antagonize the Iranian
authorities, dimming any prospects of prisoner releases in Iran anytime
soon.” Babak Namazi, whose father and brother have been imprisoned since
October 2016, “said in a telephone news conference that he had met with two
high-level White House officials to emphasize the family’s concern.”
US-Iraqi Sting Catches Top ISIS Officials.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=058-479&t=c>
(5/9, Coker) reports two Iraqi officials said, in the Times’ words, that “a
complex cross-border sting carried out by Iraqi and American intelligence”
caught five senior ISIS officials who had been hiding in Syria and Turkey,
including Ismail Alwaan al-Ithawi, a top aide to leader Abu Bakr al-
Baghdadi. The Times calls the operation “a significant intelligence
victory” that “underscores the strengthening relationship between
Washington and Baghdad.” Iraq sent Turkey an intelligence file they had
amassed on Ithawi, who was arrested and extradited to Iraq. After
interrogation by Iraqi and American intelligence officials, he was
persuaded “to contact several of his Islamic State colleagues who had been
hiding in Syria and lure them across the border, the officials said.”
Court: US Must Show American ISIS Suspect Is Enemy Combatant To Transfer
Him.

The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=059-1fd&t=c>
(5/9, Savage) reports that, in “a major decision on presidential war powers
and individual rights,” a three-judge panel of the United States Court of
Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that the US “cannot forcibly
transfer an American citizen being held in Iraq as an Islamic State suspect
to the custody of another country without first proving that he is an enemy
combatant.” Judge Sri Srinivasan wrote, “We know of no instance – in the
history of the United States – in which the government has taken an
American citizen found in one foreign country and forcibly transferred her
to the custody of another foreign country.”
Lawsuit: Bannon Was Target Of Qatari Bribery Plot.

The Washington Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=05a-4a7&t=c>
(5/9, Correll) reports rapper Ice Cube and his business partner Jeff
Kwatinetz argue in a lawsuit that “Qatari investors were interested in
targeting former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon in a bribery
scheme,” according to the Daily Mail
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=05b-3c1&t=c>.
They say that Ahmed al Rumaihi “expressed interest in bribing Bannon,” met
with him multiple times, and planned to “underwrite all of his political
efforts in return for his support.”
Mahathir Leads Malaysian Opposition To Electoral Win.

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=05c-aff&t=c>
(5/9, Shukry, Raghu) reports that, in “a stunning victory” and “a landmark
shift,” Mahathir Mohamad won Malaysia’s election, ending Prime Minister
Najib Razak’s party’s six-decade rule. Mahathir’s four-party Pakatan
Harapan alliance won at least 112 of 222 parliamentary seats. The county
has been “long defined by racial politics,” and “Mahathir appeared to
decisively win over ethnic Malay voters that had long underpinned the
ruling party’s success.” He said, “We are not seeking revenge,” adding,
“What we want to do is to restore the rule of law.” Mahathir also “implored
government officials to ‘do what is right according to the constitution and
the laws of this country.’” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=05d-6bc&t=c>
(5/9, Hookway, Ngui) reports Razak is the former protégé of Mahathir’, who
lead the country for 22 years before retiring in 2003. He reentered
politics and switched parties due to concerns over Najib’s alleged
involvement in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd financial scandal.
WPost: NAFTA Negations Bogged Down.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=05e-be5&t=c>
(5/9, Lynch, Paletta) reports NAFTA negotiations “hit a major snag,” over
which automobiles will receive duty-free treatment. Additionally, the US,
Canada, and Mexico “remain far apart on a host of contentious issues,
including US demands that the treaty must be renewed every five years.”
White House officials are “increasingly uncertain of their ability to hit
their May 18 deadline for securing congressional approval of a new deal
before year’s end.” Failing to get a deal in placed before the upcoming
Mexican and US elections could result in “a tougher negotiating partner”
and more complicated “prospects for winning congressional assent to the new
deal.”

*US Sanctions On ZTE Boosting Chinese Drive For Self-Sufficiency. *The
New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=05f-cae&t=c>
(5/9, Zhong) reports Chinese firm ZTE may be “the first casualty of the
high-tech cold war between the United States and China.” The company said
on Wednesday it had ceased “major operating activities” following last
month’s seven-year ban by the Trump Administration on using components made
in the United States. The Times calls the block “a death sentence.”
Meanwhile, “ZTE’s travails are proving an apt demonstration, for China’s
leaders, of exactly why the country needs to be more self-sufficient in
technology.” The US sanctions “appear to be supercharging Beijing’s
determination to upgrade China’s microchip makers, which have struggled to
keep up with global industry leaders despite state support.”

*WSJournal: Dollar’s Dominance Means Appreciation Could Hurt
Foreign Economies. *The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=060-ef1&t=c>
(5/9, Ip) reports that despite recent decades decline in the US share of
global output and trade, the dollar has gained dominance in global trade
and finance, meaning that its appreciation may hurt other economies due to
increased import and debt costs. The rallying dollar may partly explain
this year’s faltering global growth. The Fed, when considering raising
rates, must therefore consider the possiblity of causing foreign crises
that could, in turn, hurt the US economy.
Fox News: China Seeking To Replace US As World’s Dominant Power.

Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=061-a5b&t=c>
(5/9) reported that China is “trying to replace” the US “as the world’s
dominant power,” and it’s “military is becoming far more aggressive.” On
“the battlefield of the future, China may already have achieved an
advantage over us.” Tucker Carlson noted that “just last week the Chinese
attacked an American military aircraft” over the Horn of Africa “with
lasers.” Meanwhile, China’s military developments in the South China Sea
“threaten US forces in the region potentially.” China is also “expanding
its military presence” in Latin America, and is “now the biggest trading
partner with Brazil, Chile,” and Peru. China is also “increas[ing] its
spying on the West.” This all comes as China’s economy is “booming” amid a
US-China “trade imbalance that hit a record $375 billion last year.”
Domestic Policy
Treasury IG Investigating Possible Leak Of Cohen’s Banking Information.

The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=062-1d2&t=c>
(5/9, Reinhard, Brown) reports that the Treasury Department Inspector
General “is investigating whether confidential banking information” related
to Michael Cohen’s Essential Consultants LLC “may have been leaked.” Rich
Delmar, counsel to the Inspector General, said that “in response to media
reports the office is ‘inquiring into allegations’ that Suspicious Activity
Reports on Cohen’s banking transactions were ‘improperly disseminated.’”
The action follows the release of “detailed claims about Cohen’s banking
history” by Stormy Daniels’ attorney, Michael Avenatti. The New York Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=063-be1&t=c>
(5/9, Fredericks) runs a brief report based on the Washington Post story.

Politico
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=064-29e&t=c>
(5/9, Guida) reports, “Banks file hundreds of thousands of suspicious
activity reports every year, which are meant to alert authorities about
transactions that could be related to fraud, money laundering, terrorist
financing and other illegal activities.” Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=065-067&t=c>
(5/9, Mohsin) reports that under the Bank Secrecy Act, “financial
institutions are required to report suspicious transactions to the
Treasury. Unauthorized disclosure of these so-called suspicious-activity
reports is a criminal offense.” USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=066-d19&t=c>
(5/9, Korte, Schouten) reports that Avenatti “won’t say where he received
the information on Cohen’s bank history.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=067-0bc&t=c>
(5/9, Sanchez, Lane) also reports.

*Scrutiny Continues Of Payments To Cohen. *All three broadcast
networks reported on what ABC World News Tonight[image: Image removed by
sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=068-09e&t=c>
(5/9, story 2, 2:50, Muir) called “new questions” about the “millions
[that] were paid” to Cohen “through his shell company after the election.”
ABC’s Tom Llamas reported that Avenatti says Cohen received $500,000 “from
a company with deep ties” to Viktor Vekselberg, “a Russian billionaire who
reportedly attended the Trump inauguration, and, according to the New York
Times, was questioned by the Mueller team. And the big question tonight:
What exactly was that company, Columbus Nova, paying for? Columbus Nova
tells ABC News it hired Cohen as a ‘business consultant’ for possible real
estate deals, but says it had nothing to do with Vekselberg.” The CBS
Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=069-6e0&t=c>
(5/9, story 5, 2:00, Glor) reported that it has confirmed that Cohen “got
millions of dollars from companies seeking access to the President in the
months after the election. That includes hundreds of thousands from a
company tied to” Vekselberg.

On NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=06a-404&t=c>
(5/9, story 2, 3:05, Holt), Kristen Welker reported that Vekselberg “has
ties to Vladimir Putin.” Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=06b-5b2&t=c>
(5/9) reports that Avenatti “said on Wednesday he has more evidence of
ties” between Cohen and Vekselberg. The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=06c-76b&t=c>
(5/9) profiles Vekselberg as a “tycoon” worth about $14.6 billion “mostly
known in Russia for spending more than $100 million to bring cultural
artifacts back to his homeland, including an array of Faberge eggs
glittering with gold and jewels.” The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=06d-6ac&t=c>
(5/9, Yourish) has an online interactive graphic on the links between
“Cohen’s shell company” and the “Russian oligarch.”

While the networks primarily focused on the payments from the
Vekselberg-linked firm, there is also coverage of other payments Cohen
received. On NBC Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=06e-d3e&t=c>
(5/9, story 2, 3:05, Holt), Welker reported that Avenatti is “claiming $4.4
million flowed through Cohen’s company. ... Payments including some from
companies that had business pending with the new Administration.” Novartis
“says it paid Cohen nearly $1.2 million for advice on healthcare policy,
but soon realized Cohen couldn’t deliver. ... And AT&T paid at least
$200,000 to Cohen’s company, saying it was to provide insights into
understanding the new Administration.” Avenatti said on CNN’s The Lead[image:
Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=06f-204&t=c>
(5/9), “I think that ultimately what is going to be disclosed is that
Michael Cohen was selling access to the highest office in the land, that
Donald Trump knew about it. He knew Michael Cohen was not a registered
lobbyist and knew he wasn’t making the requisite disclosures.”

CNN
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=070-943&t=c>
(5/9, Lee, De Diego, Westwood, Cohen, Borger, Murray, Bash) reports on its
website that “according to multiple people familiar with Cohen’s conduct”
following Trump’s election, “he aggressively pitched himself to potential
clients, reminding them of his proximity to the most powerful man in the
world. ... ‘I don’t know who’s been representing you, but you should fire
them all. I’m the guy you should hire. I’m closest to the President. I’m
his personal lawyer,’ was how one GOP strategist described Cohen’s sales
pitch.”

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=071-f5c&t=c>
(5/9, Fritze) reports that a Novartis subsidiary paid Cohen “as part of a
one-year agreement company officials said expired in February. The company
described Cohen’s work as ‘focused on US healthcare policy matters.’ Days
after the final payment was made” to Cohen’s company, Trump “met with
European business leaders for dinner in Switzerland, including Vasant
Narasimhan, the CEO of Novartis International.” The Wall Street Journal
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=072-ddb&t=c>
(5/9, Rockoff) reports that Novartis said the dinner was not connected to
Cohen. The New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=073-991&t=c>
(5/9, Thomas, Kang) reports that Novartis said it was contacted by Special
Counsel Robert Mueller’s office in November 2017 “and that it had fully
cooperated and now considers its role in the investigation as closed.”

Bloomberg News
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=074-75e&t=c>
(5/9, Larson) reports that Avenatti’s “self-styled dossier...brings
scrutiny to global companies AT&T Inc., Novartis AG and Korea Aerospace
Industries Ltd.,” all of which paid Cohen. But Breitbart
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=075-359&t=c>
(5/9, Carney) writes that “whatever advice Cohen provided to AT&T does not
appear to have helped the company overcome Trump’s opposition to the merger
with Time Warner,” since the Administration sued AT&T to block the
acquisition. In addition, the Daily Caller
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=076-a32&t=c>
(5/9, Ross) reports that “two of the allegedly ‘fraudulent’ payments” in
Avenatti’s document “were made to men named Michael Cohen who have no
affiliation with Trump.”

USA Today
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=077-9f7&t=c>
(5/9, Jackson) reports that Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani “said Wednesday
that his client is not affected” by the investigations into payments to
Cohen. Giuliani said, “I don’t see it. This has nothing to do with us.”

In an editorial, the New York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=078-694&t=c>
(5/9) writes, “Before there was a hint of collusion with Russia, there were
questions about Donald Trump’s finances. ... This week it has become
clearer that questions about Mr. Trump’s finances, and those about whether
his campaign cooperated with Russian hacking of the 2016 election, need to
be asked in the same breath.” The Times says “Americans are lucky” to have
Mueller “examining all of this.”

*DOJ Invites Nunes, Gowdy To Classified Briefing. *The Washington
Examiner
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=079-13c&t=c>
(5/9, Cohen) reports that the Justice Department has invited House
Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes and House Oversight and Government Reform
Chairman Trey Gowdy to a classified briefing Thursday, following Nunes’
threat to hold Attorney General Sessions “in contempt of Congress over the
agency’s resistance related to the chairman’s efforts to obtain documents
related to the Russia investigation.” The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=07a-599&t=c>
(5/9, Mordock) reports that House Oversight Committee Democrats are asking
Gowdy to subpoena the DOJ for documents they believe “will explain why
notes taken former Deputy Attorney General Dana Boente detailing a March
2017 conversation he had” with then-FBI Director James Comey are
classified.

*WPost Editorial Calls On Trump To Intensify Response To “Kremlin
Cyberattacks.” *The Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=07b-c70&t=c>
(5/9) editorializes, “The Obama Administration was slow and ineffective in
its response to Russian election interference in 2016. But it is now on
President Trump and his team to prepare for a new round of Kremlin
cyberattacks.” The Senate Intelligence Committee said this week “that
Kremlin agents targeted at least 18 states’ election systems in 2016 – and
probably more. In at least six of those states, the Russians tried to
penetrate voting-related websites, and some of those attempts worked. ... A
wide variety of current and former national security officials have warned
that the Kremlin has not been deterred. Until that changes, investments in
cyberdefense will be only more important.”

*Steyer Launching “Six-Figure TV Ad Campaign” Focusing On Daniels. *
Axios
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=07c-3a3&t=c>
(5/9, McCammond) reports that billionaire activist Tom Steyer “is launching
a 10-day, six-figure TV ad
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=07d-dbe&t=c>
campaign tomorrow highlighting President Trump’s inconsistencies on what
happened with Stormy Daniels” as part of his push for the President’s
impeachment. Axios writes, “This is another attack against the president
that Steyer can use in his impeachment campaign – which has 5.2 million
signatures and includes 8 ‘impeachable offenses’ – as a way to keep these
issues in front of voters just six months out from the midterm election.”
Steyer, a possible presidential candidate, was in Iowa on Tuesday. He
tweeted
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=07e-540&t=c>,
“Over 400 Iowans joined us in Des Moines last night to make their voices
heard on why we need to impeach Mr. Trump. Democracy only works if the
power belongs to the American people.”
Media Analyses: Haspel Likely To Win Confirmation.

Following her Senate confirmation hearing yesterday, media analyses agree
that Gina Haspel appears be on course to become the next CIA director. NBC
Nightly News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=07f-834&t=c>
(5/9, story 3, 1:50, Mitchell), for example, said “Democrats doubt they can
stop her from becoming CIA director, the first woman to lead the agency,” ABC
World News Tonight[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=080-238&t=c>
(5/9, story 7, 2:40, Bruce) that “this is going to be extremely close, but
right now Haspel does appear to have enough support to be confirmed,” and
the CBS Evening News[image: Image removed by sender. Video]
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=081-fa8&t=c>
(5/9, story 3, 2:50, Pegues) that “despite being grilled by some Democrats,
she did pick up the support of West Virginia’s Joe Manchin, who said he
will vote to confirm her. Also...Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, said
she is a yes vote,” and “it look like” Haspel “has the support of much of
the CIA. One former employee told me that the rank-and-file believes an
insider is better running things rather than an outsider with less
experience.”

Along those lines, the Los Angeles Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=082-3d8&t=c>
(5/9, Megerian) reports Haspel yesterday “pitched herself to the committee
as a intelligence veteran who has the loyalty of the CIA workforce and the
knowledge to run its espionage and other operations around the globe.”
Haspel told senators, “I know CIA like the back of my hand.”

The Washington Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=083-559&t=c>
(5/9, Dinan) reports that Haspel’s “path to be the next director of the CIA
got easier Wednesday,” and quoted Manchin as saying, “I have found Gina
Haspel to be a person of great character. ... Over her 33 year career as a
CIA operations officer, she has worked in some of the most dangerous
corners of our world and I have the utmost respect for the sacrifices she
has made for our country.” The Hill
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=084-ef2&t=c>
(5/9, Williams) notes Manchin’s statement “came the day after the West
Virginia primary left him with a competitive race in November,” and adds
that “several other key Democrats have yet to come out in opposition,
despite expressing some measured criticism of Haspel’s failure to answer
questions on the morality issue.”

*Haspel Says She Would Block CIA From Taking Any Actions She
Considers “Immoral.” *The AP
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=085-2d3&t=c>
(5/9, Riechmann, Freking) reports that in testimony before the Senate
Intelligence Committee, Haspel “said...she does not believe torture works
and she would not carry out any presidential order she thought was
immoral.” Haspel said her “moral compass is strong,” and added, “I would
not allow CIA to undertake activity that I thought was immoral, even if it
was technically legal. I would absolutely not permit it.” According to the
AP, Haspel said the CIA “learned ‘tough lessons’ from its use of harsh
detention and interrogation tactics on terror suspects after 9/11.”
However, the Washington Post
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=086-7b2&t=c>
(5/8, Demirjian, Harris) says Haspel “resisted efforts by senators to get
her to say whether she believed it was morally wrong for her agency to use
‘enhanced’ interrogation techniques on terrorist suspects, including
waterboarding.” The Post reports that some senators “were visibly
frustrated at Haspel’s unwillingness to say definitively whether she
believed it was wrong at the time to waterboard terrorist suspects.”

Reuters
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=087-489&t=c>
(5/9, Zengerle) reports that the hearing “was dominated by questions about
Haspel’s role at the CIA in the use of harsh interrogation methods during
former President George W. Bush’s administration, as well as the
destruction of videotapes documenting the tactics.” According to the New
York Times
<http://mailview.bulletinintelligence.com/mailview.aspx?m=2018051001biden&r=email-eaee&l=088-c79&t=c>
(5/9, Rosenberg, Fandos, Savage), Haspel “sought to portray herself as a
‘typical, middle-class America